The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-27 00:00:00

said, is the avowed as well as the intended reply to
demands for conciliation. Even when " energetic
measures" have produced a peace or a desert, Russia
does not intend to plffie the constitution of Poland
under any European guarantee. "If the measures
in question," i e., apparently, the emperor's gracious
designs, which " have already been decreed" are
" sufficient for the pacification of the country a
conference would be without object," if not, " there
would result a direct interference of foreign Powers
in the most intimate details of the Administration

—an interference that no great Power could ac-
cept.' The conference, therefore, on Poland is re-
fused; but Prince Gortschakoff will not appear to
close the door finally on every mode of discussion.
With an adroitness which it is hard for simple men
to distinguish from impudence, he declares that
general principles alone can concern the parties who
signed the treaties of Vienna, that " at present it is
not a question of these general principles but of ad-
ministrative details and ulterior arrangements," and
that these latter have always been settled between
"the Courts of Russia, Austria, and Prussia, among
which the traditions of history, a permanent con-
tact, and an immediate neighbourhood created a
strict solidarite." The appeal of the robbed man not
to be murdered is to be discussed by a tribunal com-
posed of the robbers ! Nay, even that is hardly the
truth, for the police are bidden to stand aside till
the robbers have settled the expediency of such
detaas as the mode of murder to be adopted. Even
the thieves must not, however, be consulted too soon.
There are thieves and thieves—thieves who are
troubled with remorse, and thieves who have in
their hearts a fear lest retribution should arrive at
last, and it is dangerous to wake up those lurking
sentimentalities. Russia prefers to complete the
murder first, and confine the discussion to the tex-
ture of the victim's shroud.
LONDON REVlEW—Oa;Monday the inhabitanls of
Birmingham enjoyed the rich treat of seeing a
woman killed before thousands of spectators who
had assembled at Aston Park for a day's holiday.
The occasion was the fete in aid of the funds of the
Order of Foresters; and, es in the present en-
lightened state of the public taste there is no attracs
tion so sure of "drawing" as the chance of seeing
a fellow-creature break his or her neck, the pur-
veyors of the day's entertainments were fortunate
enough to find a Madame Geneive, who, since
the collapse of the Female Blondin at High-
bury Barn, had picked up the title which
that unfortunate woman heed dropped, end
an-
neunced herself as " the only real and legitimate
performer of Blondin's great feats, walking the rope
shackled in chains, feet in baskets, blindfolded, en-
veloped in a sack, Sec." To make the matter more
shocking, and therefore more attractive, Madame
Geneive was far advanced in pregnancy ; and an
additional touch of domestic horror was imparted
into the performance by the fact that the prepara-
tions were under the superintendence of her hus-
band, and that it was his loving hands which were
to place the shackles on her feet. But great as was
the fascination of all this, there was something even
more delightfully terrible in the exhibition. he
rope was unsafe ; it had been recently spliced ; it
was so worn and attenuated that one of the officials
declared it was one "on which he would not allow
a dog to go ;" and it appears that the woman her-
self had a presentiment that it was not to be trusted.
We fear this was not publicly announced. At 7
o'clock Madame Geneive made her appearance at
the landing place, amid the cheers of the crowd;
and, her husband having handed her the pole and
"chalked her boots," the band struck up a lively
air as " the only real legitimate performer" stepped
cautiously and with hesitation upon the rope. "This
frail cord," the papers tell us, " was about 30 yards
in length, was suspended between two trees at the
altitude described (ninety feet !), and fastened round
the trunk of each tree. One extremity of the rope
was carried over a trestle, on which was a resting-
place for the performer ; midway between this and
the tree to which the other end of the rope was
attached, another trestle was placed. Both ends of
the rope (which seemed to be about an inch and a
half in diameter) were secured by others fixed to
stakes driven firmly into the ground." Madame Ge-
neive's first exploit was to walk half
the length of the rope, kneel down,
stand on one leg, and then return to her resting-
place. This she did successfully, and no doubt to the
rapturous delight of the ancient order of Foresters,
their wives and children. Then came the second
stage of the performance. The lady's husband
stepped gallantly forward and attached a couple of
steel chains to his wife's ancles and wrists, and
again she set out " evidently in no spirit of confi-
dence," and walked slowly along the entire length
of the rope, reaching the opposite landing piece safe.
Here an attendant removed the shackles, blind-
folded her, and placed a bag over her head. Once
more she cautiously " put out her feet to feel her
way." She took one step—two—three !—and all
was over! The rope snapped and down she came
with a smash, which brought her and her exploits
to an end. She never stirred or breathed after-
wards. Our readers would naturally imagine that
when a fellow-creature had been killed in the midst
of a scene of festivity, the thousands who witnessed
her death would have felt that the day's amusement
had come to a terrible end, and that they would
have departed to
.their homes saddened by the
dreadful occurrence of which they had just been
spectators. They did nothing of the kind. We talk
of the moral improvement of the working classes,
of their progress in enlightenment, humanity, and
civilisation. What was the proof of it on this occa-
sion ? The entertainments went on. Within sight
and hearing of the room where the dead woman
was lying there was (sac) drinking' and dancing,
music, feasting, and revelry, This disgraceful scene
was carried on till midnight, when the day's fun
was wound up with a grand display of fireworks.
It appears, indeed, to have been for a moment a
question with the committee who got up the fete
whether it should be continued. But this only
makes the matter worse. They consulted, and de-
termined to go on with the programme omitting the
dangerous parts. Their brutality was therefore
deliberate. With their eyes open to the
impropriety of proceeding further in their rejoic •
ings after such an event, they gave full swing to the
general appetite for pleasure with a confidence in the
heartless elasticity of their friends' spirits which
was not misplaced. Here, then, is another death ;
another victim to the appetite for these horrifying
spectacles. Where are we to stop? By and by,
accidents of this kind will have no more effect upon
us than " another death from crinoline." What is
worse, the "people" will begin to expect them, and
perhaps become dissatisfied with an acrobat who
escapes without a startling casualty. In morals
there is no standing still. We must advance or
re trogade. And surely with the details of this
Foresters' fete before us, there can be no doubt in
which direction we are progressing. But if the
popular appetite is to be held so sacred that we dare
not meddle with it even though it were to cost us
the life of an acrobat every week, is it not possible
to place these electrifying amusements under some
sort of regulation? Might we not, for instance,
require that the soundness of the rope on which the
acrobat is to perform should be tested before an ap-
pointed authority ? Would the public be very
angry if we forbade women who are near their con-
finement from risking a life which is not their own ?
Would it be a tyrannical interference with their
liberties if we stipulated that when they have been
thoroughly electrified by a sudden death, they
should let well alone, and refrain from draining the
cup of pleasure to the dregs ?
EXAMINER.—Austria, seldom prompt and vigor-
ous in resolve, has this time risen superior to her
traditions, and has taken a step without waiting
for solicitation or suggestion from London or
Paris, which will no doubt equally surprise and
disappoint the erel cunning of St. Petersburg.
Count Rechberg is said to have lost no time in
sending a preliminary answer to Prince Gort-
schakoff, absolutely refusing to entertain the sug-
gestion of a triple Conference between the three
partitioning Powers, and declaring the fixed
determination of Austria to adhere to the under-
standing and concert subsisting between her, Eng-
land, and France. If this news prove true there is
a break in the clouds. Let us pray that it be
widened. What reply will be sent to the insolent
message of Prince Gortschakoff, who laughs in the
face of our diplomacy, and tells it that it does not
really understand what it would be at ? It is to be
hoped that henceforth our language will not merely
be intelligible but unmistakeable, The proposal to
reconstruct a semi-dependent Government for Po-
land, identical with that which failed before, ought
now to be laid aside. Grapes we are warned will
not grow from thorns, nor can the attempt ever
succeed to cultivate the fruits of freedom by a clumsy
graft on the barren stock of barbarism and oppres-
sion. As the compromise of 1815 has been broken,
and every remonstrance of Christendom against that
breach has been set at nought, let us henceforth
wash our hands of innocent blood, declaring that
Poland is by the law of nature and of nations en-
titled to be free, and that we can no longer recog-
nise her lawless detention in bondage. This does
not necessarily imply a resort to arms. Or, the con-
trary, there is good reason to believe that it is the
surest mode by which a continental war may be
averted. Her title to free nationality having been
acknowledged by Western and Southern Christen-
dam, Poland could never again be subdued. The
decree of public opinion in favour of her restoration
would be irreversible, and Russia would not dare
to provoke a war. Now is the time emphati-
cally. Prussia and the United States, the only
two allies on which she could otherwise depend,
are neither- of them in a condition to lend her
hely or aid. Now, therefore, is the time
for peaceful but positive and plain recognition of
Polish rights. It is not necessary to ask our Go-