The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-03 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR,—We beg you to insert in the columns of
your esteemed journal the following document, and
remain, with our best regards, yours, &c.,
A. HERZEN,
N. OGAREFF,
Editors of the Bell.
Orsett-house, Westbourne-terrace.

"The present Polish movement is not understood by all
Russians in its real character. In Russia all knowledge
about it is drawn from official statements, German papers—
often paid, always hostile—and certain French papers,
badly informed as to the state of our affairs. This is the
cause of many Russians considering our present movement
from the old point of view of an aristocratic Polish rising,
with the end to recover by force the historical boundaries
of Poland.

" All this is false. The union of Poles and Russians to
struggle in common for their emancipation from under the
yoke of despotism affords such evident advantages for both,
that we decided upon explaining to your friends, through
you, the basis of the new Polish movement.
" The fundamental ideas with which Poland now rises
are—The right of the peasants to become proprietors of the
land they now cultivate, and the right of every people to
dispose themselves of their own fats.

" The aim of this letter is to give you the possibility of
stating that you are fully aware of our mode of considering
the fundamental questions of our cause.

" The question about the proprietorship of the peasants
is settled by all Poland without difference of political
parties; all agree the peasants must receive the land they
cultivate.

meat,
tT. hteis
setnaatebliend
euurs,
or-
ganisation of the nation will, from
bpeoinlitgicpallaced at the head of the move•.
surrection, declare the inhabitants o
theprogrammef
first thatmoment
ofw in
villages proprietors of
the land they now cultivate,and the popular government
will take upon itself the remuneration
privileges of classes, Statedteuds towards
tiTonhof the landowners, out
of the general funds of the State.e
an
suffered
oerpedut those
The programme further
says that the new organisation. of the
the abolition of all
classes of Polish society which have alwaysmostly'h a e
upon one and the same political level with those which
been privileged ones ; so that the new Polish society shouldv
consist of but one people of free and equal citizens. You
see that the fundamental ideas of the Polish movement are
entirely popular; that there remains nothing of nobiliary
conservatism in them ; their aim being abolition of classes
and cession of land to the peasants.
" The difference which exists between us, Russians and
Poles, with regard to the question about the agricultural
classes, arises from the difference of our social elements,
and from the circumstances under which we are placed
The Russian movement is a popular, economical, social one;.
ours is a national one. In Russia the social movement will
develop political freedom; in Poland, social reorganisation
is only possible as a consequence of political emancipation
and recovery of our country.
psaoscsiatlo
" Such is the ground upon which we hope that your
Ru,,svirsiane
friendsthose will
go arm in arm with us--that they will go as
Russian warriors went, who sanctioned with their
ourmartyr-bloody
union
n the righteousnessnam eof
ourof
npdu
the
h ae
seal to
cause.thesecond point, and you willperceive here
also that the alleged difference of • •
opinion as to the right of
free nations to dispose of themselves does not exist. We
were deprived of political existence b
y violence ; we never
recognised this viol
it. ice, we could not and we cannot recog-
nisetiers, nor the Consequently Gov we recognise neither the new fron-
liberty. There is enrnments founded on the ruins of our
one Poland, that which
divided Poland for us; we know only
consists of the union of Poles,
Lithuanians, and Russin-
of them. lam, without predominance of any
" From this point of vi
of Poland in her ancient boundaries,
ev we tend towards the restoration
dom to the people leaving absolute free-
Lithuanians and Russiniat inhabiting within them, i.e., to the
s to remain united with Poland,
or to dispose of themselves
But now, in our preparatory accordingats, to their own will.
sacred duty to employ all efforts,e we believe it to be our
and the Ukraine should go togetle it, order that Lithuania
the popular rising should extend
at with Poland, and that
our oppressed country. once over all parts of
" After having stated our point of view
we repeat it here, openly, candidly, Without in
our
programme arriere pensde.
Let us repeat once more that we entirelyadmit
right to autonomy of the people united with
oland, and
the absolute
th
who have suffered together with her. .
To request
we, under the yoke of our enemy, withoutthereedom of
of us that
disposing of ourselves, should abandon the union which
exists even now, notwithstanding the forcible se
paration--
to request of us, when we recognise the right ofany
to reconstitute herself in her boundaries, that
we should
desist from this right when applied to Poland_would 1714
request that we should recognise the forcible division' and
abandon abandon the power which the union of the three people
into a whole gives to the cause of our liberty. I)
" Having stated to you, as the representatives of free
Russian thought, the principles upon which we call Our