xx] INTERVIEW WITH PRINCE METTERNICH. 737

“other struggle should arise for the independence of 1860.
Venetia, and especially if it were attended with slaughter Er. 56.
Of civilians, or sack of an mnarmed community, it would be
very difficult for any government iu England to prevent the
cling of horror and resentment from assuming the form
of material aid to the Italians. I then proceeded to hint
Whether, in such a state of things as .existed in Venetia, it
Would not be true wisdom in the Austrian Government to
“ontemplate some arrangement by which the danger of
War might be averted; that there were people now specu-‘ating
 on the prospects of war this spring, and they might not
be unwilling to promote such a result; and I then frankly
2dded that I did mot believe there was any other mode by
Which the danger could be effectually met but by abandon-0g
 Venetia to the Italians, taking in return an indemnity
Which I thought might be made to amount to a very im-Portant
 sum of money.
“I then continued (as he did not seem desirous of taking
% part in the conversation) to urge some reasons for entertaining
 such an idea. I showed the great pecuniary loss
Which Austria suffered from the possession of Venetia ; that
the cost of holding the province in subjection was far more
than its income; that I believed there were now so many
Soldiers jn possession of Venetia, that they were equal to
ne for every ten of the entire population; that this state
°f things was growing every year worse and worse, and
that whilst the present cost was so burdensome to the re-Sources
 of Austria, the imminent danger of the future pre-"ented
 her Government from directing its energies to the
provement of the internal resources of the Empire.
“He now gradually took a part in the conversation,
Siving me credit for the singleness of purpose which had
duced me to call on him, and said that my antecedents
pon the question of peace, and the extension of commerce,
2 n