The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-20 00:00:00

will go further and say, that whatever influence we
possess—whether as members of one or the other
house of Parliament, or whether as electors of those
who represent us in the one House of Parliament
—we will use that influence decidedly to oppose
—if it could be supposed to exist—any aggressive
or encroaching spirit, or anything inconsistent
with the sincere desire for the general tranquillity
of Europe. But," said he, in continuation, " I say
it is perfectly consistent with these sentiments to
feel the necessity of a more extended system of
national defence, and I would in no degree trace that
necessity to any recent feelings, or any recent
events. I ascribe it entirely to the complete change
which has been produced in the system of warfare
by the introduction of steam navigation. It does
not arise from any other feeling than an ardent
love of peace, not from any reference to recent
alarms, or to recent differences, but entirely
from this fact—that where the system of war-
fare must of necessity be different,. there also
must be a difference in the means of national
defence." Earl STANHOPE went further than this
—he observed, " For my own part I am not one of
those who apprehend the invasion of this country.
I am persuaded that in neighbouring countries the
advantage .of a friendly understanding with this
country is felt and appreciated as it ought to be.
I believe that there is no idea of an invasion of this
country, and that 20 such danger threatens us at
the present time. But does this in any degree
prove that we ought not to provide against it, if in
future times such necessities should arise ? I
should give the same advice upon this subject as I
should to a person in private life,whose doors should
be open, and who should imagine that his house
was in danger of being attacked ; I would not say
to that person, I do not believe any one intends to
assail you; there is nobody in the neighbourhood
with that design; but I would rather say Put bolts
and bars to your doors, and dismiss the subject from
your mind ; then mind your other business." Now
all this, we do maintain, is perfectly logical ; it is
manly, frank, rational, unanswerable. It leaves no
room, for dudgeon even to the most captious
and sensitive of foreign potentates. It leaves
no reason or plea for future misapprehension.
It tells the whole world beyond our shores
that we are arming within those shores,
purely and simply for defensive purposes. And
having proclaimed that fact, it is enough—let
us go en arming until our system of national de-
fences shall have been perfected so far as anything
human can be perfected—at any, rate, until such
time as it shall be completely and thoroughly orga-
nised.

Elsewhere, in furtherance of the same patriotic
scheme, will be found reported in our impression
of this evening the earnest and patriotic
speeches of Sir HAMILTON SEYMOUR and
of Sir JOHN PAKINGTON. In glancing
through which speeches, by the way, let it
not be forgotten, that England owes to the
shrewdness of Sir HI3IILTON SEYMOUR the fact
that her diploniacy (prior to the Crimean war) was
not for one instant cajoled by the wily arts of
the late CZAR of all the Russias—and that upon the
other hand England owes her being in the possession
once more at this moment of a powerful and efficient
Channel Fleet, directly, almost personally to Sir
JOHN PAKINGTON, to his skill, daring, resolution,
and perseverance as the first naval administrator of
this country under Lord DERBY'S Government.

It has been one of the prime articles of the Aus-
trian creed that " Italy is but a geographical ex-
pression"—a creed like many another originating
in the wish. At all times, in modern history Aus-
tria has been truly enough but a geographical ex-
pression—a word to denote an unamalgamated as-
semblage of diverse states, diverse in language,
civilization, religion, manners, municipal govern-
ment—in everything which could separate one
people from another people. And most remarkable
is the retribution of history—Austrian statesmen
have been labouring for this last half century espe-
cially to compress all these diverse states into one—
to bring them all under the centralized des-potism
and bureaucracy of Vienna; but the more they have
coerced, and persecuted, and afflicted through task-
masters sent from Vienna, the more they have alien-
ated in heart those whom they combined into an
apparent systematic unity. Austria is less one
than she was when KOSSUTH held the Crown
of the Hapsburgs in his hands, and when,
with the generosity of genius and nobility, he
returned it to brutal and perjured meanness.
Meantime, the Italy which Austrian lieutenants
and the POPE dismembered is evincing its real
unity. With one language, one religion, one
hatred of priestly government, one detestation of
Austrian interference, one demand, to be one
united Italy—it is fast moving onward to a political
position corresponding to its real character. Rea-
lities, indeed, are triumphing over artificialities.
Italy is one, and is assuming the form of unity.
Austria is many and diverse, and is falling into
her component parts.
Hitherto she has continued to play off the races
one against the other. Every one remembers how
she perjured herself by employing the savage villain
JELLACHICH with his Croats to attack the Hunga-
rians, while denouncing him to them. But the
Croats, deceived like all others, now turn against
her. The Transylvanians—Saxons most of them
—have not hitherto joined the Hungarians readily.
Theynow, as the Klansenberg Museum demonstra-
tion was intended to show, declare themselves one
people. And turn whichever way we will, Bohe-
mians, Servians, and even Tyrolese, all burn with hos-
tility to the hated central rule. What will, what
can, Austria do ? Without a costly army the iron
hand which clamps all together is gone. With a
vast army she is beggared, and lives only by forging
State bonds and coupons !

But above all Hungary is her difficulty. She is
nothing without Hungary, and she cannot humble
herself to dealing honourably with the most power-
ful part of her Empire. More than once in her
history the Hungarians, like the Poles, have saved
her, to be rewarded, like all her benefactors down
to the Czar NICHOLAS, with shameless ingratitude,
and, if possible, with perfidious violence. In 1848 her
treasonable conspiracy with JELLACHICH compelled
the Hungarians to depose their faithless Emperor.
NICHOLAS, aided by GEORGEY'S treachery, tram-
pled them again under his feet. Her butcher
HAYNAU compelled KOSSUTH to flee, and hanged
and flogged every patriot, dale or female, on whom
'he could lay his hands, imperfectly expiating his
brutalities in the dust-bins and under the cart-
whips of Banksid.e. But he and the Austrian
Government abolished the Hungarian constitution
both in Church and State ; and this perfidy it is
which is now troubling its perpetrators.
Smitten and humbled in Italy ; saved only
by the peace of Villafranca from the ven-
tseance of a Hungarian armed revolution, the
( weak-headed boy EMPEROR and his old and
crafty advisers thought they must do some-
thing. Cunning is the resource of defeated
cowards, and the vanquished in Italy tried to cheat
Hungary with apparently liberal offers. A patent
was issued seeming to establish the Protestant
churches on a liberal foundation—even Prussian
Protestant papers did not see through the juggle,