The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-11 00:00:00

The Great Polish Trial at Berlin.

The reading of the documentary evidence brought
forward by the prosecution was resumed on the 2d.
Herr Brachvogel objected to the reading of a pro-
clamation of the National Government from the
newspaper Ojczyzne, on the ground that the mere
fact of the publication of documents in a newspaper
is no guarantee for their authenticity. This objec-
tion was allowed by the President, who also took
note of a remark of Herr Brachvogel that documents
relating to a period subsequent to the arrest of the
accused cannot be admitted as evidence against
them. Several proclamations of the National Go-
vernment, dating to the 18th March, 1864, were
then read, the counsel for the defence pointing out
that in none of them is there any expression which
can be interpreted into an intention of extending
the insurrection to Prussia or Austria. Herr Brach-
vogel having made some strong remarks on the
nature of Russian rule in Poland, which was so in-
tolerable as to drive the Poles to open resistance,
was interrupted by the President, who desired him
to refrain from making any remarks of that kind.
'The President next announced that the prosecution
had put in a collection of documents relating to for-
mer political trials, In answer to some remarks from
Dr. Gneist, the Crown prosecutor explained that
these documents were purely of an historical cha-
racter, and were necessary as proofs of the political
objects sought for by the Poles. Messrs, Elven,
Janeski, Holthoff, Lisierki, and Gneiat had no obe
jection to the reading of the abstracts of the pro-
ceedings of past trials, but protested against the
documents being read. The Court, however, decided
that as the defence denied the statements of the
prosecution with regard to these trials, the docu-
ments should be read to prove whether these state-
ments were true. Dr. Gneist then said that the
defence objected against such material as broad-
sheets, newspaper articles, and proclamations being
put in as evidence. An anonymous document is
absolutely worthless as evidence. These printed
papere are the work of unknown authors, and it is
in the nature of things that in times of disturbance
communistic ideas should be afloat. These papers
have been collected in a most extraordinary manner
from various parts of Europe, and cannot be ad-
mitted to prove anything whatever. The evil con-
sists not in the production of a single document,
but in , the placing in juxtaposition a series of
documents which have no real relation to each
other. He, therefore, begged the President not to
eermit such matter to be read. After a few remarks
k' 'he Crown prosecutor, the President said the
from
give a decision on the subject, and the
Court w0ut,..4
sitting closed. On the 3d Herr Brachvogel re-
quested that the cpondence of M. Guttry
eirres
should not be read, as he aLI not act with any one
else, and his letters could, there: as", compromise no
one but himself. This was disputed. ,s'lv the Crown
prosecutor, who said that M. Guttry wa: a mem-
ber of the Pos©n Committee, and that his phcels
were, therefore, evidence of the tendencies ano
objects of the committee. M. Elven rejoined
that the prosecution had yet to prove that there
was such a committee in existence ; and one of the
accused, M. lioczorowski, declared that, although
intimately acquainted with M. Guttry, be knew
nothing of the papers in question, that that gen-
tleman was in relations with a so-called universal
national European movement, and that none of the
accused knew anything about these relations. Se-
veral papers were then read, among others a decree
of the National Government stated to bear the sig-
nature of 111. Niegolewaki, which, however, was
strenuously denied by that gentleman. At the sit-
ting of the 4th the testimony of a witness named
Faucheux was read by the prosecution, to prove the
finding of a circular of the National Government
in the house of Moszczeneki. Herr Brachvogel
here remarked that although the witness had had
many opportunities of ascertaining what were the
objects of the Poles, he firmly maintained in his
evidence that he had observed no signs of any con-
templated hostilities against Prussia. Herr Hol-
thoff then proposed that Feucheux, who resides in
Paris, should be summoned to appear as a witness,
to which the Court agreed. A series of papers,
translated first by Russian officials into French, and
thence into German, wero then read, notwithstand-
ing the protest of the defence that the translation
of a translation could not be accepted as evidence.
The sitting then closed.
It will be observed that in all the mass of evidence
which has been brought forward by the prosecution
nothing has as yet transpired to prove that the ac-
cused, or even the Poles of other parts of Poland,
had any intention of attempting to seize Posen and
separate that province from Prussia. The letter
from the Russian general, Mink witz, read at the
sitting of the Ist, proves that the Prussian Govern-
ment even resorted to Russian officials to obtain
proofs against the accused. The letter in question
is to the following effect :—" I have repeatedly ap
plied to the various commissions of inquiry for
information as to whether the insurrection is directed
against Prussia as well as Russia. With the excel).
Lion of a large number of printed fly-sheets and
newspaper articles I have not, unfortuuately, found
in the numerous papers of the commissions of in-
quiry, and the evidence of prisoners, anything that
could be of any use for the trial. I did not confine
myself to the documents of the commissions, but
searched the diplomatic chancellery of the Viceroy
in order to inform him of anything that might be
of use in examinations. In the large volumes 1
looked through and found nothing but personalities
and a great many letters, and which were of no use
for the object I had in view. The grand inquiry
into the Weir of the attempt on General Berg, which
seemed heavily to compromise young Comet Stanis-
laus Z smoyski, also produced nothing for the present
trial. Perhaps something may come to light ; if so,
I will immediately report it. The only thing I have
yet found is in the letter-bag of the French sub-
lieutenant, young Von Blankenstein, who was killed
last spring. This is a paper of the Military Com-
mission for Posen. and a list of various persons en-
rolled in Posen. I send them both, meagre as they
src.".

One of the correspOndents of the New York
Times gives an account of the misfortunes of his
house during the recent Confederate advance upon
Washington. He tells the story of his wrongs in
this wise :—" Having an abiding faith in the ability
as well as disposition of the Government to protect
all residents within a reasonable distance of the
capital, in an unfortunate hour I hired a house
ens mile from Fort Stevens, on the Seventh-
street pike, five and a half miles from Washing-
ton—where house-rent, fuel, and all the necessaries
of life are to be had at cemperatively reasonable
rates—and into which I moved all my household
goods and treasures in April last. On Sunday,
July 10, cirumstances rendered it necessary that
I should return to the army in front of Peters-
burg. The fact that Early had crossed the Potcmac
was then generally known, and the prudential
query as to whether I should leave a Wife rani four
daughters outeide the forts of Washington suggested
itself, but all apprehensions were quieted by the as-
surance that everything possible was being done,
' and seeing no outer lines of defence prepared be-
tween my residence and the forts I very naturally
assumed that my position was really within the
outer defences of the capital, and therefore perfect;;
safe from any simplj raiding party. Thus assured
1 left my family and rent to the army. Tuesday
night's mail dissipated wtotever notions of safety
I had previously entertained. As quick as possible
I returned, and reached my holm on Thursday
morning. From acquaintances whom I met on the
road I had learnt enough to be prepared for the
worst, and was almost as philosophical as the
Irishman when about to be executed, who said he
felt thankful that his punishment was no more, but
not quite. As I stepped into the house there stood
before me my wife and four little daughters, their
nakedness scarcely covered by the few articles of
clothing the enemy had consented to leave them,
standing around a table upon which was placed a
plate of broiled ham and a few crackers, which a
more fortunate neighbour had kindly sent in, and
the question under consideration just at that moment
was how they were to cut the meat; my arrival
solved this difficulty, for I soon produced a pocket
knife, and six of us used it at this matutinal meal.
Such a picture of desolation as was presented to my
eyes as I entered the house that morning I never
hope to witness again. The dejected, careworn
appearance of my family would almost hare
excited the sympathy of a rebel. The floors
throughout the house were covered with the debris
of housekeeping articles. As stated before, I
thought I was prepared for the worst, but I was not
I was prepared to see my house sacked of every useful
article, either of clothing or furniture, but I was not
prepared to find my children's playthings and other
presents to them wantonly destroyed ; I was net
prepared to hear that even a rebel soldier was deaf
to the pitiful appeals of a little girl, four years old,
to save her canary bird from destruction. Nor was
I prepared, indeed, to find every article of vertu,
which had been collected during a period of 20 years
destroyed or carried away—yet all these things
were done. Dolls were stripped of clothing, heads
wrenched of, and then as if the fellows could not
find objects enough to vent their spite upon they cut
open the bodies of the dolls and turned out the saw-
dust. An old elnk excited their ire, but instead of
knocking it upon the floor and destroying it in a
manly way,they filled the works with a compound of
wheat flour, meal, a deodorising flour, flower seeds,
and resin oil. Not satisfied with doing this much,
they primed the house with kerosene, and were
about to apply the match, when the intruders dis-
covered Union soldiers scaling a fence into the
yard, when they left in great haste. It is said
(poetically) that there is a silver lining to every
cloud. If there is a silver lining to this affair, it is
in the fact that the men who revelled in my
home knew whose property they were destroying,
and told, exultingly, in presence of my wife and
children, what they had done; that they had 'gutted
the home of one who had done Confederate cause
more harm than any ten of Lincoln's soldiers.'"
The writer then goes back to explain what
had passed :—" Near my house, on either side of the
pike, the enemy had planted their guns. Generals
Early, Breckenridge, and nearly all of the other
general officers, with their staffe, occupied the yard
surrounding my house. My wife asked if they meant
to injure us. An officer replied, We shall not, bat
your friends may.' It is due to the rebel officers
to say that all of them treated the members of my
family courteously. When the skirmish line was
passing through our yard, and some of the
men trampled upon a flower-bed, my wife,
being somewhat excited, told the men not to
crush her flowers, whereupon General Breckens
ridge laughingly ordered the men to leave. They
were seen from one of the forts, and a 100-pounder
shell was thrown, which struck a post within five
yards of where my wife and children stood convers-
ing with a squad of rebel officers. Three particles
of the shell hit one of my little girls, seven years
old, in her left ear, causing blood to flow, and for a
moment stunning her. The rebel officers insisted
that my wife should go to the rear ; but she had de-
cided to remain and protect her property at all
hazards: Several shells successively exploded near
the house within a few minutes, and ball from
0:r skirmish line came in unpleasant proximity to

the party in the yard. My wife was again impor-
tuned to .have, and on account of her children con-
sented to do kJ), provided a guard was placed over
the house, which request was agreed to but never
complied 'with, or I: it was, no protection was
afforded. Under the gu!dance of Dr. Strath my
family was escorted throngs the rebel troops to the
house of Oliver Clark, two miles in the rear, where
Colonel Arnett, of the 20th Virginia Cavalry, made
his headquarters, and where they remained until
the last of the enemy had fallen back."—Xew York
Times.

AFFAIRS IN JAPAN.—The following is an extract
of a private letter, dated Yokohama, May 26
"May in Japan seems to be the season for panics. Last
year, about this time, if you recollect, letters spoke of a
panic, and the same thing occurs again now. The two-
sworded gentry are swaggering, insulting, and fiercer-look-
ing than usual—the Japanese money-changers of note have
been imprisoned, the governor is excited, and things are
beginning again to look unpleasant. To satisfy, or rather
allay, the feeling of alarm amongst the people on shore, the
soldiers are loaded with hall cartridge. Oa the 23d two old
Japanese hulks, the representatives of Japan's fleet, moved
from the proximity of the fort et Kanagawa and sailed for
Yeddo, in all probability to take station behind the forts
there. This gave rise to a report that at midnight the fort
and guns on the hill near the town were to open fire, and,
as you may imagine, this considerably frightened the
nervous among the dollar grinders, especially as it blew
great guns all night. however, the forts and guns on the
hill thought better of the matter, and all were allowed to
sleep in peace. A few days before a startling paragraph ap-
peared in a daily paper that some Daimio was marching on
Yokohama with a large force, and might be expected. The
prince in question was most likely smoking his pipe at
home—at all events, he had not yet turned up. Politi-
cally matters are had. Sir It, Alcock visited Yeddo and the
Gorogia the 16th ; the result of the interview was not satis-
factory. The French minister followed a few days after
with the same result. The Coromandel's officers, during
their stay at Yeddo, counted over 100 guns mounted in the
forts. It seems likely that if you do consent quietly to
leave this place and retire gracefully to the mantrap at
Nagasaki, they will be foolish enough to try force. If a
number of half-drunken, determined men were to make a
night attack on the foreign settlement, and at the IMMO time
the guns (of the number of which we know very little) pitch
into the ships and town, a good many of we poor devi
ashore would come to grief, especially the ladies, of whom
there are many fresh arrivals. Of course what would fol-
low would be a severe retribution, and give the Buxton
party a let to talk about; but this would be no consolation
to the unfortunates murdered, The Patch join us
in the
Simousaki affair—but if any attempt is made on Yoko-
hama this Simousaki affair would in all probat•ility
stand over. Messieurs lea Japonais, you are too late.
Last year we were almost at your mercy—now
the tables are turned--and have the goodness to wait an-
other month for 1500. marines and soldiers and we are safe,
at least, against murder. Acting Lieut. 11. Morris
(promoted at Kagosirca), of Racehorse, was turned out of
the service on the 17th for drunkenness. Several other
courts-martial come off shortly, I regret to say, for the same
offence. When the Japanese question comes again before
the House of Commons I hope the ' give the country up'
party won't win. Next to England it is the finest place in
the world, and nature was kinder to it than to England,
In the hands of Englishmen it would, indeed, be a paradise.
It would be a thousand pities to relinquish our footing in
such a land—rich as it is in all that man Could desire.
...41;i2y Go;:;tte.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.—This Day,

READING RACES-THIS DAY.
(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)
KING'S MEADOW STARES.

Pelios
Lytham
LADIES' PLATE.

Tomfoolery
Wicket

Eleven ran.
STEWARDS' PLATE.

Under the Cloud
Cervas

Four ran.
NURSERY PLATE.

Belle of Kars
Dr. Swishtail
Change of Luck 3

Nine ran.

LATEST BETTING ON THE COURSE.
EBOR
4 to 1 agst East Lancashire (taken)
7to 1 agst Caller Ou (taken)
10 to 1 agst 1-lytnettus (taken)

SHIPPING-THIS DAY.

LONDON, Aug. 11.—Wind this day at noon—North-
West; moderate breeze and fine weather, but a little
cloudy.

NEWPORT, Aug. 10.—Wind N.W.—Arrived—Turnbull,
from Antwerp tor Rio Janeiro—Reliance, from St. lia-
zarre for Havannah.

PORTSMOUTH, Aug. 9.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Her
Majesty's ship Orentes, from Bermuda.
FALMOUTH, Aug. 10.—Wind N.W.—Arrived—Her
Majesty's ship Racer, from Plymouth,
HULL, Aug. 11.—Wind N.W.—Arrived—Christine,
from Quebec.

CARDIFF, Aug. 9.—Wind N.W.—Sailed—Helena, for

Matanzas.

(DY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)
PLYMOUTH, Thursday Morning.
The paddle-wheel steam yacht Osborne, 2, Staff Com-
mander George H. K. Bower, from Ireland, with his Grace
the Duke of Somerset and the other Lords of the Admi-
ralty, arrived in the Sound at 8 o'clock this morning, and
proceeded immediately into Hamoaze, where their lord-
ships received the customary salute from the flag-ship
Royal Adelaide.
(BY MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.)
GRAVESEND, Thursday MornlLg.
Arrived, Aug. 10—Good Hove, from Archangel.
Arrived, Aug. 11—Lady Grey, Lyna, Kustine Maria,
Danneborg, and Princess Gyda all from Archangel.
Alfred. from Riga—Maria, from Cronstadt—Catharina;
from Thisted—Vrouw Diewk, from Worcum—and Pet-
lonia, from Quebec.
Sailed, Aug. :11—Dilpassund, for Bombay— Canopus, for
Bussorah—Mary Hayes, for Calcutta—Helena, steamer,
far Dieppe—Concordia, steamer, for Boul.)gne—and City of
Hamburg, for Hamburg.

DEAL, Thursday Morning.

No arrivals.

Abarque was observed to go on shore this morning oft
tho north part of the Goodwin Sands; assistance is with
her. Nothing further is known at present.
Sailed—All the outward bound.

Liverpool Cotton Market—This Day,

Rather more doing. Sales, abont 6,000 bales,

Parker, who in a drunken rage some time since
shot his mother at Fiske' ton, and attempted also to murder
his father, was hanged yesterday morning at Nottingham.
The unhappy man persistel in denying that ho had any in-
tention to kill, and no doubt the act was not deliberate.
The Home Secretary, however, would not interpose the
royal mercy. Parker died becomingly.
At the Liverpool assizes, yesterday, the two
young men, Brice and Scott, who made such a
murderous attack upon Dr Rowe at Liverpool some months
ago, were each sentenced to 15 months' hard labour. At
the same assizes three men were tried for having, contrary
to the provisions of the Foreign Enlistment Act, hired
persons for service on board the Confederate cruiser Rappa-
hannock. They were all found guilty, bat were liberated
on their own recognisances—the Lord Chief Justice, how-
ever, intimating to the defendants that a repetition of the
offence would be visited with greater severity.
ATTILA'S RING.—The Magyar Sajto states that
it has heard from Paris that a ring has been discovered in
the excavations now being made at the camp of Chsions,
which, it is believed, belonged to Attila, King of the Huns.
The ring is of copper, and has the name of Attila inzetik el
on it in Latin characters.
MEYERBEER'S "L'AFRICAINE" conies back every
year, says the Athenceunz, as a topic of
curiosity. It is really now to be given, we ap-
prehend, at the Grand Opera ; but, to give " L'Afri-
caine" without the superintendence of its composer,
is no trifling responsibility. How Meyerbeer changed
his works, pulled them to pieces, cut out heaps of music
carefully prepared, and would invent this, that, and the
other passage at the last moment, on passing and insuffi-
cient suggestions, are so many matters of musical history,
which every green-room child knows by heart. L'Africaine
was altered for Madame Viardot ; re-made for Mdlle. Cru-
velli ; and, possibly, during the quarter of a century in which
in which it has been talked about, it has undergone as many
modifications as there have been years. Now, we are told.t ha t
tie " cast" is giving cause of doubt and trouble to the
management. There is a chance of M. Naudin being
engaged. We had rated this gentleman as a French singer,
and as such, likely to succeed better on the French than en
the Italian stage, but we wcro mistaken. Signor Naudin
belongs to Naples.
A BEAR AND HIS BROTHERS.—The visitors to
the place where the town bears of Berne are kept
witnessed an unpleasant spectacle last week. Three cubs
were gambolling in a tree placed there for them to climb,
when one of them fell from the highest branch and was so
much hurt that it bled profately. Two bears a year cld,
which happened to be at the foot of she; tree, infuriated by
the sight of the blood, immediately fell on the poor animal
and tore it to pieces, in spite of all the efforts of the keepers

o deter them.
t— A LIFE OF MAJOR ANDRE, THE VICTIM OF
ARNOLD, THE SPY, including all that recently diEcJvered
documents hava afforded concerning his military career, is
Deing prepared for tho press by Mr Hoary J. Morgan, of
ebce.