The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-16 00:00:00

PRUSSIA AND THE NEW TREATY.

BERLIN, Dec. 11.—Our Cabinet has made up its mind
to sign the new treaty of Vienna of the 2d inst. as soon
as it is invited to do so by the contracting parties. This
you may rely upon. The resolution has not, however,
been taken with any intention of really promoting and
supporting the plans of the Allies. Prussia, on
the contrary, will join the alliance in' the first place
to escape being left out of the councils of the great
Powers ; and in the second, to gain an opportunity
of continuing its diplomatic efforts in favour of
Russia. The first paroxys,in of panic excited by the
news of the conclusion of the treaty of the 2d
December having subsided, the persons who influence
the decisions of our Government have recovered
their self-possession sufficiently to recollect that trea-
ties are not always entered into with an intention to
fulfil them. There is little likelihood— at the present
moment less, perhaps, than at any former period—of
Prussia's acting in true and honest concert with the
Allies. The vanity of our Court has been deeply
wounded by Austria's concluding without its knowledge
the treaty with the belligerent Powers ; for it prided
itself upon maintaining the appearance of being entirely
uninfluenced by anything the Governments of France
and England could do. This sense of humiliation—for
which our Court is entirely indebted to its own weak
and undecided policy—draws it closer to Russia. More
rational views do indeed at intervals gain possession of
it ; but they are at once dispelled as soon as allusion is
made to " the sacred obligations to near relatives,"
which some persons who surround the throne, and some
who are sent from time to time by the Emperor of Rus-
sia, take care to throw in whenever there is any appear-
ance of indecision-. At such moments the will of the late
King, in which his succesor was warned to remain true
to the Holy Alliance, is sure to be recalled to the King's
recollection. If the royal doubts appear to be very
powerful, and consequently the situation critical, the ex-
ample of firmness set by some of the German princes is
pointed to as an example. The Grand Dukes of the
Isrecklenburgs are foremost among these model princes.
They are nearly related to the reigning family in Russia,
and never can forget their Russian origin. As if all this
systematic management were insufficient, a day has
scarcely passed, within the last two or three months,
in which we have not seen the name cf sonic Russian
prince or distinguished nobleman announced in the
newspapers as having arrived at the Palace. Some
faint conception of the extent to which the most trifling
accidents contribute to confirm our court in its subser-
viency to Russia may be formed from the following fact :
The Austrian General Hess came to Berlin last spring
to arrange the preliminaries of the treaty of April 20.
Everything was going on smoothly, when a report
reached that capital from St. Petersburg that the Em-
peror had attended the funeral of General Rochow, who
had died while acting as Prussian Minister there, in
Prussian regimentals. The King's determination to
sign the treaty was immediately changed, and it was
only by the straightforward and energetic remonstrances
of the Prince of Prussia and General Benin, at that time
Minister at War, that his Majesty was brought back to
his original resolution.
Should the Empress of Russia die—and the intelli-
gence from St. Petershurc, leads us to expect every mo-
ment the news of that sadb event—there is no knowing
what effect it may have on the policy of the King of
Prussia. The intriguers in the interest of the Czar
would use all means unscrupulously to persuade him
that the undecided conduct of his Government in the
Oriental. question has been the cause of his beloved
sister's death.
As regards our military preparations, no fresh orders
have been given that indicate an intention en the
part of Prussia to abandon the ground of neu-
trality. Anything in the shape of preparations for
war is still confined to the provisioning of the Rhe-
nish fortresses. Immense quantities of corn have been
purchased of late for this purpose. Magdeburg, too, is
quietly being placed in a condition to withstand siege or
blockade. The position of this fortress on the Elbe
would make it, in the event of a war with France, the
most important defence and covering of Berlin. The
fortifications of Konigsberg—on the Russian frontier—
are not carried on as was promised and expected. Of
the 360,000 dollars per annum granted for that purpose
only 240,000 have been spent in the current year. Go-
vernment intends only to lay out the same sum on them
next year, although the works are far from complete.
This shows plainly that it is not from this quarter our
government anticipate danger. •

LAW INTELLIGENCE.—Dec. 15.

ADMIRALTY COURT.
• (Before Dr. Lushington.)
THE SYLPH.--COLLISION.
This was a suit promoted by the steam Vessel Meteor, o
the burden of 114 tons, with two engines of 40-horse power
each, against the iron screw steam-ship Sylph, of the bur-
den of 255 tons, with two engines of 35-horse power
each, to recover the loss resulting from a collision be-
tween them in Barking-reach on the 18th of, December
last, at about half-past 5 p.m. 'The Meteor was proceed-
ing in her usual occupation with passengers from Black-
wall to Gravesend. The Sylph, laden with a general
cargo, was bound from Dublin to London. The Meteor,
according to the plea, had a lantern suspended in front of
the funnel and another attached to the bowsprit, both of
which burnt brightly, but one of which went out just
anterior to the collision. The wind blew strong from
E. and by S., the tide being about a quarter ebb and
the weather clear. On arriving about half way through
Barking-reach, keeping as far as practicable to that
side of mid-channel which lay on her starboard side,
she saw a white light -at the masthead of the Sylph,
which was coming up near the Kentish shore. Shortly
afterwards the red and green lights became visible,
denoting that the helm of the Sylph had been starboa.rded.
Finding that she was approaching the Meteor in a direct
line, the helm of the Meteor was immediately ported and
the engines ceased. The helm of the Sylph was still kept
to starboard, whereupon she was hailed to port, and the
Meteor put her helm harl sport, and set on her engines,
in order to get into shallow water. The Sylph, however,
continued her course, and ran stem on at full speed into
the Meteor, close to the Kentish shore. The passengers
and crew boarded the Sylph, and in about 20 minutes the
Meteor sank, half a mile from thelplace of collision. The
Meteor charged the Sylph with not keeping as far as prac-
ticable to that side of mid-channel which was on her star-
board side, and to her not porting her helm, or stopping
or backing her engines, on descrying the Meteor. The
Sylph, in her defensive plea, alleged that on entering
Half-way reach she steamed slowly and card-1111y up the
bight as near to the Kentish shore as vessels lying there
for shelter would permit. There were several sand-barges
at anchor near the point of land at the Halfway-house,
and a schooner distant about a third of the breadth of the
river. She descried a white light, apparently at the
masthead of a vessel at anchor, and continued her
course, intending to enter the Reach between the
pOint of land and the schooner. She would have done
so without any risk of a collision between herself and the
vessel whose white light she had seen, but the vessel,
which proved to be the Meteor, running at full speed
rather nearer to the Essex than to the Kentish shore, in-
stead of keeping her course, all of a sudden ported her
helm, as if to run across the hawse of the Sylph ; and,
fearing that a collision would ensue, the helm was kept
steady and the engines stopped and reversed at full speed,
in consequence of which she went rapidly astern. She
loudly hailed the Meteor to stop her engines, but no atten-
tion was paid to it, and, having exposed her whole broad-
side to the tide, she was carried by'its strength with suck
violence against the Sylph that the sharp stem cut into
her just before her port paddlebox. She attributed the
accident solely to those on board the Meteor. The prin-
cipal question for the decision of the Court was whether
the Sylph was justified in following an alleged usage of
vessels ceming up the river with an ebb tide keeping to
the Kentish shore to round the point, or whether, in com-
pliance with the 14th and 15th of Victoria, sh- was bound
to have kept to the starboard side of mid-channel. The
loss sustained was estimated at B,ooo'.
The Queen's Advocate and Dr. Dasent were heard for
the Meteor; and Dr. Addams and Dr. Twigs for the
Sylph.
The learned Judge, having directed the attention of the
Elder Brethren of the Trinity Corporation by whom he
was assisted to the facts of the case, retired with them for
consultation, and, on returning into court, said they were
of opinion, in which he entirely concurred, that the Sylph
was not justified in keeping the course which she pursued,
reference being had to the statute ; seoondly, that the
Sylph was not to blame for not having ported her helm,
she having been misled, as they thought, by the bowsprit
light of the Meteor having gone out, so that she was mis-
taken for a veseel at anchor. The Meteor did not keep as
close to the Kentish shore as the statute directed, but
such deviation did not occasion the Collision. Thor did not
impute blame to the Meteor for porting her helm, though,
under the circumstances, the so doing contributed to the
collision. The Meteor was to blame for not having stopped
and reversed her engines. Although no blame was attri-
butable to her for the light going out, yet the consequence
was to the Sylph as if it had arisen from negligence. Pro-
nouncing his own opinion on the law, having obtained
from the Trinity Masters their judgment as to the facts,
it p
apeared o him that both parties were to blame, and
the damage, t
therefore, must be divided between them.