The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-01 00:00:00

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DENMARK AND THE SOUND DUES.
-

The followinr; is the text of the State paper pre-
sented by the Danish Government to the Cabinets
of other Powers interested in the question of the

Hound Dues :
"The dues the Crown of Denmark leviesuoondthanedshtihpee
and cargoes passing the straits ot thehS
Great and Little Belts have long been t
.eho.bject of vio-
lent attacks, which have produced an agitation the more
obstinate because they have frequently bad a political
purpose and tendencies, and have always been founded
erroneous and disputei ideas of the right in virtueorf
which the toll is levied, as well as of the manner in whidh
—ieGhoeernment of Denmark exercises it. The real stare
thef
the case being known only to those who ware not in-
terested in placing it in its true light, general attent' on
bas very naturally been chiefly directed to the obliga-
tions the toll imposes on the commercial interest, while
no one took into account the numerous establishments of
all kinds by which Denmark has always endeavoured to
facilitate the navigation of the Baltic, and prevent tb e
detention of vessels at the toll-station in the Souse I.
Even foreign governments, though always respecting ti e
right remaining with Denmark after so many sacritics
- made in the interest of general peace, were often, an d
for reasons the strength of which we cannot, perhaptO
now overlook, unable to avert from Denmark the effect=s
of an agitation they could not but recognise as unjasit
and ill-founded.
"The efforts of Denmark to appease this agitation ee-
suited at the commencement of the reign of Christiana,
VIII., the august predecessor of the reigning Soverei
Sgn,
in a negotiation between Denmark, England, and we-
den, by which the ancient tariff of the Sound was revised;
by this measnre the agitation was stoppedfor a time.
" However, the Danish government by no means con-
' cealed from itself that it would not be long before the
movement would be renewed ; and, anticipating this
- eventuality, King Christian VIII. had already conceived
• the idea of following up the revision decided on in the
interests of commerce by other modifications of the tariff,
at periods more or less distant from each other, on the
principle that the dues to be levied should always be in
proportion to the value of the cargoes and merchandise
liable to the toll. It is not the fault of the Danish Go-
vernment that the intention of Sing Christian VIII. Las
not already been carried into effect. Acting on the im-
pulse given by this enlightened monarch the Government
a long time since took the preliminary measures required
- for another revision of the tariff, but at the moment the
idea of the late king would have been realised Denmark
found itself, much against its own wish, and in conse-
quence of events impossible to foresee, involved in a war
which necessarily absorbed all the attention of the Govern-
. ment, and did not allow it to make the sacrifices insepa-
rable from any reduction whatever of the tariff then ac-
tually in operation. After the conclusion of peace the
country still suffered from the inevitable consequences
of the internal commotions the war could not but have
faltered ; and to the difficulties which thus surrounded
it was soon added the present war between Russia,
France, and England.
" If it depended on the Danish Government it cer-
tainly would not choose, for the consideration of the
question of the Sound dues, a time like the present, when
the two Powers most interested in the matter are op-
posed to each other in hostile camps. But the situa-
tion it has to meet leaves no alternative.
" Among all the foreign Governmentsthat of the United
States of America alone has contested the legal right of
Denmark te levy a toll in the Sound, and it is only re-
cently tint it has distinctly declared itself in this sense ;
for, though it is just to admit that the United States
Govesnment has several times during the few past years
announced that it could not follow, with regard to the
tolls of the Sound, the international system generally
established in Europe, yet the provision relative to the
toll embodied in the friendly Convention of Commerce
,
arid Navigation, conciuded between Denmark and Ame-
rica on the 26th of April, 1826, certainly contains a
formal recognition of the right in question, rather than
anything contesting it, like the analogous article in trea-
ties and conventions of the same nature between Den-
mark and the other Powers.
" By a communication of the 14th of April last, the
Minister of the United States at Copenhagen has given
notice of the expiration of the above cited convention,
which is the only written contract between Denmark
and America which expressly mentions the tolls of the
Sound ; and, in giving this notification, the said diplo-
matic agent expresses the hope that Denmark will reeng•
nise before the expiration of the treaty—that is to say
before the 14th of April, 1856—the justice and propriety
of permitting American vessels to pursue their commer-
cial operations on the sea without paying tribute t r any
one and without being impeded by any Power whatever.
" The end the United States' Government has bad in
view in notifying the termination of their convention of
commerce with Denmark, is, therefore, to release Ameri-
can ships from the obligation of paying the toll cf the
Sound. It is not necessary here to examine if the at-
tainment of this end is the logical consequence of the
termination of a convention which only names those
dues, to assure to American ships, in respect to levying
the toll, the privileged, instead of the non-priviliged,
treatment which would otherwise be applied to them.
Denmark wishes to avoid a discussion of this kind ; and
it has only been mentioned in describing the course taken
by the United States to define more clearly the position,
in which, as before observed, Denmark is placed.
"This position operates in a twofold manner on the
determination cf the Danish Government. For not only
after the notice of the termination of the convention of
the 26th of April, 1826, or rather after the declaration
of the United States' Government that it will release
American ships from the tolls of the Sours', the Danish
Government, if it would not confine itself to the reply it
has already made to that declaration, could not defer to
another period the measures adapted to the circumstancee,
but it has at the same time become problematic whether
the measures contemplated with regard to the Sour d
dues, anterior to the above-named declaration, would now
131:ifiCO to prevent a conflict ar d complications, the con-
sequences of which, by the force of circumstances, may
perhaps exceed the limits of a discussion between Den-
mark and the United States.
"If it depended only on the Government of Denmark,
it would decide on a revision of the tariff of the Sound,
principally because this measure could be adopted with-
out the concurrence of any foreign Power ; and it is con-
vinced that a reduced tariff, regulated according t', the
actual value of the merchandise, would be calculated to
satisfy the reasonable wishes of the commercial public.
But the above-earned declaration proves that a revision
would not satisfy a great Power with which Denmark
sincerely desires to preserve its general relations of good
intelligence ; and not only this, it has also become more
than probable, in consequence of the above-named decla-
ration—that other Pow era, cvncse views and wishee are
to bet qually consider, d, would not be disposed to think
a revision a suitable measure.
" Ueder these circurest tnees the Danish Government
has decided on submitting to the Powers interested in
the question of the Sound a proposal of quite another
character. It hopes the pan it will propose will be as
acceptable to the several Powers as it is certain it will be
convenient to commerce and navigation generally ; it
hopes
especially that the United States of America et. in
consider this measure on the part of Denmark'pledge
of its devise to reconcile its. own interests a
with those,
America as much as possible 1 above all, to avoid a
difficult discussion, and, perhaps, an(
iaLs,
fa,
tconflict with a coun-
try which it justly respects.' ,ei.t,erasinthtue Dsuaenhistlit Government believes it ought not to
dis-
cussion, its principal motive for not confining itself to
the revision of the tariff' which lad been
ted projected is,
that it does not think this measure calcula.toserve as
A reply to the course adopted by the United tat
"In thus setting aside the revision, without, hows. ev.ecr.,
abandoning it, the Danish Government acts on the by
thesis that tilt 3 other Governments consider that revision
as not calculated to prevent the coufliets which it is the
object to avoid, and have desired it to submit to' them
ether propositions which, without prejudicing the rights
of Denmark, may he of a nature more likely to unite
the suffrages of the parties interested. If the plan of a
revision is rejected, or if it is declared, at leant
citly, that the only base on which the negotiation with
Denmark can be entered into should be a definitive ar-
rangement
of the question of the Sound ; the problem to
solve would he then to find an expedient that entirely
puts an end to the toll, without thereb y derogating
result from
can
the rights of the Danish Crown, this double
only be secured by a capitalisation of the Sound dues,
with the object of freeing mercantile navigation, once
for all, from thevayment of the dues, on the receipt, by
Denmark, of a just compensation.
This, then, is the plan of arrangement the Danish Go-
vernment submits to the consideration of the Powers in-
terested in the question of the Sound.
" But such an arrangement could not be carried out
without the simultaneous- concurrence of all the respec-
tive Powers. The formal and positive engagements
which exist between Denmark and the other Powers
with regard to the Sound dues do not allow of any spe-
cial arrangement on that subject between Denmark and
any one Power. Besides thee, there is another and, as
the
Danish Government considers it, an essential ele-
ment of consideration, which is, that the point under
discussion must be treated, not as a commercial or as a
money question, but as a political question. This is suf-
ficiently shown by the
played
history of the Sound dues, and the
h
part which theyin the politics of Northern
Europe. Moreover, it
ch would be impossible otherwise to
give to the negotiationesuad irectionhyanciduecehtaierancettort
i4s would prevent its being
shackled
secondary importngc, which might be in keep'
as regards an arrangement purely fiscal, but which
would by no means accord with oneeae
ed east! neefdt.
rtaonseeareetete se
the complement of treaties of
p
a Government,. therefore,
to the
by which the whole system of political esmilibrium has
been regulat:d. The Dwait
while iecomnieDding the proposition male
by
attention of foreign Cabinets, begs them to enter as soon
as possible into negotiation ou the subject, and
either to
furnish their diplomatic agents at the Court of Des.
mark with full pis-. era and instructions, or to send
special delegates to C.peuhagen in order to establish
some general understanding, as well with regard to
• the e
-colperatistion. :to which Danmark would conceive
hersstt entiOed upon the co,satien of the tolls as to
the mode of ealculeting and ;latent:lining upon the just
quotat which each of the reqtective Powers should Con tri-
bae. It would be desirable that this negotiation should
bepresent
opened
i hytehaer. .course of the month of November
in the
Governmentl n
hasgi
in
v ngv ee xwp
not
eosts
onlyion t
the
e u thisrg
ewni as
yh
the Danish
of the matter in question as regards Denmark, but al so
the consideration tbat several Powers, and especially
those which from their
this period too near at Band; position might find
have so little interest in ti e
Sound duce that they would
seri to be repreSented at the opening deem it uuneces,
penitto of the en for c
or might even prefer tr be represent-ed-lay—s-o-m-en-f-rieenn-d.le;
sas,
Power.
the e "The choice of Copechagan'as ofche Feed=
tthe nego-
tiation is justified by the fact that4itattee
qua:lad. all W.: administrative departiarnit,.,, andr