The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-08 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, THURSDAY.
The Conference was opened to-day at one o'clock,
at the Hotel of Foreign. Affairs. Its attention will
'be directed to the question of the election of Colonel
Couza by both of the Principalities. In this first
sitting, M. Musurus, the Ottoman Plenipotentiary,
it is supposed, will set forth the reasons which have
induced the Sultan to submit this question to the
Conference. It is thought that the discussion will
take place to-morrow, and that the protocol will be
signed on Saturday. The French consular agents
in the Sclavonic provinces of the Ottoman empire
paint in gloomy colours the agitation which goes
on increasing in Bulgaria, Bosnia, and the Herze-
govina. Freih outbreaks are represented as being
imminent. The Turkish governors demand rein-
forcements of troops, but the Porte cannot send
them.

The naval division under the command of Admiral
Jehenne, composed of the screw ships of the line
Donawerth, Alexandre, and Arcole, anchored in
Brest roads yesterday, coming from Cherbourg on
their way to Toulon.
BOURSE, April 7.—The market has been very
dull, and prices heavy. Many Bpeculators have
been rather•alarmed by a threat of the parquet of
agents de change to suppress entire►y the coulisse,
or jobbers; Threes, after having been 'done at 68f.
20c., declined to 68f. 10c.; Mobilier varied from
723 f. 75c. to 720 f. AusHian, 542f.'50c. to 540 f.;
,Orleans, 1,272 f. 50c. to 1,270 f.; Lyons, 833f..75c.
to 832 f. 50c. ; Eastern, 633 E 75c. to 632 f. 50c. ;
Southern 508 f. 75c. to 507 f. 50c.; and Western,
537 f. 50c. to 535 f. The following were the closing
quotations :

41 per Cents. .... 95 N
Do. end month.

Credit Ander 645
Belgian 41 —
Piedmontese (5)
Roman B7
Austrian —
Spanish Throes
Home Debt —

3 per Cents
68

DO. end month 67 95
Bank Shares 2840
Credit Mobilier 712 50
Do. Account

RAILWAYS.

Cash. Aceoun
Orleans
.1,27206 1._!_.5 1927150
Northern
-
New ditto
Lyons and Mediterranean B3O 830
New ditto
Geneva
Midi —
Southern
Western 538 '75 537 50
Eastern
Grand Central
Sardinian 391 25 .. 390
Austrian

- - .. 520

Exchange:on London': at sight, Paper, 2.5 f. 71e. ; money
25f. 21c. ; three mouths, paper, 24f. 9710.; money, 24f. 921 c.

THE CONGRESS.

The Ost Deutsche Post replies as follows to the
statement made by the Dresden
,Journal that the
five great powers are in accord on the preliminaries
of the Congress :—" Notwithstanding the pains we
have ten to ascertain whether the preliminary
conditions laid down by Austria had been accepted
by the court of the Tuileries, we are not yet able
to enlighten our readers on the subject, as the
reply from Paris has not yet arrived here. The
two mediating powers, who in the first place made
use of all their eloquence to induce Austria to take
part in a Congress, must now exercise their in-
fluence to lead France to accept the preliminary
conditions put forward by Austria."
The Telegraphe of Brussels publishes the follow-
ing article :—" If we can believe the organs of the
ViennaCabinct it is both in the in terests of her dignity
and in those of peace that Austria demands that
Piedmont shall disarm before the meeting of the
Congresse, Such is the declaration made' by the
08t..beutsdie !?)se. We ask ourselves in what the
dignity '9f Alistria could &.,,g wounded and peace
z • compromised, if she were herself to ive to the
repose of Europe the pledge which she exacts from
Sardinia. Does she not, on the contrary, make on
attacix on her own consideration and excite mis-
trust by remaining armed before an adversary on
whom; she has Imposed the obligation of laying
aside its means of defence Such a pretension is
so exorbitant that it certainly will not be sip-
ported by any Power: Austria herself well knows
that those conditions cannot...be accepted, but this
she cares little about ; all she wishes for being some
protoxt for causing the failure of the proposed
meeting of a Congress. The weak side of Austria
is the question of finance. With her formidable
armaments she has created a state of things which
swallows up more than two millions and a half of
francs a day, and those expenses go on increasing.
On entering on the path
of negotiations the per-
spective, in a budgetary point of view, becomes
positively frightful—as it shows nothing but
ruin and bankruptcy. The Congress cannot meet
sooner than three weeks or a month, supposing
that the Powers agree on the bases, which is still
doubtful. The discipsions _which world_ come on
before that assembly may be prolonged for three
monthwor more, for every one knows the slow pace
at which diplomacy proceeds, so. that before any

conclusion can
,;be come to, either favourable or
Otherwise, Austria will have seen from two to
three hundred millions of deficit swallowed up.
She is now at the end of her resources, the coffers
of the state are empty, she has on her shoulders
the weight of an enormous debt which weighs her
to the ground, and the loan which she endeavoured
to negotiate in tonilon has turned out a failure. In
this desperate situation, nothing remains for her
but to have recourse to war. It is, therefore, in the
excessive financial penury of Austria that we must
seek for the secret of her policy. As she would not
lend herself to an honourable arrangement while
there was yet time,- and being now unable to draw
back after having advanced so far, war is the only
refuge open to her, and no astonishment need be
felt at seeing her every day invent some fresh pre-
text for impeding the mediatory work of diplomacy."