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

TO LORD DUDLEY COUTTS STUART, M.P.

My Lord,—Many events have taken place since I quitted
London. After a stay of two months in Paris, where I
knocked at every door of the Government, and was answered
only by vague observations, I returned to Galicia, my native
country, to see into its present state. There I perceived
that the clemency of the Austrian Government was but
feigned, and that it awaited only a favourable opportunity to
crush again the new• born liberty and nationality of Poland.
To come to a thorough knowledge of the state of things,
and with a view to serve my country, I repaired to Vienna,
where I arrived a few days after the revolution, and after
the departure of the Emperor, its result. Invited by the
National Guard of Vienna, I accepted the command of that
corps, which unfortunately never exceeded in number
10,000 men.
However, the chances seemed to be in our favour; the
Hungarians had beaten and put to flight the Austrian troops,
who sought for safety under the walls of Vienna.
If the Hungarian army had then pursued them we should
have completely destroyed them, and might have then fallen
upon the troops under Windischgratz, and beaten them also;
in which case it would have been easy for us to have brought
back the Emperor from Olmutz to Vienna. The matter
would then have been settled, and the constitutional regime
established. Bat the Hungarian army was commanded by
men devoted to the Austrian camarilla. The march of the
army was retarded under various pretexts, and thus time
was given to the Austrian forces to concentrate about Vienna,
and to crush it before the attack had been made. It was
only the day when Vienna, weakly defended by the na-
tional guards, fell under the murderous fire of the Austrian
troops, that the Hungarian army advanced to Schwehat,
four leagues from Vienna. The Austrians were enabled to
bring up all their forces to repulse the Hungarians, who,
having become at length aware of the treachery of the r
generals anei superior officers, drove them away, and arrived,
headed alone by young officers, promoted to command on
the spur of the occasion.
Repulsed by the enemy, the Hungarian army re-crossed
the frontier, and took up a position at Presburg.
I was fortunate in being able to quit Vienna, and to ar-
rive in disguise at Presburg. Having offered my services to
the Hungarian Government, the honour was conferred on
me of commanding the army which was to reconquer Tran-
sylvania. Between eighteen and twenty thousand Austrian
troop, with their generals, which the Camarilla had em-
ployed to kindle and keep alive a civil war, performed their
task throughout that country, called to their aid the Rus-
sians (ten thousand of whom came from Wallachia), and
occupied the frontier towns of Hermanstadt and Kronstadt.
This armed intervention of a foreign Power checked for a
moment my progress. However, this state of things did
not last long, and I was fortunate enough to beat both, to
drive them entirely out of Transylvania, and to restore
liberty to that unfortunate country. Such is the state of
things at this m..;ment. You can well imagine what pleasure
I feel when fate puts it into my power to thrash (etriller)
the Muscovites.
I hope that after having put things in order in this coun-
try, I may be able to pass into Hungary, and there to assist
in expelling or destroying the army of Windischgratz. Our
successes are not doubtful ones, our army is effective and
numerous—more than 100,003 men, well armed and ani-
mated with an excellent spirit, may be brought together
and directed against the Austrian army. Inferior in num-
ber, and surrounded by a hoetile population, my arrival
with an army well disciplined and accustomed to fighting
will, I hope, give a mortal blow to the army of Winlisch-
grata.
I do not write to our dear Szulczewski, nor to any other
of my friends, for I have been unfortunate enough to lose
one of the fingers of my right hand by a bullet, and from
which I am still suffering; but I embrace them all most
cordially.
I believe it will be interesting to Mr. Young to learn that
though another wound has increased my bodily sufferings,
though my leg is not as yet completely cured, and that,
since my leaving London, no more splinters have issued
from it, I can walk without a cane, and ride on horseback.
I flatter myself that I may be able to take an active part in
the grand operations that are no•Y in preparation for the
present year.
Please to accept, my Lord, the expression of my greatest
esteem and of my highest consideration.
(Signed)—The General-in-Chief of the Hungarian Army
in Transylvania, BEM.
Mulenbach, April 4, 1849.