The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-21 00:00:00

POLAND.

(From the Polish Journal, IViadomosei Polskie.)
The following despatch has been addressed to Count
Andrew Zamoyski, president of the Polish Agricultura 1
Society, in the kingdom of Poland

Tho Chief Director and President of the Government Com -
mission on Internal and Religious Affairs to the Presi-
dent of the Agricultural Society of Poland.
Warsaw, May 2-14, 1860.
I have had the honour to receive a despatch from the
Prince Viceroy of the kingdom of Poland, dated May 11-
23, 1860, to the following effect :
The Agricultural Society established in the kingdom of
Poland, having lately extended the scope of its operations,
had in some particulars departed from the regulations laid
down for its guidance and chiefly from the instructions
contained in Art. 15, 16, 27, 35, 40, and 41.
As under Art. 41 of the Regulations of the society, all
changes in such regulations are only to take effect from the
date of their approval by the Viceroy of the kingdom,
H.I.M. the Emperor and King, on being informed of the
state of things noticed above, has been pleased to order as
follows :

1. The Government having determined on the course to
be pursued in the direction of the operations of the society,
on the recommendation of a committee formed of its own
members, as also on the places and times of meeting, and
of the distribution of prizes by the society, considers the
formation of subdivisions of any kind for the admini-
stration and direction of operatives of the society
quite contrary to the spirit of the Regulations, and
productive of endless inconsistencies. All commis-
sions, therefore, whether general or divisional, with
the single exception of those mentioned in Art. 36 of
the itegutatio.., ae :ago every kind of "iNixiroitto. except
that established by Art. 15 of the Regulations, shall cease
from this date. Members of the society who do not belong
to the committee mentioned in Art. 15 of the Regulations
may act in conjunction at the general meetings of the society
only. The committee of the society shall not, however, be
forbidden to appoint temporary commissions consisting of
two or three members for the purpose of inquiring into any
one fact that may deserve extraordinary notice, and relate
exclusively to agriculture, Such temporary commissions
must dissolve after i endering their report to the committee.
The examination of, and granting of qualifying certificates
to, articles for agricultural purposes and inventions sub-
mitted for the approval of the society, shall be conducted by
the committee in the first instance, and the results sub-
mitted to the society.
2. The society shall, under Art. 40 of the Regulations,
distribute medals and other prises, during the 'yearly
public meeting in the month of June. The committee
shall send to medalists and prizemen, not present at the
general meeting, the rewards assigned to them, through
the medium of the administrative authorities,—viz., the
Civil Governors.

3. As all numerous meetings and distribution of
prizes can only take place with the concurrence of
the Government authorities, and not under the orders of
any society whatever, or its commissioners, there being no
law giving those such right, competitions relating to
ricultural matters, horse races, and, all exhibitions of
agricultural implements, shall only be allowed to take
place by special authority from the administrative council.
His Highness the Prince desires me to make known,
without delay, to the agricultural society, his Imperial
Majesty's wishes on these points, and to ensure their ful-
filment.

In complying with the orders of his Highness the Prince
Viceroy, I have the honour to request that you will be
good enough to take the Necessary steps to fulfil the wish
of his Imperial Majesty as above expressed.
(Signed) MUCHANOII,
Member of the Privy Council,
•
(Signed) SADOWSKI,
Chief of the Department.
This document is so clear that it requires little explana-
tion from us. It will be sufficient to rocal to the minds of
our readers the reasons which promoted the establishment
of an Agricultural Society in the kingdom of Poland, and
the means by which its operations were carried on, to show
the full meaning of the above despatch, and the importance
of the lesson it conveys.
When, three years ago, an agricultural reform was pro-
mised, it was at once clear that Poland, although highly
fitted for a change, could not undergo it without some pre-
paration. It was necessary that the nobles should first con-
sider together how to manage their estates so as to avoid
losing the rest of their revenues and property by the change
of circumstances; it was necessary that the peasants should
be exalted to think of their own interests before the time
should come when they would have no one to think for
them ; and further, it was necessary to secure friendly re-
lations among the rural populations, in order that agricul-
tural produce might not be lost amid changes and quarrels
between neighbours. In order to satisfy these pressing and
evident wants the Agricultural Society was established.
General sessions were established for the consultations of
landholders; exhibitions and competitions for prizes stimu-
lated the peasants to independence of thought and action ;
and to convince the poorer classes of the sympathy of the richer
prizes were given for industry, honesty, and general good
conduct. All this, we repeat, was simply a consequence of
the agricultural reforms and existing circumstances ; it was
in the true spirit of the society, and not only was in no re-
spect contrary to the regulations, but, so to say, aft inevitable
expansion of them. All this, M. Muchanou • now over-
throws. And not satisfied with forbidding the members of
the society to conduct their most important operations, he
disturbs the organization of the society, abolishes the ordi-
nary committee of assistance, and places obstacles in the
way of co-operation of the members. With one stroke of
his pen he cuts off every thing that constituted the real
value of the society to the country, and leaves it only its
name—for the admiration of foreigners.
We must confess that, accustomed as we have been of
yore by the Russian Government to all kinds of abuses,
M. Muchanou has this time succeeded in raising our asto-
nishment, and we think that were he asked his reason for
the dispatch above quoted, he would find it difficult to give
a satisfactory answer. He knows well that the acts of the
society were frank and open, and that they concealed no-
thing; he knows better than any one that its members
have in no respect infringed the instructions of Government,
and that in none of their meetings have they ever touched
on any question that might excite the slightest shade of
suspicion. To give the nobles a higher and more social occu-
pation, and wean them from the dissipation of their time and
their strength; to excite in the minds of the peasants
a liking for improved agriculture and a higher standard of
education ; by these means to double the wealth and labour
• of the country; such were the chief aims of the society.
Unfortunately, in the eyas of Russians, they were also its
chief crimes.
It has been forcibly said that no country should ride over
another country, because the ruling power cannot itself be
ruled. A foreigner ruling over a vanquished nation only
takes the trouble to learn its feelings and aspirations in
order to wound and stifle them more effectually. The more
successfully he t rtures the people, and the more curses and
dissatisfaction he hears about him, the more fully persuaded
he is of his power, and the greater his faith in his supe-
riority. Thus, for the first time for a long series of years, a
Polish province had the opportunity of promoting its mate-
rial well-being by means of its united strength; and, forth-
with, all rushed to this field of enterprise, labouring quietly
and perseveringly, and laying aside or delaying all other
th ,ughts. But the sight was too much for the Russian
G,,vernment. Without aim or reason it again makes us feel
its stifling grasp, and reminds us that so long as it rules in
Poland, a peaceful, or even an ordinary normal condition
of life, must be for the Poles an impossibility. " Such,"
says the poet, "is the curse of crime. Crimes only spring
from its stock."

HAYMARKET lIEATRE.—MISS AMY SEDGWICIE.
—This accomplished and popular artiste closes her present
engagement with her benefit on Saturday evening next,
when she will make her appearance as the heroine of an
original comedy, entitled " Does he love me ?" The
crowded houses which have been uniformly attracted by
Miss Se !gwick's performances amply bear testimony to the
estimation in which she is held by the public.