The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-23 00:00:00

OPENING OF THE ITALIAN

PARLIAMENT.

SPEECII FROM THE THRONE.

FLORENCE, March 22.

The Italian Parliament was opened to-day by the
King in person, who delivered the following Speech
from the Throne :

" Signori Senatori, Signori Deputati,—For the
happiness of Italy, who has confided to me her desti-
nies, I have deemed it expedient that the representa-
tion of the country should be renovated at the foun-
tain head of the national suffrage. lam confident
that it will there have imbibed a consciousness of
the serious wants of the country, as well as the
strength necessary to provide for them. There has
been a time for daring resolutions and bold enter-
prises. I pursued the course which was then neces-
sary, full of confidence in the holiness of the cause
which God had called upon me to defend. The na-
tion replied with readiness to my appeal, and by our
union and perseverance we acquired our indepen-
dence and preserved our liberty. Now that her
existence is assured, Italy demands that the forces
of her intelligence and her will shall not be exhausted
in intemperance and rivalry, but shall on the contrary
be concentrated with the object of giving her a stable
and wise organisation, in order that she may be able
to develope in repose and tranquillity the elements of
vitality and prosperity which she has received from
Providence. The nation demands that the Chamber
and the Government shall apply themselves with
wisdom and resolution to this work of reparation.
" Nations love and appreciate institutions by rea-
son of the benefits they derive from them. It is ne-
cessary to show that our institutions give satisfac-
tion to the noblest aspirations after national dignity
and activity, and that they are at the same time a
guarantee for the good organisation of the State and
the welfare of the people, in order that the latter may
not not lose confidence in liberty, which is the honour
and the strength of our political reconstruction.
" In order to obtain this result my Government
will submit to your deliberation a bill for a com-
plete administrative reorganisation, which gill
strengthen at the same time both liberty and autho-
rity, and facilitate as well as to simplify the rela-
tions between the governing and the governed.
While the provinces and the communes, in accord-
ance with the proposed law, are to enjoy greater
liberty in the sphere of their jurisdiction, more ex-
tensive powers must be united in the hands of the
chief of the province, so as to diminish the confu-
sion inherent in decentralisation by the application
of a remedy calculated to strengthen the bonds of
unity. There will be presented to you at same time
bills of which the object will be to render the col-
lection of the taxes more simple and uniform, to re-
form some portions of our system of taxation, and
to obtain by a more sensible method of accounts a
safe control and rapid check over the application of
the public money. The necessities and engagements
of the. State do not allow us for the moment to
duninkh, as I would wish, the burdens which weigh
upon my people.
" In the meantime the legitimate conversion of
my ecclesiastical patrimony into money, strict eco-