The Express.
London, England, 1861-03-07 00:00:00

HUNGARY.

(neon cars owe coassarceneorra
PBerH, Fez. S.
Our political sky is overcast. The state of
siege at Fiume, which forebodes no good to
peaceful constitutional development in Hungary,
brings us, on the other aide, into a most midair-
able collision with Croatia. Fiume, the seaport on
the Adriatic, has au Italian population, which how-
ever clings to Hungary, and has a decided antipathy
against Croatia. Before the invasion of Jellachick
the town and district bad always a separate Hun-
garian governor, but in 1848 the Ban of Croatia oc-
cupied Fiume and annexed it to Croatia. After the
diploma of the 20th of October, the inhabitants,
freed from Austrian bureaucratic oppression, re-
membered their ancient allegiance to Hungary, and
claimed the re-annexation thereto, by an ad-
dress to the crown and a deputation to Vienna.
Their wishes were not attended to. On the contrary,
a new county was formed in order to swamp the
Italian population and Hungarian sympathies
by adding a strong Croatian population, formerly
ouustituting the separate district of Buccari, to the
district of Fiume. Serious disturbances were the
natural result of such a policy, which together
with the fear of a Garibaldian invasion induced the
Ban of Croatia, General Sokchevich, to proclaim
martial law. The county of Pesth remonstrated
against this violation of the law in an address to
the Chancellor of Hungary, and requested likewise
that Fiume should be re-united to Hungary, taken
out of the jurisdiction of the Ban of Croatia, and
put under the governorship of some distinguished
Hungarian. The Croatian county of Agram took
this address for the emanation of a hostile spirit of
Hungary against Croatia, declaring that Fiume, by
her geographical position, cannot but belong to
Croatia. The county reaolved, therefore, to protest
against the state of siege by au address to the Ban,
but to cut off her amicable relations with the county
of Pesth. Thus we were again threatened with
rival claims which might easily embitter the feel-
ings and trouble the peace and alliance but lately
concluded between Hungary and Croatia. The
county of Agram seems to have felt how in-
opportune was the meialution against Pesth,
and tried to neutralise the bad effect by send-
ing an address to the Emperor in favour of a com-
plete amnesty for all the political prisoners and
exiles. This step is certainly significant enough,
since there are no Croatian exiles abroad, all the
refugees being Hungarians, and belonging to that
party with whom Croatia was at war twelve years
ago. We cannot but acknowledge the delicate
feeling of the Croatians which led them to such
• noble resolution, and we hope the Hungarians
will reciprocate it by laying less stress upon the
question whether Fiume shall belong to the crown
of Hungary through Croatia or in a direct way. In
fact, the Hungarians ought to face the question of
the different races in Hungary boldly, and if they
think that the irrepressible conflict with Austria
draws near, they should try to ally themselves
with the Croatians, Serbs and Roumans,
by the most extensive concessions, even by
yielding to their prejudices some points
which by historical right belong to Hungary.
If, on the other hand, the leaders of our movement
believe that a reconciliation with Austria is possible,
and that the Hungarian ministers at Vienna pos-
sess sufficient influence over the mind of the Em-
peror to have all the laws of 1848 re-established,
then they might insist upon all their old rights and
claims towards Croatia, the Serbs, and Boltzmann.
And let us not forget that, if the more recent laws
from the seventeenth century down to our days call
Slavonia and Croatia "pastes adneme," the expres-
sion of " regna socia, implying federation and
state rights, is not unknown to our more an-
cient laws. Let us under the circumstauces forget
now for ever the annexed parts, and let us
acknowledge all the claims of Croatia as a federal
kingdom, let us extend these claims even to the
Slavouians who scarcely pretend to them, but let us
be true friends with the Croatians before the wiles of
Vienna involve us both in a new war. The tidings
from Vienna are indeed ominous ; we hear that the
Chevalier Schmerling prepares a new draft of a
theoretical ooustitution for the whole empire, as
bungling and centralising as Baron Bach's notorious
stillborn organisation, which was to surround the
throne of the Emperor with democratic institutions.
It is said that a central Diet is to supersede the
functions of the Hungarian Diet—that all the
questions of the taxes and duties, of income and
expenditure, of the post, telegraph? railways, means
of communication, commercial intercourse with
foreign countries, the public debt, and everything
concerning the army, are reserved to the iniperial
parliament at Vienna, by which the Hungarian
Diet at Peeth or Buda would become • mockery
and delusion. Should this news prove true, tlwn
the way of reconciliation is at once blocked up. We
cannot believe that any Hungarian minister would
ever countersign such a draft, or that the Diet
could be induced to send a delegation to the
central parliament. FrancisJosepli may once inure
rule Hungary by the sword—he has duce it fur full
eleven years—or he may govern the country 00106'
tutioually by a responsible ministry independent
of German ministers, but Hungary mints be
ruled by a Vienna parliament. Any attempt to
enforce on the Hungarian municipalities the laws
hissed at Vienna by Germans, Bobeininus, awl
Galician, must lead to revolution.
A moat disagreeable case in the county of Abut'.
increases our apprehensions about the future. A
certain Zahar, an ex-soldier, tried there to excite the
peasants against the proprietors by telling
then
the fable that the gentry desire to re.ture the old
feudal laws about serfage and villeinage, and that

the ..hl soldiers have got the order from Vienna
. a certain day to kill the great propnetors. Mr.
nlinanily, the distnct judge, at "lice gave the
. anent 'Laker, but the ex-sohlier fled to the
I•, rsrial judge at Kashau, who nut only refused
.nrreniler his, but sh.meil a warrant for
• :inv-t of the distrist judge on the
• 3 .1 treasonable dealings against the Elll-
-•T The county at once sent a deputation
VAy, the chancellor who is still at his
.fry residuum iu the neighbourhood of Kashau,
the case to his tedice. Still more
• dun apr-
-- the arrest of Colonel Asboth, of the late
~.,.lrish army, who was seised and carried to
met without any legal proceedings whatever
cis, military authorities, though the martial law
• u. .t been published at byre, where the arrest
.1, place, and where military interference has not
formal excuse. Such are the signs of the
still the municipalities do not despair, and
.6.6 bow deeply eligaged in the general eb•ctions.
‘• f.ir as we cal. WAf there will be few contested
•• as. and every member will plislge himself for the
memslitional restoration of the laws of led& Since
llongury seeks no conflict with Austria, the exiles
little chance of being ek6cted. The three
..peechea from the throw- at Paris, Loudon, and
Turin, hare by their peaceful turn emboldened
Austria in her reactionary schemes; we can there-
Ore scarcely expect that the Emperor should con-
tinue to yield to the legal (las of Hungary. Thus
there is but little hope that the Diet, convened for
the 2nd of April, will 110 more than protest against
the illegalities of the Austrian rule before the face
61 Europe, and be dissolved. If FrAmis Joseph
na4ebelieves that be ran be crowned with St.
m n's crown, without the restoration of the
laws, he is sorely mistaken. He may amtinue to
Etnisenw of bankrupt Austria, but he cannot
become King of Hungary.