The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-30 00:00:00

ITALY.

FLORENCE, MAY 29 (Evening).
To-day the King signed a decree for the forma-
tion of 20 more battalions of volunteers, and two
battalions of Bersaglieri.

FORCED LOAN IN VENETIA.
VIENNA, MAY 30.

An Imperial decree has been published this
morning ordering a forced loan of 12 millions of
florins in the Lombardo-Venetian kingdom.
The proclamation accompanying this decree
states this measure to have been adopted in conse-
quence of the law of the sth inst. in reference to
the Government currency being inoperative for
Lombardo-Venetia, which must nevertheless contri-
bute towards the extraordinary necessities of the
country. The payments of the loan are to be
made in silver or gold, in return for which the Go-
vernment will issue at par bonds of 100, 10, and 1
florins, bearing interest at 6 per cent.

The Committee for the Control of the Public
Debt will control the issue of the bonds, which is
not to exceed the amount of 12 million florins.

BAVARIA.
SPEECH OF THE KING.

MUNICH, MAY 28.
The Bavarian Diet was opened in this capital
yesterday by the King in person. The following is
the full text of his Majesty's speech:--
" Gentlemen, Councillors, and Deputies,—l come
among you to open the Diet for the first time since
my accession to the throne, and tender to the repre-
sentatives of the people my Royal greeting. I had
hoped to be able to ask you to enter upon the
reform, acknowledged to be necessary, of the legal
bases of our social, commercial, and municipal life,
but events threatening danger impose upon us first
a different task. Disputes have broken out between
the two most powerful members of the Germanic
Confederation, and the armies of both Powers stand
armed for conflict face to face.

" I have zealously endeavoured to strive for the
preservation of peace in the Confederation, the
maintenance of which is as much the duty of every
individual member as of the whole. I will still not
give up the hope that the miseries of civil war may
be averted from Germany, that a solution of the
Schleswig-Holstein question, in the direction of
the right and a timely reform of the Confedera-

ti
on with the assistance of a national Parliament,
may again give lasting peace to our great country.
But, in all cases, Bavaria must be in a position,
true to the call of duty and of honour, to come for-
ward in defence of the rights of the Confederation,
of the interests of the German nation, and of her
own independence.
" For this purpose I have ordered the mobilisation
of the army, and have convoked the Diet, in order
legally to arrange by its advice and consent what-
ever may be necessary for this task.
" Although these circumstances constitute the

immediate cause of your present meeting, yet in
addition to the bills bearing upon them all those
matters will be laid before you, which, according to
the constitution, have to be submitted to the Diet
whenever it assembles.

" Our future is in God's hand. Let us meet it
courageously in the knowledge of our good cause,
and with the resolution conscientiously to do our
duty. I rely upon the patriotism and devotion to
the Sovereign of yourselves and the entire Bavarian
people, as well as upon the fidelity and bravery of
the army.
" May the protecting hand of the Most High_be
outstretched over Bavaria and Germany !"

TURKEY.

RAGUSA, MAY 29.

A frigate, a war sloop, and a despatch boat be-
longing to the Turkish navy have arrived at Anti-
vari to guard the coast of Albania against any
sudden landing of the Italian volunteers.