The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1856-02-06
DIPLOMATIC ruNcr1LIo.

As another general Congress, il ii has
not already met, will probably soon meet to
effect the pacifcation of Europe, il is in
teresting to read the following description
which Macaulay gives OF the preliminary
proceedings Of the Congress which met,
century and half ago. to negotiate the /
peace of Ryswick. 1t nigh, be presumed
that grave and learned men would not act /
quite so foolishly now, but we take il that |
your thorough dplomats,s are more likely |
than any other class Of men to stick by sill |
ly presidents, and the crooked recesses of
diplomatic formalities are the last places
10 be illuminated by the lights Of science or
common sense. II would seem that the
London Times has some fear that the nego-
tiators will be too much Influenced by for
mulas that ought to be forgotten, when il
tells them that any indulgence in political
maneuvering will. be al the imminent risk
OF indefinitely postponing the CONCLUSION
Of peace. But TO the story:
.Half way between Delft aud the Hague
is village named Ryswick; and near il
then stood, in a rectangular garden, which
was bounded by straight canals, and divided
into formal woods, flower beds, and melon
beds, q seat of the Princes of Orange. The
house seemed to have been built expressly
Tor the accommodation of such set OF dip.
lomatists as were too meet there. In the
centre was large hall painted BY Hon
thorst On the right hand and on the left
were wings exactly corresponding to each
other. Each wing was accessible by its
own bridge, It's own gate and its own
avenue. One wing was assigned to the
Allies, the other to the French, the hall 10
the centre to the mediator. Some preiimi-
nary questions were, not withou, difficulty,
adjusted; and at length, on the ninth Of May,
many coaches and six. attended BY harbin-
gers, footmen and pages, approached the
mansion by different roads. The Swedish
minister entered at the grand entrance
The procession from the Hague came up
the side alley on the right. The procession
from Delft came up the side alley on the
left. At the first meeting. the full pow ers
Of the representatives. of the beliigerent
governments were delivered to the media
tor. AT the second meeting, forty-eight
hours later, the mediator performed the Ger.
emory Of exchanging these full powers
Then several meetings were spent IN set
ting how many carriages, how many horses,
how many lscqueys, how many pages, each
minister should be entitled to bring to Rys-
wick; whether the serving men should ear
~ canes; whether they should wear swords
whether they should have pistols in their
holsters; who should take the upper hand
in the public walks. and whose carriage
should break the way in the streets II
soon appeared that the mediator would have
TO mediate, not only between the coalition
and the French, but also between the diff
ferent members Of the coalition The I'm
perial Ambassadors claimed right to ST, at
the head of the table. The Spanish Am
bassador would mol admit this pretension
and tried TO thrust himselfin between two
Of them. The Imperial Ambassadors re-
fused to call the Ambassadors OF Electors
and Commonwealth by the title of Excel.
iency. IF am aot called Excellency, .
said the Ministers Of the Eiector of Bran
denburg, my master will withdraw his
troops from Hungary" The Imperial Am
bassndors insisted on having room to them
selves in the building, and on having
special place assigned to their carriages il
the court. All the other Ministers OF III:
Confederscy pronounced this most IN
jus.ifable demand, and whole sitting wa:
wasted in this childish dispste Ii NAV
easily be supposed thai allies who were So
punctilious in their dealings with each othel
were not likely to be very easy in their in
tercourse with the common enemy The
chief business of Harley and Kaunitz wal
10 watch each others legs. Neither of then
thought it consistent with the dignity Of
the Crown which he served 10 advance TO-
wards the other faster than the other ad
Sanced towards him. Ii therefore one then
perceived that be had inadvertently steppes
forward too quick, he went back TO the door
and the stately minaet began again, Tn,
ministers Of Lewis drew up paper in the
own language. The German statesmen
protested against this innovation, this insui
TO the dignity of the Holy Roman Empir.
this encroachment on the rights ofindepen
dent nations, and would not know any thing
shout the paper till i had been TRANSLATED
from good French into bad Latin. In the
middle Of April it was known to every body
At the Hague that Charles the Eleventh
King Of Sweden, was dead. and had been
succeeded by hrs son: but il was contrary &c
etiquette that any Of the assembled eEyoys
should appear TO be acquainted with th.t
fact tiil Lilienroth had made formal an.
nouHcement: j. was not less contrary to
etiquette that Lilienroth should make such
an announcement till his equipages and BIZ.
household bad been putinto mourning; and
some weeks elapsed before his coaehmakers
and taiiors had completed their task. AT
length. on the twelfth Of June, be came To
Ryswick in carriage lined with black and
attended by servants in black iyeries, and
there, in full congress, proclaimed that i,
had pleased God 10 take TO himself the mos,
puissant King Charles the Eleventh All
the Ambassadors then eondoied with him on
the sad and unexpected news, and went
home TO put off their embroidery and to
dress themselves in the garb OF sorrow. In
such solemn trifing week after week passed
away. No real progress was made. Lilien.
roth had no wish to accelerate mat, srs.-
While the congress lasted, bis position wa;
one Of great dignity He wou willingly
have gone on mediating for ever and he
could not 60 on mediating, unless the par
ties on his right and on his left went OF
wrsngling."