The Sun. — 1863-02-25 (London, England)

MBER.  THE INSURRECTION IN POLAND.  A letter from Cracow of the 19th inst. gives an account of the attack on the town of Miechow by the insurgents, and their defeat. The Russian garrison of Miechow consisted of 800 men, and the insurgent chief Kurowski determined to attack them with his corps, consisting of 1,500 riflemen, cavalry, and pikemen. The attack was made without any order from the superior revolutionary authority, and therefore Kurowski alone is responsible for the consequences. He attacked the town on three different points. The first column, composed of cavalry, preceded by riflemen, advanced and entered, notwithstanding a murderous fire from the Russians, who were barricaded in the houses. The insurgents arrived at the great square without oeing ab e to answer the Russian fire except with their revolvers. In the meantime another column, composed of riflemen and pikemen, attacked a church occupied by the Russians. The church and churchyard were taken by assault, but the affair cost the Poles a number of men. They nevertheless continued their course through the streets, exposed to a volley of musketry, and they likewise arrived at the great square, cheering and declaring to their chief that they had rather die than abandon the ground they had conquered. They next attacked, but ineffectually, another church and a, convent in which the Russians had barricaded themselves. At eight o'clock in the morning Kurowski gave the signal to retreat, just at the moment when the column composed of cavalry and pikemen arrived. This handful of men commenced a fresh attack on the Russians, but after having lost some men they were likewise forced to retreat. The insurgents lost in this affair about 100 killed and wounded, and several of the latter finding that their comrades had retreated, committed suicide. The Russian loss was rather less—it is calculated at SO killed and wounded. Daring the struggle some houses caught fire, but no great injury had been done up to the time of the insurgents' retreat. The Russians, however, would not suffer the inhabitants to extinguish the fire, and the town continued to burn during the whole of the 17th and 18th. Neither would the Russian commander suffer the inhabitants to bury the dead for three days. When the insurgents retreated the Russians pillaged the town and then murdered several of the inhabitants in their houses, and among them the mayor, beloved and respected by everybody, a Russian functionary, and the public accountant. After the battle of Mkchow a number of the insurgents principally Gall • oians, crossed the Austrian frontier and arrived at Cracow. Those who had retained their arms were disarmed by the Austrian authorities. A great number of wounded arrived on the 18th and 19th at Cracow, and were placed in the public hospitals. The unfortunate Polish conscripts have been despatched by railway from Warsaw to the interior of Russia.  The Prase has the subjoined summary of affairs in Poland:—  " On comparing the intelligence received from different sources, it is easy to form a distinct idea of the situation and to estimate the extent of the insurrectional movement. The Poles are divided into numerous bands, each of which has its centre of operations. The government of Radom is enclosed between two insurrectional bodies, commanded by Kurowski. The first of them occupies the south-eastern district ; the south is guarded by flying detachments, which connect the east with the west, and keep open communications with the second corps, strongly posted in the west, and protected by extensive forests. Here appeared the first detachments of the corps under Langiewicz, encamped on the frontier of the department, watching the isolated movements of the Russians and preventing their concentration. In this government the Russian troops occupy the towns of Miechow, Kielce, Kautkie, Czenstochawa, Radom, and Sandomir. The centre of Kurowski's corps is at Dombrows. Statements, which we consider exaggerated, represent this corps to be 6,000 strong. Its lines extend to Olkusz and Ojow, and threaten the railway from Cracow to Warsaw. As for Langiewicz, he threatens the high road from Cracow w Warsaw, via Radom. In the government of Lublin, the high road from Lublin to Lemberg is threatened by the corps of Frankowski, some of whose detachments are in communication with other bands extending into Volhynia. Lastly, in Voihynia itself there is a band under the command of Neczaj, a Cossack by birth. To this general sketch we may add that Lithuania and the government of Augustow are overrun with bands whose number and movementsare altogether unknown. Forests, lakes, rivers, marshes, render repression impossible. These bands extend to the very gates of Warsaw in the forests lying between Siesnewice and Psolimon. Some German journals speak of numerous desertions from the Russian army in Lithuania."