The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-17 00:00:00

his Majesty the ling of Sardinia, the advanced
guard of the trench army entered his territory.
Sympathies which w e do not hesitate to proclaim
would have with
difficulty permitted us to remain
indifferent to the trials of a country in close rela-
tions with trance, but more positive reasons in-
fluenced our conduct when that country was our
near neighbour, marched with one of our frontiers,
and formed the last obstacle to the extension of an
,influence which England, Prussia, and Russia, like
us, looked upon as being already of a nature either
to compromise the equilibrium of Europe, or to
keep up in that part of Italy of which it had been
intended to constitute independent and sovereign
Sjates a perpetual cause of agitation and confusion.
" In coming, sir, to a resolution, of which I have
explained the purely defensive character, the Go-
vernment of the Emperor made it a point not to
allow the Court of Vienna to remain in ignorance
that -its ultimatum, and the eventualities which it
so clearly exposed, laid down, besides the general
question, until then treated of in '.common by the
Cabinets of Paris, Berlin, London, and St. Peters-
burg, a purely French question. It was a last
attempt to prevent, while it was still time, Austria
and France from meeting else where than on the
ground of an European discussion. The sentiments
which have not ceased to animate the Government
of the Emperor, I fear not in this solemn moment
myself to guarantee, did not lead it to the extre-
mities to which another will has fatally conducted
it. It is the passage of the Ticino which obliges as
to cross the Alps, while declining before Europe
the responsibility of the events. You ought, then,
sir, as soon as you have no longer doubt as to the
movement of the Austrian troops, to go to M. le
Comte de Buol, and, after having read this despatch
to him, of which you will leave him a copy, you
will ask him for your passports.—Receive, &c.,
" A. WALEWSKI."

" No. 535.

" THE EARL OF MALMESBURY TO .EARL COW LEY

" Foreign-office, May 5.
"My Lord,—l have already transmitted to your
Excellency a copy of Count Walewski's despatch of
the 25th ult., which was communicated to me by

the Due de Malakoff on the following day.
"In this despatch, Count Walewski claims for
France the same credit that he allows to England
for the endeavours in which both have concurred

for the maintenance of peace ; and he counts, there-
fore, on a continuance of a good understanding with
this country, whatever may happen. His Excel-
lency then lefers to the motives which must induce
France to assist Sardinia; to the constant endea-

yours of Austria to acquire for herself a preponde-
rating influence in Italy, to which she has no claim ;
to the meritorious conduct of Sardinia in resisting
these endeavours ; and to the mischief which would

ensue if Sardinia 'were overcome. He alludes to the

claims which Sardinia has on the sympathy of Eng-
land and France,.in conseanince, pf the political
system which she upholaS, and.on the, gobdwill ‘of
thOie PiiiVers for ,her zealouS: vo-operatiori. in-the
lge:war against Russia.; 'and on all thege7grniino4
he...appeals.ta- her Majesty/3F GoVeitt?netit
,pgiand apd France shoUld- not seek to Come to an
understanding between theWselres, and her declareS,
that- the:lßivp,Krun-ent ,the En peror,saise.,laiming
alt litibitiCins ;views, and having nothing td conceal;
is Vrepareil.to concert withthe BritiSh Gciyernment
for the attainment of an_ohject which lie assumes to
.be conamou to both Governments.
" I haVe to instruct yoUr Excellency to state, to
Count Wulewki that her Majesty's-Government

have received the ecmmunicationof this espatehin
the sanie,spiritof friendship as that whiailhey

are convinced it was dictated.

" You may assure his Excellency of the great
value which her Majesty's Government place on the
alliance which has so long subsisted between this
country and France, and which it is their earnest
desire may long continue to prevail. It has existed
throughout the calm of peace and the vicissitudes
of war, to the mutual benefit of both countries, and
her Majesty's Government, believing that the events
now passing in Italy, and the interruption of peace
will act injuriously upon the material interests of

their ally, as well as upon the common cause of
civilisation, have, on these grounds, laboured ear-
nestly to induce all parties to maintain it.
" Her Majesty's Government believe that it was
never intended by Europe, when recognising the
Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom as a portion of the do-
minions of the House of Austria, that Austria should
as a consequence of that recognition, be at liberty

to extend her moral and material sway over all
portions of the Peninsula. It never was intended
that Austria should constantly and systematically
interfere beyond her frontier ; that she should
at will influence the internal administration,
and occupy by her armies the territories of other
Italian States, whose independence was recognised
by the same treaties. It never was intended that
the progress of freedom and of social improvement
in the Italian States should be left to the control
of Austria.

"But if her Majesty's Government do not shut
their eyes to the defects of the system upon which
Austria has acted in Italy, and which could hardly
fail, sooner or later, to entail upon Austria a fear-
ful unpopularity, and upon_ltaly the concomitant

miseries of a social or of a foreign war, neither can
they hold Sardinia blameless for the course she has
pursued in these latter times, and which has now
produced its certain and lamentable results.
" Her Majesty's Government have hitherto always
looked with satisfaction on the progress which Sar-
dinia was making, as affording a bright example,
to be imitated hereafter by other Italian States, of
the benefits which result to the Sovereign and to
the subjects from the adoption of a wise and liberal
system of administration.
" If Sardinia could have contented herself with
the improvement of her own material prosperity,
by developing the natural advantages of her posi-
tion, and with the liberal system of administration
which she so wisely adopted, and which she has so
consistently maintained, she would have been a
landmark to the rest of Italy, and respected by the
whole world, and would by her moral force have
been unassailable. Under those circumstances, and
with such a policy, her Majesty's Government have
no reason to believe that she would have been mo-
lested by her powerful neighbour.
"It was in an evil hour for herself, and for

Europe, that Sardinia lent herself to dreams of
ambition and aggrandizement, and forgetful of the
little sympathy shown in 1848 by the Milanese for
her cause, and their ingratitude for rn her gallant
actions, she has provoked the war in which she is
now engaged.
" By violating her treaties of extradition with
Austria ; by fostering deserters from her army ; by
rallying in Piedmont the disaffected spirits of Italy ;
by menacing speeches against the Austrian Go-
vernment, and by ostentatious declarations that she
was ready to do battle as the champion of Italy,
against the power and influence of Austria, Sardinia
invoked the storm, and is deeply responsible to the
nations of Europe. Her Majesty's Government
saw this dangerous policy with apprehensions which
have now been realised, and they cannot forbear
from remarking that the first and immediate effect
of the war which it has caused has been the suspen-
sion of constitutional government in Sardinia itself.
" It was with these forebodings that on the 10th
of January last her Majesty's Government directed'
your Excellency to explain clearly and frankly to
the Imperial Government the anxiety which they
fait at .the unsatisfactory, state of the relations be-
tween France and Austria, and to point. out the
mischief which must ensue if a better understanding
could not be established between them. They of-
fered the co-operation of this country, as far as it
could be afforded with advantage, for bringing
about an improvement in the social condition of
Italy. To the sincere regret of her Majesty's Go-
vernment--a regret that has been increased by sub-
sequent events—
Count
Januaryski . n
lformt ed
that
your
Excellency, Excellency, on the 14th
did not think the moment a favourableas onea fore
ernme,nstii
ionni s
ttehr eatl\2ritehnnoaf
ex,e,cHuteirngi‘tiha
jeeirstpyu,srpcosoev.
directed her Majesty
to January,make a
similar communication to the Austrian
Government, and they appealed to the Courts of
between
St. Petersburg and Berlin_to aid them in their
that she could not give any
en-
deavours to promote a good understanding
France and Austria, to which at once ac-
ceded ; Russia replying
advice that was not solicited by the parties at
variance.
pains, by the most convince" Her Majesty's Government then spared nompressive language, to
the Sardinian Government of the danger which it
incurred by arousing the expectations and inflam-
ing the passions of the Italian people, and thereby
provoking a war of opinion, the consequences of
which could hardly fail to act injuriously on the
political interests and constitutional principles of
the house of Savoy.
"Her Majesty's Government could give no better
proof of their earnestness in the maintenance of
peace, and of their confidence in the Emperor of the
French, than by directing your Excellency, towards
the end of February (having first obtained the con-
currence of his Imperial Majesty, and a full know-
ledge of his wishes and objects), to proceed to
Vienna to endeavour to ascertain whether a common
understanding on the affairs of Italy might not be
established between the two Courts.
" The position was peculiar and hardly admitted
an official interference, or an official offer of media-
tion, for there was no substantive controversy be-
tween the Governments of Austria and France, and
no positive case upon which to mediate between
them. For some time the relations between those
two States had been daily becoming less friendly,
and all that appeared feasible to her. Majesty's
Clovernment at the moment WAS to fiaiind the Lurk-