The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-26 00:00:00

ITALY.

The intelligence given in the Lombardia of
Milan, of certain persons having set out for Lon-
don to invite Mazziui to give himself up to the
Italian Government, and stand his trial, is looked
on by the Constitutionnel as of a certain importance
as tending to prove that the Mazzinian party is
again in movement, and that if the news given by
the Milan journal be correct, they must have some
hope of success, and that, if false, public opinion is
once again occupied with Mazzini and his views,
and perhaps not without sufficient reason. The
article proceeds in these terms :
" When the Italian national movement developed
itself in its energy, and, it may be said, in its
grandeur, the Mazzinian party were driven far
back, and the most common-place prudence dic-
tated to it the propriety of making itself forgotten.
It doubtless did not abdicate, but it concealed its
flag. That was so much gained for the cause of
order and tranquillity in the Italian Peninsula. If
that flag should now reappear, the conclusion to
be drawn from it is, that the admirable unity of
opinion which prevailed round the throne of King
Victor Emmanuel runs some danger, and that
faults have been committed or are on the point of
being so, for Mazzini cannot perform a part and
reassume a certain prestige except through the
faults of his adversaries. We have always hoped,
and we do so still, that Italy, which has manifested
during more than two years past such a spirit of
political wisdom and good conduct, will persevere
in those fruitful paths, and that she will not want
for statesmen to assist her in this second part of
her work. Then, at the end of a certain time, there
will be no necessity to ask for Mazzini's pardon,
as the gates of the Italian Peninsula will open of
themselves before him. He will be no longer a
danger, but only a remembrance, and he may walk
at any hour of the day or night on all the Corsi of
Italy, unless he prefers, as is very probable, to re-
main abroad like a fallen royalty—the royalty of
Utopian schemes and disorder."

POLAND.

(PROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
WARSAW, DEC. 13.

The contest between the Government and the
clergy is maintained with the greatest firmness on
both sides, each using its own particular weapons.
The clergy throw odium and disgrace on the Go-
vernment by keeping the churches closed, and the
Government answers by arresting the most zealous
and patriotic among the clergy. Administrator
Bialobrzeski's trial is over, and sentence of death
was passed upon him, which was afterwards com
muted by the Czar to 10 years' transportation to
Asia. This is equivalent, in the case of so old and
bed-ridden a man as Bialobrzeski, to transportation
for life. It is still a mystery for what crime he
received this terrible punishment, no mention
having been made of it in the official paper, which,
however, has published a sort of apology for the
conduct of the Government in this matter. This
apology has been reprinted by order in all the otber
Warsaw papers, and is a literal translation of an
article which appeared in the Prussian Allgemeine
Zeitung, and which, by its wilful distortion of facts,
is evidently the production of some German scribe
in the pay of Russia. It begins by stating, what
is perfectly true, that from the beginning of the
present revolutionary movement the clergy have
done all they could to second the efforts of the
patriots. It then goes on to make the old charge,
that the inviolability of the churches has been used
to shelter illegal demonstrations, although it would
find it difficult to prove what these illegal demon-
strations were. Archdeacon Bialobrzeski, it adds,
resolved the very next day after the state of siege
was published on apposing the arrangements of the
authorities, and thereby taking advantage of the
opportunity of making himself popular with the
country by openly taking its political passions
under his protection. This last is an important
admission on the part of the German paper, and
the Government, which by publishing it in its own
organ has in some sort made it its own. Hitherto
we have been assured, in the face of a thousand
proofs to the contrary, that the movement in Poland
was only a partial one, and was confined to a few
hot-headed revolutionists; now we have it on the
authority of the Government paper that it embraces
the whole country. We are next told that the
events of the Kosciuszko day were entirely due to
the perseverance of the archdeacon; and we learn
for the first time that it had been the intention of
the clergy to come in procession to the beleaguered
churches and free their inmates under the shelter
'of their sacred office—a piece of news which was