The Sun.
London, England, 1848-07-06 00:00:00

HOLLAND.

Yesterday, at ten o'clock, the opening of the annual
session of the Provincial States of South Holland
took place with the usual solemnities.
His Excellency, the Governor, afterwards gave a
grand entertainment, to which eighty of the members
were invited,

The amended project of law of the fundamental law,
will be laid before the second Chamber of the States-
General to morrow.

The Governor of North Holland made an address
to the deputies of the states of North Holland, and
to the l'rovincial States at the opening of the session
at Haarlem, on the 4th of July. After taking a
general survey of the political and commercial in-
terests, the state of religion, and the moral condition
of the provinces, the Governor entered into the
statistics of the following cities and towns included
within the provinces for the last two years, from
which it appears that without a single exception the
number of deaths have greatly exceeded that of
the births :

Births. Deaths. '
1846 1847 1846 1847
Amsterdam
Haarlem
Hoorn

Alkmaar
Taandam ... ...••
Parmererende
Enkhenzen
Edam
Wiesp
Monickendam
Medembleck

...
403 229 ...
407 265 ..
123 89 ...
178 260 ...
182 125 ...
70 81 ...
87 67
...
107 87
...

526 :561
443 498
193 130
174 192
166 163
80 94
102 104
110 122

Total 10,652 8,691 ... 11,358 13,744

RUSSIA.
RUMOURED DECLARATION OF
WAR BY RUSSIA AGAINST THE
GERMAN CONFEDERATION.
In our Third Edition of yesterday evening, we
gave the following announcement, copied from the
Cologne Gazette of the 3d inst., without, of course,
pledging ourselves as to its authenticity :
An extraordinary express from Berlin has just
arrived, and brings news of the capital being in
terror, by the Government suddenly announcing on
the morning of the 2d, that Russia has declared war
against the whole German Confederation. General
Vox SCHREEKENSTEIN, the Minister of War, and all
the Ministers instantly assembled to take measures
required in the crisis. The population of Berlin are
all in the streets enthusiastic, and as one. It is be-
lieved that all Germany will be equally united on
this outburst of a general European war. The fact of
numerous Russians having been mercilessly killed
in the bombardment of Prague, and at Berlin, the
indifference of the Government to Russian remon-
strances, and declaration of National Assembly at
Frankfort, insisting to carry out the war against the
Danes, are cited by the CZAR as open acts of war
against Russia. The vast Russian army is crossing
the frontier, and there Is no present force to arrest
its progress.
As letters, however, dated the 2d inst. have been

since received from Berlin, without alluding in any
manner to such an event, the rumour is doubtless a
fabrication.

ITALY.

LOMBARDY AND PIEDMONT

- - -
By accounts just received from the seat of war,
it seems there is a probability of hostilities being
speedily closed by a treaty of peace by which Lom-
bardy and the Duchies of Parma and Modena will
remain the posssession of CHARLES ALBERT ; Savoy
will be made over to France ; Sicily will nominate
a son of CHARLES ALBERT, King of that island, under
the protection of Italy; and the Venetian provinces
will form an independent constitutional state under
the ex-Duke of MODENA, and Austria will receive
an indemnity of four hundred millions, and at the
same time be allowed to have a garrison at Mantua.
These reports are, probably, premature, but the joy
with which the prospects of peace are hailed show
how tired the good Italians are already of the war.
Besides the enormous stores of ammunition taken
by the Austrians at Palma Nuova, they found
there about a million of silver coin.
The Piedmontese army had passed the Adige, and
is preparing to attack Verona. General PEPE is at
Venice with an army of 12,000 to 15,000 troops com-
posed of Romans, Lombards, Venetians, and Neapo-
litans. He has Generals ANTONINI and FERRARI
under his orders. General ARMANDI has resigned
the portfolio of Minister of War of the Venetian
Republic, and M. PAoLuccz, the Minister of the
Marine, has succeeded him. ARMANDI has been ap-
pointed Inspector-General of the artillery and engi-
neers.

NAPLES.
The civil war still ravages the kingdom from one
extremity to the other, without any prospect of its
speedy termination.