, 1866-06-05
From the Spectator, May i2.J
THE EMPEROR AND THE WAR.

UC lkLVCxOA "a
goad and a guiding rein to the war ten
dency on the Continent. BY one OF
those weighty oracles with when ne
loves at momentous crises to give the
sign to Europe, either delivered last
Sunday at Auxerre, or, if not so deliver
ed. attributed to himself by OH after
thought in the Monstear of Monday, he
has convinced everybody that war can
not be avoided except by sacrifices which
only war can Wing from powerful
States; and has indicated the springs
and direction of his policy without com
hitting himself. nj. Theirs had appa-
rently greatly irritated the Emperor by
the brilliant grafton delivered in the
Legislative Assembly on Thursday week,
in the name Of the bourgeoisse OF France,
in which he ~eulogized not only peace
but the ~antiquated foreign policy Which
he suppose to be best adopted for
French interests,-the policy of a dlvld-
ed italy and Gelmany,-of an equilibrium
between the political scales of Vienna
and Paris,-which was established by the
Treaty of 1915. It was perhaps by way
of reply to this speech of NJ. Theirs that
the EMPEROR either uttered, or reported
himself TO have uttered, the words which
filled all Europe with alarm, and finally,
convinced every one that through war,
if not without it, the arrangement OF
1915 is TO be finally broken up. The
Emperor, in his usual brief language,
first thanks the people OF the department
of Yonne for remembering so gratefully
the first Empire, and for being the first
to give him their suffrages In lS48; he
attributes this eagerness to the know
ledge uf tue people thNt, equally with,
themselves, he detests the treaties OF
1915 (which it is now sought TO make
the sole basis Of our foreign policy" and
then he adds significantly that among
"the working population, both IN town
and country" he "breathes freely" for
it is amongst them that he finds "lhe
real genius of France" The various
powers of Europe are Of course already
wranoling over this obscure and yet Sig
nifcant oracle, and trying to interpFet 1t
favourably to themselves, but all, more
or less, missing its meaning. Austria
says it is directed against Prussia, and
not against her ; Prussia is perfectly sa-
tisied that it is directed against Austria )
and Italy finds 1t at all events lull u coh-
ISOLATION TO herself. What, we have no
doubt, it does mean, is, that the Emperor
has no intention of using his influence
to preserve a peace based on the treaties
of 1916; that having been defeated IN
his attempt to recast them peacefully In
1868, he has 10 objection to see them
torn in shreds by the sword IN 1866 ana
will in no wise interfere to save; that he
intends to wipe out the stigma put upon
the first Empire by those treaties in
spite of all the protests OF tlmld and
prosperous commerce; finally, that the
support on which he relies for retrieving
both the military defeat of Waterloo,
which he has always claimed to repre-
sent, and the diplomatic defeat OF 1868,
is the force of the French democracy
which equally with him detests the tFea-
ties that the bourgeOise has learned to
respect, and in the midst of which alone
he sebreathes freely"
No doubt this leaves the Emperor
quite uncommitted as to his future
course, and we have little doubt that
both Prussia and Austria are counting
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