In Continental politics, we perceive that there is a grand
com- motion going on; and some of the outward signs are portentous indeed. The outbreak at Milan is followed by assurances that it was nothing more than a paltry riot of a few brigands, outcasts of society ; and that the people of Milan feel the utmost relief at the rescue. Yet Marshal Radetzky thinks it necessary to follow up the suppression of the outbreak with a proclamation requiring the Milanese to pay a heavy contribution, every Wednesday, to be continued till further orders,.—warning them, that if they sing, -whistle, or come together in the streets, the soldiers may shoot them ; and Count Gyulai tells the Milanese notables, face to face, that they received the Emperor ill, and that he himself had not seen them before ; thus declaring to the world, that the Milanese stand aloof from their Government, and must be coerced by the most iron oppression. The attempt to assassinate the Emperor of Austria is another of the troubled portents. The accounts represent the assassin as a reckless boaster, but we must remember that the Austrian accounts are systematically coloured ; and they do not ap- pear to have wrested any confessions from the culprit. The Em- peror is not seriously hurt. While Austria and Prussia have just concluded the commercial treaty that indicates a rapprochement between those important states—while the Montenegrins and Turks have broken the truce imposed upon both by Austria—while the Austrian Ambassa- dor is leaving Constantinople—while diplomatists from St. Peters- burg, M. Menschikoff and M. Demetri de Nesselrode are in the Turkish capital urging negotiation upon the Sultan—rumours are thrown out, here and there, that Turkeyin Europe is about to undergo " partition " ; and papers in the Times, with a sort of official tone about them, east sidelong glances at such a result as being upon the cards. Lord 3-ohn Rus- sell has said that the British and French Governments are in the closest amity, and are taking counsel together on the state of Eu- rope • and the fact that France has waived her pretension to the custody of the HolyPlaces, at the instance of Lord Tohnhimself, may be taken as a gage of that amity. It is supposed that the two Govern- ments are acting together in the East ; but what effect their joint action may have is not explained. A systematic veil is thrown over all the movements of which we have enumerated the portents ; but this triple fact is certain—that a partition of Tur- key would be against the interest both of France and England; that Turkey in Europe is not prepared for an independent reor- ganization on a Christian instead of a Mussulman basis ; and that the interest both of France and Turkey, therefore, lies in the maintenance of the status quo.
13thatto
Previous page
