The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-16 00:00:00

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7

PRUSSIA AND THE EASTERN QUESTION.

(.From the Times.)
An address signed by several members of the Prussian
Chambers has at length been presented to that Govern-
ment, calling upon Baron Manteuffel to give some ex-
planation as to the position of Prussia in the impending
war, to state whether its intimate relations with the
Cabinets of Vienna, London, and Paris are maintained,
and to establish by a frank declaration that confidence
which can alone oppose " the illegitimate voices" that
seek to oppose themselves as organs of the country. To
this requisition Baron Manteuffel replied, on Monday
last, that the Government would shortly make some
communication to the Chamber in explanation of its
policy, and that the fleets about to enter the Black Sea
are those of Powers with which Prussia is on good terms
and at peace. However incomplete this intimation of
the Prussian Cabinet may be, the King of Prussia has
already given another indisputable proof that he admits
the necessity of offering some explanation of the recent
change in his policy, for he has despatched Prince Hohen-
zollern Sigmaringen to Paris on a confidential mission
for that purpose ; he has sent General Groeben here on
the same errand ; and he has caused the official jour-
nal of Berlin, entitled the Prussian Correspondence, to
Publish a direct answer to our own remarks on this sub-
ject. We trust the explanations of Prince Hohen-
zollern to the Emperor of the French, and those of
General Groeben to the British Cabinet, have been some-
what more satisfactory than those which the official
organ of the Cabinet of Berlin has condescended to
throw away upon ourselves • but, if we are correctly in-
formed, the reception of the Prussian Envoy in Paris
has been cold and incredulous, and we shall be surprised
to learn that General Groeben has made a more favour-
able impression in this country.
It is impossible for these personages, any more than
for the journals of the Prussian Government, to deny
that the policy of their Cabinet has undergone a total
change within the last fortnight or three weeks. The
Kreuz Zeitung, which is the organ of the high Tory and
Russian party in North Germany, boasts triumphantly
of the success which has just crowned the efforts of its
friends ; and the only defence attempted by the Govern-
ment against this charge of duplicity and tergiversa-
tion is, that, in reality, it never had any other course
in view. The part taken by Prussia in the labours of
the Vienna Conference was no more than a pretence,
if, in the event of a failure of this negotiation,
she was unprepared to take any other steps ; and it
would have been more consistent with her real inten-
tions if she had subsided at once into the attitude of a
passive spectator of this great controversy, in which she
declares herself incapable of performing any higher
duty. Whatever the policy of the Prussian Cabinet
may now be, it is certainly the reverse of that followed
till within a short time both at Vienna and elsewhere ;
and we may venture to add, that although no great
reliance could ever be placed on the intentions of that
Power, she has just proved even more variable than her
own reputation. The Convention which even Austria
proposed Prussia has rejected ; that concert of the
Powers of Central Europe which was the main element
of their strength she has impaired ; and ber assumption
of a neutral and separate line of conduct is a repetition of
the policy which inflicted on Germany all the worst
calamities she had to endure in the earlier years of this
century. We can only hope that this phase in her policy
will prove to be of a short and transient character.
Setting aside the interest which Prussia may or may
not have in the fate of the Ottoman empire, she
must be totally blind not to perceive that the
question has now assumed a shape which touches
her far more nearly. The seat of war will probably
in a few days be in the Baltic as well as in the Black
Sea, and our fleets will be within sight of the Prussian
coasts, which are entirely at the mercy of any maritime
Power occupying those waters. Her treaty of 1781 with
Russia, if indeed that is still in force, would bind her
not only to concur in all the principles of the armed neu-
trality, which Russia herself has since abandoned, but to
close the Baltic altogether. These considerations, how-
ever, are of secondary importance in comparison with
the effect of the late determination of Prussia on her own
internal condition, on her relations to her German con-
federates, and on her relations with the Western Powers.
In the internal politics of Prussia this change is a signal
triumph of the reactionary party which is identified with
Russia, and, indeed, relies on the support of that Power
to retain its hold over the Prussian people. That party
is the evil genius of the Prussian monarchy. The more
liberal institutions which had shaken its hold on the Go-
vernment are naturally the objects of its detestation;
for in endeavouring to defeat at all hazards the contin-
gency of foreign war, the statesmen of this school are
making a further step to extinguish what remains of the
Prussian Constitution, and to overthrow the Minister
who has remained faithful to the cause of national inde-
pendence and European interests. We fear it must be
acknowledged that the most constant and invariable
principle of Prussia is her rivalry of Austria, especially
in connexion with the other Germanic States. The
influence of Russia and the dread of war are most power-
fully felt in the minor States, which Prussia had
estranged by her policy in 1849 and 1850. She has
seized this opportunity to strengthen her connexion with
them and to improve her influence in the Diet ; bat, in
proportion as the King of Prussia identifies himself
with the petty Sovereigns of Wurtemberg, Hesse, and
Bavaria, he forfeits the confidence of the most intelli-
gent and national classes of the German people. The
immediate effect of his conduct at the inost critical mo-
ment of the late negotiations has undoubtedly been to
weaken considerably the ties which united him to England
and France, and to place his own character in a very
disadvantageous point of view. We regard tiat conse-
quence of his policy as a serious evil for Prussia Sand for
Europe. It is to be regretted that her co-operation should
be withdrawn from the active defence of a cause which
she herself acknowledges to be that of justice and right.
But it is still more to be regretted that Prussia should
think fit to isolate herself from the alliances which have
connected her with the most enlightened states of Europe.
Her long extended territory, at once conterminous with
the dominions of Russia, and with those of France—her
exposed centre and her undefended coasts—give her a
paramount interest in the maintenance of the treaties on
which the balance of power is established, and the best
security for the permanence of those arrangements is in.
a firm and active concurrence of all the Powers interested
in their preservation. To lose sight of those objects un-
der the influence of an exaggerated dread of hostilities
with Russia is, as it seems to us, to mistake the true po-
sition and interests of the Prussian monarchy, and the
bolder is also the safer course. The present evasive con-
duct of the Prussian Government can only lead to dis-
content at home, to division in the heart of Germany,
and to the injury of its alliances with the Western
Powers.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

ABERDEEN.

The half•yearly meeting of this company was held yes-
terday at Itadley!s Hotel ; Lord J. Hay in the chair.
The report, an abstract of which has appeared in The
Sun, was adopted. It was stated that the railway
system was being extended to the north of the line, and
that 40 miles, from Aberdeen to Huntley, would be com-
pleted in about six months. The trustees of the contract
creditors were pressing for payment, and the working
stock of the company was in danger of being seized and
sold, unless the shareholders took up the 4 per cent, de-
bentures among them, and paid the money at once to
the contractors. It was also necessary to complete the
line into Aberdeen, and provide additional working stock
to develop the traffic. The contract debts amounted to
90,0001., and 30,0001. more would be required fur the
statio❑ at Aberbeen, and to provide working stock. The
interest, at 5 per cent., paid on the contract debts.
amounted to 5,2511. per annum ; but if the shareholders
took up the 4 per cent, bonds, the interest of them
would amount to 3,000/., and the company would thus
save 1,439/. per annum. The directors were authorised
to raise 20,0001. on 4 per cent. bonds, and a committee
of shareholders was appointed to confer with the direc-
tors on the best mode of raising 120,000/., authorised to
be raised en bonds bearing 4 per cent. interest.

MIDLAND GREAT WESTERN.
The half-yearly meeting of this company was held on
Tuesday in Dublin—Mr. G. A. Boyd in the chair.
The report shows that a net profit has been realised
amounting to 26,231/., which, with last year's surplus of
6,4451., leaves available for 'dividend 32,678/., which
justifies the directors in recommending that a dividend
at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum, less the income tax,
be made on the paid-up capital of the company. This
dividend will absorb a sum of 22,123/., and at the same
time will admit of an addition being made to the re-
served fund of 3,0761. which will make up the amount
to 30,0001. This will' leave a balance of 7,4761. to be
carried to the next half-year's accounts. Considerable
progress is being made in the construction of the exten-
sion line from Mullingar to Longford and Cavan, and
every exertion will be made to render the traffic deriv-
able from them available at the earliest period.
After considerable discussion the report was adopted,
and the meeting separated.

RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVES.
An experiment was made at the Salford engine-shed
of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway yesterday, to
test the efficiency of an apparatus invented by Messrs.
E. and J. Rowland, of Manchester, for cleansing the
copper tubes of railway locomotive boilers. The apse
ratus consists of a valve attached to the steam-chamber
of the locomotive at the top of the boiler in front, from
which a flexible pipe or tube projects. The smoke-box
door in front of the engine being opened, the ends of
the copper tubes of the boiler are exposed to view, and,
a conical jet at the loose end of the flexible pipe being
applied to each tube in succession, a quantity of steam
is injected. In the locomotive on which the experiment
was tried there were 220 parallel horizontal inch-and-a-
half copper tubes, perfectly cleansed of white ashes, in-
crustations, cinders, &e., with which all tubes in loco-
motives become more or less clinked when ie use. The
operation was performed in the course of W minutes.
The mode of cleansing hitherto in use has been a long
iron ramroad of halfan•inch in diameter, wrapped with
tow at one end ; and the time of cleansing 220 tubes
this would be fully three quarters of an hour. In
addition to a saving of time by this method, it is ex.
pected there will be much less wear and tear of the cop.
per tubes than by the ordinary process.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS.
THE GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY.—Traffio return for
tho week ending March 5, 1854 £18,030 3 6
Corresponding week last year 13,960 211
LANCASHIRE AND YORKSHIRE RAILWAY.—Traffic re•
turn for the week ending March 12, 1854-- .4:18,338 10 9
Corresponding week last year 17,759 7 5
CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAILWAY.--Traffic return for
the week ending March 12, 1854 £3,892 6 10
Corresponding week last year 3,170 8 8
luaus() in 1551 s72l 18

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