POLAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 531, 2 September 1863, Page 5

POLAND.

« (Fromthe Saturday Review) The conversation in the House of Lords on Monday last stronly illustrated the complications of the Polish quest'Oii. Lord i'llenborough, while he avowed a desire to maintain the influence of Russia in Europe, recommended that Poland should be made an independent kingdom under some prince of the Imperial family. As the Emperor Alexander, however, will assnreelly not adopt the suggestion, it is useless to discuss a compromise which might probably be advantageous if it were not altogether imaginary. It is with Russian c laima to sovereignty, and with Polish efforts for independence, that the Governments of England, Prance, and Austiia have practically to deal. The difficulty of even devising a feasible pro posal seems almost insuperable. Lord Etlcnborough pr.ivcd that ah armistice was impossible; and Lord Russell,, noi less conclusively, answered that it was nevertheless indispensable.' A cessation of arms implies a demarcation of limits' between regular belligerent!, occupying respectively certain districts with temporary exemption from hostile interference. In Poland, the enemies are intermingled with one auother in every part of the country; and the Russian officers, with the aid of the peasants whom the can cajole or bribe, exercise military tyranny over all unarmed opponents. The bands of insurgents only meet together for the purpose of active operalions, and during an intermission of .hostilities they must either cease to exi«t, or violate the conventions which. might have bean executed on their behalf. On the other hand, Lord Kussell was justified in arguing that it would be idle to negotiate between the combatants while an iuteanecine war was carried on with' every circumstance of violence and cruelty; and it may, perhaps, in a conflict of impossibilities, be allowable to select the cource Avhich is nominally the more humane. When the three powers have agree I to propose an armistice, they will be met by the further question, whether they are prepared to enforce the acceptance of their recommendations. Lord Russel expresses the deliberate opinion of his countrymen when he protests against war on behalf of Poland, although Lord Ellen borough states, wish approximate truth, that the motive power of diplomacy consists exclusively in the force wJdch may fie behind it Yet it is almost impossible to be silent in view of a contest _ which deeply interests every intelligent p rtion of the European community. By discussing the Polish quection in the House of Loids, Lord Ellenborough himself makes one of -thote appeals to justice and to public opmion which he deprecates or slights a-- useless when they are formally addressed to a foreign Government." Perhaps he underates the force of national protests, which, notwithstanding pacific professions, necessarily involve a certain amount of menace although the threatened danger may be cpntingr.nt or remete. The letieence of diplomatic language is more significant than the conven lion ai phraseology wliich accompanies and conceals it. The notes which will probably be addressed by England. France, and Austria to thier representatives at St. Petersburgh, suggest a solution of the Polish; problem which is impracticable because it is incomplete. When the three Governments propose the establishment c;f a representative system iri the Kingdom of Poland, they ask an ostensible concession which neither expresses their own opinion nor realises the objects of the insurrection. Lord liussell may be supposed to cherish a pervading faith in Parliamentary institutions; but M. ln-ouyn de Lhuys is the colleague of M. de Persigny, who denounces a constitutional Opposition as an organised'conspiracy, and Count Rechberg speaks in the name of a Court which has but recently abandoned on compulsion the rudest and most undisguised form of administrative despotism, The Emperor Alexander will not be deeply impressed by the desire to progagate liberal doctrines which animates his advisers in Paris or Vienna and Prince Gortschakoff has alteady informed Lord Russell, that English institutions are inapplicable to the state of society wbich prevails in Russia and in Poland. It is still more material to remember that the heroic struggle of the Poles themselves is directed to the attainment of wider and hh'h<>r ob jects. Parliaments wiil probably follow the victory which almost begins to seem possible; but the "-if lant scythemen and their leaders are fightiu" notVor representation, but for Independence. Wlrnu the revolt began,, they broke with the Russian dynasty as the American Confederates finally reoudnted tht Government of. Washington- /heyTdl kimw tbat imperial promises, even if they were as liberal rs thou- ovvn former demands, wJntthe guaraSJe No outrage could be more inconsistent with the ex^3X; (h«n the conscription which provoked the jebeihon. A Parliament may be a sovereign Assembly, as ia England, or a Prussian butt for Miniateml insolence. It is idle to ask a Constitution form of Government which would unhesitatingly despatch any formidable opponent to the depths of Siberia. nf f,r!»^ ob-iecfc :°" t0 <_« diplomatic remonstrances ot iaieign Powers is founded on the difference between tne area of the insurcction aad the Poland cf diplomacy. If sim lar negotiations were pending between the European Governments and th- United St^es it would be absurd to stipulate for the seperate' rights of Virginia aud No th Carolina, while Georgia aid Alabama, were equally i„ arms. The Polfs have sTffrt^fr °N*»8OT r,UmMt the Black bc-a to. the Baltic, and yet Lord Russell can only recognise the petty Kingdom which was created it | Vienna from the former Dusi* of WaS! - Voty^

and Podolia ore in revolt, though t.ih-v wp-e Russia in 1793. The provinces to"Wiia*|"f t £. Dwina and the Dnieper slid resent the spoliation of 1772; *,d even tii.. ear?, r annexations of i-.ussia are now s-1-io..'vlJ menaced. The. Poles who happen to" V V to the Congress Kingdom are not at lib rfcv toVrf rate their fortunes from th-i causa of tiieii- count •• men w;thm the llusdan frontier. Iv this reject' If in no other,their ink rest enforces the dictW of honor and duty, for their hope of Persisting hi t c struggle until: they can receive assistance f.om ahroS mamiy aepend* on the wide, area which the insure tion covers. The_ Russians could almost certainly collect a force sutncie.it to crush the Poles c-f 52' Ringdom; bub at .present thay.aro compelled to scatter their troops over several de-rees nf Li tude and longitude. , In some of" the °£ife separated districts which take part in Tii war, the peasants, fbr_ various^ reasons, a ,| disposed to aid the national cause whi h i, elsewhere supported only bythe upp:-r and middle classes. It is not even certain that the contagion of resistance may not extend to some purely lWionprovmces. On the whole, religion and language form a sura- bond of union than the p ovisiomTof the Ireaty of Vienna. It is intelligible that Austria should be unwilling to recur t:> the original partition, but the reasons whicli c mfine ihe attention of Eneland to the rights of the kingdom are little more than technical scruples, and France professes a syuipathy with the Polish nation wherever it is strue--gaiig for itsin-epender.ee. The diplomatic cefi-" Sflr S f'f 1 ha. ye..been addressed to Russia are chiefly important as indicating the possible policy or the Western Powers if they at any 'future time m-o ceed from words to acts. No party in Endand nro poses immediate, interference, 4d the blundei offi Mexican expedition renders it difficult for Frane-to engage m any European war. It may b- tru Lord Stratford de Redclifie declared ibattl c Id is at present in a confused and disjointed state but every Government impressed by the strongest motives to avoid or postpone any actual collision . There is something .to be said in favor of Lord Ellenborough's opinion tbat the greatness of P U wh is essential to the balance of po we, or ia other word, to. tiie- o je:-t of. checking .the-., agg amliseaienb of France Iv the iast days of Napoleon, U^h, f0 ,... the first and last time, -rendered valuable sarvi c tn ' Europe. On all earlier and hrer ocfafcr-s ' tho aggressive propensities of the gr<at Northern ..Monarchy have been dangerous ti c vilisr.tion «md innational independence.. JELusia.-.was. allied' with Ans.m aad trance ngalnsfc Prussia and England in the Seven Years' War ; and when England was engageehn war with the revolted American colonies with France with Spain, and with Holland, Calhanii* II took the opportunity of aiming a blow at English maritime greatness by forming, with the other SS bta es, the armed neutra'ity ol the North The p,„ peror Paul joined the R-eueh Republic again** £" hum, and some years nfterwrrJa his son a-ree? wlfl. Napoleon at Tifet on a partition of Eur^?"wK£ the elder brancji of the bcurbons was on tt c -ye of S fe.i, Charles X. was engaged iv neg !t i.ition with Nicholas/or an nl.iance .directed totbe ovartTrow of the Tu,ki : h Emp-.re. Even since the Crimean war the Courts of Prance and Russia have mo™ X once .nffectod the ostentatious display of * T^^ fi' iedsl-F- $™ Breat. m ilitaU yEirii«s a seearaled by wide distances, . may -easily s"eet •. separate objects for their cupidity and am^L and * experience shows mat au ViWment bJ&Sl'"' France and Russ-a may at any time endanger the for checking the natural sym a Ty S h attends the. gallant struggle of S L/es od community, a peculiar. m rA iateS at* tiCll^K t°. 1 a re^ ta"<« organized and conducted by the. national leaderAnd-'representative* of the nation, in defiance ofthe apathy or trea-ouof offioials.to the avarice or jealousvof the peasant^ remove any doubt which might have been eaterta nX agents ot a despotic monarchy practise tho doctrines ot revolutionary Jacobi;*, the lovers of law and order ougkt to unite with, the friends of liberty in denouncing heir crime The satisfaction of being eeatainly on the right side is unfortunately Somewhat alloyed by the impossibility of Al ving practical effect to benevo. lent sympathies, A Parisian Scaxdal —Soma circumstances connected with a recent marriage in high life threaten to create as much scandal as did the Palikao Dotation Jill. Ihe bride is the daughter a celebrity who took an active although nota leading pirt in the eoun a etat ; and tie budegroom a person well known on • the turf as a fast young mau, aud a friend of the Duke de Orammont-Caderousse. Last February it appears that he had run through the greater part of his patrimony, and was tlierefore obliged fo think of repair-" ing his losses by the acq aisition of what. is called in Paris a bonparh that ;s to say, a wife who possesses U fS * M° ney nt:! pp,orfc heraitfand her husband comfortably. But "he found that wealthy women as a general rule here, do not like to espouse poor men, so that he was almost on the verge of desperation when at one of the Court balls he saw Mdb> X and concaved the brilliant project which wili be revealed m the sequel. He danced as much as he could with her, made himself very agreeable to her chaperon. amputated skilful y with a pocket scissors thi torn flounces of both, forced a passage for them into the supper-room, and before they retired was sufficiently acquainted with them to ask permission to call at their hotel. The call was made the day following, and led to au invitation to Madame X --.'3 going, in the course of which M. M found means of telling his plan to the youag.lady ia question, and prevailing on her to promise that she would assist ..VS .m. I «UT? inS ifc out. When mattsrs were sufficiently ripe for him to do so, M If —-next asked- for a private interview with tne lather of his ■-inamorata, and stated that he was m lore with her, as well as that hi had reason to suppose the luung was mutual. -'f.Tres Men' was the laconic answer. "It is not so well as you t?frl HeplJ°d 8 2 thec ' '"' * have Biwn way a good deal to the temptations of youth, in consequence of which I am the revere of wealthy, and as mademoiselle has no dot, 16 would be out of the question for us no w-to think of setting up house together." The o'd gentleman thus addressed being, like most of hte countrymen very matter-of fact in all that concerns marriage, acknowledged that it wss csrtainly embar-ras-ing; to which answer was made. "Not so em. barrasmg as it may sam to you. I a- as £?vi?°V yofn^ man.of good family, and, I flatter myself ol good educition aud good'manners, we! received lathe best society, with some experience if life, ana every desire to profit"by it. You are not k is true, able to give your daughter any do* But you feS oTaSnf°f S clairas- u.P^ the GovSaS You ?vf.d 7 0ur V°^ on and Past services. I ou. could, therefore,- without any diffieu'tv procure a situation for me, which would enablfme to many mademoiselle " The whole project <4med to the person thus addressed to be a very b-ilSone and he shook hands most cordially on the bar<S. A certain, minister was then applied to for the re quired situation. Ec did not fad to put down £ young .gentleman 8 name on the top of a list of cand ! S ™\a^ minibtl'Jt^ favors- The P«Wic saylhat t r ?, a W enoug 1; they make not so much an outcry as a general and uuderhancl protest against n respectable old Orleanist bavin- befn placS unnn wiucn is worth between forty and fifty thousand francs a year, bestowed upon M. M—l who cordingly was able to get married. The' hi- de rethelS• t" Sh°T °^ glfts from souvci; and tne muibteiß, with the exception of Drouvn de lhitu?f tir?%Sl^ ? n4 made-fca: Portsmouth. W& In if t0 VTlsi? his P-^ents'and fiieuds. IviU town he fell into evil company, aid Si5 ey tn,lu the, a?lotted« time J he afraid of },i"' m f t, he ( blp RtPostsmouth- -consequents, he fee.ted. In due time his name and description ■appered in the Hue and Cry, and shortly after he wasl captured and takea to his ship, when he was .sentenced to Sfrcen years' continual service without ever going on shore. A few hours after hearing his sentence, he retired to his hammock and' committed suicide hy hanging himself!— Wiltshire Mirror. " Favourable and Unfavourable Signs—When a man can make ajolly gool luucheou after the Perbv and can take anytlung-beer, sherry, claret, mosellecup, cider lobster salad, Yorkshire pie, "anything iavou owe sigh. But when a man, as soon as tho Demy has been run, finds that he cannot^oucll a morsel, but goes on draining bumper after bumJ-r of allTh^hfl^ W^^" «A cig^sTfontby Zmil n ' c are at/ aid y°u masc lo°k upon ihe£ 3?FS?w-H Vei' yittD^V 0Y ra>letiSn- 'l^chances their -2 Jf aV lie «ei'tfemanh aS won ani that me second has lost. -Punch. Last year the number of valentines which passed isnK "V 16 .LondQa Post office was upwards of sau.uuji, showing au increase of more than 20-000 upon the previous year ;. and in the present year tiere has frestt &, farther am i yet lar^ er J v »* -.

THE KING OF DAHOMEY. Two despatches from Commodore Wilmot respecting his visits to the King of Dahomey in December, 1862, and January, 1863, have been published. The Commodore was received with great ceremony, Every one kneels down while delivering a message, and the men touch the ground with their head and lips before the King. The women do not kiss the ground, nor sprinkle themselves with dust as the men do.. When a man appears before the King he ia obliged to perform the ceremony of covering his head and upper part of Ins body with dust before he rises, as much as to sa}', " I am nothing but dirt before thee!" The King is a very fine-looking man, upwards of six feet high, broad-shouldered, and a pleasant countenance when he likes. His eyes are bloodshot, which may arise from want .of rest or other causes. He is a great smoker, and does not indulge much in the bottle. His skin is much lighter than most of his people, resembling the copper color of the American Indians. He is very active, and f jnd of dancing and singing, which he practises in public during the " customs." He is much addicted to the fair sex, of whom he possesses as many as he likes. He is about forty-three years old. The Commodore, who was accompanied by Captain Luce and Dr Haran, of the Brisk, were in Abomey upwards of five weeks, and daily witnessed scenes of a very extraordinary character, such as the dancing of theamazons, their warlike songs, the dancing and songs of the soldiers, the distribution of presents to the princes, chiefs, captains, and head men of the troops, the "passing" of the King's drummers, of the captains of the amazons, of the KingV jesters, and a variety ot other people which appear before the King during the "customs." On some of the days, when " customs" were going on, there was a procession of the King's " treasures," including the human sacrifices, which consisted of men with their hands and feet tied, each carried in a basket by one man on the top of his head. " The men were carried three times round the square, the first time stopping opposite to where the King was ' sitting, where the bearers received a glass of rum each, from an amazon in attendance. They then passed through the gates to the platform half a mile off. The procession lasted two days, and human sacrifices passed round both days; on the first day eight went round, and on the second day six ; half of these were killed and half spared—so we were told. Probably they are only spared until the next customs.' .: The unfortunate men looked at us as #they passed; but it was not in our power to Jielp them in any way." The Commodore would not witness the slaying of the men which took place, and the King on one occasion gave him one of the victims who was about to be slaughtered. With regard to the slave trade; the King said. the trade had been carried on his country for centuries, and that it was his great means of living and paying hi 3 people. He did not send slaves away in his own ships, but " white men" came to him for them, and was there any harm in his selling ? We ought to prevent, the " white men" from coming to him; if they did not come he would not sell. We had seen what a great deal he had to give away every year to his people, who were dependent on him ; and this could not le done by selling palm oil alone. If people came for palm oil he would sell it to them ; he could not carry on his Government upon trade alone. If he gave up the slave trade where was he to get money from ? It was not his faiult that he sold slaves, but those who made his father do it, and hence it became an institution of his country. He said I cannot stop it all at once; what will my people do; and besides this I should be in danger of losing my life." The Commodore says:—" I asked him how much money he would take to give it up. fie replied, 'No money will induce me to do so; lam not like the Kings of Lagos, Porto Novo, Benin, &c. There are only two kings in Africa^ Ashantee and Dahomey; lam the the King of all the Blacks. Nothing will recompense me for the slave trade.' I argued that it must be stopped in time; that even now very few ships came for them; and what would he do when it was all gone ? I found it useless to go on any further on this subject." In reference to human sacrifices, the King said it was impossible for him to give them up at once. His words were, " Softly, softly; it shall be done in time, but not yet; my head would be cut off to-morrow if I stopped it suddenly." Commodore Wilmot says if we can only prove to the King that we are really sincere in our wishes to be friendly with him he is quite certain that potentate will think very seriously of our proposals to him, for giving up the slave trade as well as the human sacrifices." The commodore also says :—"A few have an idea of a Supreme Being, but still a very imperfect one. The King knows more of those important truths than any of his subjects, and we shall see the good effects of this knowledge by and bye." As war is so constant in Dahomey, there is au incessant drain on the male population, and there are nearly five thousand women in the Dahomian army. Commodore Wilmot says of these. Amazons:—" They are far superior to the men in everything—in appearance, in dress, in figure, in activity, in their performances as soldiers, and in bravery. Their numbers are kept up by young girls of thirteen or fourteen years of age being attached to each company, who learn their duties from them; they dance with them, sing with them, and live with them, but do not goto war with them until they have arrived at a certain age, and can handle a musket; These vyomen would seem to be fully aware ofthe authority they possess, which is seen in their bold and free manner, as well as by a certain swagger in their walk. Most of them are young, well-looking, and have not that ferocity in their expression of countenance which might be expected from their vocation; but may have passed that time of life when all passions have ceased to animate, and make their mode of life at least worth retaining. They are supposed to live a life of chastity, and there is no doubt that they do so, because it is impossible for them to do anything wrong without being discovered, and such discovery would lead to certain death. The King for one has the privilege of selecting any of these women for his wives, which is rarely the case. As soldiers in an African kingdom, and engaged solely in African warfare, they are very formidable enemies. They fully" understand the use of "the musket, and load and fire with remarkable rapidity. Their rapidity is surprising— they would run with some of our best performers in England, The captains carry the . skulls of their enemies in their girdles, and an occasional jaw is also seen. The number of the army, including Amazons, is set down by the Commodore at 10,000, and the population of all the Dahomian territory at 180,000, of whom threefourths are women and children. A mok Pat-ei.2e. —' Pat, do you love your country V f Certainly, yer honour.'—"Well, what's the best thing about old Ireland. Pat V ' The whhkey, yer honour.'— ' Ah. 1 see Pat, with all her faults you love her still." •A Daniel Come to Judgjunt — Yea, a Dakiel.'—An old gentleman, on retiring frombusin ss, gay i the following sage advice to his son and j tu-cessor ;•—' Common sense, my son^ is valuable in | all kinds of business - except love-paaking.'