The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-14 00:00:00

PRUSSIA.

Our letters from Berlin, received this morning,
are to the 9th. We extract the following from one
of them :—" The Austrian note of the 30th ult.
marks the commencement of a new phase in the
position of the German States as regards the ques-
tion of the war. This note must naturally put
an end to the hesitations of our Cabinet, and
bring about a definitive resolution. The violent
internal discussions of which our Cabinet has
since been the scene now form the prin-
cipal subject of political conversations. The
following is what has transpired on the
subject :—The Austrian note forced the Prussian
Government to declare itself decidedly on the
question, as to whether it wished to maintain for
the future its treaty of alliance offensive and defen-
sive with Austria at the risk of seeing itself con-
strained by the hostile position of Austria towards
Russia to turn also against the latter power. The
propositions of the President of the Council, the
object of which was to maintain a good under-
standing between Prussia and Austria under all
circumstances, not having been favourably re-
ceived, M. de Manteuffel tendered his resigna-
tion on Friday, and left the same day for Lusace,
where he would remain until the King had come
to a decision. Yesterday evening he was sent for,
and returned. The King arrived this morning at
half-past eight at the Chateau de Bellevue, from
Potsdam, in order to preside at a Council of
Ministers, at which a decision was to be come to
on the pending question. All that we can yet
say as to the result of the deliberation is that the
President of the Council has withdrawn his resig-
nation ; that conciliatory declarations are to be
addressed to the Cabinet of Vienna, and that the
policy of Prussia is to be completely in accord with
that of Austria. It is also said, but this is only a
rumour, that after the meeting of the Council of
Ministers to-day the Prince of Prussia was sum-
moned to Berlin by telegraph, in order to proceed
to Vienna on a private mission. The Prince of Prus-
sia being the most dekded advocate of a close union
with the Western Powers the choice of that Prince
for such a mission would sufficiently indicate the
tendency of it, and would be a sure guarantee for
the maintenance of a good understanding with Aus-
tria and with the Western Powers. It is positively
stated that at the same time that the Austrian note
of the 30th ult. arrived here an identical despatch
from Paris and London was also received, urging
the Prussian Cabinet to put an end to the hesita-
tion of its policy. We understand that the
Austrian despatch of the 30th ult. which was first
published by the Vienna journals, contained some
very strong passages, which it was thought ad-
visable to omit when it was made public. The
animation which prevails in the transmission of de-
spatches may be judged of from the fact that when
the President of the Council returned yesterday
evening, he found seven despatches which had
arrived during his absence ofonly two days, four of
them from Count Arnim, the Prussian Ambassador
at Vienna."

BERLIN, Oct. 11.—Apropos of the congratula-
tions that the Emperor of Austria caused to be
offered to the Western Powers on occasion of the
premature news of Vie fall of Sebastopol, the Kreuz
Zitung, in its number of this day's date, opens its
leading article with--
"Is it possible that Russia can ever forgive and
orget what Austria in the last few days has done
against her ? We will not venture to anticipate
the magnanimity of the Russian monarch, but this,
at least, we know for certain, that if these cordial
congratulations' were anything more than isolated
symptoms of personal irritation, if they were the voice of
tOe empire of Austria, that then these words have erected
a wall of partition between the members of the Holy
Alliance, and a struggle is opened, whose end and term
are difficult to discern."
This one grave and important fact is certainly to
be extracted from the various consequences of the
Tartar delusion. Austria by her ready congratula-
tions to the Western Powers has, in fact, tolled the
knell of the Holy Alliance.