THE ITALIAN "SITUATION."

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1488, 11 January 1861, Page 4

THE ITALIAN "SITUATION."

(From the Times, October 2<L.)

By this time, with a uuaaimity whioh is not wonderful, the Neapolitans will have voted themselves subjects of the Kingdom of Italy, under Victor Emmanuel. The title, therefore, will be complete. Theoretically, unanimous eleotion is, without doubr, the best tide by uhich any king can hold a sceptre. The longest hereditary succession is but ihe original title of the flm possessor transmitted through his descendants. What is a cause of joy und congratulation in Lou • don and Paris will be. vexatiou at Warsaw t and will lengthen offioUl faoes at S^' Petersburg, Vienna, and Berlin. Russi a ' Austria, and Prussia hay* got together'

to warm each other's zeal, to nurso the common wrath and keep it warnybut>nofc to do aqythiqg. \lt, is at present only ] jfr> obnventi6l#-'6f despotism where any dinner may go »ud b,e converted. It does notfor die preseni'pretend to the autbarity of a sdttle'd Church, and; it has been explained by the Emperor of Russia to the .Emperor of the frenoMbaC (there i J ' „ no' intention of exoqmmu.nieating tlie t ; latter from the communion ofcccbwried „ . heads'; Still, however, it isa-- black look from the north-east upon freeddtiij and especially upon Italy. It i« only at the present a*' biting o{ the thumb" at Viotor Emmanuel and his new title. If Russia has been politely prompt in her j re-assurauces. to Prance, Austria b.a§. been no less expressive in her deolara* < . tfons that. s,he means^ nothing serious. After a somewhat eventful, interval, France and Austria have/ in fact; reverted to their original position. . It is not'diffi'oillt for the youngest deader to recollect the lime when Austria was declaring to France that she had not the least intention to strike the first blow against Sardinia, but that Sardinia was acting so offensively, that really, &c., &o. And than; it will ha! also ranollfloted, Austria, in a moment of excitement, crossed .the Tioino, and France came down upi>p ; her, and all ttiat. is now going on succeeded yn/|natifea.l.v sequence. But,, as the Eastern proverb says, ° An ostrich will always be aa ostrich," and so , we say, " Austria will be Austria still." Austria is at this moment making the. same preparations, and also the same declarations. She is' declaring she will respect the new Eng!ish-and-Frehyh-bbyn heresy of non-intervention, which . causes to Pio Nono such paroxysms of disgust, and she is massing her troops upon the Po, building a steam fleet on the Guarda Lake, and making Verona impregnable; Meanwhile Victor Emmanuel is raising . his insolent head as King of Italy, and Garibaldi is talking to his comrades in. prophetic strain of future campaigns in Venetia and Hungary. Will those plethoric citadels and their overcrammed hosts of armed men, and' will those \velidrilled squadrons whose horses/drink the waters of the Po, look on quietly while, Guribaldi or while Turr marshals Jiis array upon the frontier. It looks very, like the old position. Some day or other the youDg Emperor will again lose his patience, the portals of the Quadrilateral will open, and Austria will be unable to resist the temptation to swallow her easy and insolent prey. What will then happen? M. Grandguillot tells the sequel plainly enough when he declares on the part of the Emperor that that important personage is fully convinced that " a purely defensive attitude is the line : of couduct which Austria has adopted, and from which she does not intend t<» depart," If Austria moves she is lost. Whether if ahe remains stiil she is saved .*:' we do not dare to say. Napoleon may or may not have determined to break her up at any rate, and lie may or may not have secret sympathies with strange things about Hungary which have fallen from Garibaldi and are freely discussed on the heights ofSt.Angelo; but, unless M. Grandguilot has lost his inspiration, it is clear that an attack upon Sardinia, opeuly threatening as is her attitude,' and - repulsive a 9 is this her new presumption [ to give a king to Italy, would bring on a | campaign in the Peninsula, Wherein Austria without- a fleet would, be like a. dog fighting an' otter in the water. This '. article in. the Conslitutlonel to whioh we ! have just referred, in quoting M. Grandguillot, is probably Napoleon's • quiet i reply to tha divine right demonstration at ! Warsaw. Just at this moment Napoleon . is by no means in a humour to allow Austria to go down South and settle matters according to her fancy in the South ofluly. Ho may love Garibaldi ! much or little, but he certainly loves the three great Powers and the little Milky Way oMragmentary sovereigns who are met at Warsaw less. They may write as j lovingly as they please, but he koows \ery \ well that if there had been no Napoleon I HI. there would have been no meeting at Warsaw, and that they are not met to qonsultas to his well-being and future happiness he is obstinately persuaded. Therefore, he answers by a defense to Austria to go out of her own fortifications, and by a gentle intimation that sho has broken the peace of Zurich by her couduct towards Vene|ja>J« r iui>i'-J ifx ' ;i - v^ w " -opeoiany— supuiatea in that dooument. There is a peculiar significance in this last hint, as she will probably see when Garibaldi makes his descent on the ooast ofVenetia. This seems to be the position. It may not long endure. Now, then, is the opportunity of Victor Emmauael. J> If. he does not seize this opportunity to. drive the King of Naples into the sea, or, more humanely into a sea-goiug boat, he is not the man for his time. A few words, a high bid, a uew phase, of policy, may ohange all. This crown of Italy is worth an energetic clutch, now that, after such doubtful play for it, it is within reach.

«*pre«sioa but pity that time, print, and paper should be wasted on such worthless stuff. The impotent malice exhibited for so long a period and which has at length sunk into a drivelling whine, was ludicrously set forth on Wednesday last, when he pompously asks with all the mo^ tified dignity of a Marmaduke Magog, where was the Superintendent, why was he not present to receive the gallant 14th Regimeut." Simple thinking men having no faith in the uc'ieuoe of übiquity, could not see the possibility of the "Superintendent, who is at Wanganui, (wfciuh the pandering scribe well knew,) and be at Wellington at the same time. According to the writer's vulgar notions, he would make a «how of virtuous indignation, that the Superin. dent not being present was a gross murk of disrespect to our new arrivals ; no doubt according to after thought notions, the Superintendent should have been therer, (where he does not tell <us,) but, I suppose, at the end of some of the -wharves, sitting on a rail, the Executive and Members of the; Provincial Councils, sitting on rails also; the Speaker adorned' with cap and bells, and Screamer & Co. being in attendance with a shovel full of bon bons, bull's eyes, &c, Ice. In absence of this, a last attempt at political capital was attempted, and there it ■stopped. Had his Honor been present it would Jmve beeu.all the same thing to this veracious •writer— there would have been two columns at >least occupied in launching auatbemas on. his poor devoted head for daring to attempt to secure favoritism and political influence. If .the uncalled and uncared for remarks had been •made with any frankness of purpose, he would have asked, and that wth some degree of propriety, where were the fitting^and properly constitnted bodies to perform and pay the so called honors? Where were -the cavalry? where their redoubted chief? men who have groaned and .sweated to wheel in threes and then are seen uo more. Where were the rifles ? the .picked of Wellington, the delight of all the girls and applewomen ; where were they and their brass band, whose huge and brazen throats bespeak* ing earthly thunder, should have given a hearty welcome to our fellow-countrymen. Where were the miUtia ? where were &\\ the would be bigwigs ? those swash bucklers, who have so oft desired to flesh their maiden swords and bind their brows with laurel. Wast, Mr. Editor, was the cause of neglect shown so publicly on the occasion. Did it arise from their incapacity, or was it the heavy blow inflicted upon them at the " battle of the hustings," on the ever to be -remembered 11th day of last December, whichever was the cause that kept the fitting authorities aloof on the occasion referred to, the writer <of this deeply regrets the wantjof tact so lament* .ably exhibited on their parts. Trusting the Advertisers scribe has one friend at least who ■will persuade him to put forth no more such exhibitions of inanity as his list. I remain/Sir, : Your obedient servant, A Lookeb On.

UTo tht Editor of the Wellington Independent)

Mb. Editor, — I wish to draw your attention •to the fearful and daugerous state of the public road in Cuba-street, Wellington, near Mr. Botermund's public-bouse. It appears quite a miracle to me that several lives have not been -sacrificed within the last two severe nights which we have experienced. I can only add my testimony to several persons who have fallen into >the holes which are ia the roud, and bad it not (been for some persons passing, and who extricated them, no doubt the Coroner's assistance ■would have been required. I am, Sir, Your most obedient servant, Boar. S. Chkesman. Hopper Street, Jan. 10th, 1861.