BONAPARTE'S OPINION OF RUSSIA.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XIV, Issue 66, 14 November 1855, Page 2

BONAPARTE'S OPINION OF RUSSIA.

The " Memoirs of the Emperor Napoleon," by Las Casas, contain some paragraphs of the sayings of this great general, which are exceedingly apropos to the present time. Speaking of his expedition to Moscow, he says : " If I die here, the Emperor of Russia will* be my real heir in Europe. I alone was able to stop him with his deluge of Tartars. The crisis is great, and will have lasting effects upon the continent of Europe, especially upon Constantinople ; he was solicitous with me for the possession of it. I have had much coaxing upon this subject ; but I constantly turned a deaf ear to it. It was necessary that that empire, shattered as it appeared, should constantly remain a point of separation between us ; it was the marsh that prevented my right from being turned:" — 4th vol., page 400. On another occasion the Emperor said — " I might have shared with Russia the possession of the Turkish empire. We had oftener than once contemplated the idea, but Constantinople was always the obstacle that opposed its execution. The Turkish capital was the grand stumbling-block between us. Russia wanted it, and I could not resign it. Constantinople is worth an empire itself. It is the real keystone of power, for he who possesses it may rule the world." — 2nd vol., page 107. The Emperor conversed a great deal about the interior of Russia, of the prosperity of which, he said, we had no idea.— -3rd vol., pages 165-166.

The Emperor next adverted to what he called the admirable situation of Russia against the rest of Europe, to the immense mass she possessed for invasion. He represented that power as seated beneath the pole, and backed by eternal bulwarks of ice, which, in case of need, would render her inaccessible. Russia, he said, could only be attacked during on&third or fourth of the year ; while, on the contrary, she had the whole year — the whole twelve months to act against us ; her assailants would encounter the rigours and privations of a frigid climate and a barren soil, while her troops, pouring down upon us, would enjoy the fertility and charms of our southern regions. To these physical circumstances, continued the Emperor, may be added the advantage of an immense population, brave, hardy, devoted, and passive, including those numerous uncivilized hordes to whom privation and wandering are the natural state of existence. "Who can avoid shuddering," said he, "at the thought of such ft vast mass, unassailable either on the flanks or in the rear, descending upon us with impunity ; if triumphant, overwhelming everything in its course ; or, if defeated, retiring amidst the cold and desolation that may be called its reserve in case of defeat, and possessing every facility for issuing forth again at a future opportunity. Is not this the head of the Hydra, the Anteeus of fable, which can only be subdued by grappling it bodily, and stifling it in one's arms f But where is the Hercules to be found? France alone could think of such an achievement, and it must be confessed we made but an awkward attempt at it." The Emperor was of opinion that, in the new political combination of Europe, the fate of that portion of the world depended entirely on the capacity and disposition of a single man. "Should there arise," Bald he, "an Emperor of Russia, valiant, impetuous, and intelligent — in a word, a Czar with a beard on his chin — [this he pronounced very emphatically] Europe is his own. He may commence his operations on the German territory, one hundred leagues from the two capitals, Berlin and Vienna, whose sovereigns are his only obstacles. He secures the alliance of one by force, and with his aid subdues the other at a single stroke. He then finds himself in the heart of Germany, amidst the princes of the second rank, most of whom are either his relations or dependents. Meanwhile, he may, should he think it necessary, throw a few firebrands on the Alps, on the soil of Italy, ripe for explosion, and he may then march triumphantly to Paris to proclaim himself the new Liberator. I know if I were in such a situation I would undertake to reach Calais in a given time, and by regular marching stations, there to become the master and arbiter of

Europe." Then, after a few moments' silence, he added — "Perhaps, my dear Las Casas, you may be tempted to say, as the minister of Pyrrhus said to his master — and, after all, to what purpose ? My answer is, to establish a new state of society, and to avert great misfortunes. This is a blessing Europe expects and solicits. The old system is ended and the new one is not consolidated, and will not be so until after long and furiow convulsions."

The Emperor was again silent, and after measuring with bis compasses the distances on the map, observed that Constantinople was, from its situation, calculated to be the centre and seat of universal dominion.— 4th vol., page 74.