The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-16 00:00:00

7HE COUP D'ETAT IN PRUSSIA

The 13th October, 1862, will henceforth be a
memorable date in the annals of Prussia. The
. wo Chambers of the Diet or Parliament met for the
last time. The sitting of the Second Chamber
lasted from 9 till noon, with one hour's interval of
repose. The Upper Chamber only sat for half an
hour. The closing of the session was announcel at
3 p.m. in a speech in the so-called White Hall of
the Palace by M. Bismark Schonhausen.
The sitting in the Chamber of Deputies was
opened by M. de Grabow, who read a letter from
the Upper Chamber notifying the resolution taken
by that Assembly on the previous Saturday. The
hon. President then said :
" Gentlemen,—l deeply regret that it is my lot to be the
medium to call upon this Chamber to express itself upon
the second resolution of the Chamber of Lords (the adoption
of the Budget of 1862 in accordance with the Government
proposal). But the regulations of the House do not allow
me to dispense with the consent of this Chamber to reject
from the bar of this assembly a resolution which in my
profound conviction I believe to be contrary to the Consti-
tution. (Loud cheers.) I therefore p7opose to you to re-
turn the letter which I have just read to you, as well as the
propositions of Deputies MM. Simson and Gneist, which I
have just received from the Committee on the Budget, and
which will be the subject of a report. I wish also that the
Committee will make known their report within one hour's
time, and that the sitting be in the meantime suspended."
I
M. Simson proposed that it please the Chamber
of Deputies to declare as follows:

" The resolutions taken by the Chamber of Lords on the
11th of October are contrary to the evident sense and to the
letter of the constitution; they must consequently be re-
garded as null and of no essential value, and from those
grounds are not of a nature to be taken into consideration
by the Chamber of Deputies."
M. Gneist proposed that it please the Chamber of
Deputies to decide :
" 1. That all the resolutions which have been_ taken by
the Chamber of Lords are unconstitutional, consequently,
essentially null and without value, and that the Govern-
ment cannot derive any rights from the said resolutions.
" 2. That the Government remains under the obligations
of settling the expenses of 18(12 conformably to the consti-
tution.

" 3. That the Government has not the right to dispose of
credits rejected by the resolution of this Chamber adopted
on the 23d September, 1862, especially as regards the sup-
plementary expenses resulting from the army increase, and
that by not so acting it would violate Articles 99 and 62 ci
the Constitution."

M. de Reichensperger and other members ad-
dressed the Chamber in a similar sense. A discus-
sion ensued, in reply to objections made by M. von
Gottberg and his political friends, who declared
they fully approved the resolutions of the Chamber
of Lords. The Chamber received this declaration
as it deserved, and the sitting was adjourned for an
hour,

At 11 o'clock the Assembly again met, when the
reporter on the committee of the Budget, M. de
Forckenbeck, proposed the adoption of the follow-
ing resolution
" The resolution voted by the Chamber of Lords in its
sitting of the 11th October, relative to the Budget of 1862,
violates the sense and the letter of Art. 62 of the Constitu-
tion, in so much as not confining itself to adopt or reject the
resolution of the Chamber of Deputies of the 3d October,
which was alone submitted to it, after the rejection of that
resolution, and adopted the Budget p:oject of the Govern-
ment which did not come under its powers at all ; that
consequently that resolution is null and witheut value,
and the Royal Government cannot derive any right there-
from."

M. v. Bonin protested in the name of the Feu-
dalist party against the resolution, and with seven
of his eo•religionists left the Chamber.
President Grabow severely censured such con-
duct. The Chamber had decided by a large majority
that the matter was to be discussed. The protest
of a few members could not alter that decision.
No discussion followed. On a call of names the
proposition was unanimously adopted by the 237
deputies present. Just as the President was pro-
claiming the result of the vote, M.M. Bismark
Schonhausen, Count of Lippe, and Count Itzenplitz
entered the Chamber. After the announcement of
the vote M. de Bismark, President of the Council
of Ministers, read a Royal message, dated the 11th
of October, authorising him to close the Session of
the Diet at three o'clock.
President Grabow, after a few words, thanking
the Chamber for their indulgence, proposed "Three
cheers for King William 1., who remains firm to the
Constitution to which he has sworn ; and for the
Constitution sworn to by Prussia, that invincible
rampart of liberty,"
The Chamber responded with three rounds of
cheers, and shouts of " Long live the King ! long
live the Constitution !"

M. de Grabow then declared that the 65th sitting
was closed ; a sitting that will ever be memorable
in the history of the Constitution of Prussia.
During the speech of the President the Ministers
had left for the Chamber of Lords, where they made
known the vote of the Second Chamber. The Pr:,_
sident, Count de Holberg, said that, mule? e,'tsting
circumstances, he should simply take note of it.
M. Bismark then read the 11°,7141 M'essage, and the
sitting was closed with thrte o
).seers for the King.
At 3
p.m. the 31embe", of both Chambers met in
the White Hall of
Palace, when M. Bismark
read the follow'
Ang message closing the Diet :
" Geutm„, Members of the two Chambers of the Diet
—A4,, the commencement of your deliberations the Govern-

went of his Majesty explained to you the motives which
obliged it to have only recourse to your co-eperation of the
most urgent questions. Consequently, the propositions
that have been sutmitted you have been chiefly confined to
financial measures connected with the current year, to a
series of conventions on various other projects of law, the
adoption of which appe tred desirable in the interests of the
material welfare of the country.

" Among the propositions that have been laid before you
that which relates to the treaty of commerce and naviga•
tion with France is of considerable importance. In the
unanimous approval which you have given to that treaty,
as also to the law relative to the rights of importation and
exportation, the Government of his Majesty beholds ths
guarantee that the economical principles upon which that
convention is founded will henceforth form the basis of the
commercial policy of Prussia. That policy, which has its
roots in the necessity of the development of free trade, is
traced out to the Prussian State by her interests and tra-
ditions. A portion of her confederates have already equally
v dmitted it as responding to the interests of the whole
Zoliverein."

" The conventions with Japan, China, Siam, the Porte,
and Chili, which you have ratified, will likewise contribute
to the security and development of our commerce abroad,
while the redemption of the Stade dues and the suppression
of the navigation rights on the Moselle are profitable to the
relations with the interior and with foreign parts.
" By the suppression of local postal dues most desirable
facilities have been given to relations by writing.
"The law relative to the privileges of mines grants an
essential protection to that branch of home industry. It
may be expected to be greatly developed, thanks to the pro-
tection which does away with the fear of too heavy a foreign
competition.

" By granting the means for establishing the railways
from Custrin to Berlin, and from Kolfurt and Goerlitz to
Waldenbourg, as also by ratifying the guarantee of interest
for the construction of a railway from Halle to Heiligen-
stadt and Cassel, you have rendered possible the execution
of important railway communications. These works will
develope intercourse in general by continuing to promote
the welfare of different parts of the country which stand in
need of new industrial resources being thrown open to them.
" The military conventions concluded with the Govern-
ments of the Duchies of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, of Saxe-
Altenbourg, and of the Principality of Waldeck have re-
ceived your sanction. In fact, you have declared that you
approved the efforts of the Government to remedy by these
means, at least in part, the vices of the military organisa-
tion of the Confederation.
" The two Chambers of the Diet have not been able to
come to an agreement respecting passports. It is to be re-
gretted that the projected reform in this matter lbas been.
adjourned. However, the Government of the King w!11.,
by administrative measures, realise the modifications which
may be introduced, without inconvenience, and whioh
cor-
respond to the necessities of the movement of travellers.tregret
"The Government of his Majesty the King
It thinks
not led to the legal settlement of that Budtghe
that the deliberations concerning the Budget
a.s shown its
that since the commencement of the sessilii
national
desire to accede to all the proposals
of
table of realisation
repre-
sentation which it could regard as. capable
of the State.
without prejudice to the essentialh
enPresent year has been
With this object, the Budget for t
ecifioation of articles, at
presented, with a very extendedir3
6 which allowed also the
of 1862 have
the same time as the Budget of ,
latter to be voted before the close of the year. In cones_
of fin' of taxation, the
quence of the disappearance
brought
condition, and this back to their former
charges of the State haveu en
cion
of public receipts has been
compensated for by a considerablered reduction of military
ex-

pensea.
govern of his Majesty the Ring could not
tions the Chamber of Representatives,
to which the o
greater part of the outlays ahead
according
reorganisation of the army and for other • y
made for the reo
M..
(Wale exPensee fur the current year Were to be sup•
disP
rallyßtuotththeereasoln