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the Norwegian side, except on the basis given in the Act of Union,
namely, the equal rights of the two kingdoms, and the independent
power of each kingdom in all matters that are not union matters.
The following year (9th April, 1861) the Swedish council
demanded a revision of the Act of Union, baaed upon the founding
of a union parliament, made up according to the population, so
that there would be two Swedes to every Norwegian. In accordance
with this, there should be an extension of the duties of the
composite council. In the report made by the Norwegian government,
some expressions occurred which were supposed to be embarrassing
for some of the members of the Swedish council, and as a
consequence, the Norwegian council was broken up. But in reality,
the reconstructed government agreed with the retiring one in
thinking that for the present no revision of the Act of Union was
to be recommended, as it appeared that Sweden’s attitude towards
Norway was the very same that the Swedish Riksdag and
government had manifested in 1859 and 1860. In consequence of this,
the matter was to be allowed to rest for the time being. The
king however, expressed a wish, as far as he was himself personally
concerned, that there might be a revision; but this must be based
upon the perfect equality of the two kingdoms.
When the Storthing had consented to the appointment of a
union committee for the purpose of revising the Act of Union,
King Carl appointed one in 1865, which, in the autumn of 1867,
laid before the public the fruit of its labours. This was a bill
containing as many as 71 paragraphs. It was approved of in all
essentials by the government, and was brought before the Storthing
of 1868—69 for discussion in 1871. It was rejected both by the
Storthing (by 92 votes against 17) and the Swedish Riksdag.
Radical changes in Norway’s internal political condition were
now at hand. The Storthing of 1859—60 had agreed on an
alteration in the constitution, consisting in an increase of the number
of rural-district representatives from 61 to 74; while there should
be a corresponding reduction in the number of town members
(37 as against 50 formerly). In consequence of this, the liberal
party, which had been weakened the year before, regained
strength. In 1869, on a motion of the government, it was
resolved that after 1871, the Storthing should meet every year
instead of every third year, as it had formerly done. The next
reform to be effected, related to the council. Ever since 1821, efforts
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