This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1861 Excerpt: ...now a kingdom is divided against itself. When states were units and fought against each other, we had obvious interests or traditional maxims which determined with which belligerents we should sympathise or side; but when despotic courts and governments, with which we were in amity, were rebelled against and perhaps ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1861 Excerpt: ...now a kingdom is divided against itself. When states were units and fought against each other, we had obvious interests or traditional maxims which determined with which belligerents we should sympathise or side; but when despotic courts and governments, with which we were in amity, were rebelled against and perhaps expelled by insurgent citizens, whose free aspirations and constitutional designs we could not but approve and wish success to, the old principles of policy were no longer adequate or applicable. Yet it is clear to every understanding, that under no circumstances are distinct and settled principles of policy more absolutely indispensable to enable us to steer a worthy and honourable course, than amidst such a series of complications as the revolutionary element has introduced into the commonwealth of nations. Again, the very multiplication of powerful states--the rise of some and the decay of others--has done much to confuse and perplex the old international relations of England, and to call for a revision of our hereditary maxims. In the last century we had scarcely to think much of any powers except France, Spain, and Austria. Now Spain has ceased to be either formidable or influential; Austria--apparently in extremis--has long, at least as a European empire, been living on the reputation of the past; the weakness of Turkey has become a far greater peril than her greatness ever was, even in her days of conquest; Prussia and Russia have grown into powers of the first magnitude, and the latter has, for at least a generation, given us almost more anxiety than France; while in the western hemisphere a mighty nation has arisen which threatened to give us more trouble and annoyance than any European state, and, in fact, for thirty years has kept us ...
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