The Sun.
London, England, 1863-04-08 00:00:00

THE PHOENIX PRISONERS.

One of the Phoenix prisoners has published the
following letter to Sir Robert Peel :
" Skibbereen, March 12, 1863.
" Sir,—ln December, 1858, I, among others in
this county,
was imprisoned on a charge of treason-
felony. Lord Derby and his party had then the
direction of Government. Bail was refused for us,
and we were kept in gaol until the following assizes,
when we had hopes of trial. We were disappointed
even in this, for the Government, seeing it could not
sustain the charge, postponed our trial until the
next assizes. In the commencement of April, 1859,
we were offered our liberty if we only pleaded
guilty, or if we consented to leave the country.
Knowing the falsity of what was sworn against na
by Sullivan Goula, we refused to do either.
" The Government of which you are a member

came into office a few months afterwards, and the

propositions were renewed to us, but rejected. The
assizes came on in July. We were determined to
do anything rather than plead guilty to what was
sworn against us. On the first day of the assizes
we would listen to no terms but trial. We went to
court the second day, with the same intentions. Mr.
M'Cirthy Downing and Mr. Neligan urgently
recommended us to plead guilty—that it was only
a matter of form to get the Crown prosecutors out
of a fix—that there would be nothing evermore
about the matter, and that there were no funds to
employ counsel for the defence. We consented, ou
condition that Dan. O'Sullivan, Agreem, would be
immediately released.
" Ifyou will refer to the Judge's and the Attorney.
General's remarks on that occasion, you will see it
stated that we were not to be called up for judgv
meat unless found guilty of those practices with
which we were then charged. Is it not then mon-
strous to assert that we could be called up for any
other offence ? A meeting of sympathy for the
struggle of the suffering Poles was organised here
in Skibbeieen last week. In this we have differed
with the parts of her Majesty's dominions where
such sympathy is manifested only in the manner of
expressing it. Some of the Phoenix prisoners were
naturally supporters of the demonstration. The
police, or other authorities, made some official noise
about it, and on the appointed day about 200 armed
police, beaded by four magistrates, suppressed the
procession. I was one of the party myself to tell
the magistrates that we had no intention to violate
any law, nor were we doing it ; but we would, how-
ever, disperse if they insisted upon it. We acted as
they desired.

"This evening Mr. O'Connell, R.M., called upon
me and Mr. Moynahan, and informed us we were to
to be called up for sentence if there be a repetition of
this so called offence of manifesting sympathy with
the Pales. Doubting that the Government, in this
season of festivity and rejoicing, gave him instrue,
tions to this effect, we have asked him to read or
show us this agreeable information, but he has re-
fused to do so, telling us to write to the Castle, and
, that we may get a copy of them.
" I now respectfully do so, us I told Mr. O'Con-
nell that I would to-morrow again assist in the
same demonstration of sympathy for the Poles if it
could be of any service to them, just to prove
whether or not such a threat could be carried out.
I am anxious to know if he has authority for issuing
it. I told him that the present Attorney-General
(one (one of our counsel on the occasion referred
could not ha so ignorant of the terms ofour
that
forbe ttherienagteonuedt.
with the Government, or so anxious to. break .
treaty, as to be a willing party
message.
t protest, under a form of
to the Stipendiary's
" I will not, without
i r e Government,
d.t charactersubmitto
in a despotic
as
you
have
eonainegioun on
Constitutional
pt essing fin r-
wanner with transportation for ex-
spoken, manly, and English
your duty as Chief Secretary for
respect-
fully request a suitable reply Polish or Irish politics; and
in the discharge of
Ireland, I L
3' to what concerns me
and Mr. Moynuhan in this l etter.--I remain, sir,
respectfully yours,

" JER. O'DONOVAN, Rossa."

SHIPPING—This Day,

(ny MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.)

GRAVESND, sand .
Arrived, April 7—Lady GraEy, fromd Alia ;orning Eliza,
from Vieques.
Arrived, April 8-- Wbeatsheaf, from Guernsey; Clio,
from Jamaica; Ella, from Somibean; Stephenson, from
St. Kitt's.
Sailed —Hanover (steamer), for Ostend ; Rainbow
(steamer), for Calais.

DEAL, Wednesday Morning.
Passed—City of Edinburgh, for Glasgow; Cameltopard,
for Nassau—both from London; Mary, of Liverpool, from
the West, for the North; Coem( politan, of Itamsgate, and
John Gray, barque, both from the North, for the Wrest.
Sailed—Geelong, for the Cape of Good Hope; Constance,
for Shanghai ; with several others westward.

The Chancellor of theG rEO
helleNe georuirnaceohrnecsictirnaatr centimes ues to go
on favourably. A great man 3, of the leading nobility and
gentry, and also the principal members of the diplomatic
corps, called personally or sent to make inquiriesTaltorrdtbse
right hen. gentleman's health in the course of yesterday.
Sir George Cornewall Lewisnlto‘,‘.evbwasbe
entitled
generallyiotioeda
.it acc rhee
dited with the authorship of the Letters of Ilistoricus cn
International Law, contributed to the lones, and recently
ever, that
bihysl‘wlersisterer.ilNslmacim.vielrlasnarany dbecill:n.
tlthea,prpeeawrsa,rhao wo-f
is
dMeferr.rAminfot hr oanuyi
onTirho
01
rl otpweo'e,
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of the. birthday of the
Ray."
for his
AhAi
sdoc magnificentlapnhte.
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t the
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ehnrena
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chef hoafs
Frizacv The Luipreo tent
the jewel,

TEE T-NSURRECTION IN POLAND.

(From the Special Correspondent of the Times.)
CRACOW, April 3.

A lst',,er from Konigsberg, dated March 31, makes
known that the peasants of Szowle, in Lithuania.
have been in open insurrection for the last five days
against the Government. At Poniewicz the nobi-
lity and the townspeople have risen. I have already
communicated to you by telegraph the news of
Lapinski, who held a command in Circassia from
1855 until 1858, having landed in Courland. His
band is said to be well composed, and officered by
men who have served with distinction in various
European armies, including one who has just
quitted the English service for the sole purpose of
assisting the Poles. We had for some days past
been expecting tidings of Lapinski's expedition,
and the latest accounts from Courland inform us
that the landing was effected without difficulty.
The Poles declare that the nobility of this province
retain their old sympathy for Poland, and that in
Couriand, Samogitia, and throughout Lithuania the
insurrection will be quite as formidable as in Poland
proper. One thing is quite certain, that before the
middle of the month the whole of Russian Poland
will be shaken from the Dnieper to the Baltic, and
from the coast of Courland to the eastern extremity
of Podolia. All that Warsaw and the fortified towns
have to do is to do nothing. The Russians dare not
withdraw the garrisons, and, unless they weaken
them considerably, they will not be able to resist the
insurgents either in Lithuania, or in Podolia, or in
the south of the kingdom of Poland towards the
frontier of Galicia As soon as the news of
Lapinski's invasion of Courland is confirmed you
will hear of a movement in the south-east which
will rather stagger the Russians. They are in great
strength just now on the other side of the Galician
frontier, and they know what will happen if they
retire, as retire they must before long. Already
several new bands have appeared on the Russian
side of the border, and when the signal is given—
when Courland and Samogitia, on the one hand,
and Podolia, on the other, are quite ready—the
scene of Lan giewicz's recent operations will be filled
by a force less compact, no doubt, but twice as
numerous as that which the Dictator had under his
command. Gen. Anneukoff has shown that he has
a sort of presentiment that something remarkable
is going to happen in Kieff and Podolia, and with
the view of averting the danger which threatens
him, has informed the peasants that a body of Po-
lish insurgents are about to invade the province in
order to put all the peasants to death.
From letters dated Dantzic, April 1, it appears
two aides-de-camp of the Grand Duke Constantine,
Capt. Arsenieff and a Lieutenant of Engineers,
whose name I cannot read, have arrived in that
city, and taken up their quarters at the Hotel d'An-
gleterre, and are engaged in examining and pur-
chasing steamers for the transport of troops on the
Vistula. They at first entered into treaty with M.
Behrend, President of the Chamber of Deputies, for
the steamer called the Vistula, but it was found to
draw too much water. Rosenthal, a merchant of
Bromberg, then offered them the Matador for
25,000 roubles, and they are also in negotiation for
a vessel at Thorn, for R hich 12,000 roubles is
asked. The bargaining is done openly. The police
and the Government have been informed of it, and
make no objection to the purchase and transforma-
tion of merchant vessels into vessels of war to be
used against the Poles. On the other band, neither
lint nor medical stores are allowed to be taken from
Prussian territory into Poland, but are seized and
confiscated without mercy at the frontier.

The General Krushewski who (as I sent word by
telegraph) was arrested here last night, or early this
morning, was one of the principal directors of the
Polish movement from Cracow. His disappearance
may cause some inconvenience, but otherwise is not
of very great importance.

It is perfectly true that a Russian major and
lieutenant-colonel were made prisoners at the battle
of Grochowiska, or Busk, on March 18, and that two
guns were taken in the same action ; but the Poles
do not murder their captives, and the two Russian
officers were rescued, and might, if they liked, bear
witness to the fact that they were for some time in
the hands of the 'Gonave. I know several persons
who saw them in that position. The Poles had also
to abandon the guns, but not until they had spiked
them.

Langiewicz's troops during the whole of their cam-
paign made as many as 300 prisoners, all of whom
were liberated nn condition of not fighting any more
against the Poles. It was not to be expected that
the soldiers would keep their word, but it was scan-
dalous not to allow the officers to respect theirs, sup-
posing, which I assume to have been the case, that
they were so inclined. One of the liberated officers
was taken a second time, and Langiewicz had, of
course, no choice but to order him to be hanged.
Of late the Russians have not behaved with their
customary ferocity to the Polish prisoners. A t least
there has been one instance of humanity on the
part of Prince Schachowsky, the General who com-
mands at Miechow, and to whose corps the savages
who made the murderous assault upon Mr. Finken-
stein belong. The Countess Augusta Potocka, being
personally acquainted with the Prince, wrote to
him from Cracow, begging him to send back all
the wounded insurgents from Gaiicia who had
Callen into his power, that they might be at-
tended to in the special hospital established here
in the ballroom of the Hotel de Saxe. The Prince
was polite enough to forward all the Galician pri-
soners, whether wounded or not.

Three days ago (March 30) 11 Austrian soldiers
were brought in wounded to Bolechowice, a village
on the Galician frontier. The Russians, who say
that they mistook them for insurgents, fired upon
them from a distance. The Austrians returned the
fire, and ultimately a hand-to-hand skirmish took
place, in which several Cossacks were made pri-
soners. They are now with the wounded Austrians
at Bolechowice. _ _ . . .

Officers and soldiers of Langiewicz's army—
foreigners as well as Poles—assure me that Langie-
wicz made no charge of treason against anyone in
the " order of the day" issued after the council of
war on the night of the 18th. He issued no second
proclamation ; though, had he done so, it is pro-
bable enough that, like every one else in Poland, he
would have had something to say against Mieros-
lawski, who is more detested by the Poles even
than he is admired by himself.