The New York herald., 1870-06-06
Austrian ReconstructiOn.

Amid the recent profound excitem eut in
France, which has engrossed nearly the whole
attention of Europe and America, followed, as
it was, Immediately, by the crown movement
in Spain and the Saldanha revolution in Por-
tugal the great political change progressing in
Austria has been comparatively unobserved.
1t now looms up, however, into very distinct
relief and Importance As we fOreshadowed
in our article commenting, few weeks since,
upon the formation of the Potocki Ministry at
Vienna, the Emperor has been compelled to
dissolve the Reichsrath or General Assembly
of the empire and also the provincial Diets.
New elections for the latter have been ordered,
and in case these reconstructed provincial
councils should refuse to send fresh deputies
for another Rechsrath more in unison wi th
the sympathies and views Of his Majesty he
will appeal to a popular vote. In other words.
there will be an Austrian plebiscitum to decide
whether the monarch's views, as represented
by his Cabinet. shall be sustained.
The Potocki Ministry has very recently been
modified and reinforced by the admission d
popular members. Herr Tschabuschnigg, who
is regarded as very ''strong" man in his
place, retains the control of the Departments
of Justice, Public Worship and Public Instruc-
tion Herr Holzgethan, formerly councillor
of State has the administration of finance,
Herr Distler being compelled by ill health to
decline it, Baron Widmann, heavy Mora
Wan land owner and a Deputy, takes the
direction of the Ministry of National Defence.
The most important selection is that of Baron
Petrino for the Ministry of Agriculture.
| The Baron is President of the Federalist
| Club and head of the semi-autonomist
party of the Slowenes, the Istrians, the Buko-
vinians and the people Of Trieste, and it was
he who in the last session Of the Reichsrath
asked, on behalf of those populations, the same
rights that are claimed by the Poles and CALI
cians-viz., a sort of separate sovereignty
within the empire. In fine, he is State
rights man, in the Austrian point of view.
This fact, of course, gives the appointment Of
Baron Petrino peculiar and agreeable signif'
cance in the eyes of the Gallicians and Bo-
hemians, but for the same reason he will be
distasteful to the Germans. Herr Depretis
will remain Minister of Commerce, and Count
| Taafe retains the Ministry of the Interior.
| Meanwhile, the rumors of q serious quarrel
between the Grand Chancellor Won Beust and
Count Potocki are emphatically denied, al
though, at the same moment, the Austrian
journals hint that the former will take the
special mission to the Court of st. James and
be succeeded in office by Count Andrassy.
I This gentleman had, certainly, at our latest
mail dates, been visiting Vienna, and had held
close conferences with Won Beust. A Minis
try composed of the elements thus set forth
must in its very nature be ephemeral. The
Emperor Francis Joseph suddenly finds himself
confronted, in the midst of his reforms, BY
s.iarring and discordant' States subordinate t.
his crown, yet claiming separate local govern
ments, in default Of which they may become
s'beligerent." He therefore does the best
he can with his horses while swimming the
torrent But our latest kilograms induce u.
to believe that, cheered by the result of th
ple6iscitum in France, he has taken heart O
grace to appeal directly, if needs be, to hi
people, Our wishes, and those Of al
considerate men who look OF the situa