M. Deak, the leader of the Hungarian moderates, made his
long- expeeted speech to the Diet on the 10th inst. His subject was the address to be presented to the Emperor, which he recommended should contain a description of all Hungarian wrongs. The first of these wrongs was the constitutional union it was intended to force upon Austria and Hungary. Hungary, said M. Deak, was an independent kingdom, recognized as such by the Pragmatic Sanction, which was in fact a treaty between the Hungarians and their sove- reign, and acknowledged up to 1848. He advised the nation to de- mand its constitutional independence, to maintain its right to vote sup- plies and troops, to refuse to make laws for other countries, and to share the right to legislate with no one but the King. Moreover, the kingdom must be restored to its integrity by the addition of Croatia, Slavonia, the military frontier, Fiume, and Transylvania, and the legal forms of abdication must be gone through before Francis Joseph can be crowned king. The body of laws of 1848, which se- cure a responsible Ministry and a free press, equality before the law, and the parliamentary right of taxation, must be acknowledged in their integrity, and the system of absolutism swept away for ever. This programme was followed by a tumult of applause, and supported "by all the prominent speakers. M. Ladislaus Szalay, the historian, argued that in 1806, Gents, though attached to the policy of Metter- nich, was in favour of removing the central power to Hungary, and in 1806 Austria was in a safer position than at present. M. George Bartel also pointed out that the Austrian system had been tried in Hungary for twelve years, and the empire had never been in such difficulties at home and so little respected abroad as during that time. Baron Eatvos, in a brilliant speech, declared that dualism was better than confusion, two Ministers of Finance than one bank- ruptcy. M. von Lonyai expanded that idea by a striking picture of the pecuniary cost of the effort after unity : " The amount of the revenue in the time of the Emperor Ferdi- nand varied between 130,000,000 and ]q0,000,000 florins. The Five per Cent. Government Stock varied between 110 and 112, and the paper currency was at par. There was no deficit in the years be- tween 1836 and 1843. In 1847 there was a considerable deficit, -but in the course of that year 73,000,000 florins were expended in railroads. During the year 1847, 1848, and 1849 the National Debt increased about 200,000,000 florins. At the end of the last-mentioned sear the National Debt was 1,100,000,000 florins. Had the Imperial Government acted wisely after the revolution was at an end, the annual expenditure would hardly have been more than 12,000,000 florins larger than in 1847. What vast sums of money have been s t by the Austrian Government during the last thirteen years ! In the month of January, 1848, the National Debt was 914,000,000 'orins, and in the month of April, 1860, 2,339,000,000 florins. To this sum must be added the amount of the bonds which have been given as an indemnification to the landed proprietors (between 500,000,000 and 600,000,000 florins), the lottery loan of 200,000,000 florins, and the last loan of 30,000,000 florins. A sinking fund of 200,000,000 florins, which was in the coffers of the State in 1848, has been spent, as have the large sums received for railroads, State domains, and mines. Thus the carrying out ad interim of the idea of the unity of the empire has cost about 2,500,000,000 florins." • The final vote has not been taken, but it is considered certain that M. Deak's proposal will be adopted, and an address, detailing Hun- garian grievances, forwarded to the Emperor. Meanwhile, the Diet, with a rare self-control, has ordered that taxes shall be paid until the answer to the address has been received. This is of a piece with all the Hungarian proceedings, which are based strictly upon the law, and are intended only to confirm the ancient privileges of the people. The independence of Hungary, and the constitutional rights of the Hungarians, were confirmed by the Emperor, Charles VII., as the price of the adhesion of the kingdom to the Pragmatic Sanction. But for this adhesion Hungary, on the expiration of the Austrian male line, would have had the right to elect a new sovereign. The deCree is in fact a solemn pledge : "Third Law of the Diet which sat in the years 1722 and 1723, by means of which the rights, prerogatives, and immunities of the Estates of the kingdom of Hungary and of the countries connected (verinnulex) with the same are confirmed :
" His Imperial Royal Majesty (Charles VI.) hereby graciously con- firms all constitutional and other rights, liberties, privileges, immu-
nities, prerogatives, promulgated laws, and recognized customs, and
a
he will observe the same.
"In like manner will the successors of His Majesty, who are to be lawfully crowned Kings of'Hungary and of the countries united to the same, maintain inviolate the saidprivileges, immunities, and laws." The constitution was suspended by Joseph, but restored, and Leopold II. passed the following unmistakable law :
" Tenth Law of the Diet which sat in the years 1790 and 1791, re- lative to the independence (Vnabhangigkeit) of the kingdom of Hungary and of the countries connected with the same : " In accordance with the most humble proposition of the Estates of the Kingdom, his sacred (geheiligit) Majesty has been pleased graciously to acknowledge that although, as a consequence of the law respecting the succession of the female line of the illustrious House of Austria, the Prince (Hurst) who reigns in the other hereditary provinces and States in and out of Germany shall also reign in Hun- gary, with the countries connected with the same, in a free land (eis freies Land), and in respect to the whole of its lawful administration, Including all the Dicasteriers' or Courts, independent (unabluiagig); that is, it is subject to no other State (Beide) or people, but pos- sesses its own constitution and administration, and consequently must be governed and managed (vermaltet) by its lawful crowned king, ac- cording to its own laws and customs, and not as is customary in the other provinces."
The authority of the king within Hungary is not defined by either of these acts, but they distinctly debar the reigning House from uniting the kingdom to the general body of the monarchy. Nothing what- ever is certainly known of the intentions of the Emperor with re-
d to Hungary, but the balance of reports is in favour of a high. handed line of policy. The first step, it is said, will be to dissolve the Diet, and endeavour to obtain Hungarian representatives for the general Parliament by direct election.
Meanwhile the cause of constitutional Government advances in Austria itself. The Cabinet have proposed to secure the absolute inviolability of Members of Parliament by the following bill :
"1. The members of the Reichsrath and Provincial Diets can never be called to account for the way in which they vote. For the opinions to which they may give expression they are only responsible to the House ' on the basis of the rules of order' (aaf Grand der Geschtftsordnuag). " 2. No member of the Reichsrath or of the Provincial Diets can, during the Session, be arrested for a punishable offence without the concurrence of the House, unless he be taken in the very act, or axles: the paposes of justice would be defeated by his being at large. If a member of either of the Houses is taken in _flagrante deficit', and arrested, information of what has occurred must immediately be given to its President."
The italicized sentence seems to refer to charges of felony, when a member must of course be liable to arrest. Dr. Giskra has moved that the Reichsrath should be convoked once a year, that it should possess "the right of making propositions to Government," and that the Ministry should be made responsible. No vote has yet been taken on these motions, the third of which includes the one essential of parliamentary government.
The Upper House in Prussia has at last surrendered the claim of the feudal proprietors to exemption from the land-tax, and all State burdens in the kingdom are at last equalized. The Committee of the Lower House appointed to consider the introduction of a commercial code have reported in favour of the project, which will therefore be submitted to,the other thirty-two States included in the Zollverein. A common currency is also to be adopted, and some impediments to commercial movement removed. The fear of war with Denmark is dying away. A national petition signed by seventy. thousand per- sons has been presented to the Danish Premier, and in his reply M. Hall states that the time has arrived when Denmark must give Hol- stein greater independence, and enable the King, as Duke of Holstein, to fulfil his obligations to the German Confederation. "Greater in- dependence" means apparently the grant of a separate constitution to Holstein based on principles which guarantee civil and religious liberty. This concession, which puts an end to the danger of war, has been produced apparently by the interference of England, Lord John Russell having, in February, declared the Danish Government bound to obey the Federal decree about Holstein, though not bound to treat with Germany as to the conduct of Government in Schleswig. Practically, therefore, Denmark incorporates Schleswig at the price of surrendering Holstein. The eagerness of the Prussian Govern- ment for this war declined perceptibly after the refusal of Austria to place the leadership of German armies in her 'hands.
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