The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-01 00:00:00

GERMANY AND DENMARK.

COPENHA► GN, Jan. 25.

The following is a textual translation of the speech
of Bishop Monrad, the President of the Council, at
the Landsthing (Upper House of the Rigsdag)

I assume that you are acquainted with what I have al
ready said upon this question in another place (the Folks-
thing, or Lower House of the Rigsdag). I shall therefore
confine myself principally to representing the political posi-
tion which the Government is forced to take up, and that
so clearly and definitely that no doubt can be entertained.
A political position is mainly determined by the political
questions which exist. We are therefore properly con-
cerned neither with past nor future events, but only with
those lying before us in the immediate present.
Gentlemen, you will admit that a certain settle.
meat of the relations of the State was announced in the
proclamation of January 28, 1852, and that certain nego-
tiations and assurances preceded that proclamation, which
in their entirety constitute what may, perhaps, be briefly
termed the agreements of 1851-2. I shall not go in more de-
tail at present into the form of those assurances, but shall
simply confine myself to their consideration as they now
exist. I believe we must all admit—l, at least, have not
heard it controverted—that the present existing settlement
of State relations does not correspond with the bases upon
which the arrangements of 1851-2 were founded ; but we
are certainly, at the same time, all of opinion that the fault
of this deviation does not lie with the Danish Government,
but with the German Confederation, which has forced Hol-
stein from its connection with the other portions of the mo-
narchy. We are also probably all more or less of opinion
that the presumption has been violated upon which the en-
tire organisation was based—as plainly and distinctly laid
down by the man who conducted these negotiations
(Bliahme). This presumption was that the Germanic Con-
federation would confine itself strictly within the limits of its
territorial competence. The question may, therefore, arise
how far the agreements may be regarded as binding upon
us. This is the specially vital political question of the day
—in how far we, for our parts, are forced to regard these
agreements as binding. I admit that they contain certain
obligations for the Danish Government, upon which I need
net now dilate ; but I maintain that they als3 contain certain
rights for the Danish Government, viz., that no such State
as Schleswig-Holstein shall exist. When, therefore. an hon.
member expresses his conviction that the German Govern-
ments intend to create a State of Schleswig-Holstein, I re-
ply that our best safeguards against such a course are the
agreements of 1851.2; for, although they contain certain
obligations binding upon us, they include at the same time a
strong protection against the establishment of a Schleswig-
Holstein State. In the present position of affairs, therefore,
his Majesty's Government recognises the agreements of 1851
52 in their full extent in regard to the obligations they entail
and the rights they confer; for the two things, rights and
duties,hang together. It is impossible to release ourselvestrom
the one without giving up the other. I hope this will be re-
garded as so clear an expression of opinion that no further
doubt upon the subject can arise. But, it is said " Should
war occur, will the agreements then be recognized as bind-
ing?" I might reply that it is difficult to look so far into
the future. 1 might say that the events of the day—the
events, indeed, of every day—entail the necessity of form-
ing such important resolutions that we may well be justified
in leaving the solution to the future. It has also been said,
" When war is undertaken we ought to know for what wo
are about to fight." I will tell you, gentlemen, for what
we are about to fight. We are about to fight to prevent a
foreign Power forcing itself into Schleswig; we are about
to fight to expel those from the province who intrude into
it. But, gentlempn, you will, perhaps, ask further,—.. If
war is commenced, what settlement is intended to be intro-
duced!'" To that I reply—Tell me what will be the result
of the war—tell me in what position we shall stand when
war is concluded, and I shall then be able to inform you
what settlement may be attained. Nut even a powerful na-
tion can say at the comencement of a war what settlement
the result will render necessary, and just prior to the out-
break of hostilities it would be only empty words and hollow
phrases to declare, "Such or such is the programme for
which we fight." The programme, I maintain, we have
to follow simply, clearly, and without evasion, is this,—not
to allow a single German soldier to pass the Eider without
offering the best resistance in our power, and to use every
effort to expel from Schleswig all who shall venture to
intrud.

A letter from Altona gives the following descrip
tio❑ of the Danncwerke :

Altona, Jan. 26.
If the Prussian and Austrian troops at the present time
really enter Schleswig,and if matters should not be arranged
either by a secret understanding with the Danish Govern-
ment or the voluntary retreat of the Danish forces, the
Dannewerke, so well known in the war of 1848, would be
the point where the first blow must be struck. The capture
of this renowned stronghold will not be so easy a matter for
the German troops now as then, as since 1861, in anticipa-
tion of coming troubles, the fortress has been tamed into a
very strong intrenched position, which in the opinion of
competent judges has but few equals. It may not, there-
fore, be uninteresting, considering the events which will
probably shortly transpire in that quarter, to give a slight
sketch of the additional defences which have been con-
structed by the Danes. Originally constructed by the Semi-
ramis of the North, Queen Margaret, and, as some say, even
earlier, the Dannewerke orginally extended from Helling-
stadt to the Selker Noer of Bustorf, and consisted of a
simple rampart, sweeping inwards with a moat in front in
a sharp angle of the Thyraburg, a hill, which has long dis-
appeared, in the neighbourhood of the village of Hansbye.
The object of this fortification was to protect the town of
Schleswig, which is situated at the head of the Schlei,
against an attack from the southward; and at that time
the Schlei, a perfectly impassable swamp, formed a part of
the fortification. This fortification was extended by in-
cluding the whole bay, more than six German miles, while
the rampart had ()illy been of a length of two German miles.
The weak point of this position was on the west side, where
towards the open country it was unfortified, and could
therefore easily be assaulted in the rear. In this direction
the only defence was a broad, swift stream with a swampy
bed—the Treene, which, however, offered but a trting ob-
stacle to a determined enemy. In 1848 the so -called ram-
part consisted only of a continuous hilly elevation of the
ground, with a depression in front, denoting where formerly
had been the moat, and hence it was that the German
troops were able to take it at the first attack. The p rincipal
combat took place on the heights surrounding the town of
Schleswig, where the village of Bustorf formed a kind of
suburb. On that day a trifling skirmish took place at the
only ford over the Schlei, at Missunde, where a few com-
panies of Schleswig-Holstoiners forced a passage across the
ford under Aldosser and Von der Tann, whereby the Danes
were compelled to retreat earlier than they otherwise would
have done. At the present time the nature of the forti-
fications is entirely changed. Since 1850 the attention of
the Danes has been directed to strengthening the Danne-
werke, and they have chiefly endeavoured to fortify the
weak point on the river Treene, and oppose sufficient ob-
stacles to another attack from tho rear. To achieve their
object they took possession of the town of Frederickstadt,
where the above-named river falls into the Eider. This
place they fortified, and, as well known, the Schleswig-
Holsteiners at the close of 1850 vainly endeavoured to take
it by assault. A: present, Frederickstadt, with the tete de-
pent on the Holstein bank of the Eider, forms, on account of
its swampy situation, and uncommonly strong point, since
the passage over the Eider is completely commended on
this side, and it could only be reduced by a regular and
very difficult siege. Even supposing an enemy were to
pass the Treene either above or below Frederickstadt, two
German miles beyond Schleswig, is cut up by canals and
water courses, which can all be filled by opening 14 sluices
arranged for that purpose in the Treene. The few dams
which form the means of communication in this extensive
system of inundation works are, in addition, commanded at
all fitting points by intrenchments and larger works as far
as Hellingstadt. At the commencement of the town of
Schleswig, on the heighta rising from the main land, a series
of powerful batterios,armed with guns of the heaviest calibre,