The Express.
London, England, 1863-04-06 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

RUSSIAN CRUELTY.
inox ova OWN COMSPONDI2fr.,

PARLS, 81111 DAT EVZIMIG.

This is Easter Sunday. The holiday is even more
complete than usual, iu consequence of the beau-
tiful weather. There are no evening papers. The
Monideur itself complains of the want of intelli-
gence. In default of news I send you a translation
of an article of M. Texier's in the Steele, which is
enough to make the hair to stand on end, and to
lead men to wonder how mankind can support the
existence of such a nation as Russia :
There never was in the world • people who has suffered
more tortures from despotism than Poland. Prisons, dun-
geons, confiscation', fusillades, executions, banishment, and
transportation, form the staple of its lamentable history
for the last century. The object is manifest—the Russian
government calculates upon domination by extermination.
I know of no expression which so completely cha-
racterless Russian policy aa that of Meatus— "Solitodinem
haunt, pacem appellant." And the more pitiless the op.
pressor the more heroic is the oppressed. All the Pole's
sufferings have failed to quench or even to weaken his faith
and hope, and he may ay in his bondage as Alfieri did of
Italy, " We are slaves, but we are indignant slaves." Of
all Russian punishment" the longest and the most terrible is
transportation to Siberia. A man sentenced to be shot dies
• martyr and there an end ; the exile may at least hear in
distant lands the echo of his. country's voioe ; but trans-
portation to Siberia is burying alive. Let os fellow the
stages of this Calvary. The Siberian tragedy is in three
acts. There is the imprisonment, the journey, and the des-
tination. The Pole condemned to transportation puss" is
the first place, through the hands of the Remise police.
Their business is to extort confessions, to which end they use
three principal mesas, the knout, the piste, and the
stick. The knout is a long straight leathern strap
steeped in an essence mixed with • quantity of iron filings.
This preparation makes the strap exceedingly heavy sad
hard. The knout cuts into the skin of the victim like a
knife. A ukase of Peter the Great fixes the maximum of the
blows which may be given with the knout at 101. Like
the 'oda, the Russian law loves odd numbers—one hundred
and one! What s magnanimous Emperor! Patients often
die before coming to the fiftieth stroke. The plate is com-
posed of three strong straps with leaden balls at the mid,
It does not tear off the flesh like the knout, but breaks the
skin, and very often the spine. As to the punishment of
Bening with rods, which is also called " filing past," it is
inflicted with long sticks, newly out, and steeped in water to
make them more supple. The man condemned to this punish-
ment is made to pass through two files of soldiers, each armed
with • stick, and every man strikes him with all his might
ea he goes by. A ukase of the same Peter (that greet man
thought of everything) fixes the maximum of these blows
at twelve thousand. It is found in practice that two
thousand are about enough to kill • man. The Abbi,
Sierocewaki, who succeeded in organising in Siberia that
veal conspiracy which is known by his name, was me-
towed to undergo the "filing past." When he was all I
ready for the punishment, • regimental surgeon recom-
mended him to drink some strong liqueur contained in a
fl►sk which he put to his lips. " You may drink my
blood," was the reply, " 1 will none of your liquor." When
the signal was given the prisoner advanced, chanting in a
firm voice, "Niters mei Dens secuadum rnagnam mimed.
centime hum." General Golofieff cried out to the
soldiers "Strike harder, harder." The victim had only
gone once through the ranks when he fell senseless in the
snow. "Go on," cried the general. The soldiers went on,
but they only struck • corpse. This 's the end of the first
set. Let m now par to the second. Judgment is pro-
nounced. It la triaestestatios to Siberia—that Siberia

which has received so many noble Ind illustrioas Polish
lanais& Madame Eva Felineks, that pest martyr, the
mother of the present Archbishop of Warsaw, wee sent to
caned the most terrible places in all Siberia—BenisoL
The Polish Prince Roman Sauguski, condemned to trans-
portation, could not even obtain the favour generally
accorded to the nobility to be allowed to perform the
journey in a carriage. The Emperor Nicholas wrote
at the foot of the sentence, in his own hand,
the words "on foot." It is • journey of from 1,600
to 1,8001/agues. The farthest destination beyond the
Chiral Mountains requires a year's marching to reach. A
year on foot, across steppes of ice and snow, and with rob-
bers and murderers for companions. During the whole
Journey the prisoners wear irons on their bands and feet,
and are guarded by Cossacks ready to strike them on the
least excuse. Siberia receives ten thouland tr•naporis an-
nually. The law allows a wife to follow her husband ; but
when awe she arrives in Siberia, she cannot go away, and
the children born in that land of exile are for ever serfs of
the crown. When owe the convoy is in motion, it never
stops. The sick ere thrown upon a waggon. One day the
convoy in which Seicield was fell in with the Duke de
Leachtemberg and his wife, the n nee Maria, •ear
Moscow. The daughter of Nichols ink that there
were Poles among the prisoners, • owl to see them,
and stayed • long time, looking at them end
weeping. The Duke de Leachteaberg west up to
Sieciski and promised to ask hie pardon of the
Emperor. The Emperor refused. To give an idea of
Raman clemency, we may cite the saying of Gene-
ral Bibikof, who had lost an arm at Borodino.
A Pole fell on his knees before him to ask par-
don for his sou. "The hand which signs pardons," an-
swered Bibikof, "I last at Borodino." The third sot is the
reactance in Siberia, which generally terminates only with
death. There are, however, two instances of escapes. One
of Count Beniowski in the last century ; the other of M.
Ruffin Pietrnwski, professor in the Polish school of Paris.
Hie "Souvenirs of • Siberian" are written with • manane-
tude which reminds one of Silvio Pellico.

DESPATCHES FROM EARL RUSSELL ON
THE POLISH QUESTION.

The Courvier du Dimanche publishes the follow;ug
important diplomatic documents :

EARL RE:BULL TO LORD lAMB, BRITISH AIII3ABRADOR AT
T. PrII3BBORO.
Foreign-Office, Much 2, 1863.

My Lord,—Her Majesty's government is deeply affected
by the state of thing' in Poland. It sees, in the first place,
• great part of the population in open insurrection against
the government, and a considerable military force engaged
in putting down this insurrection. The natural and pro-
bable result of such • struggle mast be "seamed to be the
triumph of the military force ; but this triumph, if ob-
tained by a series of combat', must necessarily be &mom-
palsied by a lamentable effusion of blood, by • amides-
able sacrifice of lives, and by material oalamities of all kinds,
the effects of which will be felt for very many yens to come,
Moreover the acts of violence and reciprocal destruction
inseparable from • conflict of this nature must engender
animosities which will envenom the relations between the
Russian government and the Pol'sh nation for the tutors.
While, however, regretting the existence of such • sad
state of things in • foreign country, the Queen's government
would not have thought it proper to make an official com-
munication of it. sentiments on this subject, but for special
circumstanoss which place it with regard to the present con-
dition of Poland in a peculiar situation. The kingdom of
Poland was constituted and united to the Russian empire
by the treaties of 1815, to which the British government
wags contracting party. The present unfortunate state of
sffrirs is attributable to the fact that Poland is not in the
situation provided for by those treaties. Neither i
Poland in the awe situation in which she was placed by
the Emperor A's:ander I. Under his reign • National
Diet sat at W.'aaw, and the Poles of the kingdom enjoyed
piivilcges calculated to assure their political welfare.
So long ago as the year 1832 symptoms of discontent and
agitation began to show themselves, and three symptoms
have been followed from time to time by revolts and
useless bloodshed. The Queen's government is quite
aware that the immediate cause of the PTOOVIIi
in-
smmctiou was the oonacription lately imposed upon the
Polish nation ; but that measure itself was only adopted on
accsunt of the discontent of the Poles with the political
condition of their country. The landowners and the boar.
gcoiaie found this condition unbearable, and although the
peasants may not have evinced an equal degree of hostility
they have not, at all events, supported the Russian govern-
ment.

Greet Britain, am a party to the treatise of 1815, and as
• power deeply interested in the tra•qullity of Europe
thinks herself therefore authorised to cake known her
opinion of the events of which Poland L the theatre, and
she desires to do so with the most friendly feelings towerds
Russia, and with the most sincere wish to contribute to the
benefit of all patties interested. Why should not hi Im-
perial Majesty, whose kindly feeling are universally rsoog.
nised, put an end onoe for all to this Woody struggle, by
generously proclaiming an immediate and complete amnesty
for ell his revolted subjects, and by announcing at the
same time his intention to re-establish the kingdom of
Poland without delay in the enjoyment of the civil
and political privileges which were granted to it
by the Emperor Alexandee I. in conformity with
the stipnlatioes of 1815? If his Majesty were
to take this coulee, • diet and a national administration
would, in all probability, content the Poles, sad would give
satisfaction to the public opinion of Europe.
You will be pleased, my lord, to read this dispatch to
Primo Gortachakoff, and to leave him a copy of it.
(Signed) Roaast.i..

The Courtie► du Dinuosehe also gives the follow-
ing as the material passage of an English diplo-
matic circular of March 4, to which a copy of the
above despatch was annexed. Earl Russell begins
by informing the diplomatic agents of Great Britain
of the step which he had taken at St. Petersburg,
and begs them to communicate the despatch of
March 2to the cabinets to which they are accre-
dited :

VAL RUSBILL TO THE IMISLIMTATITMS O THI QUM AT
PAILS, STALLN, VIENNA, MLOZW, LISBON, LID STOCK-
HOLM.
(Extract.)
Foreigo.office, March 4, 1863.

In the opinion of the Queen's government a transmission
of analogous appreciations to St. Petersburg on the part of
the representatirm of the powers who signed the treaties
of 1815, might result in putting a stop to the effusion of
blood and the re-establishment of the Polish people in the

enjoyment of the rights promised them at Vienna, and of
which they have long been dispossessed. Her Majesty's
government thinks that the beet means of essurieg the
peace of Europe would be to restore to the Polee the privi-
lege of a diet end a malarial administration. RUSSELL

A Turin letter of the 2nd mays the government
has received news that • strong carps of brigands is pre.
wing to set out from Rome, and that they will probably
have with them • couple of light gone to be carried on
mules' backs. The Minister at War has given orders for •
fitting reception to these reinforcements of the throes and
the altar. . . _

Advicea from Hanover announce that a minis:
feria crisis is imminent there. The sew ministry will pro-
bably, it is said, be more liberal than the present one, and
will comprise one of the most eminent champions of liberal
Germany, M, de Bennigaes.
The Prussian Moniteur publishes a notice, signed
by Count d'Eulemburg, Minister of the Interior, announcing
that the South German Gazette, which appears at Frankfort ;
the Nationalrerein, weekly journal, published at Coburg ;
the Reform, of Hamburg ; and the Bund, of Berne, are
prohibited in Prussia by an application of art. 52 of the
law on the press, which permits the interdiction of such
foreign joornals as have had several 'umbers condemned
to seizure by the tribunals.
Sr. PATRICK'S DAY IN Naw YORK.—SL Patrick',
Day was celebrated in New York with great eutlindasm.
The Araerkens who were present at the celebration bore
testimony to the heroism of the Irish in fighting for the
Mike. Ooe speaker humorously described Irishmen as
fightiog in all mcdern engagements, and even in the WS
of the ardent Jews, for be believed that the great Irish
family of the Mae-Caber was represented by the Maccabees.
At one of the meetings of the Boos of St. Pattie • New
York paper tells n that the notorious Mr. Edwin James
reepooded to the toed of " Civil and Religious Liberty."
He referred to the emigration of the early Pilgrim Fathers,
which had been so long celebrated ; and be hoped that the
day would soon come when the arrival of the fled Irish
miles would be celebrated in a similar manner. He then
spoke on the advantage which had resulted to America from
the admixture of Irish blood with her people. He then
alluded to the persecution against the catholic church in
Miami, and made a most eloquent appeal In favour of civil
and religious liberty.