The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-31 00:00:00

gratifying to find that it has been the means
of benefiting so many deaf persons, who; but for
the benefits conferred upon them by this institu-
tion, must have bt en total!) disqualified for those duties
by the due performance of which they are alone enabled
to earn " day by day their daily bread." It must be
a proud and a gratifying reffiction to Mr. Dur•rox,
the talented surgeon of this institution, and to whom
Birmingham is indebted for its existence, that he
has been The means, under PROVIDENCE, of saving so
' many of his fellow-creatures from poverty and utter
destitution. Few provincial towns are so fortunate as
to command the services of a DUFTON, but in every
provincial town of any size, surely some surgeon is to
be found capable of undertaking the management of an
institution for the cure of deafness. Let every pro-
vincial town therefore follow the example of Birming-
ham and establish such an institution. The expense
of establishing and maintaining it will not be great,
while the benefits to be derived from it will be incal-
culable.

A letter from Rome of the 18th says :

" An excessive cold, accompanied by snow, has suc-
eeeded here the inundation. The population is the more
sensitive to these variations of temperature that is not
accustomed to them. A commission has been appointed
to distribute aid to those in want of it. The Pope has
contributed 2,000 Roman crowns. At one of the late
visits of the Pope to the church of the Holy Apostles,
the students presented to his Holiness two requests—
one, to let the library remain open on Thursuay, the
day on which they have most time to study ; and the
other, to create two new professorships—of pol Heal
economy and L gal me,lcine. Tce Pope at once granted
the first, and promised to take the other into conside-
ration. The first number of the Contemporaneo, a
journal destined to promote ideas of pr-gr, ss, made its
appearance here on the 12th. It is to appear every
Saturday."

At Florence, on the 19th, there was a heavy fall
of snow, and the ice was so firm that persons were
enabled to skate.

The Frankfort Journal contains a letter from Ben
tin. dated the 21st, which says ,
"It appears that the rumours reiative to several
changes in the constitution of the kingdom, rumours
which have been repeated so frequently, will be realise .1
this year to a certain extent. We learn from a good
source that the documents relating to these changes
are to be published in the beginning of the new year.
They relate principally to new enactments concerning
the concurrence of the provincial states in financial
questions and the vote on the budget, without, how-
ever, prejudic., to the royal prerogative. The march
of the Central Government will be facilitated by the
concurrence of the representaives of the country. A
second document, to be also published at the beginning
of 1847, is the edict relating to religion. This docu-
ment is said to be remarkable for the spirit of tolerance
which animates our Government with respect to all
creeds, without, however, affecting or restricting the
dominant religion of the country."
The Chambers of the States of Hanover ncR, atb
addressed a neti0.,_48.44 Of the Jews,- and parti-
ruinarly to abrogate the Impeiial law, passed at
Augsburgh in 1571, forbidding Jews to pass to
Christians such credits as they might have on other
Christians.

Madrid papers of the 23d have arrived. The
Gaeta publishes the agreement entered into between
the Government and the Bank of San Fernando.

The substance of this agreement, which consists of
above twenty articles, is that the Bank will advance
to the Government, in the year 1847, the sums re-
quired for the public service, to the amount of those
which the approaching Cortes shall vote. The 3d
article of the convention stipulates, that in addition
to 67,000,000 reals thus to be monthly supplied, the
payment of the half-year's interest on the Three per
Cents., due in June, 1847, shall be secured by the
bank.

The differences in the Cabinet have been, it is said
patched up fur the present.

It is rumoured in Madrid that the Carlists are
actively stirring in the north and east of Spain.
The Heraldo says that all is quiet in Navarre, in
the Basque provinces, and in Catalonia, but the Clamor
Publico states that large bands of Carlists are scouring
the vicinity of Gerona.
MADRID BOLSA, DEC. 23.—The Three per Cents.
34, money ; Four and Five per Cents., 21, money ;
Debt without Interest, 6i money.

We have received the Paris papers of Tuesday.
The Journal des Debuts publishes the following,
which may be considered as the Ministerial pro-
gramme for the approaching session :
"We need not observe that the question which is
about to commence on the 11 th of Jrinusry will excite
considerable interest. Foreign affairs will form a pro
minent figure in it. With respect to internal matters.
we see only the question of railroads likely to command
the attention of the Chambers. We shall first say a
word on this subject. Every one now admits that we en•
deavoared to aecomplish too mach at a time. The ques-
tion will then be asked, whose was that fault?—a ques-
tine that appears to us to be perfectly idle. We have
no self-love engaged in it, and we are quite ready to
incur our share of the blame, it fault there be.
We shall be in good and numerous company,
fur who is there amongst the Opposition, as well
as amongst the Ministerial members, who has cot
demanded a railroad? For ten years we proceeded too
slowly, or rather we did not move. Thanks to the ma-
neeuvree of political parties, ten years were lost; and
when, at last, the Opposition perceived that it was
impossible longer to refuse the country a means of
civilisation and strength, of which the least progressive
Governments began to avail themselves, a general avidity
succeeded to languor and inertness. We do not com-
plain too much of that. That avidity was perhaps
necessary in order that the work should be commenced,
and it will be at present more easy to regulate and
to moderate the movement than it was to give to it the
first impulse. Every one, or at least every sensible aid
impartial man, admits, further, that if we wish to finish
what has been commenced, we must offer the com-
panies less onerous conditions and more certain advan-
tages. A year since nothing but enormous profits were
seen in conjunction with railroad speculations. These
profits assumed incalculable proportions in certain
imaginations, and hence it was sought to anticipate and
to clip the gains which the companies were to realise.
In fact, many adjudications could not take place, the
companies not having presented themselves. Each party
made its calculations, the profits vanished as if through
enchantment, and the conditions terrified the most hardy
speculator. The greater number of the railroad com-
panies are more or less in a suffering state. We do not
wish, at present, to enter further into the question ; but
it is manifest that something must be done. It may
be said, that we are defending the interests of the
bankers and capitalists ; but we regard not that. We
telieve we are now defending the interests of the public,
who require railroads, and railroads well constructed,
well maintained, and well served. As to the bankers and
capitalists, we never could discover what the public or
the Government could gain by rejecting or ruining them.
This is the question of internal order which demands an
ursent solution, and which will necessarily take its place
in the legislative deliberations of this year. We are
aware that other questions had been placed on the order
of the day during the last session—such as a postal re-
form, a reduction of the stamp duties, and the salt-tax.
We ourselves, a year since, believed that some of those
reforms were ripe, and we trusted that the session of
1847 would not pass without an attempt being made to
realise what has been so long demanded, and which was
so successfully attempted in England—we refer to a
postal reform. A bad harvest and the deplorable inun
dations of the autumn c-mpel us to abandon that
expectatian. Any experiment would be rash. We
cannot think of diminishing the public revenue at
a moment when the Treasury is called on to pro-
vide for the disasters caused by the inundations and the
dearness of provisions. A fidancial status quo is required
by the most ordinary prudence. A crisis exists less pro-
found, we believe, and less alarming than certain persons
are pleased to represent. Still, however, we must not
incur the risk of increasing it by attempting any hazard-
ous project. The best reforms, in order to succeed, re-
quire to be oppertune. Consequently no reform can be
attempted this year. The question of our foreign rela-
tions remains to be considered We have no need to
direct public opinion to their importance. All Europe is
still excited by the destruction of Cracow, and every one
is aware that the Spanish marriages have caused a dif-
ference between the French and English Cabinets, which,
in fifteen days, will be publicly discussed. The almost
simultaneous meeting of the two Parliaments will be a
solemn moment. We do not dread it; we rather expect
it with impatience. There are certain persons who believe
and who hope, perhaps, that those debates will contribute
still more to render a rupture between the two countries
inevitable, but we believe and trust the contrary. We aro
convinced that faCts will gain by being investigated, and
that the difficulties will diminish at the tribune, and diet,
the real interests of the two countries, the causes and the
permanent reasons which tend to bring them together,
having only to combat a passing irritation and frivolous
dislike, must easily obtain the advantage ! A great ex-
periment is about to be made on this occasion before the
eyes of all Europe. Two Parliaments are eheut to find
themselves engaged. The fast has already been proved,
that the greatest liberty of discussion is not incom
patible with public order. On this occasion it is be-
tween two Governments and two nations that a debate is
about to commence. Shall this discussion be cotnpatible
with the maintenance of external peace ? Shall it serve
to embitter or to calm the passions ? Shall it demon-
strate, in favour of absolute Governments, that diplomatic
and international questions, in order to arrive at a fortu-
nate conclusion, must be treated between one Cabinet
and another in the shape of official relations ; or, in
favour of free nations, that the light of a public discus-
she is the best mode of concluding the. difficulties which
have become envenomed from mystery? We repeat that
it is a solemn trial, on which, perhaps, depends the liberty
of Europe. We are firmly confident that the result of
the trial will be in favour of liberty. A great session is
preparing, the greatest, according to all appearance,