1826.] 



Political Occurrences. 



207 



cillors of tlie King of Hungary, have, in 

 consequence, thought it prudent to remove 

 their alarms by soothing exi)lanations, or to 

 satisfy their wishes by timely concessions. 

 The Emperor's address seems to increase 

 in gentleness, in proportion as his children 

 aggravate their complaints ; and in his 

 rescrii)t he accumulates epithets of ten- 

 derness, to make them forget tiie reproofs 

 of authority. — " Venerable, worthy, illus- 

 trious, excellent, distinguished, and pru- 

 dent, as well as very dear and faithful States- 

 General of our Kingdom of Hungary," is 

 the mode in which he propitiates indulgent 

 attention to a speech, which may be consi- 

 dered as an apology for his former menaces, 

 or a retractation of his former demands. 

 He assures them that he intended no attack 

 on their constitution, that he will certainly 

 convoke a diet every three years ; and that, 

 even if they wish a meeting before the ex- 

 piry of the first triennial term, he will 

 comply with their petition to that effect. 

 In conclusion, he begs them to attend to 

 the objects of the imperial message, res- 

 pecting supplies, which they had postponed 

 till after the adjustment of their rights. 

 As the Emperor could not condescend to 

 soften his language without some other 

 ostensible reason than the defiance of his 

 subjects, he has found a pretext for the 

 change in the meditating interference of 

 his brother, the Archduke Palatine. Tlie 

 States- General have voted thanks to his 

 Imperial Highness for his kind otiices, but 

 have not voted themselves satisfied with 

 the Emperor's explanations. It is said, 

 that they are nowdiscussing another ad- 

 dress with fresh demands. 



The Crown, which has aiTived at Liver- 

 pool from Calcutta, brings accounts that a 

 dreadful mortality raged there when she 

 sailed. The cholera morbus was carrying 

 oflf the natives in great numbers, and though 

 the Europeans were not so much subject 

 to the attacks of this disorder, many of 

 them had also fallen its victims. 



The death of the Emperor Alexander 

 has been followed by consequences little to 

 have been anticipated, and by no means 

 easy in the present state of our information 

 to explain satisfactorily. Oaths of alle- 

 giance were taken in the first instance by 

 Nicholas, as well as by the guards and a 

 senate, to Constantine, as Alexander's na- 

 tural heir. Constantine, however, still 

 remained absent from the capital, and Ni- 



cholas assumed the crown, which he had 

 already recognized by oath to be his bro- 

 ther's right. Some of the soldiery hesi- 

 tated to acknowledge Nicliolas for their 

 sovereign, without the previous permission 

 obtained of Constantine, to wliom their 

 oaths of allegiance had been so lately 

 made ; in these circumstances, the Em- 

 press-Mother ordered the guards to fire on 

 the regiment that adiiered to Constantine, 

 and, after the loss of some hundreds of lives, 

 the refractory were quelled, and Nicholas 

 proclaimed Emperor of Russia. 



Subsequent arrivals from St. Petersburgh, 

 contain a series of official documents re- 

 lative to these proceedings : they are, 



1. A jireliminary notice in the Imperial 

 Gazette, asserting the declaration of Con- 

 stantine, that he would resolutely adhere 

 to his former abdication of the crown of 

 Russia, and stating the formal accession 

 of Nicholas. 



2. A long manifesto from the Emperor, 

 explaining his motives for acknowledging 

 Constantine in the first instance, and for 

 subsequently consenting to assume the 

 crown himself. This manifesto recites the 

 former correspondence between Alexander 

 and Constantine, in 1822 and 182.3, and 

 the manifesto of the late Emperor, founded 

 upon it, bearing date in August 1823 ; 

 whereby his Imperial Majesty Alexander 

 establishes the succession of his brother 

 Nicholas, to the exclusion of the natui-al 

 heir. 



3. A letter from Constantine to the 

 late Emperor, expressive of his desire to 

 abdicate the right of succession, stating 

 that he "does not lay claim to the spirit, 

 the abilities, or the strength which would 

 be required to exercise the high dignity," 

 attaching eventually to his right of pri- 

 mogeniture, and declaring himself satisfied 

 with private life. 



4. Alexander's answer, accepting the 

 above surrender. 



5. A manifesto by Alexander, in con- 

 formity to the preceding arrangement, set- 

 tling the crown on Nicholas, but not to be 

 then made public. 



6. A letter, dated the 26th of last No- 

 vember, from Constantine to the Empress- 

 Mother, referring to his former abdication, 

 and confirming it. 



7. and last. A letter from Constantine 

 to the Emperor Nicholas, of the same date 

 and tenour as the preceding. 



MONTHLY MEDICAL REPORT. 



It is generally admitted among medical men, that the notions prevalent in the world 

 regarding the healthiness of what is called seasonable weather are very unfounded. Frost 

 and snow are, no doubt, quite in season at Christmas : yet to very many families Christ- 

 mas proves also a season of sickness and suffering. The reason of this is not, perhaps, 

 at first sight, very apparent, but it involves an important principle in pathology, viz. — 

 the induence of permanent cold upon the animal economy. It is admitted on all hands, 



