Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1872-05-16
Pen Portraits of the Italian, Swiss,
and Brazilian Representatives at

Pen Portraits of the Italian, Swiss,
and Brazilian Representatives at
Geneva.
The Geneva correspondent of the
London Times writes as follows, under
date of the 10th INIT:
"t have already told you that the
contending parties have been generally
congratulated on their happy choice of
serves the highest credit for the ap-
pointment of their representative
They could not have found in the
whole peninsula a gentleman better
qualified for the task imposed upon him
than Count Sclopis di Salerano. He is
gentleman highly distinguished both
for his proficiency in all legislative
studies, and for the part he played in
the great events which lately changed
the destinies of his country. He was
| one of the statesmen chosen by Charles
Albert to draw up constitution for
Piedmont in 1547-'S, and was member
of that Kings cabinet-I believe as
Minister of Justice-on the first install
lation of liberal government. In
| later days he sat on the right of the
Chamber, and subsequently of the SEN
ate, during the administration of Count
|
one of the leaders of the Conservative
oppositisn. Had it depended on Count
Sclopis, Piedmont would never have
made common cause with the western
allies in the Crimean war of 1854. Italy
| perhaps would never have been united,
and she would certainly never have
| found her way to Rome. AS member
of the aristocratic and clerical party,
Count Sclopis was looked upon "a a
codino, or reactionist, in Turin. But
he was universally respected for his
high character, even by his most deter
mined adversaries; and, although his
influence on public affairs considerably
declined, he was relied upon for earnest
and enlightened patriotism. Like Mas
simo d'Azeelio, he had no faith in the
possibility of an annexation and fusion
of the north with the south of Italy
and, like Count Balbo, he was toe
strong a Catholic to think that the as
pirations of Italy should be allowed to
interfere with the imprescriptible rights
of the Holy See. He has been and is
one of the most distinguished members
of the Turin Academy, and has con
tributed to its essays valuable work
on the Diplomatic Relations between
the House of Savoy and the English
Government from the Earliest Times tc
the Peace of 1875 His literary fame
however, chiefly rests on his History ot
Legislation in Piedmont a work of ut1
wearied research, and recommendablt
fer mature criticism. believe thai
hardly any man in Italy has made the
science of international law the object
of more assiduous pursuit than Count
Sclopis. The Swiss arbitrator, M
Staemphi, has been repeatedly at the
head of the Federal Government, anc
his influence is considered paramount
whether he is the actual President ol
whether he fills subordinate offices
} The Brazilian arbitrator is the repre-
sentative of the Emperor of Brazil il
; Paris, and is conspicuous among the
!, diplomatists of his country. The i'm
preston among the persons 1 have herr
conversed with is that the whole cor
troversy before the tribunals will b,
} carried on by writing, and all the arbi
traitors are sufficiently conversant will
} the English language to understand
, thoroughly what they read. Were tn
occasion for oral discussion to arise, it i
possible that some of the arbitrator
might be unable to follow the orato,
: they spoke English, but both the Eng
lish and American commissioners
/ would be able to use French as freel
as their own native idiom. The Lor
, Chief Justice, as you are aware, is full
as eloquent in one language as in tn
other and the same, l believe, may b
} asserted of his American colleague"