The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-07-07
IMPERIAL PLEDGES.
From the London Times, June IA.

AL A~ANi@AA@ i-A@Dpl|tp.
From the London Times June IA
Napoleon III has, in his address TO the in
habitants of Milan, reiterated all his promises,
and he retains TO himself the character of the
disinterested regenerator of italy, He declares
that he is not one of those men who cannot
comprehend the spirit of their age, and that he
does not appear in Italy to further his own OBJ
jects of personal ambition or to aggrandize the
territory of France. To do this would be, in
the opinion of Napoleon III, not only wicked,
but foolish act, for the time is come when
moral influences are fruitful and victories are
sterile. Napoleon III enters Milan as the lib
orator of Italy. He comes only to give freedom
to the finest part of Europe; he promises the
Lombards that if they will be his soldiers TODAY,
they shall tomorrow be the free citizens of a
great country. He has sworn to the Italians
to combat their enemies, to maintain for them
domestic order, and to throw no obstacle in
the way Of the manifestation of their wishes.
To the Germans, who are so unquiet in their
homes, and who are hiving in their places of
strength, he puts forth protestations equally ex-
plicit, which have the additional guaranty of
being endorsed by the Emperor of Russia Co.
temporaneously with the publication of the
French Emperors address to the people of
Milan, We have the Russian circular, declaring
the policy of that Empire during the existence
Of the Italian war. France gives her Imperial
promise TO Italy; Russia at once soothes. reas-
sures, and threatens Germany. France insists
that she was called to this war by her interests
and her honor, and that she has no other object
but to defend her ally, who was uniustly at
tackled, and to give liberty to Italy. Russia de-
clares that Austria has been altogether in the
wrong that her objection to the admission of
Sor HfnIa 70 fha l.
sOnable and unjust and that in the negotia-
tons which succeeded, the French Government
has honestly seconded the efforts of those Pow
ers who were sincerely DESTROYS of peace. Rus
STA, therefore, is with France in sentiment, but,
as the war itself cannot be averted, she will use
all her efforts to localize the evil and to con-
fine 1t TO the country where events have called
1t forth. She tells Germany that for her there
Is no cause Of fear, that the Emperor of the
French has given assurances, which Russia
abundantly believes that no enterprise is in
prospect which will injure the interests or the
dignity of the great Power of which Prussia is
the head and the natural protector France
has righteous quarrel with Austria, and Rus
STA will stand by and see it fairly fought out
The war shall not spread beyond Italy, and it
shall not be quenched in Italy. Russia very
significantly intimates, that if Germany inter
feres in this matter, so long as it remains only
an Italian quarrel, Russia will also interfere
and restore the equilibrium of the contest
We must take it that these two crowned
heads are sincere in the professions they thus
publicly put forward to the world We must
believe that Napoleon, when he has driven the
Austrians from Italy, will hand over Italy to
the Itaians-will unite Lombardy with Pied
mont-will secularize the Government of the
Roman States-wil give back to Naples its
Constitution, and accord guarantees for It's con
tinuance. We must give our confidence to
Russia, that when she favors this chivalrous
course, she also has no hidden object in view :;
that she also has sympathy with italy, and if
any other motive mingles with her pity. it is
only not unnatural desire to pour some slight
humiliation upon the head of Austria, and to
exalt Prussia at the expense of her rival. 1t is
not to be suggested that these State papers
should speak that which is not true When
two great sovereigns come forward to protest
before Europe that their policy is of a conser-
vatve and disinterested character. and that If
they are lighting battles and conquering king
doms, it is for the progress of civilization, for
the advance of moral influences, ard not from
selfish motives, We are bound to believe them
not, indeed, to throw ourselves off our guard.
but still to believe them.
We cannot cease from astonishment that
these things should be so We cannot even vet
quite comprehend how the Emperor Napoleon
should wish to build up in Italy a form of gov
eminent which would be inconvenient 10 him
in France still less can we understand whv
Russia should seek to give consistency. and
power, and material form, to those ideas which
must always be antagonistic to absolute rule.
But IT is vain to argue against the probability
OF tact, when the fact itself stands bodily in
evidence. Here are the declarations voluntar-
lily put forth to Europe, uncalled for by any
special scheme OF policy, carrying with them
no particular benefit to the persons who there
ny commit Their own honor and the honor of
the nations whom they represent to the good
faith of the professions which they Tins snon-
taneously make.
Surely we shall not lay ourselves omen to
the imputation of weak credulity, if we stiRe
the instructive suspicious that arise while we
read the papers, and accept them with at least
the hope that they mean all they say; that the
intentions of these two great Powers are those
they profess, and no more; that when the Ans
TRANS have been driven from italy. the war
will be stayed, the prize of contest will be won.
and Italy will arise once more in unity-a ma.
ton of confederated constitutional States. Be-
yond that unquenchable instinct of suspicion.
to which we have already alluded, there is real
y no reason why these good tidings should no.
be true, and why these professions should not
ripen into performances. 1t is the real interest
both of France and Russia, that Europe should
be at peace. The glory of having resuscitated
Italy would give lustre to the name of Ma
poleon that would throw doubt over the posi-
biity of some earlier details of his history Mill
tary success would have consolidated his popu-
larlty with his army, and peace would restore
confidence to his citizens, and prosperity to the
INDUSTRY OF his Empire. He boasts that he can