On this page

• Text (3)

  Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

  • 

    838 fflfJ£ %$&i!t t* [Saturday ,

  • 

    ABSOLUTISM RE-ESTABLISHED IN AUSTRIA. Th...

  • 

    ORDER REIGNS IN GERMANY. HOTI'.H ON THE ...

• Transcript

  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

    Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

    Foremost In Importance Is The Consummati...

    screw upon the great capitalists . " It is rumoured that the Conservative Opposition is preparing a Reform Bill to rival Lord John ' s , and the Globe is making difficulties to any Reform Bill at all ! Does not this foreshadow the Reform debates of 1852 ? . Will Ministers have pluck enough to prosecute the Bishops ?—is still the Irish question . We only observe , at the present moment , that sort of lull in Ireland , which is said to precede a storm .

    Bright weather , gay company , gallant acclamation , and small ovations of all sorts , have attended Queen Victoria on her progress to Balmoral . She has been journeying in a . drawing-room , to the eyes of reporters , unique in tastefulness and richness . At Doncaster we find the Mayor and Corporation hiding a row of very wretched cottages from the eyes of Majesty ! All the stations were gaily adorned , Everywhere attempts were made , like the celebrated parade of peasantry in

    brannew smocks and straw-hats at Stowe , to let the Queen see only a brilliant outside " got up" for the occasion . But it is pleasant to remark the fewness of the military guards . British Queens do not now require attendant armies . Balmoral is only guarded by London policemen and rural imitations thereof . Meanwhile , Lord John Russell has taken a house in the neighbourhood , and Prince Albert has got an estate of his own called the Hut . " May he and his never be worse lodged !

    838 Fflfj£ %$&I!T T* [Saturday ,

    838 fflfJ £ %$ & i ! t t * [ Saturday ,

    Absolutism Re-Established In Austria. Th...

    ABSOLUTISM RE-ESTABLISHED IN AUSTRIA . The following formal declaration , that Austria is henceforth to be governed absolutely , has appeared in the official Austrian Gazette , and may be regarded as the most significant fact in European reaction that we have had to signalize since the ebb of the revolution left the monarchies "high and dry . " MOST HIGH CABINET LETTER TO THE M 1 NISTERPK . ESIDENT . " Dear Prince Schwarzenberg , —As the responsibility of the Cabinet as it now stands is devoid of legal distinctness and exactitude , my duties as a Monarch induce me to relieve Ministers from the doubtful political position in which as my counsellors , and as the highest executive organs , they are now placed , by declaring that they are responsible to no other political authority than the Throne . " 1 . The Cabinet has to swear in my hands unconditional fidelity , as also the engagement to fulfil all Imperial resolutions and ordinances .

    " 2 . The Cabinet will in this new position have punctually to carry out my resolutions concerning all laws , ordinances , maxims of administration , & c , whether they have been considered necessary or judicious by Ministers , or the latter have been directed by me to consult on and propose them . " 3 . The Cabinet and each Minister in his department is responsible to me for the exact observanoe of the existing laws and Imperial ordinances , in their administration . To each Minister is intrusted the direction of that branch of the Administration with which he is charged . I , however , reserve to myself the right of issuing more exact regulations on this point .

    " 4 . The Ministerial counter-signature is in future confined to the publication of laws and Imperial ordinances , and -will be that of the Minister-President , or of that special Minister with whose branch the matter in question is connected . The Director of the Chancellery of the Cabinet will sign under the closing formula of By most high command , ' which will stand towards the side . " These counter-signatures are as a warranty that the appointed forms have been observed , and that the Imperial ordinances have been punctually and exactly carried out . " f ) . Iu the publication of laws and Imperial ordinances the -words , After having heard my Cabinet , ' will be substituted for , ' On the proposition of my Cabinet . ' " FltANZ JoHKI'H ( M . P . ) . " Schonbrunn , August 20 . 1861 . "

    MOST HIOll CAHINKT l . HTTKR TO Till ! IMfKHI DKNT ()!¦' 1 'IIK IIKICIISUATH ( COUNCIL OK Till ) KMl'lHK ) . " Dear JJuron Kiilieek , —You will learn by the subjoined copy of mv ordinance to the Cabinet the resolutions which I have taken relative to the responsibility and to the future position of my Cabinet . These resolutions induce me to introduce hoihc changes in the Btatutes of my lteichsrath : — " 1 . The Reichsrnth is from this time forward to be considered an my Council and the Council of the Throne . " 2 . In consequence ; of this declaration , draughts of laws , ordiiiancen , or other such matters have , not to be presented by the Cabinet to the Rcichsrnth for its opinion , but always to mo . Agreeably to pur . 7 of ith statutes , I reserve to in > nelf the right of demanding the opinion of the Reichsrath , anil of directing the . discussion of matters under my own iinine . diute direction , or that of its President .

    " . ' { . I reserve to myself the right of commanding the attendance of Ministers , or their deputies , at the , councils of the llcichsruth , according to circumstances and necessity . " The alterations in tho order of business and in other matters arising from the ordinances , you have to lay Wfore me without Iohh of time . If draughts of lnws which have lici n forwarded by the Cabinet to the Jtrichurath urc utill under diucuuuion , due notice iu to be given

    to me , and under all circumstances the results of the deliberations of the Council are to belaid before me . " Franz Joseph ( M . P . ) . " Schbnbriinn , August 20 , 1851 . " MOST HIGH CABINET LETTER TO THE MINISTEBPRESIDENT . " Dear Prince Schwarzenberg , —By the accompanying copy you and the Cabinet -will see the alterations which I have thought proper to mak « in the position and statutes of the Reichsrath ; and the Cabinet , in as far as it is concerned , has to act accordingly . - " Franz Joseph ( M . P . ) . " Schonbrunn , August 20 , 1851 . " MOST HIGH CABINET LETTER TO THE MINISTERPRESIDENT . " Dear Prince Schwarzenberg , —As an immediate consequence of the resolutions which I have taken relative to the political position of my Cabinet , I find it absolutely necessary that the question of the maintenance and of the possibility of carrying out the Constitution of the 4 th of March , 1849 , should be taken into ripe and serious consideration . " You have to consult with the President of my Reichsrath , and to give me as soon as possible your mutual opinions and propositions relative to the manner and extent of the question , as also as to the proceedings and forms to be observed during the examination . " During the examination of this question , and in all future discussions concerning it , you have to consider as principle and object , and as the irrefragable foundation of all your operations , the maintenance of all the conditions of monarchical government , and the unity of the states of my empire . Franz Joseph ( M . P . ) . " Schonbrunn , August 20 , 1851 . " These four Cabinet Letters , as they are called , of the young Emperor , are well worthy of the reputation of his tutor , that great master of Imperial callisthenics , Prince Schwarzenberg . The Ministry becomes

    supreme executive of the Emperor ' s will . Exclusively responsible to the Throne , and relieved from any other kind or degree of responsibility to any other authority , it has simply to execute the Imperial decrees , and to swear absolute submission and fidelity to the Throne . The Ministry will propose , discuss , and execute measures of law , administration , and finance , whether proprio motu , or Eft the instance of the Emperor , who retains the power of an absolute veto . But the most edifying and amusing of the letters is the last which tells " Dear Prince

    Schwarzenberg , " that as an immediate consequence of this complete repudiation of his constitutional oath , and abjuration of all the guarantees pronounced to his subjects , the Emperor finds it absolutely necessary , that the question of the maintenance and of the possibility of carrying out the Constitution of the 4 th of March , 1849 , should be taken into ripe and serious consideration ! There is Imperial irony with a vengeance ! " Putting the cart before the horse , " or " locking the stable when the steed has been stolen , " are far too weak and too vulgar proverbs to personify the intense fun of this

    declaration of downright absolutism , followed by a recommendation to Ministers to revise the Constitution Consider , too , the last and saving clause , insisting upon the " maintenance of all the conditions of monarchical government , " as , the irrefragable foundation of all your operations—in revising the Constitution ! How admirable an adept this gay young Emperor at constitution-tinkering ! What materials for a free Germany ! For our own part , we do not hesitate , in the name of the Democratic party , to record our sincere thanks to Franz Joseph Elis four letters are worth all the circulars of all the

    Central Democratic committees of Europe . Nothing like a declaration of Absolutism to clear tho path for Derflocracy . We register the decease of the Austrian Constitution not only without regret , but with joy and thanksgiving ! The apotheosis of Absolutism is the herald of the resurrection of liberty .

    Order Reigns In Germany. Hoti'.H On The ...

    ORDER REIGNS IN GERMANY . HOTI' . H ON THE l'RKSENT STA'VK Ol" Till : ( J 11 AN 1 ) DUCHY OF DADKN . Mr . Gladstone ' s prison revelations , and the tales of Inquisition horrors related by Father Gavnzzi , have for a time given preeminence in rank of atrocity to his Holiness the Pope nnd his dear brother of Naples . This in an injustice to the Itcd-monarchs of Germany . It is most unjust to them that their glorious deeds in the cause of order should bo hid from tho eyes of sympathizing England . Why should Pius the Ninth , albeit Christ h vicar on earth , anil his Hourbon brother carry off the palm ?

    It in nothing new to say that the rose-water reports from Germanj ' , in the English journals , convey n very faint notion of the blessed condition of forty millions of Germans , under the reign of order . Whatever may he the wish of "Own Correspondents" to act honestly uh observers of passing events , they have not the eyes of Argus . Suppose them willing to see , and able to record truthfully that which they have seen , their range of observation jh limited . A gentleman living at home at ease on a third lloor of the Strand ( or for that matter in a Uelgravian ntudy ) , eould hardly be expected to enli ghten the world as to the doings of Dorsetshire or Manchester , when there was no press to bring iu \\ t true , and parti .-uliir intelligence ; or what amounts to the same thing ,

    when there was a press which dare not publish line of news without the especial permission of " despotic Government . Por , we presume , few E lishmen now lie under the delusion that there is " ^" freedom of the press in Germany . Taking iut 0 " ^ count these and other things which it i s not nec sary to detail more specifically , is it surprising thai * if we except the recollection of a few broken ° oath and wholesale murders , the English public should quickly have forgotten the preeminent merits of th German princes ? e Had our daily press Argus-contributors from th Continent , one might have read without surprise the statement in the recently published circular of the " German Agitation Union of London , " that the lawful rights of the German people have been overthrown by a despotism " as barbarous in its cruelty and more lawless , than that of Naples . " y >

    We were indebted to Johannes Ronge , the founder of the German Catholic Church , for his touching statement of the persecutions of the free congregations , now numbering about one million of louls Penury is of no account in the ethics of German Kings . Why should we wonder at a little religious persecution destroying the most sacred bonds of society ? We subjoin some notes from Baden , which will give the reader a lively notion of the blessings which the Germans owe to the reign of red-monarch y . Our facts are derived from the most trustworthy sources of information ; and it need hardly be remarked that they are not facts to be found in the supervised press of Germany . No comment is necessary .

    Parts of the Khineland have recently been visited by a dreadful inundation . The great federal fortress of Kastadt was inundated by the overflowing of the Murg . The fortress contained a number of political prisoners , who were confined in Fort C . Private accounts which have reached us , and a brief statement of the calamity published in a Swiss journal , the National Zeitung , of Basle , vary as to the number of prisoners . The lowest account is from 50 to 60 .

    When the fortress was surrounded by water , a number of boats put off and took away the garrison of federal troops , chiefly , we are informed , Austrian soldiers . They were taken off with ease , and every man escaped in safety . The unhappy prisoners were left to their fate , and every soul perished . The cries of the drowning men for succour are described as heart-rending . A slight attempt has been made by the authorities to attribute this dreadful event to

    accident . They say it was impossible to save the prisoners . Is this a story to be credited by reasonable men ? All the accounts we have received , concur in saying that no effort whatever was made to save these unfortunate men . Public op inion in the neighbourhood , so far as it could be expressed , was unanimous on this point . But such is the state of terrorism throughout the whole of the Grand Duchy , that people hardly dare whisper their thoughts to cadi other .

    Bayonet rule is so rigid and lawless that the country could not be worse off under the occupation of a conquering army . The p lundering legions of Napoleon were not more merciless than the defenders of a native prince . Executions under martial law , by Prussian troops under the orders ot the Prince of Prussia , have numbered twenty-seven victims . All persons convicted of political ollonces by the courts martial have had their property confisimprisonment

    cated , and many of them sentenced to for life ; the others to imprisonments for periods varying from two to twenty years . The ^ ^ nuinbj- 'r these victims cannot now be stated . Tax . 'S i <» vbeen doubled , and , in addition to this , the communities are compelled to pay all the costs of the wftr ' ' [ " . the Prussian troops and the troops of the ot ^ States which have occupied the Grand Duchy . ^ damage done during tho war is charged to them , addition to all these exactions , the citizens have nc compelled to lodge and entertain the Prussian tio P and other soldiers of the confederates for »¦ ^ L vear . without anv recomnense or reimbursed

    The troops of Baden itself are quartered tlu < H '"( . ( ' ) 111 . the Duch y , and compulsorily supported by tlu' ^ ^ munities . Military patrols incessantly tnlVOlH jj ,, ht country , and surprise nnd imprison people (> y * " ^ , and on mere suspicion . A respectable in ! in \ ' nftCk yearn of age , who had in his possession " . "' !' ,. n of 184 H , which contained a portrait of JU ' . t ' lmt member of the National Parliament , wus , l »>» sole reason , apprehended and thrown into p"M > There is now no tmch thing »» »»* ""/^ 'Tl'Htucourt of justice . A fearful tribunal Iihb »* , . lis . blinbed , under the name Die A tisschctduny i-o j ( , sioti—literally , the sifting commission— 1 <> w ( l \ . nliu intrusted the power of deciding wl > e * i inrjticKshall be tried by the civil or military autui .

    This tribunal , or rather inquisition , w c »«» r" t , 1 ( the bidding of tho Government . Sent lirI " inC ( . ,, t civil court , the accuued might have A c il ( 1 ( ,, acquittal ; from tho military he has none . > ¦ is not suy , then , which court in patronized y Badish Inquisition . » oliti « H - No man is allowed to speak a word on I' , The innkeepers and publican , of all the t < '"\ ,, been made responsible for every word np <"

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 6, 1851, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_06091851/page/2/