New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-08-10
EUROPE
TIE LATE BIRMINGHAM CONFERENCE.

IL 10 q great mistake 70 Judge oi the mo'emeht
"a England by the reports in the London press.
Take, for instance, the late Birmingham Confer
ence. The majority Of the London newspapers did
not even notice IL, while the remainder contained
only the meager intelligence Of it's having taken
place Yet what was this Conference 1t was a
public Congress composed Of delegates from Bir-
mingham, London, Huddersfed, Newcastle, Hall
fax, Sheffield, Leeds, Derby, Bradford Nottingham
and other places convened 10 take the task OF DIS
cussing the most important subject OF the day
the foreign policy Of England-out of the hands oil
an incapable and collapsing Parliament.
The movement, undoubtedly, had been instigated
by the meetings addressed by Mr. Urquhsrt
throughout the factory districts, and the distln-
puishing feature Of the Conference just held at
birmingham was the harmonious working together
If men from the middle and the laboring classes
The Conference divided itself into various Com
mittees charged to report on the most prominent
questions of British foreign policy. have been
favored with detailed account Of the proceedings
and the documents connected Herewith, of which
Iproceed TO place the most Characteristic before
the readers of THE TRIBUNE. The first is CORE
spondence between the Secretary Of the Confer
ence and Lord Malmesbury, the Foreign Minister
of Lord Derby, concerning the treaty on the Dan
ish succession of May 8, 1852 Lord Malmesbury
writes
"SIR: have had the honor Of receiving yoar invi-
tation 10 attend the birmingham Conference the
18th 18th AID 10th July. II viii not be IN my power
10 do So AS you request me to furnish you with any
useful information the subject Of the proposed sub
iecis Of inquiry do not herate 10 observe that your
resolution passed on JAY G, respecting the Danish
treaty Of 9Th May 1852 Is founded on totally errone
Gus view OF the cases and facts. 1t Is not true that the
succession TO Denmark, the Sound and Schleswig HOl
stein is secured 10 Russia by that treaty. Russia has
obtained right present or prospective, that she did
Dot possess before tie treaty There are now four male
heirs 10 the crown of Denmark alive The treaty pre-
scibes that if their extinction SHOULD become univer
sal the high contracting parues-namely Austria,
engage 10 take into consideration any further PROPOSE
fion made TO them by the King of Denmark for secur
ing the succession the principle of the Integrity OF
the Danish monarchy. Should tins reno contingency
occur tie contracting powers would therefore meet
again 10 settle the Danish succession and leave you
to Judge whether the Five Powers who signed the
treaty OF eth May with Russia likely in such
to def. rhine that head of the house Of HOstein-
GottoIp, she should to her domnions the whole
Of the present Danish monarchy.
81 have the honor etc. MALMEsBURY.'
The following is the answer of the Secretary
to Lord Malmesbury's letter;
"MY LORD; am instructed by the Birmingham
Conference to bank your loIdship for your very i'm
portsnt communication the subject OF the Densh
Treaty We gather from it that in the case OF the ex-
pected failure of tue four heirs TO the United Monarchy
OF DEM ark England and Russia pledged TO in
tesfeIe between the King of Denmark on the the one
hand and the several States OF Denmark, Schlsswig
aid Hostein on the other. We are at loss TO know
by what right such interference can be justified,
and we cannot but think the fact of with Russia
ought TO be taken advantage of in order to enable us
to abstain from so immoral and Illegal action. You
give us to understand that you think the character Of
the six Powers sia security against the admission OF
Russia the whole succession in right, first of Hol-
stein ottorp, and secondly, of the principle OF the
integrity of the monarchy. We are most anxious 10
learn from your lordshp who viii come in for the
whole if Russia does not and IL England did not mean
Ru STA 10 come in the whole wny did she not make
Russas Remuneration of Holstein. )tt0rp condition
of the treaty As your lodsbip signed the treaty in
question il is be presumed either that these ques
tons are unanswerabe, or that your lordshp will be
the person OF AL oe pest soe 10 ggg 70 o
guest that your lOTdshp will be 50 kind as TO answer
;bese questions and thus relieve from of
great uneasiness have tue honor to be- etc;
The correspondence stops hereford Malmes-
bury not having felt inclined to 90 on. His
Lordship's inability to answer those questions is,
however, not without an excuse-the noble lord |
having found all points concerning the Danish
Succession SO well settled by Lord Palmerston's
Protocol Of July 8, 1850, that the Treaty re-
quired indeed his mere signature.
The second document is the report of the COM
mittee appointed by the Conference, on the
famous -Four Points. quote as follows:
"In endeavoring to ASCERTAIN the character Of the
-Four Points az the basis of peace your COMMITTEES
have considered the development given to them by
fhe Conference at Vienna, the amount of support or
opposition hat each proposal for such development
has received from the respective Powers the time and
the merner IN which the Points were first laid down
bv the Cabinets of England and France, the source |
FROM which they ori naly sprang aud their relevance
20 the avowed object of the War-viz the lndepen- !
deuce and Integrity Of the Ottoman Empire. We !
down IN the dispatch Of Count Nesselrode, OF June
80 1854 and headed Consolidation of the Rights of
tie Chrftians in Turkey Setting out from the idea
that the civil rights to be obtained for all the Chris
stian subjects OF the Porte ioseperabe from re-
s6eious rights as is stipulated by the PTotocoland
would ia fact become valueless to co-reg
'h IN acquiring rights they should lose their old
soIes-ye have already declared, that, If this were
the case, the demands ade by the Emperor on the
Porte would be fulfilled, the cause Of the dispute
cone away with, and bic Majesty would be ready TO
give his concurrence TO European gUGrdHtyt or
tkfs prsrtiege.'
"Ihs proposal, which is proposal for the per
poual interference not of one but Of five Powers, in
the internal affairs of Turkey, accepted on the
part OF England and France in the shape of wnat is
now known the Fourth Point, ched in the follow
ing terms by Drouyn de lHuys in his dispatch of 22d
Of July, 1884 which was the reply TO Count Nessel-
rode; That Power shall claim the right 10 exer
.cise any official protecorate the subjects of the
Sublime Porte, to whatever rights they may belong
but that France Austria, Great Britain, Prussia aud
Russia, shall lend their mutual coo perauon in order
TO obtain from the initiative Of the Ottoman Govern
ment the conservation and observance of the rey ious
privileges of the various Christian communities and
the generous intentions mhnifested nv he