Rassegna storica del Risorgimento

Documenti americani sul conflitto italo-austriaco del 1859 13
The Bourse bore has beau for some weeks in a most fiuctuating and disturb-od state, but yesterday there was a rise, founded on a report from Vienna that Austria had dcclared her readiness to go into the Congrega, on the single condi tion that the three Powcrs, France, Sardinia, and Austria, should disami hefore the meeting of the Congress. Frauce has uniformly dcclared that she has in ade no extraordinary inerease of her military or naval preparations, and there-fore I do not believe the Emperor's Government will yield to the condition. Indced, it will prohably be considered insulting. Austria has made extraordi-nary dispositions of large bodies of armed men, -with the view, apparently, of formidable assaults on Piedmont. The latter power also has made vigorous preparations to meet them. As Piedmont is not to be represented in the Con­gress, there would be but little hope of her disarming in the presence of ber powerful and bitter enemy. But if wilhout representation in the Congress, Sardinia shall be advised or required by the four great Powers, to disami, con-temporaneously with Austria, I can readily suppose that the Count Cavour is too enlightened and skilful not to see that a great advantage wfll result to his country, by acquiescence in their counsel, and thus make them the guardiana of his comparatively weak country.
Count Cavour's recent visit to Paris, ) and the mission of the Marquis d'Azeglio to London,2) indicate that this may be his policy, and it may result in the meeting of the Congress, and the united counsels of England. Franco, Prussia and Russia so emphatically pronounced that Austria must yield to them.
In the meantime, the overthrow of the Derby Ministry on a domestic question, and the dissolution of the Parliament, exert no small influence on the question. The coalition of Lord John Russell with Lord Palmerston, if successful in the election of the House of Commons, will probably restose Lord Palmerston to power, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and, judging from his antecedents, and especially from the long visit which he and Lord Clarendon paid to the Emperor Napoleon at Compiègne, in the last autumn, the cause of peace will not be pro-moted by bis administration of the Foreign Onice. Indeed, I am informed that in the heated canvass which has already commenced in England, it is said that if there is to be war, Palmerston is the man for the times, but if peace can be preserved, Lord Derby ought not to retire. The new elections will probably take place before the results of the Congress can be known, and under such a phase of the question, I will not he surprised to see the Derby Ministry denounced by their opponents, as the friends of Austria. 3)
1 ) A Parigi Cavour parlò in nome di tutti i liberali italiani per persuadere Napoleone nel'colloquio del 26 marzo a mantenersi fedele al programma guerresco. Durante questa stessa visita a Parigi il Cavour vide anche emigrati ungheresi e polacchi, i quali avrebbero potato giovare ai fini della sua politica. Ritornò in Piemonte con la certezza che la guerra sarebbe incominciata presto.
2) Massimo d'Azeglio si recò come inviato straordinario sardo a Parigi e a Londra.
3) Frattanto il Corriere Mercantile di Genova (15 maggio 1859) pubblicava la tra­duzione d'un articolo apparso nel New York Times contro la politica inglese del periodo. L'articolo cominciava con queste precise parole: I giornali inglesi i più ostinatamente prevenuti, sono stati forzati finalmente ad ammettere che l'imperatore Francesco Giu­seppe, loro protetto abbia spinto... .