160 REPORT — 1864. 



■with its vast powers. lunumerable social problems are still unsolved, and politics, 

 which Alerabert justly pronounced, in the ' Cyclopaedia,' "perhaps the most diffi- 

 cult of aU the sciences," is eveiy day making fresh demands on statistics. Take 

 the Balance of Power. How are political powers to be measm-ed, and how is the 

 statesman to construct his parallelogram of forces ? In past times France, tlie 

 Emperor, and England were the principal powers ; and the problem had then the 

 complications of the three bodies in mechanics, but England, France, and Austria 

 have now Prussia and Russia by their sides, to say nothing of Turkey; Spain is 

 rising again, and the Italian sword is asserting its place ; the two States of America 

 disjoined, are two of the great powers of the world, with which Europe will 

 have to reckon. Italy was comminuted into small States ; it is now one power. 

 And latterly Germany— still in two great masses, and a multitude of fragments, 

 which have" been as dust in the balance— coalescing, has planted herself on the neck 

 of the Baltic in the face of Russia and Sweden, England and France looking on. 

 Here is a mass of 72,000,000 men, with its due proportion of needle-rifles, and a 

 navy, not yet formidable. It has nearly, but not quite, twice the population of 

 France (37,386,313) with her rectified frontier; against wliich Denmark, with only 

 2,605,024 people, or, excluding German Holsteiners, two millions dared gallantly 

 to defend her frontiers ; bat which the Emperor of the French did not deem it 

 prudent to encounter for the sake of an old ally of France in the company of 

 England, with the coveted Rhine — that German river — before his armies. 



This population of the German States is split up (our statistics show^ into 36 

 million Austrians, 18 million Prussians, and 18 million Germans comminuted in 

 cities and principalities — ^but scarcely powers. And if it has France on the west 

 flank it has Russia, with what may be taken at 66 million people, on the eastern 

 frontier, not very distant from Berlin and Vienna. Germany has also unfriendly 

 races within its limits — Poles, Himgarians, and Italians who divide Austria from 

 the sea. Between Germany and Russia lies Poland, in pieces and ashes, but still 

 exhaling her indestructible soul in one flame to heaven. The tine Scandinavian 

 race has fallen back behind the Baltic, before the masses of Russia and Gemiany, 

 and stands at bay, looking towards England. In the south is looming, we are re- 

 minded, the possible coalition of the Latin races in face of the descendants of those 

 Germans who broke the power of the Roman empire. Over the Atlantic, 8 millions 

 were added to the population of the United States in ten years ; and at the same 

 rate of increase, the people on the ample territories will amomit to 42 millions in 

 six years', to 50 millions in sixteen years' time. Our colonies are increasing at as 

 fast a rate, and repose secure in peace under the sceptre of the Queen. How are 

 all these bodies to be balanced ? Flow is the power of each State to be measured? 



The first step in the solution of the problem of equilibrium is natm-ally the de- 

 termination of the popidation, and of the value of the wealth or credit which nerves 

 the sinews of war. When this is done for each State, the unit to get at is the 

 precise worth of the fighting man and officer; the muubers of such units in sernce 

 and in reseiTe ; the arms, fortresses, and ships. It was enough not long ag;o to 

 count the ships of the line, frigates, and other vessels ; for when the naval histo- 

 rian had told, in addition to the number of ships and men, the number of guns at 

 Aboukir or Trafalgar, his readers were satisfied. The unit of naval force is now 

 by no means so simple ; it is compounded of the velocity of the ship and its resist- 

 ing power — as well as of the weight, velocity, and destructive force of its shot and 

 shells. Strategic position, administration, fertility of military genius, are all ele- 

 ments of power to be taken into account. What minister knows at this hour the 

 military force in war of his own State with any degree of accm-acy ? or can weigh 

 the force of other States in his balance ? What means has he of judging of the 

 number of possible adverse or favoiu-able combinations ? As the number of States 

 increases, the possible combinations increase more rapidly. Thus take England, 

 France, or Austria, and there are only three possible combinations of two against 

 one ; throw in Russia and Prussia, and the possible combinations are ten of three 



Eowers against two, and five of fom- powers against one; and one, two, or three may 

 e neutral while the rest are at war. England, France, Prussia, Austria, Russia, 

 Italy, Spain, Tm-key, the Federals, and Confederates, constitute ten States of 293 

 millions ; that is 29-3 millions to each on an average ; and ten combinations can 



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