AUSTRIA. 



103 



ed, however, were chiefly concluded during 

 the day, and Mr. Glaisher is said to be prepar- 

 ing for night ascents, hoping to ascertain the 

 rate of decrease or increase of temperature at 

 night. There is at least a probability that some 

 time after the sun's influence has been with- 

 drawn, there may occur for some little distance 

 above the earth an increase of temperature. 

 Enough is already known to show and the 

 facts are of much importance in astronomical 

 observation that the increment of refraction 

 cannot be altogether uniform through the suc- 

 cessive strata of air next the earth, and that 

 there must be special differences also in this re- 

 spect between the day and night. This last 

 point is one which every astronomical observa- 

 tory should have determined for it, with a view 

 to an increased accuracy in the results of obser- 

 vations. But further, three winter ascents, 

 made December 1st and 30th, 1864, and Feb- 

 ruary 27th, 1865, gave results differing greatly 

 from those obtained in summer, and showed 

 that the laws of atmospheric temperature vary 

 at different seasons. 



The relations of the air to the chemical com- 

 position and physiological 'processes of plants 

 are considered in a paper in the Smithsonian 

 Report for 1864, entitled "Vegetation and the 

 Atmosphere." It may here be added, that M. 

 Mene finds the quantity of carbonic acid in the 

 atmosphere variable, this being low in the 

 months of December and January ; increasing 

 in February, March, April, and May ; diminish- 

 ing from June to August ; and increasing again 

 from September to November, the maximum of 

 this period being in October. He states that 

 more carbonic acid is always detected during 

 the day than during night; that there is a 

 slight increase about noon ; and that there is 

 always more after, than before rain. For some 

 points connected with pressure of the atmos- 

 phere, see BAKOMETEK. 



AUSTEIA. Francis Joseph I. is still the 

 Emperor of Austria and King of Bohemia and 

 Hungary. 



According to the latest census, taken in 1857, 

 Austria. had a population of 35,018,988, and her 

 area is 248,551 square miles. The expenditures 

 in the budget of 1865 were estimated at 527,- 

 781,793 florins, and the receipts at 519,799,024. 

 The public debt, on Dec. 31, 1864, amounted 

 to 2,600,994,469 florins.* 



The strength of the army, on the peace and 

 on the war footing, was, in July, 1865, as fol- 

 lows : 



The navy consisted, in May, 1865, of 59 

 steamers, with 648 guns and 10,900 horse- 

 power (exclusive of two iron-clad frigates, 



* A florin is fifty cents in American money. 



which were in the course of construction), and 

 51 sailing-vessels, with 348 guns. 



The value of the imports during the year 

 1864 was 260,690,150 florins, that of the ex- 

 ports, 339,075,100. The merchant navy con- 

 sisted of 9,491 vessels, altogether of 326,200 

 tons. The number of merchant vessels was 

 thus divided among the different countries of 

 the Austrian monarchy : Goritz, Trieste, Jstria, 

 2,538; Venecia, 1,359; Croatia, 308; Military 

 frontier, 153 ; Dalmatia, 5,133. 

 The Imperial Austrian Parliament (" Reichs- 

 rath ") is composed of a House of Lords and a 

 House of Representatives. The House of Lords 

 consists of the great Princes of the Imperial 

 Family, sixty-two hereditary chiefs of noble 

 families, the archbishops and bishops of princely 

 rank, and forty-seven members appointed for 

 life. The House of Deputies is composed of 

 three hundred and forty-three deputies, chosen 

 by the eighteen provincial diets. Hungary, 

 Venetia, Croatia, and several other diets in 

 the eastern part of the empire, have never yet 

 sent delegates to the parliament. 



The session of the Reichsrilth, which had 

 been opened on Nov. 14, 1864, was closed by 

 the Archduke Ludwig Victor, a brother of the 

 Emperor, on July 27, 1865. The closing speech 

 assured the two houses that the Emperor 

 thoroughly recognized the patriotic zeal and 

 the indefatigable activity displayed by them in 

 the consideration of so many important subjects. 

 It expressed gratification with the consent of 

 the Reichsrath to the new commercial and cus- 

 toms treaty with the States of the Zollverein. 

 It also announced the determination of the Gov- 

 ernment to accelerate the convocation of the 

 legal representatives of the people in the east- 

 ern portion of the empire, which, in the opin- 

 ion of the Government, involved the necessity 

 of postponing the discussion of the budget of 

 1866. On April 29, the Lower House of the 

 Reichsriith, on motion of Dr. Berger, unani- 

 mously voted an address to the American peo- 

 ple, expressing their sympathy on account of 

 the assassination of President Lincoln, and 

 their good wishes for the cause of the United 

 States. The Government also expressed to the 

 American minister at Vienna, and to the United 

 States Government, through the Austrian rep- 

 resentative at "Washington, its deep sympathy 

 with the American people on account of the 

 same event. 



On June 27, the Prime Minister, Von Schmer- 

 ling, and the majority of the Cabinet, tendered 

 their resignation, and, on July 27, a new Cabi- 

 net was formed, under the presidency of Count 

 Belcredi. The change of ministry involved an 

 important change of policy, indicating a transi- 

 tion from the centralizing tendencies, of which 

 Baron VonSchmerling had been the represent- 

 ative, to the principle of a federation between 

 the sections of the empire, and, consequently, 

 a conciliatory policy toward Hungary. 



This change of policy was officially announced 

 to the country by the Imperial Rescript of 



