The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-12 00:00:00

THE SUN.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1859.

The few words spoken by the Emperor NAPOLEON
to M. HUBNER on the first day of the New Year,
followed by the speech of Vlaron. EMMANUEL at
the opening of the Sardiniab Chambers, have already
spread consternation in every money market in
Europe. It is believed that the quotations of public
securities exhibit losses amounting in the aggre-
gate to sixty millions of pounds sterling ! And
this may easily be conceived when it is known that
the decline in the French funds has been no less
than 5 per cent. ; in the English, 2 ; Russian, 3;
Sardinian, 5 ; Austrian, 5 or 6 ; and Turkish, 3 per
cent. This is a heavy price to pay for the indis-
cretion, or deliberate determination, of a single in-
dividual to disturb the peace and tranquillity of
Europe.'

None can desire more earnestly than ourselves
the social and political regeneration of Italy, and
the concession of those large and comprehensive
measures of reform so urgently required in that
beautiful but unhappy land. But it cannot be for-
gotten that it was by the aid of French bayonets
that sacerdotal domination was re-established at
Rome, and by Austrian soldiers that the Legations
were kept in awe. If the object had been to
procure salutary ameliorations, to give good
government 'to the people, there might
have been some extenuation—we cannot call
it justification—of the proceedings.
But Loris NAPOLEON cannot be regarded as a
very sincere advocate for popular rights and pri-
vileges. It suited him' at the time to conciliate'
the Ecclesiastical party in France ; and his support
of the POPE in the hour of need, the restoration of
the Pontifical temporal authority at the very
moment it was shaken to its foundation, accom-
plished its object, while it rivetted the chains on
the Italian race. For it cannot be supposed that
if a free and constitutional Government had been
'established in the Pontifical dominions, the neigh-
bouring authorities could have resisted the just
demands of their respective peoples. Bomba
would. have assumed an appearance of mildness,
and the claims of the Lombardo-Venetians would
have been taken into earnest consideration. Even
Tuscany, and the minor States, would have elevated
the standard of Reform, and Piedmont would not
have been the only Constitutional Government
under an Italian sky.

But it is not by a special arrangement between
France and Russia, using Sardinia as a tool, that
these inestimable blessings are to be obtained.
They are not exactly the quarters to which op-
pressed nationalities could turn with any well-
founded hope of redress. That they have their own
objects to achieve is certain. But what are these
objects? Who can ascertain the nature of the private
arrangements entered into between the Imperial
confederates, or how far
.they may benefit the
Italia.ns themselves, or the rest of the civilized
world ? It is unquestionably for their own private
aggrandisement that France and Russia have
coalesced against Austria, and with the long-stand-
ing and well-founded resentment of Piedmont
against the latter Power, it could easily be induced

to take the initiative, or adopt any measures that
might be desired when assured that the requisite
aid and assistance would be forthcoming at any
time it might be required.
There are many ominous tokens a' road that in-
dicate the coming storm. There is e sacrifice of a
young Royal victim, which seems to be an essen-
tial incident to the commencement of hostilities
since the days of IPHIGENIA to the present day.
In the olden time it was the priesthood that claimed
the victim. Now it is rendered in the less revolt-
ing, but probably not less dreaded, shape of a Royal
marriage. In full accordance with the precedents
in such cases made and provided, we find, that a
matrimonial alliance has been arranged between
Prince NAPOLEON and Princess CLOTILDE,
daughter of King VICTOR EMMANUEL, a young
lady who has not as yet attained the mature
age of 16 years. At another time this might not
be thought much of, but under existing circum-
stances,' coupled as it is with the rumours of war,
and the extraordinary speeches of Louis NAPOLEON
and VICTOR EMMANUEL, it looks as if an alliance,
offensive and defensive, had been contracted, to be
carried on through good report and through evil
report, and that thenceforward VICTOR EMMANUEL
would be held in the traces of his formidable neigh-
bour—becoming, in fact, a mere political cypher in
hts hands.

Another inauspicious omen is the establishment
of a Russian naval establishment on the Italian
coast—Sardinia having granted the requisite,facili-
ties therefor. This seems strange. But a few
years since VICTOR EMMANUEL heartily joined in
opposing Russia, and sent his troops to the Crimea,
where they rendered very efficient services. But
now we find the constitutional ruler currying favour
with the autocrat. There is more in this than
meets the eye in the first instance, and it cer-
tainly does not promise well for the peace and
tranquillity of Europe. On this part of the case
we would earnestly invite attention to the letter
of " An Italian," which we have extracted into our
own impression of this day. It will be found well
worthy of perusal.

At all events England is now out of the scrape,
and it is the duty of our rulers to keep her so.
She may for once safely practise " the policy of
abstention," without any impeachment of her
honour, or injury to her interests.

According to the last advices from North
America, the Governor-General of British Columbia
had issued proclamations revoking the Crown
grant to the Hudson's Bay Company—organising
the Colonial Government—legalising the previous
acts of his Excellency—and adopting the laws of
the mother country. Simultaneously with this
important announcement comes the intimation
that the Bishop Designate of the New Colony,
the Reverend Doctor HILL, late of St. Nicholas,
Yarmouth, will take his departure for his diocese,
accompanied by twenty missionary clergymen.
Already the heads of the departments have
sometime since left the shores of England for
their remote and deeply-interesting destination,
Colonel MOODY, as the head of the military and
engineering expedition, carrying with him a novel
title as Commissioner of Lands and Public Works
in the gold country. Judge BEGBIE is the indi-
vidual, intrusted with the weighty responsibility of
administering the law of England among the new
colonists, most of them by necessity as gold hmiters,
mere adventurers—and so with the other branches
of the colonial administration. Obviously, there-
fore, no time has been lost by Sir EDWARD LYTTON
in the rapid development and regular consolidation
of a project which but yesterday was little more than
visionary. It was only towards the very close of
the last session of Parliament that the Colonial
Secretary—himself, but newly installed in office as
the chief of that difficult and most responsible de-
partment—introduced in the House of Commons
the memorable Bill which has thus swiftly led to
the realisation, in a very great measure, of the
cherished dream of those who, have, like ourselves,
long aspired to witness the substitution—in our
North Amefican: possessions west of Canada—of the
authority of the CROWN in lieu of the old, effete
authority exercised during the last two hundred
years by the Hudson's Bay Company's Govern-
ment. The fortunate discovery of these new and
splendid gold diggings along the banks of Frazer
River happily came at last to afford us the long-
desired opportunity. Doubly fortunate, as it has
proved for our imperial interests, that opportunity
arrived at a time when a statesman wholly uncon-
trolled by *the red tap bonds of routine held the
seals of office as her Britannic MAJESTY'S Colo-
nial Secretary. Sir BULWER LYTTON at once
recognised that upon the comparatively narrow
spot marked out as the site of the new goldfield on
the mainland immediately confronting the Island
of Gandia or Vancouver—the required standing
ground might at once be obtained, whence with an
Archimedian lever to lift at last from North Ame-
rica the oppressive incubus of the Hudson's Bay
Company's Government. These commenced simul-
taneously with the new Colonial Minister's in-
stallation in the office at Downing-street—
yet already before the prorogation of the
Legislature in August the rapidly-prepared bill
for the establishment of the new Colony of British
Columbia had been carried by the energy-of Sir
EDWARD LYTTON through Parliament. During
the lapse of what was to almost every one else 'a
long vacation, the Right Hon. Baronet has (with-
out any detriment whatever to the discharge of his
ministerial duties in regard to the fest of our vast
colonial empire scattered over both hemispheres)
been rapidly carrying into effect the proposed organi-
sation forßritishColumbia of a regula rand permanent
Colonial Administration. So completely have these
labours been accomplished that the • whole machinery
of the new Government in Britisl Columbia will
have been in actual operation sour! time before the
meeting of Parliament at the a )mmenceraent of
the ensuing month of February. A development
so speedy and complete, of a design t in itself so vast
in its geographical bearing and political import-
ance, augurs happily not only for the future
of British Columbia, but for that of our
whole North American possessi.ons. What that
development may be one simple contrast will suffi-
ciently indicate. The territory cl 'the North Ame-
rican Republic, consisting of thirt y-two Sovereign
States, comprising an area of .3,260,000 square
miles, contained in 1800 a p( )pulat ion of very little
more than 5,300,000—a p.)pulatlon increased' in
the next fifty years by nearly 18,000,000—the
United States according to the census of 1850,
comprising within their bo unda ries upwards of
23,000,000 of inhabitants. : Recollect—in contrast
to this—that the British N orth American posses-
sions, extending over an are: z of 2,600,000 square
miles, comprised within thei r frontiers according to
the last census, that of 185; 1, exactly 2,517,401, as
the aggregate of the popui tion. Not one man to
each square mile of territe. ry

The Duchess of In vern/ 3sg entertained a soled
circle at dinner, last everinz, W her apartments in lien-
singthn Palace.

The Duke and Duchess of Manchester arrived in
town on Monday night, fro= . Berlin and Hanover. The
noble duke and duchess left y esterday for Kimbolton Castle
Huntingtonshire.