The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-11 00:00:00

POSEN.

A gentleman who has just arrived from Posen gives
the following account of the state of affairs in that
Duchy :
" I left Posen on Monday (the 3d instant), and the
territory of the duchy on the following day. Every-
thing was proceeding then with order, and, under the
existing circumstances, surprising tranquillity and ab-
sence of all violence prevailed in every part of the coun
try. The Poles were continuing to form themselves into
regiments, and preparing for war. War against Russia,
fraternity and mutual assistance with Prussia, was the
motto of the whole native population. There are about
30,000 Polish peasants armed with scythes, pikes, &e.
Gentlemen carry muskets, pistols, sabres. Every dis-
trict has its cavalry. On the other hand, the Prussian
Government has it awn together about 30,000 men, of
whom 12,000 (all regular army) are at Posen. The
military are behaving with the utmost forbearance,
and do not in the least disturb the Poles in their
proceedings. The latter are being drilled under
the very eyes of Prussian authorities. In the town of
Posen, under the very cannons of the citadel, about a
thousand men muster every day to make evolutions
under the immediate command of the Refugee Miero-
slawski. It is true that in certain parts of the Duchy,
the German population, pretending to be in fear of the
Poles, have also armed, and in two places have expelled
commissaries of the Polish committee. It is also true
that a great animosity prevails where the German
population finds itself in a majority. At Posen the
numbers are almost equal, and it is the fear of collision
between those distinct bodies and the frequent cases of
desertion from the ranks of the Prussian army,
that have obliged the authorities, acting with-
out any positive orders from Berlin, to pro-
claim the town in a state of siege. But the
Ministry in Berlin have blamed it, and no doubt by this
time the state of siege must have been raised. All
the time, however, the National Committee con-
tinue sitting at the Hotel de Ville, issue orders and
proclamations, send emissaries, publish every day
Moniteur, as an official organ, collect money, in one
word exercise every influence and enjoy every attri-
bute of legitimate authority. It has its delegate com-
missaries in every district, and chiefs to organize the
army. General Willisen has been at Posen, and was
expected at Berlin on the 7th inst. to make his report
and to agree with the Government as to the ultimate
re-organization of the Duchy. The three following points
have, according to a report from a very good source,
been already determined upon:-1. A separate and ex-
clusively Polish Administration. 2. Every facility and
encouragement given to the development of Polish
nationality, national schools, university, &c. 3. An
army of the Duchy of Posen, composed mainly from
the existing landwehr of Posen. The chief is to bo a
Prussian General, but all other officers are to be exclu-
sively Poles. All who served during the war of inde-
pendence in 1831 are to be admitted to the ranks then
obtained, from whatever part of Poland they come.
Among the Poles I met everywhere the highest d. gree
of enthusiasm. Union, oblivion of all former diver-
gences of opinion, national independence, adjourning. to a
better season all questions about the future form of go-
vernment, the social and territorial re-construction o'
Poland, is the universal watchword among them. The
peasant and the noble, the poor and the rich, are frater-
nizing, and have banished all distrust from among
them. There has not been a single case of violence
among the Poles themselves. The rumours of the pea-
sants burning the castles of the nobility, &c., are put in
circulation by the German functionaries, and all those
who have been fattening on the duchy of Posen, and
been employed by Government as instruments for dena-
tionalising it, and who now see that with the new order
of things they will be obliged either to remove, or to
discontinue their nefarious proceedings."

DENMARK AND THE DUCHIES.

The German troops are concentrating on the fron-
tiers of the Duchies, but have not yet violated the
Danish territory, in consequence, it is said, of the
interposition of England.