The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-08 00:00:00

THE CONGRESS.

The Ost Deutsche 'Post replies as follows to the
statement made by the Dresden Journal that the
five great powers are in accord on the preliminaries
of the Congress :—" Notwithstanding the pains we
have taken to ascertain whether the preliminary
conditions laid down by Austria had been accepted
by the court of the Tuileries, we are not yet able
to . enlighten our readers on the subject, as the .
.reply from Paris has not yet arrived here. The
two mediating powers, who in the first place made
use of all-their eloquence to induce Austria to take
part iu a Congress, must now exercise their in-
fluence to lead France to accept the preliminary
conditions put forward by Austria."
The Telegraphe of Brussels publishes the follow-
ing article•:—" If we' can believe the organs of the
Vienna Cabin et it is both in the in terests ofher dignity
and in those of peace that Austria demands that
Piedmont shall disarm before the meeting of the
Congress. Such is the declaration made by the
Ost-DeutsChe Post. We ask ourselves in what the
.dignity of Austria could be wounded and peace
compromised, if she were herself to give to the
repose of Europe the pledge which she exacts from
Sardinia. Does she not, on the contrary, make an
attack on her own consideration and excite mis-

trust by remaining armed before an adversary on
whom she has imposed the obligation of laying
aside its means of defence? Such a pretension is
so exorbitant that it certainly will not be sup-
ported by any Power. Austria herself well knows
that those conditions cannot be accepted, but this
she cares little about ; all she wishes for being some
pretext for 'causing the failure of the proposed
meeting of a Congress. The weak side of Austria
is the question of finance. With her formidable
armaments she has created a state of things which
swallows up more than two millions and a half of
francs a day, and` those expenses go on increasing.
On entering on the path of negotiations the per-
spective, in a budgetary point of view, becomes
positively frightful—as it shows nothing but
ruin and bankruptcy. The Congress cannot meet
sooner than three weeks or a month, supposing
that the Powers 'agree on the bases, which is still
doubtful. The discussions which would come on
before that assembly may be prolonged for three
months or more, for every one knows the slow pace
at Uhich diplomacy proceeds, so that before any

conclusion can be come to, either favourable or
otherwise, Austria will have, seen from two to
three-hundred millions of deficit swallowed up.
She is now at the end of her resources, the coffers
of the state are empty, she has on her shoulders
the weight of an enormous debt which weighs her
to the ground, and the loan which she endeavoured
to negotiate in London has turned out a failure. In
this desperate situation, nothing remains for her
but to have recourse to war. It is, therefore, in the
excessive financial penury of Austria that we must
seek for the secret of her policy. As she would not
lend herself :to an honourable arrangement while
there was yet time, and being now unable to draw
back after having advanced so far, war is the only
refuge open to her, and no astonishment need be
felt at seeing her every day invent some fresh pre-
text for impeding the mediatory work of diplomacy."