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 ail 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 the line of the Dnieper her position is un-
safe 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 Volhynian frontier, at Brzescs on the
Bug, and near Czersk on the Volhynian bank of the
river; in Lithuania, in the forests of Bolvaria ; in
Volhynia, 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 Volhynian 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 regional 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-
lien 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 well
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, sand 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
accounts 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 she 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 has 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 Wielopolski, and it has been said that
he was the author of the notorious article in the offi-
cial 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
Jenuary, 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
Minniszawski 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.
day, however, of the murder being committed,
there happened
an to be a street fight near the door of
his house,
one of his attendants took the chief
into
of the brawlers
custody. Just then a barrel
organ began to
lost," and the grindforth, 6, No, Poland is not
ear for forbidden remainingtunes,
attendant having a sharp
of zeal, arrested the offender before he had got to
the third bar. At that momente the long meditated
blow was struck. The appointed executioner (who
by this time must be a practised hang) had followed
Minniszewski into the house, and, seizing him from
behind, and laying his hand over his mouth to
sil2nce his cries, stabbed him to the heart. The
executioner, er murderer, or whatever he is, got
into a carriage when he had done the deed, and
calling to the police agent who had an ear for music, I
said to him, " You amuse yoerself by running after
org le-players, and you don't see that in that house
a man is being assassinated!' The agent ran into
Minnisz,!wski's house, an sa a fresh example of
the power of the Polish Ndationw al Government.
A conspiracy must fight with Polishconspirator'
alma-
pone, and it is not to be expected that the
National Government will give up
assassination as
a means of enforcing its authority.
attempts to give to its sentences the fortht oti;;uudgilicial
it
,condemnations, the fact nevertheless remha
it executes men who have no opportunity of defains t
end-
t
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 nnn3ber
was a contractor, who for some years had supplied
the Russian Government with lead for bullets.
Some interesting particulars respecting the life
and death of the gallant Narbutt have lately been