The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-24 00:00:00

fin

LONDON, TUESDAY, NOVEJIBER 24, 1846.

Treaties are now-a-days little better than waste
paper. England has received cause not merely to
protest against the infraction of the solemn compact
signed at Utrecht in 1713, but to assert and main-
tain the sanctity of international stipulations just
violated by the rupture of that Vienna treaty, by
which the assembled Sovereignties of Europe, in
1815, endeavoured to ensure a perpetual peace.
Austria, Russia, and Prussia have broken faith.
They had virtually drawn the sword by their con-
temptuous intrigues to foment a spirit of insubordi-
nation in Galicia; they have now thrown away the
scabbard by their recent occupation and annexation of
Cracow. No more insolent act of violence was ever
committed against the most sacred rights of an inde-
pendent race; no more execrable deed of spoliation
was ever perpetrated by three despotic and perfidious
protectors; no more infamous infringement of inter-
national engagements was ever attempted in civilised
times. By this extravagant and deplorable proceed-
ing the confidence of nations in each other has
been utterly destroyed ; the honour of imperial
majesty has been rendered a scorn and a mockery ;
the tranquillity which Europe had hoped to render
permanent, after such enormous bloodshed, and at
such prodigious sacrifices, has, after a precarious con-
tinuation during thirty-one years, ultimately proved
to be an unparalleled delusion.
According to the sixth article of the memorable
treaty proclaimed by the Congress of Vienna, the re-
publican city of Cracow with its circumjacent territories
was declared to have its freedom, its independence,
and its neutrality ensured to it in perpetuity. To
guarantee the performance of this solemn compact in
favour of the last shadow which remained of the
chivalrous but dismembered kingdom of Poland, three
protectors were nominated—Russia, Prussia, aad Aus-
tria. Those magnanimous Governments have broken
the trust reposed in them by the rest of Europe : a pro-
clamation was issued under their sanction, and au-
thenticated by the signature of General CASTIGLIONT,
on the 16th of November, 1846, announcing the abro-
gation of the treaty solemnly entered into on the 3d
May, 1815. Cracow is thereby incorporated with
the territories of the Austrian empire. Galicia is
divided into two portions, East Galicia retaining Lem-
burg as its capital and the seat of its administra-
tion, IVest Galicia receiving Cracow as its
capital, and including within its boundaries the circles
of Rzeszois, Bochnia, and Joslaw. The plea which
the imperial conspirators have the audacity to ad-
vance for this atrocious disregard of all moral obliga-
tions is—can it be credited ?—the treachery of the
Cracovian Republic in the Galician insurrection !
Was ever the intelligence of mankind so gratuitously
And egregiously insulted? Cracow is deprived of the
liberties which had been insured to it by the bonded
nations of continental, of insular, and of peninsular
Europe, because a mob of Austrian insurgents chose
to render it the scene of their depredations and
violence ! Cracow was passive in th© revolt
of cralicia ; it .sl,;as the victim of that revolt; it