The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-03 00:00:00

TIMES.—it is pleasant for us of the daily press,
whose attempts to chronicle passing
rents some-
what resemble the rush oflight skirmishers in the
van of battle, to watch the more measured tread and
heavier onset of our Quarterly contemporaries as
they bring up their massed forces over the same
field. Of the time and space that are denied to us
they have a reasonable allowance. The incident
that breaks suddenly upon us they have leisure to
follow up to at least some of its consequences. The
views and comments which we must limit to the
compass of a column • they are at liberty to elabo-
rate in a half-volume essay. Finally, against any
hasty oversight of the day they have the remedy of
the calm revision of the morrow. The article on
"The State of Furope " in the July number of the
Klinburyll Review was written almost within sound
of the cannon of Sadowa. The article on " The
Military growth of Prussia," in the current number
of the same journal, probably by the hand of the
same writer, conies out now after the lapse of three
mouths, when the peace of Prague, the cession of
Venetia, and M. de Lavalette's''Circular enable us
to weigh at least some of the immediate results of
that battle on European destinies. It is a great
treat for us to fall in with so careful a summary of
a page of the4vorld's history--of that book hardly
a page of which can be read without reference to all
the preceding and all the following pages. The
Seven Days' IVar is by this Reviewer foreshadowed
in the Seven Years' 'War. The victories of Frederik
11. established in Germany that dualism betwees-
the Prussian and Austrian Power which must needs
end in the ruin of one of them. The German Em-
pire was from the beginning an elective Monarchy.
The elective power resided in a certain number of
princes, each of whom by turns aspired to and
attained the Imperial diadem. It was now the
Frank, now the Saxon, now the Swabian, now
the Hapsburg, that had the upper hand. The
last named seemed to have chained fortune to his
chariot. He held the sway in Germany, if not quite
"for 600 years," certainly for above two centuries.
But ever since Charles V. the Hapsburg estranged
himself from Germany. Religiously as well as poli-
tically, Austria found herself in antagonism with
German progress. In the Saxon, in the Palatine,
in the Swede, the Fatherland sought other chiefs than
her anointed one. The ground that the Suzerain lost
was occupied now by this, now by that vassal. The
others were either crushed or reconciled. Only one,
the Brandenburg, was irrepressible. The rise of the
Prussian dynasty is referable to one single cause—
the character of its Princes. Their only stepping-
stone was their military organisation. Their prin-
ciple, like that of the House of Savoy in Piedmont,
was "So many men and so many soldiers." Be-
tween the descendants of Frederick 11. and Maria
Theresa there was war a outrance. Germany could
be no home for both houses, and the dispute would
soon have been settled but for the French Revolu-
tion. Before the French invader both the rival
Powers fell into the dust, but in the patriotic re-
vival, in the War of Independence, Prussia out-
did Austria. The latter had stepped down from
her Imperial rank. She had ceased to be Ger-
many ; she prepared to withdraw from Germany.
The Fatherland was weary of division ; it sought
strength in union; it accepted the Bund ; it sub-
mitted to an Austrian presidency ; but the dualism
of Frederick and Theresa broke forth again. The
tqhueardrueel wl
hiche
ehuapd
rbuesesni a aaduj
do uArnuesdtri,
ce
more inevitable—a duel to the last drop of blood.
wa
a sb
e re
ea
-mo epe on ne
There were many thrusts and lunges between 1814
and 1866. But, hostile as the two Powers were to
one another, they were aware of the necessity of
joining against common enemies, against France,
against Italy, against democracy, against nationa-
lity ; a principle, this last, upon which dynasties
are apt to entertain different views from their sub-
jects. Prussia and Austria met as rivals for the
favour of Germany from 1848 to 1851 ; yet they
joined against Germanism at Frankfort, in Baden,
in Schleswig-Holstein. Of the outrages perpetrated
against Denmark in Schleswig-Holstein Prussia and
Austria were both equally guilty and equally guilt-
less. Schleswig-Holstein was the watchword of a
party hardly more inimical to Denmark than it was
to Prussia and Austria. Nationality in Germany
had ceased to look up to either Power. It sought
its strength in the Bund, in the minor States, in
democracy. It was Baron von Beust, it was Saxony
and Hanover, Frankfort, Nassau, and Baden that
raised the war cry against Denmark. Prussia and
Austria, who had twice stemmed the tide of national
enthusiasm, found at last that they must either go
or be borne along with it. They headed the move-
ment they had long vainly resisted. They took
Schleswig-Holstein ; they took it for Germany, but
took it also for themselves. The partition of the
spoils of Denmark roused into play that rivalry
which had existed for so many years between the
Hapsburg and the Hohenzollern. It was impossible
that the prey should go to the plunderers share and
share alike. The one who by the force of circum-
stances was wronged was Austria. Hence it seemed
natural for her to seek a quarrel. She prepared for
a hard contest, and sought her strength in the Bund
and among the minor Princes of Germany. For
once in the history of her long domination, Austria
sued for the support of the democratic and national
party. What Prussia did to meet her mortal dan-
ger we as yet know imperfectly. We certainly will
not undertake to clear Bismarck of the "scandalous
duplicity and falsehood which marked every stage
of the late transactions." Nor can wo fathom "the
mysterious and clandestine understanding which
procured the neutrality of France." In the actual
conflict Prussia stood alone, and she was more than
a match not only for Austria, but for all in Germany
who had a voice on the matter at issue. As a mere
prize of fair conquest Germany belongs to Prussia.
The fortune of arms declared in her favour after a
seven days' trial. But, had even the result been
any other, it would have been no less impossible for
any other Power to take the lead in Germany.
Austria renounced that leadership in 1806, if,
indeed, she had not already done so in 1763, in
1648, or even in 1530, when the interests of the
empire were sacrificed to the bigoted or the am-
bitious views of the imperial dynasty. The prin-
cipal means by which the House of Hohenzollern
has achieved so much towards the unification of
Germany need only be sought in the growth of its
military power. The writer in the Review gives a
masterly sketch of the Prussian system—a sys-
tem which bids fair to bscome general on the Con-
tinent, and about which Austria herself is no,'
willing to take a hint from her late enemy. It is
summed up in the maxim we have already quoted
:
of Victor Amadeus 11. of Savoy So InanYnedineto
so many soldiers." 'Where all men are
the better
fill up the rank and file it is no wonder
classes have the monopoly of the officers'
elfth of
the standing army the officers not belonecg_
noble classes are, it is stated, barelY two- to the
d erir the officers
the whole number. In the
middle
would
belong almost exclusively toLdath:
corps ; hence the
arise between the two differentreeto take the field in a
classes. Hence, it was expecte
reluctance of the citizen
tfothe
people's sympathies.
cause which did not enlace antagonismvi wealthy
rst,to the war may have
there is no doubt that
their duty ; what was in
cause soon became the cause
June only Bisdmoarf
smisargkaihnaisn,theitmain-
baßreametily whateverfaenl
dt i
Ln aPrussiand vvrrs catdtainnd"
13hei
jority with h
Leipsic if not in Dresden, in Hesse if not in Frank-
fort.
has
sthinks lie has driven the Austrian-
rather marred than made Germany,
the
of PRreursiseiawearn._
iGner3eariniyn.;
the Southern . States adrift. - True, but he has
German provinces from the Fatherland ; he has cut
the rest to time and Germany itself.
achieved not a little, nevertheless. He may well
afford to leave
It will not be long before the Southern States sue
-n hutnioenC nor is there any hope for Austria ex-
cept closest alliance with Germany. Count
Bfoirsirneiark is no hero to us. We should be sorry to be
numbered among his " gross panegyrists." But
some of the praise bestowed upon the first builder
uechantioiowtarbdse
its denied
completion.totiie
rhuasssidaenueedsiufieme
" He knew what he wanted, and
oofnethwehPo
was determined
to have it." Is there another man
in Germany,
or we may almost say anywhere else in our days,
of whom as much may truly be said

Foreign Mail Packet List.

-- +----

MAILS DUE.
Australia and New Zealand, via Bouthampton.....Nov. 19.
Ditto, via Marseilles . ..... ....Nov. 18.
Brazil and Cap Verde. by British packet .. ....No I. 5.
Ditto, by French packet
Cape of Good Rope, Ascension, and St. llelena Nov. 8.
China. Penang, and Singapore. via Southampton—Nov 3.
Ditto, via Marseilles
leatkland Islands

Ginibariaal(tearliovuitat:lo,
aunthda
Capepytolon Nov. 3.
n,
via Southampton Nov. 3
Ditto, via Marseilles
India (Bombay), via Southampton Nov 13.
Ditto, via Marseilles Nov 7
&Lana, Egypt, and Men, via Southampton Nov. 3.
Ditto, via Marseilles Nev, 7.
Mauritius, via Southampton
Ditto, via Marsoil:e3.
Newfoundland ......................... .. Nov. 7.
.
Portugal .................. .. ................. ... „Nov. 5
Ditto, by private ship to Lisbon..
LTnited States and British North America, by Bri-
tish packet ........................ ... Nov. 7.
Ditto, by United States packcl, via Southamp-
ton ...... ... ..........

Ditto, via Cart
Ditto, oy Canadian packet, via Londonderry ..NO7. 9.
YriVeetett C"-Indiktcsand
of
MricaP; Madeira, and Tenerife ....Nov'. 10
iettle (except Italtaniu and

-liondural) .
Cuba tnd /Ludo° .......Nov.NOP 28.