The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-11 00:00:00

'HE PUBLIC

/PO
JOURNALS. I not last long. On the death of Frederick Augustus,
in 1733, the rival pretenders to the throne gave a
fatal opportunity to foreign intervention. The
patriot Stanislaus was supported by the French, his
opponent's cause was espoused by Russia, Austria,
and the new kingdom of Prussia. The frst treaty
of partition, the result of the seven years' war, was
signed by these three Powers in 1772. A second
treaty was concluded in 1793, when the unwilling-
ness of Maria Theresa to consent to the infamous
bargain was no longer an obstacle to its more com-
plete consummation. In 1794 the heroic Kosciusko
made a last desperate effort to save a country
of such grand historic memories from the
hungry beasts of prey which were in league to
hunt it to the death. On the 4th November he was
def:a,tecl in a great battle by Suwarrow at Prague.
In the following year was signed the third treaty
)f partition which made a final end of Poland.
Russia, having already acquired. Lithuania ,Livonia,
and the Ukraine, now took the duchy of Warsaw.
Austria annexed Gallici t, and Prussia had Posen
for her share. The wars of Napoleon disturbed
this arrangement for a time. Early in this century
he conquered Posen and Russian Poland. In 1809
Poniatowski and other Polish patriots assisted the
French. In 1812 the re-establishment of Poland
was proclaimed by a Diet at Warsaw. The last
act relating to Poland, which was participated in
by the whole of Europe, and which therefore par-
takes of the nature of public law, was the Treaty of
1815. This treaty confirmed Austria in the
possession of Gallicia, and Prussia in that of Posen,
erected Cracow into an independent republic,
formed the Duchy of Warsaw into a kingdom of
Poland, under the Czar of Russia, subject to the
conditions that it should have a separate and
liberal Constitution, and a Government distinct
from that of the rest of the empire. The
results of various European wars, which have
been waged since the date of the great terri-
torial settlements of 1815, have tended to set aside,
one by one, the stipulations of that treaty. The
revolt in the Low Countries resulted in the separa-
tion of Belgium from the kingdom of _Holland.
The war of 1859 led to the formation of the
kingdom of Italy, and the annihilation of a
considerable number of secondary states, as well as
to the annexation of Savoy and Nice to France.
The war of 1866 made au end of the Germanic
Confederation, doubled the strength of Prussia at
the expense of several kingdoms, dukedoms,
principalities, and free towns, and wrested Venetia
from Austria for the benefit of Italy. What was
done for the rest of El-trope by these (Treat
struggles v, as accomplished in the case of Poland
by the desperate attempt at revolt in 1831. It
commenced at the close of 1830. On January 30
of the next year, Prince Adam Czartoryski was
elected president of the National Government at
Warsaw. The Poles fought desperately, and
with various fortune, against the Russians
during the ensuing eight months, but were
forced to succumb when the Russians took
Warsaw on September 7. By a ukase issued
on February 26, 1832, the kingdom of Poland was
declared an integral part of the Russian Empire.
The Russian Government claims, and not with-
out reason, that, as in every other case, the law of
the strongest, or actual success in war, has been held
of sufficient validity to set aside the original terms
of the European compact, the concessions granted
to the Poles in 1815 are rendered null and void by
their abortive attempt at insurrection against the
lawful authority imposed on them by the Powers.
The rights of Poland—if any state in Europe can
now be considered to have rights other than such
as can be supported by arms—are held to be abro-
gated by the result of this war, forfeited to the con-
querors by right of conquest. A bad example was
set to Russia in the incorporation of Cracow by
Austria in 1846. In 1847 the Emperor of Russia
took a further step, and formally declared Poland
to be a Russian province. Notwithstanding this,
for the 35 years between 1831 and the present time
a semblance of distinct government has been main-
tained in Warsaw. The constitution of Poland was
withdrawn, but the incorporation with Russia was
not absolutely carried out. The attempt at revolu-
tion in 1863 elicited_ demonstrations on behalf of
the Poles from the Western Powers, and an explicit
declaration from Lord Russell with respect to the
Treaty of 1815 and the right of Russia to Poland.
As this outbreak of sympathy did not take the only
effectual form of an appeal to arms Russia has felt
that it remains with her to deal with her Polish sub-
jects as she thinks best. The kingdom of Poland is
now no more ; it is a part of Russia. Poland is to
be divided into ten governments, and these are-sub-
divided into 85 districts. Prussia is said to be in
accord with Russia in this arbitrary proceeding.
Austria, on the other hand, is accused of a design
to foster the sentiment of Polish nationality in
Gallicia, where her viceroys take the side of the
Polish inhabitants in question at issue between
them and the Ruthenians, who are of Russian
blood. Poland, as far as we can see, is not yet so
utterly extinct and dead but that she may yet rise
up to be an element in future discord between the
Great powers of Europe. In any possible war be-
tween the states of the south of Europe and those
of the north, the name which was once so mighty,
the traditions which are still cherished, the burning
patriotism which is not yet extinct in Poland, may
be as good trump cards in the hands of France and
Austria as they were in those of the First Napoleon
when, in 1809, he bade defiance to a world in arms.

COUNTRY MARKETS.