Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1849-10-11
From The London Times
TIE FRENCH POLICY IN REGARD TO

THE FRENCH POLICY IN REGARD TO
ROME.
The British public are almost too linle Interested In
Rome 10 hr deeo'ons observers Of the comedy now in
progress al t,aets. Never was there a LIT so entanuled.
characters 81 ambiguous, and n deaorenent 20 impossible
to Conjecture. W Inch ever way our sympahies OF our
wishes night lead ns. We ATE Immediately recalled by
some unpleasant "reminiscences or unsailsfed suspicion.-
The chici peisonaee befIre us Is the INST equfvocal. In
tho "henevolent Pupo Pins' We behId The man who be-
gan his career a lew years hgo.or rather a few mouths ago.
by opening the prison doors Ia the victims ,f hi, ahsoiu.
list predecessor-who granted reforms, and promised a
new constitution - WIN affected Europe with admiration
and alarm who. after n while. found himself unable 10
ride the storm he had raised, who, Wien nnny choices
were offered, ,ook refuge with the most absolute Of his
allies who then invited q Republican delivefer, and
c"inrlacently raw his own capital bonbafd.d Ivy the most
revolutionary of nations, aud who, at the present mn
noni. stands Mt The very nppnsitn pole to that from which
he startled. This apostle of progress. who for a whole
lie hardly suppressed the struggling instincts uf freedom,
aud otly blazed out when he sat upon The throne OF St,
Peter, is INV dteply embedded amon, frsl Cafdinals
aud H%ourbnas, selling ROME aud his avn soul 10 an &C.
clcslasiical ifininvlrlie. reviving the inqnsilion. looking
loudly on Ausifii. aud II, ing every device 10 yet rd Of
ma ofleions aud troublesome but n,ost timely dellyerer.
l'ui Flance %snrpasses even Pope Plus himself in ,hs
pcrplextes finer position. The reasons vi her original
interference wele never fully explained. either 10 tho
popnlalion OF tfnen ~ 10 the Catholic p ,wers or 10 France
herself -mue, less To England. CT course, he Pope
himsflI must be supposed 10 have known why his terri
thtiea were Invaded. aud his capital taxi II by st'tm. We,
IN this country, looking 10 Tho ouisides Of things. and re-
ne'n1erine sohe recent passages IN thu history Of France
thought It Just |poSeble that she might tttl an init nsic
pleasure in The se eiarle of n Ftcurii army in Raane.-
liul all the pnl lhshed docu nenls of the affair, flo1 the
t.csSeps and onlinut negotiations Ia tho Presidents letter
10 Col. Ney. point with sai1icnnt dlstInclness 10 me oh
jet, The ro-esiahlishmen, 81 he Pope in q constitutional
sovereignty. at Rome, 1he professions made Ia the Ru-
man population, simultaneously with the demand OF an
amrcabla reception. would have len hollow aud ridlcu-
lils tt any other snppueliton than that France proposed
To aibillate fairly hmtween the = p, aud his isnporal
subjects. Bui, obscure as ltf %o'ci might b.. its cost
was p~fojigian4. The consistency of her principles. the
affection oi hes European admlfcrs. the repniali N Of her
arms. The lives oi n til iusa1d M n. and he req iurces Of q
deeply embarrassed e%xeheqner, Were sacrificed in this
mysterious crusade. After u bloody rebuff. thirty thou
sand men were driven by n handful ol raw volunteers 10
he iodiuus lrmulllie' aud pedantry Of wat. Bona pafte
had marched through l~laly.in less Time than it tuok his
nephew 10 crosa A struggling suburb of Rome. Such a
cost impart d emphasis 10 The Intervention, implied grav-
liy of motives. and cai ned respect from the puteniale in
whose behalf II WAS made, No sooner, however. was tho
work done. Than the workman was despised; and from
the day thai Oudinnt gave Plus the keys of his capital,
ho has evidently been more ntliuiis 10 the C0nclave ut
Gaoia tlan GarIb llji himself. For the present the French
occupy Rome; and. hard as it was 10 enter wi h credit.
1t Is sill more difficult 10 retire without disgrace. ii ~
di-graceiul 10 be hallled in neg station - is disgrarefnl
Ia d. nothing Iii Is %disgtacelul 10 take n city aud kill
thousands without an adequate resuli.-i, Is dsgraceiul
Ia he an Instrument ol deslniism. lit IA dlsgi acetul 10 re-
Ifh " iIt ~ huNuHClhg Austrian afiny,~~ll Is ulsBTlce-
lul 10 eacoun' OF The rldtcule of triumphant aniaguniss;yet
al this and more awaits the Flcuch army, iii leaves IT,
hy III The present state Of affairs.
But, though il is d Iilioul, 10 retire with honor il is not
easier 10 r"main IN II dlgnifed position. II the French
Nil take fme plare If The Swiss, aud do ,u y at The NatI-
can vi bout either politics or pay, il will be 50 much tho
port convenient 10 the Pope and his excilequer. That,
however. will III satisfy the vanity Of the great uatiun.
ard The President may Ms well do nothing IN France as
do nothing Mt llomo. lie cann"t safely sne his General
mgultpu nv "A rIIuIutstiul al Cardinals anI ba A N baa
dor cypler at Gaota. France Is not the instrument
we should ourselves have chosen for the regeneration Ut
Roine. but, thai eilice, onee undertaken, we see that se
must 90 through with il. She did mol send her mtn To
lttme 10 do the duty Of police, IT, Gear the cily OF srsn-
gers. and protect the monumen from inju y she is nat
content with such vulgar, or HHtHdati OPP alians. In
return for the traces SIN. has leii on the buildings and walls
Of the civ. she Is bmnd Ia leave some more positive rs-
cord IN the Institutions 4 the people. A time will como
when Romans will ask. "o hat did France do fr US.
and why did she come in 1919 7" The damage done by
her missiles viii be a poor answer to this question. A
Brennus--a Bourbon did more. She will earn. not the
blessings, hut the curses Of Rome. II she does not modify
the ecciesiaslical despotisn which has long hsurp-d aud
still usnps, the legislative. exrcu'ive. and judicial funo.
tions Of the state. She ia bosnt 10 deliver Rome from
the domination Of Cardinals. Il is u matter no longer Of
interest, but Of self prese walton, for Tho new Republic
noi re-conqnef Rome for n tyranny. II she do this she
will inevitably become Il house divided against iiself,
against lis own principles and lis own people.
But, emboldentd apparently by the success Of Austria,
and htr presence in the Legations. the Pope aud his adj
visers are resolved To accept from France nothing but the
shattered walls of the city aud the captive bodies Of the
people. Over the spiritual part of The Prize, over lis
mind and institutions, his Holiness is resolved to reign
alone. The Gfegotlan regime is Il, be revived. The
proa ised constitute N dwlnlles down 10 a formal meeting
OF delegates irpn the mu ileipahiies 10 hear "A budget an
nonuord, ~ a law reciled. The whole adnlnistraii N of
public affairs is to relapse 10 ecclr sa 1tics. BY a singular
Inconsistency, the Pope, 1t is said, %repudlates the paper
currency Of the Republic because hat Republic was not
the righttnl Government, and yet declines 10 pay the in-
fefest OF the Roman debt. due last June, bee iuse the Re-
public was at that daie the actual Government, OF ltom.;
taking right for i'rule in one case, aad fact IN the 9th.
er. Not 10 ennnerale Other poinls in which he has ex-
ceeded tire ordinary limits of reaction, the first step Of his
cardinal lrumvirate has been 70 establish a distance with
Of restored poieniates. England has long drained that
bitter cup. She has restored three families OF Bourbons,
and been hated nni insulted by all. Between the first
res orlliun and The return from Elba the nation most pow
erless al The Iulierles was England. When Charles \
was driven from his throne he WAS medliaiing a quarrel
with this country as the readit 81 way Ia p pulanty at
home. Spain, the scene of our glory. the grave Of our
soldiers. the abyss Of our pablo treasure and our private
capitol, hates us all the more for these political and recu-
mary obligations. Silly speaks 10 the gratitude Of The
NeapoItan Bonrbons. France has now resiu,ed a sever
eighty, and will lie the User for it. l. is a lesson in hu-
man nature which Young Governments must learn, and
will not easily forget. We are not altogether blaming
The Pope. lie acts BY a law which is superior u the
DEGREES of general councils snd the traditions ftile Pope
dom--ihe law of self pr servsiion. France. however.
happens to he under The same hard necessity. and II Is