The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-15 00:00:00

s, aould be " preliminary Ministerill conferences
h eld, and the Congress postponed till October. It
is stated by the Correspondent that this
letter was sent previously to the CROWN
PRINCE being summoned. It was doubtless
d eemed prudent by the Minister to determine on
the line of policy to be pursued before the PRINCE
arrived, as he knew that there would be no concur-
re nce on his part to so unwise a proceeding. It is
not likely under these circumstances that the
CROWN PRINCE will be enabled to effect much good
by his visit to Gastein. He can protest against the
ruinous courso of action that is now being followed,
but it is not likely to avail much, as King WILLIAM
appears to give ear only to one counsellor, and that
Herr VON BISMARK. This statesman must be
deeply mortified at the proposed Congress, since it
is in direct opposition to all his views and inten-
tions, and subverts the plans he has been forming
for some time past. It has been his object ever
since he has ruled Prussia according to Divine
right to increase the ascendancy it had acquired in
the Bund. He was to gain this end by taking up
a high position, and then bring the German Sove-
reigns under the influence and direction of a strong
Power. Power. All this has completely failed, and he
hishat
hated
r
partyiv
a have a
assume
theut es, mortificationitw er were
t hoef wewitnayesseifngtheir
the
supre-
macy, and cutting the ground from
feet. M. BISMARK has sent aci ureulanrder to their
h
representatives of Prussia at foreign Courts, and he
says therein that the doings of Austria will not
conduce to the unity of the German Powers. This
is, of course, the language of a disappointed man,
who sees everything en noir just now that relates
to this conference. A sensible remark was made
by a Prussian on the subject of Austria taking the
lead in so decided a manner. He said that this
would never have occurred " had not M. VON BIS-
MARK violated the Prussian Constitution, and by so
doing deprived his Sovereign of the sympathy of
his subjects, and made him appear despicable in the
eyes of the surrounding nations." This assertion is
perfectly correct; and, it may be inquired, with
what bitterness of spirit it was uttered. Nothing
could have been more irritating to the more ad-
vanced and enlightened among the Prussians than
to see their country set aside, as it were, in an im-
portant crisis like the present. The nations that
she was once in advance of are now preceding
her on the march of progress, and retrogression
appears to be the order of the day, where
only very recently it was hoped and believed
that we should witness striking improve-
ments and advances made in the cause of con-
stitutional privileges and popular rights. The
CROWN PRINCE is very much to be pitied in
his painful position, but at the same time it must
be some consolation to the people over whom he is
one day to reign that he is not of the clique that,
under M. BISMARK, has attained such unenviable
notoriety, and done so much damage to the nation
both at home and abroad. The approaching visit
of the CROWN PRINCE and PRINcESS to her
Majesty Queen VICTORIA, will doubtless be pro-
ductive of great service so far as regards the policy
pursued by the PRINCE. Of course the views
entertained by our SOVEREIGN on the questions of
government will be totally at variance with those
of M. BISMARK, and although the QUEEN is sure
to counsel caution and moderation, still the influence '
of her opinion must have great weight. It is to be
hoped that this great undertaking being carried
out without the sanction, and indeed almost against
the expressed wishes, of the King of PRUSSIA, and
his Minister, will eventually produce some perma-
nent impression on their minds. If they do not
attend to the signs and tokens all around them they
may hereafter be unpleasantly recalled to a true
sense of their actions, as they affect the prosperity
and bear on the interests of the country they are
ruling with divine right, and Heaven-imparted
authority. The people of Prussia are already quite
tired of all this assumption of peculiar privileges,
which result in their liberties being suppressed
and their rights shorn of all due exercise. It will

not increase their respect for the policy of the
Minister, or improve their allegiance to the KING,
to witness that their last move was to draw back
at an important crisis, and so deprive their country
of its just place in the councils of the surrounding
States. In all future arrangements that take
place relating to this congress there will be no par-
ticipation with Prussia, and this isolated position
must be keenly felt by all well-wishers to her in-
terests, while her most intelligent citizens will rue
the day when so adverse a policy obtained the
mastery in the Cabinet of their KING. M. Bis•
MARK may felicitate himself on having persuaded
the KING not to accept the invitation to Frank-
fort ; but he may yet have great cause to question
the wisdom of the decision, and to regret that he
had ever counselled his rerusal.

The regulation of national finances is generally
considered to be a somewhat invidious task. The
most elastic exchequer will not stretch to meet the
requirements of taxpayers; the most ingenious and
amiable financier cannot help imposing taxes.
There is no department of Government more closely
and anxiously watched. Deputations represent the
feeling of various classes of the community before
the oracle has spoken ; when it has, ready critics
hasten to point out what taxes might have been
remitted with ease and profit, while generally the
complaints and lamentations exceed the measure of
applause granted to the propounder of a budget.
It is a matter which affects everyone's personal
interest, which comes to each with a reality and an
earnestness not often felt for reform bills and
foreigns questions. It is a novel and curious cir-
cumstance, therefore, when we find a Government
wilfully making the worst of things in the matter
of finance by neglecting a most profitable source of
revenue, and withholding from the public the
etartling changes which a few years have produced
in particular districts ; imposing an arbitrary and
most unpopular tax on a necessary of life, while a
little trouble would enable them to dispense with
it altogether. Yet it is confidently stated by those
well qualified to judge that were the water regula-
' tion in India fully carried out the Government
might with ease dispense both with salt tax and
income tax. It appears from the statistics fur-
nished by Sir ARTHUR COTTON* that in the only
districts in which the works have been carried out
to any great extent the increase of the revenue is
startling. The total average revenue of It4a-
humundry, INiasulipatarn, and Gantoor, from 1841
to 1845) was 47 lees; the same tract now divided
into Godavery and Kisuta has in the year 1862,3
yielded a revenue of 821 lees. An increase of
more than thirty-five lees per annum is surely
worth notice, yet no member of the Government
condescends to notice it, " Lit the only thing that
is not worth mentioning in connection with
finances," asks Sir ARTHUR COTTON, " that one
district yields two-thirds of a million sterling, at
which rate the one hundred and thirty districts of
India would yield ninety millions,
while the actual
revenue is thirty-seven millions ? " how is it, he
asks, that no statesman inquires into the cause of
this wonderful result with a view to applying the

,* Major-Gen. Sir A. Cotton
T" Oa Irrig4iion and Nvi-
gation in Connection with the Finances of India,"
rAzionlextt-stfeete