The Austrian Government has published a provisional statute for the
government of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The provinces, united under the name of "Bosnia," and with Serajevo for capital, are placed under the Imperial Ministry, and not under that of either Hungary or Austria. The Civil Government will be under the con- trol of the Foreign Office, while the " common Ministry " will arrange for taxation, the budget, the customs duties, and the management of domains. The Turkish taxes will be retained,
except such as press specially on Christians. The ex- isting laws are to be maintained for the present, and• the existing subordinate officials, but they will be superintended in each department by men imported from the older provinces of the monarchy. This arrangement is, perhaps, the best possible, while the fiction of the Sultan's authority is kept up ; but Bosnia must ultimately be united with Dalmatia. Count Apponyi has now to settle the question which has so vexed Sir Garnet Wolseley,—namely, the right of Austrian officials to punish strangers in Bosnia, who, if the country is in theory a province belonging to the Sultan, will be entitled to the benefit of the " capitulations."
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