The Express.
London, England, 1848-04-13 00:00:00

THE BILL FOR RAISING A NEW PRUSSIAN

LOAN.

PRUSSIA.—We have received oar maul files of
German paper,, and oar oorrespondeaoe. The fol-
lowing is the letter of oar correspondent at Berlin :
____

BERLIN, Aram to.
I am enabled to forward to you an analysis of the
re port of the committee appointed in the diet to
express an opinion respecting the bill for raising a
loan, referred to in a recent communication. Thei
report itself (which will not be published in any
journal before to-morrow evening) will be submitted
to the diet to-morrow morning. the report is divided'
into two parts—the first examining whether extra-
ordinary supplies are necessary, and the second the
way in which those supplies should be raised. In
the former part it is stated that the transition from an
old to a new system has disturbed publics ceder and
commercial transactions; that in many places the taxes
had not been paid; and that the present revenue does
not cover the ordinary expenditure. The prospect of
• war, it is added, must not be altogether lost sight
of, lad Prussia must continue to make military pre-
parations, not that a war is actually impending, but
because a country is best enabled to maintain peace
when it is most able to wage war. Besides, it is
urged, unforeseen circumstances may arise to pro-
duce hostilities even with the best disposition to guard
against them. The property, moreover, of private
individuals is menaced on certain points, and that
property must be protected. [Notwithstanding the
vagueness of those terms, the security of the Prussian
frontiers in the direction of Russia is hinted at.) The
report proceeds to state that the additional expenses
incurred by calling out.the infantry war reserve, and
and a portion of the Landwehr, will be some 500,000
thalers per montk over and above the ordinary sums
required. It is insinuated also that it will be neces-
sary to repress the excesses arising from the abuse of
free institutions; hence further expenses. Moreover,
the constituent assembly will be convoked, it Is
thought, in two months, when further ex-
penses will be incurred ; so that altogether
the report holds out the prospect, that for
covering the foregoing expenses some two
millions of thalers will be required, and should it un-
fortunately be found necessary to call out all the army
and all the Landwehr, that sum will be raised to not
lead than fifteen millions.
In a former communication I stated that no little
surprise was expressed in political circles at the intel-
ligence that there only remained four millions and a
half of thalers in the reserve fund of the state trea-
sury. The report refers to that fund, and sets forth
that in the beginning of the year 1847 there were
nineteen millions and a half of dialers in the reserve
fund ; that eleven millions of it was expended in the
purchase of corn, &c., during the time of famine, in
advances to the Bank of Prussia, in the formation of
discount banks in the provinces, and is one or two
other ways. Entering more into details, the report
states that after expending two millions in increasing
the army, and in taking measures for restoring public
order, and one million in giving public employment to
the unoccupied; and atter deducting another two
millions to cover the probable deficit of the na-
tiotal revenue, there will only remain, as a
reserve fund, 3,500,000 thalers, which is about the
sum which I gave in anticipation some two or three
days ago. Even that sum will be required in esta-
blishing discount banks in the provinces, where no
accommodation can be now had on any terms. In-
deed, the same may be said of this capital, if not of
almost every large town. No assistance, it is added,
can be expected from private sources ; in fact, the re-
port might hare declared, with perfect truth, that
private banks are now looking up to the government
itself for auxiliary measures. It is upon all those
grounds that the government demand the authori-
sation to raise a loan of fifteen millions of thalers, and
the positive necessity for such a loan is fully recog-
nised by the committee in their report.
In the second part, it is set forth that government
demands as a maximum, twenty-five millions of
thalers, chiefly for the purpose of diminishing the
misery of the lower classes, and of upholding the
interests of industry and agriculture. Previously to
this statement the report energetically blames the
former system of government, which it indirectly
holds responsible for the secession now observable
of the working classes from their employers.
After touching on some matters not of general in-
terest the report states that the committee decided
unanimously that it would be advisable to authorise
government to raise extraordinary supplies, to the
amount of 15 millions of thalers, for the internal and
external defence of the country; and, moreover, to
guarantee to government a further sum of 25 millions
for the purpose of re-establishing public credit and
improving the prospects of commerce, trade; and agri-
culture. Altogether it is now officially stated that
Prussia requires 40 millions of thalers, the exact sum
which I gave in last Thursday's or Friday's commu-
nication.
Many of the
_persons chosen by the Diet as dele-
gates to the Frankfort convention are warmly
objected to by the public. Indeed, it is expected that
they will decline to fill the posts assigned to them.
The excitement and uneasiness which prevail
amongst the working classes give rise to numerous
proclamations, circulars, addresses, and public meet-
ings. It is clear that much reciprocal distrust exists
between the so-called citizen class and the operatives,
although, art° the present time, there does not ap-
pear any good ground for it. All this morning
numerous groups have been stationed in front of the
palace reading a proclamation issued by the civic
authorities, another drawn up by the editor of a
new popular journal, and a third addressed to the
people of Berlin by the Polish committee. In the
first the working classes are strongly recommended
to refrain, not only from all excesses, but from all ap-
pearance of excesses, in order to restore public con-
fidence, and with it to revive trade, now so dreadfully
depressed. It is asserted in this proclamation that
paper money had lost half its value, and that nume-
rous timid persons had left or were about to leave the
capital, whose presence in it was of much advantage.
It is declared also that the government and the civic
authorities are devising plans night and day for the
amelioration of the condition of the working classes.
In the second proclamation alluded to the two follow-
ing points are mainly supported :-1. That the go-
vernment is bound to provide or procure employment
for all persons willing and able to take it. 2. That
government is bound also to regulate the wages, not
only in proportion to the work done, but also with
reference to the prices of the necessary articles of life.
In the third proclamation the people of Berlin are
entreated not to believe all the reports propagated
respecting the excesses committed by the Poles, not
to destroy the bond of brotherhood by dissensions re-
specting a mere question of boundary, but to aid the
Poles against the common enemy—" Asiatic despot-
him." The groups who succeeded each other appeared
to read these respective proclamations with much at-
tention, but without any comment.
AUSTRIA.—The Austrian Gazette of the 6th inst.
warmly denounces the recent proclamation of the
Emperor Nicholas as a production which might be
looked for from a Tamerlane. It is added that Russia
will be under the necessity of taking up arms against
its internal enemies, and of directing the lances of
the Cossacks against the hearts of the Russian people
themselves; but Russia, it is remarked, mast never
reckon upon any allies in Europe.—The Vienna relief
committee has opened a depot for goods upon which
money is advanced.—A deputation from Austrian-
Poland presented an address to the Emperor on the
4th. They were very cordially received by the in-
habitants in general.
It appears that no slight discontent exists in the
German provinces of Russia, on account of the non-
performance of promises made by. that power to the
peasantry in return for the conversion of the latter to
the Gree religion. A desire to be connected with I
the old parent soil is fast spreading in those provinces.
FRANKFORT.—'fhe Journal de Franefort pub-
lishes the report of the Germanic diet appointed to
revise the federal constitution, in which the recom-
mendation of the committee of fifty to have one re-
presentative for every 50,000, instead of for every
70,000, is adopted. It is also revoked that if the
excess of population of a state be 25,000, over 50,000
for which one member is named, then irwill have a
right to elect a second representative ; and that every
state having a population in number below 50,000,
will still have the right to elect a member. As for
the election of deputies to the constituent assembly,
eligibility is not to be limited by disposition as to
census, creed, or class. Any German who is not a
minor has a right to elect and be elected ; nor is it
necessary that he should be a native of the state
which he is to represent in the assembly. The