The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-12 00:00:00

THE POLISH INSURRECTION.

CRACOW, March 11 (Evening).
The following proclamation of General Langie-
wicz, dated March 10, has been published:—
" Countrymen !—ln the name of the Most High,
the most patriotic sons of Poland have commenced
a struggle caused by terrible abuses, and directed
aguinst the eternal enemies of liberty and civilisa-
tion. Notwithstanding the extremely unfavour-
able circumstances in which the enemy, by a great
increase of oppression, hastened the armed conflict,
the struggle commenced by an unarmed people has
already lasted two months, gains strength, and
developes itLelf with energy. Ia presence of this
war to the death, the massacres, the pil-
lage, the conflagrations, which mark the pro-
gress of the enemy, Poland feels painfully the
absence of a visible central power capable of direc-
ting the forces engaged in the struggle, and of
summoning new assistance to the field. Although
the nation possesses more capable and worthy citi-
zens tha❑ I, and although thoroughly conscious of
the heavy duties of the office and the weight of re-
sponsibility which it involves, the gravity and ne-
cessity of the moment have decided me, after con-
sultation with the Provisional Government, to
assume the stir rerne power of Dictator, which 1
shall surrender to the representatives of the nation
as soon as the yoke of the Muscovite is shaken off.
" While retaining the immediate direction of
military operations in my own hands, I recognise
the necessity of establishing a civil government,
whose functions will be regulated by a special ordi-
nance. Continuing the work of the Provisional
Government, I confirm the principles of liberty
and equality to all citizens, granting land to the
peasants, with indemnity to the proprietors.
" Poles of all provinces beneath the Muscovite
yoke, I summon you to the struggle against the
domination of Russian barbarism. The concord of
all citizens, irrespective of difference of classes and
religion, community of sacrifices, and unity of
strength, will render our now scattered forces terri-
ble to the enemy, and ensure the independence of
our country.

"To arms for the liberty and independence of
our fatherland.

(Signed) " LANGIEWICZ."
The proclamation has produced a prodigious

effect.

CRACOW, March 10, Evening.
Preparations for a battle are being made on both

sides.

General Langiewicz intends to proclaim himself
Dictator and Chief of the National Government.

LEMBERG, March 11 Evening.

By resolution of the Central National Committee
General Langiewicz has been proclaimed Dictator
of Poland.

GeueralWysozki has been appointed his military
coadjutor, while the direction of the civil adminis-
tration has been entrusted to Poentkowski.

News from Warsaw of the 6th reports repeated
successes on the part of the Poles, and states that
the insurrection is making greater progress. There
are daily encounters between the Russians and
Poles in the neighbourhood of Warsaw, in which
the former are generally worsted ; and it would
appear that the good fortune which attended them
at the commencement of the outbreak, before the
Poles were properly organised, has now deserted
them. A fight took place on the sth inst. between
the opposing forces at the village of Wionzowno,
when the Russians sustained a signal defeat.
This place is situate on the road to Lublin, about
four miles from Warsaw. A report was prevalent
on the 6th at Warsaw that the towns of Plock and
Kalisch had been taken by the insurgents, but this
is not generally credited. The Russian official or-
gan, the Dziennik, contained no accounts of engage-
ments on the day mentioned, though on the ith
there was a goodly show of bulletins from the pro-
vinces, announcing wonderful victories on the part
of the imperial troops. Wounded soldiers are
daily brought into Warsaw, and are taken to the
hospitals, which are now overflowing. The Grand
Duke Constantine is stated to be about to under-
take the active command of the army in Poland,
and different motives are alleged as actuating his
imperial highness in this resolve ; but it,is generally
thought that he desires to restore discipline in the
army, which has now been suffered to retrograde to
such a degree as to give rise to the excesses com-
mitted by the Russian troops.
A few days since we announced by telegraph
that an engagement had taken place between the
Russians and Poles at Pieskowa Skala, at Tarnawa,
and Skala. The Czas of the 6th inst. now furnishes
us with the following details of this affair ;
" Langiewicz, united with Jezioranski, had his
headquarters on the 2d and 3d inst. at Pieskowa
Skala. Early on the 4th, with the greater part of
his force, over 4,000 men strong, he left Pieskowa
Skala for Skala, leaving a rear-gaard of about 500
behind him, under Jezioranski. Langiewicz had ap-
parently heard that a Russian corps, numbering
some thousands of men, was moving upon Pieskowa
Skala from Olkusz by way of Przeginia and Salous-
kowa, while a weaker Russian corps, which Prince
Bagration had detached from Miechow, was on the
march from the east. Langiewicz proceeded against
this last body with overpowering strength, sent a
corps towards Tarnawa, and surrounded Skala so
as to fall on the Russian flank. However, soon
after Langiewicz had moved out of Pieskowa Skala,
the Russians from Olkusz marched against the
smaller force left at that place under Jezioranski.
At first the Russians only sent in a few hundred
men, and the insurgents, who occupied the mas-
sive buildings at the root of the castle—which is
situated on a high rock—and the castle itself
opened a lively fire on them, but in a short time
two Russian battalions were sent to the support of
their comrades. The Poles retired from the lower
buildings, which were immediately occupied, plun-
dered, and set on fire by the Russians. In the mean-
time the castle itself was attacked by the imperial
troops, who brought their artillery into play. There
were but few insurgents in the castle—whick is
accessible on one side—and these few were partly
unarmed, or only possessed scythes, which had not
been prepared for fighting. On this account they
withdrew from the castle, which bad been set on
14.,:e by Russian grenades, and Jezioranski, with his
entire division, took up a strong position in a wood
on the northern declivity of the mountain. The
Russians then applied the torch to the agricultural
huilJings, bre %wive, and many houses in Pieskowa
Skala, killed several of the inhabitants, and with-
drew towards Suloskowa. Langiewicz attacked in
the rear the Russians who bad moved out of Mie-
chow, and who had possessed themselves of the
churchyard outside Skala, and drove thee] from
their position, The Russians lost from 60 to 100
men, the Poles 30. The Russians, who retreated to
Slomniki by way of Iwanowice and Przestanski,
where their scattered forces were united, carried old'
three dead with them and amongst them an officer.
A portion of the insurgents pursued the Russians,
the others rested at Smerzewice. Another body of
insurgents occupy the village of Szyce, in the wes-
tern pottion of the valley of Pieskowa Skala."

DOUBLE SCREWED STEAMEIIIIFS.—It ig only with-
in the last three or four years that improved war-
ships have received any large share of attention, and we
are still in the midst of most radical changes in their con-
struction. It has already been found that ships of the War-
rior class require from 8 to 12 minutes, and from half a mile
to three quarters of a mile of sea room, to complete the cir-
cle under full steam, IF opposed to vessels having the power
of ruancativring rapidly, none of our iron-plated ships, of
whatever construction, could act as rams, for they could not
be steered to strike a blow against a vessel capable of rea-
dily moving out of the way. Partly in order, also, to bring
heavy guns to bear against an agile enemy, we are, to some
extent, adopting the revolving cupola system, the merits of
which arc still very questionable. With double screws,
however, a war steamer may take up any position, turn on
her centre, or, in other words, almost or quite within her
own length, and through the full circle, iu less than four
minutes, giving less than two minutes between each broad-
side, if the guns can be loaded and fired fast enough. A
ship with two screws may be steered either ahead or astern
straight
in the most perfect manner, the facility of going
astern being often of the very utmost importance. Double
screws being each of less diameter than single screws, can,
therefore, be more deeply immersed, and be thus made more
effective, while, also, they are more out of danger. In the
event of any accidental failure of one screw, the ship can
always be worked by the other. In the best arrangement
of which the double screw eye' em admits, there is neither
screw well nor stern post, and the rudders, for there should
be two, would be completely out of the reach of shot.—
.Engimer.

Extraordinary Number of Fires during the

Illuminations.

The firemen of the London Brigade—during the
hours that occurred by the million of sight-seekers
witnessing the gorgeous, and we may say, unprece-
dented displays of illuminations, and whilst persons
were being trampled under foot and crushed to
death—were called out and obliged to wend their
way, the best they cauld, through immense masses
of people, with their ponderous engines. During
the time the illuminations were being got ready,
and whilst they were in full operation, a great num-
ber of fires took place—some of them from the gas
employed in lighting up the devices, and others
from different causes. The annexed contains the
short facts of the principal fires :—Just at the mo-
ment that a scream was heard proceeding from some
thousand voices on Ludgate-hill, a general cry of
" Fire" was raised, when Acting-foreman Perryer
started with his engines from Farringdon-street,
High Holborn, Crown-street, and the Chandos-
street Stations, including one powerful land
steamer, by Shard and Mason, of Blackfriars road.
Upon this force arriving at Cardington-street,
Hampstead-road, it was found that the extensive
factory of Rand, Thorpe, and Co., collapsable tube
makers, was in flames. The fire at the same time
was attacking with full vigour the premises of
Messrs. G. F. Graham, buiider, No. 24, in the
same street. The building alone was two storeys
high, whilst the factory was between 50 and
100 feet long, and nearly 30 feet wade. The pro-
perty in the two places was of great extent and
worth some thousands of pounds. The powerful
engines of Messrs. Merryweather, as well as the
parish engine, had previously arrived, but they were
found inadequate to subdue so great a body of
flame.

Plenty of water having been obtained, the fore-
man, under the command of Mr. Perryer, went to
work in a most praiseworthy manner, but the
flames continued to progress for a enn,ider able time,
and they were not extinguished until the factory of
Messrs. Rand, Thorpe, and Co. was nearly de-
stroyed, and the valuable contents consumed. The
two-storey workshops of Mr. Graham, the builder,
are also partly consumed. The first-named firm
was insured in the Sun Fire Office, but it is un-
known whether Mr. Graham was insured.
The National Gallery was to some extent placed
in great jeopardy, owing to the woodwork behind
one of the immense stars in front of the building
taking fire. The occurrence caused some little con-
sternation at the moment, many imagining that the
noble building would be destroyed. The engines of
the brigade, and one of the steamers by Shand and
Mason soon attended, and the workmen, with the
aid of the firemen, soon extinguished the fire, and
before mach damage was done.
A fire also took place on the premises of Mr.
Samuel Garrett, No. 45, King-street, Hammer-
smith. The flames commenced in the second floor,
from some unknown cause. The engines of the
brigade, by great trouble, managed to reach the
spot, and the firemen of the brigade, with the parish
engineer, managed to get the fire extinguished, but
not till considerable damage was done to the build-
ing, and the contents by fire and water.
A fire also broke out, whilst the streets were
nearly impassable, on the premises of Mr. Gibbons,
No. 10, Smith's-court, Great Windmill-street, Hay-
market. The engines of the London Brigade, and
one of the land steamers by Shand and Mason,
managed to reach the spot, but the fire could not
be extinguished until a vast deal of property was
consumed. The sufferer was uninsured.
About the same time the firemen were called to
attend a fire on the premises of Mr. C. Browne, No.
8, Lisle-street, Leicester-square. It commenced
from some unexplained cause, and when discovered
had obtained a firm hold of the first floor. The en-
gines with difficulty succeeded in getting the flames
extinguished, but the damage done was great. The
loss will fall upon the Globe Office. During the
time th© illuminations were shining with the
greatest brilliancy, the sight-seekers of Oxford-
street, were well nigh deprived cf one of the
grandest illuminations in that extensive thorough-
fare. Owing to the wind having blown one of
the lights against one of the variegated pieces of
the framework, set the same in flames, and in an
instant a quantity of illuminating lamps were de-
molished. The inmates and strangers eucceeded in
getting the fire extinguished before any damage
was done to the building and no very considerable
damage to the illumination. It was rumoured that
that a man had been killed whilst assisting, but we
have the authority of Nosotti to state that the ru-
mour was altogether without foundation.

The engines of the brigade and parish had also to
force their way through the crowded streets to a
fire that had broken out on the premises of Mr. J.
James, grocer, No. 2, James-place, Bath-street, City-
road. A good supply of water was obtained, and
the firemen, under the direction of Mr. Bridges, the
foreman of the A district, went to work, and
happily succeeded in getting the fire subdued, but
not until the front shops were nearly burned out.
The cause of the fire is unknown. The sufferer was
insured in the General Fire Office.

A fire also happened at No. 9, Agnes •terrace,
Tabernacle-walk, Finsbury, belonging to Mr. Paine,
which nearly destroyed the ground floor.
Another fire took place on Loedon-bridge whilst
one of the tripods was being lighted, which burned
one of the casinLs round a group of statuary, which
caused great alarm.