The Express.
London, England, 1850-03-11 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVENING, MARCH 11, :1850., .!1

the ant definitions from mesh of their rigid* sad
infleciWity. Ai a woof that the former method was
entrary to the spirit of the ego, and that the print
eiple ad proteetantlem bad permeated iplaces where
prneiktatisai itself could not enter, the decrees of the
nand! of Trent was rejected by the Leg of
Feuds and many other catholic; prince; as subver-
sive of the independent; of the national tenches.
.The _entree, rutin el oompreiteaatos rather _than.
minion might be illustrated by reference to the
oondnat of every protestant church eines the time of
the Reformation ; it is sufficient, however, fee our per-
wee to point ,out the remarkable changes introduced
into the language of the English articles between
1838 sod 1662 as quoted in the judgment delivered
by the Judicial Committee. In reference to this the
commissioners very properly remark :
II the potato which were left open, differences of
mold not be avoided, even amongst these who
e=anlyeubseibed to the ankles, and that such differences
firstelesi each persons were thought mesistent with sub.
script's& to the whiles, appears from a pa eggs In the royal
dIICPASU now infixed to the avid's, aid which wae Int
added in the Mice of King Charles I. long after the articles
wove finale settled. Though some differences have bon ill
raised, yet we take comfort is this, that all clergymen within
our realm, have always mess willingly sabseribed to the
'Welts established ; which is an argurneat le us that the
agree in Mr true anal sumps
el the veld
end Met even hi thine endow paints an which Me=
Mermen SO been cif aorta tabs the articles of the
of England to be for them, ldeh is an argument, again,
that none of them intend al desertion el the articles
established."

The pet martyr of the high church party is here
brought in as a witness to the truth of a principle
wa as an honest protestant, he could scarcely have
avoided recognising. Do the Bishop of EXETER and
the retrogressionists, in church and state, believe that
they can be ultimately suoceseful in their endeavour
to restore principles of action which had ceased to be
generally recognised for centuries before CRABLES
lived P We think they do, and that their hopes have
been elevated by the course which events have taken,
both here and on the Continent, during the last year.
There is no denying that the principle of retrogres-
sion has achieved some vidaries. In France, parti-
cularly, the discussions on the education question
brought to light the existence of a feeling in
favour of a spiritual or mental tyranny in
quarters where it was least expected. Such men as
MM. Texans and Da TOCQUETILLE appear in their
hatred to the lawlessness of the Mountain to be will-
ing to throw themselves into the arms of those whose
aim is to reintroduce a spiritual despotism. The
corresponding party in England cannot repress the
extravagance of their delight at these symptoms,
which point to a gradual reassumption of claims to an
empire over men's spirits and intellects, long since
abandoned.

At the same time that we entertain the strongest
conviction that these hopes are doomed to be utterly
frustrated, we cannot bat feel certain that the liberal
party have more opposition to expect from those
whom we have called the retrogressioniste than could
have been expected some years back, and we cannot,
therefore, bat express our satisfaction that so great a
blow has been struck on the right side as the judg-
ment of the Judicial Committee.

GERMANY.

BERLIN, Msaca 8.

The "additional act " has not yet been published;
it will probably be kept secret, known only to the mem-
bers of the Verwaltung., Bath, till it is communicated
to the Erfurt parliament on the day of its opening.
It is whispered, however, that this act is of such •
nature that the whole work of the constitution is
likely to be shattered by it. The constitution of the
28th of May requires the enneurreneo of the
representatives of the people, of the represen-
tatives of the states, of the head of the empire,
of the College of Princes to impart validity to any
law. Prussia is, however, determined to contest the
right of the College of Princes to a vote; and Meck-
lenburg has protested formally; and the other states
reserved their right to protest if necessary, against
being thus de facto mediatised. This dispute will
come to be discussed at Erfurt; and it will be curious if
the Princes acquiesce in the attribution of validity. to
laws which have not received their consent. An Im-
pression has gone abroad, that Prussia resorts to this
measure as an excuse for abandoning the " more inti-
mate union " its own creation ; for enabling it to say
" things must remain as they are, but it is no fault of
ours." Arnim von Boitzenburg is believed to have
accepted the commission to sit among the representa-
tives of the states, only upon this understanding.
The fall of the liberal cabinet in lives Cassel arose
from their proposing to the elector constitutionally
disposed men as deputies to the Erfurt Steatenhass.
The Elector refused to ratify the selection made by
the ministers, and seems to have thought this a fair
occasion for turning them out and planting the banner
of reaction. The members deputed from Cassel to
the Erfurt Steatenhass will be enemies to the Prus-
sian bond, and their mission will be to join that party
which is bent on its destruction.

The Saxon government has declared that it has no
intention of withdrawing from the league of May 26.
In a cabinet council, attended by Radowitz, it was
resolved that the Prussian government should declare
for the immedisteacceptance by the Erfurt Reichstag
of the German constitution as in the draft of May 26,
and reserve the revision for subsequent deliberation.
This is the course which was taken with the Prussian
constitution of December.

A telegraphic despatch from Berlin, of the above
date, in the %diner Zeittsug, states that the govern-
ment of Saxony has declared ita intention of adhering
to the Prussian League of the 26th of May, 1849.

THE AUSTRIAN SCHEME FOR A CUSTOMS UNION.
BRILLIN, MARCH 4.
I mentioned in me letter of yesterday that a note had
been sent by the Prussian government in answer to the
Austrian proposal for a customs union. The principles laid
down in the Prussian reply are in harmony generally with
the following remarks, although of course diplomatic usage
would not allow many of thole remarks to be so bluntly
stated.
The real motive of M. Brunt's memorial was not com-
mercial, nor based upon the ground or international pro-
gram, but was essentially a stroke of Austrian policy, which
aimed to scotch the growing influence of Prussia in Ger-
many It was a stroke calculated all the more probably to
reach that aim, as no scheme, abstractedly considered, could
be more popular with the Germans generally than a com-
mercial union with Austria; and no scheme. practically
considered, could be more popular with a considerable por-
tion of the Germans, than the establishment of higher protec-
tive duties. The moment was dexterously chosen for launchis g
the plen,ljust when the chaotic state of Germany seemed likely
to be &embroiled by the steadfast adherence of Prussia to
the league founded under her auspices on parliamentary
principles. A desperate effort was necessary to rally Ger-
many to the banner of Hapsburg, and the memorial of M.
Bruck appeared.
But the Austrian government, wholly dependent on the
haute finance, and on the benevolence of the burgesses, in
order not to cut the ground frost under their own feet, were
obliged to be cautious how they alarmed their own manufac-
turers with the prospect of having their monopolies
abolished ; and therefore advanced towards the commercial
accolade with bound ante, prefacing their overtures with a
profession of such high pitched protectionism, as does not
materially differ from the prohibitive system in practice.
If the Zollverein has net yet been able to tempt the
northern states of Germany to the adoption of its moderate
tariff, a glance at the Brach memorial will suffice to show
what a gulf would be placed between those northern states
and the Zollverein, were the latter to adopt the proposed
Austrian tariff. When it is remembered that most of those
states belong to the league of May 26, and that the main
impediment to the accession of Hanover to the same league
consists in her divergent commercial interests, it is manifest
that, by taking a step in the protective direction, Prmis
would be loosening and weakening that North-German coeli•
Lion so much dreaded by Austria. To fling the apple of dig-
ested between the protectionists and free traders—to lure the
Nevi= government by diplomatic baits towards protection,
and thus excite the distrust of North Germany before the
consolidation of the Mort scheme—was not improbably the
Austrian design. The 'suspicion of intrigue Is strengthened
by the fact of the memorial being addressed, not to the
governments of the several German states, but to the federal
commission at Frankfort, which might the more easily be
brought to approve the project of a customs congress, as
half the commoionen are Austrian. But according to the
3rd article of the convention of September 30, 1849, which
gave birth to the federal commission, all affairs, which ac-
cording to the treaty of federation of 1816, are referred for
dominos to the plenary sssembly of the diet, are reserved fur
ommerm agreement among the single antes. Now, in article
six of that treaty, among the concerns falling to the exclugro
competence of the Plenum are set down " all orgenis federal
arrangements and ordinances affecting the common materiel
internee," under which head undoubtedly the establishment
of customs-duties belongs. By the 6th article of the convin-
tion of Sept. 30, the competence of the Interim Commission
in oe-extensive with that of the smaller council of the diet,
and consequently eaaaot legally include the functions
of the Plenum. Although this is clear ' b• it has been
attempted to wrest the situ:hit snide o the &Altus.
Acid. to &construction which C them this tion
of the federal commission. says that " the memMn 01
the confederation are, upon the find meeting of the amembly
lof the diet, to deliberate upon concerns of commerce