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190 The Leader and Saturday Analyst. [Fa...
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Rome, 16th February, 1860.
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• ' Hanover; Fobrnary 20th, 1800. npH32 ...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Foreign Correspondence. (Special.) . Pae...
with regard to trade , by throwing put the treaty , might lead the Emperor t » turn his thoughts to some other source of popularity .
190 The Leader And Saturday Analyst. [Fa...
190 The Leader and Saturday Analyst . [ Fate . 25 , 1860 .
Rome, 16th February, 1860.
Rome , 16 th February , 1860 .
SAVOY ANJD NICE . rpHERE has little occurred here during the week of move than local X interest , arid we are all waiting- eagerly to see what the Carnival , "which commences this afternoon , may bring forth . I shall , therefore , tiike this opportunity of writing on a subject which I see is now exciting considerable discussion in the English press . I allude of course to the annexation of Savoy and Nice to France . What degree of truth there may be in the rumours prevailing on the subject , you are as good or a better judge than I can be , whose sole information on the topic is derived from London newspapers of venerable antiquity . Whether the scheme be arranged * or proposed ,
or rejected , is at present a mystery , about which I suspect even our own ' Foreign-office is quite in the dark . In Greek verbs there is a mysterious tense , which grammarians designate as the panlo-postfuture , and stated by them to express the idea of one event having just occurred , after and subject to the occurrence of another , which is to take place at a future timei Now the Savoy-Nice question seems to me to be exactly in the paulo-post-future tense , and I Own that , personally , I have no great fears of its being reduced at present to an intelligible and historical perfect . Still , as the question is . interesting ,- ! think that some information I can give on the matter may not be useless .
With our usual ignorance of continental matters , we appear in England to consider both parts of the question , on exactly the same footing , whereas they rest on very different grounds . It is true that , as far as France is concerned , the annexation of either Savoy or Nice may be considered equal proofs of a grasping and ambitious spirit . Subjectively to France , to adopt a metaphysical term , the guilt of either proceeding may be the same objectively towards Europe . The evil of the two courses is of very unequal intensity . A simple illustration will shovv what I want to prove . Suppose that Great Britain was conquered by an European coalition , and that France proposed to annex Scotland and Ireland . Now the abstract iniquity might be equal in either proposal , but the practical injury to England , and the amount of injustice inflicted on the subjects of the annexation , would be totally dissimilar . Relatively to Sardinia , Savoy occupies the position : of Ireland , and Nice that of Scotland .
Savoy is separated from Sardinia by a barrier , which , for purposes of intercourse , is an insurmountable one . During the many centuries in which Savoy has been united , with Piedmont , no real union has been established between the two nations . North of the Alps there is nothing Italian , in thought , or feeling , or language . In outward appearance , Savoy , as a traveller sees it , is French all over , fur more thoroughly Trench than the pi-ovineial part of France is to this day . In the law courts , the churches , and the theatres , French is the . only language spoken . The whole commerce of the country is with France . The streams of Savoy all run into the Rhone ; and , as I saw remarked the other day in a local Chambery paper , " Where the waters of our riyer flow , there the affections of our hearts flow also ; " In fact , if one were to decide
a priori , what is the best for Savoy , arid what Savoy would prefer , I should say , without hesitation , union with France : I am aware , however , that these arguments from the , inherent fitness of things , are often fallacious . By all the rules of nationality , and geographical position , and abstract symmetry , ; the Channel Islands ought to belong-to Fiance . They are French islands , occupied by a Frenoh race , speaking a French dialect . Their trials and their worship are conducted in French their newspapers are written in French . What local commerce and trade they have , is with the French coast , which lies in sight ; Nevertheless , any one acquainted with Jersey and Guernsey will bear me out in saying that a more cruel injustice could not be inflicted , than in separating theiri from England . They are more personally loyal , perhaps , than any the
possession of the British cro ^ vn . They out-English English themselves in their pride of nationality arid * dislike to France . I cannot learn , however , that any stfeh . feeling is shown in . Savoy , though it may doubtless exist . There are gome reasons also for expecting * i % should , riot be found there , During the hist twenty years , tho importance of the Italian possessions ot Surdinia hns been inorensin . fr , and that of the Sii , voy ones decreasing in an inverse ratio . Tho Italian policy was not popular in Savoy . The wuivwas pne by which they might lose everything and would gain nothing . I , happened to bo in Savoy when the news of Splferino" arrived , and can . testify to the failure of the attempts to get up public rejoicings on the occasion . ' Little or nothing has been done for Savoy . The roada and improvements , which alone are wanted to 1
bringtho tide of Swiss tourists over every part of Savoy , have been left unat tempted . The taxation of the country has been very heavy . Tho conscription , rendered necessary by the Austrian enmities of Sardinia , hns impoverished further this barren and poverty-Btwoken country - while , to orown all , the visits of thoir sovereigns have , of late years , been few and far between . AU these Cannes have weakened the Royalty of the Savoyards towards their Italian kings ,. Savoy is , even now , more of a feudal cotmtry , than perhups any other west ; of JHnng-nry . The nobles , who know that their influence and privileges would disappear under tho ( system of Frenoh equality , drond annexation with Franco , nnd exert nil their influence , against it . Perhaps for the very some reason , the liberal middle class are in , favour of the change . Tho priests , who have
great influence in Sayoy , follow the cue of Rome , and hate " Victoe Emmantjei . as only a priest can hate . Under the rule of France , they have less fear of proselytism than tinder the Tree constitutional and parliamentary government of Sardinia . ' Their efforts , therefore , work in favour of the annexation . If the nation too ^ as I suspect , are influenced by the success of France , and by the wonderful progress which in , every French town , however remote from Paris , is now going on under the magic rule of the Emperor , if * in fact . Savoy prefers to be an integral part of the great French nation , instead of a dependency of Sardinia—a sort of Cinderella , with Italy for a stepmother , I own I am . more disposed towards sympathy than towards blame .
I much doubt whether the independence of Italy would be seriously threatened by the French possessing Savoy . The old belief of the extreme importance of balances of power and strategical positions is getting but of fashion . Railroads and telegraphs have altered all international relations . If the French want to invade Italy , arid choose to march across the Alps , the fact that the territory for some score of miles on this side the Alps belongs to Italy , will not seriously impede them . The railroad from Paris to Marseilles brings thein practically fur nearer Italy , than the possession of all the valleys in Savoy . I own , on these grounds , that if it should be proved that the Savoyards are not unwilling for the change , I should view the annexation of Savoy to France without apprehension , and even with satisfaction .
About Nice , however , my feeling is entirely different . Nice is as Italian as Savoy is French . It may seem a fanciful remark , but I know whenever I travel southwards , I always feel that 1 aui getting to Italy when I have passed Avignon ; but travelling the other way , I do ' not feel that I have left Italy till long after I have crossed the French frontier . - When I first knew Nice , some seventeen years ago , it was altogether an Italian town . It is true that the Italian spoken by the inhabitants was a very broken and harsh patois ; but still they understood you if you spoke to them in Italian , while French proved utterly ^ unintelligible . The climate , the vegetation , the features , and the habits of the inhabitants were all Italian . Tlie names of the streets ( contrada , as they used to ball ; them , ) . ' were . '' . Italian ., On a late visit to Nice , I observed a
great apparent increase of the French element . Nice has become a great French winter residence and watering place . There are French theatres , French newspapers , French cafes ( I recollect , by the way , when a cafe was a novelty there ) , and French hotels . All the shopkeepers and carriage drivers . and donkey boys , the classes whom strangers chiefly come across ; speak French , and , in many instances , are French , The spread of railroads in France and the greater facilities for travelling have , brought Nice far nearer Paris than it was before , while Genoa and Turin are as far off nearly as ever . Still a very few wanderings in the environs of Nice convinced me that the French varnish was a very superficial one , and that a mile or two front the town the country was as Italian as ever . Wherever the frontier is fixed , even if within five miles of Genoa itself , the Vicinity of a great country such as France will always give a French tinge to the Italian side of the frontier line . Nice has got this tinge , but I think not more so than , is inevitable .
Nice is thoroughly Italian in its sympathies . The war excited greater enthusiasm there than I witnessed in any other part of Italy ; possibly , I admit , became there was less danger in it to themselves . Nice is prosperous , well governed , contented , and could f ain nothing" by a change . If , as I trust and believe , Sardinia ecomes the great Italian nation , " Nizza la Maritinia" will be no insignificant or neglected province of united Italy . If Nice were even given over to 'France , there would still remain the same difficulty about the frontier as there is at present , The Var is certainly a very poor frontier , but then nature has forgotten to make a better . The rnnrithne Alps , which run seaward to about due north of Nice , instead of continuing their southward course , turn eastwards , and run parallel to the coast . If these Alps were taken as the French frontier , the whole of the Riviera di . Porxente , ns far as Voltri , tliat is , within ten miles of Genoa , must be ceded . There are no navigable rivers that run into tho sea between Marseilles and Genoa . The Var is as large a torrent as any of those that descend from the mountains to .. tho . c 6 ast . If , as I hear
rumoured , the county of Nice were given to France , there is not the slightest superiority in the " Impera" torrent , which flows into the sea at Orxeglia , and which would , I suppose , be tho frontier line over the Tar . In fact , if you are to arrange everything by geographical symmetry , you would give Cannes to Sardinia , and withdraw the French frontier to the ridge of the Bstrelles . In a strategical point of view , too , though I attach little importance to this , Nice is very valuable to Sardinia . As long us Sardinia holds Nice she can pour troops into France , across the Cuneo pass , even if the Corniuhe coast-road were blockaded by a French fleet . However , in my mind , the most important reason of all is that Nice and tho Riviera are Italian , and wish to remain Italian ; while Savoy is French in nature , and would probably have no objection to becoming French by country . The difference between the tyvo eases is so important a one in the whole discussion , that I have thought it worth while to trouble you with these remarks , even at the risk of tolling you what you already know . !
• ' Hanover; Fobrnary 20th, 1800. Nph32 ...
• ' Hanover ; Fobrnary 20 th , 1800 . npH 32 origin and general history of Europonn r « e « s , not nations ,, X . must soon become the special study of English statesmen it not of tho English public , for without a thorough knowledge—a knowledge not to be found in our national histories , received ns such that is—ns to how these tribual distinctions of Latins ,
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 25, 1860, page 18, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_25021860/page/18/
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