Mr. Yeaman to Count Frijs. LEGATION OF the United STATES, MONSIEUR: I have received your excellency's note of yesterday conveying to me the melancholy intelligence of the decease, in the previous night, of her highness Madame the Duchess Dowager Louise Caroline of Schleswig-Holstein-Sönderborg-Glückborg, the mother of his Majesty the King of Denmark. I will hasten to inform my government of this afflicting event, and in the mean time I assure you of my own most sincere sympathy with those whom it has so overwhelmed with sorrow, and beg your excellency to accept the assurance of my most distinguished consideration. Monsieur Count FRIJS, GEO. H. YEAMAN. Minister Foreign Affairs and President of the Council, Copenhagen. No. 69.] Mr. Yeaman to Mr. Seward. [Extract.] LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, SIR: Yesterday, the 25th anniversary of the marriage of their Majesties the King and Queen of Denmark was celebrated in this capital, with very great interest and with many and very marked manifestations of loyalty to the government and to the persons of the royal family. The ovations during the day could not have been otherwise than extremely gratifying to them. In the evening a grand soirée was given at Christianburg Palace, attended by between two and three thousand invited guests. No minute and detailed description of such festivities could be of interest to the department, and, besides the vast numbers and elaborate preparations, it varied in little from other distinguished entertainments, except in the pleasure afforded the members of the diplomatic corps of being presented to his Majesty the King of the Greeks, a very young man, of easy and popular manners, and his Imperial Highness the Grand Duke of Russia, much admired for his magnificent person and frank, open countenance. Very general regret was expressed at the absence of the Prince and Princess of Wales, caused by the sickness of the Princess. The felicity which the King and Queen must find, as parents, in having their children sought for and settled in such brilliant and distinguished alliances, was much commented upon, and the hope was expressed that they may live to celebrate with as much generous hospitality their "golden" as they have their "silver" wedding. SIR: I have no official or reliable information, nothing but telegraphic and editorial notices, of a reported resolution of Congress touching the use of an official dress or uniform by diplomatic representatives of the United States. I am not in a condition to state authoritatively that any such resolution has passed, and taking the fact as true, I would yet not know whether a future day was fixed for the act to go into effect, nor whether Congress had presented any uniform more acceptable than those now used. I beg you to believe that I am not disposed to attribute more importance to the matter than it really deserves, but, if it has been of sufficient importance to demand the action of Congress, it is appropriate that those whom it immediately concerns should know just what that action has been. I receive scarcely half the numbers of the National Intelligencer, in which the laws of the United States are published by authority, which will account for my not having seen the resolution (if any such) in that paper. 66 Desiring to comply with whatever may be the requirements of law on the subject, and having, like many other representatives of the United States abroad, expressed a preference for the simple dress of an American citizen where it is at all permissible, I yet find in our "personal instructions," prepared by the department, this very proper direction: In performing the ceremonies connected with his official reception, as well as on other formal occasions, the diplomatic representative will be governed by the established usage of the country in which he is to reside, and the rules prescribed for representatives of his rank." Any other course than this, pursued without the authority and direction of his government, would put a representative to a manifest and useless disadvantage. I have, therefore, supposed that any such resolution as the one in question ought to be officially brought to the notice of the proper department or officer of the government to which a representative is accredited. For most of the formal, official, and semi-official occasions upon which uniforms are now worn, the invitation or note granting an audience is so expressed that a representative, by disregarding the established custom, would, without some sufficient and authoritative reason, be thought lacking in courtesy, or committing an eccentricity, neither of which would benefit his government or his own standing with the government to which he is accredited. I have, therefore, respectfully to request that the department will furnish me with a copy of any law or resolution upon this subject by Congress with an opinion whether it is deemed necessary to communicate it to the proper officials of this government. Another matter may arise for consideration upon which I would be much obliged for your opinion. You will remember that at least two distinguished members of the British Parliament have deemed it proper and necessary for them to stay away from the official receptions and dinners of the Speaker of the House of Commons, because they did not approve of going in court dress, and could go in no other. When a resolution of Congress, such as the one in question, is definitively made known to the diplomatic representatives of the United States, and by them to the governments or courts to which they are severally accredited, if the courts near which they reside should not express themselves entirely satisfied with the course prescribed for American ministers, or should make no exception in their favor in the form of invitation or grant of audience, and should continue to extend to them invitations to appear on certain occasions in "gala," can they do otherwise than politely decline such invitations, giving the proper and true reason for their course? I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.. GEORGE H. YEAMAN. No. 72.] Mr. Yeaman to Mr. Seward. LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, Copenhagen, June 1, 1867. SIR It is stated, and generally believed here, that Prussia has proposed to Denmark to order the election by universal suffrage in North Schleswig, provided for by the treaty of Prague, to determine whether the people will remain with Prussia or return to Denmark, excepting from the vote Als, an important and beautiful island off the eastern coast of the Duchy, and excepting also the important fortress of Duppel, and requiring that some special and extra protection shall be extended in some respects to the few Germans living within the bounds of the district that may be restored in virtue of the vote and the treaty. It is believed that Denmark has rejected or will reject the proposition. I have recently visited a new and remarkably well built fort in the harbor of Copenhagen, which presented to me some points of great interest. The greater part, all the upper and most exposed portions of the walls of the fort, as well as the magazines and interior apartments, are built of a composite of cement and pebbles or small stones, forming one solid and connected mass; and the very intelligent officer accompanying us, by the kind attentions of the minister of war, assured me that reliable and satisfactory experiments and experience have proved that it will resist either the concussion of a ball or the explosion of powder, as of a mine or a magazine, more effectively than the most approved granite masonry. I was shown, while in the fort, a Danish invention for obtaining almost instantly the exact range of an enemy's ship. There are three forts in the harbor, properly arranged for the defence of the city with reference to the approaches. These have submarine telegraphic communication with each other, and with the citadel on land. Each fort is supplied with a carefully graduated chart of the harbor, the sound, and all the batteries, each fort on this chart being made the centre of a number of circles. When an enemy man-of-war appears, its angle or bearing from each fort can be instantly taken by a fixed mathematical instrument, made for the purpose. This bearing is in a moment telegraphed from each fort to both of the others, and thus each fort has acquired almost instantly the data for reckoning with precision the distance of the man-of-war from its battery. When the angles are thus obtained no calculation is needed, but their intersection is at once obtained with delicate threads of silk or hair attached to the centre of each fort as represented on the chart, and the application of good instruments gives the distance. It is far more than probable that our military men are so familiar with these ideas that they would smile at my meagre and unscientific description; but if, perchance, their attention has not been called to this ingenious device, I am sure they would feel very great interest in it, especially if, in their opinion, it would offer any practical advantage in gunnery by so getting the range of an object as to bring a battery to bear upon it with effect at the first round. In the use of modern heavy artillery of immense range, with which firing cannot be so rapid, and when one well-placed ball would often decide the fate of a vessel, it must be of importance to know the precise distance of the vessel from the gun at the earliest possible moment. There were two American citizens with me, Messrs. Strout and Farrington, of Boston, and in returning they proposed we should make an informal, unannounced visit to the flag-ship of the Russian squadron which conveyed the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess from Petersburg to Copenhagen. The admiral and other officers received us with marked warmth and hospitality. Several appropriate and decided sentiments were proposed touching the friendly alliance between Russia and the United States, and when we had taken our leave and our boat was moving off from the ship, a splendid United States flag was run up to the masthead and saluted with sixteen guns. We received, standing and uncovered, this token of respect to our country and its loved emblem, a standard everywhere dear, and dearer the farther from home it is seen. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C. GEORGE H. YEAMAN. Mr. Yeaman to Mr. Seward. [Extract.] No. 78.] LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, SIR: A note has recently been published which was addressed last month by the Prussian minister at Copenhagen to the Danish government upon the Schleswig matter. The principal difficulty in the way has been the demand by Prussia for special protection, or guarantees by Denmark in behalf of persons of German language and nationality who might be embraced within the retroceded district. The objection to this here has been that Denmark, being a mild and just government, would assuredly extend to such men the same rights and protection which it extends to its citizens of Danish extraction, and, it is further alleged, Prussia can demand such a condition with no more propriety than Denmark could demand special guarantees for German subjects of Danish language and nationality in Holstein or southern Schleswig. Moreover, it is feared and alleged that such a stipulation by Denmark would endanger the future peace and integrity of the kingdom by leaving too much for construction, and by inviting almost, a difference of opinion as to the facts. * * * * * I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C. * GEORGE H. YEAMAN. No. 46.J Mr. Seward to Mr. Yeaman. [Extract.] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, July 6, 1867. SIR: Your despatch of the 28th of May last, No. 70, relative to a recent act of Congress prohibiting the use of any uniform or official costume by the diplomatic representatives of the United States, has been received. For your information, I enclose herewith a copy of the act referred to. As regards the latter paragraph of your despatch, the department perceives no other course for you to pursue when you receive official invitations or grants of audience, and are expected to appear in court dress, than to decline such invitations, assigning the true reason therefor. Mr. Yeaman to Mr. Seward. [Extract.] No. 79.] * LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, Copenhagen, July 7, 1867. * * * SIR: Herewith you will find enclosed a copy of the Dagbladet newspaper containing a copy, in French, of the address to the King lately voted by the Rigsdag. I cannot discover that it has much political significance. It shows what everybody knew that the government and people of Denmark are in thorough accord upon the subject of North Schleswig, and can hardly be taken as an indication of impatience with the King and his ministry. The Danish government is behaving with firmness and dignity in the matter, and possibly feels that it is not in a condition to say all it thinks about the affair. The opinion exists among my colleagues and some Danes of high official position that the question is not in a satisfactory or hopeful attitude; and further, that notwithstanding the settlement of the Luxembourg question, France and Prussia will inevitably drift into a war, and, in that event, the opinion is now stronger than ever that Denmark would, almost of necessity, fall into an alliance with France. The publication, at Berlin, of the note of the Prussian minister to the Danish government before any answer was made, is considered among the diplom its here as a very strange and unwarrantable proceeding. I sent you a copy of it in my last despatch. Its tone is severely criticised here by my colleagues, and it has been very distasteful to the Danish government. * I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C. GEORGE H. YEAMAN. Mr. Yeaman to Mr. Seward. No. 82.] LEGATION OF the United STATES, SIR: The following is a translation of the response made by the King of Denmark to the address voted by the Rigsdag, a copy of which I enclosed in my No. 79, of 7th instant : We thank the Rigsdag for the unanimous accord with which in its address it has adopted the views which we have expressed in our opening speech, upon our external situation. This accord which reigns among our people will strengthen our government in the persevering efforts which it makes to consolidate, so far as is within its power, our friendly foreign relations, and to avoid real difficulties without sowing the seeds of new complications and new conflicts. The expression of a desire to avoid sowing the seeds of new complications and difficulties may be considered an exact and definite indication of the policy that will be insisted upon by the government of Denmark in reference to the demand by Prussia for special guarantees for the German population in North Schleswig. Touching that matter I herewith enclose the French text of an address signed and published by four hundred and twenty-six Germans domiciled in North Schleswig. The document itself is the only information I have on the subject which it dis |