The Express.
London, England, 1852-09-24 00:00:00

INCREASED DUTIES ON COAL AND IRON.

The Belgian Mwwteur has the following remarks
upon Louis Napoleon's decree imposing additional
duties on Belgian coals and iron :
„A decree of the President of the French Repub-
lie has just augmented the duty on coals and iron
entering France by the Belgian frontier. In signing
the treaty of August 22, the Belgian government
was far from expecting that a measure of this cha-
racter would so soon succeed an arrangement which,
according to the terms of its preamble, was intended
to confirm and consolidate the good relations sub-
sisting between the two countries. The Belgian
Legislative Chamber will meet in a few days. In
Lying the whole of the negotiations before the
base, the government will explain the line of
conduct which it has followed in presence of the
exigencies which have lately arisen."
The Ministerial Independence says: "To the note,
of the Illosikier we are able to add the following
explanations. The convention of December 13,
1843, It is known, was to expire August 10,
1832. From the commencement of the year
1861 the Belgian government opened prelimi-
em.y negotiations with the French government
sr the conclusion of a new commercial arrange-
ment: its starting point was this, that if the
braes of the convention of 1843 were to be
re-adopted, a compensation was due to Belgium
on account of the notable diminution which had
taken place in the importation of yarn and tie
sues of Belgian flax into France, a diminution wbbili
contrasted with the considerable immune passmial
by the importation into Belgium of French palms
to which admission on favourable terms was aimed
the convention. The Belgian government
that this compensation should bo given by preference
to the linen manufacture itself by means of a now
reduction of duties. It expressed the formal desire
that the convention should expressly guarantee the
limintenance of the French tariff for coals and iron,
and finally, without speaking of the other points, the
government declared itself ready at the wish often
manifested by the French cabinet with respect to
the international acknowledgment of literary and
artistic property, supposing that the conditions
should be such as Belgium could accept. The pre-
liminary negotiations were commencedin 1851
in writing; they were continued from February,
1852, in verbal conferences. The negotiation Ism
pursued as far as to July, and on the 9th of that
month the members of the cabinet offered their
resignation to the King. This event was immix
dlately brought to the knowledge of the French
government, to whom it was proposed at the some
time to prolong the convention to the end of the
year, in order that the new cabinet might possess
the entire question, and determine it in full liberty.
The French cabinet rejected this proposition, which
, to a great extent, from facts which should
tCpselikretluded any objection : it declared that it
would hear of no prorogation, even for a single day,
unless the Belgian government would at once consent
to sign a literary and also a customs' convention.
It is needless to say this demand was absolutely
rejected.
" At a subsequent period the French governmr

-
desisted from one of these two conditions, and the
immediate signature of the literary convention alone
wan ismaaded. Every one must perceive that for
the mks of obtaining the simple prolongation of the
seenantisa of 1841 for a few months, the Belgian
not grant a concession of this
Modelly no guarantee of the defini-
tive hems ot the negotiation were to be given.
The negotiations continued for several months.
en the ground of prorogation, when, in consequence
of bolo which will, doubtless, bo laid before the Chas-
Um. the cabinet found itself, authorised to beet for a
dellnitive arrangement. Four several combinations
were then pmmmmated for the consideration of the
French ; two of these had for their basis the
renewal of the convention of 1845, which it was pro.
pod shwa 'militia° in force until January, 1863.
The ether two constituted a final solution of the
whet question. The one combination re-produced
the elements sf the convention of 1813, with the
exception that Belgium should resume the concession
relative to woollens, to compensate for the considerable
reductions of its exports of fax products; on the
other hand, the government offered to give up the
reprinting of French literary works, demanding, at
Ye time, a guarantee on the subject of coals.
The mood =tabulation presented by Belgium was
limited to soo• stipulations concerning the literary
qessties, with certain indemnities to Belgium, and
was especially to form the pledge of continued
gohoed relation between the two countries.
French government was invited to
choose freely between the four propositions, each of
which excluded the other, anl it pronounced in favour
of the fourth, the object of which is expressly
stated in the words of the preamble " to ammo and
consolidate the good relations subsisting between the
two countries." From the manner in which this
agreement was made, it resulted that Belgium was
loft entirely at liberty to resume or decline negotia-
tions for an ulterior arrangement : in any ass, after
signing the convention of August 22, the idea of
reviewing the convention of 1845 in its original
form could never have been present to the minds el
the Belgian government.
" However, in spite of all the grounds which the
government had to feel assured as to the future et
the commercial relations between the two coun-
tries, a fortnight had scarcely elapsed from the con-
clusion of the convention of August, when it received
ma invitation, almost comminatory, to reanimate im-
esdiately the convention of 1843, and this with no
modification whatever, except to open an ulterior
negotiation. The Belgian government was at the
mine time warned that unless it obeyed this injunc-
den the French tariff would bo modified to the
eliellivantage of our coals and iron.
"We Love it to our renders to judge whether this
proceeding can be reconciled with the charastcr of
lets convention of Aug. 22. It tends to rob Belgium
of the moral advantage of that arrangement, while
France preserves its conquest, and reopens before us
the unknown path of a new negotiation. The
French proposition, apart from its intrinsic evil,
strikes at One fundamental pact, which does not give
our government the right to cancel or institute

I treaties of commerce without the mei/crone of
the legislature. For this reason the cabinet rejected
the propositions which were made to it. Willing,
however, to persevere in the way of conciliation the
cabinet expressed its readiness to .i fei within twenty-
four hours a convention on the bans of the third of
the foregoing combinations. But the French go-
vernment maintaining its proposition, refused to dis-
cuss anything which departed from it, and only re-
laxed its demands by allowing the Belgian Chambers
an opportunity of discussing the convention, requir-
ing at the same time that they should be convoked
with the least possible delay. In presence of such
demands the Belgian government could only refer to
its anterior resolutions, and thereupon appeared the
threatened decree in the French Muniteur:'