The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-26 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 1865.

The meeting of Prussian Deputies has given rise
to numerous altercations which threAten to assume
a serious aspect in their subsequent effects, and to
inaugtirate a change in the mutual relations of
various parties in the State. In fact, in some re-
spects the neighbourhood of Cologne has presented
the appearance of a country in revolt or assailed by
the enemy. The troops occupied both bridges of
the Rhine, and cut off all intercourse between Ventz
and Cologne. The steamer that had been engaged
by the banquet committee was occupied by pioneers,
and therefore the guests were obliged to depart by
railway. The sentiments of the community were,
however, very plainly evidenced by the reception
which the travellers met with en route to their desti-
nation. At all the stations at which they stopped they
were loudly cheered. At Oberlahnstein an enthusias-
tic reception was given to the visitors, but here again
the destroying angel appeared and' the festivities
were cut short. In the course of the evening the
troops arrived and cleared the hotel, making several
arrests as it afterwards appeared. The return of
the travellers was hailed by the same enthusi-
astic demonstrations as their departure had been,
and, notwithstanding all the interpositions of the
authorities, very significant expressions of opinion
took place. Herr GRAI3ow, the President of the
Chamber of Deputies, was much applauded. He
was prevented from joining the assembly, but his
name was mentioned repeatedly. it is a great mis-
take for the Prussian rulers to persist in putting
down all these popular demonstrations in such an
arbitrary fashion ; they will regret their conduct
when too late. It has- often occurred before this
that when a nation is roused and excited by a
hard and harsh proceeding on the part of autho-
rities that old injuries are recalled, and old wrongs
spring to remembrance, producing most disastrous
effects. The King of PRUSSIA, however, and his
Ministers seem to consider themselves alone,
and beyond the ordinary rules of existence
that affect commonplace people. They rule by
Divine right, and consider themselves inspired after
some fashion or another. The working men of
Prussia are also bestirring themselves, as it would
appear, at this momentous juncture of affairs. An
appeal has been made to them by Herr BERNIIARD
BECKER, who has signified that he has re-
assumed the post of President of the General
Association of Working Men in Germany. In
this address a very decided tone is adopted,
and some statements are made, which, though fine,
are not likely to be very palatable in certain quar-
ters. It assumes that it is the duty of independent
men to support the party of progress, and goes on
to declare that the interference of the Police Pre-
sident in Cologne was illegal, and, if continued,
must involve all in its consequences. Finally, it is
urged that the present is the time to " show energy,"
and to uphold the indispensable right of " mass
meetings;" that thus free institutions will be secured,
and the working-classes shown their fitness for the
same. All this shows the feeling that is at work
throughout the country, and how much wiser it
would be for the authorities to defer to public
opinion, instead of provoking opposition by need-
lessg acts of irritation and giving rise to all kinds of
inimical sentiments. The arbitrary -manner in
which the Committee of Management was used
has given great offence, and the recollection of it
will long live in the minds of those who were con_
cerned in the affair, nearly or remotely. The affair
has altogether been a most unfortunate one, but
there is sufficient proof afforded by the incidents
that have since occurred that the matter cannot be
so easily hushed up as some may imagine, and that
there is no idea in the minds of any concerned of
submitting tamely to the dictates of the law or to
the terrorism of the military authorities. It would
seem as if the Govermnant had resolved
to show their sense of the injuries inflicted on them
by the Liberal Deputies during the sitting of the
Chambers, and by the most ariogant assumption
to put dawn all attempts at a meeting where
thoughts and opinions could be expressed freely.
The peculiar stringency of their actions cannot
otherwise be accounted for, since it is a new state
of things in Prussia that an assembly of this
nature should be broken up so precipitately.

While domestic matters are thus unsatisfactory,
it is worth noticing that the " old story" of the
Duchies aklife M ever With thenieri 0 dielleoic'll

and controversy. Austria has not turned out to be
quite so complaisant as some imagined that she
would prove, and just when the dearly-cherished
scheme seemed to promise fruition checks and pro-
mises are interposed, and the prize is kept dangling
before the eager eyes of Herr BISMARCK, but he
does not seem much nearer to it than was TANTALUS
to his desires. The new subject of dispute is this :
the Prussian Minister has declared that the new
members of the Schleswig-Holstein estates must
take the customary oaths of allegiance to Austria and
Prussia, but to this objections are raised by the
Vienna Cabinet. Count MENSDORFF asserts that
the Emperor and the King " are not the Sovereigns
of the Duchies, although they are for the moment
the co-possessers of them." This is certainly a very
correct definition of the state of things, although it,
of course, gives great umbrage to certain interested
parties. It is, on the whole, ♦ery fortunate that
the Austrian Government should have thus displayed
their firmness and judgment so decidedly, for it
would be a great :pity if the Prussians had it all
their own way. The Austrians propose that the
oaths of fealty be taken into the hands of the com-
missaries of the two Powers, and this appears to be
a very good solution of the difficulty. However
it is not likely that the Prussian Government
will submit quietly to this arrangement,' for
it is well-known that Herr VON BAISMARCK
has planned and plotted for a long time
to gain this point. It is really astonishing when
we come to think of it how long and unsatisfactory
has been the controversy between the two great
German Powers respecting the fate of the Duchies.
As yet it does not appear probable that a meeting
will take place between the EMPEROR and the KING,
and this does not augur much for the good under-
standing that exists in that quarter. It has been
suggested, indeed, that Herr VON BISMARCK is the
chief obstacle in the way ; and, doubtless, if this
shawdow was not so constant an attendant on the
KING more might be effected, but the certain inter-
ference of such a dogmatic individual is most un-
satisfactory to contemplate. At a time when those
well qualified to judge supposed that a decision of
some sort or another would have been arrived at
we find that, to all intents and purposes, the dis-
putants are as far off as ever from any practical
settlement.

The glowing suns of July, while holding out
encouraging hopes for the harvest, remind us that
the summer season, however beautiful, brings its
dangers to the public health, as well as the frost
and snow. The great prevalence of cholera in the
East urges us still more to consider the necessity of
caution, and the Lords of the Council have just
issued a circular letter to the local authorities of the
outports and other places, impressing upon them
the necessity of care, and giving full directions as
to the particular points on which caution is needed.
Most of the dangers specified are already known
and recognised as dangerous, while the remedies or
defences required are likewise familiar to most in-
telligent persons. The progress of sanitary know-
ledge in the present day has been so great -and so
rapid that almost every one of common education
knows the importance of fresh air, the value of
cleanliness, the danger of defective drainage ; and
yet we can scarcely go down a crowded street, we
cannot certainly enter a dozen of the poorer class of
houses, without receiving forcible testimony that
every one of these rules are habitually neglected.
The Council, while laying down the rules
for the purification of infected places, and
the best means for counteracting the dan-
gers of unwholesome neighbourhoods, are careful
to remind the public that no artificial means
can supply the place of cleanliness, ventilation, and
drainage. " The great natural disinfectant is pure
air, abundantly and uninterruptedly supplied." As
in many other instances, nature herself supplies the
safeguard with the danger, but man obstinately re-
fuses to avail himself of it. Even in the households
of respectable families how often do we find every
door and window closed, every breath of the sweet
fresh air carefully excluded, and the united ambi-
tion of all the members of the family to be to pre-
serve as close and unwholesome an atmosphere as
possible., The, fear of draughts with the nervous,
the fear of dust with the fidgetty, habit with some,
prejudice with others, and ignorance with all, com-
bine to exclude one of the most important consti-
tuents of health froth a large proportion of English
homes. If this is the case among. the . respectable
classes, it is ten times more so among the really poor
and ignorant, who generally live under such dis-
advantageous" circumstances of overcrowding in
unhealthy, narrow streets and alleys, that double
precaution is necessary. A striking fact was
mentioned by one of our London coroners
some time since. He said that the children of the
very poorest -classes were frequently more healthy
than those above them when not absolutely in want,
because the greater part of their lives w'as spent in
the open air; whereas the more respectable and
well-to-do kept their children out of the streets.
The air out of doors, even in the poorest lanes, is
far more healthy than the confined atmosphere of a
house, and this is a sanitary agent and disinfectant
always at our service, although, unhappily, it is one
of the very last that people can be prevailed upon
to empl(4-. • .
The Memoranda of the Council treats of the best
plans to follow to secure the removal of nuisances,
and the prevention of infection *from the sick.
Under the first head, the general precautions which
should be taken by the local authorities are re-
hearsed ; and under the second, those particular
precautions • which should be adopted by those in
immediate attendance upon the sick. These rules
should be studied by every one. whose occupations
are likely • to bring them in contact with those
suffering from infectious disorders;. and, indeed,
they should be generally known, since every
one is liable to cases of contagious disorders occur-
ring in their own households. Cleanliness and ven-
tilation are again the great requisites in sickness as
in healtii, but the use of disinfectants, such as
chloride of lime, chloride of zinc, or perchloride of
iron, is also very desirable, and the immediate
setting of infected linen in water containing some
disinfectant, such as Condy's fluid, and the disin-
fecting of bedding or clothing which cannot be
washed, are precautions which may serve to check
the spreading of contagious disease in the most
crowded locality. Houses which are believed to be
infected should be washed in the interior with quick
lime, the wood-work, after being cleansed with soap
and water, being washed with chloride of lime. An
infected room may be disinfected by burning an
ounce of flour of sulphur in
a pipkin, with the
doors and. windows carefully closed, no person of
course remaining in the room during the process.
If these rules were generally heeded we should not
so often hear of those melancholy cases in which
fever or smallpox carries off one member of a family
after another. A great deal can be done
by the local authorities of crowded or un-
healthy districts, by organising a system of
house to house inspection, when a rigid inquiry
should be made into the condition of the drains,
the rubbish heaps, ditches, Bcc., in the vicinity. In
many caSeS it is dangerous to disturb an accumula-
tion of refuse or of decaying animal and vegetable
matter, and it will then be necessary to apply dikin- I