The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-11 00:00:00

A USTRIA, POLITICAL AND COIF? E.RCILL.

If the contrast between the political capacities of
France and Austria is strongly marked, the diffe-
rence which exists in the extent of the material re-

sources of the two countries is not less striking.
The productive capacity of France is already taxed
to the utmost, while that of Austria retains all its
elasticity. By a redistribution of the land-tax, not
by any increase in its amount, that impost, which
previous to the year 1847 produced about 37,000,000
florins per annum, has since the reform of 1848
yielded from 62,000,000 to 63,000,000 yearly to the
treasury ; a result gained without any diminution
having been produced upon the taxable capacity of
of the country. At this moment Austria, tried,
worn, " moribunda," as she has been called, can,
after such a yeai• as the last, export corn to a large
amount ; France, on the other hand, is so ill-
managed agriculturally, that she now imports,
whereas she ought reasonably to export, large quan-
tities of corn. The enormous productive power of
Austria, and her richness in material resources, sug-
gest to us one most important commercial reform, in
which it must be the interest, as it is the duty, of
our own country to assist, and which we would
fain hope has already been proposed by our Go-
vernment. There can surely be no reason why
our commercial negotiations should be confined

to the one country in Europe which has
the least to give us in return for our produce.
Every reason which has been urged by the Govern-
ment in favour of a commercial treaty with France
applies with tenfold force to a commercial treaty
with Austria. She can give us in abundance those
rags which are denied us by the French treaty, but
the free importation of which has been rendered
doubly necessary by that treaty. She can supply us
with unlimited quantities of timber for the hulls,
and of hemp for the sails of our ships ; and furnish
us with linseed, linseed oil, and tallow to any
amount. The reduction of the now existing export
dues on these articles by Austria would impart an
immense stimulus to her own commerce, and enable
us to make good not only the most important defect
in the French treaty, but reduce the cost of mate-
rial for our " naval defences." We, on the other
hand, as our China trade developes, could supply
Austria with those silks and poplins which she
formerly obtained from Lombardy, but for which
she is most unwilling to depend now either upon
Sardinia or France. The reduction in our favour of
the present import duty of 15 per cent. upon our
silks, and a similar reduction of the duties on our
Irish linens, which pay an ad valorem duty of 10,
7, or 6 par cent., would enable us successfully to
compete with the silks of Sardinia and France, and
with the linen of Saxony, in a country which con-
tains upwards of 60,000,000 of inhabitants—a mar-
ket of a magnitude not to be despised. There can
be no doubt, viewing the present liberal temper and
progressive policy of the Austrian Government,
that even a less skilful negotiator than Mr. Cobden
might succeed in inducing it to consent to the con-
cessions which we have indicated above, and we
most earnestly hope that no unworthy considera-
tions of foreign policy will prevent the Government
from taking advantage of the present opportu-
nity to retrieve, by honest free-trade principles, the
ground they have lost, and thus prove to the world
that commercial treaties are not mere diplomatic
expedients, to be made use of as an element of poli-
tical intrigue, but that they are indeed what a
recent Parliamentary orator eloquently described
them to be, " processes which, like the silent aid
ceaseless processes of nature herself, would bring
into play a thousand beneficial influences on the side
of peace throughout the world."—London Review.

A TALE OF MYSTERY.—The following curious
statement appears in the Freeman's Journal :—Tarbert,
Friday.—The discovery on Wednesday last of a fearful
attempted assassination has startled the good folk of Tar-
bert, and has occasioned considerable uneasiness to the
family against whom the annihilation was intended. It
appears that about three weeks ago a nice little box was
directed to Col. Patterson, Tarbert-house. On the direction
card were the names of several lady members of his family,
and intimating that a letter would be found inside, which
would explain all. The colonel, struck with the singularity
j of the affair of receiving a box of which he knew nothing,
and fancying that there might be some hoax connected
with it, determined not to open the mysterious consignment
until further information might elucidate its meaning*.
Accordingly it was locked up in a room, and continued
there for three weeks without any information being
received respecting it. Several members of-his household
having shaken the box, pronounced its contents to be either
sand or powder ' • eventually, however, in order to see what
it did contain, the wary old soldier on Wednesday last,
having placed it at a distance of 100 yards or more, tired a
pistol at the lid, when ban.. went the box with a loud report,
shattering into pieces a rarge stone against which it was
placed. Amazed, the3colonel ran up, and to his astonish-
ment discovered that his "little present" was nothing more
nor less than an infernal machine. It was filled with powder,
and had a dozen lucifer matches so arranged in the inside
that if the box was opened in the usual way certain destruc-
tion would be the consequenes.. A magisterial inquiry will
be held this day (Friday). •
[ADvEwrisEmENT.]—Holloway's Pills and Ointment.—
Art surpasses Science.—ln the cure of all diseases expe-
rience is the grand hand-maiden of nature : to watch the
proper moment and to give the appropriate medicine is the
the
they must
chief art in subduing all ailments. As Holloway's medi-
cines remove all obstructions to perfect action, as
watch-
maker cleans the works of an ill going timepiece,
necessarily restore regularity and order. Such being their
benign action, they can never be used at the wrong time,
nor improperly if attention be given to the instructions
which accompany every package of pills and ointment.
The weakest as well as the strongest may advantageously
use them, their action being so cooling,
and restorative, healing, purifying,