The Express.
London, England, 1863-04-03 00:00:00

THE POLISH INSURRECTION.

The Russians, we learn, are erecting additional
fortifications at Warsaw, principally in the Wola
suburb. They have erected a redoubt, which will
be armed with thirty-six cannons. Similar works
are being executed, it is said, in other Polish towns.
We read in the Pose* Journal :
In Lithuania, the Medan government baa given to the
peasants the land they cultivated, and that fact prone bow
serious the state of things in that province most be. The
proprietors, it may be remembered, had voluntarily decided
in that sense. The government, fearing that the peasants
might take part in the insurrection, went beyond the col•
panics step of the nobility by proclaiming that they, the
peanuts, were henceforth possessors of the lands they held.
The price of redemption which they are to pay to the
government does not appear to be heavy. The grand object
in view is to render the peasants favourable to the govern.
meat in exchange for great material advantages. One
thing, however, still causes uneasiness to Russia : the per
sante of the province just mentioned wish to return to the
Boman catholic religion, and it is not very probable that
the government will moment to their win's.' on that pent.

The Press of Vienna attempts to explain the con-
duct of the Vienna Cabinet in connexion with the
Polish insurrection. Austria, we are told," it
says, " defends all the counsels of the powers which
are of a nature to give to Poland, under the Rus-
sian domination, the independent position which
the Poles enjoy under the rule of Prussia and
Austria. But, on the other hand, Austria lays
great stress—and this is of considerable importance
with reference to Russia—upon the religious side
of the question. The Emperor Nichols& destroyed
in Poland not only the political guarantees of the
treaties of 1815, but the religious ones. The Vienna
Cabinet asks, above all things, at St. Petersburg
for the re-establishment of equality between the
catholic and schismatic churches. That point
view is of the greatest importance in the Polish
question, for catholicism is in Poland the most
effectual means of combating Panslavism."

ITALY•

(111,011 OCR OWN CORIESPONDENT.)

TURIN, 'Wes 30.

In a previous letter I stated that Colonel Fumel,
to whom allusion has been made in the French
Chamber and the English parliament, had rendered
great services in Italy against the brigands, but that
be had not been guilty of the cruelty of which he
was accused. I said that he bad committed the
error of publishing a violent proclamation, but that
it was merely intended to excite fear, nothing
more. Let me now add that the Calabrians them- ,
selves, with a view of terrifying the brigands still ,
more, give him an almost fabulous reputation. Prone,
like all the people of the South, to exaggerate, and
urged by their interests, they magnify his exploits
without remembering that foreigners make use of
their testimony to damage the Italian government.
But how can we expect a Calabrian to care what the
rest of Europe says t Meanwhile these exaggera.
tions have succeeded so thoroughly that very few
of the people dare to ply the brigand trade, so great'
is the terror inspired by the fame of this marvellous
conqueror. Nay more, some of the Calabrian bri-1
gands have actually fled into other provinces in
order to avoid meeting him. I am far, however,l
from asserting that all the foreign critics of Italyl
who have spoken of Colonel Fumel have not be-1
lieved what they advanced when they described
him as a species of monster. The mistake was so
likely to be made that even the Neapolitan corre-
spondent of the Opinione fell into it, and described
the colonel, in one of his excellent letters, exactly
as the colonel had been described to him by many Cala-
brians with whom he was in frequent communication.
Thus, for the reasons I have just given, an autho-
rity which seemed trustworthy was itself the means
of disseminating very inoorrect statements respect-
ing this matter. Some of those statements referred
to the number of brigands shot and taken prisoner.
We have now details obtained by the Commission
of Inquiry, and an official despatch from the Prefect
of Cosenza, by which we learn that the number of
brigands shot by Colonel Fume' was 85, and of
those arrested little more than 300. And it could
not well be otherwise, considering the total number
of the Calabrian brigands. Real severity and ima-
ginary severity have, however, done so much
that the Calabrians are at present enjoying security,
and petitions are ooming in from all parts re-
questing that Colonel Fumel may not return to
Piedmont, but remain where be is. A full report
upon the brigandage and its causes, with the
measures necessary for suppressing it, is being drawn
up, and a bulky report it will be. The reporter is
the Neapolitan member, Signor Maslen, who was
secretary to the Commission of Inquiry during its
visit to the infested districts.

To-day the President of the Council opened the
sitting by stating that the government would have
liked to close the session on that occasion, and to
commence a new session immediately after Easter.
Several reasons, however, prevented thin, foremost
among them being the desire of the government to
have the due and regular authorisation for levying
the taxes. He announced, therefore, that
the recess would commence on the follow-
ing day (to-morrow), and last until the Thurs-
day after Easter. The minister will then
beg the house to hasten its own labours,
he will present some few organic measures, and,
after the official number of sittings have been de-
voted to these questions, the unduly long session
which commenced on the 18th of February, 1861,
will be brought to a close.
Following the Duke de Chartres, we have had
the Count de Paris here. He stayed for a few
days, and left yesterday. It does not appear that
his visit had any political object. Both visitors
moved among us almost unnoticed, and saw but
little company.
It has been rumoured that the Prince di Carig-
nano recently had a break-down in the carriage which
conveyed him from the railway station to his own
house and seriously injured. The prince was really
overturned, but he sustained no injuries, and is
perfectly safe and sound.

The iXtbaness with which the recent ministerial
changes have been received has improved Italian
credit both at home and abroad. People seem to
feel that the public mind is tranquillised, that the
opposition has no ground to work upon, and that
public business commands more attention than per
rivalries. This is an excellent symptom,
promising a period of peace and of order which
must greatly contribute to the prosperity of Italy.