The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-06 00:00:00

such a system would break down. At length an ilia
genious scheme was devised for combining the cell'
tralisation which the Court desired, and the exigen`
cies of Government absolutely demanded, with thet
representative system necessary to its acceptance liu
the people. The traditions of each nation of the
empire were to be preserved; the people were to ohsre
in legislation ; but the whole imperial power was t.,`'
be centred at Vienna. To do this the Hungarian ao",
other local Diets were called again into existence; hill'
they were made subordinate to a central Parliament;
which would be chiefly composed of their delegate!'
This was the present but still imperfect Reichsrath.
But from the moment that this plan was deter.'
mined on, it was plain that its essence consisted 10
a policy of force being replaced by a policy of con-
ciliation. The difficulty rested in the means of ind
ducing the Hungarians, the Galicians, the Croats,
and the Venetians to accept the compromise, and t°
send their delegates to Vienna, so as to form theo
Reichsrath. It was an instance of the old story 01
leading a horse to water without being able to moYcie
said,
the drink. Even now, as we have already s
the Reichsrath is not fully constituted, though "
appears to be sufficiently so to enable it to periwig
legislative functions for the empire, and to arrogate
great weight to its deliberations both with the
Austrian Government and oven with the whole
,0f
Europe. In this juncture of the progress of tu°
Austrian Constitution a groat change has suddenly
taken place in the character and policy of the o°'
vernment. The old Court notions, military tancial
and aristocratic prejudices of the high Austrian
party, which were impersonated in Count Rechbergl
have given way. Popular ideas, pacific Ben timentt;
and a disposition to accept the existing state of
things, have forced their ground, and have apPa#
rently taken more or less complete possession of the
Austrian Government. It is, in fact, in this con:
version of the Government by the Reichsrath that
the latter has gained at once the most recent and
most striking illustration of its moral authority
Time heals many sores. The discomfiture of 1859
rankled for a long time in the breasts of Austrian
politicians. No one could wonder that it should be
so. But since that time the great Italian Kingdom
has been gradually establishing itself. The Court
of Turin, in proportion as it has consolidated its
internal power, has become more conservative in its
foreign relations, and more and more disposed to
content itself with whatever fortune a purely pacific
policy may bring. It has thus become more prac-
ticable for Austria and Italy to meet upon friendly
terms ; and the change of feeling and policy which,
has thus been brought about by the reciproca-
concessions of both parties can only have its
result in the recognition of the Italian king'
dom by the Austrian Government. Perhaps the
greatest importance of this tendency to peace
and conciliation between Italy and Austria
is that it means a policy of disarmament on both
sides. The time is come when both parties are ripe
for this declaration. Each wants to consolidate its
own government. Each wants also to curtail its ex'
penditure—and Italy and Austria both know that
by a formal understanding of this kind they might
strike off between a hundred and a hundred and
fifty thousand men from their muster rolls—and
thus, while they afford a substantial pledge for
future peace, at once solve the financial difficulties
with which they are both beset. This done, Austria
would concentrate her attention on the reconciliad
Lion of Hungary and Galicia with her own rule--aa
Italy, on the other hand, would devote herself to
the complete subordination of the South to the
House of Savoy and the new Government at the
Florentine capital. What both Governments equally
need and desire it seems difficult to believe Oat
they will not obtain. The formal completion of
friendly relations with the Italian kingdom is all
that Austria requires in order to give full effect to
the recommendations of the Reichsrath, which M. do
Schmerling has, for the most part, endorsed. Ile
appears, indeed, to offer some opposition to the
Reichsrath on the subject of the state of siege that
has prevailed in Galicia; but this seems to be the
main point of difference. To a great extent, Count
Mansdorff and M. de Schmerling appear to repro'
sent the popular view as to the line of foreign and
domestic policy that Austria should pursue—and
wo believe that that policy is one which is in the
common interest of Austria and Italy.