The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-18 00:00:00

AUSTRIA.

A letter from Vienna, April 15, says :—" The
French and • Austrian Governments have not yet
come to an understanding, and the diplomatists are
nearly at their wits' end. Count Buol still insists
on a general and simultaneous disarmament as a
preliminary to the Congress, and the Emperor of
the French declares that he will not dismiss a single
man until the Congress has met. The French Go-
vernment would not object to accept the Austrian
proposition in principle,' if this Cabinet would
leave the question of disarmament to be settled by
the Congress, but Count Buol has received positive
orders from his Sovereign not to make any further
concessions. One of the mediating Powers is said
to have complained of the chicanery' of the Aus-
trian Minister for Foreign Affairs, but the report
cannot be true, as it is a notorious fact that he has,
from the very commencement of the negotiations,
displayed the utmost candour and good faith. 'The
only well•founded charge which can be made
against Count Buol,' says a German diplomatist,
' is, that he, in his extreme anxiety to maintain
peace, has displayed less firmness than he ought
to have done.' The opinion above ex-
pressed is almost universal here, and the
Minister for Foreign Affairs is generally accused
of being too submissive to the mediating Powers,
who have displayed a fear of the Emperor
Napoleon which must necessarily encourage him
to persevere in his aggressive policy. In a day
or two the great question of the day is likely to
enter into a new phase, for Prussia begins to exhibit
symptoms of a resolve not to allow her interests to
be separated from those of Germany and Austria.
It is not in my power to say that an alliance has
already been concluded between the two great Ger-
man Powers, but negotiations to that end are cer-
tainly going on. It is whispered that 200,000
Prussian soldiers will soon be collecte din the Rhenish
provinces, and that Austria has offered to the Prince
Regent of Prussia the supreme command of the
Federal Army. A distinguished officer, a day or
two since, told me that I had in one of my recent
letters greatly underrated the force which Austria,
Prussia, and Germany could, on an emergency,
bring into the field. " Austria," said he, " can
keep 650,000 men on foot, Prussia 400,000, and the
other German States about 200,000. If we sup-
pose that 250,000 men are in garrison, depot,
and hospital,. Louis Napoleon will still have to
cope with a million of well-armed men, whose
fathers proved to the first Emperor of the French
that they could fight well in a good cause."
The following article, which appeared in a recent
number of the evening edition of tile Wiener
Zeitung, shows what kind of spirit prevails in the
highest military circles :
" In a few days it will be half a century since Austria
waged the fourth war which she had with France after
the outbreak of the great French revolution. In the three
previous wars Austria had allies, but in 1809 she stood
alone, and saw oppesed to her the tremendous coalition
which was formed by the French autocrat, the greatest
warrior of the day. Austria did not blench. The free-
dom of Europe,' said she in her proclamation, ' has sought
shelter under the banner of Austria,' a banner which was
raised in the midst of an army of 400,000 men. At the same
time the Landwehr (militia) was called out, and every man
who was between 18 and 48 years of age was liable to be sum-
moned to take up arms. The Archduke Charles, at the head
of 200,000 men, advanced into Bavaria, the Archduke John
led 80,000 against Italy, and the Archduke Ferdinand
36,000 against Warsaw. Opposed to the Austrian 'armies
were 200,000 men, half of whom were Germans, under

Napoleon himself, 70,000 under Prince Eugene, the Viceroy.
of Italy, and 20,000 Saxons and Poles, who were in and
around Wasaw. The powerful reserves were composed
of French, Westphalian, and Dutch troops. Russia con-
tributed but 20,000 men to them. The war did not end
fortunately for Austria, but it led to a series of
great events, which wore closed by the treaties of
1815. Then it was that the world with joyful sur-
prise learned that Napoleon could be worsted. A German
commander, the Archduke Charles, was the first person to
defeat the man who had so ling been considered invincible.
We recall to memory such a remarkable episode in our his-
tory, because we have acquired positive information that the
Emperor Louis Napoleon will by the Ist of June have
600,000 men under arms, 150,000 of whom are to be sent to
Italy. The remaining 450,000 are to be prepared for any
and all contingencies."

IBONMASTEBS' QUA.RTERLYMEETING

DUDLEY, Saturday Evening.—The concluding
meeting of the ironmasters of this district for the
current quarter was held in this town this even-
ing. The business transacted was on the same
limited scale, which has characterised the assemblies
at Wolverhampton and Birmingham: consumers
have entered into engagements only just sufficiently
.extensive to supply' their immediate requirements ;
in that respect, the result of these meetings must
be regarded as anything but satisfactory, for,
although there has been no movement for a reduc-
tion of prices' and the principal firms who control
those matters have a sufficient quantity of orders to
to keep their mills and forges in pretty full work,
they do not attempt to conceal the fact that the
trade is flat, and that there is a prospect of iron of
moderate quality being sold at a lower figure than
has lately prevailed. The export houses have
bought comparatively little iron this quarter-day;
and all the contracts given out have been much
below the average.
Pig-iron is quite half-a-crown a ton lower than
it was three months ago, but in a great number
of instances the sales effected were at os. below the
price which then ruled, it being only such of the
pig-masters as make a very good quality who could
obtain £3 12s. 6d. per ton ; and men of this class
preferred to bold rather than accept a reduction.
The attendance at the meeting to•night was thin ;
it had been hoped that the Government explana-
tions relative to the state of foreign affairs would
have been made last night, and that if of a satis-
factory character a tone would be given to the
trade by restoring confidence amongst consumers, but
the discussion in the House of Commons hating
been again postponed, it was felt that there was
little prospect of much business being transacted ;
and such turned out to be the result ; neither can
any change be anticipated until political affairs on
the continent give less Cause for disquietude.
The manufacturing trades in this quarter are
generall3r dull, and the workpeople are not so fully
employed as they were three months since. The
quarterly accounts are reported to have been pretty
, punctually paid.