The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-06-11

One Of The most remark abe interesting features in
te present coDdt On OF Europe s ane doubtful an1 CON-
ylkaed position ~hich Germany occupies with regard 70
ire war which Ausria 10 waepg Itsiy against France
and Sardinia The usr net being purely German ques-
uop Beng conducted outside Of serman territory though
the leading state Of the cone is party to H. tho
oter Ss,es DO ret feel bound by the pact 20
assist Austria, while at the they stand between
Two res as with the French army OF Observation
threatening the Rhine frontier eide, and the ad-
yancpg armies OF the allies possoly contemplating an in
vsson Ct Germsn territory should they drive tho Aus
uians out OF laiy Ia this state OF things may be c-
cult for Germany to maD,a that neutrality which is
clearly her efest 10 preserve ana which Prussia the
Sreest and most powerful State TO AUSTRIA most
soiCous to maintain. The position Of Germany then Ia
very curious ard moentons and 1T this junoture DEEM
ng s,count Of the German Confederation Of Satee
their relations to each other their govern en and their
relative power Of the highest to our readers
~e psent tie ioIswng historical ssstca Of the origin
and pfosress Of the Gernianic Conte1e.s'iop.-
CoNFbDERArIoE or raE RHINE.
In NapoleoD's with Aus,fis ana Russia IA 1906,
which was terminated by the peace Of Psesourg Dozen
Der If that year. aree States of Garnsn empire acted
as alice OF France-namely, Bavaria, wafismberg and
Baden The Rniro was tnsn tie boundary Lae bet zseu
Franco and Germany, and ihas Nspoeoa conceived the
idea II uniting several OF she German States alliance
With, and under the protection Of Fsauce iio consede-
rscy which he called the "Coaiederaloa Of the RnaeJ
Tho peace 0! Pfosburg (Dec. &c. 1860 gave the first
Impulse 10 the entire dissolution OF the German EMPIRE
By confeFrng the Electors Bavaria and wur-
ttulheTg, end on both, NJ well on Baden, complete
sovereignty ouch bad been already exercised by the
oter great German States. Soon after Gay o. 1869
tie first German Eector Ach Chancellor OF the EMPIRE
announced 10 the Diet thas BIO bad appointed Cardinal
Fesch, uncle Of Napoleon, his ja.r and saccessor
iucoesjtepL copshsaisoo of the empire.
Ultimately sxteen GeJ princes maze formal decla-
ration OF her separation from the E and the
pre- IN the act Of eobedsrato2 signed d. Paris July II,
1866, by the kings OF Bavaria Nuremberg, the Eec
tor Arch Chancellor Of The empire, the Eetor OF Baden
The Duke Of Cleves and Berg (Joschin Murai the
LsDdgTsve Of aesse Tar sssdt Piinces of Nassau
Usipgeo srd Nassau Webbing Hossuzollern Hechiugen,
and Hohenzoer Sigmsrifssn, Of Saim-saln ard SAm-
X, rpure la AbrenDerg, the Princes If Iseu-
sirsein CT !echlerstea and Csuu. Won der
Leyen. This communicated 10 The Diet August 1,
1866. They assigned the FOR this separation
the detcsDcs Of the constitution of the German empire,
ard invited tbe other M mhrs Of the empire to join
confederation TIE French Ambassador, Basbe,,
nooDcet TIE day that his sovereign would no
longer acknowledge German enpne. the Emperor
Francis II. resen,c his dignity head OF the German
empire August g. heg Induced TO take this step c,rd-
raj articles Of the peace of Prssbnrg TIE new cou-
federation Of the German States which ne considered
inconsistent with Lis rank head Of toe empire
The object Of this confederation secure externa
ara internal peace France and the the Con-
federation we're 10 be closely sied, and one of them
was threatened with var, attacked all the other CON
Iederstes were 70 ake The call Protector
without further consuatoD 70 party threatened
or attacked Although by the act OF conedeg aiion Ma
v,fu-
Rhine, he was rot recognised a chef to whom the
rulers OF TIE we're TO be subject To deli
beraie On The mutual sfars Of the coneGerses Goa
feoeale Diet 10 DO established Frankfort on the.
Nsile; with tso avisions-the royal which the grand
euses mere hkedlse 10 have seais, and that vi the
princes
Thug, in the place of tina German empire, which had
existed nearly loo0 years, at least name confedera-
ton was formed, which, tTansfosy it may Seem In
mapy respects, nevertheless brought total and
lasting revolution IN tie pot,e relations Of the former
German States Of tie empire and then subjects
The King Of Prussia, The aTs Saxon Dukes and many
otlcI maer Princes entered the coUiederacy the follow
ing year. and su, ssquenty the Kingdom of wsstpha
Ia with Jerome Bonapsr,e s sovereign and he ter
fiores Of the Dukes Of he tao Mecenbergs the Duke Of
Odenbug and Prince Of Lnoeck added so that the
confederation OF tie Rhine extended space Of 1885,
i6o square miles, with Ia sos SIT inhabsauts |. was
sgreed that France should fuEuh 200 men in case OF
war; and the coniederated States IS 600 the exeu
hes OF territory the States agreed furnish $4,000 Ne
poleons decree Of December TO- 1910, however, which
ADDED the rivers scheldt &ense Rhine Ens weser and
Ebe to France cut of large portion OF toe territory Of
the Confederation and deprived several Of The Princes OF
heir independence.
The Collaboration Of short dur on When Napoleon
undertook his i'll fated march TO Moscow 1872 the con-
uneents OF the confedsratcn accompanied him. and
~ 100000 of these troops persbed n the SHOWS during
he disastrous retreat The Russian troops advanced to
The German frontier aer the flying rou and here Prus
sia abandoned The French alliance and joined Russia
She Was followed by the ciiies Of Lubbock and Hamburg
The states Of Wuitemburg and the two Mecklenbarzs,
Bavaria and Others soon joined the alliance aains. Naso.
leor their form ally and protector The battle Of Leip.
SIC fought in Etober, Isl3 broks up the french dom
MON in Germany. On tee 30tn tina. month the French
troops refreshed ACROSS the Rhine In fe months he
armies OF the allied States followed them posses.
sion Of al the territory winch France had conquered
Germany since 1893 Thus the Confederation Of the Rhine
vas broken ups This brings US 70 the organisation OF
THE GERMANIC CONFEDERATION.
No effort made to sirnci the old German
empire which the confederation Of the RHINE had dis
solved. The idea originated by Napoleon was adopted
10 form another Confederscy Of equal aud sovereign
States for mutual protection, 10 BIO called the Germanc
Confedel alton Accordingly, tb0 S,h Of june 1916
The confederaoy established, the 9Th Of No.
vember the following year, TIC Ora, session Of the
Diet was held. The tesm upon which he Confederation
vas based formally confirmed as the oousttuon OF
that body by decr.e OF the Congress Of VIENNA June g.
1920 The object Of the cosederscy declared 10 be
tosecurc the Independence and violaby and to pre-.
serve the internal Of the States The federal COM
pac however, contained two articles which bear directly
upon the present situation Of Germany regard the
war in which one Of LIS Statas-Austria--is engaged
The 46th article ssauates that federase state
mencssa war beyond the federal territory AZ European
Power, this war becomes foreign to the Confederation
Article 4etn Of The pact completes the dispositions
Ct article 4s,h in the following words;-In case such
State (artce 4oth) 70 threatened attacked in 10 posses
sions outside OF the Confederation, the obligation 10 take
measures OF common defence, participate Ia the war