The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-11 00:00:00

THE INSURRECTION IN POLAND.

(From the Special Correspondent of the Times.)
TARNOW, June 3.

This evening news has been received of a number
of battles fought, some in the kingdom of Poland,
some in Lithuania, some again in the Ruthenian
provinces. In other words, fighting has been going
on at the same time in all parts of ancient Poland.
I do not think the Poles have won any great victories ;
but, on the other hand, it does not appear even
from the Russian accounts that they have suffered
any great defeats. The particulars of the engage-
ments have not yet reached us; but in the mean-
'while it is important to know that there is no
peace for Russia on Polish soil, and that from the
Baltic to :he line of the Dnieper her position is un-
s.,.fe and only to be maintained by a direct exercise
of superior force. The recent battles have been
fought on the Prussian side of the kingdom, near
Konin, in the "government" of Kalisch, and also
near Kalish, the provincial chief town ; on the
eastern or Volliynian frontier, at Brzescs on the
Log, and near Czersk on the Volhyriau bank of the
river; in Lithuania, in the forests of Bolvaria ; in
Voihynia, near the town of Berdyczew. There have
also been numerous skirmishes during the last ten
days over a large extent of country in Podolia and
the Ukraine.

As to the insurrection in the Ruthenian provinces
(the Ukraine, Podolia, and Volhynia) those seem to
know most about the matter who are the furthest
from the scene of action. Proprietors who have
estates in these provinces, but who are residing for
the present in Galicia, receive but scanty intelli-
gence from their stewards; and yet it is almost en-
tirely from the letters of stewards and agents that
the accounts of the Voihynian insurrection published
in the Polish and in some of the German papers are
derived. Concerning the progress of the movement
in Podolia and the Ukraine, we are also quite unin-
formed. To give some notion as to the difficulty of
getting news from these regions I may mention that
a letter was received three days ago in Cracow which
had been posted at a town in Podolia at the end of
April. At this rate we can scarcely expect to have
authentic intelligence about even the first events of
the Podolian insurrection before the beginning of
July. You can step from Podolia into Galicia, and
from Kamieniec, the chief town of the province, to
the Galician frontier is only a few miles; but Podo-
lian letters have to go through a few chancelleries
before they reach their destination, and although from
Kaminiec-Podolski across the Galician frontier to
Cracow is only a day's journey, the distance is
really great if you go round, as the Podolian mail
does, by way of Kieff, Moscow, and St. Petersburg.
One thing, however, we know for certain by the
Russian telegrams, that whether or not the insur-
rection in the Ruthenian provinces is increasing in
intensity, it is eertainly increasing in extent, and
now covers the whole of the immense tract of coun-
try enclosed between the rivers Bug and Dnieper;
that the insurgent bands are for the most part wall
mounted, and that from two estates alone in Vol-
hynia—those of Count Alfred Potocki and of Prince
Roman Sanguszko—they have provided themselves
with some hundreds of excellent horses. 'We know
also that the Russians are rather alarmed about the
movement in the south-eastern provinces, and that
they have 'placed a very strong cordon of troops,
composed of at least 10,000 men, along the line
which separates Volhynia and Podolia from Eastern
Galicia.

As to the peasants, it appears that the Russians
make them fight whether they like it or not. They
not only endeavour to excite them against the pro-
prietors by misrepresentations of every kind, but, if
all other means fail, form them into bands, place
them between two columns of regular troops, and
conduct them against the insurgents, who have then
to choose between not returning the fire of the
Russians at all, or firing upon Russian soldiers and
Ruthenian peasants at the same time. As to the
a'ccounts of Russian victories in the south-east, they
may or may not be true; but I see that they claim
to have gained the day at Koniecpol, where many
persons in Cracow know positively from an eye-
witness that they were beaten and retired with great
loss. All we know for certain, when the Russians
announce a victory, is that a battle has taken place.
It must be confessed, too, that the insurgents are
not always accurate in their reports ; unless, in-
deed, those reports bear an official character, in
which case they may be fully trusted. Otherwise,
many of the Polish victories are very like certain
French victories—that is to say, defeats which
ought to have been, and would have been, victories,
if something had not happened which did happen.
Madame Sophia Minniszewski, wife of the Min-
niszewski who was murdered the other day by com-
mand of the Polish National Government, has
written to Count Sigismund Wielopolski to decline
an annuity of 1,000 roubles just granted to her, and
to request that the order granting it be rescinded.
She has addressed a communication to the same
effect to the Minister of the Interior. Madame
Minnisszewski states that by the rules of the State
service ehe is not entitled to a pension, and that she
cannot consent to receive money offered to her as
an indemnity for the loss of her husband.
The assassination of Minniszewski Las been ac-
knowledged in an official publication as the act of
the Polish National Government, which, it seems,
went through the form of sentencing him to death
as a traitor to his country. On what evidence he
was proved to be a traitor to his country does not,
of course, appear, nor is that point important, for a
man who has no opportunity of defending himself
can be proved to be anything. It is quite certain,
however, that Minniszewski supported the policy of
the Marquis Wielopolshi, and it has been said that

he was the author of the notorious article in the offi-
ci,tl journal of the Russian Government stating that
the recruits seized and torn away from their homes
in the night seemed glad to have the opportunity of
learning habits of order in the Russian army. But
it has also been publicly stated that he wrote no-

thing but feuilletons for the newspaper in question.
In either case it was a disgrace for a Pole to be
connected with it ; but, at the same time, it is im-
probable that the secret Government would have
waited until May to punish an offence committed in
,January, nor can one believe that it has undertaken
the onerous task of " executing" all the dishonour-
able men in the country. It is more likely that
Minniszewski had found some clue which might have
led to the discovery of the National Government,and
that he was put out of the way not only because he
was considered dishonourable and unpatriotic, but
also because he was dangerous. It is said that he was
warned some days before hand that he was to die,
and after receiving the warning never went out
Without being accompanied by two police agents.
The day, however, of the murder being committed,
there happened to be a street fight near the door of
his house, and one of his attendants took the chief
of the
brawlers into. custody. Just then a barrel
organ began
to
tagrind forth, " No, Poland is not
lost," and the re
ear for forbidden tunes, attendant having a sharp
of zeal, arrested the eosfiand being moreover a man
At The
the third bar.
appointed
the long meditated
that moment
before he had got to
blow was struck.
executioner (who
practised
by this time must be a
over his
Minniszawski into the house,
mouth to
behind, and laying his hand him from
silence his cries, stabbed him to theis-
executioner, or murderer, or ,hateve/areharte. The
is, got
into a carriage when he had done the deed, and
calling to the police agent who had an ear for music,
said to him, ``You amuse yourself by running after
organ-players, and you don't see that in that house
a man is being assassinated." The agent ran into
Minnisze wski's house, and saw a fresh example of
the power of the Polish National Government.
A conspiracy must fight with conspirators' wea-
pons, and it is not to be expected that the Polish
National Government will give up assassination as
a means of enforcing its authority. But though it
attempts to give to its sentences the form of judicial
condemnations, the fact nevertheless remains that
it executes men who have no opportunity of defend-

ing themselves.
Since Minniszeswski's affair no less than eight
persons have been stabbed to death by order of the
Polish National Government. One of the nnmber
was a contractor, who for some years had supplies
the Russian Government with lead for bullets.
Some interesting particulars respecting the life
and death of the gallant Narbutt have lately been

made known. Ludwik Narbutt was the son of S.
Narbutt, the author of several esteemed works on
the history of Poland. He was born in IF3I at a
village in the province of Wilna, and was educated
at the Wilna high school, where he distinguished
himself so much that in the revolutiore.try year 1848
(when the Russian Government was censtantly on
the watch for "manifestations" on the part of the
Poles) he was accused on some futile pretext of in-
subordination, and sentenced to receive 100 lashes,
which were inflicted upon him in presence of his
father. He was afterwards sent into the army, and
served as a private soldier in the Caucasus until the
Crimean war broke out, when hie regiment was
sent towards Kars. At the siege of Kars he dis-
tinguished himself, was badly wounded, and, having
been recommended by Gen. Mouraveiff for promo-
tion, was raised to the rank:of lieutenant. The first
use Narbutt made of his commission was to resign
it. He retired to Ejszyski, his native 'village, in
Lithuania, and there married, and occupied him-
self quietly with the management and cultivation of
his estate until the beginning of the present year.
When, however, the forced recruitment led to the
desperate resistance out of which grew the present
war of independence (as the insurrection may now
be fairly designated), Narbutt left his country re-
treat and placed himself at the service of the Polish
National Government.
When Lithuania was called to arms, the first band
that took the field was under the command of Nar-
butt, and the first battle that was fought in Lithu-
ania was gained by Narbutt at the head of 60 men
against a Russian force of 300. A great deal of the
success which attended his subsequent operations,
carried on against greatly superior numbers, was
due to the assistance rendered to him by the peasants
of his district, who, during his residence among
them ,had received numerous proofs of his generosity,
and of the deep interest he took in all that con-
cerned their welfare.

Narbutt had been about three months in the field
when. the Russians, in accordance with the system
pursued by them towards all the Polish chiefs as
soon as they have sufficiently distinguished them-
selves to become objects of European interest,
concentrated their troops around him, and pre-
pared to fall upon him with irresistible forces.
Before the attack was made, the Russian General
Timefieff is said to have put on the dress of a peasant,
and in that disguise to have approached Narbutt's
camp. Having completed his observations in com-
pany with another spy, he retired and prepared a
surprise, which was effected on the morning of the
sth of May. It is already known that during the
action which followed Narbutt was wounded in the
foot. It appears now that after his immediate at-
tendants had taken him up, and while they were
bearing him forwards, he was shot in the breast,
and thereupon exclaimed, " I am mortally wounded ;
leave me, and save the detachment." The Russians
were now pressing closely round the dying chief, but
his supporters did not dream of abandoning him,
and remained with him until all of them were shot
down. Not one escaped with his life.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN.

The adjourned Wharncliffe meeting of this company was
held yesterday at the Euston-station ; Mr. Brown- Westhead,
M.P., in the chair.

Mr. STEWART, the secretary, having read the notice of
adjournment,

The CHAIRMAN said the first bill he had to submit for
their approval was the London and North-Western Addi-
tional Powers Bill. It was an omnibus bill, and sanctioned
various improvements to enable them to facilitate the vast
traffic they had on certain portions of their line.
Mr. BLENKINSOPP, the solicitor, 'read the heads of the
bill for conferring additional powers on the London and
North Western Railway Company, for the construction of
work, and otherwise in relation to their own undertaking
and the undertakings of other companies, and for other
purposes. It authorised the company to make a short line
to Kirkburton, a loop line at Wigan. The company was
authorised to raise £150,000 of additional capital to carry
out these additional works, and to create preference or other
shares not entitled to arrears.

After some observations from Mr. WILLIAMS and Mr.
MORGAN,
A formal resolution approving the bill was then carried
unanimously.
The next bill submitted was " A bill to empower the Lon-
don and North Western Railway Company to make new
branch railways, and to abandon part of the Chelford and
Knutsford line of their railway, and for other purposes."
The Solicitor read the heads of the bill, which authorised
the company to raise additional capital to the amount of
£60,000, and to construct a line from Sandbach to Middle •
wich and Northwich, authorising arrangements with other
companies, and giving the Great Western certain running
powers instead of allowing them to make a new line of rail-
way.

A formal resolution approving the bill was carried unani-
mously, and the meeting was adjourned to Friday.

BRADFORD, WAKEFIELD, AND LEEDS.

On Monday a Wharncliffe meeting of this company was
held at Bradford, to consider a bill to enable the company
to make a railway to Methley, in the West Riding of York-
shire. Mr. William Firth presided.
The CHAIRMAN read the heads of the bill, which em-
powered the company to raise £75,000 for the construction
of the railway to Methley, and gave the right to the North-
Eastern and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Com-
panies to become joint owners of the line, upon each of those
companies contributing £25,000 of the capital.
The bill was unanimously agreed to, and the proceedings
terminated.