Year: 1878

Austria has appeared hitherto to be q
necessary element of any combination to
be made against Russia. If her presence in
Importance of keystone in an arch it was
deemed of such moment that no one in
Europe saw clearly how those opposed to
Russias policy could reach any satisfactory
result without Austrias assistance. Hence
the Vienna Cabinet became the point de mire
of all the diplomacy. England and Russia
operated there with the same energy which
they felt they might be compelled to dis
play on bloodier fields if that opportunity
escaped them, and the German Court seems
to have been also an earnest party to this
Cabinet campaign. Enough Is not yet
known of what has been determined at
Vienna for any one to declare the result
distinctly ; but the evident encouragement
of those English journals that are
early recip pients Of government secrets seems
to imply that England is dissatisfied
with the course Of events at Vienna. Aus
tria has always made great case of the
effort to keep another Power between her
self and Russia. She has from other times
instinctively felt a repulsion to the possess
sion Of such q neighbor; yet with this point
steadily kept in view as IN element of Aus
trian policy and steadily pursued through
many negotiations in many reigns Austria
has always yielded and relinquished her own
policy when the case on the other side was
put with the tempting condition of partici-
patton in the territory of the Power which
she wished to preserve as sort Of buffer
for her ribs against northern col
lision. Hungary and Poland furnish
in their history the evidences of this
contradictory course of Austrian admins
tratjon ; and Turkey is apparently to sup
ply newer illustration. If, as now seems
likely to appear, Austria has been pacifed
by Russia if the Cabinets of Berlin and st.
Petersburg have joined in guarantees satis-
factory to her and she is to act on her own
inclination to keep the peace, and even
England is again left alone in Europe as the
sole Power that objects to Russia's course.
What will she do? She seems to be making
warlike preparations on an extensive scale !;
and if the government were sincere one,
an earnest one--if it was not patent
to all the world that it might
mean any day the very reverse Of
what it declares-these preparations
would be regarded throughout Europe with
the respect that is justly due to England in
arms. But the government of England is
smarting under the modification of the de-
feat of its policy at every turn, and equally,
perhaps, at the consciousness that its
diplomacy has been so pitiful that defeat
was inevitable and the opinion is widely
spread that it is now merely postnying in
the mistaken conviction that this feeble
course will enable it to recover the prestige
that its blundering and weakness have lost.
Consequently there is no confidence that it
means to fight, despite its preparations.
But war is not always the consequence of q
governments resolute will, nor even Of q
governments conviction that it is necessary
to the nations interests. On the contrary,
it has as often resulted from the desperate
straits of political imbecility as from other
causes, and therefore it is yet not certain
but England, though alone, may fight
Russia.