XXVI INTRODUCTION. 



by three-fourths of their parliamentary colleagues, and by the entire 

 personnel of the responsible Governments of the respective States. 



On only two occasions during this century, or at any previous 

 period, has any European Government approached this thorny 

 question of Disarmament, with a sincere desire to bring about 

 a diminution of the crushing armed forces of Europe, and it is 

 to the great credit of England that she made the attempt. The 

 first occasion, to which I refer, were the strenuous, although un- 

 availing efforts made by the late Lord Clarendon in 1866, at the 

 time that he held the seals of office as Her Majesty's Secretary of 

 State for Foreign Affairs in the Government of Lord John Russell. 

 At that time the friendly relations between Prussia and Austria were 

 seriously threatened, in consequence of the annexation by Prussia 

 of the Duchies of Schleswig-Holstein after the inglorious war against 

 Denmark in 1864; for it was the general opinion of the European 

 Governments that war was inevitable, an opinion so strongly held 

 by Lord Clarendon, that his Lordship determined, if possible, to 

 avert it, by the assembling of a European Congress, having for its 

 object, not only the peaceful solution of existing differences between 

 Austria, Italy, Prussia, and Denmark, but also to secure a European 

 disarmament. 



With these great objects in view, negotiations were entered into, 

 and on the 28th May, 1866, a despatch was addressed simultaneously 

 by Her Majesty's Government, on behalf of the Governments of 

 Great Britain and France, to their representatives in Berlin, Vienna, 

 and Florence, which contained three definite proposals for the con- 

 sideration of the Congress, and proposing Paris for the assembling 

 of the Congress. 



The Government of Prussia, through Count von Bismarck, cordially 

 accepted the proposal, declaring, " that the menacing attitude, and 

 the military preparations of Austria, and other German Governments 

 (evidently meaning Bavaria, Saxony, and Wurtemburg) as the true 

 origin of the complications which have since assumed more and more 

 alarming proportions." 



This unquahfied approval by Prussia, was followed by an equally 

 cordial acceptance by the Germanic Confederation, from the Diet 

 at Frankfort, and also by the Government of Italy, which " approved 

 without any hesitation"; but the Governnient of Austria, whilst 

 reciprocating the pacific sentiments of the three Great Powers 

 " to avert from thgfape of ^Europe the calamities of war," yet corj- 



