86 EMPLOYMENT OF THE PLEBISCITE [384 



peace with Radetsky, leaving Lombardy and Venetia to the 

 Austrians — for the time being ! Under a liberal govern- 

 ment Emanuel set about to reorganize the finances, the 

 economic condition, and the army of the country, never 

 losing sight of the aims and ideals of his father. At the 

 end of the year 1852, Cavour became the guiding statesman 

 of Piedmont, and soon succceeded in bringing the subject 

 of Italian unity before the cabinets and councils of Europe. 

 For this the Piedmontese participation in the Crimean war 

 furnished the opportunity. 



At the Congress of Paris of 1856, Cavour "induced the 

 plenipotentiaries of England and France to moot the Italian 

 question at one of their sessions."^' Before leaving Paris 

 " Cavour put into the hands of Lord Clarendon and Count 

 Walewski [the French plenipotentiary] a memorial in 

 which, after noting the fact that Austrian opposition had 

 hindered any practical redress of the grievances of Italy, 

 he drew the attention of England and France to the dangers 

 which beset the Kingdom of Sardinia — that kingdom which, 

 alone among the Italian states, had raised an insurmount- 

 able barrier to the revolutionary spirit, had kept independent 

 of Austria, and had been as wtU a counterpoise to the lat- 

 ter's invading influence."^® Once more the Italian states 

 began to cast hopeful eyes towards Piedmont. Austria 

 soon saw cause to take notice. Emperor Francis Joseph in 

 the beginning of the year 1857 inaugurated a more liberal 

 policy in the subject provinces which he visited in person. 

 While he was entering Milan, " the municipality of Turin 

 [Piedmont] awarded a commanding site on the Piazza Cas- 

 tello for a monument which the Milanese were dedicating 

 to the Sardinian army." At this Austria took offense and 

 severed diplomatic relations with Piedmont.^" Cavour suc- 

 ceeded in bringing about an alliance with Louis Napoleon 

 at their meeting in Plombieres in 1858. The following year 

 Austria, alarmed at the military preparations of the Turin 



'^ Orsi, p. 236. 



'■^ Ihid., pp. 236-238. 

 ^" Orsi, p. 241. 



