, 1866-07-30

diplomacy, enabled him 10 see what was
coming. His very intimate and excellent
friend, Louis Napoleon, also saw that
there was a European imbroglio in this
Schleswig-Holsteln business, and so ne
proceeded at once to work it up, as q
keen police detective proceeds to- work
up a mysterious bank robbery-the con-
trolling ideas in each case being precisely
the samoan increased prestige and a
handsome reward. Bismark, Prime Min
lister Of Prussia, was thus chosen as the
convenient instrument of Napoleon, and
between him and King Victor Emanuel
the Emperor Of the French has been re-
markabIy successful in fomenling a Ea-
ropean war while pleading and preaching
the blessings Of peace.
Napoleon, with Sir Lucius O'Trigger.
doubtless is satisfied that sit is a very
pretty quarrel as it stands,' and that sit
would be a pity to spoil it," 1t is GER
tainly a quarrel involving many curious
combinations and complications, political
and ecclesiastical. For example, the
f~avorite son of Mother Church and guar
dian Of the Pope, sides with Protestant
Prussia aud with those archherctics Vic
tor Emanuel and Gariba|di, Of Italy
while Protestant England, with her fa-
vorite princess royal welded to the crown
prince of Prussia, still sympathizes with
Catholic Austria, as do the most import
ant Of the little Protestant members of
German confederacy. The Church, there
fore, Catholic and Protestant, is over
Swallowed in this war by questions OF
State, great and small. Napoleon ffater-
niZas with Prussia because she promises
to be useful to him in the enlargement of
the boundaries of France, and for the
same reason he is pledged to the cause
of Italy, even though the temperatures
of the Pope disappear in the conflict.
England, on the other hand, though as a
Protestant she may %sympalhize with Italy
against the Pope, still i~nclincs to the
cause of Austria with the instincts Of the
old Holy Alliance against imperial France.
These, we say, are very curious COM
binations and complications but the
game will become much more interesting
as it is more fully developed. AS it
stands, Napoleon is master Of the situa-
ton for, England and Russia being
neulrals, France is competent to settle
the controversy against Austria in a
three months campaign, if not in half a
dozen words from Napoleon. But will
Russia and England remain neutral if
France shall declare against Austrian
''Fhere's the rub" 70 this point the
game of Napoleon has been beautifully
successful, but here, just here, his trou-
Bile begins. England, beyond some
indications of sympathy with Austria,
gives no sign Of a partisan attitude in
this conflict but Russia, on the other
hand, in the strong column which she
has moved down upon the Austrian from
tier, is evidently eager for a hand in the
fight. What side will she take? Has
she forgotten Moscow or Sebastopol, or
the treaty of Paris which took away
from her the mouths of the Danube and
gave them back to Turkey? We think
not. In fact, if Alexander is on the side
of Austria, awaiting a move from Napo.
leon, it becomes the policy of the latter
to stick to his role of neutrality. He is
in a situation of some danger in any
event; for while the glory of France
calls him to the field, the menacing atti-
tude of Russia is not to be despised. We