The Sun.
London, England, 1832-08-06 00:00:00

which had created and upheld it; and the vas-
sal Sovereigns of Germany were free to form
new alliances. Accordingly, in the treaty of
Paris, we find an immesliate intimation of the
necessity of establishing the independent rights
of its separate States, and of giving them secu-
rity against foreign aggression by a federal
union. The 6th article of that treaty, dated
May 30, 1814, constitutes, or rather recognizes.
the rights of four nations at once,—namely, of
Holland, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy,—
The paragraph relative to Germany is the fol-
lowing The States of Germany shall be
independent, and shall be united by a federal
bond." This article does not declare that
Germany shall be independent of France, or
foreign power, and shall be governed by a
federal Diet, but that its separate States shall
be independent, and that they shall only be
milted by a federal tie, for the mutual protec-
tion of that independence against foreign op-
pression. From the time that this stipulation
was inserted in the general treaty of European
peace, till the meeting of the Congress of Vienna
—which was fixed originally for the Bth of Oc-
tober following—German statesmen were occu-
pied with the formation of projects for their
federal constitution. On the assembling of the
great Powers in November, 1814—in a conclave
where the Paris treaty was not to be abrogated,
but where its provisions were to be developed,
and its principles applied to the details of con-
quest,—a commission, which had been previ-
ously appointed on the affairs of Germany, con-
sisting of the representatives of the five Powers of
Austria, Prussia, Hanover, Bavaria, and Wur-
temberg, continued its sittings. This commis•
sion drew up numerous protocols from the Bth
of October, 1814, till the Bth of June, 1815,
when the constitutional charter of the Germanic
Confederation was finally signed, in the shape
in which it was embodied in the general act of
the European Congress. During the sittings of
this commission, to which the other States of
Germany were gradually admitted, various pro-
jects of a Germanic Diet were proposed and
discussed. Two of these were given in by
Prussia, and several by Austria. On the 16th;
of October, we find one which had been con-
cocted by the joint labours of the Austrian,
Prussian, and Hanoverian Governments, sub-
mitted to the conferences on the affairs of Ger- '
many. We mention this scheme out of.
several others, because it gives a description
of the objects of the Confederation, which,'
embraces the independence of each State,
and because it met at the time with the.
high patronage of the absolute Sovereigns. Its
second article states, that " the object of the
Confederacy is the maintenance of its externs':
peace and independence, and of the internal
protection of the constitutional rights of every
class of the nation." The subsequent twelve)
articles of the document contain only enactments'
to confirm, not to weaken or destroy, this de-
claration of separate independence. The third
article even decrees to each State or Prince " the
full and free enjoyment of their rights of sove-1,
"reignty." The Conference of the Plenipoten-I
tiaries of the German States continued to labour
on the scheme of their uniou till the postponed
meeting of the general Congress, in the begin 4
ning of November. At that time the project;
of the 12 articles, agreed to by the Plenipoten
tiaries of the German States, having been corn,
municated to the Emperor Alexander, receive'
from that hypocritical admirer of liberalism, an
fanatic adherent of absolute power, his highest
approval and admiration. In a note, dated
November 11, his Majesty thus expresses him 4
self on the proposed organization of Germany
—" The Emperor of Russia and King of
Prussia pronounced at Kalish on the 25th of
March, 1813, the dissolution of the ConfedeJ
ration of the Rhine, and their firm determine,
firm to assist the Princes and the people of Ger-
many in recovering their liberty and indepen;
dente. The Princes of Germany will find in
the principle of federation a new proof of
the solicitude of the Allied Powers for their
welfare, and agree in a system which pro=
tects them from the dangers of an isolated
condition. It is only in such a system that
Europe can find the guarantee of the inter-
nal tranquillity of Germany, and consequent]}
the hope that the forces hitherto subjected to r.
concentrated power will be only employed fur
the general interest,—that the irritation which
at present exists may entirely cease,—that the
abuses of authority may be prevented, and
that the rights (‘)f. all may be defined and pro-
tected by institutions at once strong, wise, and
liberal." As these principles seemed to hi,
Imperial Majesty to be contained in the project
of a constitution above described, the Emperor
bestowed upon it his unqualified praise. After
great deliberation, numerous meetings, and
abundant discussion fur six months, to which
all the Powers and Princes of Germany were
subsequently admitted, the final constitutional
act, creating the Germanic Diet, and fixing tile'
relations of the different States to the federal
union, was signed on the Bth of June, 1815,
ten days before the battle of Waterloo. It con-
sists of 20 articles, not one of which counte-
tances the tyrannical encroachments now 4-
tempted on the rights of the separate States,
while several of its enactments expressly stipu-
late for their iodividual independence and con-
stitutional rights. The second article expressly
declares that " The object of the Confederation
is the external and internal security of Germany,
and of the independence and inviolability 01
the separate States." The third adds, that " all
the members of the Confederation, as such,
have equal rights." The 11th expresses probe.
bly all that was really intended by the union,
namely, " that every member engages to protect
not only all. Germany, but each state of the
confederacy, against any hostile attack." The
13th article is the most important of all, as it
promises that " in all the states of the Confede-
ration there shall be a separate Legislative Con-
stitution"—an institution which could not exist,
or would be a mere face, if the Diet were to
legislate, as it has lately done, for the whole
Confederacy. Now all these stipulations, we
allow, might be considered asa separate arrange-
ment of the German States among themselves,
with which foreign Powers had nothing to do,
were they in their formation or in their guaran-
tees confined to Germany alone. But this is
not the case. The constitution of the Germanic
Diet is contained in the 11 articles of the final
act of the Congress of Vienna which intervene
between articles 53 and 64; and lest any thing
important in the particular constitution agreed to
by the German States should be omitted in the
concluding settlement of Europe, article 64 of
the final act expressly stipulates, that the Ger-
man constitution should be preserved as in the
20 articles to which we have alluded, and which
the High Powers annex to their own decrees.
Thus, by the Paris Treaty of the 30th of Mav,
1814, and the final act Of the Congress of Vi-
enna, signed June 9, 1815, the independence
and constitutional rights of the separate States of