The Express.
London, England, 1863-06-20 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARUABIENT.

HOUSE OF LOILDI3.-FIIDAY, JUN 11 19.

—-- - - _
The Low CIIIJIMIUOII took hie eat Ni the woolsack
al too o'clock.
AFFAIRS OF POLAND. . ..

tawsl STRATFORD D 6 REDCLIFFE (who was lade-
fleetly beard in the gallery) called the attention of their
lorsLiops to the cirenaseteaces which were taking place in
And the cruelties that were beiogperpetristed in that
conotr). It would, he said, be recollected that the noble
reel the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs had *Med
that he would make fresh communicatioas to parliament
reapeetiug Poland at the earliest opportunity. He would
,00tent to wait patiently until his noble friend should
Mims the proper tune had arrived for making those comma-
amatioui, but seeing tLat the public papers were filled with
reports of atrocities that were being committed, he thought
he et, perfectly justified in putting a question on the sub-
ject. There was at pressatino official proof of those atnici.
ties, but perhaps bia sable friend would be able to throw
some light on that ppaasrt of the matter, for
there was every probability of such atrocities haring
occurred. It was said that priests were executed without
the forms of law sad under circumstances of superfluous
cruelty , that women and children were put to death whole-
hale in their places of shelter; that unprovoked attacks
were made on private houses by undisciplined soldiers ; that
venous were slaughtered in cold blood ; that authorities
who bad assembled to address the Emperor in terms of
to alty were ruthlessly hues ; and, worst of all, it was said
that ladies were to be subjected to the knout for simply wear-
ing mourning attire. B. hoped their lordships would agree
with him that if one-tenth part of these allegations was
true. it was a cue which required the deep consideration of
Europe, and one which might well call forth an a:premien
re detestation. It was said that the three leading European
goveruments had addressed the court of St. Petersburg on
the subject, but be confessed he was far from sanguine as
to that leading to say mansfactory result. He could not
avert bin eyes front the probable consequences of the percent
slate of things, sad therefore it was that he was anxious
that something more positive and satisfactory should be
Mated by the noble earl, for there could be no doubt that
the existing state of things was dangerous to
Europe, and therefore it was in the interest of
this country and of Europe that he was undoes
that the government should ,view this question not only in
reference to the present moment, but the future. He had
a strung conviction that uuless something was done of a
very positive kind to produce a separation between the two
parties so long engaged in hostilities with each other, and
which hostilities were sot of a nature to be set aside, there
would be no cure for an evil which had so frequently proved
itself dangerous to the pleas of Europe, and would b some
more and more so. The questions which he had to put
were, first, at what period in the present session did her
Majesty's government hope to be able to make further com-
musications to parliament as to the affairs of Poland ; sad
secondly, whether he had received any information respect-
Mg the rigour and cruelty of the Russian authorities, par-
ticularly with regard to the flogging of women!

Earl RUSSELL—With respect to the first question of my
whin friend, I have to may that no very long time will
elapse before I 'hall be able to lay additional papers on the
table of the house. With regard to what has taken place
en the part of her Majesty's government—on Wednesday
bat a despatch left London, Paris, and Vienna for St.
Petersburg, containing the views of those three govern.
meets respecting the present state of affairs in Poland.
The views expressed by the three governments, I believe,
will be found very nearly identical. I should say not only
that when an answer has been received, I will
lay all the papers on the table of this house, but
also that if there is any more delay than a
few days in receiving an answer from St. Petersburg,
I will lay on the table the communication which her Ma-
jesty's government has addressed to St. Petersburg. We are
now waiting for the reply. With respect to the second
question, my noble friend alluded to certain accounts which
have appeared in the riewseepers. With regard to those
accounts, the only intelligence that we have received
which at all corroborates theses in a passage of a deepetch
from the consul at Warsaw, in which he says that persons
who have been taken prisoners by the Russians have been
put to death without any judicial process, and I suppose by
some form of courtmaxtial. As to those atrocious orders
with regard to women, I cannot believe in the existence of
them. We have had no authentic accounts of them, and I
weld not address a remonstrance to the Russian govern-
tent with respect to accounts to which we could sot attach •
full credit. There have been some atrocious acts of pillage
on the !art of the peasants which have been inquired into by
Prince Gortchakoff with a view to convictthe guilty persons.
Some persons who are suspected of committing the
offence have been imprisoned and are awaiting their trial.
The Russian government utterly deny having had anything
to do with these proceedings.
Lord BROUGHAM said that these atrocities were incl.
dent to all civil wars, and they took place not only on this
side of the Atlantic but on the other. He had no doubt that
some of the reports were exaggerated, but that there was
much foundation for than be could answer from his infor-
mation. He did not mean to say that the same atrocities
lad been perpetrated in the contest going on io the United
States which had occurred in Poland, but much had been
lose there which was deeply to be lamented and strongly to
be reprobated. There was, he was certain, but one feeling
throughout Europe, that that civil war in America should
le brought to a close as soon as possible.
The subject then dropped.
THE BRAZILIAN DIFFICULTY.

The Earl Of ifeLiiisTCriiiV caged attentionto the state
at our relations with Brazil, arising nut of the demands
made be this country an that power. He stated that the
goveromeot of Brazil was ardently supported by the people
in their resistance to the demands which bad been made.
If this was the feeling of the people of Brazil, it was
probable that the difference between the two countries
was more serious than it seemed to be generally
thought. He was of opinion that the Foreign
Secretary had not made sufficient allowance for the
condition of Brasil, and had suffered himself to be unduly
influenced by his subordinates, while the noble lord had
adopted a tone is his communications with the government
of Brazil which was unbecoming, and had resorted to re-
prisals which wars impolitic if not illegal. Having stated
the circumstances seeing out of the case of the Prime of
Wales, he criticised severely the cooduct of Mr. Christie and
Mr. Coasal Vereker, for having hastily adopted the most
illiberal view of the facts, and having gone fez
towards insulting the government of an iadepeu.
goat rower. He contended that there was no proof of the
murder of the crew of the British vessel in question, and
that the government of Breed had done everything that was
possible for them to institute inquiry and to punish such
persons as had been guilty of any offence. He thought it
at least doubtful whether her Majesty's government was
warranted in demanding compensation, much less in pro-
ceeding to make reptilian oa Brazilian property. As to the
ease of the °Moen of the Forte, he was of opinion that too
much 'tress had been laid upon it, and it had been treated
more gravely than it deserved.
Earl RUSSELL said that the principle on which the
government had acted was, that it was the duty of foreign
governments to protect the subjects of another state within
their jurisdiction. He was ready to admit the commercial
importance of Brazil, but not to admit that it was sufficient
to debar bar Majesty's government from eating as it had
always done, rod asking for a reparation for a wrong that
bad been committed. Since 1831 there had been
21 rases in which France. 22 in which Great
Britain, and 23 in which the United States bad
resorted to force to obtain reparation. Stating the hen
relating to the ship Prince of Wales, and praising the
conduct of Mr. Vereker in repairing to the spot where it
was suspected the crew was murdered, he contended that
the necessary inquiries were obstructed by the Brazilian
authorities refusing to see justice done on officials in
whom. pianissimi some of the plunder of the veiled was
found. Under all the circumstances, if her Majesty's go-
vernment had done otherwise than they had, they would
have neglected an imperative duty. He denied that the
language of his despatches was overbearing. His represen-
tations were trifled with fee more than twelve mouth*, and
therefore Mr. Christie had acted is strict conformity with
his instructions, for he was not empowered to propose but
only to accept an arbitration if it well offered by the Bra-
zilian government, which was sot done. Having used*
representations ineffectually, be contended that he could
not be chamed with having acted arbitrarily or precipitately.
He declined to enter into the case of the Forte, which was
under tlr bit= tioa