AUSTRIA AND PRUSSIA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 245, 7 March 1855, Page 5

AUSTRIA AND PRUSSIA.

Next in importance to the actual progress of the war is the pending'state of affairs .between Austria and Prussia, in which the speculation to which we have just reverted may be said to be involved. The last Austriau confidential note, in answer to the persevering demands of Prussia, is attracting a great deal of attention, although it opens no points that can be considered exactly new. The interest of this communication arises from its placing the position of Austria, and ike impossibility of passively con-

tinuing it, in a clearer light than before.--In order to make this perfectly intelligible, we must reciill attentiou to the conditions attempted to be enforced by Prussia upon the Austrian Cabinet. First, that Austria, having occupied the Principalities, should close them against the Turks and their allies ; and, second, that Austria should pledge herself not to attack Russia, unless Russia first attacked her. Count Esterhazy's answer is explicit on both sides. First, that Austria was not authorised to prereut the operations of the belligerent powers; and, second, that Austria could renounce her right to assume hostilities should they become necessary. "It is evident," continues the writer, "that we cannot expect to obtain peace, which is for its a necessity, from the exploits of others, and that we cannot bind ourselves to support for an unlimited period of time the arduous sacrifices which this attitude must occasion." Without going any farther into this important note here, we itiay observe, that the whole case is concisely stated in this passage. To obtain peace, Austria must go to war herself. To escape an indefinite term of sacrifices, Austria cannot avoid taking a part in hostilities. The declaration is as.explicit as the necessity is urgent. The time is rapidly approaching when no more notes will be exchanged between Austria aud Prussia, and when action Jin the field will supersede the idle flourishes of diplomacy. Out of this state of things another political dilemma springs. It has been intimated that our Gorernme?it is projecting some measure for arresting the Russian trade on its transit through Prussia. Three modes of effecting this object are suggested:—a blockade of the Prussian ports, with a view to the stoppage of vessels till they declare their cargoes, and then arresting all 'Russian produce ; or, reverting to the old principle of seizing an enemy's goods in neutral bottoms: or. prohibiting their import into this country. The end is more desirable than the means. There exists strong objections to each of these modes. A blockade would virtually amount to a declaration of war against Prussia; the seizure of goods in neutral bottoms has been already formally abandoned in the present war, and the stoppage of importations would occasion serious inconvenience to our mercantile interest. That a stringent course must be adopted with reference to Prussia is evident. It has been already announced by the Courts of Paris and London, that she will no longer be permitted to negotiate as a friend. She must either accept the alliance of the Three Powers, or declare herself hostile. Her territory is at present :ip- I parently at the service of the common enemy ; j and there is nothing to prevent Russia from marching an army to the banks of the Rhine. We require guarantees against dangers of this kind; but if they are not entered into voluntarily, we must take into our own hands, without delay, the means of enforcing them.— Home News. CANADA. The net revenue of Canada in 1853 was £1,195,173; an increase of 1,250,000 dollars over the preceding year. A '£ wonder" is rising in the New World which may well compete with those of the Old —the Victoridl Bridge at Montreal. It is a tubular bridge for the railway across-the St. Lawrence. Tbe whole construction will be two miles long ; an abutment of solid masonry 1200 feet long will stretch from the "north shore, one of 600 feet from tbe south shore, and the space between Will be spanned by iron tubes resting on 24 piers. The distance between the under surface of the centre tube and the average summer level of the river is 60 feet. It is hoped that the first train will pass through this bridge by the summer of 1858. We shall soon have the Canadians borrowing the Yankee boast when talking to a "stranger"—-"We are a great people, sir." CHINA AND JAPAN. We have intelligence from China up to the :; 14th instant. Themost interesting item of intelligence is doubtless that of Admiral Sir James Stirling having opened the Japan trade to the British as well as the Americans. Towards the latter end of October the vessels which- formed the expedition returned from Japan with the announcement of the Admiral's success, which, however, appears to have been attained with. far more difficulty than was experienced by Commodore: Perryand his brother-negociatprs of America. The following is a brief sketch; of the proceedings of the embassy which we ex-

! tract from a Hong Kong paper :--" The expedition left Woosung on the Ist September, on the 7th anchored in the outer roadstead of Nangasaki, and the following morning, by permission of the Governor, went into the inner harbour, there to await a reply from Yedo to His Excellency's communication. During the first three weeks, the greatest discourtesy was displayed,towards their visitors by the Japanese, who placed a cordon of boats around the vessels, so that all communication with the shore, and for some time we believe even between the ships, was prevented ; and peremptorily refused to supply 'provisions, or even fresh water, so that the crews were in consequence for some time on short allowance until a threat from His Excellency that he would proceed on to Yedo, brought the authorities to their senses. ; At length, however, permission arrived from the capital for the-Governor of Nansaki to negotiate with Admiral Stirling, and a convention was signed, similar we believe in all respects to that entered into with the Americans, namely, that the two ports of Simoda and [Hakodadi shall be: thrown open to British trade. At the same time permission was granted to the crews of the vessels to land on an island in the harbour, about: three-quarters of a mile in circumference ; but with the of the officers who accompanied the Admiral in his three ceremonial visits to the Governor,—on which occasions all view of the surrounding country, or even,of the town, was prevented by a fence ten to twelve feet high, extending from the wharf to the house in which the reception took place,—-not a single individual was allowed to set foot on the mainland. No traffic was permitled, and all endeavours on the part of the officers to:procure specimens of lacquered ware, &c, proved unsuccessful. Indeed every thing was done, and successfully, but, under a garb of the utmost politeness, to teach? their visitors that their company had rather be dispensed with. The squadron got under weigh on the 20th instant, after a lengthy and most disagreeable stay of six weeks, and returned to Hongkong, wherei though previously separated in a gale, the yessels, as above mentioned, have all arriyedj in safety. ■.. . .'■ = . ■:-'. : .-: "'■:•" ■.••,-.•/.■; ' - ■' ;,:It: is;; difficult to understand why so'great a distinction was made between the American ■and the British negociators, unless it be accounted for by the supposition that the more jmp^ingjprce under the command of Commodore Perry had its effect, and possibly also the Yankees ':: went to work in a quicker and more determined kind of way, which might be construed as a practical "open your ports, or we'll open ours." Or, which we deem the most likely conjecture, our predecessors in the negociating line coloured up the story of their reception, and in reality had little more reason than ourselves to boast of the warmth and hospitality of the reception they experienced at the hands of the Exclusives. However this may be, it is a .mac-; ter of corigratulation that the unnatural bartier behind which Japan has so long lain entrenched and utterly secluded from the world, has at length been beaten down. The Americans may boast of having taken the lead in the work, but we were certainly not far behind them. From China we have tl.e usual unsatisfactory budget. The war—if the scrambling disorderly resultless kind-of fighting that is. still going on throughout the empire can be deemed worthy of such a name—remains as it stood months ago. Canton is still in the hands of the Imperialists, and according to their own account they have gained some successes over the insurgents on the Yang-tsi-Kiang; but little faith is to be reposed in their testimony in of themselves. It is well known that while the insurrection was spreading like wild fire from province to province, while in every encounter the royal forces were disgracefully beaten, and while town after town was throwing its gates to welcome the insurgents as deliverers, the Pekin Gazette—the imperialist organ—was daily crowded with glowing accounts of imperialist triumphs. Bulletins were opposed to bullets, with what success the present state of the country attests. We perceive that the English and American plenipotentiaries, accompanied by an officer of the French legation, had proceeded to Pekin, with what precise views we are not informed. The step seems hardly a prudent one under present circumstances, as it can only be regarded as an open departure from the neutrality rule to which we bad tacitly bound ourselves, and which we have so long observed.

If we may look upon the Anglo-Chinese press as the organ of the foreign community resident in China, their sympathies are unquestionably with the insurgent party. The Friend of China says—"There is not wanting a sufficiency (of sympathy with the patriots) " in the South of China to turn the scale on the proper side. It is the fear of intervention by foreign Governments, and the use the Imperialists mal^A^i the slightest show of assistance to them, which':keeps leading men in the:cbuntryyfrbiri declaring themselves. If the patriot party were distinctly given to understand that there would be no interference, and that whoever wished l; might join and aid them in their desire to change the government, a crisis would arrive sooner than many anticipate. We have had the utility of allowing private bodies to join f contending factions in countries torn by war exemplified by Spain and Portugal, and we do not see why'the same liberty should not be 'accorded "here." There may be adversity of opinions oil this point, hiit there can be but one, we should think, as to the imprudence :of the demonstration in favour of the imperialists that the English and American plenipotentiaries Ayould to have made at this juncture.. Not that.we believe them to contemplate any thing like active interference, but it seems inevitable! that the visit to Pekin, whatever may be its realyobject, will be misinterpreted to [subserve political purposes, and it can hardly advance British interests in China that we should be deemed to have espou-v sed the side which is both the unpopular and' the losing one. . v V ;- ' The following report of the destruction of some piratical nests will be read with interest: "Hong Kong, 14th Nov., 1854>—1 have'■Just'-, returned in:H.M.S.S.Baracoutai.from the cruise in search of pirates on the: West Coast, of which mention was made as the mail was leayin<r.Sb Jar, it has heen entirely successfiU;- Jn; Kulan and another bay, altogether fifty-onei junks were destroyed^ three piratical nests burnt,, threeJovmidable batteries carried, mounting altogether, -—in one Iwenty-thvee, in another, and,one mile or two inland,—seven gnns and two .jingalls. The launches of'r^H-i"^^^'^^!^^^^^^^--/.^!^^!!;---Fellowes, commanding starboard division, led in closely followied by Styx's, Baracpiita, and Spartan's launches, throvving twelve and twen-ty-four pound shot; and shelly The (Chinese^ stuck to their guns and fired with beautiful precision for half anhour under a,:;thrilling ;firei; they-then retreated '"'upi the; hills, hotly pursued by our marines, who shot a good many of them, although I only saw two or three knocked dpAvni; " On the side; of the combined landing parties, English 280, Americans 15, Portuguese 26. Chinese Braves 20, Only one ■ American seaman, by name Morrison, was killed^.The assault took place at 9. 30 alm. yesterday, and^after going over the whole length of theisjiand we got back to the ships by 5 30 p.m. nearer six." Squar dron as follows, Encounter, Captain Q'Callaghan (commodore) ; Styx,——-;Barac6^tJvParker, who had command of the laiiding party of the U.S.^^S. Queen ; Portuguese Lorcha, Ainasona, P. and O. Go's steamers Cantbir and Fnrhes/'Capt. O'Callaghan being anxious 'that news of the safety of [his people should be''known abroad as soon as possible, I send -you this by the Shanghai;' ■•■"•' }■ ". ■.; -: ::V':y. ~:;''~h"--:l -''/'■?■}■■ " The Baracouta returns immediately, it is believed, as there is another fleet of junks close by Kulan. Nothing was done except by the direction of the Chinese Commodore, it being to help the Chinese anthorities the expedition was undertaken." ; v : " P.S.—The place taken has resisted ali attempts "by the Chinese GoyerDrhent to take it for four years." ' ; : As an amusing—if anything can be amusing in connection with conduct so cowardly and contemptible-—illustration of the policy pursued by the Imperialists towards ihe piratical villains who infest the coasts of the empire, we may quote the remark that recently. Admiral,. Stirling, being •desirous of destroying a nest of pirates just discovered, applied to the Chinese viceroy at Canton for official sanction of the enterprise. This jWas granted ; but before the expedition could starts the Chinese diplomatist gave the pirate leaders warning, with offers of rewards if they|would join the imperialist service. The preparations for the expedition of course had their effect upon these'gentlemen, so they closed with the Viceroy's proposal, aud now—rif they have n()t been since bought over by the. insurgents-—they are enrolled among the gallant warriors of his celestial, majesty the Empcror.-r-Eastern Star, Dec. 2.