The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-23 00:00:00

Even their last liberal EMPEROR was so tyranni.

cally liberal, so forced his reforms on the empire
that his death alone averted a ruinous explosion
And then the army at command of the EMPEROR;
can he trust it, more than any of his subjects can
trust him ? There are numerous Hungarians in
the Italian army, who cannot be relied on to fight
against Italian liberties, or even to remain quiet if
their country rises. The same is true of the half-
savage Croats, who in 1848 were led by JELLA-
CHICIi against the Hungarians, but who now make
common cause with them. And though the Ger-
man soldiers are numerous in Hungary, they
would, as in 1848, find that a country of 14 mil-
lions of brave people were not to be crushed
so easily. A Vienna telegram tells us to-day
that a report is current of a convention
between Austria, Russia, and Prussia, for acting in
common should insurrection break out in Hungary
or Poland. No doubt the Court of Vienna would
like such a convention, but it remains to be seen
whether the Prussian Chambers, who have lately
voted so rightly in regard to Italy, would stultify
themselves by reversing their vote in regard to the
liberties of Hungary. As to Emperor of RUSSIA,
he has no soldiers to spare, and serf emancipation
will keep his hands full.
Whether Hungary will rise depends on the
Government at Vienna. The kingdom seems
determined to do all by legal action ; the
Court of Vienna and the Government seem
inclining now to try what more violent measures
can effect. Passive resistance, doing what is
legal, in destinction from obeying the illegal
edicts and diplomas of the EMPEROR, is the
policy and strength of the Hungarians. Among
their last acts we read that the Obergespaune,
lords-lieutenant of counties, have petitioned for the
restoration of the laws of 1848, and the Prince
Primate has consented to lay their petition before
the EMPEROR. The Judicial Conference has
adopted the press law of 1848, and trial
by jury; also the Hungarian laws relating
to letters of Exchange ; the Municipality
of Buda has excluded all non - Hungarian
residents in the city from electoral rights—this, of
course, is pointed at the Germans. The munici-
pality of Pesth demands the dismissal of the Ban
of Croatia, and the appointment of a Hungarian
in his place. But how is Austria meeting these
proceedings ? Hitherto it has been chiefly by
coercion, by modification, or by not noticing
—occasionally by refusals ; but lately we
read of different measures. " The State of
Siege"—that old and hateful formula of Conti-
nental despots—is now heard of again. Four dis-
tricts were yesterday to be declared in this " State
of Siege," that is the state of being unmanageable
by despotism. Concurrently there was the
announcement that the Diet was to be convoked at
Buda (not at Pesth), on the 2d April, to crown the
King of HUNGARY, to receive communication of
the inaugural diploma, and to elect the Palatine of
Hungary. But Pesth is the part of the city in
which the Hungarians desire to meet, because
Buda is under the cannon of Austrian soldiers.
And the diploma, unless it be the one agreed to by
the late EMPEROR, in 1848, for himself and
his successors, will be a farce, an
almost a signal for war. All these inci
dents seem to indicate an inclination to
resort to coercion, to which it is certain the Hun-
garians will not long yield, and, if persisted in, the
issue may easily be an insurrection in Hungary, a
war in Venetia, even against the will of VICTOR
EMMANUEL, and GARIBALDI, and TURR, KLAPKA,
KMETY, and KOSSUTH himself, on the scene again.
This is the most likely result of coercive mea-
sures, unless indeed the Austrian army be nobly
faithful to the people, nobly unfaithful to the
HAPSBURGS, and their mere German tools; and
FRANCIS JOSEPH see his troops melt away as those
of the King of NAPLES did before a few thousands,
while he himself is obliged to run for some
fortress in his States, or perhaps, for Brighton
itself.

The ill-wind of the 9th instant has blown good
to the great cause of the Harbours of Refuge. A
distinct pledge, it may be remembered, was made
to the House of Commons last year by the Prime
Minister—a deliberate and explicit assurance of
Lord PALMERSTON'S—that something should really
be at last done in this matter next Parliamentary
session (that is, during this present session of
1861) by her MAJESTY'S Government ,in furtherance
of the humane project recommended by the Royal
Commissioners. Of that promise Lord PALMER-
STON was reminded last evening by the hon. gen-
tleman the member for Northumberland. And it
is due to the noble Viscount to remark at once that
—while regretting that her MAJESTY'S Government
is still precluded by circumstances from proposing
to Parliament to advance, from the public revenue,
for the purpose here suggested, grants in any way
commensurate with the object in view—our veteran
Premier intimated at the same time that he had
borne his pledge of last session so vividly in his
remembrance that his right hon. friend
the President of the Board of Trade has
at this moment in readiness for presentation
to the House a Bill calculated in every way to ad-
vance the improvement and extension, and we will
hope also, even now, so far as may be in any way
practicable, the multiplication of Harbours of
Refuge along our coast-line. The difficulty of
selecting the points of that extended coast-line
most urgently requiring attention in this way
with a view to their improvement, the First Lord
of the Treasury whimsically illustrated in the early
part of his Ministerial explanation of last evening,
in answer to the enquiries addressed to him by Mr.
LIDDELL —. namely, when reminding the House
of what had just then been heard in it in the
way of casual suggestions, Lord PALMERSTON
remarked " The honourable member who
began the discussion inside the premises chiefly
confined his representations to harbours of re-
fuge on the north-east coast of England. Imme-
diately afterwards another hon. friend of mine
draws attention to the state of the Welch coast; an
hon. memb,,r opposite shows how important it is
to have harbours of refuge constructed on the
Irish coast, and my r.oble friend the member
for Wick (Lord Bury) would, I have no
doubt, be ready to insist on the extreme advan-
tage of an harbour of refuge for the place he
represents." So that very rapidly, one after
another, England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland were
cared for by different representatives!
Instead, however, of proposing to advocate the corn-