The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-10 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF LORDS— Last Evening,
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat upon the wools ack
at five o'clock.

HER MAJESTY'S ANSWER TO THE ADDRESS,
Lord SYDNEY brought up and read her Majesty's ans' we;
to the address on the occasion of the assembling of Parlia-
ment. Her Majesty thanked their lordships for their
affectionate expressions with respect to her family, rand
assured them her most ardent wish was the prosperity of
her people.
THE DANO- GERMAN DIFFICULTY.
The Earl of MALMESBURY said he had given notice to
the noble earl the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, by private
note, of his intention of putting some questions relative to
the state of affairs in Denmark. The noble earl having
referred to the state of affairs of this nature when he was
in office, went on to remark upon the arrange-
went which had been entered into some years ago with
the Duke of Augustenburg by which he received a
sum of money amounting to about £350,000 English
on the understanding that he would never interfere with the
succession in Danmark. The instalments had been regularly
paid, and he had never heard the arrangement called into
question. As the arrangement was entered into with the
father of the present Duke of Augustenburg—when he (the
son) was 24 years of age he did not see that it could
be said that he was not aware of the stipulation. Had he
protested or objected, the arrangement could never have
been carried out, and he (the noble earl) did not see on what
point of honour the present Duke of Augustenburg could
justify the present proceedings that were being carried
on in his name. The questions he wished to ask was
whether her Majesty's Government had obtained
any material guarantee from Austria and Prussia,
that as soon as the November Constitution was with-
drawn they would consent to evacuate Schleswig, and
whether the parties to that treaty considered their oblige.
tions invalidated by the outbreak of the war.

Earl RUSSELL said her Majesty's Government had re-
ceived no such guarantee from either Austria or Prussia,
and with reference to the second question he could not
consider that the treaty could be in any way abrogated
by the outbreak of tho war, so far as regards the different
Powers. It was quite impossible that the treaty
made with France, Great Britain, Russia, and Sweden,
could be abrogated, as regards those Powers, by a state
of war between Austria and Prussia on the one aide
and Denmark on the other. (Hear, hear.) Every ana-
logy and principle militated against that doctrine, and ari
illustration of its invalidity was supported by what took
place with regard to the treaty between the Porte and the
European Powers in 1841 as to the closing of the Darda-
nelles, That treaty was not held to be abrogated because
the Porte and one of those Powers had gone to war, and the
case was precisely analogous with the present. As, how-
ever, he understood the answer given by Austria and
Prussia to representations on the subject, that answer ad-
mitted the obligations of the treaty on all the Powers.
When that answer was given no act of war had occurred,
but it was well known that the Danes were prepared to
resist the entrance of the Austrian and Prussian troops into
Schleswig, and it would be frivolous to say that a state of
war, which was foreseen when the admissions was made
one day, should, when it broke out the next day, invalidate
and set aside that admission. (Hear, hear.) It was said
that if Denmark should refuse acquiescence in the just de-
mands of Austria and Prussia, those rowels would then be
released from their obligations; but he did not admit that
view. Even in the contingency referred to, Austria and
Prussia would be bound by the engagements of the Treaty
of London-.bound to respect and maintain the integrity of
the Danish kingdom. (Hear, hear.) That he considered
the real sense of the declarations of Austria and Prussia,
and those were the opinions of her Majesty's Government
with respect to that treaty.
The Earl of DERBY considered the answer of the noble
earl to be so far satisfactory. No guarantee had, it appeared,
been obtained from Austria and Prussia ; but nothing had
been said as to our Government having pressed for such e;
guarantee.