Grass Valley telegraph., 1855-11-06
A Speck of War.

m
mark and that of Sweden, lies a narrow
sheet of water about one hundred miles ;r
length, varying from ten to thirty in width
through which nearly all lhe Commerce. 81
tbe Baltic Sea must pass, This nassage /
ca'fse The Sound,' and ssa time inn
s.s sessss.s-.-s -. -,
seis, Of whatever nation, which lbss through
it, small tribute or to'i y caI4a Sound
Dues. The amount is .riflag and as the
commerce of that region is quite small, the
various nations have quietly submitted to the
tax rather than make it an occaion for pick
ing quarrel with so brave ard warlike q
little nation as the Danes. The collection of
this I" toll" is nothing more nd less than
species of black mail - and he right to
levy the same no better than would be
claim of the English governmen to "toll"
upon vessels passing through IT, Straits of
Gibralter. The amount of mo4y thus an
nually collected from United Sites vessels
does not, perhaps, exceed $10L0OO; still
our government, ever jealous d her rights
upon the seas, deeming the priHiple unjust
and dangerous, has remonstraed with the
Danish government upon the latter The
Danes, with their peculiar obstnacy, cling
with perSeverlng tenacity to theil ilill-founded
and antiquated right; and in thef extremity
have appealed to France and Engand for pro-
lection, offering, as is supposed, ,tdoin them in
their alliance against Russia, if tey will pro-
tect them (the Danes) in their acient claim,
and secure to them some territrial privil-
eges of which they have been lespoiled by
the Russians. What course thes{poWers will
pursue remains to be seen. 1t ishardly pro-
bable however that they will tke any step
which they may think will be chsidered by
the Federal Government at Washington,
easWs beli. Still, there is no elling what
the universal political cauldroI now filled
with the discordant elements confusion
from all parts of the world, nay turn up
Everybody feels that the times are porten-
tous of great events and how son our own
universal turmoil, which seems to pervade
almost every part OF the world, none can
tell. The present controversy with Denmark
and the evident desire of Spain to throw her
self into the western alliance against Russia
conditional to special guarantee for the in
tegrity of Cuba against American interfer-
ence. are quite sufficient to awaken most seri-
GUS apprehensions of collision between our
own government and the allied nations of
Western Europe.
The wavering policy of the powers at
Washington, and the desperate shifts from
which there is good reason to fear they will
not shrink, in order to perpetuate their dy-
nasty, is ominOus of anything but peace. 1t
is generally conceded that nothing is better
calculated to more effectually heal our own
internal connections, that are even now al
most at I" blood heat, than brush " with
some foreign power, which should serve to
revive once more the national spirit, which,
when once aroused, is so characteristic of
Americans. A national war would operate
as a safety valve to let off the excess of en-
thusiasm, which, at the present time, seems
to weigh with such an incubus upon our peo-
pie as to breed all manner of dissensi9ns,
and to such an extent as to threaten our very
existence as a nation. 1t is said we are in
danger Of bursting up" and flying into
nobody knows how many "pieces." Per-
haps President Pierce, in his wisdom, as a
political engineer, may devise some means
by which to ease the nation of portion of
its " bad blood" to the end that we may
again unite as brethren, forgetful of past dis
and go on, united and powerful
people. to fulfil that manifest destiny" the
accomplishment of which, nothing but the
most suicidal policy of our own seeking can
prevent. Who can tell what day may
bring forth.''