The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-04 00:00:00

THE ITALIAN QUESTION.

Signor Farini's pamphlet, says a letter froth
Turin, could not be expected to add much to our
stock of facts relating to the questions of which it
treats. They all have been long generally
known, and, indeed, of late they have been
recapitulated even to weariness. The object
of the present writer has been to state the
question clearly, according to his point of view,
which tends to show the necessity of war. He 18
one of those who do not admit that the question
can be settled otherwise. He begins by a brief
recapitulation of the principal events in the historY,
of Italy since 1815, and insists upon the repeateu
violations by Austria of the treaties of that year'
especially by occupation of territories not her own,
and by fortifications • she had no right to erect.
She kas violated them also, he says, with respect
to Lombardo-Venetia, by withholding from that
country the separate administration to which they
entitled it, by not giving it a special council, as was
done to Hungary and Transylvania; and, finallY,
after '4B, by taking away every vestige of self-adoT
nistration from the Italian provinces, and definitively
incorporating them in the empire. At considerable
length he insists upon and inveighs against the lin'
prisonments, tortures, capital punishments, confis"
cations, banishments, and other innumerable penal-
ties and cruelties inflicted by Austrians on Italians
at various dates in the last 34 years ; and in support
and as an instance of them, he cites the case of 11
student named Ungarelli, for whose veracity be,
vouches, and whose long and painful narrative °L
the floggings and other sufferings inflicted on him to
1852, in the prisons of Ferrara, Signor Farini print°
at the end of his letter to Lord John Russell. The
flagellation of State prisoners he affirms to have
been a common practice of the Austrians, and be
could furnish, he says, in proof thereof, many Per'
fectly reliable testimonies in addition to the one. be
gives. He contrasts the results of the Austrian
and Piedmontese systems, does not deny that it Were
very desirable that diplomacy should succeed in
settling the Italian question, but repeatedly declare!
his conviction that this is impossible. With respect
to the question of Rome, in particular, he writes as
follows

" It appears to me the most difficult and involved of nil
and I hold it for certain that if diplomacy attempts to grol?e.
its way through that labyrinth, it will not emerge from It
either with honour to itself or satisfaction to the population.
Certainly, my Lord, the Roman's, as you have attested in,
Parliament, have, like the Roumans, a right to be consulted
as to their wishes ; but I have great difficulty in believing
that the Powers will afford them that opportunity, or thatt
if they did, they would accept as valid the wishes thl
would be signified. The Romans, like the Roumans, Wow
perhaps be reasonable in their demands, but the Court °'
Rome, if I do not deceive myself, would be less yielding
than the Ottoman Porte, and that of Vienna would be far
more troublesome, and offer far greater resistance on the
banks of the Tiber than on those of the Danube." _

-----
In short, Signor Farini everywhere concludes for
war. This was to be expected. He belongs 01.
phatically to the war party ; to those who see 0°
possibility of repose or safety for Europe so long 0
there is an Austrian left in Italy. Diplomacy he
deems impotent to achieve any satisfactory result;
Austria will not give way, and Rome, supported bY
her, will be equally unbending. He takes the tho'
roughly Italian view of the question, and insisti on
believing that, because England desires to keep Or
peace in Europe, and to exhaust every pOssilme
pacific means before having recourse to the sword,
she therefore sympathises with Austria. He spoil°
of English journals which have made themsetve°
the advocates of Austria and have vouched for her
liberality (1 mallevadori della sus liberality.) AuP
tria may yield to pressure short of war, but no one
will suspect her of voluntary liberality. Referria
to Count Cavour's recent diplomatic circular, Sign°
Farini repeats the old assertion that Austrian nle.
naces preceded Piedmontese preparations for 1,01
in short, that all the provocation proceeds fro!
Austria. The Italian question consists, according
to the pamphlet, entirely in the antagoniso
between the Austrian and the Piedmontese systems,
and therefore Italy cannot hope for peace, or sec?:
rity, so long as the position made for her by t"`:
treaties of 1815 shall endure. Signor Farini
expresses his great regret that the English nation
does not espouse the Italian cause, and expressos
himielf towards England in courteous, friendly, an,
flattering terms. The concluding paragraph of tne
pamphlet is as follows :
" The cause of our liberty (of Piedmont) is inseparabLY
linked with the Italian question, and in vain may he 117—
to defend it, who, in the name of the violated stipue;
tions of Vienna, seeks to sunder Piedmont from lt,°-`„/;
Of this truth those statesmen should persuade themsecvt",
who believe that an European Congress might be able
give order and peace to Italy and prevent that 'AZ
which to many appears inevitable. Certainly it 1v,0%
be desirable •to obtain by peaceable means that
may cost many sacrifices ; but as not even a coup
of angels could change the condition of things and t
nature of the Italian question, no one can hope that
Congress can give peace, liberty, and security to
it be not first agreed among the Powers, that the trestle;
of 'l5 be corrected, and that Italy must be indepeud°
of all foreign domination. If these bases were laid dole
and agreed to first, the Congress would be tulab,,
to avoid the dangers of war, and perhaps, eve
would result in enlarging its fields. Every expealem"
would be not only useless, but hurtful; it might 1:1
sibly postpone war for some months, but, perhaps, it scou-',
lead to war by means of revolution. The evils of Italy
and the perils of •Europe springing from the antagonismof the Austrian and Piedmontese systems, peace 001111,°t
~
be established either by making some other State one
into the Piedmontese system, or by changing in Italy tPd
seat or restricting the state of the Austrian system ; an
it appears to me certain that, if the Powers should see'
some compromise of the like nature, Austria, conscious, et/
we are, of the true nature of the question, would say, 'll
Metternich said in 1831, at Vienna, to an Ambassador 0:
Louis Philippe's 'better to die of a violent death than tole'.
oneself slowly waste away.' Wherefore it appears to 010
that public opinion, so painfully intent on that which, in 0,
much discontent of, the Italian nations and arming a!
European Governments, the fates prepare, must hold it to
be proved that the customary remedies of diplomacy cannot
heal the wounds of Italy."

CONES, ISLE OF WIGHT.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
MARCA

REMOVAL OF THE COURT TO THE ISL;iOWD3III'
—According to present arrangements, her Majesty
will leave Buckingham Palace for Osborne on the
12th inst.

UNIVERSAL ROYAL YACHT CLUB.—We under'
stand that there are some gentlemen now at Cowes
about establishing a Universal Royal Yacht Club,
which shall be open to members of Royal TWA
Clubs, and to officers in the army, navy, &c.
DIED at the Medina Docks, Cowes, on Satur•
day last, Thomas White, Esq., the eminent shil?'
builder. He was in the 86th year of his age. -
funeral took place this day; and, as a mark (!:
respect to his memory, all the shops and nearly ail
the private houses in the town were closed.