The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-30 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1866.

The news from the Continent is of a very con-
tradictory character, and we really find ourselves at
a loss to decide which of the contending armies has
had the advantage. The Prussians appear to claim
a complete victory for themselves, and the greatest
enthusiasm seems to prevail in Berlin in consequence
of the news received from the army.—" News"
that, as will be seen from the latest telegram re-
ceived by us through Mr. REUTER'S agency, proves
to be totally erroneous—the announced victory
over the Austrians turning out to be a total
defeat of the Prussians ! On which side soever
the palm of victory may be placed, certain it
is ,that the more we follow the course of the
rival armies the more must we see occasion to de-
plore the occurrence of the war at all. The loss is
already very heavy, the engagements are :most
severe, and yet who shall say that any advance
has been made on either side that is worthy of the
name, or any substantial proof afforded of a
great result from the efforts made. Neither of the
opponents will yield to the other, and as to Austria
taking the territory of Prussia, or Prussia making
inroads of a lasting nature on Austrian soil, it is
idle to expect such a result. Meanwhile lives are
sacrificed in the most ruthless manner, and the
progress and prosperity of Germany most seriously
interfered with.

It is most disappointing to hear :that the Hanove-
rian
army has surrendered at last, and thus another
chance has been given to Prussia. The arrange-
ments of these forces have all along been
most faulty, and they either could not, or
would not, recover lost ground, and continue to
join their allies. We must also impute blame to
the Austrians for not coming to the rescue of their
friends. The whole of the places of the Vienna
Government seem to have been quite put out by
the suddenness of these Prussian manoeuvres, but
the question is, Why were they not prepared for
emergencies? They should have employed more
despatch in their:affairs, and not have let their
desperate foes appropriate so many advantages to
themselves.

We may fairly conclude that the real tug of war
has yet to begin, and notwithstanding th 6 severtcy
of the contests that have ensued they will finally
prove to have been but the avant-courriers of the
strife. The large army under Prince CHARLES of
Bavaria has yet to display its prowess, and if we
way judge from the accounts received of its spirit
and strength, we may fully expect that it will not
be disbanded without achieving something decisive.
Although many may infer from the successes of the
Prussians that they will in the end gain substantial
benefits from the war, we are not inclined to agree
with them. There is throughout Germany a
deeply-rooted feeling against the policy of Berlin ;
and, however temporary advantages may follow
rapidly on each other, and the mismanagement of
their opponents contribute to their gain, there will
be a reaction that will readjust matters. We hope
and expect that the Austrians will contrive to get
the best of this struggle ; but at any rate it is not
at all probable that the Prussians will be allowed
to tyrannise over Germany after the fashion they
have laid down for themselves, because such a course
of proceeding would be contrary to the spirit of
the age and subversive of all progress.