The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-10 00:00:00

THE TREATY OF VILLAFTLINCA.

(From Vie. Times)
It is now announced to the .world by the
Moniteur that one of the conditions of the Treaty
of Villafranea—not only a condition, indeed, but
that one which stood in the high position of being
a sine qua no'n--was the return of the Archdukes.
Large concessions to Veneta were promised by the
Emperor of-Austria as the eqUivalent of this en-
gagement, and the Emperor.
_Na.‘oleon seems to
have accepted both the one and -the other in the
spirit of amiable generosity which found its way
from the-heights of Solferino, fa.ce of the great
Quadrangle, to the 4uiet arm-chairs of the parlour
at Villafranca. If the slave who ought to remind
conquerors of their mortality.be sometimes absent
from the chariot-wheel, he. is never missing from
the Council Chamber. There he speaks of fruitless.
victories, of treasure wasted, of life squandered, of
programmes falsified, of promises unkept. The
Emperor Napoleon accepted the condition that the
Archdukes were to ba restored as the price of con-
cessions to Venice, which we must be content to
know were " large," and which possibly extended
to some recognition of public existence and personal
liberty. But it appears that the destinies of Ittay
were intrusted, not to the Emperor of France, but
to men who had more at heart little partial successes
than the future of their common fatherland. Those
bad citizens and paltry politicians, by objecting to
the restoration of the Archdukes have obstructed
instead of developing the consequences of the Treaty--
of Villafranca. The result of their, efforts is boldly
stated to be the perpetuation of the right of Austria
to do as she likes in Venetia, which under happier
auspices might have been placed in the proud-posi-
tion which Luxembourg enjoys in regard to the
Kingdom of Holland! -
But the Archdukes are not to be reinstated by
foreign forces. This "part of the Treaty of Villa-
franca is not excuted. It was, then, an article
of that Treaty that'the Archdukes were to march
into their old capitals at the head of French or
Austrian legions. Let Italy ho thankful that she
is saved from this curious conclusion of a crusade
which was to make her free to the Adriatic. :Let
her rejoice in the breach of this famous Treaty;'
which we know little as yet, except the breaches,
because it saves her from the Archdukes, though
it hands over Venetia to Austria which is absolved
from all engagements, either of humanity or conces-
sion, in regard to this helpless province. Fresh from
the fields of Magenta and Solferino, the writer in
the 111oniteur talks of a policy of conciliation and
of peace as the natural consequence of the relations
between Italy and Austria. Distrust and hatred;
we are told, will entail fresh misfortun-es on the
people. But the oracle is obscure, and whether the
misfortunes are those of bad government or of open
war—whether they are restricted to Venice or ex-
tended to Italy—is left in doubt, which possibly
could not be solved even by the Emperor of the
French. It is, indeed, one of the greatest of the
many misfortunes of those who permit -themselves
to be forced by circumstances into a violent career,
and from which they escape as men swim out of a
tide-way, that' they cannot regulate their actions
or their promises as long as they are in the cur-
rent, and are apt to make frantic professions to the
bystanders which they are only too ready tc retract
in the moment of safety. We find the Emperor of
France covering the men to whom the destinies of
Italy have been instrusted with reproaches, because
they believed him. We find him openly declaring
to Austria that the sine qua non of the Treaty of
Villafranea shall not be observed at all, but that,
as an offset, she may treat Venice just as he likes.
There is no policeman by—she is freed from en-
gagements. There is no chance even of a Congress
restraining her, or obtaining better conditions for
Italy. Austria,. liberated from the pressure of any
obligations to exercise a policy of justice or mode-
ration towards the portion :of her ancient domi-
nions now left in her power, may mangle and 'la-
cerate as she pleases. To ask the Cabinet of Vienna
to treat Venetia with liberality would be to demand
important concessions, for which France can offerno
equitable compensation. But what would have been
the position of affairs if the programme of Milan
had been accomplished ? What will be the atti-
tude of the Great Powers, even if assembled in
a hopeless Congress' in sight of a conflict between
the troops of the Pope as a temporal Prince,
warring with the t'.rm of flesh against his re-
volted subjects of the Romagna ? And what is
the way, which the Emperor of France points' out
as that in which the difficulties created' by the Ita-
lian war and the peace by which it was, concluded
are alone to be solved? By war—by another war,
which, however, is to be impossible, because France
has accomplished her mission, having made war for
"her idea," which is apparently the complete sub-
jection of Venetia to 'Austria, and the reversal of
her policy in Central Italy. Certainly, if everthere
were required a proof demonstrative of the wisdom
of the injunction to do no evil that good may come
of it, we may see it in the state of affairs which has
arisen out of the war of France for an idea, and out
of the treaty with which that war was brought to
a close. France has indeed made war for her idea,
but when the Moniteurtells us she has accomplished
her mission we must hesitate ere we can believe
that she-sacrificed so many.millions of money and
expended so much noble blood for the sorry satis-
faction of gaining some barren victories, or for the
brief existence; of a lame and impotent treaty.