The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-02 00:00:00

AUSTRIA AND PRUSSIA.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Slit,—As we have now welln!gh reached the end of Mr.
1866, which has all to nothing been the most remarkable
year since ' the ever-memorable year of the battle of Water-
loo, 1815, just half a century ago, as far as regards the
resettlement of European rights and boundaries, and as
you, like myself, in the war of last summer, now happily at
an end, between Austria and Prussia, sympathised far
more with the former than with the latter Power, permit
me to address a few lines on poor, unhappy Hanover, so
shamefully grasped hold of by Prussia, and which was for
123 years part and parcel of the dominions of Great Britain
—i.e., from the death of Queen Anne, on August 1, 1714,
and the accession of George, Elector (as they were then
called, for Hanover was not converted into a kingdom until
after the close of the old French war in 1815) of Hanover,
by the title of George the First of England, until the death
of his late majesty King William IV., when, by the accession
of her present Majesty, Queen Victoria, to the English
throne by reason of the Salique Law prevailing in
Hanover, that country was for ever separated from this
country. The odious, unpopular, but, as I opine, much
belied and calumniated, Duke of Cumberland became at
once the popular King of Hanover, and iu more senses
than ono the separation of England from her continental
dominions was looked upon and was indeed a blessing ;
and six years afterwards, in the summer of 1843, the ci
thong year at
divant hated Duke of Cumberland visited this country
under his new title of king of Hanover; it was marvellous
how very much the old party feeling of the "good old
days" of 1831 and 1832 had died out, and we at once saw
him visiting and receiving at his residence at St. James's
Ernest
Palace many illustrious noble lords and statesmen, with
whom he had been for many and many
variance with in the strongest sense of word. So
naturally forgiving is human nature, and so willing in
general are people to let bygones be bygone; King
reigned nearly 141 years—i.e., from June 20, 1837, the day
of the death of Wm. IV., until his decease on 17th Nov.
1851, when he was succeeded by his only son and child,
George V., the present ex King of Hanover, who reigned
from the above-named date until the period of his abdica
tion last summer. Now, it has ever been admitted On all
hands that a more benevolent, amiable, and loveable in-
dividual never breathed than the ex-King of Hanover.
But as I deeply sympathise with him in the loss of s
i
Throne, I wish to draw your attention to a
few historicalh
facts during the last 70 years relating to Hanover, by
which it would appear she was doomed to lose her
power during the present nineteenth
cent
well known to all readers
of
that the
historyury. It is
late Princess Charlotte, the only is
Prince and Princess of Wales, afterwards ue a the late
George IV and
Caroline, was born January 7th, 1796 (ju years ' a -ea)
and this most disgraceful union, which
70
had ever bec'ett a
most wretched and unhappy one from its very onset, was
virtually dissolved in little more than three mouths after
the birth of this virtuous, interesting, amiable, and deeply_
lamented princess, inasmuch as the Prince and Princessof
Wales separated at the end of April, in the above-named
the late
year. All hopes of future issue from the Prince and Princess
of Wales being thus at an end the English nation looked
andforward
when,to 2the y
eParrisn
later,cess
she
became Charlotte as tthheei their
wife futureof
King of the Belgians, is was supposed We should have had
a long and illustrious line of kings from this happy union.
Had the
must have Prin
lost cess
our Charlotte or her child lived, we
Hanoverian dominion;
son of the Salique Law above referred tby rea-
must have been over a loss to Han o. It
over losing
the
PrinEcess ngliCharlottesh Crown
and her infant
On th 6th of November, 1817, the
were consigned to the
tomb, and thus all the glorious expectations which had
been so fondly cherished only a short year and a half before
were at once dashed to the ground, and the kin of the Prince
Regent, afterwards George IV., completely extinguished.
So far, it appeared, we had a chance of retaining Hanover,
for there worn at that time no fewer than three unmarried
dukes,rtwho might then bo supposed (and who did actually
ly
ive birth to niale heirs to the British Crown,
after wards enter into matrimony) to become mar-
ried men and g
whichiillterwards was, from the British dominion& The en-
sshortly
case Hanover would not have been separated, as
she a
en-
tire contrary, however, proved to bo the fact. From the
two unions celebrated at Kew on the 11th of July, 1818,
viz, the Duke and Duchess of Clarence, afterwards
William IV., and Queen Adelaide, and the Duke and
Duchess of Kent, the parents of our present Queen,
sprang daughters only. Queen Adelaide's t
infancy;
daughters,
. but
Elizabeth and Charlotte, both died in their
t have'
nevertheless, had either of them lived, Hanovern
One daughter
dau hter
been separated from England and Ireland. o
only was the issue of the marriage of the Duke and
Duchess of Kent, our present most gracious Majesty, and
thus for wellnigh thirty years has Hanover ceased to be
part and
parcel of the British territories.
And now, in
passed less than thirty years, Hanover has
Electress of Hanover, it is to be feared,for
end as I set out, with saying it seemed as though Hanover
were fated to lose her power and p
hcentury. May
from the
May she
descendants of the. Princess Sophia, Duchesspas Dowager and
Thus I
saway from the
over.
recover her power as a separate kingdom, and may the
amiable and afflicted King George be
restored to his throne,
is, sir, I believe your earnest wish and desire, as it is that
of Georgian
your
during the
.t
correspondent,

A LOVER OF HISTORICAL DATES AND FACTS.

THE VICTORIA CROSS.— WAP.-OFFICE, Jan. t—
iler Majesty has been pleased to signify her intention to
confer this high distinction ou the undermentioned pri-
vate soldier, whose claim to the same has been submitted
for her Majesty's approval, for his courageous conduct in
Canada, as recorded against his name, via.:—Private
Timothy O'llea, Ist Battalion, The Prince Consort's Own
Rifle Brigade. For his courageous conduct on the occa-
sion of a fire which occurred in a railway car, containing
ammunition, between Quebec and Montreal, on 9th of
Juno last. The sergeant in chargo of the escort states
that, when at Danville Station, on the Grand Trunk
Railway, the alarm was given that the car was on fire ; it
was immediately disconnected, and, whilst considering
what was best to be done, Private O'Hea took the keys
from his hand, rushed to the car, opened it, and called out
for water and a ladder. It is stated that it was duo to his
exampla that Lilo fin was suppressed.

L A TEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

SPAIN.

MADRID, Jan. 1.

A Royal decree has been issued removing the tax
of 10 centimes imposed upon the railway dividends,
and appointing a commission to examine what other
assistance can be given to the companies, in order
to determine the bases of a bill to be submitted to
Congress.

ITALY AND TURKEY.
FLORENCE, Jan. 2.

It is stated that the Italian Government has re-
commended the Porte to grant the evacuation of the
fortresses demanded by Servia.