The Evening Standard of Thursday last contained a curious and,
for the honour of the English press, we rejoice to say, unprecedented letter on the Polish question. Its correspondent, "Quintus Icilius," says naively, "I am enabled to supply you with a selection of writings from an intercepted Polish letter-bag," and proceeds accordingly to give extracts which we dare say are genuine. They show that the insur- gents are buying arms, which we suppose nobody doubted, and that they are trying to negotiate a loan, which is, no doubt, sorely wanted. One of them is written by a democrat, and speaks with some bitterness of the nobles. Another speaks metaphorically of a consignment of arms ; and by translating the word " penknife " as "sword" and " dagger " indifferently, " Quintus Icilius " infers that the insurgents use daggers, which, of course, is not impossible. Names are freely mentioned in- such a way as to compromise several noble Polish families. That the Russian police, or their German hirelings, should intercept letters is very natural. Espionage is a profession in the East of Europe, and its members get ribbons and crosses. That any man should have the audacity to send intercepted private letters to an English paper strikes us as more curious ; but that a paper conducted by Englishmen, and intended to circulate among English gentlemen, should endorse the dirtiest work of the vilest foreign employee is, at least, we say it for our own sakes, unprecedented. We observe that the Standard has another correspondent at Wine, who thinks the prison there " a cheerful institution." We hope editor and waiters may receive the Order of St. Anne, and the other more sub- stantial rewards of the secret service in Russia.
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