Mr. Judd to Mr. Seward.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your despatches, Nos. 66 and 67, dated, respectively, 9th and 12th of March ultimo.
A conference, diplomatic, for the solution of the difficulties in Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein, has been assented to by Denmark, Prussia, Austria, England, France, Russia, and Sweden. The German Diet has been notified of this, and requested to send a representative. No conclusion has yet been arrived at by that body upon the propositions.
[Page 209]The delegates, assenting to the agreement, are to meet in Sweden on the 12th instant. As no basis for the negotiations has been passed, and the war is to continue pending the deliberations of the convention, a very general impression here is, that no result will be reached, and some of the members of the corps diplomatic do not believe that it will even assemble.
Austria desires to get out of this complication upon almost any terms. This disposition, and the failure as yet to get the Diet to adopt the war on behalf of entire Germany, compels the Prussian government either to assent to the conference, or find itself isolated in the war against Denmark.
The military operations are now confined to the attack upon the fortifications at Düppel, and appearances are that they can only be taken by the slow operations of a regular siege. From all the information that I can obtain, it will be found, as a defensive position, almost a second Sebastopol. If Denmark had troops enough to re-enforce the place as the exigencies of the defence place hors du combat the present garrison; even the present numerical odds of four or five allies to one Dane would not enable them to take the position. The allies have been before it for some three or four weeks, and a Prussian officer, just from the theatre of war, told me he thought it would require two months more to reduce it.
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I am, respectfully, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c.