The Express.
London, England, 1849-11-27 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 27, 1849.

specific gravity of 1.05. If a maker chances to pro-
duce an article a fraction heavier than this, be is sub-
ject to an additional of Ns. per ton far all his
soap, and this eislioo elegy is *seer returned upon
soap whisk la exported. Now it happens that I
the soap best adapted to hot climates, and mast
approved of in the South American and West Indian
markets exceeds the legal specific gravity by five or 1
six per cent. That is to say, whilst our legal specific
gravit7 of Pomp is only 1.05, West Indian and South
Amerman convenience faa their mai& gravity &
or 110. The conesquenco of this is clear.
Under the English excies law, the manufacturer is
precluded from supplying the eolith Americans and
West Indians with Os soap they want; and there-
fore the Booth Americans and the West Indian., like
wise men, go elsewhere foe the commodity.
Bo muck is this the case, that at the present mo-
ment the neutral markets of South America are
inossopolised, as regards the trade in soap, by the
manufacturers of the United States. In the British
West India colonies there is a differential duty
offering a serious impediment to all other
soapmalons than those d the United King-
dom. Yet despite this differential duty, the
importation of American soap into those colo-
nies is year after year, increasing, whilst the
importation of British soap is year atter year diminish-
ing. And this occurs notwithstanding the fact, that
England largely exports to America the alkali with
which this very soap is made! Only consider this;
America importing English raw material and becom-
ing the seat of manufacture for the supply of
English colonies !
But this is not all. The British manufacturer of
soap is subjected, not merely to trade difficulties in
supplying the export market, bat is subjected to a
direct pecuniary disadvantage in competing with the
foreign manufacturer. This pecuciary disadvantage
is computed at nearly 52r. per ton of soap, and is cal-
culated as follow. :

C e. L
Customs duty on tallow and resin
ELoos on gsuge; or different* between this
xcise weigbt and the weight as deli-
vered 0 2 9 „
Biwa expense of working under the Ex-
CIAO apparatus, extra labour and lows by
easeelties
Interest upon the duty, 141. 18e. 9d. for
three mouths
Proportion of bad debts 0 2 0 „

Total advantage of foreign maskers over
Baglbh manufactures £2 11 6 „
This calculation aesumes the specific gravity of the
soap at 1.05 or under. If, however, in the attempt to
manufacture with those oils and materials which are
best suited to foreign market., the specific gravity is
made to exceed 1.05, even only 1 per cent., then there
is a further loss 0f504. per ton, thus increasing the
advantage to the foreign maker to 51. le. 6d. per ton,
or 12 or 15 per cent. on the value of the soap.
It of course must be expected, under such circum-
stances as these, that the foreign soap trade of Great
Britain must be ruined. We do accordingly find that
ever since the present excise law came into operation,
the foreign trade has been in a rapid state of deca-
donee. The drawback upon manufactured soap has
been as follows:
1840 £2/10,917
1841 251,838
1842 224,497
1843 229,111
1844 262,728
1846 243,666
1848 218,660
1847 203.654
lin 1841, the new law came into operation, and its
elect may be seen in the diminished amount of draw-
backs in the years following. At the end of 1843,
and in 1844, the trade made a struggle; with what
success may be judged by the rapidly diminishing
drawbacks of 1845.6-7, which were still further les-
sened, we believe, to about 198,0001. in 1848.
This amount of drawback, however, must not be
taken to represent our export soap ;rade. Only a
proportion—say one-half of it—was allowed to the
exporter. The remainder was drawbacks upon soap
consumed in the woollen and clo*h.ng trades in Eng-
land, a branch of the subject which we shall consider
at another opportunity.

'Opening Itilibeet.l Lowest.' Closing

PARIS, Nov. M. Eta I -
Monty. '•I
----I •
•

3 per Cents. ....... 37 4 86 83 37:10 38 KO 37 0
3 per Cents.
S do. New Lama_ „ an n II
44 per pmts,... ...—. 78 73 . n n 4*
4 pee Dents 99 ..1 M , It
KlLb.nire as Lnodn.: Sh days, 38 50; Se days, 25 35.
Belgian,:, 119)
17a. 5, 1842 I.10.-saa Luau ... 82 „
Do. 44
Do. se
Boota.—Parts and Orleans, 737 30 ; Parts and Rouen, 327 30 ;
Rouen and Havre, 232 50; 'Avignon and MarseiDes, 218 75 ; Burs.
banns and Rale, 109 30 ; North, 441 71 ; Paris sad Strasbourg,
338 95; Tears and Nantes, 980; Versailles, rigbt bask, 210.

The following letters are from car own corre-
spondents :
BERLIN. Nov. 23.
The Upper Chamber to-day, resumed the ad-
journed debate without bringing it to a aloes.
Among the speakers was Von Auerswald, the
President of the Chamber ; bat nothing of lm-
poetesses occurred during the sitting. The govern-
ment bas hitherto remained silent on the sub-
ject, perhaps from fear of compromising itself. A
peeegto cannot be particularly pleasant to its mam-
bos; they cannot speak in favour of it, for if they
do so it will most probably be rejected, while if they
oppose it its rejection is quite certain. As far as we
can judge from pressat experience the propositions of
the committee on the constitution slightly modified
seem to meet with the mast numerous support. But
their 'access cannot be regarded as certain.
The Second Chamber has entered the labyrinth of
feudalism; and I cannot with safety to my peace of
mind trouble you with the endless details respecting
" blood-tenths," "bee-tenths," "annual tithes of half
and whole eggs," and all the other minutite of the
patriarchal regime. They could only prove inte-
resting to the honed housekeeper of worthy Cosine
Bradwardine.
The electorate of Hesse has sent in its accession to
the Interim.

VIENNA, Nov. 21.
The ambition of the Serviette to form a sepa-
rate nationality, and to have a distinct territory
assigned to them, has at length been gratified.
The last decree, which the Emperor signed be-
fore hie departure for Prague, established the
Servian ermwochship as an independent pro-
vince, with an independent Servian administration,
a landtsg of its own, and all the privileges which
belong to a crown land of the empire. The blunt of
Temente and the Berrien districts of Ruma and
Illok, will bo included in the woiwodelip. Thell
Emperor will be styled grand-woiwode, and the
governor, to which post General Mayerhoffer is ap-
pointed, vice-woiwode. This measure of the govern-
ment, however liberal it may appear towards the
Servian, is a fresh and important spo-
Kaden of the kingdom of Hungary, which
loses thereby the moat fertile portion of
its territory, and those rich alluvial deposits of the I
Save, Dray., Danube, and Theism, which make this
region one of the most abundant corn countries in
the world. Nor does the injustice stop here, but a
considerable population of German settlers, who both
as traders and farmers, end in all other respects are su-
perior to the Servians, are handed over to the sway of
a race whose ignorance and barbarism they despise.
A petition was extensively signed by these substan-
tial colonists, praying that they might be saved from
this misfortune, but the tyranny of the Servian func-
tionaries prevented its circulation. The most consi-
derable Servian emigration into the region of the new I
woiwodeship took place in the reign of the emperor Le-
opold 1., who in 1690 allowed between 36 and 37 thou-
sand Servian families of the Greek schismatic religion,
under the guidance of their patriarch Arsenics Cer-
nowies to settle on the lands between the Save and
Drava, and at the mouth of the Theiss, which 150
years of Turkish domination had not perhaps done
much to improve. The independence of their church,
free exercise of their religion, right to choose their
own patriarch and woiwode, and to have their inter-
nal affairs administered by Servian magistrates, were
privileges bestowed upon the emigrants in reward for
the aid which they had brought against the Ottoman
invaders. The peace treaties of Cerlowi'z and Pena-
rawitz, which abridged the sway of the Turk still
further, gave a proportionate room to the Servianto
indulge their nomade propensities.
The same rich soil was held by. the Daca-Romao,
but neither he nor his Servian neighbour ktew how
to use this blessing of nature until the German colo-
nist came, and the abundant crops which repaid his
energetic toil taught these ruder occupants to enrich
themselves by imitation. But the warlike Magyar
asserted meanwhile his dominion over all alike ; and,
finally, the union of this country with the kingdom of
Hungary under Joseph 11., established the undi'puted
supremacy of the Magyars. The dignity of woiwode
was abolished after George Brankowich had fallen
prisoner into the hands of the Hungarians. The Ser-
vians ceased to have their affairs managed by functiona-
ries of their own race. But whatever may have been the
retrenchment which took place in their liberties during
the period of the Magyar rule, there is no doubt tnet
the recent Hungarian revolution would hove given
the Servians all they could rationally desire ; although
Kossuth did not lend a very favourable ear to their
claims for an independent nationality. In fact,
Kossuth was too good a statesman not to Fee the im-
practicability of such a scheme, and too upright a
man to peewee what would turn out a mere iilusion.
He said that he keew of no Servian territory in
Hungary—that he only knew of a population speak-
ing the Servian language mixed up with other races,
Wallacks, Germane, Sclavonianz, Magyars, who, by
the concession of a Servian territory, mast be
tubjected to the same grievance of which the
Servians themselves complained ; and that the system
of granting separate nationalities would completely
cut up and destroy the Hungarian monarchy. The
present policy of Austria having precisely this end in
view, no one can doubt that the present boon to the
Servian nationality is an effective step in the promo-
tion of that policy.
VIENNA, Nov. 22.
Toe government's new adjustment of the sugar-
duties has been published to-day. The main feature
in this arrangement is the imposition of one knuzer
on the pound, or of one florin and forty kreuzers on the
cwt., of the raw sugar of home-produce, which has
been hitherto duty free. On the other hand the duty
on the foreign sugar used in refinerieshasboen raised,
in order to compensate the taxed home producer by a
a higher protection, from 7fl. 30kr. to Bfi. Small
consolation to the consumer. The importation duty
upon refined sugar is reduced from 18 to 16 &rine,
and that upon moist sugar for consumption from 15
to 12 fiorine. The duty on syrup remains at 5 florins.
One of the main recommendations of this sugar tariff,
in the eyes of M. Krauss, is that it coincides as nearly
as withthat of theZollvertia. The tax imposed
on best-root sugar has been long foreseen, and was in
fact announced as in contemplation by the minister of
finance to the Diet. In fact, the home producticn
making every year a more sensible diminution is the
importation of sugar, the treasu-y naturally indemei-
fies itself for the falling off in the customs by im-
posing an excise duty on the source of its loss. This
is what has been already done in France, Belgium,
and in the territory of the Zollverein. Only the mis-
fortune is that in Austria the production of beet sugar
is not so copious yet as to offer the state more than a
very inconsiderable sum from this resource, while the
peculiarly depressed circumstances of the agricultural
classes require that they should be laden with no ad-
ditional burtbens. At present the annual beet-root
crop throughout the empire is laid at two millions
and a half of owls. The official statistics give the
sugar extracted at 5 per cent., the lowtess of which
estimate it is not easy to explain, seeing that the
same root in Prussia yields 7 per cent. Therefore
the quantity of beet-root sugar produced would
amount to about 125,000 cwt. The syrup pro-
duced from potatoes is, according to the latest returns,
which however are not more recent than 1844,12,500
cwt, or a tenth part of the btet-root produce.
Therefore the gross amount of the new excise duty
would be about 230,000 florins. Although this cal-
culation is made from the best official statisticsaccesei-
ble to me it does not however quite agree
with the sum which the finance minister hopes
to get, and which he states at half a
million of florins. In the meantime it
affords a striking indication of the privations to which
the subjects of this paternal government are exposed
to observe the incredibly small quantity of sugar
which they consume. The quanta y of cane sugar
consumed in Austria is 533,000 cwt., which,
together with the home-produce mentioned above,
makes a total of 675,500 cwt. Comparing this
with the numerical population, we get an average of
1 5-6 pound a-head for individual consumption. Now
the consumption in England is 20 pounds, that in
Belgium 15, in Holland 14, and in Prussia 6 pounds
to each person. Perhaps there could hardly be'
a better randard of the domestic comfort of nations
as well as families, than the censumptioc of sugar,
the presence of which, as a main element in the
earliest nutriment which men takes, renders it not
surprising that it slicu'd continue during life to
form an essential part of !As food. The latest returns
give u the amount of refined sugar produced from
raw cane sugar 418,000 cwt., worth 3101. the
c. t., and 90.000 cv,l. pyrne, at 101, the total
y.aue being 15 laillivos of brine. 23 refineries were