Political Affairs in February. 



186 



ced ; but it was never believed tliat the 

 states of Europe would thus early be 

 reduced to sucli a dilemma. Sweilen, 

 Prussia, Austria, and Turkey, are 

 locally within her grasp : the house 

 of Orange is devoted to Iier views, and 

 the Bourbons in France reign by her 

 pleasure — hence Europe is subject to 

 the political dictation of tin absolute 

 sovereign, who has at his romniand 

 myriads of savages to execute his will, 

 like so many mere machines. The 

 Lords IIollam) and GRnv, in a la!c 

 debate in the Britisli Parliament, most 

 ehxjiiently exposed the pretensions of 

 this pawer ; and thougli it must be 

 admitted that tlie reigning Emperor 

 has many good qualities, yet those 

 plausible qualities render his ambition 

 and Ilie o'.erbeariug policy of his go- 

 vern'aent, infinitely more dangerous 

 than if tlie same power was directed by 

 an ingenuous Paul. In truth he is the 

 life and soul of that IIol;/ Alliance to 

 wl'iicli other sovereigns have become 

 unwitting j)articsand instruments, and 

 the pre]>onderating power of Napoleon 

 being destroyed, Euroix; appears to lie 

 prostrate at his feet. 



There is no hope for civilized man 

 and of human improvement, if, by any 

 unhappy combination of circumstances, 

 like those which now operate on the 

 fortunes of Europe, an ascendancy can 

 be obtained by a power commanding 

 hordes of sav.iges, who have no sense 

 of moial obligation, and who are the 

 cheerful instruments of any acts which 

 their leader may direct them to per- 

 form. Unhappily the pride of many 

 courtsand sovereigns istiattered by the 

 policy of Russia ; and hence civilized 

 Europe is divided against itself. 'I'lie 

 professed system flatters the piejudices 

 of all power, and in consequence the 

 wishes of the people of Europe are ren- 

 dered nugatory. But Sovereigns ap- 

 pear to be short-sighed, for in the fate 

 of the kingdoms of Poland and Persia, 

 they may successively anticipate their 

 own. Napoleon understood the interests 

 of Europe when he assailed this colos- 

 sal power ; but as he was foiled by vari- 

 ous prejudices and circumstances, the 

 hopes of mankind are now on the 

 British parliament, and on the ])eople 

 of England, Spain, Portugal, and 

 France, and these we hope will, though 

 late, do their duty. 



We write as though we considered 

 the Neapolitan question as determined 

 by t!ie advance of 60,000 Austrians. 



[March 1, 



which took place on the 29th of Jan- 

 uary ; hut though Austrians are not 

 Persians, yet we have in our eye the 

 glorious i-esistanee of the Greeks to the 

 millions of Xerxes. We hope to hear 

 in Naples of other Marathons and Ther- 

 mopykes, and perchance tiic despots 

 may be foiled, if the Neapolitans should 

 be tine to themselves. Yet a.s political 

 improvement is the child of philosophy, 

 aud philosophy is opposecl to priest- 

 craft, which last is too dominant in 

 Naples, there is too much reason to 

 fear that the Austrians will obtain a 

 too easy conquest over a distracted and 

 divided people. 



In our last Number we inserted the 

 summons of tlie confederated sovereigns 

 to the superannuated King of Naples to 

 appear before them at I-aybach, and 

 also his address to the Nejipolitan par- 

 liament, in which he mad(( various 

 m/rt/ pleilges; but it. appears that he 

 has issued a proclamation, dissolving the 

 parliament, and ordering his subjects 

 to receive tiie Austrians as friends ! A 

 just resistance will probably lead to 

 the repetition of the same frightful 

 scenes of murder and proscription its 

 twice has disgraced Naples within the 

 last five-and-twenty years; and even a 

 retreat to Sicily is cut off by the pre- 

 sence of fleets with erjuivocal inten- 

 tions lying in the Bay of Naples. We 

 shudder as we contemplate such a 

 triumph of injustice, taking place even 

 while we write I 



In the mean time the free govern- 

 ments of the world ought to feel that 

 the cause is common — the United 

 States ought to arouse themselves from 

 theircold policy, and Spain and Portu- 

 gal ought to make the cause of Naples 

 their own. We hope too that the 

 British parliament will not consider it 

 a party question, but will act worthily 

 of its high character and station, and 

 in unison with the honest feelings of 

 the British people. 



On this interesting subject we have 

 been favoured by a correspondent with 

 the following appropriate stanziis, which 

 came too late to appear in our poetical 

 article : — 

 See from the blackest cave of nig;ht, 



A noxious vapour dark'ning rise, 

 It bovers, Naples, o'er thy height, 



It bliglils thy plains, and clouds thy skies. 



O rouse thee iu the lion's strength ! 



Unsheathe thy faithful Roman steel. 

 Thy soil is worth a \*'nrrior's length, 



Thy maids can love — thy sous can feel. 



Let 



