The Sun.
London, England, 1834-05-05 00:00:00

LONDIp N, 310 A DAY EVENEM3I, 31 t Y 6, 1834.

THE DANISH CLAIMS.

( From the Edinburgh Advertiser.)
We observe that Mr. Parker, member for Sheffield,
has fixed Monday the 6th inst. for bringing before
parliament the claims for compensation due to those
British merchants whose property at Copenhagen was
confiscated by the Danish government upwards of six-
and-twenty years ago. The history of this transaction
is shortly as follows :—ln 1807, when Bonaparte
had nearly laid prostrate the liberties of all Europe—
inveigled several of the Continental Powers into a dis-
graceful alliance against us—and even threatened
Great Britain, if not with actual invasion, at least with
certain ruin by excluding her commerce from foreign
ports, it will be recollected that the government of
this country found it necessary to adopt active mea-
sures for frustrating the insidious plans of the enemy.
For this purpose a secret expedition, commanded by
Lord Cathcart, Admiral Gambier, and the Duke of
Wellington, then Sir Arthur Wellesley, was despatched
in the month of August that year, to seize the Danish
fleet off Copenhagen, as it was understood that Bona-
parte intended to employ it ," among the other means
and resources of the countries which he possessed, for
effecting the subjugation of this kingdom." Of this
determination of the French usurper, it was stated at
the time, that his British Majesty had received " the
most positive information ;" and it was upon'this as-
surance that the projectors of the enterprise vindicated
the harsh measure of capturing the fleet of a neutral
state in a time of peace, and without aggression or pro-
vocation on their part. This extraordinary step it is
not our business here either to justify or condemn. The
result of the expedition is well known. The Danes
refused at first to surrender, and by way of reprisal
ordered the seizure of British ships and property.
After a bombardment of four days, during which 500
houses in Copenhagen were laid in ruins, it was
agreed on the part of the Danish government that all
the ships of war, viz., sixteen sail of the line and fifteen
frigates, with the naval stores belonging to the King
should be delivered up to the associated commanders ;
that the citadel should be occupied by a British
garrison until the removal of the vessels ; and that the
sequestrated British property should be restored to
the owners.

Among the names that guaranteed these articles of
capitulation stands that of the illustrious Duke already
mentioned. That clause of the agreement, however,
respecting the restoration of British property was vio-
lated by the Danish government ; and the proceeds of
the sequestrated estates was paid into the Royal
Treasury at Copenhagen. The British merchants
immediately made a representation of their case to
their own government, who had expressly declared that
the original sentence of confiscation was wholly at va-
riance with the law of nations, and promised that their
claims should be duly considered in the event of a de-
finitive treaty of peace. The application was renewed
in 1809, but the unsettled state of the Continent was
urged as a reason for not then pressing on the Danish
Government the necessity of paying the claimants.
Various subsequent representations were made without
effect ; and when at last peace was definitively con-
cluded, the claims of the merchants were entirely
overlooked, and not a word was inserted even recog-
nising their right to compensation. In this state of
vexatious delay the affair has been allowed to remain;
nor has any succeeding Ministry, up to the present,
taken a single step to obtain a settlement. In June
last year the question was brought before the House
of Commons by Mr Parker, when every member pre-
sent, with one exception, (Mr. Cobbett) bore testimony
to the imperative justice of the Danish claims, and the
urgency of obtaining •an immediate liquidation. It
was stated by Mr. Philips and Mr. Strickland, that
1,200,0001., the proceeds of these seizures, had been
received by the British Government as payment for
the confiscated property, which was said to be nearly
ten times more than its original value. This is an
important fact, as it shows that the merchants, who
have been so unworthily used, are not only making no
demands inconsistent with justice, but only asking a
small portion of the sum that had already been paid
over to the British Government on their account.
The Danish claimants have as good a right to be con-
sidered national creditors as any whose names stand
recorded in the Bank books ; they are entitled to the
same protection and advantages which the then public
creditors possessed, who have received their interest
half yearly, and whose Stock has arisen from 60 to 90
besides being now paid in a metallic currency, while
their debt was contracted in a paper one.
A clearer case of hardship and ill-treatment never
was established. We see here industrious British
subjects exposed to serious loss in consequence of a
hostile measure deemed at the time essential for the
preservation of the country ; the nation, moreover, has
for many years reaped the benefit of these seizures, by
being put in possession of a large sum for their reim-
bursement. What the Reformed Parliament may do
we cannot tell, but after so strong a claim has been
made out, it is impossible that any Administration can
be so deaf to the calls of justice and honour as to re-
fuse compensation, or protract for a single day longer
the settlement of debts that ought to have been paid
twenty years ago. When we consider all the circum-
stances of the case ;—that individual sacrifices have
been made for the national good ;—that the original
wrong has been aggravated by long neglect ;_and
that Government are simply called upon to do an act
of tardy justice by merely refunding about a tenth part
of what has been received, we cannot entertain a doubt
that full and immediate indemnification will be made
to the present claimants.