It would appear that in France the preparations must be
on an equal scale, at least, though there is not the same machinery for securing to the public such daily knowledge of the details. The French contingent is now expected to exceed 40,000 men ; and the idea of giving the chief command to Prince Napoleon, if ever it was seriously entertained, has been judiciously abandoned.
But the activity of the Government is not limited to getting ready the military force. While the Emperor Napoleon receives a refusal from the Czar to entertain any new negotiations, he is casting about to ascertain or strengthen the alliances of the West- ern Powers. A neat and skilfully-composed despatch by M. Dronyn de Lhuys conveys to the Courts of Saxony and Saxe Coburg the friendly assurances of the French Emperor, with a voucher from him of the loyal conduct of all branches of the Coburg family,—including, of course, the Duke, the Saxon King, and the Belgian King, whose reported overtures to separate France from England are expressly denied. This note tells many ways,—as- snring Germany against hostile intentions in France ; tearing away the mysterious veil which lent to Russia any advantage de- rivable from the supposed connivance of King Leopold ; and sug- gesting the expediency of consolidating the European League, against the extremes of arbitrary encroachment and internal anarchy.
This note cannot be regarded separately from the official paper in the Moniteur, declaring that the French and Austrian flags, united in the East, cannot be severed on the Alps. This is a sug- gestive warning to the conspirators in Greece and the Republicans m Italy; but it also suggests to Austria, and to those Governments in Italy or Germany which take their cue from Austria, what might be the altered course of France if the flags were severed by the act of the Government at Vienna. Unauthenticated but pro- bable reports represent that England and France are as much united on Italian as on Turkish ground ; a circumstance that may help to account for the positive manner in which Austria seems preparing to sustain the alliance by a collateral support on the Turkish frontier.
Previous page
