The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-19 00:00:00

THE PRINCIPALITIES.

The following are the chief points of the bill for
electoral reform presented by Prince Cousa in the
Danubian Principalities :—" Are primary electors
all Roumains eged 25 years, who can read and
write, and prove the payment of annual taxes to the
amount of four ducats (11f. 80e. each), may be
chosen direct electors, without having to justify

the payment of taxes of four ducats, parish priests,
professors in academies and colleges, doctors and
licentiates of different faculties, barristers-, en"
gineers, architects holding diplomas delivered or
recognised by the Government, teachers of primary
schools, and civil and military functionaries, who
will be entitled to a pension of at least 3,000
piastres (about 750 f.) To be eligible for the General
Assembly throughout Roumania indistinstively, a
man must t-Ist, be born a Roumain, or have re-
ceived full naturalisation ; 2d, be an elector in an
urban or rural commune; 3d, be turned 30 years
of age; and 4th, know how to read and write. Rich
commune names a direct elector for every hundred
electors. The election to the Chamber of Dsputies
will take place by two degrees.'

AUSTRIA AND PRUSSIA.

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REUTER'S EXP RESS.
VIENNA, May 15.
It is currently reported here that Denmark and the
Neutral Powers having required that Austria and Prussia
should state their wishes with regard to the Schleswig-
Holstein question, strong efforts aro making to come to a
definite understanding with the Cabinet of Berlin. Count
Rechberg is said to be occupied in drawing up the scheme
of a treaty, which it is hoped may be acceptable to both the
great German Powers. Some notion of the likelihood that
agreement will be found an easy matter may be gathered
from the following extract from to-day's raterland :—" It
seems certain that, whether owing to the Allies or to the
Neutral Powers, no determinate plan for continuing diplo-
matic action at the Conference has yet been laid down.
We heard this a week ago. Our attention was directed to
the fact that a striking analogy exists between the relations
of Austria with Prussia, and those of England with France.
Just as England vainly endeavours to procure from France
a regularly concocted programme with herself for the Con-
ference, so have all Count Rechberg's efforts to induce
Herr von Bismark to agree upon certain obligatory rules
hitherto entirely failed. The interests of Herr von Bis-
marck in the present position of Europe are thus in some
degree analogous to those of Napoleon 111. Both, at least
agree in wishing to put off as long as possible the decisive
moment when they will have to say the last word, and
display the defined object they have in view. The recent
remonstrances of Austria must, therefore, have placed Herr
von Bismarck in a rather embarrassing position. But it is
not from Vienna only, it is from his immediate followers—
from the ranks of the annexationists—that the demand
arises loudly for his definitely proclaiming the course he
intends to pursue. As far as we are able to learn, the
success of his policy depends upon his perseverance in not
laying down any official programme, in displaying in con-
fidential interviews and despatches the most conciliatory
desires towards settling the quarrel with Denmark—in at
the same time prolonging the provisional state of affairs in
the duchies, while introducing Prussian reforms to the
schools, the Church, the Government, trade, and social
life and in thus edging on gradually, as near as possible,
to the end he has in view."

The late Execution in Glasgow.
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(From the Edinburgh Correspondent of the Telegraph).
The unlucky Irishman Reilly, or Bryans (lie went by
both names), who was convicted at the late Glasgow circuit
of the murder of a Mrs. Laffy on a cold, stormy night in
December, was executed at Glasgow yesterday morning. In
the whole annals of hanging it is doubtful if there ever were
death-struggles like his. He was violently convulsed for
about three minutes, and there were muscular twitchings of
his body for nine minutes. And the city magistrates had the
full benefit of his death agonies. When the drop fell the
body spun round from the rope untwisting itself, until it was
stopped by Calcraft, with the face to the portico of the
Justiciary Court.room, under which the m gistrates stood,
and the white cap being partially pulled off by the rope,
those who could look saw with terrible distinctness all the
contortions of that blackening and dying face, Much
good may this horrible execution do the people of Glasgow.
If it moderate the unthinking self-conceit and rashness of
the classes out of which jurymen are drawn in the west of
Scotland, it will be of some value in its effect. They decide
on the life or liberty of a human ,being in the same way
that they speculate upon a rise or fall of stocks and ruin
themselves or make fortunes, and with them a
very slight degree of probability is complete proof.
Their zeal for convicting all who cannot prove their
innocence is a subject for jesting among lawyers,
both on the bench and at the bar. Whether that man
whose life was choked out of him in the course of
nine minutes yesterday morning was guilty or not, it is
difficult to say with confidence. But I have a strong con-
' Diction that, had he been tried out of Glasgow, and had he
not been a friendless Irishman and Roman Catholic, of
rather repulsive, reckless aspect, he would have escaped. The
evidence against him was what is called circumstantial, or
indirect. It did not point to his guilt, except afar off, au d
it was perfectly compatible with his innocence. No one saw
hlm in the woman's company, no footmark of his showed
that had taken part in " the protracted struggle" which
she had maintained with her assailant or her own drunken
incapacity. The evidence rather showed that he had not
time to hold any protracted struggle with her, and there
was no mark of violence upon him. Very little public in-
terest was taken in the case. The Roman Catholics of Glas-
gow signed a petition in his behalf, but they were too late
with their sympathy. Lord Dees' opinion was very evi-
dent from his charge, and he reported against a com-
mutation of the sentence to technical Sir George Grey,
as did also the Lord Justice Clerk, who would of
course be guided solely by the notes of evidence taken
by Lord Dees. Supposing the woman to have died
from violence, and not from drink and cold, he may
have been guilty of the whole of the violence or of part
of it. That is all I could, on oath, say against him,
and I know more than was proved. For one thing, I
know that when he was fleeing from justice or from suspi
ciou on the first evening of his flight, he sought lodgings in
a house in Biggar, being apparently very weary, and hav-
ing, it is believed, walked from the place from which he
absconded, about 35 miles, on that day, He obtained the
promise of lodgings, but in two or three minutes after he
sat down in the house he happened to catch a glimpse of
a young woman who also caw and recognised him. He
made some excuse, and left the house and never returned.
This young woman upon whom he had come in his
fight stated to the Crown authorities, that about
two years ago, on a lonely road, about eleven miles from
Carlisle, where he was captured, and where he used to
work as a navvy, she was assaulted by an Irishman, who
attempted to ravish her; that she had never seen him
again until that night, when he came in asking lodgings,
and that Riley was this man who criminally assaulted her,
She was not examined at the trial. Evidence of a fact of
this kind could not be competently adduced in Scotland.
It could be and would have been in France, and it would
have had some weight either in connecting him with the
murder or in explaining why he should be conscious of a
crime, or attempted crime, which was not murder, and in
his panic think it safest to flee, which it certainly was not.
Had he not absconded he would have been quite sate.