The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-04 00:00:00

VENETIA.

(From the Times Military Correspondent.)
VENICE, Sept. 23.

Special constables in Venice ! Who would have
believed it a short time ago ? Yet it is a fait ac-
compli, for the civilians who have been organised by
the Municipal Council, and whose influence was
sufficient to disperse the foolish people of Cana-
rebbio two days ago, can hardly be called anything
else. The Commandant's proclamation given in my
letter of yesterday has been followed by one from
the civil authorities, which runs thus :
"LA CONGREGAZIONE MITICICIPALE DELLA B. CITTA DI

VENEZIA.

" Citizens !—ln order that the fame, which your good
sense and dignity displayed in other times have won for
you, may not be stained, it is necessary that now also tran-
quillity and order shall be your role.
"To maintain quietness the Municipality has given
power to certain honourable citizens, who, impelled by
patriotic sentiments, have spontaneously offered themselves
to give assistance by word and counsel.
" Give ear to their suggestions, await with calm the
events the accomplishment of which is near, and think that
the regards of all Italy are turned upon this Venice, from
which is expected a behaviour corresponding to the dispo-
sition of her people, moderate, wise, and patriotic.
" Frow the Municipal Assembly, Venice, Sept. 22, 1866."
General Revel did not return yesterday as ex-
pected, but sent his aide-de-camp to transfer his
baggage to another hotel. It is said that he, Gen.
Moring, and the Italian Commissioner have not
succeeded in arriving at a good understanding, and
the same air does not appear to suit them. While
Austria and Italy are disputing about the amount
to be paid for guns and stores of various kinds,
they cannot settle down, nor disarm to the ex-
tent that seems vitally necessary to both ;
and, indeed, though the wars are over, the
rumours of wars" are likely to keep them both
on the qui wive for some time to come. The demon-
strations of friendship betweenßussia and the United
States, and the troubled state of relations between
Greece and Turkey excite mnch attention here, and
it is of no use concealing the fact that the Italians
are so dissatisfied with the doings of their army and
navy in the war that a considerable party would hail
with joy a rupture of the negotiations, and take the
chance of another campaign, if they could only per-
suade Prussia to declare that Austria had not ful-
filled her engagements towards Italy, and reopen
the campaign. This would, of course, be suicidal
folly, and end, like an old Chancery suit, in the
ruin of both sides. If the Government do not suc-
ceed in gaining a slice at least of the Trentino, and
in cheapening the price of the war material, they
will have a hard time of it when Parliament meets.

The Neues Freunden Blatt of Vienna of the 17th
inst. has reached us here, containing two pages of
intelligence of a nature to make Austria's hair
stand on end, if it be true, as asserted in that paper
that they have actually received the list of army
dispositions contained in it from Prussian sources.
Is it possible that on June 11th the whole ordre de
battaile was carefully made out and traitorously de-
livered to the Prussians, information only in the
hands of the highest members of the staff, and utterly
unknown to the rest of the army ? If so, all Bene-
dek's attempts at concealment only served to blind
his friends, and his plans, if built upon secrecy,
were founded on a quicksand. No wonder the
Prussians advanced boldly and rapidly, no wonder
the Austrians succumbed, for the whole standing
ground was cut from under their feet. As Benedek
kept the details from the junior officers of his
own staff, it is probable that a transfer of his
headquarters would have given him a follow-
ing, knowing more about the Austrian army than
his own officers, whom he, kept strictly in the dark
on all such matters.

The garrison of Venice is becoming quietly re-
duced ; the troops steal away by companies, and
while I write a battalion of Grentzers is passing the
hotel, probably on their way to the steamer. I defy
any one with the instincts of a soldier to do other-
wise than admire this Austrian army, so quiet, so
temperate, so gentle in peace and so gallant in war.
We all wished Italy to have Venetia, and shall be
glad when the white coats are cleared away ; but it
is most illogical and unjust to confound, as so many
writers do, the Government with its Exocutive, the
diplomats with the soldiers. Conceive for a moment
the case as it exists. In the minds of the :soldiers,
who are well acquainted with the feeling of the I
people, Venetia must have been to all intents and
purposes a conquered country, held down by force
of arms; furthermore these conquered people are
perpetually insulting the victors, and letting slip no
opportunity of irritating th3m. Ask any colonel of a
French or English regiment whether he would like
to guarantee the peace being kept by his men under
such circumstances. Yet the Italians never even
pretend that they are badly treated. Among all the
charges that pour from their voluble throats one
never hears of personal violence, though the provo-
cation is very great. Women walk freely among the
troops without the slightest fear of insult by day or
in the shades of evening, and the Italian men shrug
their shoulders and turn their backs upon the Aus-
trians without the slightest fear of consequences.
Quiet, discipline, and obedience to orders of the
troops are most. remarkable, and if the expected in-
coming army behave as well as those who, with sad
faces, are leaving Venice, the people will have great
reason to congratulate themselves.
The idea of an affiance with Austria finds little
favour Ns ith the Italian journals. The Persereranza
of the 20th has a long article on the subject, in
which the feelings of the people generally are very
well expressed. It says that more persons are de-
ceived at Vienna than in Italy, that the relations
between the two nations have hitherto been those
of master and slave, and that a safe friendship can-
not take the place of such a position all at once. It
can only wonder and grieve at the opinion of the
Presse of Vienna, when the latter declares it is time
to forget old rivalry and enmity, because the inte-
rests of Austria and Italy are identical. But the
wonder is less when it is remembered that the jour-
nals of Florence and other parts of Italy begin to
speak of Austria with so much dolcezza simply be-
cause they have never had her stern rule really
brought home to them. They imagine too easily
that " the treasure of hatred which has accumulated
in our breasts can be dissipated as if by magic at
sight of a treaty." Though so long enemies, under
ordinary circumstances they might little by little
lose the impressions made by so long a servitude and
make friends with Austria as with any other Power;
but it is well for Austrian politicians to understand
that Custozza and Lissa, which have rendered the
abandonment of the provinces easier to Austria,will
weigh heavily on the spirit of the Italians, and the
latter battle more than the former. And further
remains between Italy and Austria the questions of
the Tyrol and Istria—the first a principle of national
right, and the second still more, " for Istria gives
to Austria the entire dominion of the Adriatic,
and this is not natural, nor is it possible that the
province can remain long in her hands." Well
crowed Perseveran,.a- ! After quoting the Presse
to show that Austria would have the greater part
of the commerce flowing through the Adriatic,
it goes on to ask if it can be expectedl of Italy
Pa
to content herself with a low.so rich a
table, and winds up by
saying
thatce at
it
well for strangers to talk about Italy being pru-
all very
dent and developing her internal resources,
that she will never have the energy to do so if her
legitimate ambition has no play.

All the above may be stated thus We hate
Austria because she has first ruled us against our
wills and then beaten us, and we cannot be peace-
able and attend to our own affairs till we have de-
prived her of everything that could be of any use
t us." I wrote a few days ago that I had heard on
very good authority that the debt was not the only
question difficult of arrangement in the treaty, and
a Trieste paper now says that peace will not be
sealed, signed, and delivered for a month yet. This
is perhaps rather too much to say, but if the Italian
Government are influenced by such wild notions as
those stated by the Perseveranza, the words of a
distinguished politician were right when he said
lately, " You will see that it is impossible to satisfy
Italy i when she has got Venetia she will want 'the
Tyroq if we gave her that she would not be satisfied
without Trieste, then Istria and Dalmatia."
But while people outside-.are doing their best or
worst to delay the settlement, and to keep Venice
still in thraldom, the citizens have made a great