The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-23 00:00:00

PRUSSIA.

The Second Chamber of Berlin, op the 20th, re-
jected, in accordance with the recommendation of
the committee, by 154 votes to 102, the motion of
M. Mathis against the system hitherto pursued
with respect to the press. It afterwards adopted,
by 126 votes to 125, an amendment of M. Wagoner
and M. de Gerlach, to-the effect that the liberty of
the press shall be guaranteed by a law that the
right assumed by the Government of withdrawing
a concession of a newspaper as an admini<trative
measure shall be set aside, and that the tribunals
shall be always left to decide on the suspen•ion of
journals. These votes produced a great sensation.
The signification of this double vote is evident—the
Chamber, without . wishing to blame the course
hitherto pursued by the Government, being anxious
to show that the present system should be changed,
and more serious guarantees given to the press in
Prussia.

The grand fancy ball of the Duke and Duchess
de Brabant, which has been so long talked of, took
place on Monday evening at the palace at Brusiel4,
and was of a most brilliant description. The
Duchess de Brabant figured as the Empress-Queen
Maria Theresa., in a drtss of silver brocade with a
corsage of .blue velvet, a mantle of gold, brocade
lined with ermine, and her hair in powder ; round
her neck the princess wore a magnificent set of
diamonds, and diamonds in her hair, and attended
by ladies of honour and pages in the costume of the
time, the latter bearing her train. The Princess
Charlotte wore the costume of a lady of the court
of Catherine de Medicis, resembling that of Eliza-
beth of Austria, wife of Charles IX., whose por-
trait is in the Louvre at Paris ; .the corsage was in
cherry-coloured damask, and was almost entirely
covered with diamonds ; the petticoat was
embroidered with pearls, and on the under petti-
coat were suspended festoons of diamonds, producing
a charming effect ; a frill embroidered with gold,
and a 'cap decked with diamonds, completed
the costume. Both the princess and th, duchess
looked admirably, and the profusion of diamonds
worn by the former was brilliant in the extreme.
The Duke de Brabant wore the costume of a Bel-
gian noble of the time of Louis XIV. ; the lace was
of the ric'aest description, and the clasp of the cravat
was a bouquet of diamonds ; the great of the
epoch completed the costume of his royal highnek
The Count de Flandre figured as Charles V: in his
youth ; his pourpoint was 'white and embroidered
with gold, and was such as the great Emperor wore
on solemn occasions. The Duchess d'ArembPrg ap-
peared as her ancestress Sibylle de Lamarck, of
whom there exists a fine portrait by Martin de Vos,
and the duchess's sons and daughters were in cos-
tumes of the tame of Louis XIII. Lady Howard de
Walden, wife oft be English minister, was as Louise de
Lorraine, in a magnificent dress of crimson and
gold ; Miss Ellis as a ehepherdez,s of the time of
Louis XV.; and Lady Waller, wife of Sir T. Waller,

secretary of the English legation, as a lady of the
court in the 16'h century. Amongst the most re-
markable costumes were those of Henry VIII.,
Ann Boleyn, the Duke de Sully, Villiers Duke of
Buckingham, Peter the Great, and other historical
p7rSonagt s. The other dresses were of all coun-
tries, 'from the middle ages down to the la. t cen-
tury. The Duchess de Brabant being prevented
by her mantle did not da,ce, but the Duke de Bra-
bant, the Princess Charlotte, and the Count de
Plandre danced more than once, and with the
Duchess passed several times through the rooms.
The fete terminated about two o'clock,