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Show TREATY OF PRAGUE, 1866. Another Adjustment of Austrian and Prussian Affairs. Austria and Prussia having obtained obtain-ed the joint possession of Schleswlg-Holstein Schleswlg-Holstein by the treaty of Vienna, the question now arose what should be done with It. The two powers Who had overcome Denmark argued over the division of the spoils for nearly two years. The question itself might have been settled, but it was only a symptom of a larger question which had for centuries been agitating Germany, Ger-many, the question as to whether the northern section or the southern section sec-tion should predominate; and Bismarck Bis-marck saw in it an excuse for driving Austria forever out of a participation In German affairs the only way by which Prussia could be made supreme. Austria began to see that she had been made a cat's paw and favored the claims of the young duke of Aug-ustenburg Aug-ustenburg to the sovereignty of the duchies, that young man having set up a court at Kiel. In fact King William Wil-liam and the Prussian parliament were Inclined to favor the duke's pretensions. preten-sions. But Bismarck carried everything every-thing before him and caused the king to set up a claim to be by descent entitled en-titled to the throne of the duchies himself. him-self. The time for a breach with Austria, Aus-tria, however, had not yet arrived. Von Moltke reported that the Prussian army was ready; but Bismarck desired to assure the help, or at least the neutrality neu-trality of the great powers before he struck. He went personally to Biarritz Biar-ritz and had a series of interviews with Napoleon ITT. What dreams he encouraged the emperor in, what he promised him and what he showed him by way of argument, are only surmises. sur-mises. Demands of Bismarck. In December, 1804, Bismarck declared de-clared that Prussia would be satisfied with nothing less than the 'jicopora-tlon 'jicopora-tlon of the duchies in her military, commercial and postal systems. In the duchies the Austrlans were embarked em-barked on a policy of obstruction and the stolen land was in disorder. King William wrote to the Austrian emperor that if Austria did not take steps to preserve order In the duchies lie would. The emperor and the king met at Gasteln on August 20, 1SG5, and after talking matters over agreed that Duke Augustenburg should be thrown overboard over-board and that Prussia should have Holsteln. At the same time the little lit-tle duchy of Lnuenburg, a part of the greater duchies, was assigned to Prussia Prus-sia absolutely; and from this unconsidered uncon-sidered trifle Bismarckk subsequently took bis title of duke of Lauenburg. Early In June, 1866, Prussia brought forward In the diet at Frankfort a proposition to "reform" the Germanic confederation, the reform to consist of the expulsion of Austria, the establishment establish-ment of an elected German parliament to take the place of the diet and the formation of an army of North Germany Ger-many to be commanded by the king of Prussia. Naturally these drastic propositions were rejected and Bismarck Bis-marck frankly warned the diet that he would destroy the confederation. Austrian Motion Prevailed. The Prussian governor of Sehleswig on June 10 announced that owing to the failure of Austria to preserve order or-der in Holsteln he was compelled to take over the administration of that province which he did. Austria and Prussia recalled their ambassadors and both nations appealed to the diet, i Austria demanding that Prussia should j be disciplined and Prussia demanding that Austrin should get out. Bismarck declared that if the Austrian motion prevailed Prussia would declare the confederation ended, and threatened with loss of sovereignty such German states as should support Austria in the coming war. The Austrian motion prevailed and Prussia withdrew from the confederation. All the German states except Mecklenburg sided with Austria while Italy became an ally of Prussia and Tittacked Austria ' Negotiations for peace began and a treaty was signed at Prague on September Sep-tember .1. 1800. Austria agreed to the dissolution of the Germanic confederation confeder-ation ami to withdraw entirely from German affairs. Prussia was to annex Sclileswig-TIolsteln, Hanover, a portion of Hesse-Darmstadt, the electorate of Ilesse and the city of Frankfort. |