The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-21 00:00:00

SALE OF P

'OLISH LADIES' JEWELS

History has already recorded the patriotic deeds

of the Polish ladies in the various struggles by
which their country has been rent, and has handed
down to us the knowledge of many instances of
self-sacrifice on their part. We also know that
during the present struggle the courage of the Poles
has been in a great degree sustained iv the examples
of bravery shown by their wives and daugiatei;
who have left their homes in mid-winter to find
their way through pathless forests to the camps of
the patriotic troops, aril have there tended the sick
and wounded in the midst of the dangers and hard-
ships by which they were surrounded. The pa-
triotism of these Polish ladies has now been shown
in another way. Finding that greater sacrifices
were needed to sustain the existing struggle, they
have not hesitated to offer their jewels and personal
adornments in the hope that the ladies of England,
more fortunate in their lot, would help them by
purchasing these offerings at the shrine of patriotism,
and would thus supply the means of relieving those
poor sick and wounded Poles who now, almost
bereft of hope, are slowly languishing in secresy
and suffering.
With great kindness the Duchess Dowager of
Sutherland allowed the stewards charged with the
sale of these jewels the use of her beautiful mansion
at Chiswick, and thus added another proof to the
many her grace has already given of her deep
sympathy with the Polish people, and of her desire
to help them in their distress. The house, grounds,
and gardens were thrown open for the sale yester-
day, and, independent of the immediate object in
view, formed a source of great attraction to some
hundreds of visitors from London, whose equipages
lent to the roads an aspect such as it has not pre-
sented sines the glories of Chiswick departed with
the change which has come over the fortunes of the
Horticultural Gardens.

The jewels and ornaments, which were princi-
pally from Podolia and Volhynia, were about 700 in
number, and comprised necklaces, brooches, ear-
rings, rings, and many other articles, to the value
of about £3,500. The number would have been
greater had it not been for the difficulty found in
removing them to this country. As it is, many
valuable articles were confiscated on the Austrian
frontier, and have thus never reached England.
Those articles which had eseaped all the perils of
the journey were displayed in the picture galleries
of the mansion, and were under the care of many
of the patronesses who had kindly undertaken the
sale. Among these ladies were the Duchess Dowager
of Sutherland, the Princess Sulkowska, the Duchess
of Sutherland (Countess of Cromartie), the Duchess
of San Arpino, the Countess of Shaftesbury, t he Hon.
Alice and Hon. Edith Jocelyn, the Lady Constance
Grosvenor, Lady Blantyre, Hon. Misses Stuart,
Miss Washington Hibbert, Mrs. Bischoffsheim, rind
Madame Bernacki. Many of the ornaments were
peculiar in their style and unlike the adornments of
English ladies, but at the same time there
were many which had been manufactured in Lon-
don, Paris, and Geneva, and had been bought by
Polish ladies in happier days. Two cases possessed
a peculiarly melancholy interest, filled as they were
with wedding rings and keepers belonging to Polish
widows who had lost their husbands during the in-
surrection, and yet had not hesitated to sacrifice
these highly-prized relics, in the hope that the
amount obtained for them would lessen the suffer-
ings of those who had struggled and bled in the
cause for which their husbands had fallen. Many
of these rings bore the joint initials of husband and
wife, and some of them were also engraved with
appropriate mottoes and quotations. There were
also four bead necklaces sent by nuns who, having
❑othing else to offer, had given up the only orna-
ments they were permitted to use. In one of the
galleries were two beautiful shawls valued at 50
guineas each, and in the room known as the Fox
Room, adjoining the small chamber in which the
great English statesman died, were two fine oil
paintings, the property of Polish families, which
were offered at the price of hsmo each. Carious
as it may:seem, it is yet true, that amongst the mis-
cellaneous articles displayed for sale were three sil-
ver snuff-boxes which had been sent by Russians
with a viow of benefiting their oppressed fellow
subjects. Some large photographs of views of
events connected with the existing struggle were
shown in various of the rooms, and materially aided
the visitors in realising the horrors with which
Poland has been faded of late.
The sale commenced between two and three
o'clock. It is gratifying to know that many ar-
ticles were sold at the prices affixed to them, which
were decided on by a competent valuer. It is not
to be wondered at that sales should have been
rapidly made, for the prices asked were extremely
low, such as, in fact, would readily tempt purchasers•
even if they were not influenced by the object o
the sale. The Earl of Ilchester commissioned one
of the stewards to purchase the most characteristic
object displayed, and offered to give £lOO beyond
the value. His lordship had expressed his inten-
tion to restore his purchase to the owner should
happier days arise, and we have reason to believe
'hat his example will be followed by many other

purchasers.
In the course of the afternoon a concert was
given by M. Jullien, whose orchestra was fixed
under the shadow of some of the noble cedar-
trees which ornament the beautiful grounds. M.
Jullien's band comprised some of the principal
soloists who performed at his promenade concerts at
Her Majesty's Theatre, and additional effect was
imparted to many of the pieces by the aid of the
Grenadier Guards' band, under Mr. D. Godfrey,
and a chorus. In the course of the concert a national
fantasia, " Hymns of Poland," composed by M.
Jullien, was played for the first time. At the con.
elusion of the second part of the programe, General
Z tmoyski announced that the sale was about to
recommence, when the galleries of Chiswick House
were again thronged, and many more of the articles
exhibited were disposed of.
Amongst the visitors during the afternoon were
Prince Marcel Czartoryski, Prince R. A. Sulkowski,
the Marquis d'Azeglio, Baron Waligorski, Major
Charles Szulcewski, Mr. Pope Hennessy, M.P., Mr
Sutherland Edwards, and many other gentlemen
either immediately connected with the object in
view, or interested in the cause of Poland.
The house and gardens were crowded with ladies,
but the attendance of gentlemen was not so great as
Eight have bean anticipated. All who enjoy an
afternoon in one of the must beautiful gardens of
England, and all who feel that the wrongs of Poland
are real and heartrending, will go down this after..
noon. They will not be pestered to buy, but will
be left at liberty to give spontaneously, or simply
to contemplate the sacrifices made by the ladies of
a noble nation in a noble cause.
The same bands will attend at the sale to-day,
but there will be a change in the programme.
Conspicuous in one of the beautiful galleries was
a portrait of General Garibaldi surrounded with
laurel leaves, while the cedar-tree, planted by the
general on the 12th ult. as a memorial of his visit,
was examined with much interest by many of the
visitors.

AN ENORMOUS IRONFlELD.—According to state-
ments made by the d.irectors of the Trent, An-
cholme, and Grimsby Railway, opened on Saturday, the
new line will bring Grimsby nine miles nearer Manchester,
14 nearer the South Yorkshire coalfields, and 23 or 24
nearer the most densely populated portion of the West
Riding, while the quantity of iron ore contained in the
newly-found iron district is the astounding sum of
3,500,000,000 tons. Comparisons have been instituted
between the new ironfield in Cleveland and the new one in
Lincolnshire, to show that the northern is but a fleabite in
comparison with the one on the banks of the Trent, the
total to the Cleveland being stated at 600,000,000 tons.—
She geld Telegraph.
THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY IN SCOTLAND.--The
forty-fifth anniversary of her Majesty's birth was celebrated
in Edinburgh on Thursday, some days in advance of the
actual day, and was observed as a general holiday. The
morning was rather dull and threatening, but the forenoon
cleared up beautifully, and the remainder of the day was
highly favourable for pleasure. seekers and excursionists.
l'he traffic on the different railways was much greater than
it has been on any Queen's birthday for several years past.
Notwithstanding the great numbers who left town to spend
the day, there was an unusually large attendance on the
line of route of the Lord nigh Commissioner's processim ;
and the places of public interest thrown open gratuitously
were crowded during the day,--/SCot6man.