The Sun.
London, England, 1835-01-27 00:00:00

GERMAN PAPERS.

ZURICH, JAN. 15.—The Government of Berne (as pre-
siding Canton) has communicated to all the twenty-two
Cantons copies of the new notes of the Ministers of Aus-
tria, Bavaria, Wurtemburg, Baden, Russia, and Sardinia,
together with the answer given to them by the Directory
(Vorort). The notes, of which the Russian and Sardinian
are in French, are precisely in the same terms as that of
Austria, only with the necessary changes in the preambles
and names. The reply of Berne is to the following effect :
Upon taking the direction of the affairs of the Confedera-
tion on the Ist of January, according to the regulations of
the Act of the Confederation, the present Vorort of Berne
convinced itself, on the one hand, that the relations of the
Swiss Confederation to all the neighbouring States were on
a satisfactory footing, as all the difference that existed, in
the first half of last year, between it and some neighbouring
States, had been perfectly arranged. On the other hand,
the Vorort had noted the instructions relative to the direc-
tion of the affairs of the Confederation, which have been
given to it by the ordinary Diet of 1834, and by which it is
commissioned. Witll :espect to foreign affairs—to consider
it as its imperative duty, energetically to protect and main-
tain the honour, the dignity, and the independence of the
Swiss Confederation, as especially beComes a free and
neutral State ; and likewise to take care to maintain
the peaceable and amicable relations of the Confederation
with foreign States on the basis of the faithful performance
of reciprocal obligations. " The Vorort will exert itself, as
in duty bound, to follow these instructions of the supreme
authority of the Confederation, to fulfil faithfully and scru-
pulous') on every occasion all the obligations imposed on it
by the act of the Confederation, and by this means endea-
s our to justify the confidence which the Diet and • the
Canton place in it. With this frank declaration of the
principles which will always guide the Vorort in the direc-
tion of the affairs of the Confederation in respect of foreign
Powers, and which it does not doubt will satisfy all the
reasonable expectations of the neighbouring States, it re-
plies to the note, which his Excellency the Imperial
Austrian Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Pleni-
potentiary, Count Bombelles (here follow the names of the
other Ambassadors who presented the notes,) addressed to
them on the Ist of this month, and embrace this oppor-
tunity, &c., &c." This evasive and equivocal answer is
evidently an attempt of the Vorort to represent itself as
the mandatory of the Diet, and therefore (as it is inti-
mated) of the resolution of July 22 (at least in the cha-
racter of Vorort), and, on the other hand, to acquire
among the Radicals the reputation of a dignified re-
fusal. But this attempt to attain two different ob-
jects, will probably fail ; for in the first place it does
not contain what the Ambassadors require, and in the
second place, according to the notions of the Radicals, a
very different answer should have been given, as the notes
demand categorically, and with very intelligible threats,
things which tile Radicals consider as deeply offending our
independence and rights as a nation. Has the Vorort
weighed the question what will be the effect and reception
of its note, and what must afterwards be done ? If it has
not done this—if it has not already laid down a fixed plan
—if its only object is to escape personally from its embar-
rassments from day to day, it will only get the country into
difficulties, and not escape from the censure which it will
justly merit.—New Zurich Journal.
The Basle Journal remarks on the above answer of
Berne :—"lf we could be sure that the foreign Powers were
accurately acquainted with the constitution under which
the above letter was composed, nobody would have reason
to doubt of its efficaciousness. They would be convinced
by it that the Council of Berne, since it has become the
Vorort (as we have long since prophecied), looks on the
relations with foreign Powers with very different eyes; that
it is less clouded than before ; and that it renounces the
bombastic language of the radicals in favour of a sounder
policy. But we fear that the foreign Powers will require
from it plainer language,—a direct assurance of what they
demand—a practical profession of faith, because they have
no longer any confidence in words. Such bitter fruits must
be expected by those who sacrifice equity and truth to the
appearance of heroism."—Frankprt Papers, Jan. 20.

LONDON AND GREENWICH RAILWAY.-A meet-
ing was lately held at Deptford of the proprietors of wharfs on
the banks of the Ravensbourne, to consider the expediency of the
Company erecting a fixed instead of a swivel-bridge, as specified
in the Act of Parliament, when it was unanimously resolved to
render the railway Company every facility in the execution of
their important and useful undertaking. It was stated that
where the railway crosses the High-street at Deptford the
turnpike food will only be lowered about three feet instead of
six, as the Company was empowered to do by the Act, by
which arrangement the convenience of the inhabitants, as well
as the public has been considered. Tho works are proceeding.
with much activity at the bridge over the Grind PnrreY Canals
Eondon Bridge, and other parts of the lino.