748 



POLAND. 



5th), and the Poles Oieszovski (April 4th), 

 Czachovski, Lelewel (Sept. 6th). Most of their 

 reenforcements were received from Galicia, 

 but during the last months of the year the 

 Russians were well informed by their spies of 

 the expeditions fitted out in Galicia ; and most 

 of them were dispersed as soon as they crossed 

 the frontier of the kingdom. A naval expe- 

 dition, fitted out in England, under the com- 

 mand of Lapinski, in June, failed, as well as 

 another which tried to penetrate into Russia 

 from Moldavia. A large portion of the rural 

 population both in the Kingdom of Poland and 

 in the old Polish provinces continued to with- 

 hold from the insurrection not only its cooper- 

 ation but its sympathy. Yet the Russians en- 

 tirely failed to put a stop to the war. The 

 guerillas were in November and December as 

 active as ever. Gen. Kruk, one of the five 

 chief commanders (one for each province), 

 whom the National Government had appointed, 

 claimed to have defeated the Russians at Ohelm, 

 in the government of Lublin, on Nov. 9th, and 

 on Nov. 18th, the Polish General Bozack sur- 

 prised and defeated the Russians at the town 

 of Opatov, in the government of Radom. 



Many exaggerated reports were spread by 

 the Polish papers relative to the extent of 

 the insurrection and the number of the Na- 

 tional troops. Lithuania was represented by 

 them as unanimous in favor of the insurrec- 

 tion of Poland Proper, and even so distant gov- 

 ernments as Witebsk, Smolensk, the Ukraine, 

 were said to have risen against the Russian 

 authority. These reports were not confirmed, 

 and it appears very doubtful whether in any 

 government outside of Poland Proper, a major- 

 ity of the population felt any sympathy with 

 the insurrection. As to the number of gue- 

 rillas, all accounts assert the impossibility of 

 stating it with any degree of accuracy. It was 

 probably most of the time between 10,000 and 

 80,000. 



The outbreak of the insurrection, of course, 

 arrested the reformatory policy which the 

 Grand Duke Constantino and Marquis Wielo- 

 polski intended to pursue. During the first days 

 after the beginning of the war, the Russian 

 Government held out the promise of some fur- 

 ther reforms; but when this, as well as the 

 offer of an amnesty, failed to produce any effect, 

 the utmost rigor was used for the suppression 

 of the rebellion. Gten. Berg, who in March 

 was appointed commanding General at War- 

 saw, and Gen. Mouravieff, who was appoint- 

 ed Military Governor of the governments of 

 Koyno, Vilna, Witebsk, Minsk and Grodno, to 

 which later the government of Augustovo,* 

 in Poland Proper, was added, ruled with an iron 

 hand. Mouravieff, in particular, by a degree 

 of cruelty which has no parallel in modern 



* The report that the government of Angustovo had been 

 detached from the Kingdom of Poland, and attached to 

 Russia Proper, proved to be erroneous. It was only de- 

 tached from the Military Administration of Oen. Berg, and 

 placed under that of Oen. Mouravieff. 



history, incurred the general condemnation of 

 the civilized world. Toward the close of the 

 year, Grand Duke Constantino was temporarily 

 relieved from his post as Administrator of the 

 Kingdom and Chief Commander of the Army ; 

 some time before, Marquis Wielopolski had left 

 Warsaw on a furlough of several months. 



The convention concluded on February 8th, 

 between Russia and Prussia, was deemed, at 

 least by France, to be such an interposition of 

 the latter in behalf of the former, in her con- 

 test with her revolted subjects, as to be a mat- 

 ter of international concern. 



On Feb. 17th, M. Drouyn de 1'Huys ad- 

 dressed a note to M. de Talleyrand, the French 

 Minister at Berlin, in which he expressed a re- 

 gret that Prussia had departed from her neu- 

 trality, and enumerated as inconveniences like- 

 ly to result from that step, that the Polish 

 question had thereby acquired European im- 

 portance ; that the idea of unity between the 

 different populations of the ancient Kingdom of 

 Poland had been revived ; that a really national 

 insurrection had been brought about ; that the 

 Prussian Government had by this means cast 

 itself into serious embarrassments; and that it 

 had created a political situation of grave un- 

 easiness, and likely to prove the source of future 

 complications for the Cabinet. 



Another despatch from M. Drouyn de I'Huys 

 to tha Due de Montebello, French Minister at 

 St. Petersburg, February 18th, 1863, states 

 that the Polish question excites in France the 

 sympathy of all classes, and that the repre- 

 sentatives of the European Powers, assembled 

 at the Congress of Vienna, were actuated by the 

 same sentiments when, seeking to repair the 

 misfortunes of Poland, which was one of the 

 principal objects of their solicitude, they placed 

 at the head of the general act, destined to 

 serve as the basis of the new political system of 

 Europe, the stipulations which connected Po- 

 land with that system. He recapitulates a con- 

 versation with the Baron de Reichberg, from 

 whom, he says, he had not concealed that 

 "even despite of us, events may grow more 

 and more embarrassing, and the pressure of 

 public opinion become greater as the gravity 

 of the circumstances increases." He comments 

 upon the hopes aroused upon the accession 

 of the Emperor Alexander to the throne, and 

 considers that if they should not be realized, 

 Russia would create embarrassment for her- 

 self, and place France in a disagreeable position. 

 He concludes by requesting the Due de Monte- 

 bello to lay the question in this shape before 

 the Prince Gortschakoff. 



In a despatch to the Duke of Grarnmont, 

 French Minister at Vienna, dated Feb. 19th, 

 gratification was expressed by M. Drouyn de 

 I'Huys that " the Court of Austria had pro- 

 tected herself against the fault into which the 

 Cabinet of Berlin had fallen in signing the con- 

 vention of St. Petersburg." The despatch goes 

 on to say that " it is notorious that, in the dif- 

 ferent phases which the Polish question has 



