The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-21 00:00:00

LOIVDON, FRIDAY, FEB. 21, 1868.

All must sympathise with the unfortunate King
of HANOVER in his red exile, and if it were pos-
sible to imagine the statesmen of Prussia feeling
accusation of shame, we could easily believe their
regarding with compunction the ceremony that
took place at Ritzing the other day. On that
occasion his MAJESTY celebrated his " silver wed
ding," the twenty-fifth anniversary of his mar-
riage. The affair went off very well, and must
have proved very satisfactory to the Royal Family.
A large party assembled, and the KING'S speech
was interesting and impressive. He declared that
the presence of those who had come from such a
distance fully revealed the intimate connection
between the Hanoverian people and the House of
GUELPH. It is touching to find that the unfortu-
nate Monarch still retains the conviction that the
tide of fortune will turn, and that he will return
to his old place and resume his Sovereign State.
He pointed emphatically to his ancestors, who had
been driven by adverse fate from their inheritance,
and had found upon their return a yet larger
Guelphic kingdom than they had possessed before.
He trusted in the justice of Providence, and
cherished the hope that he should yet return a
"free and independent" Sovereign to his own coun-
try. In conclusion, the KING drank prosperity to
Hanover, and a speedy re-union in the branch of
the Guelphs. This feast, which was attended ex-
clusively by Hanoverians, is suggestive in many re-
spects. It shows that old ties and deep-seated asso-
ciations are not rooted up and put aside by the
passing winds of adverse fortune, and the respect
and regard that are the portion of King GEORGE
cannot be taken from him by any stern decree or
harsh innovation of the conqueror. He has been a
needless sacrifice to the inordinate ambition and
the vanity of ill-directed desires, but he
still retains a sway in the minds of his faithful
adherents that no armed forces can dispossess him
of, and no statute that issues from the councils of
Berlin can put a period to. Many circumstances
take place which from time to time necessi-
tate the introduction of a new order of things,
however precious the Conservatism of the old
regime may be, and the chances and changes of this
troublesome world entail many a regret and a
mournful glance at the past. In looking at the
position of the exiled Princes of Germany, however,
we cannot conscientiously say that any justification
appears for the insults and injuries that have been
heaped upon them ; on the contrary, Germany
would be a great deal better off had they been left
where they were. The utmost said against them
was that they stood still, but those who
have usurped their places go a great deal
too for in the wrong direction. In a very
short time it will be seen how greatly the course
now pursued under the direction of BISMARCK has
militated against the full development of native
strength, aid how much it has undermined the na-
tional prosperity of those annexed provinces. Itis
a tribute to the devotion of his servants that the
magnificent plate of the ex-Kings of Hanover was
concealed from the Prussians, and graced the ban-
quet at Ritzing in a fashion that many a crowned
head might have envied. While we feel that it is
not in the doctrine of chances that the wish and ex-
pectations of the exiled KING will ever be realised,
we cannot the less sympathise with him, and feel in-
dignation at the manner in which he has been
treated.

In Bavaria it is to be noticed that the turn of
affairs has by no means realised the expectations
of Prussia, and that the projected union with that
country does not find the favour which some had
anticipated would be, its portion. We are not
surprised at this, for the Southern people have had
ample opportunity of judging for themselves by
this time as to the nature of the changes, and so
see now much more in sound than reality is the
entire affair of the union with North Germany. The
Prussians have made a piece of work about the
Hanoverian Legion, but according to accounts it
may be considered that nothing serious will result
from the affair. The folly of the Berlin Govern-
ment is shown by the language used in semi-official
quarters when it is said that it is no proof of
friendly feeling to give hospitality to the ex-King,
and so on. The intolerance of these critics is well
known to report, but even they seldom go further
than they do here. When they maintain that his Ma-
jesty of HANOVER has equipped Prussian subjects
for war against their Sovereign it really seems as
if they were at a loss what new charge to bring
when they argue after this fashion.

Among the many exciting subjects which are
likely to engross public attention this session we
are glad to find that one of great social importance
is not to be altogether overlooked. The inequalities
and injustice which attend the present system of
rating for the relief of the poor have lately formed
the subject of a good deal of discussion. The wide-
spread distress at the East of London, augmenting,
as it does, from year to year, has induced wise and
thoughtful men to go deeper into the question than
the mere temporary administration of relief, and
made them examine, in all its bearings, the whole
system of parochial relief. The rates at which small
householders grumble in the central districts become
in the eastern parishes one of the most serious con-
siderations to those struggling just above pauperism,
and while all unprejudiced observers admit the justice
of their complaints, they have not weight or influ-
ence enough to carry the day against the interested
opposition of their wealthier antagonists at the
lightly-taxed West-end. Such an oppressive and
unjust state of things, however, is not likely to
last long without some movement being made by
practical reformers ; and, accordingly, we find that
the meeting which was held the other day in the
East-end to consider the adjustment of some of
these ratepaying differences, has been succeeded by
the promised deputation. Yesterday a large and
influential body of gentlemen waited upon the Pre-
sident of the Poor-Law Board, at Gwydyr House,
to plead for the extension of the area of rating.
They were not prepared at once to recommend the
total equalisation of the rates, but urged that
the principle should be adopted at least with
regard to the indoor poor. They urged very forci-
bly the grievances of the poorer ratepayers, and
showed that the inequalities of the present system
were most glaring and indefensible. Facts and
figures speak for themselves, and the logic of the
I subjoined statement is unanswerable :—" The seven