CHAP. of departing from that bitter spirit of distrust which the XXXIII. violence of parties could alone have created." 1836. 59. legislative measures. The Chamber was so equally balanced between the Nullity of three parties who were represented by these eloquent speakers, that legislative improvement, as in Great Britain, at the same period and from the same cause, was rendered impossible. It was not to be expected that a Ministry which had been brought in by a majority of two in the Chamber, would adventure on any novel or hazardous measures; and as by the French constitution the initiative of all laws rested with the Ministers, and the Opposition could only move amendments, this put an entire stop to legislative changes. The new Premier made a narrow escape from shipwreck, on a personal attack made upon him, in consequence of his having, in his capacity of Minister of the Interior in the former Cabinet, exceeded the credits allotted to him in the budget, particularly in the Madeleine, where the excess was 1,200,000 francs (£50,000), the obelisk in the Champs Elysées, where it was 1,500,000 (£60,000), and the Hotel on the Quai d'Orsay, where it was 2,000,000 (£80,000). It must be confessed these sums were very large, and with a revenue considerably less than the expenditure, and a Chamber passionately set upon economy, they afforded a very fair ground of attack. M. Thiers, accordingly, was very apprehensive of the result, and spoke warmly, and under emotion, in his defence. At length, however, the just pride of the French in their public monuments overcame their love of economy, and March 25. the extra expense was sanctioned. A still more trying question was expected on the proposal of a vote of 2,500,000 francs (£100,000) for secret-service money; but, contrary to expectation, it passed by a majority of 19, 22; Ann. 251 to 99. Sixty of the Gauche voted for it—a strange circumstance, but not unknown in the annals of popular assemblies.1 1 Cap. ix. Hist. xi. 68, 76. The most interesting debate of the session took place XXXIII. 1836. 60. financial on the budget, and most important revelations on the real CHAP. state of the French finances were made by the Finance Minister. From it, it appeared that, although the sums voted since 1830 had always exceeded a thousand mil- Important lion francs (£40,000,000), and in some years had reached statements. 1,400,000,000 (£56,000,000), still, the actual expenditure since that period had exceeded the ordinary income by the enormous sum of 848,842,924 francs, or £34,000,000, being at the rate of nearly 210,000,000 francs, or £8,400,000 a-year!* Certainly, if revolutions are an exciting, and to some a profitable pastime, they are enormously expensive and utterly ruinous to the great majority. It is no wonder, in this state of the finances, that the first anxiety of the Chamber was to reduce the expenditure, and bring it, if possible, to a level with the income. It was evident, from this statement, that the annual exposés made by the Finance Minister had been fallacious; for they had always exhibited a surplus of income, small, indeed, but still a surplus over expenditure. It was by loans and supplementary credits that the requisite funds for this vast extra expenditure had been acquired, and under a new Ministry, these important 1 Ann. Hist. facts, heretofore carefully enveloped in mystery, were 169. revealed.1 xix. 168, of Cracow Powers. wer The first serious foreign negotiation in which M. Thiers 61. was involved related to the occupation of Cracow, and its Occupation little adjacent territory, by the troops of the three allied by the allied Powers of Russia, Austria, and Prussia, which had taken place on the 17th February. This violation of the territory of a State declared independent by the treaty of Vienna (Art. 9) in 1815, made a great sensation in Europe, especially as Cracow was the last remnant of Polish nationality, and the violation of its neutrality was * "Les dépenses pendant les cinq années, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833, 1834, étaient de 848,842,924 francs. Le déficit pour 1835, était 10,000,000, pour 1836, 23,000,000."-Paroles du Ministre des Finances, 18th May 1836; Ann. Hist. xix. 168, 169. XXXIII. 1836. CHAP. effected by the three Powers which had been parties to its partition. The reason assigned was, that Cracow had become the rendezvous of Polish refugees from the adjoining provinces of Lithuania, Gallicia, and Posen, from whence they were hatching plots and conspiracies against the adjoining States. The three Powers had summoned the Senate of Cracow to remove certain persons designed in a note on February 9; and they, being without the means of resistance, had agreed to do so, craving only a delay of a few days for such of the refugees as had become connected by marriage with the inhabitants of Cracow, to remove their effects. To this, however, the allied generals would not agree, their orders being positive to admit of no delay; and on the 17th the Austrians entered, and were followed a few days after by the Russians and Prussians. The militia was immediately disbanded, as being composed for the most part, it was said, of the suspected persons, and the President of the Senate resigned his office, and was replaced by one in the interest of the allied Powers. The whole refugees, so much the object of apprehension to the allied Powers, were immediately expelled by their troops, and the Senate remodelled, so as to be entirely under their influence. This done, the Russian and Prussian troops were withdrawn, leaving only a small body of Austrians to garrison the forts, and prevent the re-entrance of the refugees. This violent proceeding, in direct violation of the treaty of Vienna, which had placed the republic of Cracow under the guarantee of the four great Powers, called forth only a *"Les trois Puissances protectrices de l'Etat libre de Cracovie, ayant en grande partie atteint le but qu'elles s'étaient proposé lorsqu'elles furent contraintes à faire occuper temporairement cet Etat par leurs troupes, pour le délivrer des fuyards Révolutionnaires et d'autres individus dangereux et sans aveu, qui s'y étaient agglomérés, se sont empressées, conformément à leur première Résolution, d'ordonner l'évacuation complète de la ville et du territoire de l'Etat libre de Cracovie, en n'y conservant qu'une petite partie des troupes Autrichiennes, qui sont encore nécessaires au maintien de la sécurité publique, et au service militaire, jusqu'à ce que l'organisation déja commencée de la milice de l'Etat fût achevée."- Manifeste des Trois Puissances, March 17, 1836; CAP. ix. 59, 60. XXXIII. powerful expression of dissatisfaction from the Cabinet CHAP. of St James's, and was in secret approved by that of the Tuileries. 1836. Shortly after, a convention was signed at Constanti- 62. plomatic March 15. nople between the Russians and the Turks, in virtue of Other diwhich it was agreed that, on payment of the last instal- treaties. ment of the sum of 80,000,000 of Turkish piastres (£10,000,000), stipulated by the treaty of 1829, before the 15th August next ensuing, by the Turkish Government, the Russian troops should evacuate Silistria. This was justly regarded as a very important event in the East, as affording an instance, so rare in recent times, of the Muscovite standards receding from what they had once occupied, and the Turkish advancing again to the north of the Danube. At the same time, M. Thiers agreed to pay the proportion belonging to France of the Greek loan of £3,000,000 undertaken by Russia, France, and England, by the treaty of 6th July 1827, and also to defray the debt, so long disputed, due, under the treaty of 4th July 1831, to the United States. By these concessions, which evinced a disposition to be bound by the faith of treaties, and to re-enter the European alliance, M. Thiers gained much with the diplomatists of Europe. The apprehensions which had been awakened by the rise of a Minister from the Centre Gauche were dispelled; and hoping to gain him to their side, the diplomatic body were very assiduous in their attentions, and loaded M. Thiers with those flatteries to which it is well known parvenus are always most accessible. His receptions in the splendid hôtel which he now occupied in Paris were numerous and brilliant; and the diplomatists gratified 1 Cap. ix. his secret vanity by assuring him they reminded them of 59, 60. those of Prince Metternich at Johannisberg.1 It soon appeared that these diplomatic courtesies meant more than appeared on the surface. Inquiry had been made at the Courts of Berlin and Vienna whether a visit from the Dukes of Orléans and Nemours would be XXXIII. 1836. 63. the Dukes and Ne mours to Vienna. CHAP. acceptable, and the answer was in the highest degree satisfactory. The two princes set out accordingly, and were received at both Courts in the most distinguished Journey of manner. Reviews, balls, and fêtes succeeded each other in of Orléans brilliant succession; and the ladies of Vienna, in particular, were charmed with the elegance of the Duke of Orléans' Berlin and manners, and the graces of his person. So favourable was his reception, that it seemed to augur no disinclination for a nearer connection, and a proposal was thought of, on the part of his royal highness, for the Princess MarieTheresa-Isabella, one of the daughters of the Archduke Charles. But this was going a step too far: the Austrian pride showed itself when marriage was proposed. The young Princess could not conceal a partiality for the Duke of Orléans; and her father, who was considered as the head of the Liberal party in Germany, was rather disposed to favour the alliance. But for that very reason it was opposed by Prince Metternich, who dreaded the union of the daughter of a Liberal German Archduke with the heir of a French revolutionary throne. cordingly, the usual means were taken to prevent what was not deemed desirable, without allowing matters to 1 Ann. Hist. Come to an actual proposal, and the two Princes, after xix. 219, having exhausted the splendid hospitalities of Vienna, ix. 64, 74. returned in single blessedness, by the Tyrol and Milan, to Paris.1 220; Cap. 64. Fresh attempt to Ac Whatever disappointment the parties principally concerned might feel at this untoward result, an event assassinate soon occurred which again brought forcibly before the the King by world the precarious tenure of power, and even life, by June 25. the royal family of France, and gave Metternich reason Alibaud. to congratulate himself that he had not, like his predecessor the Duke de Choiseul, been instrumental in placing an Austrian princess on the French throne. As the King was driving out of the courtyard of the Tuileries, at six o'clock on the evening of the 25th June, with the Queen and Madame Adélaide, on his return to Neuilly, |