Tax most. important topic at home of the first week in March was the German Emperor'sspeech at Brandenburg, which might ave very serious consequences. According to Article 27 of the constitution, © Every Prussian has the right to express his aping speech, writing, print, or form i charge of lose-majesty, for an article com menting on the speech. The speech itself Wns printed in the German official gazette, but without the countersignature of any Minister. As to the Cologne Gazette's article, the Vienna correspondent of the Times says The article in question was headed "A Fresh Move, remarked that the men who held that: strong central power, uninfluenced by ebullitions of feeling, or the caprices of the hour, were necessary for Germany, have watched with painful regret the splendid inheritance bequeathed to his grand-Weighs greet and good. Emperve William melting away gradually during the past few years, It goes on to say that hopes of a better state of things had been awakened by the fact that the Emperor had abstained from interfering by word or deed in the conflict Brandeaburg shattered this dream of arising out of the Education But the
the friends of the monarchy. Thanks would have been due to the Emperor if by a bold word he had dissipated the fears of Ultramontane reaction, but thanks were also due to him for having by a bold word, which could not fail to be interpreted as that of an advocate of the Education Bill, stirred profoundly the public mind, While admitting the efforts of. the Emperor to improve the condition of the working classes, the Kélnische called upon the people to resist by every possible constitutional means all measures which could be regarded as of evil import, and to drive from office the n whom the free citizens of Prussia consider to be dangerous advisers of the Sovereign, The article concluded "Only if we have the courage of oar opinions can we hope, after an era of confusion and misunderstandings, to arrive at a ground of common political faith with the Emperor. Let us not shake the belief in the nobility of the Emperor's intentions, but let us afford him the possibility of reading the mind of the German people, and then of steering his course with the powerful current of national feeling. For ourselves, we remain in the country, and shall carry'on a straightforward The Cologne Gazette, it should be remem-dered, was for yeara the recognised organ of the German foreign office, and was the most trusted exponent of Prince Bismarck's views, and his favourite vehicle for luunching political bullous d'essai, Th of the topic is aby many G as a struggle ut between ti rand certain newspapers, but between the Emperor and his people, who have advanced tuo far on the rond of constitutionalism to be willing to go back to the absolute personal rule which the Emperor seems to be anxious to exercise. We believe that the Eiperor's only fault, as we have suid before, is the self-reliance of youth, and that he has still too much comnion.sense to allow the steuggle to go too far. The Wiener Tayblatt, which represents the views of those who object to the Brandenburg speech, says All malcontents should emigrate—at least not discontented in Germany since the Em-so says the German Emperor, But who is
or William has been on the throne? The Jonservatives were dissatisfied when he a] Jourgeoisie was dissatisfied after the labourers?
inted. Dr. Miquel to be a Minister, the decree, the millions of Prince Bismarck's partisans were dissatisfied when the great Chancellor was dismissed, the Progressist party and the National Liberals are dissatisfied with the education laws, the great mass of the people, which belongs to the Social Democracy, is always dissatisfied.—Who would remain in Germany if all these maleontents acted upon the Emperor's advice and left the country? Kaiser William IT would remain alone in his vast empire, and then he would himself be dissatisfied, and have to follow the other malcontents. ' The Emperor William, in his speed, appealed to Providence in a very unusual way when he spoke of "our old ally of Rossbach and Dennewitz." Where the fear of God and pious custom prevail, Providence has never been spoken of as an ally. Nor ought the Kaiser to place himself on a footing of equality with the Almighty. We all pray for Divine protection, but nobody presumes to think that the Al: mighty is his ally. If the speech of the German Emperor is not calculated to foster loyalty in Germany, neither ate phrases such as the above of a nature to promote piety and the fear of God amongst the masses, Meanwhile, it is satisfactory to learn that the riots at Berlin had no political significance, and were merely the work of the mob. that exists, always ready for a row, in every large city. "Berlin," says the' Mornixg Post, "has more than the usual percentage of those classes whom we are accustomed to hear-described as the residuum, and it is tolerably clear that they have improved on the uceasion offered' the assembly of afew hundred Socialists to effect a disturbance on their own recount." But the Socialists had nothing to do with the riots directly: in. fact, the Social Democrats refused to countenance them, and ultimately issued a manifesto besedeh: ing all workmen to refrain frou meetings leuding to tumult.
There is w good deal in the papers about the French ministerial crisis, but there is no real importance in the crisis, M, de, Freycinct having, as we suggested last week, evidently upset his own Cabinet marder to get rid of M. Constans. The failure of Mesers. Rouvier and Bourgeois successively to reconstruct the Cabinet was due to M. de Freyeinet's disinclination to serve under one of his former colleagues, but he was quite willing to serve under & comparatively unknown man, M, Loubet, and the Cabinet a the same as before, without M. Constans, and with one or two other unimporta changes. The Xo'eid remarks MIN, de Freycinet has gained his ends, He had long been anxious to get rid of Constans, between whom and himself exists the unamiable feeling with which cats. and dogs regard each other. For a time, M. de Freycinet allowed M. Constans to bark und growl like a bulldog. But, with cat-like patience, he bided his time, and, supple and active, glided up to him, and with one blow of his claw brought him'to the ground. It is the triumph of the feline over the canine race, It is not improbable that M, Curnot and M. de Freycinet will find before long that Constans is a bad mau to make an enemy of, At present Messrs, de Freycinet and Ribot are the indispensable men in the government of France, but this indispe sibility is apt to cheat its possessors sonietimes. The Times says Two important features in the composition of the new Ministry will attract the attention of all competent observers, The politicians who in the eyes of Frenchmen, at all events, are identified with the formation and the continuance of the Russian alliance retain their posts, and M. Constans, the vigorous and resourceful Minister of the Interior, quits the Cabinet, That M. de Freycinet would remain Minister of War, whoever happened to become his nominal chief, was clear from the day when he sent in his resignation of the Premiership. The military maneuvres of last autumn were a crowning proof of his administrative skill. They showed that he had at last accomplished the object which is dearest to: the hearts of all Frenchmen, and to which for more than twenty years they have devoted themselves without stint. 'The French army has once more become one of the most' formidable fighting machines of Europe, and it is reoognised on all hands that France owes in largo Freycinet, 3. Ribot' claim to popularity is measure the perfection of her army to M. de
equally obvious, He is the author of the understanding with, Russia, to which his countrymen have chosen to attribute such exaggerated importance, and his removal from the Quai d'Orsay might, itis thought, be taken. to indicate a change in' the foreign policy. of the Republic. M. Ribot, it is true, has not exhibited any remarkable diplomatic abilities in his recent intervention in the affairs of Bulgaria, Nevertheless, it is intelligible that Frenchmen should be reluctant yo do anything which might give umbrage to their only possible ally, or seem to point, however -remotely, to any breach of continuity in their external relations. The exclusion of M Constans, not only from the post which. he has filled' with so much credit to himself and s0 much satisfaction to all moderate support ters of the Republic, but from all part in the new Cabinet, is an event of at least as much significance as the retention of his late col-
There is not much other foreign new: The decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in the Suyward case in favour of the United States did not turn at all on the" question of American righto in Bering Sea, which is
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.