The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-17 00:00:00

THE SUN.
LONDON, MONDAY, JUNE 17, 1881.

France is to (recognise, at last, the kingdom of
Italy. Diplomatic relations, interrupted by the pious
horror with which the devout French nation and
its EMPEROR regarded the entrance of Piedmont
on certain domains of the Pope, will Low be
renewed. The real perpetrator of this blessing to
thousands of Italians has been removed from the
scene ; and the de facto result of CAVOUR and GARI-
BALDI'S policy and courage being a kingdom of
Italy, this must ROW be acknowledged just as was
the de facto result of the coup d'etat itself which
placed the Emperor of FRANCE on his throne. It
is gratifying to see, thus far, a return to common
sense on the part of the EMPEROR, for anything
more tortuous and whimsical as it has appeared,
than his conduct in regard to Italy, since the humi-
liating peace of Villafranca, cannot easily be con-
ceived. Whether we shall now have anything
like straightforwardness remains to be seen, but
to restore diplomatic relations is certainly a step
towards it.

The EMPEROR, for of course the statement in the
Patrie repeated in the Moniteur must be regarded
as his, is very much concerned to relieve himself of
all responsibility for both the past and the future.
lie says expressly that sending an Ambassador to
Turin is not to be considered as a judgment on the
past; and, that he has no thought of interfering in
the internal or external affairs of the Italian king-
dom. He explains his position by an illustration
which Northern Americans will, we imagine, deeply
resent; instead of adverting to the many cases in
which the acknowledgment of de facto Govern-
ments has been exemplified by his own rest:ess
country giving so much work of that kind to other
Governments, he resorts to a prophetical illustra-
tion. He foretells that the Southern Republic
in America
" one day constitute a
Government on a basis which will allow
international relations to be entertained with
it, of advantage to general interests!" What
will the Washington Government think of this
" comfort and encouragement" given to the 41 re_
bels," whom they intend so soon to annihilate
The foretold republic will, however, have consti-
tuted itself "under favour of the principle of non-
int,nvention recognised by Europe," and the king-
dom of Italy, the EMPEROR says, has done the
same. Not exactly. Intervention gave it the start
in 1859, and Italy does unquestionably owe thus
much to the EMPEROR; but intervention has never
been entirely absent. It still exists at Rome, and
the unaccountable intervention at Gaeta cannot
easily be forgotten. Indeed, it has appeared as if,
sullen at the disappointment of his scheme of a
weak Italian confederation, with a NAPOLEON for
one of its princes, the EMPEROR has done all he
dared to nullify his claims on the gratitude of Italy.
Unfortunately we do not yet know the conditions
of this return to diplomatic good humour; and it is
not easy, in the case of a man so capricious, and so
unscrupulous, as the EMPEROR, to avoid suspicion.
In regard to Austria we may suppose the effect can
hardly be of the wrong kind. If she had not any
positive advantage to hope for from the technical
and frequently real, coolness between the Govern-
ments of Turin and France, she would yet prefer
that Sardinia should be as isolated as possible. The
closer the relations between the French and Italian
Government, the less could she hope to be quit
safe on her Italian frontier, and the more cer-
tain would be the reappearance in Italy of a French
army, if she ventured on any hostile movement.
All besides, however, is
as dark as ever. The
status quo, we are told, is to
be preserved, but this
condition of things is itself a French intervention
against Italian unity and Italian peace. As the
recognition of the new kingdom is conceded with
the worst possible grace, without any indication of
pleasure in a great people regaining their natural
position in Europe, and regaining it with a large
amount of popular freedom, so, we hear:uothing of