The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-26 00:00:00

POLAND.

We have received the following from Warsaw :
" The Russian Government, whose system
always remains unchanged, has for some time
given signs of resuming its former position of
intimidation. Its attempts against the Roman
Catholic religion increase in severity ; its police
has again become aggravating ; its employts have
resumed their insolent airs ; its passports are no
longer to be obtained with facility ; and the
Government places obstacles in the way of every-
thing that may tend to develop the prosperity of
the country.
" The Agricultural Society of Warsaw, which
some years ago was established with the sanction
of the Government, and now numbers 4,000 mem-
bers, has since its formation infused a fresh spirit
of industry and morality into all classes, and en-
deavoured to facilitate and regulate the great re-
form of the emancipation of the serfs. Lithuania
and Ukraine have also applied for permission to
establish agricultural societies. Local banks are
being organised, for the purpose of circulating
capital and facilitating the operations of industry
and commerce. The Government seemed to look
with no eye of disfavour on this quiet and orderly
movement, whose object was in no sense a political
one.

" Things were in this state, when suddenly
Prince Gortchakoff issued an order prohibiting
the formation of provincial agricultural meetings.
These meetings were to superintend the execution
of the improvements recommended by the Central
Society, to examine into the political utility of
new processes and machimes, and to set on foot
exhibitions of agricultural implements, and the
Prince Gortchakoff decreed that the prizes given
by the society should be distributed by employes,
and that no more exhibitions, horse-races, &c., will
be permitted to take place in future. This is a
fatal blow to the society, for it carries with it a de-
privation of the power of individual action.
" The same restrictions will be imposed upon
the agricultural societies of Lithuania and Ukraine,
the sanction for whose establishment has hitherto
been withheld by the Government. In the king-
dom of Poland, however, the provincial meetings
are so dose's entwined with the customs and wants
of the country, that the inhabitants have unani-
mously decided on disobeying the order in ques-
tion. Some anxiety has been felt for the conse-
quences of this event."

The following news has been received from
Vienna :

" S Jule negotiations, or rather conversations, have,
as you are aware, taken place at St. PeterAurg with
reference to the Eastern question. There is some talk
of a complete partition of European Turkey, and
consequent re-arrangement of the map of Europe.
Whether there has been any question of Poland I
am not prepared to say ; but the second son of the
Queen of England has been pointed out as a can-
didate for the throne of Poland. The Cabinet htra
does not look upon this question unfavourably. It
will even be partial to it when it knows what it
will get in exchange for Galicia. The need of an
intermediate state between Austria and Russia
makes itself daily mere and more felt.

" The Emperoi. Francis Joseph seems to be fully
alive to the infamy of the partition of Poland, and
the difficulties which it brought on Austria. He
has recently expressed himself very clearly on this
point. Much difficulty is experienced in regulating
the internal affairs of the empire. The Hungarians
are still very suspicious as to the intentions of the
Government. There is also a want of unity in the
Ministry. Each puts in execution his own ideas
in his department. The influence of Count
Goluchovrski increases every day. He has at least
courage enough to take the initiative.
" l'ublic feeling in Galicia has undergone no sen-
sible change : it is still anti-Austrian. The Poles
wish for independence, neither more nor less ; but
they arc ready to accept any modification of their
wishes so long as they will attain their final object.
For, on the other hand, the feeling against Russia
is violent in the extreme. This is even perceptible
among the masses of the population to such a
degree, that it would be easy to raise an army of
50,000 peasants, armed with scythes, against the
Russians. But, I repeat it, they will submit to a
great deal in order to arrive at the end they so
much desire ; for, above all, since the last measures
of the Government of St. Petersburg, the word
Russia hos become a synonym for persecution and,
even more, of slavery."

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING ME
AMENDMENT OF THE LAW.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Law
Amendment Society was held last night at the
rooms, Waterloo-place—Mr. Cookson in the chair.

LAW OF LUNACY.

Mr. EDGAR, in bringing up the report of the
Lunacy Law Committee, explained that a former
report from the same body had some weeks since
been brought before the society, but had been sent
back to them for re-considefation, as it dealt with
psychological and social questions, and so exceeded
the order of reference. The present report dealt
solely with the legal features of the question. He
then proceeded to read the report, which repeated
the recommendations of a former committee with
respect to an early judicial inquiry, the vesting of
the patient's property in an official committee, the
increased inspection of private asylums, pay wards
in public asylums, the visitation of clergymen, and
the registration of keepers and attendants; and it
further recommended that no person should be im-
prisoned unless on a medical certificate signed by
two qualified medical men (one at least verifying
his statement on oath), and countersigned by a ma-
gistrate, a copy to be furnished to the alleged lunatic
himself; that greater facilities should be afforded
for having all such cases judicially inquired into;
that private asylums should be visited once a month;
that the visits of friends should be encouraged ;
that all Chancery lunatics should have the same
advantage ; that the masters in lunacy should act
in the satne manner as the cbielclerks in the Court
of Chancery ; that the official committee bhould
take the charge of all
,property, and have punt-
powers with the committee of the person ; that all
pauper patients requiring restraint should be (nu-
; tine,i in public asylturv= ; and that the two existing
machineries he fused into one board. •

Admiral SAUMAREZ said he approved of almost
all the rccomo.endations of the committee, but he
regretted that it did not go farther into the ques-
tion, and deal not only with private lunatics, but
also with those classed as convict and pauper
lunatics. _

value After a long discussion in reference to the
of medical certificates, and the conduct of proprie-
tors of private asylums, in which Mr. Blundell, Mr.
Elliot, Mr. Hastings, and 11Ir. Percival took part,
the proceedings terminated in the usual manner.

The exact number of Volunteers under arms in
Hyde Park on Saturday was, according to the official re-
turns, 18,4';0, of which number the metropolitan corps sup •
plied 13,226,

and Lord Elgin, _ tow Ain
harbour of Galle. The lives o: board and
the mails were saved, but beyond thii-the,,calci-
mity seems to have been complete. We are in,
formed by telegraph that the Malabar parted her
hawsers in a gale of wind, bumped heavily
age.iust the rocks, and went ashore on the sand.
Nobody who knows the harbour of Gafle will be
surprised at such an occurrence, Except on the
land side, it is open to every wind that- blows.
inasmuch as on two other sides—the fourth being
to seaward—the land is so low. as not to
protection against any wind. Nearly every c
that
sweeps over the Indian Ocean, then, can
drive with full force against any craft wilich
may be lying in this deceitful harbour. It is,
no doubt, vast enough in apparent extent, b.l.t
the very appearance of extent is treacherous. Thee
water is so 'shallow round the harbour that only a
boat of the very lightest draught can even approach
the shore, except towards the town. The strength
of the wind in these seas is at times tremendous, and
nothing, save the interposition of a cape, or hill, or
other natural defence of the like kind, would enable
a vessel to ride out a gale in security. Even with
our experience of last autumn as to what the power
of the elements may be when fairly roused to fury,
we have but a scant notion of an Indian typhoon.
But at certain seasons of the year these typhoons
constantly occur, and one would suppose that even
selfish considerations would impel Government de-
partments and steamship companies to select proper
spots for their coaling harbours. At one time yam
are sending out troops, and upon their punctual
arrival may depend the fortune of a campaign; at
another you are bringing these troops home again,
sick and disabled, and every motive of policy as
well as humanity would suggest the propriety of
taking every precaution for their safety; again, a
third time you may be sending out ambassadors
charged with the conduct of important negotia-
tions, sometimes treasure, and always the mails.
It needs, however, no great argument to show that
the communications between England and India
must be even more carefully guarded than between
any two other points of the empire. Now, Ceylon
must remain a halfway house or a plat ref call
mainly for coaling purposes, and if there were no
option but to send the steamers into the harbour of
Gallo there would be no blame attached to any-
body. It does so happen, however, that at Trin-
comalee, on the other side of the island, there is a
most excellent harbour, which possesses nearly all
the advantages in which Galle is deficient. It is
very true that some time back the Ave, with the
wounded of Lucknow on board her, was thrown
away near Trincomalee, but you would not say
that Holyhead, whatever may be its defects, is
an unsafe harbour because the captain of a steamer
had run his ship ashore on the Isle of Man. There
may be reasons of which we are not aware why
Trincomalee should not be chosen as the harbour
of Ceylon. If so, let those who are most competent
to offer opinions upon such a point tell us what they
are. In the present state of our information, it
appears the height of perverseness to prefer a place
which looks like an open roadstead, and where
vessels are exposed to all the fury of the elements,
to a harbour which appears to contain in itself all
the conditions of safety.
It is curious enough that our West Indian Steam-
ship Company seems to follow the example of the
Peninsular and Oriental in this respect, though in
another quarter of the globe. They make St.
Thomas's the centre of their postal system, and
although in the harbour of St. Thomas's vessels are
not exposed to the same danger from the winds and
sea as at Galle, yet there is a peculiar curse upon
the place, which renders it as obnoxious to seamen
as the most stormy quarter of the ocean. St.
Thomas's, indeed, possesses many natural and some
artificial conveniences ; but it has one terrible fault
—at one season of the year men cannot enter the
harbour and live, and at all seasons it is a pro-
foundly unhealthy place. The yellow fever has
chosen it for its head-quarters—so has the West
India Mail Company. The consequence is that when
Yellow Jack is in full vigour—and he very frequently
is in full vigour at St. Thomas's—happy is that
ship which leaves the harbour after the slightest
possible delay with only a moderate loss of life and
without carrying away amongst her crew the seeds
of destruction, which will burst forth in full vitality
long after the ship has got away from this great
marine pesthouse. 'the British island of Antigua
lies near at hand, which has all the natural advan-
tages of St. Thomas's in situation, and we belicve in
all other respects, and which is as healthy as the
other island is notorious for its pestilential propez
tics. 'Thy, home of Yellow Jack, which owns allegi-
ance to the Crown of Denmark, is chosen in place
of the island of Antigua, which is a 13ritish posses-
sion and which has no yellow few'', or, if any, only
according to the usual measure of tropical climates
not MI bra It hily situated. However, we are not call-
ing atteut ion to day so much to the erroneous choice
of St. T:l,unas's on thelVest India station as to that
of the ha: hour of Galle, when another port on the
opposite side of Ceylon is ready to receive the
company's ships, and not to entice them to their de-
struction. The Peninsular and Oriental Company
have been unfortunate of late in.their Eastern ven-
tures. First, there was the Ava, which was lost off
Trincomalee by mere carelessness; then there was
the Alma, which was run upon a coral reef in the
Red Sea by the negligence and miscalculation of
the officer of the watch ; and now here we have tin-
Malabar blown ashore in Gallo harbour, becaust
her hawsers would not stand the stress of the storm
or rather because she was taken into a harbou'
which should never have have received a vessel
such value at all.-1 imes.