New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-01-09

to &c. some clue as to the classical names of Ach-
les. Cicero, Nestor and Hector, there exists only
very Indifferent percentage who ever suspected the
sandy soil Of BraDdenburg of not only produc ng
potatoes and sheep in our own time, bat of having
e1uberated some centuries ago no less than four
Electors, respectively going under the names of
Aibrecht Achilles, Johann c cero, Joachim I.
Nesior, and Joachim III. Hector. The same golden
nediocrity that favored the slow growth of the
ectorste of Brandenburg into what is BY courtesy,
called European power, has safely screened its
home pun history frUm too indsereet an intimacy
with the public eye. Reyi on this fact, Prus-
sian statesmen and writer's have eXerted themselves
TO the utmost to inpregnate the world with he no
tic that Prussia is the military monarchy, par e1el-
| hEee-wbence 1t might be inferred that the divine
right of the HohenzolleIns must mean the right
Of the sword, the right Of conquest. Nothing
could be further from the mark. 1t may be affirmed,
on the contrary, that, properly speaking, OF all the
provinces the Hohenzolerns nov possess, they have
conquered only one Silesis: feat so unparalleled
in the annals of their house, that il earned for
Frederick IL. the title Of the Unique. Now, the
PIussan monarchy stretches over lO9,3li square
milts, of which the province of Brandenburg
even in its present extent, does not number more
than 10, 1872 and Silisa no more than 10, go How,
then did they get at Prussia with % l26 at Posen,
with II, PAS at POmerans, with IL, 3O4, at Ss1ony,
With 9elS at Wettphalia, with 9, SIS, and at Rhen-
ish Piussis, with l0,3c square miles! by tha
divine r'shs of bribery open purchase, petty lar
ceDy, legacy hunting, and trescherous partition
treaties.
In the beginning of the fifteenth century, the
Nargravste OF Brandenburg belonged TO the house
Of Luxembourg, whose chief, Sigismund, sinful
tsDeOusly swsyed the imperial scepter OF Germany.
Being very short Of cash and hard pressed BY his
creditors, he found face and accommodating
friend in Frederick, Burgrave OF Nuremberg,
prince tracing his origin to the house OF Hohenzo-
lern. In 14lI, Frederick was installed as General
Administrator Of Brsndenburg made over to him
as sort of mortgage for the divers sums he had
advanced to the Emperor. Like prudent money
lei der who finds himself once put in preliminary
possession of the premises of spendthIlft, FIede
rick continued to involve Sigismund in new debts
by lew advances, til l4l5, when the debtor and
creditor accounts were at last settled BY the in-
yestiture of Frederick with the hereditary eectO-
rate Of Brandenburg. To leave no doubt as TO the
nature Of this act, it was encountered with two
clauses, the one reserving to the house of Luxem-
burg the right of redeeming the electorate on pay
meDt Of 400 eco forms in gold; aud the other bind
Jog Frederick and his heirs, on every new election
for the Empire, to give their vote to that house
ole clause stamping the contract IS barter and
the other as bribery. To become full proprietor of
the electorate, there remained for the grssPing
friend of SIeismund but one further operation-the
dropping Of the redemption clause. Accordingly he
watched the opportune moment when Sigsmuhd,
at the Council Of Constance was again out OF money;
be hurried from the March TO the confines of Swift
zerlsnd emptied his purse, and the fatal clause
was struck of. Such were the ways and
MEANS Of TIE right divine, on which the stul reign
ing dynasty of Hohenzollern POUNDS lis possession
Of the Electorate of Brandenburg Such was the
origin of The PrussiAn monarchy.
Frtdercks next successor, s very weak man,
called the "Iron" because Of his fancy for always
appearing in pubic in an iron harness, bought for
100 OOO gold forms the New March from the order
OF tie Teutonjc Knights, as his father bad bought
The Old March and his dignity from the German En-
peror. Thence the method Of buying up encum-
bered parcels of sovereignty grew into as settled
thing with the H0heDzollen Electors as inter'en-
ton lad once been with the Roman Senate. Leav-
ing the tedious details Of this sordid traffic we pass
on TO the times OF the Reformation.
Unjust not be imagined that because the Reforma-
ton turned out ~ be the main prop Of the Honen-
zolltin dynasty, the HoheDzollern dynasty proved
themselves the main prop of the Reformation.
Quite the reverse The founder Of the dynasty,
Frederick l., iDsugurated his reign by leading the
armies Of Sigismund against the Hussltes, who
tbrssbtd him soundly for bis pains. Joachim l.
Nestor, from 1893 10 1885, treated the German
Reformation as though it were a Tsborite. He
penecuted II 10 his death. Joachim III. Hector,
although convert 70 Lutheranism, refused 70 draw
the sword in defense OF the new faith a. the very
momen. when it appeared 70 succumb before the
oyerv helmiDg forces Of Charles V. Not only de-
ching TO tbsre in the armed resistance oil tne
Scbmsb alden Bund, be rendered bis secret support
10 tie Emperor. On the part of the hohenzoHefn'
The Gprmsn ReformatOn then, met with open hos
,lb:y at ts rpe; at the time of its earlier struggles
With a ia Sc neutrality aid during It's terrible CON-
cudir scene Of the Thirty Years War with FAM
h.orl.d vacillation, cowardly insctop, and base
faith.sp..,. IL is known that the Elector, George
Wilhelm, tired to bar q passage to the hoeratlng
AIMS Of Gust,vus Adolpbus, who was forced 70
drive bin By kicks and blows into the Protestant
camp, out of which he afterward tried To skulk' BY
col Guiding ,spara,e peace with Austria. But
tie Hoher zolerhs were not The Knights, they GER
taiDly were the cashiers Of the German Reiorms-
N, Eel hi in iks only