The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-07-11
The War Cloud in Europe.

The War Cloud in Europe.
The latest tetsgrams from London, Paris
and Vienna. report that the excitement
caused:by tne probability ola ontinental war
is unabated in Intensity. Rentes have fallen
heavily; Manchester goods and raw cottons
are dropping andloHer; American bonds are
| on the wane, and consols are fiat and heavy.
The whole length and breadth Of Europe is
Ehistqrbed, and it must be admitted that there
|.is, in:the general situation, cause enough for
anxiety, trnot d.dr1f France armed to the
teeth-has d Waterloo to avenge and has
never abandoned one jot Of her determine
ton to extend once more her frontiers to the
Rhine. The ul.feeling between Prussia and
France was, never more bitter than at this
moment. France has stood still while Prus-
sia has become one Of the very first OF the
frst-ciass powers. Bsmarck's diplomacy is
crowned with success, while Napoleon
kcounls a failure in Mexico and Italy, and
fonly partial victory in the political reor-
ganizstion Of tha Empire. Sooner or later,
go the French believe, the eagles of Napo-
leon shall cross the Rhine. The, war mast
come, and this conviction accounts for the
sensitiveness Of The French in regard to the
,candidature Of Prince Leopold, Of Hohen-
zollern Spain sthe back-door Of France,
and sPrussian suIremacysin the Iberian PEN
insula would seriously augment the Difficult
ties OF; the Emperor in, waging war with
Prussia. This last named power is flushed
with good fortune, and reposes implicit trust
lin the astuteness Of Bismarck, as well as in
Pths skill OF her generals and the bravery Of
Eher soldiers. II Prussia is anxious to consoli-
date and increase her force and feels unsafe
while Che wings Of France are uncut. Aus
tria, which now iss&id to declare that she
will not.interfere, cannot well stand neutral
in The struggle. With aobankrupt treasury
and distracted people, her chances in war
would seem desperate but the Austriansi
have wondrous staying strength, and can
not afford that Prussia should become more
united and potent than she already is. Rus.
STA. looks as steadily towards the East as.
when Gear, Peter worked in the Deptford
dockryard The Russian outposts press upon
the frontiers of. British India, and the finger
|eof :Muscovite diplomacy still points to Con
stantlnople, Turkey is eply neld together by
the powerful support of England and France
Tie; vicaroy Of Egypt, her great vassal, is
ready to- secede when the nod or wink shall!
pBe given from S.. Petersburg Italy is in q
sad cuse, and her course is as uncertain as
her future fortunes. SPAIN as her journals
say, calls s'a beggar to rule over nation Of
l.'beggars,n and!is ready 70 lean on any stur-
dY shoulder Which presents itself. And
England does not want war, and will do all
that diplomacy and entreaty can to prevent
q serious rupture. 2al"
q In the. clashmg interests Of France and
Prussia gof Russia and Turkey, there is ma
terial enough fer haIf-a-dozen respectable
,Ears, but it is not yet time to give up the
hope Of preserving at least q hollow. peace.
The movements Of, troops on the Continent,
the busy stir in the a'dock-yards, the orders
for general officers to rejoin their corps;
these are extraordinary precautions, but, in
themselves, mean no more than pointed
expression OF the belief that the outbreak of
hostilities is a contingency to be guarded
against. One thing howeoer. may he con-
sidered certain in all this cl ~ ii uncertain
ty-Franee aoAl mot gt0e a0ay. The decla-
| ration OF the Count de Grammont in the
Corps Legislatif that "under no circum-
ssstances would France allow q Prussian
siPrince to occupy the Spanish throne is
the French ultimatum. And it must be
borne in mind that Napoleon, in war with
Prussia, has at his bs"t q 4::ted people,
tired OF inactivity, eager for g.ol; and thirst
in. to reyendicate what they consider their
natural rights, as well as to wipe out the
memory Of defeat which grows only more
CALLING with the lapse OF silent years. Nor
can it be supposed that Bismarck did not
foresee that France would oppose the eeva-
tion Of Prince Leopold, Of Prussia. A
statesman less willy might have been caught
tripping, but Bismarck must have known
that he was raising up a storm, aud he is
not d twig to bow and bend before the blasts
of war. q
Upon what, then, do we rest our hope OF
the preservation of peace? Only upon the
mediation of England, and possibly OF Italy,
anu the patent weakness Of Austria. Spain
and Turkey count for nothing. Russia will
most likely fold her hands and wait. The
United States has no diplomatic influence,
aud if it had, would throw all its weight in
favor Of any policy which France and Eng
land might oppose. A few hours may put
an end to oil uncertainty. These are fast
moving days, when the first blow counts for
iha!f the game. France is not slow to move,
and If sac. ssrii;es IL vii oe both aard and