The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-23 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 1866.

We are still without news of any coil'.sequence
from Germany ; but those who study the vail;°us
details will regret to see how Austria delays opera-
tions, thus leaving the Prussians time to pursue
their plans and follow up their previous advantages.
The fact is that the Government of Vienua have
allowed themselves to be outwitted to begin with ;
they might have known that the Prussian Govern-
ment were bent on mischief, and would stop
at nothing that could conduce to their success.
The Saxons are also much in fault; they should have
been more on the:alert, and have fortified Dresden, so
as to prevent the present losses they have incurred.
We find satisfaction in the reports that we meet
-with concerning the Austrian army, which seems in
splendid order and in high spirits. The Federal
forces are also very strong, and must prove most
efficient in the field. It must be said that if the
Austrians go to one extreme, the Prussians go to
another ; they are advancing in all directions, and
may in all probability overreach themselves before
they have done. They have crossed the Austrian
frontier at the south-east of Silesia ; unless this is
a dodge to get the Austrians forward without
loss of time, it is difficult to comprehend the
motive of it. As things are at present, we
are in doubt as to whether the Austrians will
be on the offensive or the defensive, but in any
case we must shortly hear of some great battle
being fought. The Government of Vienna should
have arranged matters so as to send assistance to
the minor States at the very outset of the affair.
After Austria's unwillingness to join the Confe-
rences at Paris, it seeems the more extraordinary
and inexplicable that such manifest signs should
have been made of want of preparation on
her part, and inability to protect those
whose claims upon her . were irresistible.
Still it must not be supposed by any
means that we are in view of the end as yet. A
few strong points gained at the commencement are
not a sure indication of the result of a campaign,
and Prussia has as yet gone on unopposed. The
trial of her strength has yet to be made, and cer-
tainly for every reason the Austrians, we may well
presume,`will fight strenuously. They have weighty
interests at stake, and much depends upon their
efforts during the next few weeks. From the first
rumour of war until now there has been no opposi-
tion made to the war in any part of Austria ; and,
on the contrary, all have combined to render the
EMPEROR assistance and overwhelm him with as-
surances of support and sympathy. When a great
nation is really in earnest it is almost impossible to
withstand its course, and the strength of Austria is
so great that he must be indeed a sanguine foe who
thinks to overcome her easily. A Prussian corps
has been sent to prevent the junction of the Ilano-
verians with the Federal forces, but it is hoped that
the latter will push on in time to prevent such a
catastrophe ; it has, indeed, been reported that
the junction is already effected, but the intelligence
has not been confirmed.

The Saxon army has completed its junction with
the Austrian army, which is one decided advantage.
Very little consideration may be expected from the
Prussians : they are going on in their own arbitrary
manxer, and the Elector of Hesse has been taken
prisoner already, while the Electoral Hessian Mi-
nister of War has been arrested and sent to
Minden, in Prussia. Scant grace is shown to any of
those who presume to act contrary to the dictates
of the tyrannical Government of Berlin, and unless
their presumption and arrogance are efficiently
checked in this war there will be before us a
course of evils and a long series of hostilities which
the present generation may not see the end of. The
Vienna papers assert that the Prussians have set fire
to the town of Zittau in Saxony, because the in-
habitants
refused to pay the war-contributions that
were imposed upon them. But this, we suppose, is
what we may expect from such ruthless opponents.
Some of the Paris papers are in favour of Count
BISMARCK, whom they miscall the " champion of
democracy," but the generality are as usual against
the policy of Berlin. The Temps writes
very strongly concerning the favour shown
to Prussia by some of its contemporaries,
and very truly declares that it is most inconsistent
for any writer to propose an alliance between French
democracy, and the most insolent, and " the most
cynical military despotism that history has ever re-
corded." The " territorial aggrandisement of the
most ambitious and the most insatiable of the great
Powers" is indeed what France would be effecting
in forming an alliance with Prussia, and we are
glad to see such a proposal denounced in suitable
terms, and with becoming indignation. French
politicians are far too acute not to discern the great
danger of such a proceeding, and they cannot be
put off by any false or plausible statements. The
Moniteur du Soir gives a detailed account of the
position of affairs in Germany, which is instructive
and interesting to peruse. According to its showing
the first great battle will take place in Silesia, while
the two parties remain as they are for the present in
Saxony.
It is worthy of attention at this critical juncture
that Sir A. MALLET has been instructed by the
British Government to take under his protection
Prussian subjects, and to take charge of their
archives in Frankfort. This is a most unsuitable
proceeding, and hardly to be expected even from
the partiality of Earl RUSSELL for the policy of
Berlin statesmen. It is to be hoped that the Go-
vernmenttit will be called to account in the house for
this step on Monday evening. It is very importantia
England should preserve the neutrality which
she professes, and we must protest against this false
step at the commencement of an arduous struggle
between the great Powers of Germany. It will
never do if our Foreign
Office is thus
one side more than theolteter,and to
thefavour
sooner
we come to an understanding upon the
matter the better. No denial has been given
to the assertion made that Earl RUSSELL
had written letters to the Italian Government, and
re
important disclosu
very likely manys could be