, convened August 7, 1849, proved tractable enough,
and by them the text of the constitution, after being discussed and
revised article by article, was at last accorded formal approval. On
the last day of January, 1850, the instrument was duly promulgated at
Charlottenburg.[366] By Austria, Russia, and other reactionary powers
persistent effort was made during the ensuing decade to influence the
king to rescind the concession which he had made. He refused, however,
to do so, and, with certain modifications, the constitution of 1850
remains the fundamental law of the Prussian kingdom to-day.[367]

[Footnote 365: The confusion of constitutional and
ordinary statutory law inherent in this arrangement
has influenced profoundly the thought of German
jurists.]

[Footnote 366: On the establishment of
constitutionalism in Prussia see (in addition to
works mentioned on p. 201) P. Matter, La Prusse et
la revolution de 1848, in _Revue Historique_,
Sept.-Oct., 1902; P. Devinat, Le mouvement
constitutionnel en Prusse de 1840 a 1847, ibid.,
Sept.-Oct. and Nov.-Dec., 1911; Klaczko,
L'agitation allemande et la Prusse, in _Revue des
Deux Mondes_, Dec., 1862, and Jan., 1863; C.
Bornhak, Preussische Staats-und Rechtsgeschichte
(Berlin, 1903); H. von Petersdorff, Koenig Friedrich
Wilhelm IV. (Stuttgart, 1900); and H. G. Prutz,
Preussische Geschichte, 4 vols. to 1888 (Stuttgart,
1900-1902). For full bibliography see Cambridge
Modern History, XI., 893-898.]

[Footnote 367: As is true in governmental systems
generally, by no means all of the essential
features of the working constitution are to be
found in the formal documents, much less in the
written constitution alone. In Prussia ordinances,
legislative acts, and administrative procedure,
dating from both before and after 1850, have to be
taken into account continually if one would
understand the constitutional order in its
entirety.]

*268. Na