The Express.
London, England, 1849-05-29 00:00:00

GERMANY.

PRUSSIA.—The following is the letter of our cor
respondent:

BERIp, MAY 26.

I mentioned some days ago that a diplomatic note
had been presented to the government on the part of
requiring the immediate evacuation of Den-
mark by the Prussian troops. It is now certain, not
only that such a note has been sent in, but that it lays
down distinctly a emus belli. It is equally certain
that to support the demand of Russia the fleet of that
power in the Baltic has made a move southward, and
the Russian troops have advanced toward' the
Weichsel. Unfortunately the pretensions of Russia
are not confined to the evacuation of Jutland, which all
but the Schleswig radicals would be glad to see. She also
puts in a protest againt the Bundes at a , and insists
upon the m.intenance of the old confederation. Here,
then, at last, we reach a clearer definition of the state
of things. Austria has distinctly rejected the exter-
nal union with the federal state; and Russia, the pro-
tector of Austria, declares there shall be no federal
state at all answering the wants of Germany better
than the old confederation. Prussia is call. d on to
de:lare herself. Frederick William IV. is challenged
by the Czar, in that peremptory tone which
there is no mistaking, to give up the shuffling,
intriguing game which he has been pay-
ing with Petersburg and Frankfort, inelning
now to steal from the shelf the imperial diadem, and
put it not on his head, but in his pocket, and now, in
a fit of terror at the republicans, seeking refuge at the
feet of the Russian emperor. Thus pp eased to choose
his part, it is clear that the Bing of Prusria will use
the occasion to demonstrate his patriotism to Ger-
many, Lis sufferings for the cause of fatherland, the
painful position into which he is driven to break with
a powerful ally like Russia, because be serves the
German cause with so mulls zeal against Denmark,
and to quarrel with a confederate German land like
Austria, h. canes be insists uponthe G. rman anion. He
will ask what Germany has to give him in return f.‘r
such sacrifices; he will point out the danger to Ger-
many of a war with Russia; and then he will pro-
pose his olVmatum, which may be summed up in one
word—the abolition of universal saffrage in Germany ;
for it is evident that this, and not the veto question, is
the great, the immense difference between the sove-
reigns and the people. Let the German people accept
an electorel law at the hands of H. von Radowitz,
the changes which this minister makes in the Frank-
fort constitution are of comparatively small impor-
tance; for there is an article in the constitution
which provides that the same constitution may
be altered in the same way as any other
law is made, by a simple parliamentary majority.
The great difficulty, however, in making this appeal,
which ought to be addressed to the German people,
lies in there being at this moment no representation
of that people to whom the appeal can be made. For
the Prussian government, lutving disavowed the
Frankfort Assembly, and declared its commission ex-
tinct, now regards the authority that was vested in the
Assembly as having passed into the hands of the
German governments. Therefore, the appeal,
which might have been attended with a
splendid result, can no longer be made to a
angle and popular body, but must go the obscure
channel of diplomatic notes round to the sepa-
rate governments. Of course the consent of Austria
might be dispensed with; and it is not probable that
Bavaria would brave the odium of refusing her con-
sent to the only possible conditions of a strong Ger-
man union, with Prussia at the head, in the face of a
Russian crusade against German liberties. Still,
supposing that the German governments, Austria ex-
cepted, accept the terms of Prussia, the great popu-
lar sanction, which, under the new conditions induced
by the Russian note, might have been gained, will be
missed, nor is there any means of replacing the loss.
It may be asked why Roma interfered so late in
the Danish war, and also why Prussia pushed so far
her attacks against a power whichshe had no interest
in hurting, and seems(' disposed to protect, in further-
ing the cause of German radicalism, which had grown
to the king so hateful. I shall attempt to answer
these questions; and upon the facts which I shellefete
in so doing you may place complete reliance. To be-
gin with the latter question. At the moment in

which the antral power gave ceders for 12,000
Prussian troops to march for Schleswig, the King
of Prussia was in the habit of talking ot the King
of Denmark as a dear personal friend. It is notorious
hat at the dinner given to the Frankfort deputation
at Charlottenbarg, one of the royal remarks that was
least palatable to those delegates was, that the King
of Denmark, who had behaved ID ill and rashly
in plucking down the war upon his head, was
a charming person, and his very dear friend. This is
a trifle ; but the fact is notorious that the expedition
was distasteful the King of Prussia, and his mi-
nisters only reconciled him to it by assuring him
that it would be an excellent opportunity for keeping
the Schleswig radicals in order by the military. So
little was a serious war dreamed of, that it is less
than a week agi that the order was issued for the,
confiscation of Danish cargoes in the Prussian ports.
It was not until the Prussian troops were at the
frontier ot Indeed that things seemed going far. The I
government then gave ceder■ that the Prussian I
troops should not cross the frontier. Of this fact yes
may rest assured. General Prittwitz wrote to Berlin
to say that he was under the orders of the central
power, and could not obey the commands of the Prio-
aim government so long as they did not coincide with
those of the central power. He and other Praia
officers at the same time sent in their resiguation.l
But ha represented the spirit of the Prussian troop'
to be such that it was perfectly impracticable to keen;
them from_ grossing the Jutland border, and that the
onlj tquence world be mutiny. Now,
fidelity of the army at this moment was a matter of
such immense importance in face of the bottle atti-
tale which the Prussian government assumed towards
the people, that it was thought at this critical moment
too dangerous to risk the revolt of a single regiment,
much less so large a force, which would be the signal
fir a military prontenciamento at once throuzhout the
kingdom. This f ar, and co•hing else, p ted the
Prussian government from insisting on keeping the
troops on this side of the Jutland frontier. General
Von Prittwitz's resignation was not accepted, and his
opinion was allowed to bear sway. Everybody
knows the consequerces. As to the other wades,
why Russia did not insist before, the lateness of the
hour compels me at this moment to break off. Bat
the main reason was the Czar's faith in the promiseel
of the King of Prussia, in his desire not to pot any
difficulties in the way of the Prussian government
while it was occapied in waging war against the
revolution, and no doubt partly in the absorbing
affair of Hungarian intervention.
The Kiog of Prussia has sent, it is said, an auto-
graph letter to the King of Bavaria on the subject of
the German union.
AUSTRIA.—We have Vienna papers to May 24.
Janitschek, the celebrated Slovack chieftain, known
by the name of Ziska 11., who commanded a free
corps for the Magyars, and who was one of their most
important adlerrnts in the north-west counties, his
been captured ty the imp'Tialists, and brought in
irors, under the escort of six cuirassiers, to Hohen-
manth.

Colonel Lang, a staff-officer of the Austrian army
in Hungary, was brought in fetter., on the 21st, to
Prague, and is chargct with having maintained a
tressmable correspondence with the Hungarian
commander..

Tne following order, posted up in the streets of
Penh, will show what the insurgent government
thinks of Lynch law :

Several instances have occurred in which people taken for
spies have not only been seized, but also ill. used and robbed.
We therefore ordain that person.. who have given cause fi r
such saspicion be brought, without the least ill-usage,
directly to the civil or military authority ,• and that any
citizen, civil or military, who, in infraction of this ordinance,
lays violent hands on the poison or property of a presumed
spy, shall be tried before the court-mar, sal for assault and
theft. After the government has issu. d the severest edicts
against traitor*, it will not permit individuals arbitrarily to
meddle with functions which belong to the police and courts
of law, nor allow security of person and property to lie at the
mercy of a so-called people's i'.stice.—May 14.
General SCHWEIDEL.
DANIEL I/tANGI, GOT. COM.
The General Schweidel by whom this ordinance is
signed is appoint. d, by the ad interim war-minister
Klapka, COMMEL dant of Pesth. The Debreczin news
will in future be more regular, as from the 12th for-
w trd, as long es 'he seat of government is there, there
will be communication by post with Pesth twice
daily. On the 15th all communication with Ofon,
except by persons in the employ of the government,
was prohibited.
- - - - - - - - -

The latest news from Debrecnin is of the 7th inst.
On that day a letter from Ko-suth was read in the
National Assembly, declaring that he had appointed
Get eral Arthur Gorgey minister of war, and General
Klepka, head of the general stsff, minister of war ad
interim, during ths absence of Gorgey, to superintend
the military operations. Here then falls to the ground
the misrepresenfations which General Welden had
the meanness to insert in his bulletin of the 21st, from
Presburg, that Gorge), had been summlned to De-
breezin on account of dissensions, and by the intrigues
of Bem and Dembinski. When the commander-in-
chief of the Austrian army can stoop to disseminate
officially lies of this sort, what are we to expect from
his newspapers.
Private letters state that the Austrian troops on
their much from Bologna to Imola, fell in with a
free corps of 2,000 men, whom they pat to flight,
taking from them four cannons. They occupied Imola
on the 17th.
An English war steamer dropped anchor before
Trieste on the 20th inst. She brought several pas-
sengers front Ancona and Venice. Ancona was de-
scribed by these as a prey to all the horrors of civil
war, fire, plunder, and slaughter. Only ships of war
under English colours dared approach the port.
The battering of Malghera continued. Venice was
greatly distressed by the blockade ; all their fire-wood
supplies were consumed, and they were burninz any-
thing that came to hand to cook their dear victuals.
According to a note addressed by Baran Haynau to
the English and French consuls, all foreign skips of
war were to leave the port of Venice by the night of
the 20th, from which time forward all vessels, without
distinction of flag, would be excluded. It was cal-
culated that Venice could not hold out beyond a fort-
night.

FRANKFORT.—Our news are to May 25. It
was reported that the King of Prussia had offered
the castle of Stolzenfels as a temporary residence to
the Grand Duke of Baden. The fugitive Baden
officers intended forming a Baden legion, so as to
co-operate with the imperial troops. Prince Frede-
rick of Baden, accompanied by the ministers Bekk
and Dosch, had arrived. Preparations for the for-
mation of a camp at Bergen, quite close to Frankfort,
had already commenced.
The sitting of the National Assembly was opened
at half-put 12 by Reb. About 160 deputies were
present. Four members announced their resignation.
The president communicated to the chamber that
there was still a nominal amount of 292 members,
and that in the 14 divisions only the fourth was nomi-
nally incompetent to pass resolutions. A hundred
members were absent without leave, and consequently
new arrangements must be made, to consider which
the members were invited after the close of the sit-
ting.

New elections would be ordered u heretofore, the
more so u the imperial ministry had declared its
readiness to act u hitherto. Those &bigot without
leave were to be summoned to appwW within ten
days.
Uhland read a project, amid the profoundest silence
of the house, bat its contents have not Tot reached us.
The voting respecting the "Proclamation to the Peo-
ple " was postponed. Ludwig Simon moved, in the
name of the committee of thirty, the following motion,
am urgent:
The troops of those states whose goverameab no Isom
=lgietheffueNetiewil Assembly or be decrees es lawfully
are imesedleirly le be tumid set of their difficult
sal Mist the oath of fidelity to the
estelledirmarCellialblea Ile ismilory of the stales
Su *do IL The Netball Assembly explode
a draft deelmeties *ea the imperial RUM:7 moseraing
the corwelea el Ilia decree.
Thendisa was carried by 97 against 60 vote.