a house on the hill. But the attempt of firing that house having failed, Lieutenant Wysocki, who commanded the cadets, immediately moved with them towards the city. On his way, he met a detachment of more than 600 Russian cavalry, ready to dispute his passage, which happened just in front of a noble and imposing equestrian marble statue of John Sobieski, whose horse is trampling on the bodies of conquered Turks. Our young heroes look at him. They discover his horse appearing to charge, at their head, upon the Russians. They obey the command of his hand pointing at the Russians. They throw themselves forward, bayonet in hand, and in one minute the Russians are routed. Just when this took place, the three cadets and sixteen students, who, as we have seen, went to arrest His Imperial Highness, the Grand Duke Constantine, returned and joined their fellow-cadets, commanded by Lieutenant Wysocki, and reported that the Grand Duke Constantine had escaped through a secret retreat. Scarcely had this little band of cadets passed the narrow passage which, a moment before, seemed to be their grave, than they were charged by another body of about eight hundred Russians, whom they received with so deadly a discharge of muskets, and then with bayonets, that the Russians lost more than one-third of their number, and beat a retreat in great haste and confusion. After these first exploits, the little band of cadets reached the city, shouting, "Poland for ever! Freedom for ever!" They were greeted with the utmost enthusiasm by the people, who, amidst repeated shoutings of "Poland for ever! Freedom for ever!" from all quarters of the city, rallied to strengthen their little band.

ra

So pid was the succession of these events, that, at 8 o'clock, just when the Russians organized their forces, and began to attack the Poles who defended the arsenal, the said band of the cadets arrived in time to take part in this engagement too. Here, again, the Russians were defeated, with a very heavy loss. To show what terror their success spread amongst the Russians, I will relate an anecdote:-When the Russians were retreating from the arsenal, at some distance from it, they met a few of our soldiers with a very

VOL. XVIII.-NO. I. XCI.

4

small body of people, almost without arms; and when this little band of our soldiers and people were preparing to retreat before the ten times superior enemy, the Russians sent to them a flag of truce, with a request for a free passage. This, of course, was granted to the Russians; and they passed in front of this little band of the Poles, saluting them according to the military rules of honor, to which the Poles shouted, "Poland for ever! Liberty for ever!" At this same time, several other battles were fought in other quarters of the city, and every where the Russians were beaten. At 10 o'clock in the evening the whole city was in our possession, except the place of Mars, which the Russians occupied during the night, but evacuated peaceably by day-light. It is impossible to give a description of the ecstatic joy which, after these deeds, filled our city. Thousands of victims, who, for their political opinions and love of liberty, were to have been executed or sent to Siberia that very night or the next day, joined the procession of our triumphant people. Here the father saluted his son or daughter. There the child embraced his loving mother. In another place, the husband re-joined his faithful wife whom he had not seen for years. There, again, friend met friend with Polish frankness and sincerity. No spy was feared; no Russian foot trod our streets. Nature appeared to behold with deep reverence our heroes. The night was beautiful. The majestic moon gave us day-light, as if to make us see the spring-flowers of our recovered freedom; and its silvery beams, reflecting upon the thousand beauties of our city, almost made us believe that we were amongst the angels. The stillness of that charming night was disturbed no more by the agonizing groans of the victims of liberty. Patriotic songs and the triumphant discharge of cannon, which filled the air, carrying fear to the camp of the Moscovites, were the pulsations of a new life; and at day-light, on all the streets, squares and public places, the Polish whitecrested eagle, in its majesty, saluted. the people who, last night, rescued him from the craw of the black two-headed eagle of the Moscovites. The following day found 40,000 armed citizens in the streets of the city of Warsaw, and

Prince A. Czartoryski at the head of the new government." The command of the army was entrusted to General Chlopicki, who distinguished himself in the wars of Napoleon. The Grand Duke Constantine, with his army, encamped near the village of Mokotow, about four English miles from Warsaw. I cannot deny myself the pleasure of stating here, also, that this revolution created a general enthusiasm. There was no distinction of age or rank. The difference of wealth there seemed to be annihilated. Poland! Liberty! Freedom! were the focus and rule of the event. The sumptuous and pompous fêtes, by which the despotism of the Czar endeavoured to corrupt our virtues and patriotism, gave place to celebrations of the deeds of our illustrious fathers-and to the funeral venerations of the shades of murdered victims of liberty. And no sooner had the echo of liberty, and cry to arms, resounded in the interior of the country, than every hour we saluted new detachments of our soldiers, and new bodies of our peasants armed with scythes, who were escorted by numerous groups of our charming and joyful country girls, with sickles and laurels in their hands. Whatever the mercenary and ignorant writers have said on the character of this revolution, it was so popular, and so closely united the whole nation into one pillar, that the Grand Duke Constantine thought it advisable for him to recommend himself, and his army, to the magnanimity of the Polish nation, and asked permission to evacuate the kingdom, which was granted to him, and he commenced his retreat on the 3d of December. One or two illustrations in the following facts, may, perhaps, throw some additional light on the character of this remarkable movement. When the Grand Duke and his army were retreating to Russia, they met a division of our lancers, who were marching to Warsaw; these lancers being informed that the Grand Duke and his army were permitted to go to Russia, halted, in order to pass through the usual military saluting. The Grand

Duke approached them with his suite, shook hands with a number of officers, and even soldiers, and reminding them that he was the lawful chief of the Polish army, endeavoured to induce them to go with him to Russia, offering to them money, and promising the favors of the Emperor. The lancers, with manifest indignation, replied: "Your Highness, we do not want your money, and we thank you for the favors of your monarch. As for the command to which you refer, there is none more sacred to us, than the call of our country, and we do not want any other reward than the privilege of fighting in defence of her cause." After this answer, the whole division wheeled, and continued its march. singing, "Poland is not lost, while we live." The revolution of 1830 found a great many Poles in the service of the Russian army. Many characteristic events happened when these Poles were leaving the Russians-I will relate, at least, one anecdote. Colonel Turno was aide-de-camp to the Grand Duke Constantine for 14 years, and was his great favorite, and protégé. The Grand Duke expected, of course, that the said Col. Turno would follow him to Russia. But what was his surprise, when, on the frontiers of the kingdom, Col. Turno rode up to him to take leave-and said, Your Highness, I have done all that the honor and duty of your aide-de-camp enjoined upon me. I have accompanied you to the frontiers of the kingdom-here my duty ends with regard to you. As a Pole, I have to answer, now, the summons of my country."

The purpose, character, and limits, of this article, do not permit me to enter into a minute description of the operations of the new government, and its changes in the first few weeks. I will state only, that during all its changes, Prince Adas Czartoryski remained at its head as President. That on the 7th of December, Gen. Chlopicki was proclaimed Dictator, by the people of Warsaw, and then approved as such by the Diet. That instead of taking measures to place the whole country in a

defensive state, the Dictator entered into negotiation with Nicholas, against the wishes and will of the nation; and that this strange conduct of the Dictator forced the Diet to deprive him of his trust. Prince Michael Radziwil was appointed General-in-chief of the army. Prince Adas Czartoryski remained the President of the newly reorganized government. In the midst of this series of events, the Diet issued a manifesto, proclaiming to the world the causes and purposes of the revolution; and a few days after, passed the famous act, declaring in a formal manner, that Nicholas, and all his imperial family, are for ever rejected from the Polish throne. The clang of arms resounded anew from one end of ancient Poland to the other. The shouts of liberty were heard from the Carpathian Mountains to Riga, on the Baltic-from the shores of the Baltic to those of the Black Sea, and the banks of the Dnieper. All the provinces incorporated with the empires of Austria and Prussia, were ready to shake off the German yoke. But as the principle of neutrality was then in force in Europe, the inhabitants of those provinces were advised to remain quiet, because their revolution would have involved us in a war with the three powers at once-which our government thought to be advisable to avoid. Still, the governments of Austria and Prussia found themselves in such perplexity, that they were obliged to bring more than half of their respective armies into the Polish provinces, incorporated with their empires. We had, however, immense numbers of volunteers from these provinces, who braved all the difficulties of passing the frontiers, literally covered by the Austrian and Prussian soldiery, and rallied under our standards. As to the provinces incorporated with the empire of Russia, these all revolted, and sent their representatives to the Diet, at Warsaw. The whole of ancient Poland became now a camp. Our old men imagined their wrinkles to disappear, under the old republican cap, which the cry of liberty drew from the dust of years of slavery. Their antique sabres shone again in their trembling hands-and the universal alacrity which overtook them, as well as the youth, caused their furrowed cheeks to glow with col

or and mirth. Our ladies, welcoming their lovers, asked scars and glory as tokens of their fidelity. Many of them, assisted by their fathers, husbands, or relatives, were our commanders-even in the field of battle. The Countess Emily Plater was a colonel, which rank she gained for bravery displayed on the field of battle. Miss Kaminska gained the rank of captain. One lady was the first lieutenant, and her husband was the second lieutenant in this same squadron, &c. Our mothers lamented the fate of their children, who were destined to bury their names in inaction. Our peasants, the old companions of Kosciusko, bending under the weight of their age, disinterred their rusted scythes to commit them to their sons. The remainder of our jewels, and all the deluge of precious things which ages accumulated in the hands of industry, and in the grasp of avarice, as if by the power of magic, were brought to the common reservoir-to our national treasury. The ancient church bells, which had survived the former wars, descended from the tops of towers, to hurl into the enemy's ranks the balls which the iron of our domestic utensils had furnished. All personal and private occupations were suspended. One single aim-the defence of the state-united all hearts. And when the anvils and hammers were forging only arms, the ministers of the Gospel, the ladies, the old men and children of all classes, with pick-axes and spades in their hands, amidst re joicing acclamations, were busy erecting the fortifications; and those whose health did not permit them to work hard, prepared bandages, which the martyrs of liberty might soon need. The rolling of wagons, the neighing of horses, the cry of liberty, songs and adieu, mingled with joy and sobbingall seemed to testify that the heroes of Homer ceased to be demigods; that the Iliad was no more a fiction; and gave omen that the legions of Achilles should be found in Poland. Nicholas trembled; and covering his fear with bombastic manifestos, he moved not only the whole of European Russia, but also all the Asiatic dominions. From the chain of the Ural mountains and the deserts of Siberia to the icy regions and the Pacific ocean, the earth was covered with crowds of his savage

slaves; and in January, 1831, over four hundred thousand of his soldiery, with more than six hundred cannon, were brought into the Polish provinces incorporated with his empire, of which over 300,000, with four hundred and sixty cannon, (in February) entered the kingdom of Poland, where, as we have seen above, the revolution was commenced. Marshal Diebitsch commanded this army. Some writers, and even some of my own countrymen, considerably lessen this number, and relying upon the so called "official reports," which the obvious policy of the Russian government had put into circulation, do not admit that Russia, at the time of our revolution, could bring such a number of soldiers to the field of battle. They do not admit, too, that more than 200,000 Russians, with 400 cannon, entered the kingdom. The writer of this article is satisfied, however, that his information on this subject is pretty correct, and may be relied upon with more certainty than upon the "official reports," put in circulation by the Russian government, whose policy is to conceal from the world the before unheard of superiority of the Polish army over its own. The above sketch of the enthusiasm, which pervaded all classes of the Polish people, might have, perhaps, given place to a belief, that the whole population of Poland was in the camp-ready to meet the Russians. It was, in fact, ready to do so; but the condition of our finances, want of arms and ammunition-and the impediments which the unhappy misconduct of the Dictator, above alluded to, threw into our way, did not permit us to equip, and oppose to the Russian army, when they invaded the kingdom, more than 60,000 troops. Of these, about 15,000 were in fortresses, and composed separate detachments, whose duty was to divert the enemy from concentrating all his forces upon any one point-and to protect the organization of the new regiments. The remainder, 45,000, with 80 cannon, composed our main field-army. This main army, when the Russians were approaching the kingdom, was encamped at a distance of a few miles from the frontier, in such a manner as to be able to concentrate easily at every point of its oblique line. Our vanguards extended to the very frontiers of the kingdom. But

it was decided by our council of war, that the principal battle was to be given under the walls of the city of Warsaw, on the right bank of the Vistula. In execution of this plan, our whole army was retreating for several days; taking, however, advantage of every strong position, it fought many a battle. The most remarkable of these battles, fought in retreat as aforesaid, were; the defence of the passage of the river Liwiec, where a few about nine hundred Poles, with two cannon, commanded by Major Wysocki, (the same who was lieutenant of the Cadets when the revolution commenced) opposed, during all the day and night, an army of about 20,000 Russians, protected with 20 cannon. It has been said that the Russians lost between two and three thousand men, and they did not cross the river, until Major Wysocki recommenced further retreat. This exploit astonished the Russian Generals as much as the death of the 300 Spartans did Xerxes. One of the Russian Generals, having ascertained what number of Poles defended that passage, is said to have exclaimed, 66 What can we do with 60,000 Polish troops before us-when 800 have the power to stop us whole days.”

A few days after, when our main-army was only a few miles from Warsaw, from 40 to 50 thousand Russians attempted to break its line, and to surprise its rear. Gen. Skrzynecki, with 8,000 men, diverted, however, their plan. He gave them two battles, near Makowiec and Dobre, and kept them back until the whole of our mainarmy concentrated, and reached its position. The manœuvres which Gen. Skrzynecki displayed on this occasion, and the complete defeat of the Russians, gave him the title of the hero of Dobre-and a reputation which soon placed him at the head of the whole army. On the 19th and 20th of February, about 100,000 Russians, with 200 cannon, were disputing the ground against about 30,000 Poles and 72 cannon. The Poles gained the day-and Marshal Diebitsch, who commanded the Russians, had the mortification to learn at this same time, that whilst this battle was fought, the legislature (whose walls were tottering under the discharges of his cannon) passed an act proclaiming, that should Poland be

once more overpowered by the Asiatic hordes of the Czar, her national representation shall be there wherever 33 members of the House of Representatives, and 11 senators, shall meet together and deliberate upon her destiny. So great was the loss in these two days, on the part of the Russians, that the conqueror of Balcan (Diebitsch) asked a truce for three days to bury his dead. This, of course, was granted to him. The scene which then succeeded, surpasses all the idea we can form of a people that loves liberty. During the time of truce, our camp was but a sanctuary where this love of liberty was celebrated. All the inhabitants of Warsaw-old men-children-and its beauty, welcomed us in this camp. Songs and cheers, mingled with the sobbing of those who could not find their fathers, their sons, their husbands, their brothers, their lovers, presented a scene which a heart can feel, but no tongue can express. It was an interval of triumph, joy, and sadness, which produced on our soldiers a result like that which a shower produces on the plants dried up by the burning rays of

the sun. No sooner had the time of truce expired, than the call to arms resounded in the whole camp. The attack was commenced by the Russians, and both armies performed miracles of bravery. After two days of fighting succeeded rest. I would have been pleased to have seen my readers amongst our soldiers, and to learn from them this moral power, and their determination, which no danger, no fatigue, could subdue. To the new propositions of submission, and offered amnesty, they answered by the calm silence of disdain, and asked for independence to their country. And after having secured the points of their bayonets, they reposed over the dead bodies of their own brothers, satisfied that they had done their duty in the past few days. Their repose was, truly, a representation of undisturbed virtue, which calmly, and in full resignation, awaits her destiny. The next morning dawn commenced with the new clang of arms-and the exclama

tions of alacrity, which were lost in the repeated echo of Poland for ever! -Liberty for ever!" This clang of arms sounded without interruption, and, with the rising sun we discovered 200,000 bayonets of the Czar coming from the large forest, called Milosna, which crowns the plains extending from its borders to Warsaw. It appeared as if this large forest, pulled up by its roots, was moving to overwhelm the small thicket of alders which protected the right wing of our small army that braved the rage of the auto

crat.

About 400 cannon of the enemy, and ninety-nine of ours, thundering continually, covered the horizon with smoke and lightning, made the earth tremble, and carried death amongst the battalions, which, under the canopy of the fire of bomb-shells, were slaughtering each other. Our stronghold of the right wing, the small thicket of alders, was taken and retaken nine times in the course of a few hours. The dead bodies, with which it was literally covered, served us often for breast-works. At five o'clock, P. M., General Chlopicki, who commanded our movements, was severely wounded. † Consternation spread throughout our line. All our battalions, like wrecks, were floating in the midst of smoke, fire, and the enemy's columns, which had, like furious waves during the storm, carried us hither and thither. At this point of time, a charge of 20,000 Russian cavalry swept the way before their foot-phalanx, driving away our scattered columns. In the rear of our camp, the suburb of Praga presented but a mass of fire, extending over three miles in length. Thousands of wagons and carriages, filled with wounded, obstructed the communication with Warsaw, and deprived our artillery of powder. It thundered no more. Already the cry. "Poland is lost!" resounded on the proud wall of that city. Already the hero of Balcan saw himself a conqueror; and when such was our situation, the ladies of Warsaw, its children, and people of all classes, brave the flame of the suburb of Praga; they