The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-06 00:00:00

PORTUGAL.

Accounts have been received from Lisbon to the
24th ult. _ _

The country continued tranquil, and the Cortes
bad appointed their Electoral Committees to verify
the returns of Members. .

The claims of the British Government on behalf
of Mrs. CROFT will, it is said, be acknowledged.

GERMANY.

COMPLETE REVOCATION OF THE AUS-
TRIAN CON STITUTION.

The Wiener Zeitunmb of January Ist contains the
following decrees of the Emperor of AUSTRIA. It
will be seen that whereas the provisions of the con-
stitution were cancelled by the imperial edict of
August 20, 1851, the last principles of political right
conceded by tie constitution are now disavowed.
There now exists no political right in the empire. The
first of these decrees annuls the constitution in the
following words :--
" We, Franz Joseph L, by the grace of God, Emperor
of Austria, &c., &c.
"In pursuance of our ordinance of 20th August, 1851,
the constitution promulgated by the patent of March 4,
1849, has been submitted to a thorough examination
by our Ministry and our Imperial Council.
" Since, according to the results of this investigation,
the said constitution neither agrees in its fundamental
principles with the situation of the Austrian imperial
state, nor is capable of execution in the totality of its
provisions, we find ourselves, after anxious consideration
of all the facts, compelled by cur duty as regent hereby
to declare the said constitution of March 4, 1849, null
and void. _

" Tho equality of all subjects before the law, as well
as the abolition of peasant service and bondage, and the
duties formerly connected therewith (for which compen-
sation has been adjudged to feudal proprietors), is ex-
pressly confirmed.
" In order to be able to attain to those institutions,
which are calculated to satisfy the requirements of our
different peoples, and to fulfil the condition of the wel-
fare of all classes of the same, and in order also to for-
tify our government, and iecure the unity and power of
our state, we shall abide in the path of experience,
proving the exact necessities of the empire, and from
time to time shall issue suitable organic laws.
" Upon the ground of these considerations, we have,
after hearing the counsel of our Ministry and Reicha-
rath, resolved upon a series of principles as the basis of
those organic laws, and have commanded that these be
made public without delay, and that also their applica-
tion in practice may be realized as early as possible.
" The successive special laws will contain the more
particular provisions and institutions; until these issue,
the laws now existing will be binding.
" Given this 31st day of December, 1851, &c.,
(Signed) "FRANZ JOSEPH.
"F. SCHWARZENBERG.
" RANSONNET."
The second, it will be seen, sets aside the funda-
mental rights :
" We, Franz Joseph, &c.
" Ia the patent of March 4, 1849, a number of spe-
cific political rights were announced and attributed to the
inhabitants of the archduchy of Austria, above and be-
low the Ems, of Salzburg, Styria, Illyria, Carinthia,
Carniulia, Tyrol, Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, Galicia,
Bukovina, Dalmatia, &c. These, with the scheme of a
constitution, published at the same date, have been sub-
jected to a careful consideration.

" In consequence of reasons become known to us upon
hearing the opinions of our Ministers and our Reichs-
rath, we have seen fit to annul the said patent of March
4, 1849, and with it the fundaments.' rights then attri-
buted to the inhabitants of the crown lands aforesaid.

" In so far as special alterations have not already been
made in the separate heads of that enumeration of rights
we reserve to ourselves the liberty to regulate the same
by means of particular laws.
"We declare, however, expressly by the present
patent, that we will uphold and protect every lawfully
recognised ecclesiastical and religious society, in the en-
joyment of the right of public worship, as well as in the
administration of its interior affairs; and further, in the
unmolested possession of its institutions for carrying out
worship, instruction, and benevolence, always supposing
them to be conformable to the laws of the empire.
" Given, &c., at Vienna, Dec. 31, 1851.
The subjoined document is an appendix of ;princi-
ples upon which a subsequent series of organic laws is
to be framed : it will be observed that trial by jury
is utterly abolished.

"FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF THE
FUTURE ORGANIC INSTITUTIONS OF
THE AUSTRIAN EMPIRE.
" The territories united, whether under ancient, his-
torical, or modern titles, with the Austrian Imperial
States, form the inseparable elements of the Austrian
Imperial hereditary monarchy.
" The phrase 'crown-lands shall be employed in
official documents only as a general expression: when a
particular territory is designated, the proper name of
the same shall invariably be expressed.
" The existing circumscriptions of the crown-lands
shall be observed, except so far as administrative reasons
may render necessary a deviation from this rule.
" In each crown-land imperial district administrations
(landeefiirstliche Beztrksamter) shall be established, as
may be thought fit,:and within the same the action of the
various branches of administration shall be as far as
possible united.
" Above the district boards, boards of circles (Kreis-
behOrden) will be established for administrative pur-
poses. The territorial extent of these will be fixed with
regard both to former divisions and present needs.
" In the smaller crown-lands, as generally where no
necessity exists for establishing the boards of circles,
they will be dispensed with.
" The boards of circles are subordinated to the gover-
nor of the crown-land (see next article), and have
functions partly supervisory and partly administrative.
" Above th© boards of circles are placed in every
crown-land the viceroyalty (statthalterei), and the Lan-
deachef (chief of the province). The functions belong-
ing to the viceroyalty, the position and powers of the
Landeschief, and his relation to the supreme authority,
will be defined by particular regulations.
" The existing orrts-gsmeinde (communes) will be
continued as such, excepting in cases were their union is
rendered especially necessary or desirable.
" In the organization of orrts-gemeinde, the distinction
between rural and city communes is to be kept in view,
particularly the character of the latter, as royal or
princely towns or cities.
" The election of a president and acting committee of
the commune will take place according to regulations
hereafter to be issued. The official title of the president
will be that which has heretofore been used in each
crown-land. The functions of the president and com-
mittee will be limited to the affairs of the commune.
They will, however, be bound to render all required co-
operation in more public affairs, when called upon so to
do by the superior courts.
"(Here follow a number of minute regulations for the
government of parishes and other small communities.)
" The publication of the official proceedings of com-
munes is forbidden. The communes are subjected im-
mediately to the district boards. According to these
principles a particular organisation is to be worked out
for every crown-land.
"In the application of these principles, it must always
be a rule to concede the greatest amount of influence to
the greatest interests. In the election of communal
president and committee, as in communal affairs, gene-
rally, influence is to be secured to the landed proprietor in
proportion to his property within the commune, and to
his rating to the taxes; to the manufacturing and com-
mercial interests in proportion to the collective property;
and particularly in civic communes, to the proprietors of
houses, and afterwards a decisive superiority must be
assured to the corporations existing for spiritual and ma.
terial purposes.
" In the Lombardo-Venetian kingdom, the existing
communal divisions will be kept up and improved.
" The judicial office will be exercised throughout the
realm by the members of the courts, according to the
existing laws, in the name of his Imperial Royal and
Apostolic Majesty.
The judges and officers of justice are to be treated,
in respect of their personal conduct, according to the
prescriptions valid for the other officers of the state, with
reservation of their independence in the lawful exercise
of their office.
" The separation of tho administration of justice from
merely ministerial duties shall prevail in the collegiate
tribunals, and in the courts of second and third instance,
also in the courts of first instance in Lombardy, and
wherever vie. it. eh.:l. ek.: found neceiniar.-,. E
judicial and administrative functions will be united in
courts of first instance.
"io criminal COO which tom® before the collegiate