The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-18 00:00:00

GJ RAIAN Y.

The French Ministerial journal the Constitutionuel,
and the Journal des Debats, which is the organ of
the Austrian Embassy, contain the following from
Dresden :

The conferences at Dresden are nearly concluded.
The plenipotentiaries have arrived at a result which
appears to be definitive. On the 12th they signed the
following resolution :—" The German Confederation
is reconstituted on a new basis. In place of seven-
teen votes, of which the old Diet was composed, the
new one is reduced to eleven votes, which will be
distributed as fellows :

Austria, with its States, including the Italian States 2
Prus3ia ~. ... ... ... ... ... ... 2
Ihuuver... ... ... ... ... ... 1

Wurtembcrg

Kingdom of Saxony ...

Bavaria

Grand Duchy of Baden and the Two Hesses ... 1
Saxe•Coburg, Saxe-Goths, and Saxe-Weimar ... 1
Mecklenbourg-Schwerin and the other little States,
including the Haneeatici towns ... 1

Total ...

The Presidency of the Diet is to belong alter-
nately to Prussia and Austria. The Diet will keep
up an army of 130,000 men.
Prince SCAWARTZENBERG and the Bavarian and
Hanoverian Plenipotentiaries left Dresden on the
14th. There will now be no congress of Continental
Monarchs in that city.
General THUNBN, the Prussian Commissioner in
Holstein, returned to Berlin on the 15th, for further
instructions.

It is stated in a letter from Vienna, of the 10th,
that the reason why the directors of the Bank of Vienna
resigned en masse was that they were constantly at-
tacked by the Ministerial journals. The total amount
of bank-notes in circulation is about 254,000,000
florins, of which about 166,000,000 florins were issued
by order of the Government, and for the supply of
its wants. A telegraphic dispatch from Vienna of
the 13th says :—The Bank held a sitting this day : it
abandons in favour of the State 900,090f1. interest on
paper money. The old directors will probably be re-
elected. The dividend is fixed at 35 florins. The
reserve fund amounts to 2,136,000 florins."

The Austrian Lloyd's of Vienna says that the Rus-
sian Government has resolved to establish a tele-
graphic line from St. Petersburgh to join the lines of
Vienna and Berlin.

DENMARK AND THE DUCHIES.
The Norddeutsche Freie Presse publishes the fol-
lowing account of the last sitting of the Holstein
Chamber o❑ the 10th, and of the events which pre-
ceded it. It says—
" The night of the 10th of January has brought a
weighty decision of the affairs of the Duchies. The
majority of the representatives of the people have given
up the cause of the nation, and empowered the Govern-
me❑t to submit itself to the demands of Austria and
Prussia.

" Although the proceedings were secret, yet, now the
decision is taken, mystery is useless. Ths people of
Germr.ny have a right to know not only the decision,
the publication of which is ordered by the Government
itself, but the manner in which it was arrived at. _

" On the 6th of January the Commissaries arrived at
Kiel, delivered their credentials, and made known their
demands to the Stadthalterschaft. The credentials (or
pouvoirs) were drawn up in the name of the German
Bund for the Commissary of Austria; for the Prussian
Commissary in the name of Prussia and its allies.
" The terms demanded contained the five following
points:-1. An immediate cessation of hostilities. 2.
.-The withdrawal of all the Holstein troops to the south
of the Eyder. 3. The reduction of the army to one-
third of its present force. 4. The dissolution of the
Chamber. 5. A suspension of all measures taken for
the continuance of the war.
" The terms were accompanied by a delaration that
the Danish Government was ready at the same time to
withdraw its troops from the south of Schleswig, so
that only such small detachments might be left
there as were necesssry to preserve the public
Peace: Questions of right and legality were de-
clared by the Commissaries to be beyond their func-
tions, and mast be reserved for further negotiations be-
tween the German Bund and the sovereign of the
Duchies. They also declared the object of their mission
to be the restoration of a state of affairs that should en-
able the German Bund 'to defend the rights of the
Duchy of Holstein, and the ancient relations between
that duchy and Schleswig.'
" On the other band, the Stadthalterschaft was
threatened in case of refusal with an occupation of the
country by au Executions Corps, consisting of 25,000
Austrians and 25,000 Prussians. Three days were al-
lowed to the Government for its decision, from the Gth
till 2 P.M. of the 9JI; the period being, on after applica-
tion, extended till 2 P.M. Of the 1 lth.
" The negotiations and deliberations of the 7th and Bth
left it in doubt whether the pouvoirs of the Commissaries
could be considered as formally find legally conveying a
tight to act in the name of all the German Governments,
and it was believed that a court of law would have de-
cided that their powers were not valid. But the ques-
tion was now not one of legality or right, but of force.
"It was ;:Ise elicited that with respect to the terms
demanded by the Commissaries, and the manner of ful-
filling m, no distinct or sufficietA guarantees could or
would he given. It was conceded, indeed, that when the
troops were withdrawn to the south of the Eyder the
fortresses of Renthiburg and Frederichsert should con
tioue to be held by the Duchies; and the mode in which
the army was to be reduced should be left to the discre-
tion of the Government. On many other important
questions either no answers, or very unsatisfactory Ones,
could be given;
they were reserved for negotiations with
the German Bund, of which the basis was stated to be
the status quo ante. helium. It was declared indispen-
sable that the Chamber should be set aside, as it con
stated of Schleswig and Holstein deputies together, and

could not be recognized by the Bund as a legally exist-
ing body. To the question whether, under all circum-
stinces, the Executive army would enter the duchy, the
answer was that the burden of occupatien could be es-
caped, if the terms of the German Band were everywhere
accepted and complied with.
" In the secret evening sitting of the 9th of January
the Siadthalterschaft communicated the position of af-
fairs to the Chamber. A decision bad not been resolved
on, as the members of the Stadthalterschaft were di-
vided as to the course to be pursued. Count Reventlow
and the chiefs of the several departments of the Admi-
nistration were for submitting to the demands of the
Commissaries; M. Beseler was for continuing the war,
and proposed en immediate vote of money to carry it on.
Both explained their views verbally to the Chamber. M.
Beseler also laid on the table a written memorial.

' Count Reventlow answered the question, whether a
continuation of the war was advisable, by a decided ne-
gative. His reasons were, chiefly, the position of the
Duchy with regard to Germany. Whoever resists the
German Governments by force of arms cannot be con-
id, red as any longer defending a German cause.' The
promise of the great Powers to restore the status quo
ante was dwelt upon. The Duchies had dezired no more.
A continuation of the war was no longer passible; it
would lead, not to a preservation of the rights of the
duchy, but to their destruction.
"M. Von Fraucke expressed the same views as
Count Reventiow.

" M. Beseler, on th© other hand, supported his advo-
cacy of resistance on the imperfect and informal pouvoirs
of the Commissari.s, who were not to he regarded as
plenipotentiaries of Germany. The political circum-
stauces of the time also presented many chances. The
inevitable fatal consequences of a subjection to the de-
mands of the Commissaries bound them by Dirins and
human 1:448'S to resistance.'
" Both the Stadthalters left the decision to the
Chamber.

" The Chamber the same evening chose a Committee
consisting of the following members:—The Duke of
Augustenburg, MM. Schmidt, Olshausen, lock, Bale-
mann, Semper, Versman, Barbell, and Dr. Giilich. All
the documents were laid before this Committee, which
met on the morning of the 10th and sat throughout the
day.
In the secret sitting of the Chamber held on the
evening of the 10th it gave in its report. The Com-
mittee was divided, the minority consisting of the three
deputies of the Left—M. Olshausen, Dr. Giilich, and
M. lock. The majority decided in favour of Count
Reventiow's proposition for submitting to the terms of
Austria and Prussia. The minority were for dismissing
the Commissaries, on the ground of defective and invalid
pouvoirs, and for resisting the measures of the Executive
troops by force.
" The resolution drawn up by the Committee, and
,übscquently, with slight alterations, agreed to by the
Chamber, was as folows:—
" The majority of the Committee proposes that the
Chamber resolve, with regard to the communication
made to it by the Government of the terms of the Aus-
train and Prussian Commissiaries _

" 1. That the Chamber of the Duchy &greets with the
course suggested by the Ministry.
"2. That the Chamber wi'he.•s and expects the Stadt-
halterschaft will endeavour to assert and promote the
rights and interests of the Duchies in the measures to
be taken to establish an interim state of affairs in the
name of the German Band by the Commissaries of
Prussia and Austria.

3. That the Chamber expressly defends the rights of
the land, collectively and severally, against any violation
or the establishment of a definitive state of affairs.

"4. That it empowers the presidency to publish this
reservation as it may think fit.
" The resolution recommended by authority was, that
the Chamber should declare to the Stadthalterschaft that
it did not approve of the policy suggested in the secret
sitting of the 9th.
_ _

" That it does not agree to the proposition for accept-
ing the terms of the Prussian and Austrian Commis-
saries, but would rather make the necessary preparations
to meet the threatened measures of force by a decided
resistance. It will be seen that the resolutions of the
majority and the minority differed radically from each
other; one was for submission, ihe other for resistance.

" The discussion lasted the whole Right, until the
morning of the 11th, the day on which the period al-
lowed for consideration expired. The consciousness
chat the question was one of vital importance to the
Duchies had visibly affected many of the deputies.
Voices trembled that were usually clear and firm. It was
a mournful debate. The result, after the decision in the
Committee, was to be foreseen; the deputies of the Left
spoke in vain in favour ef a continued resistance; they
recounted in vain all the chances of success presented by
the political state of Europe, all the ruinous conse-
quences of a submission—consequences which could be
already seen. They stated that honour and duty forbade
a surrender at discretion, while there was a courageous
army of 40,000 men in the field, while the enemy was
still 200 miles off, and only threatened that he would
come. They implored the Chamber not to be too hasty,
or to lay down its arms too soon. The Schleswig de-
puties were in vain called upon in particular to vote
against the resolution cf the majority. It only had the
result of producing from them a protest against a vote
for submission to the terms of the Commissaries being
considered a violation of their duty.
" The reporter of the Committee (Schmidt), the
Duke of Angustenburg, M. Francke, M. Stein, the Pre-
sident of the Chamber (M. Hargurn), and M. Luders, all
spoke more or less strongly tor the acceptance, and
against resistance, which they declared to be impossible
I from the depressed spirit of the people and the army,
and of the German nation generally—impossible from
the difficulty of defending themselves against an attack
both from the north and south; impossible from the su-
perior force of the great Powers. They held the con-
sequences of a submission not to be so dangerous as the
minority supposed, and still retained more or less confi-
dence in Prussia and the German Bund; and, in addi-
tion, the conviction that nothing was left but a submis-
sio❑ existed in the ranks of the Opposition itself. M.
Claussen said no great revolutionary movement could
proceed from the Duchies, but from Paris only. The
Duchies would only sacrifice themselves uselessly by re-
sistine. Since the Frankfort movement failed, in 1849,
he was hopeless of any political action from the Ger-
man people. Many other members of the Left shared
his opinion, as the division list proved.
"At half-past five o'clock on the morning of the 11th
the division took place. The first and principal ques-
tion was, whether the Chamber declared its approval of
the acceptation of the terms of the Commissaries. It
was affirmed by 47 votes against 28, and the resolution
of M. Beseler and the minority fell to the ground.
" The Chamber separated in silence; one aged de-
puty only (as the members left) uttered the words `Finis
Poionice.'"