The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-28 00:00:00

THE AUSTRIANS IN HUNGARY.

The following letter, dated Pesth, December 18,
says :—" The agitation caused by the savage at-
tack of the Austrian police and soldiery on a
peaceable crowd the other day is far from having
subsided ; but it has not given rise to any new de-
monstration on the part of the people. It had
been expected that the Austrian authorities would
have followed up their outrage by adopting men•
sures of rigour against the population ; but the only
thing they have done thus far is to stick up a pla-
card in the University, warning the students that
if they take part in any popular demonstration
they will be punished with all the rigour the
University regulations allow. Nay, more, the
authorities have actually set at liberty the
persons they arrested in the recent affair.
From these facts it would appear that they are
At Pesth also the Government has contrived,
partly by prayers, and partly also by threats, to
cause a number of " men of confidence" to meet, as
it is said, to " take into consideration" the aforesaid
law. But they have shown a spirit which must,
one would think, fill it with despair. Two mortal
days have passed in discussing, not the law, but the
question wltttther or not they had any legal right
to discuss it. Almost everybody was of opinion
that they had no such right, but, by way of com-
promise, the meeting consented to collect materials
for a communal law to be submitted to the Diet
hereafter—the Diet alone having the declared right
of passing laws.
too much afraid of the people to attempt to adopt
a regime of terror.
The Austrian authorities, in obedience to orders
from Vienna, are moving heaven and earth to in-
duce men of wealth and station to act as " men of
confidence" in the examination of the famous com-
munal law, but they meet with the most humiliat-
ing rebuffs. At Presburg, after supplications in-
numerable from the authorities, a certain number of
noblemen and gentlemen consented three days ago
to meet, but, like the recent meeting in Transyl-
vania, they, instead of deliberating on the projected
law, passed a resolution declaring that the Govern-
ment had no right to impose laws on the people,
and that the Diet alone could pass a law. Among
the noblemen who took this resolution were Count
Konigsegg and Count Miggazi, two influential per-
sonages, M. Edel and M. Stanzelets, eminent mer-
chants, and M. Kampfuller, the burgomaster. The
manifestation is the more important, from the fact
that these, and most of the other persons who took
part in it, are Germans, and also from the fact that
Presburg being within a few miles of Vienna, is
more under the influence of the Viennese Govern-
ment than any other town in Hungary.
The Viennese journals publish erroneous statis-
tics as to the manner in which the Protestants have
pronounced on the Imperial patent. I have before
me official returns, the correctness of which cannot
be questioned, and which are made up to the 16th,
the latest date, which show that 2,883,468 have,
either personally or through their representatives,
declared against the patent, only 122,989 for it,
and that 42,083 have not yet given their decision.
The majority against is, it will be seen, perfectly
overwhelming ; and the minority for has only
been obtained by the exercise of direct intimida-
tion in out-of-the-way places. As a specimen of the
intimidation employed, I may mention that a cer-
tain M. Torkos, Austrian Prefect of the county of
13ekas, issued a circular to sundry Protestant cler-
gymen, who, he had learnt, contemrlated going to
Pesth to assist in opposing the patent, threatening
them with the wrath of the Government if they
realised their intention—and even menacing them
with arrest the moment they should set foot in the
capital.

Although the preceding figures prove clearly
the intimidation of the Government has produced
little effect, it may be mentioned that such indig-
nation has been excited by that intimidation that
several Protestant clergymen have denounced it
from the pulpit. Two, the Rev. Mr. Hodsza, of
some place in the county of Lipto, and the Rev. Mr
Sziberenyi, of the town of Chemaitz, have actually
menaced with excommunication all the lukewarm
Protestants who shall manifest such fear of the
Austrian Government as to accept its patent.

A FAIR ISLE TRAGEDY.--A rumour has been
circulated through the islands during the last week that
Mr. Cheyne, schoolmaster in Fair Isle, has been thrown by
some of his scholars over a precipice° and killed, or nearly
so. How far this is correct it is difficult to say; there is
probably, however, some foundation for the story ; but
until the weather gets more moderate, so that a boat can
reach the isle, the mystery will not be cleared up.—John-o'-
Groat Journal.