BADEN. 



105 



Ou January 23, the Minister of Police an- 

 nounced in the Lower House of the Reischriith, 

 that the release of all the Poles imprisoned in 

 Austria on account of participation in the po- 

 litical disturbances of 1863 and 1864, had been 

 decided upon by the Government. In Feb- 

 ruary the majority of them, including the ex- 

 dictator Langiewicz, were released. On April 

 18, the state of siege in Galicia was raised. 

 An imperial decree of November 18, which 

 was published by a proclamation of the Gov- 

 ernor of Galicia, on November 20, ordered the 

 release of all political prisoners arrested by the 

 Galician authorities from the year 1863 to 

 that time, and the dismission of all pending 

 trials. Another imperial decree, published De- 

 cember 10, extended the amnesty granted by 

 the decree of the 18th November to those sen- 

 tenced by the other Austrian judicial tribunals 

 for complicity in the Polish insurrection. 



The questions of German politics, and espe- 

 cially that of the duchies of Schleswig-Holstein 

 and Lauenburg, continued during the year 1865 

 to be the subject of grave and often compli- 

 cated negotiations with Prussia. The agree- 

 ment between the two Powers, though some- 

 times threatened, was successfully maintained. 

 Austria ceded her rights to the duchy of Lauen- 

 burg for a pecuniary consideration. As regards 

 Schleswig-Holstein, a convention was concluded 

 at Gastein by Herr Von Bismark and Count 

 Blome, and signed at Salzburg by the Emperor 

 of Austria and the King of Prussia. 



The following are extracts from its provi- 

 sions : 



Art. 1. The exercise of the rights conjointly ac- 

 quired by the high contracting parties through the 

 Vienna Treaty of Peace of 30th of October, 1864, will, 

 without prejudice to the continuance of these rights 

 of both Powers to the whole of both Duchies, be 

 transferred, as regards the Duchy of Schleswig, to 

 his Majesty the King of Prussia, and as regards the 

 Duchy of Holstein, to his Majesty the Emperor of 

 Austria. 



Art 2. The high contracting Powers will propose 

 in the Federal Diet the establishment of a German 

 fleet, and to appoint for that purpose the harbor of 

 Kiel as a Federal harbor. Until the execution of the 

 Diat's resolutions referring thereto, the war yessels 

 of both powers will use this port, and the command 

 and police of the same will be exercised by Prussia. 

 Prussia is authorized not only to construct the neces- 

 sary fortifications for the defence of the entrance op- 

 posite Friederichsort, but also to erect marine estab- 

 lishments corresponding with the object of the mili- 



tary port upon the Holstein shore of the bay. These 

 fortifications and establishments are also placed 

 under Prussian command, and the requisite Prussian 

 naval troops and men for their garrison and guard 

 may be quartered in Kiel and the neighborhood. 



A supplementary convention to the above 

 treaty was concluded between the two Powers 

 relating to the garrison arrangements at Rends- 

 burg. 



On October 29th an Imperial decree appointed 

 a new committee for the control of the public 

 debt, consisting of the President (Prince Ool- 

 loredo), theVice-President (Councillor Taschek), 

 and the following members : Field-Marshal 

 Hess, Baron Rothschild, Baron Rues Refer, 

 Herr Herbst, and Herr Winterstein. The com- 

 mittee is to be in direct communication with 

 the Emperor. The decree states that this meas- 

 ure is adopted in consequence of the changes 

 brought about by the September patent, and 

 because it is the will of the Emperor that a 

 committee, independent of the Ministry of Fi- 

 nance, should uninterruptedly watch over the 

 management of the public debt until the time 

 when a committee for this purpose can be 

 selected by the representatives of the empire. 

 Another Imperial decree, published on Novem- 

 ber 25th, authorized the Minister of Finance to 

 contract a new loan, to be issued in Y34,694 

 bonds of 500 francs or 200 florins, at the issuing 

 price of 345 francs or 138 florins, bearing in- 

 terest from the 1st of December, 1865. The 

 bonds to bear an annual interest of 15 francs, 

 or 10 florins, payable half-yearly, without any 

 deduction. The repayment of the loan to be 

 effected by the redemption of each bond at 500 

 francs or 200 florins, within thirty-seven years, 

 by means of half-yearly lotteries. At every 

 lottery an equal number of 9,928 bonds are to be 

 drawn for the redemption; the first drawing to 

 take place on the 1st June, 1866. 



A new decree relative to the press was issued 

 by the Minister of Justice on September 2d. 

 The minister recommends to the Procurators- 

 General the exercise of the law against really 

 serious offences of the press, but a careful avoid- 

 ance of all measures which might raise a sus- 

 picion that the prosecution was of a partisan 

 character. Apart from all prejudiced opinions 

 the Government, says the minister, will grate- 

 fully accept all well-founded criticism of their 

 acts. 



B 



BADEN, a grand duchy of Germany. The 

 reigning sovereign is Grand Duke Friederich I., 

 born September 9, 1826 ; ascended the throne 

 of Baden at the death of his father, April 24, 

 1852, under the title of Regent his elder broth- 

 er Ludwig suffering under mental disease. He 

 assumed the title of Grand Duke by patent of 

 September 5, 1856. The heir apparent is Prince 

 Friederich Wilhelm, born July 9, 1857. The 



Legislature consists of two Chambers. The 

 Upper Chamber comprises the princes of the 

 reigning family who are of age ; the heads of 

 ten noble families ; the proprietors of hereditary 

 landed estates, worth 300,000 florins ; the Arch- 

 bishop of Freiburg ; the Superintendent General 

 of the United Evangelical Church ; two deputies 

 of the Universities Heidelberg and Freiburg; 

 and eight members, nominated by the Grand 



