The Express.
London, England, 1855-07-30 00:00:00

A DANISH NOTE ON THE SOUND

COPENHAGEN, JIL 25,
It will be in the recollection of your readersT that
the President of the United States gave official notice
to the Danish government in April lest that the
treaty of commerce of the 26th of April, 1826, should
expire after the lapse of the stipulated period N
twelvemonth), as the American citizens could no
longer recognise the right of Denmark to len the
Sound dues on their ships and cargoes. Tte Vanish
cabinet have just sent offs note on the subjeet to the
American government, and I am enabled today to
give you the following particulars of its contents.
In the commencement of the document, which is
of a very voluminous nature, the Danish Minister for
Foreign Affairs expresses his concern that the cabinet
of Washington should not have thought proper to
inter into negotiations with Denmark on the subject
before taking so very decided a step as giving a ea.
tsgorical notice of their intention to t brow up the
treaty existing for so many years between the two
countries, as he fears that difficulties may now arise
which might have been easily avoided. The abort-
ions of the notice given deprives Denmark of the
power of devoting that time and attention to the
subject which are due to a question of
such a complicated nature and political
importance, especially at the present moment,
when Denmark is in a critical state, and pressed on
all aides to give no her neutrality and take part in
the war against Russia. An unlimited acceptance
of the demand of the United States would in-
volve the loss of many thousands of pounds ster-
ling, sacrificed in favour of other states, which pay
the great bulk of the Sound dues, whilst the whole
annual amount which has to be borne by the United
States seldom exceeds two hundred dollura ; and
Denmark is not prepared to make such a sacrifice,
especially in the present state of her finances and the
uncertainty of the result of the diplomatic negotia•
tions now pending with respect to the present politi-
cal crisis. Under these circumstances Denmark
cannot help considering the notice given by the
United States to terminate the treaty of commerce
and amity existing between the two countries as an
act of unfairness and severity, totally uncalled for
and tnaptovoked by the conduct of Denmark. On the
contrary, many cases might be quoted in which the
Danish government has refunded sums of money paid
by American merchants for Sound dues merely for the
sake of preserving the friendly relations between the
two countries. The Danish minister concludes by
observing that it will scarcely be possible to come to
any arrangement before the expiration of the short
period of time named by the American government,
and even in that case it is hardly likely that such
arrangement would give universal satisfaction to those
other states most deeply interested in the result.
As the United States have frequently expressed
their determination not to resume an 3 diplomatic inter-
course with Denmark till invited by her to open
serious negotiations for the abolition of the Sound
dues, it is more than probable that the note of the
Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs will remain un-
answered, at least for the present, and that the nego-
tiations will be resumed only after the 26th of April
next year, when the twelvemonth's notice will have
elapsed and the treaty become a dead letter.
Baron Brockdorf, who is a member of the Council
of State, is going to Berlin on a special mission. It
is understood that he is to be the bearer of a declara-
tion on the part of Denmark of the conditions she
proposes as an indemnification for the loss of the
Sound Dub.