The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-20 00:00:00

IIHE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 20, 1863

taken in the selection of governors end others in
authority, who ought to be well paid, to ensure
the services of capable men. With a strict but
just rule, we should hear nothing of men murdering
each other to end their troubles, nor yet, as at
present, would thieves go to prison to grow fat.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE,

[REUTEIt'S TELEGRAMS.]

EGYPT.
ALEXANDRIA, FEB. 19.
Ismail Pacha has taken his departure for Con-
stantinople on board a Turkish steamer.

THE INSURRECTION IN POLAND.
POSEN, FEB. 20.

The Posener Zeitung of to-day publishes a de-
claration of the President of the Association for
the promotion of German interests in the province
of Posen. After fully stating the grounds of the
views which he puts forward, the President con-
cludes by saying that all measures taken by the
Prussian Government for the protection of the fron-
tier between Prussian and Russian Poland are to be
thankfully acknowledged by the German inhabitants
of the province. They would, however, consider any
special intervention of Prussia in favour of Russia,
as dangerous and fatal to the welfare of the pro-
vince of Posen.

CRACOW, FEB. 20.
The Russians have lttaeked StaszDw, but were
repulsed.

POLAND.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
WARSAW, Feb. 13.

By far the most important event relating to the
present outbreak, is the convention made between
Russia and Prussia, by which the later not only
allows the Russian troops who fight against the
Poles to be conveyed through the Prussian territory,
but engages, should Russia find herself in a diffi-
culty and required her army at home, to march an
army of 70,000 men into Poland, to put down the
insurrection. Moreover, the Russian soldiers, if
driven into Prussia, are to keep their arms, and are
at liberty to return when they can do so—an in-
stance of which occurred not long ago. About 400
Russian soldiers, 20 officers, and 2 generals having
been compelled to take shelter in Prussia and been
disarmed, have, in consequence of this new conven-
tion, been permitted to return, and were actually
sent to Czenstochowa. This most flagrant breach of
the international law—so worthy of a despot like
the King of Prussia—ought to awaken the apathy
of the Western Powers, and particularly of Eng-
land, who is so jealous of interfering in other coun-
tries' affairs. It would, indeed, be the height of
injustice to suffer the Poles to be thus crushed by
the combined forces of the two spoliators of their
country. If in this apparently unequal struggle
the Poles are doomed to succumb, at least let them
have a fair fight with their arch-enemy, Russia,
without any one else interfering. And should
Europe remain silent at this officious and tyrannical
conduct of Prussia, the execration of the whole
Polish nation would, I am sure, be upon it.
The insurrection extends to all parts, and the
plan of the Poles is to make a slow, guerilla kind
of war upon the Russians—seldom to attack them,
but harass them continually, except when they can-
not help to accept the battle. At Wengrow and
Wenchocks the insurgents fought like hone ; badly
armed, and some without any weapons in their
hands, they rushed furiously at the enemy, and
caused severe losses in the Russian ranks. And,
although the Poles had a great number killed,
yet they retreated in good order, and showed that
patriotism can supply bravery and efficiency. The
Russians are infuriated, and always revenge them-
selves upon the poor inhabitants, whom they mur-
der without mercy. At Tomaszow the atrocities
perpetrated by the Cossacks and the infantry are
beyond description. Old men, women, and chil-
dren, persons lying sick in their beds, were dragged
out and slain, like so many beasts. One, a doctor,
was enveloped in straw and set fire to. This sys-
tem of murdering and pillaging is the one ordered
by the highest authorities to be pursued, and all
means, such as to intoxicate the soldiery with
spirits, are employed to carry it out.

The Grand Duke Constantine issued an order
that the troops are to act as if they were in an ene-
my's country, sack and pillage; and that every
house in which an insurgent may seek to conceal
himself is to be levelled to the ground. It is not
surprising that such a war would even disgust some
honest Russians, and several of the officers who
passed over to the insurgents, and have been recap-
tured, were at once shot.

The reports of the conflict at Siemiatzore, is
Lithuania, have been exaggerated by General
Nazimow, who gave the number of the insurgents
killed as being 1,000, and that the Russians had not
one soldier lost. The fact is, the Poles only num-
bered 300, who stood their ground firmly, and
when attacked opposed a vigorous resistance, but as
the Russian shells and rockets set fire to the town
they evacuated it, and the poor inhabitants under-
went the same ordeal of pillage and murder as at
Tomaszow.
The whole of Lithuania, Volhynia, and Ukraine
are also declared in a state of siege; the military
governors exercise the power of putting to death
any one they choose, and you may be sure they will
not neglect this most pleasing duty to them. But
no cruelty, no vengeance will daunt the courage
and the devotion of the Poles. If this is to be a
war of extermination it will be so, for the country
mnst be turned into a desert rather than that it
should be ruled over by such barbarians. Genera-
tion after generation of the Poles will arise and
fight for the liberty of their country and its rights,
and this is the feeling which pervades all elapses.

The unpopularity of the Marquis Wielopolski is
so universal that I should not be astonished to see
him some day a victim of a desperado. The Em-
peror, however, is pleased with him and sent him
an autograph letter of thanks for his signal services.
At Kowalew, not far from the Prussian frontier,
the insurgents stopped the train, and took from one
of the travellers the despatches he was carrying
from the Grand Duke Constantine, containing
among others, a letter to the Russian Ministers at
Berlin, Paris, and London, endeavouring to explain
that the insurrection was not caused by the recruit-
ing,—a rather difficult task. The following is the
translation :

" Warsaw, Feb. 4.

"M. l'Ambassadeur—The foreign revolutionary press of
all countries, which we perceive derives the greater part of
its intelligence from the Cracow Czas, endeavours to repre-
sent the insurrection of Poland as a consequence of the
recruiting and the terrible way in which it was carried out.
The _Lemberg Gazetta of Naroclozoa—a paper more t evolu •
tionary, if possible, but more candid than the Czas—has
refuted most completely the view the Czas has managed to
propagate all over Europe. According to the confessions
of that journal, and the proofs alleged in su?port of then',
rebellion had been long prepared by the Poles. The enemy
thus furnishing us with weapons to be used against him, I
deem it my duty to enable your excellency to correct the
erroneous views propagated upon this particular sutject.
I therefore enclose a translation of two articles contained
in the Gazettes Narodowa, adding, at the same time, that a
week previous to the term of recruitment, about 1,500
persons absented themselves from Warsaw to form anucicus
of revolutionary bands. Rebellion, then, it is evident,
must have been resolved upon prior to the beginning of the
conscription.

"I have the honour to be, M. l'Ambassadeur, your most
humble and obedient servant,

"To his Excellency Baron

TEGOI3ORSKI."

Budberg, Russian Ambassador at Berlin."

Comment on such an apology from Russia is
superfluous.
The head of the National Government in War-
saw has caused to circulate flying sheets of the
authentic military reports of the insurgents for the
information of the inhabitants of this metropolis.

FRANCE.
PARIS, FEB. 20.

The Constitutionuel affirms that
pauperism is on
the decrease in Paris, and since the old town has
dieppeared in the splendour of this new arrange.