Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-09-23
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
THE EUROPEAN NEWS, BY rHE EUROPA.

present European "progress," there are particu-I
lar details-especially as to what is going on in
France--which we must add, in order to give just
idea of the state of things. The conuncture seems
to us to be growing every day more and more i'm
portant.
Happily for England, the pinch Of food which
the British Isles again about TO suffer is not to
have Joined with it the further calamity OF civil
strife--a calamity which would have deepened in
expressibly the horrors of famine, by diverting to
purposes of mutual destruction all those public re-
sources and that governmental care, which will now
be directed towards guarding against scarcity or
alternating it when il shall arrive. How vain is all
human reason and what curses would the fulfil
ment of what seem our rghtest wishes often be
Had the strength and vigilance Of the British Gov
eminent not proved sufficient to crush at once the
Chartist instruction and the Irish rebellion it is
evident, that, in the approaching bread-dearth lag
grayated as it would have been, in domestic con-
test by the stoppage Of all the earnings Of the Poor
Britain and Ireland would have presented spec
tacle much like that which is sometimes described
to us in narratives of sea-sufering, where the decks
of the disnasted ship the planks Of the ra raft
witness the rage Of hunger and that of mutiny at
the same time, and resound with the wall OF starva
ton, even while they culver TO the struggles OF NOR
tai combat With the thought of lreland's having
escaped all this, the friends Of her emancipation
even by arms-her immediate and unconditional
emancpation-mu for the present, console them
selves. Meanwhile, it is to be recollected that the
British Government has exhibited, as to these re-
volutionary attempts, very high degree OF con-
servative prudence, resolution, and strength. Sa-
gacious as it is intrepid, and wise enough always
to yield when necessary, but never to yield to
force-for that is ruin at once, and only fools and
towards commit that blunder-it has shown itself,
even at the present doubtful moment, the strongest
Power in the Old World, except despotic Russia,
to resist change by violence: quality which 1t
evidently owes to its wise willingness to submit to
sober and legal alteration. Thus liberal spirit
and liberal institutions, while they bless country
so much, show themselves the best security. 1t
was in like manner with us in the Shay rebellion,
the Whiskey instruction, the Notification attempt
the Rhode Island revolution; all of which might
have been fatal, under government less moderate,
but were foiled without struggle through the very
OeHutTCsS Vi liiC dutIlOIlty NHtCh uCy oslcHP'Su
to overthrow and remain only warning that gov
ernments which will gradually change themselves
by legislation should never be assailed with arms.
In Prussia, in Germany proper, in Hungary, in
Poland, in Lombardy, in the Papal States, and
in the Sicilies, things look little cheerful. The
hopes which those countries for a while gave of
political regeneration seem to be fading away be-
fore the want Of counsel in the popuace, of capa-
city or disnterestedness in their leaders, and above
all before the individual ambitions, each of which
is striving 10 shape the movement to its own be-
neit. Prussia wants Schleswick, Germany wants
Prussia Sardinia wants all Austrian Italy, and each
member of the late French Executive Government
wants to succeed LOUIS PHILIPPE, or as the sue
cessful manager for young HENRY or young NAPo-
LEON, 10 take the place Of GUIzoT. Political free
dom, in word. is thing very hard to make, and
especially hard to those who need it the most.
The highest gift Of God to society, he does not
grant it except to a people who have earned it by
virtue and wisdom. If they are individually moral
and intelligent, no human power can make them
less than free for no force can be brought against
the virtuous will of a whole country which is ca
pable Of controlling it. 1t must be stronger than
any invasion ever was and all domestic usurpa-
ton is nothing against nation not already the
slave of its own vice or folly. Constitutions, forms
of government are, in reality, of wonderfully little
efficacy: it is the genius, the temper, the charac-
ter, the habits Of each society which give it its real
one European people might just as well ex-
pect to speak Greek by means of suddenly assum-
ing that national costume, as hope 10 have Gov
eminent like ours by dint of putting on our Con-
stitution. Just the same is it, of course with the
conquering visions Of our manifest destiny men !:
we may catch as many Californians or New Mexi-
or Yucatanese or Brazilians or Patagonians as
weplease, and put our institutions upon them; but
we shall not, by so doing, change their natures
To proceed, however, to FRANCE, the great point
from which have flowed and are to flow the Eu-
ropean changes now in motion: we find, in the last
news, what seems certain intelligence Of a coming
event likely TO be the most fatal to her and to the
other European States that shall engage in it, that
can well happen. Dictator CAvAIeSAc has, it APP
pears, determined TO take armed part in the Lom-
bard contest. The following extracts will show
the facts, and what causes involve him in that
course:
h.s forr,al rooros, % III