, 1872-10-12
THE MEETING OF THE THREE
EMPERORS.
Tie TempS-Paris, Sept, ~

To-day it is hard to speak of anything
but the interview at Berlin, and yet we
have nothing to add to the reflections
which we have already made on the sub
iect. All that we can do is to call atten-
ton to the fact that the character OF this
interview has been gradually transformed,
and that that is one of the reasons for the
diversity of the cOniectures which have
been successfully formed on the subject.
At first it was to have been merely a visit
of the Emperor of Austria to the Emperor
of Germany in return for the visit paid by
the latter to the former last year. In other
words, the interview was only q conse-
quence of the vassalization Gf we may use
the expression) of Austro- Hungary effect
ed by the two wars of 1866 and 1870.
Though cast down by the campaign of Be-
hemia, Austria did not regard the game as
entirely lost so long as she could count on
the schemes of Napoleon III. but when
France failed her, she had nothing to do
but to submit. Immediately after the sign
ing of the Treaty of Versailles, NJ. de Bis
marck gave this to be understood to M. de
Beust, and it was an act of compulsory al
legiance that Francis Joseph was to per-
form by going to Berlin.
This original character of the interview
was modified by the intervention of the
Emperor of Russia, who appears TO nave
invited himself, and who by breaking the
tSte,o t6te transformed it at once into a con-
eress of emperors. The meeting, which
was originally to have had the Specification
of a league directed against Eastern ambi-
ton as well as against Western vengeance,
necessarily assumed a new import. It was
rather perplexing to define what this new
import was. People at least came to the
idea of a general league of peace, and
rightly so, in this sense at least, that the
meeting of the three emperOrs was a proof
of peaceful intentions, q demonstration of a
good understanding for the present be-
tween the three courts, and consequently a
temporary guarantee for European tranquil
litv. But things have not rested there it
now appears that the ma ority of the Ger
man princes are to be assembled at Berlin
around the three emperors, or rather at the
foot of the throne of the Emperor of Ger
many, so that the interview at Berlin
henceforth assumes q higher significance
than that to which we have Just alluded
it is properly a proclamation of the new
German empire, and a recognition OF the
order of things founded in Europe by the
arms of Prussia.
All this, however, is done rather vague
~, and rather in the way of q manifesto
ton than of q; formal understanding, rather
as a visible demonstration than a written
stipulation. And, in fact, it is certain that
the political situation of Europe will not be
sensibly changed by the interview at Ber-
lin. Things will remain substantially the
same /; there will be still the same natural
" opposed, and, we may even say, irrecon-
cilable interests, and consequently it is ne
cessary for each to reserve his liberty OF
action, as sooner or later even conflicts will
be inevitable. It is too evident that Aus
tria cannot found a durable alliance, either
with the Empire of Germany which threa-
tens to attract to itself the German popu-
lation Of Austria, or with Russia which