The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-21 00:00:00

THE SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL.

The Siecle of yesterday has the following on the
siege of Sebastopol :--
"In spite of our well-known military sympathies, we
have replied impartially to the reproach which might be
addressed to the Generals of the Allied troops for not
having, before laying siege to Sebastopol, endeavoured
to finish completely with the forces of Prince Menschi-
koff. The advanced season of the year did not allow
the principal object of the expedition to be neglected for
a single instant. They hurried there, and history
will record that in a few days an army, long ex-
pected by the Russians in their richest province. on
their strongest point, obtained there—notwithstanding
these four enormous results—a most succes-ful landing ;
a first victory which opened the country to it ; the pus-
sibility of passing through it from the North to the
South, from the Alma to Balaklava ; and the faculty of
commencing the siege of Sebastopol with perfect secu-
rity. It is a repetition of the veni, vidi, vici, of Caesar ;
but, unfortunately, these prompt results gave such an
impulse to public opinion that in the eyes of a great
number the expedition assumed all the character of
a coup de main. Successes were hoped for which
would have been little short of prodigy. In Eng-
land as in France, where the remembrance of
M4zieres, Valenciennes, Lisle, Mentz, Toulon, and
Genoa, ought not to have been forgotten, no exact idea
was formed of what the conquest of a fortified place of
the first rank ought to be. No one took the trouble of
thinking what efforts would be accumulated, if Ports-
mouth or Brest were attacked. The general feeling
which thus prevailed was, we repeat, a misfortune. A
first act: of a most wonderful effect rendered the spec-
' tatois difficult to be pleased with the rest of the
piece, and the persons who are anxious about the
glory and honour of their country behold with grief,
in England and France, a heavy fall in the public
funds. greeting bulletins announcing victories, but not
coming up to all the ardent desires of public opinion.
As we have already said, from the plan of campaign
which has been adopted, and which consists in taking
Sebastopol, in spite of the Russian forces in the field,
the Anglo-French army has a double task to perform
—to keep in check a powerful army fully master of its
actions, and to obtain possession of a fortified place of
immense extent and tremendous strength. Everything
has as yet proved that the Anglo-French army is not be-
low the level of its noble task. Not only has it worsted
the Russian army, though reinforced from the Danube
and from the North, but each day of the siege had been
marked by a step in advance ; the fortified wall had been
at the date of the last accounts nearly reached at. Sup-
pose now that they who have so well accomplished this
double task receive, like the Russians, considerable rein-
forcements ; suppose that by meansof thedivision May ran
from Athens, which left Constantinople on the sth, and
must have already arrived ; that by means of reinforce-
ments from Oran and Malta ; by means of the divisions
of the camp of the south, which must at the present time
be at sea ; and by means of Turkish troops sent from
Varna and the Bosphorus, the generals-in chief of the
Allies may in their turn form an army for the field of
which the forces already so ably handled by General
Bosquet should serve as the nucleus—suppose 'all that,
and matters at once change their appearance. The army
of the siege has only the task of carrying the town, and
the forces of Prince Menschikoff, in place of disquieting
the besieging army, are forced to defend themselves.

THE NATIONALITY OF POLAND.

(From the Journal des Debuts.)
It is not difficult to show, history in hand, that when-
ever Poland has appeared to hope for her resurrection from
the hand of the revolution, she has at the same moment,
found all Europe. which desires the maintenance of social
order, united against her. There is, then, an opposition of
interest between the Polish cause and the revolutionary
"'lse- Compare for a moment what Poland may ex-
pect from the revolution, and what she may expect from
the question of European equilibrium. The revolution
would only give her a war of insurrection, without re-
gular support, without 'monarchial allies, a war which
Yv'ould instantly cause all European social order with
Its kings, its princes, its armies, and even its peoples,
who would soon be tired of anarchy, to coalesce against
Poland, and to hasten to seal up anew the stone
which causes her tomb—blaming the whole crime
of partition, but finding that the reparation of the evil
would become itself a great evil. Look, on the con-
trary, at what the war of equilibrium, and not a revolu-
ionary war, would give to Poland. It would give her Allies
or powerful and friendly supporters. Her name would
naturally enter into the calculation of European equili-
brium, instead of as heretofore forming a portion of the
alarms of social order. She was a danger: she may become
a remedy. This is an immense change. This change of
situation must necessarily lead to an analogous change
in Polish opinion. It was natural that a good many Poles
should entertain sympathy for revolutionary opinions,
when they believed that the revolutionary party could
and would alone re-open to them the gates of their
Country, Experience has shown them that this party
could not do it, and that it would not do it. The
chiefs of the revolution of 1843 wore not favourable to
the Polish cause to the extent of declaring war against
all Europe in favour of Poland. Far be it from us to
blame those chiefs for their prudence ; on the contrary,
We praise them for it ; but the Poles, no doubt, thought
that the revolution of 1843 would be less circumspect,
and that it would not faithfully follow on that point
the policy of King Louis Philippe. The revolu-
tion of 1843 was then a first lesson for the Poles.
We can, however, understand that this lesson has
not sufficed to cure some Poles of their revolu-
tionary sympathies.
Devolutionary parties have this
advantage— composed generally of several regiments
who replace one
another, what the first regiment
has not done, it is hoped that the second will
do. But as we just said, the
can promise to Poland nothing revolutionary party
which the party of
social order cannot give much hetter and much more
offer which
Lt
e
surely. A revolutionary war has nothing off
is worth what is offered by a war of equilibrium.
the Poles convince themselves of this truth, and let
them at the same time understand that the sol
of rendering the war favourable to Poland is to continue
meansntnme
to keep it free from any revolutionary emotion°
idea. They may have formerly believed that the more
r
the war might be revolutionary, the more it would
be Polish ; but the contrary is and will be the case
at present. The more the war may remain political,
the more it will become Polish. It is by the modifica-
tion of European equilibrium, and not by the revolution
that Poland may be partially or wholly resuscitated.
We have always admitted and maintained in this journal
that the position of Poland was the gravest encroach-
silent on European equilibrium. But as long as it was
believed, erroneously it is true, that Poland, to re-
pair that equilibrium, wished to destroy social order,
the cause of Poland was only supported in Europe by
hot-headed people ; it had the support neither of capi-
taliets nor statesmen. At present, however, by a con-
junction c f unexpected events, an opportunity of
modifying the European equilibrium, without endanger.
ing social order, has arisen ; it is an unexpected piece of
good fortune for Poland.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.-(TBIS DAY.) it

COURT OF EXCHEQUER. 50
25
QUEEN V. ALISON.
This was a prosecution under the act for repressing 20
assaults on women and children. The defendant was
100
a surgeon in extensive practice at Burton-upon-Trent, wo
theson ,
treadmill a lad of
for seven
six years
calendar
and having been convicted of an assault upon his own 20
()fagmesonhtehsw. was
Scoutbnsneclntituteedtlyo 20
to the committal Mr. Huddlestone obtained a rule call-
ing upon the justices of Staffordshire to show cause why 50
a habeas corpus should not issue to relea,e the prisoner, 50
on the ground that the warrant of commitment did not I°C),
specify that the conviction had taken
pace before two l''''
Minlcartu.....emorzosearmseg , 0n.maTeme1.........
l
, justices sitting at the place where the ,- ' . of
p.tty sessions
The New York Crystal Palace has been converted the district were usually held. 20
into a transient auction mart, where all exhibitors 50
have • Mr. Scotland now showed cause against the rule, and
20
the right, within certain restrictions, to sell their goods, cited the Administration of Justice Act, which sets out 25
fur thirty days, to the highest bidder. the form of a commitment in cases like this. The -
TliF. E war
DINBURGH COUNTY MILITIA is fast filling up. rant of commitment in the present case followed that 100
If recruits continue to conic forward as they did last form, and, therefore, it was perfectly good, although it 10
week, it is expected the number will be completed before did not distinctly specify that the justices at the time of 5
all their stations are visited. Numerous steady farm- the conviction were sitting in the place where the petty
servants are presenting themselves, and their employers sessions were usually held. 25
seem to evince a desire for them to enrol under the The Court held. this objection to the rule too well 245
Duke of Buccleuch,—Co
urant. founded, and discharged it accordingly. 60
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