soûls keeps a standing army of 20,000. These

20.000 are men of different nations, languages, and customs.’

Meantime it was necessary for the court of Florence and that of Rome to hold some communication with référencé to ecclesiastical preferments. A dispute arose about the Archbishopric of Milan, the Pope no't approving of the king’s nomination, and vice versâ. At last the matter was amicably settled to the satisfaction of ail parties. Several letters were exchanged between the heads of the Church and State on these ecclesiastical matters. The Pope’s missives, when not treating of the political questions of the day, were courteous and not unfriendly ; and he was heard to say at this time that he preferred dealing with Victor Emmanuel than with the Bourbons of Naples or Léopold of Tuscany.

Victor Emmanuel’s communications, it is needless to say, always breathed a profound reverence for the Head of the Church, as such ; and as it was in this 'character he now approached him, the correspondence between the two illustrions rivais merged into a kindlier tone than one would hâve believed possible between the excommunicated monarch and the offended Pontiff. The correspondence was of a private nature ; but Victor

Emmanuel communicated the general contents to his confidential advîsers. Pio Nono in one of his letters explained why he could not recognise him nor bless Victor as ‘ King of Italy,’ though in his own person, and in his quality of King of Sardinia, he did so willingly.

The king, in speaking of this letter, said : —

I replied to the following effect ; — I hâve often read in books approved of by the Roman Church, thaf the Almighty sometimes avails himself of a king to castigate a pope, or a pope to castigate a king. If your holiness cannot recognise nor bless the King of Italy, as such, you can at least bless in him the instrument of which Divine Providence avails himself for ends beyond our pénétration.

Meantime the question of the séparation of the Church and State, and the readjustment of ecclesiastical property, was before Parliament, and the government being defeated with a motion of censure, resolved to appeal to the country in a general élection.

The king’s speech on opening the new Parliament, March 22, will give a general idea of the State of affairs. The nation was now on the verge of bankruptcy, and nothing but the sécularisation of Church property could save its crédit.

The King' s Speech.

Gentlemen Senators, — Gentlemen Deputies, — For the good of Italy, which has confided her destinies to me, I esteemed it well that the représentation of the country