OX] INTERVIEW WITH PRINCE METTERNIOH. 739

bardy, she had a comparatively ancient title to her Italian
Possessions, but she had come into snch recent possession of Zr. 56.
‘er Venetian territory, and the mode in which Venice had
been given over to her by Bonaparte, at Campo Formio,
"8s such an outrage mpon all justice and decency, that
Burope felt a sort of shame at having been made a party to
ich an act of violence at the Congress of Vienna, and it
Would be held by many to be a duty to contribute towards
* redress of the evil.
“He said that Austria was peculiarly circumstanced ;
‘hat it was a collection of nationalities ; and that it would
be & serious thing to begin a process of selling the
dependence of a province of the Empire. I said there
a8 no analogy between the state of Venetia and that of
Tungary or Bohemia; that nobody considered the latter
‘ngdoms as being anxious for complete separation from
Austria, but merely as aiming at a reform in their adminisration—g,
 question about which foreigners were comparabively
 little concerned. Whereas, on the contrary, the
ltalian question engrossed the attention of the political
World, and everywhere it was regarded as a danger to the
Peace of Wurope. He said it would be a very delicate
Tuestion what would become of the province of Venetia if
% wore abandoned; that it might possibly be annexed to
Piedmont, and there would probably be objections to the
‘gerandisement of the military monarchy. On the other
1nd, the Italian states might quarrel or fall into anarchy,
nd call for the intervention of neighbouring states. He
luded to the serious consideration of how far it would be
Wise in Austria to give up so powerful a strategic position
8 the great fortresses presented, that the Italian Tyrol might
be attacked, or the territory on the Adriatic, ete. I said
that the wisest course for Austria would be to give the full
*ontro] of their future destinies to the population of Venetia ;

1860.