The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-31 00:00:00

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.

THIS DAY.—Morning, sh. 20m.—Afternoon, sh. 40m.
To-Monnow.-If ruing 6h. sm. Afte•rnoon, 6h. 28m.

'eV g ,04.6010*. 31.

LONDON, FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 1866.

The ratifications of the Treaty of Peace were
exchanged at Prague yesterday morning, and the
text of the Treaty will be published at Berlin and
Vienna on Saturday next. We may therefore con-
clude that peace for the present at least is certain
between the late contending parties, though, of
course, we learn that Prussia will have the lion's
share in the arrangements, and has continued to
make her wishes paramount to the rightful claims
of others. The best satire on the declarations of
the Berlin journals, as to the desire felt by the
various States for Prussian annexation, is the
manner in which the Prussian troops have been
treated during the last few days. Both at Mayence
and at Aschaffenburg hostile demonstrations took
place, and, without any provocation, stones were
thrown and attacks made upon all the Prussian
soldiers, which the different regiments encountered :I
on their march to the station ; the only reason to be i
given was the hatred which the Bavarians entertain
for the frUdSIaLIS. ,kc ..tniyCLlCe a L lucraz
took place upon the entrance of the Prussians and
the departure of the Hessians ; and in this town a
large number of the lower orders took part in the
assault. No doubt these indignant persons will
find in the long run that they will suffer for their
hastiness, but to lookers-on such conduct proves
how little veracity there is in the statement of those
who persist in saying that the Prussians are popu-
lar, when the contrary is the fact. Another in-
stance of the oppression of the conquerors of Ger-
many was given in Hanover the other day ; the
nobility, army, and people of Hanover forwarded
to the Queen an address of sympathy and devotion,
which contained nearly a hundred thousand signa-
tures in the course of a single day. Great crowds
of persons assembled in the streets in order to put ,
their signatures to it, when the Prussian military
authorities interfered and dispersed the assemblage.
So much for the just and liberal principles which
animate these regenerators of their country, and we
may form, from this incident, a very fair notion of
the sort of liberty which the conquered States will
enjoy when all the various arrangements are com-
pleted, and things return to a state of order. It is
really sad to contemplate the ruin and misery which
have been caused by the Prussians in their unworthy
efforts to carry out their own views to the detri-
ment of others, and totally oblivious of who might
suffer so long as they were secure and could succeed
in their desires. Not content with all that he has
acquired, the audacious BISMARCK now seeks to
induce the rest of the German States to pledge
themselves to support Prussia in the event of a war I
taking place. it is not likely that the said States
will be so credulous as to concede to his wishes, if
they can possibly see their way to refuse him with-
out giving great offence. The only real resistance
that will be made to the schemes of Prussia will I
come from France, and as yet no signs are made
by this Power, although much appears that testifies
to the discontent universally felt in Paris. Some
efforts, it is said, are being made to form a Rhenish
State, which would neither belong to one side nor
the other ; but no likelihood appears of its fulfil-
ment.

Some noticeable remarks are made by the lade-
pendance Beige on the difference that exists between
Italy and Prussia in the creation of a large and
powerful State. Italian and German unity mean
very different things. Even in Prussia itself very
decided sentiments prevail ; and, while some give in
their reluctant adhesion to the winning side, others
lament the result, because of the means which led to
it, " and protest, in the name of the eternal prin-
ciples of right, against the unity purchased
at the price of liberty'." In Germany matters
are still worse. In place of the enthusiasm
and sympathy which once prevailed in Italy, there
is only to be seen resistance, coolness, and mis-
trust." Such are already the evident results of
Count de BISMARCK'S • amom, "Might overrides
right." Did the Prussian Government really pos-
sess any feeling of shame they would consider the
many disparaging remarks made upon their con-
duct by independent parties as a great drawback to
their success, and regret that, in seeking so
earnestly aggrandisement of territory and exclusive
control of Germany, they have forfeited their good
name and the respect of foreign nations.

There never was a greater exhibition of intole-
rance than that which has been displayed from first
to last respecting the outbreak in Jamaica. One
would have thought that by this time fanaticism
would have exhausted itself, and prejudice have been
content with its triumph, but it appears otherwise.
No sooner has Mr. EI'F.E landed in this country
than a fresh onslaught is Dlado on him hy these

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dignant partisans of treason and sedition. Mr.
BRIGHT and his friends, no doubt, viewed the
welcome accorded to the ex-Governor of Jamaica
as a direct denial passed upon their proceedings,
and such it virtually was ; but instead of putting
one demonstration against another, and thereby es-
timating public opinion, the vehement upholders of
the promoters of the rebellion continued to vilify and
calumniate all who were audacious enough to come
forward and declare their own opinions in a straight-
, forward manner. Mr. BRIGHT has been one of the
victims of their fury, and may now form an estimate
from personal expel ience of the judgment and gene-
rosity of the detractors of Mr. EYRE. We protest
against the illiberality displayed in quarrelling
with a man for stating his own opinions, as much as
at the unfairness of the reasons given for so doing.
The fact is, that the faction and its supporters are
so indignant that any one of rank or position should
presume to come forward and proclaim their sym-
pathy with an injured man, that they forget them-
selves in their excitement, and confuse truth with
falsehood in the most extraordinary manner. Mr.
KINGSLEY, we are assured, will treat the abuse he
has received in the manner it deserves ; and we are
glad to see that Mr. CARLYLE has also come forth
to aid the cause of justice. Perhaps, in the long
run, it may be the best thing for the ex-Governor
if the Jamaica Committee really carry out their threat
of prosecution. It will force people who have not
hitherto troubled themselves about the matter to
take pains to understand the meaning of their ex-
traordinary zeal. Perhaps the remarks made last
night at an open-air meeting on the subject are as
I good an illustration as any of the manner in which
the subject is taken up by these exclusive and pre-
judiced parties. When we read of Mr. EYRE being
compared to " HArNau," and denounced as the
" wholesale butcher of his species," we are
more inclined to pity the lamentable igno-
rance thus displayed than to feel indig-
nant at the intolerance and injustice. Not
only must the ex-Governor of Jamaica be branded,
and wander through the world as an out-
cast, but all who presume to take his part must
suffer the same doom. The whole of the House of
Lords is to be stigmatised because some of its mem-
bers have taken part in the demonstration in favour
of Mr. EYRE. One of the speakers regretted that
" the middle classes of London had not taken ac-
tion in this matter," but he will have a long time
to wait before they make themselves so ridiculous.
Of all the follies that have been lately com-
mitted, none has been greater than making this
Jamaica outbreak an affair of party. Earl
RussELL has covered himself with disgrace by the
course he took at the outset, and many seem in-
clined to follow his example for the sake of making
political capital out of it. It is, indeed, a compli-
ment to those who went to the meeting in Hyde
Park to compare them to the rioters in Jamaica !
But there is no knowing to what lengths people will
go in their efforts to make the worse appear the
better cause. Common sense and right feeling are
alike outraged by such displays as those of last
night, and so far from representing the feeling of the
country they are directly opposed to it, for they are
at total variance with that love of fair play which is
a distinctive feature of the English character.

The Geographical and Ethnological section of
the British Association has been singularly fortu-
nate in the character of the papers read before it.
In these days of enterprise and adventure, it is no
uncommon thing for men to expatriate themselves
for years in their eager desire to become acquainted
with the peculiarities of other races, and the fea-
tures of other countries, and so to acquire a tho-
rough familiarity with the natas anu ways or UILUK-
ing of those among whom they sojourn. When these
adventurous travellers return to their native land,
the recital of- their exploits and experiences have all
the excitement of a romance combined with the
authenticity of a geography. The British Associa-
tion has been fortunate in listening to more than
one of these travellers. Its meeting has been at-
tended by Mr. PALGRAVE from Arabia, Sir SAMUEL
BAKER, from the Nile ; and M. DE CHAILLU, from
Western Africa. The latter gentleman's address on
the physical geography and tribes of western equa-
torial Africa was listened to with the deepest inte-
rest, and gave most valuable information. Our
knowledge of the interior of that vast continent is
gradually extending, thanks to the courage and de-
termination of the several explorers, and it is not,
a little singular to notice how different are the
actual facts from the vague conjectures of former
days. There was a prevailing idea that the interior
of Africa was a dry and sandy waste, whereas great
lakes and rivers exist, and M. DE CHAILLU expresses
his conviction—drawn from the immense quantity
of rain which fell beneath the equator—that other
rivers and lakes remain to be discovered west-
ward. The terra incognita is diminishing every
year, the distance between M. DU CHAILLU'S
furthest explorations and the lake discovered
by Sir SAMUEL BAKER, being only about 1,000
miles. M. DU CHAILLU'S expedition was unfor-
tunately cut short before he had accomplished the
task which he had set himself, by one of those un-
lucky casualties which sometimes disarrange the
best laid plans. He was able, however, to obtain
considerable information both in regard to the
country and the inhabitants. There is, he says, no
doubt that equatorial Africa from the west coast
forms a belt of impenetrable jungle. As far as the
eye could see at the furthest point of his,
journey the jungle did not stop, and the
natives had never heard that it ended. Like a
wide belt on either side of the equator, the dim
twilight of the gigantic forest extends. Now and
then prairies, delightful to the weary traveller,
are found, in the midst of what M. DU CHAILLU
calls " that dark sea of everlasting foliage."
The trees, however, perform one kindly office
for the traveller, in sheltering him from the
burning rays of the equatorial sun. The stillness
of that vast forest is unbroken by the stir of animal
life. " Miles and miles were travelled without hear-
ing the sound of a bird, the chatter of a monkey, or
The hum of insects, the
the footstep of a gazelle.
falling of a leaf, or the gentle murmur of a little
stream were the only sounds which came upon the
ear, and broke the awful silence." Animal life is,
indeed singularly absent from this part of the
country, although so many varieties exist in other
parts. Gorillas and other varieties of the ape
species exist, and sometimes plunder the plantations
of the natives. The population is scanty, and
broken up into numerous tribes and clans, and seve-
ral languages are found. The villages arc very small,
few of them containing a thousand persons, most of
them only from fifty to two hundred. They are con-
stantly being sacked and their inhabitants carried off
into slavery, the people of two or three villages
combining to attack one village. Slavery is most
destructive to the people, but witchcraft is far worse,
and is the cause of untold slaughter. Every
nthautusrgalredateanthumtbheerys
ofa pttriebrustoens t o
are
destroyed
witchcraft,
nually. The difference of language is something
singular, and a knowledge of the languages upon
the coast is no help towards comprehending
the languages of the interior. They all, in M. DU
CHAILLU'S opinion, have their origin iu two sources.
Fables are alike in all tribes, and tLeze is also a

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great similarity in their superstitious customs. He
does, not, of course, profess to have done more than
just indicate the outline of the history of the coun-
try ; but it is a remarkable fact that he, in common
with other travellers, has been totally unable to de-
tect any traces of earlier civilisation. Much yet re-
maims to be done in the way of exploring, but our
travellers may now be said to have passed the Rubi-
con, and to have inaugurated a regular system of
exploration, which, if carried out in the same spirit
is which it has commenced, may open a great future
of civilisation to that vast extent of wilderness and
jungle.

The National Union Convention at Philadelphia
has been a triumphant vindication of the real inde-
pendence and liberality of the American people
against the arrogant assumption of the Radicals.
The PRESIDENT'S position has been materially
strengthened by the unanimity and decision mani-
fested by the delegates. There was no time lost in
orations and dicussions. With characteristic
American energy the several members of the Con-
vention appeared to have fully made up their minds
as to what was to be done, and to decide upon
the best means of doing it. No doubt the Radicals
formed secret hopes that some disunion or jealousy
might show itself, and so weaken the effect of the
manifestation. But the harmony which prevailed
was remarkable, considering the angry and exciting
nature of the subjects under discussion. President
JOIINSON'S reconstruction policy was supported in
toto, and the PRESIDENT has even been requested,
by one of the delegations, to bestow the public
patronage only on those who support
his views. This is a testimony to Mr.
JOHNSON'S impartiality, as well as evidence
of the cordiality of the approval given to him. Not
many of his predecessors would, we fear, have
needed such an appeal, for party feeling has gene-
rally been strongly shown in the Government
patronage. The resolutions, while upholding the
principles of the Constitution in all their integrity,
were not enough to satisfy the Convention. They
have appointed two standing committees one
general, the other executive, and these may
be expected to produce a sensible effect upon
the next election. The Radicals have had
their day of power, and have made a most un-
worthy use of it. They have sought to keep up all the
worst feelings of the war time, while sacrificing the
very object for which the North contended. Happily
the direction of affairs was in the hands of a patriotic
and enlightened statesman, and the voice of inde-
pendent public opinion has unmistakeably endorsed
his policy.