THE SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN QUESTION.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 37, 1 February 1864, Page 5

THE SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN QUESTION.

Europe i>s threatened with a new war of the succession. The death of the late King of Denmark has opened up a. fresh and far more ominous phase of the eternal SchleswigHolstesn question. Yesterday tha quarrel wasbatween Denmark nnd Germany about the national rights of the Schleswig and Holstein peoples ; to-day ie has assumed the clearer, sharper, aud more menacing aspect of a struggle for the succession. It appears that Duke Ernest of Sax-Co burg has announced hia intention to move the Federal Diet to set aside the claims of King Christian tojSohleiwig and Holstein, to declare him a pretender, to set up the legitimist candidate, the present Prince of Auguatenburg, uud, if needful, to support thy cause of the latter by force of arms, England has many reasons to feel uneasy and annoyed ; at tlie outbreak of this quarrel. Her family interests are of the most com* plicated nature. Our Princess of Wales is the daughter of the king whoaa claims' to" the Duohieo are thus rudely disputed, The brother-in-law of our Queen loads the assailing parly.' Our JMnoe39 ■ Rayalf as Crown 3?rinqesa of Fiussis, must; to presumed, to. I Una Sownrdj tl^ .p«ty oppose tin HutfWlftl-'

which .l^rbrofo^ pathise.?ln the 'ordinary 'course; of things the " Prince of Wales must ', be expected to take one : side of the ;question,_ and prince Alfred, occupying the; pq'sitiofi of. successor to the Duke of Coburg, the other.' > '. . Prince JBYederlck^ of Auguste.nburg has , notified his assumption of the Dukedom of . Schles wig-Holstein to all the governments' composing the German 'Confederation, and ' has appointed Privy-Councillor "Somraer to' " conduct his'aff airs'. '' '• -'".-.■"' ', ; . .' \ ."': ■■ A proclamation; signed "Frederick; Duke ■-■ of Sehleswig-Holstein,'' announces the prince's • intention of assuming the government of those| Duchies, arid is dated Dolzig, the 16th November. ; "*■ . ;" '' ' " ; ;; ; ' ■■;■.■'■■■• :; '. prance. ■■■,■ ....■,-; .;V;V ;^ : ; The Chambers were opened on t]ie4fch of. November by the Emperor witH a remarkable speech. He afterwards despatched to all ; European Governments a letter askingjtheni to attend a C6ngriEissm';Paris for the'solutiori. of E urbpean an id Foreign "complications. * V He said :— "ln the 'presence r.'qf • events' which ' every day arise; I deem it inLdispensable to express myself without reserve to the Sovereigns to whom the destiny of nations is confided. Whenever severe shocks have sliaken " bases and displaced limits of states, solemn transactions have taken place to arrange new elements, and to consecrate by revision accomplished transformations. iSuch was theobject 1 of, the Treaty of Westphalia in the 17th; .; century, and negociations in Vienna in 1815. On this latter foundation now" reposes the political edifice of Europe, and yet, it is crumbling away on all sides. If the situation : . of different countries be attentively considered, it is impossible, not to admit that ,the ' treaties of Vienna, upon almost alt points,, are destroyed, modified, misunderstood, or • menaced; .hence duties without' rule, rights . without title, pretensions without restraint. I therefore propose to. regulate the present and secure the future in a Congress. . There-- / fore 1 am : ready, without any preconceived system, to bring to an international council „ the spirit of moderation and justice. ■] By .[. taking the initative in such an overture, I dq not yield to an impulse of vanity : but as a Sovereign to whom ambitious projects are .■ most frequently attributed, X endeavour to prove by this frank and, loyal step, that jny sole object is to arrive, witriouf a shocK at the pacification ofc Europe., L pray^ you to accept Paris as the' place of meeting. ' In case the 'princes, allies, and fnends of France should think proper to heighten by their presence the authority of the deliberations, I shall be proud to offer them my cordial hospitality. Europe would ' see, perhaps, some advantage in- ihe capital J from whioh tiie signal for war' has so often been given, becoming the seat of conference destined lo lay bases of general paciiicafcibn. |: : (Signed) " Napox-eoit." The majority of the Powers have. sent replies to the above letter. Spain and Italy request from the Emperor an exact definition '■■ ■' of the objects proposed to be laid before the Congress, before consenting to attend. England and Austria positively decline,^ on the ; 'ground, that the Congress was not likely to- ; settle disiJuted questions more. effectually ■-■/ ■ than the individual Governments concerned, i It is believed the Congress will not. take n place. . ■' - ■.-■■■'■ .•.-..- : •.. ■-'■-. :-..'■■> '■■ > - The cash' balance in the Bank of France is 200,000,000 francs. "■; ■■■ ■ . ;: - >;. • ; On December 3, M. Fould made a finan- • cial statement, to the. effect ; that the total : amount of the deficit wa5 172,000,000 francs, - and he proposes a loan of 300,000,000. . : ; A bill has been submitted to the French Council of state, asking supplementary, credits f oi 91 millions of francs, stated to be , . ■ required to meet the expenses of the Mexicaa. . ': expedition. >■.;; r . . y A Paris correspondent says :— "There is. a great deal of disagreeable .news from Mexico, .',■■.. which the govenimeht keeps in the back-. .: ground as well as it can. -The ' Vigie ( ' of : Cherbourg ventures to publish a correspon- r dence, which says that the French have no -.., influence whatever in the country beyond the -■,■ immediate reach of their bayonets' points, and 'that, a force of 5,000 men at least is . required to hold it. A reinforcement of : 1,000 men is going out from Cherbourg on the 23rd November. .. ■ . ■ • ; .