The Express.
London, England, 1863-01-24 00:00:00

MOH WATZRATLONDON BRID4III.

ro-Nottow—Monala% I 61n. ..Afterssea. dm. Us.

LONDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 24.

Tea hesitation to refuse the Crown of Greece
manifested by Duke Eaitear of flaza-Coaoulto may
prove no less important to Germany than to Greeoe.
The Duke was avowedly considered by all, though
silently and modestly by himself, the had of that
party which laboured for the constitutional union
of Gesmany, and aimed at forming a nation out
of its mattered elements. Before assuming so high
a position the Duke worked as zealously and as
seriously to render his two little Duchies of Gotha
and Cobourg frankly constitutional. It is with
regret that we must record that the Duke's
liberalism and philanthropy failed as egregiously
in his own dominions as in his larger country of
Germany. The Duke has bunion written a brief
history of his failure to enable the people of
Cobourg and Gotha to rejoice in the benefits of a
representative system of government. Gotha

and Cobourg have remained blind to their own
advancement. The nobles regret it, the citizens
are dissatisfied, but the peasants do not compre-
hend a constitution. They preferred the old
paternal Government. No wonder if Duke
Eases'. would like to try his hand upon the
more intelligent people of Greece.
But the unpleasantness attending his efforts to
liberalize Cobourg and Gotha was as nothing com-
pared with the consequence of having promoted the
views of the National Verein. This Society for
the achievement of German union built
its hopes upon Prussia, and especially upon the
present Sovereign of that country. How profound,
then, must be the disappointment, and how com-
plete the discomfiture of its members, to find
this very Prussian Monarch the most signally un-
true to constitutional government. When M.
Scatsimrz was Minister of Prussia the Duke of
Sete-Co•ouso complained that he was not frankly
or sufficiently liberal. What must he have said or
thought on seeing M. Bulimia succeed to his
place, and undertake the guidance of Prussian
and German destinies I
On the vital point which separates Wri.mau of
Pause's from the Liberals of his country the
Duke of Saar-Comics° always entertained a de-
cided opinion. His advice ever was that Prussia
should strengthen itself by drawing other North
German States to its side, rather than by
aggrandising its own military establishment. And
he set an example which Ira not proved
popular with his own subjects, by enrolling his
Ducal army with the Royal army of Prussia, and
directing its officers to take the oath of fidelity to the
Prussian, as if they were the exclusively German
colours. From this the Duke has reaped none of
the expected advantages. The King of Parma,
instead of feeling himself strengthened by the ad-
herence of the northern contingents, has acted as
if he either mistrusted or did not care for them,
raising his own army to an active force of 200,000
men. Thus, in order to reckon 60,000 more soldiers
under his colours, he has alienated the affections of
millions of his people. He has exchanged hearts
for bayonets, loyalty for mistrust, defeated all
hopes and plans of German unity for at least the
present generation, and compelled its patriots to
look anywhere rather than to Prussia for the poli-
tical nucleus of a German party and nation.
It is easy to conceive that a Prince in the posi-
tion of Duke EILNINIT would gladly escape alto-
gather from Germany at such an epoch. He
would leave to another the task of withdrawing'
the contingent of Saxe Gotha from the Prussian
army. He would pronounce a convenient and
final adieu to his friends of the political Verein,
and put seas and wide regions between him and
the enmities which the unfaithfulness of his fugi-
tive secretary created a year or two ago. One
of the results of this course would certainly be
to cure the Liberals of Germany of the desire
to "put their trust in princes." It is a Ger-
man weakness to believe that nothing can be
done, even in the conduct of • political party,
without a coronetted bead. The most ludicrous
exemplification of this weakness was the elec-
tion of the Archduke JOHN by the simpletons
of the Frankfort Parliament, who must have a
King, be be Log or Stork, of their popular em-
pire. The same sentiment continued to per-
vade the Nation/2/ Verein, of which although
Eunice= might be the real leader, the Duke of
Saxa-Cosouao was still the nominal and influential
chief. German patriots, however, can henceforth
look neither to Gotha nor to Berlin, bet to them-