The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-15 00:00:00

LETTER OF PRINCE CZA.RTORYSKI TO

THE POLES.

The following letter has been addressed by Prince
Czartoryski to his countrymen :
" My dear Fellow-countrymen,—After various deceitful
misfortunes, after hard and, perhaps, necessary trials, Di-
vino Providence, as it seems, satisfied with the manner in
which we have borne the past, is now disposed to restore
to us His protection.
" Events which human wisdom had not foreseen, which
it would have tried to prevent, have unexpectedly arisen,
and may entirely change the situation of Europe.
" The great Powers, some of whom had put their hand
to our destruction—while the others have permitted it—
are now brought to acknowledge the fatal r,sults to Europe
of the partition of Poland, and to consider how much se-
curity and what advantages her re-establishment would
procure.

" Poland, without her name being yet pronounced, pre-
sents herself, imposes herself by the force of things, on the
thoughts of nations, of the Cabinets and statesmen of
Europe.
• • .ta. cofftinual witness of these grave circumstances, and
in a position to appreciate them near, guardian of your
interests abroad and interpreter of your intentions, have
resolved, my dear countrymen, to address you the follow-
ingadvice:--

All the Polish nation in the vast provinces which form
our country is, above all, unanimously desirous of national
independence. All Poles, whatever opinions they hold,
agree in acknowledging that if, according to the designs of
Providence, they are called upon to take a part in the con-
test, an energetic and so to say, a military Government,
will be necessary as long as that contest shall last.
" This sovereign and unanimous decision, the funda-
mental proof of our national vitality and the bond of our
common union, excludes from admission any party who
would disturb our unanimity by the premature discussion
.)f the form of government which that party would urge
upon the country for acceptance.
" Independence once conquered, the nation alone would
have the right to decide on the form of her government,
and would spontaneously feel the propriety of taking into
account the advice of friendly Powers.
"The emigration, more free in its movements, and not
bound to equal reserve, will take care not to embarrass the
national will Its'dnly mission is to watch and to be de-
voted abroad to the interests of the country as long as that
country is in fetters; and as soon as they are, if it please
nod, shaken off, to obey the impulse of the nation.
"It is said, dear fellow-countrymen, that you have
made everywhere a conspiracy of tranquillity and wisdom.
Strive to justify, to merit that accusation.
" Receive the overtures made to you from whatever
quarter they come; but before you put entire faith in
them, before you proceed to any spontaneous act, ask—re-
quire real guarantees.
" These will be real when the Powers, or any onQof
them, shall have declared that independent Poland Nall
be strong and exist in her own right for the well-being of
Europe ; when that Power shall be occupied with the for-
mation of a national army, under Polish chiefs, employing,
with that view, the Polish soldiers who fill the ranks of
contending armies. Then, but then only, run forward and
re-unite yourselves from all parts ; declare loudly that you
will no longer kill one another ; march like one man to
the deliverance of your country, and against him who
would oppose the decrees of justice and the voice of
Europe.
" 'ltio Poles have been too often deceived in their hopes,
too often they haves eon promises lightly listened to vanish
in smoke ; too often have they put themselves forward on
the first appearance of what seemed a favourable chance,
and, victims of this confidence, they have only gathered
increasing calamities from their facility in following the
impulse of others.
" Preserve in every part of our country your now prudent
and calm attitude ; wait for events. It is the advice given
you by all the sincere friends of Poland. The patient
tranquillity which at present reigns in Poland proceeds
not from inanition or from death ; it is, on the contrary,
a proof of wis.lom and prudence, the sign of life and of
the inward strength of the nation, that knows how to re-
strain herself, to show greater energy when the moment
shall come to develope her might.
"Follow, my countrymen, that line of conduct which
will preserve you from the greatest of misfortunes, that of
intestine divisions—or at least whatever fate Goddestines
to you, which will shelter you against increased calamities.
"The providential concurrence of the events hitherto
accomplished must fortify and augment your faith in Di-
vine bounty and justice. It will, perhaps, be through our
country, that unforeseen by herself or any one else the
balance will be definitively inclined in unravelling the
present crisis. _ _

- " Receive, dear compatriots, the expression of the
ardent wishes which I form, in concert with you, for our
unhappy country.—Your faithful and devoted compa-
triot, "A. CZARTORYSICI.
" Paris, Aug. 26."

SOUTH-EASTERN RAILWAY-ELECTRIC
TELEGRAPH.

TO THE ZDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR,—A letter from a shareholder, claiming for me the
merit of the introduction of the electric telegraph on
the South-Eastern Railway, and a reply signed
" Walker," have appeared in several of the daily
papers.
It is due to Mr. Charles V. Walker, the able and
scientific manager of the telegraph on the South-
Eastern Railway, who does not appear to be the author
of the letter signed by a Mr. Walker, and whose name
is not mentioned in either communication, to state that
the degree of certainty and perfect action which has
enabled the electric telegraph to be used as a pro-
tection from accidents is, in a great measure, to be at-
tributed to the improvement introduced by that gentle-
man, and to his able management of this invention when
in its infancy.
The electric telegraph, which is undeniably the
greatest invention of the present century, is nut the re-
sult of a single mental effort, or of a single individual,
and accordingly there are many who are entitled to a
share in this beautiful result, a brief mention of whom
may not be uninteresting to your readers.
The first important step to render availablefor making
signals the known power of conveying electricity by
metal wires was that of Oersted, who, in 1819, discovered
that magnetic needles were deflected by the passage of
a current of electricity through a wire parallel to and
surrounding them.

We had thus the main requisition of the present
needle telegraph ; but it was found that the action was so
feeble that a needle would not be deflected by a wire,
the battery of which was at a considerable distance, a
difficulty which was overcome by Schweigger, who found
that the deflecting power of the current was multiplied,
and its sensibility most increased, by passing a great
number of times round the needle a wire thoroughly in-
sulated by a covering of silk thread.
At the period of Oersted's valuable discovery, Arago
detected another law, which furnished a separate method
by which electricity might be made to convey messages,
viz., that the electric current had the power of impart-
ing magnetism to iron and steel, and shortly-afterwards
Mr. Sturgeon, of Woolwich, invented the first electric
magnet, by coiling copper in connection with a battery,
round a piece of soft iron.
This is the principle of action in the electro-
magnetic
telegraph, which is worked to the extent of above 12,000
miles in America.
The power of deflecting a needle by electricity was
thus known as early as 1820, and in 1823 t
an experiment
to to render it available as a telegraph was
Pro-
fessor Barlow, of Woolwich, on I,ooofeteemdo by
ot the
of wire, who
needle,
failed in obtaining sufficient power to de
•
to. overcome
I 044 d it remained for Whostatoir "FL_cook•