The Express.
London, England, 1851-09-17 00:00:00

ICman catholic

hesitation, and infidelity, are only to LC avoided by
hanging up philosophy, eschewing criticism. de-
nim g the reasoning powers, and delivering up
the philosophic half of the mind to the priest. who-
ever er whatever he may be. Allwe say to this is, that
it is impossible that in the present age any one could
enforce such a r.'yinie either upon himself or upon
(Ahem, unless indeed the Roman catholics make and
keep a little atmosphere of their own, such as Dr.
CULL"( recommends fur young Irish scholars. What
Dr. NLWMAN aims at is impossible, unless he can
bring back the scant population. the slavish igno-
rance, the commercial torpor, the domestic seclusion,
the in rakish supremacy, and the tyrannical gorern-
meuta the fourteenth century. And even then the
li ;ht of freedom and of truth would sometimes gleam
upon him and upon his acolytes through their dun-
geon key hole, and they would hod it vain either to
exorcise or to avoid it.

ALL men arc more or less acquainted with the
project which, emanating spontaneously from many
Oerman states about thirty years ago, was success-
fully appropriated by Prussia, and worked out into
a practical shape in the customs union known even
to us under the name of the Zollvercin."

The agreement to remove the internal barriers to
trade which the differsat tariffs of thirty-six state+.
and the usual official hectoring, with the general
corruption attendant on such impediments, occa-
sioned, was in riality no more than has been pro-
jeeted at the Congress of Vienna. The treaty
of 1813 contains special clauses to the effect,
that similarity of duties on goods imrted,
of coins in circulation, and of weights and
measures, should, so speedily as possible, bo
established bOween the different states of the
federation. But as the carrying out of those
clause+ was put off he the great Powers, the south
Overran states took the lead in getting rid of the
harriers which senarated their subjects, and in eco-
nomising in this branch of their expenditure. To
Bavaria and Wirtercberg, which at that time knew
uothingof protection, and where the sole notion of com-
merce entertained was that of securing goal. markets
for their agricultural produce, Germany is indebted
for the first customs' union. The Grand Duchy of
Dense joined this league soon after, and thus a com-
plex of states, comprising six and a halt millions of
inhabitants, formed a nucleus of free internal circu-
lation, inviting trade by the most liberal tariff This
onion subsisted for nearly fifteen years, until it was
absorbed into the Prussian league in 1833.
During that period our protectionists in agricul-
tural exchanges being preponderant, no ene
mest,waa held out by us to the states who h:inlets.
combined. On the contrary, their corn, wine, and
• other products, were loaded with duties as offensive

in their eyes, as they were mischievoub for our own
interests. Prussia, which, as early as 1818, had
commenced negotiations for the formation of a simi-
lar union, spurred on by this activity of the southern
states, at last made such progress that Saxony and
Thuringia, with several smaller countries, were in-
cluded
in what was then known by the name of the!
Prussian Customs' Union. The states of South Ger-
many found themselves bound by no tie of feeling,
and but weak and remote considerations of interest,
to refuce their accession when invited by the greater
part of Germany to unite with them. Financial
considerations of great importance for the ex-
chequer, if of doubtful weight for the trade
of those countries, added their influence, and
finally, in 1833, no less than twenty-four states
had adopted the Prussian tariff, and its then distin-
guishing characteristic of general protection without
any prohibition. But although at that time few of
the duties imposed on manufactured yarns amounted
to a large per tentage, yet, as the principle of levy-
ing the duties by weight instead of an ad valorem
standard, contained the germ of future difficulties,
many states, and the free Hansc Towns unanimously,
refused to join in the scheme. Frankfurt was even-
tually gained over by a sacrifice conceded in 1833.
Nassau had joined in 1831.
Thus all Germany south of the great mountain
chains, with the exception of Austria, had joined in
a league with Prussia, which undoubtedly conferred
more benefit by allowing freedom of exchange within
its barriers, than it did mischief by raising the duties
on foreign goods.
England, France, and Belgium had, as manufac-
turing countries, taken no steps to protect their own
interests. But by the simplest calculation, it is
cleurly better that a customer should be prosperous,
even if he finds his market not well stocked, than
that pour buyers should be abundantly supplied.
Hence the foreign trade of the German states in-
creased upon their consolidation into one united
community. This trade too has continued to lu-
cre:w, notwithstanding the evident tendency of
duties levied by weight to rise as prices fall, and in
spite of the cagfiness of the German protectionists to
hasten the effects of this result by periodical addi-
tions to the original rates of duty. At the present
moment, cotton goods of almost all descriptions pay
nearly 100 per cent. duty. Bar iron, upon which
in 1820 3/. per ton duty was but 29 per cent.,
now underlies, with the same rate, a duty of 66 per
cent. Contracts were more than once taaen for rails
abroad at 101. 10s., when the price in England was
71. Still, as we have said, our exports to Germany
have rather increased than diminished; and the

same has been the ease %%ith Belgium and with
France. _ _ _ _

It was, probably, not alone the fear of high duties
which prevailed with the north western states, who
all declined to join the Prussian union. Oldenburg,
Hanover, Brunswick, and Mecklenburg, with the
great ports, Hamburg and Bremen, have until the
present year steadily rejected all invitations. Poli-
tical considerations may have united in this deter-
mination with commercial calculations. But how-
ever this may be, the effect of the introduction
of railroads has hcen to sweep all objec-
tions away. The delays of inland custom houses
become intolerable when contrasted with the rapi-
dity of locomotion which railways confer. The
grftt lines from Belgium and the Rhine to Ham-
burg and Berlin traverse Hanover and Brunswick,
and the traffic is of paramount importance to those
places. Mecklenburg will probably soon feel and
obey the saute impulse.
Oldenburg, Hanover, and Brunswick had since
is3l farmed a customs league apart, which their
contiguity to the sea and comparative isolated posi-
tion allowed theta to do without impeding. the
course of trade generally. 'their tariff, with the
exception of some in Italy, was the most liberal in
Europe. As thinly-peopled states of great
extent, the calculation that agriculture, espe-
cially since the English market was opened
to them, formed the legitimate object for
the efforts of the population, was well understood in
Hanover and Oldenburg, and steadily kept in view.
This calculation has been forced, as we have said, to
yield to the irresistible impulse of the new field of
activity opened by railway traffic. It cannot be
doubted that the professions (if nu more) of the
ministers at Berlin, who pretend to favour views of
free trade, may have hastened the reluctant sacri-
flee. Under their liberal tariffs the people of
Hanover and Oldenburg certainly increased their I
foreign trade. The maritime provinces were highly
prosperous. On the other baud, the inland parts
contiguous to Prussia suffered from the difficulties of
passing a frontier. The fair of Brunswick, once so
famous, dwindled to insignificance.
There is, therefore, reason to expect that the abo-
lition of the custom-houses between the " Steuer-
verein," or the North-western League, and the
" Zollverein," which includes the greater part of
Connally, will be attended with beneficial effects
within, and with no diminution of trade to
foreign countries, this having been the result of the
Union of Bavaria and Wirtemberg with Prussia and
Saxony. The increased prosperity arising from
trade set free will more than counterbalance the
effect of high duties. The consuming population, if
improved in condition, will soon be better able to
buy dear articles than they now arc to purchase
them untaxed.
At the same time. if it were possible to be sur-
prised at anything done at Berlin, we should conkss
our astonishment that this junction Was not faci-
litated by the Prussian ministry, and even
turned to account. to insist upon a modification of
the present tariff of the Zollverein. This tariff is
felt to be pressing heavily upon the industry of hive-
sixths of the national industry, and to be misleading
the remainder to the certain ultimate ruin of nearly
all concerned in manufacturing upon an unsound
basis. The threat of severing from Prussia, which
Bavaria held out, could nut have been realised with-

out a financial sacrifice on the part of the South
German states, which neither the circumstances of
those countries nor the characters of their rulers are
adapted to brave. On the other hand, the confiding
to M. vAN DER HEYDE of the portfolio of trade and
manufactures was from the first an indication that the
reaction ministry was as little inclined to allow
freedom of trade as it was to tolerate any
other species of liberty, and that the threats of Ba-
varia, like the cur submission of the Prussians, was
in reality founded upon considerations very different
from commercial speculations.
Upon this subject we may enlarge on a future
occasion. With regard to the treaty in question, we
believe it will increase the internal trade, and with
it the prosperity of no inconsiderable portion of
Germany. The voice of Hanover and the other
new members in the congresses held every three
years to regulate the tariff will doubtless also contri-
bute to strengthen the course of reason and of fair
play towards all branches of industry. and thus a
step which now has a questionable appearance may
ultimately hasten the era of good fellowship and
unrestricted interchange, which the vaccination of
the Prussian cabinet has once more removed for a
period of three years.

REPREAENTATION or Sr. ALBANP.—MT. Jacob
Bell, the member for St. Albans, is leper:el to have visited
his constituents during the past week, and likewise the
local schools of the town, the children in which were can.
mined by the hon. member,

Tus BRAZILIAN MERCHANTS AT MANCHESTER
AND LORD PALIIIIISTON.—The state of our relations with
Brazil. as developed In the address of Senhor Rodrigues
Tones, the Finance Minister, to the Government Chambers
at Rio de Janeiro, in reference to the seizure by an English
miser of the Brazilian smack Amelia, has created some
alarm among merchants in the Brazilian trade at Blan-
chester, and yesterday mooning a number of the most in-
fluential of the body, being smothers of the Commercial
Association, took steps to induce the directors of that body
to put themselves in communication with Lord Palmerston
on the subject. Our correspondent did not learn what
pond at the meeting, hut it was understood that as the re-
sult of the movement a meeting of the directors would be
convened for to-morrow. Mr. James Atherton presided at
the meeting, Mr. J. If. De Castro, Mr. A. Comber, Mr.
J. 11. Wanklyn, Mr. S. H. Davenport, Mr. Charles Spence,
Mr. 3. C. Prescott, and Mr. Lyon.
SHOCKING OCCURRENCE ON A ItAILWAT.—On
Saturday morning a shocking occurrence took place on the
Leicester and Swanningten 'Lila ay, at the point where
the line passes the Foss-lane, a short distance front the Lei-
lcester nation. A coal train passed over the body of a sea-
ticman named Malin. formerly a resident of Hinckley, and
completely sever, d his head front his bode. It is supposed
that It was a deliberate act of suicide, t e deceased having
i thrown himself on the hue, so that the entire wheels might
pees ever his head.