Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1856-04-18
The Sound Dues Question

rhrh NANlGATlON Of THE SAINT LAWRENCE
IN PolNT-MR. MARcYs INSTRUCTIoNS-THE
/ ELEMENT To ENGLAND.
COrr.sPondesee Of Loadon 7S,.e..
CorESuAoKS, March 81, 1856.
You that the ground upon which the govern.
ment OF the United States has denounced the treaty o
snity and commccce with Denmark OF the 26th Of Ap
1896 Is their un~lugness surrender Power the
right OF using the the highway Of commerce.
and 10 acknowledge the right Of Denmark to levy the
Sound Dues-a right which the United States hav. re-
eogniEed from the OF their entering class
of independent nations until lss6 no; privileged
State, aud privileged State FROM tat
/ year until the lith OF April 1855 when
they denounced the above named treaty. Some of the
most eminent American statesmen-as Daniel Webster
and the celebrated Henry Whcaton-fornery acknosl-
edge the right of Denmark 10 levy the Sound dues as
resting upon 'immcmorial usage" and sanctioned by uu-
merous treaties aud the best writers public sw-for
example, Bynkcrshock and Lord Sto~el-cousider the
Law OF nations derived from the usage aud practice
mankind. The first time the right OF Denmark To levy
tolls the merchant vessels passing the Sound and
the Belts has been denied in lsi3 by the then
lean Secretary OF State, Mr. Upshur, who in report
President Tyler, remarked That Denmark could not
demand this toll upon any principle ut natural or public
law other ground than ancient usage which
hnds M Justification in the existing state of things She
renders service for this exacton d-Ihis presume
Is the principal argumcnt-"has even the claim OF
power enforce it," But Mr. Upshur died shory af.r
and his successor in Office Mr. Calhoun; the great urs
consult, entirely abandoned the stand taken by NJ Up
shnr IN this question. Now, the American doct
q" public Law might perhaps he defendcd-at least from
al American point of vcwifthe United States
acted up To IT In their relations with every other ina
ton.
But you compare the pursued by the United
States government recent about rho ire.
navigation Vt the ST Lawrence river with that bch they
have adopted in regard the Sound dues YOU will per
ceVc that the Jortoris is the real principle Ameri.
nt lie Las a.
about the free OF the ST. Lawrence the United
States claimed that the tpulaons the Vienna
by which the navigation of the great European rivers
had been made fire. to all nations were applicable per
analogy 70 the navigation of the ST Lawrence" their
negotiations with Denmark about the Sound dues the
United States wiz, Mr.. Marcy in hs despatch to the
American Charge dAhares at Copenhagen, OF July Is
1851 decidedly repudaies the idea any weight
Ia the treaties OF Vienna in regard the Sound dues u
ton aud DOES not take any notice OF the fact that the
Congress OF Vienna, although making tree the CATION
oil the great European rivers et the OF Denmark to
levy the Sound dues entirely untouched.
by the Ith article OF the reciprocity treaty with
Great Britain, Of June 9Th, 1884, the United States agreed
That the citizens and inhabitants Of the United States
shall have the right navigate the river St Lawrence
subject only TO the tolls and other assessments as
nov or may hereafter be exactei OF her Macstys said
subjects being understood however that the British
GeNernmen retains the right OF suspending this privilege
giving due thereof to the government of the Ini
ted States. But to Denmark Mr. Marcy talks in high
tone of the free highway nations and refuses 10 have
ANYTHING to do with European public law and European
oaace OF power hen invited To the conferences abo
the Sound dues, held at present Copenhagen, and
where Austria, Belgium, France, Great Britain Holland
odenburg, Prussia, Spain, Sweden and Norway, and
Russia represented the United States declined taking
part in them aud ia all probability the question will be
received without their cooperation.
In recent meeting OF the conference the Danish Com
mis>ay, Mr. Buhme. submitted Il proposal OF cspaliza-
ton OF the Sound, dues according to which Denmark
should receive 35 OO0,OOO of Danish rx dollars as in
iemnty for the abolition Of the tolls, on the follow
ing condition.
That all the Powers interested in the Batc trade and
navigation participate in the payment and that shall be
agreed u by the Powers represented in the conferences
Denmark eserving herself separately with the
Powers not represented A. TO their quota share.
That sum OF 2,3S5,oss ri1 dollars shall be considered
as an indemnity for the lighthouse dues, aud 9la
riH dollars compensation for duties upon goods
That tie payYent OF the quota share of each of the
presented Powers shall Ice guaranteed Denmark in
satisfactory manner.
The Danish COmmissary further stated that the above
named sum was the minimum of indemnity which Den
mark had tie right Of claiming.
According To this proposal the share OF Great Britain
would b. about lu,nOhoOD Danish money Tor about q
20p,Olsl the share Of Russia about the sam. SIM tia
OF Prussia about +,5O0ooO Danish Xix dollars that OF wc-
den and Norway about that Of the Netherlands
100000 that ct France l35O,uOu that Of Belgium 300
100000 nix dollars that OF Spain l,OOoooo aud on in
proportion Ia the yearly average amount of dues each
State has paid in latter years.
You will easily understand that it is of the greatest i'm
portdnce To Denmark that this affair should b. regulated
before the 18th o June, 500 the prolonged term of the
expiration OF the Danish American treaty Of 1926 as after
nu the part OF the American government The journals of
the Union at least speak OF szng upon the Danish West
India Islands especially S. Thomas reprisa against tie
Dans government should it the payment OF Sound
les 10y American vessels sing the Sound after the ex
praon OF the treaty of 1926 Mary British subjects being
settled in those islands and St Thonass being All inpor-
tlnt British postal packet station il supposed that
the British government would look with Indifference
upon such act Of violence tile part OF the Unit.
States Bi; It'll it would he preferable that the Sound
dues question being settled before the above named term
the Threatened complication did atiSe
ThE P,,sEsGERs o. rmE PAcrrIc-we some time since
gave the residence OF several of the passengers board
the missing steamship Pacific. The following. from the
New York Tribune, have not heretofore been given:
George y. Cutter importer of millinery goods No $40
broadway, was coming home with his spring importa
tious
Joseph Steere of the firm Of Seere Linden 4 King.
ley, No 20 Broadway. Mr. Steere did business ia Not
ungham, which required bis presence in England
times year.
llop was single man about % years Of age, aud
/ tive OF Nuremberg.
H. Z. sheldon, Of the firm Of Eastman, Sheldon 4
Townsend, six dealers, No. II Murray street
W. Atwaler, OF Montreal, Canada West
Mr. a1naud, silk merchant, Of Paris aud son of Nr
John Cha'f"aud, the dancing master, Of No. 81 East
Thirteenth street
H. Gcn importer, of Lyons, France. lie va. ON hi.
way to pay his annual visit to his friends III New York
Henry Trimmer, druggist, No. 20 waiteha street Nr
Trimmer leaves wife but children
James Glenn, merchant Of the firm Of Hughes Glenn
Co, san Frnneisco. Cousin to @. wehcrspoon the
cotton broker, OF this city
joseph kcishaw of the Grn OF Kershaw Ingis coui-
mission merchants, No is Exchange Place New York
Henry Dutih, OF Liverpool. formerly vi this city Nj
Dutlh native OF Trieste, where his imily still re-.
sides For fifteen years he engaged business in this
city, with his brother, IN South William street but for the
] past ycar had been established in Liverpool
Joseph Lciien resident Cologne and son Of on.
Of the mUst respectable merchants III that city
The insurance the and cargo exceeds 5000
| 600
] FRozES AND DEyouRED ny WOLyEs-The death of DIR
r. y Ripley Is one Of the most melancholy occurrences Of
the pat The doctor in company with n Mr. Nc.
Celand LETT Glencoe about the last Of February for the
purpose O locating road to the town Of Forstyil