ENGLISH AND EUROPEAN GOSSIP.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 671, 13 April 1859, Page 3

ENGLISH AND EUROPEAN GOSSIP.

(From the Sydney • Herald's' correspondent.) London, January 15th. 1859 has commenced ominously for Europe. A single phrase of the Emperor Napoleon, in conversation with Baron Hubnev, has been sufficient to set Italy in agitation, and to excite the liveliest forebodings of another continental war—a war between France and Austria. How profound is the sensation may be judged of by a fall pf nearly 5 per cent, in the French, and 2 per cent, in the English Funds. Nor have the subsequent explanations of the 'Moniteur' tended in the least to allay t lie general excitement. The almost universal impression is that a war between France and Austria in Italy is inevitable—on what precise account does not very plainly appear.

The speech of the King of Sardinia to his Parliament encourages the belief that we are on the eve of grave events. The expressions made use of by his Majesty are certainly full of significance—the more so when it is considered that every word in his speech has been carefully weighed and approved of at the Tuileries. In announcing that " relying upon the experience of the past, he would meet the even-tualities-of the future with resolution"—that "while respecting treaties, he is not insensible to the cry of grief which reaches them from so many parts of Italy," Victor Emanuel plainly indicates his sense of his situation. These words, says the Piedmontese 'Gazette,' were announced by this dignitary -with with great emphasis, which created a deep conviction among the public, and were received with immense arid entlmsiastic cheering.

Throughout Italy the conviction is universal that we are on the eve of another struggle for independence. In Lombardy, more especially, the people have already begun to show those symptoms which wore the prelude to insurrection" in 1&48. The Austrians are openly insulted in the streets. The young nien will not smoke cigars which are of Government manufacture, and cry Viva Verdi! everywhere—which words have no reference to the popular composer, hut are artfully designed to convey the initials " Viva Vittoria Emmanuel Re d'ltalia." The fermentation has reached Tuscany and even Naples^ 'In Turin the preparations for Avar are being made openly. The National Guard has been called out and organised under the command of the celebrated Garibaldi, whose very name is ominous of the crisis.

Austria, on her side, is not slow to accept the challenged Large bodies of troops are being.moved on Lombardy, and Milan already is all but in a state of siege, general Gyulay, so infamous by his butcheries in 1848, has;been invested with the chief command, and has declared his pian pf proceeding, which'is'to' hang a Milanese at every street corner of the city. At a rdcent row the Hungarian officers of an Austrian regiment, itis said, made' common cause with' the populace,' and shouted Viva Vltalia ! whatever the fact may be worth. If this be not one'of the many things which the Emperor Napoleon" did not mean to do after he had flpne,' I must believe' that no Austrian war is his present game. Such %war, no doubt, would be popular with his army; .even more,so, perhaps, than a.war .with England. The French, more especially in Italy, haye always been antagonistic to Austria. For'five Hundred years', Piedmont or Lombardy has been the cockpit of the two nations. Louis Napoleon is a fatalist, and, moreover, a close imitator of My Uncle's policy. Now, it was a part of My Unole's scheme to. make Northern Italy a dependency of France, either by conquest or family ties. It is by the latter means that the Nephew hopes to tp accomplish his end. The Prince Napoleon— " Plon-plon," to wit—is to marry the Princess Clotilde—the daughter of the King of Sardinia—a girl of fifteen^ and a war with Austria is probably one pf the conditions of the match. The bargain may be considered & good one for bpth-parties, for Plon Plon gets a bride of the old dynasty in Em;ope, and Sardinia obtains the means of accomplishing the one sole object of all her policy—the humbling of her great enemy Austria.

It is a proof of the importance attached by Sardinia to this object, that she condescends to such men and such means for its accomplishment. Whatever else may issue from this war, it is impossible to consider it as, in any light, a war of freedom. Austria.against France is but despotism" against despotism. Italy has no more to expect from one than she has received from the .other"; she ought to know what French mediation means, by this time. Is it to the invaders of Rome in 1849, that Italians look for the regeneration of their conn try? That greatest of burglaries is a fit pendant to the basest of petty larcenies—the coup a'etat of December 2nd; It is preposterous beyond all measure to expect that' the man who filched the liberties of his own country, and spoiled Rome of her nascent freedom, is to be the champion of Italian independence. To callin Louis Napoleon to help Italy against Austria, is to summon the tiger against the wolf, —to apply to the pickpocket for aid against the highwayman. Justly might Italy use the well-worn line of the poet— Non tali auxilio—npn defensoribus istis. As for England, we have no reason .whatever to disturb ourselves in such a quarrel. Let France and Austria fight, if they please. Who would spoil such good sport? ' Our sympathy for the one side precisely equals piir sympathy for the other; and if the war proceeded to the point of mutual extermination, we could have no feeling but one of congratulation. Such is the. prevailing sentiment in this country among all classes- and I cannot doubt that ministers, under the judicious auspices of the-pacific Malmesbury, will take care not to interfere with such a very pretty quarrel. Never did the righteous doctrine of non-interven-tion so palpably recommend itself to the British people. We have no interest whatever in any war between such combatants and on such grounds, and we should be.as calm and collected in regard to the ultimate issue as Mr. Winkle was when Mr. Tupman was going to fight Dr. Slammer.

The appeal of M. de Montalembert to the higher court has had this favourable result, that, although the former sentence is confirmed as to fine and imprisonment, the defendant is freed from the severe penalties.to which he was made liable by the other .conviction—ith.e chance of a summary deportation to Cayenne or Algeria. It --was for this especially that M. de .Montalembert fought,, and so far, .therefore, he.may.be deemed, successful. But the Emperor.is determined to pardon him, whether he will or .not; so he has been pardoned again—emerging from the. affair certainly with all1 , the honours of victory," and with every advantage , o.ver his redoubtable antagonist, with his half .million soldiers. \ There have .been ..disturbances in Servia, caused ■by the deposition of the reigning Hqspodar, on ; the ground of liis partiality to Western influences, as opposed to Russia and Panslavism. The opportunity has been seized by Austria, to advance her troops to the frontier; and, that is made the ; grounds of the present difference between her and France. The Parliamentary campaign opens on the 3rd of February. There is much speculation as to what Lord Derby intends 'in the matter of reform—the report being that he is prepared with a bill to be brought in when Mr. Bright's fails. Upon that fai|ure ; the Tories reckon with a just confidence in the, gqod sense of the people. Never has a reputar tion been, so recklessly thrown away as by John Bright, in his late oratorical demonstration. No man' had a fairer chance of becoming the most powerful and popular loader of the iiiy. But his (irfogani'e, intemperance, and mendacity have disgusted every respectable man'in'the country, and no iv that the bubble of that reputation has burst, we find that very dirty soap and water it was. The audacity of this' very commonplace fellow's pretensions !to statesmanship has been well exposed in .an admirable series of articles which have recently appeared, in the 'Saturday Paper'—a journal of the first character and influence. If Parliamentary re-

form is not to bo'had except at such iiands, J, in common with many, would rather stand still. Although it is not true, as the ' Times' ''would have you think, that there is no'general wish for reform, it is certain that such reform us ia wanted is not of the character Mr. Bright would give it. -The demand is for a broad and comprehensive measure, based religiously upon the old foundations—an extension and elevation, rather than a lowering and cheapening, of the franchise.

From all that I can learn, Ministers are anything but confident of their prospects in the next session. It is said there is as much disunion in their own ranks as in those of their adversaries. Lord Stanlej', for one, is much too progressive for the taste of the majority of' his colleagues ; and agrees but little, it is said, with his noble progenitor. A single vote may upset his Government, as it did the last, and in the present confined state of the parties it may come, from any side. What keeps "the Dsrbyitcs in is precisely that which is the sole title of Louis Napoleon—that there is no one ready to displace them.

The revival'of- Ribbonism in Ireland is i\ significant faqt for those who had thought that the nature of the Celt had been changed by prosperity. Lord Eglinton's Government has been busy making arrests on all sides; and the infamous trade of the informer once more flourishes, to the deep disgust of 9)1 right thinking men in 'both countries. I do not believe in the depth and extent of the danger myself, which, like all Irish' patriotism so called, means nothing but burglary and assassination. It is not by Phoenix Societies'that a nation is regenerated, nor does freedom come by howling. Yet the Irish leaders and their fatuous dupes still play the old game, with all the old results. Tha pity is that any government should 'so far condescend to help their silly purpose, as take formal notice of their existence. We ought to know by experience that the on!/ way to treat these gentry is absolutely to ignore them, that is the best revenge that England can take. ■ ' .'".-■ :

To the horror of all froorl Protestants, the Prince of Wales is on his way to Rome. I mean literally, not metaphorically. "The rose and expectancy of our fair state," (who, by-tlie-lne, is a very commonplace youth, not very brilliant in his wits, if it may be loyal to say so,) is to visit the Imperial City, and to make personal acquaintance with the Old Lady in Scarlet who sits on the Seven Hilts. Nothing is expected by the 'Recordites' than that he will come back a cardinal at least. Of so sensitive a texture is our English Evangelicism. Yet the more judicious may retrain their alarm. If at any place you are less in danger of conversion to Romanism than another it is at Rome. And it is really no compliment either to the Koyal Prince or to his mamma to imply that the young gentleman's Protestantism is of such a loose nature {is that he cannot go .to Rome for fear of conversion.

The tenders for the Victoria Railways Loan were opened the other day in the presence of the agents of the several colonial banks, aud some of our leading capitalists, find' £986,900 were accepted at £107,. the balance;beirig still'unapplied for. But the effect of the disturbances on thi? continent will be. I apprehend, to turn the attention of home capitalists to our own colonies and territories more than heretofore. Great complaints are made, by-the-bye, of the manner in which the Victoria Government has been shirking its obligations in the matter of the Melbourne and Geelong Railway Bonds.

The Great Ship Company now, as well as their vessel, fairly afloat, is proceeding vigorously with her rigging and fitting out, and it is expected that she will be ready for sea by the end of July. The question of speed being once settled, it has been decided that she is to be employed as a grand trunk line to the eastward, making Trincomalee her terminus, from which smaller steamers are to act as her feeders in regard to the Indian, Chinese, and Australian ports.