The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-22 00:00:00

THE UNIVERSITY OF PESTR:

A Hungarian, in a letter to a contemporary,
says :—" As so many statements, partly untrue,
partly malicious fabrications, have 'recently appeared
in the journals respecting the movements of the
youths of the Pesth University-, I feel myself called

upon to give a true statement of the matter for
judgment abroad, and supported by facts, to clear
the character and se•ntiments of the students.
The University ,Jf Pesth is the only Universityof
Hungary. It was founded by the liberality of a few
patriots of Wigll standing, and not by Austrian
rulers, as lyas been stated. Under the reign of Queen
Maria Theresa it was sanctioned under the name
of " University of the whole kingdom of Hungary."
Ttic endowments of the University of Pesth are so
great that, with the exception of Oxford, no other
University in Europe can equal them; and as the
Hungarian has but one country he has also within
the borders of that country but one University
where he can procure the necessary means for his
mental cultivation.

It is now ten years since the hand of fate has
weighed heavily upon my nation ; since then it has
been deprived of all its most sacred treasures, and,
finally, it has been deprived of that which shields a
nation from destruction—its national language.
Even the smallest people on earth has its rights,
and even when deprived of everything else it still
has one anchor left, a last resource—.' it lives on in
its language and in its customs."
I do not know who the first man was who con-
ceived the abominable idea of attempting to shatter
the rock which had stood the brunt of the storms
of centuries; at all events, he went to work with a
heavy hand when he resolved to substitute a foreign
language for that of a strong nation like Hungary,
which, despite the severe blows that it has re-
ceived, has by no means remained backward in cul-
tivation and manners. Whether the attempt will
succeed or not, it is nevertheless an undeniable fact
that the Austrian Government carne to the conclu-
sion " that the Hungarians are no longer Hun-
garians, but Germans ; ' and from that moment the
German language was introduced into the schools
and public offices.

I Will not dwell longer upon this act of injustice,
and will start therefore from the point when the
youth of the Hungarian University recently ad-
dressed a petition to his Majesty the Emperor
Francis Joseph, the substance of which was that it
was impossible to learn in a language which was not
their mother tongue, and which the majority under-
stood very slightly or not at all.
Having stated so much, I will briefly relate what
took place, as also the consequences of the step
taken by the students.
When, last autumn, the Government granted as
a boon that the Hungarian language might be used
in the lower schools, but that the German was to be
used at the University (out of 75 subjects only 8 are
delivered in Hungarian, and the examinations are
made in German), the idea struck the students, en-
couraged by their parents, of making their wishes
known in a petition. Shortly afterwards the peti-
tion was presented to Count Haller, the Adlatus of
the Governor of Hungary, who advised the students
to address themselves to the Ministry. A new peti-
tion was accordingly drawn up, direct to the mo-
narch, which commenced as follows :—" Following
the example and the advice of our parents," &c.,
and stating the source whence it originated.
This petition ought to have been presented by the
heads of the University, but as the students looked
upon them rather as enemies than as friends (the
Rector Magnificus and most of the professors can-
not speak a word of Hungarian) they resolved to
'select a commission from among themselves to pre-
sent their petition to his Majesty. Having selected
nine deputies, and the petition having been signed
by all the students of the University, including the
non-Hungarian students (554 altogether), a day
was fixed for the departure of the deputation for
Vienna.

I now come to the fact which many Austrian
journals and correspondents have misrepresented.
The rector of the University was informed of the
intentions of the students on the evening of the 23d
of October. He at once issued a notice requesting
the deputation to wait upon him the following
morning at nine o'clock. All the students re-
sponded to the notice, and, in virtue of the 63d
article of the University Regulations, it was de-
manded that a sitting should be held, presided over
by the heads of the Colleges. After many pros and
cons the sitting was held in the great hall under
the presidency of the rector, who first addressed the
students in Latin; but when he began to address
them in German he was compelled, in consequence
of the universal shout of " Neon ertj\ik" (we don't
understand it), to stop short. A Hungarian pro-
fessor, universally esteemed, was Urn called upon
as interpreter to declare to the students that the
presentation of the petition was prohibited, and that
those selected for the deputation woald be regarded
as guilty of offending the law, and be punished ac-
cordingly. But, as he could not comply with the
reiterated request of the students to show them any
such enactment in the regulations, the nine members
of the deputation declared that, even at the risk of
having their prospects in life destroyed, and being
imprisoned for the step they intended to take, they
should not desist from their intention.

After this declaration the sitting broke up in
perfect order. On the following day the deputa-
tion proceeded to Vienna, despite the good advice
of the police authorities, who endeavoured to dis-
suade them from the step at the railway station.
On reaching Vienna they did everything in their
power to procure an audience of the Emperor, but
all in vain. Even his Excellency the Minister Count
Thun would not receive them.

Having exhausted every means, a promise was
made to them that their petition should be placed in
the hands of the Emperor. The deputation ofnine
was cited before the police at Vienna, and cross-
questioned. On their return to Pesth they were
again interrogated ; it has still to be seen whether
they will be subjected to punishment. However,
the members of the deputation, as well as every
Hungarian, are prepared for everthing, for, if ever,
it is now that the Hungarian saying holds good,
" Ateglaalt Matyas Kiraly, oda az igarzag." (King
Matthias is no more, and with him justice has dis-
appeared.)