The Sun.
London, England, 1832-06-29 00:00:00

POLAND.

On the re-admission of strangers to the gallery,
Lord EBRINGTON was presenting a petition from
certain Polish refugees, resident in Paris, complaining of
the violation of the charter secured to Poland by the
Treaty of Vienna, and praying for the interference of the
House. In consequence of the low tone in which the
Noble Lord spoke, and of the noise made by strangers re-
suming their seats, the details of the petition and of the
Noble Lord's observations were for the most part inaudible.
Sir C. WETHERELL objected to the presentation of
the petition, on the ground that the House could not re-
ceive petitions from foreigners complaining of other fo-
reigners, over whom neither the Crown nor the Parlia-
ment of this country had any authority.
Lord EBRINGTON was understood to say, that this
country was a party to the Treaty, by the violation of
which the petitioners had been aggrieved, and that the
House could interfere by an address to the Crown.
The SPEAKER said that, respecting the point of or-
, der, on which the reception of the petition had been oh.
jetted to, there could be no doubt that the House could
receive petitions from foreigners who were in any way un-
der the dominion of the Crown, and who complained of
grievances which they had suffered, either at the hands of
subjects of the Crown, or of foreigners residing in this
country, or in any way subject to the dominion of the
Crown, or to the authority of Parliament. But as re-
svected the violation of treaties, the House would not ori-
ginate any proceeding founded upon the recommendation
of foreigners complaining of grievances suffered from a
foreign Power.
After some observations from Mr. O'CONNELL, Sir G.
WARRENnErt, and Sir R. VYTYAN, respecting the point
of order. which were net distinctly collected in the gallery,
Lord EBRINGTON said, that perceiving that the re-
ception of the petition would be contrary to the rules of
the House, he should withdraw it. But he had three
other petitions to present upon the same subject, which
were not liable to the same objection—these were from
Sidmouth, and two other towns in Devonshire (Crediton
and Topsham), praying the attention of the House to the
infraction of the treaty of Vienna, by the Emperor of
Russia, and for its interference in behalf of the oppressed
Poles.

On the reading of the last petition,
Sir R. VYVYAN asked whether he rightly understood
that the Poles, whose petition the Noble Lord had with-
drawn, were residents in Paris, and that it was chiefly on
that ground that their petition could not be received?
Tt.e SPEAKER said, that he had already explained
that the circumstance of the petitioners not residing in
this country would not render the reception of their peti-
tion irregular, provided that they compl.rined of grie-
vances suffered from a party under the dominion of the
Clown, or the authority of that House.—(Hear.)

Lord EBRINGTON lyre said that the p-tit,oners re-
sided in Paris.

Mr. CUTLAR FERGUSSON then rose to bring for-
ward the motion of which he had given notice, in refe-
rence to the subject of the petitions which bad just been
presented. On a former occasion, when he brought for-
ward the same subject, he had abstained from expressing
himself as fully as he felt, and from calling upon the House
to express itself in a strong manner, lest he should em-
barrass the Government in the management of delicate and
difficult negotiations. (Hear, hear.) But he now
thought that he bad been carried too far by that considera-
tion. Yet he trusted and believed that his Majesty's Go•
vernment bad not been wanting in any exertion which
they could have made for the protection of the Polish na-
tion ; and he also trusted and believed that those exertions
were not even now at an end.—(Hear, hear.) If be could
think his Majesty's Ministers had given up the case of Po•
land, he could not be induced to confine his motion within
the narrow limits of which he had given notice.—(Hear.)
He would at present ask only for copies of the manifesto
of the Emperor of Russia, of the 26th of February last,
and of the organic statute to which that document referred,
together with a copy of the despatch of the British Ambas-
sador at Petersburgh, communicating the manifesto to his
Majesty's Government. But if he had any doubts as to
the intentions of Government—if lie thought that Poland
had sunk to rise no more, and that she was to receive no
assistance from this country—treaties, to which this coun-
try was a party, being violated without remonstrance or
opposition, and the national honour and good faith be-
ing abandoned without an effort to maintain them—
be should have felt it his duty to bring the question
before the House in a different form from that of his
present motion.— (Hear, hear, hear.) But he thought
it was necessary that the people should see that the Gc-
vernment had kept the national faith and honour from
violation, and that they had done every thing which they
could do to assist the Poles, and to maintain treaties, of
which this country was bound in honour to insist upon
the enforcement.—(Hear, hear.) He trusted that it
would be shown that his Majesty's Government had not
abandoned the compact into which this country had en-
tered with Poland by the treaty of Vienna.—(Hear.)--
It would be seen from the notes of Lord Castlereagh, that
the national faith and honour of this country was involved
in the maintenance of that treaty.—(Hear, hear.) And
here he would say that it gave him pleasure, in this case,
to speak with praise of the conduct of that statesman.—
(Hear, hear) From his (Lord Castlereagh's) notes it was
manifest that the state of Poland, present and future, was
looked upon as the subject of most importance, to all
Europe, then under the consideration of the Great Powers.
--(Hear, bear.) He would not detain the House by going
over the negotiations in detail, at any unnecessary length ;
but he begged to call tha attention of Honourable Mem-
bers to the words of the first article of the treaty of Vi-
enna. Lord Castlereagh insisted, as a preliminary, that
it should he settled whether or not Poland was to be re-
stored to her ancient limits, and to her rank as an inde-
pendent nation.—(Hear.) He said that that was the
question which the Prince Regent had most at heart, and
that nothing was of so much importance to Europe as
that Poland should he restored to its former indepen-
dence, under a distinct Government.--( Hear, hear.)
The representations of Lord Castlereagh had so much
influence with the other Powers, that although the Em-
peror of Russia desired that the duchy of Warsaw should
he annexed to the Russian empire, it was determined that
Poland should have a free representative legislature, and a
distinct Government, subject to the sovereignty of the
Emperor of Russia. No man could doubt, that ii the Em •
peror had not then pledged himself to give to Poland a
separate Government, the ancient provinces of that coun-
t!), would have been divided between the Three Powers,
Russia, Prussia, and Aurria. For it was expressly de-
clared by Lord Castlereagh, and assented to by the Minis •
ters of the other States, that it was of the utmost impor-
tance to the peace of Europe, to prevent the whole of Po-
land from being at the absolute disposal of a military
Prince, whoa- ambition would derive from the resources
and geographical situation of that country an efficiency
dangerous to the independence of the other States, It