The Express.
London, England, 1864-06-28 00:00:00

THE CONFERENCE

Lord PeLucnartnt appeared at the her cad brought
up, by the command of her Majesty, the protocols of the
cooference held in London relative to the affairs of DOD-
mark. As the noble lord walked up the house he was
greeted with loud cheers by members on the ',neutered
side.

The Chief Clerk (Sir Deals Le Marchaet) haring read
the title of the papers.

Lord PALMEELSTON observed that there never was as
occasion on which • minister of the crown had to make a
statement to the House of Commons and the public upon a
subject in which the feelings, the sympathies, and, be
might say, the anxiety of the country were more deeply
engaged. He had, however, simply to communicate to the
house • short abstract of the proceedings of the Cooference
contained in the pipets to be laid upon the table. This
his lordship then did, his narrative coinciding with
that of Earl Russell in the House of Lords.
Approaching the close of the negotiatioss, be said—
A last attempt was made by the neutral powers
to induce the belligerents to agree to refer the
question in dispute to arbitration. The dispute bad
really been narrowed to a comparatively small
point. It no longer was whether Holstein abould be
governed in a particular meaner ; it was no longer whether
Sleewig should or should not be united politically and ad-
ministratively with Holstein under the crown of Denmark ;
the Danes had consented to an alienation of territory, the
Germane bad been content with that arrangement, and the
only question was whether that arrangement should be
carried out by dividing Sleewig in one part or dividing it in
another, and it appeared to the neutral powers that the
territory lying between those two lines was Dot so important
to either party as to justify the resumption of war, and that
they might fairly, in acoordanos with the recommendations
of Paris submit that question to the arbitration of •
friendly power. (Hear, hear.) Acciordin4ly. noble
friend, as the organ ef the neutral powers, did propose that
arrangement. Each party naturally took time to refer that
question to their respective governments, and on Friday the
answers were to be given. The answer of the German
powers was that they looked to the word, of the conference
at Paris, which recommended the good offices of • Mead',
power, and that that protocol having been quoted by the
neutral powers, they accepted that Memos—the reference
of the qusstiou in dispute to • friendly power—provided
that they were to reserve their decision—flaughter)—
as to whether they would accept the line which
that friendly power might decide upon. (Laughter
and cries of "Oh.") Well, that was at variance
with the proposal made—(hear, hoar)—because my noble
Maud, as the organ of the neutral power', iu recommending
the adoption of the reference suggested by the conferee*, of
Paris, distinctly stated that it was for the purpose that a
friendly power should decide and determine the question
between the two parties. Therefore the answer of the
German power would have been mere frank and candid if
they had simply declined the proposal, instead of accepting
it with a provision which made it null and void. The
Danes—who, oa the other hand, throughout the whole of
these transactions have oerteinly clung to their deciaoos
and principles, more perhapa the, they have shown aptitude
in adapting themselves to possible circumstances—altogether
declined the arbitration. They said they had accepted the
line of the &Wei, and further north than that they would
not canon' to go. This nomad to put aa entire end to all
further attempts to come to an understanding, but the
ambassador of France, by order of his government, made
another and a last effort. He proposed that whereas the
Danes agreed to give up to the Settled and the Germans
would sot come further south than the Apeurads, an appeal
should be made to the population of the mid districts' in
order to ascertain first of all the relative nationality of the
district, and then to ascertain what were their wishes on
the subject To that proposal the Prussian plenipotentiary
entirely agreed, but that proposal was negatived by Den-
mark. A proposal of the same sort had been made in the
earlier stages of the negotiation, and had not found favour
with any party save Prussia. Austria and Russia,
as well as Denmark, decidedly objected to it.
A right bon. friend near me suggests to me that part of the
proposal was, that there should be perfect freedom of choice
oaths part of the populatioo,and that that freedom could Dot
eclat unless the occupying troops were withdrawn during
the time the voting took place. (Hear, War.) Prussia would

have been walls; to consent to that arrangement ; but
Austria not. Thum, then, the labours of the con-
ference were brought to a close. We have laboured by
every possible means, in aoojunction with the other
neutral powers, to endeavour to bring the parties
to an agreement ; and we felt it u a ca-
lamity—as everybody must—that war should begin
Vain for a matter which might so easily, we think, be
adjurted, and for a question not involving the exiateeoe of
a nation, or of a goverommit, but simply relating to a compa-
ratively small district of territory. That having unfortunately
happened, it became the duty of her Majesty's government
to take into their serious consideratioo the wane which it
behoved them to adopt. We felt great sympathy for Den-
mark —we felt that, although she had m the beginning
been in the wrong, another sovereign bad succeeded to the
throne, that a different ministry had the direction of her
affairs, and that there had been manifested by bete a
strong desire to set that right which had bees wrong.
(Hear, hem) We felt that from the beginning to the end
of these last *yenta she had been ill-used, and that might
had overridden right. (Cheers.) We knew also that the
sympathies of almost the whole British nation were in
favour of Denmark. (Cheers.) There is a natural disposition
in all omokied who have proper feelings to take part with
the weak against the strong, especially if the weak
are oppressed, and if the strong an dealing unjustly
with the weaker part.. We should therefore, for
these resume, have been glad to have found it pos-
sible to recommend to our sovereign to take part
with Denmark in the approaching struggle. But thee on
the other hand it was to be considered that whatever
wrongs Denmark had sustained—and they wen nosy —she
had in the origin been in the wrong herself —(hear, hear)—
that she had at the end, cad at the very last not femme.
rejected a proposal reasonable in itself, which, if it had been
accepted by the two parties, would Decesearily have led to a
peaceful solution of the question, Her fault is that, Weed,
is equally shared by her ablegooist—(hear, hear)—but
still in considerieg the position which England ought to
adopt, that matter could not he left out of sight. Well, tbs.,
it we. to heoceriewed what really wee the matter is die.