Hawke's Bay Herald FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1870. THE EUROPEAN SITUATION.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 15, Issue 2016, 23 December 1870, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1870. THE EUROPEAN SITUATION.

When once the balance of power gets kicked off its sacred pivot, as Sauerteig expresses it, uo mortal cau tell when it will get ou to it again. When once any portion of the complicated machinery of European politics gets out of gear, the defect soon re-acts on every other portion, and the result is, inextricable entanglements and thundrous

clash iugs, as astounding to the original delinquent as to the rest of the world. The story of the; contemplated Busso-Prussian alliance savours, no doubt, more or less of the canard, On the one hand, not to speak of the sacrifice of the Hohenzollern Prince of Roumania, which the extension of the Russian power in the south of Europe would involve, Prussia, weighing her proposed ally in the balance, against the antagonists whom the conclusion of such an alliance wpuld call into existeuce, could hardly fail to find him wauting. Austria herself, it is generally estimated, would be quite a match for Russia in the field. She could bring a larger army into any field where there is any chance of the struggle beiug brought to an issue ; her civilization is more advanced, and success in war now bears a tolerably exact proportion to advancement in civilization. Her ' difficulties have hitherto been mainly of a financial nature, and an alliance: with Great Britain would naturally tend to their solution. England is still a match for any other two powers -on the sea, and would be able, singlebanded, to destroy the Russian and Prussian fleets put together. There would be the Italians besides, and one might reckon almost with certainty on the Danes and the Scandinavian Powers, who live in chronic dread of absorption: either- by Russia or Prussia* and would welcome, the opportunity of having a fling at their natural enemies. ; But the strongest reason for believing that Prussia would repudiate such an alliance, is the effect which the new conditions of the contest,, would exert on France. France is,, after all, even alone, still a terribly formidable euemy. After the overwhelming .disaster of Sedan, the Prussian statesmen calculated that France would yield up Alsace and Lorraine without much pressure. France, crushed and broken, heroically refused to do so j and though the Prussians now should storm Paris, is there any reason to believe that France will be more likely to yield uuder the pressure of this second disaster than she was under the pressure of the first ? There certainly is none. France, to be conquered vow, must be conquered piece-meal, every department in detail, and every commune in detail. Iv the last armistice negociations, there is evidence that Bismark was quite sanguine about their being brought to a successful issue ; he offered as good terms as could well have been expected, aud, it is said, would have offered still better, had not the military authorities interfered. His terms were rejected. This, while it should mitigate our condemnation of the severity of Prussia, should increase our admiration for the heroic resolution of the Parisians to let their city be destroyed, before they would yield an inch of their territory, or stone of their fortresses; and is besides an indication that their hopes of ultimately repelling the invader aud wresting again, even Strasburg aud Metz from his iron grip, ..are becoming stronger every day. The late successes of the army of the Loire, so long sneered at, as an army to be foundoujy on paper, but now a formidable reality, have revived the patriotic spirit throughout the South, and crowds are everywhere flocking to the victorious standard of General Aurelles de Paladines. Conceive, at this juncture, what an effect the alliance with England would exert ! Men there are in abundauce, and every day is making soldiers of them. Artillery, breechloaders, ammunition, an infusion of regularly organized troops, in fact everything that England could supply, is all that is wanting. It takes little to restore the elastic spirits of Frenchmen to their wonXed. elan. The Anglo-Austrian alliauce and its immediate results would send them half frantic with delight ; they would be crying a Berlin again, and it would then be the turu of the dispirited aud exhausted Prussians to bear the shock of their impetuous arms. Meanwhile, what could Russia do for the Prussians. She would be so fully occupied iv the east that she would need all and more than all her resources to enable her to hold her own. We may be safe iv concluding that the Prussian statesmeu who have shewn themselves keensighted enough hitherto, will not damage their position by so false a step. What does not savour of the canard, however, but is indeed *au undoubted fact, is the existence of preparations for war on a gigautic scale, in Russia, coupled with a too evident intention on the part of that power to turn them to account. Whether she will give up her aggressive policy on perceiving the decided course which Euglaud, together with the other allied powers, seems to be about to adopt, and whether Eugland will adopt this decided course, and maintain her ground without fliuching, are questious, at present, of unspeakable moment to the world.