The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-17 00:00:00

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SUN'

cognise the inf eir. Time may tell—and it
is by no means I.'tobajale tat the Peace thus
prematurely arrived at may not be hereafter
regarded as so very felicitous an event by the
Peoples of France and England, or one calculated
to add great brilliancy to the Imperial Crown.
There are tales in all languages respecting the
failure of early precautions to avoid dreaded evils
for youthful heirs. We earnestly hope that none
of those taken on the present occasion may here-
after serve to "point a moral or adorn a
tale," to add a further tag to homilies on the
futility of human wishes and human care. That
certain solemnities should attend the birth of
the heir apparent to so imperial an heritage is
doubtless correct, but the exhibition of more-
natural feeling would be far more pleasing. The
transmission by the hands of the Grand Chan-
cellor of the Legion of Honour of the Grand
Cordon of the Order and the Military Medal to
the infant still " muling and puking in its
nurse's arms," is simply ridiculous, and calculated
to bring the noblest, because the most widely-
based order, ever instituted by earthly sove-
reign into contempt and disrepute. As well
might the babe receive an immediate corn
mand, and have its aide-de-camps in attendance
to transmit its orders.

Frcn) one misfortune that attended the last
Prince so welcomed, the present is happily ex-
empted. He has no German Imperial blood to
soast of, and therefore may not be considered a
necessary victim on the Altar of Kingcraft—a
Royal sacrifice to the Moloch of despotism, and to
unholy alliances, that may be deemed objects of
State necessity. The near relationship to the
KAISER did not preserve his inheritance, or his
life, to the youthful King of RoME. Had he been
more roughly cradled—more honestly nurtured—
his fate might have been Tory different, and we
witness with sorrow a departure from the course
which might have rendered the Princely infant,
not merely a child of France, but of its magnani-
mous and mighty people—a suitable "Emperor
of the FRENCH," whenever the time should arrive
for the fu!filuaent of his destinies.

The memorial from the Literary Association of
the Friends of Poland submitted to Lord PAL-
MERSTON, on Saturday la3t, was certainly not un-
called for, nor presented a moment too soon.

Admitting there are individuals in the Ministry
alive to the duty of securing a safe and honour-
able peace, and not insensible to the fact that
justice to Poland is an essential element towards
the attainment of such a peace, it is even more
certain that secret influences are at work, which
would have Poland thrown overboard altogether,
or left to the uncovenanted mercies of her oppres-
sors. It is well, therefore, that the Premier
should be reminded of what the Friends of
Poland, and the country at large, have a right
to look for at his hands, and should be put in
possession of so unanswerable a plea for insisting
on rigid stipulations in favour of Poland being
inserted in the Treaty of Peace now being con-
cocted in Paris. It was no question of chivalry
or romantic interference that was pressed on the
attention of his Lordship through the memorial ;
it was the claims of honour and self-interest,
which alike demand that this country should see
to it, now that the opportunity is presented, that
a national barrier to the aggressions of Russia,
wrongfully prostrated, should be restored, and
the conclusion of a war of right should not be
rendered for ever infamous by the condonation of
a monstrous wrong.
Reminding his Lordship of the fact that the
cause of Poland was in some sort pleaded by a
British Minister, at the Congress of Vienna, as
" the first and most urgent want of Europe ; that
the stipulations then consented to still remain
binding on Russia, and that the signature of the
British Plenipotentiary of 1815 remains for ever
indelibly fixed on that Treaty, which has been
notoriously and scandalously violated by the
Power whom our successes have at last enabled
us to bring to account"—the memorialists not in-
aptly intimate that they have a right to look for
at least equal consideration and firmness, on be-
half of Poland, from the present liberal Govern.-
meat to that shown by a Tory one. Whatever
weight this may have with the Premier—and
it would not redound much to his credit if it had
none—we would fain hope he is not insen-
sible to the reasoning by which it was shown
that so long as the Polish question remains
unsettled, "so long the weak point of European
stability remains where it was, and the balance of
power is, as it were, out of equilibrium ; and this
because Russia, though-in this war she may have
been severely wounded, has as yet suffered no
material or permanent injury to impair her terri-
torial and political position of predominance
towards Europe, which will not be altered so long
as she maintains her present hold of Poland." In
other words, if Poland is suffered to remain in the
unholy bondage of Russia—the Allies have done
nothing towards restoring the lost balance of
power—and Russian predominance, momentarily
overcome, will in a few years be even greater than
ever. Poland, it is justly urged, is the natural
ally of Turkey against Russia, and that ally the
champions of the independence of Turkey will
have left prostrate, though, if Russia be in the
oondition she is represented to be, they might
have raised her ! Forcibly and most truly is
it remarked—" Should the negotiations be
concluded upon terms below what Eu-
rope has a right to expect will be
efficient for curbing Russia, the result will be to
induce that Power to raise her pretensions. She
would thus be proclaimed to the world as being
single-handed a match for all Europe, or, at least,
for so much of Europe as the influence of the
Allies would prevail on to act cordially against
her." What true-hearted Englishman is there
but must agree with what follows?—"Brought up
in the almost religious belief which the spirit of
the last war called forth, that England was the first
country in the world, and as such was equal to the
duties and responsibilities of that position, it is
daily more disheartening to find her considered
only as among four or five of equal pretensions."
It is a fact, stomach it as we may, to this degra-
dation we have been reduced ; and if peace is to
be had without another campaign, the more impe-
ratively is it the duty of Government to insist on
justice to Poland, for otherwise, in this state of
degradation wo must still continue. This is a
consideration which it would be treason to the
country to overlook. On every principle of honour,
justice, and'prudence, we would under other circum-
stances havebeen bound to have interfered peremp-
torily on behalf of Poland ; but as matters go, that
interference is essential to the redemption in some
measure, of our lost prestige. It may or may
not be deemed politic, at the present time, to
insist on a full measure of justice being rendered
to that country, to wit, the restoration of her
independence ; but no ceneeivable pretence could
excuse France and England from insisting on the
observance of the stipulations of the Congress of
Vienna, to which they were parties, before con-
cluding a Treaty of Peace. Should the oppor-
tunity be suffered to pass unimproved, they would
both be dishonoured, and henceforth the might
of Poland would go permanently and cordially to
swell the already oTer-grown strength of Russia.