The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-02 00:00:00

The Dano-German Correspondence.

Another portion (No. III.) of this correspondence
was published yesterday. It brings down the
despatches to Dec. 16, 1863, and includes no less
than 450 documents. The most interesting of the
series to the general public are those relating to the
mission of Lord Wodehouse to Berlin and Copen-
hagen. In a despatch, dated the Bth of March, Earl
Russell sends Lord Wodehouse the following in-
structions -

" It is not my purpose either to point out how
these engagements have been observrd or to affirm
that any of them have been violated. It will be for
the ministers of Austria and Prussia to make their
complaints on this head. It is the desire of her
Majesty's Government to see these questions sub-
mitted to a calm examination by the non-German
Powers.

"You will accordingly communicate the views of
her Majesty's bovernmer.t to the Ministers of
France, Russia, and Sweden, and you will endea-
vour to make your joint representations to the
Danish Government conformable in substance, if
not identio in terms.

" The result to be arrived at is the fulfilment of
the treaty of May 8, 1852, and of the engagements
entered into by Austria, Prussia, and Denmark in
1861-52. The mode of arriving at that result can-
not be laid down. Patience and impartiality on
the part of the great Powers will conduce greatly
to that end, and will contribute in the same propor-
tion to the maintenance of the peace of Europe."
In a despatch, dated December 1, 1863, Lord
Wodehouse gives an account of an interview he had
with Herr 'Von Bismarck. After alluding to some
minor points, he narrates the following converse-

Lon :

" de Bismarck said that the demands of Ger-
many were the same as they had always been—
namely, that Denmark should fulfil her engagement
not, to incorporate Schleswig with the kingdom,
and to grant a common constitution in which
Holstein, Schleswig, and Lauenburg should enjoy
equal rights with the kingdom. I replied that her
Majesty's Government a ere persuaded that it was
hope:ess to enter into a discussion as to the common
constitution. The last eleven years had been passed
in fruitless attempts to reconcile the German with
the Danish views of what constituted equal rights.
Was it probable that the Dines would ever submit
to give the inhabitants of the Duchies, who were a
minority, the same number of members in a common
parliament as the Danes, who were the majority ?
Would such an arrangement be consistent with
fairness or justice ? M. de Bismarck said that the
Danes would not have a fair equality of members
with the Germans, because there were a larger
number of Danes in Schleswig, who would no doubt
return Danish members. His excelleucy developed
at much length his views as to the common consti•
tution, but I cannot say I heard from him anything
which has not been repeated over and ovar again in
these interminable discussions, I still pressed him
to state some other alternative, but he said this was
for the Danes, and not the Germans, to propose.

" I then asked him what the Germin Powers re-
quired as to the constitution recently signed by the
King of Denmark. Upon this point ho said there
could be no compromise. The constitution must be
declared before January 1 to be inapplicable to
Schleswig, otherwise the German Powers would
hold themselves released from all their engagements
to Denmark, including the treaty of 1852. They
could not be satisfied with the mere postponement
for the present of the meeting of the new Itigsraad.
"I said that I supposed that he would be satisfied
if the King issued a declaration that the constitution
could not be carried into effect as regards Schleswig.
It might be necessary, if the question was not con-
cluded by the existing Rigsraad, which expired at
the end.of the year, to call together the new Rigs-
read, by which alone the law could then be altered.
" His excellency said, provided Schleswig was
exempted from the oFeration of the law by some act
done by the King before January 1, when the new
constitution came into force, he did not care by what
assembly the law was ultimately abrogated. How-
ever, it would, he was convinced, be necessary for
the King of Denmark to dismiss his present minis-
ters ; a coup d'etat would be the best solution of the
difficulty. The fact was that Germany would never
be on good terms with Denmark as long as the
present democratic institutions of Denmark were
maintained.

"I said I regretted to hear this language, which
amounted to a declaration that the German Go-
vernments were really about to interfere to change
the domestic institutions of an independent mo-
narchy, and I pointed out strongly to M. de Bis-
marck the danger which the German governments
ran of exciting revolution at home by lending them-
selves to the designs of the Schleswig-Holstein
party. Nothing, I said, could justify the conduct of
the Prince of Augustenburg.
" I concluded the conversation, which was oon •
ducted with the utmost courtesy by M. de Bismarck,
by requesting that he would give me a memorandum
of the demands of the German powers. M. de Bis-
marck readily consented to this, and a memorandum
was accordingly drawn up (of which I enclose a
copy), and which it was agreed, if approved by the
King and the Austrian Minister, should be initialled
by M. de Bismarck, Count Karolyi, and her Ma-
jesty's ambassador.
" The following is the memorandum :
" The Austrian and Prussian governments require
that the Danish government shall carry out the
engagements entered into by Denmark in 1851.52;
so that, apart from the Federal ties which concern
only Holstein, Schleswig shall not be more closely
connected with the kingdom of Denmark than Hol-

stein.
"They therefore consider that the Constitution of
Nov. 18, 1863, is a violation of the engagements of
Denmark, and they rcquiro that measures shall be
taken, before January 1, by the Danish government
to prevent that constitution from being carried into
effect as regards Schlea
" When such measures shall have been taken,
they expect to receiva from Denmark propositions
as to the manner in which the engagements of
1851.52 aro to ba fulfilled."

ISECOND EDITION.

SUN OFFICE, HALF-PAST 4 O'CLOCK.

ROME.

MARSEILLES, Feb. I.—Letters from Rome of the
27th announce that the duty on flour has been
abolished by a Papal edict, A captain the Ponti-
fical Gendarmery, who had advanced beyond the
frontier, has been arrested. Fifteen persons have
been taken into custody at Rome, in consequence of
the murder of two clerks of a money-changer.