The Express.
London, England, 1855-02-15 00:00:00

(Bolt TIE 0011411.2•PON111? OP TIE PATIN 111WB.)
BERLIN, Fan 11.
Within the hurt few days nothing has happened to
slier in any material degree the slats, quo of
Prussia's political situation. A lull has evidently
taken place since the gust that suddenly burst at
Frankfort last week. This momentary quiet must
not, however, deceive the public into the belief that
the storm is over. Far from it. Steps are being
taken on both sides to make all snug aloft, and pre-
pare for the approaching hurricane, which threatens
to throw all Europe within the influence of its
veracious vertex. The mission of General
Toe Wedell to Paris has hitherto borne no
visible fruits, and secret niisgivinge on the subject
are beginning to be telt as to its being eventually
crowned with any success. It was at first considered
probable that Austria might take umbrage at
Prussia's opening direct negotiations at Paris with
the Western Alliance, but that fear is now removed.
All Germany is now fully convinced of the fact
that the great crisis of the world is rapidly approach-
ing, and probably before the lapse of another month
the fate of nations will be decided. It is useless
attempting to deny the fact that the preparation
for war decreed by the Federal Diet is bat the
first step towards direct hostilities with Rwiek
that the German states must necessarily be involved
in it, and that it will be next to an ire • y km
Prussia to temporise any longer. ids
• sic,.

. excep-
tion of the small aristocratic court party, and its
organ the 'reit: Zeitomy,the whole of the Prussian
nation, the army, sod the press, are in favour of an
open declaration to go with the Allies. The Queen's
reclamation more closely pruhibiting all inter-
-001111111 with the enemy which is already known
Lore by the telegraph—has caused a panic
both amend the Russian party and on
the Exchange, for it is well understood that
its object is to ruin our flourishing transit trade
in the Baltic, and to stop the exit of Russian produce,
which found a vent hitherto by the ports of Dantsig
and Memel.

Which of your readers, in these days of locomo-
tion, has not been on the Rhine, and either struck
with the primitive simplicity of the pontoon bridge
extending stress that noble river, and obstructing
his passage if he arrive by a steamer, or forming the
rat break in the communication, the missing link
in the great iron chain of railroads connecting the
east with the west, if he arrives by a train ? A few
words, then, on the subject of the new standing
bridge about to be erected will no doubt interest the
greater part of your readers. After many years of
talking about it, the Prussian government have taken
up the matter, aid the result is that the bridge is to
be built forthwith. The expense is estimated at
five millions of dollars, of which the government pay
two, the Cologne and Minden Railway Company
two, and the city of Cologne the remaining million.
It wu at first proposed to make the bridge on the
tubular principle, but that has been discarded—l
know not on what grounds--and an open iron bridge
is to be constructed. It will rest on three massive
piers in the bed of the stream, with a similar one on
each bank, forming four openings for the passage of
the water, each with a span of 313 feet. The
site appropriated for the bridge lies be-
tween the square known as the Frankenplatz,
in Cologne, and the present wharf close to
the railroad terminus at Deutz. There are to be no
openings in the bridge to let vessels through, but the
height of the arches will be more than sufficient to
admit of the steamers passing, lowering however
their funnels in doing so, at all times, even in cases
of heavy floods. To make it accessible for railway
traffic, the bridge will be divided longitudinally into
two equal divisions, one of which will be devoted to
the passage of train', and the other thrown open for
use. There will also be a part divided off
reperil pedestrian.. As, however, the height of the
bridge will be much greater than the level of
the railroads on either side, in ceder not to
impede the navigation, there will be at each end a
moveable platform and the necessary machinery for
raising aad lowering it with a whole train to the
level of the two railroads respectively, thus evading
the trouble, expense, and time of unloading and
reloading the trucks and carriages, The necessary
approaches on the Cologne side will include a jou-
tloll railway through the city, connecting the different
lines on the left bank with the bridge and each
other—a desideratum, the want of which is at pre-
sent most severely telt, end which will necessarily
afford a great facility to the accelerated transit of
goods and passengers.