The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-13 00:00:00

Vienna in 1814 laid down for the guidance of the
great Powers, and thus virtually incorporated into
the public law of Europe, the general principles
upon which the navigation of rivers passing through.
different States should be regulated. Those prin-
ciples were, that the navigation of rivers along
their whole course, from the points where they
become navigable to their mouths, shall be entirely
free, and shall not in respect of commerce be pro-
hibited to any, one ; and, further that the tariff of
duties on navigation shall be regulated in such -a
manner as to encourage' commerce by facilitating
navigation. If we read these two principles
together,---the first, the freedom of commerce, and
the next the subordination of the tariff to the
maintenance -that freedom, it seems to result
-that, so far Orrommerce is concerned, the public
law of Europe now considers all rivers as free high-
ways, and that it tolerates no duties on those who
pass over those highways, except such as shall be
honestly and fairly applied to the purpose of im-
proving the navigation. The friends of the Elbe
can desire no more. Whatever is necessary to
maintain the banks, to keep the stream free from
obstruction, and do, whatever else is required for
the facility of transit they cannot possibly object
to; but they have a right to say that to make a•
profit out of the navigation of the Elbe, or, still
'more, to lay on tolls with the view of driving com-
merce from its waters into other channels, is a
direct violation of the principles laid down by the
Treaty of Vienna. In this, as in many other cases,
the sound principle of international law has been

suffered to, fall into abeyance, or rather to be grossly
violated,' for • want of some competent executive
authority whose duty it should be to put it into
execution. The management of the River Elbe
fell into the hands of the Riverain States, who
were supposed, though, we. believe, very erro-
neously, to have interests which would induce them
to take all necessary steps for preserving the free
navigation of the river. The free city of Hamburg,
which lives and - has -its being in free trade, has
indeed been uniform and unceasing in its efforts to
emancipate the Elbe from the tyranny of its op-
pressors; but, unhappily; its remonstrances were
little attended to. In 1821 the river toll was fixed
at 271 groschen per cwt., which was raised in 1844
to 31 silver groschen 11 pfennings, or more than
3s. per cwt. The sums thus collected • amount
altogether to X 1,300,000 per annum, of which
£600,000 are paid by the trade of Great Britain.
For this vast expenditure nothing whatever is done
for the improvement of the river. It is considered
fair booty levied on the unfortunate trader and is-
applied 'without remorse in relief of the Exchequers
of the different States among whom it--is divided.
But since these duties:were imposed a vast change
has taken place, in' the means of transit. The.
Zollverein has lowered its duties.. There is a
railway on each bank of the Elbe, which actually
carries goods' at a lower rate than the dues which
are imposed for passing lip the river amount to.
The Elbe toll from Hamburg to Magdeburg amounts
to 17- grosehen 4 pfennings - per hundredweight ;•
the railway freight for the same distance to about
one half that
,sum-., :The Elbe toll to Dresden is in
proportion to the railway freight as three to tivo,
and the Elbe toll to _Prague . exceeds the railway
freight by nearly five groschen; or 6d. a-hundred-•
weight, so that, -so far from offering facilities to
commerce, the Riverain States levy im the shape of
tolls a tribute on goods passing up the Elbe con-
siderably larger than the'cost of their transit itself.
Of course, the effect of this must be to expel
traffic from the Elbe, and give it to the railways; for
the benefit of which these iniquitous dues are
avowedly imposed. • The States that have been
able to work out all this mischief are scarcely
entitled from their power or their posi-
tion to the bad eminence which they have ob-
tained. It is neither Prussia nor Austria that
has thus skilfully applied the tourniquet to the
great artery of Northern Europe ; the Powers
that have sanctioned and enforced this extortion •
are the potent kingdom, of Hanover..and the mighty
Duchy of Mecklenburg. The motives in each case
are peculiarly shabby. Mecklenburg receives a toll
on the Hamburg-Berlin Railway, which she is
apprehensive could no longer be levied if the Elbe
were opened to fair competition . Hanover remits
the Stade tolls to all vessels resorting to her own
port of Harburg, and thus, while Hamburg defrays
at its own cost the expenses of maintaining the
navigation of the Lower Elbe, Hanover not only
avails herself of this expenditure for the purposes
of her trade, but levies a tax on Hamburg, for
which she receives no equivalent, and remits the
tax to her own citizens. We have before shown

that the Stade Dues are imposed in defiance of the
law of nations, and we therefore rejoice that, as the
recent Congress of the Riverain Powers has sepa-
rated without giving any redress on any part of
this question, the British Government has given
notice of the termination of the treaty with Han-
over by which we are bound to the payment of
these dues, and that this step will be followed by a
distinct refusal to pay them in future. It is also

high time that the great Powers, parties to the
treaty of Vienna, should come to the rescue of its
violated stipulations, and prove to the satisfaction
of the King of Hanover and the Grand Duke of
Mecklenburg that at least on thersubject of free-
dom of commerce opinion in Europe has not retro-
graded between 1815 and 1859.—Times.