The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-10 00:00:00

THE FRENCH ARMY AT ROME.

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The Paris correspondent of the Morning Poe
(second edition) says :
In my communication of yesterday I sent you an
article from the Constitutionnel which gave the
cost of the French army of occupation at Rome from
1849 to 1861, viz., 128,225,000 fr. The statement is
much commented upon, not that the figures are new,
but from the fact of a Government journal parading
them before the public at a moment when the
nation's budget is under revision by M. Fould. The
Minister of Finance would doubtless like to econo-
mise in future the 9,480,000 fr. which the present
condition of Italy demanded for the French forces
in 1861; and I have no hesitation in saying that
an effort will be made by M. Fould and some one
or two other members of the Cabinet to withdraw
from Rome. Politically the occupation is a scandal
to the French nation, and a continued source of
humiliation—humiliation to an extent far beyond
what the public is aware of. The non postumus is
but a mild answer compared to some France has
received when, as military guardian of the Papacy,
she has made the most reasonable demands to im-
prove the governing system. The people wbo have
paid their millions to maintain, with bayonets, a
corrupt and corrupting Government get from the
Church nothing but insult and ingratitude from the
crew of cardinals. The Pope, who owes so much
to Napoleon 111., aye, in 1848 49, too, orders his
clergy to conspire against his throne, and plants a
hostile cabal in the very Tuileries. And it may be
asked—" Is France for ever to find an army for the
Popes of Rome r Unless the Papacy renounces
its temporal power, and the Popes of Rome become
the friends instead of the enemies of theltalian people
a foreign soldiery must ever mount guard at the
Vatican, unless Roman Christianity retrogrades to
the pretension's, habits, customs, ideas, and feelings
of the middle ages. One may ask, too, what good
has France done to the Roman Church herself by
this expensive military guardianship ? She has
permitted the Pope to govern just as he likes, and
after 12 years misrule of his people, his Holiness
could not now remain 12 hours in Rome after the
withdrawal of the foreign force. Twist and turn
the picture how you may, it is most unsatisfactory,
and you cannot find out one light spot. The press
of France, saving the journals of the Jesuits, have
long protested against the occupation of Rome by
the troops of this country, simply to support an
oppressive Government opposed to France-created
free Italy; and there are in the Imperial Council
those who have spoken boldly on the subject, but
still ultramontanisin triumphs—the Church blesses
universal suffrage, and the ignorance of the masses.
Popery has yet a large stock-in-trade to work with
even in the France of 1861. if Rome can command
her members in the Parliament of Protestant Eng-
land, she can, of course, exercise a wonderful power
in a Roman Catholic country, however infidel may
be the great cities of the empire. We witnessed
this last session in the Legislative Chambers ; we
shall hear more when the deputies meet in January ;
and I fear a majority will condemn M. Fould's do-
sired economy, as regards saving the country the
expense of the Roman occupation, an occupation
which has so lopg prostituted the flag of France.