The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-11 00:00:00

VENETIA.

(From the Times Military Correspondent.)
VENICE, Oct. 5.

The last act of the great drama is rapidly ap-
proaching. There is still a delay before the ratifica-
tions can be exchanged, and the impatience of the
Venetians will not be gratified just yet. Peschiera,
Mantua, Legnago, Verona, Palmanova, all are to
precede Venice herself in the path of freedom, being
handed over to Gen. Leboeuf, and by him to their
municipalities, one by one, in the above order. Ita-
lian susceptibilities are to be saved as much as pos-
sible, and it is very unlikely that any outward sign
of French possession will be manifested. ,The actual
terms of the treaty are not known here, but there is
strong reason:to believe that the frontiers of Venetia
remain as they were, Riva still being left in the pos-
session of the Austrians. There will no doubt be
many to say that its retention is a fault and a folly,
and that Austria is not showing a real determina-
tion to conciliate Italy ; but the Tyrol itself objects
to the summary dismissal of a country that has long
been considered an integral part of the province.
The silk-producing slopes of the hills and the beau-
tiful shores of the Lago di Garda are not to be
signed away without protest, and the close ap-
proach of frontier of a rather aggressive Power can
never be a source of anything but anxiety. The
Tyrolese may say, " Trent is an outwork, the first
breakwater against the waves of an invading army.
Why deprive us of a defence which we need and
desire. Indeed, it is said that such has actually been
their vote when consulted on the question. As far
as military frontiers are concerned the question is
really of little importance one way or another, for
there are so many passes, and such various means
of approach, that they cannot all be guarded against
an army approaching from the north.

It seems natural to choose the tops of a mountain
range or a stream for a boundary, just as we should
separate one garden from the next by a wall or a
brook ; but the increase of means of communi-
cation lately partially removes the barriers that Na-
ture has placed between nations. Difference of reli-
gion might mark the various edges, if there were
religions enough and they could be nicely dovetailed
into one another, so as just to fit conveniently ; but
that is out of the question. Language will not do,
or more than one of us would find ourselves in trouble
as well as Austria. If the people are to be appealed
to whenever a foreign nation chooses to assert that
the majority are discontented, the way would be
thrown open for perpetual irritation and change
backwards and forwards; so it really comes to this
at last, that in the general scramble each must take
and keep what he can. At present Austria is in pos-
session of the Trentina, and may very well say,
" Why should I give up for nothing now what may
serve me as an excellent article of exchange here-
after, when its price is higher in the market?" There
will probably be a treaty of commerce before long,
and the Trentino may buy a heavy concession if the
people really wish to be united to Italy. Their trade
is certainly with the south, whence they get corn,
especially, in exchange for wood and cattle, and the
one boon which they crave is that there may be no
delay, expense, and warryof custom-houses between
them and their buyers ; and hence it would seem
that unless trade is freed from almost all restrictions
the Trentiners will become settled in their desires,
and those desires will lead them to be united with
Italy. To this the Austrians reply, " Very well, wait
till that time comes and we can then make a bargain
with the Italians." It was necessary to make a stand
somewhere, for every one knows that Italian aspira-
tions were not bounded by the spurs and valleys that
run down towards the Lago di Garda, but that they
demand now or hereafter that Trieste, and the coast
of Istria at least, if not Dalmatia, shall become a
part of the kingdom, and that the Adriatic shall be-
come again the Gulf of Venice—in fact, an Italian
lake. There is doubtless a great deal to be said on
their side of the question, but then Austria also
happens to want an outlet in that direction, and the
need will be the greater as her manufactures increase
and the world comes to appreciate more and more
the toughness of Styrian iron and the excellence of
hungarian wines and tobacco, to say nothing of the
wealth of corn, a small part only of which finds its
way to the Danube and thence to the Black Sea.
Perhaps, too, a competition between Venice and
Trieste may stir them both up, and give us new
facilities of travelling. They are old antagonists,
and, having lost the power of making war upon each
other, may expend their energies in commercial
rivalry alone. The Venetians are very sanguine as
to their power to recover their old wealth and mer-
cantile glory. They see already in imagination
their channels deepened, docks built, crowds of
steamers arriving and departing every day, while
Trieste is to shrivel up and Lloyd's magnificent
arsenal become overgrown with weeds ; and, in fact,
there can be little doubt that the eastern port has
been favoured somewhat at their expense ; but
then the latter has now such a start as Venice will
find it hard to overtake.

Whether her harbour is again to resound with the
rattling of cordage through blocks and the cheerful
song of the sailor as he heaves up the anchor to the
bows of his deeply-laden ship, or is still to remain
glorious only from the wrecks of her old magnifi-
cence, Venice will always retain the prestige and
charm of her past history, and Trieste, bustle as
she may, can never rob her of the old traditions nor
the nobility with which her misfortunes have in-
vested her. Tier fate and the faults that preceded
it are not without their parallel in the nation that
is parting from her at the present moment.
Austria, like her, has fallen because a class
succeeded, to their own ruin, in getting all
the power into their own hands ; and in our
sympathy for oppressed Venice we need not
forget that the pride of her nobles had become so
great that the people did not dare to walk near
them during their hours of promenade on the Piaz-
zetta of St. Mark's ; her prisons were filled with the
victims of tyranny, and her defenders foreigners and
hirelings. Austria has not gone so far, and if the
spirit of progress in Germany has swept away her
armies, they were at least her own, and there is
enough public spirit left to rally the nation again to
the side of the Kaiser if he will but hold out a con-
ciliatory hand to them, and put away his bad ad-
visers. In the meantime the grave and gentle sol-
diers, whom no one accuses of cruelty or want of
courtesy to the people, walk under the arcades of
the Piazza with depressed and sad faces ; though
anxious to make an end and resign the care of what
no longer belongs to the Imperial Crown, they evi-
dently feel the loss bitterly. On asking one of
them whether we might not once more hear their
military music in the evening, since peace is at last
established, he replied, " What would you have
them play—a funeral march?" When young Italy
comes bounding in, buoyant with life and the con-
sziousuess of having achieved success by persever-
ance in a set course, she may gracefully give a
word
or two of honour where honour is due, and,
above
soldiernallwtihthin things, take care not to confuse Austrian
with ustrian police—the bureaucracy of
Vienna
cothe defenders of Venice.
Ricasoli's
and
dlaergratulatory telegram has pleased the
Venetians,
a warm feeling towards him
and the Govetnnlee:ntites.:alt ran as follows :
"Peace has been
the
xeo.ncluded at Vienna."
The Government of
Italy, not unheard throu hails Venice restored to
hoot her long aspirations, re-
warded for her persevering hero.
an; a nevi strength, a new
honour to the nation !"

The answer of the Municipality Was..
1' The Representative Municipality of 'Venice exults in
the signature of peace. Respectful (ossequiosa) thanks for
the kind and immediate notice, and for the noble and com-
forting salute to Venice. Venice finds it a great reward.
Venice forgets her griefs, joyful in the fulfilment of her
long aspirations !" _ . _

The announcement of the Patrie, that England
Russia, and America were engaged in a great plot
to aggrandise themselves in Sicily, Turkey, and the
Gulf of Mexico respectively, has not found much
favour in the eyes of the Italians. The Opinione
receives it -with great reserve, " and, above all, we
do not believe that England has any wish to cast
herself in Sicily into the same imbroglio from which
she escaped at Corfu."
The cholera seems to be subsiding everywhere
as the weather cools. A long continuance of sirocco
has hit us harder here than would otherwise have
been the case, but up to this time the total number

of cases has been but 71, of whom 35 died, nine
have been cured, and 27 remain under treatment.
Trieste has but eight cases reported from Oct. 1 to
Oct. 2 in town and district ; total from the com-
mencement, 621. Genoa during the same time (Ist
to 2d Oct.) has had only four cases and three deaths.

Amersham and Chesham Agricultural

Association.

CHESIIAM, Wednesday.

The annual ploughing match, for the encourage-
ment of industrious agricultural labourers and ser-
vants, took place yesterday afternoon on ground in
the occupation of Mr. J. Field. A great number
of prizes were also distributed to cottagers and others
for the best show of garden produce.
A dinner afterwards took place in the Town-hall,
at which Lord Chesham presided. Amongst the
guests were Lord Malden, Lord Curzon, Capt.
Parkinson, Capt. Hardy, Capt. Fuller ; the Revs.
C. Lloyd, R. Burgess, J. Greaves, A. F. Aylward,
E. T. Drake ; Messrs. W. Lowndes, J. Hale, T.
Nash, J. Field, E. Berch, &c.
The toasts of the Queen, the Prince and Princess
of Wales, and the rest of the royal family having
been duly honoured,
The CHAIRMAN proposed "The Bishop and Clergy
of the Diocese," coupling with the toast the name
of the Rev. C. Lloyd. (Loud cheers.) The Bishop
of Oxford had promised if possible to attend the
meeting, but he was now so busily engaged at York
that it was impossible for him to be present. He
was happy to see so many clergymen present, for it
was mainly through their instrumentality that such
societies were carried on in a satisfactory manner.
(Cheers.)
The Rev. C. LLOYD, in responding to the toast,
said that the Bishop of Oxford was an extremely
hard-working man, and as hard-working men were
generally the most successful in a ploughing match,
he felt quite certain that if there should be an epis-
copal ploughing match the Bishop of Oxford would
come off victorious. (Cheers and laughter.)
Capt. PARKINSON responded to the toast of the
army, navy, volunteers, yeomanry, and militia.
Lord MALDEN, in proposing " The Members of
the House of Lords and the House of Commons,"
said he believed that, although Parliament and its
assemblies were coeval with the kingdom, the first
mention of the House of Lords and House of Com-
mons was about the year 1837. Ever since that pe-
riod the country had steadily progressed and im-
proved, not only inwealth and power, but in art and
science, and he thought they might all congratulate
themselves that these institutions still remained, and
they were likely to remain under the same form of
government. (Cheers.) However much the members
of both houses might differ in politics or in the
means to an end, they had only one object in view,
and that was the general welfare of the country.
There was a certain—what should he call him—lu-
minous demagogue possessing great talents, which,if
directed in a proper manner, might have been of
great advantage to the country, but who was en-
deavouring to persuade the public that the House of
Lords was a useless encumbrance, and that men who,
by their social position, by their education, by the
stake they held in the country, were justly entitled
to a governing voice, were nothing but a prejudiced
set of useless old fogies—(laughter)—and that the
sooner they were put down the better. Ile hoped
there were not many men present who agreed with
Mr. Bright in that opinion. (Cheers.) With respect
to the House of Commons, the constituencies had
the choice of its members in their own hands, and if
they did not please their constituents they might
give them a hint to retire. With respect to the
question of reform, he wouldnot say anything about
that—(laughter)--but he could not help saying that
he thought reform was required in one sense. The
test of a man's eligibility for Parliament in a great
many boroughs appeared to be not the depth of his
understanding or his capability to legislate, but the
depth of his pocket and his capability of parting
with its contents, (Hear, and laughter.) He begged
to couple with the toast the name of Lord Chesham,
who, during the time he wasa member of the House
of Commons, spent his mornings in hot committe-
rooms and his evenings in listening to dull speeches,
when he would have been from choice at Latiniers,
enjoing the fresh air of Buckinghamshire. (The
toast was drunk with all the honours.)
The CHAIRMAN, who on rising was loudly cheered,
said it was rather a difficult matter to return thanks
properly for such large and influential bodies as the
Houses of Lords and Commons. The manner in
which the toast had been received assured
him that his constitueats thought he had done
his duty when lie was in the House of Com-
mons. (Hear). lie regretted to say that none
of the county or borough members were pre-
sent. The Chancellor of the Exchequer was quite
overwhelmed by public business, and although he
had honoured some of their former gatherings by
his presence he was quite unable to attend the pre-
sent anniversary. Mr. llarvey was labouring under
the greatest affliction that a man could suffer—the
loss of his wife, and Mr. Du Pre, on account of
the delicate state of his wife, was obliged during the
winter months to resort to a warmer climate.
The absence of the county members was thus
accounted for, but he hoped at the next meeting
that the attendance of one or more of them would
be secured, and then they would have the opportu-
nity fof stating what they intended to do with the
Reform Bill. (Cheers and laughter.)
Lord CURZON, in proposing " The health of
the President of the Association," said that the
manner in which some people had lately been abus-
ing the House of Lords might make any one some-
what nervous in proposing the health of a member
of that illustrious body. But in speaking to the
men of Chesham and Amersham and the
adjacent
parishes, he had no difficulty in proposing the health
of Lord Chesham. (Loud
cheers.) As a resident
landlord, he had always been a fervent friend to the
town and neighbourhood, and had very lately offered
to give a piece of ground and to raise money for the
erection of abuilding to which thepoor might resort
in case of sickness. (Cheers.) As a resident land-
lord, farming his own land, he was well aware of
the effects of the late disastrous harvest upon the tenant
farmers, and he also knew the advantage of improv-
ing and ameliorating the condition of the labourer,
who well knew that for a good day's work they could
always receive from his lordship a good day's wages.
(Loud cheering.)

The CHAIRMAN, in acknowledging the compliment,
said that the subject of a cottager's hospital had
been uppermost in his wind for several years, and
he was glad that it was likely to be established. The
town of Chesham had unfortunately been much
stricken by disease, and he was convinced that if
they could once persuade the poor people whose
children were so afflicted to send them into an hos-
pital, where they would be as well attended to as in
hospitals at other places, there would be a great
diminution of disease, and that in the course of a
short time it would be entirely exterminated.
(Cheers.) He understood that infectious diseases
were always prevalent'in the town, and that the in-
fection spread from one child to another in conse-
quence of their going out and mixing together too
soon. It would be much better to place them in an
hospital and allow them to remain there until the
infection was completely removed. (Hear, hear.)
His noble friend had mentioned the condition of the
labourers. He (the chairman) had been endeavour-
ing to increase the size of his cottages, not, however,
with the idea of receiving any per-tentage in the
shape of rent. (Loud cheers.) lie was quite con-
vinced that if a landlord wished to get a fair
day's work out of a labourer, the man must go
to his work, not half tired from having walked
several miles, but fresh and able—(hear, hear)—
and having done his work he ought not
to be under the necessity of walking four or
five
e milestaken
sto get home, but to occupy the
in cultivating his own garden.
(Cheers.)
be up
the labourers were properly treated
they would
morea ready to serve their em-
ployers, a better day's would be of out of
them, and, finding their
cotta g
they would be very loth to fre comfortable,
heaaaveb es mothem. (Hear.)
In improving his cottages he
chitect, and perhaps had drawn theepelnanhsisownr
to la g
oar-
but if the labourers found them comfortable th-aet,
was all he desired. (Cheers.) There was One other