The Sun. — 1862-12-18 (London, England)

MOB. strous agglomeration of reputed races to become the vanguard of an Asiatic invasion destined to conquer and to punish the world. Poland has not allowed itself to be led away from its path, painful it is true, but traced out by Providence itself. She has remained deaf to the suggestions of a blind hatred against the West, which, she has been told, has degenerated, and is without pity. She has not believed in the promises of political regeneration by moral suicide, and she herself has answered in her turn—No more idle dreams.  But much more disquieting to every heart animated by the thought of the welfare and future of the nation, is another tendency which, though utterly dissimilar and based on generous instincts, has not less its starting point in despair, and whose working is no less suicidal. The terror and persecutions under which the country groans have given birth in some ardent minds, in some sore spirits ,4„? fatal ideas which would seriously compromise the destinies of our country. I speak not merely of the deplorable crimes recently perpetrated at Warsaw, of those monstrous deeds unexampled in our past history, and -occasioned entirely by a system of political cruelty, wlif.th is likewise unexampled in the civilised world. It cannot be denied, gentlemen, under the smart of wholesale imprisonments, of condemnations to Siberia and to death—under the smarting of the absolute indifference of Governments formerly animated by sympathy for our misfortunes; lastly, under the threat of that law, impossible to qualify, for recruiting, which would deprive the country of its noblest children—the idea of insurrection has arisen in more than one mind, and each day augments the number of those who meditate changing into military resistance a purely moral struggle sustained now two years by the nation with enshakable constancy. I feel sure I only express the deep conviction of however ardent he may be,every vv hen declare military rising attempted enlightenede ghat a at this moment would more seriously than aught else endanger the national cause. I leave it to the conscience of all those wh.) would not willingly and roost culpably blind themselves, to answer the question—" Are our forces on a sufficiently firm footing—our ranks sufficiently filled—is our financial situation sufficiently assured to enable us to call the nation to arms without committing, of ell imprudences, the most criminal ?" I leave also to those who judge lifely the situation of Europe—the alliances about to be formed—the interests engaged,  to answer the question, whether an insurrection in Poland could at this juncture rely on the smallest foreign aid ? I shall only touch at greater length on one sole point—because standing alone—it is said to be favourable to an insurrection in Poland, because  it alone appears to afford a ground for an attempt devoid of reason and against conscience. It is said from various sides that the actual state Of Russia might offer chances of success to an insurrectional movement in our country, and, it must be confessed, the generous death of several officers of the Russian army, who did not conceal their mpathy for our cause, has lately added weight to this erroneous belief. A fact like the preceding could not but impress deeply the popular imagination, and the martyrdom of a few has been taken. by it as an incontrovertible sign of the general sentiment of an entire people. We must not, however' yield ourselves to legendary exaggerations, but give to such various symptoms their sober pro portions. True, the empire of the Czars is a prey to agitations and embarrassments of every kind, of n nature too serious to be denied; its force, however, bas not declined to that degree but that it could still crush at one blow a people who should revolt without army, without organisation, without foreign alliances. True, ideas of liberty and civilisation begin to spread in Russia, but they are very faint as yet, and threatened in their germ by a hand still powerful and ready to let loose the blind and brutal passions of the masses against the m°' dery spirit. All honour to those generous Russian offieere who preferred sentence of death by their own military tribunals to massacreing a defenceless people, to doing outrage to its sufferings, its rights' By this they have wiped away more than one iniquitous deed of their countrymen, and their memory will live for ever in Poland ! But these noble victims even speak loudly enough by the smallness of their number and the abandonment 0I their comrades, to warn us against dangerous sions, to teach us to distinguish between rare er ceptions and the general spirit of the army and the Russian nation. That nation and that army will yet long remain animated by thoughts of violence and conquest, and only when they shall hale acquired the consciousness still so wanting t° them, of their own rights and misery—Will they learn one day to understand and respect the rights and sufferings of others." t After having insisted again on the imminent dangers of an insurrection to Poland, the spesker concludes with these words : " So long as the political foundations of all social life be not firmly laid in every province of °if country, the cry to arms can be but the cry of de.; spair, heard with joy by the oppressor alone; 1" can be but an appeal to hopeles combat, to en in; glorious death. May God, in his mercy, spare 13 so terrible a trial!" The citizens of the kingdom have declared very lately by a solemn act, " That neither brute fcreoe 't nor military tribunals, nor prisons, nor exile, even the scaffold, shall stifle in them—faith in the . 0 rights and in the future of Poland." A natinor which can speak thus in the face of its oppre°to must have sufficient confidence in herself not if provoke a decisive, desperate battle, must Irn°l she has sufficient forms to maintain still 1°13,r, campaign, should even that campaign be ion, marked by reverses.