The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-24 00:00:00

openly and meant more covertly. The consequence
of this untimely hint being thrown out was that the
inhahitants very naturally declined to congregate
at a place where Danish opinions were certain to be
at a discount, and where they would not be able to
get their wishes attended to at all, It may be sup-
posed of what incongruous elements the so called
meeting was composed, and yet this apology
for an assembly was des!gnated a gathering of
the inhabitants of the locality for the purpose
of protesting against the propositions entertained
at the Conference relative to the Duchies. The
circumstances that took place at this meeting fully
carried out the descriptions given of the manage-
ment which had convened it, and the mar ceuvres
that had animated its assistants or presiding spirits.
A large concourse of the meeting was composed to
that heterogeneous class who go abcut from place
to place for the purpose of aiding and abetting any
designs that may be convenient at the moment, and
enact the role of any community that may pro
convenient to the parties actively engaged in the
carryin,,, on of a transaction. The " little cliques'
made desperate efforts to effect their ingenious but
unprincipled purpose, and the decorations, &a., were
very profuse. There does not appear that mutt.
was done, after all, in the way of proving the
eagerness of the assembly for a change. A few
protestations were made which called forth expres-
sions of dissent from the few Danes wl,o were there,
which circumstance significantly declared hoe
much and how far their interests were concerned in
the affair. As might have been expected there was
some disturbance witnessed on the separation of this
motley group for divers places, which professed to
be the inhabitants of the place assembled together
for the purpose of unanimously declaring their feel-
ings in their new and strange position. Of course
in the skirmishes the Danes were selected for
the victims, and a few of the burghers,
who had already been insulted, were
arrested. 'the Austrian soldiers, however, had the
sense to put an end to the absurd, and unjust pro- '
tending. Had the troops been Prussian, how clit
ferent would, in all probability, have been the
result. This event proves that there must be some-
thing fundamentally wrong in a system which
upholds such subterfuge, and takes advantage of
such mean devices to gain a trivial purpose anc
accomplish the desired end. Tne greatest tyranny
has been exercised in dealing with the North
Schleswigers throughout, and they have ad alc4
testified their unwillingness to become exclusively
Germans; and in consequence of this exhibition of
feeling cn their part, great outrages have been
committed on their liberties, and their rights ace
privileges have been eacrified on several occasions
Their newspapers have been interfered with, thei,
editors put into prison, and 1 heir deputies have als(
been incarcerated. After many arbitrary regulu
tions have been laid down, such as preventing th,
rise of the Danish flag and forbidding the celebra
tion of the birthday of CI:Er:IF:TIAN the Ninth, ai
insult is put upon common sense by this eudeavou
to got up an apparent demonstration in favour o
the Germans. \Veen a people are in earnest ape
a subject it needs not the meeting or the assembi.)
to give it utterance, their feelings are expresso
in a hundred unmistakeable forms, but the will
deceivers and archehypocrites persuade theraseive:
that they can contrive to hoodwink others, and thug
overawe the natives themselves by their dex-
terity.