LV. 1849. confidently rely on the sensible and candid co-operation CHAP. of the nation through its representatives. Austria at the close of this memorable year might proudly claim for its motto, Mergens profundo pulchrior evenit.' It has crushed the rebellion in Lombardy, driven back the Piedmontese into their own territory, planted the Austrian flag again in triumph on the walls of Milan, which had for centuries been a fief of the house of Hapsburg. Compelled in self-defence to assault his own capital, the Emperor has found his troops as loyal as they were brave, and the cannon of Windischgratz and Jellachich have effectually silenced the voice of insurrection. In Hungary the Imperial arms have been uniformly successful, and there is every reason to expect a victorious issue to the campaign. And now fresh and healthy blood has been poured into the veins of the monarchy by the elevation to the throne of a young Emperor whose disposition 1 Proclamaand character are of the happiest augury, and who is sur-tion, Dec. rounded by ministers determined to pursue a course of Ann. Reg. constitutional policy, and abandon the Metternich system 426. of despotism and exclusion."1 5, 1848; 1848, 425, 2. stitution of 1849. The acts of the young Emperor and his cabinet did. not belie these liberal professions. The committee ap- New Conpointed by the Diet to draw up a constitution had pre- Austria. faced their report by a preamble to this effect: "All Mar. 4, 7, the powers of the State proceed from the people alone.” When the matter came to be discussed in the Diet in the beginning of January, Count Stadion, the Minister of the Interior, moved, on the part of the Government, that these words should be omitted. M. Pinkar, on the part of the Opposition, moved a declaration condemnatory of the counter-revolution; and Count Stadion moved an amendment, which substantially approved of it. The debate was conducted with as much freedom as any in the House of Commons; and M. Pinkar's motion was carried by a majority of 196 to 99-a result which sufficiently proved the democratic character of the great LV. 1849. CHAP. majority of the assembly. Having gained this victory, the Opposition, fearful of a dissolution, which, in the altered temper of men's minds since the former elections had taken place, would probably have thrown them into a minority, did not press the retention of the article, and the consideration of it was of consent postponed. The other articles of the report were then considered seriatim, and the constitution was finally approved of and promulgated on the 7th March. Certainly the friends of freedom had no reason to complain of its provisions. It provided, in the first instance, for the unity of the Austrian Empire, a condition obviously essential to its independence, and which all the Liberals in the Empire, if they had been actuated by public spirit, and not private ambition, should have been the first to support. Entire freedom in religion, and universal education by public institutions, were established; "the instruction in religious matters in the public schools being intrusted to the respective churches or religious institutions." Freedom of the press without the censorship was guaranteed in the most unlimited extent, as was the right of petitioning, meeting and forming associations, if not opposed to the law or dangerous to the State. Individual liberty was guaranteed, as was the sanctity of private domiciles, and all persons apprehended were to be liberated in forty-eight hours, if not delivered over in that time to the judge of the district. The Emperor was to take the oath to the constitution when he was crowned; he was irresponsible, decided on peace and war, concluded treaties with foreign powers, and published decrees, the same being countersigned by a responsible minister. He appointed the ministers and dismissed them, and appointed to all offices, civil and military. Equality of all citizens before the law was established. The legislature was to consist of two houses, both elective; and the elective franchise was extended to all the citizens paying the statutory amount of direct taxes, which was only a few florins. LV. 1849. The members of the lower house were elected for five CHAP. years, those of the upper for ten. for ten. Laws required to be passed by both houses, and have the Emperor's consent 1 Constituto become valid; and either the Emperor or either house tion, Mar. might propose laws. The Emperor had the power of Ann. Reg. dissolution; and the public accounts were to be annually 321. 1849, 316, brought forward in a budget submitted to both houses.1 .4, 1849; 3. tion of the gary and This constitution was much more democratic than that enjoyed by Great Britain at this time; for it established cold recephousehold suffrage, all but universal equality in all mat- Constituters civil and religious, a free press, the right of meet- tion in Huning and petitioning, and universal education, detached Austria. from sectarian divisions, at the public expense. It was at least as liberal a constitution as Austria, yet in pupilarity in the ways of freedom, could bear. It was far, however, from meeting the views of the Hungarian insurgents, who desired a virtual severance of Hungary from Germany, in order that they might obtain a monopoly of offices, honours, and emoluments to themselves. How they were to maintain their ground against Russia and France and Germany, in a state of isolation, was a question which never entered into their consideration, though Georgey confesses that the difficulty of doing so would probably have proved insurmountable.* In truth, matters had gone too far between the two powers, before the new constitution was promulgated, to admit of a compromise. But in the other provinces of the Austrian Empire, the new constitution, save to the revo- Ann. Hist. lutionists of Vienna, gave general satisfaction, and contri- 493; Ann. buted much to the unanimity with which its inhabitants 326, 327. prosecuted the war against the Hungarian insurgents.2 * "Whether the Austrian monarchy could pursue its former importance as a great European power after the isolation of the Hungarian Ministries (chiefly of war and finance) from the governing power constituted in Vienna for the other provinces, and whether Hungary, recognising the guarantees of Austria's influence as the main condition of its own existence, would not have to sacrifice to the consolidation of collective Austria a part of its newly-acquired advantages, were questions, the answers to which lay beyond my sphere, nay, which I never put to myself."-GEORGEY, i. 6. 2 1849, 492, Reg. 1848, CHAP. 1849. 4. of Hungary in a mili of view. It The kingdom of HUNGARY consists of 133,000 square English miles, or about a tenth more than Great Britain and Ireland. It forms an irregular parallelogram, stretchDescription ing about 400 miles in each direction. It is bounded on the north by Moravia and Gallicia; on the south by tary point Croatia, Sclavonia, and the Banat; on the east by Transylvania and Bukovina; on the west by Lower Austria and Styria. Thus it was entirely surrounded by the other provinces of the Austrian Empire, and, if detached from them, would form a separate State, like one composed of the midland counties in the centre of England, and would entirely isolate several of its most important provinces from the dominion of the house of Hapsburg. was this circumstance which rendered resistance to the severance a question of life or death to the Austrian monarchy. The Danube, which flows from north-west to south-east through its whole extent, is the great artery of Hungary and the principal channel for the exportation of its produce. It enters the country at Presburg, at a short distance from Vienna, and flows due east till it reaches Waitzen, when it makes a sudden and sharp bend to the south, and continues this course till it reaches the borders of Sclavonia, where it is joined by another great river, the Drave, and their united waters flow in a vast volume to the Euxine. The other maiu river of Hungary is the Theiss, which runs in the north-east of the country, and flows nearly due south till it joins the Danube between Peterwaradein and Belgrade, on the confines of Sclavonia. Pesth is the capital of Hungary, but it is a place of no great strength, and is completely commanded by its suburb Buda, a citadel strongly fortified, and which in every age has formed a position of vital importance in Hungarian wars, besides being associated in the minds of the people with many of their most interesting historical recollections. The other fortified places in Hungary are Raab, Gran, Waitzen, and Komorn, the last of which was extremely strong, and had acquired the name LV. 1849. of the Maiden. Peterwaradein, on the Sclavonian fron- CHAP. tier, is also a place of great strength. From the nature of their country, its central position in the heart of the Austrian Empire, and the barrier which the Danube and Theiss opposed to an invading army, as well as the num- Gazetteer ber and strength of its fortresses, all of which, with the Maltearsenal, were in their hands, the Magyars entered upon 594, 595. the war with very great advantages.1 I Universal (Austria), Brun, vi. 5. the Aus of opera It was not till the 9th December that Prince Windischgratz, who had the command of the principal army Forces of destined to act against the Hungarians, was in a condi- trians, and tion to commence operations. His force, with the re- their plan serve which was forming under Prince Jesbelloni, num- tions. bered on paper 49,000 infantry, 7236 cavalry,-in all, 65,000 men, with 260 guns; but he had not more than 50,000 present under arms under his immediate command. A second corps of 20,000 was stationed, under Count Nugent, on the frontiers of Styria and Croatia, to serve as a reserve for the main army, and act as circumstances might require. A third force of 14,000 men, under General Schlick, was to act on the northeast of Hungary; 5000 men were on the Banat near Bukovina; and 16,000 men in Transylvania, under the orders of Colonel Urban and General Pückner, were to make head against the insurgents there, who, under General Bem-who had escaped from Vienna-were acquiring a formidable consistency. Thus the entire forces of the Imperialists were very considerable, but they were entirely detached from each other, and the Hungarians occupied a central position between them. The troops of the insurgents, however, were much less considerable, and, being for the most part new levies, were still more deficient in discipline, experience, and warlike and mutual confidence. The regular troops of the Austrian army who had gone over to them amounted to 21,000 infantry, and 7198 cavalry, and they had 2402 guns, including those in the forts and arsenals, those in the |