The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-07-22

dE vi
in England. sincesthe elevation otsNapc-;
leon to. the throne OF France, it has been
thS steady aim OF English statesmen to
stand well with France Now. and then the
British Cabinet have been disposed TO- go,
farther 10 the way OF currying favor than
the national will would allow; Palmerston
made blunder of this kind which is not for
gotten. At last the entente cordiale was hand
somely established. Mr.. Golden drew the
nations closer together by the famous COM
mercial treaty. English travellers in France
were relieved from the annoyance OF carry
Ing passports. Every year legions OF ex-
cursionary Euglishmen poked their heads
into every hole and corner in France A
trip to Paris from London was an affair OF ten
hours or less. Surely nothing could cause
rupture of friendly relations, and set the
leopards Of Albion against the eagles Oh
France! In the Russian war, moreover, the
troops of Napoleon and of Victoria fought in
common cause. There fingers still in the
English breast memory Of the misty morn
ing when the Grenadiers and Coldstreams,
marching under the balcony OF Bueklng
ham Palace, received the silent adieux OF
their Queen; nor has every English heart
forgotten the fearful messages of the Queen
to her wearied soldiers who lay in the
trenches at Sebastopol; nor is it forgotten
that the French and English soldiers drank
from the same canteeb, bore together the
brunt of battle, and, side byside, subdued
the Muscovite. To regard England and
France as fast friends in peace and in war,
became, to great extent, the habit of
thought in both nations. France had little to
fear while England was with her. England,
with France as an ally, could hold her colo
MES fast, and stem the tide OF Russian ag-
gression- And yet, at this moment, France
is condemned by all England; is condemned
without stint and in no measured terms. 1t
may well be imagined that this state
of things is shock to the sensibillties
of those who believed that, under all cir
cumstances, the Eastern question would
hold France and England together, and for
bid even an unfriendly neutrality.
After all, il we so down to the root Of the
matter, there are many more ties between
England and Germany than between Eng
land and France. Queen Victoria is about
as much German as English. The Prince
Consort was German. The Princess Royal
married the Crown Prince OF Prussia, the
heir.apparent to the throne. The Princess
Alice married Prince Louis of Hesse-D Darn
stadt. The Priuce Of Wales married the
Princess Alexandra OF Denmark. The Prin-
cess Helena married Prince Christian of
Schleswig- -Holstein. It is true that in the
war between Prussia and Denmark the Eng
lish people were heartily in favor OF Den
mark, and it is equally true that an irate
Briton occasionally grumbles at having to
pay the wedding bills Of SO many German
Princes Nor can it be doubted that the
English and Irish Catholics now, as ever,
lean towards France. But against one al
lance with France the English mind sets the
glorious memories of two long centuries of a
'close-knit friendship with the peoples of
Germany. Aud the binding tie of reli-
gion, Of manner OF thought, and, to GER
tain degree, of common descent, must put
England overwhelmingly on the side OF Ger
many, when the quarrel is national, not
local, and when, as now, Germany is un-
doubtedly in the right
The position, then, Of England would ap-
pear to be this: AS matter Of interest,"
as we'll as policy, she will remain neutral as
long as possible; but, if her neutrality must
be broken, the weight Of her influence, the
force of her immense resources, and the
valor OF her troops, will be thrown on the
side OF Germany rather than on the side Of
France. Already, certain members Of the
English House OF Commons are consulting
as to the propriety Of holding great meet
ing to express sympathy with Prussia, and
the workingmen Of London propose holding
q meeting for the same object. These, it is
true, are only straws; but il the New York
Tri6unes London correspondent is correct in
his surmises, that the troops recently called
home from the colonies have been concen-
trated in England, Sin anticipation OF the
''present war;" few weeks may bring
about bloody change in the Continental
relations OF Great Britain.