Year: 1859

It would be fanatical to suggest that Sar- dinia can hold her own for week against the hosts about to be let loose upon her. The Hood of spoilers will sweep over the land. Tu- rin must be occupied. although probably not held. The power of the Piedmontese monar- chy will be shut up in the few Businesses which Sardinia contains, and the real struggle will not begin until Austria has struck blow which will be heard throughout Italy. As @ beliigerent Power she is wise in her generation, but she is not wise in her generation if she is l seeking unnecessarily to become 8 belligerent Power. If she believed that there was no hope of permanent peace, that the French Emperor was resolved upon war, and that she was only being kept fainting under the weight of her arms, waiting till it should suit the convenience Of the Emperor to overwhelm her if she, moreover, is willing at this moment, when her promptitude has given her the choice of an offensive policy, to make those reasonable re- fractions which the interests of humanity and the public opinion of Europe require of her, then it will be difficult to say that she is ell- tirely wrong il having sought to precipitate a crisis in which she was bleeding to death. But if this is first forward step in an aggressive and defiant policy-if Austria seeks to enter Sardinia as the armed apostle of absolutism l and of ultramontane priestcratt-if she has taken up her old world mission of binding the bodies and coerciug the minds and consciences of all human beings born in Italy, then the fact of her having been the first to commence this War will be no unimportant item in the great indictment which will be pressed against her. But, whatever may be her ultimate intentions, she has by her precipitancy done the Emperor of the French this great good Whereas three days ago, all Europe looked upon him as an imperial robber, seeking an occasion to let loose his prepared armies upon peace-loving neighbor, the world will see in this sudden start and in the hasty and unready preparations of Napoleon III. some evidence that after all his menaces he had not intended to provoke the combat which Austria has now commenced.

 The great question for us to consider how ever, is not how Austria stands, or what peace France hastens, or even how Sardinia can be overrun, but what is the position and policy of Enslahd. Lord Derby has said that, " If war breaks out, whatever be the consequence, our neutrality, as long as it may last, must to . certain extent be an armed neutrality, enabling us to take our part on that side, whatever it may be, which the honor, the interests and the dignity of the country may indicate as best de- serving of our support" These words, coupled with others bearing upon the occupation of the shores of the Atlantic tended to scarcely am- biguous intimation that if the events of the im- pending war should lead French troops into the Lombardo- Venetian kingdom, England would appear as combatant in the melee We yen- tured to comment upon those words in a tone oe remonstrance. Now that the event appears more probable, and its preceding circumstances almost certain, we think it right to reiterate our protest against engaging England either by alliance, or menace or guaranty, so as to draw her into this purely Continental quarrel. Surely we are not going to commit over again the faults committed by our fathers, and to bur- den ourselves with debts and obligations too great for ourselves or our sons to bear in the pursuit of some chimerical notions as to what we should like to see occur among our neigh bors. We say, at all risks. and at all events, keep England out of this struggle between the two dynastic powers. What have we, free constitutional people, to do with the struggle between two dcspots, one of whom represents the principles of absolute power and priesty dominion, and the other the despotism delegat- ed by pure democracy? If it must be so, let them fight no English statesman can sup pose that by wes keniDg each other they can become more dangerous to us.

 London Times, Ap1s!2s.