The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-06 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, W EDN ES DAY E VENI NG, MAY 6, 1863.

the hon. member for-Berkshire wished—to -get—rid -of the
three conditions that were necessary for obtaining the Go-
vernment grant—viz., a high state of education, if vern-
ment inspection, and premium to certified masters—tut
rather that the Government grants should produce certain
results in the improvement of education, and that the schools
should be stimulated by the visits of the inspectors and put
themselves in a way of further improvement. There was a
large number of the small country schools, and those main-
tained in towns for the poorer classes, that were unable to
take advantage of the Government grants; and so long as that
was the case, their system was standing on an unsound foun-
dation, and a remedy must be provided at no dis-
tant day. The proposed mode, by lowering the class of cer-
tificated masters, he thouirht objectionable. The system of
certificated masters, and the training of pupil teachers, was
an important branch of the education of the country, and,
instead of lowering it, he considered it would be better to
make some provision for that class of schools which was at
present excluded from any participation in the public grant.
He suggested the withdrawal of the first resolution, the
carrying of which would unnecessarily embarrass the Go-
vernment, and take the division on the second resolution in
regard to the inexpediency of requiring certificated teachers
to be employed in all cases.
Sir M. FARQUHAR pronounced himself as highly
favourable to the second resolution of the hon. member.
Mr. WALTER declared he was ready to withdraw the
first resolution, and allow the division to be taken on the
second, which embraced the main question at stake.
Mr. ADDERLEY having also withdrawn his amendment,
The house divided on the second resolution--

Ayes
Noes
Majority against the resolution ....
THE ACT OF UNIFORIVITY.

what may be considered as the legal bearings of
the Polish question, and the second to the expedi-
ency of re-establishing peace in Poland on a durable
basis. In regard to its legal obligations, the Rus-
sian Minister boasts his Government can thoroughly
vindicate its conduct. It would indeed be strange
if the provisions of the most elastic of all treaties
could not be demonstrated by a shrewd diplomatist
to have been scrupulously fulfilled, and accordingly
Prince Gortschakoff experiences no difficulty in
showing that, in its conduct towards Poland, Rus-
sia adopted the course prescribed by the Treaty
ot Vienna. He corrects the mistake into which he
alleges Earl Russell fell when he stated in his
despatch that it was provided by that treaty that
the Duchy of Varsovia should be converted into a
Polish kingdom and joined to the Russian Empire
under certain conditions. O❑ the contrary, as the
Russit_an Minister points out, it was merely provided
that the subjects of Russian, Austrian, and Prussian
Poland respectively should obtain " a representation
and national institutions regulated after the mode
of political existence which each of the Govern-
ments to which they appertained should judge it
convenient to accord to them." If, therefore, Rus-
sian Poles were submitted to a purely military
despotism, and Prussian Poles were permitted to
enjoy a constitutional form of government, both
Russia and Prussia might with equal truth maintain
that they had observed the letter and the spirit of
the engagement into which they had entered. Each
of the dominant Powers was to be the sole judge of
the nature of the government to be granted to its
Polish subjects ; and with the government so
granted, whether despotic or liberal, Poland, accord-
ing to the terms of the Treaty of Vienna, should
remain content. This is not the first time we have
heard this interpretation of that celebrated treaty ;
but however specious it is, we cannot help wonder-
ing why the contracting Powers should have taken
so much trouble to impose obligations which, re-
garded from this point of view, are perfectly nuga-
tory. In accordance with the provision of the
Treaty of Vienna, Prince Gortschakoff goes on to
say the Emperor Alexander I. gave a constitution
to Poland at the close of the year 1815, but this act
was purely spontaneous on his part, and, so far
from constituting an irrevocable engagement to-
wards the foreign Powers, was, in fact, never com-
municated to them. The withdrawal of this con-
stitution at a subsequent period has always been
made a just cause of reproach against the Russian
Government; it is, however, justified by Prince
Gortschakoff with a speciousness entirely his
own. The revolt of 1830 had the effect of annul-
ling the constitution granted in conformity with
the Treaty of Vienna, and when in that year
the Russian Government succeeded in re-esta-
blishing its supremacy in Poland, it was by the
virtue, as it were, of reconquest entirely absolved
from ail precedent obligations. "If a revolt does
not invalidate international engagements, it at least
annuls the spontaneous developments which a
generous idea had given to them, and which have
had so fatal an issue for Poland and for Russia."
ro prolong a discussion upon this point would, in
Prince Gortschakoff's opinion, be an idle waste of
time. We candidly confess that we are of a similar
way of thinking. It is, however, that portion of
Prince Gortschakoff's despatch which refers to the
future which will be read with the greatest interest.
It is the object of the Czar, we are assured, as it is
the desire of her Majesty's Government, that a prac-
tical solution of the Polish question should be ar-
rived at. The only difference of opinion which exists
between the two Cabinets is due to the obstinacy
with which the English Government continue to
maintain that a restoration of the constitution of
1815 would give peace to Poland. The English
Government are reminded that nations must pro-
ceed gradually across the broad confines which
separate despotism from constitutionalism, and that
each State ought, in its progress across this danger-
ous ground, to pursue its own instincts rather than
obey the dictates of any other nation, however well
disposed- or solicitous for its welfare. In a word, the
Poles must receive those political rights for which
they are now shedding their blood by small instal-
ments. There seems at the Russian Court to be a
conviction that foreign States misapprehend the real
nature of. Polish institutions. They are, in truth,
most liberal, although distance and " the chimerical
passions of a hostile party" have prevented strati-
gers from appreciating them at their proper worth.
The system inaugurated by the present Emperor
contains " a germ which time and experience must
develope." It will one day end in becoming " a
species of self-government, established on the basis
of provincial and municipal institutions which
have in England secured the greatness and
prosperity of that country." In other words,
Poland already possesses institutions which, in
process of time, must secure her political regenera-
tion. This sounds very much as if the Government
of Russia intended doing nothing further. If this
be so, we fear that the notes of the three Powers
have been written in vain, and that Polish indepen-
dence must be achieved, if ever, at the point of the
sword.

DAILY NEWS.—Occurrences like those which
occupied the Cambridge Borough Magistrates c.n
Monday, and were reported yesterday in our
columns, abate largely the confidence and compla-
cency with which we are disposed to estimate the
progress of society in enlightenment and virtue. It
is humiliating to learn that in the most liberal of

our national Universities young men are to be found
who can take pleasure in attending the services of
a humble and peaceful congregation for no other
purpose than that of mocking their solemnities and

interrupting their worship. -It sometimes happens
that a miscellaneous crowd is drawn to a place of
worship by the fame of novelties in the service, or
eccentricities in the preacher, and slight disorder
under such circumstances is accounted for, if not
excused. But the• young men who have been in
the habit of annoying the Union-road congregation
for some weeks past by smoking pipes in the chapel,
and derisive laughter, appear to have had no other
wish to gratify than that of showing their contempt
for a form of religion different from their own. The
mildness and forbearance with which they were at
first treated seems only to have increased their in-
solence, and last Sunday it was necessary to give
one of the offenders into the charge of the police on
a charge of disorderly conduct. The police were
resisted and assaulted, the names of seven under-
graduates being given who were present and taking
part in the disgraceful scene. Two of the young
men, undergraduates of Pembroke College, are now
undergoing a sentence of a week's imprisonment for
their share in the disturbance. The Magistrates
had a most painful duty to perform in inflicting this
punishment, but they would have been utterly un-
worthy of their trust had they shrunk from it. It

would have been creditable to the University hqd
these excesses of some of its youthful members been

checked by its disciplinary action, but probably
there were reasons for the omission with which the

public are unacquainted. It seems that we must
wait a little longer before outrages like these are

restrained or prevented by the prevalence of a strong
and sound public opinion among the undergra-

duates.

The Distress in the Cotton Manufacturing
Districts.