The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-17 00:00:00

POLISH MEETING ON INDIA.
(THIS DAY.)

To-day being the anniversary of the death of Lord
Dudley Stuart, a meeting of the Polish Historical So-
ciety was held at Sussex-chambers, Duke-street, St.
James's, to commemorate the memory of the departed
champion of the Polish cause.
In the absence from London of Colonel L. Szyrma,
president, the chair was occupied by the vice-president,
Major C. SZULCZEWS/EI, who thus addressed the meet-
ing :—Another year has passed over our heads, and, es
regards the world in general, the veil of oblivion has been
drawn closer still around our beloved fatherland. But
we who know that this veil covers not a dead nationality
(as Russia would have the world believe, whose element'
are being rapidly transmitted into a second Russia), but
-
a living body, still instinct with the energy of patriotism
and the love of freedom and independence; we have met
once more on this anniversary of a most painful loss to
give a proof of this enduring national life, by
express-
ing in the name of Poland her undying remembrance •
and gratitude to, Lord Dudley Stuart, the faithful friend
who, for so many years, had unfurled the standard of her
independence, seeking to rally around it the sympathies
of Europe, and who may be said to have died, as be had
lived, foriour cause. When his memory shall have perished
from aaong us, then, indeed, we may say that all bops
for Poland is gone ; for a nation that forgets its benela°'
tors, and particularly such as have exerted themselves
in the interest of its highest spiritual life, will soon Joe
its self-respect, and with this all that renders it most
worthy of independence. But, thank God, so low W,4/
Poles have not fallen. Deep in our hearts we still cherish
the remembrance of those who have stood by ns in out
adversity, and, above all others, the remembrance of Oa
who was taken from among us on this day three yea/
ago. To dwell in detail on the great services rendered
by Lord Dudley Stuart to our cause would be super'
fluous in an assembly where every member is as
familiar with then* as myself ; but it will, perhaps, °°t
be out of place, as a tribute to the memory of the poli-
tical sagacity which he always evinced, as regards the
cause so dear to his heart, to point to the present state
of political affairs in the Danubian Principalities, where,
once more, is being verified what he so often said, thst
Russia's subtlest and most victorious battles were fought
in the sphere of diplomacy—where her greatest triumphs
were generally achieved after a signal defeat in the field.
And as a piece of intelligence that would have been
gratifying above everything to the friend, to honour
whose memory we have assembled, and which ought to
be most cheering to us, I would farther mention that
all the authentic information that we obtain from Pelaed
continues still to show how well-founded was the hope
we entertained during the recent great European cow
filet, that the people of Poland was fully prepared t°
rise against its oppressors had the Allies but gives the
signal, and to prove that the hope of independence
is still the loadetar of the nation. As an unbiassed
testimony to the feelings that animate our coup'
trymen at home, I may mention that as English-
man very recently returned from Poland, after *
long residence there,anci on being asked the other
day, by one who was inclined to believe in the
rumours so diligently spread by Russian agents/
whether it was true that there was no Palish patriots
except among the emigration, exclaimed with flashing
eyes—" True 1 nay, nothing can be more false On the
contrary there is not a Pole who is not a patriot 1" I,
was from the love of his own happy country and front
his appreciation of its free and ennobling institutions
that sprung, in the first instance, Lord Dudley Stuart e
sympathy with the wrongs of Poland, and I may, there'
fore, be permitted in connection with his name to say
few words in allusion to the terrific struggle in whiol
this country is at present engaged, and for its successful
issue, for which it has the warmest wishes of ever/
lover of mankind. Some few, indeed, there are whose
feelings outstripping their judgment, seem to place 00
Indian mutiny in the same category as the ri-ing of tho
m
oppressed nationalities in Europe, and who
aintaiai
that the Hindoos have the same claim to support and
sympathy as Poles, and Hungarians and Italians. 131
supposing, even that this was not a national movement •
in India, which there is, however, not reason for belie'
ing—shall we allow the noble efforts of civilised natioo
to throw off the yoke of foreign despots, who are endea-
vouring to stifle every expression of this national life,
to be confounded with the purposeless rising of bar.:
barian hordes against a Government, which, though 1:
be of foreign race, and though it may have been sotne_
times mistaken ae regards administrative measures,
ever; evinced a sincere desire to rule them with j""
and mildness, and has carried its respect for theiri
national peculiarities and religion so far, as even to 110
this tolerance held up against it, as a matter for scorn
and reproach. Shall we allow the sacred cause of national
liberty and independence, and the open and honourable
warfare of chivalrous and highly principled patriots, to
be confounded with the cause of a set of cowardly
ytbdaenedbautoofhe-vryal:tierf
caonndsitsrteainchtehroeubs
urtuchffiearnys,,
awndhowseorosnel
helpless infants and defenceless women, and whose sole
aim seems plunder I Nay, every manly feeling revolts
against the idea of such an indentification of causes, and
I am sure, I may say, in the name of all Polish patriots
at least, that our sincerest wishes are for the success of tbe
nation which has for so many years afforded us generous
hospitality, and of the country that is the chief re-
presentative of liberty, true order, and independence
in the world.
Major GDILGIID, in paying a touching tribute of re;
spect to the memory of Lord Dudley Stuart, observed
that the Poles in this country are not indifferent to the
fearful struggle now going on in India, and are anxiole
to convince the British public of their feelings in that
respect. He then proposed the following resolution
"That this meeting deeply sympathises with the
disasters which have befallen England in her India
te
empire; and, grateful for the generous hospitalitywhich
feelings
she long afforded to the Poles, begs to testify its
by contributing, as far as the means of the refugees
allow, to the fund which is now being raise,d, for the
relief of the sufferers from the Indian mutiny.
Colonel B. WIERGINSIEI seconded the resolution, and
said that it would be difficult to define the tendency
of the revolt in India, but he could not contem-
plate, without shuddering, the massacre of intr
cent children and women, which had nothing to do with
._
the subjugation of India. He felt horrified at the deed'
of Nana Sahib—for, supposing the movement in Indent
were even a national one, such deeds as were committed
by that monster would, certainly, in the opinion of every
man, soil for ever the cause of so unscrupulous an asses;
sin. This recalled to his (Colonel's) memory the sots of
the late Emperor Nicholas, in 1831, during the late Polish
war of independence, when the Cossacks whose Hata:lsl
or Chief was the present Emperor, cut Off the breasts °I
all Polish women at Oiamiana. The present Emperor
begged his father, on his knees, to bestow a medal
of honour on the regiment which had committed n,
a barbarous atrocity on that unoffending claim Yet
none of the foreign prints had the boldness of informing
the English public of that fact. Now Alexander ands
Nana Sahib may pass to posterity as brothers in erins
committed upon the weaker class of humanity whom
every law, human and divine, confides to general Pro'

Several other gentlemen addressed the meeting, wilich

separated alter avote of thanks to tbes cbairatan.
A t-um of 51. 51. was subscribed, chiefly in amounts
from 6d. to a few shillings, which will be duly forwarded

to the Indian Relief Fund.

We learn from Stockholm that the house of Bfesers.
Johns and Co., of that city, has engaged to supply the
loan of 20,000,000 of rix thalers banco to the Govors-
ment to carry out the railway schemes, at an interest of
5 5-6ths per cent., and to be liquidated at par in the
space of 40 years.
The Rev. William Hamilton, 8.A., has beef licensed
by the Lord Bishop of Chester to the stipendiary cured
of the parish church of Warrington, Lancashire, on the
nomination of the Rev. William Quekett, the
rector, who has recently obtained a license of non-resi-
dence on account of ill-health.,
TH RUN OF THE SimLe.—The extraordinary run. of
this powerful steamer is highly creditable to Captain
Cooper, her respected commenoer. She arrived at Port
Philip on Wednesday night, Sept. 2, having made the
passage from Suez in 37 days, bringing English intelli-
gence to the ] 7th July—the shortest time on record.
The following are the Gates of arrival and departure:--e
From Suez 26th July, at 11 p.m ; arrived at Aden 151
August 8 a.m. ; sailed 2d August, 6 a.m. ; arrived at
Galle 10th, at 7 a.m. ; sailed again 12th, at 2,p.m. ; ar-
rived at Melbourne 2d Sept., at 11 p.m. We were fa'
voured by Mr. Smith, the purser, with files of the latest
papers, also our correspondent's despatches, which were
promptly handed to us by Captain Walker, of theWroaga
Wonga. The intelligence by the Simla has thus been
received four days in advance. She sailed from Mel
bourne Heads at 9 p.m., on Friday, the 4th, and 110,1°.:
to for a pilot off the Sydney Lighthouse on SunnaJ
night, at 9 o'clock, thus snaking the passage in 48 hear"'
Captain Cooper states that he experienced strong Se"'
winds all the way from Gallo to the Leuwen; or bis till
would have been shortened considerably. The Rola
Mail steam-ship European arrived at Point de Gallo o¢
the 21st, and sailed again on 3d July.—Sydney /fern"'
ireretd.
Semi' Time AT PRESTON.—With the exception Of 6"
or six firm, the whole of the cotton manufacturers and
spinners in Preston have either closed their mills elOge.
t
ther or have commenced working short time, the latter
being the course generally adopted. There are about
70 different mills in the town, three and in sone instance
four mills being worked and belonging to one firm. In
these 70 mills it is calculated that not less than 20,00,f
persons are employed ; and some idea of the depress's`
state of the staple trade of the town and its immediate,
district may be formed when it is an accredited fact that
the average employment of 20,000 bands does not exceed
at present more than three full days per week. Of course
this state of things has not existed until within the past
few days, several of the largest firms in the town having
within that period commenced working short time. The
district for a few miles round Preston is also similarly
affected. At Walton, Moon's Mill, Bamber-bridges
Chorloy, Saralcalenry, Farington, and Heghton,
places within a radius of five miles of Preston, the mill:
owners have been compelled to resort to the alternative of
short time. In two of the townships named three or four
mills have been entirely stopped, and throughout the Prow.
Lou Union commercial matters have experienced sucla
severe check that numbers of families have been compelled
to seek relief from the hands of the parochial authorities,
who being nneble, under the existing regulations of the
Poor-law Board, to grant necessary relief to the
cants, who are chiefly ablebodied persons, have written
to the general board in London, requesting the
ra th toe
cancel such an absurd regulation. The poverty in
union is very great, and every day adds to its quota.