The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-26 00:00:00

on the part of the: people, andlsheer negleGt on.the
part of those in office, whose duty it is to see to

these matters.

We copy an excellent article on this subject
from our acute contemporary the Lancet, which
makes it a peculiar province of its duty to look
after the preservation of the public health. We
recommend that article to the especial consideration
of our readers, as well as to those in authority,
who should not sleep at their post while they
pocket the pay.

On Saturday—says the Moniteur of yesterday—
the Treaty was signed at Turin, the memorable
Treaty whereby his Majesty King VICTOR Em-
MANUEL cedes to France the district of Nice, Savoy
and the Savoyards. The larceny, therefore, so
long talked of and dreaded, may be regarded at
length, we suppose, as 'an fait accompli. Perhaps
even Lord JOHN will not at this moment object to
our so regarding it. The noble lord, it will be re-
membered, when first the notion of this tossible
annexation was brought under the consideration
of the House of Commons, said, amongst other
charming little compliments of a like kind, lavished
by him, as England's Foreign Secretary, upon our
Imperial ally across the water said my Lord
JOHN, referring thus to the Question of Saxony,
and to the fair fame of the Emperor NAPOLEON 111.
—"I have studied the character of that great man,
and am satisfied in my own mind that he will never
annex Savoy !" My Lord JOHN—Savoy is annexed!
The treaty in which the King of SARDINIA
yields up Savoy and the district of Nice to
his Imperial Majesty the French EMPE-
ROR, was signed at Turin, as we have said (as
the ilioniteur has officially informed Europe), on
Saturday. Perhaps—we venture to hint this to
our sagacious and clearsighted Foreign Secretary
—perhaps it will be just as well in future
if Lord JOHN RUSSELL refrain, at the very
least, from setting up as a judge of charac-
ter. He may take tile command of the Chan-
nel Fleet say when Mr. BRIGHT has been
nominated, for the salvation of England., to the
head of the Board of Admiralty. His lordship
may, if he pleases, perform the operation for the
stone—say in some peculiarly perilous and difficult
case beyond the skill of Mr. FERGUSON. But, at
least, in Heaven's name, after this, let Lord JOHN
RUSSELL refrain, henceforth, from arrogating to
himself any skill whatever as a judge of charac-
ter. He has doubtless, as he tells us, studied
the character of " that great man," the
Emperor NAPOLEON 111. very profoundly. But
at any rate he has not studied it profoundly enough
to escape from the position of having been in the
face of Europe egregiously deceived. What our
Foreign Secretary declared but a few weeks since,
would (he was satisfied) never be done, would
never even be attempted—has not only been at-
tempted, it has actually also and triumphantly
been done. It has been done so completely, so
successfully—that our Foreign Secretary has been
" done," too—England has been " done "—Europe
has been " done " collectively. The Emancipator
of Italy has assumed the position occupied in the
old fable by the low attorney, who swallows the
oyster HIMSELF, and—then hands to the two dis-
putants, to the right and to the left, the empty
oyster-shells. AUSTRIA has—the Treaty of Zurich !
ENGLAND has —the Treaty of Commerce!
FRANCE absorbs Savoy and the Savoyaeds ! Voila
tout !

But the Savoyards seem to like it—at least those
delightful gentlemen who paid that courtly visit
the other day to the Tuileries. They appear some-
how—those merchants, or rather hucksters, from the
Liverpool of Savoy—to be pretty much of the same
way of thinking as Mawworm in the Hypocrite,
who says with an unctuous relish and smacking of
the lips—" I likes to be despised !" In the political
storms and tempests recently agitating Italy
their one prayerful ejaculation must surely
have been the same as that of PA-
NURGE in RABELLAIS' wonderful Gargantua—
PANURGE who howls out in the midst of sea-sick-
ness and terror, " 0 that I were on shore Anywhere
with Somebody kicking me !" They have landed
safely at last high and dry within the boun-
daries of France—and their prayer (in the esti-
mation of Europe) has by this time surely been
answered to their heart's content. One of them
—the chief amongst them, their principal spokes-
man—has already, in payment of his sycophancy,
donned the Imperial livery as Senator. There is
another address, too. worthy of the occa-
sion, which has this day also seen the
light. It is actually an Address amount-
ing to a protest from Savoy against the
annexation ; but it is an Address beginning
(in the name of Savoy)—flow, 0 English peti-
tioners (to Anybody), do you suppose this crawling
Address begins Thus,—" Sire ! We venture
humbly to entreat your MAJESTY to deign
to cast pour eye upon the following statement,"
and so forth ! Why, absolutely, language like that
is what savages might utter before one of their
idols, with their foreheads in the dust, and
their little children burning beside them on
pyres in sacrifice ! It is not the language of man to
man, of a civilised people addressing themselves to
a Christian Sovereign. There is but one public
solace to us in the midst of this almost universal
stupor of mingled fear and sycophancy. Switzer-
land has manfully uttered her protest against the
lawless seizure of Savoy—she has uttered her pro-
test in words not unworthy of Switzerland.

On Wednesday next a great battle is to come
off. The combatants have been in training for this
last month. They have had one determined set-to
this session, which has only whetted the zeal of
both sides for a more decisive one on the 28th.
Our readers Rill remember that on the second
reading of the Church Rate Abolition Bill, the
maintainers of the rates made a grand and unex-
pected effort. The Abolitionists, considering the
bill as good as carried, had made no special effort :
they had told their friends that they need not
trouble themselves to petition this year, and had also
used their influence with members rather laxly,
not fearing that they should in any case have a
very large majority. But the old axiom of the
folly of despising an enemy was somewhat exem-
plified on this occasion ; for, though they lost not
one of their own supporters, yet the enemy
brought up so many more than he had
ever done before, that the majority of the
Abolition party was much diminished. Besides
which they had been busy for half a yew getting
up petitions from every petty parish of the king-
dom till the number of small petitions, not aver-
aging more than thirty signatures each, quite
astonished the House, and the Abolitionists them-
selves. Indeed, the petitions had been got up so
quietly that the public did not know of them.

Forthwith the Abolitionists altered their tactics.
Lord AIONTAGUE, the leader of the Rate party, had
compared the host of pro-rate petitions with the
" one miserable petition " against the rate. His
opponents, therefore, deferred the committee for
the Bill for a few weeks, just to see whether
there would be any considerable number of
petitions sent in from their side against
it ; and, of course, informed all their

supporters throughout the country of their
reason for postponing action with the bill. The
response has been triumphant. It is indeed im-
probable that the number of petitions can equal
that of those sent up by an organisation which
has a' Church clergyman in every parish in the
kingdom, eager to have his surplice washed, his
sacramental wine paid for, and the slates and lead
of the church roof kept tight, at the cost of Dissen-
ters, or of any every one else, worshipper with him
or not worshipper,--still the number will be large,
and we think it not unlikely that the signatures
will be as numerous, or nearly so, as those of the
Rate party. Should this be the case—should a
few weeks' petitioning show as great
results, nearly, as the whole year's work
of the other side, —it would be a con-
clusive answer to the question—Does the op-
position to the rate flag or not? We believe that
it does not—indeed we are sure of it. The country
takes for granted that the battle is almost over,
and is, perhaps, in too leisurely a style, expecting
the announcement of the victory.
The country must remember, however, that
monopoly dies very hard ; and Church-rates
are but a part of that monopoly of all the good
things that can be got by a dominant sect,
under pretence of being the National Church.
Such a pretence clergymen and their bishops may
adhere to ; but every layman, whether politician
or man of business and of common life, treats
as simply ludicrous. What is called the national
Church does not do, does not even profess to do,
the national work. Not only the census and Mr.
HORACE MANN, but our own eyes, tell us: that we
have as many chapels as churches, perhaps more.
We meet Dissenters every day, in the common
business of society; we know them to be men just
like ourselves, desirous to promote the welfare of
society, and, with very rare exceptions, if politics
are mentioned, we find them to be decidedly on the
side of progress—of education especially, for which
they made sacrifices before State grants were in
vogue—of free trade, of foreign freedom, of every-
thing, in a word—liberal. But we confess that we
do blush, when knowing all this, they have to
complain that, hitherto, they have been
subject to exactions in the shape of Church-rates,
for Churchmen's worship, while they are doing so
much, at their own cost, to extend accommodation
for Christian worship throughout the country.
We are not surprised, therefore, that even the
Marquis of BLANDFORD'S committee proposes to
exempt Dissenters from further payment of rates,
while it proposes at the same time to obtain fresh
powers to compel Churchmen to pay. The objec-
tions of Dissenters to the committee's scheme may
be seen in an exceedingly well-worded document
which has been laid by them as a petition before
the House of Commons, and has been printed with
the votes. We think these reasons conclusive.
The annual notice proposed is every way objection-
able, and Voluntaries must appear in a false posi-
tion indeed, if they aided Churchmen in levying
compulsory rates on each other. They have always
objected to compulsory payments, in any form, for
religion. How, then, could they sanction one
Churchman seizing another Churchman's goods far
the purpose of Christian worship ? Their adver-
saries would have been the first to taunt them with
inconsistency.

LATEST NEWS.

The following telegrams have been received at
Mr. Reuter's office :

TURIN, MARCH 24.

A proclamation of the King to the people of
Central Italy has been published. The following
is a summary :

" Your wishes are satisfied. You are united
under one monarchy, a reward well merited by
your unity and perseverance. It is, however,
necessary to continue the virtues of which you
have given such an admirable example to the
world. Above all things, persevere in the firm
resolution to make such sacrifices as are indis-
pensable for accomplishing and establishing great
enterprises. We are now bound by an indisso-
luble pact of honour to our common country and
to universal civilisation. I have exposed my life
for the independence of Italy, and I have given
my people an example of loyalty. I now claim
from my new peoples the same affection as from
my former subjects. I desire to strengthen the
Italians in the unanimity of their resolution to re-
sist aggression and to prepare continually for better
things."

TURIN, MARCH 26.

The result of the elections of Representatives to
he Parliament is very favourable to the Liberal

cause.
At Florence—The Chevalier Buoncompagni, Baron
Ricasoli, Count Cavour, and Signor Peruzzi have
been elected.
At Bologna—Count Cavour, the Marquis Popoli,
Signori Bert, Pichol, and Oudinot.
At Turin—Count Cavour, Baron Ricasoli, and

Signor Farini.
At Milan—Count Cavour and Signori Farini and
Cattaneo.
At Genoa—Count Cavour.
The concourse of electors was everywhere very
great. •

In Southern Italy the state of affairs becomes
more and more alarming.

BERLIN, MARCH 26.
The protest of Switzerland, addressed to the
Great Powers, arrived here the day before yester-
day, being sent direct by the President of the Fe-
deral Council.

Prussia is negotiating with England in reference
to the reply to be given to the note.
PARIS, MARCII 26.
The Constitutionnel publishes an article by its
chief editor, M. Grandguillot, congratulating the
King, who is about to address a proclamation to the
inhabitants of Savoy and Nice, releasing them
from their oath of allegiance, thus assuring hie re-
spect for the principle of legitimacy, and, at the
same time, for that of popular sovereignty.

PARIS, MARCH 25.

The Moniteur of to-day says :
" The treaty by which the King of Sardinia con-
sents—subject to the approval of the Chambers—
to the anuexation of Savoy and the district of Nice
to France was signed yesterday, the 24th inst., at
Turin.

" This annexation will be effected without any
constraint on the wishes of the population. The two
Governments will concert the best means of obtain-
ing a manifestation of this wish.

The King has transferred the neutralised por-
tions of Savoy with the same conditions under
which he possessed them.
The Emperor promises to come to an under-
standing
the treaties ing
on
nthequestion with. the Powers who
of Vienna of 1815, and with
Switzerland.

"The Sardinian subjects who are natives of
Savoy, will enjoy for one year the privilege of
claiming the maintenance of the Sardinian nation-
ality.
" A mixed commission of French and Sardinian