The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-11 00:00:00

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 11, 1867.

The North German Parliament was opened yes-
terday by the King of PRUSSIA, and his Majesty
delivered a long speech on the occasion, which was
devoted to the consideration of German subjects,
and did not touch upon matters of foreign policy.
We find in this discourse a great deal of that parade
about unity of ideas and reciprocity of sentiment
for which this Sovereign is so distinguished, and of
which he always contrives to make so much capital
when he addresses any assembly large or small, in-
significant or important as the case may be. It
cannot be said that there is much new in it, or much
calculated to impress the hearers, or to win the
confidence of those who attentively peruse it, but
such as it is it is sure to attract a good deal of notice
and meet with a due share of attention. First of
all, the KING congratulates the illustrious nobles
and honoured gentlemen of the Parliament of the
North German Confederation upon the great suc-
cess which has attended the efforts of the Govern-
They have not been disappointed in their
hopes nor deceived in their confidence ; hence this
second Parliament of the North German Confede-
ration commences under the most favourable au-
spices, and the aspect of all things seems couleur de
rose. How far this flattering semblance is due to
the imaginations of those who desire to make things
better than they are must be left to time to deter-
mine ; but at any rate such is the view taken of the
" situation" by those who ought to know if they
do not. We learn, accordingly, that the " Con-
stitution of the North German Confederation has
in a constitutional manner become law in all
the Federal States." It woald be difficult
to see how it could have been otherwise
under the circumstances, for it is well known
that the choice is not given to these States
to take and leave the injunctions forced upon them.
It all very fine for KING WILLIAM to talk about
the joyful confidence which he feels in the future ,

ment.

working of this assembly." But what inspires this
confidence, and upon what solid foundation does it
rest ? As we glance over the various plans and
arrangements which are put forward so prominently
in this speech; and they do not amount to very
much, we observe that a law is to be introduced upon
" freedom of settlement," which has for object to pre-
pare the further development of the "common right of
nationality" founded by the Constitution. It seems
strange to us who live in a country with a Consti-
tution fully established to hear of this perpetual
talk about the first principles of a system being
settled. If anything satisfactory resulted from
these comprehensive changes, it would not matter
that the whole country should be disturbed and
perplexed ; but the mischief is, that whatever is
done is not perpetual, nor is there any one hope
afforded us of the changes now in contemplation
being so ordered that they may form the basis of a
solid and lasting, as well as beneficial, work.
A bill upon liability to military service is to be
laid before the Parliament, but it seems vain to
expect that the stringent nature of the regulations
will be modified, and adapted more in accordance
with the rights and privileges of free States, and the
subjects of a great Power that professes to take pro-
gress for its guide and nationality for its sentiment.
One of the chief plans in the new regime of Govern-
ment is the exclusive command which Prussia possesses
over the military arrangements. That alone prevents
the success of the scheme as a work of national
progress and social development, and connects the
thing with a despotic and arbitrary arrangement.
The secret is let out in the passage where the
KING allows that the conviction entertained by
those who settled the Constitution was that the
great task of the Confederation "could only be
accomplished by accommodating special interests
to those of a more general and national character."
This means, plainly enough, that the scheme must be
worked out whether it be popular or not, and no mat-
ter how many sacrifices attend its accomplishment.
This conviction, it is added, has already found
expression in the dicussions of the Federal Council,
and it is hoped will form the " basis" of their deli-
berations. It would be all very well for this to be
done if the sacrifice made was for the common
good, but it will never answer any but selfish ends
if Prussia is to have the exclusive gain of the affair.
We have seen how she has encroached from begin-
ning to end of these changes, and how determinedly
she has carried on her game ; but the future, which
now remains to. be solved, is, how long will it last ?
and will not the Germans themselves soon get tired
of being placed in so secondary and subservient a
position? A united Germany, with Prussia for its
head, was the plan at first laid down ; but then
Prussia is not coatent to be the director and guide ;
the object. of her rulers is that she may become the
despotic agent and the absolute controller over the
destinies of all lesser States. We shall doubtless
hear a great deal about the wisdom and patriotism
that have dictated this speech, but if we
look for its real meaning the result may not
be quite so satisfactory. What is the sum and
substance of this discourse but a reiteration of
those principles of absolutism, of sway and appro-
priation of power, which have for time out of mind
characterised the course of Prussian politics, and
which no checks interposed can put a stop to, and
no success serve to moderate, but which always
pursues its coarse unflinchingly, and with deter
mined zeal and energy.

The labours of the British Association, though
less generally interesting than the proceedings of the
Social Science Congress, aro of very great value,
and those who are sufficiently acquainted with the
rudiments of science as to be able in any degree to
appreciate their importance find great pleasure and
profit in studying their course. It is indeed a very
gratifying proof of the change which has taken
place with regard to scientific knowledge that so
large an audience should assemble wherever the
Association holds its meetings, and that so much
eagerness should be displayed in welcoming the
learned body to the various localities which it patro-
nises. Fifty years ago abstruse science was studied
only by a few, and those who watched their progress
and listened to their teaching were also few. Now
the several sections aro crowded, while questions
of geology, ethnology, and meteorology are dis-
cussed in all their aspects, and ladies as well as
gentlemen are pleased and attentive listeners. We
cannot suppose that the number of HERSCHELS or
MURCHISONS will ever be very large, but it is a great
thing to find an intelligent interest in their rem
searches taken by large and successive audiences in
the provinces year after year. On Monday after-
noon a meeting of the General Council was held for
the purpose of determining the place of meeting of
the Association next year, when evidence was

given of the wide-spread desite to welcome the
savans. Influential deputations presented them-
selves from Norwich, Exeter, Plymouth, Edin-
burgh, and Liverpool to urge their respective
claims, and those of Norwich were finally
successful. The proceedings of Monday were
full of animation, and the subjects dis-
cussed in the several sections were mostly of
great interest. The question of storm signals was
again brought up in section A, and Colonel SYKES

read an urgent appeal in favour of their resumption.
A scientific committee of the Royal Society had
given their opinion against them on the ground that
Admiral FITZROY had promulgated them upon em-
pirical data. Fifteen years hence, according to
these over-cautious philosophers, we may resume
them with some confidence. Colonel SYKES very

justly argues against this that it is not a ques-
tion of science, but of facts. Storm signals have
been proved to be practicable, and the statistics
speak for themselves. In three years Admiral
FITZROY gave 405 warnings, 305 of which were
right. The predictions as to the direction of the
wind in the same period were correct to the extent
of 38 per cent. The direction of the wind is na-
turally more likely to perplex the weather seer, but
if three-fourths of his weather predictions are
right, it is surely a great gain to the shipowner,
the sailor, and the traveller. As Colonel SYKES
observes, it is quite safe to infer during
those three years a saving of 305 ships,
and no one knows how many lives. The
Duke of BUCCLEUCII, who warmly supported
the resumption of the signals against some gentle-
men who opposed Colonel SYKES, said very
sensibly that he did not want any particular body
of men to undertake the duty of weather prophets,
but he wanted to have that information given to
[mariners which would enable them to judge what
was likely to be the condition of the weather at any
stated period. Extended opportunities of obser-
vation must afford better ground's for judg-
ing of the future as well as the past,
and the great facilities which any public office
would have for collecting meteorological data from
all parts of Europe must give any man of ordi-

nary intelligence and experience a better oppor.
tunity of judging correctly of the chances of the
weather. The result of the discussion was that a
resolution was unanimously agreed to, urging upon
the Government the desirability of making arrange.

ments for the resumption of the signals.
In Section F, Economic Science, the relations
between masters and workmen came under