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302 The Leader and Saturday Analyst^ [Ma...
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HUNGARY.* IT is not only those who prefe...
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* Ilnngori/ from 13-13 to 1800. By BAnvn...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Who's To Blame? It Erance Can Ho.Longer ...
Chance of union under a king- of independent power , is a very different thing-from Italy sicut antea , and the first practical aggression on Switzerland , we sincerely hope , in spite of our peace ; partialities , would be a signal for the action of the police . There is one thing about which we are much concerned—of course purely as a matter of . sentiment—the objection of ~ Nice to the transfer . We fear that the Frenchman , in a social point of view , will be sadly mortified at this . His idea is that he . is conqueringand to conquer , even more by the virtue of his courtesy than the virtue of his arms . Thenotion that any one does not like him—him the avant-courier of civilization , the man of agrements , the hero of bonnes fortunes- —fills him with consternation . We believe that a Frenchman would be au desespoir if he found himself deserted ,
detested , and despised as the Austrians have been in . Italy . In spite of some uncomfortable reminiscences of the behaviour of the soldiery , the children of the sansculottes in Portugal , the Hanse towns , and elsewhere , we believe that the Frenchman in his natural , that is , his polished state , has an immense fund of bonhomniie and . of desire to please , irrespective of his vanity , and we like him for it ; a bonJiommie which would prevent him from being comfortable ¦ with those who were unmistakeably uncomfortable with him . It is with reluctance that he . throws the martial cloak over his politesse . That Nice , so long prepared for the Frenchman , so long semi-civilized by the residence of the aristocrats of all countries , and by the softness of elegant invalids , should be reluctant to receive the last polish which a . French master of the ceremonies only can Gallic
bestow , and relieve its occasional ennui with a little gay levity , is what he will scarcely understand j and we fear that the effect of mortification of rejected , addresses may not be very pleasant to the refuser or the refused . But let this fit of sentimental sadness pass , and . lefc us turn for a moment to the main cause of all this mischief , the most guilty of the parties concerned . There need be ho hesitation at pointing the finger at Austria . For ages have France and Austria battled for the possession of Italy , each con ^ yinced of the justice : of her own claims , each regardless of the claims of Italy , arid her right to be ranked among the nations . France has now altogether receded fi-Om her demand , leaving , in consideration of a small douceur , Italy to the Italians . The nephew has so far , at any rate , not followed the desperate policy of the uncle . He has left Italy , if not altogether to itself , at least far more so
than any of his reckless vituperators in England would have anticipated or even admitted to be possible . Austria has held , and would fain hold on still , to her prey as firmly as she can -and the present desire of union among the Italians shows how deeply her talons pierced . *? - The iron gauntlet of Rome compressed the discordant and jealous cities of Italy together , but it did not pierce or gall them ; when that grasp was relaxed the cities fell asunder , and " disunion" has since been the motto of Italy . She . feels the necessity of trying the strong hand once more . It is no slight suffering that has made her forget her dear jealousies , envyings , -and heartburnings , to put herself into the hands of a power which long conr sidered itself and was considered almost as an alien . We quote a ^ ood boo k of a good author—Oxtai-andi's " Assedio di Firenze " - — to this purpose r- ^—
" II Eomano crecle aver clie fare col Fiorentino quanto con tin abitante dell' oceanic ? ,, e di quale altrji piu remota parte del monrio . I Piemontesi se repufcanp cosi eatranei alle cose d'Ifcalia che favellando con Tosc & no , Romano , o Napolitapo , hanno in costume de designarlo cosi , Voi altri abitanti d'ltalia . " * The Piedmontese addressed the inhabitants of the peninsula as " you Italians ^ " considering them as strangers to their interests . This taking Victob Emmanuel as their king is almost like the JPodesid on a grand scale . As an individual man sometimes is afraid of the bias of his own prejudices and passions , and cannot always trust the deliberate conclusions of his own judgment , nor the decisions of his owiv will , and calls in the advice of a disinterested friendso the I tali An cities of the middle ages could sometimes truBt
, neither to the will of their lovd mor the counsels of their senates , nor the voices of their commons , and so submitted the supreme management of their affairs to a stranger , and called him the * ' Podeata , " or power ( a plan not so unplausible , as it was also adopted in some of the Belgian cities ) . So the whole of Italy would « o \ v ftiin put a restraint upon itself , Milan , Florenco , Genoa , & o . would bind . themselves over to keep the peace with each other , and would give up , to escape , the Austrian , all dear hopes of irresponsibility , and till rivalry , except u peaceful and ' a mutually improving one . It is such a sacrifice of long habits and inbred hatreds as Italy has never voluntarily made before . By a moderate rule , Austria
and her pffshoots might have kept matters in statu quo ; by despotism she has given a handle to France , ruined bovaeli' in Italy , Sisconoerted Europe , and made it impossible , in . spite of tho ' sympathies of a few aristocrats , for free England to give her ft helpinghand ; she has almost thrown herself out of tho communion ot those nations whose communion is worth having , and her misfortunes have been too much of her own wilful and deliberate ) bringing on to obtain pity or to deserve it , Slip has no gratitude ; she id trying to porueciuto a nation which , when tho house of Auatriu was in distress and destitution , came nobly to her aid , and in spite of many a previous provocation and persecution , crowded roiuid the throne wfth tho cry , " Lot us / die for our Quoon , Mmua Theresa . ! " Hungary
will bo blindly persecuted into rebellion . " When \ ro , in our wickedness , grow hard , Oh miaory on't 1 tho wise goda seal our oyca With owr own "filth , drop our clear judgment , muKO ws AUoro our errors , laugh at we whllo wo strut To our confusion /'
In those days , when Hungary showed her ill-rewarded fidelity , England could , without shame , hold out the hand . of help to Austria , and did so , as she had done before , as she . has done . sinee , without much thanks for it —an assistance , however , not rendered ,, as we have said elsewhere * without due consideration of what were , or what were at the time deemed to be , the interests of England . England , whom Austria has always plagued when her ally by her poverty , her dilatoriness , and her temporising shuffling policy , vexing Mablboeough , vexing Wade , vexing Pitt , yet some of our Tories Would now . follow tlie policy of GhantiEle , which Cn ^ vriiAM described as " ' multiplying war upon war , ^ expense upon expense , to abet the house of Austria in such romantic attempts as t 7 ie recovery of the avulsa membra imperii , without regard to the immediate interests of Great Britain . " Our natural allies are Switzerland ,
Holland , the northern powers , and above all , in a united Germany , a friendly Prussia , and a friendly Austria . Against Germany there is none of that innate , and , to a certain extent , unreasoning aversion which " England has so long felt and cherished against France . But how can we be on friendly terms with Austria , blind , obstinate , despotic , more dangerous in her immobility than France in her mobility ? England cannot , despite her desire for German support , link herself cordially with a power which will not allow her children a liberty controlled by-. leading-strings , but cripples them with fetters , and debars them ' from movement altogether . , France , with various motives , has made a bid for the friendship of England . Austria would not , either for our moral or physical support , make a bid by one single liberal concession . . h futile Oh ! that
Visions of the impossible thoug are grateful . Austria would rub her fiyes ; give herself one dip in tlie bath of liberalism , listen for one moment to the whispers of the angel of freedom ; soothe . Hungary—give , or even sell , Venetia to 'the Italians or to Sardinia ; and give * Lot is Napolkon something lilce a decent pretext for wanting a strong . frontier against a really powei-ful neighbour ! If Austria would amend her ways ,, and " put herself in a position to be . forgiven , " with what joy would England hail her conversion ! Against Germany we have no dear prejudices , no traditionary antipathies . For what future does Austria think that she is preparing herself ? TVill she regard neither tlie future nor the past , even when the northern bear is shaking off his . lonjr hyberna-. tion of serfdom ; when Naples is quaking at once with the tremor of wrath and the tremor of fear , and when . even u ' ltram ' ontane . priests will , not allow the sacred character of the . Papacy to atone for its temporal mlsgoverriment ? fc . ;
.... . .. ,. . As to the French Emperor , we regret that he has n \ , tlie slightest degree falsified his professions ; but if he had been as biul as thirdrate newspapers , who sell themselves to the prejuaicus of their readers , have incessantly represented him , he would hnve taken a far larger slice of Italy . Had his designs been as hostile to England as-they pretended , he would have long ago taken advaninge of our troubles , in India , . when we ' were notoriously and confessedly unprepared : ' . he would not have aided and abetted a commercial treaty , the effect of which must be gradually , if not at once , to indispose the French nation for an English war ; and he would have pointed with his finger in the direction of England to the French army , most of whom would not , perhaps , have been sorry for the signal . Prepared himself , he would not have given us all the time for preparation which he has done , unless he had been a fool , a title which those who like him least would hesitate to give him .
Wo will take farewell of our readers with shreds from three . old world oomedies , which the parties may apply as they like : — " The incision is not deep , nor the iorifice exorbitant ; " " Break ice in one place and it will crack in more ; " " Those that scor , » their nest often ily with a sick wing . " The last for Victor Emmaxuel .
302 The Leader And Saturday Analyst^ [Ma...
302 The Leader and Saturday Analyst ^ [ March . 31 , 1860 .
Hungary.* It Is Not Only Those Who Prefe...
HUNGARY . * IT is not only those who prefer moral principle to political dogmas and value , the freedom of-nations more than the buluuco ot power , who look to Hungary with an mtej ' est which is iucyott . sud by the daily progress of events that bring us perceptibly nourcr tho overthrow of the Austriun syatern , and the ro-establislnuent ot some new combination of the multifarious races now languishing and suffering under Hupsburg misrule . Somo may wjah tor and expect to see Hungary entirely sopavated from the Austriim crown ; others may believe in the possibility of reanimating- tlie Austriim system , and converting what is now a dreary wusto of despotism into a federation of free and powerful States ; but whichever theory may be formed , the Hungarians nupenr destined to take im important position , nnd in some slmpo or other the triumph of their constitutional cause is the only conceivable condition of the progress ot liberty and civilisation over a large portion of tho South of Europe
Tho Hungarians are the only important , raco to bo found over a very widp area , who possess a military spirit , coupled with tlie traditions and habits of a free constitutional system . The particular character of a successful revolution may determine whether Hungary stands alone , or becomes ft portion a ! ' a Confederation , or whotlior nor torn of L'overntnont avill bo monarchical or republican ; but tlie / Hun " gariiui people will nuvcr Hud themselves in the vain position ot experimental constitution pmkqrs , endoavourinjr to Qombine anaVohidal principled with enduring iovms of political naininiatration . They want Bometliing intolliyible , doduito , « ud practicable—liberty
* Ilnngori/ From 13-13 To 1800. By Banvn...
* Ilnngori / from 13-13 to 1800 . By BAnvnox . OMB \ r bb SzBMERS . Bontley . „
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), March 31, 1860, page 10, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_31031860/page/10/
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