The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-16 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 16, 1864.

If there is one quality that more than another
seems to distinguish the members of the Great
German Powers from Emperors and Kings down
to meaner individuals, it is that of self-satisfaction,
All that they do is right, and all that they under•
take seems to prosper, according to their showing.
Events that would appear untoward to a casual
observer, at all events in their consequences, are
considered perfectly justified, and the maxim seems
to be to let the end sanctify the means. The Em-
psror of AUSTRIA is an exception to the rule, and
those who peruse his speech at the opening of the
Reichsrath will be of opinion that his MAJESTY is
tolerably well satisfied with himself and his belong-
ings. Everything was couleur de rose, and he had
only to rehearse a series of events which redounded
to the credit of his family, the honour of his king-
dom, and the glory of his reign. His felicitations
as to the selection of his brother to the Empire of
:Mexico were very natural, and so far we can go
with him in his satisfactory survey of recent events.
It is, however, difficult to read with patience the
sentence with which he introduces the summary of
the war which has taken place this year. " A sub-
ject of dispute for many years in the north of Ger•
many has just been settled in the most honourable
manner." It must be on very high authority that
we rely, if we are to credit such a description of a
contest, whose origin excited suspicion that its pro-
secution more than realised, and whose issue roused
the indignation of all honest minds in the nations
that witnessed it. It is reported that a monarch
of Franca insiated on returning to captivity, be
calla° his ransom was not paid as was promised
upon Ilia liberation. Wnen they tried to dissuade
him from his notion, he declared that if truth and
honour were banished from the rest of the world,
they ought to be enshrined in the breasts of princes.
A very different code of morality and standard of
principle would seem to pervade the purpose and
actuate the spirit of the rulers of the German
kingdoms nowadays, and the words once held as
sacred in their meaning and import are now twisted
and travestied to serve the turn of tl c hour and
snit the exigencies of the momer t. It would surely
have beon more consistent to have said successful
or satisfactory, or any such like word, rather than
go out of the way to assume a virtue which cer-
tainly had no foundation in fact. The EMPEROR
has given the war a name which had no local habi-
tation, regard it from whatever point of view we

may. Assuming, for the sake of argument, that
it was lawful to wrest from Denmark the fairest
portion of her possess'.ons, it can scarcely be called
honourable where many triumph over the weak,
and armed hosts gain the victory over armies
that are not composed of serried ranks, but count
their battalions few and far between in compari-
son .with those of their foes. Continuing the ad-
dress, we learn that the peace which has been
signed fulfils the highest expectations. Some
well-wishers to Austria and Prussia tried to per-
suade themselves and others that nothing
was further from the intentions of the aggressive
parties in the strife than to follow up any
advantage which the chances of war and
the superiority of power might present to them.
They may now learn that " expectations" had
been formed of some such final glory to the
warlike venture. The enchantment which dis-
tance lent to their view has not disappointed
them, upon a nearer approach, but, on
:he contrary, they seem inclined to follow Earl
RUSSELL'S advice to rest and be thankful. If any-
thing were wanting to complete the extravagance
of this whole passage, it would be the explanation
of the means that have conduced to the happy
issue. It is, then, to the courage of the allied
troops that the Germans are indebted for their
gain and glory. If it required such a vast ex-
penditure of this quality to face foes when the
odds were so much in their own favour, what
will they do to get up a sufficient supply if the
day should come that calls upon them to meet
foes equal in strength and numbers, to say nothing
of those superior in both. It is paying no com-
pliment to those who fought under the Liege of the
allied armies to tell them that they have done won-
ders, and are greatly to be respected in consequence.
They must have been carpet knights and fair
weather sailors, if the army and navy of gallant but
weak Denmark had sufficed to withstand their
troops or annihilate their ships. While Europe
was almost bursting with suppressed rage at the
c mei treatment received by the Danes, we find that
their oppressors have been proclaiming themselves
to be heroes, and now wish the admiring world to
weave the laurel and prepare the bay. The Aus-
trian EMPEROR must follow the example of his
august federal ally, the King of PRUSSIA," a craven
himself, for neither will the voice of popular opi-
nion nor the feeling of influential individuals be in
his favour. The " solution" of the Schleswig-
Holstein question is, we are told, glorious and
happy." The affair is about as happy for the Danes
as it is glorious to the Germans, according to the
light of reason and the immovable decrees of right
but the language of the Allies is quite another
affair, and cannot be influenced by such high-
flown sentiments and antiquated ideas. The EM-
PEROR went on to state that the unfortunate events
that had occurred in Holland had compelled his
Government to take " exceptional measures." He
may well add that he regrets the stern necessity
when we call to mind that one of the " exceptional
cases" was to condemn a young nobleman to twelve
years' solitary imprisonment in a dungeon in chains
It is held as a doctrine that is of infallible truth:
that it is not lawful to do evil that good may come
of it, but, according to the Austrian EMPEROR'S ac-
count, all the bad actions and unjustifiable regula-
lations of his kingdom produce the best effects, and
secure the most desirable ends. It is most discou.
raging to those who act in conformity to the
scruples of conscience and the claims of justice to
learn how the works of darkness produce such
great and glorious results. Besides the benefits
and blessings that have accrued from the Dane).
German war, the means adopted for the suppress
pion of the Polish insurrection have, we are told,
oeen eminently successful for the security of the
" imperilled interests" of peace and the pros
tection of the peaceable population. His Ma-
jesty concludes by wishing that he may receive
the assistance of his Reichsrath, and feels con-
fident that he will succeed in conducting
he empire entrusted to him by PROVIDENCE " with
a strong hand towards a fortunate future." If these
fervent aspirations are fulfilled it will indeed be a
dark day for progress, and a sad era for the lovers
of liberty. Hope must bid the world farewell for
a season, while a brave people are trampled upon
on one side, and freedom may shriek while patriots
are tortured and their country converted into a
slaughter-house, It is sad to think that such an
address should emanate from an EMPEROR, the
dawning of whose reign promised so well, and held
oat such a cheering prospect to all who desired the
improvement of the people and elevation of the
country. Bad influences have been at work to mar
and deface the goodly edifice of constitutional free-
dom that seemed about to become the bearer of pro-
gress, and the herald of reform. It is all very well
for Emperors to discourse to their senates, and
Kings to hold forth to their armies, but the philo-
sophical politicians will distrust the seeming
strength of such boastful asseverations, for the wit•
ness of history and the experience of ages e ssnre
them that the strongest Governments are not the
most austere and arbitrary ones, and that in times
of trouble it is not the throne based on tyranny that
survives the shock of revolutionary tactics. On the
contrary, at such periods it is often seen that the
self-sufficient are the first to fall and find their
boasted resources collapse around them, while their
power crumbles. into dust, and conscience, at last
arousing from its lethargy, informs them that those
who BOW the whirlwind must reap the storm.

Within a very few days we shall probably re-
ceive from New York the intelligence of the result
of that great election which has been foremost in
the thoughts of all American politicians for many
months past. Not in America alone is its issue an
object of excitement and anxiety, but throughout
Europe it is looked for with deep and earnest inte-
rest. In many quarters it is regarded as the
national declaration of the North in favour of
peace or war, and the solution of the great problem
is supposed to be in the ballot boxes, notwithstand-
ing M'CLELLAN'S declaration in favour of the Union
at all hazards. But, in fact, the solution is not so
simple. In the first place, no one for a moment
questions that active interference on the part of the
Federal Government is likely to exercise a material
influence on the elections. Mr. LINCOLN, in fact,
is hardly at the pains to conceal his readiness to
resort to any means that will enable him to keep
office; and the device of the Governor of Tennessee,
not only to secure votes for his patron, but to sup-
press those intended for that patron's rival, was
absurdly transparent. In Louisiana and Kentucky
it has been easy to find excuses for putting the
polling booths into the hands of soldiers, while New
York itself has witnessed the arrival of the obnoxi-
ous BUTLER, who is temporarily to supersede Gen.
Dix, retaining his co-operation. No official reason
is given for his presence, but it is not hard to supply
the deficiency. Meanwhile, the Government is pro-
pounding a new and striking theory, which really
for its boldness and its novelty deserves at any rate
the credit of originality. They have suddenly disco-
vered that there is imminent danger of a raid from
Canada, and, wonderful to relate, Mr SEWARD has
actually ascertained that there is a conspiracy
among the Canadians to fire the print pal Northern
cities on the day of the Presidential e eetion ! It is
certainly a most singular coincides t that the pro.