The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-12 00:00:00

PRINCE ADAM CZARTORYSKI.

At the annual meeting of the Po Historical S
day, held is Paris on the 3d inst., the venerable Prince,
as president, delivered the following address to his
countrymen

I thought it incumbent upon me, gentlemen, to attend
the meeting of this day, to celebrate with you the mini
vereary so highly cherished by every Pole, as the re-
miniscence of the glorious period, when the nation in the
latter days of her full independence, made a noble use of
it for the free expression of her will.
I must mention, by the way, that on this very day,
perhaps this very hour, the Association of the Friends
of Poland in London are' holding their annual meeting.
The existence of that association, which, for more than
twenty years, and notwithstanding the lamented death of
our noblest and most indefatigable friend, Lord Dudley
Stuart, exert themselves in promoting our cause in Eng-
land, and in alleviating the sufferings of our exiled bre-
thren; the existence, I say, of this association, entirely
composed of Englishmen, in the midst of most unfavour-
able circumstances, is a fact, which I could Ilo t pass
over in silence, a fact deserving of our grateful consi-
deration, and its frequent manifestation, in order to
prove by it, that we
,do feel and fully appreciate the
value of such rare and long devotedness. Moreover,
this association is a lasting and opea protest in our be-
half ; its usefulness therefore is as obvious, as its loss
Would be fatal ta us.

Only just arrived from the country, neither bring
anything new or interesting. Enough has been said
of our past, and we can only record, that in thr.t-past
the rights-of Poland remain inviolable, the irnprescrip.
tibia rights of Divine justice, rights secured by solemn
treaties; which no regular acknowledged and collec-
tively agreed upon European act has ever repealed, or'
even weakened in their foundation. These rights do
exist, therefore, but the power is wanting which could
or would, at east at present interfere efficiently in
support of them. In causes most just and equitable
there are, sometimes, temporary impossibilities to
which people are compelled to yield. It is
well known that the general tendency of the policy of
the day, both with governments and nations, is to divert
their whole attention; all their means and efforts, to
internal improvements, and to the increase of their
wealth, which, under the present state of peace, might
bring into operation a flourishing commerce and a varie.l
industry. Even Russia, although retaining, indeed, all
her former conquests, declares her intention of giving up
all future prospects of aggression ; she promises that she
will occupy herself solely with the improvement of her
administration, with the abolition of internal abuses,
and with the alleviation, in some degree, of the persecu-
tions which crush the countries she has subdued l Such
a moral impulse, were it everywhere sincere, and con-
nected with justice to all, and did the advance of civilisa-
tion and moral progress go hand in hand with the increas-
ing abundance of means and material, wealth might
doubtless produce happy consequences for humanity.
We Poles, should we not, for our own advantage, fellow
in this universal disposition of minds' We, too,
should everywhere occupy ourselves with our internal
cultivation, with the interests of ourselves and of our
country, with moral, intellectual, literary, agricultural,
and mechanical progress, the want of which our nation
feels the most. True, our position is quite exceptional.
We have no Government of our own, whose first duty it
would be to care for our good and for the continual pro-
gress of the country—a Government which would be the
responsible representative of the nation, and its most
zealous guardian and protector. We most certainly,
confess, and such a confession makes our sincerest grati-
tude a duty, that of all Europe the Frepch Government
does not cease to confer on our emigration its
protection and its benevolent assistance, whioh it
bas_ directed in the most useful of channels, that
of the education of oar youth. But this protection,
the more valuable and magnanimous as being granted
to us by a foreign and powerful Gevernmen,, cannot yet
replace our own, or extend to the multitudinous wants
of the nation. In our general position, therefore, every 1
Pole, whatever may be his station in life, is answerable
to his country ; each by his conduct either disgraces or
hondurs us, and does his best to hurt or aid the national
cause. '

Several foreigners, in order to remove from their own
minds the irkiome recollection of our wrongs and com-
plaints, are pleased to imagine, and endeavour to prove
or repeat, that the Poles no longer care for their coun-
try, that they have ceased: to be Poles, that they have
already accustomed themselves to the yoke now forced
upon them. To this shameful calumny all an each of
us in this world give a most emphatic denial ! Yet it is
true that our position is not only painful and di<tresging,
but also difficult ; because it imposes upon us more
exertions, more sacrifices, because it requires of us more
control over ourselves, more firmness and greater
perfection than are expected from other nations.
Foreigners being unwilling to understand either our
position, or our feelings, prefer to suppose them extinct,
and to look upon us as part►y transformed into Germane
and Russians.

We may, however, be allowed to believe, that God
did not so ordain, that He has reserved for us a different
fate: In spite of discouragement, of disheartening cir-
cumstances, and of obstacles insuperable, His supreme
will is, that we should remain Poles, and not give way
to despondency ; that we should bear our lot with forti-
tude, labour constantly, faithfully, imp rove ourselves,
and never lose sight of the good of our country or the
maintainance of its nationality. Why, I ask you, should
God have rooted so deeply in us the love of our country,
that no persecutions or wrongs can ever tear it out of
our hearts—that often, against our own will, the heart
pines and sighs after its native land, however much
oppressed it be ; that every torture practi-old upon our
distant brethren, makes us feel, as it were, inflicted
upon our ownselves, and that our rapture increases
whenever the faintest ray of hope happens to break
upon our country ? Why should the remotest and the
longest separated provinces entertain the same feelings,
and demand the re-establishment of the Polish schools !
For what purpose should we harbour in our conscience
the voice of our country which covers with shame every
Pole, who without being forced to it, does of his own
accord and for his own selfish views fawn upon and
flatter the oppressor . . These are enduring im-
pulses, which nothing can curb or efface—they are the
voices of the soul, which no suffering, contumely, or
even extreme distress, which no pleasures, riche',
luxuries, or high appointments can stifle, and which
upon every occasion will make themselves heard, and
show their supremacy. God would not have g;ven us
such strong and visible marks of a distinct nationality—
he would not have, so to say, thereby distinguished us
'so much if it had not entered into his views to guard
this nationality from contempt and ruin, and to
protect it against foreign oppression either cruel and vio-
lent, or gradual and insidious. This evident favour of
the Almighty ought to excite all Poles to untiring exer-
tions in surmounting all obstacles, and to seek for .;he
various ways in the different branches of improvement
through which they may be useful to their country. In
the consideration of this design of Providence, ought not
our courage to find a new stimulus to reach the goal so
dear to us ? Ought we not in all our actions, in all our
undertakings, in whatever position we may be, always
to have before us the consciousness of the duty imposed
upon, us, that of always remaining Poles. What is a
Pole if he ceases to be one ? Worse than a nonentity.
Being without any principle on which to act, he is con
affluently thought lightly of, if not despised, by stran-
gers, with whom he tries to ingratiate himself ;
he is now an object of disgust to his ciuntrymen whom
he has abandoned, and will not find in honours or plenty
a shield against his contemptible baseness.
The present time is favourable to peaceful pursuits
and study, inasmuch as it opens a wide field of usefu'-
ness, especially to those possessing means and the ne-
cessary instruction, were they but willing to employ
them for the general good. Charitable and religious in•
structions, schools the hope of the future, commercial
enterprises, literary, industrial and agricultural labours,
the diffusion of useful knowledge among the different
classes, abstinence from useless and ruinous expense,
the guidance of youth to duty, faith and morality, and
many more beautiful undertakings, are they not worthy
of those who are endowed with understanding and noble
minds? By carrying them out they would earn a name
of which they might be justly proud, and deserve to be
placed at the head of the nation, as in times gone by
their ancestors reaped laurels for tbose of other ages.
I trust that our countrywomen will promote and en-
courage this impulse. They are foremost everywhere,
and particularly in Poland, in all noble undertaking]
having the benefit of others and not the advantage of
self for their object, and when some of our comforts are
to •be sacrificed for the benefit of the many. Ladies
have more heart, mare disinterested zeal than ourselves,
with our cold and calculating mind. We therefore
mostly reckon upon our mothers, wives, and sisters, that
these salutary exertions and tendencies for the good of
our country will not be neglected, but will produce the
results which we all desire.
Let us cease, gentlemen, to rely upon external evente.
What need have we to wait for them and concern our
selves about them, when there is, every day, so much to
do at home with our ownselves.
" Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof," says
Divine wisdoep. Let us conscientiously and devoutly
perform the practicable, useful and appointed task of
the day, and the next will point out to -us what we
shall have to do to-morrow. Let us not think so much
about the future—there will be time enough for it,
when it is turned into the prrscnt. The future is
in the bands of the Almighty ; may Only a
righteous, a Polish spirit, conformable t_
o Ills
Divine Will, he preserved in our bosoms. This depen:
s
upon our own selves, and to it particularly our con t, t
and indefatigable attention ought to be directed. Per-
forming thus zealously without flinching, our numerous
duties towards our country and our fellow brethren, let
us with patience and trust commit ourselves to Provi-
dence, which Will infallibly reward our patriotic exer-
tions

ila,val and Mlntary intelligence.

Letters love been receivk.- d. from Malta to the 6'h
of May, announcing the arrival in port on the 30th
of April, after cruising for eight days in the offing,
of Admiral Lord Lyons, the Commapder-in-Chief,
in the Royal Albert screwsteamship of the line, ac-
companied by the Conqueror, Centurion, and
Brunswick screw steam liners, and Ariel steam cor-
vette. On the Royal Alb,u•tappearing at the month
of the port a salute of 17 gins, due to the rank of
an Admiril Commander-in-Chief, was fired froth
Fort St. Angelo, and on the ship passing the naval
arsenal the Hibernia receiving ship, moored in the
Dockyard-creek, bearing the flag of the Roar-Ad-
miral Supo intendent, Sir M. Stopford,
fired an equal number of guns, the sailors ou board
attd the soldiers on the battery making the air re-
sound with vociferous cheering. On the Royal Al-
bert being made snug at hor moorings she returned
the compliment to the flag of Sir M. Stopford by a
salute of 9 guns, due to the rankof aßear-Admiral.
At about 1 o'clock Admiral Lyons quitted his ship
under another salute of 17 guns from Fort Se. An-
gelo to proceed on shore to pay his respects to the
Governor, Sir'W. Reid, who returned the visit the
next morning. His Excellency's return on shore
was announce I by a salute from the flagship. It
was supposed that the Royal Albert would stay in
port about three weeks, at thetermination of which
period it was helievel she Would proceed, accompa-
nied by the other ships of the squadron, fora cruise
off the coast of Spain. On Friday and Saturday.
the Freneh Russian, and several of the other fo-
reign consuls paid their respects to the Admiral,
who on their leaving hoisted the colours of their
respective nations and fired a salute. On Monday
the 4tb, his lordship paid •an official visit to the '
dockard:

14')rd Eigin, her Maj esty's Plenip otenti aty to China,
arrived at Malta on the night of the Ist of.Mav, in
her Majesty's steam-despatch vessel CaradoC, from
Marseilles, with a suite consisting of the Hon. F.
Bruce, Secretary of Legation ; Mr. Oliphant, Pri-
vate Secretary ; Mr. Cameron, First Attache ; Mr.

Lock, Secon.d. Attache ; Mr.' Fitzroy, Third At-
tache ; and Mr. Morison, Fourth Attache. After
exchanging visits with the civil, military, and naval
authorities under the usual salutes, his Excellency
returned on board the Caradoc under a salute from

the flagship of Lord Lyons, and at about noon on
the 2d left for. Alexandria, so as to reach Suez in
'time to avail himself of the Peninsular and Oriental
Company's steamer taking out the London mails of
the 27th of ApriL
One of your contemporaries has strange accounts
o General Ashburnham's illness at Malta. The
first day of his landing he dined at the table
d'hote ; the next day he had a cold, approaching
to very slight influenza ; but of so slight a nature
as to be scarcely worth noticing.
H. A. C. Wraughton, of the 13th Light In-
fantry, has resigned his post as aide-de-camp on the
staff of Brigadier-General Williams.
Lieutenant-General Sir Colin Campbell, accom-
panied by Colonel Sterling, arrived in Dublin at
the close of the week, and has since left for Cork
on a tour of inspection.
The Geyvan Bahri, Turkish frigate, sailed from
Liverpool for Plymouth en route for Constanti-
nople on Friday last.
The Admiralty agents at Liverpool have, char-
tered the steam-ship Cleopatra to convey troops to
China, and the ship Lord Raglan for the convey-
ance of the 4th Regiment from Dublin to the
Mauritius.

The whole of the available Artillery force sta-
tioned at Woolwich were paraded yesterday in re-
view order in front of head-quarters, for the pur-

pose of witnessing the issue of gratuities and medals
to 48 non=commissioned officers and men of the
corps. His Royal Highness the Commander-in-
Chief, by an order dated "Horse-Guards, April 21,
1857," authorised the reward for long services and
_ _

good conduct for the year 1857-8, in conformity
with the Royal warrant of the 24th of May, 1847,
and the Ist of April, 1854. Staff-Sergeant John
Magill was presented with the gratuity of 151., and
the following with 101.—viz., Staff-Sergeants James
Ceßins, Thomas Paul, James Graham, Richard
Wicken, and James Hunt ; Sergeants Bernard
Lanagan,. Samuel Gent, Wm. Murphy, Roderick
M'Kenzie, John Crabbe, Michael Modler, William
(entry, William Balwin, Richard Redman, James
Gilb6rt, Hugh Marshall, William Hemsley, and
John Monro ; Farrier-Serjeant David Hutton, and
Corporal-Collarmaker Charles Scanlan. 51. each
were granted to the following :—Sergeants Robert
Smith, Archibald. Landles, Peter Smythe, and
Michel Farrier ; Gunners James Humphreys and
Joseph Wyman ; Gunners and Drivers Richard
cook, Charles Ball, James Adair, Charles Cross,
John Warnock, George Harrison, John °rumens,
George Barber, John M'Mullen, John Love, Wil-
liam Rose, Charles Padding, James Player, Wil-
liam Rowe, John Moran, John Wilson, William
Callow, John Hawkey, James Scopes, William
Staples, and John Pelan. Medals and gratuities
have likewise been ordered to be distributed in a
similar ratio throughout the Artillery Regiment,
the amount of gratuities exceeding, it is said 7001.
PORTSMOUTH, MONDAY.
Vice-Admiral Sir George Seymour, Commander-
in-Chief at this port, accompanied by the Rear-
Admiral Superintendent Fanshawe Martin, pro-
ceeded in the Fire Queen, tender, Master Com-
mander F. W. Paul, this morning to Osborne
Palace, Isle of Wight, to pay their official respects
to her Majesty.
The Fire Queen returned into harbour at
five p.m.
•The Spiteful, 6, paddle, Commander Francis H.
Short, and Fancy, 2, screw gun-boat, arrived last
evening at Spithead. The former proceeded to
Sheerness to be paid off; the latter came into har-
bour to-day, and will pay off at this port.
The Beag'e, 4, screw, Lieutenant Commander
William N. W. Hewett.—Flag Captain Henry
Seymour, C. 8., of the Victory, mustered and in-
spected the crew this morning at nintro'clook along-
side the dockyard jetty; they beat to quarters,
and the crew were put through the musket and
cutlass exercises, which they performed to the
entire satisfaction of the inspecting officer. Cap-
tain Seymour was pleased- to express his high ap-
probation of the 'discipline of the ship's company,
and the perfect order observable in every depart-
ment of the vessel. As soon as Captain Seymour
was piped over the side, the vessel commenced
stripping, and by sunset the whole of her masts and
stores were landed at the dockyard jetty. She pays
off on Friday next.
The Hastings, 60, screw block-ship, Capt. Wm.
R. Mends, C. 8., hauled under the shears to-day
to receive her maws. She also commenced stow-
ing her ballast and sea stores. By the end of the
week she will be complete for sea.
The Adventure, 6, iron screw troop-frigate,
Commander Edward Lacy, wilt take a few turns
through Spithead on Thursday next, to prove her
efficiency in the engine department.
The Assistance, 6, iron screw troop-frigate,
Commander W. J. Heath, was swung to-day at
the middle harbour buoy to ascertain the direction
of her compass.
The freight-ship Agamemnon, laden with 1,720
tons of Tower, victualling, and ordnance stores for
China, sailed yesterday from Woolwich, assisted by
a steam-tug as far as the Downs. Five officers and
their servants, attached to the sth Battalion Mili-
tary Train, which embarked on board the Blervie
Castle, took passage by the Agamemnon for Hong-
kong.
The Princess Charlotte, 104, sailing three-decker,
Captain George St. Vincent King, C. 8., drc., fitting
out at Portsmouth as a floating barrack for troops
on the China station, is ordered to be out of hand
..
ed
by the end of the month. Cabins are beinthc,
go
on
up for the military officers who may. have
mmocks,
board her. The troops will sleep
hmi
s considered.
toea each
be ma
an
muchhav imaghrtewcoomblfaonrktaehtlge, which
of sleepinc, on
he hard
! board ship than on tboards of the deck.
The Princess Charlotte will have accommodation
for 1,000 men and officers, who will be berthed on
the middle and lower decks. The arrangements
for ventilation and other sanitary neces,ities ap-
pear to have had great care bestowed upon them,
with the view of preserving the health of those on
board. She will be stowed with as much of the
munitions of war as she can conveniently be made
to carry', independently of the necessary provisions
and stories for herself. She will not mount her
three- decker armament, but only a dozen 32-
pound el Is for special service.
A reeluisition inviting the officers of the French
man-ot:eerar, now lying in Belfast Lough, to a public
dinner was signed by the Mayor, the High Sheriff
of Ant ;rim,
and some of our principal bankers and
merch ants in a few hours. The requisition lies in
the 0. nomercial News-room for further signatures.
--Nei vs-Letter.
The Government transport Diligence, Master-
Comn tender Crooke, is shipping stores from Wcol-
wich lockyard for Gibraltar.
Th( ) newly-constructed screw steam-sloop Lyra
was yesterday brought down to Woolwich in tow
of tb •„item. tendel. Widgeon, to go into the fitting
basi n. - • • • -
riatq paddlewheel Butitler, piaster

J
.A-V,AER • Commander Faulkner, M state on Lm T
-7 v
- 0-/ ,
yesterday morning went down tit r
.____ : 't
with on trial of het' machinery
.. "p - ~- 'ls.74' .
Yesterday the whole of the 9 Si*, . , . -..—‘,,,.1.7_,
the Provisional BAttalion at Ch ft! ",* ~..F.1?7,
4.rir,
IL
to the Lines, under the comet
ai tq
,-._._ 4.
Colonel R: N. Phillips, for the p 4 --:=7,[4 ,
ing the presentation of a French e
had been awarded by the Emperor ne
Private John Byrne, 52d Light Infantry, late o
the 18th Royal Irish, for distinguished conduct
while serving with the allied forces in the CriMea.
The battalion having been formed into two column 4
the letter from the Horse Guards, directing the
presentation of the medal, was real by Captain R.
Roney, the adjutant, after which it was handed to
Private Byrne by Lieutenant-Colonel Philips, who
made an appropriate speech. Private Byrne, when ._
in the ranks of tha 18th Royal Iris'., behaved with
great gallantry in the attack on the Redan on the
18th of June, going out under a heavy fire and
bringing in a wounded soldier, who, however,
afterwards died. During the whole time he was in.
the Crimea Byrae was never absent frun any of his
duties a single day. He also served in the Bur-
Mese war, for which he has a medal, and has -novr
volunteered to proceed to India.

Th 3 half-yearly inspection of the corps of Royal
Engineers at, Chatham will take plac3 on Thursday
ex t, by Colonel W. H. Eden, ,Commandant of
Chatham Garrisin.

' Major W. H. March, with a party of non-com-
missioned officers of the Chatham division of Royal
Marines, has been ordered to proceed to L,incion
for the rurpose of raising men .for the corps of
Royal Marines, the standard for which has been
reduced half an inch.