AUSTRIA. 



or renting of the national estates. By this de- 

 croc he had also reestablished with some modi- 

 fications the ancient constitutions of Hungary, 

 Croatia, and Transylvania ; and restricted the 

 action of the Council of the Empire to the other 

 countries of the empire, in regard to many of 

 those matters in which it had hitherto extended 

 its power over these constitutional states. 



On the 26th February, 1861, he issued a fur- 

 ther decree, declaring the ordinance of October 

 the fundamental law of the empire, and restrict- 

 ing the Council of the Empire, in its regulation 

 of all matters of legislation, to the non-Hunga- 

 rian provinces. This decree not only established 

 provincial diets organized after a uniform model 

 in each of the provinces of Austria proper, but 

 provided for the organization of an elective 

 legislative assembly or JBeichsrath for the em- 

 pire, in two Chambers ; the first to be composed 

 of the older princes of the imperial family, the 

 heads of the principal families of nobles, and 

 members named for life by the Government, 

 among whom were to be included men who 

 had been distinguished in science or literature. 

 The Chamber of Deputies was composed of 340 

 members elected by the provincial diets. 



He had already, on the 9th of Jan., 1861, 

 published an amnesty for offences committed 

 in Hungary, Transylvania, Croatia, and Sclavo- 

 nia, as an evidence of his intention to modify 

 his former course toward those States. On the 

 16th of January, he addressed an imperial man- 

 ifesto to all the county assemblies and civil 

 magistrates of Hungary, rebuking them for the 

 revolutionary measures they had adopted, such 

 as the election of political refugees, the refusal 

 to pay taxes, the suspension of existing courts 

 of justice, &c., etc. This manifesto produced 

 great irritation throughout Hungary, and each 

 county assembly for itself (that of Gran, under 

 the presidency of the Cardinal Primate of Hun- 

 gary, leading in the movement) sent a solemn 

 written protest to the emperor in reply. The 

 Cardinal Primate himself counselled mild meas- 

 ures, and the confiding to the diet the regula- 

 tion of the affairsof Hungary, but the people 

 were too strongly incensed to listen to counsels 

 of moderation. A change of the Austrian min- 

 istry followed on the 4th of February ; and the 

 new ministers were known or believed to sym- 

 pathize more fully with Hungary. 



On the llth of February, "the Court Chan- 

 cellor for Transylvania, Baron Kemeny, opened 

 a conference of the prominent men of the coun- 

 try at Karlsbnrg, Transylvania, to deliberate 

 npon the introduction of a constitutional or- 

 ganization into Transylvania. The result of 

 their deliberations was, that a majority de- 

 clared for the validity of the laws of "l848, 

 which could only be modified by the re-united 

 diet. By this movement Transylvania was de- 

 tached from the Hungarian movement. 



On the 14th of February, the Court Chancel- 

 lor for Hungary, Baron de Vay, held a confer- 

 ence with the president of the County Assembly 

 of Pesth. The Assembly were cautious, but 



firm ; they declared their regard for the chan- 

 cellor, but averred that it was contrary to their 

 consciences and the national law, to render the 

 payment of the taxes of the empire obligatory 

 on Hungary. The same day the Hungarian 

 diet was convoked to meet on the 2d of April 

 at Buda-Pesth. 



On the 26th of February, the emperor pub- 

 lished the statutes of the new constitution of 

 the Austrian monarchy, to which we have al- 

 ready referred. 



On the 2d of March, the Austrian emperor, 

 through his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count 

 Rechberg, protested, in a circular to the nations 

 of Europe, against the adoption of the title of 

 "King of Italy," by Victor Emanuel. 



A national Servian congress was called for the 

 1st of April, to express the wishes of the people 

 concerning the maintenance of their old privi- 

 leges relative to their nationality and language. 



On the 24th of March, the emperor by a de- 

 cree gave his consent to the administration and 

 political re-organization of the government of 

 Transylvania. 



On the 29th of the same month, the laws 

 regulating the discussion of public affairs in the 

 communes were relaxed in severity, independ- 

 ent provincial authority in minor matters re- 

 established, and the ancient tribunals invested 

 again with their former powers. 



On the 8th of April, the emperor issued a 

 decree that his Protestant subjects of the sects 

 heretofore recognized, should enjoy the same 

 civil and political rights with the Catholics. 

 From this provision Hungary and its dependen- 

 cies, and Yeuetia were excepted ; previous regu- 

 lations on this subject having been made for 

 them in 1859, and rejected by the Protestant 

 congregations of Hungary. Against this decree 

 the diet of Tyrol protested, and demanded that 

 it should not be applied to that government, 

 in which a large majority were Catholics. 



On the 29th of April, the Reichsrath met, and 

 was formally opened by the emperor in person 

 on the 1st of May ; but no deputies were pres- 

 ent from Hungary, Croatia. Transylvania, Ye- 

 netia, or Istria. 



In Hungary, at the session of the diet in 

 May, the relations of the kingdom of Hungary 

 to the empire were fully discussed, and an ad- 

 dress representing to the emperor the demands 

 of the nation was voted on the 5th of Jnne, 155 

 yeas to 152 nays. Meantime, the dissatisfaction 

 which had long existed between the Slovacks 

 of Upper Hungary and the Magyars was be- 

 coming more and more intense, and on the 6th 

 of June a Slovack congress was convened at 

 St. Martin, which, in the latter part of the 

 month, decided against any fusion with the 

 Masyars, even for the purpose of maintaining 

 their national rights. 



The Minister of State announced, on the 19th 

 of June, that the emperor refused his consent to 

 the petition or demand of the Tyrolese diet. 



The address of the two Chambers of the 

 Hungarian diet to the emperor offered by the 



