, 1865-10-10
From the Spectator, September, g.
THE BALANCE OF POWER OUT
OF REPAIR.

cal instrument called balance of power.'
As the ''provisional' disposal made Of
,quOndam Danish Duchies by that docu-
ment,-of course these disposals are al
ways provisional till the nerves of Eu-
rope are a little accustomed to the new
shock, and then they are declared per-
manent,-was the third instance of pure
spoliatlon by "a great power within the
last six years, and the spoliation in each
case was ignored by the other great Pow
ers, on the ground that their own inter-
ests were not sufficiently involved to give
occasion to interfere, the fine theory that
the great Powers Of Europe are always
sitting as a sort of committee TO prevent
encroachments on the weaker Powers
which are dangerous in principle to the
peace of Europe, can no longer hold out
before the ''logic of events" The truth
that as four out of five of the great Pow
ers of Europe are in fact all but despo-
tisms, and as no despotism can pretend
alarm at the principle Of conquest SO
long as the conquest is made frem weak
peoples and not so made as to threaten
strong thrones, it needs q very special
shock, a shock such as does not often
Startle the world, to make those great
Powers feel any real uneasiness at an in
road, however cynical, upon the weak.
The. gigantic wars of Napoleon did in
deed for a time brighten the great Pow
ers of Europe into "a certain community
of ahtagonism towards anything which
sayoured Of territorial cncroachment.
But that feeling has long heen dy'n5
away. First, Austria gulped down the
little republic Of Cracow, when an empty
and vain protest followed. Then Russia
began to deal with the SICK mans pos
sessions, and would probably have been
permitted to annex them, had it not
suited the French Emperor to make a
name for his dynasty in Europe. The
Crimean episode no doubt a little delay
ed the backsliding Of the great Powers
of Europe into their natural policy of
preying nnrebuked on their weaker neigh
bours. Nor were they easy enough to
begin again, till France had stopped her
own mouth by taking willing Savoy and
unwilling Nice for her pay after the Jam
paign in Lombardy. At that proceeding
Austria, Prussia, and Russia looked on
with grim satisfaction, feeling no doubt
that their own turn would come soon;
and only England-the one great power
not despotic but free-professed any re-
sentiment. Next came the turn Of Russia
to break through the treaty of Vienna by
deliberately absorbing Poland and setting
the opinions of the Western Powers at
defiance. Last of all, Prussia and Aus
tria-or rather Prussia with Austria as a
reluctant accomplice-have found their
turn come round, France and Russia not
finding their own interests sufficiently
deeply involved to take any step on be-
half Of Denmark. England, the only
great power which has not followed the
same policy, which indeed by her free,
popular constitution, has been forced into
o nearly opposite policy, and has given
up the Ionian Islands to Greece while all
the other Powers were inclosing new ter
ritory within their borders,-England,
though herself giving instead of taking,
has learned even better than the other
great Powers to regulate her interference
or non-interference abroad by the amount
#s e&R IS a fF-sF