The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-11 00:00:00

OXFORDSHIRE SHEEP.

Class 47.—Fat Nether Sheep of Oxfordshire breed, 1
year old (under 23 months).—First prize of .£2O to Mr. S.
Druce, Eynsham, Oxon; silver medal to the breeder, ditto;
second prize of .£l5 to the Duke of Marlborough ; third
prize of .£5 to Mr. E. Freeman, Thame, Oxon.
MOUNTAIN SHEEP.

Class 48.—Fat Wether Sheep, of any white-faced moun-
tain breed, any age—Firstprize of £l5 to Mr.J. Tapp,South
Melton, Devon ; silver medal to the breeder, ditto; second
prize of .£lO to Mr. W. Smith, Higher Hoopem, Exeter. •
Class 49.—Fat Wether Sheep of any black-faced or
speckle-faced mountain breed, of any age.—First prize of
£l5 to Mr. Jonathan Peel, Clitheroe, Yorkshire ; silver
medal to the breeder, ditto ; second prize to Mr. James
M'Gill, Damfries.]
RYELAND, CHEVIOT, AND DORSET SHEEP.
Class 50.—Fat Wether Sheep of the Ryeland, Cheviot,
Dorset, or any other pure breed, not specified in any of the
foregoing divisions.—First prize of £l5 to Mr. J. Down-
ing, Hereford ; silver medal to the breeder, ditto ; second
prize of £lO to Mr. James M'Gill, Dumfries.

Draft of a German Constitution by the
Prince Consort.

The following documents, hitherto unpublished,
may be found of interest in the present condition of
affairs in Germany :
" Buckingham Palace, March 28, 1848.

" The problem that must be solved is to convert
Germany from a Confederation of States (Staaten-
bund) into one Federal State (Bundesstaat). If the
solution is to be salutary and permanent, it must be
developed out of the state of affairs at present exist-
ing, and become the starting point of entire German
history. It must not be a cut-and-dry theory, but
the final representation of a position long foreseen
and desired by the German people, in which at one
and the same time all conditions and requirements
of the State generally are fulfilled in the most satis-
factory way. In Germany we have
_various indivi-
dual peoples, States complete in themselves, dynas-
ties, and crowns, which all mustbe united. It would
be sinful* to reduce to a common level and to all-
' terate the individualities of the peoples by a cen-
tralisation, shaping all after the same pattern, for it
is in the
peculiarity and legality of such individuali-
ties that the many-sided vitality and freshness of
life of the German people consists. The crowns and
dynasties, which are identical with the:personality
(Personlichkeit) of these States, must not be in-
fringed or humiliated if thepersonality and executive
power of the individual States they represent is not
to be destroyed ; but both—States and peoples—
should be taken together practically as a whole and
efficaciously constituted.
" I think the solution should be the following :

"The princes of the Germanic Confederation, to-
gether with the four burgomasters of the Free Towns,
form a conference of princes,* and elect from among
this number a German Emperor,* * either for life
or fora term of years (10) ?
" The Estated of the various German States elect
from among the members of both their Chamberst
a number proportionate to the population and im-
portance of the individual States, and organise
therewith a German Diet (Reichstag).
k‘ An Austragal Court (Reichsgerich), presided
over by an irremovable* chancellor, to form a
supreme court, composed of the legal faculties of the
Germanuniversities,decisive in all questions between
the different individual States, between the various
Governments and their Estates in all German suc-
cession and regency questions, also in territorial
divisions and cases of heirship.
"The representation of Germany to be incumbent
upon the Emperor. All imperial business to be car-
ried on in his name. In conjunction with the con-
ference of princes, he is to appoint to public offices.
At the head of the said conference he will upon each
occasion open the Diet. He is at liberty to reject
the propositions of the conference of princes, and a
resolution of the Diet can only become valid by his
sanction. He may, where he thinks fit, lalow him-
self to be represented by another prince. His
Ministers to be the Minister for Foreign Affairs and
the two Presidents of a Chamber of Commerce, and
a Council of War. These Ministers to be responsible
to the Diet.* The Minister for Foreign Affairs has
to negotiate with foreign ambassadors, and, in ex-
traordinary cases, to send envoys to foreign Courts.

" The German Chamber of Commerce, composed
of officials from the various States, to have the
management of the German customs, navigation,
roads, railways, postal, and traffic systems.*
" The German Council of War, formed of gene-
rals from the various armies, to conduct the organi-
sation of the German army composed of troops from
the different separate States, at the head of which
shall he a Federal commander-in-chief in time of
war. The German fortresses and the (prospective)
German fleet* to be also under the management of
the Council of War.

" The German Sovereigns themselves, or Princes
of their Houses representing them, to form the con-
ference of Princes. This conference to possess a veto
upon the resolutions of the Diet and upon the ap-
pointments to offices by the Emperor. Under the
Emperor's Presidency, the Conference appoints the
members of the three Imperial Chambers (Iteichs-
kammern). It has to sanction the propositions to
be made by the Emperor to the Diet. It votes by
majority, yet so that the Princes of the larger States
have a comparatively larger number of votes.* Every
Prince may vote by proxy. The Conference of
Princes, with the Emperor, appoint the Federal
Commander-in-Chief in the event, and pending the
duration, of a war.

" The Diet (Reichstag) to assemble every three
years.* The deputies (Reichsboten ?) of which it is
composed from both Chambers of the various Sates
sit and debate together, but vote in two voting
bodies (Curicn) corresponding to those chambers.**
Let each member speak from his seat. The Diet
votes by majority, so that the agreement of both
voting bodies is necessary for decision. Let the
number of the members not be too large.** Not
above 50 in the first, nor 150 in the second Cham-
ber—together 200. A. marshal of the Diet, elected
by the entire Diet, from the first voting body (Curie)
to act as President.
44 Thus we have, then, an Emperor as the repre-
sentative and personification of German unity, and
as the supreme Meer of the executive power. His
worthiness is guaranteed by choice of and from 27
crowned heads, upon whom, on the other hand, falls
oerf, dignityvoted
ranehofrom
f the
back part of the splendFouurrth
among and by them.
a g responsible. Ministry in the executive power,
rial Chambers, and
Pre-
sidents of the three love a Fede-
ral Commander-in-Chief, whose ability is guaran-
teed by his election when
his services are required
Conference
and for a certain period only. Further, a
of Princes, as the immediate participator both of the
executive power and of the representative import-
ance of the Emperor, who, by this necessary parti-
cipation, perfectly secures the undiminished contin-
uance of the power and sovereignty of all German
Crowns. Then a diet, as an expression of the
collective will of the whole German nation, yet so
composed that at the same time the individuality of
every single German people and State is completely
represented by the despatch of the delegates of the
empire (Reichsboten) from its own Estates. Lastly,
we have a supreme Austragal tribunal as the ex-
pression of entire German legal wisdom, relieved
from all external influences by its irremovability.
" The authority of all these tribunals naturally
only extends to matters of general German impor-
tance—which would have to be more exactly de-
fined—without interfering in the legislative and ad-
ministrative departments of individual States.
(Signed) " ALBERT."
The folloWing autograph remarks were made by
King Frederick William W. of Prussia upon Prince
Albert's draft :

" POTSDAM, April 1848.
" Of all projects of a constitution for Germany,
this of the intellectual and sagacious Prince best
meets my views. In detail, however, I cannot
agree even to this plan. I have underlined with
red that which meets with my especial assent,
.and what I think bad is narked with a blackl
St. Andrew's cross.s The Emperor as actua
head of the Confederation does not suit my taste.
An Emperor elected for a term is a monstrosity,
against which I openly protest Should the supreme
head of the Confederation really only be chosen for
a term (which I consider a defect), the title of Em-
peror must not be wasted and extended upon him.
Let him be called Repent.aytie name of Emperor, for
But even the supreme
bead for life cannot h
the sake of Austria, as I will show below
l
" The German nation he thasae thousand years.' right
that its chief should b
undisputed head of
Christendom. But it is not credible that the heir
of 30 Roman Emperors, namel
Emperor of Austria, should yield y, the hereditary
precedence
to this
supreme head by vote. Nay, it could not even be,
demanded. Certain it is as anything can possibly
be that the Russian Emperor would never give pre-
cedence to this sort of German Emperor. Out of all
and one profitable
this I know a very easy escape,