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ON

ITALY AND IRELAND

AND THE

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Reprinted from the "Revue des Deux Mondes" and the
"Westminster Review."

BY

W. PROBYN

LONDON:

TRÜBNER & CO., 60 PATERNOSTER ROW.

1868.

[All rights reserved.]

Ballantyne & Company, Printers, Edinburgh,

PREFACE.

HESE Essays, written during the course of the

THE

last three years, are now reprinted in a single volume, in the hope that their publication may not be without use to those who watch with interest the great events of our own time. The subjects treated of are, the Rise and Formation of the Kingdom of Italy, the Disestablishment of Ireland's State Church, and the American Civil War, which involved constitutional questions of vital importance to the cause of national self-government.

The writer must, however, venture to ask those who think it worth while to read these Essays, to bear specially in mind, while doing so, the exact date at which each one of them was written. The reason for making such a request arises simply from the extraordinary rapidity with which the changes of the present day are accomplished; for they often entirely alter, within a very brief period, the circumstances and condition of a whole country. Thus have been completely transformed, within a few

months, or even weeks, the essential characteristics. of a government, and the entire destinies of a people. To take a single but notable instance; one specially connected with the subject-matter of several of these Essays-Austria, but yesterday an absolute despotism, is to-day a constitutional monarchy; she is now bound to Hungary by the ties of a free and equal union, instead of oppressing the Hungarian people and trampling on their rights; she is carrying out the liberal legislation of her representative assemblies, instead of doing the work dictated to her by retrograde ministers and priests; she has quitted Italy, and officially acknowledged her newly-formed kingdom, instead of ruling two Italian provinces with a leaden hand, while thwarting to the utmost the formation of Italy's constitutional monarchy.

Thus Austria and Italy are no longer the respective representatives of bigoted despotism and of national aspirations. They now possess in common that constitutional freedom which wisely seeks to bring the prerogatives of the sovereign into harmony with the rights of the people; which strives to unite together, as necessary parts of a well-ordered government, the principle of law and the principle of

liberty. That these two countries, (lately so bitter in their hostility to each other,) may go forward and prosper in their new career, is the heartfelt desire of all who believe that the adoption by them of a system based upon order and liberty, will not only bestow upon both Italy and Austria internal prosperity and freedom, but will also draw them together by the enduring ties of common interests and constant intercourse, not more productive of material welfare than of peace and good-will.

Although these great changes, effected with marvellous rapidity, have thus transformed the whole condition of these countries, still it by no means follows that it is either useless or uninteresting to recall the progressive steps by which those changes have been brought about. Rather is it well to study them; for by so doing a clearer knowledge will be gained of the past, and fresh light be obtained for guidance both in the present and the future. Special benefit will be conferred upon Austrian and Italian alike by such study; for it will bring out, in strong relief, the contrast presented by the unspeakable perils and misery brought upon Austria in the past by the blind and unyielding policy of despotism, as compared with the brighter

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