The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-08 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY, MAY 8, 1866.

that the affairs of the Conti-
It is not surprising
nent should engross the attention of members of
both houses, and that notices of questions on the
subject should have been given last night. In the
House of Lords the Earl of CADOGAN stated that he
would to-morrow ask the noble earl the Secretary
•for Foreign Affairs if her MAJESTY'S Government
have made offers of mediation, either with or with-
out, the Emperor of the FRENCH or the Emperor of
Russ' A, to the Courts of Austria, Prussia, and
Italy, with the purpose of arriving at a pacific
settlement. In the Commons last night, Mr.
Alderman SALOMONS asked the Under Sec-
retary of State for Foreign Affairs if he
would give the house any information as to
the untoward state of affairs on the Continent
at present, and the steps taken by her MAJESTY'S
Government. Mr. LAYARD did not give any satis-
factory information on the point, but declared that
this country would be ready to mediate if requested
to do so. her MAJESTY'S Government were willing
to act in concert with the French Government to
promote the interests of peace, but alone it could do
nothing. No proposal has been made for a Con-
gress, but it has been under discussion. It is quite
a mistaken policy on the part of the Ministers not
to allow any discussion on the subject of foreign
affairs if they can possibly help it, because
it is idle for them to preserve silence
in the House when all the particulars of
the case are constantly put before the public, and
criticised in the journals of the Continental cities as
well as by the journals of this country.
The last intelligence from abroad speaks badly
for the preservation of peace, and, indeed, some
very decisive steps have been taken in a contrary
direction. The attempt to assassinate Herr Bis-
MARCK, which was made yesterday afternoon, will
naturally excite a great deal of attention, and give
rise to speculations abroad as to the chance of the
attempt being.repeated by others. The Count ap-
pears to have behaved with great presence of mind, ,
and to have seized the assassin himself. He had a
narrow escape, his clothes being burnt by the last
discharge. It is said that the man who fired at him
came from Wurtemberg with‘the express intention
of shooting BISMARCK. It is curious to notice that
the Nord Deutsche Zeitung and the Kreuz Zeitung
have announced that, from patriotic reasons, they
will not publish any more particulars respecting the
locality and extension of the Prussian armaments,
or impart information respecting the military move-
ments. Sufficient has been said on this subject,
however, in all directions to furnish us with a very
good idea of the state of things. Whatever may
have been the object of BISMARCK hitherto,
it is now quite evident that war, and
nothing else, is the subject uppermost in the
thoughts of the rulers in Prussia. It 'is said that
the Second Division of Guards have received orders
to prepare for a forced march, and that the desti-

nation is to be Gorlitz on the Saxon frontier. To

watch this we find that in the Saxon army they are
calling in the reserve and the soldiers on furlough,
and billeting quarters have been chosen.

The news from Vienna has the same tendency in

a warlike direction. The whole army of Austiia
is to be placed on the war footing, and the army of
the North is to be concentrated. As for the eommu-
. .
the reply of the Vienna Governmeiin6 -ilieTat.YOrer
fromßerlin was to the effect that Austria " positively
rejects the demand of Prussia that she should dis-
arm notwithstanding the Italian armaments." This
is decisive at any rate, and will doubtless settle the
long-debated question of disarmament, for the time
at least. Meanwhile France has added her share to
the general excitement that prevails just now. The
French EMPEROR'S speech on Sunday at Auxerre
caused great dismay in some quarters. In alluding
to the debt of gratitude which he had to discharge
to Germany his MAJESTY observed that " This de-
partment was the first to give me its suffrage in
1848, because it knew, with the majority of the
French people, that its interests were our in-
terests, and that I detested equally with them
those treaties of 1815, which it is now sought to
make the sole basis of our foreign policy." This
naturally created excitement, and the panic on the
Bourse was very great, prices declining consider-
ably. In Paris at present little reliance seems to
have been placed upon the re-assuring statement of

M. ROUHER, and all indicates the oossibility of ap-

proachieg hostilities. It is extremely difficult to
decide upon the course which the French Emperor
will take, but it is not likely that he will forward
the interests of Prussia whatever turn events may
take.

As for the King of PR USSIA we see no chance of
his adopting a wiser policy. Yesterday he signed
the order which has so long been talked of, and this
notwithstanding he had great objections to it. It is
said that the Ministers threatened to resign when
he signified his refusal to comply with their wishes,
and that decided him to make the venture. Five
corps d'armee are to be placed on a war footing, and
when all the secondary arrangements are made, the
Prussian army will reach the number of 575,000
men. It is said that the Prussian Government
have declared to Austria that a separate Sove-
reignty in the Duchies is quite out of the
question, and no doubt they intend to make
good this assertion with all the means in their
power. We learn from various accounts that by
to-morrow more certain intelligence will be gained
respecting the operations going on in the different
nations of .the Continent; and, at any rate, in a
week at furthest it is to be supposed that something
definite will take place, one way or the other. The
state of affairs can hardly last as they are at pre-
sent—and, indeed, they are in that condition which
must be injurious alike to foreign and domestic
interests. It is much to be regretted that the ambi-
tion of one Government in a wrong direction should
have led to all these evils and occasioned such
disturbances.

The various changes Which have been introduced
into our Indian legislation of late
iyaneaistthrrseaihrtaivvceeharferoafroctrthmeer
andmos ttendency. 7 TvheerYtasbkenoefif beneficial
si so
nne:vweir) ac
hvreery ndeearseyd
it one,e but
spec there
i all
y lr m
difficultve iannly anrdeia-.
Theeustonoil,d
inltleirnfdeoreo prejudices
dconsiderably o f
withcreed,
hoef
pcaste,
coalf
working of many excellent designs,
while the mixed
nature of the population—part European, part
llindoo and Mussulman—gave rise continually to
social, religious, and political problems
which
were by no means easy to solve. There was,
on the one hand; a natural and praiseworthy
desire to rule India in accordance with the prin-
ciples on which we base our own legislation ;
on the other, there is the apprehension of irritating
g
disaffection and re-
the native mind, and excitin
6entment, There aeeme little cloak, however, that •