The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-17 00:00:00

called " for the purpose of considering the pro-
priety of memorialising her Majesty's Government
in favour of Parliamentary reform," was held
on Monday night in the Music-hall of that city.
The chair was filled by Bailie Russell ; and resolu-
tions declaring the opinion of the meeting that the
time is peculiarly favourable for carrying a measure
of parliamentary reform, and that the Government
should be memorialised to introduce next session
and use their best exertions to have passed into law
a new Reform Bill ; calling for a large extension of
the franchise in boroughs and counties, and a more
equitable distribution of seats, as essential to a satis-
factory settlement of the question ; and demanding
a rectification of the inadequacy of representation
under which Scotland suffers as compared with the
other parts of the United Kingdom—were moved
and supported by Mr. John Miller, of Leithen ; Mr.
Duncan M‘Laren, M.P. ; Mr. A. M. Dunlop, M.P. ;
Messrs. Guthrie Smith and Adam Gifford, advo-
cates, and others, including two working men. A
similar meeting was also held on Monday night in
Dundee, at which Mr. W. E. Baxter, M.P., and Sir
David Baxter, were the chief speakers. The reso-
lutions adopted there were :—" That the question of
parliamentary reform should no longer be delayed,"
and that Government should be memorialised " to
bring forward a Reform Bill in the approaching
session of Parliament. That this meeting cannot
regard with acceptance any measure of reform which
shall not largely extend the franchise both in coun-
ties and boroughs. That whenever the question of
the redistribution of seats comes to be considered,
seeing that Dundee contains upwards of 100,000 in-
habitants, that it is the centre of the linen and jute
manufacture in Scotland, and that many borough
constituencies possessing less than a fifth part of its
wealth and population have nevertheless doubled its
representation, this meeting is of opinion that no
measure dealing with the rearrangement of the con-
stituencies can be considered satisfactory which does
not give a second member to D undee." A memorial in
accordance with the resolutions was unanimously
adopted, and it was also agreed that copies of the re-
solutions and memorial should be sent to the Earl
of Dalhousie, lord-lieutenant of the county, the
Earl of Airlie, the Earl of Camperdown, and Lord
Kinnaird, with a request that they would use their
influence in the House of Lords to pass a liberal re-
form measure. A committee was appointed to watch
the progress of any reform bill that might be brought
forward in the present Parliament, with power to
adopt such measures in reference thereto as might
to them seem proper and necessary.

The Opening of the Prussian Chambers.

BERLIN, Jan. 15.

The following is the full text of the Speech from
the Throne with which Count von Bismarck opened
the session of the Prussian Chambers to-day :
Illustrious, noble, and honourable gentlemen of
both Houses of the Diet,—His Majesty the King has
deigned to commission me to open the Diet of the
monarchy in his name. During the last session, as
in previous years, in default of the necessary agree-
ment of both Houses of the Diet, together and with
the Crown, the law upon the budget, as provided by
Art. 99 of the constitution, has not come to pass.
In the past year, also, the administration of the state
had, therefore, to be carried on without such
law. The statement of revenue and expenditure
which has served as guide to the financial depart-
ment during the year which has expired has been
officially published. The budget for the current
year will be immediately laid before the Diet. You
will convince yourselves therefrom that our finances
continue to occupy a favourable position. In the
majority of the branches of administration experience
shows an increase of the estimates of revenue, which
has afforded the means of providing in the budget
for numerous additions to the expenditure, and for
setting aside a sufficient sum for the further im-
provement of the salaries of the lower classes of
officials, without disturbing the balance between
expenditure and revenue. In accordance with the
reserve in sec. 8 of the land-tax law of May 21,
1861, the draft of a bill settling the conditions of the
definitive distribution, and levy of the land-tax in
the six eastern provinces, will be laid before the
Chambers of the Diet for constitutional delibe-
ration. The p reparations for putting in execu-
tion the law upon the land-tat compensation are
being zealously carried on, and it may be expected
that the payment of the sums devoted to that pur-
pose will take place in the course of the year. The
condition of the finances permits of the gradual re-
duction of the additional tax upon legal procedure,
with the object of discontinuing it altogether in a
few years. A bill for the execution of this measure
will be laid before you. The economical position
of the country may be characterised as upon the
whole satisfactory. It is true that the last harvest
was in places below the average ; but if necessaries
of life have risen in price, the free action of trade,
combined with increased means of communication,
have sufficed to supply the deficiency of corn in some
districts. The traffic upon the railways, the ac-
tivity in mining operations, the briskness of com-
merce, and the facility of occupation generally per-
vading the labouring classes, all afford proofs of
steadily increasing development. In the interests of
these your co-operation will be requested. Bills
will be laid before you for the purpose of securing
increased capability of performance in some depart-
ments of the state by extraordinary appliances, for
extending the circle of operations of the Prussian
Bank, and for removing the obstacles still im-
peding the free utilisation of the power of labour.
The customs and commercial treaties which formed
an object of your deliberations in the recent
session have since been supplemented by renewal of
the treaties with Luxemborg, Anhalt, and:Bremen.
A navigation treaty has been concluded with Great
Britain, and a commercial treaty with Italy, the rati-
fication of which by all states of the Zollverein is
confidently hoped for by the Government. The
aforesaid treaties will be laid before you. The royal
order from which the formation of the Upper Cham-
ber was to result has been completed by the decree
of the 10th November in the preceding year ; and
firm foundations, corresponding to the importance
of the position of that Chamber in the organism of
the state, and incapable of alteration except by law,
have now been given to it. After fruitless negotia-
tions for many years as to bills for alleviating and
shortening the time of service in the militia, as well
as for a juster distribution of the obligation to mili-
tary service generally, his Majesty's Government
cannot now expect a satisfactory result from their
repetition. It will therefore be obliged to leave the
law upon obligation to military service in its pre-
sent position. While the Government regrets that
this determination is forced upon it, it remains con-
vinced of the necessity of upholding the present
organisation of the army, called into being with the
co-operation of the former Diet, since that time
brought to the test of practice, and admissible ac-
cording to the existing laws, and of further request-
ing the necessary supplies for that purpose in future.
As in the preceding year his Majesty's Government
still adheres to the intention of promoting the rapid
and powerful development of the Prussian navy-.
The application of extraordinary means remains in-
dispensable to the cre%tion of proper harbour estab-
lishments, the building of ships, and their armament.
A bill for this purpose will, therefore, again be laid
before the Diet, especially as the chief objections
'wised to the measure last year have been met by the
seOlement of the relations to possession to Kiel,
which have taken place in the meantime. The rela-
cons 0 f Prussia to all foreign States are of a peace-
ful and .Friendly character. After his Majesty the
Emperor of Austria had ceded, by the treaty con-
cluded at Glitstein and Salzburg, his portion of rights
of sovereigntsr to the Duchy of Lauenburg to his M-
ajesty the King, that duchy has been united to the
Prussian crown, and it is his Maj esty's desire to allow
it to enjoy all advantages of protection and care
afforded to it by the union, while treating with con-
sideration its peculiar state of affairs. The final de-
cision as to the future of the two other Elbe duchies
has been reserved for further agreement by the
same treaty, but in the possession of Sleswig
and the position acquired in Holstein Prussia has
obtained a sufficient guarantee that this deci-
sion can only follow in a manner correspog tondin
the national interests of Germany and the just claims
of Prussia. Resting upon his own conviction,
strengthened by the opinion of the legal advisers of