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MODERN EUROPE
BK. IVY
a Heaven-sent opportunity. An alliance with the Western
Powers would improve Piedmont’s international standing
and place those Powers under an obligation to be useful at
some later time. If Austria also intervened, as seemed
quite possible in the earlier months of the crisis, she might
obtain more territory and be willing to surrender Lombardy
as compensation to Piedmont. With great difficulty, for
the Allies were exacting and public opinion inclined to
hostility, Cavour secured a treaty of alliance, and 15,000
troops were despatched to the Crimea. They {fought
brilliantly at the battle of the Tchernaja, and returned home
with much glory. But the question now to be answered
was what gain their courage and discipline were to bring to
Piedmont and Italy ? After the fall of Sevastopol, Victor
Emanuel and his minister visited England and France,
winning golden opinions in both countries. Napoleon II.
even said, “ Write confidentially what you think I might do
[or Piedmont and for Italy.” The immediate gain secured
was the admission of Cavour-—in spite of Austrian opposi-
tion—to the Congress of Paris and the discussion there of
the condition of Italy. The victory was purely moral;
Austria flatly refused all territorial concessions ; neither the
Pope nor Ferdinand of Naples took any notice of the pro-
tests of England and France against the misgovernment of
their states. Vet the Italian question was converted into a
matter of European concern, and Piedmont placed at the
head of the regeneration movement. Moral the gain might
be, yet—and the best minds of Italy recognised this—it
was enormOuUS.
The first result of the Congress was a working alliance
between Cavour and a large section of the old Republican
party. Whilst paying just homage to Mazzini’s sincerity,
and admitting his real services to the national cause, an