Mr. Haldeman to Mr. Seward.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of despatches Nos. 42 and 43. Copious extracts of the communication of the Secretary of State upon the subject of an intercontinental telegraph by the way of Behring’s strait, in reply to the chairman of the Committee on Commerce of the United States Senate, were made and published in the Stockholm papers, as a subject in which Sweden was greatly interested. One article expressed surprise that the first minister of the United States government, in the midst of a great civil war, had the time and disposition to employ his mind to so critical and exact a statistical and geographical examination of the subject.
[Page 364]I have not received the silver medal which the President has directed to be presented to Captain M. F. Broman, of the Swedish ship Atlantic, for his humane services to the shipwrecked crew of the American schooner Gamaliel, in April last. When received I will, as instructed, to the best of my ability, convey this testimonial in an appropriate manner.
No one doubts but the suspension of hostilities between Denmark and the German powers must result in peace—that Denmark has no hope but in the generosity of the victors. The fortune of war has rendered submission inevitable, and Denmark must accept the conditions which the German powers may see fit to dictate. It has been suggested that the integrity of the Danish monarchy may yet be preserved by a short and easy road of escape—its absorption into the Germanic confederation; and as a member of the confederation, ranking third in power and importance—in fact, holding the balance of power in the Diet between Austria and Prussia—this union or absorption would be in harmony with the views of a large party in Germany.
On the morning of the 17th of July an attack was made by Prussian troops upon the Norwegian royal mail steamer Vicken, sailing from Christiania to Lubeck, while landing passengers as usual at Frederickshaven, in Jutland. Count Manderström informed me, yesterday, he understood the Prussian officer in command pleads a mistake for his excuse—that the Vicken was taken for a Danish steamer; but as yet he, Count Manderström, had received no reply from the Prussian government to his demand for explanation.
A much deeper feeling, and far more painful, was excited throughout Norway and Sweden by the order of Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia, that “all foreign officers and volunteers taken prisoners, who were not regularly enrolled in the Danish army, would be tried by court-martial, and on conviction, duly shot. Count Manderström informed me the order was suspended, but not revoked; that he had received no reply to his communication on the subject from the Prussian government; that he had no fear that captured Swedes, &c., would be treated otherwise than as prisoners of war; that it was a European, question, in which all civilized nations were interested. I was struck with the emphatic declaration, as if he wished me to take note and be witness, that the order of Prince Frederick Charles was infamous. He remarked the same to several of my colleagues. It is understood that Austria protested against this order of her ally; for, as is well known, the Austrian imperial service is sought and has the preference with foreigners of distinction and all military adventurers, having for more than one hundred years a larger number of alien officers in her service than all the armies of Europe combined.
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I have the honor to be your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c., Washington, U. S. A,