- The inftlden and tineipected*death'of Prince Schwarzenberg, the'
Austrian Prime Minister, may affect the position and prospects of Austria more materially than the demise of a sovereign. Born about the beginning of,the ,century, and early initiated both Ante a military and a diploma* career, the Prince evinced lifitle either of taste or talent for pub* business before 1848. lie was scarcely known except as a profuse, daring, unsorupulous voluptuary. The revolution of 1848, by calling into play the antagonism of his haughty and fearless spirit, first showed the powers that were latent in him. Until he was placed at the helm, the revolution was triumphant: he was the first to check it, to restore the au- thority of the Government at home and its influence in Germany. It is true, that neither among the domestic Liberals nor among the rival Cabinets did he find opponents of commanding talent; but, such as they were, they had neutralized the efforts of the Arch- duchess Sophia and her eamarilla until Schwarzenberg came to her aid. His plans were stamped by the characteristic coarseness, vio- lence, and profligacy of the man ; but they were effective. It may be doubted whether Austria possesses a statesman with enough of energy to carry out his policy, the only policy of which its govern- ment is capable. Sehwarzenberg, too, though he called in the -Russian aid-, was able to keep the demands of those foreign auxili- aries within bounds; they may be more exacting from his feebler successors.
