The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-04 00:00:00

PATENT GRATES, FURNACES, itc.—ln
the matter of Letters Patent granted to JOHN LEE STEVENS,
,t 1, Fish-street-hill, City, London, Notice is hereby given, that the
,ovelty of Invention and the Patentee's rights have been -stablished
:it law in the Court of Exchequer in an Action for hind getmnts,
wherein a verdict was obtained against HENRY ATC FIE RLET ;
that the Statutory Can ifi ate aa to the validity of the pate,_ have
been given by the LORD Cli IF.F BARON ; and that proceed , sln
Chancery. or otherwise, will be taken against any person who
violates the rights of the Patentee.
REED, LANGFORD, AND MARSDEN,
Solicitors to the Proprietors of said Letters Potent.
513, Friday-street, Cheapside, London.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
z'nus DAY —Morning 34 min.after 2 I Evening 52 min.eft. 2
ro-Nf0n,..,0w Morning 9 min.after 3 j Evening 29 3

TILE WEATII4/{.—Sun Onto, Jan. 4.
THERMOMETER, IN THE SRAM
53—highest since noon yesterday.
47 —;owest this morning and during the night.
49—this day, at noon.
BAROMETER, 30'31.
WIND, W.—Light breeze, with fine weather.

"*!..
r LaslAn

LONDON, THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 1855.

We are absolutely disgusted with the subter-
fuges of Prussia. We are heartily sick of its
dodgery and intrigue. " Clicquot " does all he can
to embarrass the Western Powers, and to assist
secretly, and by under-hand means, his brother-
in-law. Although he has thus hung back, although
he has practically joined our enemy, he professes
to be virtuously indignant because he is not
treated as a friend, and admitted to our councils.
A friend, forsooth (!) What possible claim to
the title can he put forward ? Why, next to the
arch-aggressor, and his "friend of forty years'
standing," he is chiefly responsible for the War.
Had he boldly and honestly expressed his views
on the subject, and clearly and explicitly informed

the CZAR that the invasion of the Principalities

would be regarded as a casus belli, or had he even
subsequently exhibited the slightest manifestation
of his desire that the reasonablo demands of the
Western Powers should be complied with, NI-
CHOLAS would have yielded. Unfortunately, how-
ever, there was no appearance of truth or since-
rity iu his proceedings. At one moment he ear-
nestly supported the " four points ;" at the next
he considered their contumelious rejection by
Russia perfectly justifiable. He " breathed hot
and cold " simultaneously, and his most confi-
dential and trusted adviser know not any day
what the following one would bring forth.
At present the position of Prussia is this.
She seeks to obtain all the advantages of co-opera-
tion with the other Powers, without any of the

incidental drawbacks. She is to be consulted in
every negotiation—to take part in every confer-
ence—not merely for the advancement of " Ger-
man"—the cant phrase which she has used toque
ad nausea»t—but of " Prusian" interests. She
offers no reciprocal advantage. She proposes no
action by which she can be inconvenienced in
the slightest degree. All she suggests is, that
as it may be in her power to become mis-
chievous, we should be prepared to pay a species
of " black mail" to secure her neutrality. It is
the old story of the Stork and Fox, save that, as
fortunately, we have never trusted Prussia, we
have had no reason to apprehend her making a
treacherous use of the opportunity. All that
she can expect, however, is that she might have
gene avowedly against us. We, on the other
band, may, and with much apparent reason, de-
clare that her open and undisguised hostility
would be far better than her pretended friendship,
or even her counterfeit neutrality.
She has hitherto been permitted to profit very

trgely by this course, and as each day increases

her gains, she is anxious to procrastinate matters
to the very latest moment. By the concessions
made at the commencement of the War to the
commerce of neutrals, the whole trade between
Russia and the Western Powers was thrown into
the hands of Prussia. The "commission" was
handsome, and easily earned, and therefore should
not be easily relinquished. The moment that
Prussia flung off disguise and joined either party
these emoluments would cease ; and, as the truth
of the old adage—.

" Ploratur lacryimisamissa pecunia veris,"

is universally acknowledged, we may easily con-
ceive how sincere would be the grief of Prussia at
being compelled to make the election, or to return
a decided answer to a plain interrogatory—a
course which would be followed by the with-
drawal or loss of this lucrative trade.

If any doubt could previouily have existed as
to the disposition of Prussia, it would be removed
by the proclamation to which we yesterday
alluded. Although Prussia Might not be willing
to relinquish her neutrality by expressly sanc-
tioning the enlistment of her subjects, she need
not have affected such extreme alarm at the mere
possibility of an attempt to seduce Prussian sub-
jects into the English service. It seems to us
that it would have beon time enough to issue the
proclamation when some application was put for-
ward or attempt made to obtain this indirect as-
sistance. Until then it was a very unnecessary
menace to England, to which we unfortunately
exposed ourselves by the ill-advised and uncon-
stitutional measure passed with such reckless pre-
cipitation. The War Minister of England stated
that the intention was to obtain German aid, and,
therefore, Prussia interfered—unnecessarily and
gratuitously interfered, as if Prussia were Germany.
The most unpleasant part of the transaction is, that
we afforded a colourable pr3text for the insult for
which we cannot call Prussia to account. We Must
meekly receive the slap in the face, but we need
"not turn the other cheek to the smiter." -We
may avoid all further occasion for such humilia-
tion. Nay, more, we may avail ourselves of cir-
cumstances to return a Roland for the Prussian
Oliver, and to say that Prussia, while she con-
tinues to act with similar duplicity, has no rea-
sonable claim to regain the position which she
Plas, justly forfeited—.

• .
It is needless to say that, in the foregoing ob.
servatious, we have
,alluded to the Government
and not the People of Prussia. The latter are,
we believe, justly indignant at the course pur-
sued, and would willingly remove the stigma from
the national character. We utter no reproach
against them, but against those who have sub-
jected them to such serious those

I Incomparably the heaviest -
tr-,--- ial we 'have had
-------
1 yet to bear in the Crimea is the awfully nut,u,
rous deaths from sheer mismanagemet. Ti,,
losses of the Alma, Balaklava, and Inkerman
were
terrific, but, though partly it is to be feared from
bad generalship, the waste of life was not total;
it taught the enemy the difference between those
who defended the heights of the Alma and those
who defended the lines at Sebastopol. The losses
by the dreadful hurricane were appalling, but we
Ibowed to Him "who holds the'winds in his fists,"
only regretting that, in one deplorable instance at
least, the greatest blame could not so easily be
(
thrown to the wind. The losses from a pestilence,
which, half invited at Varna, would not quit us
in the Crimea, we also mourn over, but feel that
entirely
such losses were ihnomgraenatfopraerstiglidtueooutol an enemyirely
against whom no
'guard. It is the deaths from half rations, cold,
7'0,1 4,14 fatigue ig the camp, wad from gross ad-