The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-18 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY, MISCH 18, 1856.

The Times offers to the Premier the "retort
courteous." Lord PALXERSTON, on Saturday,
declared that the memorial and the remarks of
the deputation from the Literary Association of
the Friends of Poland should receive the earnest
consideration of the Government. The Leviathan
this morning expresses a doubt "if any French
or English statesman would entertain it (the sub-
ject of that memoriai) at the present moment,"
and snubs the First Lord of the Treasury for not
having given a more decisive answer to the Polish
deputation, and informed them at once that the
regeneration or reconstitution of Poland is not to
be made one of the conditions of peace.

The ground for hope is certainly not very great ;
but it is difficult to conceive how a Nobleman
and Gentleman could use the expressions attri-
buted to the head of her MAJESTY'S Government
if the preliminaries of peace had been already
virtually agreed on, and without any refer-
ence to Poland. The request 83 urgently
put• forward in that memorial, and for which
many valid reasons were assigned, was
that " some special instruction might be given
to her MAJESTY'S Plenipotentiaries not to let the
negotiations conclude without taking into conside-
ration the situation and claims of Poland, with a
view to the introduction of some positive stipula-
tions in her favour in any treaty of Peace to be
signed with Russia." That question will " receive
the earnest consideration of the Government."
But that would be impossible if it were already dis-
posed of, and the British representatives precluded
from fresh demands. There is, therefore, but
one alternative. Either the matter has been
already urged under the Fifth Point, as it may
have been, although in such case the diplomatic
secret has been better preserved than usual, or
that the definitive arrangement is further off than
has been supposed. Either solution of the diffi-
culty would be joyously received by every true-
hearted Englishman, although, considering the
sinister influences in operation, and the flunkey-
ism exhibited to Germanism, we fear that either
would be too good news to be well founded.
But the Times goes further. It boldly argues
that no such attempt ought to be made, because,
forsooth, "the great crime has been consummated,"
therefore should' the plunderer be left in possession
o the bleeding prey. " The scourging, the ba-
nishment; the hanging, the shooting, the system of
organised murder, which has prevailed in Poland
for upwards of quarter of a century, have done
their work." Ergo, we are to leave the victims
still under the above-recited g'intle system of per-
-131143i013, as amply sufficient to induce them to
forget their once glorious nationality, and to
render devoted allegiance to the oppressors.
And these are the opinions of the soi disant
organ of public opinion in England ! There is to
be a'. statute, of limitation for Crime. If the
rule.has been sufficiently brutal—if the knout,
the gibbet, and the fic7i/trvie hive been suffi-
ciently active, the sufferers will no longer sigh
for liberty, but acquiesce in the degrading yoke !
It is,not, it cannot bo so. We are told on high
authority

" That Freedom's battle once begun,
",Bequeathed from bleeding sire to son,
Though baffled oft, is ever won !"
And so it will be in the present instance. While
so many of her gallant children offer themselves
as living pretests against the atrocious guilt, pre-
ferring voluntary exile to vile submission, there
is hope for the nation.
The maintenance of that hope is of vast im-
portance to Europe, more especially to the Western
Powers. It would indeed be a fatal day, to be
marked with the darkest charcoal, when the
oppressed victims were taught to believe that
their only resource was unconditional submission
to, and complete amalgamation with, Russia.
When that day arrives the time will not be far
rcmoved when, according to the prophecy of the
founder of the dynasty that has just witnessed a
new claimant to its honours, Europe will become

Cossack.
But the Leviathan also declares that if the
French EMPEROR were to say that " if an exten-
sion is to be given to the War, lie must be eati:-
tled to name the conditions upon which he would
feel himself justified in involving in it the
fate of his dynasty and the fortunes of
his country !" And so he ought. And
England ought to grant such reasonable condi-
tions ! What should forbid it ? The interests
of Uncle LEOPOLD, and our Brother-in-law of
Prussia ! Oh, the curse of these Royal alliances,
when every just, and honourable, and manly sen-
timent is to be crushed in the bud, lest it might
displease the Coburg-Germanic spirit ! What has
King LEOPOLD done for England, or for France ?
Has he sent a single soldier to their aid, or ex-
pended a single franc for their benefit ? Has he
not rather been intriguing on bekalf of his more
highly-prized, although more recent, connection at
Vienna ? His gratitude being best defined as " a
lively sense of favours yet to come," and all that
could be hoped for from Great Britain having
already been sacked ! why should we defend
Prussia, who, at best, has maintained an inglori-
ous neutrality, while all her aspirations were in
favour of our opponent ! in whose favour she tes-
tified as far as she dared ! Why should all the bene-
fit be given to the least meritorious ? There can be
no cause but a past and future marriage ; one of
which is now by no means popular in this country,
and that said to be on the tapis disgusting to every
rue-hearted Englishman. Give France Belgium
nd Rhenish Prussia, if she desires them, but
liberate and regenerate Poland. Rescue that
magnificent nation from its miserable fate, Ele-
vate its oppressed people. It would, indeed,
form a safeguard against evil designs in
any quarter—would once more become the
shield of Europe--would be a better uncle or
cousin for England than any cold-blooded and
heartless despot that could be named, whether
of the house of BRANDENBURG or COBURG.

Most of our readers have doubtless had their
laugh over that humorously satirical print re-
presenting the hanging of a cat

" on Monday,
For catching inice o' the Sunday,"
regarding it as a broad caricature of alt. Puritanic