The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-28 00:00:00

tion—(' oh, oh')—or that other counsel might not
properly be taken." IF this, that, and the other
should occur I And what ere those hypothetical de-
velopments of the war now (through the blundering
of onr Ministers) allowed to recommence in the north
of Europe—what are those hypothetical develop•
ments of the war thus hinted at by Lord PALMERs
STON ? "The horrors of a town taken by assault
—the destruction of property—the sacrifice of the
lives not only of its defenders but of its peaceful in-
habitants—the confiscation which would arise—the
capture of the Sovereign as c prisoner ofwar, or EVENTS
OF THAT RIND !" Well—Yen, if all these " kind"
of events should come to pass—what, then, would
be the course pursued by Her MAJESTY'S present
Ministers ? Why—even then—all that Lord PAL •
MERSTON can venture to predicate is this, that it
any of these events should chance to happen,
the position of the country, nught—possibly—
be a subject—for reonsideration! Whatever
may be the name of the political party entrusted
with power—Wnig, Tory, Liberal, Conservative—
this, at least, we are quite certain of, that a policy
such as Lord PALMERSTON' yesterday thus explained
and set forth deliberately in the House of Commons,
while the like was being done in the House of Peers
by Earl RUSSELL as F.reign Secretary, is not a
policy in any way befitting the fair fame, the honour,
or the integrity of the British Government.

It would really appear at the present moment as
if the civilised countries were attempting to go
back to the days of barbarism in many of their acts
and in the spirit Of their policy. A letter in the
Times of yesterday is emugh to rouse the indignee
tion of all who reverence honour and justice. It
concerns the doom of Count STANISLAUS TAR-
NOWSKI, who has been sentenced to a cruel fate by
the Austrian Government. It is from one who
knows him well, and wishes his numerous friends
in England to be informed of his fearful fate.
" Twelve years' confinement in chains in a solitary
cell" is a sentence which must appear almost in-
comprehensible to English readers. It recalls the
old feudal times of oppression—it awakens thoughts
of distant lands where tyrants hold ruthless sway ;
but it certainly does not seem to bear affinity to
the progression of this enlightened age, and to be a
thing likely to take place in a country of Europe.
It may be very well for the heartless men who de-
vise such atrocities and inflict such barbarities to
attempt to call their deeds by official names, and to
explain their conduct by declaring that it is neces-
sitated by the pressure of circumstances. This is
a false view of the matter ; it rests on the broad
principle of right and wrong, and all efforts at
palliation only make the matter ten times
worse. It is said that this rigorous sentence
was given in accordance with the requirements of
the state of siege introduced into Gallicia last
February. It seems almost incomprehensible
that Ministers and Statesmen should demean
themselves by such conduct. It would have
been a far more merciful doom to have executed
him at once, and not have devised torments un-
worthy of men to perpetrate, and impossible for
human beings to endure. The absurdity of the
affair is that it is for treason agaiest the Prussian
Government that the unfortunate Count is thius
doomed to this imprisonment—as if tnay had not
enough to do with their own country they must
take up the quarrels of others, and fling themselves
into the melee of the despotism and tyranny of the
North. The only charge against the Count was
" patriotism ;" he had endeavoured to serve his
unhappy land, and has thus received this barbarous
treatment. How such a sentence can be carried
out in a country that calls itself a Christian one
may well puzzle anyone to make out. Really the
conduct of the States in the question of Poland
is a lasting disgrace to them. In their attempts
to pat down liberty at any risk they may
be successful, but the victory has cost them dear;
it has sullied their reputation, injured their good
faith, and darkened the annals of their history.
No nation, howeverprosperous and powerful, can
escape a day of retri)ution when it sanctions such
atrocities, and no one can regret the doom that has
been provoked by the perpetration of base and cruel
acts. It is to be trusted that shame will induce his
captors to mitigate this sentence, or that death may
bring him a merciful release from the torments of
his enemies, who seem to forget that there is a day
of judgment to come.

Nr, CARDWELL
the
showed great discrimination
hisin remarks
other
day to the deputation which
i.
came before him on the subject of " Transportation
to Western Australia." This is one of those dim..
cult matters to deal with that especially call for
consideration and
the exercise of tact in no ordi-
nary degree, but at the same time reason must be
borne in mind, and while no thinking statesman
would willingly offend prejudices, he cannot alto-
gether subscribe to tae mistaken notions that gain
ground. The gentlemen who composed the depu-
tation were very eernest on the question of the
transmission of convicts, and wished to have a
period fixed for the cessation of the practice. Mr.
CARDWELL very properly declined to accord to this
proposition, and pointedly alleged that "after whet
the Government had
done they ought not to bE
threatened with agitation." It is astonishing bow
unreasonable people tray become if they work them-
selves up to imagine evils and exaggerate difficul-
ties. Many have been disappointed that the Go-
vernment has gone so far as it has iu deference
tr
the claims of the colonists, but it is pushing things
to an extremity to demand that a cessation ehati
take place altogether in the practice. It shows e
great want of consideration, to say the least of it,
ror these colonists to make such objections when
they must know that the departure of these un-
happy outcasts is a great relief to our community ,
while landing them on the shores of a new world
affords them a good opportunity for bettering their
lives and changing their habits. Notwithstanding
the assertions of the numbers of the deputation
they did not make out a good case; end it is to bk
trusted that their arguments will not deter the
powers that be from their previous determination tc
carry on the practice on a minor scale. It stand,
to reason that in every community there must be
some who outrage the laws, but that is no excuse
why an effort should not be made to take advantage
of opportunities to lessen temptation and ameliorate
the condition of misguided members of society.
A selfish policy is the last which will render any
State flourishing, and those who adopt it so stren•
uously ate doing themselves no credit, and confer.
ring no benefit on their country.

RENAN has a pamphlet in band entitled M 2.
Situation," in which, it is said, he will offer himself as a
candidate for the Opposition at the next election.
PELISSIER'S memoirs will, after being officially
cleansed from all disagreeable matter, appear under the
title " Memoires et Souvenirs par un Marechal do France."
The Duchess is said to receive a pension of 25,000 francs.
REMINISCENCES Or THE OPERA. By Benjamin
Lumley, 20 years director of Her Majesty's Theatre.—" In
this interesting volume Mr Lumley reveals the secret of
his prison house. He takes his readers thoroughly behind
the scenes. There was never more attractive apocalypse.
The season has produced no book equal to Mr Lumley's in
point of interest. He brings back the days when Jenny
Lind and Piccolomini sang, when Taglioni and Elleler
danced, when the long Thursday was an institution, and
the ballet a triumph of art. His Reminiscences' will b,
found thoroughly readable. The truth is, that the volume
is full of pleasant points, and the best thing we can do is to
recommend our readers to react it,"—The .Press,