The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-09 00:00:00

PRELIMINARIES OF PEACE.

Present—On behalf of Austria, Count Rechberg,
Baron Brenner; on behalf of Denmark, M. de
Quaade, Colonel Hanfmanu ; on behalf of Prussia,
M. de Bismark, Baron Werther.

MM. the Plenipotentiaries of Austria, Denmark,
and Prussia having met in conference to-day at the
hotel of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and their
respective powers having been found good and in
due form, have agreed upon the following prelimi-
naries of peace :-
1. His Majesty the King of Denmark renounces
all his rights to the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein,
and Lauenburg in favour of their Majesties the King
of Prussia and the Emperor of Austria, engaging
to recognise the arrangements their said Majesties
shall make in respect of those Duchies.
2. The cession of the Duchy of Schleswig com-
prehends all the islands belonging to that duchy, as

well as the territory situated upon the mainland.
To simplify the boundary question and pat an
end to the inconveniences resulting from the posit,
tion of Jutland territory situated within Schleswig,
his Majesty the King of Denmark cedes to their
Majesties the King of Prussia and the Emperor of
Austria the Jutland possessions situated in the south
of the southern frontier line of the district of Ribe

laid down upon the maps, such as the Jutland ter-
ritory of Mogeltondern, the Island of Amazon, the
Jutland portions of the islands of Fohr, Sylt, and
Rome, &c.

On the other hand their Majesties the King of
Prussia and the Emperor of Austria consent that
an equivalent portion of Schleswig, comprising, in
addition to the Island of Arroe, the territories con.
necting the above-mentioned district of Ribe with
the remainder of Jutland, and rectifying the frontier
line between Jutland and Schleswig from the side
of Kalding, shall be detatched from the duchy of
Schleswig and incorporated in the kingdom of Den-
mark. The Island of Arroe will not make part of
the compensation by reason of its geographical
extent.

The details of the demarcation of the frontiers
shall be settled by the definite treaty of peace.
3. The debts contracted upon a special aceotitt,
whether of the kingdom of Denmark, or of on© of
the duchies of Schleswig Holstein, and Lauenburg,
will remain respectively at the charge of each of

thoso countries.
Debts contracted for account of the Danish mo-
narchy shall be divided between the Kingdom of
Denmark upon one hand and the ceded duchies
upon the other in proportion to the population of
the two parts.

From this re-distribution aro excepted :-1. The
loan contracted in England by the Danish Govern-
ment in the month of December, 1863, which is to
remain at the charge of the kingdom of Denmark.
2. The war expenses incurred by the allied Powers,
the repayment of which will be undertaken by
the Duchies.

4. The high contracting parties engage to esta-
blish an armistice upon the basis of the military uti
possidetis, dating from the 2d August, the condi-
tions of which will be found specified in the next

protocol.
5. Immediately after the signature of these pre.

liminaries of peaco the high contracting parties wit]
meet at Vienna to negotiate a definite treaty of peace,
Done at Vienna this Ist August, 1864.
(Signed) VON BISMARCK KAUFMANN:

W ERTHER.
QUAADE.

COUNT RECIIBERG.
BRENNER.

PROTOCOL RESPECTING THE CONDITIONS OF THE

ARMISTICE.
In execution of Article 4 of the preliminaries of
Peace, signed this day between his Majesty the
king of Denmark upon the one part, and their
Majesties the King of Prussia and the Emperor
of Austria upon the other, the undersigned pleni-
potentiaries assembled in conference have agreed
to the following conditions :-
1. Dating from the 2d of August next, there
shall be a complete suspension of hostilities by land
and by sea, which shall last until the conclusion of
peace. In case, contrary to all expectation, the
negotiation of a peace should not be effected before
the 15th September next, the high contracting par.
ties will be at liberty after that date to terminate
the armistice in six weeks' time.

2. His Majesty the King of Denmark engages
definitively to raise the blockade after the 2d of
August.

3: Their Majesties the King of Prussia and the
Emperor of Austria, while maintaining the occupa-
tion of Jutland ender the existing conditions of the
utt possidetis, declare themselves ready to keep in
that country no larger number of troops than their
Majesties may judge necessary according to purely
military considerations.

4. The levy of contributions, in so far as it has
yet been carried into effect, is suspended. Goods or
other objects seized as such war contributions, and
not sold prior to August 3, will be returned. Fresh
levies of contributions will not be ordered.

5. The provisionment of the allied troops will be
furnished at the expense of Jutland, conformably
with the Prussian and Austrian provisioning regu-
lations in operation for each of the allied armies
upon the war footing. The lodging of the troops
and officials connected with the army, as well as the
means of transport for the use of the army, shall
equally be furnished at the expense of Jutland.
6. The surplus of the ordinary revenue of Jut-
land in the public treasuries of that country, after
the costs of the different supplies and requisites
above mentioned have been repaid by such treasuries
to the communes charged with furnishing them, and
after the recessary expenses of administration have
been equally defrayed from their funds, shall he
headed over to the Danish Government, either in
money or by way of set off, at the time of the eva-
cuation of Jutland.
7. The pay of the allied troops, including the ex.
traordinary war pay, is excluded from the expenses
chargeable upon Jutland.
S. Prisoners of war and political prisoners will be
set at liberty upon promise that the prisoners of war
will not serve in the Danish army before the eon
elusion of peace. The liberation of the prisoner;;
will take place at the earliest possible period at the
ports of Swinemuude and Lubeck.
9. DAniAlsoldierd ailo ed to visit Jutland during

The courts-martial in the Northern army aro
numerous. We have no means of knowing how
they get on in the Southern army. lii the week's
records to July 16th, upwards of 120 officers are
mentioned as being cashiered or "dishonourably
dismissed," with the offences spoeifieci in eac's teas.
The most common, perhaps, is drunkenness. Oa
the whole, the list is a curious study. Capiain
Powers is dismissed for " trescSery and cowardice;"
Cuptsin Jolly, for tendering his resignation on a
surgeon's certificate that ho was a confirmed inc-
rm,ny distr.:ismer'. for sessne, wilt; out ke,vo ;
briatt:;
others for conduct 1ml:wow:clog 16-1 cfric,,r end r 1 gvn-
tleinan, hucii as horse-stealiug, and :seeping money
belonging to their men ; others for desertion.
Donald Gillies is dismissed " for having tendered
his resignation on the ground -that a wound re-
ceived at Gettysburg had so intimiduted him that
he has become constitutionally a coward, and unfit
to lead his company into action." One unlucky
officer's dismissal for absence without leave is re.
yoked, as it has been " discovered he was killed
in action," and so could not report Em-
bezzlement of Government property is not
a very rare offence. " Tyrannical and caps
ricious conduct" costs one John Walters
his commission in the Kentucky cavalry ;
and Lieutenant Cole is dismissed for en-
listing sailors in the service of a foreign
power. Lieut. John Devine comes to grief
for ordering the house to be burned ; Capt. Millar
for taking arms from fugitive slaves for his own
men ; Capt. Alfred Brooks for representing himself
to be sick and wounded ; Capt. Ross Deegan for
playing cards with his men. Many also are dis-
missed for disobedience of orders and disrespect to
superiors, and a batch of officers in a Missouri
cavalry regiment is turned out for not suppressing
a mutiny. Lieut. David is turned out for cruelty
to his coloured troops. In many cases the sentence,
&c., is ordered to be published in the local papers
where the culprit came from. Spriggs, 116th Ohio,
is dishonourably dismissed for uttering disrespect-
ful and contemptuous language against " Old Abe,"
alias the President of the United States. Major
Hill is to be publicly stripped of the insignia of
rank in the presence of all the coloured troops at
Port Hudson, and to be confined as a convict with
bard labour on the Dry Tortugas for a year, "for
conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman."
Altogether the sentences are what might be ex-
pected, and show a state of things for which we
might be prepared if we considered the mode in
which this enormous army has been raised mad
officered. No officer of the regular United States
army figures in the list. —Army and Navy Gazette.

LONDON, TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 1864.

Now that the Session of 1864 is ono of the things
o' the'past, it is well to cast a glance at some of the
acts which have been carried, and to consider the
effect which has been produced by the exertions
made in divers quarters to carry out reforms, and
to inaugurate improvements in our time-honoured
ins:itutions which command respect, bat which have
from unhappy causes been suffered to fall into
disuetude, and fail in their original purposes. An
able and interesting article in the United Service
Magaz:ne for thin month, calls attention to the sub-
ject of Greenwich Hospital, and those who would
become better acquainted with the details that relate
to this place, and more fully informed respecting
its management and also its mismanagement, cannot
do better than peruse its pages. Certainly there
should be no institution more held in regard than
that of Greenwich, which is destined for the support
and succour of those who have passed the best years
of their lives, and expended their health and strength
in the service of their country. Those who took
pleasure in dwelling on the ideal view of the ques.
'lion have long flattered themselves that in this
structure was to be found a welcome for those
veterans who have done their utmost to de•
feu'l their country, and that safe in its
l'lstering shades they passed a peaceful old age
as recounting the feats which they had performed
in their prime. Such a notion has been proved to
be a delusion, and the reports of those qualified to
judge of the affair have exemplified the melancholy
act, that this noble institution has been perverted
from its original object, anl in a great measure has
failed to carry out the views of its founders. Of
jito years it Vi7Cl3 noticed that the number of
v-Icancies had considerably increased in this
establishment, whereas formerly it had been
found difficult to procure admission for the
numerous claimants. The commissions that have
been appointed have ono and all declared the
management to be very faulty, and this is the more
discouraging, as it is well known that this style of
iivesliiien Ly Commiss.',o2 does not always suc.
in tracing the evils compliliaed to their

son rce, and, moreover, often shelters the real
offs aders from blame. While the pensioners were
ins efficiently and inappropriately provided for,
their wives and widows were neglected and
ignored. The most disastrous management pre-
Tailed in the regulations of the establishment,
and indeed the abuses there prevalent would. not
have been tolerated at any place where due regard
was had to the expenditure of means, and right
views taken of the responsible nature of the service
entered into. It would be difficult te understand at
first sight how much an establishment of this class
can be perverted from its original intentions, but
when one comes to analyse details, inquire into
principles, and investigate particulars, the sad but
salutary information is acquired, and the searcher
is mortified and surprised to find how the bestsin-
tcntioned purposes are often perverted, and what
appears at first sight a laudable endeavour, may
become in time a reproach and a scandal to the
community once so proud of it. Few of our
national institutions have been more neglected than
that of Greenwich, and the excitement that has
been aroused in its cause has not been inoppor-
tune or untimely. The best way to estimate the
corruption and carelessness that crept into the
sphere of the management is to reflect that the ex-
penditure in 1859, as compared with that of 1805,
was double the cost, whilst in proportion to the
number of the pensioners it was more than
treble. An elaborate accoent is given of the
various conflicting accounts which were repre-
sented by several authorities to head-quar-
ters, and it will be the opinion of
many that the Duke of SOMERSET deserves the
credit here awarded to him for the production of
hie " Memorandum." Much has been done to
mitigate the evils so justly complained of in the
management of affairs at this hospital, but far more
yet remains, and it should not be considered that
the question is at all in a satisfactory state at pre-
sent. It is to be hoped that those who have so
earnestly and energetically bestirred themselves to
make the public acquainted with the several im-
portant failings met with in this establishment,
will net slacken in their efforts, but try by every
means in their power to bring their arguments
home, so that a good effect may result to those so
much in need of help, but who are unable to pro-
cure it in the way to which they are entitled. It
is obvious to all who attentively consider this
question, that the more they can go back to the ori-
ginal intentions of the founders the batter it will
be. With the innovations and alterations that
have taken place of late years no good has accrued,
no one has been really or permanently benefited,
and the first objects to be gained at the outset have
been nearly lost sight of in the confusion and
diversity of opinion raised upon the subject. Sick,
infirm, and helpless seamen have not found the
" judicious care and kindly attention" which were
so much needed, and which the bounty of the
royal founders wished to bestow upon them.
It is here mentioned that the widows
of the seamen have been attended to by
the Act passed last year, and the sons are also
provided for, and when arrangements are made for
educating and maintaining their daughters the re•
forms which have been so long needed in this
noble institution will be completed. This may be
true enough so far, but it seems to be a lesson for
official and responsible individuals to ponder over,
that the defective management of so important an
institution is a thing to be greatly ashamed of. It
may be asked why is so much of the public money
squandered away if no proper care is paid to este-
bliehmente that especially demand a suitable super-
vision, and imperatively call for a strict end impar-
tial adjudication of their affairs. Much good may
be done if all the requirements of the Duke of
SO YERSET be carried out, but the real question at
issue is why were such flsgrant abuses suffered to
creep in at all, and why when their growth was
only too plainly perceivable, were they suffered to
take firm root and become localised, as it were, on a
spot they should never have entered. Much may
be learned as to the misappropriation of funds des-
tined for a special purpose, and the mismanagement
of an institution intended for the safety and sup.
port of a worthy class by the perusal of this
article in question. The writer seems to have
acted in the spirit of fair play throughout the
whole of his difficult and delicate task, No-
thing extenuate nor set down aught in malice,
should be the motto of all those who attempt to in-
quire into the mode in which such establishments
are conducted. Too.much attention cannot be paid
to this subject, since it concerns the welfare of those
who cannot help themselves or defend their rights.
It is too much the custom to let these matters drop
when once the first excitement of the inquiries is
over; but the fact is, that these evils ensue in con-
sequence of a long course of neglect, and if more
general care were bestowed upon matters such partis
cular instances of mismanagement would not occur.
It is to be hoped that the sad state of affairs at
Greenwich Hospital, which has so perplexed and
disheartened the public in its recital, may serve as
a warning, and that in future such anomalies may
be an exception and not a rule, as too often occurs
at present through the cupidity of some and the
carelessness of others in the arrangement and con-
duct of affairs.

The progress of time and knowledge has been
instrumental in altering the position of many per-
sons and things. Old prejudices are dispelled, old
errors exploded, and very often the verdict of our
wise forefathers is completely reversed. Among
those who are profiting by these changes is a very
humble race of friends and servitors, who have
just reason to complain of the manner of their
general treatment. An old and homely adage tells
us, " if you give a dog a bad name you may as
well hang him at once;" and the popular but
mistaken verdict which pronounced geese and don-
keys to be stupid has strongly exemplified this,
The geese, indeed, have much the best of it ; having
generally undisputed enjoyment of the common
or the pond ; the public estimation of their intellec-
tual capacity does not disturb their equanimity.
Any sensibility that might exist on this point re-
stricts itself to their quills and the work they do
apart from them; but the goose herself rejoices in
her true elements with a better appreciation of
the comforts of life than of its elegancies, Not
so the unfortunate
,donkey. For generation after
generation he has been kicked, and cuffed,
and generally ill-used by his masters. Un-
happily for him he is thanks to his
usually put under the command
patience
of boys, and boys are undoubtedly as a rule the
most cruel of the human race. This is probably
due to their utter want of sympathy. A man of
sense and experience is unwilling to inflict unneces-
sary pain on any living thing, but if such infliction
is necessary, no cultivated mind can find a pleasure
in doing so. But the brute and insect creation has
a heavy charge egainst boys in general; and the
poor donkey may head the list of complainants.
After all our enlightenment there is a good deal of
tyranny in the human heart; and doubtless the
same sentiment which marches off Polish families
to Siberia would, under other auspincF, have de-
veloped itself in the ill usage of beasts of burden.
There are not wanting very striking proofs that the
fault of the donkey's so called stupidity and pa- I

Terseness lies mainly with his owner, It is so easy
to give the blame to somebody who can't answer
you, or whose complaints at best are not very intel-
ligible ! He would certainly show much greater
signs of stupidity if he paid much heed to his master
or showed much gratitude for the treatment which
he ordinarily receives. Like all animals he responds
readily to good treatment, end is capable of surprising
improvement, The horse himself, if Mused like the
donkey, would soon deteriorate in some degree.
Those who have seen French donkeys and compared
them with the miserable hacks of our watering-
places, must have been forcibly struck with the
contrast. We are speaking merely of donkeys kept
for hire, not of private owners ; but these
animals fed mainly on the coarse bread of the poorer
classes, and kindly cared for, show a degree of spirit
and intelligence very difficult to meet with at
Brighton or Hampstead. Englishmen usually pride
themselves on their animals; English horses and
dogs are famous throughout the world, but English
donkeys !—the less said the batter. It is therefore
not too eoon to see if something cannot be done to
mend matters; and, accordingly, after cattle exhi-
bitions without number, after ornithological dies
plays of various kinds, after successive dog shows,
and a rumoured cat show, we are this day about to
celebrate a very novel exhibition, Mules and
donkeys are assembled together under the pro.
tecting shadow of the Agricultural Hall—nay, there
are even to be races celebrated in the hippodrome,
in recollection, we presume, of SOLOMON'S immoral
aphorism. And the despisers of mules and con-
temners of donkeys may hide their diminished heads
when they learn that their representatives come
from far distant lands, and that there are several
different classes of prizes. The Eastern lands
donkeys and mules are of far more importance than
here; and in journeys over rocky countries many
travellers have found cause to be grateful to their
sure feet and unwearied patience. Fine specimens
of the Eastern and Spanish breeds are shown, and
some beautiful specimens of Spanish and Mexican
mules. The hero of the exhibition is, however,
the Egyptian donkey, presented to the Prince of
WALES by the Pacha of EGYPT, and exhibited by
his Royal Highness. On this day, we believe, he
is to wear his splendid trappings, studded with
precious stones in true Eastern fashion. The
humbler British races are of course represented, and
the entries have, we hear, been much more nume-
rous than was anticipated for this very original
display. Miss BURDETT COUTTS has offered three
prizes of £5, £3, and L 2 for the best-condition
donkey used foe riding purposes on Hamp-
stead and other heaths. This is an excel-
lent scheme, and likely to do much good.
Similar in design are the prizes offered by some
benevolent persons for costermongers' donkeys. It
these classes can be taught to treat their animals
better, and more humanely, it will be a great point
gained. There is nothing so brutalising and de-
grading as the unrestrained exercise of cruelty ;
and although, thanks to the exertion of the Society
for its nrevention, there is much less of it possible
towards the lower orders than there was a few
years since, there is still far too much, even as there
is from man to man. Animals, like man himself,
are " fearfully and wonderfully made," and we hare
been told whose care watches over the very hum•
blest. It is, then, no sign of superior wisdom or
dignity to abuse their helplesness, or the confidence
they are so ready to place in man. It is difficult
to argue against prejudice, especially among the
lower classes. Facts teach a better lesson, and a
good many lectures and sermons might fail to do
poor long-eared Neddy the good which we hope
be 'will derive from tho Metropolitan Donkey
Show.