The Sun.
London, England, 1858-05-26 00:00:00

SARDINIA.

TURIN, MAY 21.
Count C.,vour yesterday concluded the remark-
able speech he commenced on the iravious
day. Its delivery occupied more than five
hours, being almost the whole of two days' sittings
of the Chamber. The speech of yesterday is cer-
tainly one of his greatest efforts. Owing to its
greater variety of subject, it will probably be pre-
ferred by moat persons to that in the Deforesta
debate.

On resuming his speech yesterday Count Cavour
examined whether it were possible, by any great
referin of the administrative system, to restore the
financial equilibrium and do without the loan.
Glancing at the different departments, at the mode
of keeping accounts, and at the administration of
justice, ho gave his reasons for thinking that no
saving could be effected in them. As regards the
salaries of public servants, you are doubtless aware
that they are extremely low here, especially thole
of the higher classes. A Cabinet Minister gets only
6001. a year. I believe Couut Cavour has never
drawn his salary. I suspect that the lower classes of
employes are inadequately paid, and that it would be
better to have fewerof them, to pay them more, and
to make them work harder. This par parenthese.
Count Cavour then came to the army, and said
jocosely that when the Minister of Finance his col-
league of the War Department yearly csu ed him
great vexation, proposing new expenses to pro-
mote its efficiency ; that employes of that depart-
ment are constantly at work to devise, means of
economising ; that when the fortifications and bar-
racks now in progress should be complete, fresh
extraordinary expenses were not to be anticipated,
but that, if the army were to bemaintained in good
organisation, the present ordinary military budget
must be submitted to. After showing that in the
Home Department very little sould be cut
down, he combated by financial calculations, the
gloomy predictions of Signor A. Costa and others.
He stated the public - debt of Sardinia at
725,000,000 (29,000,0001. sterling), inclusive of the
loan now demanded. Admitting this to be a
serious sum for a small country, he still maintained
that it was by no means excessive in proportion to
the wealth of the kingdom, and proved this by com-
parison with the debts of some other European
States. He was ready to admit, however, that it
was neaesia.ry to put a stop to extraordinary ex-
penditura. While Minister of Finance, he said, if
he had been toe ready, as some Deputies accused
him of having been, to go into great enterprises, it
must be owned that these had all been of a highly
utilit triau nature. There had been no new palaces
or merely decorative and ornamental works, no un-
productive expenditure, except that for the war in
the East, which he believed to have ben also
highly productive. He would beg the Chamber
and iudividu d Deputies to be more mode-
rate in proposing fresh expenditure, and the Minis-
ters, on their part, would be cautious in entering
upon it. He did not foresee a necessity for further
extraordinary expenses, and believed the equili-
brium might be re-established. He then replied
to the general charges brought by Signori Costa,
Delcareto, and Camburzino, who had sweepingly
declared that the country was on the decline ; that
the taxes absorbed not only the savings but part of
the capital of the action; that the Government had
committed grave economical errors ; that industry
was mitred, emigration on the increase, property
falling in value, and that commercial catastrophes
were occurring. In answer to these wholesale ac.
ewkationa, is first pointed, out that emigration does
not indicate the impoverishment of a country, that
there is great annual emigration from England, and
even fron the United St rtes. He admitted, however,
that the Vill3 diseasi, by the misery it had
caused, had produced a special emigration, by
dest: oying the whole produce of the soil in some
districts, awl so reducing entire families to misery.
As to the decrease in the value of immovable
property, he explained it by the increase, since '4B,
in industry and coin tnerce, which had diminished
the amount of capital employed in agricultural
pursuits. Berm *3 '4B, land was a more coveted in-
vestment, and more capital was expended upon it.
He admitted that there had been commercial dis-
asters, but they had been fewer here than in other
commercial places of Europa and America ; and,
considerirg the heavy losses suffered by the trade
of Sardinia, he wondered they had not been much
more nurn,-Tous. Those disasters and the diminu
tion in Lite indirect taxes had had the same grave
Causes. He referred to the failure of the silk crop,
the exaggerated prices to which that commodity
was dnven up by the holders, and the collapse
and runous fall occasioned by the American crisis
—the States being the largest market for the
silks of Lyons and Northern Italy. He estimated
the losses of the _ Piedmontese silk trade at

20,00),000f., and said that the few failures that had
occurred proved how solid and prudent that trade
was. With respect to the economical decline, he
referred to the results of the census, showing an
iucr(ased. population. According to the census
taken on the 31st of December, 1857, the pupula-
tionof the Sardinian States is 5,056,672. An exact
coirparison with the census of 1848 cannot yet be
made, because another system had been followed ;
in ',848 Sardinian subjects absent from the country
hat been included. Even with this difference the
increase is 177,000, which would be 250,000, were
allnwance made for the absentees ; and between
1248 and 1857 there were wars and epidemics.
It France, from 1846 to 1851, the increase
was only 281,000 ; from 1851 to 1856,
2'4,000. The increase of population in Sardinia
had been concurrent with a rise in the prices
of labour. This fact furnished a demonstration
with respect to the increase of the public riches—
vhich he thought incontestable. Therate of wages
depends on the proportion between capital and
:abour. Then, if while the population increased
wages also increased, it was evident that the social
capital had augmented. He referred to the flou-
rishing state of the savings- banks and to the increase
of deposits ; a,nd ho then turned to the exhibition
of Sardinian manufactures and produce that opened
here the other day, and concerning which I shall

shortly give you a few details. That of this year,
he said, showed, when contrasted with the last
(1850), an immense progress, both in the number of
exhibitors and in the quality and cheapness of the
articles exposed. In 1850 there were 469 exhibitors;
in 1858 there are 1,325. Some branches of industry
had been, it might be said, born in the interval—as
regarded Sardinia. The present exhibition, he con-
sidered, was a complete refutation of the statements
of the adverslrit,s of Government, and proved that
Sardinian industry was in a position to support
foreign
competit'on, and had been rendered more
:c'ive by tl:e lowering of the tariff. He concluded
this part of hiispeech by saying that be thought be
had sown the seri,ma fears expressed on the finan-
cial state of the country to be unfounde 1 ; that he
did not venture to hope he had upset all the argu-
ments brought against Government, but that the
Chamber must decide between Ministers, who be-
lieved their system t ) have teen advantageous to
the coluVry, and certain Deputies of the Right,
who said they had brought it to the verge of a po-
cipice. " One word on politics," then said M. Ca-
your, and the Chamber redoubled its attention :
" Certain Deputies have said that their vote was un-
cer`ain by reason of the political considerations involved
in a change cf Ministry. I had occasion, not long
siice, c'earlv to explain the direction of the fore4Jl
pokey of this Government. I declared that our pricy
was and mus=t he purely ; our policy at borne
lihe,al and rder,oators. I k; ow that sonic, wird, ad-
mitting our f.,reign policy to be natioral, have d,r.hts
respeet:ng our home policy. Those are in au error w hid!
we might di eel by merely indicating the facts ( f cur
Parliamentary life ; hut what eve will soy is, that these
p rsons hint at an impossihil V. It is my absolute cur,
viction tha', in the actual condition of Piedmont, it
is iin;mssiW to have a national and Italian p-1 cy
abroad if the internal p be not liberal and re-
forming ; as it would also be impossible to follow a
liberai and reforming policy at home vviti-Datt having
a national aed Italian policy abroad. If )ou thi:A
that we have a national and Italian policy
abroad, you must believe also that our internal policy
is liberal and ref,rming. ('Bravo! bravo!') You can have
no doubt about that. We intend to continue in the
path of reform and of liberty. We cannot say whether
we shall proceed more or less .rapidly, because, if there
be no doubt as to the tendency an I the aim, there is as
to the manner, A:though the present Ministers have
been many years in power, they love liberty and desire
progress as much as any member of this Cnamber ; but