The Sun.
London, England, 1850-11-04 00:00:00

THE POLISH BALL.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sra,—ltelying on your well-known sympathy for
Poland, I venture to send you an abstract of a speech
which Lord Dudley Stuart, President of the Literary
Association of the Friends of Poland, delivered in
presence of the Polish Ball Committee, at Guildhall,
on the 29:h ult. The papers have omitted the report
of that speech, but as it throws considerable light on
the situation of the refugees, the publication of it in

your columns may be useful to the cause.
After expressing his gratitude, and that of the refu-
gees, to the Corporation of London for the many
proors of sympathy and kindness received at their
hands, his Lordship proceeded to state that .since the

last meeting of this committee one part of the press
had assailed the object and the promoters of the pre-
sent undertaking. He felt, it, therefore, his duty to
repeat what he had formerly said, that it was
not to encourage vice or to promote idleness
that these funds were so laboriously raised for

the alleviation of the sufferings of Polish refu-
gees in this country. It is well known that every
trade and profession, and every branch of busi-
ness, was over-done, and that clever and industrious

Englishmen could not always find employment.
How much more difficult must this be to foreigners.
The Poles, however, putting aside the recollection of
their former state, have always been ready for any
honest work. Officers, men of birth and station,
have not thought themselves degraded by working as
couv,:m labourers on railways. Others, more for-
tx.ite, have fou❑d situations either as teachers or as
'commercial clerks, usually at very low salaries.
'lbw, most of the refugees contribute to their own
maintenance ; but it would be too much to expect that
all should be employed. Some are, indeed, incapable
of work from age, wounds, and other infirmities.
There are among them men crippled with rheumatism,
and unfit for any physical exertion. Others, who hay-
ing met with serious accidents on the railways—as it
has been the case with one :cot long ago, who bid se-
veral trucks passed over his legs, which received such
severe injuries that the man cannot do anything—are
left with numerous families, without sutticie❑t main-
tenance—idiots, who would starve but for the small
pittance afforded them by the Association. Ay, the
very sickness which is the chief object of the pre-
sent appeal to the public, is often occasioned by star-
ration. The medical gentleman who attends
the Poles, and who also holds an office under
Government, has declared at the last public meeting
of the Polish Association that most cases of illness
which came under his treatment arose absolutely from

want of food. But even those who have employment
cannot always depend upon it, and what they got
seldom or ever enables them to make any provision
for sickness or compulsory idleness. One of them,
an elderly man with four children and a wife, had for
several years been employed in a factory, and owing
to want of physical strength, he, a few months ago,
was discharged, and thus left in a state of poverty. It
is for the relief of such men, for the relief of the blind,
the halt, and the maimed, that the money raised by
the Polish balls will be devoted; "and I confess (said
his Lordship) that if I knew of another way of going
to work than by application to the generosity of the
citizens of London I should of course adopt it. But,
really, there seems to be at present no other
alternative for the Poles than to appeal again to
the noble feelings of the inhabitants of
this wealthy city, where they at least find
hearts beating with that love of liberty of which the
Poles themselves are the melancholy victims. It
has been remarked, why should not the Poles apply
to some of the other charities with which this country
abounds ? Why always trouble the citizens of Lon-
don ? The truth of the matter is, that the city of
London is their only refuge. The Society of Fo-
reigners in Distress does not, I believe, relieve, accord-
ing to its rules, political refugees. Some time since I
took an active part in a bazaar for the benefit of the
Strangers' Friend Society, but when I applied for
some portion of the proceeds in behalf of the Poles, I
was told that it was impossible to devote any to the
political refugees. But are political refugees then
doomed to starvation in England ? Is dancing in
their behalf so heinous a crime ? Every charity has
some contrivance or other, by means of which it re-
plenishes its exchequer. Dinners are given for the
benefit of the German Hospital—tea parties for other
institutions. Is the relief of the Polish refugees by
means of a ball, so very objectionable? Why, it
seems to me (continued his Lordship) that this
mode of raising the funds is attended with double
advantage, it helps the needy and promotes trade.
Nobody goes to a ball upon compulsion, and whoever
goes to it has the double satisfaction of pleasing
himself and of doing good to others. It is, sometimes,
said that the misfortunes of the Poles come too often
before the public. They who grumble the most are
precisely the men 'rho have seldom or never given
one farthing for their relief. It is very true that few
refugees have come to this country in a more desti-
tute condition than the Poles. Within the last fifteen
months, more than 200 of them were compelled to
seek an asylum in England from France and Switzer-
land. A body of those men, in May last, presented
themselves at the Nansion-house, in a state bordering
on starvation, to solicit means of employment or
relief from the sitting magistrate, but their re quest
could not be cosoplied with. The funds of the Polish
Association were nearly exhausted, and had it not
been for the ad received from several of their less
untOrtunate countrymen abroad, they should have
perished in the streets of London. Army if these
men were enabled to proceed to New York, in search
of a leas miserable lot. It also raid, why do not the
Poles return to their own country ? ho puts this
question must be either very ignorant, or his object is
to treat the unfortunate with derision. The Poles
cannot return to their country. All those from the
Austrian and Prussian Poland, who had leave to do
so, have returned, and let me observe, that even among
those, there are persons who, having gone home and
lived for some time in the midst of their families, were
again compelled to quit their domestic hearths, on a
mere suspicion of having taken a part in the war of
independence. I tried, said his Lordship, some time
ago, to send back to his own country, the poor idiot, a
native of Galicia, whose case I mentioned to you, by
making an application to the Austrian Minister, but I
met with a peremptory refusal. As to Russia, the
thing is out of the question ! every ret ugee who
would attempt to re-enter his country without per-
mission, would expose himself to a further journey to
Siberia, or at least to the Caucasus. The notoriety
of these facts is unquestionable. They are as Well
known to the press of this country as they are to
myself. It is therefore very strange, that the Times
and other newspapers should visit upon the unfortus,
nate refugees themselves, as if it were their own act—
a state of misery and destitution—which is only the
act of the foreign governments who have partitioned
Poland. They feel no indignation for the oppressors,
at least they express none ; but they lavish every
epithet cf reproach or contumely against men, against
whom the only charge they could bring is that they
have fought and bled for their country. Is it the
cause of liberty that they are thus hating in secret ?
or is it mean subserviency to the power of despotism ?
It is a question which I leave them to decide; but of
one thing I am certain, that the people of this country
will never abandon the cause of Poland, or suffer those
expatriated children to die of
want.
His Lordship then handed in a long list of patron-
esses and patrons of the present entertainment, and
also the names of several distinguished artistes, who
have offered their gratuitous services on the occasion,
and assured the committee that the prospects of the
ball were of a most cheering and encouraging nature.
I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient
servant,

C. SZULCZEWSKI, Secretary.
Literary Association of the Friends of Poland,
Sussex Chambers, St. James's, Nov. 1, 1650.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.—The following
gentlemen having undergone the necessary examinations
for the diploma, were admitted members of the College at the
meeting of the Court of Examiners on the Ist inst.:—Messrs.
George Phillips Bevan, Beaufort, Breconshire; Mark Edwin
Bullen Nicholson, Cambridge; Mark Rowland Day, Oxford ;
John Frank Ross Lang. Newcastle-upon-TyLe; Adam
Fletcher, Bury, Lancashire; James Edward Dickenson, Hart-
street, Bloomsbury ; Francis Robinson, Nova Scotia, North
America; Henry Goode Wright, Hereford; Roger Lewis.
Narbeth, Pembrokeshire; James hl'Carthy, Romford, Essex&
and George Hugh Sidley, R.N. This gentleman passed as
naval assistant February 7, 1845. At the same meeting of
the Court Mr. James Smith Ayerest passed his examination
for naval surgeon. This gentleman had previously been ad-
mitted a member of the College, his diploma bearing date
April 12, 1847.
KILKENNY AND WATERFORD JUNCTION.—A wag-
gon train passed the whole way to Kilkenny on Friday,
and the line is expected to be opened for traffic in the course
of next month.
PORT OF LIMERICK.—NOTICE.—The Commis..
sioners of the Customs have appointed Foubirt, on the River
Shannon, to be the proper station within the port of Lime-
rick, for all vessels coming up, or departing out of the said
port, to bring to for the boarding or landing of officers of the
customs, in lieu of Scattery Roads, on the east side of Scat.
ting Island.
WANDSWORTIL—The division of Wandsworth into
two distinct and separate parishes under the Act 58th
George 111. having now become complete by the promotion
of lir. Pemberton to a rectory in Devon, the new vicarage
of St. Ann's, to which is attached the excellent vicarage-
house and the larger pertion of the tithes and otber.endt?w-
metits, being the more extensive and importanotfliZ.lrThi •tip"
a
been presented to the Itev. Berry ilo.les, smallerlate
the
furs;s,,iu
st
late curate of St. Ann's.
THE MISsING POST-LETTER. INSPECTOR.—Ip. the
.
bbeernolpdrec:elinlicel:t, to w thhe the
-it K. L• Townsend,parisl 'Sosf
course of yesterday (Saturday) afternoon a communication
was inmie to the Obsel ger, to the effect that Mr. Joseph
wurii,, the missing inspector, was actually in Scotland, wel
in health, and in the highest spirits.— Observer.
;TILE COLLISION ON THE GREAT NORTHERN RAIL
WAY.- INQUEST ON THE ENGII,IE-DRIVEII.—On Saturday an
inquest was held at Hatfield, on the body of James Carter,
who, it will be recollected, was injured in consequence of his
engine having, through his own negligence, " pitched into"
a cattle train near the Hatfield station. After the examina-
tion of several 'witnesses, the jury returned a verdict " That
the death of the deceased was the reault of hie own ntsli.,
genes."