The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-15 00:00:00

INSURRECTION IN RUSSIA

The statement of an insurrection of the peasan-
try in the Ukraine is one of great interest, and the
accounts hitherto given are very various. The
Czos (a Polish paper published in Cracow) gives
the following aecount as the result of its special
inquiries :

"Carriers (probably drivers of arabas) who were return.
ing from the Crimea through Podolia, narrated in the
neighbourhood of Mohilew that the French, although
they were fighting with the Russian troops, were by no
means ill-disposed to the Russian people, and wanted to
do away with all forced labour (villain socage). On this
a deacon (a Pope not yet in full orders), in the 'village
of Moguslau, near Mohilew, having observed how little
effect the appeal of the Russian Synod in St. Petersburg
had had in rousing the people in the provinces of
Volhynia, Podolia, and the Ukraine (formerly
Polish) to take up arms for its faith and its co-reli-
gionists in Turkey, made the peasants believe that the
Synod had, in fact, addressed another appeal to the
people, in which the abrogation of the coruee was
proclaimed, and the fee-simple of the lands conferred on
the peasants who cultivated them. He assured them
that the great men who stood nearest the Emperor
had caused this address to be suppressed, but
that he had a copy of it. This document, of his
own concoction, he read to the peasants that were
already excited by the French news from the Crimea.
They proceeded at once to their Pope, and demanded
to have the genuine address of the Synod published,
and were of course informed there was no other than
the one already made known. In a number of villages
the excited peasantry began to maltreat their Popes,
and assembled together tumultuously, armed with scythes
and pitchforks ; but in no case were any threatening
demonstrations made against the land proprietors, the
lords of the manors. With the assistance of military,
acting energetically up to the very sharp orders they had,
the disturbanee was quieted-40 of the rioters lost their
lives, and about 200 of the more proininent were taken
prisoners and sent to Siberia—the less prominent got off
with a plentiful dose of knout. The villages in question
remain °coupled by soldiery, and the whole state of
feeling in Lesser Russia is described as sultry and
threatening."

The Pt eussisehe Correspondenz favours us with
the following statement, which flavours strongly of
official inspiration
" The disturbance was confined to the estates of the Po-
lish Count Branicki, and some of the neighbouring domains,
and is prim cipally traceable to the hatred of the peasants to
some of the lords of the manors. The people had misunder-
stood the recent manifesto of the Emperor; they rose en
masse for the purpose of entering the ranks of the Militia,
declaring they would rather serve the Emperor as
soldiers than continue to serve their lords. The
moveme; at caused the greatest apprehension among
the landed proprietors of those parts, whose
religion, language, and race differ from those of the
people. As no conciliatory and pacific means availed
to bring back the misguided people to their work,
military force was obliged to be called in, if a repeti-
tion of s ce nes that took place not so long back in Galicia
was to b e prevented. This proves that they are perfectly
in error who, in the above-mentioned disturbances, re-
cognise a Polish rising against Russian dominion."
The Cie sterreichische Zeitung has another version,
different; from any as yet given, viz., that a large
number of the noble proprietors of land, to in-
demnify- themselves for the sacrifices thrust upon
them by the Government under the name of NI ar
taxes anAl. " voluntary contributions," had laid un
usually heavy burdens on their serfs, and required
of them excessive services ; in consequence of this
oppress;.4,n, the otherwise inexhaustible patience
of the latter had failed them. The appeal of the
Governor ent to the people to co-operate in the de-
fence of the country, and to flock to the support of
their stsaidard and the cross, afforded them a
welcome opportunity of escaping from their oppres-
sors ; to this was added a very sensible dearth of
salt, which raised their excitement to the highest.
The'peasantry left their villages, and repaired in
troops to the towns, where they demanded to
be admitted into the militia, in order that they
iuight "serve the Czar and get salt to eat." Under
the twofold pretence of love to their country and
to salt they strove to free themselves from their
feudal f shackles, but the authorities refused to enrol
anybody that did not produce a written permission
to that effect from his lord ; all those unprovided
with such a document were sent back to their
homes 'under military escort and admonished.
This vor:Ami, however, concludes like the first—
" In spite of every trouble and precaution the au-
thorities have not succeeded in quieting the ex-
citement. in the Ukraine."

Yesterday afternoon the inhabitants of the Borough-road
and Newington-causeway were greatly alarmed by a most
calamitous occurrence, in which nearly 20 persons were se-
riously, if not fatally injured,
and a vast amount of property
destroyed, which, it is feared,will
prevent a very important
contract with the Government from being finished at the spe-
cified time—viz., shells for the Crimea.
The premises in which the disaster took place belonged to
the Atlas Ironwork Company, and were situate immediately
facing the racket-ground of the Queen's Prison, in the
Borough-road, and stretched as far as the back of the houses
in Newington-causeway. The place was originally built for
carpenters workshops, and was four floors high, being built
of timber, covered with heavy sheets of slate, the- support of
the roof being long horizontal girders, braced together. The
uprights, it appeared, were too weak for the weight of metal
required in such premises as are used in the engineering trade,
or as a foundry, although sufficiently strong for the purposes
for which they were originally intended.
The building which has fallen was, probably, 90 feet long
and nearly 70 feet high ; the lower floor being used as the
drilling
which were the carpenters' shops, and on the
next floor, over
and casting houses, the drying shops were on the
floor above were deposited all kinds of iron work, the whole
being of great weight. .
Shortly after 2 o'clock yesterday aftern?on, the various

workmen, numbering upwards of 100, had returned from
dinner, and had taken their respective places at their lathes,
drums, and benches, when, of a sudden, some persons,
who were in the top part, had their attention directed to
one of the sides rocking to and fro. They raised an imme-
diate alarm, and at once made an attempt to gain the street.
Others in the lower floor, also seeing the building move,
made an attempt to leave, and fortunately several were sue-
oessful, but before the whole number could get out, the roof
fell in, and in an instant afterwards the top floor fell, and the
lower floors, being pressed by the additional weight thrown
pon them, also dropped to the ground.
As soon as the dust had in some measure cleared away, the
exact amount xaottamount of the injury and the cause became apparent ;
and the cries which proceeded from the ruins proved that
sevMerealaSepllegresroanswwereere despatchedimbdedio the Stones-end Police-sta-
tion for the aid of a strong muster of police, and Inspectors
Moore and Mclntosh, with nearly 100 officers, repaired to
the scene, and found men abest in a state of frenzy,
rushing about, and begging the officer, to allow them to
assist in rescuing the less t fortunate workmen who were
and the police assisted the:
under the ruins. The requ
out. The neighbours also sh was, of course, readily granted,
grbeeeant made
ing in getting the rubbish awa and,ev!ry willingness in assist-
moweendin digging the poor fellows
men were got out by Mr. Day,
who removed
Eight Bells Tavern, in
Cross-street, Blackfriars-road,
sa
baringn d tl ie
03-1! t after some time, two
and they were driven off' to St. Thomas'sremged them in a cab,
spital
number onefdie
ooffotheehporspertasle,
who were buried alive in the ruins, the folio personsaßn to t e
a u The
state
tlemen connected with the institution proceeded Into the Ben-
in order to render immediate assistance as the men weresegenoet out :—Messrs. Penberthe, Wootton Fowler,: Rod Eiw-ins.,
Gratham, Warwick, Croft.s, and CarPenter.' These gentlemen
attended the sufferers as they were extricated, while Mr. Le
Gros Clark and Mr. Croft, the chief surgeons in attendance,
waited at the hospital to attend to their injuries.
Several persons ware, by dint of great exertion, removed
from the rubbish ; and they were found to be very badly cut
and injured by the fall of timber and ironwork ; two were
taken to the surgery of Mr. Odling in high-street, Borough,
and Mr. Charles Smith, his assistant, strapped up their
wounds. One man had received a contused wound at the
back of the head and the other had his leg severely cut.
Tackling having been obtained, and the assistance of some
200 men, the stones, after about two hours, were raised, and
a man liberated. He was taken to St. Thomas's Hospital,
but he is iu a very dangerous condition. Another man,
named Joseph Giles, was also extricated after much time
and trouble, with his skull fearfully fractured. A man
named James Holden was next brought from the ruins,
and was taken by the police to St. Thomas's Hospital. Chas,
Pryer was likewise got out, with his leg fractured by a mill-
stone falling on it, and he was also removed to the same
institution. Another man, whose name could not be ascer-
tained, owing to his being perfectly insensible, was removed
to the hospital, but not the least hopes can be entertained of
his recovery. A man named John Regan was extricated.
from the broken timber and forthwith removed to Guy's
Hospital.

During the time lost in searching the ruins one part of the
premises was in such a dangerous condition that it was feared
it would topple over and kill those engaged in endeavouring
to save life ; but Mr. Coxhead, the builder, who had been
engaged on the premises, procured a number of ropes,
and so tied it as to allay all fears of any further extension of
mischief.

Up to 9 o'clock last night it was found irrpracticable to
turn over the whole of the ruins on account of the great
weight of timber, iron, and millstones lying there, and it
will be impossible to tell at present with certainty whether
any other workman may not be under the ruins and crushed
to death.

The total number of sufferers taken to St. Thomas's Hos-
pital was 17, twelve of whom had their wounds dressed and
were able to be removed home, but the other five remain in
a very dangerous state, as does also John Regan, who is still
iu Guy's Hospital.