THE GREAT CONGRESSES OF EUROPE.
(Concluded from p. 386.)
THE CONGRESS OF VIENNA.
Napoleon being driven to a little island in the Mediterranean, and Louis XVIII. having made his solemn entry into Paris on the 3rd of May, 1814, there followed on the last day of the same month the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which was to serve as a basis for the arrangement of the affairs of Europe. In the 32nd Article of this Treaty, provisions were made for the opening of a Congress at Vienna in the course of the same year, and by further verbal arrangement the opening of the Assembly was fixed for the 1st of November. But so great was the attention with which the whole of Europe regarded this coming meeting of Kings, Princes, and Ambassadors, that the great diplomatic pilgrimage to Vienna began as early as the middle of August, and by the beginning of September the town was so crowded with high and distinguished visitors, that many of them were compelled to reside miles away from it, if not to take up their lodgings in a garret. The great monarchs themselves arrived before the appointed time, for already on the 25th of October Czar Alexander and Frederick William of Prussia made their solemn entry into Vienna, followed by a train of kings, in the persons of the monarchs of Bavaria, of Würtemberg, and Denmark, and a legion of ambassadors, envoys, and representatives of great and little European powers. England sent her Foreign Minister, Lord Castlereagh, his brother, Sir Charles, and Lord Clancarty; France gave Prince Talleyrand, Dolberg, Noailles, and Bernardier; Spain despatched Don Labrodar: Portugal, Prince Palmella; the Netherlands, Herr von Gagern; Denmark, Count Bernstorf; Sweden, the Baron of Lowenheim; Hanover, Count Munster; and Rome, Cardinal Gonsalvi. The King of Prussia brought with him Wilhelm von Humboldt and Prince Hardenberg; and the Czar of all the Russias was accompanied by Counts Rusmovsky, Stakelberg, and Nesselrode, besides a host of minor statesmen. The honours of the presidency of this august assembly of diplomatists fell upon Prince Metternich, one of whose first acts was a proclamation announcing a verification of credentials of all the commissioners present. The result of this so-called verification, which was in reality a secret diplomatic move, was the non-admittance to the Congress of the envoys of King Murat of Naples, the Republic of Genoa, the King of Saxony, and the—by command of Bonaparte—annihilated order of the Knights of St. John. By a further proclamation of the president, the division of labour was ordered to be arranged as follows. The five great Powers,—Austria, England, France, Prussia, and Russia,—were to take in hand the general European concerns, which were to be discussed in separate conferences, aside of the particular committee which had to occupy itself with the affairs of Germany. To the latter were admitted not only the German States, but the representatives of Spain, Portugal, and Sweden, the latter to act as umpires. Next to these two principal divisions for executing the labours of the Congress came the following eight committees, which were to hold sittings whenever time allowed it. A committee for forming a plan of a German constitution; one for the affairs of Switzerland; one for statistical purposes, and to prepare tables of the extent and population of countries and provinces to be transferred or exchanged; one on the Negro question; one on the liberty of navigation of rivers; one for determining the future rank of European powers; one on the affairs of Tuscany, in regard to the Queen of Etruria; and, lastly, one on the affairs of Genoa. The proposal of the Spanish ambassador, to constitute one more separate committee for the affairs of Italy in general, met with an immediate refusal from Prince Metternich. All this being arranged, the real work of the Congress began—or, at least, was supposed to begin.
For, during the first two or three months, there was no real business of any kind even attempted, all the more important members of the great meeting being intent only on amusing themselves as much as possible. Through the liberality of the Kaiser, or rather his alter ego, Prince Metternich, not merely all the envoys and their numerous suites, but the whole of the hangers-on in the train of princes and diplomatists, were entertained at the expense of the Government, and this army of idlers naturally tried to prolong such delicious state of things to the remotest period by abstaining as much as possible from any sort of business. And even after the conferences had really begun, there were endless interruptions to them by balls, soirées, theatrical representations, and other entertainments, all fully attended by the three great monarchs and their immense train of followers. In the first months of 1815, masked balls in particular became both numerous and highly fashionable. At these fêtes, Czar Alexander, Kaiser Francis, and King Frederick William, were wont to set an example to gaiety by appearing in plain dress, civil or military, and mingling with the crowd like the humblest of their attendants. At other times, however, the same exalted personages and their friends did not despise a domino, or other mark, thus assuming an incognito, which was far from existing in reality. The figures most easily recognised in these masquerades were, according to Capefigue,[1] the colossal King of Würtemberg, who paid court to the Duchess of Oldenburg, sister of the Czar, and Christian of Denmark, remarkable for his coarse jocularity. Talleyrand was the Mephistopheles of most of these entertainments, and amid all his labours found time to amuse his new master at the Tuileries with descriptions of the various costumes, manners, gallant intrigues, and other adventures of the august and high personages. There was no lack of fair and noble damsels at any of these fêtes, and no want of high-born admirers; but the palm of all the beauties was carried by a lady neither beautiful nor noble, Madame Krüdener, the prophetess of the Assembly. She was the great favourite of the Czar, who, while others would look for partners, and waltz and whirl around in the gilded saloons of the Imperial Hofburg, preferred withdrawing into a corner to gaze into the melancholy eyes of the fair Scandi-- ↑ Histoire de la Restauration.
