392 



EUROPEAN CONGRESS. 



which any serious misunderstanding may arise 

 should have recourse to friendly mediation be- 

 fore appealing to arms. " The solicitude of the 

 Emperor," he says, "goes further; it does not 

 wait for dissensions to break out in order to 

 recommend an application to the actual cir- 

 cumstances of the salutary principle engraven 

 on the latest monument of the public law of 

 Europe, and His Majesty now invites his allies 

 1 to enter into explanations, and to come to an 

 understanding.' " 



The final reply of the British Government is 

 dated November 28th. In this despatch Earl 

 Russell enters into a searching examination of 

 the grounds for supposing a general Congress 

 of European States likely to furnish a peaceful 

 solution of the various matters in dispute. He 

 expressed the opinion that at the present mo- 

 ment, after a continuance of long peace, no 

 power is willing to give up any territory to 

 which it has a title by treaty, or a claim by 

 possession. This he 'thinks, in particular, to 

 be the case with the questions of Poland and 

 Italy ; were all the European questions those 

 of Poland, Italy, Denmark, and the Danubian 

 principalities to be decided by the mere utter- 

 ance of opinions, the views of the British Gov- 

 ernment upon most of them might perhaps not 

 materially differ from those of the Emperor 

 of the French. But the deliberations of a 

 Congress would probably consist of demands 

 and pretensions put forward by some and re- 

 sisted by others ; and, there being no supreme 

 authority in such an assembly to enforce the 

 decisions of a majority, the Congress would 

 probably separate, leaving many of its mem- 

 bers on worse terms with each other than they 

 had been when they met. But if this would 

 be the probable result, it follows that no de- 

 crease of armaments is likely to be effected by 

 the proposed Congress. " Not being able, there- 

 fore, to discern the likelihood of those bene- 

 ficial consequences which the Emperor of the 

 French promised himself when proposing a 

 Congress, Her Majesty's Government, follow- 

 ing their own strong convictions, after mature 

 deliberation, feel themselves unable to accept 

 His Imperial Majesty's invitation." 



Austria was as much displeased with the 

 proposal of Louis Napoleon as England. Im- 

 mediately upon the publication of the Empe- 

 ror's speech, and the receipt of his letter, the 

 official paper of Vienna contained a declaration 

 that Austria had always respected the treaties 

 of 1815, and still recognized them, so far as 

 they were not modified by subsequent stipu- 

 lations, as the public law of Europe. The 

 Emperor of Austria, in his reply to Napoleon, 

 dated November 15th, acknowledges the im- 

 portant objects of the Congress for the settle- 

 ment of the political questions at present pend- 

 ing, and the security of the future, but wishes, 

 before taking part therein, to learn with some 

 accuracy the bases and programme of the de- 

 liberations of the Congress. Should the ques- 

 tions to be discussed be indicated beforehand, 



and the powers agree upon the tendency of 

 the deliberations of the Congress, unforeseen 

 accidents which might overthrow everything 

 would be less to be feared. The dangerous 

 and insolvable problems which would create 

 fresh instead of removing existing complica- 

 tions would then be set aside. 



This idea is more minutely explained in a 

 despatch of Count Rechberg to Prince Metter- 

 nich, the Austrian ambassador at Paris. It 

 says: 



It is not sufficient to put forward a programme of a 

 negative character as the basis of such important dis- 

 cussions. The Austrian Government wishes to know 

 how the declaration of the Emperor Napoleou relative 

 to the treaties of 1815 is to be understood. 



These treaties have been partially modified, 

 but so far as they have not been altered they 

 are considered as the foundation of public right 

 in Europe. Some improvements are necessary. 

 Let the French Government point out those it 

 considers desirable. Certain remedies might 

 be more dangerous than the evils themselves. 

 The programme of the Congress must fulfil all 

 the conditions for the maintenance of peace, 

 which is the principal object to be attained. 



The Emperor of Russia expressed a warm 

 sympathy with the object Napoleon had in 

 view, that of attaining without disturbance 

 the pacification of Europe, but regarded the 

 consent of the other powers and the previous 

 specifications of the questions to be discussed, 

 necessary. The Emperor thus explained his 

 views : 



In describing the profound uneasiness of Europe 

 and the utility of an understanding among the sov- 

 ereigns to whom is confided the destiny of the nations, 

 your Majesty expresses a thought which has always 

 been mine. I have made it more than the object of a 

 desire, I have deduced from it the rule of my conduct. 

 All the acts of my reign attest my desire to substitute 

 relations of confidence and concord to the state of 

 armed peace which weighs so heavily upon the peo- 

 ples. I took the initiative, too, as far as I was able, of 

 a considerable reduction of my military forces. During 

 six years I released my empire from the obligation of 

 the recruitment, and I undertook important reforms 

 guarantees of a progressive development at home and 

 of a pacific policy abroad. 



It is only in presence of eventualities which might 

 threaten the security and even the integrity of my 

 States, that I have been compelled to deviate from this 

 course. My most ardent desire is to return to it, and 

 to spare my people's sacrifices which their patriotism 

 accepts, but from which their prosperity suffers. 

 Nothing could better hasten this moment than a gen- 

 eral settlement of the questions which agitate Europe. 

 Experience proves that the real conditions of the peace 

 of the worm rest neither in an impossible immobility, 

 nor in the instability of political combinations that 

 each generation would be called upon to annul or to 

 remodel, at the will of the passions or of the interests 

 of the moment, but rather in the practical wisdom 

 which imposes upon all the respect of established 

 rights, ana suggests to all the compromises necessary 

 to conciliate history, which is an ineffaceable legacy 

 of the past, with progress, which is a law of the pres- 

 ent ana the future. 



Upon these conditions a loyal understanding be- 

 tween the sovereigns has always appeared desirable 

 to me. I should be happy if the proposition emitted 

 by your Majesty were to lead to it. 



The King of Prussia declared himself ready 



