The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-07 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 1863.

Who will venture to take the initiative ? That
still continues to be the mot du jour in regard to
the Polish question. Earnestly milted, at heart, in
their sympathies with the Polish insurgents, and

in. ell air 071 tsa grin ii,arti fn tlmo ncitooiabla A ule tis exercised

by sheer brute force, the on-looking nations of
Europe still shrink, one and all, from evidencing by
their acts the sincerity of that sympathy and the fer-
vour of that antagonism. Singly, any one of the chief
amongst them might venture to cross swords with
the Autocrat. Leagued together in this eminently
noble and most generous cause, the leading States
of Christendom might readily enough present to
view a warlike front, before which the legions of the
Czar might well find reason to recoil. The aim
of any war just now in behalf of Poland, of the re-
establishment of the Polish nationality, is in itself
essential good. The opportunity for such a war is
strangely tempting at this present moment. The
people of France are yearning fur it. The cordial
good wishes of the people of England are
fervently with the Poles and against the Russians.
The Emperor NAPOLEON at all times regarded as
eager for war somewhere, if only to keep his enor-
mous army employed, if only to dazzle the millions
under his sway with the splendour of new victories
won by his Imperial eagles, it matters comparatively
little where or over whom, if only, in fine, to keep
up the prestige of triumphs achieved by the Napo-
leonic regime, the Emperor NAPOLEON 111.,
thirsting, according to these synical critics
of his reign, for those conflicts which, it
is hinted, are essential for that reign's
continuance, conspicuously among all the despotic
rulers of the day, is now, more than ever he has
been yet, not only in want of a war, but peculiarly
well prepared for it. Already the Mexican expe-
▪ on.is virtually accomplished. The memory of the
Crimean expedition is perpetually slipping further
and tu,.,
her away from the short-sight of France in
all sual
matters, it is slipping further and further
away into the remote perspective of a past of already
nearly one Whole decade. As for the Italian Expe-
dition, about the
chance bevery utmost that could by any
attempted there, even by so daring an
initiator of wars,
seem to have Ilee:ethe Third NAPOLEON would
the Emperor been done long since. At Solferino
-at "back recoiled," he knew
fun
Well
why,
even
made," recoiled immediatelythe sound himself had
victory at Solferino, baek, after the crowning
back. to his suddenly
improvised place of rendezerr,
Emperor of AUSTRIA—at Viiiarriath the discomfited
afterwards accomplished by the ;Ey-edAll that was
Go-
vernment, as is well known, was_in
spite montese f
his Im-
perial MAJESTY'S programme for the Roman
sula! The absorption of the ia,0.1-es
-Peniti-
disintegration of the Pontifical States, the daringthe
seizure of the kingdom of the Two Sicilies by
that
most audacious adventurer of modern times, who, it
ought never to be forgotten, was repudiated on his
setting forth by the Government of King VICTOR
EMMANUEL, and only recognised as the precursor of
the KING when Naples and Sicily had actually
passed into his possession. The Mexican Expedi-
tion virtually accomplished, the Crimean Expedi-
tion long since past frem the view of France, the
Italian Expedition within a few months of its com-
mencement, and increasingly ever since then com-
plicated, for Catholic France, to a state of utter im-
practicability—A Polish Expedition now holds
forth its attractions to the French people
and to the EMPEROR himself with a fascination
of opportuneness all but irresistible.
Yet, with his hands free for the undertaking ofnew
exploits, with his Mexican anxieties, but yesterday
so urgently pressing upon him, to-day so entirely
dissipated, NAPOLEON 111., whatever may be his

eagerness for war under ordinary circumstances as
a source of glory to himself and of strength to his
dynasty, and, consequently of hope and of good
fortune almost indescribable to his son, evidences at
this juncture not one jot less reluctance than any
one among the most prudent and peace-loving con-
stitutional statesmen of England having a seat in
Lord PALMERSTON'S Government, This exceeding
reluctance to take the initiative in the declaration of
a war against Russia, in vindication of the rights
and liberties of Poland, being, in point of fact, com-
mon, at this moment, to all the rulers, whether
Statesmen or Sovereigns, of each of the Great
Powers of Christendom. The one consideration
constituting, in very deed, the while, the
sole source of this reluctance, so common to
them all, "to each and every of them," being the
profound sense in the heart and conscience of each
not of the hazard, great no doubt though that
hazard is, but of the enormous and all but over-
whelming responsibility ! For—the time has long
since past by when a war in Europe cosuldietbly
by
localany
possibility be a merely partial or a strictly
war. Whenever this next European War—a war
that sooner or later is quite inevitablteh,etehxeteqnut of
feiiaoatndrs
now in regard to it being simply as to
postponement—whenevers
co
come
this nextor an
absolutely European War
does e scm e a t
length,
certainty it must and will, andthoatemr
ao nred agitating
togf
the very elements now brooding over
more or less profoundly, the whole of the principal
States of Christendom, it will prove beyond
all manner of doubt, as we took occasion
to remark in these columns but very recently, not
only a General War, but a war of Principles. It
is the responsibility of this indefinite expansion of
the war, when once commenced—beyond the limits
of Poland Proper, beyond those of the more isolated
question of revivifying the Polish Nationality, and of
securing anew the perpetuation of its independence
—it is appreciation of this immense, imminent, and
expansive responsibility which causes the rulers of
the nations of Europe to decline, as yet at least, the
tempting opportunity —to take the initiative !
Nevertheless, at any moment the initiative
' may be taken. By whom ? As at once the
most far-seeing, the most daring, the most
ambitious, among all the Sovereigns, States-
men, Diplomatists, Warriors, Optimists, Innovators
in Europe, the Emperor NAPOLEON 111, again fixes
upon himself, but this time more absorbingly than
ever, the eager attention, the breathless expectation
of all Christendom.

The Prussians do not seem to have learned their
lesson so well as their KING would have expected.
The utmost discontent and uncertainty prevail con-
cerning the state of affairs. The mortgage business,
which is generally very flourishing in Berlin, has
been stopped by the hesitation of capitalists to
embark in any speculation at this juncture. This
has caused great loss to many, since, in consequence
of the stoppage to business, three hundred houses
are to be taken and sold by public auction. Of
course so many going to the hammer at once will
greatly deteriorate in value, and hence the proprie-
tors will be ruined entirely, and the mortgagees
will sustain heavy losses. It is also expected that
many more such disasters will speedily occur, and
in the new quarters of the town entire streets will
be sold. It is not to be wondered at that great dis-
content should prevail in consequence of all this,
and it is reported that the state of the public mind
is getting worse daily through these scenes of irri-
tation and annoyance. A significant fact is men-
tioned regarding the funeral of Prince FREDERICK.
The Town Councillors who were invited to attend
refused, being determined to ignore Court events
altogether until after the reception of their late
address, which complained of the ♦iolation of the

charter. All over the country there have been
violent addresses to the KING. The most decided
in its tone is one from the Town Cannel! of Stettin,
which complains of the Government tortnaaing
the transmission of a paper of " constitutional im-
port" to the KING. This address is most strong
in its language, and bitterly complains of the new
course taken by the KING and his Ministers. In
the first place complaints are made as to the con-
duct of the principal officials who had deterred
them from sending their address to the KING on
the subject of the constitutional innovations, and
the " calamitous consequences" that resulted there-
from to trade and every branch of commerce. Then
they proceed in plainer terms to state their opinions,
the first of which declares that " there never was
a country so despotically governed as to make a
prayer a crime." Most truly is it declared that a
Government cannot condemn itself more effectu-
ally than by preventing the voice of the people
reaching the throne. Then they proceed to show
that it is in vain that the " art of subtle inter-
pretation, which has been powerful enough to
make the constitution no constitution," is employed
to regulate the authority of municipal boards. It
is in vain they go on to say that the Government
declare that "as a municipal authority" they have
no right to take cognisance of political matters.
Surely this sentence in the address is suffi-
cient to impress the most wilful as to
the temper they are producing among the
people by their rash experiments and arro-
gant assumption of authority, without law to
give it sanction, or reason to render it excusable
"Never was there a time in Prussia when the KING
did not graciously condescend to hear the
prayers
of towns, districts, and even individual subjects."
King WILLIAM has fallen low indeed in his own
estimation, and the opinion of his advisers, if they
think it unsafe for him to hear what is said of his
policy. That there is mistake, indeed, when its
occupier must shut out the world from his sanctum,
and refuse to listen to warning, expostulation, or
remonstrance, The Town Council of Stettin have
come forward boldly to vindicate their rights, and
they could not have done it in a more effective
manner, or with more zeal and assiduity. They
say that hitherto no constitution was needed to
give them the privilege of addressing their KING,
but that the right of petition has been expressly
granted in the charter to every Prussian and every
corporation in Prussia, and " it is we that are the
municipal corporation of Stettin," they finally de-
clare. They very truly remark that it is the business
of him to whom the prayer is addressed to say
whether or not he will grant it, and that never
before has an official prejudiced the Royal
Judgment so far as to announce the
• impropriety of a prayer before it is pre-
s,,
ented, but such a thing has new taken place.
Nothing could have tended more to provoke the in-
indignation of the people than thus to ignore the
right to send addresses- to the Crown." This insult
to the corporations
coming after the harsh
teentrimalets dwaitsotru the srei;
mea-
suresn adopted in high
quarters will make matters
thehas
bwayeen pberrohkaepns, toon
and
stating b
caoannesedt.itpuatTviohe
gn en
e address concludes by
that it is their duty to
ti: consequences of it for
painful feelings animating glue expression to the
the
ttatani ov
ts of the
the exthisetenpceernoifcaion
c
mt oewnn at
t,and
Stettin." If words mean anything the sentences of
this address can bode no good for the existing state
of things, and may portend ominous events for the
originators of that policy. It is felony by the
Prussian law to declare that the KTNG acts in an-

cordance with a Government who have broke the
constitution, so that the6e men have not hesitated
to run a great risk rather than to keep silent
when their liberties were at stake, and
the honour of their country was com-
promised and its rights emperilled. Things
do not
now,
w,sn
dpriotmiis w
s e
notetlul
bfeor
woKnidnegrewd—
ant.LlA;ru justssis
has been too long in the rank t, of enlightened na-
tions for people tamely to submit to such a system
as has lately been inaugurated for them. They do
not wish to stultify themselves in the presence of
the nations of Europe by giving in a willing adhe-
sion to the dictates that deprive them of their liber-
ties, deform their laws, and altogether completely
change the style of their Government. Political
privileges are worth too much to be sacrificed with-
out an effort to save them, and no people that has a
spark of national spirit or an iota of national
isimpossible inde-
pendencewill
y o
i tel d
foreseethem h
t tamelyeend of a
without
ll astruggle.
this
It
discon-
tent, whether a
v re
oPrussialuti
on,
o i sr
gradually
or a bedu
s Iplungedly t
obe u
intosnk the
iin
horrors
the scale of nations, from a free State to a country
that is governed despotically. The only solution
that would maintain peace, restore order, and give
general satisfaction is one that does not seem at all
likely to occur, namely, the prospect of King
WILLIAM resuming a wiser course of policy, and
listening to the advice of those who would counse
a happier course of action.

In the lull of political strife resulting from the
suspension of the discussions at St. Stephen's
our statesmen find time to turn their attention to
rural and agricultural matters. The member of the
Lower House meets his constituents, and tells them
of the great things he and his party have done in
the course of the session, the mistakes the Minister
has made, and the probable turn events will take

during another campaign. The landowner visits
his estates, takes part in cattle shows and agricul-
tural meetings, and tries to convince his tenants
that he has not lost his interests in crops and
shorthorns while descanting on the American War
or denouncing the atrocities of Russia. A member
of the Cabinet has just given substantial evidence
that the cares of State have not succeeded in dim-
ming his agricultural knowledge and the interest
he takes in the cultivation of the soil. At a recant
banquet given by the Highland and Agricultural
Society of Scotland, the Duke of ARGYLE, as chair-
man, delivered an address which is full of sound
sense and interest. He remarked in the course of
it that the progress of agriculture was more
dependent upon such societies than the purely
speculative sciences. The experience of a single
individual working in his laboratory or workshop

might, as he showed, affect the industry of the
world, and the same might still more be said
of the casual ideas and suggestions which lead
occasionally to our greatest discoveries. The
Duke of ARGYLE said that he had been told by a
distinguished Scotchman, Mr.JAMES NASMYTH, that
the idea of his great invention—the steam-hammer
—occurred. to him while sitting by his own
fireside one evening. He was so confident of its
success that he wrote by the next post to secure
the patent, though the idea had never assumed a
practical shape. Such confidence and such rapid
results do not belong to the world of agricultural
science. " The very shortest time any important
experiment in agriculture can be tried in is at least
one revolution of the seasons; and there are in-
numerable conflictions arising from varieties of
soil and climate which tend to confuse experiments
in agriculture—so that generally one experiment
cannot be successfully tested except in a long
course of years." The existence of soctetleewhich
called each man's individual experience into an
aggregate helps very much to assist The develop-
ment of agricultural science and to hasten the
conclusions it arrives at. What one man's experi-

ence affirms another contradicts; and it is only by
weighing the two together and seeing wherein they
differ, what peculiarities of soil, climate, or treat-
ment have effected the experiment, that sound
information can be arrived at. Agriculture, too,

is a science of a peculiar nature. The manufacturer
or the merchant's wares are ready evidence as to
the nature of his mode of conducting business. They
bear his name as guarantee ; and if there is 6ny
peculiarity in the process of manufacture he is
generally the first to make it known. A farmer's
business, on the contrary, is carried on in some
quiet rural spot, and the success or failure of his
mode of treatment does not get much beyond hi s
own immediate neighbourhood, unless, like Mr.
MECHI, he carries out new schemes on a giganti c
scale. The owner of Tiptree Farm, however, can
scarcely be taken as a specimen of the agricultural
interest generally, and more especially of that part
of it which the Duke of ARGYLE was addressing
at the recent assembly. -We fully agree with the
noble duke in thinking that the existence of a great
central society linking itself with local societies
throughout the kingdom, having annual
shows and assemblies offering prizes for the
encouragement of agricultural science, and includ
ing in itself the men who are governed in such
science, is of great national value. As the noble
Duke observed, the power which man possesses of
influencing the productions of nature is truly one
of his most marvellous gifts, and the further our
knowledge extends the more widely can we exert
that power, and the more we learn how much
depends upon its proper exercise. The tendency
of the lower and coarser kinds of herbage to usurp
the grounds and smother the better and more
valuable grasses has been provsd both by the
scientific theorist and the practical agriculturist.
The incidental confirmation of Mr. DARWIN'S asser-

tion by Mr. WILSON'S knowledge is another proof
of the importance of inducing our tenant farmers to
embody the results of their experience in treatises
which may serve to give others the benefit of what
he has learned. A farmer who had paid but little
attention to the cultivation of grasses could not f-All
to be struck at finding the substantiation of the
DARWIN'S theory in the records of Mr, WILSON'S
experience, and the scientific naturalist and the
tenant farmer thus confirm and enhance the value
of each other's information. "The practical far-
mer," says the Duke of ARGYLE, " finds it perfectly
true that in the struggle for life it is the great
object to give the advantage to those kinds of
grasses which have been found to be of the finest
and most nutritious quality ; and that the slightest
carelessness on the part of the husbandman may for
years destroy a valuable pasturage. This is a de-
partment of agriculture to Nc. hich the noble duke
attaches very great importance. In the growth of
wheat he says we shall never equal other countries
whose advantages are superior to ours, but we are
immensely superior in what "year by year is ,
becoming more and more the staple of the British
farmers—the green crops and the feeding of bib
stock," and in this direction no rivalry is to be
feared. In conclusion, the Chairman paid a well
merited tribute to the enterprise of the Scottish
farmers, alluding to instances which had come
within his knowledge in which tenants had
expended several thousands on their farms in the
course of a few years. Such examples are praise-
worthy, and tend to give a stimulus to th better
cultivation of that which has been happily said to
combine the elements of an art, an industry, and a
science.