FRANCE AN,D AMERICA.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1988, 26 November 1863, Page 4

FRANCE AN,D AMERICA.

The Opinon Nationale, in a long article on the sfdine subjects, takes a thoroughly Northern view 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 any way, denotes the end of the war, it proves the helplessness of the South, it involves the disorganisation of workshops, the discontinnance 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 the cause and the watchword, if it sets the slaves at liberty. The probable tarn which the dissolution of the Chamber and the foithcoming elections are likely to give the afftirs in Prussia is thus speculated on by the Debats :— " The German journals are nil 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, he will suspend the Constitution. They add that the Government already possesses, and will not refrain from using the means of restricting, the j 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 composition of the 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 paities a protest against the Frankfort resolutions, . that the most evident intention of the Ministry in dissolving the Chamber of Deputies has been to provoke a national manifestation, and that Austria is getting seriously alarmed at M.de Bisxnark's skilful maacsuvre; There is

a!s'< another fael «!,ich might I)*- ;i (tinned if tbe excited state vi tin' public mir.it in . Prussia justified t!ic expecintinn i'f some j little wisdom and coolness on the part of j tbe Prussian opposition— namely, that in j thus cleverly operating against Austria, M. ! do Bismurk exposes himself to a total political ! defeat at li<'J«e while securing diplomatic sue I cesses abroad. Tbe Prussian electors have it I in their power to consolidate at once tbe totter- | ing constitution of their couutvy ; they have only to elect deputies who will accept a compromise on the question of the day, the military question (which would s&tisfy tbe King), and who would stand linn on all the matters seriously involving the principle of Parliamentary prerogative. Unfortunately the constituencies 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 cenaiuly is a victory thus to have compelled the Bismark Cabinet to submit its fate to the decision of tbe electors. It is already said that M.M. fie Vincke and de Schlenits will not be re-elected, and that tbe 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."