The Express.
London, England, 1864-12-09 00:00:00

Vl', evortOls.

TO 001tIMPONDICITS.
advertisements Intended for *. The Erpreaa • London Everdag
Paper, MU.* be at the Mee. 10, lionverieretreet, by Two
o'clock on saw day of pnbliestion.

HA nIAILEM.

TwT Errend. THE 811 N AND TER irrc.D.-BCNNT
VALE FARM. Mesas. Howe, Parma, Clark, Braid, and Cne :
Madames Heabiee. gaoled" a 4 FtlawllHara —ON THE
SLY. Mr. Buckstone.—And MY MVSBANDI

rwircsers.,

Tins EVENING. BORN TO imorrizem Mr. D. Murray.
AIM THE STREETS OF LONDON. Messrs. Vining, J. w. Ray,
D. Plater, D. Murray, J. Nelson. R. ?waster, art H. Melluu ;
Mrs. H. ilaratao, Muer Baroett and (Wynne.

LYCEUM.

Firtt ETIENTEI, MY Wlii9 43PT. Mr. Widdicomb.—
ILLS. Mews. Yachter. Ryder. Fitzpatrick. Charles, Mclntyre.
Raymond, Monism*, Collett. Clifford : Min C. Leclercd. Mn.
Vilnitauley.—And N LRSRY CRICILWRIED. Mr. Wlddlcumb.

BILITANWIA-

i'vrynao, DICK —lfiliiiirGTON AND HIS CAT.
...Singing by Mr. Albert Reek, the Great Vance. bldlle.
Dotth, and the celebrated D'Anbana—And THE 110THE2'3
DYING MILD. Airs. 8. Igoe.—Commence at balf-past 0.

HIGH WAWA AS LONDON-BRIDGE.

The Dir—L Tat. 145...7i7te7r000ii 10h. 48a0.
romoagow Morning, 116. Zun.....Atternoon, 11b. 63m.

LONDON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9.

Ir is now pretty well understood that the high
words and the truly German quarrel got up
between Prussia, Austria, and the two minor
Sovereigns of Saxony and Hanover, were scenes
in a comedy of 3L DE BISMARCK'S, imagined to
cover his defeat. The natural supposition in
every ingenuous mind at first was, that the
peremptory summons issued from Berlin to
Saxons and Ilanoverians, accompaniedby the hostile
posting of military divisions upon the frontiers,
meant that this " moral" coercion would be followed
by Prussia's violently annexing the Duchies, de-
fying Austria, and running counter to every wish
and decision of the Frankfort Diet. Such fears
and surmises were unfounded, for however vio-
lent the mode of proceeding, it was, it seems,
accompanied by the assurance that Prussia was
prepared to accept and carry out that solution
which both Austria and the Diet considered to be
the most natural and most just.
On the other hand, it is probable enough that
Austria has waived several of its objections to the
arrangement by which Prussia was to exercise
a certain degree of maritime control in the
Duchies, in the name of the Confederation.
After all, if North Germany is to be de-
fended, especially against an attack by sea, that
defence can best be undertaken and carried on by
Prussia. And for that purpose it must have naval
means at its disposaL It would be costly and in-
vidious for Austria to seek to be übiquitous in
Germany, and to pretend to equal authority
and influence with Prairie on the shores
of the Baltic. There are but 6,000
Austrian soldiers in the Duchies, whilst there are
20,000 Prussians, 10,000 more having recently
arrived there. Prussia must naturally be
strongest on the Elbe, as Austria must be upon
the Danube. Prince SCHWARTZENDERG, to be sure,
thought otherwise, and determined to give the
law to North as well as to South Germany. He
did so, however, with Russia at his back, and
France in a state of collapse. Now, neither
Russia nor France will interfere in German
affairs, unless under favourable and profitable cir-
cumstances. To avoid giving them the oppor-
tunity Austria and Prussia must to a certain ex-
tent agree, and this they can only do by mutual
concessions.

Thin, indeed, is not what the more ardent Ger-
mans aim at. They aspire to unity, and we sincerely
wish them the realization of all their legitimate
desires. But we cannot help observing, that late
events do not seem to further the scheme of Ger-
man unity. lin the contrary, the establishment and
development of Prussia as a maritime power in
the North-West creates a rivalry with the
maritime position of Austria in the South-East,
which must tend rather to divide than to amalga-
mate those Powers.

Frankfort was the only link capable of holding
them together. But in this Danish war and this
Sleswig•llolsteio settlement, the policy of the two
stateinnen who governed Austria and Prussia was
to thrust Frankfort altogether aside, to make the
union of Germany consist of the junction of
Austria and Prussia in council and on the field,
ignoring German opinion and the Diet altogether.
But there is another power to be consulted, an-
other element of force to be taken into considera-
tion, and that is the sentiment of the German
people themselves, which is strongly opposed to
partition between any two Powers ; so strongly,
that we doubt whether the separatist tendencies
of the two great German military monarchies
can long prevail against it. The political opinions
of Germans, however, are not always remark-
able for their sanity. Their enjoyment of poli-
tical freedom in thought or act has been too limited
to supply that good sense which is gathered from
experience. Thus, they think the acquisition of
Sleawig and Holstein a great gain to German unity
and greatness. They are far from thinking that
it does but swell the local grandeur of Prussia,
arid create a fresh cause of separation between
North and South.

Another tendency displayed by even liberal
Germans of late has been to applaud M. Da Bts-