25 Jan., 1876.]    aEEAT BRITAIN, AUSTRIA, &c.             [No. 457

[Reforxns in Bosnia and Herzegovina.]
 

No. 451.—BRITISH REPLY to the Andrassy Note re¬
specting Reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina, London,
25th January, 1876.

Table.

1.  Eeligious Liberty.

2.   A bohtion of the Earming of Taxes.

3.  Application of Direct Taxation in Bosnia and FCerzegovina to the Benefit

of those Districts.

4.  Institution of a Special   Commission, composed of an equal number of

IVIussulmans and Christians, to Superintend Execution of Eeforms.

5.  Amelioratioii of the Condition of the Eural Population.

The Pari of Derby to Count Beust.

M. I'Ambassadeur,

Her Majesty's Government have had under their considera¬
tion the despatch from Count Andrassy, dated the 30th Decem¬
ber (No. 456), of which I had the honour of receiving a copy
from your Excellency on the Srd instant.

After a brief review of the action of the Powers since the
insurrection broke out in Herzegovina and Bosnia, Count An¬
drassy proceeds to state the measures which the Austrian
Government, after communication with the Governments of
Germany and Russia, consider as proper to be recommended for
the pacification of the insurgent districts.

These measures consist in the practical enforcement in
these districts of the provisions for the benefit of the Christian
population, contained in the Hatti-Scheriff of Gulhane of 1839,
(No. 188), the Hatti-Humayoun of 1856 (No. 263), and the
Irade and Firman of the 2nd October (No. 454) and 12th of
December last (No. 455), together with administrative reforms
in the collection and application of the taxes, and in the
execution of the Land Law of 1858.'^

Count Andrassy sums up these points as follows : —

Full and entire Religious Liberty.

Abolition of the system of farming the Taxes.

A law which should guarantee that the produce of the Direct
Taxes in Bosnia and Herzegovina shall be employed in the in¬
terest of these provinces, under the control of bodies constituted
in the sense of the Firman of the 12tli December.

* Law 21st April. 1858.    See " State Papers," vol. 63, page 1222.
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