GENERAL HISTORY. 
nia (recently ceded by Swe- 
den) ; Stettin; Saxony, Magde- 
burgh ; Munster, Munster; Grand 
Duchy of the Lower Rhine, 
Cologne; Cleves and Berg, Dus- 
seldorf. 
In order to secure. the external 
and internal tranquillity of Ger- 
many, and the independence of 
its different states, a solemn act 
of confederation was signed at 
Vienna on June 8th, between the 
sovereign princes and free cities, 
including the Emperor of Austria 
and the King of Prussia, for those 
of their possessions which for- 
merly belonged to the German 
empire; the King of Denmark, 
for Holstein; and the King of 
the Netherlands, for the Grand 
Duchy of Luxemburg. __ By this 
act the affairs of the Confederation 
are to be managed by a general 
assembly or diet, in which all the 
members are to be represented 
by their plenipotentiaries, either 
singly possessing a vote, or se- 
veral joining to form one vote, 
the whole number of votes being 
17. The presidency is given to 
Austria; the place of meeting is 
to be Frankfort on the Maine. 
Each member of the Confedera- 
tion engages to assist in protect- 
ing not only all Germany, but 
every separate state of the league, 
against any attack, and recipro- 
cally to guarantee to each other 
the whole of their possessions in- 
cluded within the Confedera- 
tion. They also bind themselves 
to enter into no treaties hostile 
to the Confederation, and not to 
make war upon one another 
upon any pretext, but to sub- 
[109 
mit their differences to the de- 
cision of the Diet. It is further 
agreed, that in all the states of the 
Confederation a _ constitutional 
assembly of states-general shall 
be established; and that diver- 
sity of Christian faith shall occa- 
sion no difference in respect of 
civil and politicalrights. The Diet 
is also to take into consideration 
the mode by which the condition 
of professors of the Jewish reli- 
gion may be ameliorated. They 
likewise assure to the subjects of 
the confederate states the posses- 
sion of landed property out of the 
state in which they reside, without 
being subject to greater charges 
than the natives; the right of 
free emigration from one state to 
another which shall consent to re- 
ceive them ; and that of entering 
into the civil and military service 
of such confederate state; both 
those rights, however, on the 
supposition that they lie under 
no previous obligation of military, 
service in their native country. 
The Diet, at its first meeting, is to 
occupy itself with the framing of 
uniform regulations relative to the 
freedom of the press, and the se- 
curity of authors and publishers 
from oppression. 
It will be remarked with satis- 
faction, that the general tenor of 
these articles affords proof of a 
great advance of liberal principles 
in this important part of Europe ; 
and if the confederacy remain 
firm in its union, it must be a 
powerful preservative against the 
renewal of those internal wars by 
which Germany has so often been 
desolated. 
