The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-03-02


great signs Of the times, equally worthy Of the
attention of the student Of history and the po-
litical economist, and one from which a grand
moral may be drawn for the guidance of states
men and the improvement Of philosophers. Let
us take broad glance at the five great Powers.
The ring of tho arsenals of France first arrests
our attention. There we see all the machinery
Of war being made and perfected on a scale
and with rapidity which eclipses what we saw
when Louis Napoleon was making ready for
the struggle which carried him in victory to tho
field of Solferino and the memorable meeting
with Francis Joseph at Villafranca. We natu-
rally inquire, why this hum of activity and
these vakt augmentations Of an already colossal
army, and with the Emperor's last in
augursl address fresh in. our recollection,
we feel spprehensive of danger at
hand. We turn cur eyes to his feet,
and behold the same busy hand at work fur
nishing new equipments and more formidable
engines of war, and converting steamers that
before only served the wants of commerce
into Instruments of destruction or efficient
transports. An army Of three fourths of mil
lion of men, whose number is daily on the in
crease, can, we should hardly think, when sur
rounded by such circumstances az these, re-
main long idle.
We turn to Austria, and SEQ her borne down
TO the verge Of ruin by her financial difficulties,
consequent on her persistence in a tyrannical
policy which is untitled to this age of the world,
and which necessitates the Immense cost of
maintaining large military forces to keep in
subsection her insurrectiouary provinces. She
is wasting, like France, her strength and her re-
sources on troops and cannon, and depriving
her subjects Of their natural wealth,
while she earns for herself nothing but
hatred at home and condemnation and con-
tempt abroad With the fall Of the Bourbon
King at Gaeta we see her trembling at her
own weakness in the midst of the dangers that
menace her. She has no longer bulwark of
safety in England. The alliance that gave her
Venetia will never be cemented again, and
Venetia no longer acts as a counterpoise to
the power of France, as it was once supposed
to be. Therefore England has no interest in
! spending dollar to save Austria from being
blotted out from the map of Europe, or to pre-.
vent her real allies, the Italians Of the new
| kingdom, from rescaipg the Quadrilateral from
the tyrant's grasp.
We turn to Russia, and see the Gar, with a
watchful eye and ready hand, looking towards
Turkey and the great East, and France and
Germany alternately. He may be calculating
upon having Louis Napoleon as his future
ally in securing the effects Of the "Sick
Man." or in a still more comprehensive
scheme regarding the Orient AT the same
time he is not altogether free from apprehen-
sions of war of serfs at home pending their
promised emancipation, nor indeed from having
to take part in great war in Europe, for an
other storm is brewing which may lead to it,
although for the present moment there il lall,
which, however, may be likened 10 that pre-.
cediDg the commencement Of battle, when
both sides are forming into line and drawing
up the artillery. To distant spectator there
is at such time solemn Stiffness, but sud-
denly, on one side or the other, fash is seen,
followed by curl of white smoke, and boom
strikes the first gun upon his 1t is replied to
by the enemy, and quick and loud becomes the
fire. Not from one lone gun, but every cannon
nov hath found a tongue, and the thunder
and smoke of war lend an exciting grandeur to
the field Of battle. just SO may this political
lull in Europe be broken by the battles open
ing roar.
We glance to England, and find the English
in terror Of French invasion, and complaining
of the burden of supporting an army and navy
much above peace footing, SO much 80 that
by the last mails we learn that
number Of English merchants were about to
present petition to the Queen praying that
the reduction of existing armaments. But this
last is impossible in the present state Of the
Continent Even Prussia, whose peaceful
policy during the last reign amounted not only
TO mcekness but weakness, has come out aid
proclaimed to her army, at the Kings mouth,
that she Is on the verge Of a struggle In which
che must either conquer or perish. That means
she anticipates war with France, either In at.
tempting settlement Of the Schleswig- Holstein
dihiculty with Denmark, or in striving to accom-
plish the union Of Germany, which last, 1t is
supposed, will not be sanctioned by France
without the cession Of the Rhine provinces in
her favor. We have the revenues of Europe,
amounting in all to something more than two
hundred millions OF dollars, exhausted to sup
port ornaments, including, in the aggregate,
not fewer than two millions Of men under
arms.
England raises an annual revenue Of three
hundred millions Of dollars. and Trance about
half that sum, yet both countries, owing to
their war expenses, are unable to show budg-
ct in which the expenditure does not exceed
the income. And look bow Europe is i'm
povcrished by this heavy taxation and the
maintenance Of these two millions or
more men who are purely Of the
non producing class. How much richer
she and her whole population would be but
Cor his nxnrhitani Ia xatinn How much more