THE Diet of the German Confeder ation resumed its sittings on 26th January, under the presidency of M. de Nagler, the Prussian minister, when the long-agitated question of the navigation of the Rhine came under its consideration. But, owing to the conflicting interests involved in the question, the Diet could come to no decision regarding it. Having disposed of a few other matters of little importance, the Diet adjourned on 4th August. Subsequent to this adjournment, conferences were opened at the palace of Joannisburgh, the seat of Prince Metternich, which were attended by the president of the Diet, and the ministers of the great powers, and continued six weeks. The nature of the discussions which took place has never publicly transpired; only it is known that the question of the navigation of the Rhine was again brought upon the tapis, but nothing definitive arranged with regard to it.

However harsh and unfeeling may be the treatment by the Austrian Emperor of his Italian subjects, he appears to possess, in a high degree, the love and esteem of the people of his hereditary dominions. Of this, a striking proof was exhibited in the univer

sal grief which seized them in March, upon its being known that he was so dangerously ill of an inflammatory fever, that his life was despaired of, and in the extravagant joy to which they yielded, when his recovery was announced.

In June, the Emperor and Empress paid a visit to the King and Queen of Bavaria, who were then residing at Lambach. It was declared by the of ficial journals that their journey had only pleasure for its object. In September, another circumstance occurred, which gave rise to many conjectures. About the time that the ceremony of the Russian Emperor's coronation took place, and while the war between Russia and Persia, and the conferences at Ackermann were still in dependence, a congress was formed at Vienna of the whole members of the Imperial family, including the cadet branches of Tuscany and Modena. The ostensible object of it was to regulate the succession to the various domains belonging to the family, in the event of the decease of the emperor. The meeting of the congress was, on account of a contagious disease. which had appeared in the family of the Archduke Charles, deferred till the beginning of October, when it assembled; and at its sittings, Prince Met

ternich figured as chancellor of the august house-a circumstance which gave to it a character of importance. What were its deliberations or its resolves, were concealed from the knowledge of the public.

On 7th August, a decree was issued by the government, which prohibited its subjects, under the severest penalties, from engaging in the slave trade, (the trade in negroes,) and provided for the protection of slaves against ill treatment. Such a provision will appear very supererogatory, when it is considered that Austria has no possessions in which negro slavery prevails.

The Diet of Hungary continued its sittings. On 20th January, it voted a representation to the Emperor, in which it thanked him for the explanation he had been graciously pleased to give of his message of 9th November; but demanded, that, for the purpose of tranquillizing all doubts and fears, his majesty should give the Diet certain assurances regarding the rights of the realm, to be incorporated with the code of laws, which then would form an "eternal monument." In this representation, the Diet also observed with grief, that his majesty had not touched upon the right which it claimed with regard to contributions, nor upon its complaints respecting sums which had been illegally exacted, nor upon the right of the Diet to fix the quota of imposts to be levied from one session to another, as also the amount of recruits which the kingdom was bound to furnish. It concluded by praying his majesty to permit the publication of the laws and acts of the session in Hungarian as well as in Latin.

An imperial resolution upon the above representation of the Diet, was adopted and signed upon 9th April. In this document his majesty obser

ved, that with regard to contributions, he recognised the principle laid down by the Diet, but absolutely refused its demand relative to sums which had been levied without its consent in the interval of two sessions, on account of the necessity there was of continuing the annual payment of the contribution, without which the safety of the state could not have been maintained. With regard to the periodical convention of the Diet, he conceded that it should be convened every three years, but denied the right of one Diet to fix a date for the convention of that which was to succeed it-that being one of the rights of the crown. And lastly, his majesty willed that the acts of the Diet should be recorded both in the Hungarian and Latin languages, but that the Latin text alone should be regarded as the authentic one.

The two Chambers of the Diet had hitherto cordially concurred in all measures; but at length dissensions between them sprung up respecting the question, whether the lands belonging to the nobility in the occupation of boors, should be subject to the contribution. Ultimately, in the sitting of 9th August, it was decided that all such lands should be subjected to the land-tax and the conscrip tion, but that the nobility, who had not previously paid contribution for such lands, should be exempted from payment during their lifetimes.

After many remonstrances to the emperor on the subject of the repayment of sums which had been illegally levied, to which remonstrances his majesty would by no means yield, the Diet at length consented to fx the land tax as it stood in 1791, but without deciding as to arrears.

Among other measures resolved on by the Diet, indicative of a dislike of Austrian rule, was a decree authorizing the erection of a Hungarian uni

versity-an institution much disliked by the court, as it contributed to maintain national distinctions between the two countries. The Diet also demanded from the emperor, that, in terms of his coronation oath, the ancient dependencies of the kingdom, and those recently acquired, such as Dalmatia and Gallicia, should be incorporated with it, so that it might possess the political consideration which was its due. Harassed by its incessant demands, his majesty invited the Diet to designate, within the space of a month, the whole subjects, the discussion of which, in the course of that session, it conceived to be indispensable. The Diet replied by new statements of grievances and new demands. It demanded that, according to ancient usages, the sovereign should reside four months every year in the Hungarian capital; that the royal commissioners, not citizens of Hungary, who had acted illegally in the administration of public af fairs, should be punished; and that no one should be appointed to office, without his taking an oath of fidelity to the king, and of obedience to the laws. It also reiterated its demands, that the periods for convoking the diet should be fixed; and that all the monies illegally levied from Hungary by Austrian commissioners, should be faithfully refunded.

Towards the end of the year, most of the differences between the Diet and the Court of Vienna, were happi ly composed by the mediation of the Archduke Palatine; and the Diet, having already decided the amount of the current contribution, engaged to pay for all arrears, the sum of forty millions of florins, by instal

preme Court of Breslau upon the conduct of various individuals charged with being connected with secret associations. The commission of Mayence had previously, after much research, declared that there existed throughout Germany, a variety of se cret associations, mysteriously connected, and having in view the regeneration of Germany. But it was evident to all men of sense that that commission must have greatly exaggerated the extent of these societies, their means, and the criminality of their designs, though it was admitted on all hands that such societies existed, and that they aimed at the subversion of the established order of things. On 25th March, the supreme court pronounced its judgment upon twenty-eight members of these associations, who were imprisoned at Copenick. Eleven of them-the governor of a gymnasium, two refendaries of the tribunals, a teacher, four candidates for public instruction, and three students, were condemned to five years' imprisonment in a fortress; an auditor of justice, and a candidate for public instruction, were condemned to three years similar imprisonment; a landed proprietor and a student to ten years imprisonment; and twelve other individuals to terms of imprisonment, varying from one to eleven years. They were also deprived of the right to wear any national decoration; and those of them in the public employment were declared to have forfeited their places, and to be for ever incapable of being reinstated.

This year Prussia was much agi, tated by religious disputes. Some sects, aiming at a prefectibility in religion, became absolutely mystical, and propagated the most extravagant heresies, particularly respecting predestination and grace. To check the growing folly, the minister of

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public instruction addressed a circu lar to the professors of colleges, directors of academies, and parish priests, in which he severely rebuked such of them as had countenanced, or ne glected to discourage the heresies in question. A considerable sensation was about the same time produced by the publication of a letter address ed by the king to his natural sister, the reigning Duchess of Anholt Koe then, reproaching her on account of her having embraced the Catholic faith. It was a truly sensible, orthodox, and every way edifying letter. For the apostacy of the duchess, the Protestant part of the community was consoled by the conversion of the Princess de Liegnitz, the king's consort, from the Catholic to the Reform ed faith; a change which, the court gazette took care to inform the pub lic, proceeded from her own free and sincere conviction.

A number of measures were adopt ed by government, calculated to give a homogeneousness to the institutions and manners of the different states composing the monarchy. In 1818, the king had decreed the introduction of the Prussian code of laws into the Rhenish provinces, but reserving all rights and peculiar customs compatible with that code, and leaving it to the provincial states to point out the modifications in that code, and those customs which were necessary, or might be of advantage to the public. His majesty, at same time, confided the discussion of those modifications to a commission, nominated by him self, and consisting partly of two deputies of the first order, one deputy for the towns, and one for the communes of the provincial assembly. The labours of that commission were submitted to the provincial assembly, which was opened at Dusseldorf on 29th October.

The Prussian code, of course, be

came the great subject of discussion. Addresses were presented from a number of the municipalities, particularly that of Cologne, bitterly complaining of the imperfections of that code, both in matters civil and criminal, which gave rise to very animated debates. Some members of the equestrian order objected to the addresses being read, as being nothing less than disloyal; but most of the deputies for towns and communes contended against that opinion. At length, the whole question was put to the vote, on 21st and 22d December, when various propositions, the effect of which was to ameliorate the administration of justice, were carried by a great majority. The most important of these propositions were, that the proceedings in courts, both civil and criminal, should be conducted viva voce and publicly; that the tribunals of commerce should be maintained; that juries should be instituted under a perfect form; that the institution of justices of the peace should be maintained; and that all taxes on the administration of justice should be suppressed.

These propositions as voted, were carried to the foot of the throne by deputies of the four orders composing the Assembly; and were attended with a result favourable to the viewś of the majority of its members.

Most of the other states of Ger many had this year their legislative Diets; but at none of them was there any question involving a public principle, or of the least interest to foreigners, decided upon or even de bated. Bavaria, in particular, ap peared to advance steadily in the career of economy and constitutional improvement; while the King afforded to his subjects and the whole world a proof of his liberal spirit, by remitting upwards of 100,000 florins

for the support of the Greeks, and the redemption of their families from slavery.

This year the court of Denmark concluded treaties of navigation and commerce upon the principles of reciprocity, with Sweden, and also the United States of America.

On 18th March, a similar treaty, and upon the same principles, was concluded between Sweden and Great Britain. The former power, at same time, removed the previous prohibitions of the importation of rum, brandies, &c., lessened the import duties upon other articles, and totally abolished those upon foreign books.

An event occurred, which was auspicious to the reigning dynasty of Sweden. On 3d May, the Princess Regent was delivered of an heir to the throne, who, on his birth, received the title of Duke of Scandinavia. The event was celebrated with great rejoicings. Afterwards the Swedish court received intelligence of the de mise of the ex-Queen Frederica Wil helmina Dorothea, who expired at Lausanne, on 25th September, after a long and severe illness, and after a separation from her husband of four teen years. Her remains were in terred in the family cemetery at Ba den. The court put itself into five days' mourning on the occasion.

We now come to treat of the affairs of the Netherlands. On 25th March, the Chambers were closed by a speech in name of his majesty, in which he expressed his high satisfaction with the result of their labours. Previously to this, the legislature had approved of the budget submitted to it by the legislature; and made several changes in the duties upon imports and exports, which were deemed favourable

to commerce.

The king continued to display no little resolution in maintaining his prerogative, and the tranquillity of the kingdom against the arts of the Catholic priesthood. At the same time, he permitted, by a decree, the publication of a Papal bull, by which, on certain conditions, the benefit of the jubilee was extended to all Roman Catholics who did not attend it in person; but in the decree, his Ma jesty declared, that his sanctioning the publication of the bull should not be construed into an approval of any expressions in it, which could be held as derogating from his royal rights, the rights of his kingdom, or the law of equal toleration which there prevailed.

About the same time, the direction of the affairs of the Catholic Church was suppressed, and the functions of the office merged in those of the minister for the interior. This measure greatly mortified the Catholics. The estates of Southern Brabant voted an address to the king, in which they prayed him to re-establish the small seminaries, and to grant that the stu dents who were destined for ecclesi astic offices might not be compelled to attend the Philosophical College of Louvain before entering the semina ries. In answer to that address, the king declared his firm determination to enforce his decree of June 14, 1825.

In the course of the summer, an epidemic bilious fever broke out in the provinces of Groningen and Friesland, and along the whole coast of the North Sea. It attacked nearly three-fourths of the whole population; and vast numbers became the victims of it. The misery it occasioned surpassed all belief. The government, as well as private individuals, contributed liberally towards the relief of the sufferers. The malady did not subside until the setting in of the frosts.