The Express.
London, England, 1847-07-15 00:00:00

THE BANKS OF GERMANY.

So little is known in this country of the banking
economy of Germany that the following brief notices
of the principal banking and other monetary [eta-
blishments of that country will no doubt be accept-
able. They are taken from n Belgian paper, into
which professed to be extracted from some German
publication, the name not given :
The Bank Royal of Prussia was founded at Bettie in
1765 upon the model of that of Hamburg. So it existed
until 1816, when it was re-organissd under a new charter by
which more extensim was given to its operations. In
accordance with this new constitution, which has been in force
since.lst Jan. last, the issue of notes has been carried to 15
millions of thalers (the dialer equal to 2s. 101 d. sterling). Is
1856 this issue is to be raised to 21 millions of thalers. The
capital of the bank is always to be, in proportion with the
notes in circulation, two-sixths is silver, three-sixths in bills
discounted, and the rest in loans on securities. The bank
notes are from 25 to 50 thaicrs each. The share of the go-
vernment in the bank amounts at most to 500,000 thalers.
The shareholders are entitled to an annual interest of 31
per cent. upon the capital, and, after deduction of the sum
set apart for the reserve or rest, which is not to exceed 30
per cent. of the capital, one moiety of the surplus profit, is
apportioned to them in addition, the other goes to the
treasury. The bank has branches in a great number of
cities, as Breslau, Konigsberg, Danteic, Stettin, Magdeburg,
Munster. Cologne, Menial, Posen, Stolpe, Elberfeld, Treves,
Ai: !a•Chapelle, Dusseldorff, Coblentz, Minden, Erfurt,
f rankfort. sur-Odcr, Stralsund, K cst in, Liegnitz, and Oppeln,
and thus forms a vast network of financial operations through
all the kingdom.
The private bank of the noblesse of Pomerania was
founded at Stettin in 1821, by an association of noble pro-
prietors, with a capital of 1,000,000 of thalers. After the
crisis of 1830 this capital was carried to 1,534,500 thalers.
The operations of this bank embrace discount, loans upon
lodgments of merchandise, loans upon public and private
securities, current accounts, and deposits with interest.
Formerly it issued promissory notes to bearer; but this
privilege was withdrawn from it in 1835. There is a
circulation of about ninety millions of thalers of mort-
gage notes in Prussia (these are in fact for 105 mil-
lions). They have been issued at different periods by
associations of proprietary nobles in various parts of the
kingdom, and carry interest at 31 per cent.
The national Bank of Vienna was founded in 1815, to
re-establish order in the finances of Austria, and more par-
ticularly for the repurchase on the conversion of the paper
money in circulation, the value of which was become almost
zom:nal. The different creations of shares have raised its
capital to about 89 millions of florins. This capital is divided
into .50,621 shares of 1,500 florins each. The actual opera-
tions of the bank are diocount, the issue of bank notes,
a privilege which it enjoys exclusively throughout
the Austrian empire ; loans upon deposits, and nego-
tiations of loans. The bank pays an annual inte-
rest of 6 per end. upon the primitive capital, and a dividend,
after deduction, of the reserve fund. Its privilege or char-
ter extends to the year 1866. It has breaches at Prague,
Erman, Troppau, Open, Tameswar, Kahan, Lemberg,
Trieste, Inspruck, Goritz, Linz, and Hermanstadt.
The bank of extraordinarycredit of Vienna was constituted
in 1846 by imperial decree, and has for object to devote a
part of the sums destined for the redemption of the national
debt to the purchase of certain shares in railway and other
enterprises, in order to sustain useful undertakings, and com-
municate a greater impulse to them.
The loan and exchange bank of Bavaria was founded at
Munich in 183-5 by shares, under the surveillance and control
of the government. It is pririleged for 99 years. The
original capital was 10,000,000 florins, with liberty of in-
crease to 20.000.000. In 1846, there was a new emission of
shares of 500 florins. The net profits are divided as follows :
3 per cent. as dividend to the shareholders, and of the surplus
three.fourths as extra dividend, and the remaining fourth '
carried to the reserve until it shall reach to one-tenth of the
capital. Three-fifths of the capital are employed in loans on
mortgage. The other operations are discounts, loans on
securities and ingots, the pane of hank notes whose amount
is limited to four-tenths of the capital, and three-fourths of
it to be covered by a value of double the sum in mortgage
credits, or in silver. The bank has a branch at Augsburg.
The Royal Bank of Bavaria, first established at Ansbach,
and now at Suraberg, is one of the oldest establishments of
the kind. Its operations are discount, deposits, loans upon
personal and other securities. The governmentlis entitled to
half the profits. It has branches at Ansbsch and Bamberg.
The Royal Bank of the Court of Wurtemberg, founded in
1102 at Stutgardt, limits its operations to discounts and loans.
The Bank of Leipsiz was founded in 1839 ander the
swim of the government, with a capital of 1,500,000 thalers,
divided into shares of 250 Hasler., receiving 3 per cent. in-
terest. Its operations are deposit., loans, and discounts; it
has the right of issuing notes of 20 and 100 thalers each, of
which the two-thirds should be guaranteed by values to the
amount in specie or ingots.
There exists, besides, at Dresden, a loan bank, which
makes advances to land proprietors and farmers for the pay-
ment of taxes, tithes, &c. Leipsiz has also an institution of
this kind, under the name of " Union of Credit for the
hereditary lands of the Saxon nobility."
It was in agitation, in 1846, to found at Dessau a great
central establishment to answer the purpose of a vast bank-
ing system for the north of Germany. It was proposed to
endow it with an accumulation of capital, to the extent of
from 50,000,000 to 100,000,000 thalers. But this gigantic
project has resolved itself into a private enterprise, esta-
blished in the beginning of 1847, under the title of the Pro-
visional Bank of Anhalt-Dessau, with a capital of 2,500,000
thalers, divided in shares of 200 thalers. This establish-
ment issues notes of 1,5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 600, and 1,000
Melees each. One-fourth the value of the bank notes in
circulation should be covered by an equivalent sum in specie.
The bank of Hamburg was founded in 1619. The
minimum deposit of a member desiring to open an account is
100 mans banco in bar silver, or in a bill for the same sum
dote of the members of the bank, which is then transferred
from the account of the latter to that of the former. Trans-
fers cannot take place for a less sum than 100 mares, except
some days before Christmas, or the middle of July. Until
sow, for each mare of fine silver of Cologne, the depositor
was credited with 271 mares banco, whilst in withdrawing
his money fora similar sum he was debited with 271 mares
bane°, so that the simple usage of the operation
brought a cost of 9.20 per cent. A new regulation,
which is to come into force on the 15th of next August, im-
ports that the mare of fine silver of Cologne shall he credited
271 mares banco, and debited at a similar rate after dedue•
non of 1 per mills. Independently of this sort of business,
the hank lends upon Spanish and American dollars, and
oometimes also on copper. These are its only operations.
The association of the new loan, established equally at
Hamburg in 1839, possesses a capital 01100,000 mares banco,
end does business prohibited to the bank, principally loans
cw weuritia, public funds, &c."
On another occasion we may give some interesting
details about the German loan and land banks, which
are quite a distinct class of institutions.

ITALY.—ROME, JULY 9.—The council of ministers
assembled yesterday, for the first time, at Cardinal Girgre.
Besides the ordinary members, the Roman princes were also
our9cated. The Progressiste have sent deputies into the
Pounces to collect signatures (or the petitions they intend
to present the Pope. Yesterday evening several individuals
Pissed through the streets, singing the hymn of Pius
X., uttering at the same time threats and maledictions
Watt the gendarme,. The police has taken energetic
b*ustes against all pertuthators.—Augsbury Gazette.
SWITZERLAND.—BERME, JULY 9.—The Gazette
I`.4vategives the following particulars of the note the French
kl9seador, M. Bois lc Comte, was directed by M. Ouizot to
v!t to M. Ochsenrein, president of the Vorort. The
109 le expressed in the most precise terms relatively to the
loglvous situation of Switzerland, and distinctly seta forth
!.*Position of France, and the principles which that country '
tends to adopt. The right of Switzerland, as an inde-
lintlent state, to choose her own government, and to modify
it 22 expressly recognised ; but at the same time the inha-
,L.Att are advised in the moderate language of a friendly
r"e; 10 profit by the experience of France herself, not to •

make an ill use of the federal power, and not to restrict
some of the Swiss republics, now enjoying en independent
existence, based upon history and treaties, and recog-
nized by Europe. It refers to the dangers of civil war
end the perils to which the prosperity of Switzerland would
be exposed, as well as the interests and the tranquillity of
the great powers. It quotes the example of Chutes the
Tenth, who lost his crown by violating the constitution of
the state ; and advises Switzerland not to make an ill 11/13 of
the federal pact to oppress the separate cantons. It observes
that the neutrality, so advantageous to Switzerland, granted
her by the powers, strictly depends on a confederation of in-
dependent republics: and all Switzerland, before she adopt
another organisation, should first examine the position she
would assume relatively to these powers. The powers, either
in the case of a civil war between the cantons, or in the calm
of a violation committed to the prejudice of one of the can-
tons, contrary to the engagements of the federal pact, will
reserve to themselves, like France, the right of watching over
their own ioteee.ts. France will then act scantling to her
own interests, and her relations with all Switzerland, or any
particular canton.
SANDWICH ISLANDS.—We return to the file
of the Polynesian, from which we presented to our readers
on Tuesday a brief abstract of the commercial movements of
the Wands during 1816. The most remarkable document in
these papers is a " Register of Foreigners residing in
Honolulu." The names and occupation of 353 men are
given ; to these must be added 52 females and 112 children,
not named—in all 517. Making allowance for parties who
have escaped notice, there are in all about 600 foreigners iu
Honolulu, of whom 146 are naturalised subjects of the king.
Among three we find : Mr. Judd, Minister of Finance ; Mr.
Richards, Minister of Public Instruction ; Mr. Wyllie, Mi-
nister of Foreign Relations; Mr. Ricord, Attorney-General ;
together with the sheriff of Oahu, the district attorney, the
collector general of customs, the director of the government
press, several justices of the peace, and teachers. In short,
it is obvious tbat the " foreign residents" are the main springs
of government, and the nucleus of Hawaiian civilization. The
number of naturalised foreigners in all the islandsis 472; of
these about one-half were American citizens, one-fourth British
subjects, and the remaining fourth French, Portuguese,
Germans, Chinese, Tahitians, &c. There are two protestant
ministers in Honolulu, the Ist with upwards of 1,400, the
2nel with 1,188 members; a Roman catholic church with
2,000; and the Chapel Bethel with 20, in all 4,614. The
attendance of tho foreign residents on Divine worship is very
limited. There are 28 native Protestant schools in Honolulu
with 28 teachers, and 1,017 scholars; six Roman catholic
with six teachers and 1,56 scholars ; one royal school with 16
scholars, to whom the higher breaches of education are im-
ported ; one charity school with 50 scholars ; one select
school with 16 acholarswho are instructed in all the branches
of an English education ; Mrs. Gummie's school with 25
scholars; and several sabbath schools. There are two weekly
journals, the Polynetian (official), and the News; two Tem.
perance journals, the Friend (semi-monthly), and the
(hobo Fountain (monthly) ; one journal (semi-monthly)
in the Hawaiian language, tke Messenger. There
are bible and tract societies, temperance societies, and mason
lodges. There is a supreme court in which the king and
chief justice sit with several assessors : it holds one session
at Honolulu and one at Lahania every year. An inferior
court with native judges sits permanently at Honolulu.
There is also a court of record at Oahu, for the trial of
cases in which foreigners are concerned. The sheriff cf
Oahu is es officio prefect of police. The police corps con-
sists of two officers aed 34 ono. The total of persons
punished in Honolulu for offences between January 1 and
D..cember 4, 1140, was' 75 men and 152 women.l,Of these,
no less than 126 men and 127 women were punished for
adultery, &e. Next in point of number came: theft, 43
men, 3 women ; gambling, 35 men, 3 women ; reviling
language, 12 men, 2 women; working on the sabbath.day,
30 men, 8 women. This catalogue of offences is very
small, when we consider that 25,000 sailors go on
shore yearly, and have free access to the liquor-shops.
The following facts are indicative of the progress of produc-
tive industry in these islands. "Mews. Rhodes and Co.,
have made sale of 12,000 lbs. of their Kauai coffee this sea-
son for the California market. They expect to realise not
far from 30,00-1 the. this year, the results of their nit crop."
" e have seen a plaid-figured blanket, presented to the
king, made in Kauai from the wool of the sheep on that
island, which does much credit to the manufacturer, and
shows that the fleeces of native flocks can be turned to good
account in making blankets, pouches, &c." " The ship
Charles, which sails this week for New Bedford, takes the
most valuable cargo from this place, amounting to between
350,000 and 400,000 dollars, ever laden here. It consists of
whalebone end hides. Besides these she has a large amount
of exchange on board, and a very bulky mail."