The Express.
London, England, 1851-06-12 00:00:00

GERMANY.

BERLIN, JUNE 7.
Severed conservative papers (especially the Schles-
wig Zeitung) have declared theme:lves decidedly opposed
to the rniuisterial ordinance with respect to the provincial
diets. The paper just named, in a leading article, has the
following: " A struggle is preparing in the press and in
public opinion in which not only those who stand upon the
ground of the constitution will be engaged, but many who
up to this time have stubbornly opposed the constitution.
The ministerial ordinance for the re-establishment of the
old provincial diets, which will doubtless be shortly peruse.
neatly restored on the Lime basis as before 181 S, is the
cants befit. Granted that the ministry has not the inten-
tion, as is universally believed, by this ordinance gradually
to undermine our constitution; granted that he conscien-
sciously believes his construction of the constitution, by
which he may justify this act, to be the right
one —one thing it is certain the minister cannot
do : ho can never make his view of the consti-
tution a prevailing or a popular one; and therefore the
war of the press and of public opinion he must needs have
against him, and there is no authority to decide between
him and the people but the Chambers—no other authority
can decide outhis constitutional question." The Se/ilesicoy
Zeituag then calls attention to the eet, that many presi-
dents of the provinces have resisted the ordinance which the
Kreu: Zeitung calls upon the government to enforce,
" without losing any time in vain words,"aud concludes as
follows:—" But the fact that the official* to whom the ordi-
nance is addressed bare sworn to the constitution, as well
as the Minister himself, but, on the other side, are
by no means shielded from consequences by the ab-
sence of a law on ministerial responsibility—this feet,
which no logic of the Kreuz Zeitung con remove, puts
the officials, as it were, under the necessity of follow-
ing two masters; and out of this dilemma there is
but one way, which we have often alluded to. Laws con-
stitutionally omitted can be only changed or modified by
constitutional organs. A matter which belongs to the crown
and the chambers should not be placed in the hands of
officials. Thst is right, and right must be right, whether it
be historical or whether it dates from yesterday." Thus
the conservative paper appeals from the popular agitation
to the chambers. What will the ministers say to this ? 1
Fresh instances of resistance to the new ordinance are
mentioned in the papers daily.
The Yawner-he Zeitung professes to have received commu-
nications from Warsaw, whch leave no doubt that the per-
sonal efforts of the Emperor of Russia have succeeded in
removing the chief difficulties to a real intimate union
between Austria and Prussia. The conclusion of a mutual
protective league between Russia, Austria, and Prussia,
that is, a renewal of the Holy Alliance in its original sense,
says that paper, has certainly taken place. Oa the other
hand, the Austrian papers would represent the royal
conference' as nothing snore than friendly inter-
views between the monarchs. That more was intended is
admitted, but as • congress of the three sovereigns did not
follow the interviews between the Czar and the King, no
more, it is said, was accomplished. It is remarked, fur-
ther that the King excused himself from meeting the two
Emperors at Olmuts, on the pretext that he must be pre-
sent at Berlin at the inauguarstion of the statue of Frederick
the Great, whilst he found time to accompany his royal
brother-in-law to Oderbcrg, a few miles from Ohnute, and
to spend severe! hours at Ratibor ; also that he arrived in
Berlin on the 29th, whereas the inauguration did not take
place till the :fist--all which circumstances seem to show that
the breech between Austria and Prussia still remains open.
JUNE 8.
Many here who really rejoice at the restoration of the
provincial diets are, nevertheless, very uneasy and very dis-
contented at the manner is which that measure has been
brought abost—vo glaringly unconstitutional, so arbitrary,
and, it wag paribig qua out, so illegal. I mentioned yes-
terday that M. Witeleben, who has several times refused to
enter the ministry on amount of his resolute opposition to
the new parochial system (gnashed* ordnung), has yet pro-
tested eltednet the new ordmanee am the ground of its
gality, and the whale censtitatiend party of Prussia will
adopt no amid the same Mae of seneinet. Clothe other hand,
those who regard tie mesenre as a nasal triumph over
the revolution, preeinia their victory in a tone likely to
provoke the mimed eppseithma Rom the other side. The
Kress: Zeitung bre set the example of this. It sets up
what it calls the right of the provincial diets, above all the
ether rights of the people of Germany ; it says that these
are the "ancient," the "sacred" rights of the people, of
which the revolution had sought to rob them; and in
several places the same strain of assertion has been adopted.
At Delimit, the diet formally declared that their restoration
should be considered as a direct intervention of Provi-
dence in behalf of Prussia; and at Bclgard, although
thanks were abundantly showered on Mr. Man-
tesfel for the ordinance, • regret was expressed
that the minister had called the Diet merely provisionally
together, and had not boldly declared that they were sum-
mooed by virtue of their "rights," which they had never
forfeited, and of which they had never been deprived.

HAMBURG, JoNE 9.
The Whitson holidaTs, a time of recreation for all
classes, arc turned into grief and mourning, thanks to our
unwelcome guests, the Austrian soldiers.
The suburb of St. Pauli, commonly called the , Ham-
burger Berg, which I cannot describe better to your readers
who are not acquainted with this place, than ,by call-
inglli it the Wspping of this city and of Altons, always the re-
sort of sailors' who muster of course in large number
on holidays, and are met at the dancing saloons by servants,
journeymen, and females. Last night many of the Aus-
trians quartered in the city and Altana Socked there. A
quarrel Bose between one of them and a civilian,. which was
taken up be their respective friends. It began in a saloon
called the loachimsthal, and was fought out in the street
On each sides man was killed, and a picket of our soldiers
cleared the place, and probably the matter would have
rested had not a patrol of four men and a corporal came from
Altana to fetch the Austrians, who were at a guard-house
of our soldiers and protected by them. That patrol was

- lqig*

•-*lteitliky some ink Aladin, near the gate, and, some say,
aluby the mob. It returned to Altona. But a whole
regiment, eommanded by Field-Marshal Lieut. Thciner,
slew arrived,, and fired these rounds—one, it is stated, into
the alwerr-mantiemed salitee, and the others amongst the
clowds in the street. mar killed and wounded indiscrimi-
nately men, women, MI children. At the infirmaries there
were this manias eight dead sad twenty wounded.
Amongst the former is a girl of thirteen, who was carrying
bread in a basket. Amongst the letter, a man of seventy
and a boy of nine, whose arm was amputated this morning.
How many more there may be at private houses is not
known.
If the Austrian military authorities cared at all for the
tranquillity of the city, they might easily have prevented
those riots, by forbidding the men to go near the sub-
urb; bat they seem to wish for disturbances, that
they may have a pretest for their repressive mea-
sures. The spirit of independence which our population
is manifag, and which characterises the German,
race, has longbeen a sore in the eyes of the Austrian officers,
who aft accustomed to the obsequiousness of the blare.
Some of them were heard to say long ago that they would
break that democratic pride es soon as an opportunity
1 offers. A betalion was commanded from Pinneberg to St.
Pauli, and has probably arrived there by this time. This
afternoon cartridges were distributed toad the soldiers here,
and part of them marched to the same suburb. Artillery,
too, was moved to the ramparts, so as to be ready fur action
at a minute's notice. What more mischief they intend to
do remains to be seen.