, 1859-07-01
Austrian and Sar&lIn{nn Finances.


We know rcry well that tho Austrian empire
has long been ground dowu By M immense
military system, aud by taIatiou iuyerScdly
proportioned to the wealth and production III
its Inhabitants. Thr Court Of Vienna, in fact,
has been cxpending year b.: ycar in 4 state Of
peace the utmost energies which i nation conl-
monty puts forward in Il state Of war. i rcry
few figures will eyincc the brMld difference in
this respect between the system which lAustria
maintains in Italy, and tue system whic!, Sar-
dina would fatn Introduce throughout Italy III
its place. The Austrian Government has grad
ually been aiding inpost after isnpo,t in order
to defray continually increasing debt, and
yet more rapidly growing military expenditure.
In lSiG, shortly before tile resignation of
Prince Mcttcrnirll, the interest on tie national
debt Of Austria was not more than 1U.90V,sa'o
francs. Ten years afterwards, in 1S;i, it had
reached g.U, ,000,ihp f., or double. 1t is now
very nearly 500 900 quo fr. If this is tue rate Vi
Austrian progression toward bankruptcy in time
Of peace, what will BE- the rate III time Of war?
When we turn 10 the expenditure Of the army,
we find the fucEcase, as We hare said, still more
rapid and alarming Going back to tue same
period Of Prince Mt.ternicl's rule, we note tile
army estimates fixed ut ISL 900 ,A0v francs. In
ten years afterwards Count 1suol hud raised
tl,cn To $40 200 ,OU0 francs. an increase Of more
tlau 40 per cent. Although there arc no GER
tain returns Of military expenditures during
49.}cr ~ - OC11ct GU kllk ttEEtu UQ
000 francs. Here We have at once an iuconsol-
abfe picture of the condition Of Austrian finan-
ces, and proof that tue " arming of Europe"
as it Is called, which has been charged upon
>art}inia, and eren upon Francc in the isst
instance, has in rcality resulted from the pro-
gressing!y hostile attitude assumed by !lustria
through series uf years. There is u ha,r that
breaks the eamcrs back, as they tel MS in the
East, when ut length these hostile de1aonstra-
tions of the Court Of Vienna had reached u GER
tain point, all 1taiy took the atarln, and saw i'll
their extent standing menace to the whole
Italian peninsula.
That government should hare occasion to
triple its military txpidentnre within dozen
years, und in period Of peace, is necessity
without example in tue history Of Europe aud
trace from this fact two deductions On the one
halld, that sucl, government could merely
have Designed war and snbiuyation ut all costs
and hazards: Oil the other that its very exist.
ence is calamity to all tic nations over which
it extends. TIE irretrievablc poverty Of the
taiAcd may be yet more clearly inferred from
the vast increase uf paper money in the Aus
trlau donini"ns throughout tho long period Vi
peace which Austria has with little Interruption
enjoyed. We will take the statistics f1um the
year 1850. In that year the "bsle,s dc Ia Blu
que Rationale" amounted TO III ,uN ,000 Aorips,
or Ell 100000 sterling, tire Austrian florin
y
Bavarian flor u is Of less value.
Five years afterwards, in 1875, this sort Of
paper money had reached 15l.NTO10 anrius.
In l>45 it r0se to 3l4, ,0, 900 forius in 1S5a to
81 ,td'V,'H*I, md in ls;'1 to i0J,tAu,0Jp. Tie
lowest value Of bank notes in Ftance is 1N,
francs, or 81; the lowest value Of bank notes
in Austria is six kreuzers, or about two pence.
tho insolvency Of the government. there is also
the base cxpedient If base and fictitious metal Of
att sorts. Lead, with light plated wash, ar-
swcrs for small silver, just rs small nofes ap-
.peasc the apprchensions Ut an Imperial ex-
chequcr which is afraid to pay six krcuzers in
coin. If we turn from this vretched picture to
the cheering spectacle Of Sarutuian progress,
sc shall fad . government whose revenue in
times Of peace regularly exceeds its cxpendi-
ture whose public debt, incurred simply in
virtue Of former wars and the devastating ca
rccr Of Austrian invasion. is nevertheless SMALL
aud Nl,0se afDuencc, in spite Of an Indifferent
soil, and Of other natural characteristics, in
viii c!' l.ombardy is he, ond comparison its su-
perior. is greater than that Of any other State
Of the Italian peninsula.
The ordinary revenue Of the Sardinian lin =
dom is about H., ,0D0, 600 }s,1, or nearly ,oo
tN~ sterling, and the ordinary expenditure has
been kept within that amount. This is savin:
no little for country 50 lately devastated and
sublncd By foreign army, with 50 many to en-
courage in the path Of national industry, aud
So much both Of constitutional, moral, and ma
fcrial reform introduced within TINT shcst pc
r.oa- The attitude assumed liy Austria during
the past year added TO small seltrcpayiny leans,
raised for material reforms on condition Of rc-
payment By those for whose immediate benefit
they were ad.aneed( has added some extraordi-
nary charges. which we're placrd in separate
schedule, aud are distinctly rcierab1e to tempo
rary causes. The ordinary expense Of the Sac
t'nian army, have been not more than 81, ,oo's',- :
,,t'o Ira. sum considerably under
f4,oee,Mo sterling Meanwhile, the conf
nerc;at n,ovcn:cut, in tl:e short period!
from 1860 to 1851, shows TIL increase
Of nearly 1oo,,po tons in the mara,imc
tonnage Of national ships alone; this Tonnage
il 1s5" 9eug 2's 40 and in 1871 nearly 5'c;NA'
III foreign tonnage the improvement h.s been
cyeu uaure ra;id; but its isregularity from, year
to year rrecludes precise calculation, Austria,
again, is de&oured br rast fraternity Of burenu-
cratslxhi1e the administrative expenses Of Sar-
dinia arc included within 1.,.0p,o0o Ira, CT
some scoo,eeo.