The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-04 00:00:00

BERLIN, Jan. 2.
In his recent speech in the Corps Legislatif, M. Thiers
made an exception which needed qualification. " Were it
not for the question of Denmark," he said, "I should say
that France is at present the arbiter of peace and war."
Even in the question of Denmark, to this we may reply, it
now depends, and for some time past has depended, on the
Emperor of the French to put an end to all chance of a
conflict. Hitherto England alone has earnestly stood for-
ward as champion of the Treaty of 1852. That she would
uphold her view of the question to the point of making
war on behalf of the Glucksburg succession to the Duchies,
the Germans do not believe, and hence the attitude
they take. Let France unequivocally declare the
the treaty ptust bo maintained, and you would witness an
instant charge in the aspect of affairs. Nay, let her hut at
once agree to a conference for the settlement of the Danish
question, to be summoned with the least possible delay, and
I believe that the majority of diplomatists would deem that
question to have lost all its danger and most of its import-
ance, and would cease to busy themselves with it more than
with various others which its present predominance causes
to be almost forgotten. Such a conference, which certain
continental politicans and journalists seemed quite recently
to consider as good as decided upon, is by no means so
nearly settled. Indeed, judging from the general com-
plexion of the information obtainable here to-day, I am
disposed to consider it as it having been never, since
it first was proposed, farther off from realisation. Eng-
land refused and wrecked the Imperial project of a
great Congress for general objects; now that she would
fain have a smaller congress for a special object, France is
not disposed to oblige her. We may leave aside the ques-
tion of how far it was judicious on the part of our Govern-
ment, ten days after the death of the King of Denmark had
ensured a speedy crisis in the long-standing disputes with
respect to the Danish Duchies, to thwart so decidedly (and
as it is at least on the Continent pretty generally consi-
dered), without much pains to spare Imperial amour propre,
a project whose author, we have since had abundant proof,
has felt deeply hurt at its unqualified rejection. The oppor-
tunity now occurs to thwart England's policy, and it is
not lost. It would not be difficult to name certain highly-
placed representatives of the French Government abroad
who give thenselves little trouble to conceal the view
taken at Paris, and who even declare that to adopt any
other course would be a niaiserie. The Cabinet of the
Tuileries consoles itself for a past disappointment by en-
joying your present embarrassment. Moreover, there are
at Paris influences that all do not suspect employed
to counteract the project of a conference. Because the
Bismark Government is disposed to maintain the Treaty of
1852, you must not suppose that its agents all assist it in
so doing. The Prussian diplomatists are proverbially in-
subordinate, which is probably due in great measure to the
fact that, even when they are so, they are scarcely ever
punished by removal from their posts, such not being the
custom of the country. Nobody hero having the least pre-
tensions to being well informed respecting the ;characters
and tendencies of the public men of Prussia entertains any
doubt that the Prussian Ambassador in Paris does his ut-
most to oppose and prevent the efficacious support by
Napoleon of the Treaty of 1852. In London Count Bern-
storff is equally well disposed to work in the same direc
tion, but his efforts have not the same chance of pro-
ducing any effect (at least upon the constitutional
advisers of her Majesty) as those of his colleague in Paris.
Meanwhile events pursue their inexorable march, regard-
less of those optimists who all along have based their cal-
culations rather on what ought to occur than on what
might occur. We know very well that the Federal cone
missioners and soldiers went into Holstein bound, while
taking the places of the Danish Government and troops,
strictly to maintain the status quo. And we see how they
have done so. Prince Frederick of Augustenburg has been
everywhere proclaimed, the functionaries that remained
faithful to the Copenhagen Government have been
displaced, and some of them have been fain to fly for
safety's sake, German sympathisers are at liberty to flock
into the country, and daily do so, while the prince himself,
allowed to enter and allowed to remain, coolly inquires
whether his presence and proclamation as Duke of Schles-
wig-Holstein do not remove any further occasion for the
execution. The Saxons and Hanoverians, together only
12,0(.1) in number, and obnoxious to a grave suspicion of
being quite untrustworthy were they called upon to act in
repression of Augustenburg pretensions and partisans, are
now stationed along the Schleswig frontier ; the Austrians
have got no further than Elmshorn, quite in the south-
west of Holstein, at a short distance from the Elbe; the
Prussians are at Lubeck and in that neighbourhood, and
have not yet entered Holstein. A glance at the map will show
you what a very large part of the Ducby is unoccupied by any
Federal force worth speaking of, and, consequently open for
the proceedings of the Augnstenburgers,who may there raise
troops, drill levies, and do much as they please. It is said
that the Prussians are to be marched in, but it remains to
be seen whether they will prove more disposed than the
Saxon and Hanoverians to oppose the illegalities and en-
croachments Augustenburg agitators.
It is also to be borne in mind, with reference to the pos-
sibility of any sudden attack upon Schleswig, that the Ger-
man portion of the Danish army is not to be relied upon,
or, better to speak, that it is almost certain to desert
its colours when the opportunity offers—perhaps to pass
over to the enemy, should it be arrayed against it. A
strong proof of this is to be found in what took place at Plon,
where an entire battalion of Holsteiners, 480 men strong.
refused to march into Schleswig. When threatened with
an attack from 3,000 Danes, they still remained defiant.
They had ball cartridge, and they had formed a plan to
throw themselves into Plon and to hold it until the Federal
troops came up. The military authorities appear to have
thought it prudent to yield, and to furnish the men with the
passports they demanded, granting them leave of absence,
in order that they might not, at a future time, be liable to
punishment as deserters. Having received those documents
the mutineers laid down their arms and departed to their

respective homes.
The Chamber of Deputies is to sit on Monday, but there
is nothing of particular interest in the order of the day. As
regards the loan, and notwithstanding the King's urgent'
eummons to the Chamber to grant it, there is chance of its
being obtained. A majority will, perhaps, be found to vote
the Prussian quota to the Fedoral expenditure for the exe-
cution, and also a grant for the defences of the Prussian
coasts. The first item would be but about a quarter of the
amount demanded by Government, and the Chamber, if it
grants it, will do so, not by way of authorization for a loan,
but will require that it, as well as the money for the coast
defences, should be taken out of the 20,000,000 thalers now
lying idle in the State Treasury.

RACING FIXTU:

[RES FOR 1864.
kRT.

JAN u.

Manchester
FEB
Harrow
Chelmsford Spring

1
LUARY.

Lincoln
Hungerford
,CH.

- - -
Meg
Nottingham Spring 1
Derby Spring
Liverpool
10
Shrewsbury
Doncaster Spring

Warwick Spring
Durham
Northampton
Catterick

- --- - _
APB
Croxton-park
Edinburgh Spring 6
1
Abergavenny
Thirsk 5
MA
Chester .. 3
York Spring
Salisbury l2
Bath
Ju:
Ascot, 7
Hampton l5
Newton
Odiham
Bibury
Ju
Newmarket July
Carlisle
Abingdon
Liverpool July
Pontefract .....•••.••• 14
Am
Bright on 2
Brighton Club
Lewes
Reading
Egham
Oxford .. ls
York August..... e .... 23

Epsom Spring ........
Newmarket Craven .• 11
Newmarket First Spring 25

Manchester ......
rarpenden ........
Epsom ............

NE.
Stockbridge
I Chelmsford.. 2B
Newcastle-on-Tyne
Worcest..r (Summer)
Ipswich ..
rLY.
Nottingham
stamford
Winchester l9
Southampton ..
I Goodwood
GU ST.
- -

Plymouth
Derby
Lichfield
StoAtcn
Devon and Exeter
Lichfield 3O

SEVTI
Weymouth 1
Warwick Septenibcr.. , 6
Leicester S
Doncaster
Brecon .. 19

!MBETt.
Richmond
Monmouth 22
Manchester Autumn
Ne,wmarketEirst October 27

Oen
Northallerton 6
Newmarket Second Oct lO
Novi
Shrewsbury Autunal

innn.
Gloucester ............ 18
Newmarket Houghton.. 24

.• 14

TILE NUMBER OF THE SPANISH ARMY for 186
has been fix,ed at 100,000 men.