The London Conference

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 14, 1867

The London Conference.

This Congress of the diplomatic representatives of the great Powers of Europe—among which on this occasion are included Italy and Belgium—commenced its sessions on Tuesday last. The original date of its meeting was May 15th, but this was subsequently changed to May 12th, and ultimately to May 7th. It was generally understood that Lord Stanley, the British Secretary of Foreign Affairs, would preside, but as to whether this was the fact or not, the telegraph has, as yet, made no announcement. It is probable, however, that this honor was allotted to him, as Great Britain is the nation to whom peace is now specially important, and to whom the duty of pacification has been by unanimous consent assigned. There can be but little doubt that the Congress will temporarily settle the Luxemburg question, either by neutralizing the Duchy, or by annexing it to Belgium, and thus destroying its character as a bone of contention between France and Prussia. That it will insure years of peace for Europe is not so certain. Luxemburg has been but the pretext, and not the actual cause of the present quarrel. There are sources of hostility that neither Congresses nor diplomacy can remove. The recent aggrandizement of Prussia, the loss of supremacy in Northern Europe by France, the rival ambition of Bismarck and Napoleon, the memories of past struggles between the Governments of Berlin and Paris—these are the dragon’s teeth that have been plentifully sown, and from which a crop of battling armies will assuredly be reaped sooner or later.—Det. Trib.

“Intemperance.—The N. Y. Independent of May 2, 1867, says: In spite of the awful logic of experience, and in defiance of prohibitory statutes, intemperance is more prevalent in the United States to-day than it has ever been at any former period.”