Star.
London, England, 1821-06-18 00:00:00

HAMBURGIT, JUNE m

The affairs of Norway begin to excite very great
attention, not without some apprehensions for the
tesult of the differences between the King and the
Norwegian Diet. " The King," says a letter from
Stockholm, " though sensible of the defects of the
Norwegian Constitution, has done everything to en-
force the observance of it, and has constantly acted
on the principle of rooting out all the seeds of jea-
lousy between the two nations, in which endeavours
the Swedish nation has constantly seconded his Ma-
je,ty's paternal intentions. Conformably to these
principles his Majesty has acted with the greatest
patience towards the Diet now assembled at Christiana.
—The two most important questions before it were
those relative to the Nobility and to the Debt due
from Norway to Denmark, which gave the ill-dis-
posed a plausible pretext, and required particular
attention.

" The King, therefore, appealed, by all possible in-
struction and paternal advice, to the justice and good
sense of the Diet, with respect to the Nobility. His
endeavours have failed, though the spirit of the Con-
stitution required that indemnity should be given to
citizens who were deprived of their privileges. As
long, however, as local interests are concerned, his
Majesty is resolved to observe eveii the defects of the
Charter ; but when the principles universally recog-
nized in Europe, and the sacredness of solemn Trea-
ties—when the balance of power and all constitu-
tional forms are disregarded by the Legislature, the
King would not feel himself justified to his conscience,
and in the eyes of Europe, if he did not protect the
interests of the far greater majority of the citizens
against the errors of a few individuals. His Majesty
has never had a wish to incorporate Norway with
Sweden. He has always gloried in maintaining the
independence given the Norwegian nation; acting on
the same principle, he will oppose all innovations that
threaten the public tranquillity, and only the utmost
necessity will induce him to use his authority to sup-
press them. No constitutional means will be spared,
and, at all events, I can assure you, that the true na-
tional liberties will subsist with the same necessity of
rights towards Sweden, and that Norway will expe-
rience, for the second time, the magnanimous influ-
ence of the same Sovereigns, to whom it is indebted
for the rank which it now holds among the nations
of Europe.
" M. Felser has proposed in the Diet to petition his
Majesty, that in future the Deputies chosen to the
Diet may remain at home, and send their opinions
in writing to a Secretary, to remain constantly at
Christiana. The greater part of the Members of the
present Diet, he said, had brought their votes on the
most important subjects in writing, and had obsti-
nately persisted in them, in spite of the unanswerable
arguments of their colleagues, and of any conviction
acquired by themselves."
A Supplement to the Stockholm official Gazette,
of 4th June, contains a loyal communication dated
24th May, addressed to the Diet. The letter is very
remarkable, and the following is the substance of it:
"Though the Constitution expressly gives to the
King alone the right of prolonging the Session of
the Diet beyond the three months fixed by the 86th
section, yet M. Rosenskilde, Deputy from Stavanger,
presumed in the Sitting of the 21st of May, to move'
that, in case a further prolongation of the Session
should be refused, its Representatives should issue a
Proclamation to the Norwegian nation, justifying
their proceedings, and that either the President or
a Special Committee should draw up such a Pro-
clamation.
"His Majesty, deluded doubtless by the plausible
arguments of the mover, rejected the Constitutional
proposal of the President, to proceed to the Order
of the Day ; however, as the regulations required
that the debate on the motion should be deferred to
the next Sitting, and the King's consent to prolong
the Session was received in the meantime, Rosen-
, skilde withdrew his motion on the explanation of the

President, reserving to himself, however, the right to
renew it if it should he necessary. Lieutenant Heel,
who intended to make a similar proposal, also with-
drew it.
" However inclined the King may be to overlook
errors, he must consider RosenskiHe's motion (which '
was made still more criminal by the reserve with
which he withdrew it) as an open violation of the
Constitution, and an invitation to rebellion.
To mislead the Legislature to appeal to the peo-
ple against a measure ta1t..4:1 by the King. conform-
ably to the Laws and the Constitution, is to tread all
forms under foot, to dissolve all the bonds of society,
and to commit a crime against the State. For what
could such a justification mean but an attempt to per-
suade the nation that the King did wrong in dis-
solving the Diet, and that the latter had done right in
spending many mouths in discussing subjects of little
importance to the State. The Diet, besides, has no
right to make any kind of proclamation to the nation.
44 As his Majesty cannot and dare not pass over
such an infringement of the majesty of the laws and
of the authority which they recognize, he thinks that
the dignity of the nation and the respect due to the
Constitution require that the Diet should desire the
Vice-Consul Rosenskilde to take back his motion
without any reserve, or else call him to account be-
fore the National Court of Justice, by the medium
of the Odelsthing. When the Legislative Body loses
sight of its duties, and of the bounds which the Con-
stitution assigned it, it is the ditty of the Sovereign
to bring it back to the right way by paternal advice
and serious admonition. If passion and infatuation
cause this advice and this voice to be disregarded,
the constitutional edifice is in danger of being shaken
to the foundation, and of being destroyed sooner or
later by popular fury or by de potism. His Majesty
proposes a law to the Diet for the purpose of restrain-
ing those Members who may seek to pass the bounds
of the Constitution, and which law shall determine
the various degrees of criminality and the punish-
ments suitable to them."