The Sun.
London, England, 1842-10-11 00:00:00

THE AFFAIRS OF GERMANY.

FRANKFORT, Oct. l.—The position of the Press in
Germany is curiously illustrated by a judicial decision
which was pronounced lately by one of the higher
tribunals of the Grand Duchy of Baden. Before the
memorable decrees of 1882 Baden had enjoyed com-
parative freedom of the Press. The newspapers were,
indeed, under the control of a censor, ' but if they
printed articles which ho prohibited, no penalty could
be enfinved against them, unless a Jury decided that
the article in question was punishable; The Frank-
fort ordinances were chiefly directed against Baden,
as' the country which had the best emancipated itself
from' the old-fashioned restraints that were jealously,
kept up by Austria and Prussia. Baden, like the
rest, was obliged to make its censorship rigorous, and
for a while freedom of discussion was annihilated.
After the farce of the " demagogische Autriche" (the
emptiness of which was proclaimed last year officially)
was played out, and the serious position in which
Germany was placed by M. Thiers awakened a bol-
der and a better spirit in both rulers and ruled, the
Gazette of Upper Germany was founded by some
public-spirited citizens at Carlsruhe, and did good ser-
vice under the censorship of M. Griehne to the national
cause. At the time it was almost the only paper in Ger-
many that gave leading articles, and therefore com-
manded more .attention abroad thanl all the rest of the
Press taken together. Theimpresslon which these
well penned effusions made in Paris was the best re-
ward of the writer, and the chief object of his exer-
tions. This impression was due to the tone in which
they were conceived, and which left no- doubt as to
their expressing the sentiments ,of an unanimous and
powerful nation. The impression they made on the
Baden censor was, however, not less apparent. Baillie
Jarvic enforcing the law against Rob Roy, was in no
greater perplexity than the worthy censorial depart-
ment at Carlsruhe on this manifestation of power on
the part of a newspaper, which, to the honuur of all
censors, seemed to have adopted the plan of taking no
notice of them. Treating them as torments which
might have their use on occasions which it was then
nu time to discuss, the editor went on printing in spite
of prohibitions and seizures, paying the fines that
were laid upon him through the munificence of the
proprietors, and acting as no organ of the Press had
ever done before in Germany. One would have
thought that the Baden Government, which were to
have had to bear the brunt of the fray, if an invasion
had taken place, would have felt in some measure in-
debted to so seasonable an ally. But the editor, like
those conscious of strength, was not alway* particular
as to the direction in which he used it, and seemed to
think that the remedying of ahusei at home was as
good a way as any other to make Germany. respected
abroad, -c'Ve English, too, unhappily did not of late
stand much in the Editor's favour, from the influence
of a proprietor who, amongst manFamiable qualities
and great diversity of talent, has lately had a propen-
sity for cotton-spinning, or from the not uncommon
notion that manufactures are the only means to make
a country rich, and that we prevent all the rest of the
world from manufacturing. The Baden Govern-
ment, however, did not interfere to prevent the cen-
sor from pursuing his attacks, and he, of course, was
encouraged to increase their severity. A Commissary
of Police was sent into the printing-office to examine
the manuscripts, and carry off any which might be in
process of printing in contravention of the censorial
prohibition. This course was, after some trials, dis-
continued as unadvisable, and the system of confiscat-
ing the . numbers at the Post-office adopted. This
allowed the proprietora to commence a suit at law
for indemnification fbr • their loss. The Magis-
tracy of Carlsruhe, in the first instance, in every
respect, decided against the Editor, and sentenced
him to the usual fine for contumacy against the
tensor. An appeal was made to the Court at Rad-
stadt, which has decided against the Lower Court,
confirming the fine, which was not disputed in
the appeal, bnt ordering the property to be restored,
and condemning the seizure as illegal. M. Sander,
the popular Deputy, was the pleader for the paper.
This decision deserves to.be known in England, as it
shows the respect for private property which is found
where the Courts of Justice are independent, and
must, of course, influence the pretioetion of such un-
dertakings as the transit of the Indian mails, or other
cases of trust.
In Prussia another case of hardship has, I am
sorry to say, been added to those of Messrs. Jacoby
and Hoffman. The principal teacher of the Gymna-
sium of Konigsberg was accused of contributing some
of the leading articles of the greatest effect to the
paper of that city, which, since the accession of the
present King, has been foremast in the Liberal ranks.
lie was required fo produce a certificate from the
Rend-muter that he performed his duties satistac,
torlly. The Master gave him a brilliant testimony Aa
to his efficiency, but when the leading question was
put to himself whether lie thought it. advantageous to
the sehool to have its teachers writers in newspapers,
he, of course, replied in the negative. On this M
Witte was immediately dismissed from his post.
Judging from the manner in which M. Witte is re-

spected in Prussia one would think that a censorship
with any pretensions to the character of utility would
use every exertion to get the papers into such hands
as this instead of discouraging men of respectability
and talent from supporting them.

RUSSIAN FORCE IN THE
BLACK SEA.
SEBASTOPOL, SEPT. 11.—The fleet which sailed
from this harbour about a month since, to cruise in
the Black Sea, and to exercise the crews at their
guns, returned about five days since. It anchored in
the roads, where it presents an imposing appearance.
This, squadron is composed of six ships of the line,
two frigates, and three sloops. The names of the
line-of-battle shies are—the Twelve Apostles, bear-
ing the Russian ti ice-Admiral Arvinoff's flag, and the
Three Saints, both three-deckers, carrying 120 guns.
These two superb ships were built at Nicolajeff, and
are quite new. The crews of each consist of 800
men, and their guns are—two-thirds of 48 guns, and
the remainder of 36. The other ships mount 84 guns,
and are called the Mahmut, Silistria, Adrianople, and
the Three Hierarchs. Their crews consist of 600
men each, and their guns of 32-pounders. The Sills-
tria having run aboard the Adrianople during the
late cruise and damaged her, the latter has been laid
up in dock, and it is doubtful whether she can ever
be fitted for sea. Besides this fleet there are in the
inner harbour six other ships fit for service, viz., the
Warsaw, a three-decker, carrying 120 guns, and five
carrying 84 guns. A new ship, the Varna, is daily
expected from Nicolajeff. Besides the ships already
mentioned, there are sii others unfit foi service. The
Russian fleet in the Black Sea comprises, besides the
ships above named, six frigates, eleven sloops,
and six steam-boats, which are almost all employed
on the coast of the Caucasus, to prevent any commu-
nication between the mountaineers and the Turkish
ports in Asia Minor, whence the Circassians used to
draw their. supplies of provisions and ammunitiou.
The works of the fortifications of Sebastopol_ art tar-
ried on with the greatest activity. The two forts at
the entrance of the bay, named Alexander and Con-
stantine, which are mounted with 320 pieces of cannon,
are completely finished. 'The works,of the great fort
St. Nicholas, which consist of three rows of cannon
one above the other, are nearly egmplet©. This edifice
of extraordinary magnitudQ. i intended to defend,
with 260 cannon, tai© Wrbour and docks, but at this
moment there Are but 40 guns mounted. The most
extensive works that the Itw.;slans have effected here
are, without comn'lrison, the docks for repairing ships
of war. • Ttiese N%-..orlcs should be seen in order to have
an idea of this colossal enterprise, which wm mu.
menced twelve years since, and is still ecaithitied not-
withstanding the numerous difficulties
-
opposed to the filling those docks w I'll were
sufficient water.
lor this purpose it was necP:sary to form a canal, 18
versts long, to convey:
L
nabs Retchlo): Thiite water from the river Tcher-
s canal passeS through several
tunnel' and aqueducts. It is a British engineer named
ir-
_sopton who is directing those works. The Emperor
is so much pleased with the exertions of this gentle-
man that he has conferred on him a decoration, toge-
ther with the rank of Colonel. The Russian Admiral
Lazareff, a man of great activity and an excellent
seaman, is at present here, occupied in inspecting the
works of the fortifications. When he has concluded
this operation, he proposes to return to Nicolajeff,
where lie resides, with the rank of Commander-in-Chief
of the entire Russian naval force in the Black Sea.
IntelligenCe has just been received here that Lieut.
General Golowin, Commander-in-Chief of the Pro-
vinces of the Caucasus, has been recalled, and replaced
by General Neidhart, one of the Emperor's Aides-de-
Camp. The Prince Tschernitscheff, Russian Minister
of War, still remains in Circassia.