The Sun.
London, England, 1808-02-04 00:00:00

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(PRICE SIXPINCE.

terrUptien s,of the good understanding with Great
Britain issewas' it possible to suppose, that *hen a
third of the commercial property of Denmark 'as
in our hands, the Danish Government meditated'
hostility against us ? Such a thing was incredible.
But it was said, that though Denmark hersslf •
might entertain no hostile disposition against t
Britain, she was likely soon to be forced into a slate
of hostility, and that, therefore, we were justified
in seizing her marine, without any previous notice'
to Denmark, and without atiy previous benaviour
on her part to provoke us to that seizure:7-1f our .
cond4 could• be at all justified on this ground,
it tuuft be on the necessity of anticipating the
views of the Enemy with regard to the Deriish Fleet.
No writer on the Law of Nations, or on any other •
law, or on common justice, had ever tuaintaitied that
one Power could, be justified in taking from another.'
what belonged to it, unless a third Power meant,
and was able to take -the same thing. The justifies-
tiee. of this step, therefore, must rest on the necessity
of it, which would &pond en thtse eit•cumstances
'the weakness of Denmark, or her indisposition to re-
sist compulsion, the strength of her enemy, and the
certainty that she must yield to its. fort'',-:,k,lvary
shadow of proof that- Denmark must hare Aided to
a hostile Confederacy was out of theca,e. It war
necessary to inquire .what were 'the .nissirts which
France possessed of accomplishireg her abject. One
of his Resolutions went tu ascertain what intbrmatioa,
his Majesty's Ministers had received respettieg the •
power that France possessed of seizinealie Danish
Navy. If hie Majesty's Ministers k new' the intentions
of France on this subjea, surely they were not .so
negligent as tobinit othinforming themselves of her
power to carry those intentions into execution. What
Was the relative situation of the two countries? At the
tirrit, that Admiral Gambier sailed a great part of the
Danisharmywas encamped in Holstein; aconsiderable
French force:was also in thesame place. Thithdisposi-
tion of the two armies skewed, no intention in Den.
mark to yield to France. Heti she.enttrtained such
an intention, she would not adVance a force against-
a Freoch force. The question teen came to be,' Was
the French force sufficient " to induce or couepel"
(such were the terms of his Majesty's alciaration)
Denmark to-yield to the views et France ? In his
opinion it was utterly insutlicient. Let the Hutive
consider the simation of Denrisark. She posseised
considerable .countries on . the main. Continent .of
Europe : but she had still moreevaluables posseetions
in Norway, the Danish Islands (on one of which her
capital was situated), and considerable foreign colo.
nies. Had France,. therefore, required Denmark to
give' up her fleet, that it might be employed against
Great Britain, what would Denmark hava'answered ?
r" No,' you have no right `to make such a demand ;
It is' a manifest usurpation on your part ; .if you
make me choose between hostility with England and
hostility with Franee, I prefer the lattsei for, it I
quarrel with England, England can take from me
all my foreign possessions; she c,:in injure my. ma•
rine, and employ Sweden to attack ,tie in Nbrwey.
It is, therefore, better for me to keep that which you
cannot take from me, than to. sacrifice it by a war
With England." This would have lken the conduit
of Dentnalik, if the rashness and precipitation of his
Majesty's Ministers bad not forced her into hostility
against Great Britatn. -Were it asked, when we pro-
posed to her to surrender her fleet to us, and to mains
tain her alliance with us; why did not she tiecedsi to that
proposal, he would answer, that we had never made
any proposal to Denmark which it waS possible for
an independent State to accept. If, in private
life, a similar proposal hatch- been made to any Gen-
tleman of that House, would it not have been cotisi-
dered an insult ? What did we say to the Danes ;he-
" Enter into an alliance with es—declare yourselves
against: France, and.sremain. united to England—but
first we limit deprive yousof your power ; tier we
have so little confidence in your pod faith, that we
will
.conclude no treaty with you until you are dis-
pesseased of the means of infringing it. Saryou
are, not worthy of credence; ratify' •your own le..
proach, and we will allow you to be our,friends."
To such a proposition nothing but absolute conquest
could ever Make a nation submit.' But what means
did )France possess, of compelling Denmark tojoin the
hostile Confederacy against England, if she were not
inclined to 'do so'? It had been said, that France,
having taken Jutland and • Holstein, might have
marched an army across the Great Belt, when frozen,
and have seized the Daiii,h,Flect. He had con-
sulted books, and other authentic sources of infer-
illation on the'snhie6t, and he did not find that any
considerable force had pasied the Great Belt on the
ice for above. iso years.it had rarely happened
that even individuals had:been enabled to cross
in that manner. It N'ai well 'known that the cold
in most Of the European 'State is was not' now Aviiat
it had heel]. The draining of morasses, ..the cut-
ting- of forests, and the general cultivation and
improvement of countries had made great alters-
tious in their climates, se that not only bad no troops
pissed the Great Belt on time ice during the
years, but during the last (io, years no iristAise :had
occurred in Which that arm of the sea had been 'so
bound up by frost that a General ventuss
ed to march an army across it. But even had ihso
chanced' that a very hard frost had suggested to the
French the idea of ntatehing across the Bet, what
would have been the consequence .? •A
Noble Lord
had stated theother evening, there svere ae,otto roops
in Zealand; certainly there were 30,en0 in Holes:lei
this amounted to 6J,0p0 Dines. The Swedes were
their allies, and so were we ; and was it posseee
France could have got a force eve* the Great Belt in
spite of the Danish, Seedtili, andifritisli threes-unit-
ed ? Had the Belt not been frozen over the French
would have had ne chance of geteng into
Thteatties themselves could ire feskept them ont, and
theretere to imegine the coututaff.; Dattishf Swedish,
and British nyarine cuuld'As'otiltave prevented ti
would be most childlibly abstird. As it was material
to know what were the means which France Pc $ ess-