The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1859-06-21

IT'S ORIGIN AND HISTORY.

One of the most remarkable and interest,
ing features in the present condition Of Eu-
rope 10 the doubtful and complicated position
which Germany occupies with regard to the
war which Austria is waging in italy against
France and Sardinia. The War not being
purely German question, being conducted
outside Of German territory, though the
leading States ofthe Confederation 10 party
TO il, the other States do not feel bound BY the
federal compact to assist Austria, while Il
the same time they stand between two fires
- it were, with the French Army of Obser-
walton threatening the Rhine frontier
on one side, and the advancing armies Of the
allies possibly contemplating an invasion oil
German territory, should they drive the Aus.
TRANS out Of Italy. In this state of things il
may be difficult for Germany to maintain the
neutrality which it 10 clearly her interest to
preserve, and which Prussia, the largest and
most powerful State next to Austria, is most
solicitous to maintain. The position Of Ger
many then is very curious and and momen-
tous, and at this juncture, deeming an ac-
count of the German Confederation ofStates,
their relations to each other, their govern.
ment and their relative power, of the highest
importance to our readers, we present the
following historical sketch of the origin and
progress of the Germanic Confederation -
CONFEDERATION OF THE REFINE.
In Napoleon's war with Austria and Rus
STA in 1905, which was terminated by the
peace of Presburg in December Of that year,
three States of the German empire acted as
allies of France-namely, Bavaria Wurtem-
berg and Baden. The Rhine was the the n
boundary line between France and Germany,
and thus Napoleon conceived the idea of uni
ting several Of the German States in alliance
with, and under the protection of France,
in confederacy which he called "Confed.
Grafton Of the Rhine"
The peace of Presburg Dec. 26. 1S05) gave
the first impulse to the entire dissolution of
the German empire, by confering crowns on
the Electors of Bavaria and Wurtemburg, and
on both as well as on Baden, complete soy.
ereignty, such as had been already exercised
BY the other German States. Soon after
MAY %, lS06,) the first German Elector,
Arch Chancellor Of the empire, announced
to the Diet that he had appointed Cardinal
Fesch, uncle Of Napoleon, his coadjutor and
successOr-an act inconsistent with the con-
stitution of the empire. Ultimately, sixteen
German princes made formal declaration
OF their separation from the Emperor and the
empire, in the act of confederation signed at
Paris, July IL. 1906 by the kings of Bavaria
and Wurtemberg, the Elector Arch Chancel.
lor OF the empire, the Elector of Baden, the
new Duke of Cleves and Berg Joachim
Murat, the Landgrave of Hesse- Darmstadt,
the Prices of Nassau Usingen and Nassau
Weilburg, Hohenzollern- Hachingen and
Observation-Disclosures, of Salm-Salm
aud Salm-Kyrburg, theDuke of Abremberg,
the Princes of 1senburg Birstein and of
Liechtenstein, and the Count Won der Leyen
This was communicated to the Diet August
l, 1906 They assigned as the reason for
this separation, the deficiencies ofthe consti-
tuition of the German empire, and invited the
other members of the empire to join their
confederation. The French Ambassador,
Bacher, announced on the same day, that his
sovereign would no longer acknowledge
German empire. The emperor Francis IL.
resigned his dignity as head ofthe German
empire August 6, being induced to take this
step, according to his declaration, by the
demands contained in several articles of the
peace of Presbufg, and the new confedera-
ton Of the German States, which he consid
cred inconsistent with his rank as head Of
the empire.
The object Of this confederation was to se
cure external and internal peace. France
and the members of the confederation were
to be closely allied, and, if one of them was
threatened with war,Or attacked all the other
confederates were to take up arms at the
call OF the Protector, without further consul.
tatlon, to assist the party threatened or at
tackled Although by the act Of confederation
Napoleon was called Protector of the Con-
federation of the Rhine, he was not recog
Missed as chief to whom the rulers of the
several States were to be subject TO deli
berate on the mutual affairs Of the confcdera-
ties, Confederate Diet was to be established
at Frankfort on the Main, with two divisions
the royal, in which the grand dukes were
likewise to have seats, and that of the prin-
ces.
Thus, in the place of the German empire,
which had existed nearly 1000 years, at
least IN name, confederation was formed,
which, transitory as it may seem in many
respects, nevertheless brought about total
and lasting revolution in the political rela-
tons Of the former German States of the EN-.
rire and their subjects.
he King of Prussia, the FIVE Saxon Dukes,
and many other smaller Princes, entered the
confederacy the following year and subse-
quently the new Kingdom of Westphalia
with Jerome Bonaparte as its sovereign. and
the territories of the Dukes of the two Meek.
lenbergs, the Duke of Oldenburg and prince
OF Lubbock were added, so that the Confedera-
ton Of the Rhine extended over space of
1875, l60 square miles, with IL, Cos, S77 inhab.
ltance. 1t was agreed that France should
furnish 100000 men in case of war and the
confederated States $4,000; but on the ex-
tention of territory the States agreed to fur.
nish ll9 900. Napoleon decree of Decem.
Der III, 1910, however, which, added the
rivers Scheldt, Mouse, Rhine, Ems, Weser
and Elbe to France, cut off large portion
OF the territory of the Confederation, and
deprived several of the Princes of their indie
pendence
The confederation was of short duration.
When Napoleon undertook his i'll fated
march to Moscow in lSl2,,the contingents of
the Confederation accompanied him, and
nearly 100000 Of these troops persisted in
the SHOWS, during the disastrous retreat
The Russian troops advanced to the German
frontier after the flying route. and here Prus-
STA abandoned the French alliance and Joined
Russia. She was followed by the cities of
Lubbock and Hamburg. The States of Wur-
temburg and the two Mecklenburgs, Bavaria
and others, soon Joined the alliance against
Napoleon, their former ally and protector.
The battle of Leipsic fought in October, 1913,
broke up the French dominion in Germany.
On the Both of that month the French
troops retreated across the Rhine. In few
months the armies of the allied States follow.
ed them and took possession of the territory
which France had conquered from Germany
since 1875. Thus the Confederation of the