The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-14 00:00:00

PRUSSIA.

The Prussian Minister of Foreign Affairs ad-
dressed the following despatch to Count Bernstorff,
Prussian Minister at London :

" Berlin, April 1.
" Monsieur le Comte—Among the documents relative to
the affairs of Italy which the English Cabinet has commu-

nicated to Parliament is a report addressed by Lord Bloom-
field to Lord John Russell, giving him an account of a
conversation which I had with the Prince de la Tour
d'Auvergne relative to the project of the French Govern-
ment of incorporating Savoy and Nice with France.
" I have no need to tell you, Monsieur le Comte, that in
communicating to Lord Bloomfield, in a perfectly confiders •
tial manner, what had taken place between the Minister of
France and myself, in an interview which had the character
of a private conversation, I did not expect that those details
could be destined to become the subject of a Parliamentary
debate. I cannot therefore disguise from you, Monsieur le
Comte, the painful impression which the publication of that
document has produced on my mind.
" Nevertheless, I should willingly have abstained from
referring to this incident, if it had not afforded to the Ger-
man and foreign press the pretext for a host of false ap-
preciations and of commentaries, more or less malevolent.
If what is said were only attacks against me personally,
I might easily dispense with any retrospective
discussion ; but, as the attempt has been made to
deduce from the expressions which I employed to the Prince
de la Tour d'Auvergne erroneous conclusions with regard
to the policy of Prussia, I believe that I have not tie right
to allow by too long a silence Lord Bloomfield's despatch to
acquire the value of an historical document.
" It is, then, with regret, but in order to accomplish a
rigorous duty, that I address to you, Monsieur le Comte,
the following observations with the double object of stating
facts precisely, and of expressing a wish as regards the
future.

" Lord Bloomfield relates in these terms what I said to
the Minister of France :—' Baron Schleinits seems to have
also observed to the French Minister that the present Go-
vernment of Prussia had been the means of restraining the
♦iolent feeling which had been excited in Germany by the
war in Italy, and to have made themselves unpopular by so
doing ; and that on the question of Savoy it must be con-
sidered, because they have remained silent up to the pre-
sent moment, that this meant indifference ; for they should
view this absorption with the greatest distrust.'

" I believe that these terms do not render with all the
precision desirable what I said to the Prince de la Tour
d'Auvergne. I said to the Minister of France that the
Cabinet of H.R.H. the Prince Regent, in relying on the
assurances of the French Cabinet that France would seek
no aggrandisement, had exposed itself to the bitter re-
proaches of part of Germany; that in consequence it must
be painfully affected by the contradiction which the project
in question appeared to give to its confidence ; and that
though having up to that time maintained silence on the
affair of Savoy, it could not the less feel regret at that pro-

ject, which, in its opinion, contained the germ of grave com-
plications.
"You will remark, M. le Comte, that between what I
say and the expressions used by Lord Bloomfield in his de •
spatch, there is a very sensible difference, which it is im-
portant for me to notice.
" The terms in which Lord Bloomfield sums up my con-
versation with the Prince de la Tour d'Auvergne have
afforded our adversaries the opportunity and the pre-
text of making new accusations against Prussia. They
believe that they find in it the proof of the little sincerity,
not to say duplicity, of our conduct during the war in Italy.
According to them I wanted to represent that conduct to
the Minister of France as having been calculated to serve
the cause of his Government, and consequently as giving us
claims to the gratitude of the Imperial Cabinet. Now
nothing was further from my thoughts, because nothing
would be less in accord with truth. I can appeal on this
subject to your own memory, Monsieur le Comte; for, better
than any one, you were able to judge how much, in the
crisis referred to, our policy, free from all engagement and
from all foreign influence, was exclusively inspired by the
interest, as we were bound to understand it, of Prussia in-
separable from that of all Germany.
" What I said to the Prince do la Tour d'Auvergne had
simply for object to point out to him the apparent contra-
dictions of French policy, as it was announced in solemn
declarations last summer, and as it seemed to be designated
in the affairs of Savoy ; and to make him foresee at the same
time all the reproaches which would not fail to be addressed
to us in Germany, for not having sooner recognised the
veritable tendencies' of that policy.
" In stating this difference, I am far from believing that
Lord Bloomfield has not seized, or did not endeavour to
render, the dominating idea of the argumentation which
I employed to the Minister of France. But—as I my-
self did in my conversation with him—he has rather
endeavoured to point out to his Government the general
character of our appreciations, as I indicated thjr* to
the representative of the Emperor Napoleon, than
to report with precision the detail of observations drawn
from the history of last year, and which I had presented to
the Prince de la Tour d'Auvergne to explain our views.
More than this, I am disposed to believe that even the de-
spatch of Lord Bloomfield would not have given rise to
any misunderstanding, if it had been communicated exclu-
sively to the principal Secretary of State for Foreign Af-
fairs, who, by the frequent and confidential communica-
tions of your Excellency, and by the preceding reports
of Lord Bloomfield, has a too intimate knowledge of our
appreciation to be able to make any mistake on the subject.
" But a document given up to publicity acquires neces-
sarily quite another importance, and is subjected to the
commentaries of a public too easily induced to judge of a
situation by isolated facts not very precisely related.
" Such, Monsieur le Comte, is the grave inconvenience
of the custom of the English Cabinet to submit to Parlia-
ment diplomatic documents relative to pending negotia-
tions. It doesnot belong to me to judge the motives which
induce it to act in this manner, nor to give it counsels on the
subject, but I cannot disguise from you that the fear of see
ing publicity given to the most confidential communications
must render extremely difficult that frank expression of
sentiments which is, nevertheless, so appropriate in the
friendly and cordial relations so happily existing between
two Cabinets.
" I request you, Monsieur le Comte, to read this pre-
sent despatch to the principal Secretary of State, and leave
him a copy if desired.—Accept, &c.,
" SCHLEINITZ."

' Two MEN BURNT TO DEATlL—Yesterday Mr.
Braid wood received a report of a fire at the residence of Mr.
Alexander M'Lean, Ranelagh• street, Pimlico, which un-
happily ended in the death of Mr. Alexander M`Lean, aged
90 years. The inmates were alarmed by the most piercing
shrieks issuing from the front room. On entering they
found the deceased wrapped in fire. Every assistance was
afforded, but without success. Another accident of a heart-
rending nature occurred at the residence of Mr. Henry
Vickers, Cooper-street, Westminster. The deceased was
afflicted with a paralytic affection, and his clothes caught
fire when an attack was on him. He was taken to "West-
minster Hospital, but only survived for a short period.