The Sun.
London, England, 1860-11-03 00:00:00

N. 11114111

quote from him the reasonable principle that on
tiNkkvitation of a brave nople, struggling against
their *tavressors from "reasbuable causes, foreign
powers have a right to furnish the assistance they
ask. Our invitation of WILLIAM of ORANGE, and
the assistance furnished by the States, being the
pertinent illustration. We may add a third ; it
assumes throughout that Italians are really Italians,
and not merely Tuscans, or Modenese, or Neapolitans,
and all the rest of it—it accepts the common na-
tionality of all the sections into which the selfish-
ness of a set of Austrian Lieutenants had par-
celled a noble country, merely to facilitate her
odious rule over them.
The reasons by which Lord JOHN RUSSELL
justifies both the Italians and the King of SAR-
DINIA, cannot of course be novel ; we could not
wish them to be. What we wanted and
what we have, is the recognition as valid, of
those arguments which all Liberals feel to
be sufficient, and that, by a judgment
so important in the diplomacy of Europe
as the formal expression of the opinion of England.
The Italians have, says his lordship, two plain and
reasonable causes for wishing to get rid of their
numerous petty sovereigns. One that those sove-
reigns could not, or would not, administer justice,
in their own territories ; in fact, that they substi-
tuted for it intolerable oppression; the other, that
in no other way could Italians be independent of
foreign control, but by forming themselves into one
strong and organised people. They had tried
forty years ago, to obtain free institutions,
but were hindered by foreign intervention.
They 1..4..aa again in 1848, and again the
result was the same, their best patriots being re-
warded with cruel imprisonments but just ended.
They now make a last attempt, and do it in the
reasonable and moderate way of putting themselves
under the leadership of a King of their own blood
and language, who, moreover, has been signally
true to the cause of constitutional liberty—the very
kind of liberty which the vast majority of Italians
desire.

We may hope that this despatch, with the
events of the last few days, will make our
foolishly vacillating, or blindly selfish ally be-
think himself of what he is doing before Gaeta.
There is, we fear, no doubt whatever that he in-
structed his Admiral to delay the fall of Gaeta by
placing himself in the way of the gallant Admiral,
who was the chief hero of Ancona. We then urged
our Government to interference either with the
EMPEROR himself, or through our Mediterranean
Admiral, We must confess that this telling de-
spatch looks all the right way ; and that we
may well hope that the Government which would
send it, will not hesitate to enforce in the
most desirable way, the neutrality of the French at
Gaeta. The elect of Universal Suffrage will also
learn simultaneously of the election of VICTOR
EMMANUEL by that process, and by a majority
even more overwhelming than his own. We also
hear of the fall of Capua, and of the union, there-
fore, of all the forces of GARIBALDI and the King of
SARDINIA before the walls of Gaeta. In such cir-
cumstances, not only would it be lawless inter-
meddling to hinder the Sardinian Admiral
from doing his part in the siege ; it
would be simple barbarity. The place must
fall, Louis NAPOLEON can hardly wish other-
wise, but it will fall with less bloodshed in pro-
portion to the completeness of the investment and
the strength of the besiegers. If resistance be
seen to be hopeless, as it must be if the town were
invested both by land and by sea, the deposed
monarch would probably flee at once, and the place
sur render without a struggle.
We must not conclude, however, without advis-
ing Lord JOHN RUSSELL to be consistent. Venetia
will now become the test. This despatch, of course,
says nothing of that unhappy country. Any one,
however, of Lord JOHN'S reasonings respecting the
other parts of Italy apply with, if possible, greater
force to Venetia. There the people, in every way in
which they can make themselves heard, and for
the most " reasonable causes," ask for foreign aid
to liberate them from insupportable oppression.
This country, too, is an essential part of Italy—a
part of its strength especially—and if not united
to the rest, an opening for that foreign control, from
which Lord JOHN owns they may wish to be exempt.
The time is rapidly coming when a bold asser-
tion of the just rights of Venetia to share
the Italian Nationality will do as much service
to Italy as the present despatch. It will do a
real kindness to Austria also, since, as she must
part with it, every inducement she can have to
do so without bloodshed is a real advantage to
her. Let Lord JOHN tell her before all Europe
that she ought not to keep,—what he has already
termed, "a menace to Italy," and that she cannot
long keep it, if she would, and, he will be her
most sincere friend.

We have now full and very interesting details of
the capture of the Taku forts. They were taken
after a resistance creditable alike to the defenders
and the captors, and if we must regret so many
casualties to our brave men, we must also remem-
ber that but for the almost unexpected bravery of
the Tartars our troops would not have had the
opportunity of showing what metal they were made
of. We may also be thankful that though the
casualties are so numerous, yet thanks in part to
the badness of Chinese gunpowder, the killed were
unusually small in proportion to the wounded.
Out of 178, only 22 are returned as killed or mor-
tally wounded.

Contrary to their usual practice the Chinese had
made preparations for resistance in several places
along the twelve miles between the Peh-tang and
the Taku Forts. The first resistance was at Sinho,
where the Tartars, finding the Armstrong guns
and other artillery made the place too hot for them,
their cavalry had the boldness to attempt to turn
both flanks of our troops ; not only that, but 80 or
90 of them attacked a battery of guns which had
ceased firing a short time, but were met by 25
Sikhs, of Fane's horse, and completely beaten—it
was a soul-stirring little episode, and the Sikhs, of
course, were delighted with the proof of their

prowess.
The next resistance was by a strongly fortified
camp at Tang-kow ; and here again it was almost
all the work of the artillery, which performed
admirably, both French and English, the ARM-
STRONG gun, however, maintaining its obvious
superiority ; the place was at length carried by the
infantry, Lieut. SnAw being the first to enter the
fort. The first Frenchman who entered was
forthwith promoted on the field of battle. On this
occasion, as throughout, the Tartars stood gallantly
to their guns behind embrasures, which afforded
them a very poor protection against a most mur-
derous fire from the allies.
The next object of attack was the Taku forts
themselves. These are situated on both sides the
river—but the northern forts, the upper northern
one especially, were pronounced by our General to
be the key of the position, contrary to the opinion
of the French General. Sir HOPE GRANT, too,
took the responsibility of acting on his own view,
which proved to be the right one. On
the 20th the Upper Northern Fort was sum-
moned to surrender, all things being ready
for the attack. The demand was repelled with