The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-09 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY, NO 9, 1867.

We may now fairly believe that the chief diffi-
culty is over in Italy, and that all which remains
to be done is to take up the thread of affairs which
was dropped on the late outbreak, and endeavour
to readjust the position of things. This, though by
no means an easy task, is yet incomparably pre-
ferable to what threatened us a little while ago,
and therefore the comparative advantage is great.
One point which has been rather overlooked during
the recent discussions and deliberations on the sub-
ject is that the Italian people have conducted them-
selves in an admirable manner. There has been little
or no collusion between them and the Garibaldians ;
yet they have had to face great difficulties, and have
been placed in very trying circumstances. What
with the temptation they had to join with one who
deservedly commanded admiration, with the inac-
tivity and indecision of their own Government, and
the irritation naturally produced by the intervention
of a foreign Power, it would, indeed, have been no
wonder if they had been led away to compromise
themselves in a conspicuous manner, and to plunge
into excess from which extrication would have been
difficult,:if not well-nigh impossible. This reticence
andself-command deserve recognition, and we would
say, in considering the circumstances of the case,
that the merit of quelling the disturbances and re-
storing order must not be given altogether to the
French or the Italian Government ; but the Italians
must have some share of it given to them, for their
influence has been indirect, if not direct, and that
was of great consequence, if not immediately in-
fluential or so apparent. It shows besides that we
have more security for the future, because the re-
marks that have been made on the uncertain condi-
tion of the public mind in Italy have not been ful-
filled in any respect. The Italians, as a whole,
evidently desire peace, and have sufficient discern-
ment to see that their best chance lies in the main-
tenance of order. The remembrance of vexatious
events and disturbing occurrences never passes away
in the history of countries, and when the Parlia-
ment meets there will be plenty to excite hope as
well as to call up regrets and remonstrances. The
policy of the country is ever pointing onwards to
the future, and it will not do to waste too much
time and energy in discussing lost chances and
buried expectations.

It is quite evident that the Emperor NAPOLEON
will be only too glad to be rid of the task now
imposed upon him of directing Italian affairs, and
if he could find an honourable means of retire-
ment he would do so. There is no reason what-

ever why some better arrangement should not he
made than that which was effected in the Sep-
tember Convention. With good faith and with
earnest endeavours there will be no cause to fear
an unfavourable result. The Emperor NAPOLEON
has been so harshly criticised in many quarters
that it seems but fair to see what can be said
on his behalf, and in rendering common
justice to him we would observe that he was placed
in a very difficult position, and in one that called
for instant decision. At the same time he had the
conviction that he had to make the right choice or
the consequences. would be fatal to his policy. The
event has justified his wisdom. No doubt it was
a dangerous thing which he did, but even if he had
failed he would have had the satisfaction of knowing
that he had carried out his engagements, and fulfilled
the stipulations agreed upon by him and Italy.
The position of things regarding the September
Convention was not changed with the fact that the
terms of that Convention did not work so well in
practice as in theory ; and we would emphatically
remark that, as a man of honour, he could
not have done otherwise than send his
troops to the assistance of the POPE,
though by so doing he might perhaps have
been the advocate of a policy which did not
strengthen him as the ally of Italy, or render him
popular as the Emperor of the FRENCH. It should
be borne in mind, now that the immediate excite-
ment is over, that the attack so deliberately planned
and determinedly carried out by GARIBALDI and his
friends was a direct provocation, if not a studied
insult, to the Emperor NAPOLEON, and he cannot
be blamed for taking it as such. The means which
he employed to' effect his purpose cannot be called
too arbitraryby those who understood the real situa-
tion of affairs. Let all parties then combine to make
the best of things, and not confuse themselves or
each other by attempting to perform more than it is
possible for them to do. With courage and perse-
verance we have no fear that Italy may be rendered
more safe from disturbances than before.

The high prices of provisions throughout the
metropolis continues to excite a good deal of dis-
cussion, and, what is better, the discussion seems
likely to lead to practical results. It is certainly
producing an evident effect upon many of the trades.
men, who are issuing indignant disclaimers of the
charges brought against them. A round robin has
just been published by some twenty tradesmen at
the West-end, giving the average prices they have
paid for the best beef during the last twelvemonth.
The price of mutton they do not give, but they
admit it to be lower. It is not a little singular,
however, that, according to this statement, whole-
sale dealers are paying at the rate of Bd., 9d., and
10d. per pound for meat. As we know they do not
buy their meat in pounds, but in stones and quarters
and carcases, we should suspect that without any
unfair intention these tradesmen have been making
their calculation after taking off their losses and
drawbacks from various causes. When meat is
sold at such different prices to retail customers in
Newgate market, and that, too, meat of an excel-
lent quality, it is a remarkable fact that butchers
can make no better bargain ! It is only natural
that the tradesmen should try to make the best of
their case, and it is perhaps not unnatural in the
present style of living that they should try to profit
as much as they can out of the necessities of their
customers. It behoves each to look out for himself
and his own interests. There is one very remark-
able fact which tells against the logic of the but-
chers. It is that the bold speculators, who, profit-
ing by the public discontent with the ordinary
dealers, go to the market, buy sheep, have them
slaughtered, and sell them at considerably reduced
prices, declare they can make a fair profit by so
doing. An enterprising grocer at Abergavenny has
just made an experiment of the kind, and after
selling the best joints to his townsmen at Gd. per lb.,
declares himself satisfied with the commercial result
of the transaction, the best proof of this being that
he means to continue so doing. Now, how is it
that a grocer can profit by an exceptional
purchase of this kind, wher., according to
the regular dealers, they find it impossible to lower
their exorbitant charges without loss ? Particular
dealers may charge particular prices to customers
who are exacting in their demands, and who have
no confidence in anything unless they pay three
times the value for it, but that is no reason why
the great bulk of customers should be paying to
retail tradesmen half as much again as they pay at
the wholesale markets. Paterfamilias has begun to
find this out, and the result of his discovery has
been that he has organised a system of supply,
either from the city markets or from country
dealers, finding that, after all the expense
of transit is deducted, he saves a considerable
sum. The butchers have begun to find this out,
and have, for the most part, made a reduction in
their prices. But we can have little confidence
that they will improve, unless some check is kept
upon them. As soon as the public attention is
diverted, and their customers have left off scrutinis-
ing their weekly or quarterly accounts quite so
closely they will by degrees encroach again. They
may not, indeed, go back quite to the old cattle
plague prices, but we may depend upon it they will
have more than a fair margin between the whole-
sale
and retail price. As for the argument that
the traders have not the expense of carriage
to consider, we must remind their defenders
that their customers each paying individually—the
dearest way—find that the cost of carriage still
leaves them a saving of 2d. or 3d. per lb. We hope
that competition will be kept actively up, that the
heads of large households will continue to obtain
their domestic supplies as much as possible whole-
sale. We find, too, that there is some talk of open-
ing large meal stores in different parts of the metro-
polis for the convenience of purchasers, where meat
will be sold at reasonable rates. This movement
will be very useful in keeping down prices, and we
hope will meet with due encouragement.
There is another branch of the question, too,
which is of great importance to the poorer classes.
Reduce prices as we may, English and continental
beef and mutton will always be out of the reach of
a very wide class of the population, who are forced
to live in poor and yet extravagant fashion on less
nourishing and wholesome food. The working
man exhausted by hard and unremitting labour,
his wife worn out with toil and care, his children
often feeble and enervated by living in crowded and
unhealthy dwellings, are the very ones whom good
meat food would benefit most largely. Meat, even
at 6d. per lb., is out of their reach, but while fine
sheep and oxen are being slaughtered by
the thousand for their fat and hides in one part
of the world it seems hard that supply and demand
cannot be better adjusted. If a little care and pains
be taken in devising the best means of packing and
preserving South American beef and Australian
mutton, there can be no reason why a large and
profitable trade should not be opened. Some enter-
prising traders can surely be found who will be
willing to embark some capital and make some
exertion in establishing it. There can be no doubt
that when the first prejudice is over the speculation
would very soon yield a large profit. The specimens
hitherto sent to England have not been the
most favourable, though in many instances persons