Mr. Clay to Mr. Seward.
Sir: There is no new fact authoritatively announced in relation to the preliminaries of peace between Austria and this government, except that the Emperor Napoleon, in accordance with a clause in the Austro-Prussian peace preliminaries, has formally placed the Venetian province at the disposal of the King of Italy.
As the curtain unrolls, and the history of the negotiation of the armistice is known, the more evident it becomes that the Italian government have had to content themselves within the limits of the alliance with Prussia, which only guarantees the pure and simple cession of Venetia. The settlement of frontiers and indemnifications to Austria for the evacuation of the fortresses of the Quadrilateral are still open questions, to be decided in the negotiations of peace which are now about to open. The special plenipotentiary of Italy to this conference is General Menabrea, formerly minister of war, who is known to have opposed the plan of campaign which resulted in the battles of Custorra and Lissa, and has, therefore, the confidence of the people as well as that of the Crown.
The enthusiasm for the war, which, at the time of the commencement of hostilities was so universal, has, after the military checks and under the increasing political difficulties, given way to much irritation in the popular mind against the heads of the army and navy. Admiral Persano is to be arraigned before a court-martial, and the King has accepted the resignation of General La Marmora [Page 115] as chief of the military staff, who is replaced by General Cialdini. General La Marmora has also resigned his position as minister sans portefeuille. A divergence of views between him and the new president of the council arose as far back as the 5th of July, when the cession of Venice was offered by Napoleon, the former being in favor of its immediate acceptance, with the declaration, however, that the war with Austria must continue until Prussia was satisfied. The political significance of La Marmora’s withdrawal from the cabinet may be gathered further from an extract I take from a communication in the Opinione of this morning, which bears evident marks of an official source:
“The first minister of the King of Prussia is a man of daring and ready resolution. To him it appeared that General La Marmora had not conducted affairs, militarily and politically, as had been arranged by mutual agreement when General Bernardt (aide-de-camp of the King of Prussia) was in Florence. He thought that the attempt to penetrate into the Quadrilateral ought not to have been undertaken; for, in case of failure, Austria would be left in a condition to re-enforce her northern army from the army of the south. In a word, Count Bismarck was persuaded that Italy was acting a comedy, having been assured beforehand of the possession of Venetia, and that, in case of a reverse, Italy was decided to abandon Prussia. It is useless for us to waste words in proving General La Marmora is the last of men upon whom such a suspicion could justly rest. His character and whole life is a proof to the contrary. Nevertheless, these were the circumstances, and our diplomatic defeat is due alone to Count Bismarck. Austria, knowing what had occurred between the cabinets of Florence and Berlin, rejected the terms of the armistice that had been previously concerted with the Emperor Napoleon, and we were obliged to yield to the exigencies of the situation.”
Italy, unfortunately, has been obliged to make peace, and rest under the first trials of her gallant young army and navy, before she has had time to remedy defects of inexperience and discipline in the field. The moral effect is bad; humiliating to national pride.
The material result of the struggle, however, has been the acquisition of a province of a population of near two and a half millions of Italians, and Italy must now take her position as one of the great continental powers. She has shown elements of strength which time and peaceful organization may bind into a powerful national existence.
The line of policy the ministry intend to adopt under the actual circumstances is traced in a circular—a translation of which I annex—addressed by the head of the cabinet to the prefects of the different provinces of the kingdom.
Another marked proof of the liberal sentiments of the government, and a distinguished homage to progress and popular liberties, is a decree, signed by the King the 16th of the month, at his headquarters in Padua, by which those Italians who have been banished or condemned in contumacia for political or other offences against the state, are amnestied and reinstated in all the rights of Italian citizenship. Conspicuous among these is the illustrious Genoese and friend of Garibaldi, Guieseppa Mazzini.
I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.