The Express.
London, England, 1850-11-22 00:00:00

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LONDON, FRIDAY, NOVEMBBR 22.

THERE could not be a more fatuities and foolish,
or a mire insolent idea, than to suppose that the great
work of the reorganisation of Germany, together
with the settlement of the more immediate and
flagrant causes of dispute, could be accomplished, not
only without consulting the general wishes and pub-
lic opinion of the country at large, but in their very
despite.
There does not exist a more universal horror
amongst Englishmen at present of being made over
to the spiritual tyranny of Rome, than there exists
in Germany of being delivered to the kindred tyranny,
of the Frankfort Diet. Of the 34 votes possessed
by
princes in the old diet, twenty-one adhered 'to the
Prussian union, until the march of Austrian troops
the other day frightened Nassau and Darmstadt from
their determination. Of the four kings, who are the
msinchampions for restoring the diet, all are at flagrant
variance with their chambers and with public opinion on
this very account. All know the state of thing' in Ha-
nover and in Saxony. When the King of Weerzununo
tried the other day to raise his contingent in behalf
of the Diet, his chamber refused him • single florin ;
and he was obliged to destroy the constitution, and
of course call in Austrian trove to keep the people
down. This universal protest of all Germany against
the :restoration of the Diet is not swelled by the
voice of the lower classes, which are too much
alormed or disgusted by the events of 1849 to
stir. The resistance, as in Hesse, is universally
a resistance of the middle classes, of the landowners,
merchants, professional men, and even of the ens.
ydoyes, as was seen in the simultaneous resignation
of all the Hessian offioers. The idea of forcing any
government or system down the throats of a people in
despots of such a resistance as this could enter into
the heed of no sane politician. METTERNICH him-
self, we will be bound to say, would not have at-
tempted it. As if to aggravate the difficulties and
oppression, tee new Diet commences its government
by two of the most unpopular acts conceivable—first,
the imposition of the Elector of Hesse upon his
subjects, and the subjugation of Holstein by • south-1
ern army.
The inhabitants of Germany are certainly very
patient, slow to move, and reluctant to be excited.)
The forcing upon them a federal system, in which
princes alone should have a voice, and in which the
law should be to allow of no even local constitution—
no constitution at least that can control the will of a
prince—this seems hard enough for Germany to
swallow in the middle of the 19th century. But in
order to render the digestion of such a thing more
facile and agreeable, all of North Germany has
been called under arms. It is well known that' the
insolence of Scitwstastreatio alone did this. The
King of Peussie and his minister, MANTEINEEL,
were most averse to it, and but for the stupid
and the vain insolence of the Austrian Prime Minister
in insisting on the instant evacuation of Hesse, the
lanelto hr would never have beer celled out. SCEINVAR-
ZENIsERO, moreover, is most unguarded and preiromp-
ttious in conversation. "We have crushed Italian
liberalism in the person of CHARLES ALBERT; And
we mast crush German liberalism in the person Or
FREDERICK WILLIAM ." Such were the very words
publicly made use of by the Austrian Prime Minister;
and which had their effect in the summons of the
Prussian landwehr.
Once called out, this force cannot be recalled. A
nation cannot be summated to the camp one day and'
dismiseed home the next, as rulers and cabinets wax
hot and cold. As LEOPOLD of Mattis wrote to the
King of FRANCE, when CAECR DE LION escaped from
prison, •' The Devil has broke lows ;" public opinion
in Germany is now not only aroused, but vigilant,
active, and determined.
On the attitudes of the Prussian landwehr and
army, as well as on the feelings about to be exhibited
by the Prussian chambers, which met yesterday,
hang the condition and the possibility of future,
peace. There is little doubt that Herr MANTEL:PEEL
was all foe peace, and ready to make all the conces-
sion requisite to appease the choler of Aue'ria. And
had not this some intemperate choler forced the
calling out of the landwehr, peace would ere this
have been concluded. But another power has been
summoned to council, and a DANIEL, in the shape of
an armed people, has come to judgment. Diploma-
tists, therefore, instead of tricking and tilting at each
other, are driven to units their stock of address and
duplicity against the popular foe. Negotiations ass
suspended, in order that the indignation of thechambee
may have nothing positive to strike at. RenowYel
is sent on a mission to England, in order that he
may not attend parliament and be compelhell
offer explanations. The Prince of Paussie has gess
to the army to avoid being made the object of popular
ovation. And it remains for the minister, Mese
TEUTPILL, to try and reconcile the demands of Austria,
backed by Russia, with the amount of tolerance that
can be expected from the Prussian people.
Everything will depend upon the attitude amnia
by the majority of the Prussian chamber. Of the
present middle clue movement that majority
can make itself the head. The ultra-loyalist
party, be it remarked, are as mach exaspe-
rated against Austria as the constitutionalists them-
selves. And Herr MANTELTEEL'S position will be MOM
difficult. Should the terms and concessions which he
proposes, prove unacceptable to the chambers, he
must either resign or dissolve them. The latter would
but add to the present excitement and irritation of
the army, and would, in the opinion of every one, lead
to a military demonstration.
In this menacing and uncertain aspect of affairs,
France and England are understood to have interfered
so far as to say that however anxious and determined to
have the Holstein question settled without the dismem-
berment of Denmark, still they could not view with
passive unconcern any irruption of Russian armies
into German provinces. This notification, however
moderate, is quite enough to keep Russia within
bounds, and to confine the first shock of war to a
more equal struggle between Austrian and ProasiUn
armies.
MANTEUPFEL is, however, a man of ability and
address. He may overcome all difficulties and bring
about pacification without strife. Should he fail,
the King may summon M. BODELECHWINO to his
councils, and he by his firmness might secure those
great principles on which alone anything like a last-
ing pacification of Germany could be obtained.
Nbw the first thing to be insisted on is, that Ger-
many should not be worse off in the way of liberty
than it was in 1814. The Diet was then to be ao-
compasied by conatitutious in every state, neither the
monarch nor the Dist overruling the qpnatitutions.l
Bat by the federal laws passed sabsequeatly,
and especially is 1832 and 1834, the power
of the Diet nullified all constitutions. Is short,
it would be absurd to have any. And this is
the law now put forward by Austria, to be enforced in '1
Hans and in Holstein. It is needless to say that the
permitting them, in the re-establishment oftits Frank-
fort Diet, as it wee is 1842, is but rendering inevitable
a civil war. If the gunnel between north and
south, between oonatitutionalima and sloth.
then, be sot settled with mese degree of hit,
seta sad fa some way consonant to the
views and halloo of the Gorman population,
is nth to think that the word will sot be called