[United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. Danube.] No. 9. Protest of the Porte against the Election of Prince Charles of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, as Sovereign of the United Principalities. Identic Note of Plenipotentiaries. Right of Assembly to Elect a Native only. Paris, 25th May, 1866 584 No. 10. Assumption of Power in the Principalities by Prince [On the 30th June, 1866, the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia promulgated a Constitution, in which they assumed the Title of "Roumania."] * See Turkish Firman of 23rd October, 1866, recognising Prince Charles of Hohenzollern as Sovereign of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. [War. Prussia and Austria.] No. 376.-PRUSSIAN DECLARATION to the Germanic Diet of the Causes of War with Austria, and announcement of the Dissolution of the Germanic Confederation (Pacte Fédéral). Frankfort, 14th June, 1866.* (Translation.) ALTHOUGH the Envoy had, in the name of his exalted Government, protested against the Austrian motion, the Federal Assembly has nevertheless proceeded to a Vote contrary to that Protest. The Envoy has now to fulfil the serious duty of making known to the High Assembly the resolutions which his exalted Government, after the Vote which has just taken place, considers imposed upon it for the safety of the rights and interests of the Prussian Monarchy, and of its position in Germany. The presentation of the motion of the Austrian Government constitutes of itself, in the firm conviction of the Royal Government, an act indubitably in manifest contradiction with the Federal Constitution, an act which Prussia must, in consequence, consider as a dissolution of the Confederation. The Federal Law only recognises for the Confederated States measures of execution for which forms and conditions previously determined upon are prescribed; the movement of a Federal Army against a Confederate State is as foreign to the Military Federal Constitution as any measure decreed by the Diet against a Confederate State beyond the means of execution. The position of Austria in Holstein especially is not placed under the protection of Federal Treaties, and His Majesty the Emperor of Austria cannot be considered as a Member of the Confederation for the Duchy of Holstein. For these reasons the Royal Government abstained from discussing in any way the grounds of the Austrian motion, although it would have been in this case an easy task to repel the reproach brought against Prussia of violation of the Peace, and to throw back that reproach against Austria. It has rather appeared to the Royal Cabinet that the course to be followed, and the only legally admissible one, was for the *See Note, page 1722. [War. Prussia and Austria.]] Assembly to get rid by the previous question of a motion of an anti-legal character. The Royal Government, considering the Federal bonds which have existed up to this day, can but deeply regret that his Confederates did not give effect to its formal proceeding. For 3 months past the most powerful member of the Confederation, violating the Fundamental Laws of the Pact, has, to do itself justice, armed against Prussia; that circumstance had already seriously shaken the confidence of the Prussian Government in the protection which the Germanic Confederation has guaranteed to each of its members. The Royal Government having, therefore, appealed for the protection of Prussia against an arbitrary attack by Austria, to the action of the Confederation and of its Members; that appeal had no other result than the Armament of other Confederated States, Armaments the objects of which have remained without explanation. The Royal Government, after such precedents, necessarily considered their external and internal security as endangered, which, according to Article II of the Federal Pact (No. 26) is the principal object of the Confederation. The Motion, in contravention of the Treaties, drawn up by Austria, and the adoption of that Motion by a part of the Confederated States, no doubt after a previous understanding, could only confirm and strengthen the views of the Royal Government. By virtue of the Federal Law, no Declaration of War can be made against any Member of the Confederation. The Austrian motion, therefore, and the vote of the States adhering to it, being a Declaration of War against Prussia, the Royal Government considers the Dissolution of the Federal Pact (No. 26) as accomplished.* In the name, and by the august order of His Majesty the King, his gracious master, the Envoy therefore declares that Prussia considers the Federal Pact in force up to the present time as dissolved; that so far from considering it henceforth obligatory, it will consider it as having expired, and will act accordingly. His Majesty the King, nevertheless, does not consider the national basis on which that Confederation has been established *See Treaty between Austria and Prussia, signed at Prague, 23rd August, 1866. Art. IV. [War. Prussia and Austria.] as destroyed from the fact of the extinction of the old Confederation. Prussia, on the contrary, holds firmly to those bases and to the Unity of the German Nation, Unity soaring above temporary forms, and considers it the bounden duty of the German States to find in that Unity the most suitable expression. The Royal Government here submits, on its part, the constitutive basis of a new Union of States more in keeping with the wants of the period, and declares itself ready to conclude, on the modified bases of the old Confederation, a new Confederation with such of the German States as would join it with that object.* . The Envoy is only executing the Orders of his exalted Government in declaring his mission with the High Federal Assembly as terminated. Finally, the Envoy must, in the name and by order of his exalted Government, reserve and protect the Rights and Titles of every kind which the Royal Government, by virtue of its relations with the late Confederation, is entitled to claim upon all Properties and Appurtenances of the latter. The Envoy is par ticularly instructed decidedly to Protest against the use which might be made, without its special consent, of the Federal Funds already voted. [On the 12th June, 1866, the Austrian Ambassador at Berlin demanded his Passports "in consequence of the forcible occupation of Holstein by the Prussian Troops, and in defiance of. Treaties."] *The Constitution of the North German Confederation was signed on the 14th June, 1867; but it was altered by the Constitution for the German Confederation of 16th April, 1871. [Proposed Congress. Peace of Europe. Î No. 377.-CORRESPONDENCE respecting the proposed Assembly of a Congress for the preservation of the Peace of Europe. Paris, May, June, 1866. TABLE. 1. Willingness of Great Britain to take part in Congress. Proposed appeal by Great Britain and France to Austria, Denmark, and Prussia to resume the status quo. Proposed Co-operation of Russia. 2. Willingness of France to take part in Congress, but not to adopt the suggestion of a status quo. 3. Views of Great Britain on French Proposal for Meeting of a Conference. Cession of Venetia to Italy. Destiny of the Elbe Duchies, and Reforms of the Germanic Confederation. Austria, Prussia, Italy, and Frankfort Diet to be invited to the Congress. 4. Consent of Great Britain to French Proposal for a Conference. 5. Views of Great Britain and France as to Position to be taken by Great Britain, France, and Russia in proposed Conference. 6. Consent of Russia to proposed Appeal to Austria, Italy, and Prussia to resume the status quo. Views as to proposed Congress. 7. Proposal to Austria to restore Armaments to a Peace Footing. 8. Preliminary Conference between the Plenipotentiaries of Great Britain, France, and Russia. Invitation to be made to Austria, Italy, Prussia, and Germanic Confederation to join in a Congress on the subject of the Cession of Venetia to Italy, the Destiny of the Elbe Duchies, and German Federal Reforms. 9. Understanding upon which Great Britain could take part in a Congress for the preservation of the Peace of Europe, and the Questions to be discussed; the Elbe Duchies, Venetia and German Federal Reform. 10. Question of Guarantee of the Temporal Power of the Pope not to be referred to in Congress. 11. Concurrence of French Government in views of Great Britain relative to the object of the proposed Congress. 12. Invitation to Austria, Italy, Prussia, and Germanic Confederation to join in a Congress with a view to the preservation of the Peace of Europe. Objects to be discussed. 13. Objects of proposed Congress, and necessity of suspending all Military Preparations during the Sittings of the Conferences. 14. Presentation of Identic Notes to Prussian Minister for Foreign Affairs, inviting Prussia to join in a Congress for the preservation of Peace. Answers to be sent to respective Courts. 15. Acceptance by Prussia to Invitation of 3 Powers to proposed Congress, and the Points to be discussed. 16. Replies to French Instructions to attend proposed Congress. 17. Consent of Austria to attend proposed Congress, with certain Reservations. 18. Consent of Frankfort Diet to attend proposed Congress. |