AUSTRIA. 



The standing army consisted, in May, 1863, 

 of 185,182 infantry, 39,188 cavalry, and 39,455 

 other troops. Total, in time of peace, 263,825. 

 In time of war, the strength of the army is 

 436,608 infantry, 41,862 cavalry, 86,998 other 

 troops. Total, 565,468. 



The navy, in May, 1863, consisted of 64 steam- 

 ers, the total horse power of which was 11,325, 

 and 668 guns; beside 2 ironclad frigates, in 

 course of construction, with 1,300 horsepower, 

 and 68 guns. The number of sailing vessels 

 was 51, with 348 guns. Total of steamers and 

 sailing vessels, 117, with 1,084 guns. 



At the beginning of the year 1863 the Pro- 

 vincial Parliaments of Salzburg, Upper and 

 Lower Austria, the Vorarlberg, Silesia, Mora- 

 via, Carinthia, Istria, Goritz, Styria, Carniola, 

 Dalmatia, the Tyrol, the Bukowina and Bohe- 

 mia, were in session. All these Diets gave in 

 their adhesion to the Central Constitution, and 

 adopted almost unanimously the principle of 

 trial -by jury. 



The Austrian Parliament (Council of the 

 Empire) was opened on June 18th, the same 

 number of provinces being represented as in 

 the year before. (See AiraruAL CYCLOPAEDIA for 

 1862.) In his speech .from the throne the em- 

 peror made a satisfactory retrospect of the 

 activity of the Eeichsrath, and expressed a 

 hope that Transylvania would also shortly take 

 part in its deliberations. He thus continued: 

 The Eeichsrath closed its first session under 

 the blessings of peace, which the Govern- 

 ment will endeavor to maintain undisturbed. 

 Thanks to the liberal institutions of the empire, 

 its material and intellectual life are everywhere 

 being rapidly developed, and its influence and 

 position as a great Power continually becoming 

 more powerful. The financial conditkm of the 

 empire is becoming more and more satisfactory. 

 The credit of the state and the public currency 

 have most decidedly improved. It has been 

 unnecessary to apply for any extraordinary 

 credit during the current year. The budget, 

 which will be submitted to you, has been pre- 

 pared with a view to the greatest possible 

 economy. Bills relative to taxation will be 

 submitted to you, the object of which is to re- 

 establish the currency on a thoroughly sound 

 basis. Bills will also be introduced upon the 

 reform of the administration of justice, as re- 

 gards the administration of penal law more es- 

 pecially. These reforms will comprise oral 

 proceedings, publicity, and trial by jury. The 

 bills for the reform of the civil law relate to 

 bankruptcy, the private arrangement of debts, 

 and the right of domicile. 



Besides the provinces not represented in the 

 Council of the Empire in 1862, a majority of 

 the Czech (Bohemian) members, and the repre- 

 sentatives of the Italian portion of the Tyrol, 

 resolved to cease taking part in the proceedings 

 of the Council. The Council thereupon re- 

 solved, in its session on June 29th, that there 

 was no reason for the absence of the Czech 

 members from the sittings of that body, and 



they were summoned to make their appearance 

 on pain of having their title to sit as members 

 cancelled. On the other hand, the Government 

 and the friends of a United Austria had the 

 gratification to see for the first time a repre- 

 sentative from Transylvania. The Emperor of 

 Austria, by a decree dated September 27th, had 

 raised the Eoumanian nationality to an equali- 

 ty, in civil and religious rights, with the other 

 nationalities of the crownland. Hitherto the 

 Eoumanians, although by far the most numer- 

 ous of all the nationalities of Transylvania, had 

 been excluded from all political action. Here- 

 after, in accordance with the imperial decree, 

 the nationalities legally recognized* will be the 

 Hungarians, the Szeklers, the Saxons, and the 

 Eoumanians ; and a particular emblem will be 

 added for the Eoumanians to the escutcheon 

 of Transylvania. The Hungarians and Szek- 

 lers of Transylvania were greatly dissatisfied 

 with this decree. Their deputies had already 

 withdrawn in a body from the Diet of Transyl- 

 vania. The two other " nations," the Saxons 

 and Eoumanians, resolved to send delegates to 

 the Council of the Empire, who, to the number 

 of 26, took their seats in that body on October 

 20th. Shortly after the Council declared itself 

 to be complete* Toward the close of Novem- 

 ber, the Obergespanns (chiefs of the public ad- 

 ministration) of Croatia, in a meeting held at 

 Vienna, resolved that Croatia also should send 

 deputies to the Council, if the February Con- 

 stitution was modified in a manner guaran- 

 teeing to the Croats the maintenance of their 

 autonomy, the integrity of their territory, and 

 the disposal of the direct taxes and revenue of 

 Croatia. 



Notwithstanding the unceasing efforts of the 

 Austrian Government to reconcile the differ- 

 ent nationalities, the animosity between them 

 rather increased than decreased. This was the 

 case particularly with the Slavi and Germans 

 in Bohemia and Bavaria, with the Germans 

 and Italians in the Tyrol, with the Hungarians 

 in Transylvania on this side, and the Germans 

 and the Eoumanians on the other. Galicia 

 was kept in constant agitation by a secret rev- 

 olutionary government, which in some in- 

 stances even decreed and inflicted the death 

 penalty upon Poles who were regarded as op- 

 posed to the national Polish movement. But 

 the most important of all the national manifes- 

 tations took place toward the close of the year 

 in Hungary. The "Alleanza" of Milan, a jour- 

 nal printed by the Hungarian insurgents in 

 Italy, published the text of a proclamation, is- 

 sued in Hungary, in the name of Kossuth. 

 The proclamation was as follows : 



By order of Lovis KossutTi, the National Committee 

 of independence to the Nation. Fidelity to the flag of 

 1849 survives in the heart of our nation. Refusing to 

 accept any kind of compromise, the great majority of 

 the nation is firmly resolved to shake off the detested 

 yoke of German domination. But as the external signs 

 of our national life have in recent times not been in 

 harmony with that resolution, our natural allies abroad 

 have conceived doubts as to the firmness of our de- 



