The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-04 00:00:00

GERMANY.

The report that Prince Puckler-Muskau had be-
come a convert to the Catholic Church has pro-
duced the following letter to theAllgemeineZeitung,
from the illustrious tourist :

"In the early part of the present year I read in a
newspaper, and was really affected by the news, that
Prince Puckler-Muskau had expired at his chateau
at Branitz. To-day, on the contrary, I learn from
two journals that the Prince has gone over to the
Catholic Church—a fact, however, that other papers
are disposed to doubt. To prevent errors, I hereby offi-
cially inform my numerous relations, friends,
and
acquaintances, that in reality circumstances have not yet
allowed me, Prince Puckler-Muskau, either to die or to
become Catholic ; I by no means deny that both eventu-
alities, according to the estimate of different human opi-
nions, may have their advantageous sides ; only, as it
appears to me, they must necessarily occur in the re-
versed order. " HERRMANN PIICKLER."

BELGIUM,,,
The Senate has unanimousl37;llAvithout dis-
cussion, adopted the project of law on the conver-
sion of the Five per Cents.
The Belgian Moniteur publishes the articles of
the law. The following extracts are of importance
to the fundholders

Proprietors of the Five per Cent. Bonds can ob-
tain their conversion at par into Four-and-a-Half
per Cents. The present interest of 5 per cent.
will be maintained until the Ist of May, 1853, and
will be enjoyed up to that time by those who shall
not have demanded the reimbursement of their
scrip. _ _

All proprietors who do not demand the reim-
bursement within 15 days, commencing from a day
to be fixed by Royal decree, will be considered as
having accepted the conversion.
The Government is authorised to effect the con-
versions at London and Paris.

The exercise of the right of reimbursement of
the New Four-and-a-half per Cents. is suspended
for eight years, dating from the Ist of May, 1853.
The decree of King Leopold, dated the Ist of
December, then follows.

MINING INTELLIGENCE.
(From the Mining Journal of Saturday.)
MINES.—The business done this week is satisfactory,
although not to a very large extent, which may be ac-
counted for by the furor there has been for all the gold
mining speculations. The British Mining , Market
has felt this, which accounts for our having no impor-
tant dealings to announce. Tincroft has advanced to
121., buyers ; Wheal Golden has been done at 41. 10s. to
41. 12s. 6d. ; Balnoon, at 8/. ; Great Wheal Alfred, at
421. 10s. ; Round Hill at 21. ss. ; and West Phoenix
at 201. Alfred Consols, Bedford United, Devon Great
Consols, Great Polgooth, Par Consols, South Tamar,
West Providence, Trelawny, and Tremayne maintain their
prices. Boscean, Bosorn, Cwm Darren, Hawke's Point,
Prince Albert, Rocks and Treverbyn, and South of
Scotland, are at lower rates ; and, while the dealings
have ranged over a number of the smaller mines, the
transactions have no: been to any considerable amount.
In Cornwall, Wheal Buller have been sold at 8081. ;
Basset, 525/. ; Gramblyn and St. Aubyn, 24/. ; South
Tolgus, 1921/. ; Wheat Reeth, 50/. ; Wheal Friendly, 101.
In the Metal Market,—There are no sellers of English
Tin, except at an advanced rate.—Plates are in extra-
ordinary demand, and must rule higher. Copper is firm
and in great request, and the smelters shy of executing
orders to any extent.—Lead -is 201. per ton, and few
sellers at the price.—Spelter is 191. 10s., and a fair
business doing.—lron continues advancing ; Rails full
ss. higher ; Scotch Pig up to 3/. ss. and 31. 7s. 6d.
The Anglesea Coal Company declared a dividend of
2s. per share=2oo/. ; and the Rhymney Iron 6s. on
the old.

The sale of copper ore at Thursday's Ticketing was
4,432 tons, amounting to 24,3051. 13s. 6d., the average
produce and standard being 6,1561. ss. The corres-
ponding sale last month was 3,063 tons, produce 6g,
1331. 65., showing an advance of about Moiler ton.
Newtonards, Trelawny, East Tamar, South Tamar,
and Boringdoon Consols, have sold lead ores during the
week.

Birch Tor, Lewis, South Speed, Boscean, Polberon,
Wheal Friendship, and Charlestown, have sold black tin.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS--(YESTERDAY.)
ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE.

On the motion of Mr. F. MACKENZIE, it was
agreed that the house at its rising should adjourn until
Monday. .

THE FINANCIAL
STATEMENT.

The house having resolved into Committee of Supply,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER rose and
said :—Though the house has been pleased to honour the
remarks which I have to make to-night with the title of
" Financial Statement," and though I am indisposed,
under any circumstances, to quarrel with the humour of
the house, still I trust that hon. members will have the
kindness to recollect that it is a financial statement
made under very peculiar circumstances ; and that we
have, with respect to our finances, to consider to-night
some very important topics--whether, for example,
it is possible to make such changes in the mode of
levying our revenue as may contribute more to the
satisfaction and welfare of the community ; whether
such alterations can be effected in our system of
taxation as may remove from various classes not an
ill-founded sense of injury and injustice ; above all,
whether we may not take this opportunity of establishing
our financial system on principles more adapted to the re-
quirements of the time, and especially to the industry
of a country pre-eminent for its capacity for labour.
Besides these, there are other topics to which I must
advert, and which are not strictly of a financial
nature. I hope the house will also remember that
even considering the remarks I have to offer merely in
a financial point of view, the present period is but the
completion of about two-thirds of the financial year—a
circumstance which naturally
adds to the difficulty I
have to contend with. I hope, therefore, that under
these circumstances hon. members. will not think it is
any evidence of conceit or affectation on my part if I do
not on this occasion rigidly follow that routine form of
exposition which a Chancellor of the Exchequer properly
adopts at the termination or commencement of a finan-
cial year, when his duties are comparatively limited,
and, I may say, comparatively simple—(hear)—but, if I
deviate from that course, I trust that they will attribute
my proceeding to no other motive but a desire on my
part, in dealing with these various important, and, in
some cases, complicated subjects, to explain clearly to
the house the views of her Majesty's Governments and,
so far as I have to touch upon the point, their opinion
on the condition of the country. (Hear.) The task I
have undertaken is, as the house is well aware, not a
light one under any circumstances, and even under ordi-
nary circumstances requires an appeal to the indulgence
of the house. lam sure to-night I shall receive its gene-
rous indulgence, and the onlyfavour I presume to ask of hon.
gentlemen on either side is, that they will not pre-
cipitately decide on any proposition which I may make,
but consider all that I offer as a whole, because as a
whole it ought to be considered. (Hear.) I trust, in
justice to myself, that they will not, until the views of
the Government are fairly placed before them, be carried
away by any feeling of the moment, on whichever side
they may sit, too precipitately to decide on the motives
and principles of the policy which I may now have to set
before them. I wish, after understanding, as I did,
from the result of the last general election, that the
principle of unrestricted competition was entirely and
finally adopted as a
principle of our commercial code—
I wish to consider our financial system in relation to our
commercial system—to see whether they cannot be
brought more in harmony together, and whether in
bringing them more in harmony together, we may not
remove many well-founded causes of discontent among
the people of this country, and lay the foundation of a
system which in future should not only be more bene-
ficial, but which should enlist in its favour the sympathies
of all classes. (Hear, hear.) However, before I
take that general view to which I have just ad-
verted, I think it would be convenient that I should
consider the claims of those who believe that by
what we now familiarly describe as "recent
legislation" they have received peculiar injury. It
will, I think, be for the convenience of the house that
we should dispassionately consider the position of those
classes, and come to an opinion whether their complaints
and claims are just or not, because, if we can arrive at
some conclusions on these points, those classes who now
assert that they have been injured by recent legialation,
if their claims are impartially heard, and, if established,
fairly met, will then merge in the mass of the com-
munity, and we shall hereafter have to consider no other
claims but those which represent the unanimous voice
and feeling of the entire country. (Hear, hear.) There-
fore, I repeat, it will not be an inconvenient course, if I
take the earliest opportunity of examining the claims
urged by those great interests which have been pecu-
liarly affected by recent changes in the law—the ship-
ping interest, the sugar-producing interest, and the
agricultural interest—so far as the latter, irrespective of
all other pleas, urges on the consideration of the house
the fact that it is subject to peculiar burdens and taxa-
tion, When we have discussed these three important