Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-04-16
Correspondence of the Chicago Tribune.

vienna June Il, 1874.
The other Capital of the Austrian
Empire is Pest, down the Danube,
III miles below Vienna. It can be
reached by steamboat in thirteen
hours from here. The return trip
should be made by rail, which only
takes seven hours, while by boat up
stream, twenty-six hours is consum-
ed, and, as the railway, for half Ibis
distance, runs through a country 20
to 80 miles away from the river,
there is new scenery coming into
view nearly all the way back to vi
emma. But first a few preliminary
observations:
The Austrian Empire is composed
o.
TWO NATIONS,
more distinct in origin, race, and
language than are the British and
French. The union is an artificial,
or, more exactly speaking, dynas-
tic one. The crowns of both nations
Austria and Hungary-are united
in the Hapsburg dynasty. Several
centuries ago, the Emperor of Aus
tria married the hieress apparent or
Queen of Hungary, thus uniting the
two monarchies. But, while the ru-
Ter of Austria was entitled Emperor
or Empress, that of Hungary was
called King or Queen. Hence the
present monarch, Francis Joseph l.,
as Emperor of Austria and King of
Hungary, and is called by the peo-
pie "Der Kaiser-Koenig." In this
bipartite State, the ruling element of
the Western or CisIeithan half is
German, and of the Eastern or Trans
leithanf half, is Magyar. The for
mer possessed, at the census of 1870,
a population of 2O,S94, $50 souls, oc
cupying 1O9.5SO square miles of
territory; and the latter numbered
5,5O9,4 ,455 inhabitants, with III, ,2OS
square miles of territory; making
together a total of
35,9O4,4 INHABITANTS
and 226, 7sS square miles. The ma
ior part of Hungary is a level plain,
while more than half of Austria
the western and southern portions
is covered with mountains. Alps
over Alps arise everywhere, except
in Bohemia, Moravia, and Galicia;
but bohemia is walled by other
mountains of its own.
The ruling element in Austria, as
remarked, is German, which num-
bers 10, 900, 900 of the 10000, O,oOO.-
But there are 100000 of Bohe-
mians, many millions of Poles
and Ruthenians, besides 100000
Croats, and 100000 of Italians
each race speaking a different Ian
guage. In Hungary the Magyars
who are sprung from the same
stock as the Turks-number 5,000,-
600, while the Slavonic races, called
Servians, Bulgarians, Slavonians,
and several others, number about
100000. The Magyars constitute
the aristocracy, own nearly all the
land, enjoy all the special privileges
and hold all the offices in both
State and Church.
The Slavonic tribes have been pur-
posely kept in ignorance and deg:
radiation, and consequently in power
ty and condition of serfdom. The
orator Kossuth, who declaimed so
fervidly about Liberty, throughout
the United States, quarter of a
century ago, was a Magyar leader,
whose political scheme or platform
consisted of dismemberment of the
Empire, independence of the Emper-
or, and domination of the Magyar
aristocracy. 1 was carried away by
the eloquent declamations, touching
protestations, and pathetic appeals
of this
VISIONARY DEMAGoGUE,
and gave him money, like other sim
pletons, which he squandered in
supporting his dissipated, dissolute
body-guard of young bloods, who
followed him round the country in
long spurred boots, drinking costly
champagnes, eating bird-suppers,
smoking Havana cigars, and smash
ing hotel furniture and mirrors; all
at the expense of a sympathizing
| and deluded public, who shed copi-
GUS tears over the wrongs and op-
pressions (0 of Hungary. e. the
| Moo.;,a,. or 81 ooranu
The whole thing was about the
same as if the Irish landlords should
revolt against Queen Victoria, and
undertake to set up another dynas
ty in the name of Liberty, while
not a word was uttered or act done
to better the condition of the miser-
able rackrent tenants who titled the
soil and lived in destitution, while
the landlords enjoyed the fruit of
their toll and self-denial. The whole
thing was the
GREATEST IMPOSITION AND FRAUD
ever perpetrated upon the American
people in the name of Liberty. 81
Previous to 1867, the Austro-Hun-
garian Parliament held their ses
sions in Vienna for many years; but
the Magyar and German factions
quarreled like cats and dogs, and
were in a continual broil, approach
ing a state of quasi-ciVil war
Whatever one side proposed, the
other opposed without rhyme or
reason. The Magyars refused to
vote taxes or supplies, and employ
ed every method and device to en-
barrass and break down the Gov
ernment. But, so long as Austria
remained at the head of the German
Bund of Confederation, the German
faction in Austria felt strong enough
to defy the Magyar faction in Hun
gary. Finally the Austrians came