The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-25 00:00:00

Denmark may therefore be regarded as evi4
dente of the Danish rule not being so in-
tolerable as it was represented to be in
Schleswig and Holstein. Now, however, that the
connection between Lauenburg and Denmark has
been to all appearances finally secured, and as the
claimants to the other Duchies do not pretend to
any title to it, the question of its disposal necessarily
presents itself for consideration. However desirous
of remaining united with Denmark the Lance'
burgers might be, the complete isolation of the
Duchy would render such a union geographically
impossible and politically useless. Two other eoln"
tions alone remain, namely—the preservation of a
separate and independent position, or annexation
to another State. Between these two the Lauen-
burgers have now been called upon to decide, in
conformity with the modern usage which, in ap-
pearance at least, gives. to a people the right of
determining its future lot ; and if the declared
opinion of the Landtag is to be received as eX'
pressive of the national will, the decision will
be pronounced in favour of annexation to
Prussia. If the inhabitants of a territory of three
hundred square miles are indifferent, as they
may well be, to the possession of that quasi inde-
pendence which the several petty German State;
eojuy, they could not do better, perhaps, than con-
sent to absorption into the most powerful kingdom
in the Confederation. The annexation ofLauenburg
to Prussia could, however, scarcely fail to awaken
the jealousy of those minor States which have
watched with alarm the aggressive and aggrandise
ing policy which that Power has of late so steadily
and apparently so successfully pursued. Not that
the addition of a Duchy about as large as Hertford..
shire, and not a quarter so populous, to the Pruse
sian monarchy would make the latter more terrible,
but simply because it is not easy to say where a
system of annexation may stop. The Duchies of
Schleswig and Holstein are, as we have said,
in a position dissimilar from that of Lauenburg,
but if the Legislature in the latter declare in
favour of being annexed to Prussia, it is neither
impossible nor improbable that the assemblies of
the former might by Prussian influence be brought
to express the same wish. It is true that the Duke
of Augustenburg, the Duke of Oldenburg, and one
of the Princes of Hesse lay claim to the throne of
the United Duchies, and it is equally true that the
Diet at Frankfort alone possesses jurisdiction to
adjudicate upon their diffei u t claims, but it must
not be forgotten that a Prussian army occupies
the Duchies and that the administration is in the
hands of the Prussian Government. Every one
knows with what extreme facility under such cir'
cumstances numerously signed addresses might be
prepared and forwarded to Berlin, expressing just
whatever the Prussian Government was desirous of
having expressed, and the equal ease with which
the army of occupation would take care that the
alleged wishes of the people were carried into effect.
We are far from saying that this policy will be
pursued, but the circumstance of one of the three
Duchies taken from Denmark gravitating to Pruti.
sia might reasonably excite the alarm of those who
would unwillingly see the other two share the same
fate. Whilst the war was still in progress we
hazarded the conjecture that at its termination the
aggressors would experience some little difficulty
in disposing of the spoil. That conjecture has since
been amply confirmed, and there is reason to be■
lieve that Prussia has met with several unexpected
obstacles to the realisation of her original scheme.
Notwithstanding her might, she cannot yet afford
to bid defiance to the lesser States of the Confede-
ration. The Diet is desirous of handing over the
Duchies to one of the pretenders ' • and, however
averse from such an arrangement, Prussia would
not, at least by an exhibition of violence,
attempt to prevent its being carried into effect.
The embarrassed state of the finances in
both Duchies coupled with the fact that Pruse
sia is a creditor in possession, will, however,
afford to that State a means, of which she will not
fiesitate to avail herself, of postponing indefie
nitely that settlement to which the minor Power;
look forward with so much anxiety. If Prussia
makes the evacuation; of Schleswig and Holstein
conditional, on being indemnified for the experts
diture entailed by the war, she will retain posses-
sion long enough to leave the population no alter-
native but to perpetuate a rule of which it would be
impossible for them to rid themselves. Count Von
Bismarck, no doubt, thinks that it is a mere quo.,
tion of time when Schleswig and Holstein will be'
come nominally as well as virtually a portion of the
kingdom of Prussia. We understand that his royal
master has conferred on him the rank of Chancel-
lor of State, in consideration of the skill with which
he has conducted his foreign policy, If success be
a test of merit, it will be impossible to deny that
the reward was well bestowed.