Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 182?-183?, 1832-08-31


ed in the ranks OF his countrymen u
gainst the despots power was sentenced
to Punishment into Siberia. The SEN
tence was enforced OH he day of his
Saints festival and the emperor Nicholas
wrote on the sentence, in his own hand,
the aggravating punishment that he
must be sent into Siberia OH foot, chain
ed TO the bar ofthe common soldiers. If
this was doubted, it could be proved, for
the document was iii existence. The
Princess, his mother, urged by her nat
ural feelings, sought to moderate the
rigor Of his sentence. The Emperor so
far relented as to allow the substitution
OF milder punishment, on condition
that the Nobleman would acknowledge
he had been driven into the rebellion
by the loss ofreason which had beiallen
him in consequence of affiiction at the
death OF his wife. He nobly refused to
comply with the :yrarnical and base
suggestion, urging as reason the feelings
which must agitate the minds ofhis fellow
countrymen on seeing him disavow the
part he had taken in their common cause.
On his refusal no further application on
! his behalf would be listened TO and he
was at that moment in exile, his mother
! disconsolate and wretched, ignorant to
what corner of Siberia his footsteps were
directed. But this was not all He had
LETT daughter behind him eight wears
old. The order of the Russian Govern
ment was, that female infants of the No
bility should be taken away from Po-
land, and carried into Russia. Her on
! ly protector was an old soldier of 10,
who had been the companion in arms of
/ koSciusco. When the Russian soldiers
were about to enforce their orders to
convey the infant away, he seized her
IN his arms, and declared he would not
give her up but with his life. His no.
bic disdain Of life so terrified the Rus
slams that they retired, aad left him in
! possession Of his infant charge.
Mr.. O'Connel said he was almost a.
fraid to trust himselfin the expression of
his sentiments upon subject which
naturally must induce one to adopt Ian
guage unbecoming the character of these
deliberations. He could not conceal
from the House the sentiments of dis
gust and adherence with which he had
heard the details. of the cruelties prac-
tiSed by orders of the Russian Autocrat
upon this brave and generous nation
He had heard tonight of the rights con-
ferred on Poland by the Treaty of vi
emma. Rights Had she no rights an
tecedent to that treaty HID not that
( Congress proved they were themselves
robbers and partners in guilt? Poland
had taken no part in the antecedent
struggle. France and Russia had both
run over her, it was true. But Poland
had rights antecedent to the infamous
and Ubiquitous spoliations of l772 and
1871. That spoliation had rendered
unsafe and insecure those very Thrones
which looked with delight on the un-
Just territorial acquisitions that political
iniquity had procured them. There
were two distinguished and prominent
features in the case ofthe brave Poles
their great merit and their great wrongs.
Untouched with admiration for the one
OF pity for the other, the miscreant con-
queror had gone trampelling on the pros
trate people OF that country-violatinp
every institution they respected-want,
only wounding the better feelings ofbotb
sexes-nay, with barbarity unheard
OF in all history, tearing from their pa
rents the little children, to transplant
them to the wild wastes of Siberia
| Gracious God what must have been
lNbe feelings of Polish mother, at this
SSa5ifice of her loved offspring' Then
!auy 'the wife of Polish General, with
IN SllS Sqrtnight, had been announced
as haViinS9lunged knife into the bo-
Soin Vi her isue children, rather than
Suher them TO We torn from her arms and
Dahlshed at the iahuman mandate oCtbe
Iyrant He heatNwitb sorro,, mi 49,
greet noble Lord, aSowing the rnsnec,
he personally entertained for tho e.
reign alluded to. He shGAld bo osLa,.
ed to know, in private LIES man IL
had been guilty of one hundlsdtb 49,
oil those enormities which rendsred i
positively disgrace TO have In a.
quaintance. Was the load of et;It
removed because he wore n crown
he would not hesitate to saw that sucb
was his grasping and lawless ambition
that if be could only arrange his fnan-
ces and his treasure, so that for couple
OF compaigns he would maintain 300
600 Of his barbarous hordes in the heart
OF Europe, nothing would save the civ
ilized world from his designs, short of
all Europe rising to check the barbarick
irruPtion-Qoud cheering for some
tlme.) Had not the treaty of Vienna
been violated from its commencement