344 



HUNGARY. 



and Minister of the Defence of the Conn- 

 try, Count Julius Andrassy ; Minister d latere, 

 Count George Festeticz ; Minister of the Inte- 

 rior, Baron Bela de Wenkheim; Minister of 

 Justice, Balthasar de Horvath; Minister of Fi- 

 nances, Melchior de L6nyay ; Minister of Pub- 

 lic Instruction and Worship, Baron Joseph de 

 Eotvos ; Minister of Agriculture, Industry, and 

 Commerce, Stephen de Gorove; Minister of 

 Public Works, Count Emeric Miko. 



The budget for 1868 estimated the revenue 

 at 115,915,800 florins; the expenditures at 

 121,232,800 florins ; the deficit at 5,317,000. 



The Hungarian Diet resumed its work on 

 March llth. The election of Kpssuth, who, at 

 one of the supplementary elections, had been 

 elected a member of the Chamber of Deputies, 

 was verified, but Kossuth never took his seat, 

 and in a letter of resignation gave at full his 

 reasons. The fact of his resignation was an- 

 nounced in the Chamber on April 29th, but the 

 ministerial majority of the House decided that 

 the letter should not be read. 



On November 24th the delegates of Croatia 

 appeared for the first time in the Hungarian 

 Diet They were warmly received, and mutual 

 greetings were exchanged in the Croatian and 

 Hungarian languages. M. Vacanovits and M. 

 Zuvits made speeches, in which they gave, in 

 the name of the Croatian nation, promises of 

 brotherhood toward Hungary, and of the main- 

 tenance of unity under the crown of St. Ste- 

 phen. The elections of the Croatian deputies 

 were then on the spot declared verified, and 

 they proceeded to elect members for the Hun- 

 garian delegation. 



The work of the Diet was brought to a close 

 on the 10th of December. It had been elected 

 in 1865 ; and as it accomplished the reconcili- 

 ation of Hungary and Austria, it is one of the 

 most memorable in the history of Hungary. 

 The days immediately preceding the close were 

 signalized by several important and popular 

 acts of the government. A letter manual of 

 the King appointed M. Bedekovich as minis- 

 ter for Croatia and Slavonia in the Hungarian 

 ministry. He had been one of the stanchest 

 advocates of the compromise between Hungary 

 and Croatia, and his appointment was therefore 

 favorably received by the Magyars. The law 

 establishing the national militia received the 

 royal sanction, and Archduke Joseph, son of 

 the popular Palatine of the same name, and 

 brother of the Archduke Stephen, the last Pal- 

 atine, was appointed as commander. The Hon- 

 veds of 1848-'49 sent a deputation to the King 

 to offer their services, when their spokesman, 

 Colonel Horvath, made the following address: 



e mat we are ready, every one according to 

 his power, in war or peace, to serve under the orders 

 of your Majesty. May Heaven grant us peace in or- 



laurel-crowns which may adorn your sovereign "brow. 



Let your Majesty receive graciously our homage and 

 readiness to serve, and let your Majesty be convinced 

 that no one will surpass us in loyalty to the throne 

 and attachment to the laws. Long live the King ! 



The King's reply was : 



I receive with pleasure your homage and the offer 

 of your services, and I am convinced that you will 

 faithfully fulfil your duties to the throne and to the 

 country. 



On December 8th the King issued the follow- 

 ing address to the army, introducing to them 

 the Honveds as their new comrades : 



The monarchy wants peace; we must know how 

 to maintain it. For this purpose I have had pre- 

 sented to both Legislatures a bill by which, in case 

 of necessity, the whole population may rise in arms 

 to defend the dearest interests of the country. Both 

 Legislatures have passed it, and I have sanctioned it. 

 The reorganization of the empire has been effected 

 on those historical bases on which it reposed in the 

 times when it fought out the most difficult wars suc- 

 cessfully. Both sides of my empire will have hence- 

 forth the same interest in defending its security and 

 power. My army thereby gains an auxiliary which 

 will support ^it in good and ill fortune. My people, 

 without distinction of class, will now, according to 

 the law,' rank under my colors proudly. Let the 

 army be the school of that courage without which 

 empires cannot maintain themselves. Side by side 

 with, the army will be a new element,_ the Honveds, 

 to help in the common defence. Its aim is the same, 

 and it is composed of the same elements nay, partly 

 issues from the army itself. I turn with confidence 

 to the army. It is my will that those who serve the 

 country in arms should do so with pleasure. It is 

 my will that the loyalty and comradeship that dear 

 inheritance of the army should animate all its parts, 

 and that army, navy, and Honveds should hold to- 

 gether, like good comrades, animated by the same 

 duties, and called to the same glory. I, therefore, 

 confidently trust that all officers of the army and of 

 the Honveds will receive this new institution in this 

 spirit; particularly I expect that the generals, as 

 leaders, will draw closely the links which unite the 

 two : that they will keep up the spirit of order and 

 discipline, and stop from the beginning any false 

 directions which may be taken. My army has gone 

 through hard trials, but its courage is not broken, 

 and my faith in it is not shaken. The path of honor 

 and loyalty on which the brave sons of my empire 

 have followed hitherto may be their path henceforth, 

 too. Let them be faithful to their past, and bring 

 with them the glorious traditions of former times. 

 Progressing in science and in the spirit of the times, 

 strengthened by new elements, it will inspire respect 

 in the enemy and be a stronghold of throne and em- 

 pire. TEANCIS JOSEPH. 



BUDA, December 8, 1868. 



On closing the Diet, on December 10th, the 

 King delivered the following speech from the 

 throne : 



Gentlemen, my Lords, and Representatives: The 

 present Legislature ceases to-day ,_ and we wished to 

 close in person the Diet whose fruitful activity stands 

 unparalleled in the long history of Hungary. We 

 called you together three years ago, under difficult 

 and anxious circumstances, to accomplish a great 

 task. Our common aim and endeavor has been to 

 solve all those questions which, not only in these late 

 times, but for centuries, have been the sources of 

 distrust and of collisions. Although prejudices in^ 

 herited from times past, the power of habit, sus- 

 picions nourished by events, and the seeming antag- 

 onism of interests, contributed to complicate the 

 situation, we have succeeded, nevertheless, in ac- 

 complishing our difficult task successfully. This 

 success is owing to the loyal alliance between the 



