Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1856-04-18

n ,.' " ;,.,n.ut Meetings of the high
drnitaries of the empire were ut,'9 a;rs, tI
suit was formal protest oy n'es" .a;,aI;,;as
ascension even of the union OF the TWO frhciPalilles'
u rf.rance with the internal affairs u! Turkey
and n violation of the sovereign rights OF The forte
~ ,Lns. provinces. In spite OF long interviews be-,
len ,he French and Austrian Ambassadors and
,hs Ministers at the Porte, this protest was sent.
OPINIONS OF THE CAR ON THE PROS.
PECr OF PEACE.
The ST. Petersburg correspondence OF the faris
Constitutional, writing the llth OF March, says
1.-The Emperor and Empress appear TO be Well
satisfied with The progress o affairs. courier a!
| rived this morning from Count Orot, the bearer, u
is said, oil very favorable accounts from Paris anu
during the reception the Empress was SO cheeriu
and animated as 10 excite the notice OF me psrsous
| invited aud the Emperor conrersed win "''''le"'
groups to whom he declared that peace appeared 10
hlm 10 be more and more certain and thai he c"uio
now occupy himself with Important WORKS al nome
and with useful notifications III nus EMPIRE. l"ohe
| of the groups, composed OF members Oh Tue e"P>
d,piomnt,IMe, the Emperor said The war mas ohiS
been all accident, rather MISUNDERSTANDING ~
will not have changed, III any way, the gnod PERSONAL
relations between the Russians and the treh'i, VINO
have some remarkable points OF resemblance. they
have certainly fought too long, bnt u mas Always
been with courtesy and humanity. The Russian
prisoners have been treated by the French not as
| enemies but rs brothers; and have been anxious
that proper treatment should be shown to the pr-
soners whom the fortune q" war has thrown lnt" our
everything leads me to believe that it Ia about to be
so-France and Russia may hold out the hand Z"
each oiher-may esteem and love each other as III
the past; for although the struggle has been warm
il has been carried on in all houor, aud without ha-
rred' The Emperor Alexander also spoke III the
most uiectiunate manner of Napoleon ILL.,, and did
tull Justice 10 the acts of his Government, and 10
his love of peace width, he added, IS US sincere a.
my own
THE UNITED STATES AND THE DANISH
| SOUND DUES.
Copenhagen (.March ~ Correspondence OF hte Lon-
| don Times.
You are aware that the ground upon which the
Government of the United State has denounced the
treaty of amiiy and commerce with Denmark Of the
10th uf April, 1885, is their unwllllngness to surreu-
der to any Power the right Of using the ocean us the
highway of commerce." and to acknowledge the
right of Denmark to levy the Sound dues--a right
which the United States have recognized from the
moment OF their entering into the class oil indepehu
ent nations until 1876, as not privileged State, anu
MS privileged State from that Year until the IAN OF
April, 1879, when they denounced the aoore-naned
| treaty. Some of the most eminent American states
meu-as Daniel Webster and the celebrated Henry
Wheaton-turinerly acknowledged the right OF Dem
| mark to levy the Sound dues, resting upon I'm
msmnrial usage" and sanctioned by numerous rea-
ties; and the best writers public law for example
Brynkershoek and Lord S;owel--consider the law
of nations rs derived from tue usage and practice Of
mankind. The first time the right OF Denmark to
levy tolls upon the merchant vessels passing the
Sound and the Belos has been denied in 1913, by
the then American Secretary of State, Mr.. Cpshur
who, in report 10 President Tyler, remarked
That Denmark could not demand this toll upon any
other ground than ancient usage, which hnds no Jus
titcaton i'll the existing state of things She renders
service for this exaction and this, preSune,i-
the principal argumrnt-"has not even the clam OF
power to enforce it," But Mr.. Cpshur died shortly
AFTER and his in office, Mr.. Calhoun, the
great urisconsnlt entirely abandoned the stand taken
| by Mr.. upshur in this question. Now, the new Anne
rican doctrine of public law might, perhaps be- de-
frnded-at least, from an American point OF vlew--ii
the United States themselves acted up 10 il in their
relations with every other nation But, If you com
pare the pursued by the United States Gov
srnment in recent negotiations about the tree naFl'
CATION of the ST. Lawrence river with that which
they have adopted in regard to the Sound Dues, you
will perceive that the jHS jdrf0"s Is the real principle
| of American public law. In the negotiation with
Great Britain about the free navigation OF the ST.
Lawrence, the United States claimed that the slipua.
tons OF the Vienna treaties, "Dy which the nnvga-
ton OF the great European rivers had been made Tree
TO all hatons, We're applicable per analogy {" the
navigation of the s.. Lawrencc." In their negotia-
tons with Denmark about the Sound Dues the United
States, wiz: Mr.. Marcy, i'll his dispatch to the Am--
rican th"r..' d.AJ@tTt" at Copenhagen, OF Juy -,
1881 decidedly repudiate the idea OF allowing
any weight 10 the treaties OF Vienna in regard /"
the Sound Dues question aud does not take any
notice OF the fact that the Congress Oi Vienna, al
though making free the navigation If the great Eu-
r"Irnn rivers, hJt thr rtgh NJ DsamarG 10 terry
the Sound Ones rntiriy Wnionchcd. By the fourth
tice Of the reciprocity treaty with Great Britain oi
jane j. lSal The United States agreed: That the
citizens aud inhabitants OF the tnel State shall
have the right 10 navigate the river ST. Lawrence,
subject only 10 the tolls and other stnenis
~ NOW are or may hereafter be cxacted OF Her Ma
esys said subjects it being understood, however.
that the British Government retains the right OF
suspendng this privilege by giving due notice thereof
to the Government of the United States" But to
Denmark Mr. Marcy talks in high tone oi the free
do with European public law aud European balance
of power. When invited 10 the conferences about
the Sound Dues, held ut present at Copenhagen, and
where Austria B-gi France, Great Britain, llol
land, O!denburg, Prussia, Span, Sweden and Nor.
way, and Russia represented, the United States
declined taking part ia them and IN al! probability
the question will be resolved without their coopera
ton.
In recent meeting of the conference the Danish
COmmissary, Mr.. Blume, submitted proposal OF
capitalization OF the Sound Dde-, according to which
Denmark should receive 81 millions Of Danish riX
dollars indemnity for tho abolition oi the tolls, on
the following conditions:
"in) That all the Powers interested in the Baltic
trade and navigation participate in the payment, and
that it shall be agreed to by the powers represented
in the conferences Denmark reserving to herself to
treat separately with the Powers not represented az
10 their g"O,0 share.
"b.l that SUN of 1885 OSs rix dollars shall be
considered indemnity tor the lighthouse dues and
2,Ull9i2 rx dollars as compensation tor duties uPo"
goods.
"lc Tina, the payment Of the qnoia share OF each
of the represented Powers shall be guarah'eeu ~
Denmark in satisfactory manner. A..
The Danish Commissury further sfateo tnat u'n
abOve.naned sum was the m,Mmnm Oh ihaen'h"l
which Denmark had the right OF claiming. Ri.
According to this proposal, the snare OF I''eat p
tain would be about lO0O0,000 Danish money Tor
about IL 2OO, $780, the share OF Russia aooht 'e sap
sum, that of Prussia about 43oo"o' Dahisn iN mUi
lars that OF Sweden and Norway about 2,n","oo'
that of the Netherlands l,5OOu that ct rranco
30 OlU, that of Belgium 3Uu,ooo"oo Tx uo"' - "
of Spain 600, OGO and 80 on, in proportion 10 'ne
yearly average amount OF dues each ola'e pa' P""
in later years. ..,
You will ensy understand that it is OF the greatest
Importance to Denmark That this aia'r shou'u ne re-
gulated before the 18th at june i3o"' uhe PIo'onseu
term Of the expiration Of the Dansn AMERICAN treaty
of 1896 rs after rhis time any extremity VI ''"ieh
meas ur.s may he feared the part OF the American
Government. The Journals OF the ohoh 4t ieaS
| speak Of srizing the Danish west lndia lsiaho9'
especially st. Thnmass, as reprisals deahst ''e b"i
| ISL Governments should it exact the payment oil
Sound dues by American vessels passing the Sound
after the expiration of the treaty OF 1876 Many British
subjects being settled in those islands. and ST. Ihom-
ass being an important British postal aud packet
station il is 10 b. supposed that the British Govern
| meut would not look with Indifference upon sucn an
act of violence on The part OF the United States
But still would be preferable that the Sound dues
question being settled before the above named term,
the threatened complication did not arise.
DUpLICITY OF THE BRITISH MINISTRY
We cannot go the length Of saying that in the pend
ing dispute with America Lord Palmerston and me
| Earl of Clarendon have wfuly imperiled peareful
relations between the two States; but justified
in affirming that all which conld be effected by je
sutry and Hypocrisy aud 10y the subtcrfuges OF di-
pomacy, carried to their utmost limits, has been ma
zarded by the Earl of Clarendon and TINT Al his de
sire had been to furnish President Pierce with al *
cuse Tor his policy of aggression, he could not more
eHectually have gratfed it than by the course OF
conduct he has pursued.
1t is a popular impression, with regard to one part
OF the controversy with America that 1t IL virtually
arranged by an explanation and apology. II is sup
posed that Lord Clarendon and our Minister IN