Rassegna storica del Risorgimento

10
Howard R. Marraro
yet it is undcrstood that violent attacks have been recently made in that body on the Prince Napoleon,*) the neW Minister of Algeria and the Colonica. Hia officiai conduct is said to have been denonneed, and hia cstimates for Ina Depart­ment are regarded as gravely objectionable and have been rejected by the Con-seil d'Etat. In the Bureaux of the Chamber of Dcputies it is said, in well-in-formed circlcs, that strong repugnance has been mauifested to votine war supplica. The rcconciliation between the Emperor and this Imperiai Prince was regarded as a politicai event of the post year of no email importance. The Prince has talent and auibition. While he is ready to take the dotations and the privilcges as a mcmber of the Imperiai family, hia proclivitics are to Red Repub-licanism, and he made no secret of bis hoatility to the Emperor. Acceding to the newly created office of Minister of Algeria, he has constantly cnlarged bis jurisdiction and addcd to bis patronage and power at the expense of the other departmcnts, especially of War and Marine. He is not simply unpopular but odious in Franco, and bence, with bis antecedente, and since liis marriage with the daughter of the King of Sardinia, he is regarded as the violent advocate of interference in 1 talian affaire, of an alliance with Victor Emmanuel, and of war with Austria.
The attacks on bini are therefore significant not only of hostility to him, but of opposition to a policy with wbicb he is identified. Demonatrationa of the public sentiment of Europe are decisively against the war, and efforts for the preservation of peace are earnestly made.
Two weeks since, Lord Cowley, the Britiah Ambassador at this Court, poa-sesaing in an extraordinary degree the Emperor'a confidence, was aummoned to London, and sent to Vienna. It is understood that the object of his mission was to reatore a good understanding between Austria and France. Nothing bas yet tranapired to show the basis of the proposed settlement, or the success which has attended his Lordsbip's efforts. The fact of the mission proves the imminence of the danger, and while some are of opinion that he would not have gone to Vienna unlcss he had reason to hope for a good result, others consider that the Emperor of France desired to evince no opposition to a friendly solution, with an interior policy of preserving the neutrality of England and Prussia, in the event of Austria's refusai to accede to his demanda, and war supervening.2) In this connection, it was remarked that M. de Bourqueney,3) the French Am­bassador to Austria, who has been absent froin his post for many months, in conaequence of family affliction, had arrived in Paris, en route for Vienna, and on the announcement of Lord Cowley'a mission qnietly returned to Blois, and bas not yet gone to Vienna.
In the number of the Monitcur Universel which I aend herewith, appeared an officiai article on the subject which is considered significant of an intention
') Gerolamo Napoleone Bonaparte, genero di Vittorio Emanuele II, detto Plonplon.
2) L'Inghilterra temeva l'ambizione dell'Imperatore francese e l'aggressione della Russia. Inoltre, l'Austria sperava nell'alleanza prussiana, ma non riuscì nell'intento. Del resto, anche la missione di Cowley non ebbe nessun saccesso.
*) Si ricorderà che già nel marzo del 1857, il Cavour telegrafava al marchese Can-touo di Ceva di rimettere gli archivi della delegazione sarda a Vienna al barone Francois Adolphe Bourqucney, ambasciatore francese a Vienna, che assunse la protezione dei end-dita sardi in Austria. Si veda. La legazione sarda in Vienna (170716*59) a cura di ENZO PISCITELI.!, Roma, 1950, pp. 38, 123.