, 1866-06-19

biu JIc AOUl1ICuCG USCOIllGS II mere QS-
vice for 'conciliating opinion and for
mulating irrcconcilable differences be-
tween the States about to fight, thati is,
an assembly whose proceedings, so far as
they are not ~farcical, are mischievous.
How the British Government can have
been deIuded into joining in such a scheme
we are at a loss to conceive, unless in
deed they are afraid Of being tainted in
Parliament with a refusal to exhaust all
possibilities of peace. In the very best
case, that of a territorial arrangement,
they will be required to give guarantees
which the people will cordially dislike,
secure Venetia to Italy and something
else TO Austria, and a third slice of the
world perhaps TO France, and thus repeat
in IA new form the grand arrangement of
1915 which is now finally breaking down.
FMr. Layard has had an interview with
the Emperor;" and what then? Mr..
Layard cannot alter the situation, or tell
the Emperor more than Lord Cowley
could, or make Italy careless Of Venetia,
or do any one thing except add a factitl-
Gus appearance Of decision TO British re-
solves. As for his personal influence,
he has one of the rashoSt of tongues, and
the Emperor, a born diplOmatist, will
twist him round his finger rs he has
twisted a far ADLER Elvpy, Prince de Met
ternich. It would have been far wiser
aud more dignitied to stand absolutely
aloof, maintaining intact the right of Ill
innate action, but refusing to join amidst
the rumbling Of artillery in dull chatter
over a table about the eXpediency Of send
mo the cannon hack.
But, says one who believes peace al
ways possible till war is declared, the
only insoluble question is Nenetia, and
Austria Wolld Surrender that province
OF receiving territorial compensation.
That we concede, bat how is Conference
to secure that compensation when it is
not an executive body Who is to be
plundered? Turkey? Well, Conference
might possibly dictate to the Sultan, but
Russia is equally interested, and dlcta-
tion to Russia would merely change the
locale Of the expected war. Austria would
accept SiIesil, but Prussia cannot give
away a German province or a Hohenzol-
Tern sell the conqucsts Of Frederick the
Great. That wouId be an odd response
to the only city, Brcslau, the capital of
SlieSla, WHICH HAS nGdl NY ouPPOlICu
Count Won Bismarck's policy of war.
There are no other territories to be had
without battle, or that general redlstri-
button of the map to which England can
not for her own interests be a party.
Men do not surrender limbs or nations
provinces until they are absolutely com
PEELED, and a deliberative Congress pos
sesses no means Of compulsion. If it
did, the nations would still resist, for the
surrender can but take place at last, and
war is a game at which one successful
throw may alter the whole aspect of
affairs. 1t seems very melancholy that
it should be so-that people cannot be
reasonable, and moderate, and gentle
but let a Conference ask England for the
Orkneys il order to avoid a war, and
what will be the reply? That the Ork-
neys are not valuable, but that an enemy
there would require watchfulness, that
the next demand would be for Ireland,
and that England would fight it out first
IF our right Of asylum were invaded we
should fight coalesced Europe, and terri
tory is as dear to the very soul of a Haps-
burg as freedom is TO us. Unless the