, 1865-09-08

Prussia tn the WCrlu as tHe dIpitVI "a "HJ
and his country has been so sho wn. The Diet
has onlv his week demanded to be placed in
posse sion of the Duchies, and the Diet Is only
laughed at. The HolsteincIs have only this
mouth celebrated The birthday of the Prince OF
Augustenhurg as their %rigbtful sovereign, and
all who took part in the ceremony are 10 De
prosecuted on behalf Of both the Powers aus
tris has only a few weeks since pleaded the
cauSe Of the lesser Powers, aud Austria lhlo"s
up her hand, unable to make any longer hoaa
against the Pru,sian supremacy. AS lot 'ne
unhappy Duchies, no reasonable d!Ploma'l ~
riyes them a moments thought, but their POSI-
ton is ~certainly an unfortunate one. 1hey
lebel]ed against Denmark il order, list, to Sc
cure their uu.ty ! secondly, to belong exclusive
" to Germany; end, thirdly, to live The lie
Of free German States under the Prince OF their
choice. Their rebellion WIS successful, aud
thew find their only frst-class port ceded TO
another mower forever, and that power author
lied to purchase not OF them, but OF VIENNA
any more of their territory 1t may happen 10
want a prince on the throne who Is no more
their choice than King Christian was ana
themselves subjected to the most lntoIefaoIe OF
all burdens, a Murine conscrlptlon, to pc leVleo
not for the benefit of their own State, but Tor
that of another, which other came among them
il the guise of a powert hi sting to deliver Ger
mans from foreign yoke. The men Of the Du-
cbi,s have brought it all upon themselves put
it must be hard to bear. 1t Is as 1t a manS-
naut genius had granted all their requests WIN
a "rider" to neutralize each boon, 1hey &C.
manded to be united, and they are, with an
enemy planted in the strongest concelYaoIe po-
sition just between them. They demanded 70
be German, aud they are, IN all but freedom -
live like the population OF any other German
State. They would be free of King Christian,
1 ~ - -. a,l. - - culi,ctpd to q pTIucn
at least as foreign to their affections. 1t is use
less to think of resistance, for the only power
which could aid them tells them in the Montcur
that his price is the cession of Northern Schlls-
wig back to the Danes, tlat if be IS to fight
their cause it must be as protector ot nalo"al-
itics. They have only Two alternatives-to
submit gracefully, live without kiel and with
Prussian postmasters, or, resolved at least TO
have some share in their own government, 10
declare by an unanimous pleblScltam Tor annex
alton to Prussia. That must be their ultimate
fate, and if they accepted 1t now 'hey cou'd
help to swell the maj rity which may one day
cali Herr Won Bisnalk and the HoheDzolIeruS
equally to account.
It is exceedingly difficult TO believe that the
Austrian Government, which so recently de-
nounced the voluntary surrender OF territory as
Introducing "A new and unknown element into
polltics, can have suggested terms like these
save in hope of some equivalent. W. do not
wonder therefore at the revival OF stories about
the cession of Venetia and the occupation OF
the Principalities, of territorial guarantees. and
of new arrangements respecting PoIa7' "heT
are all, we imagine, founded solely on tue u
nlomatio idea that Austria gives nothing Tor
nothing, and must therefore, as she is giving
have some secret promise of payment: 1t
seems more sensible to believe that the Empe-
ror. determined to reduce his army and conclll-
ate Hungary, aware that he can gain nothing IN
the North, believing that Prussia will weaken
rather than strengthen herself by her anomalous
~position in the Ducbirs, and acquainted vii;
the obstinate resolution Of the KING has resoiV'
ed to retire, granting any terms short OF aoso-
Lutte annexation. The position was nearly I'M
tenable. Nothing except force would nae IN
duced Herr Won Bismark to allow the Kaiser an
equality of substantive authority. and a war tor
u prize he could not keep involved too great a
risk. So he r~etires, having sacrificed men, aud
treasure, aud Influence with the Diet, and the
character of his Government as a rigldly COn-
serva,ive power, in order to enable Prussia to
increase its territory by the seizure OF hiel'
The Austrian army is said to have been greatly
improved by its experience in Italy, perhaps