The Express.
London, England, 1863-05-09 00:00:00

Mel WK/1111 AT LONDON BILEDO/1.

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LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 9.

Tea EARL of Saasrsestrar made a generous and
powerful speech in favour of Poland, in present-
ing the petition of the City of London, in the
House of Lords. It is for the honour of
the country that inch sentiments should be ex-
pressed from time to time, and the feeling of all
classes of the community could have found no
better representative than the noble Earl. We
cannot however help asking, as we have asked
before, whether the authors and approvers of
these manifold demonstrations of public opinion
consider them as a means or an end, whether they
are designed to mark the growth of a purpose, or
themselves satisfy the feelings in which they origi-
nate. Lord SHAFTESBURY has answered this
question for himself personally. He has
unlimited faith in public opinion, and believes
that in the present case, if properly
directed, it would be more efficacious than
the sudden appearance of a fleet in the Baltic.
Lord fiturrseenav's case is that the Russians
have proved themselves completely incapable of
governing Poland on those principles of justice
and humanity which alone Europe can approve ;
that notwithstanding the good intentions of the
EMPEROR and fitful attempts at reform, the
Ruisian Government always reverts to terrorism ;
and that consequently the necessity of a separation
between the two countries and the complete inde-
pendence of Poland is as clear as light. And is
.it of this that the noble lord expecte to con-
vince the Russians by public meetings and
great speeches in Parliament t We think not.
For the last thirty years public opinion has con-
demned the Russian administration of the govern-
ment of Poland. The Cue and his advisers have
acknowledged its influence ; it has perturbed them
and made their policy vacillating. But it did not
prevent NICHOLAS from threatening to lay Warsaw
in tulles nor ALREARDZIL 11. from extending the
same threat, as Lord Suarresavav tells us, to all
Poland, last October. The measure of the power
of opinion, as such—and not u being besides
a sign of movement towards action—is given in
Prince Goarcwaxorr's despatch in reiy to Earl
RusseLL, which we published on Wednesday last,
a document in which the fixed purpose of Russia
to carry out the conquest of Poland appears min-
gled withrebukesof all foreigners who may presume
to express a judgment on the subject. We do not
say that England ought not to express an opinion in
favour of the Poles unless she is disposed to go
to war on their behalf. We have never said so.
But we do think it concerns the honour of the
country that we should see clearly what we are
about, and that, surrounded as we are by struggling
nationalities, we should not slide into the habit of
going from crowd to crowd and bidding every
small boy to "go in and win," while we look on
in safety as amateurs. If it is certain, as Lord
Snarreastray tells us, that all the Poles want of
us is the expression of our sympathy, the cue is
much simplified, and the claim of the Poles is so
much the stronger, for then they must be as rea-
sonable as they are brave.

Earl Russin.t. spoke from a point of view cliffs-
rent from that of the Earl of Blurriest:Tax. The
situation of affairs as well as his position dicta:ad
reserve. He did not announce the independence
of Poland as the object of the representations be is
engaged in making to the Russian Court, and he
was anxious to avoid saying anything which would
raise undue expectations in the minds of the
Polish people. We gather from his speech, that all
which the British Government--taking its stand on
the Treaties of Vienna, and on the interest which
it has, in common with all Europe, in
the tranquillity of Poland—can demand of
Russia is, that the Poles, instead of
being at the mercy of rulers who can any day (or
any night) set snide the most important laws,
shall obtain securities for good government in
the form of representative institutions. This is
all we can ask for the Poles, although, as Earl
RUSSELL further observed, events succeed each
other rapidly, and the occurrences of to-morrow