GERMAN-ITALIAN WAR. 



355 



iv I.. \i..late tin; convention of Gastein. 

 I'.m.'d any such intention, and 



! that orally lie could not give a more 

 nr.il declarations were too 

 .T|.retation. If tho Austrian 



-.-ail >r dc.-ircd a morp explicit answer, he 



formulate liis inquiry in writing. The 

 was not ae.vjiuu, but tho armament in 

 uia and Moravia became more and more 



"f March, Prussia informed tho 

 i KIM governments that she was com- 

 pelled by tho armaments of Austria to make 

 preparations for tho defence of Silesia; that 

 :-<> endeavor to obtain guaranties for 

 ::ure which .'he had in vain expected from 



iauco with Austria; that, as tho German 



"ii, in its present condition, did not 



i^o fo Prussia any federal aid, if she was 



ved, she must exclusively rely on the States 



which were willing to render her aid without 



I to the Confederation; that, therefore, 



ir-t inquire about tho disposition of the 



il States; but that, in any case, Prussia 



must propose a reform of the political and mili- 



. ondition of the Confederation. To this 



note tho minor States replied by referring to 



article 11 of the federal pact, by which the 



crs of the Confederation are obliged not 



rry on war against each other, hut to bring 



their quarrels before the Diet, which would 



either mediate or call forth an "austragal judg- 



." to which the litigant parties would have 



:nit without appeal. 



The first armaments on tho part of Prussia 

 were ordered on tho 27th and 29th of March. 

 The battalions in the provinces which were most 

 exposed were raised to their greatest strength 

 on the peace footing; tho field artillery was 

 put upon the war footing, and the armament 

 of tho fortresses begun. Austria, in a note of 

 March 31st, explained that all the movements 

 of troops in Bohemia had simply taken placo 

 in consequence of the persecution of the Jews 

 in several places, and that tho Emperor had 

 never thought of attacking Prussia. This dec- 

 laration, 1'russia- asserted (April 6th), did not 



her, and she insisted on the purely 

 defensive character of her armament. Austria 

 replied (April 7th) that no military arrangements 

 had been made which could be taken as pre- 

 parations for a great war ; that a discussion of 

 the priority of the armaments was made super- 

 fluous by tho declaration of tho Emperor that 

 he had never intended to make an attack upon 

 Prussia, and that the amicable relations could 

 be restored if only Prussia would bo willing to 

 disarm. Count Bismarck (April 15th) insisted 

 that, as Austria had been the first to arm, she 



be the first to disarm. Austria (April 

 18th) agreed to accede to this demand of Prus- 

 sia, and Bismarck (April 21st) promised to fol- 

 low Austria step by step. 



In the mean while, Prussia had concluded an 

 offensive and defensive alliance with Italy, and 

 consequently the latter power had also begun 



to arm. When, therefore, Austria n< 

 (April 2Cth) tho Prussian Government that, 

 according to agreement, she would disarm in 

 Bohemia, but was compelled to make thorough 

 preparations for defence in Venetia, Bismarck 

 replied that ho must insist upon tho reduction 

 of the entire Austrian army to a peace footing, 

 lie also expressed a regret that the Austrian 

 Government had not accepted tho proposition 

 of Prussia conjointly to request the other Fed- 

 eral Governments to cease their armaments, 

 and ho announced that Prussia would demand 

 from tho neighboring Kingdom of Saxony an 

 explanation of its warlike preparations. 



While thus the negotiations for bringing about 

 a mutual disarmament proved a failure, the dis- 

 cussion at Frankfort of tho proposition made 

 by Prussia in April, for a reform of the Federal 

 Constitution, widened rather than contracted 

 tho breach between the two powers. A new 

 Austrian note on the settlement of the Schles- 

 wig-Holstein question (April 26th), drew forth 

 a reply from Prussia (May 1st and May 7th) de- 

 claring a readiness to treat with Austria con- 

 cerning her claim to the Duchies, but declining 

 to allow the interference of the German Diet 

 or any other power. As the armaments on 

 both sides uninterruptedly proceeded, Saxony, 

 alarmed at the late Prussian note, moved at the 

 Federal Diet (May 5th) that Prussia be request- 

 ed to give appropriate assurances to the Diet 

 with regard to article 11 of the federal pact. 

 The motion was (on May 9th) adopted by 10 

 against 5 votes. A motion made by Bavaria, 

 which showed itself very anxious to bring about 

 a reconciliation, to request all the governments 

 that had made warlike preparations for expla- 

 nations, was likewise adopted, and tho 1st of 

 June fixed as the day on which the explanations 

 should be given. The declarations given on 

 that day by tho representatives of the two great 

 powers did not differ from those which had 

 previously been made in tho diplomatic notes 

 exchanged between the cabinets ; but matters 

 became more seriously complicated by a dec- 

 laration of Austria, that being unable to come 

 to an understanding with Prussia on the Schles- 

 wig-Holstein question, she now referred the 

 whole subject to the decision of the Federal 

 Diet, which she was ready to abide by. Prus- 

 sia, uvreply, more emphatically than ever, de- 

 clared that, if the Diet paid no attention to her 

 proposition for a reform, which everywhere 

 was regarded as necessary, Prussia must regard 

 the Diet as incompetent to fulfil its mission, 

 and resort to other measures. The announce- 

 ment made by Austria, in the same sitting of 

 the Diet, that the Austrian Governor of Hol- 

 Btein, General von Gablentz, had been instruct- 

 ed to convoke the Estates of Holstein, in order 

 to hear the wishes of the people of the Duchies 

 on their fate, was regarded by the Prussian 

 Government as a direct violation of tie Con- 

 vention of Gastein, and called forth a sharp 

 note from Count Bismarck to tho diplomatic 

 agents of Prussia Juue 4th), in which h< 



