The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-30 00:00:00

TILE ..(IXCLEXT CaYSTITUTIOIf O F lITLY-041.1a

The following brief sketch of the National Char-
ter, which was based on the feudal system, may,
perhaps, be acceptaoe to our readers :
The principal prerogatives of the Crown were—
the right to confer dignities, distinctions, and pri-
vileges, to dispose of the military power of the
country, and to manage its foreign affairs. The
King also, either directly or indirectly, appointed
all civil functional ies, with the sole exception of
the Palatine and the two keepers of the Crown
(Kronhuter), who were chosen by the estates out
of a certain number of persons proposed by the
Sovereign. Further, the King had the right in the
time of war to summon all the nobles to take up
arms (zur insurrection anfzufordern) to succeed to
hereditary property in default of heirs (male or
female), and to give it to Hungarians who had de-
served well of tb eir country, and to pardon any of
his subjects wh o might offend against the laws.
The Crown r.ominated the archbishops, bishops,
and almost all the other ecclesiastical dignitaries.
The Di,Jt consisted of representatives of the four
estate.i el' the kingdom (Reichsstande), who were
the Roy.nan Catholic and non-united Greek prelates,
the magnates (Counts and Barons), the gentry or
cavaliers, and the Royal free cities. The Diet he,d
two Chambers, which were called the " Tefel"
(board) of Magnates, and the " Tafel" of the Er,tates.
The Palatine was the president of the Upper Cham-
ber, and a public functionary, who bore the, strange
title of " Personal," presided in the Loveer House:
The King was bound to be crowned in six months
from the time of his accession to the throne, and to
convoke the Diet once in every three years. The
office of Palatine was not to be allowed to remain
vacant more than a year. The Diet was convoked by
means of so-called Royal " comital" letters, which
were addressed to the general assemblies of the
several counties, of which in the time of Kin
Stephen there were 72. At the opening of theg
Diet the Royal propositions were read, and then
examined by special committees. When the Royal
propositions were disposed of, and not before, the
Estates were at libetty to bring forward their griev-
ances, and to ask for redress. The votes were tahen
as they are in England. When a bill had passed,
both houses it required the Royal sanction before it
could become a " Reiehsgestz" (a law of the land).
The sittings were public. The Diet, usually sat
two months. The matters within the Competence of
the Diet were, affairs of legislation, including the
imposition of taxes and the levy of recruits for the
army, the coronation of the King, and the election,
of the Palatine and the two keepers of the Crown.
No foreigner could obtain the Hungarian " In?,i-
genet" (letters of naturalisation) without the spe-
cial consent of the Diet. The electoral laws drawn
up by the Diet in 1847 and 1848—to which the
Emperor referred in one of his letters to -Baron Vay
—did away with the special rights of the nobles
and other privileged classes, and gave to all Hun-
garian citizens, if properly qualified., a right to take
part in the elections. According to the Wanderer
all persons who have attained tJaeir 20th year, and
have never been punished for treason, murder, rob-
bery, arson, or smuggling, are electors—
" a. If they, in common with their wives and children,
possess a house or a piece of ground in a royal free city of
the value of 300 fl. b. If they, as mechanics, tradesmen, or
manufacturers have establishments in which they constantly
employ one journeyman. e. If they have a certain annual
revenue of 10011. from money in the funds, or from real
property. d. Physicians, surgeons, lawyers, engineers,
academical artists, professors, members of the Hungarian
l societies ap )thecaries, rectors, chaplains village
notaries, and schooltuaters, are entitled to a vote in those
elective districts in which they reside. Every person who
has completed his twenty-fourth year can be returned to the
Diet, which—excluding Transylvania, but including the
Banat and Voivodina, Croatia, and Sclavonia—is to con-
sist of 377 members."

The counties were organised as follows :---The
principal civil employe, called " 0 ber-gespa nn"
(Lord-Lieutenant), was nominated by the Sove-
reign. Each county had two Vice-Gespanne (De-
puty Lieutenants), a notary public, a collector-
general of taxes, with several clerks, a controller
of accounts, and several " fiscals" or solicitors for
the poor. The County Court managed all matters
of administration and police, and levied the taxes.
Malefactors were also tried in the County Courts,
but they had a right to appeal to a higher " in-
stance." All the employes in the counties, except-
ing, the " Ober-Gespanne" and the judges, were
elected by the resident prelates, magnates, and gen-
try, and by the representatives of the Royal free
cities. The county assemblies also elected the mem-
bers for the Diet. The counties were divided and sub-
divided into district, sub-districts, and communes.
The chief of a district was called •' Stuhlrichter"
(judge), and be had an assistant with the title of
" Vice Stuhlrichter." The last-mentioned employe
had the superintendence of the police, and they,
with the assistance of a couple of permanent jury-
men ( Conn fats- Oeschworene) administered jr,stice.
The Hungarian Court Chancellery, which is to
the King of Hungary what the so-called "'Bohemian
Court Chancellery" was to the Emperor of Austria,
is composetl of a Chancellor, two Vice- Chancellors,
12 aulic councillors, and several secretaries and
clerks. It upholds the prerogatives of the Crown,
and is the organ by means of which the communica-
tion between the Sovereign and his Hungarian
.subj43cts is kept up. The Hungarian Chancellor is
here, but the King has a Stadtholderate at Buda,
which is the highest political authority in the
country. For the moment the Master of the Ex-
chequer (Tavernicorum Regalium Magister) will
act as President of the Stadtholderate.

TILE LATE FIRE AT THE SHAD WELL
ROPER r.

For several weeks since the fire has been extin-
guished in the premises of Messrs. Frost Brothers
and Co , the well-known rope and ships' cable
makers, of Sun Tavern-fields, Shadwell, the fore-
men and workmen have been employed in remov-
ing the heavy iron machinery out of the partly
destroyed buildings, and collecting together the
jute, hemp, and flax, and placing it in lots. During
the latter end of last week the men had succeeded
in extricating from the machinery department of
the works some tons' weight of ironwork ; but
whilst they were yesterday actively engaged load-
ing barrows and wheeling them away from that par-.
ticalar part of the ruins, and just as 12 men had started
from the place with their barrows laden, an occur-
rence took place which threw the whole neighbour-
hood into a painful state of excitement. A man
named Matthews and his son were both standing on
the ground floor, collecting together the salvage
hemp and jute from where the machinery stood,
when a crash resembling a peal of thunder took
place, and every floor fell to the ground, including
some of the side walls. The man Matthews and his
son—fortunately the only two persons remaining
at
coveredw
iron girders, &c., weighing several
tons.
All hands
were immediately called together,were buried
and it was then
with bricks,
found that the two unfortunate persons
and iron. Cabs
several feet beneath the bricks
d in a most praiseworthy
one present laboured
manner to extricate the unfortunate men, but
faunidlythmeanntghleedpoaonrdfeoltlhowers..
and medical assistance were sent for, and every
upwards of one hour and a half elapsed before tho
a surgeon,
swviesree founseriously injured. They were removed with all
°dYreedda
debris could be bteorbeme
they were deemed to be in such a precarious state
possible care, and after being seen by
that it was recommended they should be taken to
the hospital. The father had his back fractured,
and the son his legs broken. The internal •
injuries
they have received cannot at present be correctly
ascertained ; but they are both described as being
in a rapidly sinking condition. They were placed
in the cabs that had been in attendance
for some
time, and removed to the London Hospital. It is
supposed that the accident arose from removing the
heavy machinery, which, in lowering, must have
strained the walls dfi
an oors. Had the other 12 men
been there at that moment it is quite possible that a
fearful loss of life would have occurred.

THE FRENCH OPERA-HOUSE.—lnthenew French
Opera-House about to be erected, says the Canstitutionnel,
the electric telegraph will, it is said, play a very prominent
part. An instantaneous line of communication is to be
established between the Cabinet of the Minister of State
and that of the director of the theatre ; a wiro will also
run from the box-office to the principr' hotels, so that
strangers will be able to engage places immediately on their
arrival in Pr .•is, and by the aid of the same electric power
the prompter will be enabled to give notice to the actors
and actresses in their rooms when the curtain is about to
rise.—Galignani.

MURDER AND SUICIDE.—The Hotel de I'Univers,
at Nisme, has been the scene of a frightful crime. Two re-
ports of firearms were heard in the room occupied by a
Mdlle. Brousse, daughter of the proprietor. The doer,
which was fastened on the inside,
was immediately broken
open, aid a horrible spectacle presented itself. In a Pool of
blood lay two bodies—one that of Mdlle. Brousse, aged 17,
and the other that of Janvier Gauquil, aged 33, a waiter of
the Hotel. This tragic event is said to have taken place
under the following circumstances :—The violent and quar.
relsome disposition of Gauquil had given rise to many com-
plaints since he had been in the house, a period ofl2months,
and Madame Brousse had determined on dismissing him,
and two days before gave him notice to that effect. The
fact of his having made an offer of marriage to the daughter
is also said to have been another motive for his discharge;
breastkn eofwnhisfovir
victims
piety
but be that as it may,. ho appear! to have decided on taking
vengeance on the family. Knowing the habits of the family,
n
lie contrived to introduce himself into the room of the un-
fortunate young
and amiable character. After having locked the door and
gpirils,twolhoatwtahse well
thFeohlirOnpaeisthwlasataken every precaution to prevent her cries being heard, the
blew out his own brains with another. The death
found lyinon the ground beside two still • -
to
faabdnoa afterwards
td discharged
i gx
icihuas
During
g havee d
the
be e ewnholinstantaneous.e
o f t he
d a
y
were
remaining
sur-
rounded by so great a crowd that it was found
place sentinels at the door,—qaeisttni,neceasary to