The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-03 00:00:00

design. He presently passed on to the Convention,
which he styled the sea-serpent of the European

_
press, the product of newspaper lies and of tele-
grams concerning what had passed in a foreign
Parliament. It had been said that a strip of terri-

tory comprising 600 square miles (German) was

abandoned to the horrors of Russian campaigning,
and on this statement the whole argument rested.

" But on the idea of this strip of territory is en

imaginary picture," continued M. von Biamark, " a

mere idle invention." (Hereupon there was a sensa-
tion in the Chamber.) " The nature of the agreement
entered into with Russia completely guaranteed
Prussia against all danger of such a war on her
frontier territory."
The substance of M. von Bismark's declaration
has been given at the beginning of this letter. The

remainder of his speech does not need condensation

here. It was a continual sparring at the Chamber,
which heard it with fzequent murmurs and signs
of disapprobation. Some remarks by Deputy San •
ger brought the Minister to his legs again, to repeat
that the frontier could not be passed either by

Russian or Prussian troops without previous con-
sent of Prussia. M. Twesten then spoke at consider-
able length; one or two of the principal points of
his speech were cited to you yesterday. Referring
to M. von Bismark's having laughed at the informa-
tion which gave rise to the debate, and having
called the Convention a sea-cement, an invention of
the press, &c., he said that- a the Minister must
thank his Ambassador in London, from whom and

from the Russian Ambassador Lord Russell had

received the news concerning the Convention which
he communicated to the English Upper House ; or

else he must affirm that Lord Russell him-
self bad lied. (Hear.) With Lord Russell's informa-
tion completely coincided those statements in the

public press which, after what had passed in
the English Parliament, must be taken as true."
Once more M. von Bismark rose. He said—

" The last speaker has repeatedly reverted to the
proceedings of the English Parliament, and to the
information that has reached Berlin concerning
them. He has accepted as authentic the newspaper
reports of them, and he compels me to declare that
if Lord Russell's words have been rightly reported
in the papers they do not exactly represent the
facts. We have neither concluded nor does there
ezht any stipulation with Russia which corresponds
with what Lord Russell said in the English Parlia-
ment. I nevertheless must, in the most decided
manner, take into protection that English statesman,
personally known to me as honourable, against the
severe reproach to be inferred against him from the
words of the last speaker." (Here a number of

Deputies burst into a hearty and evidently irresis-
tible laugh. It was truly comic to have a political
gamin of M. von Bismark's calibre proffering his
guarantee for the honourableness of Lord Russell,
and generously taking him under his protection.)
" Lord Russell himself said in his speech that he
did not know the contents of the agreement or
stipulation, as he called them. lam doubtful—at
least it is not present to my memory—whether our
Ambassador in England could then have been ac-

quainted with the words of the Convention. The
words, however, gentlemen, are in such matters all-
important; they are wont to be cautiously drawn
np. The moral of the matter is, that it is not pru-
dent to speak of things one does not know, and I
think that you all, and also the last speaker (M.
Twesten) will arrive at the same conviction when
the exact contents of our agreement shall once have
become public."
The Chamber soon afterwards adjourned.
FEBRUARY 28.
The pitch at which hostilities between the Minis-
try and the Chamber have arrived, and especially
the amenities of Thursday's debate, have induced
many persons to believe it impossible that the two
bodies could both continue to exist. Either the
Cabinet, it was thought. must fall, or the Session
must be brought to an abrupt close, probably by a
dissolution. An Opposition journal this morning
expresses that opinion, the correctness of which I
nevertheless think myself justified in doubting. The
Ministerial crisis has been got over, according to
11 appearances, and after at least one very nar-
row escape from a break up of the Cabinet, and
it seems possible that things may continue as they
yet are some time longer. M. Bismark hopes by
keeping the Chamber together, and by acting un-
constitutionally in the teeth of its decisions, to dis-
credit it in the eyes of the country. This he very
plainly declared in yesterday's debate. M. Vincke
opened it with a long speech, which seams to have
pleased nobody—not even his own friends and most
consistent admirers. He declared himself strongly
opposed, in the interests of this country, to a recon-
stitution of the kingdom of Poland, whose first
symptom of vitality must be a dismemberment of
Prussia. The existence of Prussia he said depended
on the non-existence of a Polish State. He repudi-
ated the sort of parallel established by Lord Ellen-
borough between the present Polish insurrectionand
the German war of liberation. He indignantly re-
jected any such comparison. He could not agree to
the convention because he was not acquainted with
it; but if the Minister-President referred to Eng-
land to show that the convention was too much
talked of (see Thursday's debate) ha (Vincke) would
reply—" Give us an English Upper House, which
has a constitutional basis, which our Herrenhaus
has not; an Upper House which recognises as its
first duty the defence of the constitution of the
country. (Bravo.) Give us, above all, an Eng-
lish Ministry. (Applause.) Not a Ministry which
when the representatives of the people are busied
with the most serious affairs reproaches them with
wasting the time of the Government—(bravo)—not
a Ministry which meets the Representative Assem-
bly with such disdain." (Bravo.) After these well
merited hits at the present Cabinet it was with no
little surprise that the Chamber heard M. Vincke
say, towards the close of his speech, that he had
witnessed with pleasure the appointment of M.
Bismark as Prime Minister. The end of his speech
was in substance as follows :—" In a country like
Prussia dangerous crises could terminate favourably
for the nation only when the policy of the Govern-
ment was supported by the enthusiasm of the whole
people. (Bravo.) When a Ministry, in the long
run, found so little support as the present, he re-
peated that its obstinate retention of office was the
ruin of the State. (Loud applause.) He was the
more at liberty to say this because his opposition
to the Ministry was stare ira et studio. Sine ira,
because ho had joyfully greeted the Minister-
President on his entrance into office—(laughter)—
sine studio; because it was not his political friends
who would, after the fall of this Cabinet, take their
seats on the Ministerial bench, but, according to all
;:onstitutional rules, the leaders of the party which
should have the majority in the Chamber. (Laugh-
ter.) If he, after Waldeck's speech, had grave
misgivings with respect to that deputy's foreign
policy, the trial must yet, nevertheless, be made.
The country must learn wisdom from suffering.
(Great laughter.) Ho summed up his views by
urging that all possible favour should be shown to
Russia in the present contest, short of sending
Prussian troops into Russia, or allowing Russian
troops to enter Prussia. Act for Prussia's interest,
and without injury to Prussia's honour."
M. Vineke's speech was decidedly one of the
least happy of his oratorical efforts, and was very
coldly received. It is a peculiarity of that deputy
that when he sees an opening for attack he never
can resist it, even though he may thereby damage
his own cause. His yesterday's speech comprised
more than one sarcastic onslaught on members of
upon the whole, seems con-
the Opposition, and,
sidered to have been rather favourable than other-
wise to Government. With reference to the appre-
hensions he expressed as to the prejudice to result
to Prussia from an overstepping of her frontier by
the Russians,
M. von Bismark repeated his assur-
ance that the agreement entered into completely
secured Prussia against that eventuality. People do