The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-29 00:00:00

F'BENCEE CONSUL TO PARMA.

It seems now ascertained on very good authority
th.-.t the French Government conteoiplate sending
a Charge d'Affaires (" Honorary Consul —what-.
that may mean), at any rate a diplomatic
agent, to 'the Court of Parma. The Emperor
Napoleon may have his own excellent reasons for
adopting such a course, besides the paltry object
of watching the few stray bewioged dotards, " men
who have suffered losses," who will shat venture On
occasional calls upon the Count de Chambord's
sister.
_France has her own "legitimate influ-
ence" to maintain in it ily, whatever may be.
the meaning of that quaint, old, stereotyped
expression we have quoted ; for tote actual in-
fluence at the present moment exercised by the
sons of the heroes of Atcula and Marengo is
I.mited to play the part of amateur Pope's soldiers
(soldati del Papa), and of servants of all works---'
without wages—to the worst minions of the pon-
tifical police.
Now, is there not a question very plainly rising
before every reader acquainted with the above-men-
tioned intention 'of the French Government ? Has
England no " legitimate influence" to support, to
extend, or to establish anew in Italy ? Has she D 0
political interest., uo commercial prospects no moral
obligations to compel her to look somewhat closely
to her own business in that quarter of the globe
We have Ministers at Turin as well as at Florence,
and with that contempt for the laws and arrange-
ments of nature which led our postmasters to write
down Parma and Modena amongst the districts of
"Southern Italy," we have placed our diplomatic
relations with Parma and Modena in the hands of
our Minister at Florence, although geographical
position very clearly pointed out the expediency
of trusting them with a Minister accredited to a
Cis-Apennine court, like' that of Sardinia. The
mere necessity of having to cross the mountains
every time our Minister at -Florence has a mind
to inspect his Trans-Apennine dependencies
of Parma and Modena would, it is true, be
no very, great matter, if it were not that our.
present Minister in Tuscany, Lord Normanby, is a
sworn enemy to the policy which the English nation
has -set 'its heart upon having pursued towards
Italy, whilst- our Turin representative, Sir J.
Hutson, is as thoroughly devoted to the Italian
cause as duty to his country and dependence on
his employers allow him to be. The mere shifting
of the duties of representation at Parma and
Modena from the hands of Lord Normanby to
those of Sir James Hudson would be such a bles
sing to the subjects of these two Duchies as they
could never be sufficiently thankful for.
But we are disposed to believe that at the present
crisis England might with advantage go a step be'
yond that ; and much as we regret that our lessons'
iu diplomatic wisdom should come from the French
Emperor, we think we ought at any rate to lose
no time iu folllowing a good example, and sending
our own diplomatic agent close upon the footsteps._
of the French "Honorary Consul." We have no
forgotten that a traditional irrationality deprives
of the means of communicating with the Pope di"
rectly through a Minister accredited to his Court-
Upon Rome itself our Consuls and our Ministers
at Florence and Naples may, though we hardly
know how, exercise some salutary control. Bac,
there is, north of the Apennine=, a vast division 01
the Roman States—the very heart and soul of the
Pontifical . territory—about which our Foreign
Secretary is left as thoroughly in the dark as 1'
it were the sanctum sanctorum of the Pa-
perer of Japan. Now it is easy to demonstrate
that Parma is only thirty miles from Modena, and
Modena little more than twenty from Bologna, e?.
that our agent at Parma could, without any gra"
strain, have an eye upon the second city of the
Roman States, as well as upon the Austrian pt 9"
vinces lying only 12 miles from Parma, across the
I Po.

We think enough has been said to show the
expediency of fixing a British representative i°
Parma at such an anxious moment as the .pre-
sent. Unwilling as we are to lavish praises on
Napoleon 111., we cannot but give him erect"
for the great tact and shrewdness he has
shown on the present occasion, and acknes"
ledge the opportuneness of his resolution. These
two duchies lie at the very heart of Italy, and
they are the very first bone of contention between
those two rival powers which, even in the most pro"
found peace, are necessary rivals for the mastery (/'
the peninsula—Austria and Sardinia.
We have already often stated our conviction that
Piedmont can by no possibility hold an isolated poi'
tion, and that the day on which another Italian
State, no matter how small, can be made to jeig
the policy of Victor Emanuel's Government, Wilk
be the harbinger of new destinies for the whole
L country and nation. Now we have the most posi-
tive knowledge that there is an Italian State,
powerful by its position if not by its extent, anxious
to come to the best political understanding wit'
Piedmont, and that is Paima. We know that its
Minister of Finance, M. Lombardini, has, with ot
moral courage of which every Italian has a
' to be proud, ventured to hurl defiance agaiaot
Austria, by peremptorily refuing to renew the
compact of the Customs League which the Court
of Vienna has imposed upon other Italian States
we know that MM. Cattari, Pallavicini and
since
' other ministers, who came into power
Providence removed Charles the Third are well,
meaning, intelligent, moderate men, who would far
render their wise counsels acceptable to the weaweak'minded and bigoted, but good-natured Princess wit"
now governs the Duchy in behalf of that Bonrbon
maniac's heir. It is impossible to imagine a case in
which a lover of fair play could find a better opPar-
tunity of using his influence. Here is an Dahl
State in which the Sovereign, the Ministers, an
the people are of one mind; aiming at redress,
remedy, and oblivion of an irrevocable past„,
anxious to obtain such freedom of action as no/
allow them to work hand in hand for the couini°ll
good. Already, single-handed, isolated, fersaho,ll'
exposed to all the bullying threats, to all to!,
treacherous intrigues to which Austria invariably
resorts when she dares not employ open violeae
—already, we say, have the Parmese Govern;
meut won two signal Victories over the Cabinet.
of Vienna. Lombardini has emancipated the co-
try from a commercial connexion which was, infect'
a grievous tribute and a great clog upon the 0111.0:
merce and industry of the State, and after Austria
had repeatedly threatened to withdraw her troel);
from the Duchy she has been compelled to wake
good her threat by recalling her battalions, %h.°
presence must have been so galling to those Par'
migiani, who since the days of Tassoni are prover
bially nemici a/ia Tedescheria, the most inveterate
enemies of the Croat to be futind in all Italy..
The danger for Parma is, however, by no mean),
gone by ; on the contrary, the greatest uneasinea
prevails in the Duchy, and for the very best reasons'
Driven from the capital, and from all' the 00
country, the Austrians muster stronger than (left
iu the second city of the Duchy, Piacenza. Entitle
by the iniquitous stipulations of 1814 to occupy the
citadel—the old dismantled citadel of that place
not only do they occupy the whole town, but they
have erected formidable outworks all round
gates ; they patrol and exercise the police authora
fur several miles round the neighbouring country'
and set the civil authority of the helpless Ducal 66;
verument at defiance. Even at this very mottle%
artillery and war stores in great quantitieshave
marched into that stronghold, and fresh battalioTo
have been added to its garrison. Ostensibly,
concentrates forces at Piacenza to ,how a formidaP
front against Piedmont ; but her immediate °.,,,_
:o
ject is to overawe and intimidate the Duchea-
Government, and add so many vexations to ho
_
Parmesan subjects at Piacenza, that some of the 7.;
in the blindness of misery, may wish fur the sPee to
and final annexation of their town and countria.
Austria—for Austrian subjects they certainlY
ready are, with a vengeance.
that
It is under the pi essure of such circumstances.,Bo
France sends a diplomatic agent to Parma. 'bo
Lord Clarendon, or (since little reliance can ill
placed upon that warm partisan ,of Austria)" r,
the Premier, take a hint from our " faithful allya
The Italians tdve little reason to hope that aoYgey
can athe from French interference alone. 1,,n..0
know the fate of those of their brethren who 'aer
been for the last eight years exposed to the te,neir.
mercies of the author of the letter to Edouard .1-1 ;Yd.
b
They may well say, T. hanaos ! Can Digl 3btit
do any good ? It cannot at Naples, it is clear ;
at Naples the screw is to be put on a sovereign:Tim
Parma it is a sovereign asking for a rescue.

AN IMPERFECT TRAP.—llernp and other COmmodi'
j
cii
hkict
posed
ni
ooeee
uvys el
dwrhoeaafdbtav
oteehi
neagef
Newcastle
taerta.nsome
anr
al
a;rilinibhuedi
eei timethe been
other
thief
e a r
wagell o 11,
vd
bef
rangeadrhporu:i
ivgrsoteofi: storeseaoorseik
thtuuoi
arpnewi
eneudvo
ntef:
lithrui
on
worC lanai :0
Ph:
0.
cri
ot,,a•
ea:
Dot (11°.
He made his Hay into a wareroom on the top i-4-he
and to a door from which gonds ire lowered int° 'h
street. First tos,ing his bags of booty down to t.:
pavement, be lifted his eyes to a book that swung t
air in connection with a crane inside. Rs wwicl
have had some familiirity with the premises, &I;
known that his weight would suffice to effect a. leisueetY_,
descent, or he would not have hazarded the entert
prise which he medidated. A desperate leap rflue„
be made to catch the hook, and if be missed his Bu
nothing nothing could save him from being dashed to death. -116 rt
liberty is sweet. He sprang upward and forward,
the hook, and was next moment travelling slowly Du__
surely downwa,d. It was daylight, and eyes were
i
him, but nothing wrong was suspected. So, arr int
safe
and
lyatthweabikoetdtooff._
m,heozhheearaeooubapb.vbeils.. bags nom
lasted, °

I

tllority
ndiug

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oWatiC

uperor
oils for
01 ject
6 6 well

;ore on
❑burd's
influ-

gay L'
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u 4 i 1 n-
by the
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oldiers
orks
0 pon-

rising

e-ine❑-
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she no

j moral
closely
dolie
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rrange-
o write
xicts of
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3d to a.
The
untains
a, mind
.clencie3
lie, be

)fl,t our
by, is a
L nation
;owards
Sir J•
Italian
nee on
shlftiog
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►uby t°
a bles
as they

present
step be-
1t ssous
French
3 to lose
sending
ootstel9s
lave not

priVeS us
Pope di-
-3 Court*
liuisters
) hardly'
BuG
vision Of
tl Of the
Fereigli
Lrk as if
be Eli).-
onArato
ma, and
ogua, so
oy gre:it
y of the
P°
;rocs the

how the
ative at
the pre-
aises 0.0
credit
he has
acknoss"
Thesaly, e
betweell
lost pro,
astery

At
es th
c

cat'be .1L
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any ?,1
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tender
.61 Nord
141° bay 4,
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crll---11•6
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ente
,ust
p
s warX
b. But
caugu:
vly b"
e upon
raving
unto°.