The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-29 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY, AUG. 29, 1867.

The Austro-French alliance has of late been a
conatant subject of discussion, and various com-
ments and surmises hare been made thereupon.
We have already referred to the remarkable article
on the topic published by the Neue Fremden Blatt,
a semi-official organ of Baron von BECST, and it is
certainly worthy of notice, from its extreme force
and significant allusions. In the Journal des Debits
of Saturday there appeared a still more notable
declaration as to the policy between Russia and
Prussia. It states that the intelligence that is met
with at Vienna is not at all of a reassuring kind,
and that, from all that transpires at Berlin, it seems
certain that the Prussian Government is continuing

war preparations, and is making the excuse that the ,
other Powers have set the example in that direc-
tion. The course thus pursued becomes of greater
importance when we remember that this was the
line adopted by the Berlin Government against
Austria last year, and the result is well known.
Upon the plea that dangers are apparent in many
places Prussia keeps up her preparations in a de-
termined manner, and by the time it is ascertained
that the notion of danger is chimerical then every-
thing is ready for the start, and the plans are carried
out which have been laid with such cunning and
dexterity. Exaggeration may no doubt take place
in many instances, but the fact remains that war-
like preparations on the part of Prussia are not
relaxed, but carried on with more or less energy
through all chances and changes. From what we
can gather of affairs, according to the light of
French revelations, it would seem as if there was a
bad understanding between Vienna and St. Peters-
burg. Many things have taken place which speak
ill for the good faith and good intentions of Russia
towards Austria, and there arc no counteracting
works to point to. The policy pursued by Russia
in the provinces of Turkey also causes great irrita-
tion and annoyance in Vienna, and the warlike
pre' arations made by the Government of St. Peters-
burg also gives rise to disquietude, if not to appre-
hension. The state of the Danubian Principalities is
again most uncertain, and it is confidently believed
that the disastrous result is due to the influence of
Russia. Prince CHARLES, it is thought, will have
to retire, and all again will become involved and
disturbed. "It is one of those things which give
great importance to the meeting between the two
Emperors," and hence it is that the statesmen and
politicians of Austria have spoken out so much of
late, and based their remarks and conjectures per-
haps, but conjectures which are founded on a true
state of things. Many subjects would naturally
have engaged the attention of the Sovereigns,
but the topic of most interest to all just now is
that Germany—a most comprehensive theme, in-
deed—with its past, present, and future policy, so
rife with change, and so unsettled under all its
aspects.

According to the views of the Austrian statesmen
it would seem that the Emperor NAPOLEON ought
to consider that he is consulting the interests of
France by joining with them heart and soul. These
elucidators believe that the Treaty of Prague has
not really settled many things which were un-
certain when war began, and that it has vir-
tually left Germany in a "provisionary state."
The best proof of this assertion they show by the
fact, that since the time that Treaty took place it
has been deemed necessary to make some modifica-
tions, and Prussia has entered into arrangements
with the Southern States, which alone attests to the
validity of the statement thus put forth. Hesse-
Darmstadt has fallen so completely into her power
that she already grasps Mayence, figuratively now,
perhaps, but hereafter to be reality. In the Grand
Duchy of Baden it may be said that her influence
is all potent, and Rastadt may be counted as
awaiting the appropriation of Berlin. In Bavaria
and Wurtemburg since last year Prussia has lost
ground rather than gained it. A great dislike is
felt in these countries for the military institutions of
Prussia, and also for her civil and political regula-
tions, " liberal in appearance, but very harsh and
very absolute in reality." This is strictly true, for
there is no country in Europe which has less real
liberty than that of Prussia, with her boasted pro-
gress and vaunted freedom of institutions. It is
said in this commentary that the Prussians have
manners which repel rather than attract, and
that also is easily to be credited. The Prussian
army has always been unpopular wherever it has
been, and acts of cruelty and oppression, unworthy
of civilised people, have always disgraced the re-
cords of its campaigns. The same holds good in
civil affairs as in military, and whenever Prussia
has had paramount sway, there, sure enough, may
be seen in her train concealed dislike and unwill-
ing compliance among those who are forced
into ber power. Those States who are the
most averse to Prussia will naturally incline
towards Austria, and hence it is argued that the
Southern States should at once form a distinct Con-
federation from that of the Northern ones, but that
a " close alliance" between the two should be made.
It is, of course, doubtful if this could be arranged ;
but the programme has been carefully drawn up,
and it would be for the interests of Germany if it
could by any possibility be carried out, and go a
long way to avert the prospects of war.

A very important question in respect to our legal
administration has been raised by the grand jury
who have just completed their labours at Liverpool.
The constantly increasing business of the Northern
Circuit, including, as it does, so many of our great
cities and populous towns, has long been a matter
of discussion among legal circles since it has become
evident that something must be done to relieve the
pressure. The grand jury of Liverpool suggest a
very simple means for affording this relief, and it is
worthy of notice that a similar presentment was
made twelve months ago by a former grand jury.
They submit that the lesser cases might with great
advantage be confined to the work of the Quarter
Sessions, thus giving great relief to the assizes, and
obtaining the ends of justice at a greatly reduced
cost, without any injury to the public interests. As
the Lord Chief Justice stated in his charge, the
calendar at the Liverpool Summer Assizes comprised
every class and description of offences known to
the criminal law, and therefore it is surely possible
and desirable to subdivide them. It can hardly
require the same legal machinery to try a case for
murder and for misdemeanour; yet a vast number
of the cases which engross the time of judge and
jury at the sessions are nothing more serious
than housebreaking after dark, and cases of a
like description, which are ordinarily dealt with
at a comparatively small cost, and with little
delay, at the Courts of Quarter Session. Lord
Chief Justice Bogy ILL, having thanked the jury
for their presentment, expressed his full concurrence
in their opinion; and ho added another argument in
favour of the proposed change—the benefit which it
would afford to the prisoners, who would be brought
to a more speedy trial. Many of the cases in which
the Chief Justice himself has given sentence
at these very sessions have only called for three
or four months' imprisonment. What a heavy
addition to their punishment, then, is the waiting
for trial at the assizes ! It is curious that the
special jury at Leeds, on their discharge, made a
very similar representation to the judge, though
their desire for an alteration was based upon their
sense of personal inconvenience and loss of time.
The two suggestions which they made were to the
effect that causes in -which the issue is a pecuniary
one, the defined amount under £5O, should
be confined to the County Courts, and
that in towns containing 50,000 persons
jurymen should be drawn from within
their limits. The jury who made the pre-
sentment urged with great truth iu support of it,
that the inhabitants of the town itself could attend
with much less inconvenience and expense than
persons from a distance, and that it was a hardship
for men to be compelled to leave their own affairs
to decide trumpery local dispute.s of which they

have no knowledge. The judge, who agreed with
the substance of both suggestions, said that the first
had been already adopted by the Legislature, iu an
act pasr,ed this Session ; and,. with regard to the
secon 3, he said that for his own part he never
allow •ed the costs unless the circumstances were cf
an Ill'gent nature.

Tie Grand Jury at Liverpool touched upon
another point of great public importance. They
could not refrain, said the foreman, from noticing
the fact with which they had ben painfully struck,
that most of the crimes of violence contained in
the calendar had been committed by persons in a
state of intoxication. No fewer than eleven in-
stances of deaths from violence had come under
their notice, and the jury were deeply convinced of
the evils attending our publichouse and beer-
house system. The Chief Justice said he believed
from his own experience that the cause of nine-
tenths of the crime that came under investigation
was drunkenness. Many of the charges before him
were against persons who did not belong to the
criminal classes, but had been led by excessive
drinking to commit crimes at which, in their sober
senses, they would have been as shocked as any of
their judges. Chief Justice BoVILL observed that
the publicans should feel their own interests at
stake by this excessive drunkenness, and the con-
sequent crime and danger to life, and there is no
doubt but that much lies in their power
if they choose to exert themselves. Experience
proves that we cannot safely trust the public inte-
rests in their hands, and a stricter supervision might
lessen the opportunities for crime. It is melancholy
to think of the lives blighted by an hour's frenzy,
the consequent disgrace and punishment, and the
lasting remorse which must haunt an honest and
well-meaning man who has been led by intoxication
into the commission of some frightful crime. The
great increase of murder cases seems to call for some
change in the administration of affairs, and if
we begin by a stringent supervision of
public-houses and beer-houses, and a resolute effort
to check public drunkenness, we shall probably not
be far from the right way. The presentment of
the Liverpool jury deserves serious attention, for
although it is necessary and desirable to hedge
round the administration of our criminal law with
all due pomp and ceremony, it detracts rather than
adds to the dignity of judge and jury to mix up
trifling and unimportant cases with grave issues of
life and death.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORItIiPONDENT.)

PARIS, Wednesday Evening.

There is really nothing from Spain to-day which
can be at all relied upon. There are even no Go-
vernment telegrams, a fact which does not look
very favourable for the Royalist cause, as, if they
had the smallest defeat of the insurrectionists to
record, there would be plenty of them, and the
happy restoration of order would be trumpeted
forth in all directions. In the absence of letters and
papers from Spain, some of the journals indulge
their readers with private correspondence, giving all
sorts of versions relative to supposed movements,
defeats, and successes; but as I happen to know
that these flowing descriptions emanate from a news
manufactory at Bayonne which has existed for
years, I beg the reader who is impatient to learn
more of the "things of Spain" to believe that no au-
thentic fact of importance has reached Paris to-day.
The grand fetes at Lille commenced under rather
unfavourable auspices on Monday. As early as 12
o'clock in the day an enormous mass of spectators
was collected in the streets, which were tastefully
and beautifully ornamented. The deputations sent
from various corporations of the Department du
Nord took the places assigned to them, and the pro-
cessions were organised. The uniforms and banners
of all
There were at least
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trheea
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ene. beauty and added a pic-
-150,000 men in lines along the streets where the
procession was to pass to the Prefecture. There
were bands of music, young girls and ladies in pro-
fusion. The weather had been fine in the morning
but towards five in the afternoon threatening clouds
were to be seen. The rain at first fell in slight and
insignificant drops, but just at the moment when the
cannon announced the arrival of the Emperor and
Empress down it came in torrents, and thunder joined
with the roar of artillery. It was in the midst of a storm
of thunder, lightning, and rain, accompanied by
the noise of the cannon and the enthusiastic shouts
of the people, thatthe;Emperor and Empress made
their entrance into the city. The crowd had waited
five hours, and they were not to be daunted by a
little wet or anything else, so they withstood the
" pitiless pelting of the storm" as calmly and as
steadily as if it had been the most agreeable weather
in the world. The white dresses of tha ladies, and
the jaunty white summer bonnets or caps became
drenched, the mud was terrific, but they like the
men would not be deprived of the spectacle, so they
held on heroically just as they did. The procession
was opened by the Generals in command of the
garrison. Then followed a squadron of Gendarmes,
a platoon of Cent-Gardes in full uniform, the
Court Equerries, and the Imperial carriages and
those containing the suite of their Majesties. The
procession was closed by a squadron of Dragoons.
In spite of the rain the carriage was not closed, but
the Emperor threw a cloak over his General's uni-
form, taking a similar prevention for the Empress.
The Empress smiled very graciously at the con-
tinuons greetings of the spectators, and the Em-
peror was equally courteous in acknowledging the
tumultuous and cordial acclamations directed to-
wards him.

In the evening their 'Majesties went to the theatre
where the same ovation attended them. The air
composed for the occasion was often interrupted
by enthusiastic bravos and cries of " Long live the
Emperor, long live the Empress, long live the
Imperial Prince." They left the theatre at half-
past ten. Yesterday their Majesties went through
the city iu the morning in an open carriage without
escort. There were great rejoicings in the evening.
The first visit made by the Emperor and Empress
on their arrival on Monday was to the church of
St. Maurice, where they were received by the Arch-
bishop of Cambrai. The crowd filled the metropo-
litan church, and while the Domine salvum was being,
chanted they often burst into overwhelming ap-
plause. The rain fell very heavily all the way from
the Church to the Prefecture.
The answers made by the Emperor to the ad-
dresses presented to the Emperor and Empress on
Monday by the Mayors of Arras and Lille (sent by
telegraph to The Sun), were, of course, the theme of
general discussion in Paris to-day. They have in-
spired great satisfaction and confidence. Indeed,
the probability seems to be that they will dispel the
alarming anticipations which have arisen in some
quarters from sinister rumours regarding the meet-
ing of the two Emperors at Salzburg.
The Moniteur announces the death of M. Herbet,
grand officer of the Legion of Honour, Director of
Commercial and Consular business at the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, Councillor of State, and Minis-
ter Plenipotentiary of the First Class. He died
suddenly, at Caen, of pulmonary congestion. Ile
was Vice-President of the General Council of Cal-
vados.

The first locomotive through Mount Cenis, pro-
jecting a train with 47 travellers, performed the
distance from Saint Michael to Susa on Monday.
The railway, which crosses the Brenner, and unites
Bolzano to Innspruck, thus giving great facilities
to the communications between Italy, France, and
Germany, has just been opened fur traffic.
The village of Schneighausen, in Alsace, has been
nearly consumed by fire. Only one death is at
present known.
There is a report in Paris that the Pope's Nuncio,
M. Chigi, is about to be replaced by Monseigneur
Franclie, Archbishop of Thessalonia.
The weather has beau agreeable to-day, not too
hot, but rather cloudy, with a tendency to storm,

The Exhibition was very full to-day. Fahrenheit
thermometer in the interior was at 75 degrees.
The provincial papers mention thunderstorms and
heavy rains in various localities. Although there
was such heavy rain at Lille on Monday, the wea-
ther at Dieppe is spoken of as " extremely fine."
I am enabled to communicate an interesting fact
which will dispel the anxiety prevalent respecting
the fate of M. Dano, the representative of France at
Mexico. The Government has received a telegram
from M. Dano, dated Key West, Florida, August
22, in which he announces that he would be at New
York within a few days from that date. I have
reason to believe that the French Government is in
possession of some alditional information of great
importance respecting Mexico.