The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-09 00:00:00

THE BALTIC.

A telegraphic despatch from Berlin, dated last
evening, states. that Prussia has forbidden the ex-
...port of ammunition. .
The. French fleet, 22 strong, passed Rugen on
the 4th, steering north-east. 1

According to the Invalide Busse, the English
fleet had been inactive up to the 28th.
KIEL, JUNE s.—The French first-class frigate
Semillante, 50, Captain du Brossais, has returned
to this port from the squadron, and anchored
under the heights of Bellevue, between the Breslau
90, and the frigate Vengeance. This morning the
French steam-corvettes, Milan, 4, and Souifieur, 4,
left the harbour for the fleet, having coaled and
watered. The Russian merchant schooner which
escaped the vigilance of the English cruisers, and
arrived here about a fortnight ago, has been sold
to a shipowner of this place, but will probably have
to remain in port during the whole of the war, for
it has been notified to him that the French Go-
vernment does not recognise any transfer of
enemy's property made after the commencement
of hostilities, and if the vessel is taken at sea she
will undoubtedly be condemned as a legal prize.
COPENHAGEN, June 3.—Letters and papers from
Stockholm bring a number of details respecting
the affair at Eckness. The luss of the Russians is
estimated at 500 killed and wounded. The ex-
ploit of the Hecla, Captain Hall, was so much
the more brilliant, as she only carries six guns,
and had two batteries against her. After silencing
them, Captain Hall landed, spiked the cannon,
with the exception of three, which he took on
board as trophies, and returned down the fiord
with a prize-ship, in company with the Arrogant,
Captain Yelverton. Not a shot was fired at them
as they sailed out to sea. And yet this shameful
defeat by so inferior a force has been represented by
the Russian journals as a glorious victory, and the
general in command has been promoted. The Eng-
lish had three killed and five wounded. Among the
Russians who fell was an officer of high rank, who
was shot, together with the horse on which he rode.
The Hecla is nor lying at Stockholm (that is, at
Vaxholm), and its crew are the lions of the Swedish
capital. Everybody admires their gallantry. Cap-
tain Hall is already famous from his expeditions
against the Chinese pirates, but his prudence and
coolness at Eckness have gained him fresh laurels.
He stood during the whole combat on the paddle-
bridge, giving his orders with the same self-posses-
sion as if it had been a parade, although the balls
were whizzing around him. The first-lieutenant
of the Hecla, who was wounded below the eye,
has been left for medical care at Stockholm. The
report that 50 English sailors had been lost by
an attack from Russian sharpshooters, near Eck-
ness, turns out to be a fable. Gustafsvarn has been
strengthened by the Russians with fresh troops and
batteries. A number of Finnish sailors have deserted
from the Russian gunboats. They have been taken
on board the admiral's ship, and have petitioned Sir
Charles to be allowed to fight against the Musco-
vite for the liberty of their country. There is
great liveliness at Farey Sound, where a large
number of colliers are gradually arriving from
England. The Basilisk and Driver have taken in
provisions for the fleet. The Finnish authorities
have instructed the shipowners not to sell their
vessels, as they have made arrangements by which
they can immediately procure registration and
full papers, as Prussian traders or Hamburg
skippers, while at the same time they will re-
main Russian subjects. The harbours may be
blockaded, but the country harbours are
not so easily watched ; they are therefore to
apply for Prussian documents. This game is al-
ready in operation, and many a prize has been
given up by our cruisers in consequence. But it
is to be hoped that our Government will imme-
diately put a stop to this system. It has been
announced in Finland that every person found
guilty of holding any intercourse with the enemy
will be shot. All persons refusing to take the new
Finnish assignats will be severely punished. All
the better class are flying from St. Petersburg.
They fear the troops now arriving—wild Cossacks
and bandits.

NORWAY.
A letter from Christiania of the 30th ult., in the
Cologne Gazette, says :—" In this country also a
good deal of movement is beginning to take place.
111 all directions troops are to be met with, and all
'the steamers are busied in taking them on board.
Troops are to be moved' from this place and others
to the marshes of Finland, and it is said that a bill
is to be presented to the Storthing for a now levy
of troops. I can affirm to you that the Norwegians,
though not over-anxious for war, would march
with pleasure against the Russians."

LEAGUE IN DENMARK TO MAINTAIN
THE CONSTITUTION.—EXHIBITION OF
POPULAR FEELING.
We extract the following from a letter from Co-
penhagen of Juno 4 :—" To-morrow morning,
being the anniversay of the promulgation of the
Danish constitution an important document will
be published—nothing less than an invitation for
the formation of a league or association for the
protection of the fundamental law or constitution
of the monarchy. The draught is already signed
by the following influential gentlemen :—MM.
Bonnesen, manufacturer ; C. A. Broberg, mer-
chant; Brock, barrister of the Supreme Court ;
M. Hammerich, professor ; H. P. Hansen, mer-
chant and bank director; J. C. Jacobsen, brewer ;
and M. G. Melchior, merchant. The promoters
invite their fellow-citizens, of every rank, and
throughout the country, to join them in forming
an association for the protection of the fundamental
law of the kingdom. Every member signing the
deed will engage tocontribute a yearly subscription
to the funds of the association. In their address
the promoters say :
"We are induced to publish this invitation in conse-
quence of the unsatisfactory result of the negotiations of
the last Diet. The manner in which the government
endeavoured to carry out the constitution for the whole
Danish monarchy granted by his Majesty and promul-
gated by the royal decree of the 28th January, 1852,
has been hitherto so very far from giving a favourable
solution of the problem, that there is every reason to
fear it may eventually lead to fresh complications, and
not impossibly to an ultimate dismemberment of the
different integral parts of the kingdom. We are there-
fore inclined to believe that the difference of opinion
which exists between the responsible ministers of the
crown and the constitutionally elected legal representa-
tives of the people, as to the mode of settling this im-
portant question, is of a nature to eall forth the most
serious and well-grounded apprehensions for the future
in the minds of all true and loyal Danish men, lovers of
their country and of liberty."
Further on they say :
" It appears to us of the greatest importance to invite
all good and true Danish men to unite themselves firmly,
in the noble cause of defending the fundamental law from
any direct or indirect attack. The legitimate ways and
means for such a defence, are contained in the funda-
mental law itself, and the people are not only allowed,
but enjoined, to make full use of these constitutional
means. The only thing to take care of is to insure the
needful peace and order, and the organisation of a power-
ful executive organ, to demonstrate and enforce the will
of the people. This can be effected by the formation of
the association we propose to found. It will become
the central point around which all good subjects can
rally, to carry out by speech and writing the objects
in view, and to awaken in the minds of the multi-
tude a lively knowledge, not only of the vast bles-
sings of a free constitution, but also of the duties
incumbent on a free people, both as regards their
power and privileges at the elections for the National
Diet, and in supporting the efficacy of that body of re-
presentatives of the people. Both of these have been
hitherto very much neglected. The central committee
must necessarily have its seat in the capital, where the
Diet (Reichsd ig) is also convened ; provincial com-
mittees can be formed in those parts of the monarchy,
where independent and patriotic Danes see the import-
ance of such branches, and are willing to place them-
selves at the head of the movement to secure the objects
in view. It is not by revolutionary convulsions, but by
the most perfect confidence and unanimity between the
Sovereign and the people that our fatherland has arrived
at the happy state of numbering itself among the free
and civilised countries of Europe. But, in order to pre-
serve intact the benefits granted us by our free constitu-
tution, it becomes doubly needful to keep a watchful
and jealous eye on any attempts to undermine it. This
is our duty to ourselves and all succeeding generations."
The document by which the Minister of Justice
empowers the Fiscal-General to prosecute a num-
ber of opposition newspapers, is published now in
the Departements-Tyding. It states that the re-
presentations made by the Diet to the King to
dismiss his ministers is an offence of a very grave
nature, and appears to inculcate the doctrine that
the King and his ministers are so closely identified,
that any offence to the former is an offence to the
latter. This is for the Danes rather a striking and
original view to take of it, and it remains to be
seen whether the courts of justice will confirm this
new idea of constitutional government. All the
interest of the capital is concentrated in the forth-
coming festival to-morrow, in celebration of the
constitution, and nothing else is talked of to-day.
It is hoped that no outbreak of popular feeling,
beyond a legitimate demonstration of public
opinion, will take place. A large body of troops
has been concentrated at Copenhagen. The direc-
tor of the police has just published an order for-
bidding the procession through tLe streets, with
music and flags, to take place before 4 p.m. to-
morrow, on account of its being Whit-Sunday.
We have already learnt by telegraph that the de.