HUNGARY. 



431 



union ; the Hungarian Diet would also be called 

 upon to consider thoroughly the statutes of 

 1848, relating to the same subject. As to 

 Croatia, the Emperor called attention to what 

 had been said concerning Hungary in his Re- 

 script at the opening of the Diet at Agram, 

 and expressed a wish that both countries might 

 come to an agreement on the matter. 



First and foremost, however, it was import- 

 ant that special attention should be paid to the 

 treatment of those interests common to all the 

 lands of the monarchy. Much is said of these 

 in the Pragmatic Sanction, but many changes 

 have taken place since the date of that instru- 

 ment, and modifications in the treatment of 

 those interests must necessarily be made. Con- 

 stitutional rights have been granted to the other 

 lands of the imperial realm. 



The nature of these interests had been set 

 forth in the October Diploma, and a common 

 constitutional treatment of themVas most im- 

 peratively required for the sake of the unity 

 of the realm and its continuance as a strong 

 power, to which all other considerations must 

 be subordinate. Regulations for this treatment 

 had been set forth in the February Patent ; 

 but, as that had been much objected to, and 

 the Emperor was only anxious to bring about 

 an agreement founded on a general recognition 

 of its necessity, he had suspended the February 

 Patent by that of September. 



Both the October and February Diplomas 

 would be laid before the Hungarian Diet for ex- 

 amination and acceptance ; and he hoped that if 

 modifications were introduced, they would be 

 made in conformity with the primary and vital 

 requirements of the realm. 



In close connection with this matter stands 

 a revision of some of the laws of 1848, to the 

 formal validity of which no objection is made, 

 but the execution of which cannot take place, 

 nor the oath to maintain them be taken, until 

 they have been divested of their prejudicial 

 bearings. When this has been done, the in- 

 augural Diploma may be made out, and when 

 the coronation has taken place, propositions 

 tending to the welfare of the country will be 

 laid before the Diet. 



The Emperor referred to the difficulty of the 

 task, and the heavy responsibility attending its 

 accomplishment. He spoke some words ex- 

 pressive of confidence in the members of the 

 Diet, and gave utterance to a hope that with 

 the blessing of the Almighty their task would 

 be brought to a happy termination, and then 

 declared the Diet to be opened. The effect of 

 the speech was good, and great enthusiasm pre- 

 vailed. All parties, without any exception, ex- 

 pressed the greatest satisfaction with it. 



On December 20th the Chamber elected 

 Charles Szentivanyi President by 179 out of 229 

 votes, and Count Julius Andrassy first Vice-Pres- 

 ident by 185 out of 211 votes. Both belong to 

 the "Address" party. On December 21st the 

 new President and Vice-President addressed the 

 House. The former confined himself to a few 



words, saying that a dangerous doctrine tho 

 doctrine of the forfeiture of the special rights 

 and privileges of the kingdom of Hungary had 

 been set aside ; that the Pragmatic Sanction, to 

 the satisfaction of all the Hungarians, had been 

 reintegrated, and that it would serve as tho 

 basis of the statute laws of Hungary and of the 

 hereditary (German) provinces of the empire. 

 The Vice-President made a longer inaugural 

 speech, in which he said that the western por- 

 tion of the empire should be convinced that the 

 rights of Hungary are in unison with the in- 

 terests of the empire, but that parliamentary 

 centralization is opposed to those rights. " Our 

 aim," continued Count Andrassy, " should not 

 be the triumph of Hungary, but the consolida- 

 tion of the power of Austria. I trust that 

 Hungary will keep in view the rights of maj- 

 esty and the material interests of the empire." 

 The sitting was then adjourned till the 1,0th 

 January. 



The present Upper Chamber of the Hungarian 

 Diet, according to the "Pesth Hirnok," is com- 

 posed of no fewer than 729 members. They 

 are : Four members of the Imperial family (the 

 Archdukes Albrecht, Joseph, and Stephen, and 

 the ex-Duke of Modena), 27 Roman Catholic 

 and Greek Catholic archbishops and bishops, 

 10 archbishops and bishops of the Oriental 

 Greek Church, 11 high dignitaries (Reichs- 

 banner-herren), 37 lord-lieutenants of counties, 

 430 counts, and 188 barons. Ten bishops, two 

 barons, one lord-lieutenant, and fifteen other per- 

 sons who have seats and voices in the Upper 

 House, sent in excuses for their non-appearance. 



The Transylvanians, on December 14th, at 

 their Diet at Kolosvar (Klausenburg), assented 

 to the annexation to Hungary. By an im- 

 perial Rescript, dated December 25th, the Diet 

 was summoned to send representatives to the 

 Hungarian Diet, for the purpose of assisting in 

 the revision of the first article of the Transyl- 

 vanian laws of 1848, which relates to the union 

 of the grand principality with the kingdom of 

 Hungary. In a second Rescript the Emperor 

 orders the Transylvanian authorities to begin 

 with the elections as soon as possible. In con- 

 sequence of some territorial changes made since 

 1848, Transylvania was to send seventy- three 

 deputies to the Hungarian Diet, instead of 

 sixty-nine, as before. The Upper House of the 

 Hungarian Diet was also to be reenforced by a 

 number of Transylvanian " Regalisten " per- 

 sons of note who received royal letters patent, 

 authorizing them to sit and vote in the Cham- 

 ber of Peers. 



The Diet of Croatia was opened on Novem- 

 ber 12th. The Government commissioner, who 

 acted as representative to the King on this oc- 

 casion, communicated to the Diet the October 

 Diploma and the February Patent, and requested 

 that body to take into consideration the ques- 

 tion of a parliamentary union of Croatia and 

 Austria. He also announced that the Emperor 

 of Austria would be crowned as King of Hun- 

 gary and Croatia, and invited the Diet to send 



