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In the latter part of King Oscar I’s reign, two
union-commissions were appointed. One of these drew up a scheme for a
new law concerning the mutual trade and navigation of the two
kingdoms, which was to take the place of an older one made in
1827. The other commission brought in a bill for the execution
of judicial sentences in both kingdoms. These bills were passed
by the states of the kingdom of Sweden, while the Storthing
rejected them as unsuitable for Norway. This roused Sweden’s ire,
and in November, 1859, the old Count Anckarsvärd, who had
hitherto been supposed to be a friend of the Norwegians, contended
in the upper house for a revision of the Act of Union. The basis
of this revision was to be the Treaty of Kiel!
It soon appeared that the old Count was really the exponent
of a political opinion that was widely spread in Sweden.
King Oscar I died on the 8th July, 1859, and his successor
Carl — in Norway, IV, in Sweden, XV — had determined to
commence his rule by complying with a wish that the Norwegians had
long cherished. He promised privately to sanction a decision
regarding the abolition of the post of statholder, if a proposal
concerning it were accepted by the Storthing. This was done on the
9th December, 1859, and the government — the
Birch-Motzfeldt-Sibbern ministry — recommended the sanction of the measure.
But on learning the determination of the Storthing, the Swedish
Riksdag declared that the post of statholder was a condition of the
Union, that had come into the Norwegian constitution through
the negociations between the Storthing and the Swedish
commissioners in 1814, and could not therefore be abolished without the
consent of the Swedish states. A sharp correspondence on the
subject ensued, and the Swedish government subscribed to the
opinions expressed in the Riksdag. As a consequence of this, the
king refused to sanction the resolution in the Norwegian council.
But the manner in which the matter was settled gave occasion for
an exchange of opinions between the Norwegian and the Swedish
councils. When the Storthing was informed of the refusal, they
passed an address, in which they maintained Norway’s sole right
over her constitution, and firmly protested against the assertion of
the Swedish states that the resolution concerning the abolition of
the post of statholder, should be treated as a matter that had
something to do with Sweden. Finally, the Storthing expressly declared
that «a revision of the union provisions could not be made from
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