The Express.
London, England, 1849-03-02 00:00:00

GERMANY.

OPENING OF THE PRUSSIAN
CHAMBERS.
THE KING'S SPEECH.
Beaus, FEB. 26.—This morning the space in front
of the palace was crowded with people, carious 0 see
the deputies on their way to the " Weissen-Saal." A
few of the more popular, as Unruh, Temme, Waldeck,
&c., who came on foot, were greeted with vociferous
cheers, and could, with great difficulty, stem the
besieging throng of their admirers. At a little after
12 the King, preceded by the Court'Marshal, and
attended by the princes and a nuateroui suite, entered
Ihe hall, and was greeted with three cheers. He took
his seat on the throne, the princes standing on the
right, and the ministers on the left. The President
of the Council, Graf Brandenburg, then handed the
King the speech, which the latter receiving, seated
and with his hat on, then read :

Gentlemen Deputies of the First and Second Chambers,—
Events, which are fresh in the temsnamne• of all of you,
obliged me, in December of lost year, to dissolve the W-
mm 17 called to frame the constitution. Immediately after.
wards, convinced of the indispensable necessity of the final
re-establishment of a firm public legal situation, I bestowed
upon the country a constitution, through the revisions of
which my promises, made in March of last year, have Wen
faithfully fulfilled. Since then Us excitement, which pre-
vailed only • few months before through a great portion of
the country, has given way to a more quiet tons. Public
contlienoe, before so deeply shakes, ti by degrees returning.
Commerce and industry are beginning to recover from the
erippledi state which thrmtened to terminate in their utter
ruin. Penetrated with the solemnity of this hour, I behold
the members of both chambers, elected upon the base of the
new constitution, amembled for the first time around my
throne. You know, gentlemen, that I have pre.
rented to you a svision of the constitution. At
present it lies with you to come to an understanding
thereupon among yourselves and with my government. To
my regret it has been necessary to subject to the state of
siege the eap:tal and its immediate vicinity, in order to re-
establish the dominion of the law and public security. Re-
presentations relative to this matter will, gentlemen, reach
you without delay.
Besides the urgent ordonnances announced In my patent
of December 5 of the foregoing year, have been promul-
gated upon the bass of Art. ios or the cow titution charter
provisional oedemata's' upon some other subjects which he
the public interest needed a speedy regulation. In partisan
through the manifold urgent propo,itions for the imme-
diate reform of the relations affecting the state of the west-
ing classes, I have found myself obliged to inns two perri-
sena ordonnances for this purpose. All these ordonneness
will be presented for your approval without delay.
You will have innate to occupy yourselves with the dis-
onie.ion of several laws, partly those necessary for the GSM
pletion of the constitution, the projects of which will mask
you by and by. I recommend especistly to your most we-
ful deliberation the projects of the new ordering of cun-
mune', of the new circle, district, and province arrangement
of the law of instruction, of the law upon church patronage,
of the Somme tax law, of the land tax law, as well as of the
law on the remission of crown dun' and the abolition of cer-
tain of these without compensation, and on the erection of
savings beam.
In order to realise the independence of the several religious
communities declared by the constitution charter, the re-
quisite preliminaries have:looen entered upon, sad the progress
therewith will be as speedy as the weightiness of the subject
allows.
The estimates of the states revenue and expenditure for
1849, which, according to the constitution charter, are made
public before the entry of the account year, will, together
with the requisite elucidations, be laid before you for your
approval. Your will thereupon observe, that notwithstand-
img.the diminution to be expected in the income tax in com-
paresoa with the foregoing year, the requisite increase for
several branches of expenditure for public works namely,
will be covered without fresh Impositions, and without using
anew the credit of the state. Of the expenditure of the
voluntary loan of fifteen mane= of Stales raised by authori-
sation of the united diet, an account will be rendered to you. '
' I have to acknowledge thankfully and with satisfaction
that the readiness with which the inhabitants poisoned of
means, frees all parts of the country, and all classes of the
people, amid the pressing circumstances of the time, inte-
rested the moelves in this loan, has rendered unn re-
course to other nom costly measures. Also upon the
et Tremor, bends by enact-nation of the united diet, and
awn some vaessaree in connexion therewith for the
of depressed Industry, will closer information se laid
before you. By these means it has been 'sowing to prevent
many heavy dilutes, which would have had a ruinous 11110-
tion upon larger districts and whole provinces, and to hold
' up the manufacturing industry throughout the country.
The budget for the year 1850 will be submitted to you
together with the bin necessary for its establishment, as
soon as your deliberations upon the taxation bills before you
' mepts. advanced so far as to afford a base for estimating the re-
cei
The completion of the country's mans Gide/ewe has bees
uninterrupted notwithstanding the heavy calls upon Me
public purse for other objects, and Prussia may look with
confidence upon her army, whose organisation, warlikemem
sad devotion have been maintained under the severest
trials.
The intimate union of the German states into a federal
state continues to be the subject of my liveliest wishes. My
government has with sincere real worked for the attainment
of this great object, for which Prussia will not decline even
sacrifices
The way for all the Games princes to come to an under-
standing with the German National Assembly at Frankfort
is entered upon. My government will continue its labours
in a likes/nee. I seed not, gentlemen, remind you how you
eau ee-spente for the attainment of this great aim.
The resent Mae of the negotiations for peace pending be-
tween ihe previdesal antral government of Germany and
the aim el Denmark justifies the hope that the differences
by whin in the foregoing year peace, and with peace trade
and estlestioa were antarrupted,will soon be settled in a con-
'Maw maser. The peaceful and friendly relations of my
movenment with the remaining foreign elites have suffered
no dinmitemse.
Painfully I bemoan the loss at a prints of my royal house,
who a few days see, in the bloom of life, was withdrawn
from the gnaws calling of devoting his strength to his
emery.
°unleash rine flat and mead chambern—The father-
land sellesieneW with enflames, from the working together
of its represselethes with my government, the emanation
of the rembeliabed lawful order, that it may enjoy esessitia-
laismi libertine and their quiet development. The pressen=
{dame Oinks sad of lawful order, the twe 'mammal
mains= simian welfare, will ever be the edam of nay
eserineGase are. I mutt in this task upon your nimport.
M 4 year suavity, with the help of God serve to elevate the
hewn GM ging of Prussia, whom people, in intimate union
with ash pdaen have happily overcome many a heavy
' timer sad to wpm for the narrower as well as the broader
htliehmed, a peseatal and blessed future.
hike the lag had coneledea, Count Branden-
burg odd : " I &dere herewith the Chambers to
be emu% and I invite the same to amiable in their
several assigned losalities under the presidency
their minor members." He added that it had net
been possible to get the buildings ready against this I
day ; but that they would be ready by ten to-morrow
morning: a strategical
against being assembled in the'
palace. The sitting closed a little after 12. The next
is fixed for to-morrow morning. Meantime the de-
puties who have seen the localities 'signed to their
deliberations protest against their uninhabitable state,
which no power of stoves can fbe the monied remedy.
The extreme left smell a plot to kill them with
theme. It is possible, that on this account some de-
lay may take place.
Three cheers were given for the king at the break-
'tug up of the sitting, which he acknowledged with
salutations m he retired with his retinue.
The point of the speech which drew most attention
was the paragraph Which related to the German union,
to offset willed Truths would make sacrifices.
,On the 'Whole the speech
would have been more ea-
*ummto'i, y if the Ying's word were better worth, or his
4°Cuoter lees known. As it is, four of his former
apaches are, I understand, at this moment being

printed, together with significant comments as to the
way in which the pledges therein given have been
redeemed.

Meanwhile everything is very quiet. The ministers
are all honey and sugar, fishing copper opinions from
all molts of men; and the opposition has greatly
abated of stiffness, sourness, and fierceness.
SAXONY.—Accounts from Dresden of the 26th
nit. announce the formation of a new ministry conse-
quent on the resignatioa of the previous one. The
new ministers are: Dr. J. Held, Minister President
and Interim Minister of Education and Worship;
Von Beast, Saxon ambassador at Berlin, Minister for
Foreign Affairs; Wernlig, Interior; Von Ehrenstein,
Fleenor. The retiring ministry have published an
address, giving as reasons for resigninf. when votes
of confidence in them had been transmitted to them
from all parts of the country, that they did not pewees
a majority in the chamber—a sufficiently:good reason
for their resigning, and one that it would seem rather
useless to publish. In the sitting of the first chamber
on the 26th, Dr. Held gave out the programme of the
new ministry.
BAVARIA.—At the close of the sitting of the
Chamber of Deputies at Munich on the 25th ult., M.
Von Heisler announced that the King had resolved to
adj turn the Diet for some days. His Majesty's
reasons were that the ministers having di termined to
request his Majesty to discharge them from their
offices, the King had taken steps to form a new cabi-
net, bat they had not yet produced any definite re-
sult. That it was desired to give the new ministry
time to prepare projects of law to lay before the Diet,
and because his Majesty did not wish to binder the
deputies of the Bavarian Diet who are at the same
time members of the National Assembly at Frank-
fort from taking part in the important resolutions
which are being prepared there; and lastly, because
the relations of Bavaria to the Central German power
will be better defined after the adoption of those reso-
lotions. The speaker went on to say : The Diet will,
however, remain united for some time longer, because
a project of law will be submitted to it on the subject
of the contingent to be delivered to the Central Power
on the subject of the German fleet ; so soon as this
project shall have been discussed, and the consequent
restriction passed, the Diet will be dissolved.