NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE work of reaction in the larger half of Europe is complete. Or rather, the ebb of the spring-tide of Liberalism of 1848 leaves ex- posed to -view a greater extent of shoals and sandbanks of Abso- 11166n-than were visible before. The Imperial rescripts, declaring the future constitution and mode of action of the Austrian Cabinet -and Council of State, published at Vienna on the 26th of August, go far beyond Metternich ; they speak the plain language of Rus- sian autocricy. Henceforth, throughout all the dominions of the Austrian crown, there is to be but one will, one source of law—the Emperor. The highest ministers of state are to swear "uncon- ditional fidelity" to him, and engage to fulfil "all Imperial ordi- nances and resolutions." In these rescripts, even the recognition of a supreme Divine power, with which the Holy Alliance sought to cloak its arrogance, is omitted; the man, the Emperor, is declared to be all in all. In the Austrian as in the Russian empire, there is only one man; all the rest are his puppets.
In Prussia, it is little better. The King, by resuscitating the Provincial Diets, virtually declared himself to be the sole legisla- tive authority-. The elections of those Diets have been a mere form ; everywhere the Government nominees have been returned by ludicrously small minorities of the electors, the majorities re- fusing to take any part in the proceedings. But the humiliation of Prussia does not stop there: the King, who so lately aspired to be Emperor of Germany, has sunk into a satellite of Austria. At Frankfort, and at Copenhagen, his Ministers implicitly follow the lead of those of Austria; and himself, after taking sweet counsel with Prince Metternich at Johannisberg, has proceeded to do homage in person to his suzerain at Saltzburg and Ischl. Conferences, too, have been held between the subordinate Ger- man Princes of Prussia, Bavaria, and Wurtemberg, and between each of these and the Emperor of Austria. The German people are as completely tamed as their princes. Their unwonted viva- city in 1848 has fatigued them beyond measure ; they have re- lapsed into their natural indolence ; and, if one were to judge by their present mood, it might be opined that they will go on to smoke, dream, mutter, and obey as formerly, for the next half century. The East and North of Europe being thus secured, the Autocrats are preparing to extend their operations to Italy. A Congress is about to be held at Verona, to reconsolidate the authority of the Italian Princes under the shadow of the wings of the double eagle. An Italian Customs Union is to be formed; that is, a cordon of Austrian soldiers, in the dress of douaniers, is to be drawn round the frontiers of Piedmont.
In all these movements there is no mention of France ; yet it is not to be doubted that France is never for a moment absent from the thoughts of the two Autocrats of Russia and Austria with their vassal Princes. France is still in their eyes the centre of the revo- lutionary vortex. Taught by experience, they will not again at- tempt to arrest a French revolution by armies ; but by the steps they are now taking in Italy and Germany, they probably con- template the triple object of taking securities against Democracy in their own dominions, discouraging it in France, and influ- encing the solution of the perplexing problems of May 1852.
- Meanwhile, the indomitable perseverance of the exiled French Revolutionists, in their strugglea to replace their party in the ascendant, disposes the existing authorities in France to throw themselves into the scale of the Absolute Monarchs. Or the French Government desires to 'Sake it appear that such is the case. So much may be inferred from the fact that a number of persons have been arrested in Paris, as being agents of Mazzini,
dru-Rollin, and the German Republicans : whether these arrests have been warranted by rash and premature plots among the exiles, or are merely the results of conspiracies hatched under the auspices of the Police, may be made known hereafter.
