The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-03 00:00:00

WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?

Under the above heading the Allgemeine Zeitung
(Augsburg Gazette) publishes the following, as
written from Northern Germany in May :
"The urgency that Germany must join the war
against. France with her whole strength, that Aus-
tria
must not be left isolated—that is to say, in the
lurch—this unavoidable necessity has been so often
, and so clearly put in your columns—the conviction
of this necessity has been so unmistakeably recog-
nised in every part of Germany—that it would be
carrying water to the sea if we were to advance
additional grounds—were we to wish to look upon
the question in any other light than as a question
of time, as one of the proper moment for Germany
to draw the sword.
" We are prepared to do so at a moment's notice.
Germany is ready as far as is requisite ; the enemy
is not. We possess a good line of fortresses from
Radstadt to the Wesel ; each of these fortresses is
capable of containing an entrenched camp or power-
ful army, of protecting it or advancing it. Each of
these fortresses is fully provided with everything.
The enemy has nothing of the kind to oppose to us.
-We also possess an overwhelming force for the at-
tack. Already two German corps d'armee-250,000
,men from the Middle Rhine, 250,000 men from the
Upper Rhine—could invade France and march on
Paris. In France there reimiin scarcely more than
350,000 fighting, men ; these men must keep down
"revolution in the towns, and defend a frontier 100
miles in extent. It is clear the could only bring
an inferior force against each German army. Should
they attempt it they would infallibly be beaten, for
they have no Napoleon I. to encourage them by his
startling movements. In a very short time the de-
cisive action would take place under the walls of
Paris. It is true the French capital is admirably
fortified, but it has not a sufficient garrisCin to de-
fend every point, and, once entered, Paris must
capitulate. We do not take into account the inoral
:depression which would be caused amng !the
French people by the retreat of their armies, and
the assistance that would be given by those who are'
sworn enemies of the Napoleonic despotism.
But we are told, our coasts—our unprotected
coasts, and the mighty French fleet ! We reply.—
a determined invasion of France, a well-directed
blow that will be felt in Paris, that is the best pro-
tection of our coasts. To attack our coasts a land
army is necessary, and they have not a man to
spare. Moreover, our coasts are by no means so
unprotected; they are protected by nature and art,
and batteries are erected on all places open to a
landing. Let us call to mind the fight at Eckern-
fords and the facility with which Russia defended
her long length of coast in the Baltic against the
combined fleets of France and England. But our
ships—our. poor ships—on the high seas. Will not
the French cruisers capture them all ? No. So far
we learn our shipowners are on their guard; at the
worst, the news of the declaration of war will be
conveyed by steamers as fast as any French cruis-
ers. Our ships will make for safe ports. England
is close at hand. Some loss must, of course, be in-
curred. But the sooner the uncertainty which now
weighs upon trade and commerce is at an end the
lesser will be the loss.
" The right to make an immediate attack upon
France is ours ; never can we claim a better one.
The Emperor of the French has in distinct mani-
festoes announced his breach of the treaties upon
which peace and order are founded. He is the
aggressor, the peace-breaker whom we must bring
to reason. He did not succeed, even for a day,
in making the press in England or Russiaabelieve
that Austria was responsible for the war. Taunted
till she could no longer stand it, deserters from'
her army formed into free companies under her
very nose, Austria only anticipated the attack by
a few weeks and selected her ground in the enemyTs
country. Moreover, the German Confederation is
already de facto at war with France. Are not
Trieste merchants and shipowners German citizens,
and are not their ships German property? And
have not Trieste ships been captured by French
cruisers ?` Shall we, then, wait until some German
city has been bombarded ? Surely, France has given
us provocation enough to prompt us to self-defence.
" Finally, the object of our struggle is clear and
plain before us. We advance on Paris to upset Na-
poleon, to deliver the world from a nightmare
which has too long already oppressed its chest, to
destroy a system which is a plague to morality,
right, and civilization. The reward for our sacri-
fices and labours can be no other than Alsace and
Lorraine (Lothringen). The broad wedge west of
the line of Luxembourg by Metz and Nancy to
Basel, that fatal wedge which strikes so deep into
the German territory, which so long has offended
every eye in Germany on the map of Europe, must
haul down the French flag. Napoleon overthrown
and Alsace and Lorraine restored to us, that alone
is our object, that concerns us more especially.
What, then, becomes of France ? What system of
government she chooses to adopt is her own busi-
ness; the nation which has twice submitted to Na-
poleonic despotism, let it decide its own fate ; but
we must provide against a third Napoleonic con-

fusion.
" If, then, the necessity of taking the field
against France is clear, if we 'are already fully
prepared to strike, when we have right on our
side, when our object lies plain before us,
what are we waiting for ? Why. does .the sword
still remain in the scabbard ? Why drown the
shrill blast of the war trumpet, which will vibrate
throughout Germany as the call of health and
strength ? It is, perhaps, Fear of Russia,' and to
be more sure of the aid of England ! Now, this is
the very point which ought to urge us not to delay
one moment longer, but to.take a great decision,
and with all our strength go straight_ to the goal.
" England and Russia have not yet quite made
up their minds ; their inclinations are evident, but
they still hesitate to join in a general war. A great
event, a mighty fact,which would resound through-
out Europe, would bring them to a decision. Let
us give that mighty fact ! Its success, in both
directions, cannot fail to be to our advantage. A de-
claration of war by the whole of Germany against
France will infallibly bring England to our side as
an ally, and awe Russia into quiet.
" The English people entertain a covert hatred
and anger against Napoleonic France, but it is not
• the less strong for , that ; it simply smouldprs, and
would soon be fanned into a flame. England has
already put, up with too many insults, has too long,
been chafing at the friendly chain of France; and
Cherbourg is a thorn in her side. This feeling
shows itself plainly enough in England just now
in the sudden change.in the language of the press,
in the preparations of defence she is making. But
nobles and citizens are both averse from a great
war ; they have had .war and expenditure enough
lately. Moreover, they are greatly occupied with
a great question of Government reform, which has
long waited a solution, and this question divides
the people into factions. All this, unhappily, is
true. Nevertheless, all these obstacles and reasons
will, fall. into the background when suddenly a great
. t4ct=the great fact stands before the clear intellect
Of.the,English people—Germany is marching on
Paris. Then. the smallest middy, the veteran Mates-
man in the Cabinct,will he aware that the hour has
struck to do away for once and ever with a prepon-
derating French fleet, Cherbourg, and the fear of
• invasion. Let Germany declare herself, lether decla-
ration lie followed immediately by action, and then,
when the Queen of England makesber Speech from
the Throne- on the ith of June we shall have
nothing to fear from a Russell-Palmerston Ministry.l
" But" RusAia! Will she not crush us with her
armies ? Has she not already a secret treaty with
France, and shall we be mad enough to enter into
a war at once with France and Russia ? We think
such madness would contain no small sprinkling of
sound common sense. The last war has given us a
correct idea of the capabilities of Russia. She moves
heavily, and it takes her many months to bring an
impesitt force into the field. -Before the powerful
• ktissian columns could reach the German frontier
we should have finished with Paris, and that news
would considerably delay the advance of the Russian
army, if it did not stop it altogether. And, suppos-
ing even that Russia had already all her available
troops ready for action—that we were compelled to
-wage war on our west as well as upon our eastern
frontier—would that really be so terrible a matter?
Let us reckon up accurately how many thousand
fighting men Russia has been able to assemble at
or cross her frontier with, since 1812. The -amount
doe s not exceed 150,000 or 200.000. Let us, on the
other hand, sum up what Prussia, Austria, and the
.rest of Germany (actually prepared for war), can
bring at once into the field, not to speak of reserves,
and we have a sum total of 1,55)0,000 men and more
than 2,500 pieces of artillery. This force will surely
:suffice to wage an offensive war against France and
u defensive war against Russia.
" We do not, however, suppose that things are so
dangerous as we have put them. A sudden and
energetic war against France will shield us front a
- lr with Russia. The Cabinet of St. Petersburg
has, it is true—at least we are willing to admit so
inuci.,.—entered into some agreement with the
Cabin et of the Tuileries hostile to Germany. We
can already trace the symptoms of such an under-
, staudin g. Ritssia is to keep the power of Germany
in cheep may not take
that it part in the war against
France, and this is to be done by the concentration
of armic
;t: of observation on our frontier, and by in-
direct in &maces. We need not fear those threats.
lussia iw rjght feel inclined, but cannot go to war.
• Importa- at reasons, like heavy chains, shackle her
warlike movements. Only against. her will and
better s ense, only gradually by the course of events
'could I _tussia be induced to exert all her strength
agaitiF t the foreigner. A general rising of all Ger-
many- a battle gained - over the French, perhaps
even • the capture of Paris—such a piece of news