The King of Sardinia was restored to Piedmont, and his other continental possessions, with the addi. tion of the territory of Genoa.
Italy was the country of all Europe the most like ly to profit by the occupancy of the French. The substitution of an efficient government for the feeble administration of Naples and Rome ; the diminution of superstition, the increase of industry, the extirpa tion of robbery on the high ways, the new modelling of the military establishment, were all objects of the highest importance. To these was added a hope of blending all the states of the Peninsula into a com mon union,—a union most ardently desired by the Italian nation, and calculated, above all things, to preserve their country from war and the intrusion of foreigners. The selfish policy of Bonaparte, whose object was merely to extract from every country the utmost possible supply of revenue and recruits, pre vented the adoption of this grand measure, until the reassumed sway of foreigners, in particular of the Austrians, removed it to an indefinite distance, and reinstated the territorial divisions of Italy on the footing of 1792, with the exception of the republics of Venice and Genoa.
The royal family of Naples remained in Sicily during 1814, but Murat was not recognised by the Bourbons, and dreaded, with reason, that the allies would deem their task incomplete, if they did not restore the crown of Naples to the ancient family. He armed in self-defence, and no sooner did he hear of Bonaparte's entrance into Lyons, than he advan ced against Lombardy, and called on all Italians to unite in the assertion of their national independence. But his troops were unable to cope with the Aus trians ; after some partial successes they were ob liged to retreat ; and finding, in some sharp actions en their own territory, the continued superiority of their opponents, the eventual result was the disper sion of the Neapolitan army, and the surrender of their capital on 22d May. The royal family now returned from Palermo to Naples, and resumed their sovereignty. Murat escaped to Toulon ; but, after
the second return of the Bourbons, he proceeded to Corsica, and conceived the wild project of landing in the Neapolitan territory, at the head of a feeble detachment, in the hope of being joined, like Bona parte, on returning from Elba, by thousands of his ancient followers. He disembarked in Calabria, but was forthwith attacked by the inhabitants, taken and shot by order of the royal family, who were thus left in undisturbed possession of the crown.
Turkey was no party to the treaty of 1814, but remained on the footing on which the treaty of 1812 with Russia had placed her. Stationary in an age of change, and inflexible in her adherence to tradi tionary usages, she saw the French Revolution pass without hurt; or rather was indebted to it for a relaxation in the shock. to which the European part of her empire is exposed. from Austria and Russia. The peace of 1790 had been preserved un interrupted by Austria ; that of 1791 was infringed by Russia by only one war, viz. from 1807 to 1812. The temporary occupancy of Egypt by the French, and the more permanent establishment of England in the Ionian Islands, have had no effect on the in terior of the Turkish empire.
We are now obliged to record military operations conducted in a very different quarter, and involving considerations very distinct from those which ani mated the contest on the continent of Europe. The United States of America continued on friendly terms with us during several years after the begin ning of the war of 1803. There existed discussions, and of rather a serious nature, between the two coun tries, particularly in regard to the practice of our naval officers of impressing American seamen on sus. picion, er pretended suspicion, of their being British subjects ; but these contests were happily confined to diplomatists. Meantime, the navigation of the Ame ricans was in a course of rapid extension ; for their neutral flag enabled them to act as carriers to the con.