Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 2.djvu/112

 82 CAUSES INVOLVING FRANCE AND ENGLAND CHAP, but the policy of the Courts of Vienna and Berlin L- at the close of the month of January is to be in- ferred, of course, from the transactions which followed this date, as well as from those which preceded it ; and therefore it seems convenient to go forward, as it were, a few paces in advance of the general narrative, so as thus to bring under one view the grounds on which I assert that our Government was well supported in its policy by Prussia as well as by Austria. Proofs Day by day the joint pressure of the four irawnfroni ^"^ -n,, -r, transactions Powers became more cogent. By the Protocol ot iubsequent " to the the 2d of February the four Powers unanimously .Jueen 3 *' ■jpeech. rejected the counter-propositions made by Pussia. On the 14th of JNIarch both Austria and Prussia addressed circulars to the Courts of the German Confederation, in which they pointed out that the interests in question were essentially German in- terests, and that the active co-operation of Ger- many might be needed. On the 18th of March the King of Prussia asked his Chamber for an ex- traordinary credit of thirty million of thalers ; and he at the same time declared that he would not swerve from the principles established by the Vienna Conference, and would faithfully protect every member of the Confederation who, at an earlier moment than Prussia, might be called on to draw the sword for the defence of German interests. Nor were these bare words. Austria, it has been already said, was so placed that, whatever dangers slie might draw upon ]>er other frontiers,