The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-21 00:00:00

THE POLISH INSURRECTION.

(From the Vienna correspondent of the Times.)
VIENNA, Feb. 17.
The semi-official DonauZettung contains an article
on "The Polish Interests of Austria" which will
hardly be to the taste of the Russian Government
and its Prussian coadjutors. In substance it is as

follows
6' In some of the Prussian newspapers we read that Aus-
tria ought to have acceded to the Russo-Prussian Conven-
tion, because her interests and those of Russia and Prussia
are identical. We do not share this opinion, and therefore
believe that the Austrian Government has acted wisely in
having nothing to do with a convention, which would not
tcontributewas
gll thi
no
git
it may
t saheyac
tul
lead
ai
dtuys
ttorofi
athi
unpleasantne Po
th lei s h
last p
cocosesmne
tps u
rsl ocyna
tas
goon
srf Ae.
du
tls-
0t
the partition of Poland. Since that time there have been
great territorial changes, but Austria has never either sym-
pathised with or rendered assistance to insurrectionists.
Two of the most important things for the Poles are their
nationality and their religion (the Roman Catholic), and
both of them have been respected by Austria. The Poles in
Galicia know that no attempt has been made to Germanise'
them, and they also know that the Imperial Government
has never disturbed their relafions with the Papal Chair. In
consequence of her straightforward policy, Austria, notwith-
standin g the storm raging, is not obliged to have recourse
to extraordinaty measures 'for securing her Polish pos-

sessions."

The Warsaw correspondent of a Prussian paper
a few days ago stated that the Austrian Govern-
ment had privately sold some thousands of muskets
which were in the citadel of Lemberg, and also
that they in secret had given assistance to the
insurgents •, but both assertions are totally un-
founded. Some of the Prussian papers have re-
cently spoken of the Archduke Ferdinand Max
as a pretender to the throne of " regenerated"
Poland, but people here laugh at a report which is
as absurd as it is false. During the last few days
Prince Gortschakoff has been exceedinglypolite to
the representatives of Austria and Turkey at the
Russian Court, and it must therefore be supposed
that he has some object of importance to attain.
With the French Minister he is cooler than he used
to be, and at St. Petersburg it is whispered that the
Russian Court is dissatisfied with the present policy
of France in the East. For a long time Prince
Gortschakoff and Lord Napier could not agree, but
recently their relations have been somewhat more
satisfactory. The refusal of Count Rechberg to
accede to the Russo-Prussian Convention has so
much annoyed the St. Petersburg Cabinet that it
would not surprise me if the Emperor Alexander
should make a direct appeal to the Emperor Francis
Joseph, and try to persuade him to renew that
alliance which was so long the bane of Germany
and Austria. At present there is no reason to be-
lieve that the Emperor of Austria is inclined to
renew the Holy Alliance, but he is surrounded by
people of reactionary principles, and it is therefore
impossible positively to say that his Majesty will
never follow the example given by the Prussian
Government. It is obvious that the Russians are
trying to drive the insurgents into the centre of
Poland, in order to get them within a ring of
bayonets, but as long as Austria remains neutral
they will not be able to do so. The Russo-Austrian
boundary line is some 500 English miles long, and
the insurgents will therefore always be able to gete
into the rear of the Russians, unless the latter are
able to keep garrisons in all the frotritaiertne
in.
and villages. It is to be supposedw t
in-
surgents in Poland were aware ofn..ieh_yat was
DI I reported
tended, for as soon as it was .
that Prussian and Austrian plenipPotentiaries were
about to go to Warsaw they, began. to send large
detachments to Lithuania, Volhynta, and Podo-
and with reason, of their
Ha. The Russians boast,
strong position in the Kingdom of Poland, but
in the above-mentioned provinces and in the
Ukraine they have very few points d'appui. By
private letters from Poland we learn that the insur-
rection was not to have broken out until after the
3d of March (19th of February, Old Style), on which
day some twenty millions of serfs will become free
men. It is here believed that there is a secret un-
derstanding between the Polis' and Itubsian serfs,
but
we have no proofs that such is the ease. In my
opinion, the Russiani will succeed in quelling the
insurrection, but
certainly not until torrents of
blood
119.:vt 'open' shed. The wounded Poles, the
may,'
. _ay of wham have been carried off to the
woods, must be in a most deplorable state, as they
have neither bandages nor medicines. The political
ferment in Roumania, Servia, and Montenegro is
increasing, and I am inclined to suspect that Prince
Gortschakoff is trying to bring abouc. a
rising in European Turkey, in order tdivertedegeantten-
from
tion of England and France may
Poland. be
By private letters from Gekillans residing in dif.