up; so that the enemy was compelled to burn a fine frigate, named the John Adams, and to leave the whole district, from that bay to the Penobscot river, in possession of the English. In consequence of the alarm thus created, measures were taken for defensive preparations; and it was proposed to congress, that the military establishment, amounting to 62,448 men, should be preserved and rendered complete; while an additional permanent force of 40,000 was raised to defend the cities and frontiers. A bill was accordingly introduced, providing, that all the white male inhabitants of the United States, between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, should be distributed into classes of twenty-five in each; every class furnishing one able-bodied man to serve during the war; and the property in each division. being taken as nearly equal as possible: but any five men liable to service, who should join to furnish one soldier, were to be exempted from the operation of this law. CHAP. LV. 1814. ENG. VI. M CHAP. 1815. Meeting of the congress of Vienna. CHAPTER LVI. GEORGE III. (CONTINUED.)-1815. Arrangements made by the congress of Vienna-Views respect- FROM the close connexion of Great Britain, and her powerful influence, with other states, it becomes necessary to take a more enlarged view of the acts of a congress, which, for the magnitude and variety of interests it undertook to settle, is unexampled in the annals of history. Much remained to be done for the restoration of that political system which had suffered so total a dislocation; and for the adjustment of that balance of power, which had been so intirely overthrown: but matters were facilitated by a general coincidence of opinion LVI. 1815. among the delegates, regarding the principal points CHAP. to be discussed; such as the maintenance of the French monarchy in its existing integrity, with the restoration of the Austrian and Prussian dominions, according to the terms of a treaty already agreed on much also was expected from the personal character and mutual friendship of the monarchs present, as well as from the talents and practical experience of many among their ministers : still there existed serious obstacles to a final settlement; not the least of which were the arrangements regarding Saxony and Poland, as well as the political and territorial relations of the Germanic states: fears were entertained, and not without cause, that discussion might be interrupted, or negotiations broken off, by the tenacious purposes of selfish policy but it happened by a singular fatality that an event occurred in the midst of these deliberations, which hastened them to a conclusion by overpowering the voice of individual interest. The man of destiny,' says professor Heeren, was again to make his appearance, to confirm that which he was anxious to destroy:' unmindful however at present of this interruption, let us proceed to notice the principal arrangements made for restoring the political system of Europe on the basis of legitimate monarchy. 6 ments. There was scarcely a power, whose territorial Continentrelations were not in a distracted state; and nothing al arrangebut the reduction of France to her ancient limits could have rendered adjustment possible: yet a complete restoration was not to be effected without much hardship, and some injustice. The number of souls and square miles, as well as the amount of revenue, was generally taken as a criterion, and not intirely without reason; though it too often became the sole criterion; the difficulty of establishing a general epoch was avoided by the adoption of a different one for each of the three powers most concerned with France it preceded 1792; CHAP. with Austria it was the year 1805; and with Prus+ sia 1806. LVI. Germany, that ancient fulcrum on which the balance of power rested, and whose fate is so intimately connected with the interests of Europe, naturally claims our first attention. What an aspect did this chaotic mass now present, torn and dismembered on all sides; with its rights of possession every where altered and uncertain! The necessity of rendering the union of its states as perfect as possible, appeared evident to every unprejudiced observer, and was also loudly demanded by the public voice but as the transformation of all into one state would have been adverse both to German improvement and European liberty, a federative union of independent powers, according to an idea started at the first treaty of Paris, was now proposed; and to forward this measure, a German commission was appointed, consisting of the plenipotentiaries of Austria, Prussia, Hanover, Bavaria, and Wurtemburg: thirteen sessions, however, fruitlessly employed, made it manifest that no agreement could be expected, while Bavaria and Wurtemburg presented so many objections: besides, the other German states and free cities entered into a counter-alliance, to oppose any decision of the commission made without their assent. hope,' says Heeren, of the execution of this scheme was on the point of vanishing, when a higher destiny, confirming the tardy resolutions of the princes by an appeal to their fears, stepped in to its assistance.' A general deliberation was first held in May and June; and the act of union was signed on the eighth of the latter month; by which the sovereign princes and free cities of Germany entered into a perpetual league, called the Germanic Confederation, with a federative diet, to be held at Frankfort on the Maine. Though the connecting bond was drawn less tightly than was desired by some of the most powerful parties, yet it 'All CHAP. LVI. was hoped that time would render the body more compact, as the necessity of cohesion might be felt to secure internal tranquillity, with independ- 1815. ence regarding other countries, as well as to maintain political equality among all the members of this union, were the objects proposed and settled.17 The territorial arrangements in Germany were closely connected with the restoration of its two greatest monarchies; and as this concerned all Europe, the five leading powers which had concluded the peace of Paris now formed a closer combination, under the presidency of prince Metternich, into which the ministers of Spain, Portugal, and Sweden were admitted in particular cases. The restoration of the Austrian monarchy was effected, chiefly by means of the dissolved kingdom of Italy, and of the reconquered Illyrian provinces; but in part by the return of cessions which had been made to Bavaria 18 and Russia: with these acquisitions it contained 28,000,000 inhabitants, of which about 10,000,000 belonged to the German confederation; the rest being Hungarians, Italians, Illyrians, and Poles; a union of nations and states under a common sovereign, but without a common constitution. A restoration of the Prussian monarchy, according to its statistical relations previous to 1806, was thought requisite by all the powers: yet so grievously had this state been mangled, that to effect it completely was impossible: Anspach and Baireuth could not be restored, on account of their situation, 17 The constitution of the Germanic confederation was perfected in the conferences at Vienna, during the years 1819 and 1820, when a supplementary act of sixty-five articles was added to it. 18 1. In Italy, all the countries between the Tesino, Po, and Adriatic sea, with the Valtelin and Chiavenna, and the part of Mantua south of the Po, were elevated into a Lombardo-Venetian kingdom: the family also acquired the three secundo-genitures, Tuscany, Modena, and Parma, with Piacenza. 2. The Illyrian provinces were elevated into a kingdom. 3 Austria acquired what was formerly Venetian Dalmatia, with Ragusa, and the islands as far as Cattaro. 4. By compacts with Bavaria, the Tyrol, and Salzburg as far as the Salza: also those portions of the Innviertel and Hausruckviertel ceded in 1809. 5. From Russia she recovered the district ceded in East Gallicia. See Heeren, vol. ii. p. 412. |