The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-28 00:00:00

were taking the road towards Novara and also by
Blategriesso, through Vigevano and Mortara, and
were moving directly on Turin. Several divisions
of the French Army had also disembarked at
Genoa, while others were proceeding by Mont Cenis.
Meantime, the Sardinian troops had abandoned the
province of Novara to the tender mercy of the
advancing enemy and retired on Sesia. It is
doubtful whether they will be able, or the French
troops be in time to check the onslaught on Turin,
and it is by no means clear that VICTOR EMMANUEL
will not ere long have ample cause to exclaim " save
me fr6Tl my friends !" He may find the French
auxiliaries given more formidable than his Austrian
opponents. As lwe have already stated, Sardinia is
likely to endure a large proportion of the suffer-
ings accompanied by a very infinitesimal part of
the rewards ; or, to use the vulgar but expressive
phrase, to receive far " more kicks than halfpence"
:41 consequence of her inequitable and impolitic
Iconduct.

vv
it is certain that Austria discerned the duplicity
of France, and the designs of Russia, and this
knowledge ooes far to justify the course
she has pursued. She at once perceived
the mockery of the proposed Congress, and
therefore endeavoured to make conditions
which would have diminished the evils of delay.
Even when England, on Monday Let, renewed her
offers of mediation she promptly acceded to the
proposition. France, however, finding the time for
casting aside disguise had arrived, refused
her assent. The EMPEROR has made
up his mind, and will not be diverted
from his determination by any possible conse-
quences that may occur to himself, his dynasty, or
his subjects.
It is estimated that the general depreciation in
the funded and share property of the country even
since yesterday morning amounts to no less than
fifty millions sterling, while all foreign securities are
practically unsaleable at any price. Matters are
even worse in France. There is a complete panic
on the Bourse, and all those evils are produced by
the criminal ambition of one restless and designing
man, who seeks to cement his dynasty by the blood
of his innocent subjects.

Let the base chastise the base ! Never was
there an instance of juster retribution than the
present position of Austria and Prussia. They
both, when Russia was the great aggressor, saved
themselves, at the cost of almost all Europe. Both
of them confessed that Russia was in the wrong ;
if either of them had thrown its sword into
the scale of right, the sword would never
have been drawn ; even proud NicHoLAE.2 would
have not felt dishonoured in yielding to three great
Empires, much less in yielding to four. But
Prussia was married to Russia, and Austria was
married to self ; for their own purposes both threw
overboard all considerations of honour, and of
loyalty to the interests of Europe and of humanity,
and now the very power which they ought to have
stopped in its unjust career, places its armies in
observation on their frontiers.

As England cannot have forgotten, nothing
could surpass the selfishness, meanness, and
cowardice of these two powers. Prussia not only
recalled her noblest ambassador from England,
because he sympathised with the views and feelings
of this country, and spurned the idea of his country
being a matrimonial appanage of Russia, but she
also became, to her own great commercial
profit, the carrier between Russia and
such portions of Europe as were still
disposed to trade with her. Austria, from be-
ginning to end, did nothing but play fast and loose
with all her engagements, now seeming ready to
act, now withdrawing. Advancing if Russia re-
treated, halting if Russia halted, and retreating if
Russia advanced—her one single object during
the whole war was self. She only hoped she
might strengthen her own position, whoever was
weakened. She forgot equally gratitude to Russia
for Hungarian services (services to her, bad as they
were in themselves), and her duty towards Europe
—to save her own pocket, yet to gain the benefit
of getting Russia out of the Principalities. She
has her reward ! Russia now insults her in her
distress, and Europe says, "It's your due."
Perhaps, if the fray_goes on, as it will almost
certainly do, Prussia may begin to look to England
for help. If French and Russian ships blockade
her Baltic ports, or convey her little toy navy to
Cronstadt or Cherbourg, we shall be asked to inter-
vene. But this time all England will pronounce an
amphatic No, which no Government, not even if
his Royal Highness - goes down on his
knees to the Prime Minister, will dare to
disregard. This time it will be ours, to save our
pockets and to stand on our own defence. The nation
did not marry Prussia, and did not even like its
Princess Royal marrying a Prussian Prince; and
we can never tolerate being plunged into war in
any fbrm, to aid a country which more than indi-
rectly was the cause of the Russian war. Prussia
must take her chances. She has no occasion to
fight. Her Rhenish provinces are not attacked ;
if she keeps quiet, as we shall, they will not, in all
likelihood, be attacked. We must leave Prussia to
herself ; she will then be obliged to leave Austria
to herself, and Austria between France and Russia,
with Italy on her flank, must iu no long time come
to terms.

Our course, as a nation, is clear to every capa-
city. The cost of doubling our navy would not
equal the cost, probably, of the first year's war.
On the other hand, if we strengthen ourselves
while the despots are fighting away their resources,
we shall be relatively stronger every day. We
have nothing to fear but from the combination of
the French and Russian fleets against us, and all
we have to do is, while they are busy with their
present game, to play our.own, and to take care
that they shall in no emergency catch us napping.
We have no fear, indeed, that at this moment we
could not send the combined Russian and French
fleets beneath their guns as of old, or give a good
account of them if they came from under their
shelter ; but nothing ought to be left to chance,
and England, therefore, will make her navy in-
vincible, and await the event. Worse for Italy
things cannot be than they are ; and, though we
should deprecate merely a change of external
masters, few will think that, after all, the vivacious
French would not be preferable to the brutal
Austrians.

We heartily join with, we believe, the entire
public in reprobating the reckless proceedings of a
small knot of men at the Marylebone election.
Were the candidates, who till the last moment had
no right to expect opposition, Whig or Tory,
Chartist or Radical, the proceedings adopted were
wholly inexcusable. We can hardly think any
respectable parties would ever imitate them ; but
all parties are not respectable, and the voice of
public censure ought to be so strong as to make even
the most wanton afraid to face it. In the present
case there is not the shadow of an excuse. There
was no earthly hope of returning the absent can-
didate,
and that candidate himself repudiates the
use of his name. Indeed, especially after what
has taken place in the City, it was a piece of gross
rudeness and ill-breeding to connect Lord STAN-
LEY'6 name with a futile and factious contest for a