Russian "Minister in the
Ober-Rheinish Circle," appears at the little Court of Zweibruck, with a
most sudden and astounding message to the Duke there:--

"Important bargain agreed upon between your Kaiser and his Highness of
the Pfalz and Baiern; am commanded by my Sovereign Lady, on behalf of
her friend the Kaiser, to make it known to you. Baiern all and whole
made over to Austria; in return for which the now Kur-Baiern gets the
Austrian Netherlands (Citadels of Limburg and Luxemburg alone excepted);
and is a King henceforth, 'King of Burgundy' to be the Title, he and
his fortunate Successors for all time coming. To your fortunate self, in
acknowledgment of your immediate consent, Austria offers the free-gift
of 100,000 pounds, and to your Brother Max of 50,000 pounds; Kur-Baiern,
for his loyal conduct, is to have 150,000 pounds; and to all of you, if
handsome, Austria will be handsome generally. For the rest, the thing is
already settled; and your refusal will not hinder it from going forward.
I request to know, within eight days, what your Highness's determination
is!"

His poor Highness, thunderstruck as may be imagined, asks:
"But--but--What would your Excellency advise me?" "Have n't the least
advice," answers his Excellency: "will wait at Frankfurt-on-Mayn, for
eight days, what your Highness's resolution is; hoping it may be a wise
one;--and have the honor at present to say Good-morning." Sudden, like a
thunder-bolt in winter, the whole phenomenon. This, or JANUARY 3d,
when Friedrich, by Express from Zweibruck, first heard of this, may be
considered as birthday of a Furstenbund now no longer hypothetic, but
certain to become actual.

Zweibruck naturally shot off expresses: to Petersburg (no answer ever);
to Berlin (with answer on the instant);--and in less than eight days,
poor Zweibruck, such the intelligence from Berlin, was in a condition to
write to Frankfurt: "Excellency; No; I do not consent, nor ever will."
For King Friedrich is broad-awake again;--and Hertzberg's smithy-fires,
we may conceive how the winds rose upon these, and brought matters to a
welding heat!--

The Czarina,--on Friedrich's urgent remonstrance, "What is this, great
Madam? To your old Ally, and from the Guaranty and Author of the Peace
of Teschen!"--had speedily answered: "Far from my thoughts to violate
the Peace of Teschen; very far: I fancied this was an advantageous
exchange, advantageous to Zweibruck especially; but since Zweib