The daily union., 1854-12-14
THE BALANCE OF POWER IN EUROPE.

The intimate, and apparently cordial, alliance between
two powerful nations which had hitherto by their rivalry
great measure regulated the balance of Europe is
of the most remarkable as well important political
of the age Though its proessed object is maintain
that balance it is quite evident that if the alliance succeeds
in its accomplishment far from preserving the equilib
rum of Europe it will overturn it entirely If by their
in the present contest England and France
able TO dictate to Russia there will then be
power Europe strong enough restrain them and the
other powers depend altogether their moderation
and magnanimity But neither moderation magnanim
y ordinary characteristics of sovereigns and what
may be their pledges it is always very unsafe to in
trust them with the power of violating svading them
The adjustment of the balance of power Europe has
always been delicate operation and however difficult to
accomplish, lasts long. At time Spain the
great object of jealousy the other powers Of Europe
The accession of wealth and power derived from the
discovery and colonization of America and the subsequent
union of the Spanish and imperial crowns excited the
fears Of Europe and gave rise to succession of bloody
wars which finally established balance of power in the
only mode it accomplishedthat is by reducing
all the conflicting parties equal state of weakness and
exhaustion
Louis XIV undertook to the balance of Europe
by diminishing what was termed the exorbitant power
of the House of Austria but in doing this it how
happened that by degrees the balance began
incline the other way for previously observed nothing
is so difficult preserve the equilibrium. 1t is
like good scale and single grain will turn the balance
When, therefore, the grandson Of Louis LIE Grande
cended the throne of Spain, the House of Bourbon
ceeded that Of Austria in the great bugbear of Europe
and it became necessary expedient to form coalition
of European powers TO keep this preender within
bounds This again produced series of wars which, after
scenes of bloodshed and national exhaustion ended in
peace which left the Bourbons in possession of the Spanish
throne and everything else pretty much in satu quo
bellum. Ua
Napoleon Bonapare the next bugbear and for time
succeeded in the total arrangement of the great balance
Europe. series of unexampled in the history of
the world and coalition of the great powers of Europe
equally unexampled at length evenuated in the downfall
and exile of this extraordinary man. and the balance Of
Europe again restored pro tenn at the Congress of vi
enna where the high contracting powers helped themselves
to what they pleased and the smaller took what they
could get However there help for it, the latter
submitted to be cut and carved out at pleasures and since
that time Europe having been well bled, blistered and
evacuated has remained tocrably quiet waiting till the
balance of power should again be disturbed.
But the great family of European nations which said
to be indssoluby entwned in interest though
they agree in what that interest is resem-
bic many other families which grievousy subject to
dissensons sometimes about res and sometimes about
nothing The balance Of power thus happily adjusted at
the Congress Of Vienna has been again disturbed by the
appariton of another great bugbear 1t that in ad
using the former balance, the combined diplomatic Wis
dom of Europe took the eectua measures for over
throwing il entirely With a shorsighted liberay they
gave Russia large slice of the loaf that too little was
left for themselves and the balance was again disturbed
by the npprehensions of England and France that as ac
cording to tradition the Black sea had once broken
through at the Bosphorus and overfowed the Grecan
Archipelago below the fleets OF the Gar might one day
find their way through the channel to the Mediterra
and disturb the balance of power the ocean in
other words interfere with the peponderancy Of these two
great powers The Gar consequently became the great
bugbear of Europe; and the balance of power if not al
ready is in as imminent danger of being overturned as it
when the immediate predecessor of the Emperor Mich
olss was invoked to interference protect IL from the
graspng ambition of the great Napoleon
Fortunately, however neither coalitions nor protocols
all the expedients of graybeard diplomacy perna
nenty darrauge the order of Nature the dispense
tons of Providence. This world may be lkened a ship
where man. the passenger may walk the deck back wards
and forwards pleasure while the pursues her es
tined course directed by the great Pilot who sits aloft
There are great causes operating and unheard