Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-11-18
STATE OF EUROPE.

:tN ta.CIGOi.s
STATE OF EUROPE.
Never has the situation of affairs in Europe
l,en more intricate than at the present time,
not even excepting those events which, under
the long and disastrous reign OF LOUIS NV,
led to the treaty Of Utrecht in l7l2, or the
shorter bat more decisive campaigns OF Aapo-
leon I. which caused the Congress OF Vienna
and the treaties Of 1915. Napoleon III seems
70 be rullv alive to the importance and perils
Of the coujuncture and bent upon the task oil
turning to the advantage Of the country which
he rules. the cutting or undoinG OF the many
Gordan kaots which the arlny and diplomacy
have 10 deal with. This is a hard task. 1t he
succeeds in it ne will hare accomplished d new
feat in European history. and quite an UMPIRE
ccdeutcd phenomenon IN the French annals OF
the three last centuries. We mean by this
that he will have succeeded in bringing about
the solution OF q general European crisis Of
which France is not to be the Scape-g goat. In
fact, hitherto France has paid the largest share
OF the bill at those diplomatic banqucts which
har followed a n natural consequence the
warlike riots, in which, true enough, she had
marked out for herself not m inconspicuous
part.
To obtain the sgAl the guest Of the fuller
les "a guest we dagc say; holding in view the
thrill : y;ciSsi;udeS OF the Royal and Imperial
hotclryy has most logically adapted the means
10 his ends. He has reversed the old tradi-
tional policy in two important points. The
old traditional policy had for effect to unite
Europe against France. thus forcing into n
coalition against herself, both friends and enc.
mics. Napoleon III. endeavors TO warm
alienated friends. 10 concillate enemies, and to
sever the bond, oE secret or overt coalition.
That lie tries 10 c"onciliatc and make friends
Of his enemies. is now 4 commo.;. place TACT,
very pcrccptible since the treaty of Paris,
which terminated the Crimcan war, and the
u IL Of Zurich. which has been the result of
the var in Lornbardy. But this well known
character OF his policy is not the most impor-
Int, and is but n part of the whole. He has to
recall 10 life those extinct friends Of former
times, and to make the revived friendship an
c~,tectual ore, by the force Of common, lua-
terial and positive interests.
Somehow or othcr he succeeded in prevent
Ing, 4 few years ago, the King of Prussia from
enforcing with sixty thousand bayonetS his feu-
dial rights on the Castle of Neufciratel. The
French Empire has been, take it all in oil,
more friendly TO the llelvetian Republic than
the constitutional monarchy of Louis Philippe,
vino thought at one time 20 back the inSur-
gents Of Sunderland.
Napoleon III. has been, from beginning to
end, the abcttor and patron Of the Moldo-Wal.
lachlan nationality, and has so far succeeded
in his plan, without violating the treaty Of Par
is, t 1t the two distinct provinces are under
the sway Of the same IIospodar. Each prov
iace will have to elect its own llospodar," says
the treaty. We'll. be it So said the Empe'
TOR, but you must take care to elect,
both { YOU. the same man" And so it WAS
done.
In Montenegro aud Servia the same policy
was pursued, with results more patent every
day. Here then are lingering nationalities re-
called to life, by a gradual process, to which a
reverse will easily he found in the cowdrdly
neglect with which the vIyacious nationality Of
Poland was allowed TO hc bled 10 death, and its
apparently final weighing down consigned by
a French ambassador in a cool and ignominious
desl.tch, which has won fame through its in
fanny: 'L'ordrs rcgns a Varsorie."
To the same Napolconic chapter OF French
political European reconstruction belongs the
annexation of Lombardy to Piedmont, and the
termc,.t cautiously, ~sparingly, but purposely
K rtu up in Central Italy. The conqueror OF
So!fcrlno might have attempted more, but, per-
haps, lie would then have done less. y fact Is
a fact, t,tu roiont. So much for his Milan
proclonaiion
He may veil say Of France that she is the
only nation that wages war for an idea"
There is n truth in this that may he found out
by a diS;ingHs. The French soldiers in the
Italian canpaigm had al idea" but their Elm.
pcror had 4 fact in view. Ills TACT is Sc
cured and the idea is not fulfilled, one cannot,
however, fail to acknowledge that the idea of
an entire liberation Of Italy, ye; TO bc carried
out, is less obnoxious to the Emperor Of Aus.
tria than the accomplished annexation of LON.
hardy and the selfripcning liberation OF Italy,
lmportan; As the strengthening OF Italy was
to Napoleon's plans, the strengthening OF SPAN,
bv 4 revival of resources, latent in that coun-
try, is still more SO. There is n marked
graduation in his proceedings; and as he follows
up the degrees CT this graduation he is draw
ing nearer the powerful and only enemy which
he has singled out
The Peninsula war is about to be fought over
again by a counter process. Whether the
French governments have so much altered their