The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-03-29

A11SAosAO.
The report brought by the Bohemian that
the Sandman government had consented to
cede Nice and Savoy 10 France by . special
treaty, will take no one by surprise. Not
withstandiDg the seeming seriousness Of the
diplomatic controversy between the two gov
ernments, there were good reasons for be-
lisving that its gravity was more ostensible
than real, and that they were not as remote
from an understanding as they would lead the
world TO suppose. The exception made
In H. Thouvenels programme in respect to
Tuscany, was put forward less from the apprs-
hension Of giving Sardinia too formidable an
extent Of territory, than as makeweight to
the annexation Of Savoy. France has In reality
nothing to fear from the augmentation of
strength which the addition Of Tuscany would
give to Sardinia, for the political and CONNER
cial interests Of the two countries must ever be
Identical The French Emperor merely made
show Of excepting it from the union of States
about to be effected under the sway of
Victor Emanuel, in order to conciliate the
other Powers and render more feasible his
designs upon Savoy. II he Is compelled by
the popular vote Of Tuscany to yield assent to
it's annexation to Piedmont, he will be enabled
to plead the same violence done to his declara-
tions in regard to the territory which he
covets. He has promised to refer the latter
question to the opinion of the great Powers !;
but, as in the case Of the treaty of Villafranca,
it will not be his fault If events should antici-
pate the necessity Of his consulting them at all.
All this was TO be inferred FROM Count
Cavour's last despatch. The writer declares
that. at the moment when Sardinia claims for
the inhabitants of Central Italy the right to dig
pose Of their destiny, she exposes herself to the
charge Of Inconsistency If she denies the same
right to her subjects dwelling on the other side
of the Alps. However great the regret she
might feel at the cradle Of the Piedmontese
monarchs demanding separation, she would
not refuse to recognise the weight of mani
festation, "however slight" if made in confor-
nifty with the prescriptions of the Sandman
Parliament. There can be no misunderstand-
or as to the significance of the terms marked
by inverted. commas. If Sardinia had any
thing to fear from Louis Napoleon for her &C
ceptance of the Tuscan territory she would not
be so ready to apply the principle Of the plebisc
Inn to one of her own provinces But in being
prepared to accept any manifestation, "however
slight" she showed that her understanding
with France was complete, otherwise she
would not be ready to grasp at any
pretext no matter how %rivial, for ceding
away @the cradle of her monarchs." The re-
port that since this despatch was written she
has agreed to treaty cession, alters In no re-
spect the impression created by these facts.
Whatever effects may be made to give an ap-
pearance of experimentation to the arrange
ments now transpiring, it is pretty certain that
they were long since secretly discussed and
settled with France.
II has been stated in the English Parliament
that the feeling Of the Savoyards is almost
unanimously averse to annexation; but there
are strong grounds for doubling this assertion.
They have greater national affinity to France
than to Piedmont by reason of their geographi-
cal position and language, and in commercial
sense they would be benefited immensely by
their absorption by the former. When, there
fore, the popular vote comes to be taken in
Savoy, we believe it will be found to be largely
in favor Of the project. France and Sardinia
must be we'll assured of the fact, or they would
not allow their other arrangements to hinge
upon it. No doubt the matter will be dis
creetly managed, and will realize something
more than the "slight manifestation" to which
Count Cavour's significant language points.
Pending the result Of the Savoy vote, Chat
taken in the Central Italian States and in the
Romagna renders it the more easy for Louis
Napoleon and Victor Emanuel to carry out
their compact. Although parade has been
made of the instructions sent to the French
troops in Lombardy contingent upon Tuscan
annexation, nobody believed in the intentions
expressed in them. The French Emperor knew
beforehand what the unanimity Of the Tuscan
vote would be, and hes merely threw out this
threat to cover his position els us of the
other Continental Powers. That he will, in the
face of such decisive manifestation of the
popular will of Italy, abandon its people to the
vengeance Of Austria, is not consistent with his
previous conduct, or with the ready concessions
made to him by Sardinia in regard to Savoy.
If Victor Emanuel had any reason to be-
lieve that such would be the case, it is
plain that he would not suffer himself
to be dragooped into the cession Of that terri
tory. The statement that the English govern
ment has modified it's view of this question, by
agreeing that the matter shall be left to the
votes of the Savoyards themselves, rem
the main difficulties of the Italian settle
ment have been removed aud that there now
only remains the consideration how the Pope
is to be provided for. The vote ofthe Romagna,
of course, knocks in the head the plan of the