The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-23 00:00:00

LA TEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

ITALY.

FLORENCE, May 22.

To-day, in the Chamber of Deputies, the Minister
of Finance, replying to a question of Deputy Fenzi,
declared that the Government never had any
thought of converting the public rente.

COPENHAGEN, May 23.

The Grand Duke Constantine, the Czarewitch,
and the Grand Duchess Marie Feodrosvna have
taken up their residence in the Royal castle at
Amalienborg. The Imperial guests appeared upon
the balcony of the castle yesterday evening, and
were enthusiastically cheered by the assembled
crowd.

The Russian squadron escorting the illustrious
visitors consists of seven vessels of war.

The King of the Greeks is expected this evening
with another squadron.

SNOW IN MAY.

BIR3IINGIIAM, Thursday.

Mr. Plant reports that snowstorms occurred at
intervals throughout yesterday. This morning the
thermometer registered 7 degrees of frost ; a fact
unexampled in the fourth week of May during the
present century.

AMERICAN MAIL.

Q CEENSToWN, Thursday.

The National Steam Navigation Company's
steamship Denmark, from New York, arrived off
Queenstown at 2 a,m. She lauded her passengers,
and proceeded for Liverpool. All well.

INDIA AND CHINA MAILS.

MALTA, May 22.

The Ripon and Nyanza left at 7 p.m. to-day.
The former may be expected at Marseilles on the
23th, and the latter at Southampton on the 31st
instant.

The Euxine, from Southampton, with the out-
ward Bombay mail of the 12th and 18th inst., ar-
rived to-day at 4 p.th., and left at 9 p.m. for
Alexandria.

The China, from Marseilles, 20th inst., arrived
to-day at 8 p.m., and will leave at midnight for
Alexandria.

OUTWARD (HEAVY) MAIL.)
GIBRALTAR, May 22.

The Massilia will leave duzing the night for
Southampton, where she may be expected on the
27th inst.

FRANCE.

PARIS, May 23.

The Prince Imperial, who is rapidly recovering
from his late illness, came to the Tuileries from St.
Cloud yesterday afternoon.
It is asserted that the adjournment of the depar-
ture of the King of Prussia to Paris is owing to the.
wish expressed by the Emperor Napoleon that this
visit should take place simultaneously with that of
the Emperor of Austria, who cannot come to Paris
until after hie coronation as King of Hungary.
BOURSE, May 22, Three o'clock.—The market
closed as follows :

4 per Cents 9B 75
Do. end month —
3 per Cents. 69 8.5
Do. end month 69 87i
Credit Mobilior 382 SO
Do. end month 382 50
Credit Fourier —
Do. end month 1175

Bank Shares 3500
Italian Loan 52 50
Do. end month 52 35
Mexican Loan —
Do. Bonds —
Spanish Threes
Home Debt —
Deferred

For Account.
Orleans
Northern 1213 75
Lyons and Mediterranean. 912 50
Southern 575
Western 570
Eastern
Sardinian
Austrian
Lombard 392 50
North of Spain
Saragossa
Ditto to Barcelona
Roman.

77 50

Mr. Baxter, M.P., on the Reform 8.11.

Speaking at Dundee, ou Monday, Mr. Baxter,
M.P., said the Reform Bill as amended was, on the
whole, a good one. It was a measure of enfran-
chisement of the greatest possible advantages, and
one which could not have been expected from the
Whigs, simply because no Government expected to
carry such a measure in the House of Commons.
(Elear, hear.) He welcomed the bill, and would
support it as it stool with all his heart ; but at the
same time they ought to bear in mind that they
owed this bill, not to the Tories, but to the people
themselves—(applause)--the people, led by such
men as Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Bright, who had
all along been the steady, consistent friends of pro-
gres. So long as he could recollect, he never re-
membered to have seen in the House of Commons
such anxiety to consider the great measure of re-
form, altogether apart from party ends and party
purposes, as existed on the Liberal side. No doubt
some few gentlemen who had been in office
were naturally anxious to get into office
again ; but he was certain there were not 50 men
sitting on their side of the house who had any desire
to upset the present Government. (Cheers.) On the
contrary, he was convinced that the great majority
on the Liberal side thought it was in many respects
for the interests of the country that her Majesty's
present advisers should remain in office, not only to
carry the Reform Bill, but to carry some other ad-
ministrative measures which were greatly needed,
and which their predecessors had failed to overtake.
There had been an attempt made by certain Tory
new6papers in the country to repiesent that, under
the mask of great fairness, Mr. Gladstone and his
friends were manoeuvring to displace the Ministry.
lie could pledge his word that the very reverse was
the case ; and he believed that, had they been more
unanimous, they could have got some weeks ago
even a better bill than was now offered. He be-
lieved there would now be no attempt made to im-
pede the Government in passing the bill in its pre-
sent form. If passed into law the bill would settle
the franchise question in their time, but the redis-
tribution clauses were totally inadequate. These
clauses did not come up to the requirements of the
times and of the people in the least; and he thought
that, if the Government scheme was not very greatly
extended, in a year or two they would have the
whole matter to revise again, whereas if the Go-
vernment were to revise their decision about the
redistribution of seats, they might be able this or
next year to p:mss a bill for the redistribution of
seats which would be satisfactory for 20 years to
come.

FIREWORKS AT THE CRISTAL PALACE.—A great
display of fireworks and illumination of fountains will
take place this evening at the Crystal Palace. The pro-
gramme incindes a salute of twenty-one aerial maroons,
a balloon ascent to exhibit magnesium and thallium lights;
a set piece, centred by a double triangle wheel, to be sur-
rounded by Guilloche, and also by twelve illuminated
vertical wheels, encircled by a thirty-feet ray star, de-
lincated by coloured lances, the festoons of stars filled in
with wreaths of white fire wheels, finishing with twelve
brilliant suns on the outer circle, within the wreaths ;
set piece, commencing with a rainbow wheel, extended by
four chromatropes, centred by illuminated triangle
wheels with rayonant fire, surrounded by triangle wheels
in brilliant fire, finishing with a curtain of silver fire and
coloured shells, grand salvos of coloured shells, rapidly
fired into each other, aided by flights of pearl and gold
streamers ; brilliant illumination of the centre fountains
and series of upper fountains by coloured lights, batteries
of gnus, and aerial maroons, to be followed by batteries of
Roman candles and flights of one hundred coloured shells;
the grand finale will be a bouquet of fifteen hundred
coloured rockets. The fireworks will commence about
nine o'clock, and the illumination of fountains about a
quarter past nine. It will terminate by half-past nine, but
the palace will remain lighted up until eleven o'clock.

The engine-driversnn the Punjab railway have
struck work on account of certain stoppages being
made by Government from their monthly Pay.

Speech of the Emperor of Austria on Open-

ing the Reichsrath.

VIENNA, Wednesday.

This day the Emperor opened the Reichsrath in
person. The following is his Majesty's Speech :
Honoured Gentlemen of both Houses of Assembly,
—lt is with joyful satisfaction that I see the
Reichsrath again assembled around me. Answer-
ing my call, the different kingdoms and countries
which were required to do so have sent hither their
deputies, and I confidently expect from their
patriotic co-operation that new pledges will be given
for the welfare of the realm and the lands which
Providence has entrusted to my rule.
What I solemnly promised when, for the first
time, I welcomed the Reichsra'll on this spot, has
remained unchangeably the aim of my strivings ;
namely, the establishment of constitutional arrange-
ments on a sure foundation ; this it is which un-
alterably I have always kept in view.
This was my aim ; but it was not to be reached
without first bringing into harmony the more
ancient constitutional rights of my Kingdom of
Hungary, and those fundamental rights which were
accorded by my Diploma of October 20, 1860, and
by Patent of February 26, 1861 ; and it is the re-
cognition, in all sincerity, of such harmonious
arrangement on the part of that kingdom, and its
thorough devotion to the realm as such, which
alone can guarantee to themselves the unimpeded
continued enjoyment and further development of
the rights and liberties which those fundamental
laws gave, which can secure the same also to the
other kingdoms and provinces.
The heavy blows with which fate has visited the
Empire might seem a fitting warning to acknow-
ledge this necessity.
My endeavours have not been in vain. A Satis-
factory arrangement has been made with the lands
of my Hungarian Crown, which assures a bond of
union between them and the monarchy, secures the
inner tranquillity of the realm, and makes its posi-
tion one of strength abroad.

I allow myself to hope that the Reichsrath will
❑ot refuse its sanction to this agreement ; that an
impartial consideration of all the influencing cir-
cumstances will remove from it all apprehensions,
which would seriously grieve me did I not cherish
the firm conviction that honest intentions on all
sides cannot fail to cause the new formation of

things to prove successful.
The past, the present, and the future urge us,
with careful hand, to set about the completion of
the work begun. The Reichsrath, in presence of
the 'messing necessities of the time, will, I am cer-
tain, disdain to avoid the task of ordering quickly
the political condition on the prescribed foundations,
and instead of this follow an aim which would afford

fresh experience but lead to no result. The Reichs-
rath—thus much I expect from its sense of justice
—will not undervalue the advantages which, as re-
gards the position of Austria among the European
Powers, are already perceptible from the path I
have followed. The Reichsrath too—and its proved
sagacity is my pledge for this—will finally not fail
to ackeowledge that the new order of things, inas-
much as it surrounds with new inviolable pledges of
security the constitutional rights and privileges of the
lands pertaining to my Hungarian Crown, must as
a necessary consequence bring with it an equal
security for the other kingdoms and provinces. The
realisation of this prospect is, however essentially
dependent on the consolidation of the fundamental

laws of Oct. 20, 1860, and of Feb. 26, 1861, in
those countries whose representatives are now again
assembled. Thus an unreserved election of mem-
bers for the Reichsrath was a law of necessity. And
as the thought was foreign to me to abridge in any
way the rights belonging to the several kingdoms
and countries, so now it is my intention, in union
with the Reichsrath, to grant every enlargement of
autonomic forms which it may express a wish to
have, and which can be conceded without danger
to the monarchy in its totality. Above all, there-
fore, with reference to the arrangements made for
the representation of Hungary, in so far as
this concerns the common affairs, the necessary
changes in my patent of February 26, 1861,
as well as a clause relating to ministerial re-
sponsibility, and one regarding a modification of
paragraph 13, more in accordanco with constitu-
tional requirements, will bc laid before you. Further
propositions for Jam laws, especially those promised
in my resolution of Feb. 4, and made known to the
Diet, will then follow. The financial matters of the
Empire will claim your particular attention, and
demand your constitutional co-operation.

Ou what relates to the extraordinary measures,
which the outbreak of a fatal war made necessary,
the most comprehensive papers will be laid before
you. _ .

The necessities of the current year have been
satisfactorily provided for, so that the Reichsrath,
untroubled by demands or any momentary difficul-
ties, can devote itself to the great financial question
which it will have to deal with in consequence of
the union to be brought about with the lands of my
Hungarian Crown.
The chief tack will be to take care that neither
party bear.a disproportionate burthen.
Honoured Gentlemen of both Houses of the
Reichsrath,

Now that we are about to commence the work of
peace and unity, let us throw the veil of forgetful-
ness over the immediate past, which inflicted on the
realm such deep wounds. Let us profit by the
lessons it has taught us, but let us also derive from
it, with unbroken courage, the strength and the
will to restore to the Empire inner quiet and pro-
sperity, and that abroad it may command respect,
and show itself strong. The fidelity of my people,
who remained true under the heaviest calamities, is
for me a pledge that it will be so. No secret

thought of rataliation may guide our steps ; the
satisfaction we seek must be of a nobler sort, in en-
deavouring by what we accomplish and what we call.
forth to change disfavour and enmity into respect
and good will. Then the people of Austria, what-
ever race they may belong to, and whatever lan-
guage they may speak, will assemble round the
Imperial banner, and with joyful hearts confide in
the words of my aucestor—that, under the protec-
tion of the Almighty, Austria will flourish to the
latest time.

VAC iTION BUSINESS IN CHANCERY.—Mr. Church,
the chief clerk of Vice-Chancellor Stuart, attended cham-
bers yesterday, being an extra day, and disposed of some
pending matters. There are about 140 summonses for
Friday before that gentleman as vacation business. After
the present vacation the chief clerks in the Rolls Chambers
will have for the next year to transact the business.

A NEW PLACE FOR Mn. WALPOLE.—Her Majesty
has-arranged that Mr. Walpole shall be the Minister iu
attendance at Balmoral. Ho will most probably be suc-
ceeded by the Duke of Richmond. Mr. Walpole in all pro-
bability will be the responsible Minister of the Crown
nominated by the Government to a seat ou the Ecclesias-
tical Titles Bill Select Committee. Among the first wit-
nesses to be examined are Dr. Manning and Cardinal Cul-
len.—The Owl.

THE REFORM BILL FOR SCOTLAND.—The Town
Council of Edinburgh on Tuesday resolved by 21 to 11 to
petition Parliament in terms of a motion to the effect that,
while approving of the burgh franchise as set forth in the
Reform Bill for Scotland, the council disapprove of the
scheme of redisbribution therein proposed, and also of the
county franchise. Resolutions were adopted at a public
mooting called by the Radical party, held in the Music-hall
in the evening, accepting household suffrage as an instal-
ment of the rights of the people, declaring the county fran
chile to be too high, and condemning the redistribution as
dishonest and unjust.
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT OF NAVAL CADETS.—
A. correspondent of the Hants Telegraph draws attention to
the fact that corporal punishment for naval cadets has
been revived on board the training ship Britannia. He
says :—" I believe were it generally known that the naval
cadets ou board the Britannia are liable to severe and dis-
graceful corporal punishment, their persons exposed, he.,
for mere breaches of discipline, my Lords of the Admi-
ralty would be relieved from much pressure fur these ap-
pointments, now so much sought after. It is strange, but
all the naval men 1 have mentioned this subject to were as
ignorant of this disgraceful system as myself, (mktg., no
doubt, to the fact that it has been recently introduced. 1
think that most persons will agree with me in considering
it disgraceful that young gentlemen, wearing her Majesty's
uniform, should be subjected to such punishment in these
days."

G. W. MARTIN'S prize glees, national part songs,
&c., will be given at Exeter Hall, on Wednesday next, by
his prize glee choir, assisted by the ladies and gentlemen
of the National Choral Society. Muslim° Arabella God-
dard IS =gaged so 0019 pianiato.
•