The Express.
London, England, 1866-09-05 00:00:00

105, Strand, opposite Exeter-hall.

GOVERNOR EYRE and PUBLIC LIBERTY.
A LETTER from Vrotesaor GOLDWIN SMITH, on the
above ',object. lu the BEEHIVE on SATURDAY next. Price 21.
Mee, 10, Bolt-court, Fleetatreet.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDR4I.)
TRANSLATORS OF HORACE.—Horace has received ST. PETERSBURG, AUGUST 24.
something more than ordinary attention within the last Just as the public are getting impatient to see
few years. As far as his lyric works are concerned, there ;
the curtain
has been quite a competition among men of mark to pro- rise on the great State trial which has
duce an adequate representation of them in the English so long been promised, the Miantonomoh and Mr.
tongue. Mr. Francis Newman was, we believe, the first 1 Fox fortunately arrived to divert attention.
who set himself to give the merely English student of
Horace a better translation than the ungraceful one by j For the last fortnight nobody has thought of Kara-
Francis. Then came Lord Ravensworth's version—a very kozoff and the conspiracy, except when specially re-
handsome, aristocratic-looking volume, to say nothing of _1
its internal merits. More recently we have Mr. Theodore Mim;ls.. 0., the subject in speeches made at ban-
Martin as an Horatian translator, himself honourably quets given to the American officers, or by the pre-
known, like the old poet, in the double capacity of versi- . Bence of
Co` mmissaroff, who constantly crops up as
fier and critic. We must not forget to include in the list
a little opusculuon of Lord BedexLle, in which he treats of a living illustration of the event which tho Ameri-
the metrical devices which, In his opinion, ought to be I should be sorry to fill
can visit commemorates.
employed for the purpose of conveying to the English ear I
some conception of the various lyric measures used by , your columns with all the idle talk at
Horace, and which, in their several peculiarities, have so dinners and suppers which both Russians and
great an effect on the character of his song. We may add . Americans have given way to wider strong
that two of our most eminent public men, representing ,
respectively the Ministerial and 01. position type of states- mutual sympathy suddenly discovered. The mis-
manahip for the time being, have tried their hands, and . sion of Mr. Fox is no doubt a graceful act of
that very happily, at occasional translations of Horace's 1 i
Odes ; we refer, of course, to Lord Derby and Mr.international courtesy, and naturally contrasts
Gladstone, whose efforts in this line were originally made strongly with the official reticence of other friendly
public in the course of the critical commentaries evolved wets who not having sent special embassies in
by the more complete performances of Lord Ravensworth Po i
and Mr. Martin. Mr. Gladstone's translations, in fact, other cases of attempted regicide, omitted to do on
have since been given to the world in the volume which he
published conjointly with Lord Lyttelton ; those of Lord the present occasion what has rendered Americans
Derby, though frequently quoted, have not yet made a so popular in this country. It is natural that the
rnblic appearance in a collected form. Old Horace would opportunity should have been made the moat
have been delighted at this dignified competition in his ,
honour. He had a weakness for swells in his day, whether ,of for a display of " bunkum" on either side—
of social or literary rank. How that round Bacchus-face of a kind of " bunkum" with which you are well
his would glow with animation if he could bodily fulfil
•^^
his metaphorical announcement, Visam Britannia korpiti.acquainted in England, but which in this instance
bus ferns, and End such eminent men now labouring to ' is more especially referable to the period when the
expound his beauties to that unmannerly race !—Frucir's United States sympathised with Russian doings in
Maoazine for September.
../ Poland, and Russia steadily adhered to the side of
OCR EDUCATIONAL POSITION.—Among the hoe.
of remedies which are before the world, economic, politi- ' the Northerners. In fact the Miantonomoh has
cal, religious, or semi-religious, there is one, and one only,
merely made a return visit in connexion with the
on which everybody is agreed as an element in the renova-
ration of things. There is nobody who thinks that the anti-British demonstration made three years since
world might be made better than it is who does not also in American waters by the Russian squadron under
think that education is at least one essential element in •Adllliral Lessofaky.
the new scheme. Politicians, economists, moralists, .
divines—all the world vow that education, at all events, • But, although it is to a very great extent a
is one of the things needful. There was a time when '
people were not ashamed to argue against schemes for • ass fellow-feeling " that makes the Americans and
popular education, that "to extend instruction Russians so " wondrous kind " to each other, I
would be to multiply the crime of forgery." cannot deny that a considerable amount of
But I suppose the stupidest person in the coun-
try would now allow that l mg to write does genuine admiration and respect has been displayed
not necessarily involve learning to be willing to steal, and on either side. Besides, the Russians like to be
that, on the whole, in spite of the perils which may thus
noticed and n
attend the process, the education of its citizens is the petted on the back for all they are
prime safeguard, as it is the first duty, of the state. Yet doing in their country in the interest of civilization.
the wretched, pinched, botched system of national educa-
tion that, after years of toil and perseverance, has at They are also delighted to have an opportunity for
length got a place among us, is a sufficient proof of exhibiting their hospitality and their convivial
the small momentum of even a universal opinion, when " proclivities," which have resulted in an amount
it is not held with warmth and enthusiasm. We think
of " liquoring
that education is a useful thing, but only as we might -uoring' - - " unparalleled even in the United
11D
think it in a dream. We do not grasp, as a truth States.
that affects ourselves, the fact that education But as I have already said, the American fever
means less crime, less vice, less helplessness, leas pauper-
ism, less brutishness, and more of everything that males has had the effect of diverting public attention
society tranquil, prosperous, and wise. If this were from other subjects. Even the cholera has faded
grasped as we grasp other truths in our waking moments,
the tide of public opinion would speedily rise high enough into insignificance, and no longer forms a topic of
to demolish, with an irresistible sweep, the crowd of puny conversation. Besides, its victims have been much
but still effective obstacles which sectarian prejudices, and on the decrease for some weeks, and now only
vicious religious prejudices, and official prejudices so
blindly and perversely interpose. It is the duty of every average about twenty a day. The total number of
citizen of public spirit to help to add something to the mo- cases of cholera and diarrhoea is still, however, very
mentum. Instead of well meaning but intemperate abuse of
guardians, who men of narrow lights and many pinch- great, owing to the prevalence of a fast, but the
ig:area, let the majestic beast make its wrath felt by strength of the epidemic seems much spent. The
his op. and deans, and Roman catholic priests, and din- ' accounts from Moscow and Nijni Novgorod are
seating ministers, and politicians with small minds in great 1
places, and all other orders of men who, with the best in. . equally satisfactory.
tensions in the world, vigilantly take care that the Englishl But although the general public has been led
poor shall have as few chances as possible of emerging from I
away by the American visit from the
consideration
their barbarous and degrading ignorance. Men with &CCU-
rate memories and a good judgment, and interested in the ' of all grave matters of State, your correspondent
subject, do not hesitate to say that the Pr°sPecta of a 1 has no right to take such a holiday. Before this,
great movement in national education were brighter thirty
and twenty years ago than they are at the present moment. ' news will have reached you of the breaking out
When we contrast this wretched history with the vigour ,of a Polish !insurrection is Siberia_ which the
and activity with which the colony of Victoria for instance , ._, --,
Anemia, or military organ, says is quelled, but
has set to work, has resolutely prevented denominational
differences from blocking the way against a great system which the Moscow Gazette persists, on the strength
of national education, and has denied to parents the pre- of letters from Irkutsk, in representing as a very
posterons right of pleasing themselves whether their
children shall grow up in dar ,Imess or enlightenment, there important matter, far from settled. The Mrosecno
is something unspeakably humbling and exasperating in Gazette was informed that about a thousand Polish
our own sluggishness.—Macntiffan's Magazine for Sep-
cOnvicts (or only fifty, according to the invalid) had
tember.

revolted in the neighbourhood of Irkutsk, on the
24th of Juno, 0.5., and that having half killed the
officerin command of the detachment by which they
were guarded, and made prisoners of the guards,
they had marched off, or rather driven off, in carts
seized at the post stations, to the Lake Baikal, in
the direction of the Possolek gold washings, where
a considerable number of Poles are kept. On their
route they seized provisions, cut the telegraph
wires, and destroyed all bridges and boats.
Numerous Polish exiles joined them, and, says
the Moscow Gazette, they were all armed with
muskets, revolvers, and swords, and provided with
ammunition, which showed a certain amount of
concert and preparation. The general in command
of the forces in Siberia marched out against the in-
surgents. The troops were oonveyed in two
steamers across Lake Baikal, and soon began to
fall in with the Poles, who, having taken refuge
in the woods, were occasionally obliged to sally
out for provisions. The woods were, moreover,
surrounded by Buriates and Twiguaes, with whose
assistance 494 men were recaptured and incar-
oeratedat Irkutsk, bythe 11th (23rd) July, in addi-
tion to 36 killed and 45 wounded and sick. The re-
mainder of the insurgents, according to the Invalid,
,fled to the mountains near Lake Baikal, but soon
gave themselves up one by one, until by the 25th
July (6th August) only two of the convicts who had
rebelled were still at large. The Russians lost one
officer killed, while they had only five men
wounded. However, the Moscow Gazette is not
satisfied with the statements made by the Invalid,
and even the Petersburg Gazette passes some severe
strictures on the government for the silence which
has been kept on the subject.
A correspondent writes to the Moscow Gazette
on the sth (17th)July,thatthe principal rising of the
Poles took place at Balagansk, and that two hun-
dred Poles had arrived that day in chains at
Irkutsk, having been taken in action. Among the
prisoners was the leader of the rebels, who called
himself chief of the staff, and whose name is Dom-
broffaki. A very curious document also fell into
the hands of the victors—a receipt for government
money signed by "Ryk, Chief of the Sibe-
rian Legion." On Dombroffski were also found
proclamations of a revolutionary character, and
many letters on the same subject from various parts
of Siberia and even from Russia. But the most
astounding intelligence, if true, is this :—" The
Poles have a very regular organization ; they have
already five regiments, each with a waggon train ;
they have arms and powder and even scythement
as they had in Poland." Reports are current of
the escape of a considerable number of Poles by
way of the Amur, but at such a distance it is very
difficult to ascertain the real state of affairs. Never-
theless, it cannot be a matter of surprise that Poles
should rise and attempt armed resistance when we
consider how extensive the deportations have been,
and how thickly Siberia is strewed with Polish
patriots. Even in such a vast territory as the Rus-
sian empire it has been found impossible to de-
prive the Polish exiles of all chance of combined
attempts at liberation. Besides, Siberia is a
country where convicts, and political exiles in
particular, are looked upon with much favour
by the indigenous population. The woods and
mountains give shelter to thousands of escaped
convicts, who obtain the necessaries of life without
difficulty in the villages and settlements, where the
houses are actually left open at night to enable
the hungry and thirsty convict, whether Pole or
malefactor, to obtain the bread and milk which
the peasant always keeps ready on a well-known
shelf for the accommodation of such travellers.
But the evil does not end here. The sin of re-
moving Polish families en taasse to distant parts of
the empire entails a most certain retribution. It
propagates a spirit of insubordination and discon-
tent, and it demoralizes the lower orders, who
arc thus taught to regard the transported mur-
derer and exiled patriot as only equally unfortu-
nate. The Russian government has indeed been
sowing revolution broadcast over the country,land
one harvest it has already reaped in the Kara-
kosoff conspiracy, of which I have much to say in
my next.