The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-05 00:00:00

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the speeches which he had heard, especially that
of the Chairman, which ought to be printed in let-
ters of gold, not only for its eloquence, but for the
honest indignation which it showed to the great and
noble slanderer to whom reference had been made, he
was induced to think that their cause was not palling in
that room, that it was not palling where the battle was
being fought on the frontiers of Russia—a battle which
did not involve the interest of one particular nation, but
the cause of freedom throughout the world.—(Hear,
bear.) Mr. Smith concluded by proposing a vote of
thanks to the Duchess of Kent and other distinguished
ladies, for their services rendered on the occasion of the
ball at Guildhall.—(Hear.)
The motion having been seconded by Mr. CARTER, was
unanimously carried.
Sir H. WILLIAMSON, Bart., M.P., proposed a similar
vote of thanks to the Lord Mayor and the Corporation
of London, and to several of the civic functionaries.
Mr. GEORGE DERING, in seconding it, made some
observations with reference to the conduct of Lord
Eglinton, stating that he thought they ought to soften
the asperity of their condemnation of his Lordship,
who was but a young man, brought up in all the luxury
and ease inseperable from his station, and whe might
have made the attack without due consideration or fore-
thought, upon information which designing persons had
given to him.
Mr. EDMOND BEALES proposes a vote of thanks to
the artists who had generously lent their aid on behalf
of the Poles. He thought it the especial duty of that
association to enter their protest against the unjust and
uncalled for attack which had been made in both Houses
of Parliament, and he entirely concurred in the obser-
vations of their Noble Chairman upon that subject. He
said that during the revolutions on the continent the
Poles in this country were desirous of going over there
to recover their nationality, and the association would
most gladly bavo furnished them with means to
carry out what they considered a very natural
and meritorious desire, but on the proposal
being made to the Government, and although
they were informed that the Poles wished to
relinquish all further claim to the support of the British
public, they intimated to the association that they did
not consider it consistent with their amicable relations
with Russia that any large body of Poles should leave
this country, and, in fact, gave a positive denial to the
application.—(Hear.) The Poles were, therefore, com-
pelled either to quit this country in a state of absolute
penury or to continue here against the warmest and
most cherished wishes of their heart. He could hardly
conceive that, under such circumstances, any attempt
would be made in the House of Commons to discontinue
the grant, but he deeply regretted to find among the
foremost who opposed it the leaders of what was called
the liberal party in this country.—(Llear, hear.) Some,
however, by the word liberal meant freedom for them-
selves and slavery for others. He could not attri-
bute the opposition entirely to ignorance, for it was well
known that for a Polish refugee to return to Russia would
be to meet with instant death.—(Hear.) It might be,
however, that on some future occasion those gentlemen
would endeavour to make amends for the future.—
(Hear.) He would remind them that whilst they were
sitting there shouts might be rending the air for the
vic;ory of the Hungarians, led on by a man whom they
were proud in having assisted, and who some day, he
trusted,. would:fight as:gallantly in the defence of his own
brave ceuntry.—(Hear.) If they wished to work out
their own rights and emancipation, they must restorg
the nationai;ty of Poland, for there would be no peace
in the world st; long as the Poles had no other vocation
than that of using their swords, and they were very sharp
and keen, wherever a contest was going on in a neigh-
b country.—(Cheers.)
The motion was seconded by Mr. EDWARD JOHN-
STONE an .1 carried.
Mr. T. C. BANFIELD moved a vote of thanks to the No-
ble Chairman, which was seconded by Colonel SZYRMA,
and unanimously carried.
Lieutenant CHARLES SzcrLczewsm proposed, in
highly flattering terms, a vote of thanks to Mr. W. L.
Birkbeck, honorary secretary to the association, which
motion was seconded by Mr. N. F. ZABA.
After an acknowledgment from Mr. BIRKBECE, the
meeting separated.

DENMARK AND THE DUCHIES.
crawl OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
HAMBURGH, MAY 1.
The grand battle with which the German papers have
managed to gull the credulous public here, who have
only one way of thinking, and cannot brook any truth,
however right and fair, has after all turned out to be a
very sorry affair. The accounts at the onset given in
the patriotic journals—not one of which but is well
greased in the Augustenburg intriguing interest here—
have assumed a very different tone in regard to the loss
incurred on the occasion of that presumed victory at
Colding; in which, had the Danish General, Von Billow,
but allowed his troops to have acted in the same spirit
throughout the whole affair as they did at the com-
mencement, nvery different result had followed. The
loss on the Danish side has been officially pub-
lished, under the authority of the medical staff,
and consists in 300 men killed and wounded—among
these only eight of the Danish Hussars of the Royal
Guard killed,; and sixteen wounded (after driving the
Holstein Infantry before them, and with the aid of two
companies of Jagers, taleing some entrenchments on the
mainland), instead of having been completely dispersed,
aad losing an immense number of prisoners, according
to the German pretended reports. On 2 the aide
of the, Germans, the loss has been admitted, in an ac-
count of the correspondent of the Hamburgh Nachrick-
ten, from -Schleswig, to have been about 700 men. And
General Benin in his offi eal bulletin names 1,000 on
both sides at a rough guess, rather under the mark than
above it, beyond doubt. The tender conscience of the
Insurgent Government of the Duchies will not admit
the true account appearing ; on the contrary, they are
ashamed of the enormous loss of human lite, which their
evil deeds will have to answer fur to the families of these
victims of their ingratitude towards Denmark. The
cries and lamentations, however, of the parents, the
widows, and orphans of those fallen will ultimately
roach them, and offended justice will overtake the in-
trigues of the Augustenburg princely beggars with
vengeance sooner or later. Ia short, people are
now anxious to know what reason they have for
withholding the.: truth,' and, bad as the affair is,
they are desirous of knowing what has been the posi-
tive loss. They reason, however, is plain. They do not
wish the great Fatherland to know that the Danes are
sufficiently patriotic and heroic in their defence of
Schleswig, and the justice of the claim of their King.
They have all along used their utmost endeavours
to make their friends believe (which they have, how-
ever, most signally failed in doing) that the native
Schelsrrig regiments, in the Danish service, have no in-
clination to fight again it the German Holstein party,
and in some instar.ces have even gone so far as to throw
down their arms. The following is a specimen of
the dirty mode of aiding and abetting their
insurgent cause, and is totally unworthy of a
great and mighty would-be-united Fatherland:—
Among the many false reports which the German
papers have recently been filled with, there is one which
states that, during the action near Colding, the 13th
battalion of infantry threw away their arms, and turned,
with seventeen of their officers, to surrender themselves
prisoners of war. As this battalion in part consists of
men from Schleswig, this falsehood is not without sig-
nification, and this was not much relieved by the fol-
lowing correction, which again states, that the 13th
battalion, it is true, did not lay down its arras, yet the
flight of the same so hastily, give occasion for the report
in question. The truth however is, that the brave 13:h
battalion was during this action stationed at the island
of Alsen, and took no pert whatever in it; nor has
there-been any Danish officer, as yet, officially known
to have been taken prisoner on this occasion.
Tais fact will tend fully to convince the friends of the
great Fatherland, aud others,- how little good faith can
bo placed in these Hamburgh-Holstein reports.
General Prittwitz has his headquarters at Christianfeld,
and is said to have promised his troops, consisting of
about 18,000 mon concentrated thereabouts, to give them
a turn into Jutland, which is some four mites front
the spot they occupy. It is said that he has been espe-
cially requested by the King his master, who employed
him last year in Berlin, to tire upon the insurgents in
his defence, to mercifully cause to be spared those who
are in arms against his former friend, the King of Den-
mark; and otherwise to aid them in their insurrec-
tionary conduct against his troops. The King of Prussia
even goes further, from what General von Prittwitz is
reported to have said of him, viz., that tho Holstein in-
surgents were brave men, in havinc, fought so well
against their rightful Sovereign, and deserve to be
spared from the due inflictions of Danish loyalty.
Berlin, and General Prittwitz, on the 18th of March,
1843—and Hadersleben, and Prittwita, in front of the
Prussian army on the 28th of April, 1849, ought to be
recorded in the books of European history, in
bloody letters, that when the young princely
ideas of future sovereigns begin to be taught how to
shoot, they may well " read, mark, learn, and inwardly
digest" this instance of Prussian policy. Insurgents
shot down by dozens at Berlin by Prussian soldiers in
1848, and applauded by the same General (who posi-
tively ordered them to be so shot down at this period)
for fighting the royal troops of Denmark in their at-
temps to protect their own King against similar insur-
gents in 1849. 0 tempera, 0 mores !
There are various rumours of negotiation for peace;
but no solid foundation can be discovered. It is also
said the• blockade is to be removed upon neutral
vessels, yet nothing is certain. Denmark played,
in the beginning of the contest, too generous a
game to wait German-Holstein trickery, to their own loss.
It is scarcely to be supposed that the Danish Govern.
ment will continue this game any more until she knows
their schemes better. The complaint; now made of the
ineffectual mode of carrying out the blockade of the Elbe
and the Weser are all'absurd; and none of those making
the complaints are at all acquainted with the laws and
the nature of such a blockade, much as they may learn
hereafter, and thus grow wiser. There is no news of
any skirmishing to-day from the war deportment in the
Duchies. The troops are cooling themselves a little.
They are considered, however, here to be idling their
precious time away, if something is not daily reported in
the fighting line, to feed the greedy anxiety for such
information on the Harnburgh Exchange, where num-
bers are seen smoking cigars all day long, havins, no-
thing to sell in the shape of goods, and paper will not
go down without in the discount markets. Things look
'queer, and the visages of the people correspondingly so
—sallow and smoky in the extreme.

THE NEW EDITION Of " BURKE'S PEERAGE AND
BAILONERTLaIf," revised and corrected throughout to the pre-
sent time, from the personal corruntinications of the nobility,
&c. in one vol., with 1,500 engravings of arms, &c., is pub-
laCed this day by Mr. Colburn, and may now be had of all
boolcseller3. Also just published, the " Supplement to
Lurke's History of the Landed Gentry of England, Scot-
knd, and Ireland," in one vol., with an Index, comprising
references to all the individuals; (upwanis of 100,000) men-
io aed in the work.