The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-07 00:00:00

COUNT WALETVSKI.

(From the Times.)
Count Walewski has fallen, like Jupiter, in a
shower of gold. Fortune follows her favourite
even in his descent from power, and spreads luxury
and wealth, like soft spangled cushions, on the spot
where he is to strike the earth. The decision which
dethroned him was sudden, and the exact cause of
that decision may still be a problem. It may be
but as the taking down an Austrian. banner from a
place of honour, but laying it by tenderly to be re-
placed at a convenient season. It may be a demon-
stration that the Emperor is about to break for
ever with the course of policy of which Walewski
was the visible exponent. But, on the other hand,
it may also be that the Emperor is just in the act of
trying a new combination, and thinks it convenient
to play this new game entirely out of his own hand.
It must be admitted that if Napoleon 111. has pro-
hibited the action of the press in its ancient sphere,
he has very largely increased its direct importance
by the work he has imposed upon it on his own
behalf. In Paris, and now in Rome, the pamphlet
and the journal have taken the place of the diplo-
matic note. The Powers of Europe come into the
lists of journalism, mingly hotly in the melee, and
only known in their plain armour of anonymous
knights by the heartiness of the blows they deal,
and by the deference which is paid them by
their opponents. It was curious to see the
master of so many legions tilting with his vizor
down at the Holy Father. Now we have the
Holy. Father himself assuming the pseudonyme
of Gtornale di Roma, and returning the blow from
under the disguise of the broad sheet. His versa-
tile assailant receives his lance in full career, but,
changing horse and arms and blazon, returns into
the lists, and resumes the combat under the nom de
guerre of M. Grandeguillot, of the Constitutionnel.
This could not go on for ever. While the Emperor
and the Pope are thus belabouring each other in
disguise, M. Walewski and Cardinal Antonelli, the
two official representatives of the two Sovereigns,
could not for very ridicule continue to bow and
embrace and pass endearing compliments. Walewski
has been removed from the scene, and Antonelli
must now bow to space. The Emperor is getting
tired of play, and is looking round to see who will
be with him and who against him if he screw on
the iron to his lance. But much will depend upon
the attitude of the other champions in the lists;
and if he sees that they flock to his leadership, it is
by no means impossible that Walewski may again
pop up opposite to Antonelli, that the bowing and
embracing pageant may be recommenced, and that
the lists may be closed. All this, however, is a
great mystery. It would be rash to prophecy the
actions of a man who is possibly in a state of even
more acute expectation than we ourselves can be.
But whatever may be the secret springs of the
public act which has just been announced to Europe,
we cannot but congratulate the Emperor upon the
very Grand Seigneur air with which he has settled
this affair of State. It used to be one of the
maxims of that highly polished corruption which
reached its most shining point during the Govern-
ment of the Regent Orleans, that a gentleman of
sober habits might be even a miser without dero-
gating ; but that no gentleman could be parsimoni-
ous in his vices. If an instrument had done his
work, it was a duty of gentillesse to reward him
well. Napoleon acts up to the generous traditions
of the Regency. If he does not allow his Ministers
much power, if he even suffers them to promise
what he does not intend to perform, and disavows
and reassures them when their obligations become
troublesome, no one can say that he does not, with
a noble disdain for all meaner considerations, throw
them gold and decorations. Under certain condi-
tions, and with certain restrictions, the service of
Napoleon 111. is the best in the world. There ap-
pears to be perfect independence; for you may say
what you like, certain that whatever you may say
your master will do as he likes ; and when the time
comes that the discrepancy between official words
and Imperial acts becomes inconveniently glaring,
behold there is a golden chariot and garlands and
blue fire to accompany you in glory from the
scene ! The conditions are that you must not pre-
tend to exercise any solid power, or chafe at the
small credence given to your official explanations.
Count Walewski, having failed in the conditions,
or having arrived at that fatal point of discre-
pancy, goes forth covered with all the stars of
our modern carpet chivalry, invested with the
rank of Senator, gifted with two estates, mere
mementoes of the Emperor's generosity, and
endowed with a salary of £.5,000 a year for life.
This, moreover, is a Minister to whom it is now
evident that the Emperor has never been indebted
for his policy. Napoleon 111. was never dependent
upon Walewski, either for his expedients or for his
resolutions. Walewski was not a Richelieu, nor
even a Dubois; he was simply a drag upon his
master's course, but an impediment so slight that
he could afford to tolerate it. He was a small
domestic opposition. But he has served the Em-
peror. To mete out his reward would be to mea-
sure his own honour. The Emperor scorns to do
so bourgeois an act ; Walewski goes forth, there-
fore, like Alcmgeon from the Treasury of the
Lydian King.

How much more modest and more Spartan-like
are we in our Constitutional Government when we
reckon with our old servants ! When we allow
£5,000 a year to sustain the dignity and the ex-
pense of the highest offices in the State we think we
are doing a remarkably handsome thing, and such
men as Mr. Williams, of Lambeth, and Mr.
Bright, do not fail to reckon it among the ex-
travagances of a corrupt aristocratic system. Yet
we work our men hard, mulct them in the ex-
penses of frequent re-elections, and call upon them
both in opposition and in office for the devotion of
all their time and energy in public services of every
kind. Office work in the morning, debates at
night, charity and educational and social science
speeches and political meeting in the vacation—
how hardly all this heavy business contrasts with
the silken luxury of the servants of Imperial
France ! Moreover, when they do go out of office,
the Queen never gives them a farm in the Wind-
sor Home Park and a slice of the New Forest for
a hunting-box; and even if it should occur that a
small pension has been earned, it can only be
enjoyed on condition of the recipient being ac-
tually in want of it. Some time ago, when this
matter was under discussion in the House of
private means—which have since, we believe,
Commons, Lord John Russell made a confession
of his
been very much augmented—and said that, al-
though as a younger son he was a poor man, he
had never been in debt until he took office ; but ho
added that he had, up to that time, never been out
of debt afterwards. Mr. Bright could not under-
stand ; with a delicate arithmetic characteristic of
his class, he suggested that, although Cabinet din-
ners were undoubtedly costly, yet by being a Cabi-
net Minister a man got invited to a good many
dinners at other people's houses, and so, upon a
computation, the balance ought to be pretty even.
Yet, notwithstanding the strong contrast between
the emoluments of office in France and England,
and notwithstanding the hard work and the—to a
sensitive mind—still more disagreeable grudging
complaints of coarse, unreasonable persons, we shall
not find among our public men one to envy Count
Waleweki either his favour or his fortune. The
Emperor of the French deserves all praise for being
a generous master ; he pays generously for services
rendered. We have lackeys and flunkeys to whom
fripperies are sometimes wisely thrown, but our
public men envy neither foreign nor domestic cour-
tiers. There is a pleasure in holding part in the
working of a free Government which only a free
people can comprehend, and which is quite apart
from, and cannot be measured or recompensed by,
money or titular distinctions. Count Walewski hag
all our good wishes in his retirement. We hope that
he now carries off with him upon his travels not
only his pensions, and his little firmament of stars,
and his double rent-roll, but also the last hope of
Austria to restore the Grand Dukes to Modena,
Parma, and Tuscany, and the last hope of the Pope
to carry fire and sword through the Romagna.