The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-07-01
Miscellaneous.
Prince Metternich.

its prosperity as we'll as in it's downfall Than
that OF any other living man. Louis Philippe
alone excepted. Indeed, it is more remarku-
BILE than even that ofthe eX-King himself
both in the height to which it lifted him, md
the wholly unlocked for suddcnness of his
downfall; for it is TO be remarked that while
Meuernich, during his prosperity, stood on
loitier height than ever Louis Philippe did,
and for period of double the duration ofthe
latters reign, he had no claims TO place or
support him there but his own capacity, and,
on the other hand, his fall is attributable 10
no fault or error of his own, bur, on the con-
trary, to that noble faith in his principles of
polity and his system of rule, in which be has
never once fnltered or swerved during an I'M
interrupted reign of more than thirty years
"A reign not over one country or people alone,
but virtually over three fourtbs of the civiliZ-
led portion of continental Europe.
Metternich was born mt Coblentz, on the
Rhine, on the 18th ofMay, 1878, of an an
cient and noble famiiy-to the younger but
only existing branch of which the subject
of our notice belongs. He was edu-
Gated at the University on Strasbourg, under
the direction of private tutor,sent with him
by his family:and several ofthe boysh friend
ships which lie contracted during that early
period stayed by him through life, for in pri-
vate society Metternich has ever been ex-
tremely popular, no less from the lively pi-
quaDcy ofhis wit than the native and frank
simplicity of his manner ard bearing.
Among the school friendships he contract
ed at Strasbourg are said to have been those
which he maintained TO the last with the late
Earl Grey and Benjamin Constant.
At the close of his acadenical studies,
young Meternich made the usual grand
tour, which was at that time, considered de
rio.uer with young men of his rank in life; at
Of A., lac, oil
ma, and, shortly afterwards, married
daughter of tie famous Prince Kaunilz, the
most remarkable man OF that day-remarln-
ble no less for his strange cGcentricities than
for his sterling talents.
Meternich's first entrance into public life
was as Secretary ofEnlbassy at the Congress
of Rustatt; and even ut that early period OF
his diplomatic career. he is said TO have
shown extraordinary powers ofpoIit!cal fore
sight, particularly as regarded The future for
tunes nfNapoleon. vino was then at the height
of his power and glory.
Metternich was next attached TO Count
Stallion, first at Berlin and afterwards at St.
Petersburgh:and these preparatory limitations
into the very heart of European diplomacy
seem 10 have fully fitted him, even ut the ear
ly age of twenty three, for an appointment
on which it may he said that the ultimate fate
or rather, let us nO,0 say the penultlmate
fate of continental Europe mainly depend
ed, we alIude to the Embassy to Paris, to
which Met,ernich was appointed in 1906,
just after the Treaty of Presburg;cousequen
ly, Mt an epoch most important TO Austria.
We have alluded to those personal quail
ties in Metternich which secured 10 him thro
life the friendship of his boyish days. Those
qualities did still more for hin now, for they
at once facinated and fixed the personal favor
and confidence of Napoleon, aud enabled the
young ambassador to gain and exercise an IN
1uence over him that no foreigner ever be-
fore did, and to turn that influence to an ac-
count that may be said to be felt even mt the
present day. In IA word, Metternich succeed
ed in completely hoodwinking the Emperor
US to the ulteior objects and designs of Aus
tria, and thus enabled the latter to mature
and consolidate those plans and preparations
which Thy the heroic help of England, be it
always understood) finally brought about the
downfall of the usurper.
1t is not u little remarkable, and may be
cited rs an extreme case, in illustration ofthe
art ofdiplomacy as then understood and praer
iiced in Europe that the famous, or rather
infamous marriage of Maria Louisa with Ma
poeon is noir understood TO have been neith-
.er more or less than subtle trick of Meter
mich, to bring about that downfall which it
did unquestionabiy ultimately effect. What
is still more remarkable, however, u.s. that not
understanding the discovery by Napoleon of
the cheat that had been put upon him by Met
Aernich, relative to those vast preparations of
Austria and her allies, which resulted i'm the
famous manifesto of the former power, and
ibe war which followed it, and which discov-
cry led ION Napoleon's sudden return to Par
ISL TO the indignant and almost iguominious
dismissal of Metternich from France-not-
.withstnpding this first trick ofthe willy diplo-
matist the Emperor lover confident in his
own sagacity) allowed himselfa second time
to be made a dupe, in the case of the mar
,riage above referred to, which, there is now
scarcely doubt was suggested By .Netternich,
not, as has been generally supposed, claimed
and insisted upon by Napoleon, ut the mo-
,ment when (after the battle ofWagram) Aus
tria was literally at the feet of the conqueror.
The great and most memorable day of Met
ternch's public life until that one which
recently made him, at the age ofsepenty-tive
years, an outcast and fugitive) was that on
which he met Napoleon at Dresden, for the
purpose Of debating terms of peace which he
never meant to carry into effect, and during
which conference he was personally insnlted
by Napoleon, and they parted with threats
of mutual defiance.
The hundred days and the subsequent Con-
gress at Vienna lat which Metternich played
the part on the movement ofwhich all others
depended) need not now I've referred TO in de-
tail, any more than those events which have
since marked Metterniclfs peaceful and tri-
umphaut career up TO the memorable day of
his downfail-on which day, he, Louis Phil
ippe on the 23d ofFebruary, felt as conf
dent of his position as he had ever doGe dur
ing any previous day of the last twenty years
Prince Met;ernich has been thrcemarried
4 His first marriage we have already alluded