The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-05 00:00:00

THE CAREER OF M. NIGRA

The Debats has an exceedingly long article on
the career and qualifications of Commandeur Nigra,
the Minister-Plenipotentiary of the King of Italy
at Paris. We take from it the following extract :
" This young diplomatist, who already occupies
a distinguished place among the statesmen of
his country, is not unknown in Paris. He is
not only a diplomatist, but has displayed ability
as soldier and administrator, and, what spoils
nothing, has made excellent classical studies in
the University of Turin, and has not ceased to
cultivate literature and science. When the great
national movement of 1848 commenced, M. Nigra
had not terminated his studies, but he placed
himself in the first rank of those serious young
men who displayed patriotic enthusiasm, and
preceded by conflicts in the press the strife of
battle-fields. As soon as war broke out between
Austria and Piedmont, M. Nigra became a soldier,
and fought bravely at Pastrengo, Saint Lucia,
Calmasino, and Rivoli, receiving at the latter
place a grave wound which obligt-d him again to
become a student. In 1849 he obtained the de-
cree of doctor ih law, and after a public compe-
tition was admitted to the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, which was then directed by the Chevalier
d'Azeglio. Count de Cavour about that time made
the Piedmontese Chamber adopt the principle of free
trade, and it was necessary to enter into treaties of
commerce and navigation with most of the Great
Powers ofE urope in order to render the new system fe-
cund. M. Nigra took an active part in the labours those
measures necessitated, and he thereby became known
to the future Prime Minister of Victor Emmanuel. Be-
tween Count de Cavour and M. Nigra relations of
esteem and affection were established, and they
ripened into a close friendship which was only
broken by the death of the illustrious statesman
whom Italy deplores. M. Nigra, under the direc-
tion of Count de Cavour, took part in the negotia-
tions with France, England, Austria, Belgium,
and the German Zollverein ; and those negotia-
tions ended in the treaties of commerce which
now form the basis of the public law of Italy in
all that concerns economic interests. Somewhat
later the Chevalier d'Azeglio made M. Nigra one
of his secretaries, and confided to him the re-
served correspondence—a great proof of kindness,
by which M. Nigra was greatly honoured. The
protection of M. d'Azeglio has never failed him,
and M. Nigra is profoundly grateful for it. When
Count de Cavour accompanied King Victor Em-
manuel to Paris and London, in the visits which
his Majesty paid to the Emperor Napoleon and the
Queen Victoria, M. Nigra attended him as secre-
tary, and when Count de Cavour returned to Paris,
in 1856, to take part in the Congress, M. Nigra
assisted him as chief of his chancery. Up
to that moment Count de Cavour, President of
the Council of Ministers, had only directed the
Ministry of Finance; but on his return from the
Congress at Paris he also undertook the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, and, as the burden of the two
offices was very great, he gave the direction of
his cabinet to M. Nigra, who thereby became
acquainted with the most secret thoughts ef his
chief, and associated in his acts. After that time
M. Nigra did not separate from Count de Cavour.
Previous to the war of 1859 he accompanied him
in his frequent excursions to Paris, and was re-
marked by the Emperor Napoleon, who treated
him with kindness. During the war he was at
the head quarters of the allied Sovereigns, re-
doubling his efforts to render lighter the execu-
tion of the immense task the latter had imposed
on himself. And after the temporary retirement
of Count de Cavour, who would not accept the
responsibility of the conditions of the peace
Villafranca, M. Nigra was sent to Zurich with the
Italian Plenipotentiaries, in order that the
opinions and policy of Count de Cavour might
be represented. The return of Count do Cavour
to the Ministry took place very shortly after the
signature of the treaty of Zurich, and M. Nigra was
sent to Paris with the title of charge d'affaires,
which, however, was soon replaced by that of
Minister. Subsequently grave events took place
in Italy, and the position of Sardinian Ministers
at Paris became excessively delicate. M. Nigra,
however, displayed great moderation and pru-
dence, and when he had to leave France, after
the rupture of diplomatic relations, he was
sLnto-
re-
gretted by those to whom he was known. At
the end of last December, Count de Cavour charged
A NGI
ea.
np Nel
er i
sag, r.
where
h Tet
rho
en
thetasKingk w accompany
en
a sent
Prince
l
ine s
a cult one; M. Nigra was surrounded with dan-
gers, and he had to choose between two systems
thankless
him c a
sd e i
and a diffi-
h
Carignan
ute a
nt
—that of conciliation, and that of revolutionary
means. It was the former he adopted, but it did
not succeed. When the Prince do Carignan
and M.. Nigra saw the failure of their plan, they
solicited, and obtained, their recall from the King.
M. Nigra then wrote for the Government and the
public a long report on his management of
affairs at Naples. King Victor Emmanuel, in re-
appointing M. Nigra to his former post, has
accomplished one of the last wishes of Count de
Cavour, who only waited for the recognition of
the King of Italy by the Emperor Napoleon, to
re-establish friendly relations between the two
Governments. M. Nigra is peculiarly adapted
for that task, because he is intimately acquainted
with what interests the two countries, and pos-
sesses, in the highest degree, the confidence of the
two Sovereigns."

THE POLISH NATIONA LI2Y AND ITS

DET.RACTORS.

In the number of the Revue Contenzporaine just
published, M. de Calonne vindicates the Polish
nationality of Posen against the attacks of a Prus-
sian pamphleteer, who contends that there are now
so few Poles left in Posen that they are not worth
mentioning. The Revue says:—
" Official statistical documents give us in 1840,
for Western Prussia, a population of 517,000 Poles;
18 years later, in 1858, they only announce 174,408.
What has become of the 342,592 others? What
frightful scourge has swept over that people? By
what horrible cataclysm has it been buried alive in
anabth
the entrails of the earth ? Those figures are so
facto
in
dcwteorh itcohretni metamorphosed:
grossly absurd that they must deprive Prussian sta-
tistics of all value ; and the cause lies in the manner
Jews, all those that have German names, are ipso
orCipehroms iasns. more °efatseya: the:
graotdhiteymtshelevePsolwisihthtlatmheesir,
a that
increase
etaisi
the
authoritiesof b yi n
grati
a degreesti n
they are completely Germanised. The function-
aries entrusted with this business are Prussians,
and when these reach
tothwneeamgyli.elicttaAnrynoatchoitnnsipitt.ioins
tlhisatt,
render
censusrthe in is
eitnainto
flo taken. All Protestants, all
opstd
nhueio
lei':
yeienrsr:ui
accessibleuoi number sbn ofeoarx:id n therefore
in
rietrfahotaar nte
promotion
and
favours are
the German element, according to
the Prussians,
tends to suffocate the Slavonian element; and thus,
been
in 18 years, 342,000 Poles have killed 'in a
single province, while the population of that I) r
0-
vincehas never ceased to increase."