The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-13 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC .TOITENALS,

TIMES,—It is always good for people to under-
'stand each other, and just at this conjuncture the
establishment of such an intelligence between the
Canadians and ourselves may be of great service to
both parties together. Nothing more, indeed, seems
to be wanting on either side than a clear and
definite perception of future policy. The Colony is
very well affected, and with good reason, towards
the Mother Country. Its population is thoroughly
loyal, and its interests are completely identified with
its ailegiance. The Canadians, as we are assured
this morning by one of themselves, are not only
without a wish to dissolve the connexion subsisting
between their country and Great Britain, but
" would fight to the last" to maintain it ; nor can
we disbelieve these professions when we remember
the conditions of dependence now accepted. Canada
would necessarily be a loser by any change of poli-
tical position. Independence would deprive her of
a powerful protector; union with America would
simply make her a participator in liabilities which
no man can measure. We, on the other hand, are
content to retain an allegiance yielding little sub-
stantial fruit, at the cost of what may be most
onerous obligations. It would be hard to say what
privilege we derive from our colony of Canada, but
at any rate we have no wish that the connection
should be severed, To perpetuate these terms, then,
and to avert all chances of disagreement or danger,
it can only be necessary that we should explain and
the Canadians should understand exactly what we,
for our part of the bargain, are prepared to per-
form. At present it seems to be assumed, or was,
at least, assumed till recently, that in the event of
a war involving the Colony the fighting would be
done by Imperial troops. Of course the colonists
would support us as soon and as far as they were
able. When they had succeeded in organising a
Militia and collecting a Volunteer force, when
they had drilled their men and trained the officers
to command them, they would fight by the side
of the British regiments; but until this result had
been attained—perhaps, as happened in the United
States, in the second or third year of the war—the
defence of the colony would be left to devolve upon
us. Now, do the Canadians reflect upon the conse-
quences which would follow? The colonial fron-
tier is a thousand miles long. We could not garri-
son it effectually if we sent to Canada every regular
soldier in these islands. We make believe to garrie
son it at this moment with a force of 9,000 soldiers,
of whom two-thirds are divided between Montreal
and Quebec, while the rest are distributed by regi-
ments and even companies along the frontier line.
In other words, we confront a neighbour who can
dispose of half a million of men with a score or two
of stations like those of the Irish constabulary. Nor
are these pickets supported by any sufficient re.
serves. "A Canadian Volunteer" tells us the whole
truth in this matter, and shows us that even the
moderate preparations with which the colony was
credited in a late debate have but a partial existence
in reality. The fact is this—that our 9,000 men,
while they could do nothing of themselves, suffice
to prevent the colonists from doing any more. They
look like a demonstration of the power and inten-
tions of England. They stand as the advanced guard
of a great army, and the Canadians do but obey the
instincts of human nature in declining to do for
themselves what others appear ready and willing to
do for them. There should be an end of this delusion,
which is not only deceitful, but dangerous. We have
not the least d, sign of providing the Canadians with
an army sufficient for the defence of their frontier.
The utmost that was intended in this country was
to give them a " nucleus" in the shape of a few regi-
ments of Imperial troops, and even that design is
now limited, as was shown by a recent debate, to the
protection of the two chief capitals of the colony.
In relying, therefore, upon our readiness to fight
their battles the colonists are deceiving themselves,
and the demonstration we make happens to be full
of danger in more ways than one. Nothing is so
likely to provoke attack as an easy and accessible
prize, and every station of British troops along the
Canadian frontier offers such a prize to the Amen.
can army. To surround and capture a British regi-
ment would be an exploit of which an American
commander might reasonably boast; to inflict humi-
liation on the British arms might be a triumph
which an American Government would be unwil-
ling to forego. These opportunities we actually pre-
sent in the, most seductive and alluring form. We
post fragments of our army in positions where they
may be at any moment surprised, much as King
Alfred suspended golden bracelets in lonely woods
and challenged anybody to offend justice by appro-
priating them. But we have not the same grounds
:'or our defiance. We should, indeed, be compelled
to pursue the offender, but it is neither our interest
nor our desire to establish our power by provoking
the offence. On the contrary, it would be infinitely
wiser to remove the temptation, and thus diminish
the chances of conflict. It seems to have been for-
gotten in the recent diecuesions that the exhibition
of this handful of Btrish troops on the Canadian
frontier is in itself actually an element of danger.
When the Americans have a grievance against us
they immediately threaten to invade Canada. Why ?
Not so much because Canada is a dependency of the
British Crown as because it contains a few British
soldiers, and is thus a vulnerable part of the British
empire. If Canada were defended only by Cana-
dians, it would scarcely answer the purpose of the
Americans to make a raid into the province at the
cost of a war which would bring the British navy
oa their coasts. A conflict with the chief maritime
Power of the world would be a heavy price to pay
for penetrating a few leagues into a country which
it would be vary troublesome to occupy and
impossible to annex without conquest. But a
regiment of the British army would be a more
enticing bait. By the capture of such a trophy
the Americans could not only gratify the national
pride, but compel us to a conflict in which the
advantages would be all in their favour, If we
began to fight them on land, and suffered disasters,
we should be forced to go on. Our reputation as
well as our pride would be involved, and our enemies
would enjoy the singular good fortune of taking us
at our weakest from the position most advantageous
to themselves. Now, we say that we cannot do
better for Canada than remove this provocative to
invasion. Let the Canadians provide for their own
defence according to their own estimate of the de-
mand. We see that there is a party in the colony
which holds that the best armament is no armament,
and if that doctrine prevails we are not inclined to
quarrel with it. We are certain, at any rate, that it
is sound when applied to an armament of Imperial
troops, and if the colonists choose to extend it they
may, perhaps, be the best judges. But whether
they rely for their protection. upon natural difficul-
ties and political repulsion,or whether they resort to
the more recognised policy of military organisation,
let the work be their own. From us they may count
upon the aid of a powerful navy, and what that means
in a war may be learnt from the embarrassments of
the blockaded Confederacy. On these terms the
disadvantage would be all with the Americans in-
stead of with us, and perhaps three millions of white
men in the North supported by the naval power of
Britain would form as troublesome an enemy as six
millions in the South deprived of free intercourse
with the world. At any rate, reason suggests that
these should be our terms. By our present policy
we are at once deluding our colonists and tempting
to aggression the only Power from which aggression
is to be feared. The isolated detachments of our troops
might attract invasion, but could not possibly repel
it. Their removal would extinguish one of the prin-
cipal chances of danger, and for the rest the colony
should provide according to its resources and inte-
rest as estimated by itself. The Canadians must be
good judges of their own position. They are under
the influence, at present, of indefinite impreesions if
not of false expectations, and we can hardly pre-
sume that their conclusions would be sound. But
if they can distinctly understand the views of this
country, and divest themselves of all illusions about
our intentions, we have no doubt that they will
adopt a wise policy and remain on bettor terms
with the mother country than ever.
PosT.—The curtain has at length fallen on that
terrible drama which for the last eighteen months
has been played out in Russian Poland. The in-
surrection is now officially declared to be at an end,
the last of the chiefs of the revolutionary Govern-
ment has beer. consigned to the scaffold, and order
once more reigns in Poland. For some months past
we have heard but little of the insurrection, and ex-
cept when an occasional account reached us of an
execution on the glacia of the citadel at Warsaw or
of the departure of a convoy of exiles for Siberia,
we have been left in ignorance of the means em-
ployed by the Russia.] Government in re-establish-
tug their authority in the Kingdom of Poland. The
history of Poland during the nest year and a half i°
one which will never be written with accuracy, and
even if so written would never command belief.
Since this time twelvemonths the Russian Govern-
ment have been enabled, without even the interrup-
tion of a protest by any foreign State, to pursue
that peculiar system for the suppression of revolt in
their disaffected provinces which on many previous
occasions they have employed with so much success.
Deserted by Europe, and unable to cope with the
legions, not merely of soldiers, but of Police spies,
which were arrayed against there, the Polish insur-
gents finally gave way. The scattered bands which,
crated with scythes, and, in some cases, dragging
after them woodeu cannon, scoured the forests, were

one by one annihilated or d ispersed; whilst in the
towns the organisers of the insurrection either re.,
linquished in despair a task which was indeed hope.
less, or continued to devise end plot until the into
or the treachery of some el 'y delivered them
the hands of their merciless oppressors. Insurrec-
tion, in the true meaning of that term, there
e
has been none in Poland for many month
past. It has been simply a trial of skill between
the authorities and those who ti xik, or were suspted
to have taken, a part in the revs i 1 utionary movement,
whether the latter should live to aid in a revolt at
some subsequent period agaice t the Russian rule.
The victory has been with the authorities; nor is
this surprising. A system of sect et government nasY
be so carefully organised as to escape detection ;
but none can reckon on impunit y where supicion,
though unsupported by evident .e, is sufficie to
bring the suspected person to th. e scaffold or send.
him into exile. The system of suppression pursued.
by the Russian Government was equa. ly simple ana,
effective. All whom they believt ,d to be implicate'
they incontinently hanged or b anish ed ; and this
plan having been pursued for see era) months, the
e
result of this general weeding h,ist'e'n that th
most formidable of their enemies have disappeared.
The so-called National Government of Poland hoes
long while baffled their attempts to di. mover theses
who composed it ; but after having ads hiee.
d for
considerable time the exhaustive spite,/ to w
we have referred, the Russian GOVerlalrt ent have
now the satisfaction of assuring Europe t hat thdis
.
brood of traitors has been cemplotely eactereein
ate a
The official Russian journal at We rsave, in recording
the execution of five members of the Ne.tions I GO;
vernment, including its chief, has foe! th,) first tini'
published to the world the manner in which the
Government was conducted. The det ails P°l3Be2e
historic interest, and give a curious insii ;ht into t"
method employed by the Poles to base the enftc.:
rities. During the whole period of the i nsurrectle,"_
it was notorious that a committee of the insurgents
sat en permanence at Warsaw,
revolutionary movement, despite all the exerts
made by the authorities to discover its merlebete,
were
or to interrupt the communications ev hieh
maintained between them and the ineuxsF-0.,
in various parts of the kingdan•
brot Idea t
clamations were printed and scattered
through the streets of Warsaw, Although t'v,„eerYd
and d. irected the
printing establishment was guarded by lyevi in
officials, and even cemeteries were ransackeL
search of type. Nor is it astooishing th at the flute°. e
rities were foiled in their attempts to discover lay
members of the National Government, since i!,i3P4
pears that so secret and perfect was tht crga'",,-easc;
tion that its very members were unknown re e,
other, and all possibility to treachery thus
,over '
The Warsaw Central Organisation was con'PlA ed of
fate
six departments, similar to the departments of'. in
in other countries, under distinct heads ; and ;,„ia
addition to its chief, each department had a eer
irp
number of subordinate officials and a secres"'
"Following out the principle adopted in the e.
pent
e °
organisation,the members of which each depart Eltbe
was composed were unknown to its chief, and c the
chiefs themselves most were strangers to
another." Independently of the central orgel Ils;n
tion in Warsaw, there were local administratio 0;8
t`o
each of the eight woywodeships, er districts, .eof
which the insurgents had divided the kingd° r
Poland. The communication between the I.° ren3Oteh
and the latter being uninterrupted until the -
of October of last year, the Government was cen-cie
posed of a small council, the composition of
was veiled in such impenetrable mystery that. Pee
now the. Russian authoritids are compelled to Lam"'
they know but little about it. After thie
however, for some reasons which it has beo lels;
possible to discover, a change took place, ar.deee
individual was rec.rgnised as the leader of rh`" disc
tire revolution, Whether this change rendere4l
etas
covery easier it is difficult to say ; but at Ai-. el
discovery did take place, and it was the rev° es
tionary chief and the principal of his colleaguhe
whose execution has just been recorded in t
which the
Warsaw Gazette. The method in
discovery was made, however, well deeervee
the appellation of " exhaustive" which r
date,
have just given it. " Owing to th° °LS-
coveries made by the military
committee, and the increased activiree of the Wares W
police (we quote from the official L'ziennick), 13" "
bers of persons concerned in the revolutionary org em
nisation were arrested and an extene ice revolution"
ary correspondence seized. Upon ins pection of Ole
documents and examination of the prisoners further
arrests were undertaken, which, comb;ned with in-
formation already obtained, rendered it Po'
investigation
sible to gain possession of the chiefs of the
insurrection." The Polish insurrection of 1863-64
may therefore be considered at an end. Might has
once more triumphed over right, and another chap'
ter has been added to the history of the world which
will seem incomprehensible to those who test the
ways of Providence by the touchstone of human
reason. The scenes of 1830 have been a e-enacted,
and the triumphant wrong of half a cet itury pre-
vious has for a third time been confirmed. The
insurrection was hopeless from the beginning, but
it would be alike absurd and ungenerous t o ascribe
to folly what was in truth the offspring of despair.
Even the weakest of animals will stand at bay be-
fore the most formidable antagonist, and for a time
will flatter itself that its fate is in suspense. Net
was the insurrection the work of the Polish people
alone. It was that of their masters. Not that the
Russians simply drove the Poles into rebellion by
their misrule. They so directed their tyrannY, ae
to produce revolt. They desired an insurrection
because they desired a pretext for decimating the
inhabitants and deporting all whotu they feared to
the wilds of Siberia. They gain ed their objectr.,
The Poles revolted. And although the beeninsure
o
was graver than they anticipated, they bays
completely victorious. Order once more reigns, eluof
will continue to reign until another generat
de pi°llta-
Poles shall spring up, and decimation cc- °re of
The patiene
tion once more become necessary.
liberal Europe assuredlv is inexhaustible.