The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-21 00:00:00

LOIVDON, THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1870.

tritAxcE is not the only country passing through a
constitutional crisis. There have been Ministerial
changes at Vienna as well as at Paris, and on the
Danube no less than on the Seine it remains to be
seen if a change in the personnel of the Ministry is
the precursor of a far more serious event. In France
the question at issue is the maintenance
of a dynasty : in Austria it is the main-
tenance of Lie Empire. It is now nearly
thirty years since Prince Schwarzenberg
attempted to establish an abolitionist and unitarian em-
pire. The defeat of Solferino rendered that design
impracticable, and Schmerling offered a Constitu-
tional Empire, yet thought that he might still maintain
the unity of Austria. The Hungarians would not
accept the concession. They didnot cease to demand,
as they had for the previous ten years demanded, the
right to govern themselves. Nor was their claim ill
founded, nor was their hostility to their sovereign
without reason. He was bound by the Constitution
to be crowned King of Hungary no
less than Emperor of Austria, and until
he had fulfilled that obligation, the Hungarians
were not legally bound to acknowledge his rule.
They refused to sit in the Reichsrath, and they
offered a passive resistance infinitely harder to deal
with than Kossuth's insurrection. But the Emperor
and his Ministers held out. True, a constitution was
granted in 1861. But this constitution was suspended
by the two Ministers, Count Est erhazy, the Hunga-
rian, and Count Belvedi, the At alien. It was not
until after the disaster at Sadowa that Francis
Joseph saw the absolute necessity of break-
ing with his old connections if he would save
his empire from utter destruction. It was necessary
to find a substitute, and he was discovered in the
person of Baron, afterwards Count Bengt, who as
delegate of the Germanic Confederation at the
London conference, which preceded the Deno-
German war, had attracted much notice by his
great ability and excellent disposition. Count
Beast was a foreigner, and a Protestant, and
it may be easily imagined that the appoint-
ment of this heretic Saxon was viewed with
extreme dismay by the aristocratic Viennese. Nor
did his first measures reassure them. He at once let
it be known that he accepted the principle of
dualism, that is, would give Hungary a Parliament of
its own. The formation of a responsible Hungarian
Ministry and the Coronation of Francis Joseph as
King at Buda-Pesth followed. The next step
was to put an end to the Concordat with
Rome. In order to effect that object the " Conies-
sicnal laws were passed, sanctioning civil marriages
and depriving the clergy of the monopoly of teaching
in szhools. The opposition was loud and vehement,
but the people sided enthusiastically with the
Minister, and in spite of the protests of such men as
the Bishop of Linz the confessional laws were passed.
But while Count Beast had, by accepting the prin-
ciple of dualism, pacified Hungary, he had but given
fresh impetus to the demands for autonomy made by
by the other non-German States. The State which
we call Austria contains a population of nearly 35
millions, but of these, less than 10 millions are Ger-
mans. Magyars, Sclaves, Roumanians, and other races
make up the remainder. The Magyars of Hungary
having obtained their demands, the other peoples
resolved that they, too, would insist upon autonomy.
A compromise was effected between the Sclaves of
Croatia and the Magyars of Hungary, but between
these and the Sclaves and the Roumanians beyond the
Leitha, no agreement could be made. The Czechs of
Bohemia and the Moravians (both Sclavonic) had
once formed an independent Kingdom, and they now
soight to recover at least a poition of their influence,
to regain at least the right of governing themselves
in a Parliament of their own, subject to the Imperial
Reichsrath. They were joined in this movement by
the Poles. These last, however, did not at the out-
set go so far as the Czechs. The Czechs drew up a
protest, and their " patriots" withdrew from the Pro-
vincial Diet at Prague, and refused to sit in the
Parliament at Vienna. Within the present year the
separation movement has been going on with accele-
rated rapiiity. In January six deputies from the
Tyrol left the Reichsrath. The thirty-seven Polish
deputies, after long discussion, followed this example,
and theirs was followed by the deputies from other
States. Sixty-eight in all withdrew from the Impe-
rial Parliament, thereby protesting in behalf of the
federal principle and the right of self-government, a
principle vehemently repudiated by the Germans.

These events led to a Ministerial crisis. The
Cabinet of which Giskra, Herbst, and Brestl were the
chief members, resigned. Count Potocki, formerly
Minister of Agriculture, was charged with the
formation of a new Ministry. He endeavoured to obtain
the co-operation of Rechbauer, but as that statesman
demanded a large reduction of the army, it was
found impossible to come to terms with him. A pro-
visional Cabinet was therefore formed, which
will hold office until the wishes of the whole empire
with respect to the constitutional questions at issue
have been decided by a general election. But there
is a long task before the new Ministry and the Em•
peror. At present the members of the Reichsrath are
not elected directly by the people, but by the members
of the several local Diets, who are so elected. The
system, in fact, bears some analogy to that which exists
in the United States of America. It is intended that
hereafter this system shall be abandoned, an
(Urea election substituted. But the penct%ng
elections will take place under the old arrangement,
and the Reichsrath, so elected, will decide upon the
great constitutional questions of the autonomy of the
various States and the right of direct representation.
Assuming that the majority of the Reichsrath will
be favourable to these changes, it is probable that
the new provisional Ministry will not oppose them.
In that case, the metamorphosis of the Austrian
Empire will have become complete. Thenceforward
the name "Austria" will represent a number of
Federal States, each governing itself so far as its
own affairs are concerned, and sending to Vienna
representatives charged solely with transacting the
little business that concerns them all.

The St. Petersburg Universal Exhibition is to be
opened on the 25th instant. Immediately after the
opening the Eraperz Alexander will go for six weeks
Era,
-