FRANCE AND AMERICA.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1987, 24 November 1863, Page 5

FRANCE AND AMERICA.

The Opinon National, in a long article on the s.ime subjects, takes a thoroughly Northern riew of the prospects of the war, and in particular considers the arming of the blacks by the South a sign of exhaustion :— That measures, in auy way, denotes the end of the war, it proves the helplessness of the | South, it involves the disorganisation of work- ! shops, the discontinuance of labour in a country where none but slave labour exists; moreover, it is in itself a condemnation of the war. Why should the South continue a war of which the maintenance of slavery has been tte cause and the watchword, if it sets the slaves at liberty. The probable turn which the dissolution of the Chamber and the foi incoming elections are | likely to give the affairs in Prussia is thus speculated on by the Debats :— " The German journals are ail occupied with speculations on the dissolution of the Prussion Parliament. What is the tendancy of that important act ? What are the King's intentions ? What will become of M. de Bismark ? Every writer answers these different questions in his own way. Thejournals of the Federal party pretend that the Crown has never been on better terms with the Ministry, that the King is little inclined as ever to tolerate the encroachments of the Lower House, and that, if the appeal now made to the electoral" body should not return devated deputies,be will suspend- the Constitution. They add that the Government already possesses, and will not refrain from using the means of restricting, the electoral agitation within narrow limits. On the other hand the Liberal papers declare that in spite of the difficult position in which they are placed by the system of warnings, the least unfavourable result that can happen for the pretentions of the Crown will be the re-election of the old deputies. It is to be remarked that neither the Faudalists nor the Democrats think the King disposed to modify the existing com* position of th*J electoral body. But, in any case, there cannot be any doubt. The only thing as yet certain is that the elections will be with all parties a protest against the Frankfort resolutions, that the most evident of the Ministry in dissolving the Chamber of Deputies has been t« provoke a national manifestation, and that Austria is getting seriously alarmed at M.de Bismark's skilful manosuvre. There is also another fact which might be affirmed if the excited state of the public mind in Prussia justified the expectation of some little wisdom and coolness on the part of the Prussian opposition — namely, that in thus cleverly operating against Austria, M. de Bismark exposes himself to a total political defeat at home while securing diplomatic sue cesses abroad. The Prussian electors have it in their power to consolidate at once the tottering constitution of their country ; they have only to elect deputies who will accept a compromise on the question of the day, the military question (which would satisfy the King), and who would stand firm on all the matters seriously involving the principle of Parliamentary prerogative. Unfortunately the constituencies I seem in many places rather disposed to push things to extremes than to strengthen, by a moderate triumph, the real victory they have obtained over the Ministry, for it certaiuly is a victory thus to have compelled the Bismark Cabinet to submit its fate to the decision of the electors. It is already said that M.M. de Vincke and de Schlenits will not be re-elected, and that the ultra-Radical candidates will be pieferred to the pure Constitutionalists — a very wise and logical conclusion assuredly, if the Prussian nation is determined to establish a republic, but very imprudently if it intends to retain the monarchy."