The King of Prussia returned in a triumph well won by his sturdy subjects, and, in the light of his new honours, the Countess Von Voss tells us he was really handsome.  He was now at leisure to resume the discussions on uniform, and the work of fastening and unfastening the numerous buttons of his pantaloons, in which he had been so roughly interrupted by Jena.  The first institution of the Zollverein, or commercial union with several States, gradually extended, was a measure which did much for the unification of Germany.  With his brother sovereigns he revisited Paris at the end of the military occupation in 1818, remaining there longer than the others, “because,” said the Parisians, “he had discovered an actor at a small theatre who achieved the feat of making him laugh.”  He died in 1840.  His Queen—­heartbroken, it was said—­had died in 1810.

Alexander was still brimming over with the best and most benevolent intentions towards every one.  The world was to be free, happy, and religious; but he had rather vague ideas as to how his plans were to be carried out.  Thus it is characteristic that when his successor desired to have a solemn coronation as King of Poland it was found that Alexander had not foreseen the difficulties which were met with in trying to arrange for the coronation of a Sovereign of the Greek Church as King of a Roman Catholic State.  The much-dreaded but very misty Holy Alliance was one of the few fruits of Alexander’s visions.  His mind is described as passing through a regular series of stages with each influence under which he acted.  He ended his life, tired out, disillusioned, “deceived in everything, weighed down with regret;” obliged to crush the very hopes of his people he had encouraged, dying in 1825 at Taganrog, leaving his new Polish Kingdom to be wiped out by-his successors.

The minor sovereigns require little mention.  They retained any titles they had received from Napoleon, while they exulted, at being free from his heavy hand and sharp superintendence.  Each got a share, small or great, of the spoil except the poor King of Denmark, who, being assured by Alexander on his departure that he carried away all hearts, answered, “Yes, but not any souls.”

The reintroduction of much that was bad in the old system (one country even going so far as to re-establish torture), the steady attack on liberty and on all liberal ideas, Wurtemberg being practically the only State which grumbled at the tightening of the reins so dear to Metternich,—­all formed a fitting commentary on the proclamations by which the Sovereigns had hounded on their people against the man they represented as the one obstacle to the freedom and peace of Europe.  In gloom and disenchantment the nations sat down to lick their wounds:  The contempt shown by the monarchs for everything but the right of conquest, the manner in which they treated the lands won from Napoleon as a gigantic “pool” which was to be shared amongst them, so many souls to each; their total failure to fulfil their promises to their subjects of granting liberty,—­all these slowly bore their fruits in after years, and their effects are not even yet exhausted.  The right of a sovereign to hold his lands was now, by the public law of Europe, to be decided by his strength, The rights of the people were treated as not existing.  Truly, as our most gifted poetess has sung—­