The prohibitive system of France is undergoing some modifica- tion.
The Mennenr contains a report of the Minister of Com- merce, and a Royal decree founded upon it, for the reduction of the duties on Cashmere shawls, indigo, salad-oil, flax-seed, salt- petre, coal, and iron. The reduction of the coal-duty only applies to a portion of France : from the sands of Olonne to Bayonne and along the shores of the Mediterranean, the duty is to be 30 cen- times per hundred kilogrammes-the old duty of one franc per hundred kilogrammes is still to be levied on all the coal imported on the coast not included in this line. The following are the reductions on iron : one-fifth of the present duty is to be taken off wrought iron, and iron rails required for railroads are to be ad- mitted on payment of the same duty as is charged on iron bars ; on cast-iron the duty is reduced from nine to eight francs per hundred kilogrammes. It thus seems that DUCHATEL is resolved not to alarm any interest by the extent of his reductions.
The French Government is preparing a new armament, for the purpose of avenging the defeat of General TREZEL by the Arab chief ABDEL KADER. The prevalence of the cholera at Algiers has hitherto prevented the sailing of this force ; which is repre- sented as being very considerable, and unusually well supplied with artillery.
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