The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-02-25 00:00:00

AUSTRIA.

VIENNA, Feb. 21,
Non-professional polititians are in general obli-
vious of facts, and it may therefore be well to
remind your readers that the official organs of the
Russian Government called the war a holy one,
and spoke of the French and English as heretics
and infidels. The Greek legionaries and the
reserve troops were regular crusaders, and wore
medals which were blessed by the Archbishops
before they were worn. When the. constitution of
the kingdom of Greece was granted, the powers
insisted that all religions shonld be placed on the
same level, and it is to be hoped that the same
precaution will be observed when the Powers take
into consideration the proposals of the Divans of
the Danubian Principalities.
" Some months since you were informed that there
was likely to be a great simplification of the Austrian
passport system,and it affords me extreme pleasure
to be able to state that the regulations now under
press will place Austria on a level with the rest of
the continental states. On arriving at the frontier,
the passport of the traveller will be examined, but
he will no longer be exposed to the loss of
sleep and temper when travelling in the interior
of the empire. For some time past travellers
coming from Saxony and Prussia to Vienna have
had little intercourse with police officials, but
the unnecessary and consequently injudicious seve-
rity of the passport system is still felt in the
southern parts of the empire. The alleviations
are a consequence of the urgent representations
made to the Emperor by the Minister for Foreign
kffairs, Interior, and Finances. For a long time
General Baron Kempen, the. Chief of the Police,
made sturdy opposition to the Cabinet, but his
Majesty has settled the question by attaching his
signature to a draft, containing the proposed
changes in the passport system, which were made
by a committee formed of representatives of the
Supreme Police and of the Ministers for Foreign
Affairs, Interior, and Finances.

There is reason to believe that an important fact
was communicated to you by me before it occurred.
Some days since you were told that Austria had
addressed a very energetic note to the Sardinian
government; but, as the document did not leave
Milan as soon as it was originally intended, it did
not reach Turin until the 13th instant. Reliable in
formation has to-day been given me that the bearer
of the note was Count Paar, the Austrian Minister
at Turin, who, before he left Milan, received in-
structions to break off his diplomatic relations with
Sardinia if the satisfaction demanded for the
insults offered by the press to the Emperor of
Austria since he had been in Italy is not given.
As was said in a former letter, it is not to be feared
that this Government will endeavour to obtain the
required satisfaction at the point of the sword
The treaty of March 30th is not yet properly
carried out, and Austria is not likely to neglect
a matter of vital importance for a mere trifle.
It is whispered that the Minister of Finance
is about to raise a loan of 160 millions of
florins, but he will not be in a hurry to do
so, as he has the means in hand of defraying
the expenses of the State for the next seven or
eight months. Baron Bruck will be back in Vienna
on Wednesday next, but nothing positive is known
to me of the movements of Baron Bach. It is,
however, probable that that Minister is now on his
way to Rome, to east himself at the feet of his
Holiness. There was a grand masquerade here
the night before last, but the music ceased at
midnight, because the following day was Friday.
An attentive observer cannot but see that a
great contest is going on here at present. The
civil power would willingly keep pace with the
more civilised European States, but the Church
is doing all in its power to make of Austria a
modern Bceotia. The official Gazette of the king-
dom of Naples has never made any mention of the
amnesty granted by•the Emperor, and authentic
information has been given me that the recent
measures of Austria have given the greatest offence
to his Majesty King Ferdinand 11. Feldzeug-
meister Baron Schonhals, who was called the
" pen" of the army of which Radetzky was the
sword, is dead, and his was one of the first bodies
buried in the new Protestant cemetery at Gratz, in
Styria. In his history of the Austro-Sardinian
war, the late General made no mention whatever of
Baron Hess, whose strategy ho did not admire.
Notwithstanding Mr Petre's report to Lord
Clarendon, I repeat that Poerio was operated on
for a fistula, and that his chain was put on as soon
as the operation was performed.