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CHAPTER XI.

Kingdom of Poland under the Emperor of Russia.-Sweden.-Norway. -Swedish Pomerania annexed to Prussia.-Switzerland.-The Part taken by it in the War.-Disturbance in Unterwalden pacified.

April the 30th, the Em

sary to conciliate them with the

ON
Operor Alexander addressed spirit of the nation, and approx-

to the President of the Polish Senate at Warsaw, a letter, announcing that the fate of their country had been unanimously decided by the Powers assembled in congress, and that he had assumed the title of King of Poland. "The kingdom (said the Emperor) will be united with Russia by the bond of its own constitution. If the great interest of general tranquillity has not permitted the union of all the Poles under the same Sceptre, I have, at least, endeavoured to alleviate as much as possible the pain of the separation, and to obtain for them every where the peaceful enjoyment of their nationality." We learn afterwards, that far the greatest part of the Duchy of Warsaw was thus made over to the Sovereign of Russia.

In the month of December an account appeared of that national constitution, under which the Kingdom of Poland is allowed to maintain an existence in its unequal conjunction with a mighty empire. The still subsisting statutes of the Duchy are preserved in all points, with the exception of such modifications as are neces

imate them to the constitution of May, 1791. The Roman-catholic is declared the religion of the State, but with the free exercise of all other modes of worship. The Executive Power and the func tions of Government are exclu sively vested in the Sovereign. No person can be arrested but according to legal forms, and in cases determined by the law. The grounds of imprisonment are to be communicated to every person in custody, and he must be brought before the competent tribunal within three days. No change is to be made in the taxes and im posts without the consent of the General Diet, convoked according to constitutional forms. ture, all civil and criminal laws, and all respecting the finance, and even relative to the functions of the constitutional authority, are to be submitted to the examination of the General Diet, and not to have the force of law till assented to by them, and sanc tioned by the Sovereign.

In fu

This newly created Kingdom of Poland, with the Prussian Duchy of Posen, and the former annexations of the three partitioning

Powers

Powers, comprehend the whole of what was once Poland, with the exception of the ancient capital, Cracow, which those Powers have thought good in congress to declare a free, independent, and strictly neutral city, having a small territory assigned to it. Russia, Austria, and Prussia, engage to respect, and to cause to be respected, its neutrality, and no armed force is upon any pretext to enter its territory. It is to possess its free constitution, its academy, and bishopric, as settled by a former treaty.

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At the Diet of Sweden, which opened at Stockholm in March, the King delivered a speech remarkable for the very high terms in which he mentioned the Crown Prince. Speaking of the dangerous state of the country when he ascended the throne, he said, By your unanimous choice a hero was placed at my side. By him all your hopes and mine were animated. The dangers which loured at a distance vanished before the lightning of his sword, and all contending spirits were pacified by the benignity of his countenance." After alluding to the new contest for the liberties of Europe, in which their country bore a part," My son, however, (said he) did not draw his sword merely to raise the honour of the warriors of Sweden to its former lustre; he had, as well as myself, a higher and more important end in view." This is explained to be the union of Norway with Sweden; on the effectuating of which, the assembly is warmly congratulated: The eulogy on the Prince is brought to a climax, by pronouncing him

more worthy of the choice of the States, than any one who has worn the crown of the Great Gustavus Adolphus.

The Diet appears to have passed in great harmony. The States having been informed by the King, that the foreign debt would in a short time be discharged, a deputation of the four orders waited upon his Majesty, and the Crown Prince, with an address of gratitude on that account. In this they expressed their acknowledgments to the King, "that by wise and beneficent measures, as well as by important personal services, he had given the nation the power, of which it would probably have been deprived for a long time to come, of discharging in a way not likely to be much felt by the finances, a debt which had long pressed heavily upon them." On August the 10th, the Diet was closed by a speech from the Throne, which began with affirming, that "Seldom had a King of Sweden more objects to propose for regulation to his people, or more occasion for joy in doing so; seldom had the bond of union between the Sovereign and subjects been more closely drawn.” Among other causes for satisfaction, he particularly mentioned the conviction expressed by the Diet, that the union between Swe. den and Norway required for its solidity an entire recognition of common rights; and their having met with enlightened good-will the wishes of the Norwegian nation, and thereby excited a mutual confidence, which had shewn in a short period what could only have been expected from long expe

rience.

rience. After noticing the event which had again rekindled in Europe the flame of war, his Majesty observed, that, prevented by its situation and confined resources from taking a more active part, the Scandinavian Peninsula had only been able by concurring in the principles of its allies, to give proof of its continued friendly union.

The Diet of Norway was assembled in this summer, and on July 5th a royal speech was delivered before it by the Chancellor of the kingdom, Count Essen. Its principal topic was the new war by which the repose of Europe had been disturbed, and which rendered it necessary that the united Scandinavian people should be prepared for any exigency, although there was reason to hope that they might still enjoy the security of their geographical position. Mention was then made of the fraternal disposition towards the Norwegians displayed by Sweden; and it was announced that the misunderstandings with Denmark on account of Pomerania had been brought to a desirable - conclusion.

This last event was effected in the following manner :-By the treaty of Kiel in January 1814, the King of Sweden had ceded to the crown of Denmark his rights to Pomerania and Rugen as a compensation for Norway. The King of Denmark, compelled by circumstances to acquiesce in this exchange, found his new possession of little value on account of its separation from the other parts of his dominion; and by a treaty with the King of Prussia, dated June 4th, 1815, he ceded to that

king his rights to Swedish Pomcrania and Rugen, in return for the Duchy of Lauenburg (which had been made over to him by Hanover), and a sum of money in addition. This exchange was completed by letters-patent from the King of Sweden, dated Oct. 1st. absolving the inhabitants of Pomerania and Rugen from any remaining allegiance to the Swedish crown; and in the same month, those districts were formally occupied by the King of Prussia's commissioner.

The part to be taken by the Swiss Cantons on the renewal of war between the allied powers and France was necessarily regarded as a matter of importance; and on May 6th the ministers of the four great powers at Zurich delivered a note on the subject to the Diet then sitting. They begin with applauding the determination expressed by the Helvetic body, at the moment of Buonaparte's return to France, of taking up arms to defend its frontiers, and avert the disorders with which all Europe was menaced by this event. They proceed to mention the compact entered into by the sovereigns at the congress of Vienna for subverting this usurpation, and their invitation to the rest of Europe to accede to it, which had been accepted; and they announce that they have been commissioned by these powers to represent to the Diet their confident expectation, that Switzerland, by a formal declaration, would adopt the same principles, and concert with them the measures necessary for opposing the common danger. They affirm, however, that the allied powers

are

are far from proposing to Switzerland that it should display any other force than such as is proportioned to the resources and usages of its people; and that their only desire is that the confederation would assume an energetic attitude, and adopt measures commensurate to the extraordinary circumstances of the time. They say that they have received instructions from their courts to regulate, by a convention, the footing on which Switzerland is to stand in this association, and they request the diet to nominate plenipotentiaries for negociating with them.

The diet, in its answer, after explicitly asserting its resolution to oppose with all its might a power which threatens the peace, independence, and rights of all nations, intimates that the part to be taken by 22 little republics united for mutual security, must naturally be that of the vigorous defence of their frontiers. For this purpose, it is said that more than 30,000 men have been set on foot; in return for such exertion Switzerland thinks it may expect from the kindness of the allied powers that their armies will respect its territory, till it shall call for their aid. If, however, any thing is to be done to fix in a more precise manner the political relations of the confederation with the allied powers, the diet is ready to listen to overtures, and has commissioned three persons (named) to enter into a negociation with the ministers. In every case, however, the right is reserved to the Cantons of taking a definitive resolution on this head, and giving validity to these arVOL. LVII.

rangements by constitutionally confirming them.

The result of this determination of the diet was a convention, by the articles of which Switzerland declared its formal adhesion to the system of the four allied powers; and on the other hand, the sovereigns promised that on the conclusion of a general peace, all the advantages conferred on Switzerland by the congress of Vienna should be secured to it. The confederation bound itself to have in the field an army sufficient as well to cover its frontiers from the enemy, as to impede any attempt on that side against the forces of the allies. Various articles were inserted in favour of Switzerland, and pecuniary assistance was offered to those cantons

which should not be able to support a protracted armament. The signature of the convention by both parties was dated May 20th, and deputations immediately went to their respective cantons to attend the deliberations on the subject. It appears that the convention was ratified in the canton of Zurich by 109 voices against 52, but was rejected at Basle by 55 to 53. Bern and several other cantons are mentioned as having joined in the ratification, The city of Basle, which was probably induced by its position under the cannon of the French fortress of Huningen, to withhold its concurrence in the convention, soon experienced the impossibility of maintaining a state of tranquillity between contending armies.Huningen being invested by the Austrians, its commandant, on June 28th, without any previous notice, commenced a bombardI

ment

ment on the town, which, however, soon ceased. An order of the day was soon after published by the Swiss commander-in-chief, Bachman, mentioning that the incursions of the French troops into the territories of Switzerland, attended with the plundering of villages, having rendered the advance of the Swiss troops necessary, and at the same time several French frontier districts having requested that they might be occupied by the Swiss, they had entered the French territories, in which, however, they were ordered to conduct themselves as the friends of the inhabitants. Basle continued to be held in alarm by the threats of the commander of Huningen to lay it in ashes if he were bombarded by the besiegers, till it was relieved by his surrender; and the total demolition of the strong works of that fortress was one of the desirable results of the final success of the allies.

The principal opposition to the new Helvetic confederation appears to have existed in the old democratic cantons; and in that of Unterwald tumults prevailed

which caused the Diet to send commissioners in August to the lower part of that canton, who by their prudent measures effected the complete union of that district with the rest of their countrymen. The commissioners, in a proclamation to the people of Lower Unterwald, dated Stanz, August 26th, express their satisfaction at the recognition of the legitimate authority, and bestow their parting advice for the preservation of tranquillity and good order. The diet passed a resolution for the re-admission of the canton into the confederation under certain stipulations, which denote that a resistance to the payment of the contingent imposed upon it was the cause of the disturbance. It may now be hoped that the federal constitution of Switzerland is so well arranged and finally established, that it will have no more storms to undergo, and will assure to that country the internal happiness and moral respectability, which have long obtained for it the admiration of Europe.

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