The Sun.
London, England, 1835-10-23 00:00:00

NAVIGATION OF THE DANUBE

The treaty of navigation any commerce between Austria
and Greece, signed at Athens, on the 4th of March, was
ratified at Vienna on the 9th of September. This treaty
contains, with the view of facilitating a maritime and com-
mercial intercourse between the two Powers, more liberal
stipulations than are generally conveyed in such compacts.
It is in that respect a new expression, and a very important
application of the policy adopted within the last two years
by Austria with regard to Greece. After keeping aloof
during the whole course of the events which brought about
the establishment of the Grecian Monarchy, affecting even
a sort of impassibility and indifference for the result, Aus-
tria, as soon as she found the existence of the new State de-
finitively secured, appears to have viewed its future im-
portance in a better light than some of its ancient protec-
tors. She immediately set about multiplying her relations
with Greece, by establishing a regular line of packets be-
tween Trieste and Patras ; by xtending to the frontier of
Greece, through Thessaly, the mail communication that
long existed between Vienna and Salonica ; by reducing to
fourteen days the duration of the quarantine for all articles
imported from Greece via Trieste ; and finally in proposing
and concluding the present treaty of commerce. By this suc-
cession of well-conceived measures, Austria has succeeded in
turning to account the advantages offered her by the vicinity
of Greece, and set the examplc; to nations who, in this cir-
cumstance, ought not to have allowed themselves to be out-
stripped by her. It is certain, although the fact may be
almost incredible, that since the packets, established by a
merchant of Athens, between that city and Marseilles, have
ceased to ply, there is no direct and regular communication
between France and Greece. The establishment of the
Mediterranean steam-packets, voted this year by the Cham-
bers, will supply, to be sure, that deficiency, but those ves-
sels will not be ready for that service before a year. With
regard to the duration of the quarantine for the productions
of Greece, we stated that it was twenty days at least in our
harbours, while it was only fourteen in Austria. Is the
danger of taking the plague greater in Marseilles than in
Trieste ?

There is in the treaty of the 4th of March an article
that appears to be connected with a general interest, and
to which we think proper to direct, most particularly, the
attention of the public. We moan the 17th article, which
is as follows :

" Art. 17. As regards the imnortation and exportation of
the produce of both States by the Danube, whether along the
course of that river or at it'a mouth, the two high contracting
powers declare it to be their formal intention to encourage that
trade, and will hereafter stipulate, in a special treaty, the ad-
vantages they may think proper to secure to it."
In order to understand the object of that article, it is ne-
cessary to cast a glance on the rieographical position of the
Austrian empire, and on the !,nportance of the Danube,
‘4 which (to use Napoleon's wcrds), with its 500 leagues
extent, and its lc)0. navigable branches, is the first river in
Europe." In the interior of the basin of this river, from the
point where, near Passau, it elAters the extensive amphi-