"Italy in the Coming War."

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3131, 16 February 1889, Page 2

"Italy in the Coming War."

The Eserdito Italiano, the .military organ at Borne, bas published an artiolo in the form of a letter to!an '/ lion deputy and ex-officer, under.thY'wabove title, signed by its' Bignor de Liiigi, himself .aajjptv officer .who went throughutlJKvr last war in -.which" .Italy': engaged, and who is regarded as a*'?: highauthority m military matters,"-"'-..';. and to whom, as editor of the organ?■■■ of, the War Department, grave atten-. :• tionisdue. The letter was sugges-.-'.'• ■ ted by the" published inter- ??.'-'. view of the Deputy with the-';'. correspondent of a French newspaper. '., The Borne correspondent of rho : Times extracts the most significant .! passages', which may,' he thinks, be .; [taken as the military opinion of Italy: ■■ "The Italians protest that they have no intention,of attacking France; the Frenoh, on the other hand, affirm that they are;ariinlated by no warlike intentions towards us. I believe ; that both the parties who, repeat ;??■? almost daily the same declaration d 0..-' ''; so in perfect good faith. The war vV will, nevertheless, break out on thel:-; ! first occasion which presents itself, ;-:,••:: j since it is the natural and inevitable; : >i result of the. series • of events which .; : -??vi\? the present position—.;?:??;; yizV.i the constitution on the yy ofFrance of two grea*t States,.uhitedi^*'} ? and -thoroughly-nationalised,-;which . limit her influence arid, restrain' her;^<T ; S powervof : rests thei new politioal equilibrium of :?; ,Ettrppe. cannot do otherwise : >&rt than 'direofcall beE'efforts to chanpng ?%"--;?-; this?state of thmgß.;??She?:woijld : BPS

• ; ; : "disown her splendid past, and woiild uob do honor to her and nature did she not ■ -WiiUofflpt sooner or-later. to burst the :■■ "iron circle in wbich : 'the runityof Germany and Italy have bound her; and she will do: io. Let ,'iio one blame her for the effort.; Lot us speak frankly. What is the good ,-■ of deceiving each other reciprocally ? ',:/ France will never,- not even after V 1892, be ablo to count oh tho neu- ;.< tality of Italy. Italy is led by the instinct of self-preservation to write ; without hesitation her" forces from .tho very beginning of the struggle to the .forces 'of those'.who intend to keep France in that iron cirole which is the surest guarantee of peace; and France knows it well. A.success of the French arras, facilitated by our . neutrality, would be. soOn and bitterly be felt by Italy. After, a .victorious war with Germany, war OH against Italy■;,■ after Berlin, Koine; jp, this is inevitable.' Th'eltalian statesl.^jnanwho in this emergency should flpesltate an instant to take the only possible resolution would betray his country and expose his name to'the well-deserved vituperation of future: generations,' He would havo led his country to certain destruction. I fancy that I hear a chorus Of protests, moro or less sincere; but tho future will prove that I am right for the truth oannot bo averted." No , one here (adds the correspondent), who is in the way of gathoring the idoas that float about, or who has examined the situation continuously for , the past year or'two, will doubt that' j the above is the purport of what is thought here, or that it is substantially, sound. More than this there is a growing feeling that unless the forces that make for peace are soon shown to be overwhelmingly superior ,to those who make'for disturbance, crisis will not be long waited for. HySileut arming and' nervous preparation are tho order of the moment.

Scene in a County Court.

\*l A domestic servant sued her '** employer, a baud director, in the County Court, Portsmouth, for £5 ss, alleged to be owing to her for wages and board. Judge Leonard refused to accept the verdict of the jury for the plaintiff, maintaining that it was against the weight ot evidence. A second trial was had and the second jury, after deliberating privately, came into Court, and it was at once apparent with a verdict for the plaintiff. The Judge rofusod to let the foreman declare the finding until the jury had answered two questions a3 to the credibility of oiie cf plaintiff's witnesses. The ioreman angrily retorted thai their duty was to give a verdict, not to express an opinion as to whether or not a witness had- committed perjury, aud said that they found that a • contract had been entered into be.between defendant and plaintiff. After altercation between the plaintiff's solicitor (Mr Peltham), the Judge, and the foreman, Mr loltham said he should claim tho verdict which the jury were prepared to give for his client. His Honor said that no verdict would be given until his questions wore answered. A juror remarked that he was perfectly satisfy fied that tho plaintiff should be awarded the claim, and he would stay there all night before he would give in.. His Honor thereupon directly left the bench, remarking with great • heat that ho would return at ten o'clock that night. After an absence of half an hour, however, ho returned, and addressing the foreman, asked if the jury were prepared to answer his questions. The foreman indignantly replied that the interrogations were not relevent to the issue, and emphatically declined to answer. His .^Honor: Then you are discharged. JMIr Felt-ham applied for judgment on the finding of the original jury, pointing out that his client was a poor girl, and could ill-afford to go to "the expense of another trial. The Judge refused tho application. There was much excitement in the Court, considerable feeling was shown among the solicitors present, and the action of the Judge was adversely criticised.