The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-27 00:00:00

PRUSSIA.

Ili the sitting of the Second Chamber, on the 221,
the amendment of THIEL to the address, praying for
a genoral amnesty, was carried by IG7 to 160.

FRANKFORT.

On the 23d, the National Assembly of Frankfort
commenced the vote by paragraphs of the Constitu-
tion. Although no discussion was alloyed, the
sitting was very animated. The first paragraph,
declaring that the territory of the Empire was the
same as that of the ancient Confederation, and that
the admission of Schleswig shall be subse-
quently voted, was adopted. A. clause of the
paragraph enacting that the same exception should be
applied to the German provinces of Austria was re-
jected by 290 votes to 240. A proposition that other
territories could be admitted into the Empire in
virtue of special laws was rejected by 268 votes to
25g. The paragraph relative to the non-German pro-
vinces of German States gave rise to two contradic-
tory votes, hut eventually it was resolved by 290 votes
to 240 that if a German province and a non-German
province were under the same sovereign, the former
should have a peculiar constitution, govern-
ment, and administration. (This was equi •
valent to declaring the maintenance of what
is called the principle of personal union adopted
in the first reading of the Constitution.) The As-
sembly then adopted an amendment that Germans
could alone fill offices in the German province, and
that the Constitution and laws of the Empire should
have the same force in
such province as in other
German countries. An amendment declaring that
the people were sovereign, and that all the powers
of the Empire were derived from them, was rejected
by a majority of four. At the beginning of the sitting
M. VENEDY created great sensation by complaining
that M. DE SCHMERLING, the Austrian Plenipoten-
tiary, had asked the Prussian plenipotentiary
whether Prussia had not been sufficiently " check-
mated" by the rejection of M. IVELoranit's proposi-
tion to juin Austria in granting a Constitution to the
empire. M. DE SCHMERLING, who was much agi-
tated, admitted that he had visited M. CAMPHAUSEN,
the Prussian Plenipotentiary, but indignantly denied
that he had made any such observations as those
ascribed to him. M. VENEDY was about to make
some remarks, when he was stopped by the Presi-
dent, and the matter ended. A paper signed by M.
KUENTZEL, a Deputy, asserted that M. DE SCHMER-
LING had told him (KueszzEL) that Austria had
proposed to Prussia to take on themselves to grant a
Constitution to the empire, but that Prussia had re-
jected the proposition, was subsequently handed round
the Assembly.
A letter from Frankfurt of the 23d states that M.
RIMER, who had been charged by the Vicar-General
to form a new Ministry, had abandoned the mission.
It was said that M. VON DER PFORTTEN had been
called on by the Vicar-General.
The new Austrian note sent to Frankfort is dated
the MI. After noticing the demand of M. DE
SCHMERLING, the Austrian Plenipotentiary to he
recalled, the Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs
proceeds as follows :

"You start from the supposition that, in consequence
of the Constitution which has been given to the empire
of Austria, the German provinces of that empire cannot
participate in the German federal state. That is pre-
cisely what I deny. Austria, it is true, could not have
entered into a federal state vthich would have annihilated
the free interior movement and the independence of par
titular states, but such an extremity is not, in my
opinion, necessarily depended on the idea of a
federated state. We may easily imagine a fede-
rated state with a central Government possess-
ing extensive powers and strongly organized with
a representation of the different states and
their people acting with it ; an organization, in a
word, which should present to foreign countries a Ger-
many great, strong, united, and one—and, in the in-
terior, guarantee to the diff,Tent German states and
people a reasonable. community of material interests and
legal national institutions. Austria would be dis-
posed at any time to enter into such a federal state.
The new and bold coup de main of Frankfort again
places, it is true, all in question; but we can only await
the ulterior development."

The note concludes by declaring that Austria hss no
intention of refraining from taking part in the future
discussions of the Constitution, and by calling on the
Austrian deputies to remain at their posts.

SCHLESIVIG-HOLSTEIN.
COFENHA.GEN, MARcn 21.—The report so gene-
rally circulated
.of ~the prolongation of the armistice
appears to be incorrect. On the contrary, all the
military preparations continue to be carried on with
great activity. The numerous ships of the line and
the movements among the troops testify but too
plainly that hostilities are about to recommence.
The Danish army continues to receive considerable
reinforcements of foreign troops, and many Norwegian
and Swedish officers have joined the army; nor will
the Danish Government be unsupported. Sweden is
making armaments on an extensive scale, and the
Government have published several ordinances rela-
tive to the purchase of coals for the war steamers,
and to the recal of men of the ,second, third, and
fourth classes. _

A letter from Altona, of the 20th, says—" that the
first body of the Imperial troops have crossed the
Elbe, and have entered Schleswig-Holstein. It was
a body of Altenbourg infantry, 970 men strong."
In 'direct contravention to the report of the pro-
longation of the armistice, the following telegraphic
dispatch from Frankfort was received at Hesse on
the 20th :

" Denmark refuses ewry prolongation of the armis-
tice. A courier from London brought this intelligence
last night."
Prince ALBERT of Saxony (the presumptive heir
to the Throne, now Captain of the mounted artil
lery) has gone to Schleswig for the purpose of joining
the general staff in the approaching campaign. The
KING will go to Leipsic at the end of the week to
review all the troops previous to their departure for
Schleswig.