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

time and under any circumstances it would have bctu
extiemely difficult to have effected a change like:
that which they now purpose making in those States:
recently annexed to Prussia, but care and conside—
ration might have worked wonders. In place of
these, however, we meet with nothing but hard and
,harsh decrees, and perfect contempt for the feelings
of others, which it is perfectly revolting to witness.
That the Government thus forced upon the people
against their consent, and in spite of their protests,
can be a strong and a permanent one we do not for
a moment imagine ; but it may, notwithstand-
ing, be successful for the time being,
and has long enough to do a great deal of
irreparable injury to the cause of freedom,
Stern as are the rules laid down about the offending
civil functionaries in llanover, they are nothing com-
pared to those relating to the military ones. The
Governor is told to send these immediately to the
fortress of Minden, so that they may be tried by
martial law. Also those are to be sent to the for-
tress who are guilty of insulting military persons,
and they are to be confined there until the state of
the country be definitely settled. The Governor is
moreover to be held personally responsible for the
" prompt and immediate execution of these com-
mands."

Such a course of procedure cannot but
be extremely obnoxious to all concerned, and
it certainly realises the truth of the prophecies
which some made concerning the hardships that
must inevitably ensue from Prussian rule. It is a
wretched foundation upon which to form the new
Government thus to excite the of the in-
habitants by the exercise of these stringent mea-
sures.

The Hungarian Diet still pursues its labours, but
very little progress seems to be making so far as
we can judge as yet of the proceedings taking place
there. Yesterday the Committee brought for-
ward their draught -of an address, in reply
to the Royal Rescript, and it seems to be
couched in most expressive language, and to con-
tain some home-truths which it would be well for
those in high places to consider. It calls attention
to the great dangers which are now arising from
disunion at home and complications abroad, and
urges upon the EMPEROR the " immediate, complete,
and unconditional re-establishment of the constitu-
tional state of things." The reason alleged for this
is that any further delay in the adoption of this
course might probably tend to render an agree-
ment between Austria and Hungary impossible.
Such a conjunction is not impossible, though it may
as yet be improbable ; but, at any rate, it is not
difficult to see the justice of these arguments. It is
a sign of the good intentions of those who have
prepared this address that they are calm and col-
lected in their demeanour, and use no vehement
language in giving utterance to their views and
sentiments. They state all they desire in plain terms,
and do not offend the prejudices of any one by their
words, as too often happens in the case of those who
are excited or interested in the cause they ad-
vocate. This address promises to consider the ques-
tion of common affairs so soon as the Diet shall
have been empowered to adopt resolutions that have
the force of law. So far this seems fair enough, as
is the intimation that they only wait until the Com-
mittee of Sixty-seven shall have brought forward
their report. All persons who are now so unfortu-
nate as to be under sentences for political offences
are entreated for in this address that an amnesty
may be accorded to them, and we think that such
would be a wise and a generous thing for the
EMPEROR to do. We do not yet despair of Hun-
gary emerging from the cloud she now lies under,
and eventually proving as great a source of strength
to Austria as she has lately been the reverse ; nor
do we think that the EMPEROR will be so mistaken
as to forget that conciliation often gains far more
than force, and that the wisest policy is to insure
the goodwill of all whom he rules over.