THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1967.

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 160, 22 January 1867, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1967.

The intelligence from Europe and America brought by the last mail is not without interest, although not so fertile in startling occurrences. The political world of Germany appears to hava subsided from its recent state of agitation into one of reconciliation to existing circumstances. The people of the annexed States, after making a decent display of loyalty to their old institutions by formal protests have however quietly accepted the neAv order of things. The only individuals who cannot so easily resign themselves to their fate are the dispossessed kings, princes, and grand dukes, whose petty authority is now gone for ever. One cannot but feel some sympathy with such sovereigns as the King of Hanover, whose throne was one of the oldest institutions in Germany ; but avp cannot forget that Hanover has been wretchedly governed for years, nor that the change of rule will in every Avay be beneficialThere cannot be a doubt that the supremacy of Prussia will result in general advantage to Germany — a nation which now presents almost a solid front to the world, instead of being as heretofore made up of a number of petty and heterogenous states. Austria? beaten and humbled, has, Aye are told, devoted herself to more thoroughly conciliating Hungary. She has made so many advances in the scale of liberal constitutionalism of late years that it is not at all impossible that Austria will ultimately be able to fuse her Himgarion subjects into perfect uuion aa ibh herself. The liberal policy of Austria towards Hungary has done much of late years to improve the relations between the tAvo nations, and as material prosperity has followed the establishment of political order, the extreme national party will nob find it so easy as it was in '48 to raise the standard of rebellion. We hear little about Italy, excepting that the prime minister, Ricasoli, has repudiated the idea that Italy intends interfering with the temporal pcAVjr of the Pope ; but on the other hand he as emphatically declares that no encroachment of foreigners across the Italian frontier will be permitted-^-thus clearly prohibiting foreign aid to His Holiness,

whose fall from his temporal throne it is considered will follow the removal of the props which have sustained him. France furnishes us Avith very little matter for comment ; the maintenance of friendly relations with England is a characteristic of Napoleon's policy, indeed it does not require any deep study of the history of Continental politics to see that alliance Avith Great Britain is the strongest security for France. The failure of the Emperor's dream of a Latin Empire in America is completeHis unfortunate protegee Maximillian has fairly broken down in his efforts to conciliate orcoercehisMexican subjects, and has formally renounced the throne which to him. has. been anything but a bed of roses. We are told that Napoleon fully recognises his Mexican mistake, and out of deference to the United States Government will withdraw from oil further interference. As a natural corollary of the strong protests made by the United States against the French occupation of Mexico, we learn that the American Government will assume 1 the protectorate of Mexico. This of course is only a mild way of saying that the Americans will annex the territory they profess to " protect." It is to be hoped they Avillj for we can imagine nothing better calculated to restore peace and order to that distracted hotbed of revolution, and to devclope its stupendous resources, as its incorporation by. the United States. It is not too much to say that ten years of American rule in Mexico avouUl place that country in the foremost rank of nations. Turning to the 'United States themselves it is a relief to find that the political turbulence consequent on the Congressional elections has moderated, and that the hostile attitude mutually assumed by the President and the Congress ha s relaxed. It is' to be hoped that with the decreasing excitement the domestic relations of the country Avill improve; and that the wonderful progress of the nation Avill not again be stayed by the disasters of civil Avar. The wonderful elasticity of the resources of the country isjehown by ]M&jK^ that the finauce i revenue over expenditure of one him. drcd and fifty-eight million dollars. It is consolatory to know that the disputed Alabama claims are being discussed in a friendly spirit by both England and America. At Home public attention appears to be divided between the Reform, movement aud the Fenian con.spiracy. The former is spreading and increasing in strength to a degree which offers little security for the maintenance in power of the most liberal of Tory ministries. Mr Disraeli is said to be devoting himself to the preparation of a Reform Bill which shall meet all parties but feAV can expect it will result iv anything but the expulsion of the Derby ministry from office. The Fenian conspiracy has assumed a shape Avhich has rendered it necessary for the Government to adopt stringent measures. The large reinforcements sent to Ireland, and the proclamation of martial laAv in the County of Limerick, show the determination of the authorities co put doAvn any overt acts of rebellion with the strong hand. It appears to be more than probable that the Fenian leaders in America Avill fulfil their rash promise of endeavoring to make a descent on the Irish shores ; and perhaps it would be as well for everybody that they should be permitted to make the attempt. It would prove more than any other argument the supremacy of the. folly which has induced the Fenians to believe themselves able to destroy the integrity of the United Kingdom. One item of tho telegraphic news is very satisfactory — viz., that confidence in this colony has so much improved as to cause a demand for its securities.