tion, must proceed from an agreement and the free consent of all German Governments. Impressed with the same conviction, the Government of His Majesty the Emperor of Austria joins with us in an invitation to all the members of the Confederacy to meet for the purpose of a free consultation on this most important question. As a proper means for the purpose of bringing about the requisite harmony among the German Governments, we have agreed on holding Ministerial conferences, which have in similar cases proved effective .. "The result of the consultations will afterwards receive a solemn sanction by the assent of all the members of the Confederation (which in their totality are alone entitled to develop and reform the Constitution of the Confederation), and it will be published as a fundamental law by the chief Federal Authority which will be created in the interim." The Baron Manteuffel also addressed a similar letter to the German Governments, in which he said, "that for many years the want of a thorough Constitution of the Germanic Confederation had been unmistakably manifested. suspended Administrative Board of the Confederation failed to protect and foster great, generous, and useful undertakings, to represent energetically and decisively the full mass of the intellectual and material forces in Germany." The conference was opened in the Bruhl Palace, at Dresden, on the 23rd of December. Austria was represented by Prince Schwarzenberg, M. Prokesh Oesten, and Count Buol Schonhauen.Prussia by Baron Von Manteuffel and Counts Alvensleben and Flemming.-Hanover by Barons Von Scheele and Von Munchausen.— Bavaria by Baron Von Pforten.— Hesse Cassel by M. Hassenpflug. -Saxony by Baron Von Beust. The following are the speeches of the two Austrian and Prussian Prime Ministers, delivered at the opening of the Conference : Prince Schwarzenberg said,— 066 Gentlemen,-I trust that it is not only the common and great object of this meeting which unites us here, but that every one of us is impressed with a desire to see that object attained in the shortest possible time, and to contribute to such attainment. "The readiness which those who sent you showed in answering to the invitations of Austria and Prussia, and the choice which they made of their representatives, are a guarantee for the harmony and the successful issue of our endeavours. "The Germanic Confederation, which was produced by a necessity which was inculcated by the teachings of a most eventful period, has for 33 years been the guardian of the general peace, to the preservation of which it has materially contributed. "In the interior of Germany, too, the Confederation has wrought great benefits, although there are many who would not or could not understand and acknowledge thus much, because the Confederation did not act according to the leanings of their minds, or because it did not at once realize all those benefits, the germs of which had most providentially been deposited in its Constitution. 66 This latter reproach, although possibly founded on truth, may still be met by the consideration that absolute perfection is a stranger to all human things and undertakings. But the incontestable advantages of the Confederation are apparent from a review of the great blessings which Germany enjoyed under its protection, and of the present state of things, of which the development is owing to a time in which that protection could no longer be effectual and sufficient. "That time, too, has become a lesson to us, and it has again served to warn us to make use of our dearly-bought experience. "That experience has shown the futility of all attempts to create an absolute novelty. It has shown that the foundations on which the Confederation reclines are not only good and serviceable, but that they are the ones which are suitable for a fabric in which a community of States-such as Germany includes can be expected to live in harmony, and in a state of general prosperity. But that experience has likewise shown the shortcomings of the Federal Constitution such as it hitherto has been; and it has pointed out the stops where remedies ought to be applied. Among these I mention the strengthening of the chief organ of the Confederation by arrangements which will enable it for the future to stem the tide of revolution, and to protect the principle of monarchy. "Gentlemen, their recognition of this truth suggests our obligations and our duties at this place viz., the revision of the Federal Act, and of the laws which emanated therefrom. "Let us make the original Federal Constitution the basis and the starting point of our negotiations; let it be our object to complete that Constitution by the lessons of experience, and with a consideration to the real desires and the welfare of our common country; let us create a supreme Federal Board, which shall be sufficiently strong to protect the individual Governments against the enemies of order, and to preserve the most sacred blessings of society. We shall thus answer to the claims of justice, of equity, and to the suggestions of sound policy, and of the duties to which those who sent us are bound by sacred treaties and engagements among themselves and to their peoples. I have not the least doubt, Gentlemen, that your Governments, as well as yourselves, concur with this view of the situation, which I am instructed to submit to you on the part of His Majesty, the Emperor, my gracious stable." return of those sad experiences, create things good, true, and we ought to prove to the countries of Germany that their Governments do not want the will, the intelligence, and the energy, to remove existing grievances, and to The result of the Dresden Conference will appear in our next volume. CHAPTER XIII. UNITED STATES.-Report of Mr. Meredith, the Secretary of the Treasury, recommending moderate Protective Duties-Descent upon Cuba by General Lopez and a Band of Piratical Americans-Discomfiture of the Enterprise-General Lopez arrested and tried-Negligence of the Government-Death of the President, General Taylor-He is succeeded by the Vice-President, Mr. Millard Fillmore-Formation of a New Ministry-Bills passed by Congress-Territorial Governments given to New Mexico and Utah-California admitted as one of the States of the Union-Fugitive Slave Bill-Message of the President: TOPICS-General Policy-Foreign Relations-Finances-Land Laws -Navy-Post Office-Creditors of Government-Measures of the Session. To ex not by its own labour carry its own "For instance, we exported, during the fiscal year ending the 30th of June, 1849, raw cotton to the value of about 66,000,000 dollars. If that cotton had been spun and woven at home (supposing its value to be increased fourfold by its manufacture), it would have produced a value of about 198,000,000 dollars in addition. What would have been the effect of this increased production on the prosperity of the country? "This question would not be completely answered by merely pronouncing the added value of 198,000,000 dollars to be a large profit to the manufacturer, any more than the question of the effect of the production of wheat would be answered by deducting the cost of seed wheat from the value of the crop, and pronouncing the remainder to be a large profit to the farmer. "The manufacture of cotton cloth is begun with the planting of the cotton-it is carried to a certain point by the planter, and then taken up and perfected by the spinner and weaver. The planter and manufacturer are not engaged in different branches of industry, but in the same-- -the one commences the process which the other completes. Cotton-seed of insignificant value, being by regular stages of labour developed and brought to the form of cotton cloth, has acquired a value of about 264,000,000 dollars. "The planting states have added many millions to the annual production of the country by the culture of cotton. By continuing the process they could quadruple that addition. "The planter would then have a market at his door for all his produce, and the farmer would, in like manner, have a home market for his. The power of consumption of not only breadstuffs, but of every article useful or necessary in the feeding, clothing, and housing of man, would be vastly increased the consumer and producer would be brought nearer to each other and, in fact, a stimulus would be applied to every branch of productive industry. "It is gratifying to know that the manufacture of cotton has already been introduced into several of the planting states, and, it ought not to be doubted, will rapidly be extended. "The manufacture of iron, wool, and our other staples, would lead to similar results. The effect would be a vast augmentation of our wealth and power. "Upon commerce the effects might be expected to be, if possible, still more marked. It is not enough to say that no country ever diminished its commerce by increasing its productions, and that no injury would therefore result to that interest. There would probably be not only a great increase in the amount, but an improvement not less important in the nature of our com |