176 J'he Austrians in Italy. [Fkb. 



ready to be parcelled out among the hungry claimants. For instance, at 

 the peace of Luneville, it suited the French to make a Spanish princess, 

 who was Duchess of Parma, the sovereign of Tuscany under the title of 

 Queen of Etruria. Subsequently, when Napoleon united Tuscany to the 

 Empire, the new King and Queen were sent to the right-about.* When, 

 therefore, every man was to have his mare again, the Austrian younger 

 brother became Grand Duke, and Madame Etruria wanted, as she could 

 not get to Florence, to go back to Parma. But, no ; Parma was needed as 

 smart-money for Maria Louisa ; therefore Lucca was devised as a pro- 

 visional indemnity for the Ex-Queen during the Ex-Empress's life, when 

 she is again to be Duchess of Parma, and Lucca is to revert to Tuscany ! 

 Thus is the fairest portion of the earth " curiously cut" like the sleeves 

 of Catherine's gown, while the inhabitants are no more regarded in tlie 

 transfer than so many herds of black cattle. It is " carved like an apple- 

 tart," " Here's snip, and whip, and cut, and slish, and slash." " A mon- 

 strous cantle" is taken for one, " a huge half-moon" is partitioned out for 

 the other ; and thus the land is blessed with all the advantages both of 

 autocracy and oligarchy ; the hydra is one, but is not indivisible. 



Before I conclude, I cannot but notice a point which struck me lately 

 with mingled feelings of ridicule and disgust. It is quite a matter of 

 form, but the contrast is ineifably absurd : in the letter which the Em- 

 peror of Austria wrote to the Conclave to advise them how to chuse a 

 Pope (which advice I am exceedingly happy that they disregarded), he, 

 or rather his minister, in speaking of him, used the expression of // cuor 

 di Cesare ! " The heart of Caesar" under the ribs of Francis the 

 Heavy-Witted ! 



" Imperial Cicsar, dead and turned to clay," 



is, indeed, put to " base uses," if even his name be suffered to descend 

 to such a thing as this. Truly there would be " magic in a name," 

 if the appellation of Kaiser could give one atom of il cuor di Cesare to 

 the Austrian emperor. His soldiers are called kaiserliclis ; but wliat 

 have they in common with the legions which passed the Rubicon ? It 

 is true, they have passed it ; but it was to take quiet and unopposed 

 possession of a country out of which they have repeatedly been beaten 

 tvith disg7-ace. Italians, Italians, why do you forget that ? 2. 



NIGHT. 



Darkness and clouds o'ershade the land and sea ; 



Night reigns in solemn gloom, 

 And Nature's noiseless slumber seems to be 



The silence of the tomb. 

 But lo ! arrayed in glory's mildest beam, 

 The rising Moon's soft radiance shines supreme. 



So in deep shadow slept the guilty world. 



Till Mercy's guiding light 

 Shone forth, and, from her throne of glory hurled. 



Sin fled to darker nij;ht : 

 While still through life's dark scene the constant ray 

 Leads to the brightness of the coming day. L.P. 



• Or ratliev tlie Queen Regent, and her son ; for, I believe, the king was by that 

 time dead. 



