The Washington herald., 1914-08-16

Dec u. hlO-Napoleon anneLed OluenOufE.
Dee q, lslO-The Gar issued ukass against Freoeh
imports
Jan. 9, In.-Napoleon annexed Swedish Pomerania.
June Il. Isl2-wsr between England and Unitsd
an the eve of NapoIeon's disastrous
invasion Of Russia in 1872, John
Quincy Adams, the American Min
lister at st. Petersburg, was discussing
the impending conflict. when a high otti-
ciaI at the court Of the Car charged II
TO Women, women, women" They were
responsible, the American Minister was
conYulsed Europe, Queen Louise having
famed the flames of the Franco-Prussian
war in 1906, the Empress Marie of Aus
uia having stirred up the strife that led
now the Grand Duchess Elizabeth had
brought Russia and France to swords
points.
den Of Eden into which it remained for
a daughter of Eve to introduce the SER
pent Of strife, there was enough truth in
the remark, which Adams quotes in his
diary, to lend a faint color to its exag-
Gar Alexander a figure in the story of
nat tragic year. 1t was between Eliza
beth and Napoleon that Talleyrand pro-
posed match at the congress OF kings
at Erfurt in 1sOS, but her mother, the
Dowager Czarina. hastened to betroth
her in week to the heir of the Duke of
the rebuff, but a year later when he
asked for the hand of EliZabeth's young
sister, Anna, and the Russians again put
him on and tried to drive hard bargain
with him, he dropped them for the Aus
TRANS in short order, and engaged him
self TO Marie Louise.
One day in the midst of the happy
srsdegroomS sweet triumph over the
EliZabeth'sT tiny duchy Of Oldenburg in
his way and he annexed to his empire
that mere handful Of German sand by
the North Sea- evicting from house and
home the girl whom he had offered to
make the Empress Of the French. The
duchess, returning to Russia, carried her
bitter grievance with her, and the Dow
agsr CEarina and the Gar took up her
quarrel
No one knew better than John Quincy
Adams, however. that the heets of
fogs OF the Baltic. bidding saucy defiance
10 the British blockade of the sea and
the French blockade OF the land, were
more serious cause Of estrangement be
tween Napoleon and Alexander than the
annexation OF Oldenburg. The French
Emperor had been Informed by his win
lister at Washington that The Americans
possess a sort of vessel called schooners,
She swiftest in the world" and he demand
ed that the Gar seize those strange,
speedy little Yankee clipper ships and all
other craft that were landing English
products in Russia under cover of neu-
tTal flags.
No doubt an immense amount of Brit
fish freight was being dumped at Russian
ports. chiefly by American ships, to be
distributed thence over Europe. But,
while Alexander continued to exclude
British vessels, he declined to shut out
those from the United States and other
raw material and with n0manufactures,
could i'll AFFORD to cut OF all exports and I
imports.
The Gar not only refused to comply ,
1N .Aa
peror, but he also boldly challenged him
by prohibiting the entry into Russia of
many French manufactures, on the
ground that the wealth of his empire was
being drained to pay for Partisan lux |
uries. And as he defied him he marshaled
his military forces near the frontier. He !
really was weary Of the compact made at |
the Tilsit love feast in 1907 and was ready /
and eager to break away. He hattered |
himself that he had played a minor role |
TO the plebian Emperor on the imperial |
stage long enough and was determined to |
assume that leading part in world AFFAIRS
which he essayed so unsuccessfully at !
Austerlitz and again at Friedland.
The sharp bowsprit of the New England !
schooner thus was the entering wedge |
that pried apart the Emperor OF the East
and the Emperor of the West and the
young republic of the New World was a
factor in bringing to an end the great
trade war between France and England,
which began with Napoleon's secret pur-
chase and then his hasty sacrifice Of
Louisiana. For nine years the ruler Of
the sea, England struggling to shut the
highways of the ocean and Napoleon the
gateways of the European continent. And |
first and last both had been bafied by
the daring and enterprising. Yankee skip
per more thaD-6y any other element in
their problem.
Each of the belligerents strove in turn
to draw the United States into the war.
Exasperated by his failure to compel
America to become his ally, Napoleon
ant to II =,
the suggestion that he had no more de-
sire than the English to see the Ameri-
cans reaping a harvest on the sea and
gaining a monopoly Of shipping at the
British government however, did not
give him an encouraging reply.
Fouche. the meddling minister Of po-
lice knew how anxious the Emperor was
for peace, and having heard him say that
he would make prince of any one who
should bring England to terms, he un-
dertook to win the prize. Pouches plan
was worthy Of the genius of a ducal de-
tective. He sent a representative to Lon
don with the hint that IL England was
anxious to help its Bourbon allies, the
dethroned Ferdinand Of Spain might be
enthroned anew in Spanish America,
while France could make amends for aid
ing the American Revolution by joining1
England in war against the pestiferous
Americans. After the joint conquest of
the United States, a kingdom for Louis
XVIII OF France could be carved out Of
its territory and England and France
could divide what was left of the repub-
lie
The harshest critics of Napoleon acouit
him of any part in that amazing absurd
ity He heard Of II with unmistakableI
and indignation. and sud-
denly and rudely awakened Fouche from
his wild dream of a great diplomatic ,
achievement disnissing him from his !
cabinet and appointing Gen. Savary to
the ministry of police. The United States
thus escaped the fate Of Poland; the lilies
Of the Bourbons did not displace the stars
in the blue field Of the American flag. and
the Yankee sailors remained 9 plague TO
both Napoleon and George III
A Chinese Wall.
To shut out the wares of British man
ufacturers and the products of British
Napoleon had marched his army
from the harbor Of Lisbon TO the banks i
OF the Niemen. He had gathered all the |
nations OF the continent beneath his I
sword IN continental union against his 1
ISLAND foe and erected wall Of China !
around Europe u