London, October 2. Considerable surprise has been caused here 
by a speech of Sir Alexander Malet, the British envoy accredited 
to the German Federal Diet.?”” For in the speech,* which was made 
at a dinner in Homburg given on the occasion of the capture of 
Sevastopol, he launched into a strong attack on the King of 
Prussia” and his Ministers. The British envoy said bluntly that the 
British people were entitled to expect a different policy from 
Prussia, especially since the majority of the Prussian people had 
never concealed their sympathies for the Western Powers. Sir 
Alexander is of the opinion that if Prussia had sided with the 
Western Powers, Austria would have acted energetically and it 
would have been impossible for Russia to oppose the Prussian 
coalition. Prussia is thus, as it were, made directly responsible for 
the war. As the King of Prussia is a member of the German 
Confederation, at which Sir Alexander is accredited as British 
envoy, it is widely believed that this attack will in any case give rise 
to serious representations. If he is defended by his government, it 
will be a pointer to Britain’s future policy; if the contrary is the 
case one can certainly expect the recall of the envoy.