DIPLOMATIC ESOTERICS.
Prince Kaunitz was in his cabinet. Baron Binder was reading aloud the
secret dispatches which had just come in from the Austrian ambassador at
Berlin, the young Baron van Swieten. Meanwhile, Kaunitz was busy with a
brush of peacock's feathers, dusting the expensive trifles that covered
his escritoire, or polishing its ebony surface with a fine silk
handkerchief which he kept for the purpose. This furbishing of trinkets
and furniture was a private pastime with the all-powerful minister; and
many a personage of rank was made to wait in the anteroom, while he
finished his dusting or rearranged his bijouterie, until it was grouped
to his satisfaction.
The dispatches which were being read were of the highest importance; for
they related to a confidential conversation with the King of Prussia on
the subject of the political apple, at which all were striving for the
largest bite. The King of Prussia, wrote the ambassador, had spoken
jestingly of the partition of Poland. He had bespoken for himself the
district of Netz and Polish Prussia, premising that Dantzic, Thorn, and
Cracow were to be left to Poland.
"Very well arranged," said Kaunitz, with his accustomed sang froid,
while he brightened the jewels of a Sevres inkstand which had been
presented to him by Madame de Pompadour. "Vraiment the naivete of this
Frederick is prodigious. He appropriates the richest and most cultivated
districts of Poland to himself; and then inserts, as an unimportant
clause, the stipulation that Cracow, with its adjacent territory, the
rich salt mines of Wieliczka, shall not belong to Austria."
"Van Swieten would not agree to the arrangement," said Binder, "and he
furthermore declared to the king that such a distribution would be
prejudicial to Austria. He proposed, however, that Austria might be
indemnified by the possession of Bosnia and Servia, which the Porte
should be made to yield."
"What a preposterous fool!" exclaimed Kaunitz. "Who gave him the right
to make such a proposition--"
"Why, your highness, I suppose he thought--"
"He has no right to think," interrupted Kaunitz. "I ask of no employe of
mine to think. My envoys have nothing to do but to work out MY thoughts,
and that without any intervention of their own fancies. It is very
presuming in my little diplomatic agents to think what I have not
thought, and of their own accord to make propositions to foreign courts.
Write and tell him so, Binder, and add, that neither our permanent
peaceful relations with Turkey, nor the sentiments of consideration
which are entertained by the empress for the Porte, will allow of any
attempt to lessen his territory." [Footnote: Wilhelm von Dohm, "Memoirs
of My Time," vol. i., 489.]
"Then you are really in earnest, and intend to be a firm ally of the
Porte?" inquired Binder with astonishment.
"In earnest!" repeated Kaunitz, with a shrug. "You statesman in
swaddling-clothes! You do not know the first principles of your
profession; and yet you have lived with me for thirty years! In
diplomacy there is no such thing as stability of policy. Policy shapes
itself according to circumstances, and changes as they change. The man
who attempted to follow fixed principles in international policy, would
soon find himself and his government on the verge of a precipice."
"And yet there is no statesman in Europe who adheres so closely to his
principles as yourself," exclaimed Binder, with the enthusiasm of true
friendship.
Kaunitz majestically inclined his head. "My principles are these: To
make Austria rich, great, powerful. Austria shall be quoeungue modo, the
first power in Europe; and in after-years the world shall say that the
genius of Kaunitz placed her on the mountain-peaks of her greatness. For
this end, it is indispensable that I remain at the head of European
affairs. Not only Austria, but all Europe, looks to me to guide her
through the storm that is threatening the general peace. I dare not
leave the helm of state to take one hour's rest; for what would become
of the great continental ship if, seeking my own comfort, I were to
retire and yield her fortunes to some unsteady hand? There is no one to
replace me! No one! It is only once in a century that Heaven vouchsafes
a great statesman to the world. This makes me fear for Austria when I
shall have gone from earth and there is no one to succeed me."
[Footnote: The prince's own words. See Swinburne, vol. i., p. 230.]
"May you live many years to rule in Austria!" cried Binder, warmly; "you
are indispensable to her welfare."
"I know it," said Kaunitz, gravely. "But there are aspirants for
political fame in Austria, who would like to lay their awkward hands
upon the web that I weave? No one knows how far the youthful impetuosity
and boundless vanity of such ambition may go. It might lead its
possessor to entertain the insane idea that he could govern Austria
without my guidance."
"You speak of the Emperor Joseph?"
"Yes, I do. He is ambitious, overbearing, and vain. He mistakes his
stupid longings to do good for capacity. He lusts for fame through war
and conquest, and would change every thing in his mother's empire, for
the mere satisfaction of knowing that the change was his own work. Oh,
what would become of Austria if I were not by, to keep him within
bounds? It will task all my genius to steer between the Scylla of a
bigoted, peace-loving empress, and the Charybdis of this reckless
emperor; to reconcile their antagonisms, and overrule their prejudices.
Maria Theresa is for peace and a treaty with the Porte, who has lately
been a good-natured, harmless neighbor--Joseph thirsts for war that he
may enlarge his dominions and parade himself before the world as a
military genius. If his mother were to die to-morrow, he would plunge
headlong into a war with Russia or Turkey, whichever one he might happen
to fancy. I am obliged to hold this prospect forever before his eyes to
keep him quiet. I must also pay my tribute to the whims of the reigning
empress; and if we declare war to pacify Joseph, we must also make it
appear to Maria Theresa that war is inevitable."
"By Heaven, that is a delicate web, indeed!" cried Binder, laughing.
"Yes, and let no presuming hand ever touch a thread of it!" replied
Kaunitz. "I say as much as I have said to you, Binder, because the
greatest minds must sometimes find a vent for their conceptions, and I
trust nobody on earth except you. Now you know what I mean by 'permanent
treaties with the Porte,' and I hope you will not ask any more silly
questions. You ignoramus! that have lived so long with Kaunitz and have
not yet learned to know him!"
"Your highness is beyond the comprehension of ordinary men," said
Binder, with a good-humored smile.
"I believe so," replied Kaunitz, with truthful simplicity; while he
carefully placed his paper, pens, lines, and penknife in the drawer
wherein they belonged.
The door opened, and a servant announced his excellency Osman Pacha,
ambassador of the Ottoman Porte.
"Very well," replied Kaunitz with a nod, "I will see him presently."
"You see," said he to Binder, as the door closed upon the servant, "we
are about to begin in earnest with the Porte. I shall receive him in the
drawing-room. Meanwhile, remain here, for I shall need you again."
He smiled kindly upon his friend, and left the room. Binder looked after
him with tenderest admiration. "He is a very great man," said he to
himself, "and he is right. But for him, Austria would fall to the rank
of a second power. What if he does know it and boast of it? He is a
truthful and candid man. Voild tout."
And he sat down to write to Van Swieten in Berlin to beware of saying
any thing prejudicial to the interests of the Porte.
He had just concluded his letter when Kaunitz returned. His countenance
was beaming with satisfaction and his lips were half parting with a
smile. "Binder," said he, laying a roll of papers on the escritoire,
"here are sugar-plums for the emperor. Can you guess what I have in
these papers?"
"Not a declaration of war from Russia!" exclaimed Binder.
"Hm; something very like it, I assure you. Listen! It is the secret
treaty that our minister at Constantinople, Herr von Thugut, has just
concluded with the Porte. The Sultan has already signed it, and to-day I
shall present it for signature to the empress. She will do it readily;
for although she may not absolutely dote on the infidel, she hates
Russia; and the unbelieving Turk is dearer to her than her Christian
cousin, the Empress Catharine."
"Then, after all, we are the firm allies of Turkey?" said Binder.
The prince gave a shrug, and trifled with the papers he had brought with
him. "We have bound ourselves," said he, reading here and there among
the leaves, "to bring about a peace between Russia and Turkey, by which
the former shall restore to the latter all the provinces which she has
conquered from the Porte; or, if not all, those which are indispensable
to preserve the honor of Turkey intact. We have furthermore bound
ourselves to secure the independence of the Republic of Poland."
"But, prince, that contradicts all your previous understandings with
Prussia and Russia; it contradicts your plans for the partition of
Poland. It will certainly lead to war, for our highness has forgotten
that Prussia and Russia have already agreed, for the soi disant
pacification of Poland, to appropriate the greater part of her provinces
to themselves."
"I beg you to believe, my verdant friend, that I never forget any
thing," said Kaunitz, somewhat haughtily. "I am perfectly au fait to the
Russo-Prussian treaty; but I have not been invited to the banquet, and I
do not intend to go uninvited. When they speak, we will consider their
offers. If they say nothing, we go to war. If they speak, we will allow
ourselves to be persuaded to share the booty which we cannot restore to
its owners. In that way, we are in a manner forced into this coalition,
and the opprobrium of the act falls upon those who devised it, while
Maria Theresa's scruples will be more easily overcome."
"Prince," said Binder, with a sigh, "I give it up. I never will make a
statesman. I listen to your words as to a Delphic oracle, and do not
pretend to understand their ambiguous meaning. I understand, however, do
I not, that we are the allies of the Sultan? Now we thereby do him a
great favor--what does he give in return?"
"Not much, but still something," said Kaunitz, with composure, while his
fingers again turned over the leaves. "The Porte, who, like yourself,
apprehends war with Russia, understands that if Austria is to befriend
him, she must put her army upon a war footing. If Austria is to do this
for the sake of Turkey, Turkey of course must furnish the means. The
Porte then, in the course of the next eight months, will pay us the sum
of twenty thousand purses, each containing five hundred silver piasters.
Four thousand purses will be paid down as soon as the treaty is signed."
[Footnote: Dohm, "Memoirs of My Time," vol. i., p. 471.]
"Ten millions of piasters!" exclaimed Binder, with uplifted hands. "By
Heaven, prince, you are a second Moses. You know how to strike a rock so
that a silver fountain shall gush from its barrenness."
"I shall make good use of it, too. Our coffers need replenishing, and
the emperor will rejoice to see them filled with the gold of the
infidel. It will enable him to raise and equip a gallant army, and that
will give him such unbounded delight that we are sure of his signature.
Besides this, the Porte presents us with a goodly portion of Wallachia;
he fixes the boundaries of Transylvania to our complete satisfaction,
and allows us free trade with the Ottoman empire, both by land and by
water."
"But all these concessions will cost us a war with Russia. The rapacious
Czarina will be furious when she hears of them."
"She will not hear of them," said Kaunitz, quietly. "I have made it a
stringent condition with Osman Pacha that the treaty with Turkey shall
be a profound secret. The Sultan and his vizier have pledged their word,
and the Mussulman may always be trusted. We will only make the treaty
public in case of a war with Russia."
"Whence it follows that as Russia is much more likely to court our
friendship than our enmity, the treaty with the Porte is all moonshine."
"With the exception of the ten millions of piasters, which are terrene
and tangible. It remains now to see whether Turkey will keep silence or
Russia will speak! In either case, the peace of all Europe now lies in
Austria's hands. We will preserve or destroy it as is most advantageous
to our own interests."
At that moment the door leading to the anteroom was opened, and a page
announced Prince Gallitzin, ambassador of her majesty the Empress of
Russia.
This announcement following the subjects which had been under
discussion, was so significant, that Kaunitz could not conceal his sense
of its supreme importance. He was slightly disturbed; but recovering
himself almost instantaneously, he said:
"In five minutes I will receive his highness in this room. Now begone,
and open the door punctually."
"What can the Russian minister want to-day?" said Binder.
"He has come to speak at last," replied Kaunitz, taking breath.
"Not of the partition of Poland, but of your Turkish treaty. You will
see that he if he gain any thing by talking, the Porte will not keep
silence."
"Three minutes gone," said Kaunitz, taking out his watch.
"Not another word, Binder. Step behind that screen and listen to our
discussion. It will save me the trouble of repeating it to you."
While Binder was concealing himself, Kaunitz was composing his visage
before a looking-glass. It soon reached its accustomed serenity, and not
a lock of the peruke was out of place.
In five minutes the page reopened the door and announced the entrance of
the Russian ambassador.