LONDON,

Press, Volume XII, Issue 1576, 25 November 1867, Page 2

LONDON,

The correspondent of the " Wellington Independent," under date October 1, writes as follows: — There was a so-called " peace congress " at Geneva about the middle of last month. It was a nondescript sort of omnium-gatherum, composed of Ultra-Radicals, Red Republicans, Doctrinaires, Theorists, Socialists, Communists, and Pan-European-Democra-tic-Nothingarians—all assembled in hopeless con Fusion, as if in mockery of their own pseudo-peace theories, aud as though they wished to present a striking illustration in their own persons of the utter futility (so long as human nature is what it is) of attempting to put the principles which they profess into practice. The whole thing was a piece of hollow masquerading — neither solemn nor impressive, neither instructive, nor witty nor humorous. Aud yet there was a good deal of buffoonery, garnished by coarseness and vituperation, and spiced (by way of variety) with a little pungent blasphemy. Ostensibly the object of this meeting or " congress " was to establish universal peace on earth, with goodwill to all men, and henceforward to abolish war and put an end to standing armies and all the implements by which men rush headlong to mutual destruction. But in reality it appeared as if the speakers had come together to air their pet theories —all of a social and democratic-republican character — to have a fling at rulers and crowned

heads in general, and in particular to hi\o a good UL'.trly go-in against ev m ivMitwu form of religion save ;>< u j { ... ,[ \ that '•ahadr.v of a «l uuo --."£ vague and misty sentiment bin,.,] ... ' utuvi.-rsal philanti!r«i|iv and V brotherhood and .solidarity of p^,.,]!! 6 of which there are ~o end of JJ' constituted high prints ami , (r , , ' in every corner of Europe. W c }\ \\ H it was, as 1 said to ventilate* and to o iv(> u>m;t pent-up le-1-.iig-, that the nn.wth,,, ,f democracy Hocked to Geneva f r , ' Italy, 1 ranee, and (Tonimnv The were eve,, a fiuv from Euglau.l hnfc they made hut lull,. m . lr j. T| were the irrepressible Mr D.igors 2 another whose name I forgot h.tt h had better, like many others, ),,..; remained at home. They had nothing to siy, and I believe they said i? Unturtuuately the apostles of this no ■' <?«//«* were not largely endowed with tho "gdtot tongues," which now* <lays at least] does not come by inspiration so readily as the other faculty claimed by B orne of th« politico-religious philosophers of thk school—that of dealing i v prophecy and m discovenng new * wisdom among tho higlnvay.s -md by ways of human error. The j,|, S( .„ a ,* of the above gits was a great drawback to the profitable and edifying character ot the proceedings. I„ f aot t \ WQ a little attempt at rehearsing Jj-jbei The whole thing excited little 'else than not to say contempt among men of common sense in £~».' land and elsewhere. There were very few meti of mark there - scarcely any one. Certainly they managed to \Jt hold of Garibaldi there, and he "drew" immensely. He was a whole host iv himself, and certainly attracted more notice and attention that the whole of the speakers put together Lna»ine Garibaldi, who is nothing if not a soldier—who has all his life-timo been the propagator and active promoter of warlike ideas — imagine him the leading speaker at a " Peace Congress." Now there is not a fairer, a braver, or a more unselfish man in existence than Garibaldi with a sword in his hand at the head of a band of red-shirted irregulars. But as soon as he gets upou his legs upon a platform, he makes a pitiful exhibition of himself. He is not largely endowed with brains, and ho speedily loses his head. He has a monomania upon the subject of the papacy aa incurable as that of the present Mr Whalley, or the late Colonel Sibthorp ; and accordingly the hero of Caprera did not fail to turn aside from the subject of peace to the subject of war— unrelenting war with the Pope. This was his text, and as the gods in the gallery would express it, " didn't he go in a buster?" lie even told his audience that he was then bound on his old errand—" to Home." But lie didn't get there, however—though it appears he was on his journey. He was caught on the llotnan frontier by the Italian Government, aud sent off to Caprera, where he is at the present moment, and has been, iv fact, for the last week; aad there he will have to stay at presentdoubtless under parole, and under the careful surveillance of Victor Emmanuel's Government--which is bound by treaty with the French Emperor not to allow any hostile proceedings to be t ken by his subjects against the Papal Government. This is the second time that Garibaldi has been cut short iv his career, and his journey to Rome intercepted by Victor Emanuel. So the fine old tiger or lion, whichever you please, is caged up for the present, and likely to remain so for some time longer. Some people here, anxious for the speedy downfall of the papacy which they identify with the overthrow of Antichrist, and the utter prostration of Komanism (I speak of course of euthusiasts of the Doctor Cumming type), think it a great shame that " that dear good blessed man" Bliould be checked in his purpose to drag " the mau of sin " from his throne; but all sensible people think it high time that filibustering expeditions should be discouraged, and that Garibaldi should be deprived of the power of setting Europe in a flame by commencing an attack upon Konie —a city which by some singular idiosyncracy, three-fourths of Christendom look upon with something like veneration and awe, as something sacred—and as being in a manner necessary for the integrity of their religious belief.

. With reference to the state of European politics in general, the PrussiaFrench quarrel is cropping up once more, and causing uneasiness. I ara worry to say a great deal of the bitterness that at present exists between France and Germany is owing, in a great measure, to the caustic and exasperating "circulars" of Count Bismarck, which seem calculated, if not intended, to excite the bitterest animosity amongst Frenchmen of every class, who are only too ready to resent a supposed insult or a covert smer, such as the wily German Diplomatist so well understands how to indulge in. Most persons expect war between the two countries next spring. Preparations on an extensive scale, the laying up of extensive stores of provisions and ammunition, the purchase of horses, and the conversion of rifles have never once ceased in either countr} r , and all these are bad symptoms. There are some slight indications of returning confidence in commercial circles, but by no means marked. The weather has been remarkably fine, all in favour of the harvest, which is well got in by this time, except in the Northern districts. We are eagerly looking out for aa improvement in the markets, and I think we are not distined to be disappointed.