The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-30 00:00:00

LA TEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

THE INDIAN BUDGET.
BOMBAY, MARCH 26.
(By direct Overland Telegram).

The Finance Minister for India has presented his
Budget for the current financial year. It shows
an estimated deficit of £72,000. The duty upon
saltpetre is reduced to 3 per cent. ad valorem; and
Madras salt is raised to 27 annas per maund.
No new taxes are imposed. The Minister states
the public revenue to be in a prosperous condi-
tion. The cash balance amounts to twelve millions.
All over ten millions is to be appropriated to pub-
lic works.

FRANCE.
BOURSE, March 29, Three o'clock.—The market
closed at the following quotations :-
4i. per Cents 97
Do. end month
3 per Cents. 6B
Do. end month 67 92}
Credit Mobilier 653 75
Do. end month 652 50
Bank Shares 3593
Credit Foncier —
Italian Loan 59 50
Do. end month 59 40
RAIL

Roman —
Ottoman Fives —
Mexican Loan 4G 75
Do. Bonds 298 75
Russian —
Austrian
Spanish Threes 40 50
Home Debt —
Deferred

PAYS.
Cash. Amt.
... 865
... 1117 50
875
... 552 50
562 50
... 537 50
... 105 -
- 387 50
296 25
162 55
200

Orleans
Northern
Lyons and liediterranea,n
Southern
Western
Eastern
Sardinian
Austrian
Lombard
North of Spain
Saragossa
Ditto to Barcelona
Roman

.-- -... •••

87 50

AUSTRIA AND PRUSSIA.

VIENNA, March 25.

The present critical state of the ;eltitions of the
empire to Prussia still form the topic of general
discourse. The newspapers discuss probabilities with
an eagerness that shows they understand the real
gravity of the crisis. Great indignation is dis-
played at the attempts of the Prussion semi-official
press to cast the blame of the difference upon the
shoulders of Austria, and journalists vigorously re-
pel the accusation of the empire being desirous of
provoking hostilities. Thus the semi-official Con-
stitutionelle Oesterreichische Zeitung says:—

" It is evident to the most limited intellect that
Austria can cherish no more ardent wish than to
find in the deepest peace leisure to solve the pro-
blems crowding upon her at home. It is notably by
the preservation of peace that she may hope to heal
the deep wounds inflicted on the realm by a gloomy
past, and is it conceivable that at the very moment
when new institutions are beginning to take firm
root, and to put forth buds of hopeful promise, she
should urge onward a conflict that would ruthless'.y
trample down the young shoots beneath the hoof of
the unchained demon of war? Peace is the hope
and the prayer of Austria ; she is prepared to pay
any price for it save the sacrifice of her dignity and
honour."

The Nene Freie Presse regards the war question
from a commercial point of view. Without inquir-
ing whether the German war has already become an
inevitable necessity for Austria, it believes that in
the long run even the trading interest must prefer
war to a far-reaching prolongation of the prevalent
state of insecurity. The mere threat of hostilities
produces all those devastations in the domain of trade
which war brings in its train, and is in so far more
ruinous, because it offers no prospect of coming to
an end. Were war to occur peace must follow; but
the menace of war produces a convulsion whose limit
it is impossible to foresee, and both trade and manu-
factures would consider a brisk and active war as a
gain in preference to the paralysing influence of an
impending contest.
The Presse observes:—

" We are not in the least surprised that war
against Prussia should be more popular in Hungary
than elsewhere, nay, as we are informed, should
even be positively wished for. The modern Liberals,
under Deak and Eotvos, as well as the Left, under
Ghyezy and Tisza, hope for the recurrence of such
times as under the Empress Maria Theresa, and to
obtain large concessions in return for their ready
support. This idea is more warmly advocated by
the lion (the organ of the former resolution party),
than by the generally reasonable Naplo, which, by
the way, is possibly afraid of being outdone by war-
like storms in its efforts to promote reconciliation.
Hon maintains that a serious conflict with Prussia
would bring into the Austrian ranks 150,000 volun-
teers, in token of the loyalty of the Hungarian
people, but it seems to overlook the fact that when
the great Empress was really hard pressed by
Prussia, Hungary immediately, spontaneously, and
without any demand for recompense, offered and
gave her assistance. But the favour with which the
idea of war with Prussia is regarded in Hungary has
a special side which merits consideration. The
Magyars think that such a war would lead to the
solution of the German question, and could not fail
to place Austria at the head of Germany. The
realm would then be not simply able to grant Hun-
gary as autonomous a position as possible, but would
be compelled to adopt that course in order to be
perfectly free to devote itself to entirely German
objects. Even Baron Schmerling was of opinion
that if the defunct Frankfort reform project had
been carried out very extensive concessions would
have had to be granted to Hungary."
The following is the full text of the letter
recently addressed by Councillor von Hell, the
director of the Austrian Press, to the Viennese
journals :-
6, The Austrian and Prussian newspapers have
been for some time past full of intelligence as to
the movements of troops, the arming of fortresses,
and other preparations for war, which have been
connected with the difficulties experienced in the
definitive solution of the Elbe Duchies question.
I am not called upon to decide whether, and
in how far, the state of the negotiations upon this
subject in progress between the Cabinets of Vienna
and Berlin may afford cause for the apprehension
that the place so long existing between the two
great Powers might be disturbed. But I cannot re-
frain from pointing out that several organs of the
Prussian press are endeavouring to represent Austria
as the provocative Power, and that the great majo-
rity of the Vienna journals have patriotically de-
clared that everything must be avoided upon the
part of Austria to give even the appearance of justi-
fication to these Prussian insinuations. What, how-
ever, could be more calculated to support these
statements than the constantly repeated news of
the military measures of Austria? The reinforce-
ment of the garrisons in Bohemia, rendered neces-
sary by recent regretable events, has already caused
various movements of troops to that quarter, and
the replacements thereby entailed cannot imme-
diately cease. But although the troops sent to Bo-
hemia belong almost entirely to regiments originally
garrisoning that province, and only dispersed in other
quarters on account of the reduction of the army to
to its lowest possible pitch, yet the constant an-
nouncements of the movements of troops in Austria
awake in the mind of the reader not exactly ac-
quainted with the facts an impression very similar
to the formation of a military camp. Referring to
the above-stated details, I therefore beg the editor
of your journal, in publishing military news relating
to Austria, patriotically to bear in mind the reserve
imposed by the position of affairs and the deductions
that may possibly be drawn from that intelligence.
—I am, &c.,

(Signed) "F. R. VON HELL,
Director of the Press."

VIENNA, March 29.

The morning papers publish disquieting telegrams
from Berlin, and regard the state of things as still
extremely critical, although they • contend that
Austria will not take the aggressive.

Frequent negotiations are taking place between
Austria and the middle States.

The .Debattq of to-day says that Count Mens-