The Express.
London, England, 1860-10-03 00:00:00

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3.

WE have of late hoard brilliant prophecies of the
happy lot reserved for Austria. The EMPEROR, we
are told, long deceived and misled by evil coun-
sellors, has had his eyes providentially opened to
the light of the age. He is a sincere convert, de-
termined to make liberal concessions, and grant
his people all they may require. Hungary is to
have its rights, South Germany its constitution,
whilst Venetia is to prove a more prosperous and
contented province than any under the cross of
Savoy.
A greater hallucination cannot be conceived.
Not only will Passim „loam', in the hands of
Count Kunsan°, grant nothing, but at this
moment Austria, in conjunction with Russia, is
striving, and we fear striving successfully, to drag
Prussia back with them out of the path of libe-
ralism and nationality into the old rat of the Holy
Alliance. The Reichsrath, to be sure, has been
sitting at Vienna, and making daily advances in
the boldness of its speech and its demands. Bat
this, instead of inducing the Austrian Court to
make concessions, has, on the contrary, alarmed
it and its allies. Count Reesman° moat igno-
rantly and fatuitoualy called those patriots to-
gether thinking of conceding to them a con-
stitution a /a Pronfaise, with representative
assemblies in which there should be no right of
initiative, and in which European politics and
domestic finance were to be tabooed. His
belief that the public mind could be so satisfied,
and the provinces so rallied to the EMPEROR, is a
complete measure of the capacity of the Austrian
Premier. The Minister became afraid to pro-
pose his scheme, lest it should produce
an explosion. Neither had he the capacity, nor
indeed the permission to advance in proposing
anything better. Out of such a quagmire nothing
but Russian intervention can save him—the de-
claration of Russian alliance and support, such as
no doubt will be the issue of the Warsaw Congress.
That declaration will be the signal for the ottroi
of the mock constitution, which will not content a
single province.

This strikes us with neither surprise nor dis-
appointment. Reforms, intelligent reforms, were
never to he hoped from an Austrian court. It is
equally impossible for the ruler of that empire
either to bind it up and strengthen it by unity
and centralisation, or make it furnish that mili-
tary strength which is required if the bond be-
tween government and provinces be relaxed by
federation. Rut what is truly mortifying is to
find that this empire, which can do nothing for
itself, can still act as an incubus and a drag upon
Germany, rallying to it not only all those Princes
who are fearful and jealous of Prussia, but com-
pelling Prussia itself to swerve from that liberal
and German policy which it was the Peaces
Recavr's pride to have inaugurated.

It must be admitted that the administration of
Baron Von &Him trirz has shown much to recom-
mend it, and that the language and conduct
of his envoy in the German Confederation

has been independent and liberal. It might
not, indeed, have met all the wishes of
the Herman Nationalists, who failed not to
cry out and remonstrate whenever the Prus-
sian Minister was deficient in patriotism and
in seal. But now it is to be foared there will be
• total breach between them and Von ficamer-
ens. This Minister and his master, the Parses
Reamer, have a perfect horror of democracy or
demagogy, which rises up like a spectre to
frighten them from liberal purposes and inten-
tions. They imagine they descried this spectre in
the late meeting at Coburg, whilst the German
Constitutionalists foresee reaction in the forth-
coming meeting at Warsaw. Hence mutual sus-
picions and estrangements, which have the melan-
choly effect of precipitating both into those ex-
tremes which would be their ruin ; for if Prussia
joins a new Holy Alliance against the liberties of
Europe, she is lost. And if the German Liberals
re-adopt the ravings of the mad portion of the
Frankfort Parliament, then farewell to progress
and Gasman unity.
Democracy is not the only bugbear which alarms
Prussian statesmen. They behold on the throne
of France the nephew and successor of NA-
rotsox, fresh from the overthrow of Austrian
armies in Italy. The true support of Prussia
against so formidable a foe is the attachment of
the German people ; sad during certain intervals
the Prussian Government seems inclined to trust
this great national support, in preference to
other alliances or combinations. But athwart
this sane and national policy come disturbing cur-
rents, such as the easy overthrow of ancient
thrones by GA•IBALDI, and the threat of repeat-
ing the same feat in Hungary and in Poland.
Whilst foreign propagandism is exciting dis-
' affection throughout the Sclavonian portion of the
great European monarchies, German patriots meet
to pour forth eynipathetio strains of nationality
and freedom. Hence the alarm of Von &REUNITE
and his Prince, both of whom begin to fear
that the German people, in supporting Prussia
against France, would be very likely to demand a
recompense which Prussia might deem subversive
and anarchic. Thus alarmed and excited, without
I auflicient cause, into mistrust of the popular party,
the PRINCE REGENT and VON SCIILEINITZ are more
inclined than usual to trust to a Russian and
Austrian alliance for defenceagainst France. Such
an alliance implies that Prussia shall cease to de-
mand of Austria that perseverance in a liberal
policy which it insisted upon at Teeplits. It im-
plies that tho opposition offered by Prussia to
Austrian absolutism in the Diet should make way
for a common understanding. It implies the
assumption even by Prussia of a hostile attitude
towards Sardinia and towards Italy, to which it is
to be feared Baron Von Scuialsrrz personally has
been long inclined. In fact, it implies • revolu-
tion in the politics of Pnusia, and • defiance to be
thrown by its Government to European liberalism,
in lieu of the hand of fellowship which was hitherto,
however cautiously, held out.
Our Minister of Foreitm Affairs is fortunately
on the spot, cud will be able to communicate his
opinion to the Prussian Prime Minister before

the meeting of Warsaw, which has been 'pat off.
That British principles may prevail with Prussia,
more than Austrian or Russian, must be the wish
of those who have ever connected the indepen-
dence and political progress of Germany with the
fortunes of the House of Hoararzommi.v.