rwegian government of
the 17th April the reasons for the refusal are set forth. They are
typically Norwegian. It refers to preceding negotiations, the failure of
which is solely accountable to the circumstance that on the part of
Sweden it has been found impossible to accede to all the Norwegian
demands. The termination of the Consular negotiations had especially
"given ground for great disappointment, and if increased by a renewal of
similar unfortunate experiments, will threaten the gravest danger to the
good relations existent between the two peoples". The Norwegian
government knows what means to employ to produce "these good relations",
namely, establishing its own Consular Service in the way prognosticated
in the past. This accomplished, "that confidence, which is the mainspring
of every friendly and fruitful inquiry into difficult and delicate
relations in a Union, will have revived". Norway is thus always the
injured one, and there is never a thought that Sweden on her part might
have or possibly _could find_ cause for displeausure over Norwegian Union
Policy[53:1].

In a joint Cabinet in Stockholm on April 23rd the aforementioned
statements were carried[53:2]. The Swedish Cabinet found it impossible,
for the present, to resume negotiations. The Norwegian Cabinet stated
imperatively--to those who would believe it--that it is not the
object of Norwegian action to have the present Union dissolved(!), but
they were in unity with the Swedish Cabinet. The Crown Prince deeply
deplored being forced to let these decisions remain final.

In the beginning of May the Swedish Diet resolved, on the basis of the
above mentioned motions, to address the King respecting the support they
had given the Crown Prince's resolution[54:1]. The Diet deeply deplored
the refusal already given by the Norwegians, but considered it possible
that their unanimous support of the Crown Prince's programme would lead
eventually to more favourable results.

[Sidenote: _Norwegian agitation._]

While these efforts on the part of the Regent and Sweden were being made
to bring Norway to reason, an energetic and designing agitation was being
carried on from Christiania. The press went over almost entirely to the
side of the programme; from Trondhjem alone, where union partisanship was
not altogether inclined to submit to the dictates from Christiania, were
heard hesitations.

Strong efforts were made in the Storthing to win over the doubting and
un