AUSTRIA. 



her complete abstinence from interference in the 

 German questions that still remain open. The 

 Premier of Austria, Count von Beust, excited, 

 however, the hostility of the Prussian Govern- 

 ment and press by the publication of his Red- 

 book, in consequence of which he explained his 

 views regarding German affairs in two dispatch- 

 es to Count Wiinpiffen, the Austrian Minister at 

 Berlin, in which he says that the hostility on the 

 part of Prussia appears to have been partly 

 caused by the publication of the Red-book. He 

 says that " this publication is a necessity for the 

 Austrian Government, as its foreign policy is 

 not discussed in Parliament, but in the delega- 

 tions, whose business it is to inquire into the 

 budgets of the War Office and the Foreign 

 Office, and who can only obtain an accurate 

 notion of the relations of Austria with foreign 

 states from the Red-book, which offers them 

 a real and tangible source of information on 

 the subject. As regards the policy of Austria 

 toward Rumania, South Germany, and North 

 Schleswig, the count observes that much has 

 been omitted from the dispatches in the Red- 

 book in order to avoid giving any cause of 

 offence to Prussia, but that Austria cannot 

 reject the sympathy which has been manifested 

 toward her by the South Germans, and that 

 Count von Bismarck himself acknowledged her 

 right to interfere in the North-Schleswig 

 question. The second dispatch relates to the 

 plan of forming a South-German Bund. It is 

 addressed to the Austrian ambassadors at Mu- 

 nich and Stuttgart, and begins by recalling the 

 opinion expressed by Count von Beust on this 

 proposal in November, 1867. He then consid- 

 ered that a Southern Bund would be desirable 

 as a guarantee for the maintenance of peace, 

 and communicated his views on the subject to 

 the Prussian Government as well as to those 

 of Bavaria and Wurtemberg. At the same 

 time, though retaining this opinion, he neither 

 then nor since took any steps to promote the 

 formation of the Bund. " Austria has a legit- 

 imate interest in the independence of South 

 Germany, and hence, also, in the maintenance 

 of that independence in a definite and secure 

 form. * * * But for the present we will 

 confine ourselves to urging this important truth 

 on all concerned. We do not wish to have 

 even the appearance of taking an active part 

 in the development of affairs in Germany. We 

 ought to wish for a Southern Bund ; perhaps 

 we do wish for it; but we neither can nor 

 will create it, or even help to create it. If it 

 should come into existence, no one shall have 

 the smallest right to describe it as the work of 

 Austrian influences." 



The Government presented and carried a 

 bill in the Reich srath, relative to the land- 

 wehr (militia), which is to be under the direct 

 control of the military authorities. The pri- 

 mary-school law was strenuously opposed in 

 the Reichsrath by the Polish and Tyrolese 

 members, who, upon the closing of the debate, 

 submitted a protest against its enactment and 



quitted the Chamber. The law was passed, 

 and received the Emperor's sanction. 



The liberal reforms introduced into the em- 

 pire continued to encounter a determined op- 

 position from the Catholic and Conservative 

 party. The Bishop of Linz was convicted be- 

 fore a civil court of uttering doctrines subver- 

 sive of public order, and sentenced to three 

 months' imprisonment. He was, however, im- 

 mediately pardoned by the Emperor. 



A serious revolt broke out, in October, in the 

 province of Dalmatia, the inhabitants of the 

 district of Cattaro resisting the execution of 

 the new military law. The insurgents collected 

 a considerable number of armed men, and had 

 control of several towns, among them Pobosi 

 and Maina, and, strengthened by the moun- 

 tainous character of the country, kept the Aus- 

 trian troops at bay for several weeks. A battle 

 lasting four hours took place near Lisio, in 

 which the rebels were totally defeated. From 

 the sympathy with which a number of Rus- 

 sian papers regarded the insurrection, it was 

 inferred that it was not merely an outbreak 

 of discontent with a military law, but that it 

 had a Panslavic tendency, directed against both 

 Turkey and Austria. It was reported that the 

 insurgents received large reinforcements from 

 the inhabitants of Montenegro and the Herze- 

 govina, and that the Prince of Montenegro fa- 

 vored the movement. Numerous arrests were 

 made by the Turkish Government in the prov- 

 inces bordering upon Dalmatia, and it was 

 claimed that discoveries had been made, show- 

 ing that the rising was to extend successively to 

 Bosnia, the Herzegovina, Albania, Servia, and 

 Montenegro. The Austrian and Turkish Gov- 

 ernments concluded a convention, to mass large 

 bodies of troops on the frontier of the disaf- 

 fected provinces and resist the spread of the 

 rising by combined action. The Austrian Gov- 

 ernment received permission from that of Tur- 

 key to march its troops through Turkish ter- 

 ritory against the Dalmatian insurgents, but 

 the Prince of Montenegro entered a protest 

 against this convention, and was said to be 

 supported by the Government of Prussia. 



The new session of the Reichsrath was 

 opened by the Emperor on the 13th of Decem- 

 ber. In the speech from the throne, the Em- 

 peror favored a conciliatory course in dealing 

 with the Dalmatian insurrection, dwelt upon 

 the peaceful appearance of European affairs 

 with satisfaction ; and declared that the Aus- 

 trian empire was in excellent relations with 

 the foreign powers, even on a point which had 

 momentarily caused some trouble. Referring 

 to internal affairs, the Emperor announced that 

 important concessions were to be made to the 

 different nationalities. Modifications of the 

 constitution would be necessary, but must be 

 made in accordance with its spirit. He closed 

 by promising that the autonomy of the prov- 

 inces would be respected as long as it was 

 compatible with the maintenance of the unity 

 and power of the empire. 



