The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-20 00:00:00

THE SIYN, LONDON, 'TFX fiItSDAY ! EVENING, MARCH 20, 1862.

the Great under precisely the same circumstances
—the dawn of his reign ushered in under the same
beautiful but illusory auspices. Poland then—it
was immediately at the turn of the century—when
the eighteenth was merging into the nineteenth—
Poland then, as it has since done more recently
under a strictly analogous conjunction of events,
found all her brighter and nobler aspirations re-
viving, with every reasonable prospect before her
of realising at length, at the very least, to a partial
extent, the halcyon and cherished daydreams of her
emancipation. ALEXANDER 1., Czar of all the
Russias, encouraged those hopes of Poland during
the earlier years of his seductive sovereignty to the
very uttermost. A friendship as romantic as that
knitting together the lives of ORESTES and
PYLADES bound together those of the youthful
Czar ALEXANDER I. and his chosen intimate the
chief of the Polish nobility, the first of the Polish
patriots, the Prince ADAM CZATtTORY SKI, then in
the flower of his age. And it was not simply that
they were sympathising friends and congenial com-
panions—the Emperor ALEXANDER nominated
Prince ADAM one of his most influential advisers
and administrators, constituting him one of the fore.
mos tmembers at his imperial council-board, and the
Minister for Foreign Affairs in his Government.
If ALEXANDER 11. has never gone quite to that
length, he has inaugurated his reign at any
rate by other indications of goodwill towards
Poland and its inhabitants—indications appa-
rently of such significance in themselves that
they for a long while deluded again into false hopes
those who were only too painfully familiar with the
torturing records of many dead and gone, but still
bitterly remembered disappointments. How, once
more, history has in our own time been seen (accord-
ing to her marvellous wont) to repeat herself we
know now but too well in the instance of these hopes
kindled again only to be quenched in regrets, and
not only in regrets, alas, but literally in blood and
in tears, all Christendom has with anguish but very
recently witnessed. The Polish occupants of the
Russian dungeons still attest it. The frozen wilds
of Siberia again are peopled with Polish witnesses
against the broken faith and the cruelly deluding
promises of a Russian Emperor ALEXANDER. Never
again we think to ourselves now—but then
our fathers have thought the same before us under
exactly the like circumstances—never again oan the
Polish multitude, by;any possibility,be deceived anew
by a quasi liberal or soidisant reforming Czar of all
the RITSSIAS. We would venture to hint, here, but
for everyone's loathing of the hackneyed quotation—
at least we must, for the nonce, whisper two words
of it, for it was never more applicable than when
thus dropping from the lips of every deluded Pole,
while contemplating the fair promises of the Rus-
sians—limed Danaos--and the rest of it. So, now
again, very recently, under the Czar ALEXANDER
11., as formerly, a whole generation back, under
the Czar ALEXANDER I.—the hopes of Poland have
been raised only to be dashed to the ground. These
later hopes of the Poles being raised all the higher
—yea, until, in truth, they were in nubibus—by the
a'ispicious circumstance that the new Autocrat
seemed to give an ample guarantee of his
sincerity, by emancipating, in spite of
his nobles, the whole serf population
of his empire. Since then, however, it is
known to all Europe by what an anti-climax
the Czar ALEXANDER 11. followed up his emanci-
pation of the serfs by grinding the new-born hopes
of Poland under the pitiless heel of his remorseless
despotism.

How Poland bears in her remembrance these
latest incidents in her most lamentable history was
indicated plainly enough at Warsaw on the 9th
instant, the anniversary of the reigning EMPEROR'S
accession. The celebration of that fete day we
now hear went off—precisely as might have been
anticipated. The churches were numerously at
tended in the forenoon—by officials ! But then
it ought to be remembered, in regard to these
even, that they were ordered to attend under severe
penalties ! Again, the Gazette or Moniteur of
Warsaw—the Dziennik Powszechny, appeared in
the morning with a supplement, containing the
names of 74 prisoners benignantly amnestied by
the AUTOCRAT. Bat then, remember, that 41 out of
the 74 had already undergone (without having yet
been tried !) a considerable portion of their punish.
ment. That some of them had actually undergone
the whole of their punishment: That they were
almost all of them prisoners before trial and con-
viction. That with us English the accused are
always deemed to be innocent until they are proved
to be guilty. And that yet these possible " inno-
cent" people were mercifully pronounced to be par-
domed ! As night descended upon Warsaw the
theatres were thrown open gratuitous.' and the
city was spontaneously illuminated. There, it
least, were two splendid opportunities for popular
manifestations of loyalty. And how have the in-
habitants of Warsaw availed themselves of each
to that end ? Why, it is almost ludicrous to learn,
in regard to the illuminations, that those were
confined exclusively to the public buildings and the
residences of official people and their subordinates.
And in regard to the gratuitously opened theatres
that the civil and military authorities
alone, with the police, and their wives and families,
made up the scanty gathering of spectators at the
appointed performances. The police, by the way,
having been sent forth into the streets, to traverse
the city from end to end, for the purpose of putting
a black mark against every private citizen's house
that remained unilluminated, were obliged to desist
in the attempt because of the number that would
have required to be thus particularised. Free
tickets again, we learn, were plentifully distributed
among servants and labourers with a view to fill
the still empty seats at the theatres. With what
result, is it asked ? Well, with this result—that
the few tickets were pocketed by the servants and
labourers, but that their recipients disdained to
make use of them. Such, from first to last, in effect,
was this loyal demonstration at Warsaw on the
EMPEROR'S fete-day. Beyond a doubt, it was a
magnificent demonstration. But it was one of a
character wholly different from what had been
intended.

His Excellency the Ambassador of France and
the Countess de Flahault entertained a select party at din-
ner last evening at Coventry House.

His Excellency the Hanoverian Minister arrived
in Grosvenor. place on Tuesday from the Continent.

The Duchess of St. Albans and Viscount Falk-
land and Lady Diana Beauclerk have arrived in town from
St, Leonards.

The Marquis and Marchioness of Donegall come
to town to-morrow, from Harefield House, 'Uxbridge, for
the season.

The Marquis of Hastings has arrived in town
from Brighton.
The Earl and Countess of Fife entertained at
dinner last evening, at their residence in Grosvenor-place,
the Duchess of Inverness, the Duke of St. Albans, the Earl
Russell, the Countess of Newburgh, the Countess of Kin-
noul, Lord and Lady Cremorne, Lord Dufferin, Lady Cathe-
rine Ricardo, Mr. Mildmay, &o.

The Earl of Dalkeith, M.P., has left Belgrave-
square for Bowhill, Selkirk. Lord Henry Scott, M.P., is
staying at Stackpole Court, South Wales, on a visit to the
Earl and Countess Cawd or,

Lord and Lady Calthorpe and the Hon. Miss
Calthorpe arrived at their residence in Grosvenor-square
yesterday, from Perry Hall, Birmingham.
Lord and Lady Abercromby have left the Claren-
don Hotel for Paris.

Lady Molesworth has issued cards for an assem-
bly on Wednesday next, at her residence in Eaton -place.