The Limit of Peace in Europe.
THERE has been no considerable disturbance of the peace of Europe, since the close of the Franco-German war in 1871, now a little over four years ago—a longer period of exemption from war on the part of all the “great powers,” than has come to pass at any time in the last thirty years. It is a striking fact that the existing general peace in Europe of four years and two months is a peace of longer duration than any since the popular upheavals which had their climax in 1848, when there were insurrections and revolutions from the Mediterranean to the Baltic, and from Paris to the countries bordering on Asia. This was the year of the revolt against Louis Philippe, and of the gallant effort of the Hungarians for independence against the combined forces of Austria and Russia. The latter struggle, during which “Kossuth,” “Georgey,” and “Magyar,” were familiar words on this side of the Atlantic, closed in August, 1849. In four years and one month (September, 1853), Europe saw the beginning of that war in the Crimea, pending which the central figures in the foreign news were “Sebastopol,” the “Malakoff,” “Alma,” “Inkerman,” “Balaclava,” “Canrobert,” “Raglan,” “Pelissier,” “Mentschikoff,” and “Todleben” (the great Russian engineer), from 1853 until April, 1856. This war engaged Russia, France, England, Turkey and Sardinia. Next came the “Italian war,” in April, 1859, after an interval of about three years, in which combatants were France, Austria and Sardinia (then beginning to expand into Italy). This made the reading world familiar with “Solferino” and “Magenta,” the “glory” coming to a sudden termination with the peace of Villa Franca, in July, 1859. Following this, Europe had a year or two of comparative quiet, but, in 1861, the first mutterings of the “Schleswig-Holstein” war were heard, in the preparations of the gallant little kingdom of Denmark to resist the expected attack of Prussia and Austria, which culminated in actual war, in December, 1863, terminating in August, 1864. In less than two years from that date, the short, but deadly war broke out (March 13, 1866) between Austria and allied Prussia and Italy. The central point of “glory” in this war was “Sadowa,” or “Koniggratz,” in July, 1866, which, with the subsequent victorious marches of the Prussians, brought peace in November of the same year. Then there was a lull for a period of less than four years, until the early summer of 1870, when the candidature of a young Hohenzollern prince, for the vacant throne of Spain, ultimately led to the tremendous war between France and united Germany, which opened on the 15th day of July of that year. This war was closed by the treaty of peace of February, 1871. Since then a term of four years and two months has elapsed without a war in Europe, involving any two of the great powers—a longer period of general exemption from war than the Continent has enjoyed for thirty years. Of course, we throw out of this account the internal strife in Spain, and such casual and distant wars as those of Great Britain, on the coast of Africa, and of the Dutch in Acheen, as not falling in with the line of these operations, just as we throw out the French invasions of Mexico in 1862-5, and the terrible war Great Britain encountered in India, in 1857-8. Peace in Europe may now be considered as having reached the maximum limit of its average term of duration, since the universal upheaval of 1848. It is, therefore, not without reason, that the European world was startled by the warlike utterances of the Berlin journal, which the Prussian Government seems to have repudiated. The peace since 1871, has been characterized by the most gigantic armaments Europe has ever seen on the “peace establishment.” The condition of “unrest” and of continual apprehension, is so marked as almost to be felt. Nations are suspicious and jealous—most of them fearful that a war is impending—and this is accompanied by a general belief, that, at least one of them would welcome a plausible pretext for a quarrel.—Christian Statesman.