162 
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
	        
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