The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-16 00:00:00

prevented having the honour of attending her Majesty's
Drawing Room yesterday. 1,•?. Corurnandeur Marques
Lisboa (Brazilian Minister) was prevented by indisposi•
tion from attending the Drawing Room.
A'deputation from the directors of the Metropolitan
Sewage Manure Company, accompanied by their solici-
tor and acting secretary, had an interview wish Viscount
Morpeth yeSterrlay, at the office of her Majesty's Com-
missioners of Woods and Forests, in Whitehall-dace.
The Deputation consisted of Dr. Guy, Mr. T. William
Floyd, Mr. Edward William Cox, Mr. J. C. Blair Warren,
Dr. Hodgkin, Captain Warren, Mr. Henry Peter Fuller,
Mr. William Thomas Rime, and Mr. W. C. Mylne
(engineer).

Mr. Hawes, treasurer, and Mr. Charlier, secretary to
the Rovel Humane Society, bad an interview )caterday
with Viscount Morpeth.
The Mess of her Mejei.ty's Honourable Corps of
Gentlemen at Arms dined together yesterday evening
at the Thatched House.

A deputation from the Liverpool and Harrington
Water•workq, consisting of Messrs. Banner, Gladstone.
and Stainsted, had an interview with Viscount Murpoth
yesterday.
Mr. Brushfield and Mr. Solomons, two Directors of
the Commercial Gas Company (London ani Tower
Hamlets), and Mr. Thomas. the Solicitor to the COM.
pany, had an interview yesterday with Viscuuut Mor-
peth, at the office of the Wood.s and Forests.

PE TING OF THE PRUSSIAN
DI .T.

THE KING'S SPEECH.

BERLIN, APRIL —This grand ceremony commenced
this morning, under rather unfavourable auspices. From
six o'clock snow continued to fall heavily, and, conse-
quently, but few persons assembled to see what wa,
expected to have been a grand pageant. At about half-
past eight o'clock the Deputies began to arrive at their
respective places of worship—the Protestants at the
Cathedral Church, which forms one side of the square
(Lustgarten) in which the palace is situate ; and the
Roman Catholics at a very handsome circular church
(St. Hedvig), situate not far distant from the palace.

A few minutes before nine o'clock Frederick William
proceeded on fait from his palace to the cathedral, not-
withstanding the seventy of the weather, simply attired
in military uniform, with a plain Prussian cloak thrown:
over his shoulders. He was warmly greeted by the
comparatively few persons assembled, and his benevolent
gmid-humourett countenance beamed with delight. He
walked amongst his subjects followed by his staff, but
unattended by any military guard. There were a few
policemen in attendance to maintain order amongst the
carriages, but the pedestrians were permitted to approach
the royal person without impediment. Divine service
concluded at three-quarters past ten o'clock, when the
King returned to his palace in the same simple style
that he had proceeded to the cathedral. At this period
the snow had in some degree ceased, and the assembled
'multitude had increased. The cheers were con-
sequy ntly louder, and his Majesty returned were
com-
pliment by bowing right and left as he passed
through the crowd, who formed a line with as
much regularity and maintained es good order as if the)
had been drilled by a sergeant of the Ro) al Guaru.
His Majrzty was followed to his palace by the officers of
the Royal Househeld, the dignitaries of State, the Mi-
nisters, the Protestant and Roman Catholic Bishops, an
finally by the Deputies, who were conducted to their
places in the Salle Blanche (fitted up for the occasion)
by the Grand Marshal of the Palace. Count de Keller.
The Qui en and Princesses of Prussia lied seats prof:ared
for them in one gallery, and the corps diplomatique in
another. Amongst the latter the Earl of Westmoreland
appeared pre-eminent, and nobly represented his Sove
reign. All the arrangements having been completed
his Majesty entered the Salle Blanche, preceded by Ge-
neral Knesebeck, who bore the crown; by General
Krauseneck, who bore the orb (Reichsapfel); by General
Muffling (the same who was Governor of Parts during
the occupation of that city by the allied armies), who
bore the sceptre, and by other officers who bore various
insignia of royalty. On his Majesty's entrance the
Princes and Deputies rose and remained standing until
the King took his place en the throne, having the Prince
of Prussia on his right hand and the Ministers of State
on his left. His Majesty then delivered the following
speech ex tempore in a clear and distinct voice, and with-
out the slightest hesitation:--
"Illustrious noble Princes, Counts, and Lards, my dear and
trusty orders of Nobles, Burghers, and Commons,—l bid you
from the depth of my heart welcome on the day of the ful.
fitment of a great work of my father, resting in God, never
to be forgotten, King William 111., of glorious memory.
" The noble edifice of representative freedom, .the eight
mighty pillars of which the King of blessed memory foundd
deep and unshakably in the peculiar organization of his pro-
vinces, is to-day perfected in your assembly. It has re-
ceived its protecting roof. The King wished to have finished
his work himself, but his views were shipwrecked in the
utter impracticability of the plans laid before him. There-
from arose evils which his clear eye detected with grief, and,
before all, the uncertainty which made many a noble soil
susceptible of weeds. Let us blest, however, to-day the
conscientiousness of the true beloved King, who despised his
own earlier triumph in order to guard his folk from later
ruin, and let us honour his memory, by not penning the ex-
istence of his completed work by the impatient haste of
beginners.
" I give up beforehand all co-operation thereto. Let us
suffer time, and, above all, experience to have their way;
and let us commit the work as is fitting, to the furthering
and forming hands of Divine Providence Since the com-
mencement of the operation of the Provincial Diets, I have

perceived the detects of individual portions of our represen
tative life, and proposed to myself conscientiously the
grave question—How they were to be remedied? My
resolutions on this point have long since arrived at maturity.
Immediately on my accession I made the first step towards
realising them by forming the Committees of the Provincial
Diets, and by calling them together soon after.
" You are aware, Lords and Gentlemen, ,that I have now
made the days for the meeting of those Committees perio-
dical, and that I have confided to them the flee working of
the Provincial Diets. For the ordinary run of affairs their
deliberations will satisfactorily represent the desired point
of union. But the law of January 17, 1820, respecting
the State debts, gives, in that portion of it not as yet carried
nut, rights and privileges to the Orders which can be ex-
ercised neither by the Provincial Assemblies nor by the Com-
mittees.
" As the heir of an unweakened Crown, which I must and
will hand down unweakened to my descendants, I know that
I am perfectly free from all and every pledge with respect to
what has not been carried out, and, above all, with respect to
that front the execution of which his own true paternal con-
science preserved my illustrious predecessor. This law is,
however, carried out in all its essential parts ; an edifice oh
justice has bean built upon it, oaths have been sworn on it,
and it has, all unfinished as it is, maintained itself as a wisp
law for seven and twenty years. Therefore have I proceeded,
with a cheerful heart indeed, but with all the freedom of my
kingly prerogative, to its filial completion. I am, however,
the irreconcilable enemy of all arbitrary proceedings, and
must have been a foe, snore all, to the idea of bringing to-
gether an artificially arbitrary assembly of the Orders, whkh
should deprive the noble creation of the King, my dear
father, I mean the Provincial Diets, of their value. I. has
been therefore for many years my firm determination only
to form this Assembly, ordained by law, by the fusion toget her
of the Provincial Diets. It is formed ; I hare recog,ised your
claim to all the rights flowing from that law, and far beyond—
yes, far bey-outran the promises of the King of blessed memory,
I have granted you, with certain ne essary limits,the right of
granting taxes,—a right, gentlemen, the responsibility of
which weighs far more heavily than the honour which accom-
panies it. This important Assembly will now denote im-
portant periods in the existence of our State, which are
treated of in my patent of February the 3d. As soon as
those periods occur, I will assemble the Diets on each separate
occasion round my throne, in order to deliberate with them
for the welfare of my country, and to afford them an oppor-
tunity for the exercise of their rights. I have, however, re-
served the express right of calling together these great
Assemblies on extraordinary occ,,sions. when I deem it good
and profitable; and I will do this willingly and at more fre.
quent intervals, if this Diet gives me the proof that I ma)
act thus without prejudice to higher sovereign duties.
"My trusty and free people have received all the law
which I and my father have granted them tor the protection
of their highest interests, and especially the laws of the 3d of
February, with warm gratitude, and woe to him who shall
dare to dash their thankfulness with care, or to turn it into
ingratitude.
." Every Prussian knows that for twenty-four years past
all laws which concern his freedom anti property have been
first discussed by the Orders; but from this time forward let
every one in my kingdom know that I, with the sole neces-
'nary exception of the occurrence of the calamity of war, will
contract no State loan, levy no new taxes, nor increase exist-
ing ones, without the free consent of all Orders.
“ Noble Lords and trusty Orders,—l know that with these
rights I entrust a costly jewel of freedom to your hands, and
that you will employ it faithfully. But I know, as certainly,
that many will mistake and despise this jewel—that to many
it is not enough. A portion of the press, for instance, de-
mands from me and my Government a revolution in Church
and State, and from you, gentlemen, acts of importunate
ingratitude, of illegality—nay, of disobedience. Many also,
and am.rng them very worthy men, look for our safety in
the conversion of the natural relation between Prince and
people into a conventional existence granted by charters and
ratified by oaths.
"May, however, the example of the one happy country,
whose constitution centuries and an hereditary wisdom with-
out a parallel, but no sheets of paper, have made, not be lost
upon us, but find the respect which it deserves. If other
countries find their happiness in another way than that
people and ourselves, namely, in the way of manufactured
and granted' constitutions, we must and will praise their
happiness in an upright and brotherly manner. We will,
with the justest admiration, consider the sublime example,
when a strong will of iron consequence and high intelligence
succeeds in delaying, in mastering, And allaying every crisis
of serious importance; and, above a , when this tends to the
welfare of Germany, and the maintenance of the peace of
Europe. But Prussia, gentlemen—Prussia cannot bear such
a state of things. Do you ask, why ? I answer, cast
your eyes at the map of Europe—at the position of our
country— at its component parts ; fohow the line
of our borders ; weigh the power of our neighbours; throw,
before all, an enlightened glance on our history ! It has
pleased God to make Prus-zia strong by the sword of war
front without, and by the sword of intellect from within ;
not, surely, by the negative intellect of the age,
but by the spirit of moderation and order.- I speak
out b ldlr, gentlemen. As in the camp, unless in
cases of the most urgent danger or gro-sest folly. the
co.nmand can only be rested in the will rf one, so
can the destinies of this country, unless it is to fall instantly
from its height, only be guided by one will ; and it the
King of Prussia would commit an abomination were he to
demand from his subjects the subservien-y of a slave, so
would he commit a far greater abomination were he not to
demand from them the crowning virtue of freemen—l mean
obedience for the sake of God and conscience. Whoever is
alarmed at the tenor of these words, him I refer to thj:de-
velopment of our laws for a century back, to the edicts of
the Orders, and finally to this Asaembiy and its rights ;
there be may find consolation if he will.
" Noble Lords and trusty Orders,—l am forced to the solemn
declaration that no power on earth will ever succeed in
moving me to change the natural, and, in our own case, so
imperatively necessary, relation between Prince and people
into something merely conventional or constitutional, and
that, once for all, 1 will never suffer a written sheet of paper
proTidence, between our
as it were a second
to force itself in,