The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-20 00:00:00

GERMANY,

The Congress of Princes at Berlin brought their
[abours to a close on the 16th.

All the Governments have agreed upon the esta-
blishment of a provincial organ of the Bund. The
two Messes and the Duchy of Nassau have also
agreed to this arrangement. The States of the Bund
will send plenipotentiaries to the Congress at Frank-
fort. Some of them will be represented by Prussians,
the others by epecial plenipotentiaries, who will re-
ceive their instructions from the Government of the
Bund.
The lndependance of Brussels has the following
from its correspondent at Berlin, dated the 15th :
" The intelligence given in my letter of yesterday
was exact. The constitution has been adapted with
some reserves, it is true. The College of Princes is
to be immediately instituted, and on June 1 the
Provisional Government of the Union, or to speak
more correctly, the organ ad interim of the restricted
federation is to ' be instituted. Its duration is
fixed provisionally to extend to July the 15th.
Then Frankfort will have shown what Frank-
fort will be able to produce. The Ministry of the
Union will be prolonged, or will give up to a defini-
tive Ministry. The identical note of all the Govern-
ments to that of Vienna has been sharply discussed.
M. II ASSENPFLUG not being able to deny what his
knowledge as a legist demonstrated to him, contested
the right of Austria to convoke the Diet, and claim
the presidentship. Nevertheless, he will not sign the
note. I do not know whether any other Minister will
follow his example, but the majority will sign it.
The identical note for Vienna will apply to five
points-1. It will protest against the convocation of
the Diet. 2. Against the presidentship of Austria.
S. Against the preclusion (condemnation of the ab-
sent, who should see the votes applied to themselves).
4. It will demand a congress of plenipotentiaries.
5. Will bring forward the condition of unanimity.
All the decisions have been come to by a very great
majority of votes. The only ones in default are
Cassel and two or three little governments, who
march, or rather stop, with the elector."
The Prussian Moniteur of the 16th contains a re-
port from the Ministers to the KING, applying for
permission to raise a loan of eighteen millions of
thalers, as authorised by the States for the expenses
of the army. The report states, that the reason
of this application is, that although the re-
lations of Prussia at present with foreign powers
lead to no apprehension of war, still it is certain
that the numerous complications of German and
foreign policy may lead to measures which may ren-
der military armaments inevitable ' • the Government
think it better to be prepared for all contingencies, on
the principle that the best way to preserve peace is to
be prepared for war. In addition, should it become
necessary suddenly to increase the army, it would
then be infinitely more difficult to effect the loan in
question ; and, should peace not be troubled, the
greater part of the loan could be expended in railways,
to be reimbursed, if necessary, out of the 21,000,000
of thalers voted for that purpose.
A letter from Frankfort of the 15th states that M.
DE RADowITz is to represent Prussia in the Congress
of States to be held in that city.
The Prussian Stoats Anzeiger publishes in extenso
the memorial laid by the Minister of Finance before
the congress of merchants and tradesmen, which is
now sitting for the purpose of drawing up the pro-
posals to be made by Prussia at the approaching
Zollverein Congress at Cassell :
The memorial commences with an explanation of the
reasons (the political events of the last two years) which
determined the governments to postpone the usual
triennial congress, and to continue in force the old
tariff. The necessity of certain refdrms in that tariff
had recently become so urgent that notwithstand-
ing any objections arising out of the political con-
dition of .Germany, the Government, feeling it its
duty no longer to delay, had proposed to the Govern-
ments of the Zollverein to convoke the twice postponed
Congress at Cassell, in the coming month of July; and,
at the same time, had hastened to prepare those propo-
sals which the nature of the case required. In drawing
up these proposals the Prussian Government had well
weighed the position hitherto occupied by Prussia in
the tariff questions, as well as the present condition of
affairs; it had never considered the tariff to be a finally
settled system which was not to be touched, nor had it
listened to any proposals which did not meet the prac-
tical wants of the people. The latter point of view re-
quired more than ever not to be lost sight of. The
objections which were raised in the past year against a
revision of the tariff had not been entirely removed; not
the least among them was the apprehension that im-
portant alterations in the Zollverein tariff would render
difficult the commercial union of Germany. The ur-
gency of the case, however, required that this objection
should not lead the Governments of the Zollverein to
refrain from making the necessary alterations, but only
to receive and judge with caution proposals recom-
mended by many, but of a less urgent nature. The
Government of Prussia returned to the proposals made
in 1848 for a moderation of the duties on raw materials
and articles of food with some slight alterations and
additions, and though its loss would be greet in con-
sequence, it also proposed great reductions in the na-
vigation dues on the Rhine, Mosel, Weser, and Elbe
rivers, as well as on several articles of exportation.
The introductory portion of the memorial concludes
with the mention of the last series:of proposals recom-
mended. They are for a large increase in the duties
on cotton and other yarns. The memorial is then di-
vided into several sections. Section 1 contains the de-
tails of the proposals with respect to the duties on ar-
ticles of food. Until the year 1828 the scale of duties
was an assorted one. In the beginning of that year a
duty of 5 silbergroschen the scheffel of scheffels, or 1
bushel), was imposed on all kinds of grain and fruits.
An exception was made in favour of grain imported
through the Weichsel or Niemen; rye, barley,
and oats paid only i; wheat and all other
kinds of grain and fruits paid 2 silbergros-
chen. This scale the memorial proposes to extend
throughout the whole of the Zollverein. The duty on
butter is proposed to be reduced from 3 thalers 20 sil-
bergroschen per cent. to 2 thalers. Rice in the husk
and cleaned has hitherto paid the same duty, 2 thalers
per cent. To enable capitalists to erect mills for remov-
ing the husk, it is proposed to reduce the duty on rice in
the husk to 20 silbergroschen, and on the other only to
1 thaler 20 silbergroschen. Since the establishment of
the Zollverein, the duties on cattle have undergone
five different alterations, in 1821, 23, 24, 27, and 31, the
nature of the alteration being in every case an
increase, so that from 20 silbergroschen per ox in 1818,
the duty in 1831 had risen to 5 thalers. The memorial
proposes a reduction of the duty on oxen from 5 thalers
to 2 thalers 16 silbergroschen, on cows from 3 thalers to
1 thaler 15 silbergroschen on young cattle from 2
thalers to 1 thaler, on calv s from 5 silbergroschen to
2i silbergroschen, and o pigs from 20 silbergros-
chen to 7i sileergroseben. The memorial motives
this reduction as advantageous to Prussia, from the
possibility of its competing with Holstein, Meck-
lenburg, Hanover, and Belgium, in the supply of the
English markets. Section 2 deals with raw materials.
It commences by stating that until 1842 the manufac-
turers in the Zollverein were more advantageously placed
in respect to raw materials, but that the abolition since
then of all duties on raw materials imported into Eng-
land had altered the relations; but, though small in the
Zollverein, the duties prevented an advantageous com-
petition with Great Britain. The Prussian Government
had on a former occasion (in 1846) promised a reduc-
tionin some of the chief articles of raw material, and it
now proposed to remove them all entirely, retaining,
however, a small export duty on raw materials of home
manufacture, such as different kinds of gums, coloured
woods, saltpetre, moss, tow,, vegetable oils, and goats'
hair. The three exceptions to the general abolition of
the duties are tallow, zinc, and potash; on the first the
reduction proposed is from 3 to 2 thalers, and on zinc
from 2 to 1 thaler. Potash is not included in the pro-
posal, because it is made in the Zollverein. Section 3
deals with manufactured articles, and is divided into live
heads:-1. Linen yarns and linen articles. The memo-
rial states that the attention of the Government had for
some time past been drawn to the gradual diminution of
the exports of national linen articles si ith the poverty
and want of the portion of the population occupied e DI
this manufacture. The result of the inquiries which
had been instituted proved that through all its stages the
manufacture of linen in the states of the Zollverein had
remained far behind the progress which this branch of
industry had made in Great Britain. The chief cause
of the progress of Great Britain was unanimously con-
sidered to be its spinning machinery. The Government
of Prussia had already called attention to certain neces-
sary measures for improving this branch of national in-
dustry, such as the better cultivation of flax, improved
systems of spinning, weaving, bleaching; all these,
however, it considered utterly useless, unless energetic
steps were taken to promote spinning by machinery. To
promote this object, tho Government had in 1845 pro-
posed an increase in the Zollverein tariff of the duty on
linen yarns spun by machinery from 2 to 4 thalers per
cwt., and a premium in the shape of a drawback of 3
thalers per cwt. on the exportation of home produce.
The proposal, however, was not carried, and in conse-
quence the increase of spindles in Westphalia and
Silesia was since 1846 only 1,368. In Silesia the num-
ber in 1846 was 43,138, in Westphalia 1,825; together
44,963. The numbers now were, in Silesia 44,050, and
Westphalia 2,281; together 46,331. While the con-
sumption of linen goods in Westphalia alone would re-
quire 90,000 spindles to be in endless operation. The
Prussian Government, therefore, propose to increase the
duties in the following manner:—
a. Linen yarns:-1. Raw unbleached, from 2. to 4
thalers per cwt. 2. Bleached or coloured, from 4 to 6
thalers per cwt.
b. Packing and sailcloths (the duty remains the same).
c. Unbleached linen cloths, drills, and twills, from 4
to 6 thalers per cwt.
d. Bleached, coloured, printed, &c., linen stuffs of all
kinds, from 20 and 30 thalers to 25 thalers per cwt.
e. Baptiste, gauze, lace, &c., from 30 and 60 thalers to
75 thalers per cwt.
The four categories in which the latter articles are
included are thus proposed to be reduced to text... 2.
Cotton yarns and cotton stuffs. The average quantity
of cotton yarns received in the Zollverein in the six
years, 1837-42, was 515,063 cwt.; in the following six
years the average was
,653,121 cwt. The amount pro-
duced by the national manufacturers was in the first
period 28 per cent., and in the second, 32 per cent.
Until the end of 1842, the duty on cotton yarns was 2
thalers per cwt. On the Ist January, 1843, it was in-
creased to 3 thalers. Notwithstanding the increase, the
manufacturers continued unable to compete with' the j
British manufacturer, as the increase in the amount
produced by the former is not proportienateiermito the

increase of the population. The memorial then dwells
upon the weak condition of each branch of the cotton
manufacture, and proposes the followirg alteration in
the duties. A reduction in the import duty on wadding
from three to two thalers; increase in the duty on cot-
ton yarns, mixed or unm'xed, viz : on unbleached Nos.
I and 2, from three to four thalers, ditto higher num-
bers and bleached from eight to tan thalers: the duty
on coloured printed threads to remain the same, but the
duties on cotton net, muslin, lace, gauze, &c, to be in-
creased from 50 to 75 thalers. 3. The duties on silk
are proposed to b 4 increased on raw silk from 15 ail-
bergros to 3 thalers; on white and coloured silk, tram 8
to 10 thalers; on sewing silk, button-hole silk, silk
tassels, from 11 to 16 thalers; on silk articles of appa-
rel, lace, furniture &c., from 110 to 150; on silk shawls,
from 55 and 50 to 100 thalers; on silks mixed with
wool, from 55 to 75 thalers. 4. Woollen yarns and
stuffs:—The duties on these articles are proposed to be
retained as they are, with the exception of an increase
on ready-made cloths from 11u to 150 thalers. 5. This
part of the third section of the report relates to the
drawback duties or premiums on the exportation of
national manufactures. The articles are linen, cotton,
silk, and wool; the memorial d les not, however, contain
any fixed proposal of the amount to be allowed, but the
conference or congress to decide the respective amounts.
In the sitting of the Congress on Saturday, the
proposals included in the preceding memorial were
discussed seriatim, and approved of by the majority,
down to the duty on zinc. At this stage of the pro-
ceedings the Congress adjourned.