The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-21 00:00:00

TELB PRUSSIAN_ AND CHAMBERS.

The unequivocal indications of the spirit which
animates the King and Court of Prussia increase
the anxiety with which the friends of national in-
dependence throughout Europe are looking forward
to the meeting of the Prussian States-General. Our
readers are aware that. by an edtert recently Pro-
Innig,ated an entirely
-new constitution has been
given to the First Chamber of the Prussian legis-
lature. By that edict, in addition to the members
who are to sit in their own right, certain corpora-
tions have been empowered to propose a limited
number of additional members, the power of con-
firming or vetoing these recommendations being
reserved to the Crown. The assemblies of these
corporations, for the purpose of recommending to
the Crown members for the First Chamber, have
been nearly all held ; in the great majority of
cases Conservatives, more or less prononce.s, have
been nominated, not a few of whom are mem-
bers of the Representative Chamber. So sensible
aro the further —or ultra-aristocratic party in
Prussia—of the extent to which this will weaken
them in the Chamber of Representatives, that
they are becoming clamorous to have the meeting
of the Legislature postponed until the vacancies
thuS created can be filled up by new elections.
There is no doubt as to the entire sympathy e hich
exists between the Court and this party ; and the
fact that the meeting of the Legislature has been
definitively fixed for the 30th inst. would, there-
fore, seem to indicate that the Court are of opinion
they are likely to lose rather than gain by elec-
tions at the present moment. This is a most
unequivocal confession, on the part of the Court,
of what are the real sentiments of the great body of
the Prussian people with respect to the contest now
waging in the East. The partisans of Russia are
confined almost exclusively to the narrow circles
of those corporations empowered to nominate candi-
dates for achnission into the. First Chamber. These
consist of the nobles of the seven provinces ; a few
towns (some of them of very inferior consequence)
which were at one time free-towns of the old Ger-
man Empire or the kingdom of Poland • and the
Universities. In the province of Westphalia
there are 365 persons entitled to vote in the
nomination of a candidate for the First Chamber ;
irf none of the others does the number amount to
2G(.; ;in one it is only 35. The municipal authori-
ties ;n the towns, and the professors of the univer-
smiteinest: areEavlein wmoreithorinlestsbdeespee nfdewentaunid)onfaGrovferronm-
wealthy corporations there is an opposition respect-
able in p oint of numbers ; and against them are
arawrholyee do
ftthh• ee
rceosmt boifned i
the
nnatteilt
olenc.lavnidthcaspuicthalaoff the
feeble
support is the, infatuated monarch bidding defiance
to the opinion of the nation, and sacrificing its true
interests at the shrine of that brother-in-law of
whom he has made for himself an idol to bow down
and worship.
Still it is extreneely doubtful whether the Prus-
sian Chamber of Representatives will have the
courage to assert their constitutional right to re-
monstrate, with iThe weight and energy which
unanimity bestows,
rraagainstre, in 8
thlesinit thecida Prussian
l policy of
their Government.
people compelled their reluctant monarch to em-
brace the cause of national independence ; but the
King of that day, though from indecision of cha-
racter and pusillanimity averse to throwing down
the gauntlet to the first Napoleon, cherished a kind
of sneaking desire to do so. His people only com-
pelled him to do what he would have done of his
own accord had he possessed the courage. But
the present King, in resisting the wishes of his
people, is indulging his own inclivaticns. It will
be more difficult to induce him to change his policy,
and the Representative Chamber of Prussia--elected
exclusively by a good-natured middle-class in easy
circumstances, and imbued with a great deference
for royalty—is not likely to address its Sovereign
in a peremptory strain. It will at most " hint a
fault, and hesitate di:Alike" at his conduct, and let
him take his own way. The members will shake
their heads and muttter that he is bringing ruin
on them all, but they will allow him to bring it.—
Daily Hews.