The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-10-24
The Treaty of september.

From The Washington Chronicle
To understand the relative position of the
French Emperor, the Italian King, and
the Pope of Rome, few and very plain facts
have to be borne in mind. Gregory XVI died
in June, 1846, and in the same month Cardinal
NJ. Mastai Ferretti, Archbishop of Imola, in
the Romagna, was elected to the Papacy
taking the name of Plus the Ninth. He had
been cardinal only six years before his election
to the tiara, and was only fifty years old
when he became Pope. His personal char
acter stood very high, and much was ex-
pected from his amiable disposition and
known iberality. He began his reign as a
reformer, striking strong blows at the nu-
merous and fagrant abuses which had crept
into the temporal Government of Rome and
States of the Church under Leo XII and
Gregory XVI, his immediate predecessors.
Nothing could exceed the enthusiasm of the
Romans-the joy of the Italians. Not many
months elapsed before the French Revolution
or 1913 qu1cKened the hopes ana raised the
spirits of the friends of liberty throughout
Europe, and there arose general demand not
for mere administrative reforms, but for popu-
lar systems OF representative government.
The Pope, who was surrounded by the intole-
rant higher clergy, hesitated to go as
far as the popular cry urged, paused
before he could make changes more
sweeping than those which he had
initiated, and his popularity at once
began to decline. On one side was a loud
clamor for organic changes; on the other, an
increasing doubt of their prOprety and policy.
As if to widen the breach between the Papal
Government and the people, the Pope took
for his chief minister Count Rossi, one of the
most aristocratic and unpopular men in Rome.
In November, lS4S, ROssi was assassinated, in
midday, and in the public streets of Rome;
and this catastrophe so alarmed Pope Plus
that few days after, Disgusting himself in
the costume of a livered footman, he escaped
from Rome and arrived at Gaeta, the nearest
town in the adjacent Neapolitan territory, es-
tablishing his court there, the members of the
diplomatic body having followed him.
From Gaeta he sent a manifesto to Rome de-
claring all the acts of the Government during
his absence to be null and void. The Roman
Chambers treated this ordinance with con-
tempt, established a republic, and placed
Mazzini, Garibaldi. Armeliini, Sa1f, and Roez-
zana at its head. This was in February, l849,
but the republic was short-lived. Louis Ma
poleon, who had not long before been elected
President of the French Republic, contrived to
make the National Assembly sanction an ex-
! pedition to Italy, nominally in favor of order,
| but actually to restore the Pope to Rome
| General Oudinot with French army, landed
at Civita Vecchia (the port of Romeo
| towards the end of April, lS49, was repulse
before the Eternal City, temporized, resumed
hostilities, received the capitulation of Rome
on June 30 and remained in occupation. The
Pope continued nearly year and a half at
Gaeta and Portici, but his safety being secured
by the protection of the French troops, re-
turned to Rome in April, 1850, and has re-
manned there ever since; his temporal Govern
ment until very lately having been main
tanned by the aid of French troops, and its
head being the notorious Cardinal AntOnelli,
who is to Rome what Prince Metternich was to
Austria for very many years.
The POpe's subjects have generally shown
a strong desire to be relieved from obedience
to his temporal sway, and nothing but being
overawed by the French garrison has kept
them from revolt, particularly in Rome.
During the war of 1859, the ROmagna de-
tached itself from the Papal territory, and the
Marches and Umbria followed in 1860, and
also form part of the kingdom of Italy. The
result is that whereas the Papal territory
| consisted in 1859, of over 1900 square miles
and over 000 900 inhabitants, it is now re-
| duced TO an area of under 5000 square miles
| and less than 700, 900 inhabitants. The desire
| of Italy is that Rome, with which are linked
SO many and such inspiring memories of
| former glory and greatness, should once again
| be its capital.
Motives of policy, mingled with a natural
desire to get rid of the vast expense of main
| tanning q French army in Rome, induced the
| Emgeror Napoleon to make a treaty with the
| King of Italy, signed September 10, 1864,
| whereby il was agreed that the French garri-
| son should be withdrawn from Rome before
| the close of the year 1866, on certain condi-
| tiops. In November, 1865, this withdrawal of
the French troops from Rome was begun. and
| al the close of 1866 not French soldier re-
mained upon Italian soil. The Papal army