y38 LIFE OF COBDEN. [omar
1860. were a justification for the course I was taking. He frankly
mr. 56 avowed that he did not justify everything that his gover?”
ment had been doing of late in Italy, and that he blamed
especially the mode in which they had commenced the W&~
last year. He observed that, speaking only his own individual
 sentiments, he did not consider that, ¢ if the interests
of the peace of Europe called for such an arrangement,’ it
would be ‘absolutely impossible’ for Austria to come
terms with Venetia, by which their relations might be
placed upon a different footing, He hinted at the appointment
 of a Grand Duke with greater local powers. His
ideas did not go to the extent of a complete alienation of
territory. Indeed, he expressed an opinion that the great
body of the population of Venetia were not so much disaffected
 towards the present order of things as was supPposed
 ; that the agitation against the Austrian Government
was factitious, and so forth.
«T endeavoured to combat this view by drawing his
attention to the immense military force kept up. He said
that this was rendered necessary by the hostile attitude of
their next neighbour. I pointed to this as an inevitable state
of things; and I observed that, although I had no sympathy
for the dynastic ambition of the King of Sardinia, or for the
plans of annexation which were entertained by his Ministers
still it could not be denied that the kingdom of Sardini
was a growing power, possessing to a large extent the
sympathy of the world, and that therefore the permanent
influence of that State, as a hostile neighbour, must alway?
be taken into account in the value to be put upon Venetit-[
 declared my belief that the two races would become every
year more and more alienated, and that it would be 1mpos”
sible permanently to keep possession of Venetia, or that it
could only be held at a ruinous loss to the Government of
Vienna. I remarked that whilst Austria possessed Lom-