The Sun. — 1842-07-05 (London, England)

POLISH EXILES. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. Stn--Ni'o,hope that you will kindly insert in your valuable paper the following Protest of the' Polish Emigiants in London, and as: the protest is in the course of signature we shall have the pleasure of forwarding to you the other names as soon as they will he complete.—We have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servants, Colonel Louts Onoam, Chairman. S. .WOucEr.L, Member of the Polish Diet, Sec. London, July 2, 1842. " Not long ago a report got abroad that the inveterate foe of our country, Nicholas, was to proclaim a general amnesty to • the Poles, in commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of his wedding. Some of the newspapers which reported it seemed to rejoice at that forthcoming event, as if the amnesty could restore to our country her lost children, recognise her rights, which have been trampled upon, and reinstate the nation in that independence, without which there is no lie, no existence for it, nor any prospect of return to our native country for us.. Convinced, therefore, that some minds entertain a mistaken idea of the Polish cause, we venture to address a few words to the public of the civilised world in explanation of the true position in which the Polish emigration stands towards their country and its oppressor. • " The whole world knows that the Polish Revolution of 1830 was not a revolt against a lawful Sovereign, but a spontaneous insurrection of a nation to redress its wrongs, re-conquer its violated rights, re-establish its ancient independence. When the indolence of the chiefs, the mismanagement and machinations of the -diplomatic party, had frustrated Poland of all the advantages gained upon the field of battle by the valorous army, the Poles did not give up their arms to Russia, but deposited them in the neighbouring countries, reserving to themselves the right of re-taking them at he first opportunity, and thus signifying to Europe that the strife was suspended only, not finished. The civilised world greeted the emigration with enthusiasm, not us the fugitives, who fled before the punishment of an of ended master, but as the representatives of a great and sacred cause; as the defenders of common liberty, because a murder perpetrated upon one nation was a threat to the liberty of all others. " The lapse of eleven years did not bring any change in the cause of Poland. Now, as then, Poland is the, representative of the popular liberty, and of the right of resisting the foreign oppression. It is now, as it was then, her duty to sacrifice all for the defence of her rights. As then she 'has redeemed with her blood the threatened liberty of the West, so she is ready now to shield the civilization against any attempts of the Muscovite hordes. As then, in spite of fifty years oppression and five times repeated partitions, the Polish people believed in the vitality of his rights to constitute an independent nation, so he religiously preserves the same faith, and shall never forsake those sacred rights. The generation which, in 1830, proclaimed the national independence is still living; and by the side of it arose a new one, christened in the blood of Grochow and. Ostrolenka, brought up amidst the cries and sufferings of the tortured nation. It is its destiny to complete the work begun by its predecessors, and by a triumph to deserve those applauds with which the people of the West have greeted our late revolution. And we who have left our country in order to give evidence amongst the friendly nations to the rights and grievances of Poland, and preferred the exile to the disgrace of taking a sacrilegious oath of fidelity to the oppressor of our country, can we now forsake our mission, forswear ..our duties, and slanderously acknowledge our country to have been guilty, by accepting, so many times offered, and -as many times . refused, amnesty ? ! Once more, most solemnly, we repeat, •No ! We shall not accept the amnesty. The emigration being a protest before the world against the spoliations and injustice perpetrated upon our country, we must see first those wrongs redressed. Having left Poland as Poles, we shall not return to it as Muscovites. Having left it with hearts proud of having done our duty, we shall not go back as culprits, and with the same hand, which, in characters of blood, has inscribed upon our native land its rights to independence, liberty, integrity, and progress, we shall not sign a blasphemous acknowledgment that our revolution was a a rebellion—that independence of Poland is a vision." L; is already signed by 70 persons, but we suppress the names on account of the space they occupy.