The Express.
London, England, 1853-09-16 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 16, 1853.

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alarm ; and from that quarter an attack would in-
deed be perilous. The French maxims of govern-
ment might undermine the social condition of
the Austrian monarchy, and the French armies
endanger her Italian ascendancy. What confusion
would then ensue in an empire which extends over
Italians, Hungarians, Poles, and Germans, main-
taining as various forms of adminiswation as there
are countries under its sway, which, even during
peace, is reduced to the violent neceuity of em-
ploying the force of one half of its dominions to
keep the other half quiet ; which, in fine, is upheld
by the antiquated maxims of a feudal oligarchy
quite repugnant to the present age. Hence the
dread of the court of Vienna for the July revo-
lution which threatened to set Europe in a flame.
This dread, not yet allayed, impelled Austria to the
adoption of the Russian system, and explains the
acquiescence which for eight years has been deemed
necessary regarding the pretensions of the CZAR in
Oriental affairs."

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Tim Day -minims. IL Itsa.--Aftreess. lb. 37..
Taroaisuw Moats& lialls.......Attirram„ IL Oa

LONDON, FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 16.

Tuts day week is fixed fur the meeting of the
elderly Realise CZAR and the stripling Austrian
Earesoa. Olmutz is to be the scene, and of course
'turkey the topic, of the conference. For months
past we have teen NiertutAs playing out the little
drama of the " Wolf and the Lamb," between him-
self and the SULTAN. We are DOW to see him
exhibit his powers in another equally popular and
telling story. He is still the wolf, whilst Fatscat
is to be the Lila* Red Riding hood of Eery
peen politics. This day week the wolf is
to show the little Kaiser the way through
the tangled wood of European policy. Nlcuo-
Lys is aged, crafty, clever, unscrupulous, so-
customed to exercise unrestrained authority, versed
in diplomacy, learned in the doings of Courts, full of
the whole subject he has in hand, and with a mind
and a will as strong and sturdy as his huge body.
In fine, he is the lusty wolf. The Austrian Em-
parer, on the sontrary, is little more than a lad, not
very vigorous in body, and certainly not at all over
burthened with mind; destitute of the knowledge,
the judgment, and the experience of his dangerous
neighbour, and without that facility of securing his
own way which arises out of long and clever practice
of the habit of command. The Russian CZAR
has a great game to play out, and he knows both
his cards and his man; the Austrian Emperor has
faith in his neighbour's power and—unhappily—
faith also in his own. Only a METTERNICH would
have any chance in such a conference as the boy-
Emperor is now about to venture upon, and yet the
very youth that makes him weak gives him also that
rash confidence which threatens to lead him into
a fatal scrape. To that open manner, manly
bearing, and handsome form and face which are
all the more captivating in proportion to the youth
and simplicity of the victim against which they are
brought to bear, the CZAR adds the further power
arising from services—and most important services—
formerly done to his Austrian ally. FRANCIS
Josern owes his throne to NICHOLAS of Russia.
Is a youth likely to forget, or to be permitted to
overlook Mat How came the stripling now going
to Olmutz to be Emperor of Austria ? The Emperor
PRAWN tND is still alive, though he has ceased to
reign. How came the crown, then, upon the head
of its present wearer ? Because the European strug-
gle for freedom upset the uncle to the great gain of
the nephew, whose newly-gained sceptre could not
have been upheld, however, but by Cossack help.
By trampling down the Hungarians, the Autocrat
established a claim on the House of HAPSBURG, whisit
he well knows how to make use of. Never, then.
were political dicers less equally matched than these
about to sit down at Olmutz, and before the play
begins it must be quite clear which way the stakes
will go—if the Grin really means to have them out-
right and openly at once.
Let us imagine the scene. There lies a map
of Turkey in Europe. The huge hand of the
Autocrat is placed on the mouth of the Da-
nube, on the Balkan, on Constantinople. Still
a tempting slice is left uncovered. Is that
worth Austrian's acceptance? Berrie, with broad
lands besides along the Adriatic, are things
not to be despised. The bargain may be easily
made. Like the greenhorn who ponders over the
acceptance of his first bill—nothing is more easily
arranged. It is " only just writing his name.'
As with the spendthrift, so next week with the
Kaiser. His future trembles in the balance, and
the future of his house. Will he sign? If he
does, he inevitably becomes for ever after the toss
of Russia body, soul, estate. He will have
strengthened the Ghoul, who, having fed his full upon
Turkey, will settle Austria at his leisure ROM day
hereafter.
ARM AND LEFEBVRE years ago described—with
what now seems like prophetic foresight—the
European position sad policy of the House of
HAPSBURG :

" But would Austria, in a really decisive crisis of
the East, continue in the attitude of non-resistance,
to which she has hitherto accustomed herself ? A
very grave question. Let as assertion be allowed,
drawn from the nature of the OM : to France, first
of all, the task of the solution of this question will
be assigned. The situation of Austria is simply this;
that :she is unconstrained in her proceedings against
Russia, only when she can thoroughly depend on
the moral and physical aid of France. A compact
with England alone would not suffice to give the
requisite energy to the tone and actions of the Cabi-
net of Vienna. Neither could Austria wage war
against Russia unless assured of the unequivocal co-
operation of France. If France denies her concur-
rence, Austria is then fettered by the apprehension
that, while she despatches troops against Ramis,
France may cross the Alps, and suddenly pour down
on Lombardy. Austria would much rather accede
to the dismemberment of Turkey, than leave her

Italian possessions unguarded. Consequently, she
would delay ; and make her appearance on the stage
only when nothing further remained to bo done but
to accept thankfully her allotted share of the parti-
tion. On these grounds we are convinced that,
should a war break out in the East, the policy of
Austria would be determined by the resolutions of
France." 1

The meeting at Olmutz will clearly afford plenty
of food for speculation, and its decisions may
bear very strange fruits in the future. The
organ of France in London yesterday hinted that
the SULTAN ought to be civilly forced to do
what he is not likely to do, and ought not to do—
accept the Vienna note unmodified. Does France
really mean to make such a refusal an excuse for
backing out of the business, and standing by for a
chance of helping herself when the time comes?
It would be one strange result of the Eastern diffi-
culty, if it ended in the reduction of Austria to the
condition of a mere Russian outpost, and the distinct
aggrandisement of Lotus NAPOLEON and his roughly
made Empire of France.

WnEvrrEu it be considered a compliment or a re-
proach, there is no denying that the English are
an eminently practical people. Whatever be the
subject of their study, if it be not susceptible
of an immediate practical bearing it soon ceases
to excite much interest, and languishes from want
of encouragement. Whilst men of science on the
Continent devote themselves to the discovery of
abstract truths, and think they have reaped their
reward when they have succeeded in solving some
abstruse problem, or in eliminating an ab-
stract truth, an Englishman looks to scientific
pursuits with a practical eye, and regards science as
comparatively valueless unless it can be applied is
some way to purposes of use, comfort, or luxury.
Even astronomy derives its popular value from
its application to navigation; and Lord Roues in-
vestigations in the stellar nebula with his six feet
reflector seem to be principally appreciated because
they serve to disprove certain uncomfortable doctrines.
Geologists who pry into the bowels of the earth, and
trace the history of former worlds and their inhabi-
tants entombed in the solid rocks, seek to
attach additional interest to the subject by
constantly reiterating the fact that geology leads
to advantageous results in mining, building, and
agriculture. Science—simply as science—is seldom
regarded as its own exceeding great reward.
The prevalence of this longing after practical

applications is evident in the objects proposed for
investigation by individuals, and by scientific bodies.
The proceedings of the British Association for the
Advancement of Science, during the recent meet-
ing at Hull, are strongly indicative of the feeling.
That body may be considered as the barometer of
science, and its yearly meetings serve to point out
the direction towards which scientific inquiry is
tending ; influenced, however, in some degree, by the
character of the locality in which the meetings take
place. Last year at Belfast, and especially
this year at Hull, the papers communi-
cated, and the discussions upon them, assumed
a decidedly practical character, and the pre-
sidents of the sections lost no opportunity of
enforcing on the notice of their audiences the prac-
tical advantages of their respective scientific investi-
gations. Chemistry, geography, statistics, and
mechanical science, afforded the subjects of the most
interesting and important communications, whilst
the branches of abstract physical science and of geo-
logy, which have been generally the most attractive,
were this year extremely barren, and on one occa-
sion the section of physical science wan entirely void
of an audience, and its meeting necessaxily adjourned,.
The rapid diffusion of knowledge at the present
day renders it scarcely possible that there should be
kept in obscurity any wonderful discovery, or very
important invention to be disclosed at these anniver-
saries of the British scientific congress. The objects
of the association are rather to promote a rpirit of.
inquiry, and to bring the cultivators of science in
different parts of the kingdom into communion with
each other, than to annunciate wonderful discoveries;
and the plan originally proposed and acted on of
instituting, by the aid of the fads of the association,
investigations into various branches of science that
particularly require development, has been latterly
greatly abridged, in consequence of a deficiency of
mew. Though nothing of striking novelty
can, under thew circumstances, be anticipated,
yet the visitations of this peripatetic body
have often been the means of developing latent
talent, and of bringing into prominent notice inven-
tions that were comparatively little known. The

" The vocation of Austria—her true and actual vo-
cation, hazardous, indeed, but worthy of her gran-
deur—is to preserve the central Mates of the conti-
nent in their integrity and independence, to shield
them against the ambition of France, and above all
things against the ambition of Russia ; to hold these
two powers in check and in equipoise, the one by
means of the other. Now, in the Oriental question
Russia is the most threatening and dangerous foe.
Should she soessed in gaining possession of the
Lower Danube, the mountain range of the Balkan
and Constantinople, Austria would be hemmed in
by the Russian territories along the whole extent of
bar eastern frontier ; and the Austrian commerce,
both in the Euxine and in the Adriatic, would be
under Russian controL There is also ground for
solicitude in the secret endeavours of Russia to tam-
per with the loyalty of Austrian subjects professing
the Greek faith. No one believes that Russia can
be withheld by over-conscientious scruples from me-
ditating covert intrigues of this nature. The con-
quests of Russia in Turkey place her in a situation to
realise all her fondest designs. Austria would be thus
fearfully menaced ; her relative strength would be
so materially weakened that freedom of movement
would be lost. To oppose the advances of the
North there would remain to Austria nothing save an
inert resistances like that with which Prussia must
content herself. Fallen from her high estate, she
would be compelled to act an entirely different part.
Instead of being the bulwark of the West against
Russia, she would became a tool in tho hands of that
power for holding the East in subjugation. All the
central armaments which ought to guard the West
would be paralysed, and the central states themselves
threatened with the loss of their independence. Even
the possession of Bosnia, Servia, Turkish Dalmatia,
Albania, sad Macedonia would then be to the court
of Vienna no adequate compensation for the superior
aggrandisement of Russia. Russia directly, and with
the aid of the Greeks, necessarily at her devotion,
would exert so overwhelming an influence in these
ostensibly Austrian provinces that they would prove
to their new masters much more a source of weak-
ness and embarrassment than a real increase of

strength. meeting at Hull has not been barren in this respect,
"Thus the policy of the cabinet of Vienna maybe and among the developments of practical ingenuity
sketched by anticipation. As the enemy of Russian may be mentioned two recent improvements in the
projects, as the extreme post of Western Europe steam engine—the one now in operation in France,
against Russia, as the natural guardian of Turkey the other the invention of a working mechanic in
and dell the interests menaced by the jeopardy of Hull—which promise important advantages in the
the Porte, Austria must risk her last man and her use of steam power. In the earlier years of tb e
last florin rather than suffer the Czar to extend his British Association,—when the payments of life mr,m-
dominion beyond the south bank of the Danube." hers and visits to the largest towns in the kin gdom
But is there nothing but Ramis that Fasxcis produced ample funds,—the annual grants of money
JOSEPII may fear ? Will not NICHOLAS this day week for scientific investigations exceeded I,OOW. It was
have something besides gratitude for past services, during there prosperous times that the experiments
aggrandisement from future cooperation to think were instituted on the forms of ships which have
about ? May he not hold up Lotis NsrotzoN as a resulted in completely remodelling the old clumsy
scarecrow to frighten his young friend with ? bluff-headed shapes into forms better adapted to
LEVI:IA-RE has spoken about that also : float over the surface of the water. The total
" But Russia is not the only antagonist whom amount granted this year, which is considered to
Austria fears. Franco is viewed with still greater have been a prosperous one, is only 1801., exclusive