The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1859-07-27
Description Of Italy.

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Of the present war, and it will be read with
interest -
Geographically, there is a remarkable
unity in Italy, for it is peninsula bounded
by CULTS and seas on three sides and by all
mountains on the north, but practically there
has heen no unity in Italy since the days of
the Romans. For nearly thousand years
the greater part of Italy has been under the
sway of French and German rulers. Those
portions which have not thus been incor.
porated with foreign States have been di-
vidsd into smaller States and lnere has
never been time when there was either
consort or action, common object, or a
principle or feeling of nationality in Italy.
There are now eight different govern
ments in Italy wholly independent of each
other, and some of them having ancient and
intense animosities towards the other. OF
these there are four in what is known geo.
graphically as Upper Italy; three in Central
Italy, and one in the kingdom of Naples,
covering southern Italy and the Island Of
Sicily.
The kingdom of Sardinia is the most i'm.
portant of the States of Upper Italy yet
some OF its possessions are quite as much
German or French as Italian 1t has the
nearest approach to the constitutional gov
ernment OF any country in Europe, and
though small kingdom, with population
only between five and six millions, il has
been made by the talents and bravery of the
House of Savoy which rules there, an i'm
por,ant State in Europe.
The next in magnitude and population
are the Austrian provinces, which by the
general name of the kingdom of Lombardy
ard Venice. The population exceeds five
millions, and many portions of the territory
have been German depeLdences for centu.
rles-some of Them, indeed since Charlie.
mango conquered the ancient Lombards a
thousand years ago. The Lombard King.
dom includes the Duchy of Milan originally
subject TO Spain, afterwards ceded TO Aus
tria. She renounced it under the compul-
sion of the French Directory 10 be made
into The Cis-Alpine republic; but it was re.
stored 10 her by the Vienna treaty of 1915.
Mantua and other principali.ies which make
up the Lombard government have belonged
TO Austria for about one hundred and fifty
years. Venice and the Swiss territory of
Grisons were only attached permanently in
1915. The government of these countries
is an absolute military despolism issuing
from Vienna.
Upper Italy contains besides those two
rival Kingdoms of Sardinia and Austrian
Lombardy, two Independent governments
in the Duchy of Modena and the Duchy of
Parma. They are each about the size of
one OF the largest parishes in this State, but
contan about half million of inhabitants
Parma has been successfully ruled by na.
tive princes-by French and by Spaniards.
Its rulers from 1880 have been princes of
the House of Spain. Napoleon in 1912 in
corporaed two thirds of it into the French
Empire, and gave the other third TO Prince
Borgnese The husband of one OF his sisters
The Congress OF Vienna gave the life estate
OF the whole 10 Marie Lousa-Napoleon'
wdow-since whose death it has reverted
to the original heir of the Spanish line.
The Duchy of Modena was an ancient
fef of German Europe, and the present
relgnng family is Aus,ran-the heiress of
the old race of Este married an Austrian
Archduke in 1906 and their descendants
now inherit. 1t is very German in its ideas
The independent States in Middle Italy
are ihree-the Grand Duchy of Tuscany,
the States Of the Church and the little Re2ub-
lie OF San Marino. Tuscany too is ruled by
house of Austrian descent. Originally
part of the German Empire, it became en-
larged by the abilities of the Medici to the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany The grand Duke
is descedant of Francis Stephen, Emperor
of Germany, the husband of the great Maria
Theresa, heiress of Austria. Bonaparte
erected it into the kingdom of Eruria, and
subsequently annexed 1t TO the Empire OF
France in lSl5-it was restored to the old
line.
A'SH' W iuoSuhy oiO buo Staioo vi tuO
Church, of which the Pope is the elective
head, holding his temporal power by virtue
of his election as Pope. The States are
not large, but they are numerous and pop
ulouse, the population being three millions
in an area of about II 900 square miles -
There are twenty-one provinces, cities,
duchies and districts, some OF which have
been under the Papal government almost
since the time Of Charlemange, and others
were aided by donation from German and
French monarchies, in middle ages. The
government was entirely despotic until some
slight changes were effected after the revo-
lutionary struggles of .s4s, but the popula-
lion is deeply dscontented, and the power Of
fhe Pope is only maintained by The pres
ence of the protecting armies of France and
Austria.
There is also in Middle Italy the little
Republic of San Marino-a single Democ-
racy OF about 5000 souls-occupying little
nook in the mountains, about thirty square
miles, which has kept its separate indepeud.
ence for about fourteen hundred years.
In Southern Italy there is the kingdom of
the two Sicillies, which is commonly known
as the kingdom of Naples The continental