STATE PAPERS. 



433 



Sweden guaranteed bj- the great 

 powers, which should secure the 

 repose of tiie North with that of 

 the Norwegian jieople, who wish 

 only to live free among their rocks, 

 would be the most desirable state 

 of things for Norway. 1 founded 

 my hopes on the application, in 

 our favour, of the same principles 

 in support of which such generous 

 efforts had been lavished in Ger- 

 many wnd in Spain. The great 

 powers of Euro|)e have otherwise 

 decided ; the declarations which 

 you have made, persuade me that 

 the safetj' of Norway demands that 

 we should yield to the law of the 

 strongest ; and I perceive that 

 these same powers, not wishing 

 to bring the calamities of war on 

 Norway, are desirous of attending 

 to every thing that may secure as 

 much as possible the happiness 

 of Norway united to Sweden. I 

 even see it in my power to stipu- 

 late for the welfare of Norway, 

 by the sacrifice of a situation per- 

 sonally flattering to rae. 1 do not 

 hesitate to make such sacrifice, in 

 a manner worthy of a man of ho- 

 nour, worthy of the crown which 

 I wear, and of the people who 

 have conferred it on me. 



You have recognised that it is 

 only into the hands of the Diet that 

 I can resign my rights ; and it is 

 also only that assembly of the re- 

 presentatives of the nation which 

 can decide, whether the nation 

 should prefer an unequal struggle 

 for its iudependence to the honour- 

 able conditions which shall be offer- 

 ed to Norway as a kingdom united 

 to Sweden. I acknowledge it to be 

 my duty to make known to the na- 

 tion the dangers to which it is ex- 

 posed, and to represent to it the 

 advantages which must be secured 

 to it on its acceding to a constitu- 

 tional union with Sweden ; but 



Vol I.VI. 



you know me sufficiently to be 

 convinced, that, faithful to my en- 

 gagements, I will never separate 

 my fate from its, in the event of a 

 brave though useless resistance a- 

 gainst the united forces of Europe, 

 being preferred to an honourable 

 reconciliation, for which I shall 

 employ all ray credit. It is to this 

 effect that I have written the letter 

 to the King of Sweden, a copy of 

 which is herewith subjoined, and. 

 by which I accede to your first ba- 

 sis for the truce wiiich you also 

 have deemed necessary, and which 

 I demand of the Kin:; of Sweden, 

 on honourable and admissible con- 

 ditions. 



To the second basis of the truce, 

 I reply, that if the point at issue 

 be the rupture of negociations 

 which can alone lead to an amica- 

 ble union, I will accede to the 

 evacuation of the country, between 

 tl'.e Glommen and the Swedish 

 frontier, as well as of the isles of 

 Hualoerne, and tht fortresses of 

 Frederickstein and Frederickstadt, 

 by the Norwegian troops, on con- 

 dition that the territory, as well as 

 the fortresses be neutral during 

 the armistice. Kongsvinger being 

 on the north bank of the Glom- 

 men, and a league on this side the 

 neutralized ground, I think it will 

 not be proper to insist on its eva- 

 cuation. In regard to the occupa- 

 tion of the fortresses by Swedish 

 troops, 1 deem it my duty to re- 

 present to you, that conditions 

 which have once already animated 

 the whole people to the defence of 

 the country, ought not to be re- 

 demanded, if it is wished to soothe 

 the public mind ; that the inevita- 

 ble consequence of the entrance 

 of Swedish troops would be a 

 general rising of the people, and 

 that, in that case, I must prefer 

 war against the enemv to the civil 



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