The Emperor of Austria opened his Reichsrath in person on
fith November, and made a speech admitting the excellence of the new method of direct popular representation, promising a great many commercial reforms, affirming that economy has been very strictly maintained, and calling on the Houses to legislate "for the completion and reform of the relations between -the Catholic Church and the State." The speech is considered exceedingly liberal, and the Reichsrath is now completely Central, the Centralists numbering 228, while the advocates of Federalism are only 125. This disposes of the old device of secession in order to render legislation impossible, as more than half the House is always ready to sit. There are only twenty-four Clericals in the Lower House, and of these it is believed that half, from the Tyrol and Vorarlberg, will probably stay away. Owing to the number of Centralista as well as of Federalists now sent up from each province, no province can absolutely secede, even Gallicia having twenty-one Centralists out of her seventy- twe members.
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