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

known wishes of the KING and the insolence of the
Ministe7 have carried the obnoxious resolution by
a triumphant majority. Tho Liberal party in the
Chambers had discernment enough to perceive that
the imprudence of their rulers had converted the
revolt of the Poles into a European question ; had
encowaged the formation of an alliance between the
three great Powers of England, France, and Austria
against Russia, and Prussia as her ally ; had given
Austria a golden opportunity for acquiring supre-
macy in Germany, and by outraging the best sen-
timents of humanity and abetting the barbarous acts
of a ruthless tyranny, had rendered their country
contemptible in the eyes of the civilised world.
Herr VON BISMARS, and his self-willed Sovereign,

who, it is said, is the real originator of this ill-
timed Convention, have cause to thank the
Deputies for their manly and fearless opposition
to the headlong course which threatened the
security of Crown and Cabinet. The summary of
the debate, which we publish in another column, is
full of interest. The tone adopted by the Minister
looks strangely to English readers. With an arro-
gance only befitting an irresponsible despot Herr
VON BISMARK insulted his opponents, and declared
himself superior to the regulations of the Cham-
bers. With unparalleled effrontery, he said that in
any other Parliament the most malcontent Opposi-
tion would have refrained from pressing a question
which the Government deemed it prudent to
decline: " Give us," he said, "an English
Lower House, and then ask us for English institu-
tions." The deputies might well echo that wish, for
most assuredly Herr von BISMARK would not be
tolerated for a day in St. Stephens. No wonder
that great laughter followed the sage aphorism.
" The Upper House is less important,"
he continues, its importance, we presume,
being measured by the degree of its oppo-
sition to the Court. Not content with these
generalities, Herr Ton BISMARK went on to attack
the speech of Deputy UNRUH, who had found an
effectual means of restraining the arrogance of
Court and Premier. The Deputy had said that if
the measures of the Government produced external
complications, the sinews of war should be refused
to the King. "Is not this," cried the angry Mi-
nister, " saying to the foreigner Come hither; the
moment is favourable." Indignant contradiction
interrupted his speech, but silence was restored by
the Vice-President, who decided in favour of the
Minister. Encouraged by his intervention, we
suppose, VON BISMARK'S insolence increased. He
recalled the antecedents of Deputy UNRUH, who had
been conspicuous in 1848, with the object, easily
perceptible to the Chambers, of scaring the
KING by evoking the shadows of the
year of revolutions. Fresh exclamations broke
forth, and this time the Vice-President decided
against the Minister, as his allusions had nothing to
do with the question before the Chamber. Upon this
the despotic Vizier of an unconstitutional prince
denied the right of the President to regulate his
speeches. He declared that the power of the Pre-
sident ceased at the bar where the Ministers take their
seats. The firm and temperate reply of
the President only called forth fresh asser-
tions of his dignity, and the King's autho-
rity, on the part of the minister, which were
met with becoming decision by the President, who
threatened the adjournment of the Chambers.
After this the debate proceeded more quietly, not,
however, without a renewal of the offensive allusion
on the part of Herr von BISMARK. What is to be
thought of the assumption of such a tone on the
part of the Minister of a Constitutional Govern-
ment a House of Representatives
According to our French news of yesterday the
Convention will most likely remain in abeyance ;
probably the Prussian authorities are startled at the
unanimous outburst of indignation that has assailed
them from all quarters. The remonstrances of
France can hardly be despised, while the spectre of
the Rhine as the natural boundary of France is
ever present to German eyes. In the words
of a gifted writer, now no more among
us, 'WILLIAM I. may fancy he hears the
Third NAPOLEON exclaiming—
" And what if Venice wed the sea,
Some dotard's ring the sign,
The sword shall France's emblem be,
That Franks shall wed the Rhine."

Let NAPOLEON reorganise Poland, and he will have
richly earned the reward. Such an extension of
French territory would be more favourably looked
upon by European statesmen than the claiming of
Savoy and Nice as payment for assisting the Italians.
How rash and short-sighted then is the policy of
the Prussian Government ! With so great a dan-
ger ever threatening one of their frontiers, in un-
reasoning alarm at the very name of insurrection,
they are going the best way to lose Posen also.
In spite of the assertions of the Minister, in spite
of the explanations said to be thought satisfactory
by the Cabinet of Paris, in spite of the contradic-
tion of Earl RUSSELL'S report of his conversation
with the Ambassador, the fact seems to be
clear that Russian troops have crossed the
Prussian frontiers—that Poles endeavouring to re-
join their countrymen have been seized and sur-
ren iered to the tender mercies of the Russians.
In the face of accusations like these, solemnly
brought forward, the Prussian Minister coolly says
that "troops might cross the frontier without
knowing it," and that "it often happened that
twenty or thirty Russian or Prussian officers had
gone across to visit their friends." The Deputies
might well doubt whether to take such language
as jest or earnest. Their own sense of the gravity
and importance of the occasion was shown in the
vote which followed the animated addresses of some
of the principal Liberals. A majority of 246
against a minority of 57 expressed in unmistakeable
terms the resolution of the Deputies to preserve
their national honour and their national interests, not
only against the dangers of foreign intervention, but
from the more insidious and deadly evil of
internal treachery. Such a vote must make its in-
fluence felt even at the Palace. It must, we should
hope, convince the KING that discretion is the
better part of valour; that the time for trifling
with his people, for tyranny under the name of
divine right, is over. It will be well for the in-
terests of Prussia if it does not teach him a new
version of the old adage, Quem Deus
vult
perdere pries dementat," for the aphorism
can hardly fail to rise to the mind while
reading the extraordinary harangue of the favoured
statesman of the Prussian Court. Most certainly
applies to the Minister let WILLIAM I. take
heed lest it also bear application to the Monarchy.

When first the probable events of the session
were talked of, it was said that nothing definite
could be done until the marriage of the Prince of
Wales was over ; but it appears that, at any rate,
" Coming events cast their shadows before ;"
and even in this perforced state of inaction, this
compulsory calm before the storm, we may gain a
very fair idea of what is in perspective. This is
the fourth time in less than four weeks that the
Ministry has been defeated. If this is what they
are capable of in the lull of a truce, what will they
do when the tug of war begins ? Last night the
" Corrupt Practices at Elections Bill" came on, and
upon clause 2 the Ministers were defeated. This
clause was to disfranchise attorneys and agents act-