the aid of the French, and their vanity being thus satiated, the old entente cordiale will boil up again with the first success of the allied arms in China. The inanities of the Russian war will be revived between the two capitals, and though the troops will grow more and more hostile daily, the people will be knit in a closer bond of amity. Indeed, could we but get the French to fight all our battles for us, the nation, gratified at the idea of patronising England, would remain on the best possible terms with us.

But, in sober sadness, this Chinese business is a very unpleasant one. A most critical affair is awaiting settlement by a European congress, and our pride will not allow us to accept French assistance in requiting an insult directed against us without offering some equivalent. At the moment we most require troops to represent us worthily beneath the walls of Pekin, that curiosa infelicitas which has so long presided over our East Indian councils has denuded us of some ten thousand acclimatised soldiers, who would be invaluable in China. They are probably on the road home by this time, and a year will elapse ere they can be re-enlisted and carried to the scene of action. The reform in our army system goes on too slowly to allow us to hope any increased activity in recruiting, and the present state of the Continent will prevent us draining England of the few troops by which our country is occupied. We cannot but accept French assistance, and it is to be feared that it will lead to much unpleasantness. If the Emperor of the French would but speak out, and tell us the extent of his wishes with respect to Italy, much apprehension might be saved, but he is not of those who wear their heart upon their sleeve for daws to peck at. With him action follows promptly on speech, and when the time comes for an open avowal of his designs, he will have ample means in readiness to ensure their accomplishment. In the present state of the Continent, if he choose to convert Central Italy into a French appanage, there is not a European power that can say him nay, and it is not, unfortunately, a subject which would cause the Continent to combine against him. The extraordinary vigour displayed by French arms in the late short campaign, and the marvellous combinations which evinced a master mind presiding at the helm, have produced a very soothing effect on the martial aspirations of the Continent, and all the powers are standing in breathless suspense, awaiting whose turn will come next. Under these circumstances, it would afford them a grateful relief if they found that Napoleon took his reward in Italy.

Nor is England in a position to put her veto on such schemes of aggrandisement, or to declare war for the purpose of keeping France within her own frontier. In India we have a drain which will occupy us for years, the China war will be a heavy drag on our military resources, and a thunder-cloud is already collecting which threatens renewed complications with the Americans in British Columbia. With so much on our hands, we cannot afford to quarrel with France on the subject of Italy: the time has passed when our will gave law to nations, and the tergiversations we have been guilty of since the Vienna settlement of 1815 prevent us going into court with clean hands. A nation which allowed the formation of kingdoms like Greece and Belgium must permit the same course to be carried out in Italy: the conservative policy of England having been overthrown, and the beneficial results of the great

war squandered, we cannot now complain if other nations take pattern by us and do their part in overthrowing the fabric we raised by the expenditure of so much blood and treasure. For many years it remained the traditional policy of England that the peace of the Continent depended on France being kept within her natural limits by the formation of strong states on her frontier, and when the cry arose that the Pyrenees no longer existed, our ancestors fought and fought, till those frontier mountains frowned again in all their majesty to restrain the ambition of France. Our forefathers would now turn restlessly in their graves were they to learn that we of the nineteenth century tranquilly look on, while the barrier of the Alps is being virtually abolished, and the French desire for territorial aggrandisement seeks satisfaction on the plains of Italy.

On the principle that it is better to choose the least of the two evils, we would prefer to see the duchies annexed to Sardinia, for, in this way, a powerful state would be formed between France and the Adriatic. Unfortunately, these Italians are such fractious elements, that it would be impossible for an impoverished state like Piedmont to keep them in subordination, and she would be compelled to invoke the assistance of other troops, who could only be French. In other words, Victor Emmanuel would only govern in the name of his master, and the result would be equally dangerous, as far as the interests of England are concerned. Were the Tuscans capable of autonomy, the result would be most advantageous for Europe, but, unhappily, harsh experience tells us that they must be under the master's rod, or they give way to excesses which our civilised age, on behalf of humanity, cannot tolerate. If we could be sure that they would continue in their present admirable temper, and shun the artful snares laid to entrap them into turbulence, all might yet be well, but such conduct is so utterly opposed to the Italian character, that we must look forward to an armed intervention sooner or later.

The future of Italy, then, is fraught with danger for the tranquillity of Europe, and the Emperor Napoleon holds that future in his hands, to guide it for good or evil. Were he but sincere in his promises-if he really had at heart only the welfare of a nation whose cause he espoused, he would prove a benefactor to society; but his acts seem in such striking contradiction to his words, that we are reluctantly compelled to believe that the end is not yet. The candidature of Prince Napoleon for the throne of Etruria is certainly not the way to secure the liberty of Italy from the Alps to the Adriatic.

But we have hopes yet that matters will come to a satisfactory settlement if Pio Nono but remain true to himself. That Napoleon III. is very doubtful as to the Pope's behaviour is seen from the tentatives he has made to coerce him into concessions. We hear again that French troops are to be withdrawn from Rome next Easter, and of suggestions that Pio Nono should peaceably give up the Legations, but we fancy that the Pope is not inclined to surrender so easily. Even if Napoleon should carry out his threat, and withdraw his troops, Spain is prepared to supply him with an ample force. But the Emperor of the French dares not proceed to extremities with the head of the Catholic Church, for he would thus arouse an opposition at home which even his might could not withstand.

It is evident that a result must be arrived at before long, and the only

possible solution seems to us to be an independent kingdom of Central Italy, established by a European congress, and guaranteed by the great powers. If Napoleon agree to this, the evil hour may be deferred for a time; but even here there is the risk that the duchies may be persuaded into electing Prince Napoleon as their monarch. Still the danger would not, in that case, be so great as if France alone regulated the affairs of Italy, for Austria, supported by England, would be enabled to regain some of her prestige, and offer a wholesome check to the propagation of French ideas through the peninsula. If, however, Austria be persuaded by France into rejecting the congress, as seems now very possible, there is nothing to prevent France becoming omnipotent in Central Italy, and soon finding an outlet to the Adriatic. This will bring her closer than ever to Turkey, and when the great struggle for dominion in the East takes place, she will have a tremendous step in advance of us.

Such are the consequences of our hesitation at the outbreak of the Italian war, which we might have prevented by an energetic course. But we allowed the opportunity to slip: we hugged ourselves in our neutrality, and rejoiced at the thought that our most dangerous neighbour would render himself powerless to hurt us, and that a long period of tranquillity awaited us. The result has been very different: instead of weakening his own power, the Emperor of the French has secured himself an opening in Italy such as his uncle never possessed, and it depends upon him to use his victory with moderation. The effect of the Italian war has been to arouse a very healthy panic in England, but, at the same time, it has virtually abrogated the treaty of Vienna. It is now conceded that might shall overcome right, and that any nation which conceives itself sufficiently strong may carve out new kingdoms, or aggrandise itself at the expense of others. England no longer possesses the proud privilege of exerting that moral influence which once rendered her so strong in the councils of Europe, but must calmly look on while wrong is being done. Such are some of the effects of a Liberal government, whose liberality is evinced towards other countries at the expense of our dignity; and if the French obtain a firm footing on the Adriatic, and eventually render themselves masters of our natural road to India, we shall only have ourselves to blame for entrusting the helm of the state ship to men who care for nothing but personal aggrandisement, and selfishly cling to power, regardless of the injury their tenure of office inflicts on the dignity and honour of the fatherland. The only consolation is, that the country must ere long awake to a consciousness of its position, and recal to power the men who upheld the honour of England so worthily during a tremendous crisis, and whose reward was political ostracism. But did not the Athenians grow weary of hearing Aristides

called the Just ?

NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

RECENT PROGRESS OF GEOGRAPHICAL DISCOVERY.

The Holy Land-Mountains of Kurdistan-The true Ararat-The Russians in Central Asia and on the Amur-Navigation of the Yang-tse-Kiang-Exploration of the Peiho-Projected Operations against Pekin-Discoveries in Central Australia-Progress of the French in Polynesia-The Gorilla, the Tailed-man of Central Africa?-Navigation of the Niger-Discovery of Lakes Tanganyika, Nyanga, and Shirwa-Mountains of the Moon-Great Interior Watery Plateau -Projected Interoceanic Canal at Suez-Pass in the Rocky Mountains-Arctic Research.

THE anniversary address of the distinguished president of the Royal Geographical Society, Sir R. I. Murchison-the "Rapport sur les Travaux de la Société de Géographie et sur les Progrès des Sciences Géographiques" by the general secretary, M. Alfred Maury, and the "Compte-rendu" of the secretary of the Imperial Geographical Society of Russia, M. Lamansky-afford abundant data by which to arrive at some sound generalisations respecting the recent advance made in graphical science and discovery. The progress effected in the latter department more especially, if not of so much positive importance as in the former, takes precedence in the interest it creates and in the prospects which all new discoveries hold out to the future. It is, indeed, to such discoverers that the geographical institutions of this and of other countries almost always award their honorary medals.

geo

In limiting ourselves, then, on the present occasion, to that which simply concerns exploration, research, and discovery, it is impossible not to feel a certain amount of national pride in recording the fact that our adventurous countrymen (with very few exceptions indeed) take the lead in a race far more glorious than triumphs of the battle-field. The world is indebted this year to Captains Burton and Speke for the exploration of a vast region of Eastern and Central Africa, never before traversed by civilised man, and for the discovery of the great internal lakes of Tanganyika and Nyanza; to Captain Palliser and his adventurous companions, Dr. Hector, Lieutenant Blakiston, and others, for the successful exploration of large tracts in British North America, and the discovery of practicable passes across the Rocky Mountains; and to Mr. John M'Dougall Stuart for his remarkable journey in South Australia, which led to the signal discovery of eighteen thousand square miles of valuable and well-watered pastoral country far to the north of the western saline region. But we must not omit also to acknowledge that where the very best qualities for the successful exploration of new countries-varied intimacy with different branches of science, combined to the necessary enterprise, courage, and Nov.-VOL. CXVII. NO. CCCCLXVII.

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perseverancee-are in requisition, it is in the land of Humboldt that such are almost alone to be met with. The Barths, the Overwegs, the Vogels, the Roths, and the Schlagintweits attest to this fact, so creditable to the fatherland. The murder of Adolphe Schlagintweit by a bigoted and ferocious Synd, named Wulli Khan, who had the guileless traveller beheaded in front of the walls of Kasghar, is one of those melancholy events which add to the gloomy prestige already attached to those countries by the fate of Conolly and Stoddart. Central Asia seems, indeed, to be one of the few remaining regions where fanaticism finds a pleasurable gratification in propagating error by shedding the blood of

man.

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The Geographical Society of Paris conferred their gold medal this year on the brothers Adolphe, Hermann, and Robert Schlagintweit, voyageurs, géologues, naturalistes et physiciens Bavarois," for their explorations of Thibet and Eastern Turkestan, and for the discoveries made by them to the north and to the north-west of the Himalaya.

Geographical discovery would seem to be out of the question with regard to Europe, but this is not exactly the case. The Admiralty surveys -more especially those effected by the naval officers of Great Britainare constantly eliminating new facts in connexion with the submarine features of the earth's surface. The rapid publication of new maps, charts, and works of different kinds-the studies of the historical or comparative geographer, and of the archæologist-even the labours of the "Alpine Club"-all assist materially in the progress of geography. In the last five years these latter Alpine volunteers, for example, have succeeded in ascending the highest point of Monte Rosa, the Dom, the Great Combin, the Alleleinhorn, the Wetterhorn Proper, and several other peaks never before scaled, besides exploring and making better known many other of the highest and most inaccessible portions of the Alps.

Asia, a country in which, according to M. Maury, "tandis que la Russie voit grandir chaque année sa puissance, et son peuple prendre possession du sol par des conquêtes faciles et durables, l'Angleterre sent. s'ébranler sous elle les fondements du gigantesque empire qu'elle avait fondé aux Indes," has still much to reveal to the zealous explorer. The religious zeal of the English and Anglo-Americans gives rise every year to some new discovery in Palestine and Syria. Mr. Graham's excursion in Hauran—the ancient Bachan-has, for example, furnished many new facts. The traveller has discovered traces of cities that existed in the land of Og at the time of the conquest of the Israelites, and he has discovered inscriptions in an unknown language, whose characters, according to Dr. Barth, have great resemblance to those in use among the Berbers. The German pastor, Valentiner, has contributed to throw light upon the topography of the tribe of Benjamin; M. Rosen has perfected the descriptions of the valley of Hebron and of the surrounding country; M. Roth has done the same with regard to the Dead Sea and countries east of the Jordan.

The existence of the crocodile, although only once seen, if seen at all,

*It is to be regretted that this distinguished traveller, Dr. Roth, Professor at Munich, died of fever last summer at Hasbeiya, in Ante-Lebanon, after making several tours, the results of which have not yet been published.

† Journal de la Société Orientale de Leipsick.

Ibid.