The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-19 00:00:00

their assent, Whereupon these sticklers for trey
rights present an ultimatum to the Danish oven':
meet, and, in default of its aer.ptance, threaten 7
orccupy.Sel-ileswig and break the peace of BusuP",
There is still one flagrant contradiction to be rieje
corded of the many-sided German mind. Ta.,
Prussian. people urges on its Government to eseeo
tion, occupation,. war, upon this Schleswig„loan
question ; but when the King asks for
heloall3
c.arry out its martial intent he is snubbed•
refused. The Prussian people wouldcosts
see Kiel a German port, but refuses to pill the
of the annexation. The whole thing would be ludic
crous
.but for its tragic aspect. The Austrian.o7
Prussian ultimatum has been presented and deellnie ft'
and the envoys of the two Governments hay° '`ev,
Copenhagen. Nothing else could have been bitel.
pected. The German people have got the
tiy
between their teeth and are fairly running lay.
.with their Governments; the latter have beet' Pcedt.
ing with the national passion until it bas. !not
mastered there; and now Austria and Prusso'
go with the stream. They cannot stultify or
selves by patiently submitting to the retuss'n4
their ultimatum. They probably intended! and
hoped, that it would be refused ; otherwise taat
would never have addressed to an indePie v t-so
European Power an ultimatum leaving on'Y ego
days for deliberation and reply. Aloreoverydea
the presentation of the ultimatum has been pree'll..e..
by the significant announcement of railitarl irre•
parations and movements of troops, "ot 0
shadowed but too plainly the designs of tun ;rot
Powers. There seems, then, to be no alternarja
for them but the occupation of Schleswig' 'ad
that means war, which may be com n3stri6,o
by the advance of the Prussian and Aua
mar les against the Danes, bat which will as redly
bring o.ther Powers into the field. For 0,
e.ccupation of Schleswig would be a direct tiara('
sine upon Denmark. The German Diet leas ne.julti-to
locus standi upon the soil of Schleswig than iva to
upon. Denmark proper, and the Danes are bout' of
resist the aggression. To counsel their abandon° de
of Schleswig to Austria and Prussia as the best 03,/,°o
of preserving it as a Danish province is absurd'„nite
.Danes. have retired from Holstein,and it isre;"heil
tionised. Prussia and Austria ust retain ',let
ascendancy. in the Diet. They cannot afford sn°',lle
Rla embund ; they cannot even face a union o'h'io
minor. German Sovereigns for a purpose in Ng" df
their own peoples are heart and soul interesteo,
and which they would be doing their best to Belittle
In the present temper of Germany there can rib' '6" to
doubt that the occupation of Schleswi by ur,er,a" as
troops would mean the realisation oft he utdet
aspiration. of a dukedom of Schleswig-Holstein of
Frederick of Augustenbarg, and the erasure of
ers,
name of Denmark from the list of European Fl„ be
Denmark has taken her course. It remains to
seen what support she will receive from the Pa., ite
to the Treaty of 1852. We look in vain fora I'l4 Jo
dication of the policy of the British GoverrinlePer
Loid Russell's written despatches. Always I:ectr
tremes, never to be relied upon, our Foreign
tary s forte seems to consist chiefly in enve°°?3,„"tia
quarrel, preventing its pacific solution, and to
both the disputants. To us the question Sefij`-,5t0
resolve itself into one of honour and poll* "„"iret;
parties to the treaty which is now insolentlY "ceol
ridden_. We have an interest in the maintensnod
the. integrity of the kingdom of Denmark,. lid
faith and. expediency alike demand that -ning.ollo
should neither shirk her solemn responsibility e-oct
siguatary of the Treaty of 1852 nor sanction Ent to
of aggression which will hold out a preeenei-oef
every potentate who has an army to move, 1'
nationality to offer, or a province to gait),