The Sun.
London, England, 1860-11-26 00:00:00

and the member of the Council of State, the pro-
jects of law of the government.
" Art. 6. The ministry of our -household is sup-
pressed ; its functions are joined to those of the
Grand Marshal of the Palace.
" Ar

The ministry of Algeria and the Colo
nies is suppressed. The administration of the colo-
nies is united with the Ministry of the Marine.
"Art. 8. Services which do not directly belong
to public instruction or the special establishments
of the University, are withdrawn from the Ministry
of Public Instruction, and placed among the func-
tions of the Ministry of State.
" Art. 9. The Stud Department is removed from
the Ministry of Agriculture, Commerce, and Public
Works, and placed among the functions of the
Ministry of State."
The decree also orders some changes in the func-
tions of the Ministries of Public Instruction,Works,
Agriculture, and Commerce.
." Art. 10. M. Chasseloup-Laubat has been ap-
pointed Marine and Colonial Minister.
" Art. 11. Marshal Pelissier has been appointed
Governor-General of Algeria.
" Art. 12. Admiral Hamelin has been appointed
Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour.
" That part of the public service which is not
directly connected with public instruction, as well
as the special establishments of the University, are
,ransferred from the Ministry of Instruction to that

of the State.
" Art. 13. The Ministers without portfolios have
the rank and treatment of the Ministers with func-
tions; they form part of the Council of Ministers,
and are lodged at the expense of the State.
" Art. 14. Our Minister of State is charged with
he direction of the present decree.
" Done at the Palace of the Tuileries,
" Nov. 24, 1860.
"By the Emperor.
" The Minister of State, A. WALEWSKI."
BOURSE, November 24.—The market has shown
some little indecision to-day, owing to the Minis-
terial change announced in the Moniteur.• There
was, however, but little fluctuation in prices.
Threes opened at 70f 10c, or 5c below the closing
price of yesterday, and were afterwards done at
70f 50c ; Mobilier are quoted 761 f 75c ; Orleans,
1,391 f 25c ; Northern, 988 f 75c ; Lyons, 911 f 25c;
Austrian, 516 f 25c ; Lombard, 488 f 75c. The
following are the last quotations :
ft per per Cents 96 10 , Credit Fancier 9lB 75
Do end month.... —1 Belgian 41 9B 25
3 per Cents
Do. end month 7O 30 Roman
Bank Shares 2950 —1 Austrian
Credit Mobilier.... 770 I Spanish Threes 491
Do. Account 772 50 ; noire Debt

" NAPOLEON.

RAILWAYS.

Cash. Account.
Orleans 1390 .. 1388 25
Northern 985 .. 986 25
New ditto 892 50 ..
Lyons and Mediterranean 908 75 .. 912 50
Geneva 405 ---.. 405
Southern 523 75 .. 523 75
Western
Eastern
Sardinian
Austi 'an
Lombard
.488 75 .. 490

AUSTRIA.
The Vienna Gazette publishes the following Im
perial decree :
" Considering that the present egio on silver
causes perturbation in the circulation of copper coin,
and considering that it is necessary to satisfy the
urgent wants of the retail trade, it pleases me to
order, after having taken the advice of my Minis-
ters, and of my permanent Council of the Empire,
that the issue of monetary notes in all the provinces
of the Empire, with the exception of the Lombardo-
Venetian Kingdom, shall be submitted to the deli-
berations of the general assembly of the Council
of the Empire in its next sitting, in the' following
terms :—Art. 1. Monetary notes shall be of the
value of 10 kreutzcrs, a new Austrian money, and
shall be received in all payments of less than a
florin in the public treasuries of the said provinces.
Art. 2. The general treasury shall remit the
monetary notes to such other public establishments,
enmmuneg, and private persons as may explen a
desire to have them in return for an equal sum in
bank notes. Art. 3. The total amount of monetary
notes which must only be issued in proportion to
the most urgent wants of circulation, cannot exceed
12,000,000 florins. As soon as the want of means
of exchange in the retail trade shall no longer
exist, the monetary notes shall be withdrawn.
Art. 4, The falsification or forgery of these notes
shall be punished with the same penalties as thole
of paper money. Art. 5. The present measure is
placed under the control of the Commission on the
Public Debt. Art. 6. The Director of the Ministry
of Finances is charged with the execution of the
present ordinance. "FRANCIS JOSEPH.
" COUNT RECHBERG ; DE PLENER ; RANSONNET.
" Schoenbrunn, 17th November."
According to recent accounts from Austria, the
greatest inconvenience has long prevailed in all
parts of the Empire from want of specie, which is
so scarce that it can hardly be said to exist. A
great sensation was produced by the promulgation
of the above decree, inasmuch as by creating notes
for the low sum of ten kreutzers (little less than a
sou each), the Government proves that the penury
of the Treasury is so great that it cannot even
make an issue of copper coin. The lowest notes
in Austria have hitherto been of one florin (2fr.
50c.), but it was the practice to tear them in two
'or the purpose of giving change.

111 R. M.P„ ON REFORM.

®

The Glasjow ilerald publishes a correspondence
between Mr. Alexander Drew, of Glasgow, and
Mr. Bright. Mr. Drew; it appears, desires to know
from Mr. Bright himself whether or not he has
done a certain amount of raischiLf to the cause of
reform, as alleged in some recent speeches delivered
lin the west country by Mr. Bouverie, M.P. In
Ireply, Mr. Bright writes as follows :

" Rochdale, Nov. 19,1860.
" Sir,—l can only refer you to my published speeches for
what I have said on the question of reform. It is a mistake
to suppose the possessors of power in this country can be
persuaded to part with it, or to share it with the people, by
smooth words. If Mr. Bouverie is dissatisfied with my
mode of arguing the question, he may give us a sample of
his mode—we shall see if he succeeds any better. Ido not
recollect that he has ever shown any earnestness with re-
gard to it, and it is not unlikely that he may not like
earnestness in others. Twenty years ago we were charged
with strong language and great severity when discussing the
question of the corn laws. The country surely knows by
this time whether our accusations were well founded or not
at last it was only by the help of a famine, which killed
thousands and exiled hundreds of thousands, that we pre-
vailed. We were then charged with creating hostility be -
tween classes ; and yet now everybody knows that nothing
in our time has done so much to remove discontent, and to
put an end to the war of classes, as the abolition of the corn
law. I suppose the present holders of power will wait till
some accident brings a hurricane about them, and then they
will yield without honour what they now retain without
right. With regard to your proposition as to fixing a mini-
mum of wages, I have only to say that I think the scheme
wholly impracticable, and that any attempt to do what you
suggest could only lead to confusion. How could a mini-
mum of wages be fixed, without fixing a minimum of prices?
And who could do this, not for this country only but for the
world? Is it possible that any rational man can believe
that such a measure is possible ? And how can a Scotch-
man, living in the city where Adam Smith lived and wrote,
believe it ?—I am, respectfully yours,
"JOHN BRIGHT."

FRENCH FINANCE.

(From the Honey Market Review.)
Now that the attention of the commercial commu-
nity in this country is in an especial manner directed
to the operations of the Bank of France, it may be
considered a fitting moment to take a brief glance at
the financial position and the fiscal burthens of the
French nation. We will confine ourselves to citing
a few pregnant figures :—ln the year 1814 the
National Debt of France was £50,646,108. In 38
years, that is to say in 1852, it had increased to
£213,825,492. It is now L356,883;871 ; so that in
the last eight years it has increased no less than
£143,058,379. In 1855 the annual charge of the
public debt of France was stated to be £9,000,000,
whilst in January of the present year it was ad-
mitted to be £16,000,000, and is probably much
more. We have not space to enter into, nor the full
particulars of, the manner in which this large in-
crease has arisen in so short a space of time. In
France the financial secrets of. the Government are
well kept. But it is a terrible feet that in the face
of the unprecedented amount of taxation with which
France is at present burthened, it is even now
necessary to add largely, year after year, to the
national debt.
During the same space of 40 years the English
national debt has undergone several alterations,
sometimes rising and sometimes falling, but it
is at present very little more than it was in
1820, when it stood at £790,000,000 ; whilst the
charge on the debt has considerably lessened. It
may convey a lesson to those who complain so bit-
terly of our system of taxation if we place in juxta-
position the account of the revenue derived from the
taxes of the two countries. It will be seen that
France actually outstrips us in the amount of her
revenue from taxation. At the same time, it must
be borne in wind that the figures do not include
any local taxation, which in many towns in France,
as here, is considered very great. It is especially
heavy in Paris.
"REVENUE OF GREAT BRITAIN FOR 1860.
1. Income-tax
2. Stamps 8,040,091
3. Crown lands .. ..
4. Customs 24,391,084
5. Excise
6. Post Office 3,310,655
7. Miscellaneous

£71,104,127
" REVENUE OF FRANCE FOR 1860.
1. Direct taxes, land, house, personal,
and patentee 118,800,000
2. Stamps and doma;nes .. 14,300,000
3. Woods, forests, and Fisheries.... 1,500,000
4. Customs and tax on salt .. 9,100,000
5. Excise 19,500,000
6. Post Office .. 2.300,000
7. Miscellaneous

£73,000,000

It must be difficult—nay, impossible—for France
to continue for any long period the immense sacri-
fices she is now called upon to make. Unless the
heavy load of taxation which she is forced to bear
be speedily mitigated, the efft cts will be most
lamentable. There is a point beyond which na-
tions, any more than individuals, cannot carry their
expenditure without tempting ruin.