Italy. 1 September 1848
Italy.
* The reaction in Italy consists not merely in the fact that Radetzky has reconquered the whole of Lombardy, but that in Rome, Florence and Turin the ministries of impotent and narrow-minded constitutionalism have given way to more or less reactionary ones. In Naples even Bozzelli is too liberal. Won-over lazzaroni shouted: abbasso Bozzelli (down with Bozzelli) and he, together with most of the other ministers, handed in his resignation. Delcarretto and Cocle will soon once again take over the administration of the state with their own hands. The Pope appears to have concluded a disgraceful separate treaty with Austria (Welden). No wonder that he recently said nothing else to the mobilised National Guards than: “I bless you and have nothing to add,” (e nullaho d’aggiungere). The Duke of Modena, since his return, forces himself to appear friendly to the citizens; he even wears the uniform of the National Guard. Meanwhile he uses the time to convey all his left-behind valuables into the fort and will then probably very quickly strike up a different tune. The Duke of Parma is likewise on his way home. The whole princely vermin comes crawling out, like frogs after the rain. Since Venice has not let itself be caught in the treacherous snares of Charles Albert’s orders, Radetzky now keeps the fine Sardinian artillery park, which was last at Peschiera, in his hands. According to the wording of the armistice, he is entirely in the right. Charles Albert promised him in it the surrender of Venice; since he cannot keep this promise, Radetzky is under no obligation to hand over the artillery park either. The envoy of the Republic of Venice, Tommaseo, received from Cavaignac, in regard to the requested help, the reply: it could not be done. Charles Albert wished to entrust the supreme command to M. Bugeaud, if the war were to be con-

Italy. 1 September 1848
tinued. Cavaignac replied: that would for the time being compromise France. Garibaldi continues the war against Austria on his own account and is, as a republican, a thousand times more hateful to Charles Albert than a whole enemy army.
* In about three weeks (21 September) the armistice concluded through Charles Albert’s treachery expires. France and England have offered their mediation. That Austria has not yet declared itself on its acceptance or refusal, can be read in the “Spectateur républicain”, Cavaignac’s paper. The dictator of France is gradually becoming annoyed at Austrian discourtesy and threatens armed intervention if the Vienna cabinet does not answer by a certain day or rejects the mediation. Will Austria, especially now after the victory over Viennese democracy and over the Italian “rebels”, allow a Cavaignac to dictate peace to it? Austria knows very well that the French bourgeoisie wants “peace at any price”, that the bourgeoisie in general is quite indifferent to the freedom or bondage of Italy, and that it will concede everything as soon as one does not openly disgrace it before the world and thereby forces the sword into its hand against its will. It is said that Radetzky will pay a short visit to Vienna in order to pronounce his decisive word regarding the mediation. For that he does not need to travel to Vienna first. His policy is now in the ascendant, and his opinion will lose nothing of its weight even if he himself remains in Milan. Should Austria accept the basis of peace proposed by England and France, it would do so not from fear of Cavaignac’s intervention, but from far more urgent and compelling reasons.
The Italians have allowed themselves to be duped by the events of March just as much as the Germans. The former believed that foreign rule would now be at an end in any case; the latter thought that the old system had been borne to the grave for ever. Instead, there foreign rule is worse than ever, while in Germany the old system has recovered from the few blows dealt in March and is managing affairs with more fury and thirst for revenge than before.
The mistake of the Italians now consists in expecting salvation from the present government of France. Only the overthrow of this government could save them. The Italians err further in considering the liberation of their country possible, while in France, Germany, etc., democracy is losing ground daily. The reaction under whose blows Italy is now succumbing is no merely Italian, it is a European fact. Italy cannot alone