The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-08 00:00:00

Royal Rescript to the Hungarian Die

PESTII, March 3.
The following is the full text of the Rescript
issued by the Emperor of Austria to the Hungarian
Diet, in reply to the Addresses from both Houses.
A summary has been telegraphed :
" We, Francis Joseph 1., by God's grace, Em-
peror of Austria, apoitolie King of Hungary, &c.,
&c., to the clerical and lay dignitaries, the Estates
and representatives of our faithful kingdom of
Hungary and the territories therewith connected,
assembled in our Royal free city of Pcsth, in the
Diet convoked by us upon the 10th December,
greeting,—

accept the assu-
ran"cDeseoafr fLaiietlgifeisir altlrtaechgmraeeniot accept
in the de-
voted Addresses of the Estates and representatives
in Diet assembled upon the 26th February of this
present year, and we consider them, together with
the thankful recognition of our paternal intentio
as a gratifying proof of their sincere confidence. In
requital of this confidence we also return with un-
reserved frankness our answer to thosewishes stated
in the Addresses with respect to which the import-
ance of existing relations urgently requires more
detailed explanation of our sovereign intentions.
"We have perceived with satisfaction that una-
nimity which prevailed with respect to the choice
of the Pragmatic Sanction as a starting point for
agrernent. The idea of common interests and
common protection we see dwelt upon in the ad-
dress of the Upper Hpuse formed almost two cen-
turies before the Pragmatic Sanction came into
existence the chief motive of permanent union be-
tween the kingdom of Hungary and the hereditary
territories of our sovereign House. We willingly
admit that by means of the more precise and more
lasting settlement of that community contained in
the aforesaid fundamental law our hereditary lands
have gained increased strength. But the insepar-
able union of all the kingdoms and countries of our
House also at the same time secured the territorial
extent and the national independence of Hungary,
and also became the most efficient barrier of her
safety from without. As therefore the beneficial
effect of this connexion was mutual, our efforts
must be directed towards permanently securing its
blessings, and for that purpose towards settling, in
accordance with the spirit of the times, the relations
arising out of community of interests and of pro
tectiou, following out the principle of the Pragma
tic Sanction.

" The countries of the Hungarian Crown form an
important part of our entire realm. The moral and
material strength, the prosperity, internal quiet, and
security of the realm depend upon similar elements
in the said countries, and these occupy a position of
active reciprocity towards each other. The extra-
ordinary expansion and perfection of the means of
intercourse which knit interests together with thou-

sands of threads, necessarily largely increase this
reciprocity, apart from the highly important conse-
quences of the abolition of customs duties. The
conditions that have been meantime developed the

more require precise regulation on account of the
deficiency in this respect of the laws last passed by
Hungary. These enactments remodelled internal
administration, but made either insufficient provi-
sion for the necessary connection with the other
kingdoms and countries, or no provision at all. But
now that the internal moment of the task and the
most important interests of all our peoples demand
that all points belonging together and intimately
connected should be settled unitedly, and at the
same thae, our duty as a ruler, and care for the real
welfare of our subjects, forbid us to admit that, in
our intended restoration and realisation of Hun-
garian constitutional affairs, those matters should
be left pending and undecided upon whose opportune
and reciprocal satisfactory settlement equally de-
pend the peaceful and prosperous connection of
the various countries belonging to our monarchy
and the development of their welfare, as well as the
security, reputation, and power of the empire. For
this reason we have first directed the attention of
OD Diet to common affairs, and their method of
treatment, and the confidence we placed in the in-
sight of the representatives was not deceived, for
theyadmit 'that there are such common relations, and
that their efforts will be directed to bring to bear
such arrangements with regard to the establishment
and manner of treating them as may fulfil the ob-
ject without endangering their constitutional and
legal independence.'

" We have ourselves granted constitutional rights
to those countries of our realm which did not previ-
ously possess them. We are therefore far from de-
manding that Hungary should sacrifice her consti-

tutional and legal independence, but we do expect,
and have a right to expect, in reliance upon the in-
sight and clear view of the interests of the country,
that Hungary will not wish to make use of her con-
stitutional independence—whose necessary limits we
stated in the spirit of the Pragmatic Sanction in our
Speech from the Throne —for her own isolation,
which only leads to weakness, but as a means for the
promotion of her true and permanent interests.

The exercise of well-founded innueece upon common
affairs affords on the one hand the surest pledge for
the legal independence of the country, while upon
the other the beneficial effect of that influence will

unmistakably manifest itself with regard to the wel-
fare, security, and power of the realm.

shall, therefore, observe with satisfaction
the commencement of deliberations upon this head,
and we doubt not that, in the course of a detailed
examination of these questions, the necessity of a
severe revision and opportune modification of the
laws of 1848 will be made manifest.

" The solution of the question of common affairs
is not only satisfactorily achieved by their estab-
lishment, but necessarily also demands their united
treatment secure against every obstacle, together
with the foundation of co-operative action on the
part of the legislative and executive power. Exer-
cise of the branches of government bearing upon this
point, as ordered by Art. 3 of 1848, without the
requisite organic connexion, excludes the possibility
of successful treatment of common affairs. The

ry because
our Speech from the Throne, necessary, because
diame-
tricallysome clauses of Arts. 2,3, and 4 a IgBht.
The modification of these laws is iiirther, as we stated in
opposed to our sovereigniti i
laid down in Art.
exe-
cution of the form of goveranice
inacPnPit oned in Art: 2. . The
intment of a viceroy
3 is conditional upon the
monarchy established
principle of the um .
named with royal p.otyweorf
Sanction, and the mission of our
by the Pragmatic
consequent thereupon, together with
office as ruler
those personal feelings
we cherish in our paternal
heart towards our.
kingdom
of Hungary,andwhich
the
impel us to exercise this our constitutional right as
ruler in person—render it impossible for us ever to
ns appointment of such a viceroy, nor
acroewernet to the
declare our consent to that clause of
Art. 4, by which the Diet cannot be dissolved before
the passing of the budget. We do not doubt that
the motives which raise the attachment of the coun-
try to its constitutional rights to so high a degree of
filial affection will also actuate it in matters con-
cerning the inviolability of the rights and authority
of the Crown which form the keystone of the Con-
stitution.

" We consider it further indispensable to direct
the attention of the Diet to those obstacles which
stand in the way of the immediate restoration of
the municipal system, because it has become impos-
sible, with reference to the re-modification of social
conditions that has since occurred, to carry out,