92 



Prince Bismarck and his Policy. 



But Austria showed considerable spite towards Prussia, 

 and an open rupture was only avoided by the meeting 

 of the two sovereigns at Bavaria's invitation at Teplitz. 

 At this time Bismarck writes as follows : 



" St. Petersburg, 22d August^ 1860. 

 I am quite excluded from home politics, for with the ex- 

 ception of newspapers, I only receive official statements, 

 which do not give me the groundwork of things. Accord- 

 ing to these, we have promised nothing definite at Teplitz 

 but have made our support of Austria dependent upon that 

 practical demonstration of her good-will towards us in 

 German politics ; when this has been done, she may 

 reckon on our gratitude. I should be very content with 

 this ; and if we only see the Vienna soap in a lather, we 

 should be glad to return the service. Certainly the in- 

 direct accounts we receive from other courts sound other- 

 wise. According to these, if true, though we have not con- 

 cluded any guarantee treaty, we have, at any rate, bound 

 ourselves verbally to assist Austria, under all circumstances, 

 should she be attacked by France in Italy. Should Austria 

 find it necessary to act on the offensive, our consent would 

 be requisite, if our cooperation is to be anticipated. This 

 version appears more unprejudiced than it would, in fiict, 

 be. Austria having security that w^c should fight for 

 Venice, she will know how to provoke the attack of France. 

 It has been asserted that since Teplitz, Austria has come 

 out boldly and defiantly in Italy. Viennese politics, since 

 the Garibaldian expedition, desire to make things in Italy ^ 

 as bad as they can be, in order that if Napoleon himself 

 should find it necessary to declare against the Italian re- 

 volution, movements should commence on all sides and 

 former conditions be assimilatively restored. This reckon- 

 ing with and upon N'apoleon may be very deceptive, and, 

 it wpijld seem as if, since Teplitz, it has been given up, 



