Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1842-07-21

admonltion given by Frederick to one
OF them. 1t soon became plain that,
IA the most important points, the new
sovereign bore strong family likeness
to his predecessor. There was wide
difference between the father and the
son as respected extent and vigor of
intellect, Speculative opinions, amuse-
ments, STUDIES, outward demeanor, but
the grand-Work Of the character was
the same II both. TO both were COM
mon the love of order, the love Of bu-
siness, the military taste, the parsimony,.
the ilnperious spirit, the temper irrita-
bic even to ferocity, the pleasure in the
pain and humiliation of others. But
these propensities had in Frederick
William partaken of the general I'M
soundness Of his mind, and wore a We
ry different aspect when found in COM
pany to the strong and cultivated under
standing of his successor. THUS, for
example Frederick was as anxious as
ANY prince could be about the efficacy
,of his army. But this anxiety never
degenerated into a monomania, like
that which led his father to pay fancy
prices for giants. Frederick was as
thrifty about money as any prince or
private man ought TO be. But he did
not conceive, like his father, that it was
worth While to eat unwholesome cab
bages for the sake Of saving four or
FIVE rix-dollars in the year. Frederick
was, we fear, as malevolent as his
father; bat Frederick's wit enabled
him often to show his malevolence in
ways more decent than those to which
his father resorted, and to infiict mise
ny and degradation by taunt instead
of blow. Frederick, it is true, by
no means relinquished his hereditary
privilege of kicking and cudgelIing.-
His practice, however, as to that mat
ter, differed in some important respects
from his fathers. To Frederick Will
liam, the mere circumstance that any
person whatever, men, women, or chill
dren, Prussians or foreigners, were
within reach of his toes or Of his cane,
appeared to be sufficient reason for
proceeding to belabor them. F'reder-
ick required proyocation as well as Vi
clrlty; nor was he ever known to IN
1ict this paternal species of correction
on any but his born subjects; though
on one occasion NJ. Thiebault had rea-
son, for few seconds, to anticipate the
high honor Of being an exception to
this general rule.
The character of Frederick was still
very imperfectly understood either by
his subjects or his neighbors, when e.
vents occurred which exhibited it in a
strong light. A few months after his
accession died Charles W., Emperor of
Germany, the last descendant, in the
male line, Of the house Of Austria.
Charles left no son, and had, long
before his death, relinquished all hopes
ofmale issue. During the latter part
of his life, his principal object had been
to secure to his descendants in the fe-
male line the many crowns ofthe house
Of IIapsburg. With this view, he had
promulgated new law Of succession,
widely celebrated throughout Europe
under the name Of the "Pragmatic
Sanction" BY virtue Of this decree,
his daughter, the Arch-duchess Maria
Theresa, wife Of Francis Of Lorraine,
succeeded to the dominions Of her an
certors.
No. sovereign has ever taken posses
sion of a throne by a clearer title. All
the politics of the Austrian cabinet had,
during twenty years, been directed to
one single end-the settlement of the
succession. From every person whose
rights could be considered as injurious
! ly affected, renunciations in the most
solemn form had been obtained. The
new law had been ratified by the Es-
tates Of all the Kingdoms and principal
tiles which made up the great Austrian
monarchy. England, France, Spain,
Russia, Poland, Prussia, Sweden,
Denmark, the Gemanic body, had
bound themselves by treaty to maintain
the /" Pragmatic Sanction" That in
strument was placed under the protec-.
ton of the public faith Of the whole CT
yilized world.
Even ifno positive stipulations on
this subject had existed, the arrange
ment was one which no gooG man.
would have been willing to distu>o.
1t was peaceable arrangement accep-
tible to the great population whose hap
piness was chiefly concerned. 1t was
an arrangement which made no change
in the distribution Of power among the
states of Christendom. 1t was an ar
rangement which could be set aside
only by means of q general war; and,
if it were set aside, the effect would be
that the eouiibrnlm of Eslrone would