The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-11-25

1t seems to have been evident TO segur. NJ
though IL was not to all contemporary observers,
that. at the beginning OF 1912. n war between
France and Russia was inevitable. Napoleon's
political and commercial system had brought
him to that pass that. In the interest of its own
continuance, ho could not tolerate h p~uiitlrri
equal or a commercial. dissldent. BY his conces-
sions at Tilsit, at the cost OF Prussia. Sweden.
and Turkey, Napoleon had gained only the good
will Of Alexander l.. and this but temporarily.
This treaty was the result Of the defeat OF Rus
STA and the date of its provisional submission to
the Continental system. BY the Continental sys-
TEN Napoleon had declared a war to the death
against the English; with this war was bound
up his personal honor. his political existence,
and that Of France. This system barred out
Of the Continent every kind OF merchan-
disc, whether English or taat which had
paid a duty OF any Kind to England. 1t could
succeed only by unanimous cooperation on the
part Of Continental peoples. and this could be
hoped for only through the domination OF one
man. IL is further to be noted that at this
epoch France hal eStranged the other Euro
pean peoples hy its conauests and their SOW
ercirns by its revolution and its new dynasty.
Hcnceforth France could have neither friends
nor rivals. hut only subjects. for its friends
would have been false and It's rivals lmplacable
There was no escape from ti!' predicament: :.
either all other nations must submit tn France
or she must submit To them. There was one
imposing exception to the general submission OF
Europe to France. However high Napoleon
might have raised the throne of the south and
west OF Europe, he still beheld beyond 1t the
northern throne OF Alexander that seemed to
dominate by its threatening position. On those
icy submits Of Europe. whence had been
launched in former days so many barbarian
invAsions, he seemed to see collecting
the elements Of a new onslaught. Hith-
erto Austria and Prussia had been suf-
fcient barriers; but Napoleon himself had
overthrow or lowered them. Thus Il
defender OF the civilization. the wealth, and
the welfare of the peoples of tho south against
the ignorance. the savngery. the greed of the
peoples of the north. and against the ambition OF
the Russian Emperor and Of his mobiles. To S6gur.
rs to his master, it seemed plain that war alone
could settle this great controversy. this eternal
struggle of the poor against the rich; at the
same time, il was clear TO the author Of these
memoirs, and herein lay a source OF weakness
for Napoleon. that the wal against Russia was
neither European, nor even national from the
viewpoint OF France. Europe took part in IL
unwillingly, because the aim of the expedition
was IN increase the power OF him who had con-
qucred her. France, for her part, desired re-
pose; her great men, who composed the court of
NapOlCon, were terrified at the multiplication OF
wars and the dispersion OF French armies from
Csdiz TO Moscow, and, while admitting the
necessity OF facing sooner or later the great test.
the Opportuneness of the struggle did not seem
to them demonstrated. I. o