The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-13 00:00:00

THE TREATY OF COMMERCE.

Yesterday's Moniteur contains the following re-
port to the Emperor :
" Sire,—The 13th article of the eepmerehtl treaty
het Pao aria '
robently conch:idea __Weell CS _Ma n-:
tain stipulates that a supplementary convention
shall fix the ad valorem duties applicable to the
articles of British origin and manufacture which
are enumerated in thetrst article, and shall con-
vert them into specific duties before the Ist of July
next. The high importance of this convention,
destined to fix the degree of protection necessary
for articles of French fabrication within the limits
laid down by the treaty of January 23, 1860, could
not escape your Majesty's attention. You have
therefore willed that the new arrangement that is
to intervene should be preceded by a loyal and con-
scientious inquiry, when the interests, so numerous
and various, which this treaty embraces should be
called upon to make themselves heard. In con-
formity with your orders, sire, I have been engaged
in organising this inquiry, and I now have to sub-
mit to you the measures that appear to me best
adapted for obtaining useful suggestions therefrom.
Under previous governments, the mission of
collecting information respecting cigars and iron,
coal, prohibited wares, linen and hempen cloths,
and linen threads, was at successive periods con-
fided to the superior council of commerce.
" Since the decree of Feb 2, 1853, which recon-
stituted it, this council has been called upon to
exercise the same attributes respecting the various
kinds of iron and cotton twist. In 1856, when
your Majesty decided that the question of removing
the prohibitioas should be the subject of a supple-
mentary instruction, you deigned to authorise me
to instruct the same council to that effect.
" These numerous precedents, the terms of the
imperial decree of 1853, the legitimate authority
attached to the names of the members composing
this council, appear to me to point it out expressly
to y our Majesty's confidence for this new mission.
" I have therefore thehonour of proposing to you, ,
sire, to charge the superior council of commerce,
agriculture, and industry with this inquiry. The
project of a decree, which I present for the Em-
peror's
signature, defines the threefold object of this
information. The council will have at first to
ascertain the average prices of the English articles
within the six months preceding the date of the
treaty. From this knowledge will be derived the
element by the help of which the maximum limit
will be fixed of 30 per cent., within which the new
tariffs will have their range. It will then have to
collect all the information proper for determining
the degree of protection necessary to each of the
branches of our industry, and for fixing the amounts
of the specific duties to be laid upon the importation
of each English article.
" For the performance of this important mission,.
the superior council will have the power not only
of collecting evidence from French or foreign men
of business, but also of having recourse to the know-
ledge of particular individuals, who will enlighten
them on technieal points and enable them to solve,
with a full mastery of the subject, the question of
detail; lastly, my administration and that of the
finance will make it their duty to assist in the per-
formance of its labours with all the means at their
disposal.
" I venture, then, sire, to promise to you, that the
inquiry shall be, as desired by your Majesty, com-
plete, serious, and sincere.
"The circumstances require that this inquiry
should be actively carried out, and that its results,
which are to serve as a basis for the new negotia-
tion, may be promptly ascertained.
" It is to satisfy this necessity of the situation, as
also your august solicitude for the industrial classes,
that I think it my duty to beg your Majesty will
deign to permit me to create, in the Superior Coun-
cil of Commerce, general commissioners specially
empowered to prepare, under my direction, the pro-
gramme of its labours, to collect both in France and
England the information it will be useful to lay
before the council, to summon together the manu-
facturers and merchants of the two countries, whom
the council may have an interest in hearing, to
verify the accuracy of the declarations that will be
made, lastly to consign in reports carefully drawn
up the result of, those investigations. Should your
Majesty approve of this appointment, which for the
rest will be temporary, like the commission entrusted
to the council itself, I shall have the honour of
designating toyou, for discharging the functions of
m M. Herbet, minister plenipo-
tceontaiwrsyhsio,om hisfnoremegreElnyxecraceolln;esnuclyhe tMinister of Foreign
generalof France at Lon-
don,Affairs has been so good as to place at my disposal.
I further ask of your Majesty the power of appoint-
ing, in conformity with the stipulations in the
organic decree of Feb. 2, 1853, to the superior
council, special delegates whom the nature of their
studies have prepared for the discussion of the ques-
tions that concern this or that particular branch of
industry.
vtauipt
s:rdeooodumms
promptly
of
atyksaouteutrs
raeebases,tdeyybt.jheleet will
inquiry will
lat
rjh eeeas
iswtuirb:erlCl surely
thehna sent
various
s
Government, to the
abridgment of that inevitable
period of uncertainty and. that partial stoppage of
initiatedasii sassigned
conduce,
with
commercial activity induced by the transition from
one system to another, and will give all the desir-
able guarantees to the public interests concerned in
the complementary negotiation that has to be car-
ried on with Great Britain.
"Death has made in the superior council, since
its reconstruction, some regretable vacancies. I
beg your Majesty's permission to fill them up, by
calling on Messrs. Dumas and Michael Chevalier,
senators, to replace Messrs. the Count of Argout
and Gauthier.

I have, moreover, the honour of proposing to you
for the vice-presidentship, rendered vacant by the
resignation which his Excellency M. Billault ad-
dre.-sed to me at the time of his appointment to the
Ministry of the Interior, his Excellency the Presi-
dent of the Council of State, who, notwithstanding
his numerous and important occupations,will kindly
share with me the direction of these great economic
discussions.

" I am with profound respect, sire, your Majesty's
most faithful and obedient servant and subject, the
Minister Secretary of State for the Department of
Agriculture, Commerce, and Public Works,
" E. ROUHER."

THE lONIAN ISLANDS.—A letter from Corfu,
dated April 3, says :—" The Lord High Commissioner, Sir
Henry Storks, has gone on his tour to the Southern Islands
in the lonian, with the squadron at present
,stationed here
as his escort, viz., the Exmouth, London, and Liffey," ,
SERIOUS ACCIDENT ON THE MIDLAND RAILWAY.
—An accident, attended with considerable loss, occurred
near the Defford station of the Midland Railway, on Wed-
nesday. The ordinary goods train from Bristol left' wor •
cester at half-past one o'clock a.m., and on arriving at
Defford commenced shunting on to the up-line, to allow of
the 3.2 k mail to pass. While so doing the express goods
train from Derby and Birmingham, preceding the mail,
came up, and before it could be stopped ran clean through
the other train, knocking over the engine on to its side, and
damaging it and several of the waggons considerably. The
driver and stoker, as we (Birmingham _Post) are informed,
jumped from the engine in time, and so saved their lives.
rho up-rails were blocked with the d Anis and the fallen
engine during the whole of the day. The cause is said to
have been a defect in the signals. Fortunately no person
was injured, although the-loss to the company, in the shape
of damaged materials, will be very great.
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even though this present spring be as capricious as its prede-
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Pills will thoroughly clear the head, elevate the spirits, r and
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mind and body.