The Express.
London, England, 1864-03-31 00:00:00

[BiamPed, id. Additional.]

THE WAR IN DENMARK.

(PEON oua SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)
SONDERBORG, Maim 24.

The King departed for Copenhagen yesterday
evening, and an armistice is hourly expected.
Many signs point that way, especially Prussia's
abandonment of her attack on Fredericia, a most
unlooked for relief. Peaoe may not follow the
Conference, because Denmark will never yield up
Slew* to be ruled as a purely German province,
when all its territory and two-thirds of its inha-
bitants are Danish. Every morning some shots are
fired across Venningbund, which do no harm
to the redoubts of Dybbol-hill, and only
take effect among their garrisons once in fifty
times. A few small craft have now returned into
Sonderborg, although the harbour is still com-
mended by hostile guns, whilst people smile at the
idea of a bombardment. All this may be rashness
and over•confidence, but things certainly begin to
wear a very peaceful aspect No trenches yet
opened, not the least attempt to breach the Danish
works, nor any skirmishing between the outposts.
Fine dry weather for a week past has freed this
place of mud, cleaned the streets, and given an air
so eissedni to everything atawd, tint the town
would not be known gain by those who saw its
gloom and dirt in February. Military music
is also occasionally heard, the regiments having had
tune to find substitutes for their original bands.
which all deserted or were dismissed, being Hol.
steiners by birth. Many foreigners, too, have
arrived in Alsen. The brilliant uniform of a French
colonel may be seen on one side, tourists' gaiters
and shooting jackets on another. Guardsmen stroll
about displaying their tall figures to the jealous,
but!respectful line ; a few ladies venture forth,
tempted by the sunshine, and the town, if a shade
less sober than of yore, is infinitely more
amusing. My lodgings were changed, in conse-
quence of the utter impossibility of remaining
with Consul —, whose house was ordered
to receive about half a battalion, and I obtained,
through the Quartermaster-General's Office, a com-
fortable room at a baker's. We have plenty of
food in Sonderborg as yet, but if scarcity should
appear, this position might offer immense advan-
tages, and meanwhile the family are most civil and
obliging. So, lam well enough off for quarters,
although leaving that pleasant consulate was rather'
provoking.
On each bank of the Alssund, near where it is
crossed by floating bridges, is a shipbuilding yard.
Within the tek-de-pont at the bottom of Dybbol-
bill stands a melancholy framework, not quite com-
pleted, where no shipwright has been employed
since first the war began. It is given up as a
bad job during these dangerous times, and a man
who walks slowly round the yard picking away bits
of stick, and looking very disconsolate, is supposed
to be watching the uutiniahed vessel on behalf of all
concerned. The opposite shore, however, resounds
with busy hammering, for here a ship is almost
ready to be launched. They have evidently thought
that she might as well escape to liorup, so
work at her very diligently. If a auspensiou of
hostilities before April 1 were not nearly certain,
this race between Malian engineers sad Banish
shipwrights would be somewhat exciting. The ves-
sel must burn with an hour's shelling from bat-
teries at Dybbol, but she is out of sight at Broager-
land, and, as I have already explained in a former
letter, no random fire over a hill top can do much
harm.

Not only have the Danes improved their de-
fences along the exposed front, but they have also
made some useful barracks upon a spot in rear of
Dybbiil, which it must be hoped that grim old
Wrangel cannot discover. Passing the We-de-pont
and going no matter exactly where, I found
several large abode arranged on either side of the
road, forming • crowded village or cantonment.
Warmer days and nights of less bitter severity bad
brought out those grave sad men ; who stood un-
complaining, knee-deep in snow, to work at frozen
embankments, under quite a new aspect. Their
camp rang with laughter, pots and kettles
were arranged in rows against a wall, whilst twenty
would-be cooks bent over, each singing merrily.
Many soldiers had laid aside the heavy great-coat
of dull brownish grey or faded light blue, and ap-
peared in the ugly Danish tunic, very dark blue
with silver buttons : a change by no means be-
coming, for their loose winter coats hide any want
of "setting up," as our English drill sergeants
would call it, leaving these powerful fellows every
advantage in appearance. To expect that an army
with only one-fifth of its rank and file who have
not either recently joined, or been civilians since
1851, should march like British grenadiers,
and have the graceful step, when off duty, of
Bersaglieri, is unreasonable. The Danes are not a
military nation, although forced into being a nation
of very gallant soldiers. All classes take up arms
to defeud their brethren in Sleswig against this
thinly-concealed war of race, and their free consti-
tution against the openly avowed hostility of
foreign despots. Danish regiments, with little pre.
vious training for officers or men, with numbers
insufficient to take the field and win great battles,
driven into a corner and pressed hard by an enemy
whose excellent drill is proverbial, have behaved
like veteran troops. But it is their high patriotic
spirit, coupled with a wonderful amount of per-
sonal character and intelligence, that deserves con-
tinual praise, not any precision of martial
bearing, in which many other soldiers far
surpass them. It was pleasant to see the troops so
cheerful ; from end to end their camp presented an
appearance of animation. Not only were those
zealous cooks bending over kettle and pot, but fresh
fuel was being prepared by another party close at
band, one lad hacking wildly upon some sticks
with a blunt sword, his neighbour trying to split a
log 10 inches in diameter by means of a pocket
knife, and two experienced hands making great
play with broad-bladed axes. Then, further down
the line, are rough games of strength, in which
nobody loses his temper, although shrewd buffets
seem to be freely exchanged. Here, an elderly
man is writing home—they do so constantly,
and have a splendid system of Feldpost ; there, some
eager listeners gathered round the possessor of a
newspaper, hearty, honest-minded fellows, whom it
was a sin to slaughter on account of Austrian aid
Prussian rivalry in Germany. For is not this the
real cause of the support which those powers are
giving to a popular outcry ? Prussia may think
Kiel a snug harbour, and Austria may wish for
guarantees of her Italian province ; but what have
they to plead in excuse for their conduct to Den.
mark, that will not recoil upon their own beads!
Treaties broken to favour nationality.' not surely

[TWOPENCE

by the masters of Poland and Hungary 1 Yet,
strange to say, so It it.

The allies enjoy an advantage in one respect
from their want of any pretence worth naming for
this cowardly attack upon a weak opponent.. It
would be staler to argue against some warm sym-
pathiser with Germanised Sleswigers, than to waste
words in proving that Austria and Prussia are
playing not only a base, but a glaringly inconsistent
part towards Denmark. They meet remonstrance
with the bayonet, and are willing to betray their
German friends in the Duchy, as they have already
trampled on their own subjects at home.
IA hot-beaded student, who dreams of united Ger-
i many, or an unfair but well-meaning professor
resolved to believe the Danes a minority
in fileserig, can both be met by argument.
These are at least not averse to see Denmark pros-
per under a liberal constitution. They may carry
their views too far on the boundary question, and
may secretly wish to force German into frontier
Danish schools, but they are respectable fanatics re-
presenting a great nation on its one crazy side. The
two Powers must, however, be judged very differ-
ently. By waiting six weeks, as requested in
January last, this Conference could have been held
without a war, and much misery thereby pre-
vented. What amount of credit either invader has
obtained through the short campaign of 1864 history
will decide. But if a great crime goes unpunished
for a while became England and France are
estranged, thanks to our doubtful policy in No-
vember, it will some day be fully avenged. Despots
should not play with revolution—it may turn on
them.