The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-20 00:00:00

T "

O X F O R D,

6, OXFORD-STREET.
This noble building being now completed, Its architectural
beauty, elegance of ornamentation, and brilliancy of lighting,'
render it one of the sights of the metropolis. Open Every
Evening. The programme is varied, and includes SelectiDns
(by a full company of principals, powerful band, and chorus)opras
from "Macbeth" and "Un Ballo in Maschera." both
bVerdi, the composer of the day—The wonderful Solos 0 A
the Cornet-a-Piston of the renowned LEVY —Scotch Duets by
the Misses Stuart, and other vocal and instrumental music
of the highest order. Conductor, Mr. F. Jonghmans. The
Comic portion of the entertainments is supported by Miss
Green, Messrs. Sam Collins, Harvey, nd French (the Nerves),
W. 11. Wieland, E. Marshall, and W. Randall. Admission,
Hall, sixpence ; Balcony and Stalls, one shilling. Private
Boxes, 10s. 6d.

-
HIGH WATER, AT LONDON BRIDGE.
THIS DAY.—Morning, 12h. Bm.—Afternoon, 12h. 36m.
To-uounow.-Morning, lh. Bm.—Afternoon. lh. 36m.

THE WEATHER.—Sux OFFICE, JULY 20, 1561.
THERMOMETER, IN TECH SHADE.
65—highest since noon yesterday.
60—lowest this morning and during the night.
70—thi3 day at noon.

BAROMETER-29. (2.
WlND—Westerly; light, with cloudy, but fine, weather.

, VA • .
4.. ,k.• A
A-
- 4 ••, 0

THE SUN.
LONDON, SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1861.

The Sardinian question was before the House of
Commons last night. The country is indebted to
Mr. KINGLARE and Sir ROBERT PEEL for it. We
need not say, after what we have more than once
written on the subject, that it is a very great one.
If France went wrong upon it, it must issue in a
speedy and deadly war. If Italy surrendered the
island to anything but open force, England could
not easily forgive her. Indebted as she is to France,
she is quite as much indebted to England. Indeed,
we believe that it is not too much to say, that for
her vast advances since the ignominious peace of
Villafranca, she owes the non-intervention, which
gave her free scope to act as she pleased, from the
Po to the Island of Sieily—to the English Govern-
ment and the English fleet. A painful alienation,
therefore, from Italy must be the result of her sur-
rendering Sardinia, and with it the mastery of the
Mediterranean, to France; while with France itself
it would speedily come to a test of the strength of
the new in,nsides. of the two countries.

We have already given fully the opinion of the
one man who knew, if any did, the naval value of
Sardinia. It was worth, said Lord NELSON, forty
ATaltas. The harbour of Maddalena would hold
our whole fleet, and were it in the possession of a
great naval power not one ship could pass to the
eastward. In every form of language the great
Admiral expressed his conviction that France must
not have Sardinia, and that if she had the Mediter-
ranean must become a French lake. 'We cannot,
therefore, wonder if the present NAPOLEON would
like to carry out the " Ideas" of the First NAPO-
LEON, it being notorious that he was as bent on
having Sardinia, as Lord NELSON in keeping it
from him. His only crime in getting it into his
hands would be that of unscrupulous ambition ;
one to which, we presume, he would little care to
plead guilty, and one for which his people would
most certainly be ready to bestow all the honours
they could give—if only he was successful. Nothing
in the world, we believe, would keep him from an-
nexing Sardinia off hand, but the attitude of Eng-
land. Italy he is at present able to coerce. She
has not the fleet and army to keep him cut of Sar-
dinia. The evidence is now brought to light
that he did coerce Count CAYOUR in the
affair of Savoy and Nice ; the Count resisted to
the last, and the threat of the military oc-
cupation of Tuscany alone ccmpelled him to
yield. Similar threats will be employed by
the master of Rome, if only England does not
formally tell him that the alternative is a rupture,
and one that must end in war, with us.

The grounds of suspiciod in regard to France are
very strong. The rumours to which we have again
and again adverted are indeed themselves strong
grounds. In the case of the EMPEROR they are a
very different thing to what they wonld be in any
other quarter. All his preparations for deeds of this
kind have been begun by' rumours, intended not
merely as feelers, but as the means of accustoming
Europe to the idea on which he wished to act. Our
Government itself has acted on these rumours both
at Turin and Paris. Last year Count CAVOUR was
formally questioned on the subject and warned of
our views; M. THOUVENEL also was informed of
what we had heard; both the Sardinian and French
Ministers gave the most emphatic assurances that
nothing of the kind was contemplated. The sub-
ject was soon brought a second time by Lord

COWLEY before M. THOUVENEL, because sinister
rumours had again reached England, but, alas ! we
are not informed by our Government how Lord
COWLEY and M. THOUVENEL settled this rather
awkward questioning of French sincerity.
One very suspicious fact is, however, too special

to be passed over. Count CATOITR, Mr. KINGL AKE
aaYs, applied to a gentleman well known to her
Majesty's Ministers to visit the Island, and to make
P"'ontil inquiries as to whether any French machi-
nations were actually in progress. The gentleman I
naturally asked the Count what progress he had
made with his negotiations, and whether the island
was to be ceded? Count CAVOUR'S answer was—
it The _Emperor of the _French is always pressing
me ; hitherto I have held out ! " Precisely what
he cooed have said about Savoy and Nice, till the
moment when the master of the half-million sol-
diers pointed to his army. The
gentleman went
and found two committees of annexation formed.
The detective was no other than Sir itoBERT PEEL,
the committee-former no other than M. I'IETIII,