The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1905-01-12
WAS IN Hoe FOR
A HUNDRED YEARS
IA CITY PLEDGED TO KING GUS
TAV Nv HAS BEEN FORFEITED
AND Is NOW GERMAN.

Wismar, "A port Of $4,000 people on the
Baltic, situated I'm the German duchy
of Meclxlenburg- Schwerin, but belong
ing legally to Sweden has recently be-
come German city. 1t was pledged
by King Gustav " for a loan of 81 ,OOO,-
600 and the King of Sweden having
failed to redeem it within the century,
1t has passed to the Duke of Mechlen-
burg Schwerin, from whose ancestor
the money was borrowed.
Ip1the early part of the eighteenth
century Denmark, the most powerful
enemy of Sweden after the destruction
of the Hanseatic League, a-KInd of
trade union established by certain Ger
man cities for safety and commercial
purposes, captured Wismar and RACED
the fortifcations. Afterwards peace was
declared and the city reverted to Swe-
den. but with the provision that she
should not rebuild the Notifications.
The place thus lost it's strength and i'm
portance and became instead an ele-
ment of weakness to the Swedes. Its
great sea trade was ruined and it's in
| land trade lost.
Under these circumstances it was not
Surprising that the Swedes tired at last
of their white elephant. So i'm the reign
of the incompetent and extravagant
Gustvaus ", with territory lost to the
French i'm one war, with Finland lost
to Russia, with defeat in a war with
! Norway, the Swedes seized an oppOr-
| tunity to relieve, themselves of the bur-
den of possession.
The direct opportunity was given by
the cancellation by Gustvaus of his en-
gagement to the daughter of Duke FIRE.
derrick Franz 1. That person not un-
naturally resented the insult and
threatened dire things. Finally his
threats crystallized into demand for
an enormous indemnity. The money
had to be raised at once. The duchy OF
Mecklenburg advanced 1,25S,OOO reich
sthaler and took Wismar. Neuklostel
and the island of Peel as security.
Under the conditions of the loan the
city of Wismar and the two govern
ments districts were to remain II
pledge for one hundred years. At the
end of one hundred years Sweden coul'
claim and obtain the pledged city and
land by paying back the original loan
with per cent compound interest. !
further provision, however of the Loan
was that should Sweden fail to talk
any notice whatever of the expiration
of the time, the contract would becom
renewed automatically for another on
hundred years. The sum which Swedel
would have to pay if she wished
claim Wismar and the two government
districts is figured as amounting t
$27OO0,00O and this alone. quite apar
from considerations of policy, operate
doubtless as a bar against the asser
ton of her rights.
Thus we see that while the immedi
ate business transaction dates bac
but about one hundred years, and dip
lomatic squabbles over the city nov
. would have to revert to the surrender
and armistices of the thirty years
war Q61S-4S). And the fact that Wis
mar heretofore really was Swedish ter
ritory explains why Germany has no
fortified the port which is considere
the finest harbor site of the entire Bal
tic coast. Under the Swedish DAMS
treaty Notifications were not to b
built, and when the duchy of Mecklen
burg took over the place the stipulation
was renewed.-The Pathfinder.