The Sun.
London, England, 1866-09-26 00:00:00

THE PRUSSIAN C.EIAMBERS.

BERLIN, Sept. 25, Evening.
To-day in the full sitting of the Chamber of De-
puties the debate on the Loan Bill was resumed.
The Minister of Finance made a speech regretting
the harsh interpretation put upon the Bill in Com-
mittee. Ile said :

" The position of Prussia is not yet decided,
peace has not yet been concluded with Saxony, and
the relations of the North German Confederation
to Southern Germany are not regulated. Prussia
must defend what she has acquired, and must always
be able to take up arms for that purpose. In such a
position the unforeseen often plays the most im-
portant part.

" The financial question is the chief point, and if
the right moment be allowed to pass the accom-
plishment of Prussia's aims may be deferred for
years, and her very existence again endangered.
Money must be at the disposal of the Government.
We must have our hands on our swords and our
purses well filled 1"

The Minister of Finance eventually agreed, on
the part of the Government, to all the amendments
authorising a maximum loan of 40 millions or 30
million thalers, in place of the GO millions which
had been demanded.

llerr Virchow opposed the proposals of Herr
von Twesten, and defended the amendment brought
forward by himself.

Count Bismark then made a speech, in which he
urged the House to consider the bill from a political
point of view, and place the Government in a posi-
tion to defend what had been gained. Official
communications proved that the spirit of concilia-
tion had not entered the Imperial Court with the
conclusion of peace. Moreover, the Eastern ques-
tion might lead to serious European difficulties, and
in time of danger, with the money market in an
unfavourable condition, the Government would not
be able to raise a loan. Should no circumstances
arise, no money would be expended by the Govern-
ment without the approval of the House. What
had been withdrawn from the State Treasury last
spring must be replaced. Count Bismark concluded
by appealing to the Houtse to trust the Govern-
ment. He then signified that the Ministry accepted
the amendment proposed by Herr Michaelis, and on
the decisive division the bill, with that deputy's
amendment, was passed by a large majority.

Yesterday the Liverpool magistrates fined a man
named Greenstock £5O for acting as an emigration agent
without a licence.

SOMETHING LIKE A PRESENTIMENT.—A young
lawyer, who had chambers in the Temple, had a
nodding acquaintance with an old gentleman on the same
staircase. The old man was a wealthy old bachelor, and
had a place in the country, to which he went for a week
every Easter. His servants had charge of the place while
he was away—an old married couple who had lived with
him for twenty-seven years, and wore types of the fine old
English domestic. One Easter Tuesday the young lawyer
was astonished to find the old gentleman on his Temple
staircase, and made some remark about it. The old man
asked him into his room, and said he had received a fear-
ful shock. He had gone down as usual to his country
place, and had been received with intense cordiality, had
found his dinner cooked to perfection, and everything as
it had been from the beginning. When the cloth was re-
moved his faithful butler put his bottle of port on the
table, and made the customary inquiry about master's
health, hoped master was not fatigued by the journey, had
enjoyed his cutlet, and so on. The old gentleman was left
alone, his hand was on the neck of the bottle of port, when
it suddenly flashed across his mind, " Here I am, a lonely
old man ; no one cares for me ; there is no one hear to help
me if anything should happen to me. What if my old ser-
vant and his wife have been cheating and robbing me all
the time ? What if they want to get rid of me, and have
poisoned this bottle of wine ?" The idea took hold of him
so strongly that he could not touch his port. When the
man came in again he said he did not feel well, would have
a cup of tea; no, he would have a glass 'of water and go
to bed. In the morning he rang his bell, and no one
answered. He got up, found his way downstairs; the
house was empty, his two faithful old servants had
vanished. And when he came to look further he found
that his cellar, which ought to hr.ve contained two or three
thousand pounds worth of wine, was empty, and the bottle
they had brought hint last night was poisoned.—carnhill
Magazine for October.