We have received Danish newspapers up to September 9. An army 
order of September 4 gives the following instructions: General Krogh 
takes over command in Jutland, headquarters Viborg. For the 
duration of the armistice the garrison in Alsen* has a special 
command. The corps in the field is quartered as far as possible in its 
recruiting areas and is therefore spread across Jutland and the 
islands. Forty to fifty men per company remain under arms, the rest 
will be sent home on leave, and the brigade commanders are 
instructed to inspect their troops frequently and prepare for a new 
campaign. However, since the King? wants to make a personal 
inspection of the troops before they go on leave, these decisions will 
not be carried out until further orders. It is also unlikely that they 
will be, for as the postscript of the Faedreland announced on the 9th, 
news of the decision passed by the National Assembly about 
suspending the withdrawal has just reached Copenhagen in private 
letters. 

The Danes can rely fairly firmly on the troops recruited in North 
Schleswig, this is evident from the fact that it was precisely these 
sections of the army that were moved to the vicinity of the Schleswig 
frontier or Alsen. 

The liberal party in Copenhagen has put forward its list of 
candidates for the approaching elections. The representatives of the 
middle class, the editors of the Faedreland and other “men of the 
people” of the “constitutional monarchy established on a democratic 


. The Danish name is Als.— Ed. 
Frederick VII.— Ed. 


Army Order, Election Candidates, Comments on Prussian Ambiguity 435 


basis” (note how thoroughly the Danes have plagiarised the 
Germans) have met to draw up the list. It consists of a bank manager, 
a director of a life-insurance institution, two schoolmasters, an 
attorney, a lieutenant-colonel, a naval officer, two artisans and a 
““disvacheur’ (!). It can be seen what sort of intellectual forces are at 
the disposal of the “ Hovedstad’ .? 

The Prussian Government is unfortunate. In the Danish affair too 
it has managed to give Prussia a reputation for ambiguity which 
almost verges on treason against both sides. This ambiguity has 
always been a well-known feature of Prussian policy; we need only 
think of the “Great” Elector’s” betrayal of Poland when he suddenly 
went over to Sweden, of the Basle Peace, of 1805 and more recently 
of the ambiguity through which the Ministry enticed Poland into the 
trap.” 54 And now, in the Danish affair, the Prussian Government has 
abused the interests of the German people and not even earned a 
word of thanks from Denmark. Let us listen to what the Faedreland 
says: 

“According to the note of the Prussian Prime Minister Auerswald (to the 
Provisional Government in Rendsburg), which we publish below, it is plain that 
Prussia is playing a very ambiguous role. In the first place it is extremely surprising 
that the Prussian Government should have any dealings at all with the rebel 
Government in the duchies. Furthermore, Herr Auerswald has in more than one 
respect completely twisted the meaning of the terms of the armistice. Although the 
armistice was in no way intended to furnish any basis for a final peace, Herr 
Auerswald nonetheless claims that through it conditions are being prepared that will 
bring about a favourable final solution. He talks further of the significance of the 
terms whereby the federal troops are to remain in Schleswig and the Schleswig- 
Holstein army corps is to continue at its present strength, even though the armistice 
stipulates that the Schleswig and the Holstein troops should be separated and the 
federal troops remain in Altona. Lastly, he puts forward a similar falsehood when he 
says that the legal situation in the duchies is to continue on its present basis, whereas 
the armistice says that the decrees issued since March 17 both by the King of 
Denmark and by the Provisional Government should be repealed. As regards the 
Central Authority, it has shown such a lack of firmness towards the Assembly in its 
negotiations over Limburg” that from that side one can really expect anything.”