The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-12 00:00:00

The German National Union,,

A crowded meeting ot Germans residing in Lon-
don
was held last night in the large room of the
German National Union, Seyd's Hotel, Finsbnry,
for the discussion of certain resolutions bearing
upon the position of the Schleswig and Holstein
question with regard to the London Conference.
The president of the Union (I)r. Kinkel) being called
to the chair on the motion of M. Siemens, he opened
the proceedings by explaining that, although the
meeting was called by the committee of the National
Union, it was to ba considered not merely as a
meeting of that society, but as expressing the feel-
ings and opinions of the general body of Germans
residing in London. He was sorry that the depu-
tation from Kiel which had lately arrived in this
country to protest against the proceedings of the
London Conference had taken their departure, and
he had received a letter from their representative
regretting that they could not be present on the
present occasion. At a meeting held last November
he had warned his hearers not to treat the Schles-
wig and Holstein question too lightly, and zhe events
of the last six months had proved the correctness of
the views he had then taken on the subject. He was
of opinion that neither Russia, France, nor England
would move in the matter, in proof of which he would
revert to the fact of an Austrian fleet having passed
up the Channel into the German Ocean without op-
position on the part of the French or British Go-
vernments. England was too much interested in
the raising of the blockade of the Elbe and the
Weser to interfere. She did not fear that a Euro-
pean war would spring out of the Schleswig and
Holstein question, but if such an event happened
the Prussians had little to fear. Their commerce
was insignificant is comparison to that of England.
their population of 40 millions were nearly all en-
gaged in cultivating a fertile soil, and their internal
resources would enable them to carry on a war for
almost any length of time. Their commerce with the
whole world was also secured to them, bounded as
they were by neutral States like Holland and Swit-
zerland. The war had proved the superiority of
their military resources, not only in flesh and blood,
but in war material, He considered that the people
of Schleswig and Holstein alone had a right to dis-
pose of their future. This was a principle which
had been acknowledged by the Emperor of the
French, it was adopted by several organs of the
English press, and Prussia and the German Confe-
deration appeared inclined to support the demand
of the Duchies to have a voice in the choice of their
future Government. The English Ministry had
refused to give a hearing to the deputation from
Kiel. He had, however, handed their memorial
to the Plenipotentiary of the German Confedera-
tion, M. von Beast, embodying the resolutions
which had been passed at the meeting of the Hol-
stein Estates. He concluded by moving a resolution
to the following effect—" 'That States out of Ger-
many have no right to decide on German affairs ;
but considering that a Conference on the subject of
Schleswig-Holstei❑ was now actually sitting in
London, at which Conference the German Confede-
ration was represented, it becomes necessary for the
representatives of the Get man nation in this coun-
, try to insist upon the following points :-1. That
the two Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein should
remain undivided ; 2, That, considering the fact of
the representatives of Schieswig having taken their
seats in the German Parliament of 1848, Schleswig
should be acknowledged as part of the German Con
, " - Tl"nhiees b...p.rated from
the nexus with the Danish Kingdom ; and lastly, that
it be left to the people of Schleswig and Holstein to
choose their future Government by their own vote."
The motion having been put it was carried by
acclamation. The meeting was then addressed by
Messrs. W. Siemens, F. R. S. Born, Scherzer
Reimere, Von Konich, Schlund, end Brudes, and a
motion was agreed to that the resolutions passed at
the present meeting should be transmitted to Baron
von Beust, the Plenipotentiary of the German Con-
federation at the London Conference, as soon as pos-
sible. A vote of thanks was then passed to Profes-
sor Kinkel, and the proceedings terminated.