Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-06-02
Nnium aud Ameritan.
SATURDAY. JUNE ,. 1866.
THE FRENCH AND PRUSSIAN ALL
ANCE---TIIE POLICY OF NAPOLEON
1. AND NAPOLEON III.

ance. The position OF affairs Is such IN Eu-
rope that France and her allies Of the Latin
race, which she can always command-Italy
and Spain-united to one of the great pow
crs, always control the Continent. This she
is enabled TO do by her compact geographical
position, by her homogeneous and large mil.
itary population. A century ago Frederick
the Great, Of Prussia, said that if he was the
monarch Of France no shot should be fired
in Europe without his consent. The selec-
ton Of France for an ally lies between Eng
land, Austria, Russia and Prussia. The first
Emperor Napoleon chose Russia in the first
instance As his colleague, and by the secret
treaty concluded at Tilsit the two mOnarchs
of the East and West respectively, agreed,
substantially, to parcel out the Continent
between them. Italy and Spain were TO be
French. The German Confederation was
10 be under French influence, and France
was to extend 10 the Rhine. Prussia was 70
be reduced 10 the position Of second or
third-rate State Austria was curtalled OF
her possessions, some Of which were given TO
Bavaria. which was made a second-class
State. Russia was 30 have Turkey and Po-
land and part Of Sweden. In fact, the two
powerful potentates who, after the most
bloody war-after Austerlitz, Eylau and
Friedland-had met on a raft on the river
Niemen, and there composed their differ
ences, considered that, with their vast arrays
Of men and means, they were the arbiters Of
the world, and could always do any thing
they pleased.
The stipulations agreed upon by the treaty
Of Tilist were Immediately put into eXecu-
ton. Napoleon placed his brother Joseph
on the throne OF Spain, and another brother,
Louis, on the throne Of Holland. Still
another brother, jerome, was made king
in w cstphalia, out Of provinces that had
been taken from Prussia.
Alexander was not idle. lie seized Fin
land from Sweden, a province he had long
coveted on account Of its naval importance.
lie moved his troops upon Turkey, and in
the direction Of Constantinople. Then it
was that the alliance fell through. Napoleon
could not bear the idea, upon reflection, as
he said upon the Island of 81. Helena, that
she Gar should hold the keys Of the Helles-
pont and the Mediterranean, and exerted
himself automatically TO prevent it. Another
circumstance interrupted the Russian alll-
ance. 1t had been agreed that Napoleon
should divorce his wife Josephine and marry
a sister of the Gar Alexander. The En-
press Mother of Russia, proud and naughty
woman, could not abide the idea that her
daughter should ally herself with the Corsi-
can adventurer, a mere creature OF Yesterday,
and through her efforts the match fell
through Fooled in the Russian alliance
Napoleon turned his attention to Austria, a
power that had been for centuries antagonist
cal to France. The cunning Talleyrad, has
willy Foreign Minister, soon consummated
an Austrian alliance, both political and mat
rimonial. The daughter of the House of
Hapsburg Maria Theresa, was given TO the
modern Caesar in marriage, who, in order TO
receive her, procured an iniquItaus divorce
from his wife Josephine Fortified and sus-
tanned by this double alliance, the Emperor
determined TO subdue the Northern Colossus
and boldly marched across Germany and
Poland with five hundred thousand men
toward the heart Of the Russian Empire.
At this point he made one Of the great
political mistakes Of his life, and that was
his failure to reconstruct and reorganize the
Kingdom If Poland Here were twenty
millions Of the bravest people in the world;
all animated with an intense hatred to Rus
STA and who were the natural barrier if
placed i'm an independent state, against the
aggressions Ofthat power upon the continent
of Europe. Reorganized, they would have
been a mighty power that France could al
WAYS have relied upon by the strongest of
all national ties-interest The Poland de-
putations begged the Emperor when he was
at Warsaw, with his immense host, to speak
the word for Poland and three hundred
thousand Poles would Join his army. Ma
poleon hesitated, but the Austrian alliance
would not permit it, for that Empire toge-
ther with Russia and Prussia, was a sharer
in the shameful partition of Poland. Afraid
Of displeasing Austria, Napoleon would not
nut Poland on her feet. He. however, re-
I.1F Ff,,f
worse than refusal, since they frightened
Austria and Prussia almost as much as di-
rect assistance would have done Large
numbers of Poles Joined his army, and stood
by him through all the horrors of the Mos
COW retreat When that event took place
Napoleon saw the utter failure of all his
hopes based upon the Austrian alliance.
While he was holding Russia, Prussia and
some of the smaller German States in an
even contest in SaxOny, Austria broke away
from him, and sailed into the coalition with
four hundred thousand troops. The whole
army belonging TO the coalition was placed
under the lead Of an Austrian Commander
in-chief Prince Schwartzenberg. Not only
did the father-in-law desert Napoleon, but
the wife also. When the time for action
came, she took his son and fed TO her fathers
Court. This Austrian alliance, by the false
hopes which it excited and which were
never fulfilled was the French Emperor's
destruction. lie said, himself, on the Island
of st. Helena, that it contained the flowers
that lured him TO the fatal abyss"
The presen. Emperor Napoleon, in the
beginning of his reign, chose an English al
lance, and in that respect was directly an
tagonistic to his uucle's policy, who never
had any terms but hatred Of that Court. 1t
L e g,rf q, hn q
ruler. IT, in fact secured him on the throne,
and first gave bin political and social pres
tige as a European sovereign. The cont-
mental powers might, perhaps, have carried
into effect the stipulation of the treaty OF
1915. that no descendant of Napoleon should
be permitted by them TO occupy the French
throne, had il not been for the decided attl-
tudc of England againit it. Lord Palmers-
ton was not only the political but the per
sonal friend Of Napoleon, and actively de-
Tended his coup Il ctdt in his place in Parlia-
ment Together France and England went
through the Crimcau campaign, and, united,
they saved Turkey from the grasp OF Russia.
They checked the cncroaChment Of Russia
i'm the Black Sea. In the treaty Of peace,
Napoleon, however, somewhat Tilted ing
land, concluding it earlier and upon terms
that were not exactly satisfactory 20 the
English Government Since then the two
nations have not been in open alliance
NAPOLEON then had some coquetting with
Russia. and aiterward with Austria, bat did
not adopt either of them rs allies. Prussia
under the lead of Count Bismark, suits hin
exactly lie is able interruptions and am
hitious. He rules the PrusSian King a
Richclicu ruled Louis NH of France n
the seventeenth century. In order to be the
head of the Germanic Confederation, Il
crush out Austria and swallow up Saxony
Denmark and other adjoining States, Prus-
sa, under Bismark, would consent tina
France should have the Rhine provinces
and that Italy and Spain should be wholly
French. Years ago, NJ. Tliers demon
straied that Prussia was, among the great
powers. the natural ally of France ON tn
Continent, and Napoleon has adopted tn,
views Of this great leader of the opposition
90 him in tie French Chambers.
A TouGH Snowy late Wisconsin pa
Der tells of a farmer who, in the recen
ireshet. had eighty rods Of line fence run
ming east and west, swung around 10y III
water. carried quarter of a mile from it
original position, and left in an exact linz
north and south, and on the identical spo
where he proposed building fence, and al
this without displacing rail from its orig
inal position.
IL his autobiography, published in 1864
General Scott ascribed his success TO the IN