Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-02-14
i Quasi-Gcnerni European Ri.ht-About.
Wheel.

4 Quasi-Gcnerni European fsi.ht-About.
Wheel.
1t is well known saying in France, and one
used by all parties in turn, 10 reconcile lIen'
selves with their actual position, when adverse,
and signify that better tunes are coming, that
"One knows how Paris goes TO bed, but no one
can say how he will get up the next morning,
thus alluding to the suddenncss with which
the inhabitants Of that city are liable to take
their stand, after q long. silent and un.
known internal working against the govern.
ment Of the day. 1t appears that Napoleon III,
we'll aware Of that phenomenon to whchhc has
sometimes alluded during his past poticallife,
has determined upon taking the pant Of the
city upon himself and performing ut proper in
tervalS such changes Of attitude and language,
that the modern Athens must needs find herself
so entertained and busted with her new part of u
spectator that neither the idea nor the occasion
Of returning to her former calling as tragi-
comic prima-donna have any chance ot pre-
senl!ng themselves This political and llomeo.
pathic treatment has hitherto met with an ever
increasing success, and, strange to say, not
merely at home, but abroad The fact is that
Napoleon III is not an ordinary historic There
is u meaning in all his plays; there ia pur-
! port in every one Of his capcrs, and when
ever he ndulges in the very appropriately call
ed Saut p 'erilleure, it is not for the vain result
Of standing again on his feet, as before, after
the dangerous rotary motion between earth
and sky has been gone through; he is too wise
to deal in such an improbable trade What
he wants to achieve is the shifting Of himself,
with Imperial arms and baggage, from one
ground to another; that is, from bad one 10
u good one, and even from n good one to bet.
! ter ouc-as he is not the man who will ''lcayc
well enough alone"
We confess, therefore, that there is some.
thing more substantial than crude theatrical
! performance in the recent lrec.Irhdc manifesto
! and non.intcrventiun policy OF the Emperor uf
the French. We will attempt, first Of all, to
show how this step connects itself with his late
policy. When the prolonged conferences for
the signature OF the treaties ofZurich bctokcn-
ed nothing but difficulties in the way OF q final
and satisfactory settlement, he brcwed up the
idea Of an European Congress, whose cxpecta-
ton, transporting the momentum Of the Italian
question to future time, acted rs a palliative
during the crisis: and, perhaps, caused the sign.
ature of 4 triple treaty, nearly all the time
pronounced TO be impossible Tie idea Of 4
Congress was not a mere sham. lie took it up
! in earnest, as it served him i'll more than one
way. lie might have been thrown il such a
prcdicament that the meeting Of n Congress
would have been for the victor Of Solferino more
than luxury. 1t was not yet known how the
peace of Villa Franca had left Austria. The
wound was fresh, and the weakening effects
thereof, if any were TO appear, required some
! time to show themselves.
As soon as il became clear, ircm the fact that
not only Hungary but Tyrol and other prove
/ noes were disaffected that Francis Joseph
| could not, short Of an act Of madness, resun-
/ the offensive with an empty treasury. and I
brekcn.down system Of finances bordering on
! ccssity for sadlling upon Congress the re.
| sponslbiIity of doing away with The ri hts OF
either the Dukes or the Italians in Central Italy
two issues equally possible, according to the
! letter Of the etreaty-which, touching that qucs-
| ton, partakes Of the amphibology and ob$curity
I.of a Delphian oracle. lie then ordered NJ. dc
! Ia Guerronnicrc to come forth with his pain
phlct on the temporal power of the Pope, and
whose most immediate effect seems TO have been
! to kill the Congress in its bud. 1t was clear
! that the ideas propoundcd in the pamphlet. by
Justly alarming the interested party, would call
| for the manifestation Of a most natural unwill-
ingness to walk resigncdly to the slaughter
house There was no necessity for the publish
| ing of the pamphlet just at that moment; it
might have been postponed, and then, If there
! is any use in probabilities and reasoning, we
dare say that the Congress would have con-
vened.
Fl is another matter Of course that the criti-
cal and weakened condition Of the Austrian
empire should have made change in the for
eien policy Of England advisable The power
that had ceased to be formidable as an enemy
to Napoleon, was no longer valuable ally to
Great Britain 1t took some time 10 come to
that conclusion, so thoroughly in opposition
with the view taken by the English Cabinet
at the outset. With Derby's ministry, Eng
gland was very near ranging by the side OF
Austria: having failed TO give material and
effective support to the Austrian banner, she
still kept on fighting, morally, under 1t, and
disbelicved as much as stubborn facts can
be disbclleved, the victories nf Magenta and
Solferino. These were pronounced at first
drawn game. England displayed, mp to the
late month, congcnial obstinacy i'll her belief
in Austria's strength. Why, then, that un-
warranted assumption? Simply, it appears to
us. because the eyigencies OF her policy re-
ouircd it. Her wish and want of Austria S
strength was father to the thought and belief,
from the moment that Napoleon took a French
leave to manage lis continental policy, accord
ING to his own views and in his own manner. rs
he has done hitherto for his home policy
England alarmed at that bold presumption,
began to prick up her ears and refused to sub
scribe TO au extension of the imperial regime,
ON questions that she was used to consider as
the nroncrty. and speciality, of European diplo-
macy at large Ii was thought wise, II not ne
ccssarv, to circumscribe the doings Of the
bold imperial politician, within the boun'
daries Of his own empire, to keep him in tute.
larc with regard to European affairs, win 4
lat denial Of The emancipation which he looked
for. and which, at last, he gained for hlmseli,
on his own hook; on the borders of the Minco.
From, fear Of being carried onward too lar
England, not satisfied with her refusal to nd
vance, drew hack a few steps. This attitude
was neither unnatural nor unhccoming, II we
do not lose sight Of the essentially conservative
and commercial character Of English interests
and policy What would be the prospects; ior
peace and trade, ifaruler, whose QUALIFICATIONS
as an adept to the principles Of the Manches-
,crian school were in good faith, so qnest'ona,.
bic, was suffered to became the arbitrator OF
Europe: The question so viewed was oil such
importance, that the close Of the war at
Villa Franco did not find England open to the
conviction, firstly that the dangcrS she aipPre,
hendcd from reckless dcspot were without
foundation; secondly, that Austria was sub