The Express.
London, England, 1856-06-18 00:00:00

LONDON, TVIIDNBSDAY. JUNG 18.

Tne conduct of Russia on the question of the
Sound Dots has been very characteristic. Oar
readers are of mine aware that the Danish Oovern-
ment lvely invited the Maritime Powers of Europe
to send Gimniiseioners to Copenhagen to arrange for
a definitive settlement of these Does. In conformity
with this invitation, a Commission, in which England,
Austria, Pearce, Belgium, Holland, Prussia, Russia,
and Sweden were represented, met at the Danish
capital early in January of the present year. After
two or three meeting. the Commission suspended its
proceedings in May lest. At the first meeting, 11. DE
TEGOBJIDICI, the Russian Commissioner, threw cold
water on the project by announcing :

Ttc his o,verawiest had so wish to see the Semi Dies
*Wished, aid had ssut him to Copeetssea merely to met
the views of the Ddial.h Government.

This statement may be accepted as the literal truth
we think; and for this simple remota, that, as it is
through Russian ageury that Denmark is principally
enabled to secure payment of the Sound Does, so long
ae those Does are in existenee, and form a sub-
stantial part of the ues of that state, the political
Power of Revels over the Court of Copenhagen is
proportionably great. So much, indeed, is this the
case that, wh the Danish Government exhibits
the least inclination to pursue a policy distaateful to
the Court of Sr. Petersburg, it is notorious that
that Court is sure to raise some dimagrseable question
On to the collection of the Sound Dues, and thus,
through its financial necessities, Roasts places poli-
tical pressers on Denmark. The maintenance of the
Sound Does therefore 'egotists the dependence of
Denmark on Russia, and one mode of releasing Den-
mark from the hold which the CZAR has over that
portion of Scandinavia is obviously the abolition, in
some way or other, of these Dose. It was, Wass-
greatly, quite in conformity with the established
policy and the political interests of Russia that M.
DI TEGOBOzsZI should thus declare that his Govera-
meet "had no wish to see the Sound Does abolished."
That declaration M. DI TEGODORSKI Bede on the
4th of January, 1836. Before, however, a =math
elapsed, a change came over the nano! the Reesian
cabinet, for at the next meeting of the Commission,
held on the 4:h of February, this very M. DR TS-
00301Sil reversed the announcement he had made
on the 4th of January, by saying:
That he ass authorised by his freeways's, or segatist
M. Ds BLoinien that they accepted the principle of the re-
deseptioe of the Dan sad the pri posed of the Doltish o.yera-
west that the eomp.nsatioa for those on shippieg shoald
Ball spas the Sig

And oo the 9th of May last, M. de Twos°lsm
*toed a formal protocol, binding Russia to this mode
of settling the qiustioo. To this protocol Sweden,
which has a deep interest in the freedom of the
Baltic, and in releasing Denmark from dependence
ea Russia, and which has only a peconiary interest
to the extent of 4i per cent. 00 the Sound Does, very
naturally and properly adhered.

Now, how cams about this remarkable change in
the policy of the Raglan Goverameat ; all the more
ftmarkable, seeing that each a settlement of the Does
Mould cost Romig a good round million storing P
Simply thee. Ramis very naturally expected to
haft band England, which ontribetee nearly 29 per
sent. of the Nomad Deft, ant and foremost in the
desire to sea them abolished at theft Coafereftee.
Hem" at the Ent meeting, M. de TE00301.11/11
dederation that Russia bad no wish for their
shanties. Bat in this expeetatice Ramon was dimp-
rioted. Mr. BUCHANAN, the British representative
at the Conferees's, wag only a Bateaux to, sod a
reporter of, what pawed to Lord Csaizeenott.
in essermase with par Imitate% lageneouges, I took
as putt Is the pecteediers hefted warm( a few observa-
tions trees time to tine fee the pongee et manna. M. on
23.1111113 to wag the gemming Were the Cemmisehm ft •
form saingstly sleet to enable me to auks her Ifigeot7's
efteramsat mossier I with the meow la which the
Desists Mumma eceNdikr It may be atiseced.
At the geeend meeting, the Remise Govern-
meat egeat, finding how the land lay, sad
that there wag no immediate, and small pro-
speetive, chaste of the Danish project being
accepted by Ragland, very cheaply accepted it
fir hie owe Government. Oa the 23e4 of Mafth, the
English Cabinet, harm, thee given the Danish pro.
Jed full oftaideration, declined to secede to it.
Wherftpoo, on the 9th of May, Reads, knowing I
very well that without the cofterrence of Ragland
any gosh redemptioo of the Bound Deft could not be
effected, formally bound hermit to Danmark to ad-
here to the Danish priaelple of !armories.
This, we my, is eltereeteriede of Barman policy,
barmen edits obvious fatness* and irmeserity. Whoa
the redemption appeared pounds, Buda bad Mau
wish to w the Sound Dos abolished r se mut,
however, so the redemption appeared hapoosi
Ruda formally pledged herself to their abolition ova
the principle of emspengadae. Of merge, the Danish
Cabinet is too astute to be deluded and deceived by
&fakery of this eon, and we are glad to know that it
perfeetly appesolatee this 'playing East and loom with
its interests by its ally. Bat the Danish Govern-
meet on ito pan very naturally incepts the adhesion
or Rearm to its project se a sewn of Inducing Ent
Lad and the other maritime states, which, with the
exception of Sweden, have given no such adhesion, to
fall into its views.

It is, of course, the political interest of England to
see Denmark liberated from that depredates oe
Ramis which sow aids her in enforcing payment of
the Sound Dues; and it is the interest of British
shipowners that the British Governmest should adopt
tie Danish proposal, and coetribete 1,139,2711. as its
awe of the 3,937,6001. which Denmark Wm for the
abolition of the Does. Bet the interests of our ship-
owners and shippers of goods from the Baltic, and of
the British Government, representing the British
people, may not, it is possible, be quite irleetisal in
the matter. It is the interest of the former to get
rid of the burthen on any terms, 'bruise it is the
interest of the latter to get rid alit may oa fair and
proper terms; and there is this obvious difficulty in
the matter, that is ecasidering the gustiest of tame,
we area good deal at the weeny of Demuth is one
respect It is from Denmark only that we eau get
the statistics of the Does, and when the modifies
of th►ir abolition is compensation, Deansark has ob-
viously a very strong motive for exaggerating the
Beres. At t Coteerences of Copenhagen, the tabular
warm K. DI BL ME prod were wholly
ismsisd I and there was this very esepitious
silremestanse attesdiog them, that the tables origi-
nally larenght forward justified a capitalisation of
the Dees which at 4 per seat. would have aaesated

to 8,750,0001., whereas at the emend mestiog of the
Coaferesos the tablre only justified, at the IMO rate,
a compensation of 3 937,6001. This large diem.
policy is, of courier, unfavourable to a reliance on the
accuracy of Daniell arithmetic, ireithie qualities; and
on the whole we thigh Lori' CultrtootiOnte to a
very mooed opinion not to taw as each* Ws.
_ . -

But when Lord CLARENDON aunts to that opinka
we were rill immersed in war expenditure, and the
chief reason on which he refused to recommend to
Parliament to vote a sum of money out of general
taxation to remove • charge upon a particular
branch of trade no longer exists in the foam it
than did. Denmark, too, has positively rejected
Lord Cutnitisnonli counter-project of a tonnage
duty for a given number of years; and therefore
the Government have very properly referred the
question as to the incidence of the Bound Dues to a
Committee of the House of Commons. This question
I. was of some difficulty in political economy ; but.
should it be the opinion of the Committee that the
burthen of the Bound Dues falls, so far as England is
concerned, on the consumer,then of course the object-
lion to provide compensation for their abolition out
of the general taxation of the country, if their aboli-
tion be desirable, falls to the ground; and instead o'
a matter of principle, the question will resolve lush
into one of details—whether it is desirable to contri-
bute towards their abolition, and, if so, what sum
ought to be paid to Denmark.

Denmark will probably be found to have raised
her pecuniary pretensions for compensation much too
high, both as to the pecuniary basis on which she
calculates that compensation and as to her title to the
Sound Does. Without going so far u the United
Staten Government have gone in denying the Danish
title in tote, it is obvious that a right merely founded
on treaties which can be abrogated, and a right arising
oat of territorial pretensions, are very different things.
Territorially Denmark can have no right to mulct
commerce entering into or peeping oat of the Baltic
her only title to do so is convectional acquiescence,
which could at any time be terminated, or at all
events would cease in war. To treat, therefore, the
gross or the net average receipts of these &mad Dues
se if they were rent derived from land, and demand
compensation on that basis, is clearly iaadmiseible.
1 Denmark most be content to make large deductions,
because of the precariousness of the tenure by which
she collects these Dues, before aey aoseptable principle
of compensation for their abolition on be agreed oti.