The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-07 00:00:00

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

THE FRENCH PRESS ON THE KING OF
PRUSSIA'S SPEECH.
The 114 bats of to-day, commenting on the King
of Prussia's speech on the opening of parliament,
says :
The language is that of a sovereign proud of having
brought a most difficult enterprise to a successful
termination, but who is not so inflated by victory
as to assume the tone of a master. We now
know the real meaning of the constitutional con-
flict in Prussia which, in the entire ignorance in which
people were kept of the projects of the King and his
minister, presented the appearance of a gratuitous and
meditated attempt to establish a personal government
on the rains of the national representation. These projects
evidently were too much in the nature of a conspiracy to
allow of their being proclaimed in the face of parliament.
Count Bismarck required a numerous and well-organised
army to carry out his designs, and when the Chamber,
with that persistency which is characteristic of Germans,
refused him the means, year after year, he could not tell them
' what he wanted that army for. It is doubtless to this situa-
tion that King William refers in that passage of his speech
where he represents the conduct of the government as an
absolute necessity demanded by the interest of the State.
We have no intention of justifying such conduct. We
are satisfied with finding the historical explanation of it.
It is certain that Count Bismarck and his master embarked
without consulting the nation in a most perilous enterprise.
It succeeded, but it might have failed, and in that case a
fearful responsibility would have fallen on those who pro-
jected it. Sumas, however, makes people forget and par-
don many things, and it is not likely that the Chamber
will show itself intractable in the presence of scam-
plished facts which have so much contributed
to the aggrandisement of Prussia. The govern-
ment on its side, having no longer anything to conceal and :
no design to carry out without the co-operation of parlia-
ment, has no longer any reason for renewing internal
conflicts which would alienates large portion of the people.
On the contrary its interests would lead it to satisfy the
liberal aspirations of the peoples whom it is about to annex;
and the beet way of doing this is to show that it is liberal
at home. Everything leads to the belief that the struggle
for influence in Germany will take place on liberal
principles, and that the eyes of the peo-
ple will be turned in that direction from which
they think the good for which they long will proceed. This
even appears to be felt in Austria, where those journals
who have still some freedom of opinion left consider that
the establishment of constitutional and parliamentary
government is an indispensable condition of the regenera-
tion of the Empire.
The Sack says :
It is already of good augury to see the chief of a great
State on the morning after a great victory bowing before
the sovereignty of the nation and soliciting a bill of in.
demnity for illegal acts accomplished without the antece-
dent consent of the nation.
The Temps says :
The speech has produced a general feeling of dissatisfac-
tion. It is of the ultra-Prussian type of stiffness, more
remarkable for what it leaves to be inferred than what it
announces, and in which we look in vain fora trace of
liberal sentiment. We know not what effect it may pro-
duce in Germany, but we do not hazard too much when
we say that it will not enlist the sympathies of Europe on
the side of Prussia.
The Aeenir National says :
What first strikes us in the speech is the complete
silence which it keeps on the subject of the French
mediation. It seems to us that some sentences,
though merely of simple politeness, would not have been
out of place under the circumstances. Perhaps his
Majesty of Prussia is only waiting for the official sig-
nature of the treaty of peace to express his gratitude
to the Cabinet of the Tuileries for the result of its
mediation. The speech contains a singular confession,
namely, that the King has governed for three
yews against the law, and he now ants the chamber to put
an end to this kind of dictatorship by granting a bill of in-
demnity. It is not likely that this will be refused, for
error admitted is already half pardoned.

(itsramit's Tumults.)
PRUSSIA AND SAXONY.
DRESDEN, Acorn? 7.

The Dresden Journal of to-day says :—"Nothing
is known in well-informed quarters respecting any
intention on the part of Prussia to impose contri-
butions upon Saxon towns, as alleged by several
German papers."
The same journal announces that special nego-
tiations for peace are about to be opened between
Prussia and Saxony.

AUSTRIA.
MUNICH, Acucar 7.
Austria has withdrawn her troops from the Bth
Federal Army Corps.
The Austrians will pus through this city to-
morrow or the day after.

DEATH OF GENERAL MUTIUS.

BRESL.ttr. AUGUST 7.

The Silesian Gazette of to-day announces the
death at Austerlitz yesterday of the Cavalry Gene-
ral von Mntius, commander of the 6th army corps.

RUSSIA.

ST. PETERSBITAG, Avaver 6.

Great enthusiasm prevails in reference to the
approaching visit of the American squadron. The
Russian fleet has gone to Helsingfors to meet it.

The principal bankers of this city have sub-
scribed thirty millions of francs for completing the
railway from Koslov to hiorschansk.
The cholera has considerably diminished.
ST. PETEBSBURG, AuGun 7.

•
The South German States have renewed their
endeavours to obtain the intervention of Russia at
the Court of Berlin, but the imperial government
has not hitherto made any engagement to that
effect.

The old Russian party is very active in the de-
fence of Russian interests in the Danubian Princi-
palities.
The Czarewitch will set out at the end of the
week on a visit to Moscow, Novgorod, Kasan, the
Cossack territory, and other parts of Russia.