GENERAL HISTORY. 



[43 



vocation of that assembly was 

 deemed necessary, and for that 

 purpose a truce was proposed by 

 his Highness, to which they readi- 

 ly acoeeded, but the conditions 

 they mentioned were all succes- 

 sively rejected. They finally offer 

 an armistice upon the following 

 basis : 1. A solemn engagement 

 from his highness to resign into 

 the hands of the representatives of 

 the nation all the rights he receiv- 

 ed form them, and to use his influ- 

 ence to induce them to consent to 

 the union. 2. That the country 

 between the Glommen and the 

 Swedish frontier, the isles of Wal- 

 cheren, and the Fortresses of Fre- 

 derickstadt, Frederickshall, Frede- 

 ricksein, and Kongswinger, shall 

 be evacuated by the Norwegian 

 troops ; the country to be declared 

 neutral, and the fortresses to be oc- 

 cupied by Swedish troops. 3. After 

 the occupation of the fortresses, 

 the blockade of Norway to be 

 raised in respect to the ports of 

 Christiana, Christiansand, and 

 Bergen, during the period of the 

 truce. To this ultimatum they re- 

 quire a categorical answer, and 

 they declare, that whatever it may 

 be, they shall consider their nego- 

 tiations as terminated. 



In his answer to this note. 

 Christian begins with stating his 

 reasons for accepting the crown 

 offered him, and hoping for 

 the independence of Norway ; 

 but since the great powers of 

 Europe have determined other- 

 wise, he is persuaded that the 

 safety of the country requires that 

 they should submit to the law of 

 the strongest, and he is ready to 

 make the sacrifice demanded from 

 kim. He acknowledges it to be 

 his duty to make known to the 



nation the dangers with which it 

 is surrounded, and to represent the 

 advantages to be derived from an 

 union with Sweden ; but should 

 a brave, though useless resistance 

 be its «ietermination, he will re- 

 main faithful to his engagements, 

 and never separate his fate from 

 the nation's. With respect to the 

 second basis, he accedes to the 

 evacuation of the country, isles, 

 and fortresses specified, with the 

 exception of Kongswinger, which, 

 being on the north of the Glom- 

 men, he thinks ought to be left to 

 the Norwegians. But with regard 

 to the occupation of the fortresses 

 by Swedish troops, he represents 

 to them that the inevitable conse- 

 quence would be a general rising 

 of the people, and in that case he 

 must prefer war against the enemy 

 to the civil war which he must in- 

 cur by outraging the constitution 

 in the eyes of the nation. As to 

 the third basis, he observes, that 

 the raising of the blockade of Nor- 

 way, which is an indis[>ensable 

 condition of the truce, must be ex- 

 tended to all the ports on the coast, 

 if it is to be wished that it should 

 be regarded as a real benefit. On 

 these several points he further re- 

 fers to his letter to the King of 

 Sweden, which is subjoined. 



In a note to the Envoys of the 

 Allied Powers, Christian desires 

 from them the gauranty of the 

 bases of union which the King of 

 Sweden may accept, as well as of 

 the armistice in all its points. Their 

 answer expresses disappointment 

 that not one of the three basis of 

 an armistice has been fully accept- 

 ed : and affirms, that they are com- 

 pelled to rest their hopes of the 

 success of their negotiation upon 

 the generosity of the King of Swe- 



