The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-26 00:00:00

COLBUPtN'S NEW MONTHLY AD.GAZINE Prussian Government has given its meaning in an
lIJJ tar JANUARY contains America—The heir of " elaborate draft," in which we learn that the Con-
IN( stleby. A 31 ystericus 'iale of 1\ ewTear's E ve—Ab •ut
1.8. d y need c and Captain Pen Christine - Beautiful I federacy will include the whole of North and Cell-
Thoughts—The Spirit's Prophecy—Continental Christmas
&c., &c. tral Germany down to the Maine, which territory
Chapman and Hall, 193, Piccadilly.
comprises nearly thirty millions of Germans. It is
expected, or at any rate declared that it is expected,
that a " truly uniform Federal legislation will
regulate all important relations of public
life, and thus found a full community of
civil and political interests." Whatever might be
, the effect of their scheme, if it were carried out in
its integrity, we do not see the least chance of its
promoters reaping the extraordinary success from
it on which they seem to calculate, because the evil
influence of Prussia is sure to predominate to a great
extent, and to militate against the prosperous work-
ing of the plan. How can there be uniformity
where one Power has so much the ascendancy in
small as well as in great matters, and how can
there be an identity of sentiment when all the lesser
Powers feel that their interests are sacrificed to those
of the ruling authorities ? It seems quite a
farce for people to persist in talking of the great
advantages to be gained by these schemes now
afloat in Germany, when they must see, if they took
the trouble to inquire into the matter, that there
will be only one voice that will speak to any pur-
pose, and only one mind that will influence any im-
portant things, and that these predominating things
will belong to Prussia.

BNTLEY'S MISCELLANY for JANUARY
,contains:— Old Gotta. A Novel. By W. Harrison
Ainsworth—The German Almanacs for 166,—Tc0 Strange
for Fiction, not too Stra, ge to be True—The Juggler of
Fifty )(cars Ago—'thrown Away—Journal of an Aide-de-
Camp— Briars and thorns, &c., Sc.

True enough, as we go on to survey the details
of the scheme before us, we come to this significant
passage—" The general direction of the Confe-
deracy can devolve only on the Crown of Prussia,
and also that, foremost of all, the military force of
the whole North Germanic Confederacy, by land
and sea, is to be uniformly and vigorously organised
under the direction of Prussia." Surely this speaks
so that he who runs may read as to the meaning of
the matter, and assures us as plainly as words can
speak that we are on the eve of witnessing a species
of absolutism introduced into the Government of
Germany. Really one gets out of patience with the
everlasting iteration of the same thing. The total
land force of the Confederacy is to be formed into
one uniform army under the chief command of
the King of PRussta, and the navies of the
German Ocean and the Baltic are to form
a uniform naval force under the chief command of
Prussia ; in order to secure these desirable ends it
is determined that the most strenuous efforts should
be made, and we find that the Federal Constitution is
to contain provisions by which the implicit obedience
to be paid to the orders of the commander-in-chief
should be received. This is exactly what we expected
would be the end of all these machinations from
the outset, and it seems incredible that those
who have had so many ample opportunities of wit-
nessing the course pursued by Prussia throughout
these affairs should be so bewildered as to think
the worse the better cause.
I; is a sad illustration of the way in which people
are taken in by success, but it shows a very in-
different state of the tone of public sentiment for
such a man as BISMARCK to be applauded, and for
such schemes as those he propounds to be admired
and approved of. We see nothing of a lasting
nature in this vaunted plan of German unity, but
a gigantic scheme for Prussia to monopolise power
in every State with which she intermeddles, and so
it will eventually prove, or the future will belie the
past.

The whole of Count BISMARCK'S speech upon
the subject of the reunion of Schleswig-llolstein
with Prussia is now before us, and it is one emi-
nently characteristic of him in all its attributes.
There is the old story of the right of Prussia, and
PLC lujuries upuu UUtruiLLy itnicS
and insidious enemies. We hear a great deal of
the intervention of France, and of the necessity
which existed for the Government of Berlin to con-
form to the desire expressed by that Power, but
we soon come to a passage which is one quite
worthy of the Prussian Minister. He says that
although they will carry out their promise
respecting the North Schleswigers, " they will so act
that the votes taken from the people, the issue of
which is to be the basis of future action, shall be the
indubitable expression of the uninfluenced and de-
finitive will of those voting." If the Prussian Go-
vernment were really sincere in their professions
they would take no care at all about the matter, but
let things take their chance, and so arrive at a right
understanding of what the North-Schleswigers
really desire and demand ; but how could they
sanction a course that was straightforward, or how
could Count BISMARCK aid them in such a task ?

The House of Representatives is still busily at
work, and still pursues unhesitatingly the course
chalked out for it by its leaders. The accounts
Which we receive by the City of Paris show that the
Radicals are by no means inclined to lower their
tone. On the 12th inst. the bill for regulating the
elective franchise was brought under discussion and
debated very earnestly. Mr. COWAN'S amendment,
striking out the word " male," was the point at
issue, and Mr. BROWN, of Missouri, argued strongly
in its favour, maintaining that suffrage should be
universal, without regard to race, colour, or sex.
This, however, proved a little too much for the domi-
nant party itself, and the strong-minded women of
providing
offered America have to wait a little longer for their politi-
cal " rights." A Mr. DIXON then fferd
sensible amendment to the bill, thatry
ability to read and write should be necessary to
qualify any person to vote who has not hitherto
voted in the district ; but this was also rejected,
since the Radicals knew that it would decimate
their new electors. So that it is the deliberate
opinion of Congress, as it is of a section of the
English House of Commons, that a totally
illiterate man is fully competent to form au
opinion on the difficult and intricate questions
of national policy and domestic administration.
Mr. DIXON'S amendment was, as we have said,
rejected, though the debate was adjourned till the
following day. An amendment was then passed
providing for the punishment of persons
giving or receiving bribes a stipulation which
would, if literally carried out, press heavily enough
upon all parties in America ! After a few verbal
amendments the bill was carried by 32 to 15, and
we have now to see what Columbia thinks of
the new organisation of her electors.
A day or two before unanimous consent was
asked in the House of Representatives for the in-
troduction of resolutions assigning to the loyal
States the right to tax national banks in view of
State claims fur war_expenses, calling for informa-
tion as to the withdrawal of the national currency,
and declaring that the constitutional amendment is
the most conciliatory offer that the rebel States could
expect, and that the theory of universal amnesty
ought to be discouraged by every patriot. All
these resolutions are more or less aimed at the Go-
vernment, but the constitutional amendment so re-
solutely and persistently advocated by some fails to
find favour with the Southern Legislatures. North
Carolina has rejected it in both
branches—in the
Lower House by 98 to 10, and in the Senate by 44
to 1 ! Nothing could be more conclusive, and the
figures show that the Carolina spirit of the old days
has not altogether passed away. The Georgia
Legislature has adopted a resolution t, n, in
u orderpipointeerto-
tain commissioners to visit WaAingt