D1.8.67: [Untitled]

D1.8.67: [Untitled]

Newspaper Clippings

Bleek continues his coverage of the Prussian-Austrian war and Emperor Napoleon's (III) role as mediator for Austria. He discusses Napoleon's suggested armistice that Austria proposed after Sadowa and covers the standpoints of the various powers while speculating on the likelihood of either side's compliance given a variety of factors. Bleek does not confirm whether the powers agreed to said armistice. He imagines that if Austria loses at the Quadrilateral, France and Italy would race to claim Venetia as Austria withdrew, possibly culminating in new hostilities. He continues the speculative exercise and submits that Austria may become Europe's next 'sick man' to delay the fallout of the resulting power imbalance. If European powers suddenly came to Austria's defence, they would trigger combined German-Italian pushback. South Germany's perception of Prussia is shifting away from Bismarck-centric antipathy, and pan-German unification feels inevitable. He concludes with a lengthy report by an unnamed German correspondent.

Printed newsprint glued on paper

16 August 1866

Two cut-out columns of printed newsprint mounted on foolscap folio (warped).

War (Austrian-Italian-Prussian War), Napoleon (Louis Napoleon), armistice (Napoleon III's), balance of power (Austria as Europe's new 'sick man')

Pressed clippings of Victorian current affairs opinion pieces by Wilhelm Bleek. D1.8.68 is a continuation of D1.8.67.

Van de Sandt de Villiers & Co.