The Earl of Derby:  May I ask the noble Earl if that decision was to be taken during the occupation of the province by the German troops?

Earl Russell:  No; the French proposition was clearly that the Prussian troops should evacuate the district before the vote was taken by means of Commissioners.  At the same time, it was the opinion of the Danes—­and I believe that opinion to have been well founded—­that although the people of Schleswig generally were perfectly satisfied to remain united to Denmark, such had been the effects of the occupation, such had been the agitation on the part of Germany, the political societies in Germany having sent persons to agitate all over the country, that the decisions would through that influence have become corrupted, and the plan of the Emperor, which otherwise might have been successful, would have been rendered unjust.  The proposition was accordingly refused.  My Lords, it was with great regret that the Plenipotentiaries of the neutral Powers received this decision.

My Lords, I must say that my noble friend (the Earl of Clarendon) and I have received from France and from the other neutral Powers the firmest support during the continuance of the Conference.  We held frequent private meetings with the neutral Powers, in which we discussed the proposals to be made.  There was nothing exhibited in those meetings but the most earnest desire to provide for the safety and independence of Denmark, and I must say that the utmost harmony prevailed on all sides; and the French, Russian, and Swedish Plenipotentiaries alike did all in their power to contribute towards the success of the proposals we made.  We shall, therefore, leave the Conference with a strong sense of our obligations for the support which we received from them.  After this decision there remained nothing more for the Conference but to accept the declaration which was made at the last meeting—­and which has been repeated to me to-day by the Austrian Ambassador—­it is simply that the two Powers, Austria and Prussia, have no intention of carrying on hostilities with the view of obtaining possession of any territory beyond the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, and that they have no intention of making any conquest of any portion of the Danish territory on the continent or of the Danish islands.  That declaration is purely voluntary, and is not in any way extorted as to the manner in which these Powers propose to act.  At the same time it comes rather late—­though they make the declaration I suppose they cannot intend us to accept it—­and we certainly cannot accept it as one upon which we can implicitly rely.  After that which has happened with respect to the Treaty of 1852, and after that which has happened with respect to the treatment of the Danes after the pledges given, but more as I am afraid owing to German popular opinion, which Austria is desirous to conciliate, which Prussia is desirous to conciliate, which the German Confederation, above all, is anxious to conciliate, I am sorry to say that, greatly as I have respected Austria, greatly as I have respected Prussia, we can no longer rely, as we have done, upon their declarations.