The Italian Premier made a most significant speech to his
constituents on Sunday. He is appealing for support, be it remembered, to an entirely new electorate, and the single ground of his appeal for confidence is the material progress secured within the seven years of his administration. He told his audience that the Chamber had passed 634 Bills and that more had been prepared, that the equilibrium of the Budget had been secured, that the position of all functionaries had been improved, that the floating Debt had been diminished, that railways had been extended, and that the price of the Public Rente had been raised twenty points. The Treasury was now in such a condition that it was possible to afford relief to suf- ferers by floods. He was opposed to increased armaments, on the ground of expense ; held that Italy should 'adhere to the alliance with Central Europe,.and described England as " our ancient and sure friend." We have noticed elsewhere how unlike this speech is to the ideas falsely attributed to Signor Depretis, but must note here that the Premier's promises for the future were not
conquests, but sanitary reform, more irrigation, an agrarian Crodit Foncier; an improvement of the position of school- teachers, and the equalisation of the land-tax. We shall see what the new constituency which votes at the end of the month will say, but S. Depretis should know them by this time.
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