ITALY AND PRANCE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1006, 27 July 1883, Page 4

ITALY AND PRANCE.

M. Leo Lavedan recently published in the Figaro an article entitled “Le Secret de Bismarck.” In fact (writes the Home correspondent of the New Zealand Times), ever since the war of 1870, the burly Prince has been a kind of bugbear to the French people — very much the same, in fact, as the Pope was to our ancestors. Whatever was done, or threatened, or suspected of an evil nature, used to be put down to the? Pope and the Jesuits, and so it is the same at the present time in Paris. Von Moltke and Bismarck are conspirators, and France is the virtuous female who is always running fearful risks at the hands of her persecutors. But this cock-and-bull tale of the Figaro, although half believed in by some,really out-Herod’s Herod, According to M. Lavedan, Bismarck is scheming to get Italy and the Pope reconciled as a preliminary to involving the former in a quarrel with France. As soon as the two countries are fairly at war, Germany will intervene, and, with the help.of her ally, crush their common enemy. Then is to come dismemberment ; Italy will take Nice and Savoy as far as the Yar, and also Corsica, wherewith to menace Toulon and Marseilles ; Germany will take the remainder of Lorraine, including Nancy; Belgium will seize French Flanders; Switzerland, Chablais; Spain, Rousillion'" aind, a slice of Gascony ; whil§t>England, for preserving complete neutrality, is. to have a port on the French coast, and so the great Empire of Napoleon will disappear for ever beneath the iron heel of the Prussian despot. Now all this portentous tale has grown partly out of a rapprochement between the Catholics of Germany and the Government, and partly out of a visit paid by Von Moltke to the Franco-Italian frontier. As regards Bisnparck and the Catholic Church, all sensible politicians saw long ago that even the Prussian Chancellor could not override conscience and religion, and that when he attempted to coerce the minds of his compatriots he was undertaking a more formidable task than the invasion of France. Accordingly, having seen his error, he seeks in some measure to draw back, and no doubt is favoring in a way the efforts now being made to reconcile the King of Italy with the Pontiff. But quite apart from the influence of Bismarck, Italy herself is very desirous that this quarrel should be made up. Portions of the Quirihal ’have been excommunicated by the Pope, and such is the superstition of the people that the attendants would rather sleep in the most miserable attics than in the grandest rooms of the condemned apartments.’ Again, none of the Catholic Sovereigns of Europe can visit Rome without seeing the Pope, and they cannot do this as long as there is war between Throne and Church. Thus, in every way, a very awkward state of things exists for any government to deal with, and that alone is quite sufficient to make Italy anxious for reconciliation. As to Von Moltke and his visits, it is welt, known that the eminent strategist has been for years pursuing his strategical studies, and has plans prepared for every contingency. His visit, therefore, to-Italy carried with it no serious import. Altogether, Frame does not do justice to herself by spreading these wild stories. She loses prestige and cultivates cowardice. She had much better attend quietly to her internal development, and not be rampaging aboutithe world, making herself ridiculous by bullying her weaker neighbors. A$ to her action in Madagascar, nothing can well be more uncalled for. It is a piece.of pure and simple aggression; and itT is rumored that the countries whose property has been injured in the recent bombardment will claim compensation. Should the Hovas make a stand, wnich they could easily do when united, France would find that she had undertaken more than she reckoned upon, and would fare worse than ever we did in Zululand.