The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-17 00:00:00

Tlf k SUN.
LONDON, THURSDAY, OCT. 17, 1861.

Russia must have enough on her hands at pre-
sent. At least three distinct discontents are
troubling her peace at the same time: The serfs,
from all that can be learned, do not accept peace-
fully and gratefully their new position. It was
no easy task to communicate safely the proposals
of the EMPEROR to a population so ignorant, so
few of whom could even read, and amongst whom
there was in consequence a strong tendency to be-
lieve that more was given by the CZAR than
their masters were prepared to concede. In many
districts the military have been obliged to interfere
to preserve order; but the estates, more like
counties many of them, are too large, and the
villages too scattered for military action, and
hundreds of the nobles will, it is said,
be beggared by the refusal of their for-
mer serfs to fulfil the duties of tenants, and
to pay their rents either in money or in labour. It
must in all probability be long ere the serfs and
their late proprietors settle down into amicable
relations, and again before the proprietors and the
Government are thoroughly friendly with each
other. Thousands of impoverished nobles and land-
lords will long regard the CZAR and his Court as
the cause of their ruin.

Poland seems to be quite unmanageable. Not
that there is any apprehension of armed insurrec-
tion. The Poles, like the Hungarians, have found
out a more effectual way. Their case has not indeed
all the advantages of the Hungarian one, but it has
still many. It has the fundamental one that the
kingdom of Poland has not been dealt with accord-
ing to the stipulations of the treaty of Vienna, and
that its treaty rights are grossly outraged, but
above all that there is a vast population under the
dominion of Russia, flanked by portions of the same
kingdom in
the hands of the other two thieves,
Austria and Prussia, which speaks Polish dialects,
and is
animated by a strong feeling of common na-
tionality. The Ran portion is now declared to
be in a state of siege, or martial law. The reason
being that the inhabitants refuse to commit any
kind of disorder, but also refuse to cease asking the
the Government for very moderate
concessions of
clear rights which all tend to strengthen the national
principle, and to prevent the Russian Tartars from
absorbing and amalgamating with themselves the
more civilised descendants of the ancient S
arnaa-
,ti ans. The Government, now a military one, is
obliged to descend to the most petty tyranny,
to interfere with the dress of the people, and
with their songs and hymns, in order if
possible to prevent exhibitions of nationality, such
as putting on mourning and singing the national
hymn. Yet, do what they will, the inhabitants can
always bate the authorities by fresh devices. At
Cracow, so infamously seized by Austria in clear
defiance of a solemn treaty, the Poles yesterday, it
being KOSCIUSKO'S anniversary, would close their
shops and the Bourse, although the authorities
required them to be opened. The military sur-
rounded the churches and made numerous arrests,
but could not hinder the passive manifestation of
public feeling. At Warsaw the same things were
done 3 nor could the soldiers prevent it. We expect
to hear that all Russian Poland will long continue
this passive rebellion. And all of us will ardently
hope that they may
continue it till that nationality