The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-12 00:00:00

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tural Society occasioned in Warsaw :
" I write to you under the impression of sadness
caused by the ukase which decrees the dissolution
of the Agricultural Society. You may imagine how
much we have been struck by this measure, so un-
expected and inexplicable. We cannot understand
it, or, rather, we fear to divine the causes.
What ! the Russian Government break up the
very institutions to which Prince Gortschakoff
gave the honour of maintaining-the order-and paci-
fication of the city ! It has violently dissolved this
society, which during four years' assiduous labour,
with efforts unknown to Europe, until now, has
prepared the accomplishment of the most conside-
rable economical reform which has been known for
some time. What! these men who, ambitious of
the national honour, have been the champions of
the great cause of emancipation and equality ; who
have so well understood the force of dignity and
calmness, that the balls of the Russian soldiers, in
decimating their ranks, have not changed their
moral attitude ; who, by their conciliatory lan-
guage, have spared the people a frightful disaster,
and the Government that stain which rests on the
foreheads of those who accomplish the massacre of
unarmed men—these men are separated ;•they have
been sent away ; they are declared useless, even
dangerous ! The Society, says,the ukase, is incom-
patible with the present situation. The Govern-
ment, then, is so very sure of its popularity, ac-
quired at the price of concessions not yet realised,
that it takes away all means of action from those
to whom, according to its own avowal, it owes the
maintenance of order. Ido not wish to push -this
question any further. God grant that, under-
standing what constitutes their strength, the people
of Warsaw, in spite of all, will remain dignified
and calm as they have hitherto been,
" The more we examine this act the more we un-
derstand the extent of, its beating. All our efforts
lost—the cause of the peasants brought back to that
of the peasants of Russia ; the influence exercised
over the proprietors themselves by the Agricultural
Society ; the benefits to the peasants which would
result from it—all is annulled by a single stroke of
the pen. What will become of those concessions,
those reforms, promised by the Emperor ? What
can they do, if it is proved that all initiative is re-
fused to us? In the councils of the Government,
what will be the role of our citizens when it is
made evident by that ukase that all our plans, all
our projects of improvement,d isplease the sovereign,
who, as far as we are concerned, wishes to bo the
sole dispenser of progress ? What injured interests
—what new-commenced works are interrupted at
the beginning ? For the telegrams will probably
have told you that time has not even been given to
the society to wind up its affairs.
" The funds have been taken to the bank ; the
members have not even been allowed to assemble
for the last time, to determine how they shall be
used. A moment ago an active, intelligent institu-
tion, devoted to progress, energetically maintained
public order, carried on its functions freely under
the authority of the Government, and for having
prevented the bursting of a tempest of which no
one could foresee the consequences, this institution
is for its reward broken up and thrown aside.
" May God avert from us the dangers which such
an act may entail. But , you will see that we do
right in closing the theatres and keeping in mourn-
ing ; the hour has not yet come for enjoyment, and
no one can tell what the future is preparing for us."

PUCE AD. STAMPED, SD.

have their heads level with the surface of the plate.
On both sides the armour is continued to five feet
below the water line. The stem and stern, which
are unprotected by armour, are crossed and re-
crossed in every direction with watertight compart-
ments of the most solid kind. Those which cut off
the stem and stern from the armour-coated portions
in the centre are faced with plates to 5 feet below
the water line, backed up with iron ribs and 22 in.
of teak—exactly similar in arrangement to the
strongest part of the broadside. The bows, as the
place where the whole force of the blow must be
received when the Resistance is used as a steam
ram, are strengthened inside with a perfect net-
work of iron of the most massive kind. Here no

less than eight wrought-iron decks stretch back
from this portion to the armour plates, in addition
to other supports, such as cross bracings.and bulk-
heads, almost innumerable.
Throughout the entire length of the armour-
coated portion run two wrought-iron bulkheads,
one inside the armour on each side. These are
termed wings, and serve as main passages of com-
munication. Inside these wings are the coal
bunkers ; inside these again are the water tanks,
and within all the magazines. The engines of the
Resistance are to be of 600 horse power, and with
these it is anticipated that a speed of even 15 knots
an hour will be obtained. This certainly appears
a rather sanguine estimate for a ship of 600 horse
power, of such immense weight, and above all, such
unusually full and heavy bows. If her form is in
fault, however, the Admiralty are to blame, for
they supplied the model. In point of workman-
ship, all that could be done has been effected, and a
better built ship was never sent afloat than that
which glided so easily into the Thames yesterday.
The hour fixed for the launch was 2 o'clock, but
long before that every part of Messrs Westwoad's
yard was thronged with visitors. About 200 men
of the Royal Naval Reserve, the crew of the Bril-
liant, who are now undergoing their course of drill,
marched on to the ground, with colours flying and
band playing. They seemed a remarkably fine
body of men. The band of the Life Guards was
also in attendance, and, as the day was all that
could be wished, the usual dull interval of expecta-
tion passed pleasantly enough until a few minutes
before 2 o'clock, when the Lord Mayor and Lady
Mayoress arrived at the yard. They at once took
their stations on the raised platform at the head of
the vessel, and the preparations for the launch
began. Two o'clock was the time named for her
going off the stocks, which, of course, every one
thought was meant to be half-past. Contrary, how-
ever, to usual cuatom and general expectation, the
vessel moved at the first touch ; when it still wanted
one or two minutes to 2 o'clock she moved, and,
before half the people in the yard expected it,
began to glide rapidly down the ways into the
river. It was a very quick and easy launch, and
in less than a minute after the first movement com-
menced the Resistance was afloat in the middle of
the stream, turning lightly to her moorings. She
looked even less sightly in the water than out of
it. Her draught appeared to be about 13 or 14 feet,
and from her look thus it seemed as if, when
brought down to her full-load water line, her port-
sills and hawse pipeholes would be uncomfortably
near the water. Ihe next iron-cased frigate which
Messrs. Westwood and Baillie have in hand is the
Valiant. This, as we have intimated, will be one
of the ugliest things ever seen. Her length is 280
feet, breadth 56 feet 3 inches, depth 19 feet 4 inches ;
tonnage, 4,062. Thus, while 12 feet shorter, she is
more than two broader than the Resistance, is
almost flat-bottomed, and with stem and stern
almost alike in obtuseness. The Valiant is to carry
36 guns and to be covered entirely with armour.
After the ceremony of launching the Resistance the
principal visitors partook of a dejeuner in honour of
the occasion.