The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-07-23 00:00:00

GRIM MERRINESS AT BERLIN.

I happened to heap arid out when the declaration of war
we ived In Berlin (writes a correspondent', and thus could
witness the first impression of this startling announcement
on tio people. At the cotter of Utter den Linden mid
Frederickistreat, a popidar meeting-niece In tintes of political
excitement, iike the Antlevard aLontnisrtre, In Faris, more
Shan two thousand people, it spite of the lateness the
hour, had gathered tti an instant, who formed groups listen-
ing to persons who read the news aloud The news was, that
at Ams Morsieur Paireeletti had Informed Kiri,^ William that
Prince Leopold's renencistion Was not ennugh, anti that he
ban t hive.° the King to authoriee him to state to the
-Emperor, that the Mos was ready to Mud himeelf down
never atterward4 to permit a Priado Of the if oUSe of flolostt-
zollern to ascm,d the Spanish throne. The tint .mpression
of this frrsordinary rommunicai.lon, with a ef,ovfl that
evidently was rompoeed at all classes of sooty and
ot all jolitleal parties, was one of utter amazement.
Ent than the peculiar local turn of mind broke out
into boundless merriment. It was ao noisy and so
sudden that the King's reply wee hardly heard. Everybody
Premed to know what it was instinctively. Some indulged
in practical witticisms One man took another by the thi 'pat
and cried "My net.thhone.l ilsug!lter loves your nephew.
Ile wilt have nothing to do with her; hut if yon do net de-
clare than he r ever shall marry her, twill keoek you down."
One hire mgt.,' the mho from a fortn.—.' Ludes mid gentle-
seen." he said, it you are quite in the diuk about what
the Fcench want. Are you not? I can tell it you in con.
Meilen I have sown my wild nate in Farts, They them-
selves want a Hohenzollern. They grit 'go the Spaniards
and us mar good luck. And why shoule they hot get a
Hohenzollern ? If that favour has been beatowed
upon the Animates to bring them peacefully to
reason, why not bestow it upon the French I"
" /mid another from the crowd, "it is not thet. ills
not Spaln at all. It lithe eclipse of the moon which took
place yesterday ermine. They thought Bismarck had kid-
napped her; that teas too moo 1." "But now, seriously,"
commenced a third, let Us deltherete neon what we are to do.
the Fenner wl.ll to impose is Kilog ..non Spain. Ttlat MO. la
a tough job they know from experweee. They know that
If they iova,ls spuo they will have at least one of their
betels full; and then we Tri::,llloteof,o with the eth. r 811. t
bin ler them Thus they think it safer to get over affairs with
ns at once. Even •f the King had consented to hind hi.nself
down, they would have insisied perhaps upon two snretlem.
Ant after these had been found they would have declared
thorn insufficient." In this style the public convermtien
Went on for a considerable time.

Vet in spite of this outburst of grim merriness, there can
be no doubt that the Prussian people, us whole. the Govern-
ment not excepAd, look with sadness upon the prospect of
another great war. The country is not rich. and has madly
yet recovered from the efforts made in ISM Nature, ever
since, has not been so propitious to the conqueror of Kiia in-
grate as to the vaimnished. Industrial enterprise has met
with a whole series of reverses. Besides, the North Gtrorm
Confederation is, after all only in its infancy. Just now a
thorougi. reconstruction of political parties, which is going
on, appeared to give good hopes of a consolidation of constitu-
tional life. Especially the Conservatives and the landed aris-
tocracy, appear to bets the way of .ming a sincerely
constnutional poesy. Even body feels that a great war molt
needs put ail tide again in jeopirdy. and throw back the pro-
gress of national wealth. This is what today is heard on all
sides. As loan apprehension of defe-it, however, it does not
appear to exist anywhere. If the French Government are
reckoning upon iouthe rts Germany separating itself from the
North, or upon Au ,trio availing herself a the o.bportnnity for
revenge, they are, people throb, reckoning withont their
host There is a German pr verb which says, °A irrench-
min to a being who wears moustache, and doe, not know
geography,. Tim meaning is, that the ways of thought of
other nations are and remain an inscrutable mystery to the
French.