Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-05-19

and Dora. We wish that our only disquieting
intelligence was from the country where war
has already burst forth, and where the ma
tons are contending. There might then be
some hope that an advance upon Turin
and battle favorable to the Austrians might
have the effect of reducing the pretensions of
the French and Sardinians, or that decisive
advantage over the Austrian forces would
induce that Power % come to terms upon the
disputed points in her policy in Italy. This,
however is not so. That Provisional Govern
ments have been established in Florence
Carer, and Massa, is not of itself matter of
vast Importance. That the inhabitants of
Rome are in an effervescent. if not insurgent
state, is scarcely an addition to the ordinary
Italian difficulties but when we read that
Prussia has resolved upon putting Der remain
ing corps d'armee in readiness to march, we
| see very great causes to fear the peace of
Europe is shaken more gravely than would
| appear from the soft messages from Paris and
| the bland assurances from St. Petersburg.
| That Prussia has cause for this precaution we
| cannot doubt. when we find that Russian
| army of observation is about TO lie stationed
| upon her frontier for some object of which
| Europe only knows that it has been concerted
1 with France, and was concerted in secret
! But the most important and least reassur-
| ing of all the intelligence of the last forty
| eight hoursi is derived from no telegram, but is
| itself confirmation from official sources or
that grave intelligence which we were some
days since enabled to give of the existence OF
a treaty between France and Russia. Mr.
| Fitzgerald has taken the occasion of his nom
inatiOn at Horsham to state publicly that in
| connection with the question of the supposed
| alliance between France and Russia the Gov
ernment had addressed to the Emperor OF
| Russia direct and categorical inquiry as
| to whether such treaty, containing anything
| hostile TO England did exist. Prince Gort.
chakoff7s answer was decisive. He said:
81 do not deny that there may exist writ
ten agreement between France and Russia
| We apprehend it is quite sufficien: to confirm
our disquietude on this head. Of course we
have, Immediately after this important con
| fessiOn, the real but much less important as
surance that this written agreement doe;
not constitute a hostile alliance against Eu
rope" We could scarcely expect the Rus
sian Minister to admit that a treaty which ht
keeps shut from the eyes of Europe contains
an agreement for the partition OF Europe. Ii
is enough for us to know that not treaty
| but a written agreement exists between
| France and Russia, which these powers thlnh
it for their interest to keep secret from any
third power.
Prince Gortchakoff gives his personal as
surance that this written agreement does no
constitute a hostile alliance against Europe
and upon this we are to lap ourselves into
security, putting our trust firmly IN tht
frankness of Prince GOrtchakotf~s reading
the written agreement and the innocency o
| this little secret between the two aggressive
Emperors. We can place faith in the
| Russian view Of the character of this treaty
for it is a mere prevaricatiOn, to call writ
ten agreement, concluded between two I'm
perOrs, by any other name. If we are to be
| lieve in the innocuousncss of atreaty, under
which armies are put in motion, we shoalo
first like 10 know something of the articles
agreed 10. Denials have uf late lost much o
their former value. We recolect how firmly
the mission of Prince MenschilIof was denied
and we have had much more recent Oppor
tunity Of seeing how, day after day, every
event that was about to happen was. in tho
Monite,r most circumstantially denied. Al
official denial has now come to be the almOs
certain forerunner of an indefensible enter
prise.