THE CONFERENCES at Vienna having failed to settle the Eastern difficulties, the Western Powers at last begin to think of a revision of the Danish Treaty of the 5th of May, 1852, which gives the succession of the Danish crown eventually to the Czar. This new scheme is nothing but a new dodge, in order to divert public attention from the Crimean campaign. Austria will remain neutral, and will not draw the sword against Russia. Her treacherous alliance with the Western Powers has done better service to the Czar than her own hostility against England and France could have done.
The public is little satisfied with the events before Sevastopol. The bombardment has scarcely advanced the operations of the Allies. The last dispatches of Prince Gorchakoff tell us entirely a different tale from the contents of those of Gen. Canrobert, and Lord Raglan is silent about the bombardment and gives scarcely anything else than his meteorological observations about bad weather and fine. Still, Lord Raglan and Gen. Canrobert are not removed from their command, though their want of military capacity is evident to everybody.
Lord John Russell and Drouyn de L'Huys have left the Austrian capital, and their departure caused a panic on the exchange of Vienna. Still the hopes of a peaceful settlement revived once more. Russian counter propositions arrived from St. Petersburg at a late hour, but they proved utterly unacceptable, and accordingly The Times once more sounds the war trumpet. The public is indignant about Austria, since it cannot be doubted that Francis Joseph will never draw his sword against the Czar.
The Allies, sending their troops to Turkey, have not done any harm to Russia, but under the cover of friendship and co-operation, they are about to destroy the independence of Turkey, and to treat her as a conquered enemy.
Great uneasiness prevails both at Paris and London about the policy of Austria. Since there are now scarcely any hopes entertained for a successful termination of the Conferences, the position of Austria begins to be more important. It was in order to get her co-operation that the campaign was transferred to the Crimea, and now it seems that the chivalrous Emperor is anxious to back out; and, as I have often foretold, it is not his intention to take the offensive against Russia.
Spain, which has scarcely got out of her troubles with the United States, has fallen again into hot water. It is now England with whom she is in difficulties.
In Tuscany and in Piedmont, some acts of intolerance have again been perpetrated by the authorities. A poor man has been imprisoned in Florence for reading the Bible, and possessing two copies of it; and in Piedmont the trunks of English tourists are again regularly searched to see whether religious tracts or copies of the Scriptures are imported among the luggage. It is the re-action of the Roman Catholic Church against the American Know-Nothing movement. That movement drives the Roman clergy mad. The Know-Nothing may soon get a response here in England. The Maynooth Grant will probably once more excite the Protestant Tory members in Parliament, and give rise to protracted and very serious difficulties.
Persia is assembling an army, and is to form a great camp at Sultanieh, in the interest of Turkey and of the Allies.