The Express.
London, England, 1849-03-19 00:00:00

GERMANY.

FRANIEFORT.—Our dates from this city are to
the 16th. The National Assembly did not meet that
day. On the 15th., M. Reisser pte-ented to the As-
sembly the report of the committee on M. Welcker's
motion. The report approves of the proposal to
adopt the constitution as it stands, without further
dismission of details, with a slight verbal alteration of
the first paragraph, and a modification of the number of
members in the Chambers of States. It proposes to
pass in like manner the electoral law, restoring the
system of open voting, and slightly altering the num-
ber of members in the representative chamber.
Lastly, it approves of the proposal to declare the
King of Prussia hereditary emperor, and to invite
the sovereign and people of Germany to sanction the
arrangement, leaving it open to the G. rman Aus-
trian states to join the Germanic nrion at any future
period. The dommittee propose that the Assembly shall
declare its sittings permanent until a diet, elected
according to the provolone of the constitution, shall
have been convoked and opened. This report is the
report of a majority : seven amendmects proposed by
the minority accompanied it. The first proposes to
move the order of the day on M. Welcker's motion ;
the seventh proposes to declare the constitution octroyee
of the Emperor of Austria null and void, and to set
on foot an army capable of enforcing the rights of
Germany in the German provincesof Atotria. The pre-1
si dent propose 1 that tbo debate on M. Welcker's motion
should take place on Friday, the 16th kat. M.
Simon, of Troves moved that it should be pc 'Opened
till Monday, or at the It set till Saturday. It was
finally agreed that Saturday should be the day for
commencing the discussion.
The Frankfort journals publish the following
despatch, which was transmitted to M. von Schmer-
ling, along with a copy of the constitution granted to
the Austrian states by the Emperor :

Vismi, MARCH 9, 1549.—The Austrian government by
in-biting, in the programme of the 27th of lut November.
sad also in subsequent overtures in conformity with that
programme, upon the reconstruction of the great empire of
Germany into a well-regulated whole, placed on • new Mb,
as a condition which must naturally and neceenrily precede
the definite arrangement of the relations in which Austria is
to stand to the empire, sought to prove how mush it has at
heart the establishment of an intimate connexion between
Austria and the empire, and the organisation of one Gersten
fatherland into a body sufficiently vigorous to malls, the
legitimate wishes of the intelligent portion of the German
people.
The Austrian government has continued to tread the path
which appeared to it to lead most shortly and directly to this
end, without showing itself to be turned aside by
wilful, misapprehensions, by projects .of partition, and
by exactions which left out of view the .principal
and supreme interest of Austria. This prelimi-
nary effort of the Austrian government has this day
been completed. The document which accompanies the
present despatch contains the fundamental law, which, with
&full sense of his own duty and the wants of his people, his
Imperial. Majesty ha spontaneously given to all the coun-
tries antject to his crown, as a political sub-structure com-,
men to them all, as a bond which shall unite all parts of his
monarchy into one grearwhole, now that on one hand the
par.isl and imperfect oomposition of the diet, sad on the
other the attitude assumed by that assembly, have made him
lose all hope of seeing it complete in a manner corresponding
to the wishes of the nation the great task which was dele-
gated to it.
The time having arrived when the imperial government
can consistently with its wishes and promises, explain the
i
relations to Germany into which it s in its power to enter,
the Austrian government is anxious that the statement of
the great principle upon which it conceives everything else
to depend, shall be no longer porptned. .
Austria, relying upon its own strength and constitutioe,
cannot consent to break the bonds which so intimately com-
bine all its provides., and constitute them an empire, one
and indivisible. The Austrian government will feel regret
should Germany fail to appreciate their importance ; but it '
cannot on that account reneunce the conditions of its vitality.
Whoever sincerely aims at establishing the unity of Germany
will endeavour to afford Austria the means of continuing to
form part of the empire, without making a sacrifice of the
conditions necessary to its own existence.
The imperial government has already expressed its views
with respect to tie head of the empire. These views con.
template the division of the empire, the construction of '
which has been the work of lips, into great communities,
represented by parties chosen by the pie rile, who, in sending
their delegates to the central power, seek to climes and
witch over the common interests of their country. They
contemplate, therefore, a chamber constituted by in-
direct elections, Me action of which Mel not
be paralysed by a body of popular representatives
placed beside or above them. It these views were adopted,
Austria is disposed to become one of these communities, to
take part in their deliberations by the instrumentality of
committees, nominated in concert by tho governments and
' their chambers, and to mist in promoting in every way the
common interests of Germany. On the other hand Austria
will deem it necessary to withdraw from the danger in
which, under any other institution, the empire would be
involved by the conflict of antagonist powers.
The imperial government will bind itself cheerfully to
every arrangement compatible with these views. htirther
it cannot go,. and that because it sincerely desires
the unity of Germany,. a practicable unity, each 1
is can al as prevent partation from within and o=
Ma from without. The Imperial Government
to see Germany illustrious and powerful,
the justly acquired rights of others, labouring to tregg:tet
political and, material interests, endowed with institution
calculated to uphold mat to undermine social order, capable
of stretching a strong arm over the sea and the land, reFe-
septet as one body among. feudist nations wherever this is
conducive to its interests ; in short, it wishes to see Ger-
many replete with energy and risk In glory.
Any arrangement resting on this bads edit be aegaiii=ny
the Austrian government, which TAN upon true
sentiment to appreciate its progosals.-Bcaw•nximnao.
AUSTRlA.—Letters from Vienna, dated the 12th
inst., state that it is whispered the Emperor intends
to surprise his capital by a visit on the 19th. Some
are sanguine enough to build upon, this rumour hopes
of an amnesty and other acts of grace, together with
the termination of the state of siege. The ex-depti-
ties Lehner, Vieland, and Paster who have deemed it
expedient to cross the frontiers, have been proclaimed
traitors in large posting bills.
The intelligence from Perth in the following letter
is three days later than what we published on
day'
PESTH, MAR= 9.
The Ban left on the Bth, at four in the morning.
Windiscbgratz has moved all disposable d
even a good portion of the corps emp tract rod
to ' e
Komorn fortress, towards the Theiss, to 'top t "
march, if possible, of the victorious Hungarians. On
the Bth a fight must have taken place in the direction
of Szolnok ; for, during the night, a great many
waggons arrived with wounded. Also the lines of
the Danube by tbo bridge of Path were filled with
troops, evidently in the view of covering a precipitate
retreat. The officers of the Ofen garrison have sent
away their wives. Direct intelligence there was
none. Todaya battle should have been fought, un-
less the continued violent rain prevented. The beaten
party would suffer dreadful loss, from the impracti-
cable state of the roade, in compequence of the wet
weather, and infallibly loeg all baggage end artillery.
No bulletin has appeared.
In Hermannstadt news was received from Media-
seh, that Berm, ill of his wounds, bad set eut on the
13th for Maros-Vasarhely, to which place a division
of his troops preceded him. His arm was endangered
by the coessqaeuces of the amputation of his finger.
A report from Perth had reached Berlin, that the
national assembly at Debrectin had recognised the
Emperor Princia Joseph as legitimate Kiss of Hun-'
gary. This recognition, however, reposes on the
pragmatic, sanction, and the demaadti which the
Kossath party erect upon this base may be inferred
.from the Fermi diet. This step had been adopted,
'also, to prove to Russia and the other Oat powers
that not the smallest ides existed of erecting a red