The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-21 00:00:00

THE BALTIC.

COPENHAGEN, April 20. —The Alban left our
Roads this afternoon to pilot five French ships
through the Belt to Copenhagen. -
By the< new captures the number of -Russian
vessels taken has been increased to ten. ,

COPEgIIAGEN, April 17.—The Triinine frigate,
Captain Carnegie, arrived here yesterday afternoon
with 65 to 70 prisoners taken from the Russian and
Finnish merchant vessels captured. One vessel
was captured off. Dago Island, four between Goth-
land and Riga, and another near Bornholm ; all of
them Finnishiships. The first was taken on the 9 th,a
couple more on the 11th, and the remainder on the
13th inst. The cargoes • consisted principally of
salt, olive oil, and a little wine. The crews are
exceedingly fine-looking men. The Tribune passed
the fleet on its way to Guttski Sound, near the
Fare Islands. There was still some ice in the Gulf
of Finland, but not enough to interfere with• the
cruising off the frigates watching the Russian move-
ments.

HAMBURG, April 17.—The British Minister at
Copenhagen has just announced officially to the
Government that Sir Charles Napier,. having en-
tered the Baltic, has orders to employ 'all necessary
means for enforcing a strict and effective blockade
of the Russian ports in that sea, and in the Gulf of
Finland.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs has announced
this important fact to the mercantile eminnunity,
recommending them to avoid tile dangers to which
they would be exposed by infringing the regulations
established by the British Admiral.
More than once statements have bean made that
all was not right with King Oscar's declaration of
neutrality, and that a secret clause only permitted
four armed ships at once to visit any fortified
Swedo-Norwegian harbour. These statements
however were considered exaggerated. It was
thought impossible that ' the son should re-
peat the crime committed by • his father,
namely, sell Finland. to Sweden's enemy for
money. It now appears that this shameful accu-
sation is true. Besides the Swedo•Norwegiaii-
Danish declaration of neutrality—issued with such
cowardly haste, and so decidedly favourable to
Russia, but which was at once and magnanimously
acknowledged by the Western Powers—a-secret
agreement has been entered into with Russia, by
which an obsolete enactment, forbidding more than
four ships at once to enter a harbour, has been
restored, and the sate g extended also to Norway.
This act is not only base treachery to England
and France, but it is illegal in Sweden, and doubly
so in Norway. It treats the Swedish Parliament
with contempt butrit *lees- more for Norway—it
treats that whole country as a mere province of
Sweden. Tile manner of execaiting this notable
manoeuvre has been as 'mean as the trick itself.
There has been a regular shuffle of cards. The very
Norwegian-Ministry has been duped and deceived.
All this-has of course excited great alarm in Chris-
tiania. Fortunately the Parliament is sitting, and
this has saved Norway and the North from ruin.
Ilarbitz, the president of the Storthing, deter-
mined to-ascertain the truth of the rumours he had
heard, and applied to the,members of the Norwe-
gian Cabinet for information. It now 'became evi-
dent that the illegal engageMent had been entered
into, and that the necessary orders had been sent
to the commandants of the several ports and for-
tresses, among the rest to Christiansand and Flek-
kero; although these two harbours were not even
mentioned in the declaration of neutrality. On
these facts being thus ascertained, the Norwegian
Parliament hold a secret meeting on Saturday, the
Bth, when Ueland brought the is hole affair under
discussion. This meeting was adjourned till the fol-
lowing Monday, when Ueland demanded that •the
house should summon before it in private State-
Couucillor Bloch, through whom the obnoxious Ji
orders had been given. After six hours of stormy
debate, a majority of 54 to 52 decided that the
question should be again adjourned till the
fourth day in Easter. The large minority;minority;was
entirely of the opinion of the majority as to the
facts, but they would give more time, for on the
preceding Saturday the Norwegian Ministry
itself had petitioned his Majesty for a satisfac-
tory explanation of this mysterious circumstance.
The Western Powers must act in this case'with
energy and rapidity. All these •crowned slaves
of Russia must be comp,llecl to declare them-
selves. Prince Oscar has visited Carlskrona.
After examining the arsenals, docks, &c., in com-
pany - with the Belgian Minister (Beaulieu),
he repaired to the -fortress of Kingsimolnien.
Major-General von Essen has been sent out
on a secret mission to Vienna. Time public
g
is told that he is to congratulate the
Emperor on his apigoaaing marria e. T 124 ,