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Page 10. 
 
 PUBLIC SQ,UARE IN WARSAW. 
 
Page 11. 
 
 PALACE AND HUT IN WARSAW. 
 
POLES IN SUMMER DRESS. 
 
Page 14. 
 
 POLISH LADY AIVD GENTLEMAN. 
 
Page 18. 
 
 WILD HORSE AXD WOLVES. 
 
Paoe 19. 
 
 THE ELK. 
 
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 Page -20. 
 
 NEST OF THE TITMOUSE. 
 
Page 21. 
 
 JEWISH USURER. 
 
Page 23. 
 
 CATHEDRAL AT CRACOW. 
 
Page 25. 
 SOBIESKI AND HIS MEN BEHOLDING THE TURKISH CAMP. 
 
Page 29. 
 THE CHAM OF TARTARY RECEIVING THE POLISH OFFICER. 
 
Page 3-. 
 SOBiESKI POINTING OUT TO HIS SOLDIERS THE EAGLE. 
 
X STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 BY ROBIN •6aRVER. 
 
 Y 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 CARTER, HENDEE; AND CO. 
 
 1833. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1833, 
 
 BY CARTER, HENDEE, AND CO. 
 
 in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. 
 
 LANCASTER PRESS. 
 CARTER; ANDREWS, AND CO., PRINTERS. 
 
TO MY YOUNG READERS. 
 
 You are desirous to learn about the history of 
 
 Poland, because it is the history of a brave, though 
 
 an unfortunate, people. It is a people now fallen 
 
 but not dishonoured, xscattered but not destroyed, 
 
 chained but not crushed. We may yet see them a 
 
 free and happy nation. 
 
 ROBIN CARVER. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. Description of Poland.— Warsaw.— Its inhabitants- 
 Trade. — Ride about the country. — Peasants. — Costumes. 9 
 
 CHAPTER II. Exercises and amusements. — Houses. — The No- 
 bility. — An entertainment. — Animals. The Elk 5 the Bohac 5 
 the Titmouse. — Grottos. — The Jews. - - - 16 
 
 CHAPTER III. Cracow.— Old Palace.— Cathedral.— Burial of a 
 King. — Monuments. — Charles XII. at the tomb of Sobieski. — 
 Sobieski. — His battles with the Turks. — Made king. — Defeat of 
 the Turks. — Siege of Trembowla. — Sobieski raises the siege. 22 
 
 CHAPTER IV. Sobieski.— His wars with the Turks.— Troubles 
 
 with his wife. — Th Tartars besiege Vienna. - - 29 
 
 CHAPTER V. Sobieski marches to Vienna.— Views the Turkish 
 Camp. — Disturbs the Vizier at his cup of coffee. — The Vizier 
 and the Cham. — Defeat. — Sobieski enters Vienna in triumph. 36 
 
 CHAPTER VI. About the salt mines.— Different kinds of salt.— 
 
 Chapels of salt. — Palace of Casimir the Great. - - 42 
 
 CHAPTER VII. A splendid entertainment. — Villa near Warsaw. — 
 Gardens. — A Turkish tent. — An illuminated bridge. — A pavil- 
 ion. — Music and Dancing. . . - - 47 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. Story of Stanislas Leczinki. - - 53 
 
 CHAPTER IX. Escape of the King from Dantzic, and his numer- 
 ous adventures with the Cossacks. - - - 59 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 CHAPTER X. Conclusion ofthe King's story. . - 66 
 
 CHAPTER XI. About the Patriots. ... 73 
 
 CHAPTER XH. Daring attempt to sieze the King. - 79 
 
 CHAPTER XHI. Story of Kosciusko. ... 86 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. About Constantino and his cruelties. - 91 
 
 CHAPTER XV. First night of the Revolution. - - 96 
 CHAPTER XVI. Rejoicings in Warsaw.— Choice of a leader.— 
 
 Description of Pulawa. — Prince Czartoriski. - - 103 
 CHAPTER XVII. The Grand Duke.— His encampment.— The 
 
 Russian prisoners. — March of the Grand Duke. - 108 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. The Revolution, continued. - - 119 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. The Revolution, continued. - - 127 
 
 CHAPTER XX. Story of Antoinette. - - - 132 
 
 CHAPTER XXL Fall of Warsaw.— Conclusion. - • 138 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Description of Poland. — Warsaw. — Fts inhabitants. — Trade. — Ptide about 
 the Country. — Peasants. — Costumes. 
 
 The Poles are a very brave people, and as all 
 my little friends know, have been fighting bravely 
 for their liberties. The Russians are strong and 
 tyrannical, and for a great many years have been 
 able to govern the Poles, and treat them as cru- 
 elly as they pleased. I have been in Poland, 
 and am going to tell you all about the country, 
 and the people who live in it. I know that 
 there is not a nation in the world, you w^ant to 
 hear about so much. 
 
 Take the map and look at Poland. You see 
 it is a very small country by the side of its huge 
 
 2 
 
10 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 neighbor, Russia, and that though a very brave 
 nation, its inhabitants are a mere handful com- 
 pared with the Northern barbarians. The word 
 Poland means ^a flat land.' It is so called, be- 
 cause there is hardly a hill or a mountain through 
 the whole of it, except upon the borders. 
 
 The capital of Poland is a very famous city 
 called Warsaw, situated upon the river Vistula. 
 A few years ago there were a great many thou- 
 sand people living there, from all countries. 
 When you walked along the streets, you would 
 meet Jews with hanging grey beards, Turks in 
 their robes and turbans, polite Frenchmen just 
 from Paris, and savage looking Russian soldiers, 
 passing to and fro in all directions. 
 
 Once in a while, you would see the true old 
 Polish nobleman, with moustaches, girdle, sabre 
 and red or yellow boots. Here you would see 
 a small party of nuns, with long veils, walking 
 by themselves ; and there some young ladies, in 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 11 
 
 bright silk mantles, talking and tripping through 
 the public squares. 
 
 There are four thousand houses in Warsaw, 
 and about a thousand of them are thatched with 
 straw. The palaces are very splendid, and or- 
 namented in the finest Italian style. They are 
 built side by side with miserable wooden huts, 
 which look as if they were going to tumble over 
 the heads, of the poor people who live in them. 
 Where there are a great many palaces, there is 
 always a great deal of wretchedness. 
 
 Warsaw has been from an early age quite a 
 trading city, and it still retains some of its large 
 business. The principal articles of manufacture 
 are cloth, linen, carpets, stockings and carriages. 
 Twice a year they have a great fair here, when 
 the city is filled with merchants from the most 
 distant parts of the kingdom, and from foreign 
 countries. 
 
 As they made very fine carriages at Warsaw, 
 
12 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 I bought a cheap one and rode over the country. 
 It was varied with fruitful fields, heaths, dark 
 woods, marshes and moors. Sometimes I found 
 myself upon an open place, without a single tree 
 or house to be seen, any where around. Soon, 
 however, the borders of some dark forest would 
 appear before me, and I would ride for eight or 
 ten miles, with nothing in view but trees and 
 shrubbery. 
 
 Once in a while, in the midst of a forest, I 
 would meet a littUe spot of ground, of twenty or 
 thirty acres, cleared up and cultivated, prettily 
 fenced in by the borders of the green woods. 
 Here and there is a httle lake, ornamented in a 
 similar manner, and fringed about with over- 
 hanging trees. These are some of the prettiest 
 scenes in Poland. 
 
 The country is generally cultivated by poor 
 peasants, who live with their cattle in wooden 
 hutg, consisting of one room, with a stove, and 
 
STORIES OF POLAND, 13 
 
 covered with thatch or shingles. Their com- 
 mon food is cabbage, potatoes, sometimes pease, 
 black bread, and gruel, without butter or meat. 
 Their chief drink is water, which they are very 
 fond of mixing with whiskey. They have Httle 
 furniture or clothing. They keep about twenty 
 holidays in the year, besides the Sundays, and 
 pass much of their time in telling beads, and 
 making pilgrimages* 
 
 These peasants are chiefly occupied in rais- 
 ing corn, hemp and flax, and in taking care of 
 cattle. Poland might be made to supply all 
 Europe with grain. But they have very wretch- 
 ed instruments of husbandry, and know nothing 
 about the proper cultivation of the soil. The 
 sheep are very poor, and the cows are small, 
 badly kept, and yield very little butter and no 
 good cheese. 
 
 The summer dress of the peasants consists of 
 a shirt and drawers of coarse linen, and round 
 
14 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 caps or hats, without shoes or stockings. In 
 winter they wear sheep skins, with the wool 
 inwards. Their boots are of the rinds of trees, 
 wrapped about the legs, with the thicker parts 
 to guard the soles of their feet. The women of 
 the poorer class wear upon their heads a wrap- 
 per of white linen, under which the hair is braid- 
 ed, and hangs down to the middle. 
 
 The men of all ranks generally wear whisk- 
 ers, and shave their heads, leaving only a circle 
 of hair upon the crown. The dress of the high- 
 er orders, both of men and women, is extremely 
 elegant. That of the gentlemen is a waistcoat 
 without sleeves, with an upper robe of a differ- 
 ent colour, reaching below the knee, and fasten- 
 ed round the waist with a sash or girdle. 
 
 The sleeves are, in warm weather, tied behind 
 the shoulders. In summer, the robe is of silk ; 
 in winter of cloth, velvet, or stuff edged with 
 fur. A sabre is the mark of nobility. Fur 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 15 
 
 caps and bonnets are much worn, and buskins 
 of yellow leather, the heels of which are plaited 
 with iron or steel. The dress of the ladies is 
 a simple long robe edged with fur. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 Exercises and amusements. — Houses. — The nobility. — An entertainment. 
 —Animals.— The Elk.— The Bohac— The Titmouse. —Grottoes. —The 
 Jews. 
 
 I HAVE told you what I saw of the dresses of 
 the Poles, and I will now tell you something 
 about their persons and manners. They are 
 usually of fair complexion, and, in their bodies, 
 are well shaped, and well proportioned. 
 
 They are fond of all sorts of manly exercises 
 and amusements ; such as riding, hunting, skat- 
 ing, and baiting bulls and bears. They are very 
 fond of travelling on horseback. A Polish gen- 
 tleman, who can afford to keep his horse, will 
 not go an hundred yards without one. They 
 are so hardy that they will sleep upon the ground, 
 in frost or snow, without any bed or covering. 
 
 The Poles never lie above stairs, and their 
 apartments are all separate. The kitchen is on 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 17 
 
 one side, the stable on another, the dwelling 
 house behind, and the gate in front. They con- 
 tent themselves with a few small beds, and it is 
 said that, when a stranger lodges at their houses, 
 he must carry his bedding with him. I was 
 frequently invited, however, to spend the night 
 at houses in which I met very kind people, who 
 always had a bed of their own to spare for me. 
 
 The nobility somietimes had great dinners 
 and suppers, where they were entertained with 
 trumpets and other music, and were waited 
 upon at table by a large number of gentlemen. 
 The noble families in Poland were said to 
 amount to sixty thousand. Of these a great 
 many are very poor indeed, and are obliged to 
 be servants to the rich. 
 
 At an entertainment, the Poles lay neither 
 knives, forks nor spoons, but every guest brings 
 them with him. A nobleman usually gives his 
 servant a piece of meat, which he eats standing 
 
18 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 behind his master's chair, and then drinks out 
 of the same cup with him. Bumpers, or full 
 glasses emptied at one time, are much in fash- 
 ion at these feasts. 
 
 I very often saw the lady of a Polish grandee, 
 besides a coach and six with a great number of 
 servants, attended by an old gentleman usher, 
 an old woman for her governess, and a dwarf of 
 each sex to hold up the back part of her gown, 
 which is made very long and called a train. At 
 night, her coach is always surrounded by a great 
 number of torches or flambeaux. 
 
 I am now going to tell you about the animals 
 of Poland. In the forest of Warsovia there are 
 a great many buffaloes, wolves, boars, deer, wild 
 horses and wild oxen. There is also a kind of 
 wolf resembling a hart, with spots on his belly 
 and legs, and with very fine fur, which is the 
 best in the country. 
 
 The elk is also found there. This animal has 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 19 
 
 a body like a deer, only thicker and longer. It 
 has high legs, feet broad and cloven, large, rough 
 and broad hams, like those of a wild goat. Upon 
 dissecting an elk, large flies were found in its 
 head, which had eaten away its brains. In the 
 forests of the North of Europe, the elks are 
 attacked in this manner, and from their weak- 
 ness fall an easy prey to the hunter. The flesh 
 of the elk is considered a very great luxury. 
 
 Another animal of Poland is the bohac, which 
 seems to be of the beaver kind, and is some- 
 thing like a guinea-pig, which perhaps you have 
 seen. These fellows dig holes in the ground, 
 which they enter in October, and do not leave 
 again, except once in a while for food, till April. 
 They have separate apartments for their pro- 
 visions and lodgings, and lie together in herds 
 of ten or twelve. 
 
 I never saw a quail in Poland, near enough to 
 examine it. This bird here, however, is said to 
 
20 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 have^ green legs and to be unwholesome. The 
 titmouse is often found here, and its nest is quite 
 a curiosity. It is made long, and hangs down 
 like a purse. 
 
 The head of this bird is of a pale, bluish ash- 
 colour, the fore part of the neck and the breast 
 tinged with red, the belly white, wings black, 
 tail rust-coloured. The male is known from the 
 female, by a pair of black pointed whiskers. 
 
 The nest is in the shape of a long purse, as I 
 have before told you. It is formed by weaving 
 together down and gossamer, in a snug manner, 
 and lining the inside with down, so as to make 
 a warm place for its young. The entrance w at 
 the side, and is small and round. 
 
 This nest is carefully hung from the extremi- 
 ty of the slender twig of a willow, or some other 
 tree, over a river. It is very curious, as you see 
 from the plate. 
 
 Under the mountains adjoining Kiow, in the 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 21 
 
 deserts of Podolia, there are several grottoes, 
 where a great number of human bodies have 
 been preserved, though buried a vast number of 
 years ago. They are neither so hard nor so 
 black, as the mummies that have been found in 
 Egypt. Among them are two princes, in the 
 habits they used to wear. It is thought that 
 these bodies have been preserved by the nature 
 of the soil, which is dry and sandy. 
 
 I must tell you a word or two about the Jews. 
 There are a very great number of them in Po- 
 land, and they were for ages the only persons 
 who were engaged in trading to foreign coun- 
 tries. Almost all the m.oney in the kingdom 
 was in their hands, and for a great many years 
 there was very seldom a theft or a law-suit, in 
 which a Jew was not one of the parties con- 
 cerned. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 Cracow. — Old palace. — Cathedral. — Burial of a king. — Monuments. — 
 Charles XII. at the tomb of Sobieski. — Sobieski. — His battles with 
 the Turks. — Made king. — Defeat of the Turks. — Siege of Trembowla. 
 — Sobieski raises the siege. 
 
 I AM now going to tell you about the city of 
 Cracow. It was once the capital city of Poland, 
 and the place where her kings were crowned. 
 It is built on a large plain, watered by the river 
 Vistula. There are seventy churches and chap- 
 els in this city, besides several magnificent con- 
 vents, and a celebrated cathedral. 
 
 On the top of a high rock in the southern 
 part of the town, is a palace or castle, surround- 
 ed with brick walls and old towers. The re- 
 mains consist of a few rooms, which are left in 
 about the same state, in which they were more 
 than an hundred years ago. In one of these 
 rooms is an old picture of a coronation, or 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 23 
 
 the ceremony of crowning the king, but there is 
 no furniture in any of them. 
 
 I have told you there was a famous cathedral 
 at Cracow. A cathedral is a church over which 
 a bishop is placed. This one has a great many 
 altars, and twenty chapels. Most all of the 
 kings of Poland are buried here. The PoUsh 
 laws were very singular in this respect. 
 
 When a king died, his body was carried to 
 Warsaw. It remained there till a new king 
 was chosen, and it was then conducted in great 
 pomp to Cracow. Two days before the coro- 
 nation, the new king, attended by his officers of 
 state, joined the funeral procession, and follow- 
 ed the body to the church of Saint Stanislaus. 
 The burial service was there performed, and the 
 remains were placed in the cathedral, adjoining 
 the palace. 
 
 The tombs and monuments, erected for the 
 kings of Poland, are not remarkably magnificent. 
 
24 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 Their figures are carved in marble, of indifferent 
 workmanship, and some are without any inscrip- 
 tions. 
 
 When the celebrated king of Sweden, Charles 
 XII, entered Cracow, he visited these tombs. 
 On approaching the remains of John Sobieski, 
 he is said to have hung with reverence over his 
 tomb, and to have exclaimed — "What a pity 
 that so great a man should ever die !" 
 
 Sobieski was a famous general under a monk, 
 by the name of Michael, who had been raised to 
 the throne by the cunning of a party, even 
 against his own will. It is not often that we 
 find a man wise enough to refuse a throne, but 
 Michael seems to have been a weak rather than 
 a wise man. 
 
 Under such a king, Sobieski of course pos- 
 sessed all the power of the throne. His death 
 soon gave him full enjoyment of it. This hap- 
 pened when he had gone out to fight the Turks, 
 and on the very eve of a great batde. 
 
STORIES OF POLAJYD. 25 
 
 Sobieski saw the immense camp of the Turks, 
 lying on the plains before them, gleaming with 
 the crescents and banners, and shining with silk 
 and gold. " My comrades,'' said he, " in half an 
 hour we shall lodge under those gilded tents." 
 The attack was commenced with great fury, 
 and Sobieski kept his word. 
 
 His friends now exerted themselves, on the 
 death of the king, to have him chosen in his 
 place. They succeeded, and Sobieski was 
 elected King of Poland, on the nineteenth of 
 May, 1674. 
 
 Sobieski had first studied the art of war in 
 France, where he was sent with his brother in 
 early youth. "My children," said their father 
 at parting, " apply yourselves in France only to 
 the useful arts ; as to dancing, you can learn that 
 among the Tartars." You see how much he 
 profited by his father's advice. 
 
 Before he was crowned, Sobieski continued 
 3 
 
26 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 the war against the Turks. His uncle and bro- 
 ther had been slain by these enemies, and he 
 wished to revenge their death. After various 
 httle encounters, the Polish troops came to a 
 final battle with the Turks and Tartars, near a 
 town called Leopol, in Gahcia. 
 
 It was in the month of August. Before the 
 battle a very remarkable circumstance occurred. 
 Notwithstanding the season of the year, there 
 was a very heavy fall of snow, which fortunately 
 was a great inconvenience to the enemy. The 
 Poles exclaimed, ' a miracle ! ' They fought, 
 with a firm belief that they should conquer, with 
 great courage and fury. Ten thousand Turks 
 are said to have been left dead upon the field 
 of battle. 
 
 The enemy fled in great haste, running in one 
 night as far as they had marched in three days 
 before. In the course of their retreat, they 
 thought it w^ould be a good thing to stop and 
 take possession of a fortified town. 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 27 
 
 The vizier, a chief officer of the Turks, ac- 
 cordingly sent word to the governor of a litde 
 town called Trenabowla, that to avoid further 
 trouble he had better open his gates and let the 
 Turks walk in quietly. 
 
 The governor sent back a very brave answer: 
 "Thou art mistaken if thou expectest to find 
 gold within these walls. We have nothing here 
 but steel and soldiers. Our number indeed is 
 small, but our courage is great." 
 
 The Turkish general then ordered his soldiers 
 to fire all their cannon against the walls and beat 
 them down. But it was all in vain. The gov- 
 ernor was determined to hold out. 
 
 This may have been partly owing to his wife, 
 who was a very brave woman, and seems to 
 have frightened her husband a great deal more 
 than the enemy did. When the cannon were 
 raging at the utmost, she seized two daggers, 
 and said to her husband, " One of these is for 
 
28 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 thee, if thou surrenderest this town ; the other 
 I intend for myself/' 
 
 The affectionate wife however was relieved 
 from this necessity. Sobieski seemed always 
 to know when the Turks wanted to be beaten, 
 and appeared in sight just as the town would 
 otherwise have been obliged to give up the day. 
 He immediately fought the enemy, slew several 
 thousand of them, and obliged the remainder to 
 retreat. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Sobieski. — His wars with the Turks. — Troubles with his wife. — ^The Tar- 
 tars besiege Vienna. 
 
 The next year Sobieski was again obliged to go 
 and fight the Turks and Tartars. The army of 
 tiie enemy was five or six times larger than his 
 awn, and amounted to about two hundred thou- 
 sand men. 
 
 The two armies met in a Kttle town, called 
 Zurano. A river separated the two encamp- 
 ments. Sobieski thought if peace could be made 
 without bloodshed, it would be the wisest plan 
 of settling their difficulties. So he sent one of 
 his officers, to tell the cham that he thought they 
 had better make peace. 
 
 The cham of Tartary is a very great person, 
 and received the officer with a good deal of 
 pomp and parade. The Pole, however, was 
 
30 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 brave, and felt that his king was full as great a 
 man as the cham. 
 
 " What brought me here/' said the officer to 
 the cham, "is the love of peace, which you 
 yourselves need. We do not bring prayers or 
 promises. If words will not make peace, our 
 swords shall.'' Saying these words, he drew 
 his sword half out of its sheath. This startled 
 the cham and provoked him very much ; so he 
 sent the officer away. 
 
 The Turks now attempted to pass the river, 
 but were driven back with great slaughter. So 
 the vizier, whose name was Ibrahim, thought he 
 had better trouble the enemy from a distance, 
 instead of coming too near. He began to dig 
 trenches, and to open all his artillery upon the 
 Polish camp. 
 
 Sobieski was at this time seated at his table, 
 thinking how and where he had better give the 
 enemy battle, when a cannon ball passed di* 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 31 
 
 rectly through his tent. He fortunately escaped 
 without injury. His officers instantly urged him 
 to retire to a place of greater safety; but he was 
 determined to show his soldiers that they were 
 exposed to no more danger than their general. 
 
 The vizier still remembered the terrible havoc 
 that Sobieski had made among the Turkish 
 forces, and began to think he had better make 
 peace. He sent deputies to propose it to the 
 Polish general. They found him iii his tent^ 
 but did not make any offers that would satisfy 
 him. 
 
 There were only provisions for four days in 
 the Pohsh camp, and it was necessary to fight 
 or retreat, to avoid being starved. Sobieski de- 
 termined to attack the enemy on the following 
 morning. He knew that his troops were a mere 
 handful, compared with the huge armies of the 
 Turks and Tartars, but he was willing to try the 
 odds of the battle. . 
 
32 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 On the following day, however, Ibrahim was 
 willing to make a much better bargain about 
 peace than ever. There was trouble and quar- 
 relling in his camp on all sides. The Tartars 
 were tired of the war and threatened to go 
 home. So he made very good offers and So- 
 bieski accepted them. 
 
 Though Sobieski managed so well with the 
 Turks, he never learned the art of managing his 
 wife. She was very troublesome, and ruled him 
 as she pleased. She was always present at the 
 debates of the government, in a private place, 
 where she could hear every thing that was go- 
 ing on, without being seen. 
 
 One day she had a matter before the diet, or 
 the chief assembly of PoHsh rulers, about the 
 increase of her yearly allowance of money. The 
 king wished to delay it till another time, for the 
 assembly were not in very good humour, and 
 he was afraid they might refuse it. The queen 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 33 
 
 then sent an express message, telling him that 
 she could not be put off. 
 
 The king was very angry, though he was 
 obliged to obey. He was the more willing to do 
 this, as he felt certain the queen's request would 
 be refused. In this, however, he was mistaken. 
 The queen managed the assembly as well as 
 her husband, and prevailed upon them to give 
 her as much money as she wanted. 
 
 Sobieski had long washed to have another 
 war with the Turks. This nation at length 
 quarrelled with Leopold, the emperor of Germa- 
 ny, and in this manner a convenient opportunity 
 offered itself. 
 
 Leopold wished very much to have Sobieski 
 assist him. He knew the Turks had been beat- 
 en so often by him, that his name was terrible 
 to them. Leopold agreed to give up some fine 
 salt mines, and a very large sum of money to 
 pay the expenses of the war. Sobieski promis- 
 
34 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 ed that he would have fifty thousand men, ready 
 to assist Leopold, whenever he should be called 
 upon. 
 
 In the beginning of May, 1683, the Turkish 
 army set out upon their march. They were in 
 all three hundred thousand men; about two 
 thirds of them were Hungarians and Tartars. 
 Their general was Kara Mustapha, the grand 
 vizier. 
 
 Leopold behaved very shamefully. The vi- 
 zier marched along very quietly to Vienna. Le- 
 opold ran away before the Tartars from tow^n to 
 town, without risking a hair of his head in de- 
 fence of his subjects. To add to his troubles, 
 the queen was with him ; and during the flight 
 they were sometimes obUged to sleep in a wood 
 on a bundle of straw. 
 
 The vizier pitched his camp on a large plain 
 on the south of the great city of Vienna. This 
 plain was about nine miles long, and the camp 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 35 
 
 Was SO large that it nearly covered the whole 
 of it. 
 
 There were about eleven thousand soldiers 
 in Vienna, commanded by Count Starembourg. 
 Besides these, the citizens and students were 
 armed. But the Turks were so numerous, and 
 fought with so much vigour and fury, that the 
 inhabitants began to despair. 
 
 They sent red hot balls into the city, which 
 set it on fire in many places, and destroyed 
 a great many lives. Beside all this, there was 
 a report that some traitors in the city were mak- 
 ing an entrance, under ground, for the enemy. 
 It was all confusion and fear. The Turks were 
 quite sure of victory, and would have gained it, 
 if it had not been for their old enemy, John So- 
 bieski. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 Sobieski marches to Vienna. — Views the Turkish camp. — Disturbs the 
 vizier at his cup of coffee. — The vizier and the cham. — Defeat. — Sobi- 
 eski enters Vienna in triumph. 
 
 Sobieski could only raise an army of about 
 twenty-four thousand men, but he thought a 
 good deal might be done even with so small a 
 number. He immediately set out for Vienna. 
 The queen went with him to the borders of Po- 
 land, and there left him. 
 
 Though she used to govern him, we can see 
 how much he loved her, from a letter he wrote 
 the day after their parting. It began " Only joy 
 of my soul, charming and beloved Mariette !" 
 
 Sobieski was now fifty-four years of age, and 
 so weak as to be obhged to be hfted on his horse. 
 Yet he was the only man in the nation who 
 could beat the Turks. While on the march 
 with his little army, he saw an eagle flying by 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 37 
 
 them on the right. He pointed it out to his sol- 
 diers, as a sign of victory. 
 
 Vienna was now in a very wretched condi- 
 tion. The soldiers were killed, or died of sick- 
 ness, in great numbers every day. The gov- 
 ernor had said that he would not surrender the 
 place but with the last drop of his blood, but he 
 began to despair of holding out any longer. A 
 letter, which he wrote at this time to his friends 
 who had promised to assist him, contained only 
 these words : " No more time to lose, no more 
 time to lose." 
 
 Sobieski at length reached the last mountain 
 which separated him from the Turks. He stood 
 on the top of it, and looked down upon the im- 
 mense plain where they were encamped. 
 
 There were thousands of splendid tents, with 
 banners and crescents, so beautiful as to seem 
 pitched rather for some festival than for war. 
 The Tartars were scattered about in swarms at 
 
38 STORIES OF POLAJVB. 
 
 tlie foot of the mountain, moving in great confu- 
 sion. The Turks, with their turbans and scim- 
 etars, appeared almost countless. Beside all 
 these, there were great numbers of horses, 
 camels and buffaloes in every direction. 
 
 Sobieski looked upon this scene for a few 
 moments in silence. At length his eye sparkled 
 with joy, and he exclaimed : " This man is badly 
 encamped ; he knows nothing of war ; we shall 
 certainly beat him." 
 
 The length of the war, sickness, and a fear of 
 ill forture, had produced great trouble in the 
 Turkish army. The bravest of the troops began 
 to murmur against their general's cowardice. 
 " Come on, infidels," they exclaimed, " the sight 
 of a hat will put us to flight." 
 
 Sunday, the twelfth of September, 1683, was 
 the great day to decide what was to become of 
 Vienna. There were small parties fighting on 
 both sides from an early hour in the day. Kara 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 39 
 
 Mustapha took his place in the centre of the 
 Turkish army, and Sobieski in that of Poland and 
 Germany. 
 
 It was now about five in the evening, and the 
 battle had only been begun. The vizier was 
 quietly seated in a splendid crimson tent, sip- 
 ping coffee. I hardly think he would have sip- 
 ped his coffee quite so much at his ease, if he 
 had known how near Sobieski was to him. 
 
 There was a high hill just overlooking the vi- 
 zier's tent, which Sobieski ordered his soldiers 
 to seize. They immediately obeyed his com- 
 mand, and, with very httle ceremony, disturbed 
 Kara Mustapha at his cup of coffee. 
 
 Sobieski, at the head of his troops, instantly 
 plunged forward to reach the vizier's tent. The 
 enemy knew him at once by the streamers 
 which his guard wore upon their lances. " By 
 allah!" exclaimed the cham of the Tartars, ^Uhe 
 king is with them !'' 
 
40 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 An eclipse of the moon happened just at this 
 time to add to the terror of the Turks. They 
 fled in all directions. The vizier in vain tried 
 to encourage them. 
 
 He had almost given up the attempt, when 
 the cham of the Tartars fled by him among the 
 crowd of runaways. " And you," said the vizier 
 to him, "cannot you help me?" "I know the 
 king of Poland !" said the cham. " I told you 
 that if we had to deal with him all we could do 
 would be to run away." 
 
 By six o'clock, Sobieski took possession of 
 their magnificent tents. A very beautiful stir- 
 rup belonging to the vizier was brought to him. 
 " Take this stirrup," said he, " to the queen, and 
 tell her that the person to whom it belonged is 
 defeated." They all slept that night in the 
 Turkish camp. 
 
 On the following day Sobieski made his en- 
 trance into Vienna. The Turks had battered 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 41 
 
 down part of the wall, through which they ex- 
 pected to enter the town. But instead of enter- 
 ing Vienna, they were now scattered all over 
 the country. 
 
 This passage was now used for the entrance 
 of the victorious army. The inhabitants gather- 
 ed in crowds to gaze upon their great deliverer, 
 and heap blessings upon his head. They wept 
 and shouted for joy. 
 
 " Never,'' said Sobieski, " did the crown yield 
 me pleasure like this !" 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 About the salt mines. — Different kinds of salt. — Chapels of salt. — Palace 
 of Casimir the Great. 
 
 In the cathedral at Cracow, there are the tombs 
 of a great many other famous warriors. But I 
 am afraid you are tired of hearing about bat- 
 tles, and so I will tell you about something else. 
 I rather think you would like to hear about the 
 salt mines. 
 
 These are in a htde town with a hard name. 
 A great many of the Polish towns, as well as 
 many of the Polish people, have names that 
 sound very hard to Americans. The village, 
 where the salt mines are, is called Wielitska. 
 
 I visited the mines with two companions. We 
 fastened three hammocks to the rope which they 
 use to draw up the salt, and were let down gen- 
 tly into the earth about one hundred and sixty 
 yards. 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 43 
 
 We then left our hammocks and passed 
 through a long descending passage, sometimes 
 through broad galleries, wide enough for several 
 carriages to go abreast. We sometimes went 
 down steps cut in the solid rock, which were 
 splendid enough to be the stair-case of a palace. 
 
 Each of us carried a light, and several guides 
 went before us with lamps, to show the way. 
 The glitter of all these from the sides of the 
 mine was very beautiful. 
 
 The salt is called green salt, though it is of 
 an iron grey colour. Being almost as hard as 
 stone, the miners cut it with hatchets and pick- 
 axes into very large blocks. Some of these 
 weigh six or seven hundred pounds. 
 
 The large masses are raised by a windlass, 
 such as you sometimes see in our stores, only 
 larger and stronger. The smaller pieces are 
 carried by horses, through a winding gallery 
 which leads to the surface of the earth. 
 
44 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 Besides the grey salt, the miners sometimes 
 find litde pieces perfectly white, and transparent 
 as crystal. They sometimes find pieces of coal 
 buried in the salt. 
 
 One of our guides pointed out to us, what my 
 httle readers will certainly call a great curiosity. 
 If they do not, they will differ very much from 
 me. 
 
 From this soUd salt, several beautiful chapels 
 have been cut, in which religious services are 
 performed on certain days. One of these chap- 
 els is thirty feet long and twenty-five feet broad. 
 The altar, the cross, the church ornaments, and 
 the statues of the saints, are all carved out of 
 salt. 
 
 Many of the chambers cut in salt are very 
 large. The roofs of these chambers are flat, 
 and supported sometimes on pillars of wood, 
 sometimes of salt. 
 
 The large galleries, with the chapels and a 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 45 
 
 few sheds for horses, have probably led travel- 
 lers to suppose and tell that these mines con- 
 tained several villages, inhabited by families of 
 miners who never see the light. 
 
 There is room enough for them to Uve in this 
 manner, but the miners have no dwelling-houses 
 under ground, as they do not remain below more 
 than eight hours at a time. We found these 
 mines without damp or moisture, and noticed, in 
 our whole passage, only one small spring of wa- 
 ter. You may well suppose that this spring 
 was rather salt. These mines have been worked 
 above six hundred years. 
 
 In returning from the mines to Cracow, we 
 stopped to examine an old building in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the town. It is called the palace 
 of Casimir the Great. On a side wall in an 
 inner court of this palace, I observed the white 
 eagle of Poland carved in stone, and around it 
 an inscription from which I could only make out 
 the date— 1367. 
 
46 STORIES OF POLAIVD. 
 
 Several marble columns were scattered about, 
 which shew that the building had once been 
 very magnificent. Part of it was evidently very 
 old, while a part had certainly been added quite 
 lately. 
 
 This palace was the principal residence of 
 Casimir. In the garden, is the tomb of a lady, 
 who was a favourite of this king, and known by 
 the name of Esther the fair Jewess. 
 
 It was said to have been owing to her, that 
 the Jews received so many favours in Poland, 
 which is called the Paradise of the Jews. It 
 may have been partly owing to this lady, but it 
 was also partly owing to their being at that time 
 very rich. 
 
 Kings always want to borrow money, and are 
 willing to show great favours to those who will 
 furnish it to them. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 A splendid entertainment. — Villa near Warsaw. — Gardens. — A Turkish 
 tent. — An illuminated bridge. — A pavilion. — Music and dancing. 
 
 I AM a very quiet person, and never dined with 
 a king or any of a king's relations. But as my 
 little friends may like to know something about 
 the manner in which the Pohsh nobility used to 
 amuse their friends, I have borrowed a httle 
 story from an Englishman who travelled in Po- 
 land a great many years ago. 
 
 He was invited by the princess Zartoriska to a 
 little party at a villa, or country seat, about three 
 miles from Warsaw. It was a very pretty place 
 in the midst of a forest. The grounds about 
 were quite level, with open plains of grass, and 
 litde groves, all watered with clear streams of 
 crystal waters. 
 
48 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 The house was built upon a low hill, and was 
 very much like the common cottages of the 
 peasants. It was of trunks of trees piled upon 
 each other, and thatched with straw. Besides 
 the principal building, there were separate cot- 
 tages for the children and attendants. 
 
 Other buildings, such as summer houses, pa- 
 vilions, rustic sheds and ruins, were scattered 
 throughout the grounds. The stables were in 
 the shape of a half circle. Several bridges were 
 built over the little streams, rudely formed of the 
 trunks and bent branches of trees. 
 
 On his arrival, the traveller, Mr. Coxe, went 
 to the principal cottage, where the princess was 
 ready to receive him. He was surprised to find 
 the furniture of this cottage very beautiful and 
 costly. 
 
 The bathing room was fitted up with great 
 elegance. The sides were covered with square 
 pieces of Dresden porcelain, which is very ex- 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 49 
 
 pensive ; and the border and ceiling were beau- 
 tifully painted. 
 
 Having been through all the rooms in the cot- 
 tage, the company vy^ent into a Httle garden near 
 the house, that was surrounded with blocks of 
 granite and fallen trees. Here they drank tea, 
 and afterwards walked round among the cot- 
 tages of the children. 
 
 After walking round the grounds, the com- 
 pany visited a Turkish tent of very rich and 
 curious workmanship, that had been pitched in 
 a field at a short distance from the cottage. 
 This tent had been taken from the Turks in 
 battle. 
 
 Within the tent there was a settee, and a 
 carpet upon the ground. Here they remained 
 conversing till about dusk, when the princess 
 proposed returning. 
 
 She led them through the house to a small 
 hill, where they were suddenly surprised with a 
 
50 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 beautiful illumination. A little bridge, of a sin- 
 gle arch, thrown over a broad sheet of water, 
 w^as shining with several thousand lamps of dif- 
 ferent colours. It looked Hke a brilliant circle 
 hung in the air. 
 
 While stopping to admire this beautiful scene, 
 a band of music struck up at a httle distance, 
 and amused them with an excellent concert. 
 
 They were led from this spot across the illu- 
 minated bridge, to a thatched paviUon, open at 
 the sides, and supported by pillars hung round 
 with garlands of flowers. Here they found a 
 very pleasant table, covered w^ith all sorts of 
 delicate fruits and rich wines. 
 
 The evening was very pleasant, the air was 
 mild, and the moon had now just risen to add 
 to the beauties of the scene. The company 
 were in excellent spirits, for with such delightful 
 music, and such pleasant entertainment, it was 
 impossible for any one to be sad. 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 61 
 
 This they supposed was the closing scene. 
 But even here they were still once more to be 
 agreeably surprised. They rose from the table 
 to walk out. The gardens were instantly illu- 
 minated. 
 
 They now strayed about in all directions, as 
 they pleased. Instruments were placed about 
 in different spots, on which the wind, as it whis- 
 tled through them, made beautiful music. In 
 this manner two or three hours were spent very 
 pleasantly. 
 
 They now again passed over the bridge and 
 returned into the cottage. Here the two eldest 
 daughters of the princess, dressed in Grecian 
 robes, went very gracefully through a Polish and 
 Cossac dance. The first was quite serious, and 
 the last was lively. 
 
 The eldest son, a boy about eight years of 
 age, then performed a hornpipe, and afterwards 
 a dance, in the style of the Polish peasants. It 
 
52 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 was now past two in the morning — a time when 
 all honest people ought to be snug in their beds. 
 
 The company, however, were very sorry to 
 separate, even at this late hour. Though most 
 of them had never met before, they had been 
 so much pleased as to have become quite as 
 good friends as if they had known each other a 
 great while. 
 
 Mr. Coxe thought he had never passed so 
 deUghtful an evening in all his life. I think it 
 must have been very pleasant, and I beheve all 
 my litde readers think so too. However, I 
 hope they will never sit up till two o'clock in 
 the morning, even if they should go to a foreign 
 country, and visit a princess. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Story of Stanislas Leczinki. 
 
 I AM now going to tell you about the fortune 
 and adventures of Stanislas Leczinki. This 
 man was chosen king after the death of the 
 famous Sobieski. It was almost entirely through 
 the influence of the celebrated king of Sweden, 
 Charles the Twelfth. 
 
 He was no sooner seated on his throne at 
 Warsaw, than there was a general alarm through- 
 out the country. There was another man, by 
 the name of Augustus, who thought he had a 
 better right to be king than Stanislas. 
 
 This man was elector, or chief oflScer, of a 
 country called Saxony, and he immediately set 
 out for Warsaw with an army of twenty thou- 
 sand men. This city was at that time without 
 
54 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 any soldiers or fortifications, Stanislas was 
 therefore obliged to flee. 
 
 He went at once to his friend Charles. Au- 
 gustus was a good soldier, but this king was a 
 better one. He drove him back into Saxony, 
 and made him give up all his pretensions to be 
 king of Poland. 
 
 After this was settled, Augustus and Charles 
 had a private meeting. The Swedish king was 
 in his military uniform, a coarse blue coat with 
 gilt buttons, and jack boots. 
 
 These two great characters seem to have had 
 very httle to say for themselves. Charles was 
 usually very silent, and all he had to tell Au- 
 gustus was about his jack boots. He assured 
 him that these had never been off his legs for 
 six years, except when he lay down. 
 
 This was the most important subject of con- 
 versation. After paying the usual compliments, 
 the two kings parted, and were very glad to get 
 rid of each other. 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 56 
 
 Charles was afterwards beaten in a great bat- 
 tle with the Russians, and obliged to fly to Tur- 
 key for safety. Augustus immediately returned 
 to Poland, and again took the crown. 
 
 Stanislas was willing to give it up peaceably, 
 but the consent of Charles was necessary to 
 satisfy the newly raised king. The Swede, 
 however, still proud in his misfortunes, only 
 said, " If my friend will not be king I can soon 
 make another.'' 
 
 Stanislas wished to prevail on him to consent, 
 so he undertook to travel in disguise through 
 the midst of his enemies to Charles' retreat in 
 Turkey. After meeting with a great many 
 dangers and lucky escapes, he reached in safety 
 a town called Jassy, the capital of Moldavia. 
 
 It happened that Charles had got into some 
 
 flftculty with the king of the Turks, who is 
 called the sultan, which Stanislas did not know 
 any thing about. So when he found himself 
 
56 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 among the Turks, he pretended that he was an 
 officer in Charles' service. 
 
 The Turk was acquainted with the looks of 
 Stanislas, and at once saw through his disguise. 
 He immediately took him prisoner and carried 
 him to the sultan. 
 
 When Charles heard that he was taken, he 
 exclaimed— " Tell him never to make peace 
 with Augustus ; assure him fortune will soon 
 change !" 
 
 But years passed by, and Charles and Au- 
 gustus died, and Stanislas was again called to 
 the throne of Poland. He went back quite un- 
 willingly. Russia and Austria were very desir- 
 ous to take him prisoner before he could reach 
 Warsaw, and thus prevent his being chosen and 
 crowned. 
 
 He had been living during the reign of Au- 
 gustus in France. In returning to Warsaw, he 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 57 
 
 went through Germany in company with only 
 one friend, in the disguise of a merchant. He 
 passed all the guards in safety, and reached the 
 city just as they were on the point of choosing 
 the king. 
 
 His return was immediately proclaimed, and 
 he received all the votes of sixty thousand no- 
 bles. But Russia had no idea of being disap- 
 pointed in this manner, and sent an army of sixty 
 thousand men to ravage and lay waste the fields 
 of Poland. 
 
 Stanislas was again stripped of his honours, 
 and obliged to fly with his nobles to Dantzic. 
 His fortune appears to have been a very strange 
 one. He seems to have found it as hard to 
 keep his throne in the present case, as to get 
 rid of it in former times. 
 
 The city was defended with obstinate courage 
 for more than five months* The enemy attacked 
 it a great many times very furiously, but in 
 
 5 
 
58 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 vain. They tried to beat down the walls with 
 their cannon, but could not succeed. 
 
 In one attack more than eight thousand Rus- 
 sians were slain. A part of their intrenchments 
 is still called the " Russian burial ground." At 
 length the governor of one of the forts turned 
 traitor. He gave up his post to the enemy. 
 
 The town was no longer a safe place for the 
 king, and he accordingly determined to leave it. 
 His flight was full of dangerous adventures, and 
 as I know you would like to hear all about it, 
 you will find the story in the next chapter. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Escape of the King from Dantzic, and his numerous adventures with the 
 Cossacks. 
 
 I AM now going to tell you the story of the 
 king's escape. You will see from this that 
 kings fare no better at all times than common 
 people, and often a good deal worse. 
 
 The king, having made up his mind to leave 
 the city, bought a peasant's dress, and set out 
 on his flight about ten o'clock in the evening of 
 the twenty-seventh of June, 1734. This hap- 
 pened you see about an hundred years ago. 
 
 He was accompanied by one of his generals 
 and a party of peasants. After passing the 
 ditch beyond the w^alls of the city, they pro- 
 ceeded in a boat on their journey. The river 
 Vistula had at that time overflowed its banks, 
 and the whole country about was covered with 
 water. 
 
60 STORIES OF POLAND. • 
 
 Day dawned, however, before they had sailed 
 a single mile from the walls of the city, and they 
 w^ere obliged to hide themselves in a mean hut, 
 w^ithin a short distance of the enemy. They 
 passed the day there, fortunately, without being 
 discovered, and at night again pursued their 
 voyage. 
 
 At midnight the general and two companions 
 left the others to sail over the marsh, while they 
 endeavoured to find a better way by land. 
 Stanislas saw the general no more. He was 
 now left with only two guides, and they were ill 
 looking fellows that he could not safely trust out 
 of his sight with a six-pence. 
 
 At day -break they again looked round to find 
 a hiding-place till night. They found a hut be- 
 longing to an acquaintance of the two peasants, 
 and here the king was put into a Utde chamber, 
 and left to very pleasant thoughts upon a bundle 
 of straw. 
 
STORIES OF POLAND, 61 
 
 The two guides then went out to look for 
 the general and his companions. The king felt 
 quite disagreeably. The Russians might drop 
 in upon him very unceremoniously, or his gal- 
 lows-looking companions might betray him to 
 them. 
 
 The king rose from his straw and went to 
 the window. Here he saw a Russian officer 
 and two soldiers walking very solemnly up and 
 down the meadow, amusing themselves by the 
 sight of the horses grazing. 
 
 The appearance of these armed soldiers, with 
 horses so far from the camp, made the king 
 think that he had really fallen into a trap. His 
 alarm was still increased by seeing several Cos- 
 sacks galloping along the fields towards his hut. 
 The Cossacks are a very brave race, and ride 
 very good horses. 
 
 The Cossacks immediately entered the house, 
 but they only came for something to eat and 
 
62 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 drink, and in about a couple of hours went 
 away. 
 
 Towards night the king began to feel rather 
 uncomfortably in his loft, and went down stairs 
 to talk with his guide. After dark they set out 
 again on their journey, and at length reached 
 the brink of the river Vistula. Here they could 
 not procure a boat, and were obhged to keep 
 on through the marshes which they had just 
 left. 
 
 After walking another league, they arrived at 
 a house in which Stanislas met a man who im- 
 mediately knew him. " What do I see ?" said 
 this fellow to the peasants. " One of our com- 
 rades, to be sure," said they. " I am not to be 
 deceived," he replied ; " it is king Stanislas." 
 
 The king immediately stepped forward, and 
 said in a firm tone — " I am he ; but I know from 
 your countenance that you will not refuse us 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 63 
 
 the assistance we need in our present situation." 
 The man was so much pleased and flattered by 
 this frankness, that he promised to provide a 
 boat for passing the Vistula, and kept his word. 
 
 In the mean time the king was rejoined by 
 the peasant from whom he had parted on the 
 night following his escape. He told him that 
 the Cossacks were riding about in every quar- 
 ter in search of them. 
 
 His friendly host then returned with news 
 that he had obtained a boat. As there were 
 two Russians, however, in the boatman's house, 
 he advised that the passage should be delayed. 
 The king accordingly determined to stay in the 
 house of this honest peasant during that night 
 and the next day. 
 
 On the next night, they set out to cross the 
 river. The host went first, then Stanislas and 
 his guides followed. At a distance on both 
 sides, the fires of the enemy's camp were blaz- 
 
64 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 ing to light the king on his way. This fright- 
 ened the peasants very much. 
 
 Their fear was increased, when their host 
 rode back to say that he saw troops of Cossacks 
 before them, and that he had come very near 
 being taken prisoner. 
 
 The peasants began to talk together, without 
 the king's knowledge, about returning. They 
 finally told the king that they had made up their 
 mind to go back. It was in vain that Stanislas 
 and his friendly host attempted to prevent them. 
 
 At length the king told them that if they were 
 so base as to desert him, he would at once call 
 the Cossacks to seize the whole of them. So 
 they were forced to go with him, keeping far 
 enough behind to run at the first notice. 
 
 At length they reached the river, got into 
 their boat, and crossed to the other side. Just 
 as they were about to land, the king thanked 
 his host very kindly, and gave him a handful of 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 65 
 
 ducats. Now a ducat was a great deal of money 
 for such a poor man, and I suppose he never 
 even dreamed of seeing a handful of them. 
 
 But the honest peasant refused, and drew 
 back ashamed. The king insisted upon his 
 taking them, but he still refused. At last the 
 fine fellow consented to take two of them, which 
 he said he should keep as a remembrance of 
 the pleasure he had received from knowing his 
 king. 
 
 But Stanislas had not yet escaped from his 
 dangers ; and you will find all about them in 
 the next chapter. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 Conclusion of the King's story. 
 
 At a short distance from the other bank of the 
 Vistula, the party entered a small village, which 
 they were not much pleased to hear was often 
 visited by the Russians. The peasants, how- 
 ever, thought there was nothing to fear, and 
 threw themselves on a bed in the first cottage 
 they came to, and went asleep. 
 
 While these poor fellows were sleeping, the 
 king kept watch. He at length woke up one 
 of them, and sent him to buy some sort of a 
 carriage. 
 
 In about two hours the peasant returned so 
 drunk that he could hardly stand. A man came 
 with him who had a carriage to sell, and they 
 soon struck a bargain. I venture to say that 
 the king did not stop long to beat him down in 
 the price. 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 67 
 
 As soon as the sot saw the ducats, which the 
 king took out to pay for the carriage, he began 
 to be very noisy. He talked about his fidelity 
 and great services, the risks he had run, and 
 insisted upon knowing on the spot what he was 
 to have for his pay. 
 
 A large crowd of the villagers was soon col- 
 lected by his noisy conduct, to see and hear 
 what was going on. They stared and listened 
 for some time in stupid wonder, not knowing 
 what to make of it. 
 
 They were all astonished that such a poor 
 peasant as Stanislas appeared to be, should have 
 twenty-five ducats to pay for a carriage. They 
 wondered still more to find him attended by so 
 many servants. 
 
 There is no telling what might have happened, 
 had not the leader of the peasants said to the 
 crowd — " Take no notice of this poor drunken 
 fellow. When he is in liquor, he always speaks 
 
68 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 as if he was in the company of kings and prin- 
 ces. If you listen to him he will make us all 
 some great characters." 
 
 The fellow was then laughed at and hooted 
 by the villagers, though some of the shrewdest 
 of them shook their heads and thought there 
 was something out of the way. But the party 
 got into their vehicle, and laying the drunkard 
 down in the bottom of it, drove on as fast as 
 possible. 
 
 They passed through several villages occupied 
 by the Russian and Saxon soldiers, but luckily 
 without being observed. They at length reach- 
 ed the banks of the Nogat in safety. I hardly 
 think you will find this river upon your maps, 
 though it was wide enough to puzzle Stanislas 
 and the peasants very much to cross it. 
 
 There was no boat in sight, and none of the 
 peasants were willing to run the risk of being 
 discovered by inquiring for one. The king was 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 69 
 
 angry at their cowardice, and determined to go 
 and ask for one himself. 
 
 At the same time he proceeded to alight from 
 the carriage for that purpose. The peasants, 
 however, tried to prevent him, saying that his 
 speech would betray him. He laughed at them 
 and jumped upon the ground. 
 
 His conductors then threw themselves before 
 him, and said they would rather die than suffer 
 him to advance a step further. The king in- 
 sisted, and they were obliged to yield. " Well," 
 said they, " since it is your wish to hang us, we 
 leave you." " With all my heart," said the king, 
 " I wish you a pleasant journey." 
 
 The king then entered a cottage, and, in a 
 tone suited to his dress, told the good woman 
 whom he found there, that he was going to 
 cross the river to buy cattle, and would thank 
 her to tell him where he could find the best 
 passage. 
 
70 STORIES OF POLAND, 
 
 "O/' she replied, "you have come just in 
 good time. You will find it very hard to get 
 over the river, and I have got some fine cattle 
 to sell you." 
 
 The king told her that he could not buy till 
 he had gone over the river to get some money. 
 "But there is no boat," said the good v^oman, 
 " so v^hat will you do ?" " Just as you advise 
 me," replied the king ; " I prefer receiving a 
 favour from you than from any one else." 
 
 " I see you are a good fellow," said the wo- 
 man, "and I will send my son with you. He 
 will take you about a mile from here. A fisher- 
 man, who is a great friend of his, lives on the 
 opposite bank, and at a certain signal will cross 
 over and carry you to the other side. You 
 could not have a safer or easier way of crossing." 
 
 The king thanked the woman and left the 
 house with her son. The signal was given, the 
 fisherman appeared with the boat, and Stanislas 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 71 
 
 was soon landed in the Prussian dominions, free 
 from danger. 
 
 He here found that orders had been given by 
 the king to give him every assistance, and re- 
 ceive him with honour and respect. He passed 
 through the different villages in honour. 
 
 When he arrived an Konigsburg, he was en- 
 tertained splendidly in the king's palace. From 
 hence he went to France. 
 
 The French king was his son-in-law, and 
 gave Stanislas a retreat, and took up arms 
 against his enemies. 
 
 Stanislas afterwards gave up all pretensions to 
 the throne of Poland. He passed the remain- 
 der of his life in retirement, devoting himself to 
 the study of philosophy and literature. 
 
 This part of his life was the pleasantest and 
 happiest of the whole. The only thing that 
 took place to trouble him was the death of his 
 little grandson, a very bright and noble child. 
 
72 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 who had been a great consolation and pride to 
 him. 
 
 Stanislas died in 1766. His death was occa- 
 sioned by fire accidentally catching his dressing 
 gown, when there was no page near to assist 
 him. He was very much beloved and lamented. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 About the Patriots. 
 
 After Stanislas left the throne of Poland, a son 
 of the old king Augustus took possession of it. 
 He was more fond of hunting and his pleasures, 
 than of looking after the affairs of government. 
 Being of a mild disposition, however, the Poles 
 did not suffer much during his reign, though 
 they did not care much when he died. 
 
 During the latter part of his life, the famous 
 Russian queen Catharine undertook to drive 
 him from the throne, and make a king of a 
 favourite of her own, named Poniatowski. 
 
 The Poles were very angry to think that such 
 a miserable fellow should wear the crown of Po- 
 land. They wished to give it to an old and tried 
 patriot named Branicki. But he was now grow- 
 ing old, and did not possess sufficient vigour. 
 
 6 
 
74 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 Catharine kept 60,000 soldiers on the borders 
 of Poland, ready to march at a moment's notice. 
 She also sent prince Repnin to Warsaw, to see 
 Poniatowski and carry him some money. This 
 man said that " his sovereign should give Poland 
 whatever king she thought fit, the meanest gen- 
 tleman, Polish or foreign, and that no power on 
 earth could hinder her." 
 
 Ten thousand Russian soldiers were now on 
 the march to Warsaw. The patriots collected 
 forces in that city amounting to about three 
 thousand men. They were under the command 
 of Branicki and Radziwill. 
 
 The time for the meeting of the assembly to 
 choose a king had now arrived. The senate 
 house was crowded with Russian soldiers. This 
 assembly was called the diet. Only eight sen- 
 ators out of fifty were present, and the marshal, 
 whose duty it was to open the meeting, did not 
 make his appearance. 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 75 
 
 At length he came in, attended by an old pat- 
 riot named Mokranowski. This brave man im- 
 mediately exclaimed in a loud voice: "Since 
 the Russian troops hem us in, I suspend the 
 authority of the diet." 
 
 The soldiers who were present instantly drew 
 their swords and rushed at the speaker with 
 great fury. This assault was prevented, and 
 the old marshal then said : " Gentlemen, since 
 liberty no longer exists among us, I carry away 
 this staff, and I will never raise it till the public 
 is delivered from her troubles." 
 
 Mokranowski supported the old man, and 
 again drew on himself the vengeance of the vile 
 soldiers. " Strike," shouted he, crossing his 
 arms, " strike ; I shall die free, and in the cause 
 of liberty." 
 
 They then turned to the marshal, and ordered 
 him to resign his staff of office. "You may 
 cut off my hand," he said, " or take my life ; but 
 
76 STORIES or POLAND. 
 
 I am marshal, chosen by a free people, and my 
 office can be taken from me only by a free peo- 
 ple. I shall retire." 
 
 They surrounded him and tried to prevent 
 his departure. Perceiving their violence, Mok- 
 ranowski cried out, "Gentlemen, respect this 
 old man ; let him go out ! If you must have a 
 victim, here am I : — respect age and virtue !" 
 Both of these aged patriots then left the assem- 
 bly. 
 
 The diet was prolonged, and Poniatowski 
 chosen king, while the senate house w^as sur- 
 rounded and crowded by soldiers. Finding 
 that force was to govern ajSfairs at Warsaw, the 
 generals Branicki and Radziwill left the city to 
 make an union of the patriots in other parts of 
 Poland and in Lithuania. 
 
 On the road, Radziwill with his troops met a 
 body of Russian soldiers, and gave them battle. 
 His wife and sister, both very young, accompa- 
 
STORIES OF POLAK^D. 77 
 
 nied him. The cause in which they were en- 
 gaged gave them a courage to go with the 
 soldiers to the field of war. Here these dehcate 
 and beautiful women were to be seen on horse- 
 back, with sabres in their hands, encouraging the 
 soldiers to revenge their country. 
 
 Several hundred of the Russian army were 
 left dead upon the field. The patriots, how- 
 ever, were at length beaten, and Radziwill was 
 obliged to seek refuge in Turkey. 
 
 Among the other patriots was Joseph Pulaski. 
 Repnin, the Russian prince, at first despised 
 him, but afterwards became very suspicious of 
 him. One day this foreign tyrant threatened to 
 strike him, because he put his cap on in his 
 presence. 
 
 This insult added to Pulaski's abhorrence of 
 the Russians. He became impatient to revenge 
 himself upon the enemies of his country, and 
 left Warsaw to go through the country and ex- 
 cite the Poles to rise against their oppressors. 
 
78 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 Pulaski was accompanied by three sons and 
 his nephew. These were all very young, but 
 the patriot devoted them from this early age 
 to their country. 
 
 In a very short time they had been able to 
 raise eight thousand men. Repnin was very 
 much enraged at the rising of the patriots, and 
 threatened to massacre all of them without de- 
 lay. A number of battles took place, in which 
 the patriots always obtained the victory. 
 
 New parties of the patriots were now formed 
 all over the country. Catharine declared them 
 rebels, and whole regiments of Russians and 
 Cossacks marched against them ; robbing, lay- 
 ing waste, and murdering on the way. 
 
 But the Russians were so powerful and nu- 
 merous, compared with the little armies of the 
 patriots, that they at last conquered them. I am 
 now going to tell you of a very bold attempt 
 that was made to carry off the king from the 
 midst of Warsaw. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Daring attempt to seize the King. 
 
 The patriots were desirous to seize the king, 
 and carry him prisoner to their camp. A plan 
 was accordingly formed and proposed to Pulaski. 
 He did not entirely approve the plot, but did 
 not see fit to oppose it. 
 
 "I give you no orders," said Pulaski, "but 
 I forewarn you that I shall approve the plan, 
 only as you respect the life of the prisoner whom 
 you are going to seize." " Twenty times," re- 
 plied Strawinski, "I could have killed him in 
 Warsaw. I did not, because it would have in- 
 jured the patriots. Why should you suspect 
 me now ? I have resolved to deliver Poniatow- 
 ski to them alive.'" 
 
 The day fixed for this plot was the third of 
 November, 1771. The whole number of men 
 
80 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 concerned was about forty, under the command 
 of Pulaski, and three other Polish chiefs of dis- 
 tinction. 
 
 On the second of the month they entered 
 Warsaw, disguised as peasants. They brought 
 in wagons full of hay, as if with the intention of 
 selling it. Under this they concealed their sad- 
 dles, arms, and clothes. 
 
 The king had been dining, on the third of the 
 month, at the mansion of his uncle, and was 
 returning between nine and ten to the palace. 
 His attendants were two pages, tw^o valets, and 
 a few guards. Two gentlemen were also rid- 
 ing with him in his carriage. 
 
 Strawinski had divided his friends into two 
 bands. One of them remained without the 
 walls of the city, and the second attacked the 
 carriage. 
 
 About two hundred paces from the mansion 
 where the king had been dining, the patriots 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 81 
 
 ordered the coachman to stop. Two of the 
 guards resisted and were immediately killed. 
 The rest of the attendants instantly fled. 
 
 The king now opened the door of the car- 
 riage to escape. As the night was extremely 
 dark, he had some hope of stealing away with- 
 out being taken. After a short struggle, with- 
 out receiving any injury, Poniatowski was forced 
 upon a horse, and the whole party rode off* for 
 the appointed place of meeting without the city. 
 
 The attendants immediately spread the alarm 
 at the palace, where all was confusion and dis- 
 order. They ran to the spot where the king 
 was seized, and found nothing there but his hat. 
 In the general alarm, no steps were taken to 
 pursue the fugitives. 
 
 When the troop came to the ditch that sur- 
 rounds Warsaw, they were obliged to leap it. 
 In the attempt the king's horse broke its leg. 
 
 In the delay which this occasioned, part of 
 
82 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 the men were separated from the rest. At- 
 tempting to find each other, they lost their way 
 in the dark, got into a marsh, and Poniatowski 
 was soon left with only one man. 
 
 The name of this man was Kosinski. From 
 being one of the boldest of the whole troop, he 
 suddenly became one of the most cowardly and 
 the basest. The king promised to pardon and 
 reward him, if he would only assist him to re- 
 turn in safety to Warsaw. 
 
 Kosinski consented, threw himself at the 
 king's feet, begged his forgiveness, and swore 
 to protect him against every enemy. They 
 then directed their course to a neighbouring 
 mill, to obtain shelter. Kosinski knocked, but 
 no answer being given, he broke a pane of glass 
 in the window, and requested lodging for a 
 nobleman plundered by robbers. 
 
 The miller supposed them to be thieves, and 
 for more than half an hour refused to admit 
 
STORIES or POLAND. 83 
 
 them. At length the king himself approached, 
 and said through th6 broken pane — "If we were 
 robbers, as you suppose, we should break the 
 door down at once, without stopping to talk 
 about it." 
 
 The miller thought there was some sense in 
 this remark, and opened the door to them. He 
 was still, however, more than half afraid, and 
 stood trembling in his shoes till he really found 
 out that he had no cause to suspect any mis- 
 chief. 
 
 The king immediately tore a leaf from his 
 pocket-book, and wrote a note to the colonel of 
 his foot-guards, telling him where he was, and 
 commanding his presence there. One of the 
 miller's servants was prevailed upon to carry 
 this note to Warsaw, 
 
 When the messenger arrived with the note, 
 the colonel instantly rode to the mill, followed 
 by a band of the guards. Being admitted by 
 
84 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 Kosinski, who kept watch at the door with his 
 drawn sabre, he found the *king asleep on the 
 ground, covered by the miller's cloak. 
 
 The king returned to his palace early in the 
 morning. The conspirators were pursued by 
 the Cossacks, and one of them killed. Kosin- 
 ski, for being both a coward and a traitor, was 
 rewarded as the preserver of the king's life. 
 
 Pulaski afterwards went to America, and dur- 
 ing the revolutionary war was appointed briga- 
 dier-general by Congress. At the attack upon 
 Savannah, by general Lincoln, Pulaski was rid- 
 ing in full gallop with two hundred horsemen 
 against the enemy, when he received a death 
 wound. 
 
 He was a very brave and useful officer, and 
 much lamented. In the next chapter, I will tell 
 you about the gallant Kosciusko, who was also 
 an officer in the American army during the 
 revolution. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Story of Kosciusko. 
 
 During the reign of Poniatowski, the three 
 great neighbours of Poland agreed to divide 
 this nation into three parts, and each take one 
 of them. These neighbours were Russia, Prus- 
 sia, and Austria. There was no help for it. 
 They marched large armies into the devoted 
 country, and the Poles were forced to submis- 
 sion. 
 
 Those men who were too proud to remain 
 and see their country's oppression, were driven 
 to wander as outcasts and exiles in foreign lands. 
 They were waiting for a favourable time to draw 
 the sword once more against their tyrants. 
 
 Their fellow-patriots in Poland were mean- 
 while suffering still more severely, and watching 
 with impatience for the moment to rise in arms. 
 
86 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 They formed a plan for this purpose, appointed 
 Cracow as the place of meeting, and chose Kos- 
 ciusko as their leader. 
 
 The Russian tyrants were very suspicious, 
 and committed a great many cruelties every 
 day. At length a large number of Polish pat- 
 riots had collected together at Cracow, under 
 the command of their great leader. 
 
 This was Thaddeus Kosciusko. He was a 
 very brave and noble man, and at a very early 
 age had learned what a soldier ought to know, 
 at the military school of Warsaw. 
 
 While a young man, he came over to Ameri- 
 ca, to assist our fathers in the revolutionary war. 
 He was the friend of liberty, and our cause was 
 dear to his heart. Washington loved him very 
 sincerely, and made him his aid-de-camp. 
 
 When our war had ended gloriously, he re- 
 turned to his native country. Here he was 
 found among the bravest and wisest patriots. 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 87 
 
 His countrymen placed the highest confidence 
 in him, and when they had resolved to rise 
 against their tyrants, made him their general. 
 
 On the first of April, 1794, he left Cracow at 
 the head of four thousand men. About half of 
 these were armed with scythes, such as the 
 farmers mowed their grass with. This was be- 
 cause the Russians had taken away all their 
 guns and swords, or because they were too 
 poor to buy them. 
 
 They marched towards Warsaw, to meet an 
 army of the Russians. This army was about 
 three times as large as their own, with a plenty 
 of fine guns and swords, and as much powder 
 and good provisions as they wanted. 
 
 In two or three days the armies met, and a 
 great battle was fought. The Poles were full 
 of courage and fury. Their enemies were brave 
 and obstinate. But after fighting hard for five 
 hours, the Russians were obliged to fly. They 
 left behind them 3000 dead upon the field. 
 
88 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 Soon after this, the Polish soldiers stationed 
 in a fort at Warsaw, under the Russian com- 
 mand, joined the cause of Kosciusko. A con- 
 tinued fight was kept up on that occasion in 
 Warsaw, for the space of two days. 
 
 But the Prussians and the Austrians immedi- 
 ately joined the Russians, and marched against 
 the army of the patriots. This was now en- 
 camped about nine miles from Warsaw, at a 
 place called Pracka-Wola. 
 
 It was here that one of his brother generals 
 found Kosciusko sleeping on straw. He used 
 to wear a surtout of coarse gray cloth, and his 
 table was always spread with great plainness. 
 
 Kosciusko never wore any sign of his mihtary 
 power. He had no desire or ambition but to 
 serve his country and fight for it. Mildness and 
 modesty ever appeared in his face. 
 
 But the cause of the patriots, even under so 
 excellent a leader, did not finally succeed. On 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 89 
 
 the tenth of October, a bloody battle was fought 
 at a place called Macieiowice, It was for a long 
 time doubtful which army would beat. 
 
 A general named Ponenski was expected by 
 the Poles with a fresh body of troops, just in 
 the heat of the battle. But he did not arrive, 
 and Kosciusko, at the head of his principal offi- 
 cers, made a grand charge into the midst of the 
 enemy. 
 
 Kosciusko fell covered with wounds ; and all 
 his companions were either killed or taken pris- 
 oners. This great man lay senseless among the 
 dead, but at length he was distinguished, not- 
 withstanding the plainness of his uniform, and 
 was found still breathing. 
 
 The Cossacks knew and respected him for 
 his valour. They made a Htter with their lances 
 to carry him to their general, who ordered his 
 wounds to be dressed, and treated him with 
 great kindness and respect. 
 
 7 
 
90 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 As soon as he was able to travel, he was 
 conveyed to St. Petersburg, where Catharine 
 condemned this noble patriot to end his days in 
 prison. The Poles lamented his captivity with 
 pubhc and universal grief. They exclaimed on 
 all sides, " Kosciusko is no more ; the country 
 is lost." 
 
 When Catharine died, Kosciusko was re- 
 leased from prison. He immediately proceeded 
 to America, and having spent some time with 
 his old companions, retired to a residence in the 
 neighbourhood of Fontainebleau. He died in 
 the year 1817, in Switzerland. His corpse is 
 placed in the cathedral of Cracow, in the same 
 chapel with the great Sobieski. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 About Constantine and his cruelties. 
 
 My little readers would now like to know about 
 what has been going on in Poland during the 
 last few years. The emperor of Russia man- 
 aged so as to get the kingdom of Poland united 
 to his own dominions. The chief power over 
 this kingdom had been for a long time in the 
 hands of the grand duke Constantine. 
 
 This man was like an untamed ti2:er. He 
 gave full play to his cruel passions, without the 
 least regard for the rights of his fellow-creatures. 
 
 There was a rich and respectable Pole, named 
 Woloski, the principal brewer of Warsaw. By 
 some mistake, one of the clerks, without his 
 knowledge, hired a Russian deserter for a ser- 
 vant in the estaWishment. 
 
92 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 The offender was found out, and the grand 
 jduke ordered Woloski to be chained, and in 
 this condition to work with a wheelbarrow in 
 the public streets. His daughter, an affection- 
 ate and amiable young lady, went to the grand 
 duke to beg him to pardon her father. He 
 treated her with very abusive language, and 
 turned her out of the house. 
 
 Some of the pubhshers of papers in Warsaw 
 happened to say something disagreeable to 
 Constantine. He sent a band of soldiers in the 
 middle of the night to break up their presses 
 and destroy their types. 
 
 One of the most infamous acts, however, that 
 this monster of cruelty committed, was on the 
 following occasion. A litde boy in one of the 
 schools, named Plater, had written on the bench 
 "The third of May forever !'' This was the 
 anniversary of some great patriotic event in 
 Polish history. 
 
STORIES OF POLAJVD. 93 
 
 This was discovered by some of the thou- 
 sand spies, that the grand duke employed even 
 among these infants, and all the boys were 
 asked who wrote these words. Not one of 
 them would betray poor Plater, and they were 
 all ordered to be flogged. 
 
 At length, the httle boy, unwilling that his 
 companions should suffer on his account, con- 
 fessed that he had written the sentence himself. 
 The grand duke condemned him to be a soldier 
 for life ; and incapable of being advanced to 
 any higher rank in the army. When his mother 
 threw herself before the carriage of Constantine, 
 to ask forgiveness for her wretched child, he 
 spurned her like a dog with his foot. 
 
 This tyrant used often to shave t)ie heads of 
 females who had displeased him. On one occa- 
 sion, four soldiers were severely punished be- 
 cause they hesitated to carry this barbarous 
 order into execution. 
 
94 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 He took great pleasure in witnessing, person- 
 ally, the infliction of these punishments. Some- 
 times he would command offenders to be tarred 
 and feathered, and amuse himself with their 
 appearance. 
 
 This career of cruelty and oppression once 
 met with a rebuke, in the following manner. 
 Among the other men who had excited his fear 
 and jealousy, was a Polish oflScer of rank and 
 influence. 
 
 This man he ordered to be confined in a foul 
 dungeon, placed under a common sewer, or 
 drain. There he was lingering through exist- 
 ence in misery. 
 
 This happened to reach the ears of a bold 
 and upright priest, who felt it his duty to inter- 
 fere, and if possible to soften the heart of the 
 tyrant. He accidentally obtained admission into 
 Constantine's presence. 
 
 He then told him the object of his visit, with 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 95 
 
 great respect and firmness. The grand duke 
 became very much enraged, and stormed with 
 great fury. 
 
 The priest declared that he would persist in 
 what he considered his duty. The grand duke 
 was astonished at his boldness, and sprang out 
 of the window, declaring that there w^as a mad- 
 man within. The priest was taken to a con- 
 vent and confined, and the poor Polish officer 
 obtained no rehef. 
 
 I do not tell you these things because I be- 
 lieve you like to read about such cruelties, but 
 that you may see how much reason you have 
 to be thankful that there are no such tyrants in 
 the fortunate country in which you are so happy 
 as to five. I do not wonder that the Poles 
 resolved to rise up against such governors, and 
 attempt to be free. You shall now hear about 
 the late revolution, that has ended so unfortu- 
 nately for poor Poland. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The first night of the Revolution. 
 
 I AM now going to tell you about the way in 
 which the present war in Poland began. 
 
 The grand duke was afraid to hve in War- 
 saw, and had taken up his residence in a palace 
 in the outskirts of the city. This palace was at 
 a short distance from the barracks of three 
 regiments of Russian soldiers. He thought he 
 should certainly be safe from attack under the 
 cover of their muskets. 
 
 Constantine had established a school for the 
 education of inferior officers, in the hopes of 
 destroying a national spirit in the army, and of 
 cherishing a partiality for the Russians. The 
 students at this school were about one hundred 
 and eighty in number. Many of these, how- 
 ever, engaged in a plot to overthrow the Rus- 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 97 
 
 sian tyranny, and restore freedom to their coun- 
 try. 
 
 On the 29th of November, 1830, many a 
 heart beat high in the capital of Poland. The 
 patriots had fixed upon that day for the com- 
 mencement of a revolution. Seven in the eve- 
 ning was the hour appointed for that great pur- 
 pose. The signal agreed on v^as the burning 
 of a wooden house, situated near the bank of 
 the river on which Warsaw stands. 
 
 Throughout the city, the patriots were on the 
 watch, ready to stir up the people on the ap- 
 pearance of the signal. Most of them were 
 quite young men. A band of one hundred and 
 twenty, who were to strike the first blow, were 
 assembled in the southern part of Warsaw. 
 
 All was ready. At the stroke of seven, as 
 soon as the flame burst from the burning house, 
 the first cry was raised. Many brave students, 
 and some officers, rode through the streets, 
 
98 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 shouting — ^ To arms ! To arms, Poles, and 
 down with the tyrant/ 
 
 The shout flew through the city with the 
 swiftness of hghtning, and the people gathered 
 from all sides to join in the cry of ' To arms !' 
 At this time the hundred and twenty cadets left 
 their barrack, and marched to the head quarters 
 of the Russian cavalry. It w^as resolved to take 
 immediate possession of all the chief gates ; and 
 as the quarters were surrounded by a deep 
 ditch, over which there were but few bridges, 
 the Russians were forced to a difficult and 
 bloody retreat. 
 
 On their arrival, the cadets found the soldiers 
 in the utmost confusion. Some w^ere saddhng 
 their horses, others were leading them out; 
 others were busy in securing the magazines. 
 The Poles took advantage of this confusion, and 
 after firing a few rounds, rushed with a ^hurrah' 
 through the gates. An entire rout followed; 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 99 
 
 and eighteen hundred Russian cavahy were 
 dispersed by a mere handful of boys. 
 
 While their comrades were attacking the pal- 
 ace, some ten or twelve students ran through 
 the gardens of the grand duke to the palace. 
 Having forced their way through the principal 
 entrance, and killed one or two wretched fel- 
 lows who offered resistance, they rushed to- 
 wards the bed chamber of the grand duke. 
 They were just on the point of reaching it, 
 when they were stopped by a faithful servant, 
 who closed a secret door just in time for his 
 master to escape. 
 
 Constantine went out of the window in so 
 great a hurry, that he forgot to put on his pan- 
 taloons. He had on his night gown and night 
 cap, but was very glad to get away at any rate. 
 
 He fled to his guards, who instantly turned 
 out to pursue the conspirators. Finding they 
 had been disappointed in their object, the young 
 
100 STORIES OF TOLAyj). 
 
 soldiers joined their companions at the bridge 
 of Sobieski, and returned into the city. 
 
 After one or two skirmishes with the Rus- 
 sians by the way, the united corps entered the 
 city, singing patriotic songs, and shouting ^ Po- 
 land forever.' Every where the citizens re- 
 echoed their shouts with spirit, and joined their 
 ranks in great numbers. 
 
 The band was now large enough to bear a 
 division, and a party was sent to break open the 
 public prisons. These prisons, always guarded 
 by Russian troops, were stormed; many of the 
 soldiers were slain, the doors were broken dow^n, 
 and the innocent victims of Russian tyranny 
 were set free. 
 
 When the city had been nearly cleared of the 
 Russians, great multitudes hastened to the arse- 
 nal for arms and ammunition. No resistance 
 w^as offered. All the apartments were immedi- 
 ately opened, and more than 80,000 muskets, 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 101 
 
 pistols, and sabres, were obtained. They were 
 distributed without delay or confusion. 
 
 Being now well armed, the people were ar- 
 ranged in companies, under different captains, 
 and sent to various parts of the city. Parties 
 were appointed to march through the streets, 
 and arrest all spies and Russian officers, who 
 might attempt to fly. They arrested more than 
 three hundred. 
 
 Towards two o'clock in the morning, order 
 was again restored. Most of the patriots as- 
 sembled in a place called the Long Street, to 
 consult on what should be done the following 
 day. Here they made addresses to the peo- 
 ple, who received them with great enthusiasm, 
 and with shouts of ' Poland forever V 
 
 The assembled crovv^ds then knelt down to 
 return thanks to heaven. A more sublime 
 scene was never described. The immense 
 multitude kneeling at midnight, in the dim glare 
 
102 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 of torches and watch-fires, and offering up 
 prayers to their great deliverer, presented a 
 sight which no one could look upon without 
 admiration. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Rejoicings in Warsaw. — Choice of a leader. — Description of Fulawa. — 
 Prince Czartoriski. 
 
 On the following day, Warsaw presented a 
 scene of joy, which her inhabitants had not for 
 many years witnessed. Shouts of 'Liberty,' 
 and * Poland forever !' rang through the streets. 
 
 At about six in the morning, the drums beat 
 for the assembling of the soldiers. The public 
 places were crowded with persons of all ages. 
 Old men recalled the days of Kosciusko, and 
 the little children, almost too young to know 
 why, shouted 'Down with the Russians,' and 
 brandished their mimic weapons with all the 
 heart of manhood. 
 
 The Russians were still in possession of the 
 northern and southern parts of Warsaw. Two 
 detachments af the Poles marched against them 
 
104 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 without delay, and the whole city was cleared 
 of the enemy before nine o'clock. The walls 
 opposite the Russian troops were put in a state 
 of defence, and manned by soldiers and armed 
 citizens. 
 
 When the patriots had thus freed the city of 
 the enemy, they began to look about them for a 
 chief, to direct their future movements. Their 
 choice fell upon a brave general, named Chlo- 
 picki. He had been a distinguished officer in 
 his eariier years^ but had retired from the army, 
 in disgust, at the conduct of Constantine. 
 
 The choice of Chlopicki was received with 
 shouts of joy. After all the leaders had de- 
 clared their consent to his election, he Vv^as pro- 
 claimed commander in chief. One of the patri- 
 ots then deUvered an address, in which he con- 
 trasted the past sufferings of Poland with her 
 present hopes, and concluded with a direct ap- 
 peal to Chlopicki. -^ Brother— take the sword 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 105 
 
 of your ancestors and predecessors. Guide the 
 nation that has placed its trust in you, in the 
 way of honour. Save this unhappy country.' 
 
 When this ceremony was ended, the general 
 appeared in a balcony before the assembled 
 people. They received him with shouts of 
 ^ Our country, and our deUverer, forever !' The 
 general thanked them for their confidence, pro- 
 mised never to abuse it, and swore that he would 
 to the last defend the liberty of Poland. 
 
 Prince Czartoriski was chosen another mem- 
 ber of the government. He was a noble old 
 man, about sixty years of age. He was the 
 proprietor of a beautiful town named Pulawa, 
 about which you may perhaps like to hear some- 
 thing. It is situated about fifty-four miles south 
 of Warsaw, on the right bank of the river Vis- 
 tula. 
 
 The town is on the side of a hill, which de- 
 clines towards the water in the form of an am- 
 
 8 
 
106 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 phitheatre. Meadows of long grass border on 
 the river. The town is surrounded by a beau- 
 tiful garden, with groves of oaks and poplars, 
 and enlivened by herds of cattle, cottages, and 
 shepherds' cabins, in various styles of building. 
 Great parks, extending in every direction, sur- 
 round this garden, intersected by beautiful ave- 
 nues of linden trees. 
 
 Here are many beautiful works in marble, 
 statues, and obehsks. Among these is the tem- 
 ple of Sibylla, with a magnificent statue of ala- 
 baster. In one of the grottoes, also, is a very 
 beautiful image of a nymph. The palace is a 
 splendid building. Its apartments are large and 
 rich. The prince was the owner of the largest 
 Ubrary in Poland, and of the largest library in 
 Europe belonging to a private individual, and 
 yet open for the public use. 
 
 Czartoriski happened to be in Pulawa, when 
 the revolution broke out. Summoned to the 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 107 
 
 assistance of his beloved country, he hastened 
 to devote himself to her service. In his public 
 career, he was throughout the whole struggle 
 just, mild, and firm in his patriotic devotion. 
 
 He considered all the Poles as his brethren. 
 He shared in all the fatigues of war, though now 
 almost sixty years old. Accompanying Skrzy- 
 necki in his marches, he fought at his side in 
 many battles. His whole character was noble, 
 and his whole conduct was valiant and high- 
 minded. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 The Grand Duke. — His encarapment. — The Russian prisoners. — March 
 of the Grand Duke. 
 
 The new government now began to think on 
 what was best to be done. The people had 
 driven Constantine from the city, but they did 
 not know how soon he might come back, with 
 a great army, and endeavour to regain his lost 
 dominions. On the whole, they determined to 
 send messengers to the grand duke, and ask 
 him whether he intended to retire in peace, or 
 to return and attack the city. 
 
 The patriots, who were sent to discover his 
 intentions, found Constantine encamped with 
 his army in the fields of Mokotow. They told 
 him that it would be his wisest plan to depart 
 quietly. If he would consent to do this, they 
 promised not to trouble him, but to provide him 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 109 
 
 with every thing necessary to hasten his de- 
 parture, and to assist him on his way. 
 
 The grand duke was not much pleased at 
 this kind of language, from his old subjects; but 
 he was obliged to submit to it. He told them 
 that he had never intended to attack Warsaw, 
 and that if he should find himself obliged to do 
 so, he would give them two days' notice. He 
 also promised, that he would beg the emperor 
 of Russia not to punish them for the past. 
 
 This answer did not suit the people of War- 
 saw. They laughed at the grand duke's pro- 
 mise to ask the emperor not to punish them, and 
 thought they could see to that very well them- 
 selves. It seemed to them that their good 
 swords were much better protection against 
 punishment, than all the promises of Constan- 
 tine. They repUed to him, therefore, that if he 
 did not march away with his army in forty -eight 
 hours, they would attack him without delay. 
 
110 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 Order was now for a while restored to the 
 city. A guard of national troops was formed, 
 and posted in the different streets, for the pro- 
 tection of the inhabitants. The shops were 
 opened, and people bought and sold, as if there 
 had been no army before the city. 
 
 The government now sent proclamations 
 through all the provinces, to tell their fellow- 
 countrymen the great events that had happened 
 at Warsaw. They invited the troops at all the 
 distant military stations, to hasten to the capital. 
 Fortifications were erected at all parts of the 
 city, and every thing was put in order to repel 
 an attack of the enemy. 
 
 The Russian prisoners, who had remained in 
 Warsaw, were treated with great kindness. To 
 the officers of rank, and the ladies, the royal 
 palace was assigned as their residence. The 
 private soldiers were lodged in barracks. After- 
 wards, the poorer Russians were permitted to 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. Ill 
 
 go about the streets, and earn whatever they 
 could by their own labour, in addition to their 
 usual allowance. 
 
 This was generous conduct in the Poles, and 
 deserving of praise. They knew that the Rus- 
 sian soldiers bore no ill will to them, and that 
 they were obliged to obey the cruel commands 
 of their tyrannical masters. And they could not 
 be cruel to them merely because they were 
 Russians. The poor fellows, perhaps, fared bet- 
 ter in their captivity among the Poles, than they 
 did under the shelter of their own camp. 
 
 As the enemy remained before the city, on 
 the second of December, and had given no sign 
 of departure, the people, as well as the army, 
 still continued under arms. It was at this time 
 that twelve companies of students were formed, 
 and paraded. They were called the Academ- 
 ical Legion. 
 
 This band of youths presented a most noble 
 
112 STORIES OF POLAND, 
 
 appearance. They were all burning for the lib- 
 erty of Poland, and for vengeance against the 
 tyrants who had oppressed her. Many of them 
 had just been rescued from dungeons, where 
 the jealousy of the Russian government had 
 confined them. Their cheeks were pale, and 
 their steps feeble, from the sufferings of long 
 imprisonment; but with the hope of freedom, 
 new colour fiushed in their cheek, and their 
 limbs gained new strength. This legion was 
 sent to the post nearest the enemy. 
 
 The inhabitants of the neighbouring provinces 
 were now daily marching into the city. At one 
 time, more than a thousand peasants, and about 
 fifty peasant girls, armed with scythes, clubs, 
 and every other kind of rustic weapon, were 
 seen throhging from the country, and entering 
 the streets of Warsaw. They were received 
 with shouts of joy and gladness, and escorted to 
 the Bank, to receive the welcome of the national 
 government. 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 113 
 
 Another message was now sent to the grand 
 duke, to request his immediate departure with 
 all his troops. Constantine was compelled to 
 obey, and commenced his march on the route 
 that was pointed out to him. Before marching, 
 he issued a proclamation to the Poles, in which 
 he promised never to fight against a people 
 whom he said he had always loved. The Poles 
 thought that he had such a very strange way of 
 showing his love, that the sooner he was out of 
 their way, the better it would be, both for them 
 and him. 
 
 It was early on the morning of the third of 
 December, that the grand duke commenced his 
 march. Agents had been sent before, to pre- 
 pare every convenience for him. In a village 
 where he halted with his troops, he met one of 
 the Polish patriots, general Wolicki, who was 
 on his way to Warsaw. The general called 
 upon Constantine, to learn if he could render 
 
114 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 him any service, with regard to the accommo- 
 dation of his troops. 
 
 Constantine thanked him with much coldness, 
 and at once began to abuse the Poles for their 
 conduct towards him. He said that he had 
 conferred numberless benefits on the nation, 
 and " for all this, they wished to assassinate me." 
 
 Wolicki assured the grand duke, that his 
 palace had not been entered with any such de- 
 sign ; that, on the contrary, no personal injury 
 was intended. Constantine was still more en- 
 raged. " They have driven me from the coun- 
 try,'' he exclaimed, with great fury, " but I shall 
 return soon, to their sorrow. Yes, Wolicki,'' 
 he continued, " and you shall stay with me as 
 a security for my officers, who are kept prison- 
 ers in Warsaw." 
 
 In spite of every remonstrance, Wolicki was 
 arrested and retained a prisoner. He soon, 
 however, formed a plan of escape. The grand 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 115 
 
 duke passed that night at the village of Graniza, 
 and Wolicki was acquainted with some of the 
 inhabitants* Finding a chance to speak with 
 one of thenij he told him what had happened, 
 and requested him to raise an alarm that night, 
 as if the Polish army were in the neighbour- 
 hood. His friend raised the alarm, as requested. 
 The citizens began to shout, the Russians were 
 terrified, and flew to their arms; and in the 
 midst of the disturbance, Wolicki walked away- 
 very quietly, without being observed. 
 
 When he arrived at Pulawa, the grand duke 
 was very kindly treated by the princess Czar- 
 toriski. In Lubartow, he was received in the 
 most friendly manner by the princess Lubomir- 
 ska. An anecdote is related of this lady, which 
 does high honour to her firmness and patriotism. 
 
 The grand duke was accompanied by general 
 Roszniecki, an old PoHsh oflScer, who had dis- 
 graced himself by becoming the instrument of 
 
116 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 Constantine, in tyrannizing over his native coun- 
 try. He was the chief of the spies, employed 
 to transmit every thing of a suspicious nature to 
 the government. This man demanded, of the 
 princess Lubomirska, an apartment in a pavilion 
 adjoining the palace, intended for Constantine. 
 With heroic dignity, the princess replied to him, 
 in the presence of the grand duke, "In my 
 house, there is no room for traitors." 
 
 On the way to Lenczna, the Russians fell in 
 with a party of Polish lancers. Constantine ad- 
 vanced to them with great show of friendship, 
 shook hands with several, and tried to persuade 
 them to return with him. " Lancers," said he, 
 " set a good example to your countrymen, and 
 remember the duty you owe to your king." 
 
 His display of kindness was not confined to 
 words. He offered them money, and promised 
 them great rewards. The lancers rejected his 
 promises, and his rewards, with indignation. 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 117 
 
 " We thank you, prince/' they replied, " but we 
 had rather die in defence of our country, than 
 hve in the remembrance of having broken our 
 faith to her." With this reply, they continued 
 their march, and passed the Russian troops, 
 singing patriotic songs. 
 
 Among the other instances of patriotic devo- 
 tion, in the modern history of Poland, is that of 
 colonel Turno, aid-de-camp to the grand duke. 
 This noble officer had served Constantine, faith- 
 fully, for fourteen years. He had suffered his 
 caprices and follies, with the hope of doing good 
 to others. At this time of trial the grand duke 
 beheved that Turno, whom he loved and valued, 
 would still remain with him. 
 
 When Constantine arrived on the frontiers of 
 Poland, Turno rode up to take his leave. The 
 grand duke was astonished, and at first was 
 unable to speak. After some moments, he ex- 
 claimed, with grief that he could not conceal, 
 
118 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 " And will you, too, leave me, Turno ? whom I 
 have loved so truly, and who have served so 
 faithfully?" 
 
 Turno replied, "I am sorry to leave your 
 highness, and in another cause I never should 
 leave you. But my country calls for me, and I 
 must obey. You are now on your own borders, 
 and have left Polish ground. There is no fur- 
 ther need of my service. It is my sacred duty 
 to follow where Poland leads.'' 
 
 The grand duke continued his march, with 
 his troops, to Bialystok, the capital of a Russian 
 province of the same name. Here he remained 
 till the opening of the campaign. In the war 
 which followed, he accepted a command in the 
 army, to fight against the people who had treated 
 him with so much kindness and generosity. 
 He perished in disgrace and wretchedness. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 The Revolution; continued. 
 
 The fourth, fifth, and sixth days of December 
 were remarkable days in the history of the rev- 
 olution. Peasants and soldiers, hastily armed 
 with such weapons as chance might offer, flock- 
 ed to Warsaw from all quarters of the country. 
 In a short time five thousand peasants were 
 numbered, among whom were more than two 
 hundred girls armed with sickles. 
 
 These were days of general joy and thanks- 
 giving. The rich and poor, peasants and no- 
 bles, met on a common level, and embraced as 
 friends. Tables were spread in the streets, 
 loaded with refreshments for the strangers. On 
 the fourth, the theatre was opened, for the first 
 time during the revolution. 
 
 A play was performed, called " The Union of 
 
120 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 the two Tribes." On account of its patriotic 
 sentiments, this play had been before prohibited, 
 under the government of the Russians. The 
 theatre was crowded at an early hour, and no 
 distinction was observed with regard to places. 
 Before the play began, one of the patriots made 
 an address to the audience. He reminded them 
 of the wrongs and outrages to which they had 
 been exposed, and informed them of the meas- 
 ures which the new government had taken for 
 their protection and success. 
 
 After this speech, which was received with 
 cheers, and shouts of joy, the orchestra played 
 Kosciusko's march. This music was at first 
 drowned in the cries of the audience: "Hail, 
 our country, our father, our defender, Kosciusko ! 
 France, and Lafayette, the friend of Kosciusko, 
 forever!" After this the Marseilles hymn, a 
 national hymn of France, was played, and then 
 a piece of popular Polish music. 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 121 
 
 The play was full of patriotic songs, and the 
 audience joined in the chorus with the actors. 
 At the end of the play, three standards, with 
 the arms of the ancient provinces of Poland, 
 were brought in, and folded into one, in the 
 embraces of the actors, who represented the 
 chiefs of the three tribes. The exultation of the 
 audience then knew no bounds, and the w^hole 
 theatre shook with thunders of applause. 
 
 One of the favourite actors then addressed 
 the spectators in these words : " The monster 
 Tyranny, terrified by the sudden blaze of lib- 
 erty, has left the den from which he has hitherto 
 spread terror and death. Oh that, scared by 
 this light, he may be driven farther and farther, 
 nor be suffered to rest on any of the fields of 
 Poland. May he retire to the dark and icy 
 regions of the north, whence he came, and 
 Heaven grant that he may never return to us !'' 
 
 After this, the patriots, who had been impris- 
 9 
 
122 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 oned by Constantine for their love of country, 
 and those who had been most distinguished in 
 the early scenes of the revolution, were pre- 
 sented to the assembly. They w^ere received 
 with great joy, and carried about on the shoul- 
 ders of the people with shouts. Many of the 
 ladies were then brought forward, who had fol- 
 lowed the cause of the patriots, or had given up 
 their wealth to be expended in the cause of 
 liberty. 
 
 These scenes were affecting beyond any 
 power of description. Tears of joy flowed on 
 all sides. It was a moment to be remembered 
 forever, by all who shared in its feehngs. There 
 was no longer fear or suspicion. The enemy 
 had been driven from the city, and all who re- 
 mained were true friends to the liberty of Po- 
 land. They wept, they embraced each other, 
 they talked over their sufferings and their hopes, 
 and mingled their prayers to that Being who 
 
ST0RIE3 OF POLAND. 123 
 
 directs the destinies of nations, and in whose 
 hands is the fate of war. 
 
 On Sunday, the fifth of December, the 
 churches of Warsaw were crowded with a de- 
 vout and grateful people, imploring the bles- 
 sings of Providence upon their cause. 
 
 The most solemn and affecting ceremonies of 
 this day took place at Praga, a town in the 
 neighbourhood of Warsaw, from which it is 
 separated by the river Vistula. Here an altar 
 was erected in the open air, and mass was said 
 in the presence of more than fifty thousand 
 beings, assembled to praise, and pray to, God. 
 
 The circle immediately surrounding the altar 
 was composed of the twelve academical legions ; 
 bands of brave and noble youths, who had de- 
 voted themselves to secure the freedom of their 
 country, or perish in its defence. What a glo- 
 rious spectacle must this have been ! How our 
 feelings sympathize in that cause, to which age 
 
124 STORIES OF POLAND. ^ 
 
 lends its wise counsel, and long experience, 
 and youth devotes its unwearied activity, and 
 lion-hearted valour ! 
 
 Between the religious ceremonies, addresses 
 w^ere made to the people. One was by a pat- 
 riot, who had suffered under Constantine, and 
 had just been released from his dungeon. 
 "Brethren," said he, "but a few days ago it 
 was accounted a crime, to pray for our unfortu- 
 nate ancestors, murdered for devotion to the 
 country which had given them birth. Now, 
 under this open canopy of heaven, on soil en- 
 riched by the sacred blood of our fathers, we 
 swear never to lay down our arms, till we shall 
 have avenged, or shared, their fate." The as- 
 sembled crowds then united in a patriotic hymn. 
 
 In the afternoon of the following day, more 
 than an hundred thousand people were collected 
 about the Field of Mars, to witness the appoint- 
 ment of Chlopicki as dictator. The dictator 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 125 
 
 was an officer first appointed in the old Roman 
 republic, in times of extreme difficulty and 
 peril, when there was need of great rapidity and 
 energy of action. His power was supreme over 
 all the officers of the state and of the army. 
 His will was absolute, and his word law. 
 
 Such was the officer, whom the Poles thought 
 it necessary to create at this time. Besides an 
 immense crowd of spectators, the greater part 
 of the army was present on the occasion. 
 Chlopicki appeared with the senators, and was 
 received with shouts of joy. His aspect was 
 truly venerable. He addressed the people, and 
 told them that he had accepted the office of 
 dictator only for a short time, and because the 
 condition of the country required strict energy 
 and singleness of purpose. 
 
 " Be assured," he added, " that no selfish 
 feeling has impelled me to take this step, and 
 that I have consented to take it only to promote 
 
126 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 the welfare of Poland. The truth of this I call 
 God to witness. May he assist me to make my 
 promise good. Hail to our dear country !'' The 
 last sentence was echoed by the people with 
 great clamour, who shouted with joy, " Hail to 
 our dear country, and its brave defender, Chlo- 
 picki !" 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Revolution^ continued. 
 
 When the emperor of Russia, Nicholas, learned 
 that his province of Poland had expelled Con- 
 stantine from her borders, and was in arms to 
 recover her liberties, he determined to send a 
 numerous army into the country, and crush the 
 rebellion at once. He first issued two procla- 
 mations to his own subjects, and the Poles, in 
 which he denounced the revolt as infamous 
 treason, and the work of evil-minded men. 
 
 When the brave Poles received these procla- 
 mations of the emperor, their indignation knew 
 no bounds. The honour and character of the 
 nation were insulted by them. The people 
 were roused in every quarter, and on all sides 
 resounded the cry, " To batde ! To battle !" It 
 
128 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 was with difficulty that the troops could be per- 
 suaded from rushing immediately to the field. 
 
 The command of the army was now given to 
 Prince Radzivil ; for the dictator had not con- 
 ducted affairs with the spirit and activity that 
 had been expected. On the twenty-fifth of 
 January, 1831, the troops began to leave War- 
 saw, to commence the campaign, and prepare 
 to meet the immense forces that the emperor 
 was to send against them. 
 
 This was one of the most trying moments of 
 the revolution. When the march commenced, 
 all the inhabitants of the neighbouring country 
 left their homes, to witness the departure of the 
 patriots, and give them their blessings. The 
 plains about Warsaw, and the sides of the road 
 through which the army was to pass, were 
 crowded with spectators. 
 
 In marching through the streets of the city, 
 the soldiers passed between throngs of people, 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 129 
 
 lining both sides of the streets. The old and 
 young, the clergy, the venerable officers of gov- 
 ernment, and the children from the schools ; in 
 short, an immense assembly of both sexes and 
 all ages, crowded the highway, to shower their 
 acclamations and prayers on the noble band, 
 who were going forth to fight the battles of free- 
 dom. The throng extended even to two miles 
 beyond Praga. 
 
 All the regiments passed in review before 
 the commander in chief, and each soldier took 
 the oath to defend the country to the last drop 
 of his blood. The air resounded with senti- 
 ments of the noblest patriotism and devotion. 
 " Dear general," exclaimed the soldiers, " if you 
 see us turn from the enemy, point our own can- 
 non against us, and destroy us." 
 
 One of the regiments, knowing that the mag- 
 azines were badly suppUed with powder, at first 
 refused to receive any cartridges. They said 
 
130 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 they would furnish themselves from the Rus- 
 sians. "Forget, dear general," they said, "that 
 we have no powder ; but trust to our bayonets." 
 Afterwards, they were persuaded to accept a 
 small number of cartridges, but hoped to obtain 
 a full supply on their first encounter with the 
 enemy. 
 
 The parting scenes which took place at this 
 moment were truly affecting. Fathers took 
 leave of their children, giving them, as their last 
 blessing, the charge to be true to their country. 
 " My boy," said the brave soldier, as he bade a 
 farewell to his family, " my boy, forget not the 
 last words you may ever hear from my lips. 
 Let your first and only thought be for the free- 
 dom of Poland. If I fall, avenge my death ; if I 
 live, it will only be to share with you the joys 
 and blessings of liberty." 
 
 That night there was many a sad heart in 
 Warsaw. Mothers kissed their offspring, as 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 131 
 
 they lay in the quiet of innocent sleep, and 
 thought that a few hours might see them father- 
 less. But if there was much sadness, there was 
 little repining or regret. The Polish women 
 behaved with a firmness and courage that re- 
 flect great honour on their character. They 
 considered the death of the parent a less evil 
 than the slavery of the child. 
 
 In the camp, too, there was many a sad 
 heart; but it was nerved with the strength of 
 Valour, and patriotism. The soldiers, as they 
 lay on their straw pallets, or went the rounds of 
 their night watches, thought of the wife and 
 little ones, in whom their whole hfe was cen- 
 tered, and who were the dearest objects of their 
 love. They then thought of Poland. They 
 remembered her ancient glory, and her present 
 shame, and swore by the home which they 
 loved, that they would restore her to liberty or 
 die in the attempt. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Story of Antoinette. 
 
 The Russian emperor sent an army of about 
 200,000 men, to overrun and ravage his revolted 
 provinces of Poland. Many and severe were 
 the struggles which followed ; and many were 
 the examples of heroic virtue and firmness, 
 which made the war of the revolution glorious. 
 The Pohsh women were eager to share the 
 perils, and the triumphs, of their brethren. 
 They proposed to form companies, under the 
 command of ladies of the most distinguished 
 famiUes, to march in the rear of the army, and 
 on the days of battle to carry off and reheve the 
 wounded. This offer was not accepted ; but it 
 serves to show the enthusiasm which pervaded 
 the whole nation. 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 133 
 
 Antoinette Tomaszewska was born in 1814, 
 in the district of Rosienia, in Samogitia. The 
 daughter of noble and wealthy parents, she was 
 educated in the convent of Krose, by the nuns 
 of the order of St. Benedict. Her stature was 
 small, but finely proportioned. Large and ex- 
 pressive blue eyes ht up her beautiful face, 
 which still wore an air of melancholy. But her 
 soul was that of a heroine. 
 
 She had long been distinguished among her 
 young companions, for romantic enthusiasm, and 
 devotion to the land which had given her birth. 
 With the utmost eagerness and delight, she lis- 
 tened to the tales of Poland's ancient glory, and 
 shed bitter tears over the history of her wrongs 
 and misfortunes. At these recitals, her eyes 
 would sparkle with patriotism and indignation, 
 and her heart panted with the desire of revenge. 
 
 When this hour at length arrived, Antoinette 
 was scarcely sixteen ; but on the first news of 
 
134 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 the rising in Warsaw, her resolution was taken. 
 Forgetful of her tender age, her sex, and her 
 weakness, she disregarded even the tears of her 
 family, in the thought of her country. She 
 quitted her convent, and addressing a last fai-e- 
 well to the happy scenes of her childhood, she 
 joined the army of one of the insurgent chiefs. 
 
 When Antoinette arrived in the camp, it re- 
 sounded with shouts of sympathy and admira- 
 tion. Men knew not which most to wonder at, 
 her great beauty or exalted patriotism. But it 
 was not her object to excite their wonder. 
 Faithful to the noble feelings that prompted her, 
 she went immediately to the chief, explained to 
 him her motives and wishes, and demanded a 
 horse and arms. 
 
 In spite of every objection, they w^ere obliged 
 to yield to her entreaties. She was enlisted in 
 a body of horse, and in a few days could wield 
 a lance as well as any of her companions. From 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 135 
 
 that moment she was entirely devoted to the 
 service of her country. 
 
 Attached as a private soldier to the corps of 
 Gruzewski, clothed in the uniform, and armed 
 from head to foot, she was present with the 
 corps in every action, and gallantly braved both 
 danger and death. In a charge which was 
 made at Maukuni in Samogitia, the young hero- 
 ine performed prodigies of valour. 
 
 In this action, a regiment of Circassian cav- 
 alry severely harassed the rear of the Polish 
 columns. Unable to keep the field against an 
 enemy ten times more numerous, it became 
 necessary to check the violence of the pursuit. 
 The Polish cavalry were in consequence order- 
 ed to charge the Circassians. 
 
 Antoinette rushed forward with them. Her 
 eyes flashing fire, her face burning with rage, 
 she penetrated into the thickest of the enemy's 
 ranks, giving an example of courage to her 
 
136 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 countrymen, which insured them success. On 
 returning to the camp, the young heroine was 
 received amid long and enthusiastic hurrahs. 
 
 When the PoUsh arms met with reverses, 
 Antoinette was unmoved. Following the re- 
 treat of the army, she distinguished herself in 
 several skirmishes, and received the epaulets of 
 a sub-Ueutenant, as a reward for her bravery. 
 Possessing the noblest quahties of a warrior, she 
 was a model of patience and resignation, during 
 the periods of difficulty and distress. 
 
 She consoled her companions by holding out 
 to them the hope of a brighter future. Through- 
 out a harassing retreat, amid fatigues and priva- 
 tions of every kind, no complaint or regret es- 
 caped her lips. One might have almost sup- 
 posed that she had been educated to the trials 
 of a camp. 
 
 At length, when even hope was lost, and 
 nothing more was to be done, Antoinette fol- 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 137 
 
 lowed the fatal fortunes of the army, and enter- 
 ed Prussia with the corps of general Rohland. 
 There, on the recital of her adventures and her 
 exploits, she became an object of universal in- 
 terest and hospitaUty. Both Poles and Prus- 
 sians gazed with wonder upon a maiden, who 
 had made a campaign as a private soldier, and 
 at the point of the lance gained the epaulets of 
 a sub-heutenant. 
 
 Antoinette has since married a Polish officer, 
 a warm admirer of her heroism and virtue. 
 Sorrow for the fate of her unhappy country is 
 now mingled with the feelings of a wife and 
 mother ; but she can never forget the wrongs 
 and the miseries of Poland. 
 
 10 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Fall of Warsaw. — Conclusion. 
 
 The story of the revolution is soon told. Bat- 
 tle followed battle, in which the Poles fought 
 wdth desperate valour, and sometimes with bril- 
 liant success. Prince Radzivil resigned his 
 command, and Skrzynecki, then only a colonel, 
 w^as appointed in his place. The cause of Po- 
 land then gained strength. Foreign nations 
 looked on, without interference. Austria forgot 
 the inroad of the Turks, and the deliverance of 
 Vienna by Sobieski. 
 
 Days of reverse and ill fortune came. The 
 barbarous thousands of Russia poured into de- 
 voted Poland, and notwithstanding the breaking 
 out of a pestilence, and the death of their cele- 
 brated general, Diebitsch, they marched to the 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 139 
 
 very gates of Warsaw. After a bloody defence, 
 the capital fell, and on the seventh of Septem- 
 ber the enemy entered the city in triumph. 
 
 At the storming of Warsaw, the principal 
 battery Avas defended by only two battalions, 
 with a desperate valour that has never been 
 surpassed. When it was beyond a doubt that 
 the city must surrender, several privates of the 
 artillery seated themselves on barrels of powder, 
 to which they applied the torch with their own 
 handso 
 
 General Sovinski made a display of heroism, 
 that was worthy of a better fate. Having lost 
 one foot, he was seated, at his earnest request, 
 on the altar of a church, that was defended to 
 the last moment with the noblest courage. Here 
 he continued to give orders, till all his compan- 
 ions had perished. Then, drawing forth two 
 pistols, with one he shot a soldier of the ene- 
 my, who was rushing furiously against him, and 
 
140 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 fired the other through his own heart, with the 
 exclamation, — " So dies a PoUsh general !" 
 
 Now came the time of vindictive and cruel 
 punishment. The Russian emperor had again 
 reduced his revolted provinces to subjection, 
 and the movers of the revolution were to reap 
 the reward of their patriotic devotion. Many 
 distinguished Poles were sent into the interior 
 of Russia and Siberia. Many of all ranks emi- 
 grated, some to France, some to England, and 
 some to the United States. One of them, ma- 
 jor Hordynski, wrote an account of the revolu- 
 tion, in which I have found many of my stories. 
 
 Of these unfortunate men, great numbers 
 were thrown into prison, and are still suffering 
 the pains of captivity. Such is the present con- 
 dition of Poland; she is a Russian province, 
 and her subjects are either wandering in foreign 
 countries, or pining in bondage at home. 
 
 You may ask, what do we, children of the 
 
STORIES OF POLAND. 141 
 
 United States, care about poor Poland? We 
 are well fed and well clothed, go in peace to 
 school and to church, have good books to read, 
 and are contented and happy. 
 
 It is true that you possess all these blessings, 
 and enjoy them so freely that you too often for- 
 get to be grateful for them. They are scattered 
 over our happy country, with as much liberality 
 as are the sunbeams and the showers, which 
 enrich our fields and crown them wdth plenty. 
 
 Compare your condition with that of the 
 children of Poland. Their fathers are banished 
 from their country, or are slaves on the soil 
 which gave them birth. Their houses are not 
 peaceful and happy homes, but are open to the 
 spies and soldiers of a cruel and revengeful gov- 
 ernment. They are Uable to be taken day or 
 night, and cast into dungeons, or sent to the 
 frozen regions of Siberia. There is no confi- 
 dence, no repose, no hope for them ; and will 
 
142 STORIES OF POLAND. 
 
 not be, till, by some more fortunate struggle, 
 they shall drive the Russians from their borders, 
 and become an independent people. 
 
 Remember, then, the blessings you enjoy as 
 the children of a free nation. Be grateful to 
 Providence that your lot has fallen in such 
 pleasant places. Grow up in the thought that 
 you are among kind friends, and dvv^ell in happy 
 homes. And when the day comes, in which 
 you will yourselves mingle in the active affairs 
 of life, remember that the blessings you have 
 received you are to impart, and that other and 
 distant nations have claims upon your warmest 
 sympathy. 
 
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 ^ *'i!^f^^^fc'** ^<v #\^ Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
 
 '^^'^ f^lR: '^^^*' Treatment Date: ^ ^002 
 
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