The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-13 00:00:00

FIFTH DIVISION OF PROFITS,

NORTH BRITISH INSURANCE COMPANY
!Established 1809. Incorporated by Royal Charter.
President—His Grace the Duke of ROXBURGHE, K.T.
Sir PETER LAURIE, Alderman, Chairman.
JOHN I. GLENNIE, Esq., Deputy-Chairman.
William Borradaile, Esq.
John Connell, Esq.
Archibald Cockburn, Esq.
P. Sorthall Laurie, Esq.
It. I'. Prichard, Esq.
Charles James Knowles, Esq., Q.C.
Solicitor—Alexander Dobie, Esq., Lancaster-place.
Capital of One Million—accumulating Premium Fund .£60.1,000.
Revenue from Life Premiums alone £116,000, annually in-
creasing.
Nine-tenths or Ninety per cent. of the profits are septennially,
divided among the insurers on the participating scale of Pre-
miums.
All Profit Policies effected during the current year will share
in the Profits of Seven Years, and will secure a larger Bonus
at every future division of Profits.
The Bonus accumulations at last investigation ranged from
25 to 70 per cent. on the Premiums paid.
ROBERT STRAC HAN, Secretary.
4, Bank Buildino, Lothbury, London, E.C.

THE ECONOMIC LIFE ASSURANCE
SOCIETY, 6, New Established Bridge-street, London.
1823.
DIRECTORS.
ROBERT BIDDULPH, Esq., Chairman.
•
WILLIAM ROUTH, Esq., Deputy Chairman.
Alfred Kingsford Barber, Esq. Rear-Admiral Robert Gor-
Henry Barnett, Esq. don.
The Right Hon. E. Pleydell Charles Morris, Esq.
Bouverie, M,,P. George Kettilby Rickards,
Edward Charrington, Esq. Esq.
Thomas Edgar, Esq. Augustus Heppe' Stephen-
Sir Alexander Duff Gordon, son, Esq.

Bart. ---
L'HYSICIAN—WiniaM Emanuel

street, 3
SURGEON—Benjamin Travers,
street, P
SOLICITOR—Henry Younf
ACTUARY—James John
ADVAN

1 Page, M.D., Oxon, 11, Queen-
lay-fair.
, Esq., F.R.S., No. 49, Dover-
'iccadilly.
T, 12, Essex-street, Strand.
Downes, Esq., F.R.A.S.
[TAGES.

Mutual Assurance.
The lowest rates of Premium on the Mutual System.
The whole of the profits divided every Fifth Year.
An accumulated Capital of £1,695,000
During its existence the Society has paid in
Claims
Reversionary Bonuses have• been added to Po-
licies to the extent of
The last Bonus, declared in 18.54, averaged £67
per Cent, on the Premiums paid, and amounted
to

800,000

Policies in force 397,000
7,621
The Annual Income exceeds
In pursuance of the invariable practice of this Society, in
the event of the Dea:ll of tie Life Assured within the 15 days
of grace, the Renewal Premium remaining unpaid, the Claim
will be admitted, subject to the payment of such Premium.
The next Division of Profits will be made in 1859.

Assurances effected prior to 31st December, 1859, will par-
ticipate in the Division of 1861.
Prospectuses and full particulars may be obtained on appli-
cation to ALEXANDER MACDONALD, Secretary.

BERLIN, DEC. 9.

The official returns of the late_ elections are gra-
dually coming in from the provinces. A comparison
of the total number of electors with the numbers
which actually polled might seem a flat refutation
of all that has been said about the general interest
aroused by the occasion. An average cannot be
struck till all the returns are before me, but the
following are some specimens taken at random :-
GOVERNMENT DISTRICT, COSLIN (PROVINCE PORE-

RANIA.)
Electors. , . • Polled.
First Class
_ _ _

Second ditto
Third ditto 69,883
DISTRICT OF MARIENBURO (IVM, PRUSSIA.)

First Class
Second ditto
Third ditto 8,851 ..... ....... • • • 906
DISTRICT OF NEUSTADT (WEe'rPRUSSIA).
First Class
second ditto ," _ 1,170 ~........ 521 ,
...
Third ditt0,....... •_. • 0,494. 1,976

CITY .OF•BANTSIC.

First Class.
Second ditto
Third ditfci
For Berlin I have .sent you the figures before,
and thefgive, taking the three classes together,
43 per cent. of the constituency as haying exer-
cised their suffrage in the capital, where the parti-
cipation was most liiely.
In the district of Potsdam (environs of Berlin)
the percentage of those who polled is not higher
than 21 per cent. of the whole constituency.
Were we to draw our conclusions from figures
alone, we should be disposed to think that general
indifference, rather than excitement, was the pre-
vailing disposition of a population in the enjoy-
ment of universal suffrage. Such a conclusion,
however, would not be warranted by the real facts.
We must measure the interest taken in the election
by the proportion of the electors who voted rather
than of those who stayed away. Political sympa-
thies cannot exist without education and intelli-
gence. An ignorant town mob may have its passions
worked upon, and may take a most demonstrative
part in public policy, without understanding any-
thing of the question at stake. But in Prussia,
where demagogueism and electioneering agitation
coeuris that those masses
se of political dis-
lections. The elections,
cwd u s
soh oohtn eddxpoi snnt ,00
tt thevfoo
lt cleoo
wna
ts ettqhhuee e nee
therefore, are pretty much in the hands of the edu-
cated and intelligent. The interest awakened is that
of sympathy and intellect, not that of blind pas-
sion. The stimulants of drink, bribery, and stump
oratory are totally wanting. That portion of
the electors who have exercised their suffrage
have shown sufficiently how deep is their interest
in the affairs of the country by the inconveniences,
the loss of time, and the distant journeys to the
polling-places which they have been subjected to,
the courage with which browbeating Landrathe
have been confronted, and the thousand impedi-
ments overcome, which the old system purposely
threw in their way. I may deceive myself, but the
real representation of the people appears to me to
be attained under the present Prussian system as
nearly as is practicable under the circumstances. It
is much more the real expression of the national
will than if a much larger proportion of voters was
brought to the poll by artificial indgeetnents—by
the orders of the Prefet, or the money of the can-
didates.

We must not, indeed, assume, even of that small
percentage of the constituency which has exercised
its right of suffrage, that it has done so with any
very accurate political insight. What exactly isthe
significance of the late election—what wishes and
hopes the country intends An express by its vote—
in an object of much anxious speculation. The pro-
vinces have very unanimously spoken ; this one
hears most variously interpreted. In England we
are accustomed to regard a general election as a
vote of confidence or the reverse in the Ministry.
Many persons accordingly write and speak of the
late Prussian election as if it meant the same
thing , but, except in Berlin and some of the large
towns, where the character and position of public
men are pretty correctly estimated, this is much
more than can be assumed. Not to speak of the
Polish province, where German papers do not
penetrate, in many remote country districts it was
hardly known at the time of the election in the first
instance who the new Ministers were, or if there
were any. Even if this was known, who shall say
that the votes of the farmers and peasant pro-
prietors meant more than loyalty to the Regent, the
brother of the King, who had called certain men
into his service, and whom, as his servants, it was
the duty of all good Prussians to support ? Between
this blind loyalty of the least instructed part of the
voters and the close scanning of the personal cha-
racters of public men, which is brought to bear in
Berlin, there are infinite shades and gradations of
insight and appreciation. To combine these into
one general expression would be impossible. It
must certainly not be assumed that the country
meant to express a positive approbation of the
policy of the new Cabinet, when no one knows
what that policy is likely to b. As in politics it is
always easier to say what we do not wish than
what we do, it might be safe to say that the coun-
try meant plainly enough to decide against the
potty aristocracy (Junker party). The good Bauer
who knew nothing of the Prince of Hohenzollern
or Von Auerswald, knew what the rights of chase
and exemptions from land-tax were, and that he
had a personal interest to protect there. The Kreuz
Ritter were never weary of repeating that, however
radical might be the corrupted and disaffected po-
pulations of the towns, yet that they knew they
were backed up by the " sound" country peasantry.
Now that in all the provinces, even in loyal Pome-
rania, in Gumbinnen, under the very eyes of their
own President, Von Byern, the Landrathe have
been everywhere turned adrift, the Stinker routed,
and a new class of men chosen, we can never again
be told that the feudal party have the goodwill of
the agricultural classes. The real nation (das wahre
yolk), who were always held in terrorent over the
towns has now spoken out for itself, and it appears
that it is quite as little disposed to stand at the back
of the squirearchy as the tradesmen and artisans
themselves are. The peasants wish to be the King's
subjects, not the Yassals of the great proprietors.

If the Feudal party is utterly beaten in the
House of Deputies, it is not to be concluded that
it is therefore powerless. The Second Chamber is
very far from being the decisive field of battle
here which our House of Commons is. It is im-
portant, but other things are more so. Flourishing
as the prospects of the new Ministry seemed at
first, it must not be supposed that their seat is a
secure and easy one. Any wavering in the dispo-
sition of the Regent would seriously damage the
triumph, which a little while ago seemed so com-
plete, of the Constitutional party. From whatever
cause, the spirits of the Reactionary party are re-
covering. It is believed that extraordinay urgency
is being used with the Regent to readmit into the
Cabinet some of "the right sort." If liberal mea-
sures are all that is wished, no one is more ready
and desirous to carry out liberal measures than one
or two of the chief of the Manteuffelite set. The
different fractions of the " Right" are holding,
meetings here to concert their plans for the ap-
proaching session, ostensibly ; but they have much
higher hopes than fora dreary opposition campaign
in the Chamber. A fire of letters, too, is kept up
from Italy, announcing the King's entire recovery,
or his dissatisfaction with what is being done, or
his speedy return. Even if these announcements
are understood to be " pious" frauds, s certain
amount of uneasiness must be produced by them.
-Whatever may be the cause, it appears that there
is a stoppage somewhere. The symptoms are, the
constant reports of modifications in the Cabinet, in

the Interior, or in the Trade Department, and tho,
unaccountable delay in filling up the foreign dip.
lomatic posts. - The nomination of Herr Balau to
Stuttgardt is the only one• which has yet been
made. • Some people, on the other hand, think that
it is part of the policy of Ministers to sham weak
ness in order to keep down the hopes of the ,Libet
rals, and to prevent the Left from falling away
from them ; and to coquet with the Right, in order
to_ draw them into a false. position. All,. however,
that can be safely affirmed is, that the Ministry,
far from having it all their own way, have a very
difficult part to play.

We are in the middle of a little after-act to the
elections. The 3d Berlin District elects to-mor-
row (Friday), and the 4th on Tuesday, in the
places of Grabow and Mathis. The 24 re-electioni
still to, be made are arranged on successive days,
that there may be no more choosing the same can
didate in several places. The Wahlmanner have
*resumed their evening deliberations. In the 34
district the election of Stadtrath Duncker seemed
assured till a, new candidate was started in, the
person of Von Kirchmann, who made a strong
_
impression upon the electors by a manly and prac.l
tical Speech, in which he stated his views. Von
.Kirchmann was formerly a President of the Court
of Appeal, but retired' about three years ago into
the country, and occupied himself with farmingl
being a man of some property. He is one of th
Left Centre, and voted in 1849 for the "-stoppage
of the supplies" (Steurverweigerung). Though hd
is thus classed with the " men of 1848," he places
himself now on the ground of the Constitution,
which he desires to see carried out in a liberal
sense. He eipressly warned the electors against
untimely pressure upon the Ministry at first. " The
several Liberal fractions," he said, " were at pre.
sent united. As long as things proceeded peace-
ably they would continue so ; stormy debates might
divide them again." He thought it a measure of
policy that some deniocratical members should be
returned to the Chamber, on the principle that no
party ought to be unrepresented. If Duncker had
not preoccupied the field, it is thought Von Kirch-
mann would have been elected, but it is hardly likely
now. In the 4th district Dr. von Tasmund, ex-
editor of the TVochenblatt, and now Director of the.
Central Press Bureau, comes forward at the last
moment. If some one else has not secured the
ground, Dr. von Tasmund is likely to be elected.
The place of August Reichensperger, at Dussel-
dorff, is filled up by the election of Dr. Hasen-
clever, also belonging to the Catholic fraction.
On Tuesday evening a ball and evening assembly
were given at the British Embassy by Lord and
Lady Bloomfield in honour of the Prince of Wales.
There were present his Royal Highness the Prince
Regent, the Princess of Prussia, Prince Frederick
William, and all the other members of the Royal
family at present in Berlin ; his Royal Highness
the Prince of Wales, Prince August of Wurtemberg,
the Prince of Hohenzollern, and all the Ministers
of State, members of the Foreign Embassies, &c.

It may interest your musical readers to know
that Hans von Bulow, son-in-law and scholar of
Liszt, has been appointed Hof-pianist (pianist to
the Prince Regent).—Times.