The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-14 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 14, 1849. •

to the superiority in point of wisdom of the commer-
cial policy which has been pursued at Singapore over
that which hes hitherto been so pertinaciously clang
to in Java and at Ausboyna.
Aeolis'r important result of the all but total repealth of
f
the Dutch navigation law is the emancipation of
tease the Rhine from the vexatious and obstructive
oft which have hitherto impeded the deeelop-
meat of its shipping. Here, too, Holland ham borne
mogaineal testimony to the soundness of the free-
trade principle. The railroads of Belgium and
Prussia were rapidly superseding the Rhine, not
merely asthe highway foe travellers,lout for the carriage
of merchandise. The heavily. burdened Rhinrecraft
could not make a stand against the rival railway
trains. Holland was in danger of seeing herself
thrust into an ont-of-the-way unvisited corner, instead
ofbeing bisected by the great highway of the commerce
of central Europe. The sagacity indicated by
the resolution to liberate the Rhine from its
burdensome tolls will no doubt urge on the Nether-
lands government to lose no time in completing the
railway from Arnheim to the Prussian frontier ; for
thus aloes can Holland reap the full harvest of the
advantages it may derive front its natural position,
and compete on an equal footing with Belgium for
the wealth to be derived from its ports becoming the
great harbours of central Europe.
England will be beuefited by the almost total
repeal of the Dutch navigation law ; Western and
Central Germany, Eastern France, and Switzerland,
will be benefited by it ; but the advantages which
Holland will derive from the measure w`tl be the'
greatest of all. Java, relieved from the incubus of the I
Mastsehappy monopoly, will start anew on the
career of commercial prosperity. Holland, containing
the principal harbours of Europe between the Vistula
and the Maes, the Alp and the North Sea, will be hen, I
measurably enriched. This policy has been taught to
Holland by the experience of thirty-five years' blun-1
dering from one phase of protection to another, and
is a testimony to the soundness of free-trade principles
above all suspicion.
We are not insessible to the importance of having
the last rag of its navigation law which Holland still
allows to flatter and twist restrictively round the
limbs of its commerce Ora away. The imposition of
a duty of 6 florins on bohea and ordinary cow% sod
16 florins on other te,s imported in foreign venni%
while the same teas imported in national vessels pay
respectively only 21 and 5 florins, is unfair to our
shipping, seeing that Dutch ships may import tans,
direct from China to English ports free from any die-
criminatieg duty ; but the good sense shown by the
Dutch government in the great stride it has at once
taken towards the liberating of navigation, convinces
us that this short-sighted policy will not be long ad-
hered to.
We alluded, in the beginning of these remake, to
advantages which would result from the all but total
repeal of the Dutch navigation law, irrespective of
commercial considers'ions. Since 1815 the naviga-
tion of the Rhine has been a constant source of
irri-
tating diplomatic discussions between Holland andl
the German states. Since 1824 the discriminating
duties levied on goods imported into Java under
the British flag, and other grievances of our
commerce in the Indian archipelago, have been
constant sources of irritating diplomatic dis-
cussions between Holland and England. Much
precious time has been wasted, great and useless'
expenses have been incurred, and serious national
collisions threatened, from the inability of Dated, 11
German, and English diplomatists to agree as to the
right interpretation of the treaty of Vienna, and the
treaty of 1824 between England and the Netherlands.'
What the aggregate sagacity and subtlety of the di-
plomacy of these three nations could not effect, a liberal
policy in regard to navigation has al'wady accom-
plished. The bickering' of thirty years have become
matter of history—subjects for the curious inquiry of
the antiquarians of international law.

FRANCE.
PARIS, TUVRSDAT, 5.30 P.M.
Two champions of opposite systems of taxet'oa
were heard in the Legislative Assembly yesterday.
The debate was a serious one, involving as it did the
dismission of a law on which depends the financial
' balance of France. The intention of Louis Napoleon
is presenting the project of law authorising the levy-
ing of the tax on drinks during 1830 was to give
time to complete a system of saving upon other
branches of finance which might reeder possible the
future abolition of the excise on drinks, a tax which
is admitted to be vexatious and unequal. Such at
least was the opinion of the President ; and it M.
Feuld had stated that such was the intention, much
debate and decided opposition would have been
spared. But that not being so, the question lay
simply as between the supporters and opponents of
indirect taxation. M. Charencey, the caampion of
that system, yesterday contended that it was the best,
because it was levied from every purse.
M. flutist, astonished to find a supporter of the tax
for its own sake, said that he had intended to speak
of the project of government in a financial light ; but
since there were still some people who would not
admit that it was a bad one, that it was united and
unequal, and accompanied by innumerable vexations,
he would merely state a few facts. And first, he
asked, were not all lands subject to a heavy uniform
tax, according to their value ? So far that was just
and good. On that land its holders cultivated corn,
vane flowers, and wine. Of all those products was
it fair that one only should be taxed as to its circula-
tion to an amount of a hundred millions, whilst
all other agricultural produce was free. So fee
the tax was unjust. As to tho question of
inequality, was it not evident that the rich
man, drinking in an orgie a bottle of champagne at
8 francs, paid no more duty than the poor workman
who purchased his bottle for 6 soma He showed the
Assembly that in the department of the Ain, which
he bad chosen because it was the first in alphabetical
order, wine in the piece was worth 11 fr., and the
same quantity retail rose to 41 fr. The tax caused
this inequality. It was vexatious in its mode of levy,
and full of unnecessary formalities. It involved more
than the one necessity of which M.Fould had spoken.
It involved the political situation of France, than
which nothing could be worse, and the imperious
necessity of government was to do justice to all
citizens. If the minister of finance had come for-
ward and said that the tax must be maintained for
the present, because a financial, reform is in pre-
paration, which would require time to come
Into execution, he would hare understood the
necessity and yielded, but it was not so.
As to the retained decrease of expenditure,
it was mere derision. Three or four thousand soldiers
more or lees seemed to him to be the same system of
finance which it seemed to him could no longer hold
in the country without ruining it. The question
could not be treated without this reflection—ls France
to be mined in a short space? for he would ask the
minister of finance how long he thought to prolong
his system. It was not sufficient to reach the end of
the year, bat the future must be thought of. He was
of opinion that the time would come when a direct
tax would be the only one that could be levied. The
present system could not endure in presence of uni-
versal suffrage. The people were exhausted by the
present taxation. If the present budget amounted
to two milliards, public fanctionaries would be ap-
pointed to swallow it all op. He had read in a work
by M. Guizot the following phrase, " Liborty is too
pettiest' fora people to haggle for it ;" and he had
said to himself " If ever that man governs France, he
will sacrifice her liberties and her finances." Aniex-
aggerated taxation war, in his opinion, incom-
patible with liberty. This it was that led to
revolutions, which could never take place if
the people had nothing to ask of the government
but security and liberty. If the government would
confine itself within these limits, it might make im-
mense progress. Let it diminish taxes, and improve
the laws, and the country would soon find its ad-
vantage.
What M. Bastiat accuses the cabinet of not saying,
namely, that the excise is imposed temporarily, and
because no other source of revenue is to be had, is put
broadly enough in the .Dis Decem6re. The organ of
the Elysee says that the tax is unpopular, bat that it
is the Assembly's own fault if it must be maintained.
In proportion as the debate was calm yesterday, so
it was stormy to-day. The members bad flocked in
numbers to hear M. de MontslembFrt and M. Jules,
the two speakers announced for to-day, but M. An-
thony Thoaret, under pretext of a ratification of the
minutes of yesterday's proceedings, commenced a
panegyric of the ex-constituent assembly, which, ex-
citing angry psalms on all sides, led to tremendous
uproar. M. Thouret complained that M. de Charon-

cry had said that the constituent assembly voted the'
abolition of the excise on drinks without a
debate. This was not true, as a debate. had
takes place. Murmurs from the Right met this
'statement of M. Tkonret, and the president with-
drew from him the right to speak; but the red orator
refused to leave the tribute, was called to order for
disobedience, and was finally forced to leave the
rostrum, amidst protests from the Left and a general
1
upWheroar.
n calm had been a little restored, the minister
of public instruction plaoed on the table of the
Chamber the project of law already mentioned in the
correspondence relative to the deprivation of teachers
in primary schools. M. de Parrett begged that his
project of law should be paned d'urgence, inasmuch
as it was only a temporary one, which was to be in
vigour until the law on education had passed. The
law gave the prefets complete power over these petty
functionarier. This entwinement was fullowed by
another explosion from the members of the Left. The
minister went on. amidst the noise, to say that the
teachers in primary schools should in future be
appointed by the prefets, and taken either from toe
Is ty or from the religious societies ; the prejet
to have power to reprimand and dismiss—(More
cries from the Mountain)—and no teachers once dis-
missed to set up a school in the parish where he for-
merly held his office. Committee of arroncliiseiments
to have the power of temporary suspension.
M. Panel Daprat spoke against the urgency of the
proposal, seeing that that had not been pursued with
regard to the law on education. M. Bane spoke in
the same sense. The demand of urgency was ad-
mitted, and voted by a large majority, and the law
sent to a 'timelines. M. d'Hautpoul also presented
a law ratifying the treaty of commerce and naviga-
tion lately paned between France and Belgium.
Urgency was declared in this case slay; and, without
a fresh incident, the debate on the excise commenced,
M. de Montalembert occupying the tribune at post-
I hour.
It is asserted that the President, when he received
a committee from the Boulogne and Amiens Railway,
said : " I have excellent news for you, gentlemen-
-- important communication to make to you, in the
=cement that passports_will be discontinued."

For Account.
PADIB, Dm 13. Pm
Money. ('Opening liighcot. Lowest. Cloting
------ I---.
peel:cute. ....... 66 25 136 23 Mt 40 54 23 16 30
per Cents...- — 9 l 30 91 SS 91 60 91 55 91 60
do. New Lean ~ II "
i per Cents...-. •
71 SO 1 . 1 " "
o o i.
per Cents

S per Cent*. ....... 56 25 _- 56 40 54 25 56 30
5 per Cents.. .— 9 l 9l 54 91 55 191 80 91 55 91 60
S do. New Loma ~ s s 1 1 r.
44 per Cents „ . s s
4 per Cents 7l 50 , ” . Ot go to
Kathuoure on London: 30 4." :3 431 90 Says, 25 324.
Belgian, 5, 16111
Da. 5, 1941 ....„ 97 ,rrtoman Lugs ... 914 ~
Do. 4g
Do. 2g
Bocasa.—St. Germain, 415; Volatiles (left bank), 109 75; Orleans,
737 30; Parts and Rouen, 551 23; Rouen and HIM!, 242 50 ; Al hy-
mn and Marsedks, 220; Strasbourg and Bale, 103; Centre, 330;
Bororaus, 495, Nortb, 431173 ; P.iria and Strasbourg, 361 25; Tours
and Nantes, 27* 73; Montanan and Troyes, 113.

Tee duty on coal will be reduced from 10fr. to sfr.
per ton, and from Bfr. to 3fr., according to the qua-
lity; the duty on zinc, 93 per cent. on existing
duties; on copper, 33 per cent.; oleaginous grains,
17 and 19 per cent. (according to kind.) There will
be oleo a recluetion of Theer cent. len wheat, and of
31 per cent. on rye. treaty will also exert a
beneficial influence on Belgian machinery.