14th ,Tune t 1869. Sin—Can you enlighten one who is much
perplexed by the existing state of affairs in Italy. If, as I understand, Lombardy was ceded to Austria at the Congress of Vienna, Hassle, Prussia, France, and Great Britain, being consenting parties—upon what grounds is Austria now to be deprived of her Italian possessions ? Are Congresses, or rather treaties, made at solemn as- semblies of crowned heads and their representatives, to be set aside at the instigation of one or two only of the parties concerned ? Provided, you reply, that Austria's conduct has been such as to justify her expulsion from Italy • which will not be disputed. Why was not this done without such aw- ful bloodshed ? And there is every probability if a settlement of the matter is left to France, Sardinia, and Austria, that there will be many more lives sacrificed than have yet been. By an alliance of the principal European Powers, say Russia, France, and Great Britain, whose united forces would be irresistible, recommending in due diplomatic, though in this case unmistake- able form, that Austria should evacuate territories which had been granted to her, but of which she, by her form of Government had proved unworthy—for at this conclusion it seems the three above-named countries have arrived— what an amount of blood and treasure would thus have been saved to the world, and how much more consistent would such an arrangement have been with the avowed wish for peace, which each civilized country of Europe professes to keep constantly in view.
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