The New York herald., 1863-11-25


ropean Council.
The clearsighted, astute. selfish man who
governs France in bis own way, and az If Che
people had no interest whatever in the matter
has produceda terrible oommotion and con
sternation in Europe by the startling PROPOSE
tion announced in his recent speech TO the Lee
gslative body, to call grand council of ma
tions for the purpose of revising the existing
state Of things in Europe. and making such
changes therein az may be decided upon The
English press does not know what TO make Of
this new move. and sees in it only an effort to
get up general hurly-burly. Of which the i'm
perial Mephistopheles of France is to be the
presiding genius The French press recognizes
in IL great Napoleonic scheme to bring about
the millennial epoch. whes swords are to be
beaten into ploughshares and spears into prun-
inghooks. and whoa war shall cease upon the
earth. The American press appears to be quite
as puzzled and befogged by the mysterious
words of the great conjuror Of the Tuileries as
is tho press OF Europe. AAd yet the trick is
really 80 transparent thAt it o~sat cot to'de-
oeive or surprise anybody.
European council. or ceAgress Of nations. such
a. no has proposed in his late remarkable
speeohs Does he imagine, for moment. that
any Of those great Powers Of Europe which
hold part Of their dominions 'as conquered ter
ritory will now consent. when there is no alb
solute necessity for suoh thing, to submit the
question Of right TO the arbitration and decision
of a new and hitherto unheard Of tribunal.
composed Of enemies and rivalss Why, Of
course not He never once entertained such
an idea. If be did. he would have shown him
self to be not the ablest, but the most idiotic,
of European rulers Imagine the three great
plunderers Of Poland stepping up TO the con-
fessional of this grand council. unburdening
their consciences, aud declaring their readiness
to do penance and make restitution. Conceive
John Bull consentiug to plead his right to re-
tain Ireland in fraudulently obtained and
rathlessly enforced union. What chance would
Austria have before such tribunal Of retain
ing her hold on Hungary and venetias And
how long would the unity and nationality Of
Italy continue to be sacrificed to the Pope's
pretensions to retain power at Rome a. . tenn
porai prince OF course the crowned heads Of
Europe would not alone be represented in this
congress- Of nations The representatives Of
the people would also have to be recognized
Poland would be there through her delegates,
! and Hungary and Ireland aud venetja and
the Papal States, and tArdy Justice would have
to be rendered to these and other long op-
pressed nationalities. This is what Louis Ma
poleon,s idea. worked out into action, would
produce; and. a. the French people might pos
stbly take itinto their heads to got rid Of their
present Emperor by this new@aagled mode
rather than by the old fashioned plan Of revo-
luton, it is moi within the rsnge Of possibility
that his Imperisl Majesty had ever any serious
notion Of following out this latest aud most
wonderful of Napoleonic ideas.
What, then, did he moan by proposing Eu-
ropean council. He meant, in the first place
to impress the governments Of Europe with the
conviction that he held their destiues in hi
hauds and that. a. they know him TO be ca
pable of almost anything that might subserve
his own ends their best policy was to adapt
themselves to bis views and to carry out biz
wishes. But he meant above and before every.
thing else, to turn the attention of France from
himself and his government to external mat
ters, 80 that he might thus the more easily
protract his rule continue to wear the purple
and perhaps establish his dynasty. This latter
motive will be found to have been the main
spring Of that most extraordinary movement
which he indicated in his speech. He IL aware
that he has already governed France for q
longer period than be could have anticipated
when the revolution Of lS4s gave him the Pre-
sidency Of the republic. or when the comp d 'eto
Of the I'd Of December, 1851, made him an ab
| solute ruler. He knows that the same
| classes Of society that overthrow the elder
branch OF the Bourbon dynasty in the person
Of Charles K, in 1880, aud the younger branch
OF the same family in the person OF Louis Phi
lippe, in 1S4S, bear no love to himself or his
dynasty. and are ready to get up new revolu
ton at the first favorable opportunity. II was
under the leadership of such men as Thers
and Guizot that the ridiculous pretensions Of
Charles X. to govern France by right divine
were upset. Louis Philippe, the Citizen King
had too much good sense 70 set up such preten-
sons, and be had, besides the political sagacity
to adopt the new order of ideas, by giving places
in his ministry to those who represented it,
Consequently Guizot and Thiers seem to have
relieved each other in the management of pub.
lie affairs all through the eighteen years Of
Louis Philippe's reign. But even this policy
could not save bis throne when the Parisians
began to get tired of him and to long for novel
ties The revolution of I9lR aent hin, an ox;l.
to England, and recalled from exile in that
country his successor.
Louis Napoleon is doubtless pretty we'll
satisfied that there is quite IS much desire for
novelties In the governing line now ss there
was in 1880 or in ls4S. Ne knows that tho
time for change Of programme has come, and
that II be cannot devise some other excitement
for his mercurial subjects they will inevitably
be resorting to the barricades some Of these