The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-17 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY, CV. 17, 186 G.

From the French papers we learn that aldespatch
has arrived from Berlin, intimating that the Prna-
sian Government had declined to open negotiations
for the present for a commercial treaty with Austria„
as the latter had proposed to do. What may be thee
reason for this refusal it is of course impossible as ye
to ascertain, but it certainly seems very inconsistent;
with the friendly intentions that Prussia every-
where proclaims so loudly, and it cannot but;
hinder the establishment of that universal peace
and security so very desirable for the distracted
nation of Germany just now. The Chamber of
Deputies iu Berlin seem, so far as we can judge,
to be already tired of the encroachments of the
Ministers, and to look suspiciously at any propo-
sition that comes from them in the shape of pro-
visions for the exigencies of the late war, under
cover of that elastic shelter. Count BISMARCK has,
of course, been able to do a great deal, but he may
overreach himself in that as well as in other things
if he does not take heed. The Finance Minister
brought in a bill relative to the pensions and allow-
ances to the leaders of the Prussian army during
the late war. He also asked that one million
and a half thalers might be set apart
out of the war indemnities for disposal
by his Majesty the KING. This bill was
referred to a special committee after a long debate
had taken place upon it. The Budget will be the
next thing considered by the Chamber, and it will
afford some interest to a great many to see whether
the Deputies can contrive to manage it better than
they generally do on these occasions. Perhaps the
excitement and enthusiasm created by the war may
urge them on to meet the Government proposalswith
unanimity, if not with absolute approval, and so the
danger may be warded off for this year ; but it says
very little for the goodwill and unity that
will reign in the new German Parliament,
when in a long established Assembly like that at
Berlin, we find so much discordance prevail upon
the most important and mighty matters.
In the Chamber of Deputies at Dresden the State
Minister for Dresden declared that Saxony had
concluded an alliance with Austria either before or
during the war, and he made this statement in the
most positive manner. It appears to have been
much the same thing whether she did so or not, for
all the small States have fared pretty much alike in
the long run, however different their apparent cir-
cumstances may be. The only aim and object
which Prussia has had has been to get all the power
to herself, and this she has carried out, no matter
who suffered in the working out of her designs. We
regard her refusal to form a treaty of commerce
with Austria as a piece of that bravado which she
is so fond of displaying at all times and in all
places; and no doubt we should, before long, find
out the full meaning of it in an unsatisfactory

manner.

The intelligence brought by the China is of a
somewhat surprising nature. The Baltimore diffi-
culty, which, according to the news of the last mail,
threatened to become serious, has assumed a new
form, which, notwithstanding the gravity of the
interests involved, possesses some degree of the ludi-
crous. The last news we heard was that the old
" (I.`; orMroniir rile and new ones appointed in their
places, who had summoned their predecessors to de-
liver up the station-houses and the property of all
kinds. We were further told that the old
Commissioners had declared that they would
only yield to superior force, but there was
no intimation given of the extraordinary step
they had in view. The China tells us that on the
3d of November the old Police Commissioners
of Baltimore arrested and confined the new Com-
missioners, with the Sheriff, in gaol, charging them
with endeavouring to excite a riot ! The new offi-
cials of course refused to acknowledge the legality
of their arrest, and would not give bail. They were
therefore, on the Gth, the date of the news, still in
gaol. Their counsel applied for a writ of Habeas
Corpus, which it was decided the warder of the gaol
was not bound to give! If it were not for the serious
interests concerned this plotting and counter plot-
ting could hardly fail to raise a smile. It is mere
playing at legislation, or rather it is like children
playing with fire, for as the bonds of civil
order are broken, and the people, already danger-
ously excited, are taught to throw off all outward
respect for official authority, it is impossible to
foresee the consequences. The difficulty has
been for the:present compromised, it is said, I
through the intervention of General GRANT,
who visited both the old and the new Commis-
sioners, and endeavoured to effect some arrange-
ment. A Conservative judge and clerk of the elec-
tio nh as beenar e a
dyappointed in each district, in addition
othose
appointed. Some idea of the state
of public feeling in Baltimore may be gained from
the fact that 4,000 muskets have been seized in the
stores of different Conservatives in the city. The
Radical threats had evidently been taken by their
opponents as something more than empty words,
and if we knew the secrets of the Radical stores
we should probably find that the Conserva-
tives were right in their estimation. The
struggle between civil authority and Radical
despotism has thus showed itself in its true colours
ens t e
willwho are
not taker
g by the e
ar
ncarried at Baltimore, and ityli
ispuhotipceadl
excitement
xcaittetmho
away
b lesson. The Police Commissioners
win
of Baltimore have been notoriously unscrupulous
in their conduct during the elections, and, in fact,
they and their allies admitted
to submitittedthe to examination.weaknessoftheir
cause by refusing at first
tebnetye r etbd e inn troe
ftuhseeidr
:usilstoownaass
ctlheaerilnyvepstriogla,etdio,nawndas
have
to er
ethroughoutthe
i
to submit to deposition, and
openly declared their n
execution of the Government's orders by force.
Here is an example of insubordinationh;onwd
craiontowues
conduct set by officials themselves.
expect the disorderly portion of the populace to fail
to take the lesson ? The differences may be arranged
by the mediation of General GRANT, or by a series
of compromises ; but the manner in which the
Radicals have defied order and resisted authority
is painfully suggestive. The same experiment
may be tried ou a larger scale with more serious
consequences, and the knowledge that, however
violent or unreasonable their conduct, the
Radicals may safely rely on Congress for
support will embolden them to fling off all restraint
The differences between the Executive and the
Representatives leave the country without one defi-
nite authority to whom to appeal ; and the mania of
party spirit affects the bench, the bar, and the pul-
pit, and the press, so that there is positively no
public spirited leader of opinion who will dare to
speak and to act on constitutional grounds regard-
less of the consequence to himself or to any par-
ticular kind of politicians.

An open-air meeting has been held by-the Radi-