The New York herald., 1866-06-17


Proposed Pesce Congress snuned Ont
by Aussria.
The four days later news by the steamship
City of Paris, the details of which we submit
to our readers this morning, will be found In
one particular at least, Of the highest moment
We refer to the snufing out by Austria of the
proposed Peace Congress. Invited to join this
Congress by Napoleon, and in the courteous
style Of the SPIDERS invitation to the Hy
Austria proves too old . dy to be caught IN
the web Of tho gay deceives. She viii not so
into the proposed congress to be victimized.
She requires before hand an assurance from all
the Powers concerned that they each renounce
any special or particular interest calculated to
disturb the general tranquility; or in other
words that they respectively dsclaim In sd-
vance any purpose of territorial augmenta-
ton or increase Of power, In becoming parties
to this Congress. This sine qua non Of Austria
quashed the proceedings at once. The three
neutral Powers, England, France and Russia,
coincided in the opinion that in wow Of this
Austrian ultimatum the proposed congress
,, would be without any useful result and that 1t
| may therefore be considered a. indefinitely
postponed. Mr.. Gladstone had communicated
this intelligence to the British House Of Com
mons, and the impression produced in England,
as on the continent, was that q widespread con-
tinental war must inevitably and speedily fol-
low.
Austria, in this treacherons business OF
congress, has shown 0 remarkable degree OF
sagacity and pluck. Without the conditions
she interpcsed in regard to that congress her
position therein would have been that OF the
sheep to be sacrificed by the council Of wolves.
Through the influence Of Napoleon and his sup
porters she would have been required to sur
render to Prussia those Danish Duchies, the
spoils Of joint robbery in the north, and to
give up Veneta to Italy in the south, and all
for the sake Of peace. OF course Napoleon
would have had his compensations from Prus-
sa (say to the left bank Of the Rhine), and
from Italy (say in the island Of Sardinia), and
everything would have been beautifully settled
at the expense and humiliation of Austria for
the present and greatly to her prejudice in Wow
Of future European complications. AT all the
hazards of a war, therefore, with two or three
Powers and on two or three sides at once, Aus
tria politely says to Napoleon, if peace can be
secured to Europe only by territorial spoia-
tons from our empire including Venetia, let
there be war.
The drama, as we anticipate it, will be opened
in Venetia first, in some overt act by the Ital-
ians. and then in regular invasion of Italy by
well appointed austrian army, exceeding,
perhaps, one hun lfed ond fifty thousand fight
ing men. Then we mag look for the movement
of another French army over the Alps to res
cue young Italy and 10 reduce Austria to terms.
In the meantime there may or there may not
be war between Austria and Prussia, but if
those two important characters in the play
avoid collision there will be slight hitch In
Louis Napoleon's scheme of European recon-
s'ruction. For his imperial purposes, however,
he can honestly say, with Sir Lucius O'Trigger,
that this German imbroglio ID "a mighty pretty
quarrel as it stands" and that "it would be a
pity to spoil it."
France desires war and q regular NapOleonic
imperial campaign against the old dynasties
and those detested treaties Of the Holy Alliance
Of 1915. Russia is ready and eager for war,
with hungry eye upon that doomed "sick
man Of Turkey" England, however, is bound
to keep the peace, and is the only one Of the
three neutrals really anxious for peace. This
is why the projected conference was so easily
snufcd out. Had France and Russia really
desired peace thoy could, with England, have
dictated their own torms to Austria, Prussia
and Italy, and compelled them 10 accept those
terms and 10 come into conference with this
understanding As the matter stands we may
look for actual war al any moment; and if
orce commenced there is no telling what shape
it will assume, what clements will rise to con-
irol il or what Issues viii escape it, as between
the divine rights of kings and the inherent and
inclienabio rights Of the people.
We aprrchcnd that the republican revoiu-
tionary elements Of the Gofmanic States, in
cluding Hungary, viii soon take command
ing position IN the foreground and give new
direction TO the chapter OF events; and we ap-
prehend that England in spite Of herself will
be drawn nf er while into another Holy Alli-
ance. II 70, then the hour viii be at hand for
i rising Of the Fcnians Of Ireland, for France
will b. there TO help them. In any event, from
oil the signs OF the times, as II Is apparent that
the old feudal system of England viii not cs-
cape The general shaking mp Of the kings and
rristocracies Of Europe by tho people, Irclond's
opportunity, with Englands difficulty, may not
be far Off The war which Austria has accepted
as preferable TO Napoleon's Peace Conference
will involve larger questions and greater con-
sequences than Schleswig- -Holstein and venetis.
The PRESIDENTS VEro OF MINING srEcuLA-
TON BnL--Some SPECTATORS, called the New
York and Montana Iron Mining Company ,adroit-
ly engineered through Congress bill giving
them the exclusive right TO take q large ard
rnlnallc hadx Of mineral landa In Montana