The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-02-16
EDITORS CORRESPONDENCE.
Correspondence of the Washington Union.
BERLIN. Dec. 25, 1874

BERLIN, Dec. 25, lS45
| In commencing series OF letters On Germany, al
low me TO allude 10 few facts. The first peace o.
Paris concluded the LIST Of October, 1871 4; Oh,
Congress Of Vienna was opened with great fest
val On the 9th, the signers Of the peace declared
that the Congress could not commence It's dellbera
tons until the questions to be submitted to il should
rise TO that degree, which alone warranted result in
accordance with the principles Of international law
the stipulatons Of the peace Of Paris, and the JUS
expectations Of the contemporaries.
What the 'tjust expectations Of the contenpor
ries" were, at that time sufficiently plain; il
was the expectations Of the people that the princes
would fulfil the promises made TO them during the
war, and which alone could have induced the peo-
pie 10 take up arms in defence of their Eovereigns
Meanwhile the official declarations Of the soyeregns
that the questions not yet ripe which TO be
submitted to the Congress, sufficiently proved that
the basis Of the muchtslked-of equilibrium Of Eu-
rope" must have been far from being fixed upon, as
indeed the principles in accordance with which the
lust expectations Of the contemporaries"---the
public opinion Of Europe--was to-bc satisfied. The
members Of the Congress proved thatthe world bad
expected too much OF them; that the order which
was TO be established was To themselves as yet a
secret The principal powers Of Europe could as
little agree On the principles which be main
tanned by themselves the relative position
which they TO hold in regard TO their subjects.
The Congress OF Vienna depended on circum-
sdHetSt Ut ~ COhu NtENdiHly not nave enucu III 30
lamentabe manner for Austria, Prussia, and the
states Of the Germanc confederation. With Prus.
sian and Austrian army victorious the soil of
France, nothing less could be expected than the
integrauon Of the Germanic empire-the restitution
TO Germany OF the provinces OF Alsace and LOr-
mine, (Which had always belonged 10 the empire, }
and the VOsges mountains As the frontier Of
France. In this manner, the left wing Of Germany,
speak strategeucally, would have been covered by
line OF Notifications, of which the fortress Of
Strasbourg would have formed the centre, while at
the same time, It would have given TO Germany the
prepondsTance in Switzerland, and the inapproacha-
Die possession Of the Black Forest, together with
all the points Of the upper Rhine which, in case of
war; would secure the passage OF troops and artile
ry. Instead of this, Austria bent only on
rounding herself off, acquiring the kingdom of
LombaIdy and Venice on the other side of the Alps
recovering the Tyrol and Vorarburg from Bava-
ria, and avoiding as much possible all close con-
tact with her former rival, France. The undisturb.
ed possession Of her Hereditary provinces, undis.
turbed also by the progress of liberal opinions in
Europe, was more important 10 her than extent of
territory which she could not establish an ub
solute rule, and which she could not defend with
out an exertion altogether disproportoned to their
value and importance. In this manner did she give
up Belgium, which was accordingly-with or with
out her consent-incorporated with Holland, and
intrust to the kingdom Of the Netherlands the
important task Of terrifying that country against
France. II is needless TO say that these foruhca-
TONS now that Belgium is established as a separate
kingdom, are Of no value to Germany; since from
the close relationship of Belgium TO France, these
very fortresses would now serve TO protect France
from German invasion, or serve her so many
points ddppti from which she herself might success
fully invade Germany.
Prussia, instead Of firmly cooperating with Aus
tra, manifested most morbid desire for aggran.
dizement called by, her writers "Hsgemonit," and
kept for this purpose a number of pens employed,
who represented her as the embodiment Of the Ger
man spirt-which was a apirit Of progress-the
consequence of the liberal impetus impaired to the
geople by the genius of the great Frederic
The only power at the Congress Of Vienna which
showed determination Of mind, was Russia. No
sooner had the French troops left Warsaw than she
promised the Poles that they should form separate
kingdom undera Russian protectorshp. Prussia and
Austria had thus no other part left but to endeavor
to obtain their own shares of divided Poland back
again. Prussia claimed the duchy of Posen; Aus
tria the kingdom Of Gaiicia Russia opposed this
ne,c division, and Prussia already willing to
YIELD provided she be compensated for the duchy Of
Posen by the kingdom Of Saxony. The German
powers were always ready TO make concessions to
foreigners, provided they could by that means OBJ
tain opportunity Of increasing their own power
at each others expense They had just seen the
consequences of this policy in their long wars
against Napoleon, and had just recovered their
independence, when they were on the point Of COM
mlttlDS tHe same III W ule Emperor
Alexander.
Austria, France, and England, saved the destruc-
ton of Saxony. Poland and Saxony became thus
the two principal points Of debate and negotiation,
and while these were going on, the fate of Germany
and her reorganization as political power were
completely lost sight of This placed the affairs Of
Germany in the back ground, and made Russia the
domneering power of the Congress. She has since
become the domineering power in Germany.
The dangerous position in which Germany was
placed by the superior diplomacy and the united
will of Russia, produced the alliance between Aus
tria and France, which lasted till 1880, when the
revolution of July and the accession of the king OF
the barbados to the ancient throne of the House of
Valos, threatened again the chimerical equilibrium
ofEurope.
Prussia played the diplomatst, requiring and OBJ
tanning the assistance of Russia to strengthen her
claims on Saxony as conquered province, and OBJ
tanning the friendly assistance Of Austria against
Russia in her endeavor to obtain the Duchy Of Po-
sen. Her conduct was similar to that which dis-
tinguished her at the peace Of Basic, but scarcely
more successful. The King of Saxony was offered
a compensation on the Rhine-princpalitie being
still considered farms, to be bought, sold or OK
changed as suited the will of their owners-bu
France, conformity with Ausria, took good care that
the king did not accept the offer; the utmost that
Prussia could obtain division of Saxony of
which she took the lions share, a, least regards
extent Of territory.
England looked quietly on. Looking to every
quarter Of the globe for the extension of her power
and her commerce, she could not but agree with
Austria in the establishment of the kingdom Of the
Netherlands, by which means Holland was, through
Belgium, compensated for the loss of her colonies,
which, during the war, had become British proser-
ty. The more Austria gave, the more could Eng
land keep; and an to the "equiIibrum Of Eu-
rope" she could certainly smile to it as long
she was mistress Of the ocean, refusing to ack.
nowcdge the rig hts of neuirals. All that England
claimed on the continent, besides the abolition of
the continental system, which had dealt such a blow
to British industry, was the old kingdom of Hano
ver-slmpy because it formed the most important
coast of Germany--that Of the North Sea. As
England had furnished the money by which France
was defeated, her demands were deemed no more
than just that the talents Of Castlereagh su
feed To have them acknowledged. Germany has
all the benefits of this happy negotiation in the late
succession ofthe Duke Of Cumberland, and close
commercial treaty between England and Hanover,
in consequence Of which, Hanover is not permitted
to make any commercial treaty with the other
German states which includes, ofcourse, Prussia
and the Zoll-Verein. The territory of Hanover
,,nlo Cort, tho, & Il.