136j ANNUAL REGISTER, 18)6. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



Germany. — Slov; Progiess in political Alteration. — Hanover, Annexation 

 of East Friseland, and Cession of Lanenberg. — Order of Guelph. — 

 Assembly of States. — Prussia. — Discussiojis relative to Representative 

 Government. — Restrictions on the Press. — Electorate of Hesse. — Con- 

 tinuance of Differences between tlie King and the States of Wurtem- 

 berg. — Death of the former, and Acts of his Successor. — Austria, 

 financial Plan. — Death of the Empress, and Marriage of another. — 

 Germanic Diet. — Constitution of Weimar. — Switzerland. — Diet. — 

 Law in Friburg. 



IN the great and enlightened 

 country of Germany, the pro- 

 gress towards settling the politi- 

 cal constitution of its different 

 states during the present year, 

 has been much less than was ge- 

 nerally expected. Whether this 

 tardiness was owing to the va- 

 riety of opinions, prevalent among 

 a people habituated to discussion, 

 and prone to theorize, or to a re - 

 luctance in the governing poweis 

 to admit the governed to a share 

 in their authoiity, is a matter of 

 conjecture rather than of proof; 

 but there is reason to suppose, 

 that both these circumstances 

 have co-operated in throwing 

 difficulties in the way of bringing 

 to a termination the process of 

 forming new constitutions. Mean- 

 time the public tranquillity seems 

 not to have suffered from this in- 

 determinate condition of things ; 

 such disputes as have arisen, hav- 

 ing been chiefly conducted in the 

 quiet mode of lettered argumen- 

 tation. 



Of the occuri ences in the dif- 

 ferent states, those in the new 



kingdom of Hanover take the 

 precedence in point of time. 



In December 181.5, were pub- 

 lished by the authority of the 

 Prince Regent, the letters patent 

 on taking possession for the 

 crown of Hanover of East Frise- 

 land and the land of Harlingen. 

 This appropriation is declared to 

 be in consequence of a cession 

 from the King of Prussia con- 

 firmed by the powers at the con- 

 gress of Vienna; and the states 

 of the country are required to 

 transfer their allegiance to their 

 new sovereign, with assmance of 

 constant attention to their wel- 

 fare, and protection in their 

 rights. 



As a kind of indemnity for this 

 accession, that portion of the 

 Duchy of Saxe Lauenburg which 

 lies on the right side of the Elbe 

 Avas ceded by Hanover, in July, 

 to the king of Prussia, to be af- 

 terwards conveyed to the king of 

 Denmark, as part of the compen- 

 sation adjudged to that Sovereign 

 for his cession of Pomerania to 

 Prussia. 



The 



