GERMANY. 



347 



was closed on December 28d by tho 

 Rmperor in person. In the speech from tin- 

 tlinmo be reviewed tlie results of the legisla- 

 te . period just completed. He enumerated 

 tin- inure importaut measures which had be- 

 romo law, and expressed his sincere gratifica- 

 tion at wbut hud been accomplished by the 

 House. The Emperor thanked the Parliament 



for the completion of the judicial law, by 

 which considerable progress had been made 

 toward the desired end of national legal unity. 

 He continued: "A common legal devdop- 

 ment will strengthen the consciousness of soli- 

 darity in the whole German nation, and will 

 give an interior support to the political unity 

 of Germany, such as no former period in the 



BADEN-BADEN, GERMANY. 



history of our country can show. It will be 

 the work of future sessions to effect legal unity 

 in the whole domain of the civil law." The 

 Emperor proceeded to thank the deputies in 

 very cordial terms for their assiduous and suc- 

 cessful labors, and expressed himself firmly 

 confident that on the reassembling of the 

 Reichstag it would be enabled to direct its ex- 

 clusive attention to the peaceful task of devel- 

 oping the national judicial system." Advert- 

 ing in conclusion to foreign affairs, the Em- 

 peror said : " The negotiations of the powers 

 upon the Eastern question, as far as they have 

 hitherto proceeded, justify the hope that my 

 efforts and the mutually conciliatory and peace- 

 ful intentions of the powers immediately con- 

 cerned will be successful in solving pending 

 questions without prejudice to the good rela- 

 tions now existing between them. Germany 

 will continue, by friendly and disinterested 

 mediation, to lend her cooperation for the at- 

 tainment of this end." 



In the Eastern question the German Gov- 

 ernment occupied a quiet attitude. Besides the 

 statements made in the different speeches 

 from the throne, the Government in Novem- 

 ber made an important declaration on this sub- 

 ject. Herr von Bnlow, Secretary of State for 

 Foreign Affairs, replying to a question of Dr. 

 JOrg, a member of the Reichstag, said that it 

 was at the present moment impossible for the 

 Government to give information upon pending 



questions. He continued: "Yon know that 

 the policy of the Emperor is a policy of peace, 

 a policy which declines to interfere in foreign 

 matters. Up to the present the development 

 of affairs in Turkey has not touched us direct- 

 ly, nor will it easily affect us indirectly. In 

 the presence of the armistice we can look for- 

 ward to the future with tranquillity. The pol- 

 icy of Germany with all friendly powers is 

 based upon amity, esteem, and confidence. 

 This is manifest from all the negotiations 

 which have been hitherto carried on, and the 

 Government intends to maintain this position 

 in the future also, if the nation and its repre- . 

 sentatives place full confidence in the Govern- 

 ment. It is not the intention of the Govern- 

 ment to withhold from the representative body 

 of the people any necessary communications 

 respecting the situation. The policy of Ger- 

 many will ever be pacific. Germany will al- 

 ways remain a bulwark of peace, and this bul- 

 wark will be so firm that we will claim the 

 confidence of the popular representatives, and, 

 indeed, deserve it." 



The foreign relations of the Government 

 were also in other respects of a very peaceful 

 and satisfactory nature. The difficulty with 

 Spain with regard to the seizure of the German 

 schooner Minna by the Governor of the Phi- 

 lippines in 1875 was settled by the release of 

 the vessel in January. The difficulty with 

 China with regard to the German bark Anna, 



