The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-18 00:00:00

Ny DECEMBER 18, 1846. 13 iif t: I-- SD.

THE SEIZURE OF CRACOW.

A pulJlic meeting was held at the National Hall, Hol-
born, on Wednesday evening, on the subject of the
&Azure of Cracow by the three despotic powers—Aus-
tria, Russia, and Prussia," on which occasion the ball was
tilled by a respectable and enthusiastic audience. Dr.
lio wring, M.P., took the chair at eight o'clock. Letters
were read from Lord Dudley Stuart, T. S. Duncombe,
Esq., M P., Colonel Thompson, Mr. George Thompson,
•Sr. Douglas Jerrold, and Mr. H. Vincent, excusing
;heir attendance, but expressing deep sympathy in the

.h.pers or the meeting.
The CHAIR:SIAN in opening the proceedings of the
,vening said, that at the close of the last session of Par-
liament, a motion was brought before the House of Com-
mons, calling upon it to inquire whether the treaty of
Vienna had not been violated ; and, further, to inquire

iota those calamities which had occurred in Galicia.
lie felt but little sympathy in that motion ; he had
)ever recognised the treaties of Vienna, Utrecht, and
idler treaties, as the law of Europe, for he never con-
iented to allow that the destinies of man depended on
the arrangements made by those who had tyrannised
over him.—(Hear, hear.) He felt that as those treaties
were made by despots, so by despots they would be
broken—(Cheers)—but he there pledged himself, that if
no other Member of the House would present the Polish
question to its attention in all its integrity and its great-
nes,s, he would undertake to do so.—(Cheers.) They
now had seen ruthless hands laid on the last
fragment of Polish liberty. The Greek, who saw the
statues of,the Parthenon taken away, said, in his lamen-
tation; " I was there I saw it ;" and so Englishmen
and the friends of liberty throughout the world would
tell the despots of the north that they had.seen the de-
,soeiling of Polatid,und branded the despoilers too ; and
that they patiently waited their time.—(Cheers.) The
history of Poland was spread over ten centuries of dire
vicissitude, but in the last half century she had vibrated
betwi en hope tut fetir 4. 'her nationality, her language,
her popular spirit, bad, however, not been destroyed,
and as she had been revived before she would be resus-
citated again.—(Cheers.) Judging from the sympathy
of such a meeting as that which he was then addressing,
he did not doubt but that Poland would yet resume her
high and honest position among the nations of the world.
—(Cheers.) He congratulated them that Cracow no
longer -existed as an independent state. It was not a
question now as to 200,000 Cracovians, but as to 20,000,000
Poles ; and they should now hope to see Poland re-con-
stituted.—(Loud cheers.) He could not, forget, how-
ever, that Cracow was the spot where the first northern
university was established, and from which the no-
blest declaration of religious liberty which had ever
been made to the world emanated. (Cheers.)
He could not forget that it was the. place where the
monarchs of Poland were crowned, and where they
still reposed; he could not forget that it was associated
with the names of C )pernicus, Casimir, Kosciusko,
Poniatowski, and Sobieski.—(Loud dicers.) He rejoiced
to feel that his countrymen were deeply interested in the
cause of liberty, which was the cause of man.—(Cheers.)
He was a friend to peace, but he looked to the triumphs
of peace in the triumphs of liberty—(Renewed cheers)—
and he knew that peace could never be established until
the great rights and the mighty interests of humanity
were recognised.—(Hear, hear.) He , felt sure that it
was in that spirit they had met together; they saw their
Polish brethren afflicted and trampled upon, but they
found them full of energetic protests, appealing to Eng-
lishtnen, and to the world, and asking for a kind and
generous sympathy by those who loved freedom them-
selves, and were disposed to aid others who were strug-
gling for it.—(Cheers.) It had been truly said that to
desire more virtue was to obtain it ; and he felt equally
certain that to wish for more liberty was to obtain it
also. Forty years ago, who would have dreamed that
Greece would have a national government, and a national
language spoken at Athens ? yet now she had a repre-
sentative and a national government, and these were
but the seeds of the good fruit which would follow.
He called upon his fellow countrymen now to sow
the seed of Polish liberty, and the smiles of Poles
would be the sunshine which should ripen them. He
called upon Englishmen to encourage their Polish
brethren in the work which they were undertaking, be-
cause it was a holy work, a godlike work, and a work
that would prosper.—(Cheers.)
Mr. MOORE then moved, and Mr. SAVAGE seconded,
the following resolution, which was unanimously carried:
" That this meeting, though it views with disgust and
abhorrence the attempt of the three Powers to complete
the annihilation of Poland, and the destruction of the
Polish cause by the seizure of Cracow, yet cannot help
expressing its satisfection at the violation, by such
seizure, of that infamous compact known by the name of
the treaty of Vienna, inasmuch as that violation ex-
poses nakedly to the world the designs and objects of the
three Powers, and deprives them of all pretence for
again appealing to that treaty in support of the present
tyrannies of Europe."
Mr. WILLIAM HOWITT (who was received with un-
unbounded applause), in moving the next resolution,
sail he rejoiced in the breach of the treaty of Vienna;
Europe was now virtually without a treaty. Every
treaty contracted by the Northern Powers was now
broken by the breach of faith of which they had been
guilty.—(Hear, hear.) This country had been ex-
tremely d.ficient in the expression of its sympathy with
Poland. They had left that unhappy country to the
despots, who wished to annihilate every spark of liberty.
—([sear, hoar.) It was seventy years since the first
partition of Poland had taken place; and what had we
done for her? It was more than forty years since
Thomas Campbell, the poet, made a most heart-stirring
appeal to the friends of liberty on the subject of Poland,
and said that—
" Down to the dust oppression should be hurled,
Her name and nature banished from the world"—
(Cheers)—but still had the tyrants gone on dismember-
ing that devoted country and tearing her limb from
limb ; and when had the British people come for% ard
with that dignity which became such a people as the
English, and made the voice of a great nation of free-
men—which was ever omnipotent—heard by this oppres-
sors of Poland?—;(Hear.) We owed a great debt of
gratitude to Poland. At the end of the seventeenth
century, when the whole of Europe was menaced by an
invasion from the Turks, it was the brave Sobieski and
his gallant Poles who maintained the
.safety of Europe
and the preservation of Christianity.—(Cheers.) The
Austrians were unable to compete with their Turkish
foes, who had devastated the whole country, and sent
about 90,000 of its inhabitants into slavery ; they had
reached the walls of Vienna ; famine prevailed in the
city ; and it was about to be delivered up, when
Sobieski, with his brave army, triumphed over the
enemies of Christianity. marched in friendly triumph
through the streets of Vienna, and finally chased them
out of Europe.—(Cheers.) e asserted, therefore, that
we owed a debt of gratitude to the brave and enlightened
Poles.—(Cheers.) Mr. Howitt, in a powerful speech,
then alluded to some other prominent features in Polish
history, and contended that, although he was a friend to
peace, unless Englishmen, as a nation, spoke out, and
put an end to further breaches of treaties, war was in•
evitable. The speaker concluded by moving the follow-
ing resolution, which was seconded. by Mr. Holyoake,
and carried by acclamation :
" That the treaty of Vienna, which pretended to finally
settle the Governments of Europe, being now over-
thrown, there can no longer be any question, even
among those who respected the treaty, as to the neces-
sity of reconsidering the present construction of what
are called the Governments of Europe; that this meet-
ing, therefore, deems the present a fit opportunity for
re-asserting the right of every nation to choose its own
Government, to protect its own nationality, and that it
re-echoes the appeal of the Liberals of France, in ex-
pressing towards the Poles its warmest sympathy, con-
fident of the resurrection of Poland and the ultimate
triumph of liberty and justice."
The next resolution, moved by Mr. J. W. LINTON, and
seconded by Mr. J. NVATSON, was as follows:
" That an association be now formed, whose object
shall be to spread over the widest field the principles
of national liberty and progress, and to aim in estab-
lishing a good understanding among the people of all
countries." _ _

~ ..
........
The resolution having been unanimously carried,
thanks were voted to the chairman, and the meeting
dissolved.

SOCIETY FOR THE AMENDMENT
OF THE LAW.
A special meeting of this society.was held on Wednes-
day evening, at the rooms of the society,m Regent-street.
to take into consideration the questions of secondary
punishments and the treatment of juvenile offenders.
At eight o'clock Mr. Commissioner Fonblanque took
the chair. The minutes of the last meeting having been
read and confirmed,
Mr. M. D. HILL rose to address the meeting on the
subject which they had been convened to consider. He
began by alluding to the various plans which had been
laid before the board on the subject, and expressed his
satisfaction that the Government had resolved to give
the plan of Captain Machonochie a trial. He hoped that
whatever modifications might be intended, they would
not be such as would peril the success of the plan itself.
An experiment which had not excited much attention
had been made on the subject. He held in his hand a
report of the proceedings of a society with which he
was well acquainted, and which had been established for
the reformation of juvenile offenders in the county of
Warwick so far back as the year 1818. It appeared that
of the young persons committed in thatcounty 60 per cent.
had been sent to the asylum at Dunsford Heath, and
that the expense was 25l a head. From a private paper
which had been transmitted to him by Mr. Edward
Rushton, police-magistrate in Liverpool, it appeared that
out of the cases of young offenders who had from time to
time been brought before him, tried, punished, and dis-
charged, the reformations were few indeed, while the
average expense of prosecution merely was 561. for each
individual, being more than double the expense of those
offenders who had been sent to the asylum at Dunsford
Heath. The system of reformation was, therefore, less
expensive than prosecution. Another experiment had
been tried. Since 1841 it had been the practice at the
Birmingham Quarter Sessions to send young offenders,
not to gaol, but to their masters. The number of per-
sons so discharged up to last Michaelmas Quarter Ses-
sions was 113. Of that number there were 40 whose
conduct was decidedly bad ; 25 doubtful, for they had
left their employment ; and 44 whose conduct had stood
the test of time and examination. Here, then, without
guy (Reuse or infliction of pain, out of 113 offenders

there were 44 cases of successrul treatment, and only
40 cases of failure. From the rt ports of the inspectors
of prisons in Scotland, and from the information of
chaplains, governors, and inspectors of prisons in Scot-
land and England, it :Tile ared that the minds or those
officials were anxiously turned to the subject of the re
formation of criminals, and that they all spoke hopefully
on the subject. The question had been taken up by the
present solicitor of the city of London, Mr. r. Pearson,
by the Middlesex magistrates, and a very interesting
report had teen drawn up on ti-.e same sufject by the •
chaplain of the Philanthropic Society, the Hey. Sidney
Turner. A series or papers, written by the editor of
the Brrnainghanz Herald, on the subject of criminal
formation, had produced a great efnct in the midland
counties, in -whiA that newspaper had a Loge circula-
tion. His intention on the present occasion was to move
that all these papers be referred to the committee On
criminal law, that they might`report on the various plat a
for the improvement of the treatment of criminals, and
young persons likely to become criminal,,, and al;o as to
the principles upon which punishment ought to be
awarded. The repression or diminution of crime was
the object he had in view. He admitted that the public
had a right to inflict pain on the criminal, if by so doing
they were taking the best mode of repres,inv, crime.

It was because he believed it was not the best mode that
he was hostile to it. It was now conceded that the only
principles on which they were justified in inflicting pain
on their fellow-men who had become criminal, was first,
that the pain operated so as to deter others from the like
offence, and, secondly, that it prevented the offender
from relapsing into crime. He denied that these two
principles came into conflict. Pain inflicted solely with
a view to reformation would operate also by way of
example, and the principle of example ought to give w.iy
to reformation, and not reformation to example. To
render the infliction of pain effective as a means of de-
terring from crime, it was necessary that it should be
certain and prompt ; but they had no ground for beli-v-
-ing that thus any approach could be made-to such cer-
tainty in all cases in the punishment of criminals.
Under the present system the number of persons
re-committed was enormous, and the number of times
some were re-committed was also enormons. In a
report of the inspector of prisons in seorlsed, it
was stated that he found in the Edinburgh Gaol
an old woman on the ere of her departure from
the gaol for the eighty-fifth time, who had 11, en
preceded the previous day by another old woman, who
had departed for the ninety-ninth time. He would not
have the criminal subjected to a greater amount of pain
than was necessary for reformation, but he would have
him subject to all pain necessary for that purpose. He
ought not to be permitted to mingle in society until
thoroughly reformed. Dante had described theg ates of
hell as having over them the inscription—" Abandon all
hope ye who enter here." Over every prison door in
England he would have inscribed, "Abandon ye who
enter here all hope of departing until you aro reformed."
He was aware that some effect was produced by the
present mode of punishment, but a much greater and a
much more beneficial effect would be gained by the
adoption of the principle which he advocated, viz., the
inflicting of punishment with a direct reference to the
reformation of the criminal. There was no relation
between any given offence and any given punishment.
The feelings revolted from inflicting on an in-
dividual guilty of a petty offence an unlimited
amount of punishment. Ile apprehended that the
ultimate object of reformation ought to be to
enable the criminal to return, to society with such
principles and habits as would enable him to stand his
ground, so that he might not fall again into crime. A
complete servile obedience might make him a slave, but
would not fit him for society. Want of self-control was
the cause of his fall, and before he should be allowed to
return to society he must be placed in circumstances in
which he could acquire the habit of self-control. Pro-
bably the separate system of confinement, which was
not to be confounded with the solitary system, would be
the best commencement for a reformative discipline. On
the present occasion, however, he would not enter into
details. He did not shrink from saying that, in his
opinion, a prison should be for the moral man what a
hospital was for the physical. He upheld the analogy
in all its parts except one. A hospital turned out in-
curable patients. His hospital should retain the incur-
able. He concluded by moving that the various plans
be referred to the committee on criminal lax, to report
thereon, with reference to the treatment of criminals,
and also as to the principles on which punisment ought
to be awarded.

The motion was then put and unanimously agreed to,
and the meeting separated.

TWELVE FIRES IN ONE DAY.
Within twenty-four hours of eleven on Wednesday
morning not less than twelve fires occurred in different
parts of the metropolis. Subjoined is an analysis of the
whole of them, in the order in which they occurred:—
Tuesday morning, eleven A.m., a fire broke out upon
the premises occupied by Mr.'F. H. el,,ake,shop-fixtut e
dealer, wl,ich did some considerable damage before it
was extinguished. The fire is said to have originated in
1 the stove at the next door. The buildings and contents
are insured in the Phcenix Office.
At six o'clock in the evening an alarm wrs given that
a fire was burning upon the premises in tie occupation
of Mr. J. Hynam, lucifer-match maker, Wilson-street,
Finsbury. The ignition was caus.'d by the over-heating
of the drying-room, and the consequence was that a st.,ek
of 5,000 bundles of splints for lueifers was destroyed in
a fire-proof building. Not insured.
One hour later, at 69, Cornhill, upon the premises of
Mr. Walter Berdoe, tailor. This fire did but trifling.
damage. Contents insured in the Dissenters' Office.
At forty-fire minutes past eleven considerable injury
was done to the premises of Mr. Robeit Frost, Dutcher,
38, Back-road, St. Georg's in the East, The fire caught
the flooring, and the ceiling underneath was much
damaged. The fire was caused by a cinder shooting
from the fire.

Wednesday morning at one A.m., upon the premi,es oe
John Johnson, Esq., coal in...rct,ant, known as New
Wharf, Abingdon-street, Westminster, the coal porter's
lobby, ten feet by six feet, was destroyed and the roof
burnt off, and a shed adjoining much dau.aged. Contents
insured in the Licensed Yictuallt•rs' Office; building in
the Sun. _ _

At half-past ten a serious fire occurred €4l the range
of premises in the occupation of Mr. P. Olney, fell-
monger, Market-street, Bermondsey, by which the
drying-stove was nearly destroyed. The damage to the
adjoining wool loft was alight, but a considerable portion
of the contents were injured by fire and water. The call
by the police was very prompt, and fortunately there
was a good supply of water upon the spot, from which
the engines were worked. The roof was slightly damaged.
Insured.

About the same time a fire broke out in Shoreditcb,
upon premises in the occupation of Mr. Attw,ll, butcher,
of Holywell-lane. The damage was fortunately confined
to the contents of the second floor.

By far the most serious fire burst forth, however, at
thirty-five minutes past three o'clock, in the worshops is
the occupation of Mr. John House, wire-blind maker, 35,
Cannon-street-road, St. George's in the East. The fire,
it appears, originated through the adjoining glass-
blowing furnace, which, it seems, was contiguous to the
division-wall of the premises. Notwithstanding the
most strenuous efforts were made by the firemen, the
flames were not extinguished before the worshops and
rooms over were destroyed. Mr. Bradford's premises,
next door (the glass-blower's), were injured, and a shed
burned down. Mr. Robert Perks, rule maker, 36 had
some damage done to his premises; and Mr. Thomas,
undertaker, slightly suffered. Building insured in the
Dissenters' Office: conlonts not in either case insured.
The other fires were but of trifling importance.

DEATH OF LIEUT.-COL. FOUNTAIN ELWIN, K.C.
—This distinguished c,fficer expired on the Bth inst., at
his residence at Peckham, aged sixty-seven. lie served
in the Egyptian campaign of 1801, with the 44th Foot,
and witnessed the actions of the 13th and 21st of March.
He commanded a company in the Light Battalion, under
Sir James Kempt, in the expedition to Naples in 1806.
In 1813 ha landed in Sicily, in command of five com-
panies, and accompanied the expedition to Italy, under
Lord William Bentinck. He subsequently served in the
Peninsula until the termination of the war in 1814, being
for the most part of the time in command of the left
wing of the 44th Regiment. His last service was before ,
Paris, where he was in command of the 44th Foot. He
received a medal for his gallant conduct in Egypt, and
the order of the Crescent from the Sultan. Colonel
Elwin's commissions were thus dated : —Ensign, April
27, 1798
isilla;
ej
owr,a June
Lieutenant,uonne
t4h.
se
hllla
317
palanOyd,
Ls7ti9esBui
n;
Lee.
since
March,ne Jan.JuBll76l2. 42;
11880320.;
ACCIDENT TO THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE.—
We regret to intimate that his Lordship, while out with
a shooting party on the 9th current, at Drumore, on the
lands of the Earl of Selkirk, near St. Mary's Isle, ty,for-
tunately met with an untoward accident. After firing.
he was in the act of reloading, when, from small por-
tions of wadding having been left in the gun, or some
other cause unknown, the powder flask exploded. awl
was blown into we know not how many pieces. Provi-
dentially, we rejoice to say, his Lordship's hand escaped
injury, but his eyes and face were severely scorched.
He is, however, convalescent, and will ere long surmount,
even in appearance, the inconveniences arising from the
work of a moment.—DumfriesCourier.
THE RAJA OF SATTARA.—A meeting was held on
Wednesdaynight at the Westminster Literary Institution,
Great Smith-street, to petition Parliament for an inquiry
into the case of the Raja of Sattara. The accredited
agent of the Raja in this country, Rungo Bapojee at-
tended, and also Mr. George Thompson. The chair
was taken by Mr. Noggins. Mr. George Thompson ad-
dressed the meeting at considerable length in support of
the claims of the Raja, and resolutions were passed to
the following effect:—First, that the meeting had
listened with painful emotions to the narrative of the
treatment which the ex-Raja of Sattara had received
from the British-Indian authorities, and pledged itself
to the employment of all just and proper means to ob-
tain for that Prince the restoration of his rights and
ample reparation of his wrongs; and next, that a peti-
tion should be presented to Parliament for inquiring into
the Raja's case. The meeting then separated.
A MERRY ANDREW.-Sir Andrew. Agnew being
asked what was a " moral engine," replied, " A railway
engine that does not run on the Sunday."—Punch.