. Review of reviews and world's work. rang up anagitation accompanied with considerable demon-strations of passion, which had this result, thatwhen the twelve months expired ministers main-tained that it was impossible to grant the am-nesty, as it would seem to have the appearanceof capitulation under dictation. Hence freshbad blood, ill-fe*eling, and unrest, which mighthave been avoided had the King ventured toassert his influence in the direction of mercy. This, however, is attributed by some critics tohis constitutional fatalism. He was never con-vinced that any action would alter things mu
. Review of reviews and world's work. rang up anagitation accompanied with considerable demon-strations of passion, which had this result, thatwhen the twelve months expired ministers main-tained that it was impossible to grant the am-nesty, as it would seem to have the appearanceof capitulation under dictation. Hence freshbad blood, ill-fe*eling, and unrest, which mighthave been avoided had the King ventured toassert his influence in the direction of mercy. This, however, is attributed by some critics tohis constitutional fatalism. He was never con-vinced that any action would alter things mucheither way ; and, as it was not clearly his duty asa soldier and a King to insist upon his own views,he fell back upon the advice of his ministersand left the responsibility with them. The onlyinitiative he ever displayed in affairs of state,said a shrewd observer, * was the initiative of nega-tion. No one could say that he would do nothingwith a more imperturbable and immovable deci-sion. He was a negative King from first to QUEEN MARGHERITA, OF ITALY. (Who married Humbert April 21,1863.) KING HUMBERT, OF ITALY: A CHARACTER SKETCH. 321 But if this was true in home affairs, it did notcharacterize his foreign policy. The Triple Al-liance entered into shortly after his accession tothe throne was his policy as much as that ofCrispi, and he has adliered to it with unswervingresolution through good and ill report. Withequal tenacity he has maintained a policy of arma-ments which was a corollary of the policy of theTriplice. It was in his reign also that Italy em-barked upon her ill-fated policy of colonial ad-venture in the Red Sea, the collapse of which, atthe fatal battle of Adowa, will be remembered asone of the catastrophes of his reign. That it didnot convince him that a policy of expansion wasa mistake for Italy, may be assumed from thefact that when the scramble for China was ini-tiated by his ally, the Kaiser, the Italian Gov-ernment showed a strong disposition to p
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