The despatch forwarded by Herr von Biimark to Munich on
the 13th of December, complaining of the conduct of the Diet in as- suming to regulate the occupation of the Duchies, has been pub- lished in extenso. In it the Prussian Premier affirms that " every claim of the Diet to the possession of the Duchies is illegal ;" that in upholding such claims the Diet threatens its own existence ; that "a rule of majorities which should claim to exercise a guiding influence upon policy could not be endured by Prussia ;" and that if the Diet will act beyond its powers Prussia will be free to act as it sees fit without reference to Federal treaties. This is distinct enough. It means that as long as the Diet obeys the bidding of Prussia, Prussia will allow it to exist, but whenever it tries to be inde- pendent Prwsia will abolish it, if necessary, by force. The Government of Bavaria has replied, with a kind of weak cleverness, that it supporta the Confederation, not from a wish for protection, but because " it holds it a duty to maintain the political bond of the whole German nation," as if the petty princes were not themselves the greatest obstacle to a German nationality.
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