The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-03-20
! rom the London Chronicle, Fab

r rom the London Chronicles, Fab col
The flight OF the Grand Duke of Tuscasy is the
CLIMAX Of the many sad and shameful scenes which
have disgraced that country, once the most peace
ful, prosperous and happy In the whole stretch OF
the Italian peninsula. Leopold H., the best and
most beloved of Italian soveregns whose reign has
made Tuscany the garden OF Italy, and enriched
every town his dominons with monuments OF an
active and ludicious benefeence and an uaostenta-
tous berality, finds himself compelled after giving
his subjects all they asked, almost before they
asked II, to escape into exile on board foreign
steamer, from the capital where he lately enjoyed
an unbounded and well mt rired popularity. His
career has been an unfortunate one. From us, at
least he shall receive his due share OF respect and
@conslderatiOn. An Austrian prince, and bred in
the traditions OF his family and his adopted coun
try, he has nevertheless struggled hard and long,
not indeed to buffet the surges of revolution bat
to ride through the storm, without endeavoring,
directly or indirectly. 10 lean upon the ever.ready
arm OF Austria, or 10 protect himself from mis- own
subjects, by borrowing The vast military resources
of the head of his house. Unsupported at home,
shrinking with pardonable rxcess of humanity
from measures OF military coercion, and justly
reluctant, perhaps, 10 unsheath sword likely to
shlver in his grasp, he has endeav0red by conces-
sion after concession, to keep his hold on people
to whom he had done nothing but good, and from
whom he had right TO expect nothing but good in
return. Inch by inch he has retreated to the far
thest extremity OF the plank, until last back ward
step sent HIM topping overheard. A provisional
government, the Puppet OF the demagogue Guer-
razzi, reigns IN his stead.
In signing the ordinance which announced the
adhesion of Tuscany 10 the Italian Constituente,
Leopold well knew that he was virtually abdicat-
ing his throne. But this, 1t seems, was not all.
The censures OF the church, denounced by the
Council OF Trent against those who should invade
the temporal authority OF the Pope. and which cen.
sures Plus TX had recently decla ed applicable to
all abettors OF that hopeful scheme OF Italian unity,
were to him more terrible peaalty than the loss
OF his crown. He consulted the PoLtiH, and the
answer confirmed his fears Unable to recall the
conceesi0n-which 1t Is probable that he would
never have been able to wthhOld-yet determined
to tree himself from the guilt OF an involuntary
participation in the SID, he lost time in quitting
Sienna, and by the assistance OF the English MIN
lister, found means to embark on board OF an Eng
lish steamer, the Porcuplne, intending 1t was sup
posed, to sack refuge liz the territories of the
KING OF Naples. The spec acLe of a monarch ge,ng
into voluntary erile order 10 avoad ercOmnlu.
nscGti0n adds aOthsr moral Incidewt to the episodes
chich haze gve ats pecu,ar color to the progress
the revolution Italy, and of ,chiCh The escape of
the Pope cas the most characteristic and picturesque.
Revolutionized Florence, prey to anarchy in Its
most repuIsive form, will, we presume, cast in her
lot with republican Rome.
All these deplorable events, the last of which we
have Just recorded, It nd but too vlslbly towards
consummation most painful TO every one who de-
slres the freedom and prosperity OF ltaly-foreign
deeply revOlts and dlsgusts the feelings of an Eng
lishman, than the sight OF people who cannot
settle their domestic quarrels, organize their own
form OF government, or maintain the indispensable
safeguards OF law and order in their own streets,
without the help of foreign politicians and foreg n
soldiers. Time was, indeed, when it was not so
with us. In the days OF the earlier Plantagenets,
when the realm OF England had a continental from
tier, the idea of French Intervention was popular
enough, as the monkish historians show, with the
cowled and mailed liberals OF this island, who
compared the overbearlng prerOgatlve of their own
monarchs, with the greater license enjoyed by
their neighbors across the channel, under the fee
BILE rule OF the French kings. But centuries of IN
sulatlon have given healthier tone to our moral
constitution, and implanted deep In every English
heart that honest jealousy ct foreign interference
which makes us desplse, from the bottom Of our
hearts, those who solicit submit to It, even from
ourselves With the Italians, 1t is far otherwise.
In Tuscany and the north of Italy generally,
1--WE do not include Piedmont, throughout the
greater part OF which we hope and believe that
healthier feeling prevalls,) intervention, from one
quarter or another, Is on every b0dy's tongue,
and the longing for 1t IN every body's heart.
Whilst two-lhirds of the people are signing for
the Austrians, the ether third are bawlng for the
French. And as the plague OF anarchy spreads
wider and wider, the feeble barriers raised
by succession OF governments, each more imbe-
Gle than the preceding, vanish one by one, as the
curse OF eternal discOrd illustrates every effort at
reconstruction, and reduces every semblance of q
controlling authority to more helpless and hope
less lmpOtence-we cannot wonder II the cry
grows more and more impatient. The time Is
fast approaching al which the distress consequent
on the overthrow Of an established government
begets It's inevitable consequence when the In
dustrlous classes, patient, tmd and inert as they
are during the swing OF revolutionary excitement,
are at last gOaded into activity, and clutch at any
weapon, however destructive to their own highly
priced political liberty, to protect them from the
more palpable and terrible danger OF impOverlsh-
ment, Il. lse1y and famine. The starving prefecture
rushes madly INTO Jacquerle-the half-ruined
citizen implores the aid OF sciplned sOdiery,
IN ferpn md nrtoA IN pda thar
lamentable crisis, revOutionized Italy is fast pro-
crossing. In Piedmont, indeed, where the bulk
OF the gentry and nearly the whole ot the rural
population are still well affected and loyal, and
the government has on foot native army sixty
or seventy thousand strong, Charles Albert might
at once, by assuming vigorous and decided atti-
tude, crush the propaganda OF anarchy within MS
own territories without the help OF single French
or Austrian bayonet. But the rest OF the PENN
sula, from Spezla down to Terracina, presents
chaos of confusion incapable, we greatly fear, of
being reduced to order by the agency of any indi-
gcnous power which Italy can supply. "Austria,"
and Bourges, "has been saved by her army"
He might have added. that France and
Prussia, II they weather the storm, Will
owe their salvation to the same source. This les
son, amongst others, the events that have passed
before eyes have taught usthat there is point
at not a very advanced stsge In the progress OF
democratic revolution, at which disciplined
army, III the hands of any party or faction strong
enough 10 Wleld IL, Oecemes pa'paoiy tue only
available engine for preserving the fabric OF society
from utter ruin and that it IS an engine which no
man, be he mooarchist, coasttutionast, or pure
republican, will hesitate 10 employ But In the
smaller Italian States this resource Is wanting
The petty militia, VIII oh forms their regular mill
tary force has melted at the time of trial into the
mass OF disorder by which 1t was surrounded
Amidst the cohue OF mad priests, infide journalists,
and needy, Adventures OF every class, the staple
material Of democratic revolution, with their
foolish, fimsy Const,tmente, aud their card-castle
of Italian unity and independence, what prospect
IS there OF the restoration of that tranquility in
which the Peninsula has so long ihrlven aud pros
pered-what hope OF obtaining tor her those in
crements OF civil and political llbe for which she
raves, and which we bop- one day to see her en-
10Y? In spite OF those complications in the web Of
European politIcs which appear to preclude any one
of the great powers from singly interfering in the
affairs Of Italy--n spite OF the many viii ch
r. nder il de sirable for them all that she should be
lett to put out the blaze la her own house with her
own buckets--we are unable to flatter ourselves