The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-07-24

not accurately determine but nothing is more
certain than that our ancestors and their CO
temporaries went to war among themselves
about little or nothing, and marched armies
against each other without SO much as glance
at the state of their respective exchequers.
Wounded vanity, hereditary feuds and above
all, Unsuitable ambition. were usual occasions
Of strife nothing operated as q drawback but
fear of defeat and want Of men. Cowper con-
signs to infamy the kings
Who for the sake of filing with one blast
The post horns of all Europe, lay her waste
He might with equal reason have poured out
the phials OF his wrath on the monarchs who,
from time to time, have plunged their subjects
into war without the slightest hope of being
able to bear its expense. Napoleon l. was fine
example of this Sort Revolutions and foreign
wars had pretty well drained France when he
undertook his Russian campaign neither men
nor money were to be found Had he counted
the cost" of defeat, he would most assuredly
have disbanded half that magnificent host
which he reviewed in May on the Champ de
Mars, or at least have CHARTERED them in some
provincial town-instead whereof, he must
needs march them to Moscow, victory being not
a desirable prize, but necessary condition Of
existence. History tells the rest. Had his ex-
chequer been full when he returned, he need
never have retired to Fontainebleau and We'll
lington would never have entered Paris. He
had not counted the cost"
A fine contrast to this mode Of proceeding is
presented by the conduct of the English at the
present time. Provocation for his invasion,
Napoleon had none Great Britain has ample
grounds for declaring war against Russia, if
she thought fit. Whatever wide construction
may be put upon the treaty Of Balta Liman, it
is clear that none of those contingencies on the
occurrence of which the Gear was authorized
to garrison Jassy, have taken place. No insur-
rection has broken out, no violation of treaties
been even plotted-all is as quiet as if the Rus
slams still held the Principalties. Look at the
crossing of the Pruth in a calm, philosophic
light, and it constitutes as glazing breach of
treaties, as unprincipled a violation of good
faith and honor on the part Of Russia as history
ever recorded A hundred times the peace
of Europe has been upset on far less sub
stantial pretext. On less solid grounds. Eng
land has herself on more than one occasion,
despatched her troops to foreign capitals and
bombarbed foreign ports. On a less direct at
tempt to disturb the much Wanted balance Of
power, all the Western governments have taken
the alarm, and London, Paris Berlin and
Vienna have re-echoed with portentous menace
of war.
Yet the horizon beams with peace. Ma
polcon, indeed, talks loudly of Ia gueyre and
la glorie, and Ia grande armte; but no one is
deluded into belief that his war.ilIe aspira-
tions proceed from disinterested source Aus
tria is deliciously pacific a nation Of Quakers,
q race Of Cobdens could not breathe purer vows
for Christian amity and. brotherhood Prussia
afit cts to discred,t the whole Russo-Turkish
dispute and observes strict neutrality. Eng
land is. in fact, the centre towards which all
eyes converge; no decisive step will be taken
unless she leads the way. And England tacitly
admits that the invasion OF the Principalites is
not eaSUS 6eiii.
She has not arrived at that conclusion by
careful study Of Grctius, or O discriminating
analysis Of her own history. She had not
sought in the annals OF Europe precedent for
such forbearance. Had she done go she would
Lave found none. But she has calmly divided
a sheet Of ruled paper into debtor and credi-
tor account. On the one side she has entered
the amount of loss likely to accrue to England
by a diminution Of British exports to Constan-
tinople, and on the other the net deficit which
the closing of the Baltic and the blockade of
Odessa would be likely to occasion in her re-
venue and her supplies Of produce. She
has carefully examined the anouni of
cotton twist exported from England to
both countries. and weighed to pound
the corn they send her in return. Having
added to either column, with mercantile accu-
racy. every item which could or ought to be
taken into account she has deducted the one
from the other. and, finding q balance against
the Principalities has quietly declared that
there are no grounds for war A good deal of
clamor was made by the cotton spinners, who
knowing that Moldavia and Wallachia would
cot manufacture for Themselves, while Russia
does demanded that the former should be pro-
tected, but the corn eaters and timber con
sumers appealed in triumph to the trade and
navigation tables, and proved that if war were
declared, both would rise in price. This was
entirely conclusive The balance was in favor
of peace. Considerations Of principle, of alb
stract right and wrong, were urged by q few
old fashioned individuals; but these were very
properly silenced. 1t was obviously question
OF profit and loss; and there being more profit
and less loss on the side Of peace than Of wsr
the former policy was adopted by the nation.
Let us suppose that we follow so laudablc an
example with regard to Mexico. The follow
ing would represent the account, or pretty near
ly:-
DR.
To cost Of $50, 900 900
interruption Of trade, private ndemuities,
and contirger 1000 ono
$50 Geo 900
CIR.
By soyel6ipnty or 1J2 600 square