The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-21 00:00:00

THE SUN,: LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING,

the living ex-Emperor, who also sanctioned the laws
of 1848. There is no trace whatever of any other
union than this personal one with Austria among
all its laws, treaties, and transactions, Hence, M.
DEAN. concludes—" Hungary is not a member of the
German Diet, because she has never been an in.
tegral part of the Austrian empire. We must
therefore solemnly declare that we insist on the
restoration of our constitutional independence and
self-government, which we consider the fundamental
principles of our national existence. We can on
no account allow the right to vete the supplies of
money and men to be taken from us. We will
not make laws for other countries, and will share
our right to legislate for Hungary with no one
but the King. We will neither send deputies to
the present Reichsrath, nor take any share in the
representation of the empire."
When such is the position taken, not by a Re-
publican, not by a sworn enemy (an enemy with
cause enough) like M. KOSSUTH, but by a man of
moderate temper, a very SO3IER3, both in his dis-
position and his knowledge of his country's laws
and constitution, the EMPEROR and his able but
Austrian and German-Austrian Ministers must
begin to reflect seriously. Will force now avail
them ? M. DEAR'S grand plea with the more
radical of his own countrymen is, that the Emperor
of AUSTRIA has now entered on a cause of Consti-
tutionalism,—but if the EMPEROR persists in nulli-
fying the force of this appeal by openly refusing to
act on the principles of the oldest and most vener-
able Constitution in Europe,—if he determines
that twelve years of his own illegality and violence
shall destroy the Constitution of the kingdom which
composes by far the most important of the many
parts of his motley domains,—if he sends foreign
soldiers to collect Hungarian taxes, because, being
levied contrary to law, the peasantry, like so many
village HAMPDENS, refuse to pay them,—if, in a
word, he means to override all law and right by
mere brute force,—then let him prepare for a fear-
ful struggle. A struggle there must then be of
patient endurance, on the one side, with the stolid
brutal cruelty for which Austrian officers, as
well as common soldiers, have made them-
selves the detestation of the armies of
civilisation. On the other the regime of
barbarism may last long, but can it be ultimately
successful ? Austria wants money above all things,
but how can a country furnish revenue whose home-
steads are overrun by the armed hordes of Austria P
Austria wants Hungarian soldiers, but while she
violates the firesides of their wives, mothers, and
sisters, can she expect that the soldier will not pre-
fer to level his musket or his rifle at his own officer,
who, to him, is the representative of his country's
oppressor ?
True, if Hungary obtain her demands the Aus-
trian Empire, in its illegal sense, will have ceased
to exist. But the KING of Hungary and EMPEROR
of Austria may then be a powerful monarch. He
may be deterred from useless and costly schemes of
aggressive ambition, and from trampling on the
liberties of other nationalities, by having a second
Diet to consult which knows the worth of freedom,
but for defensive purposes he will be stronger than
ever. With Hungary contented and governed freely
through her constitutional representatives, no one
will dare to attack without cause fne hereditary
States of the EMPEROR. The Government of
FRANCIS JOSEPH would no longer be able to aid
petty German Princes to suppress their elective
Chambers, but it would be able to appeal with suc-
cess to any wanton invader of its domains, to a
people who, throughout their history, have been
but too ready generously to succour their oppres-
sors in the hour of danger.

The rumour now is that Washington is yet in
danger. If it be, former accounts must have con-
siderably exaggerated the number of troops which
had arrived at the capital, and the command which
the North had gained over Maryland, as far as to
the city of Baltimore itself. It is not unlikely that
a demand from Washington for troops and arms
may have given rise to one of those sudden alarms
which are common in all wars. That " the capital
is in imminent peril," after what we heard by
the last few mails, is scarcely eredible. The Vir-
ginians were certainly not in a position by the last
advices to think of an attack, President DAVIS
appeared to be at Montgomery, and to have enough
to do in the South—Maryland could not move,
and unless, therefore, some great secret operations
have been in hand, we should imagine Washington
to be as safe as London. Another report---1-" That
the Federal troops will occupy Baltimore in the
course of the week," seems far more likely, unless
former statements that a Federal fort commanded
the city, and that the PRESIDENT'S soldiers occu-
pied all the important routes to the North, were
mere fictions.

On the other hand, it is not unlikely that the
Virginians have responded to President LINCOLN'S
declarations of his intention to re-occupy at once
all the Federal positions in their territory by
counter proclamations. They would naturally
threaten to resist any invasion of the State, as
they would term it. The Governor of North
Carolina is also only following out the
natural consequences of his position in sending a
warlike message to the Legislature. The Legis-
latures of Tennessee and Arkansas have also
passed secession ordinances ; the former, however,
will refer the question to the people, which most
of the Seceding States are afraid to do. Probably
the large number of free settlers in one half of
Tennessee necessitate this course. The Southern
Congress has by a law formally recognized the
existence of a war with the Federal Government,
and by an Act authorised the issuing of letters of
marque. And though Fort Pickens has been lately
strongly reinforced, yet despatches from the South
say that General BRAGG is preparing to attack it.
The previous accounts represented him as dis-
couraged and withdrawing. Mr. SEWARD, how_
ever, has certainly commenced his part in the
campaign, and reluctant as he was to believe that
war was possible, has notified the New York
merchants that the blockade of Norfolk in Chesa-
peake Bay is complete, and that even a foreign
vessel would not be permitted to load cotton
there ! The South will, therefore, probably
soon begin to feel the pressure of want of trade
and money. On the whole, we must regard
these last advices as little more than rumours and
reports, with hardly any facts which show any
important change in the position of parties.
We must, however, do the North the justice to
observe, that a contemporary is hardly fair in de
scribing the struggle between the North and the
South as merely one for territory. It is true the
immediate issue between Mr. LINCOLN and the
South was whether slavery should be extended into
fresh territories ; but both parties well understood
that this involved the greater question, whether
slavery should be gradually stifled to death or not.
Both sides believe, and we must allow them to be
the best judges, that slavery restricted to its pre-
sent limits would soon destroy itself. Hence the
North was bent on extinguishing this curse of their
l
country in the only way legally open to it. The
North did not wish to violate the fundamental
principle of the Confederation by calling on Con-
gress to interfere in the " domestic institutions of

The Mersey
tion. The At.]
the Mediterrar
and the Challc
gressing fast

sailed last week for the above sta-
iadne has been ordered home from
Lean to refit for the above station ;
,nger, Rinaldo, and Driver, are pro-
their equipment.

The Duke and Duchess of Argyll left Campden-
hill on Saturday last on a visit during the holidays to the
Duchess Dowager of Sutherland, at Cliefden, near Maiden-
head. Their graces will return to town on Monday next.
Tho Marquis and Marchioness of Cholmondeley
left Carlton House-terrace yesterday for Westbrooke, on a
visit to the Hon. Mr. and Lady Georgiana Ryder.
BAr,s OF GOLD.—Madllo. Titiens will make her
first appearance at Exeter Hall in the Creation, under the
auspices of the National Choral Society on 'Wednesday, the
224. Mr. Martin having engaged her at the unprecedented
sum of one hundred and twenty guineas to sing the com-
paratively few bars belonging to the part of Gabriel.

LAMENTABLE ACCIDENT ON THE SOUTH WESTERN
RAILWAY.—Last evening a fearful accident occurred to one
of the porters engaged at the Vauxhall Station, who was
proceeding down the Windsor line. It appears that when
the train arrived at Twickenham, at 25 minutes past 8, a
man was observed to fall from the top of one of the car-
riages head foremost on to the up-line rails. When picked
up he was discovered to be one of the porters belonging to
Vauxhall Station, and his head was completely split open.
The poor fellow was convoyed at once to the house of Mr.
Clark, a surgeon practising at Twickenham, and is under-
stood to be in a very precarious state.

A destructive fire broke out on Sunday morning,
in ono of the most populous parts of Dublin, and before it
could be extinguished several houses and a timber yard
were destroycd, and the adjoining premises were greatly
injured. It is not known how the catastrophe originated.
ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, REGENT'S PARK.—The
gardens of the Zoological Society of London were crowded
with visitors during the whole of yesterday. Nearly 26,000
persons paid for their admission, and many of the Fellows
and their friends were likewise prevent.
FREE EMIGRATION TO THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE,
—The Sedgemore, of 920 tons, being the 28th free emi-
grant ship despatched at the colonial expense, sailed from
Southampton on Saturday last for Table Bay, with a
selection made from the artisan and agricultural claeses, by
the acting emigration agent, Mr. A. C. Saunders. They
number 258 souls, equal to 223 statute adults, and are under
the charge of superintending surgeon S. F. Chennell. Mr.
Saunders appointed from among them John Many to be
schoolmaster, Jane M'Connell to be matron, and Alice
Wright, sub-matron. The emigration to the colony under
the local act of 1857 has now reached a tetAl of 8,620 souls.