The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-28 00:00:00

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THE HUNGARIAN DIET.

/C-7

PRICE 4d.,
STAMPED sd.

belonging to Messrs. Sheldrick, Bryant, and Clarke,
five have been saved under the treatment pursued
by Mr. W. Rush, veterinary surgeon.

(From Reuter's Express.)
PESTIT, Dec. 22.
At the sitting of the Lower House to-day Herr
Carl:von Szentivanyi, the newly-elected President,
delivered the following address upon assuming the
chair :
" Most Honourable Deputies,—The country in
whose name we are here assembled, and the nation
which has chosen us as its representatives, do not
expect from us long speeches, but salutary acts. In
taking up this honourable position, to which I have
been called in the confidence of the House, and
while welcoming the representatives of the people
from the bottom of my heart, and thanking them
most sincerely for the choice that has fallen upon
me, I shall, therefore, offer as few and as brief re-
marks as may be possible. I will not dwell upon
the sorrows and sufferings of past times, but rather
turn to the future, which smiles upon us with joy-
ful hope. The, present summer was the first occa-
sion for many years when new confidence began to
arise in the hearts of the nation, and the last clouds
began to disappear from the horizon of our country.
The long-expected Diet was, opened, and his Ma-
jesty spoke to us with that sincere confidence which
invariably, arouses sincerity and confidence in re-
turn. The Royal- Speech set aside for ever that
dangerous doctrine which occasioned so much bitter-
ness, and rendered all sincere apprdach impossible
—the detestable doctrine of forfeiture of right—and
chose as point of departure the mutally-admitted
basis of the Pragmatic Sanction. His Majesty fur-
ther recognised in the Speech from the Throne
the political and autonomous independence of Hun-
gary and the adjacent countries guaranteed by the
Pragmatic Sanction, and declared that the Crown
would keep intact all clauses of that compact refer-
ring to the integrity of the Hungarian Crown.
Upon this clear and firm legal foundation we must
and will settle the pending political questions, and
although we cannot conceal from ourselves that we
shall have to encounter serious obstacles, we may
yet hope that pure patriotism, mutual confidence,
and invincible goodwill may set them aside, and
secure a happier future to the general satisfaction
both of the country and the ruler of Hungary. I
will not touch now upon those important matters
which must precede that sublimest of all our tasks,
the coronation of his Majesty, so ardently desired
by the people, and imperatively demanded by our
constitution : nor will I allude ,to those numerous
laws the introduction of which at the earliest pos-
sible moment is so urgently required by our moral
and material interests. All these will come before
you in due order and at the appointed time. I will
only now implore the blessings of Providence upon
the Diet, and fulfil thefirst of my presidential duties
by declaring this house constituted according to the
spirit of our laws."
The President's speech wasfollowed by an address
from Count Julius Andrassy, the senior Vice Presi-
dent. He said—" Honourable House : Accept, first
of all, my deeply felt thanks for the confidence with
which you have honoured me. Yet let me also say
that while I assume this post, which I have neither
wished for nor deserved, I consider your choice a
command I am bound to obey, whatever the diffi-
culty I experience in so doing. We may safely
leave the judgment of the Diet of 1861 to the ap-
preciation of posterity, which is not only guided by
results, but also takes into consideration the difficul-
ties of a given position, which not only inscribes
success, but also manly desire and perseverance in
its pursuit upon the page of history. I will not
attempt to connect our position now with that of
the Diet of 1861, but merely cast a glance upon
our past and present situation. The Diet of 1861
did all that it then could in face of the system of
forfeiture of right at that time existing when it
pointed to that basis upon which confi-
dence between prince and people is most securely
placed—the basis of continuity of right. But that
Diet was unable to create anything new ; it needed
all its strength for defence— for preservation.
That really Royal initiative alone, which will be
reckoned among the happiest occurrences in the his-
tory of our country, has released us from this pain-
ful position. While the manifesto of September 20,
and, subsequently, the Royal Speech from the
Throne, recognise the Pragmatic Sanction as our
basis of right, propositions respecting affairs consi-
dered common are expected from us, to the final
validity of which the free assent of all peoples of the
realm is essential. (' Eljen P) This, gentlemen, is
an extraordinarily great and difficult task, rendered
still more arduous because, while the initiative is
intrusted to us, we do not know who, in addition
to our common ruler, will be called to solve this
problem. (' Very true !') But we must not de-
spond, for it is impossible that the rights upon
which the realm has been formed, which, although
in conformity with circumstances often suspended,
have yet, nevertheless, consistently continued to
exist, with which the realm has already subsisted
for centuries—it is impossible that these rights
should be opposed to the conditions of life of the
collective empire. We must not despond, for this
is not the first time that it has been the will of
Providence that Hungary should take part in the
decision of European questions. Confiding in the
good fortune of the nation, we may hope that Hun-
gary, which has overcome so many dangers :and
always issued from them stronger than before, will
not belie her reputation upon this occasion as well.
(Cheers.) Still, in order that we may attain suc-
cess as securely as possible, I believe one of our
tasks will be—thereby in a manner completing the
work of the Diet of 1861—in demonstrating that
the right of this nation is also the interest of the
realm. Therefore I think it desirable to convince
the peoples of the other half of the Empire that
when the common ruler restores the integrity of
Hungary he strengthens the whole realm, for the
crown of St. Stephen unites the interests of many
races through the rights and liberties of a Constitu-
tion a thousand years old, and places their centre of
gravity in the middle of the realm. We must con-
vince them that while the common ruler recognises
the principle of continuity of right upon the basis
of the Pragmatic Sanction, he acts as much in their
interest as in ours ;fora continuityof
n only righyt
be
eannot
be begun from a given
pre-
served in constant action. Before, therefore, it
would have been possible to put this principle in
practice in both halves of the monarchy, both halves
must have returned to them what was their exclu-
sive property. It is necessary and desirable that
those who are called to guide the destinies
of the hereditary states—taking into considera-
tion the nature of the elements of Austria—
should perceive that the realm does not belong to
those states which increase in strength and dura-
bility by centralising legislation, but that she is an
exceptional state, which can only be great and
powerful by alliance with the past and with history.
Lastly, it is necessary that the other half of the
realm should rightly understand its interest and its
task. These do not consist in conquering Hungary,
but with her help in winning back for the common
ruler and the entire realm that position in the
Council of the European Powers, to which they are
rightfully entitled. (Great applause.) It is only
when all summoned by the-Royal word to ultimate
co-Dperation in the great work are fully convinced
of these truths that we can safely calculate upon
the result which is the ardent desire of us all. That
desire is to see both halves of the monarchy equally
' free and constitutional in their own way." (Loud
cheers.)
k

THE PRICE OF MEAT.—in consequence of the
present high price of meat as charged by butchers, the men
of the Royal Gunpowder Mills, at Waltham Abbey, have
formed a co-operative society for the purchase of meat direct
from London. Good meat is now being sold at from 6cl. to
Bd. per lb..