The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-05-10
The Napoleonic Dynasty.


present moment the position of the Emperor
Napoleon is more critical and precarious than
it has been at any period since the foundation
of the empire, and that from without and
within influences seem to be concentrating
toward him which he may find too powerful to
ward of, and which may result In his removal
from the throne. When in his famous Bordeaux
speech the Emperor declared that "the empire
was peace" the sovereigns Of Europe, fright
ened at the revolution which in '48 had swept
like tornado over the Continent were willing
to compromise their antipathy for the pdrrrm
who had seized the re'ns of power for the pros
pect Of quiet which the empire and the EN-
peror promised. II is not 70 be supposed that
the Hapsburgs, or the Romanoffs, or the Hohen-
zollerns, or even the scions Of the House of
Hanover, with their Unborn ideas of Legitimacy
and divine right" were willing to accept the
admittance into their anointed family Of
man who acknowledged his position as quite
as much the result of "ihe national
will" az of the "grace Of God" except
ing as choice between two evils On the
one side presented itself the prospect of anarchy
and revolution riding roughshod over tottering
thrones and among flying monarchs; on the
other the promise of '"peace," and the great
influence Of France to preserve it The newly
made Emperor would, they hoped, be satisfied
with the limits of French territory as they tLen
existed, and abandon, if he had previously en-
tertained any ambitious projects of aggrandize-
ment, and would generally, aware Of the fckle-
ness OF the French people, seek, as he had pro-
missed, 10 turn their minds from the pursuit of
arms to the conquests made by peaceful labor,
and to join with the other Powers in maintain-
ing and preserving the tranquility of Europe.
But what was the fact? Two mighty wars
soon followed the Inauguration of the "peace-
full empire, in both Of which France, although
not attacked or directly interested, took part.
The ambitious designs OF the exile in America.
and Switzerland, and England, the projects con-
ceived and nursed by the prisoner In his lonely,
cell at Ham had only been postponed, not aban-
doned. The doctrines Of .natioaslties'' and ''na-
tural boundariesn-as dangerous to the other.
European powers in some cases, as they might
besatisfactory in others-were inngurated, and
Frnnce, pushing her boundaries s3n Inward 10
the crest of the Alps has exhibited also dis
position to advance them eastward to the Dor
ders Of the Rhine. The treaties which bound old
Europe The Emperor Napoleon has declared
broken by the force Of events, and unworthy of
respect, and Europe. in return convinced that
there is no reliance to be placed upon the EN-
percr's promises, is disappointed al the result
of the empire, which, instead of ensuring sta
biity, has kept The Continent in continual
state OF alarm and fear of war. Europe is
satisfied thai SO long as Napoleon occupies the
throne of France there will be no security for
peace, and Europe is ready, If not fully pre-
pared, to coalesce against him. as it did against
his uncle.
ID France, a. well as out of it, Napoleon has
lost much OF his reputation He came into
power with the prestige Of a great name.
Prompt in action and reticent in speech he ac-
qured reputation for judgment and
ability amounting almost to faith in
his mfalIhility. The lucky star which,
after guiding the uncle to victory. had set
behind the rocky sleeps Of st. Helena, had, it
was believed, risen again to light the nephew
to brilliant future, OF which France should
share the glory. Lavish promises Of much
needed reforms were made, and France.
delighted with universal suffrage the empires
giit-accepted the empire with joy. But
France has been disappointed. 1t has discov-
cred that the Emperor is after all bu, mortal.
and liable, like other men, TO errors of judg-
ment and costly ones at that. The sad results
OF the Mexican expedition and the manner in
which he was out-gencrallcd by Bismarck have
done an infinite deal towards destroying the
prestige Of Napoleon. A growing dissatisfac-
ton with his management of internal affairs
expresses itself in murmurs throughout
France. France has found. A. Europe has
found, that no one better than Napoleon
knows how to "speak the word Of promise to
the ear and break IL to the hope France IL
becoming tired Of being held in leading
strings, and wants more liberty and the
reforms which The Emperor promises The
protested liberty of the press and the
right NJ meeting turn to ashes before even
they reach the lips OF the hungry and expec-
tani people. The terrible army CONSUMPTION
takes from the field and from the workbench
the flower Of the French youth, and the new
project for reorganization will make every
man soldier Er,ravagant expenditures
have cn,ailcd heavy taxation and high prices,
and in Paris nearly fifty thousand workmen of
different branches q trade are "striking'' for
living wages. The Emperor will. with all the
elements of discomfort now existing in France.
risk much in the war which now seems inevi-
table. should he vim, the French love for
military glory, the Fencb admiration for sue
cess, might be suffent TO cover over his
growing unpopularik and give him a new
lease of power. But,lhould he fail In such
case II Is more than probable that the discor-
daot elements now dhibiting themselves in
France would combine against him. and that