The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-13 00:00:00

THE INDEPENDENCE OF POLAND,

Last evening a public meeting in connection with
the National League for the Independence of Poland
was held in the Cambridge Hall, Newman-street,
Oxford-street, Mr. Edmond Beales, barrister-at-
law, presiding. The Chairman, in opening the pro-
ceedings, expressed his pleasure at presiding over a
meeting sympathising with those gallant men who
were wonderfully and determinedly struggling in
Poland for all that is worth living for and worth
dying for. (Hear, hear.) He did not wish to de-
tain the meeting, but he could not help referring
to the important speech recently delivered by
Earl Russell at Blairgowrie. There were two
points in that speech—first, it was admitted
that Russia had forfeited all the right,
if she ever had any, to the sovereignty
of Poland ; and the next point was the recognition
of the belligerent rights of the Poles. One decla-
ration of the noble lord he cordially concurred
with, but another declaration he was decidedly op-
posed to. The noble lord said it was not obliga-
tory on the country, nor was it to the honour or
interests of England, that we should go to war for
Poland. He was sorry to hear such a declaration
from the lips of any Englishman, especially a Rus-
sell. It was uncalled for, because the Poles had
never asked us to go to war for them ; they had de-
precated any armed intervention on their part,
being desirous to achieve their own freedom.
The Treaty of Vienna, by which Poland was par-
titioned, was a scandal and a reproach to all
those who had stood by passively and allowed
Poland to be swept out of the map of
Europe. (Hear, hear.) Earl Russell said
that those other nations who had stood
by were accessories after the fact. The partition of
Poland was one of the greatest of political crimes,
and therefore he thought that no man with common
sense could say that it was not obligatory on us to
see that the conditions of the treaty were fulfilled,
and, if they were violated, to enforce them. Rus-
sia had deliberately and systematically violated all
those conditions, and therefore the belligerent rights
of the Poles should be recognised. Having con-
demned in strong language the conduct of Russia
towards the suffering Poles for her own aggrandise-
ment, he concluded by expressing a hope that
Lord Russell's words should be embodied in a de-
spatch, and sent to the Court of St. Peters-
burg. (Loud cheers.) Dr. P. W. Perfitt then
delivered a long address on the history, partitions,
and present condition of Poland, and moved the fol-
lowing resolution :—" That this meeting cordially
approves of the objects of the National League for
the Independence of Poland, and pledges itself to
support the league by all the pecuniary and other
means in its power." Mr. Eglinton, a working man,
seconded the motion, which was put and carried
with acclamation. Mr. J. A. Nicolay then pro-
posed the next resolution, to the effect that
Russia, having for nearly filly years delibe-
rately and systematically violated, and hav-
ing now deliberately and finally' rejected. the
conditions upon which the iniquitous par,
tition and spoliation of Poland in the last
century were more or less condoned and sanctioned
by Great Britain and other European powers by the
Treaty of Vienna, has forfeited every semblance of
a legitimate title to sovereignty over Poland, and
that it vitally concerns the honour and good faith
of Great Britain as a party to that treaty to declare
such forfeiture openly andefficially, and at once to
recognise the belligerent rights of the Poles. Mr.
Stainsby seconded the resolution, which was also
agreed to. A cordial vote of thanks to the chairman
closed the proceedings.

A SCENE AT " BELL'S LIFE" OFFICE.—The un-
mitigated scoundrelism of a certain class of the
of the noble art" seems to have reached its climax
on Pattr:enß occasion of the late fight between Gannon and
Baldock, for £lOO aside. The police twice put a stop to
the brutal exhibition, and the referee (editor of Bell's
Life) ordered the men to meet at his office on the next
day. The meeting is thus reported by the editor :—" On
Thursday the representatives of the men treated us to
one of the usual levess which our position compels us
to hold, in which loud voices and unabashed falsehood
were used as the instruments to blind our eyes to justice,
and it was not till our room was cleared of all save one
representative of each man that we could get on any-
thing like terms, or ascertain the point at issue, which
turned out to be that Gannon's friends accused Baldock of
wilfully giving himself up to the police; while Baldock's
backers as strenuously denied this fact, and declared the
man could not get away from the police. Evidence was
laid before us by Gannon's friends, which, coupled with
inquiries we caused to be made, convinced us that their
accusation was founded on fact, and the referee, on Friday
morning, when the parties again met at our office, awarded
the money to Gannon. Directly this decision was
given, our office was filled by a band of ruffians,
at the head of whom were Ward of the Ironfounders'
Arms, Greenwich, Young Billy Shaw, Tom Tyler,
and Baldock himself, who assailed us and our reporter with
the vilest abuse, and Baldock and another of his friends,
a pedestrian named Myers, we believe, with frightful oaths
declared that they would take the life of our ring reporter
the first time they caught him in the streets. Young Tyler
and Ward were no way behindhand in their threats, and
the scene altogether was of such a nature as we never
.s
wit-
nessed before, and will take care shall not occur abtaasi.
our office. Finally we were compelled to surrnoo:l: the
sistance of our whole staff of compositors
room, but the company did not take
without threatening to wreak their vengeance
earliest op-
thei to
pon departureev e y
one who did not think with them, ac the
we are
eortunity. Before taking leave of
this
to state that
requested by the proprietors of thinie
exercised by a
unless the present system of terrorism,
put an end to, which
certain clique, is at owe and for everease
s Life in Io;Won
by the parties most
can be done with the greatessetives_.bB
interested--the pugilists then 3
ring,
and every Effort •of the will
will cease to be the organ
be used on our part to put an end to a spelt which, as at
present carried on,
cannot be defended on any ground
whatever. Whether gentlemen will ever again be persuaded
to venture to the ring ride is a problem yet to be solved,"