The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-05-01
LUXEMBOURG.

The Luxembourg question has assumed
somewhat different phase, since we last passed
it under review. The co-signitaries" Of the
treaty of 1889, which gave the Grand Duchy
its present status, have made proposition to
Prussia and to France, which, it is understood,
is to be received as basis of settlement. The
Conference will shortly meet in London; and
both France and Prussia, if we may credit the
Atlantic Cable, have signifed their acquies-
cence in such Convention. It is, of course,
impossible to say, beforehand, what the result
of this Conference may be; but it is generally
admitted, that Luxemburg is to be pronounced
neutral ground, that the fortress, enc Of the
strongest in Europe, is to be dismantled, and
that the Grand Duchy is to remain independent
and neutral. Such Convention would be an
excellent oatholicon for the political sores of
Emperor Napoleon; but it will not be received
with the same equanimity by Prussia. The
fortress of Luxembourg has been long garrison
ed by Prussia, and is, at this time, occupied by
her soldiery. To evacuate it at the dictation OF
BILE humiliation to military people, flushed with
recent victory, and tenacious to the last
degree of holding every inch Of German terri
tory. Moreover, this same fortress of Luxem-
burg has for years been deemed vital as bull
wark to Germany against France. Its propos-
ed neutrality cannot meet the exigencies of the
case. An armed neutrality may offer barrier
of the kind here needed. But the small pro-
vince of Luxembourg, the appanage Of third
rate monarchy, situated between two powerful
contending nations, will present no lasting OBJ
stacle to either the one or the other of the two
parties coveting the strip Of land on the left
bank of the Moselle. Switzerland, it is true,
for many centuries, has occupied such interven-
ing neutral ground, and Italy, Austria and
France, have all along respected her territorial
integrity. But Switzerland is much larger than
Luxembourg, and has always boasted warlike
population; and much of her immunity is due
to the accident of the physical confguration OF
her territory. Nature has planted fortresses
there stronger than any built by VAUBAN.
Luxembourg is situated in plain, and, the for
tress removed, would hold out an inducement
to the French at any time to cross the frontier
and make an excursion to the lower Rhine.
1t may be said that France has the same
reason to object to leaving the frontier un-
guarded. But this is not really the case. The
French, it is known, have long desired to ex-
tend their boundary in that direction, and would
embrace the earliest opportunity of annexing
not only all the German Rhine provinces but
the whole of Belgium besides; whereas the
Germans have no desire to invade other lands,
and only desire consolidation OF unifcation
of their own territory.
We therefore are not inclined to believe that
Prussia will consent to such an arrangement
True, it is possible, that in order to avert
great European war the Powers represented at
the Conference in London may form such CO.
alition against her rs to compel her to give up
her design and evacuate Luxembourg though
we cannot think that such step will be taken.
1t has been said, that in case Prussia refuses
to acquiesee in the determination of the Con-