The Sun.
London, England, 1847-12-25 00:00:00

DUTCH AND BELGIAN PAPERS

AMSTERDAM, DEC. 20.—The city of Amsterdam
has just published the budget of receipts and expen-
diture for the year 1848. The total receipts of the
revenues of the city are stated at 2,603,465f1. 99i,
in which is comprised 1,917,5001 for excise and
duties of import into the city. The expenses are
given at 2,572,500f1. 55 ; among which are, for
works and repairs of the city, 860,3791
74 ; for benevolent institutions, 337,694f1. 50 ; for the
municipal schools and public instruction, 71,300f1.;
for rewards accorded to science and the fine arts,
24,425f1. ; and for the interest of the debt of the
city, 807,646f1. 70. Thus the expenses will exceed
the receipts by 30,8851 44i. According to an indi-
cation placed at the head of the report the population
of Amsterdam amounts to 211,349 souls.
BRUSSELS, DEc. 22.—The average price of wheat
ending Dec. 18, was 22.73, rye 14.68, being a fall on
wheat 0.14, and on rye 0.08.
From the 15th to the 20th of Dec. four vessels
entered the port of Antwerp, laden wholly or in part
with corn.

The importations were :--:
Wheat ' 142,800 kil.
Rye 26,200 „
Barley
Beans
Rice

560,864 ~
The Senate yesterday adopted the project of law
relative to the contingencies of the army, and voted a
credit of 500,000 francs for Flanders. A general
discussion of the budget of foreign affairs, and
of the project of law relative to the modifications to
be introduced into the postal regime, was opened and
contended in the same sitting.
-Yesterday the Chamber of Representatives closed
the general debate on the budget of ways and means
for 1848, and adopted the articles relative
to ground rents, the revenue of which
amounts to 18,459,730 f. This article was adopted
without discussion, which, however, was not the case
with Article 11. on the poll-tax, and amounts to
9,200,400 f.
The frost has been so intense that, although it
commenced only three days ago, all the ditches of
the fortifications around the city are frozen over, and
this morning a good many persons were skating ; the
thermometer is 5 deg. It. below zero. i
RUSSIA AND POLAND.
ST. PETERSBURGII, DEC. 12.— FINLAND NAVY.—
In 1826 the number of merchantmen in Finland was
2.50, of 17,066 tons, with a complement of 2,306 men.
In 1844, it had 458 ships, of 49,294 tons, with 5,204
men. After that the number of ships decreased, and
then again rose, so that at the close of 1846 the
number of vessels again amounted to 458, viz.,
151 ships, 69 brigs, and 131 schooners of 45,847
tons, and 4,590 men. Besides these, a large number
of coasting vessels were employed ; at the conclusion
of 1846 these amounted to 965, of 21,292 tons, with
2,883 men. _

'THE CARNIVAL.—Letters from Aix-la-Chapelle
say that the Prussian Government has serious inten-
tions of putting down the carnival society of this city.
under the pretext that it has a political tendency.
What gives the more probability to this report is,
that a similar measure has been adopted in regard to
the Carnival Society of Dusseldorf. The Society of
Aix-la-Chapelle amounts to between 600 and 700
members, which includes all the burghers of the city.
—Flanders Papers, Dec. 23.
THE HAGUE, DEC. 21..--THE ELECTRIC TEL.
GRAPH.—The royal decree respecting the electric
telegraph was published yesterday, bearing the date
of December 8, 1847. The Algemeine Handelsblad
says that it is just two years since the publication of
the untoward resolution respecting the iron railway
which has proved such a great stumbling-block to
communications of Holland with Germany, and it re-
gards the present decree in reference to the electric
telegraph as equally detrimental, and as an infringe-
ment of private rights.
The decree states—" Considering that while the
introduction of electric telegraphs, as a rapid means of
communication, deserves every encouragement, it is
no less important that the service of these telegraphs
should be submitted to such conditions, as to prevent,
in the general interest, the abuse which may result
from the employment of this mode of communication.
" We have therefore decreed, and do decree—
" Art. I. No electric telegraph, may be established,
or put in use, either on the railway, or along ordinary
roads, or in any other manner whatever without
having first attained our approbation on a request to
be laid before us.

" Art. 11. The following conditions are attached to
the concession of the electric telegraph, viz. :—The
tariff of prices for the transmission of news shall be
sent to the Departments of the Interior and Finance,
and be submitted to these departments for our appro-
bation.

" News and communications relative to the general
administration and to provincial and commercial ad-
ministration, as well as intelligence and communica-
tions addressed to them, shall have preference to
those from or to private individuals.
" For times of war the electric telegraphs shall
be placed under the immediate direction of the de-
partments of Marine and War.
" Further, whenever particular circumstances may
call for it, the use of these telegraphs for private ser-
vice shall by order or under the surveillance of the
Government, or the heads of commercial administra-
tion, provisionally interdicted, and even entirely sup-
ported, with the exception of these communications,
which have direct reference to the railway service.
" On every railway station registers shall be kept
for these telegraphs, which shall be labelled and marked
by the head of the commercial administration, to be
kept according to the model of this decree. All the
intelligence dispatched or received shall, without any
exception whatever, be inserted in these registers.
If it should happen that the extensive use
made by the public of the electric telegraph
should prejudice the postal revenue, the retri-
bution of a just indemnity for the benefit of
this administration, and regulated conjointly by the
Departments of the Interior and Finance, shall be re-
quired of the electric telegraph finally. Whenever
it is desirable to establish an electric telegraph, not
on a railway line, the parties after having first ob-
tained the requisite permission must come to an
understanding, with the communal administrations,