The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-24 00:00:00

THE DUCHY 01 SCHLESWIG.

A writer in a contemporary states that the population of
the Duchy of Schleswig is about 400,000. The northern
and central part is occupied by Danes, the southern part
by Germans, and the islands on the west coast, as well as
a narrow strip of land along that shore, by Frisians. It is
estimated by German writers that the population numbers
146,500 Germans, 33,000 Frisians, 135,500 Danes, 85,000
mixed nationality. Danish authorities give the population
as follows :-116,000 Germans, 33,000 Frisians, 167,000
Danes, 84,000 mixed. The Danish nationality originally
extended over to where the river Eider, from time im-
memorial, has formed the geographical and political boun-
dary separating Denmark from Germany, and where the
Dannewirke, the ancient rampart thrown up by the Danes
as a bulwark against German encroachments, still stands,
even now, as it was of old, the military frontier of the
Scandinavian races towards the south.
The Danish nationality has, however, gradually receded,
and can now only be traced as far south as the districts
contiguous to the arm of the sea called the Schlei.
The Duchy of Schleswig having from various causes for
a long period been subjected to the administration of
German functionaries, the German language introduced
into the duchy by German settlers, and favoured by Ger-
man rulers, acquired an official supremacy in the Danish
province, and was adopted, not only as the language of the
courts of law throughout the duchy, but also of the church
and the schools in the greater part of the country, and even
in parts where the language of the people had continued to
be pure Danish.
The injustice of this state of things was felt long ago,
but every attempt to reinstate the Danish nationality and
language in its ancient rights met with a passive but
effective resistance on the part of the German functionaries
entrusted with the administration of the duchy. Thus, in
the year 11810, the then reigning sovereign of Denmark-,
King Frederick VI., published a royal resolution, declar-
ing that, "whereas in our duchy of Sohleswig the inhabi-
tants of some of the islands, and of the greater part of the
prefectures and districts on the mainland, speak Danish, it
is our will that in those islands and prefectures where the
Danish language is the language of the people the German
language shall cease to be used in the church, the schools,
and in the courts of law, and the Danish language take its
place." But this resolution was suffered to become a dead
letter, and it was not till after the events of 1848 had taught
the Danish nation what disastrous political consequences
tho gradual Germanisation of the duchy entailed, that

efficient measures were taken to give effect to the royal
resolution of 1810, and to stay the further Germanisation of
the population of the duchy. A series of ordinances issued
in the years 1850-51 regulated the question of language in
Schleswig on the principle of respecting, on the one hand,
the acquired rights of the German nationality and language
in the duchy, and of upholding, on the other, the Danish
nationality and lattguage there, where it had still main-
tained itself.

—.—
According to these ordinances the Danish language was
declared the language of the church, of the schools, and of
the courts of law in those parts of the duchy where Danish
continues to be the language of the people ; and the Ger-
man language, on the other hand, was maintained in all its
acquired rights where the population had become com-
pletely Germanised or nearly so. The ordinances treat as
purely Danish that part of the duchy extending south-east
as far as the Frith of Flensburg, and south-west to the
neighbourhood of Tondern, with a population of about
135,500, excepting therefrom the towns of Apenrade,
Hadersler, Sonderborg, and Tondern, which, from having
a partially German population, are assimilated with the
districts having a mixed nationality. German writers fully
acknowledge the purely Danish nationality of this portion
of the population ; but Danish writers, who have thoroughly
investigated the matter, maintain that the purely Danish
element extends much further south.

On the other hand, the ordinances treat as purely Ger-
man the southern portion of the duchy, extending north-
east some distance beyond the Schlei, and prolonged north-
west about half the length of the coast, with the adjoining
islands, thus including the entire Frisian population, and
numbering altogether 177,000 souls.
Danish writers complain that the Frisian population of
about 30,000 are treated as pure Germans, although their
language has amalgamated more with the Danish than the
German.

As containing a population of a mixed nationality, and
using indiscriminately Danish and German as medium of
intercourse, the ordinances treat the tract of country situated
between the purely Danish and purely German districts as
above defined, and containing a population of about 85,000,
excepting therefrom the town of Flensburg, which, from
having a larger German than Danish population, is assimi-
lated with the pure German districts.
In regard to the population of this tract of country, the
ordinances have decided that Danish and German shall
alternately be used in the churches, that both languages
shall be taught in the schools, that baptism, marriage, the
Lord's Supper, and other church ceremonies shall be per-
formed by the clergy in the language preferred by the par
ties, and also that litigants before the courts of law shall
decide as to what language they wished to be used in the
proceedings there, or in application to Government autho-
rities.

. In all general measures concerning the whole duchy,
both languages are used. The members of the Provincial
Assembly of Schleswig can express themselves either in
Danish or German ; the president of the Assembly and
the royal commissary are bound to use both languages ;
and all laws are published both in German and Danish.
It was unavoidable that in deciding upon what part of
the population of Schleswig should be treated as being of a
mixed nationality, neither wholly Danish nor wholly Ger-
man, both the Danish and German party in the state
should feel aggrieved, both respectively claiming the
majority of the population as belonging exclusively to
their own respective nationalities. On referring to
the linguistic maps of Schleswig published in
Germany, and designed by partisans of the Ger-
man interest, it will be seen that the Danish Government
in its anxiety not to overstep the bounds of moderation,
has almost followed the very lines of demarcation laid down
in these maps; in fact, the entire variance is limited to
four or fivo parishes. The ordinances have thus confined
the Danish and mixed districts to limits far narrower than
those claimed by Professor Allen, the distinguished Danish
historian, who has thoroughly and conscientiously investi-
gated the question of nationalities in Schleswig. Accord-
ing to him the Danish element actually extends as far
south as the town of Schleswig and the ancient Danne-
wirke. When complaints are now made in Germany about
the German nationality and language being oppressed in
Schleswig, it would be well to call in mind that the ordi-
nances of 1850.51, regulating the question of language in
the duchy, were promulgated eayl %/tried into act Pedld-t

ing the negotiations between Denmark and Germany,
without any of the parties to these negotiations finding
occasion to address remonstrances to Denmark on the sub-
ject, and further, that the King of Denmark, in order to
testify the sincerity of his desire to treat his German sub-
jects in Schleswig with all possible indulgence, entrusted,
at the express wish of Prussia, the administration of the
duchy to a distinguished Holstein nobleman, Count Charles
Moltke, who gave to the new ordinances his full approval,
and exerted himself to bring them into prompt and com-
plete execution.

How much reason Danish patriots have to complain at
the scant justice done the Danish nationality in Schleswig
by the ordinances of 1860-51, and how little reason the
German party has to be dissatisfied with the present order
of things, will moreover be evident by comparing the sta-
tistical returns:for the population of Schleswig with the
limits fixed by the ordinances to the different nationalities

The Duchy of Schleswig, or South Jutland, as it was
anciently called, comprises 164 geographical square miles,
with a population territorially thus distributed :-106
square miles, Danish language; 14 square miles, Danish
and German united ; 3 square miles, Danish and Frisian
mixed ; 14 square miles, Frisian ; 27 square miles, German.
According to the ordinances of 1850.51 the territorial
distribution of the population is, however, made as follows :
—B2 square miles, Danish ; 31 square miles, mixed; 51
square miles, German.

The Danish district is thus reduced by 24 square miles,
and the German territory increased to the same extent.
The census of 1855 gives the population of the duchy see
394,000 souls, and distinguished by nationality and lan-
guage as follows :-167,000, Danish language; 77,000,
Danish-German and Danish-Frisian; 160,000, German.
and German-Frisian.

The ordinances of 1850-51 on the contrary establish that
only 135,000 are to have the Danish language ; 82,000 to
be treated as of mixed nationality; 177,000 to have the
German language.

By this arrangement upwards of 30,000 Schleswigers,
whose vernacular is the Danish language, are treated as
being of a mixed nationality, and at least 27,000 Schles-
wigera speaking both languages are classed with the popu-
lation having German as the exclusive language of the
church, the schools, and the courts of justice.
The opposition of the Provincial Assembly of Schleswig
affords no fair criterion of the wishes of the people of the
duchy ; for that assembly is, by its very constitution, en-
tirely controlled by the German party, who will tot be
satisfied with anything short of the'complete supremacy of
German nationality and language throughout the entire
duchy.

The electoral law of Schleswig renders the Provincial
Assembly a representation of class interests alone, and not
of the people at large, the constitution of the duchy being
modelled on the mediaeval principles of representation, by
the four estates of the nobility, clergy, yeomanry, and
burghers. The assembly is thus composed of 43 members,
of whom nine are elected by the nobles or equestrian order,
five by the clergy, 17 by the farmers and small freeholders
of the country, 10 by the burghers, and two by the popu-
lation of the islands of Aero and Femern, forming separate
electoral districts by themselves.

The nine votes allotted to the equestrian order are so
many votes given to the German party over and above
what the popular strength of that party otherwise would
be, for the members of this equestrian order are, without
exception Germans, and have all their estates in the
southern or German part of the duchy. The Danish party
is consequently reduced to a minority in the assembly,
even though it may have as many members returned by the
popular vote of the duchy as the German party. Nothing
but the abrogation of the existing electoral law and the
introduction into the duchy of universal suffrage as noW
practised in Denmark would afford a fair test of what the
real wishes of the people are. An assembly elected by
universal suffrage would enable the Danish Schleswigers to
contend on equal terms with their German opponents,
whereas now the Danish members of the Provincial
Assembly are constantly outvoted by the representatives
of the nobility, whose sympathies are all for aristocratic
Germany and against the constitutional rule of Denmark.