Rassegna storica del Risorgimento

104
Derek Beales
Franco never will unite in any European purposo tohieh is radually intrusi. And U is far more importuni to confimi France in support of ora prmdpU with respect to Italy, than it is to go imo any Congress, if indeed it be the case that the Congress stands on one side, and tlie invitations and policy of France on the other Again as regards a speedy issue, I take it to be beyond tloubl that if we unite with France in the resolution you propose, and if in consequence the Congress fails to meet, we shall at once proceed to moke arrange-ments under which the States of Central Jtaly may proceed to establish a settled government for themselves.
Upon the whole I must conclude as follows. One great advantage of a
peaceful and temperate foreign policy is, that it reserves and husbands power
to spend it upon great occasions. And this is a great occasion for with Italy
as it luts been over since 1848 Europe never con be safe. Your invitaiion is
an invitation to confront danger while it is small, to attack it in its beginnings:
the strength now available against you, that of Austria, and the Pope, is a
strength with which you con cope, and France extends her own hand and
asks for yours. If we delay, then Austria and the Pope, emboldened by our
hesitation, may gather many other powers, some from secular and some front
relìgious motives. While the force of àie foe thus increases ours may dwindle
England con controul and curry the unruly elements with her we are
not too suro of France, and the Emperor who look alami and jlinched at Villa
Franca, may take alami and flinch again. It may be difficult to anticipate,
and to preclude before discussion, a decision to which the Congress might come,
it would be far more difficult as a receding minority to denounce and to resisi
by the strong hand one which it had adopted, even if the French Emperor were
able to hold his ground so long and did not leave to us the honour of a barren
protest. After refiectvng on the conversatlon of today I firmly believe your
proposai to be, like the decision in the Belgian case, prudent as well as bóld,
and for one I heartily adopt it: leaving open the question lohat the precise
form should be, but hoping that it will be one that may involve closer union
with France for what nWi xilearly appears tò be a common object, and a more
distinct and developed affirmation of the principle we have adopted from the
first that foreign force ought no longer to be used as the instrument of government
in Central Italy.
I remain sincerely yours W. E. Gladstone
The Lord John Russell M. P.
I have taken itfor granted that the exclusion of foreign intervention méuns the exclusion of foreign ItaUan as well as foreign non Italian Powers I mean of Sardinia as well as of any other State. Tuscany and the Duchies are of course one with the Romagna.l)
Britìah Museunu Àdd. MSS. 291, foHos 286-295.
Marfey(i/e of Gladstone, II, 14-15) quote a fw wntence* of Uùs tetta, wlùch ho *cnb ns a cabinet memorandum, and other writers have fouowedlum.oZn A doea not aeem to have been publuhed. vinerwise,
I have tried to reproduce the punctuatlon exactly.