The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-30 00:00:00

distrust of Europe. No one at the time thought of '
any other reason for falsifying his promise to expel
the Austrians from the Alps to the Adriatic. In
both cases, we are assured by M. PERSIGNY, we are
quite mistaken. The Crimean peace and the Ita-
lian peace came so soon—so unexpectedly that
most were taken by surprise—not for reasons men-
tioned or obvious at the time—but because the
Empire was peace ! Reluctantly drawn into war,
no exhaustion of resources, no wish to deprive
England of the glory of finishing the work begun,
no fear of the four great fortresses—no, nothing
made peace but its being the genius of the Empire !
How natural, then, for such an Empire to expect
that all the States who now so foolishly distrust
France will Fin her true character. She has merely
gained now the position to which she was always
entitled. Europe was altogether wrong while
France had no authoritative voice in her coun-
cils. She has this now—she needs no more.
Let Europe be reassured. True, there is some
foolish talk about the Rhine, bat a river in the
actual state of military science is no strategic boun-
dary. An invasion of England has also been the idle
romance of some few factions minds in that coun-
try. But there, the virtuous QUEEN and the leaders
of both parties appreciate such nonsense as it de-
serves, and the populations of both countries wish for
peace, and think of nothing else, England espe-
cially. What fear can there be that either of the
two countries could think of commencing a war,
which must prove so disastrous to both ? Ex-
cellent reasoning, Mr. PERSIGNY ! We only
want proof that the counsels of an EMPEROR
may not again, as in the Italian war, prevail
against the wishes of his own people, and proof also
that some outrageous military exploit may not be
soon again necessary—necessary to make civilians
forget their domestic slavery, in the Foreign laurels
gained by their army.
We are too likely perhaps to call to mind Savoy ;
—the origin of the last and lasting distrust generated
by Imperial duplicity. Duplicity ! Why M. PER-
SIGNY tells us, the affair was all frankness itself—
First, how justifiable was the principle of the act.
The Victor of Solferino had a right to expect the
results of the battle—the treaty—would be respected
by the Italians though they were no parties to them
—" If however, the first use that Italy makes of
her independence is to tear up the Treaty of Villa-
franca—that is to say, to reopen the entire question,
and expose us to a fresh war—France, after having
voluntarily paid the cost of the independence of
Italy, could not permit her generosity to be abused
to the extent of also paying for a great Italian
Kingdom. She had, then, the undeniable right to
say to Piedmont, that if the treaties were violated
on the other side of the Alps, she would demand
that they should also be modified on this side of
them." The old ludicrous nonsense of France hav-
ing cause to fear from Italian union and indepen-
dence ! M. PERSIGNY regrets that, at first, the
EMPEROR'S Government could not give publicity
to the arrangement—yet adds, that "if the
Government of the EMPEROR was not en-
abled to speak thus openly, it nevertheless
did not hide its intentions either from
the Sardinian or British Governments. Even before
the war it had advised Sardinia that, if events
should bring about a great Kingdom of Italy, we
should demand that the passes of the Alps should
not remain in the hands of that kingdom. And,
above all, nothing was concealed from the Govern-
ment of Great Britain. It is possible that it was
imagined that we might have been brought to re-
nounce Savoy, notwithstanding the violation of the
treaty of Villafranca. If such should be the case,
they have been deceived, and we have deceived no

one."

The plain fact is that so far was the thing hidden
from our Government, that it could hardly, after
the assurances it received, be brought to believe
it ; and, that from the day when all became plain
• " Alliance with France has been no more
• heard of, and Germany, politically, occupies with
our Government the former position of France.
As to the general tenor of M. PERSIGNY'S remarks
—they aim to persuade us that France wishes, now,
for the most peaceful relations with us and with
adjacent European countries—we quite believe it.
Count PERSIGNY, is also, himself, notoriously, not
one of the war party ; he personally prefers peace-
ful counsels. He was the right man to put forward
now. If he has dressed up a case for the
purpose, still the purpose is one he sincerely
seeks—but at any hour he might be thrust aside
for a WALEWSKI and his Colonels ; and no one
knows that better than the speaker. We might
also tell him, if he did not know it, that all these
peaceful counsels, which he is authorised now to
promulge, follow on the present isolation
of his master. They are the peaceful counsels of
fear ! From Sicily to the Orkneys he has not, we
believe, one hearty friend. The Italians, whom,
undeniably, he has greatly served, he has yet also re-

minded so ungraciously of his services that he has
chilled the gratitude whieh might have bean a far
better defence than the Alps of Savoy. More
than that, he still intermeddles, most hatefully to
them, by maintaining on the throne of Rome one
of the most odious of their temp oral princes.
France can never be loved in Italy while she in-
sults her by a French army on the Tiber.

The passage in the Royal Speech relating to the
Chinese Expedition is sufficiently significant. 7he
Commissioners—in this passage—content them-
selves with observing—" We are commanded by
her MAJESTY to inform you that her MAJESTY
greatly regrets that the pacific overtures which, by
her MAJESTY'S directions, her Envoy in China
made to the Imperial Government at Pekin, did not
lead to any satisfactory result, and it has, there-
fore, been necessary that the combined naval and
military forces which her MAJESTY and her ally
the Emperor of the FRENCH had sent to the China
Seas should advance towards the Northern Pro-
vinces of China, for the purpose of supporting the
just demands of the Allied Powers." The Commis-
sioners adding yet further—" Her MAJESTY,
desirous of giving all possible weight to her diplo-
matic action in this matter, has sent to China, as
special Ambassador for this service, the Earl of
ELGIN, who negotiated the Treaty of Tien-tsin,
the full and faithful execution of which is demanded
from the Emperor of CHINA." Than every word
of all which nothing could well be more calm, dig-
nified, or unimpassioned ! It is the majesty of a
great power, speaking simply and directly to the
purpose, with no momentary thought of empty
vapouring and vituperation. The " pacific over-
tures," our SOVEREIGN regrets, have not lead to
any satisfactory result." It has become, therefore,
necessary, her MAJESTY intimates, that her Royal
forces, together with the Imperial forces of her ally,
the reigning NAPOLEON, should—"advance towards
the northern provinces of China! " For what ?
Simply—"for the purpose of supporting the just de-
mands of the Allied Powers!" Contrast which tempo.
rate announcements with the extravagantly hyper-
bolical language of the Chinese proclamations—
charging the outer barbarians with the excess of
temerity and the extreme of insolence, and threat-
ening them in turn with an impending and inevi-
table doom, amounting to a penalty very little
short of absolute annihilation !
The reference to her MAJESTY'S ally, the ,