The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-15 00:00:00

TEE FRENCH PRESS ON _ITALIAN

AFFAIRS.

Several of the Paris journals remark on the pro-
clamation of King Victor Emmanuel and the en-
entrance of the Piedmontete troops into the States
of the Church. We subjoin a few extracts, com-
mencing with the A! iecle, which expresses itself in
these terms :

" The importance of this decision cannot escape
the attention of any one; it is the commencement of
a new phase of the Italian question. We offer up
our ardent prayers that the intervention of Pied-
mont may not lead to any other. The plan of the
Italian counter-revolution, as we have frequently
pointed out, was precisely by its excesses to force
Piedmont to assume a decided position, and with
her usual chivalric feelings she has now done so.
Between her and the adventurers of all nations
who have placed themselves in the pay of
Italian - counter-revolution, the question cannot be
doubtful. Many persons ask themselves whether
it would not have been better to have al-
lowed the people to have effected their work of
emancipation, and thus have not given any pretext
for foreign intervention. Europe has, however,
witnessed all the facts as they have taken place;
she knows from which side the provocations have
come ; she is aware who has compared the revolu-
tion to Islamism, and who has preached up a cru-
sade against the enfranchisement of Italy. We hope
that she will know how to make due allowance
for the necessities which so many provocations
have created for King Victor Emmanuel, and
for the dangers which Italian order and Catholicism ,
itself would have incurred if a regular Govern-
ment had not prevented the disorderly struggle
which was necessarily about to break out. A
rumour is generally current that certain Powers
would not regard with displeasure the inter-
vention of the King, which would appear to them
of a nature to lead more speedily to a European
understanding. It is true that the Patrie has given
the most formal contradiction to the lndependance
of Brussels which gave this report, and affirms that
all the Powers consider the entrance of Piedmont
into the Papal States as a violation of the law of
nations. Nevertheless, if it is so isolated as the
Patrie says, no one can explain to himself why
Piedmont had not waited patiently until the force
of events had brought about a conflict between the
troops of Gen. Garibaldi and those of General de
Lamoriciere. She might, if she had only listened
to the dictates of the narrow instinct of self-preser-
vation, have remained a spectator of that struggle,
and profited by it at her ease. Very powerful mo-
ral interest must have decided her to interfere.
Events will explain what those interests are. The
motives which have determiaed the action of the
Sardinian army in the Marches are pointed out by
the proclamation of Victor Emmanuel to his sol-
diers, and particularly by the repetition of the
scenes of Perugia at Fossombrone."
The following is from the Debate

"As it was easy to foresee, the prophetic ab-
jurations of the Constitutionnel have been esti-
mated at their true value at Turin. If there still
remained the least shadow of doubt as to Victor
Emmanuel's designs,it is now dissipated. A despatch
from Bologna, dated the 11th, announces that Ge-
neral Cialdini has passed the Reman frontier. We
cannot yet fix the moment when this passage was
effected, which will be in its consequences one of
the gravest facts in contemporary history, if it
should lead to Austrian intervention, and one of
the most important in the history of the world, if
it should ultimately lead to the ruin of the temporal
power of the Popes. The revolt of the town of
Fossombrone, and its repression by the Pontifical
troops, appear to have determined General Cial-
dini's advance, after hesitating two or three
days. If it should so turn out, Fossombrone,
the forum sempronii of the Romans, one of
the smallest towns in Italy, will have twice wit-
nessed in the course of centuries events of incalcu-
lable importance, since it was there that, more than
2,000 years ago, the defeat of Asdrubal secured the
safety of Pagan Rome, and sealed the ruin of Car-
thage, as the fate of Catholic Rome may perhaps
be decided there in our day. Before the Piedmon-
tese troops invaded the Papal territory, they must
have had time to receive the decisive proclamation
which Victor Emmanuel had addressed to his army,
and which we have received by telegraph from
Turin."
The Moniteur de la Flotte makes these observa-
tions :

" Events have marched with incredible rapi-
dity. The expedition into Sicily was considered
an act of folly ; few people believed in the suc-
cess of a descent on the mainland ; the in-
surrection in the Pontifical States appeared a
wild dream ! And yet now Sicily is almost annexed
to Piedmont ;the King of Naples has abandoned his
throne ; the Pontifical troops fall back before the
victorious revolution, and Garibaldi keeps Austria
on the alert in Venetia. To go to Venetia is for
him a danger, or as some say it will be a fault ; but,
whether fault or danger, we do not think that the
Italian movement can be checked. If a defeat is
probable at Venice, a victory is possible ; and it is
Garibaldi's game to run the risk. By the side of
this bold project there is the question of European
peace which is incontestably at stake. Up to this
moment it has been said and repeated in the diplo-
matic world that Austria would maintain an ex-
pectant attitude, and remain on the defensive, that
she would not attack, and would confine herself to
defending her positions and her Italian possessions.
In the present state of things, however, it seems to
us difficult for her long to continue this passive con-
duct ; she will be obliged to abandon her reserve.
We fear that ; but for the sake of European peace
we do not wish it."