The Press.
London, England, 1856-12-27 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

challenged is not backward. She has placed two
divisions of her army on a war footing under expe-
rienced generals, and is prepared with the consent,
of Germany to march through Sigmaringen, and to
attack and occupy the canton of Schaffhausen. The
Swiss are far from having all the right on their
side. They are not an actual confederation of states
under a particular frame of laws. They realise a
number of petty sovereignties, distinct in government,
with particular privileges, and confederated in a
Diet, to which each canton sends a delegate, with
the power of debating only on subjects external to
the canton, and even then with certain reservations.
By the Federal Act of the 7th of August, 1815, and
until 1830, the twenty-two cantons formed in truth
tw,nty.four different states under diverse forms of
government, that may be classed in the following
manner,--eight democratic ref üblics, viz., Uri,
Sweitz, Glarus, Zug, inner and outer Appenzeil,
upper and lower Unterwald; two democratic repre-
sentative republics, viz., the Grisons and the Valais ;
six representative republics, viz., St. Gall, Aargau,
Thurgau, Vaud, Geneva, and Tessin ; three other
representative republics, whose capitals enjoy great
privileges in comparison with the rest of the terri-
tory, viz., Zurich, Basle, and Schaffhausen ; four
aristocratic republics, viz., Bern, Lucerne, Fribourg,
and Soleure ; and the canton of Neufchatel, subject
to the King of Prussia. By the Federal pact of
1815 the canton of Neufchatel became part of con•
federated Switzerland, on the express stipulation of
recognising the rights of the King of Prussia.
Whether such disposition was a political anomaly is
not the question, for the stipulation was agreed upon
and accepted by the Diet. The administration of
each canton was also left under its own control ; and
the diversities and nature of such governments have
been already shown. This state of things continued
until 1830, when there was a change. A still more
violent disruption of the Cantonal Governments
occurred in 1848, and the Federal pact of 1815
entered into with the European powers was violated
by the Confederation, "par le droit du plus fort."
Against this act, whereby the King of Prussia was
forcibly deprived of his rights in Neufchatel, that
sovereign entered his protest, confirmed by the pro.
tocol of the powers in 1831, upon which he takes his
ground. An allusion to natural and mountain
boundaries, and to democratic predilections, by the
Swiss council, is irrelevant to the political bearing of
the case. The Federal Act of the 7th of August,
1815, is the only title-deed that can be made valid
for the claims of the Confederation upon the canton
of Neufchatel.

Peace has been made with the Pope by the Feda
ral Council, and Monsigoor Man Hey, Bishop of
Fribourg, exiled since 1848, has returned to his
diocese. The Government of the canton sent a coun-
cillor of state to the Chateau of Divonne, the resi-
dence of the prelate, and he was conducted to
Fribourg with great pomp, and amidst much re-
joiciug.
31. de Bismarck Shonhausen has reappeared at
the Diet of Frankfort with increased enmity towards
the policy of England. The cause of his present
dissatisfaction is the supposed leaning of England
towards the Swiss Confederation in the dispute
with the King of Prussia. He has delivered to the
Diet the circular of his royal master on the affair of
Neufchatel, in which he petitions for the approbation
of the Diet. Whilst Prussia counts with some degree
of certainty upon the friendly inclination of the Diet,
she treats with haughtiness any proffer of support
from Austria. The " fatherland" of Germany, in
the mouth of an Austrian diplomatist, is a word of
affected patriotism employed for ambitious and
sinister designs. It means, in strict parlance, the
use of Germany by Austria for private ends. Upon
a late occasion the Gazette of Vienna taunted
Prussia with a want of energy in defending German
interests on the Danish question. The Zeit of
Berlin has replied to those transparent insinuations,
and referred to the events of 1850, when Austria ex-
pressed herself in language totally opposed to that
she now sees convenient to adopt, and remarks with
a sly quietude, " Prussia will never separate her
cause from that of Germany, but, above all, she will
rely with confidence on her national influence, and
will never be inveigled into the silly act of drawing
the chesnuts out of the fire for the benefit of others."
Hastily overlooking the comparisons of "lo chat"
and " le singe," it will be well to point out a fresh
cause of irritation betwixt Prusla, the Diet, and
Austria. The Diet had appointed a commission to
examine the project of a commercial code proposed
by Prussia to serve as a basis for a general act of
commercial legislation in the German States. By
the common consent of Prussia and the Diet the
committee was instructed to hold its sittings at
Nuremberg, in Bavaria. This has been opposed by
a counter-proposition on the part of Austria that the
committee shall meet at Frankfort, wLere it will be
more accessible to Austrian influence. The Car-
respondance Prussienne, the organ of the Berlin
Cabinet, remarks that it would be preferable to
withdraw the proposal than to give it a character

SATURDAY,

exclusively Austrian. The Diet also calls Austria to
account for the continued occupation of the Princi.
polities :
Le qui se passe dans la Mer Noire et les Principanti.s
doit inspirer de vives inquietudes a la Confederation Ger-
manique. The Prussian bank of M. Nulandt represented
the capital, the industry, and the activity of Germany,
which it was desirable should be extended to the Princi-
palities. That establishment was unhandsomely sup-
ported through Austrian influence. It is easy to predict
the fate of German interests whenever Austria—mistress

of the Principalities, and possessing both, side,' of the.
Danube (a cheval sur le Danube )—shall
icommand the
ingress and egress of that river. Germany will thPri
become the tributary of Austria, and depert.lent upon her
for commercial existence, and the debasement of her
social and political position will immediately follow.
C'est lu un avenir atiquel l'Allemagne nest guere disposOe
a se preparer de gaiete de cceur.
The EmperDr of Austria and his Court from
Venice, will go to Padua, Rovigo, Vicenza, and Bres-
cia ; and from thence to Milan, where they will
arrive on the Bth of January. _

C. A. H.

foreign ad Colonial 3nttlligtnte.

PRUSSIA AND SWITZERLAND.
The rumours of war, and the preparations for in-
vasion on the one side, and defence on the other,
have been active during the week, but it is now be-
lieved that the anticipated occupation of part of
Switzerland by the Prussian troops will not take
place. The Frankfort Journal of the 23rd contains
a despatch, according to which the hopes of averting
war are strongly on the increase, although it cannot
be said that a decisive change has as yet taken
place. Mediatory proposals are alluded to as having
been brought forward by diplomatic persons, and
that the same had been forwarded to Berlin ; while
diplomatic conferences are spoken of as being fre-
quently held at the residence of the President of the
Fe:feral Council, and at the time of the despatch
ltaving the Federal Council was still sitting.
The f3rmal rupture of relations with Switzerland
has been announced in the Prussian Correspondenz.
The Federal Assembly have convoked an extraor-
dinary session, to open this day, for the consideration
of the report and propositions relating to the canton
and affairs of Neufchatel. Meanwhile, nine corps of
the Prussian army are at once to be put upon full
war footing and mobilised, giving in all 135,000 men
ready for active service. On the part of Switzerland,
20,000 men have been called out for the defence of
the frontier, while reserves are being organised, and
unlimited supplies granted by the Federal Council.
La Suisse of the 21st of December publishes the
following note :

The representatives, at Berne, of the Foreign powers
held a conference at the house of M. de Salignac, the
French Minister. on the subject of Neufchatel. M.
Stcempfli attended the meeting. It is said, but we do not
vouch for the fact, that the Prussian Government addressed
an ultimatum to the Federal Council, fixing the 2nd of
January next as the last period for the unconditional libe-
ration of the prisoners.
A letter from Vienna of the 20th in the Post
Gazette of Frankfort, says :
The Cabinet of Vienna has again expressed its regret at
the Federal Council of Switzerland not having complied
with the conciliatory demands of Prussia and the German
Confederation, by setting at liberty the prisoners of Neuf-
chatel. The Austrian Cabinet has expressed the same Ben.
timents to Prussia, and has given it the strongest
assurance that it considers it in the right. The conflict
having become aggravated to such a point that the parties
have abandoned all direct negotiation, the powers which
formed the Congress of London believe that the moment
has arrived for arranging the affair by taking collective pro
ceetlings.

The Paris correspondent of the Morning Post
expee:s in a few days to be " able to announce that
the Government of the Emperor of the French,
whilst acknowledging the sovereign rights of Prussia
to Neufchatel, protests against an armed interven-
tion in Switzerland."
A telegraphic despatch from Berlin, dated Mon-
day, in the Nord of Brussels, says:—
On the initiative of representatives of the United
States, the Minister of England has invited the missions
of the powers which have not yet intervened in the Neuf-
chatel affair to recommend the Federal Council to set the
royalist prisoners at liberty. The object of this intervention
appears to be to arrive at an arrangement, towards which
Prussia might be induced to make an important conces-
sion, after the Federal Council should have manifested a
sincere desire of conciliation and peace.
FRANCE.
The French papers during the week have fully
discussed the Neufchatel question. The Constitu-
tionnel, following the note in the Mon iteur, maintains
that the question at issue is " much less between
the Cabinet of Beriin and the Helvetic Confedera-
tion, considered as an independent and neutral
nation, than between the King of Prussia and
Federal Council sitting at Berne." This distinction
the Presse maintains is utterly untenable, and ob-
serves :