The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-04 00:00:00

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•

LONDON, FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 1856.

It has for some time been notorious that a mar-
riage had been arranged between Prince FREDE-
RICK, eldest son of the Crown Prince, and conse-
quently heir presumptive to the Throne of Prussia,
and the Princess Royal of England. The tender
age of the Royal victim at present is little more
than fifteen years, and the very equivocal
position occupied by Prussia towards England
during the progress of the War did not prevent
the arrangements for this very unwise and im-
politic alliance from being entered into, although
the formal application has been withheld until the
patching-up of the Treaty of Peace, in order to
avoid the energetic remonstrances that might
otherwise be offered in both Houses of Parliament,
and the natural feeling of indignation that would
be excited throughout the length and breadth of
the land. There is, however, but too much
reason to fear that the unfortunate marriage, on
which the Prince Consort is said to have set his
heart for the promotion of German, not of Eng-
lish, interests, may be regarded as one of the
ca-uses that has led to the humiliating and injuri-
ous peace in which England has been made a party,
and that the possible prospect of Great Britain being
annexed to Prussia is the sole reward for the lives
of our myriads of gallant soldiers, and the expen-
diture of tens of millions of capital uselessly and
improvidently
sacrificed. Whether the British
people will regard it as a satisfactory equivalent
is another question. We Should rather think not,
and that the voice of public opinion will make
itself heard in the inmost recesses of Downing-
street, and even in Buckingham Palace itself.
No time has been lost in putting forward a
CI feeler" on the subject. In the Economist or
Sunday last, the very day on which the Treaty Was
signed at- Paris, it was stated the Prince " had
formally.asked and obtained the sanction of the
KING (of Prussia) to his requesting the hand of
the Princess Royal," with a suggestion that
" the publicity of the proceeding is supposed t)
imply a knowledge that the English Court will
approve of the union proposed." There need
tot be much doubt on this part of the case, for
it, is, unfortunately, but too notorious that the
matter had been arranged at Balmoral list sum-
mer, at the time of the visit of the Prince, which
was so strongly commented on by the English
journals, and that it had bean on the lapis for
five years previously, before, the young Princes
had attained the Mature age of tcn years. The
opinion of the British_Parliatnent will, however,
probably be asked, although the announcement
will not be made until after the proposal has
been duly accepted, and then the information
will probably be accompanied by
a modest request
be that a suitable appanage may provided at the
expense of the nation, to gild the bridal couch of
the illustrimis victim, and to render the marriage
Ini#e.-a9eeptable to the good " Cr/iv/not." We
trust, however, that the representatives of the
British people may exhibit some appearance of,

firmness and independence in the transaction.
Although they may not be able to put
a stop to the marriage, they may at least
button their pockets tightly, and declare that not
a single shilling shall be granted to forward a
match, of which every person, not affected by the
sinister and unconstitutional influence that per-
vades every department of the State, must totally
and entirely disapprove.
We have, indeed, but little reason to approve 11
of marriages of the female members of our Royal
family with the petty Princes of Germany. But
bad as they are, they would be far better than
that of a Princess, who personally, or whose chil-
dren, might become entitled to the Throne of these
realms. It is by no means a far-fetched suppo-
sition to imagine that, at no very distant period,
the thrones of Great Britain and Prussia might
become united, and that we should be governed
by a Prussian Viceroy, or, under the most favour-
able circumstances, by a Sovereign, who, like the
First GEORGE, did not understand our language,
and who was not actuated by a single feeling in
common with those whom he was called on to
rule.

It is a very different matter to give the Prin-
cesses of nations placed under the S3,lique law in
marriage to the Sovereigns of first-rate States.
No claim to the Crown can, under such circum-
stances, be put forward by the Consort. It would,
however, be very different in the present in-
stance ; and we merely ask what would be the
result of the union of the Crowns of Great Britain
and Prussia ? A calm and deliberate considera-
tion of the inevitable consequences that must fol-
low such an untoward event will be quite suffi-
cient to convince every disinterested and unpre
judiced person of the vital importance of the
transaction, and of the urgent necessity of oppos-
ing, while there is yet time, the inauspicious
marriage.

It is said that the circle from which a choice
can be made is limited iu the extreme—that it
has for the most part been limited to the
petty Protestant Princes of Germany. But why ?
Because, forsooth—marriage with a subject is as-
sumed to be out of the question ! This is a mere
petitio principii, a literal begging of the question.
It is the absurd and ridiculous prejudice that the
Divine ichor which circulates in the veins of
Princes could not be commingled with the puddle
of the lower classes, even of the most ancient
members of our nobility. It was this delusion
that destroyed the happiness of the brothers and
sisters and children of GEORGE 111., that has
rendered the legitimate descendants of GEORGE
11. so limited in number. We trust that it may
not be persisted in, and that the happiness—per-
haps the morality of—another fine family may not
be sacrificed to the same most unfortunate pre-
, judice.

The thanks of the public are due to the Earl
of ALBEMARLE for his motion in the House of
Lords last evening. Anything more revolting
than the act of atrocious cruelty to which he
drew attention it would be difficult to conceive,
unless it be the fact that it was part of a system
in vogue under British rule. Only fancy fourteen
poor, lank, and feeble Indian weavers dragged, at
eight o'clock in the morning, before a petty Go-
vernment collector of taxes, for arrears ; and, in
default of payment, subjected to torture, and such
torture ! First, the spinal column bent inward ;
next, a native executioner and a 121 b. weight
suspended from their necks, and compelled to
stand in this constricted position for twelve
mortal hours ! Human nature sickens at the
thought ! How far, however, are the dimensions
of this atrocity from being revealed. On their
heads began to pour the fierce rays of a vertical
sun. Thirst, as a matter of course, assailed
them. " Water ! water !" was their cry ! Water
was refused them. Brighter still shone the
sun, and their whitened lips vainly strove to
give utterance to their prayer. Still no water.
Their drooping spirits sought refuge in unconsci-
ousness from the burden of their tortured frames.
Even that boon to suffering humanity was denied
them. A second executioner was at the side of
each to aid his colleague in pinching to renewed
consciousness the tortured frame. And this from
eight in the morning until eight at night ! Even
then a disgusting indignity must be thrown in to
increase the nausea with which they regarded the
refreshment offered them. The infliction was
diabolical, but it served the collector's turn. The
wives of the poor victims had no money wherewith
to discharge the pitiful amounts of taxation
owing ; but, like most Eastern and some Western
women, they had ornaments, dear to them almost
as life; and so, when they knew to what sufferings
their husbands had been exposed, they tore those
ornaments off to save them from further outrage,
and the claims of the Indian Government were
satisfied, but only fer a time. Even in India,
however, there is a public opinion, and the col-
lector's master, Mr. SHITBRICK, an Englishman,
collector and magistrate for the district, was com-
pelled to entertain a complaint against him. The
Indian monster was sentenced—to what does the
reader think ? some severe punishment doubtless
—to pay a fine of—tea shillings ! That was all.
Let it be remembered India is a long way off ;
and if Government must have its taxes, whether
the people can pay them or not, it won't answer
for the collector of a district to be too severe on
a servant whose chief fault, in his eyes, is over-
zeal ! Now, it will not do for the Indian Go-
vernment to say that this was merely au arbitrary
stretch of authority by a reckless official. This
is only one instance out of many, and they know
it. Nor will it do for them to say they have
done their best to discountenance such a system,
but have no power to extirpate it. They have
not done their best ; and the proof is, though
theft attention has long been called to it, it still
prevails—and they have the power to put a stop
to it—such power being notoriously vested in the
Legislative Council at Calcutta. With what face
do they depose the worthless tyrant of Oude for
his crimes, and suffer atrocities like these to be
committed by native officials in their employ ?
Or how can they look for a perpetuation of their
P*er at the hands of the British public, when
they suffer deeds like these to be perpetrated,
revolting to every feeling of the British heait,
and disgraceful to the
long l national fame. Look for
it, however, they will like other
-and the wrongs of Indi like thos me
of other a
pro-
vinces, will go unredressed so misdemeanants, nt
as the people
forget that the honour and f glory.
• the country
are, or ought to be, in their keeping.