The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-04 00:00:00

SOUTII GERMANY AND THE TVA.R.

A letter dated Lugano, June 27, says :—After
visiting several towns of South Germany, I was
with some surprise brought to the conviction that
the people beyond the Rhine are profoundly indif-
ferent to the present war. Even in Swabia, where
from religion and old connexion the population
might be supposed to sympathise with Austria, I did
not find them to care much for her fate. But, on the
other hand, the officials are in a dreadful state of
anxiety, and with the officials may be grouped all the
higher classes. The honest German farmers, though
in no wise loving the French, entertain no fears of
them. But nobles and officials, and the courts, great
and small, with which they are connected, do mor-
tally fear lest the French should come back to com•
plete what they had half executed half a century
ago, in the days of their ascendancy. There are a
class of writers, too, who would represent the war
as one of race--of Gaul against German, and Celt
against Teuton. In a philosophical point of view
the s
be this, but neither the people
nor
ggle may
combatants take such a view. The North
thet r u
and Central Swiss, all Germans as they are, show
no predilection for Austria, who, to be sure, was
their old enemy: and Swabians and Swiss have a
great many sentiments in common.
- Swiss and Germans, too, look for one material
result of the present war, in which I trust they will
not be disappointed. They look to the complete
opening of Switzerland by railways down to the
Mediterranean. The Government of Piedmont had
done its best to further this, but it was ton poor.
Besides, the best and most natural passages went
through Pavia and the Milanese, The commercial
and political adjunction of the two would be looked
on as a great boon both to Switzerland and South-
West Germany, for which the Rhine has proved no
outlet. The least that people here hope for Victor
Emmanuel is the Milanese, Parma, and thatportion
of Modena which is' immediately behind Genoa.
After that, say they, carve Italy as you please.
Whether " war thoughts" will allow these pacific
plans to ripen remains to be seen. But certainly
the war mania is spreading fast in Switzerland ;
and although the Federal Government has raised
about 12,000 men at the expense of some £50,000,
it has still filled all the southern cantons with drums,
trumpets, and military occupation.' The rumour runs
tlt the French Emperor, feeling the great sacri-
fices of men he has made, and fearing that he
may want his native troops to resist German on-
slaught, has resolved on appealing to the Italians,
and making them raise 300,000 men to defend Italy,
after lie has freed it. The idea is a magnificent
one. Italy, with 300,000 Italian soldiers, can de-
fend not only her territory against the Austrians,
but her fate and freedom against any foe.
To descend from such vast views of politics to
smaller ones, I was reminded of our English mania
to become a nation of sharpshooters by the proofs
that the Swiss are already such. But I was really
not prepared for the immense sacrifices they make
to attain their end. Our Government seemed to
think it did much by offering ammunition and tar-
gets to voluntary rifle regiments. The programme
of the Federal 'fir, or national shooting matches, to
take place at Zurich in July, has just been published,
and stuck up in a verybroad sheet. How much do
you think the prizes for best shots amount to
Very- nearly 250,000f.—i.e., £lO,OOO. There is
an amount of annual prizes for the best rifle shots
At Zurich there will be this year one prize of
57,000 f.—that is, £2,280. There are also prizes of
40,000 f. and 20,Q,00f. We spend sums equally
considerable on the sp.2rt of training the swiftest
horses. Could MA file national generosity be better
directed for the next few years? Lord Derby evi-
dently sets himself forth as the Pitt who is to
weather the storm, having first raised it, of a 25
years' war. InsteadC of giving £50,000 to the race-
course, let him.give it to the best rifle and cannon
shots. I fear, however, that national games and
pursuits are not things to be changed or created at
a thought or a bidding. I merely mention what
the Swiss do spend on the honour of being good
shots.

The affair of Perugia has set the Swiss in great
flame and shame; and well it may. I should not
wonder if they passed a law depriving of the rights
of citizenship all the Swiss who enter foreign mili-
tary service without state permission. They say that
of the regiments in the Pope's service called Swiss
regiments not one-third are Swiss at present. They
however feel the more the disgrace entailed on the
national name. At the same time the decree
prohibiting foreign military service was hard upon
the primitive cantons, whose sons have not the
alertness of the southern Swiss to earn money in
so many ways. The mountain sons of Tell could
handle a halberd and little else, and their non-en-
gagement in foreign service has impoverished them.
I have witnessed in this country a proof of how
difficult even yictor Emmanuel will find it to make
quiet politicians of the Italians. The Tessin, the
Italian canton, is as agitated as any Irish county by
rival factions. The government of the Tessin is in
the hands of the liberals, who, though desirous not
to damage the cause of religion, are still determined
to keep the priests from being paramount in politics.
As it is the election that decides the action of the
Government, of course the elections of the Tessin
are lively and disputed. In one important locality
at the last election the Conservatives thought they
would make a :fight for it ; and a leading champion
of theirs descended into the arena, not with a long
purse but a long pistol, which he discharged upon
his opponents. The latter were not slow to reply
with what weapons they had at hand, and half-a-
dozen people lost their lives in the scrimmage.
The trial of this gentleman, which has just taken
place at Lugano, has made the Swiss forget for the
moment even Magenta and Peschiera. But battle-
fields and Italianpolitics I shall reserve for another
letter. ,