The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-27 00:00:00

Scotland and the north-west of England—Lanca-
shire and Yorkshire alone offering an extensive and
profitable market.
The carriage of limestone, which is so much re-
quired for the reclamation of the waste lands, is
another important task which the railways could
profitably and easily perform. It has been remarked
that " the waste lands are reclaimable through the
agency of those very materials in which Ireland
most abounds—human labour and limestone." The
reclamation of these lands would be a very valuable
achievement, and another task in connection with
the railways in this case would be the extension of
the system of drainage. " The isle of showers," as
MoonE styles it, suffers, says Mr. WHITE, not so
much from too much rain as from too little drainage,
and he quotes the opinion of the Irish Secretary on
this subject. Sir R. PEEL spoke very strongly on
the advantages to be derived from arterial drainage,
and said he should like to see three-quarters of a
million spent on drainage works in Ireland.
The development of the mineral wealth of the
country is another neglected source of profit. " The
country possesses inexhaustible mines of iron, coal,
copper, lead, zinc, marble, and building stone,
but they are, in many instances, situated in locali-
ties where facilities do not exist for transit." Here
again the railways would come to the rescue, since,
as Mr. LocKE has justly observed, the material
hindrance to the development of the mineral re-
sources of Ireland is want of cheap carriage to the
sea ports. From Dublin and Belfast 1,200 tons of
shipping sail daily in ballast. Could mineral ores
be substituted, how great would be the advantage !
All branches of trade and manufactures would,
of course, gain immeasureably by the
means of rapid and cheap conveyance.
The Belfast merchants, in reporting on
the .want of railways in the West, declare that they
cannot establish branches of their trade in Con-
naught because the expense of carriage would equal
that of shipping the material to the East Indies."
Such a state of things in a country so long under
English rule, and so closely in the vicinity of Eng-
lish enterprise and energy, appears almost incredi-
ble. Equally absurd and inconsistent is the fact
that Ireland, whose climate is so favourable to the
growth of flax that it even excels that of Belgium,
imports large quantities of the raw material for her
linen manufacture. The further 'development of
this manufacture and of the linen cultivation, as
well as the establishment of industrial schools
to convert that raw material of unskilled labour
with which Ireland abounds into skilful workmen,
are among the objects which Mr. WHITE sets before
Ireland's well-wishers.

No doubt all these schemes would more or less
find obstacles in the way, and the first and greatest
difficulty would be, perhaps, the inevitable outlay.
Still the development of natural wealth is the best
security for expenditure, and the difficulties in the
way of the repayment of advances made for national
ends might be easily overcome, if there were
a hearty will in the matter. The reclamation
of the waste lands, for instance, must profit
some one, and a slight charge upon the
reclaimed estates might be soon made to repay the
necessary advance. Then, as to the railways, fish-
ing harbours, and other public works of a repro-
ductive character, the example of the Indian Go-
vernment might be profitably followed by our
Ministers in giving guarantees out of the revenues
of the country. A most important source of moral
wealth and national strength would be added to
the country if these undertakings were carried out
in an enlarged and enlightened spirit. The popu-
lation, finding plenty of profitable employment open
to them at home, would stay their eagerness in
emigration, they would aid in developing the re-
sources of their land instead of filling the graves of
foreign mercenaries, and the country which has so
long been the grief and the difficulty of English
statesmen might, by a judicious application of the
remedies actually in existence, be converted into an
additional source of Imperial contentment, wealth,
and prosperity.

The news from Vienna does not throw much
light upon the old question, but it tends to confirm
in many particulars the opinions already entertained
on the subject, and makes assurance doubly sure
regarding the determination •of Prussia not to rest
till she has grasped all within in her power. It is
said that the Prussian note rejects the Austrian
proposal to transfer to the Duke of AUGUSTENBERG
the government of the Duchies, until the disputed
matter is settled. It is not likely, certainly, that
this plan would be agreed to, and it would not be
very politic if it were, because nothing is more diffi-
cult than to dispossess those who have once fixed
themselves in a place ; it is always far less
onerous to keep out than to turn out.
Besides, if the, Duke of AUGUSTENBERG were
to be put in authority, it might turn out that Austria
would support hita in any after resistance which he
might make to Prussia, on the ground that the point
lof succession was not clearly proved. The fact is
that it was very convenient for Herr Bismaux to
_take up the cause, of the Duke. To begin, it made
a good excuse at home ; it appeared disinterested
abroad ; and it served the purpose of manifesting to
the Schleswig-Holsteiners that the intentions of the
Berlin Cabinet were strictly fair and impartial.
Mit, like many other ill-used persons in the game
of life, who are sacrificed to the tactics and the
craft of courts, the Duke may now retire, since
he has played the puppet long enough. Putting
aside the question of whether he has or has
not established his rights to the Duchies, it must be
confeSsed that his Highness has been very ill-used
by his quondam friends, the Prussians. They have
turned
out roost false and faithless to their pledges,
and entirely destitute of ,honour and honesty in re-
sped to the professions they made when things did
not go so smoothly with them as they do now, and
when they were not so sure of the inaction of France
and the covert support of England. We hear of
the " old dodge" being employed in the Prussian
State, that is to say, the excuse made that Prussia
must make the ultimate form of government in the
Duchies conditional upon certain agreements, and
also must receive " sufficient compensation. ~
We wonder when we shall hear the last
of these compensations. It is really as
ridiculous as it is inconsistent for a nation first to
persist in going to war, and then todeclarethfoart
come what may it must receive compensation
the voluntary act. At all events, however, we may
presume that this ruse will serve its turn as well as
any other that can be employed,
manner
a i t
refusal does
not
is
matter very much in what man
given or an objection is intimated if those to whom
they are addressed comprehend the feeling of those
who make them. It is mentioned, among other
matters, that the Government has declared that it
can give no opinion upon the person of the future
Seoorvorecrecteecliignngu, ndntailthe Crown lawyers have sent in
their opinion. This is an extraordinary mode of
p
cannot be allowed as a very
way of finding out the truth,
because such evidence is at best but partial and
ltSeduprndse takethe aCnrootwhne r lawyersvi
eviewo
f
ocfertAaui ns
Austria° aren e-
icdoend;u
'the matter, who is to decide which is right ? Per-
haps it is an ingenious method of lessening the
, attractions of these coveted possessions that induces