СНАР. 11. Continuation of the Partitioning System of Policy.-Prussian Troops en tering Poland, take possession of Dantzic and Thorn.-A second Partition of Poland avowed and declared by the Partitioning Powers to the Polish Diet.-Remonstrances of the Diet.-And Means employed for the Prevention of that Partition.-Violences of the Russian Ambassador at Warsaw. The Polish Diet compelled by an armed force to sign a Treaty of Peace and Alliance with Russia.-And one of a like Nature and like Conditions with Prussia.—A Spirit of Opposition in the Diet to Russia. -Revival of an Order of Knighthood that had been suppressed by Order of the Czarina.-Fatal Consequences of this Step.-Insolence and Tyranny of the Russians.-General Insurrection of the Poles.-Headed by Kosciusko.-Successes of the Poles.-Junction of Russian and Prussian Forces for the Reduction of Warsaw.-Siege of Warsaw.-Brave and resolute Defence by the Poles.-The King of Prussia raises the Siege. -An immense Russian Army under Suwarrow', advances against Warsaw-Decisive Action.-Defeat and Capture of Kosciusko.-All Hopes of Poland at an end.-Final Dismemberment.-Tyranny of the Russians. -Reflections. THE HE re-establishment of the ancient system of government, and the universal submission of Po. land to the powers and dictates of the court of Petersburgh, was fol. lowed by a dead calm of silent discontent. Conscious of their ina. bility to throw off the yoke, the Poles now waited with patient but indignant resignation some auspici. ous opportunity of doing themselves justice. They were not without hopes that the restless ambition of the court of Petersburgh would soon or late involve it in some altercation, from which it would not be able to extricate itself with success. This might prove an opportunity of humbling it so effectually, as to enable some of those powers, whom, in the intoxication of prosperity, it had offended, to unite for the restoration of those countries (through the unjust aequisition of which the power of Russia was become so formidable to its neighbours) to their former owners. From the commencement of Au. gust, when the submission of Poland to Russia was completely effected, to the close of the year, no event occurred to disturb the arrange. ments that were making by the court of Petersburgh in the Polish governments and provinces. The Poles were beginning to enjoy some repose, and to flatter themselves that, provided they remained peaceable, they would be suffered to retain that portion of their country which they still possessed, unmolested by any future preten. sions. But, in the beginning of 1793, the system of the partitioning powersbegan farther to unfold itself. A body of Prussian troops marched into Poland, where they seized upon Thorn and Dantzic, neither of which cities were in a state of de-, fence, but relied for their security on the treaties subsisting between Prussia and Poland. The court of Berlin accompanied these hostile measures with a manifesto, purporting, that the king was induced to take them, by the apprehensions of the danger to which his own dominions were exposed, from the proceedings of the jacobinical party in Poland, and the seditious and revolutionary opinions they had infused into the inhabitants bordering on his own territories. Being on the eve of a campaign in France, the two imperial courts concurred with him in opinion, that he ought, in good policy, to secure himself from an attack by the factious party in Poland. There is nothing more certain, than that ambitious governments have frequent recourse to little di. plomatic stratagems and intrigues; nor was there any court more, if so much addicted to these, in the present period, as the court of Berlin. It is an absolute fact, that emissaries, certain Italians, were sent from the court of Berlin, with the truly dia. bolical intent of forming jacobin clubs in Poland, in order that the proceedings of those rascals or fanatics might furnish pretexts for the introduction of new armies, and farther oppressions. A similar de vice, for a similar purpose, had been practised by the same court, in 1787, in Holland, in the arrestation of the princess of Orange. The Prussian manifesto, which But was dated the sixth of January, 1793, was answered on the third of Febru ary, by the Polish confederation, as sembled at Grodno, in Lithuania. They protested against the entrance of the Prussians into Poland, as a violation of treaties, and firmly declared, they would not submit to any farther dismemberment of their country. They requested count Seivers, the Russian ambassador, to inform the empress of the alarm they were under, by the report, that a second partition of Poland was intended; and trusted in her protec tion from such an attempt. these remonstrances, were of no effect. The determination was taken to proceed to another division of Poland; and every preparation was in readiness for that purpose. A proclamation was issued on the fourteenth of February, by the emperor, prohibiting his subjects in Galicia, that part of Poland which fell to the share of Austria, in the dismemberment of 1778, and all the Poles resident in his dominions, from obstructing the measures of Russia, and of Prussia, in their country. On the twentyninth of March, the empress pub. lished a manifesto, wherein she complained of her fruitless endea. vours, during thirty years, to main. tain peace and good order in Po. land, of the losses she had thereby sustained, and of the necessity to suppress the attempts against reli. gion and public tranquillity. For these, and other reasons of the like nature, she declared her intentions to seize, and annex to her Russian dominions, an immense extent of the Polish territories, contiguous to them, and which were particularly specified in the manifesto. The king of Prussia's declaration, on the [C 3] twenty twenty-fifth, was of much the same necessary to adjourn to the middle of July. But, before this time, the Russian ambassador committed so many acts of violence, that neither the king nor the diet thought themselves secure from any outrages he might be inclined to perpetrate. He had arrested several members of the diet, sequestrated the estates of several persons of the first rank, and had even intercepted provisions coming to Warsaw for the king. Representations being made, requesting him to desist from such proceedings, and to transmit their request to the empress, the deputies who had presented it met with a positive refusal ; and he sent a menacing note, to the diet, requiring the immediate sig. nature and ratification of the treaty of alliance and commerce, demand. ed between Russia and Poland. The diet had the courage to refuse their consent to the treaty of al. diance, which included new cessions of territory to Russia; and adjourn ed to the end of the month. On this refusal, the Russian am. bassador sent notice, that unless his demands were complied with, he would lay the estates and possessions, and even the very houses and habitations, of every member of the diet, under military execution, those of the king himself not excepted, were he also to refuse. During the remainder of July, and the whole of August, the Russian and Prussian ministers continued to urge the signa. ture of the treaty, in the most me. nacing strain; but on the second of September, finding their threats ineffectual, the Russian minister sent word to the diet, that he had ordered a body of grenadiers, with cannon, to surround the castle they were in, and expected they would not depart depart till they had agreed to sign the treaty. This menace was executed; and the commander of the detachment posted himself, with his officers, in the hall of the diet; but on the king declaring he would not proceed to business in their presence, the officers withdrew, and the commander only remained; but he openly declared, that no member should retire before consent was given to the treaty. The sitting continued till three o'clock next morning, when, after the most vio. lent debates, the diet solemnly re. solved to declare to all Europe, af. ter appealing to it so often in vain, that, in defiance of the faith of treaties, that one especially entered into with the king of Prussia at his own desire, in the year 1790, and by which he bound himself to gua. rantee the independence of Poland, they were now deprived of their free will, and surrounded by an armed force; which, being unable to resist, they were compelled to consent to the signing of the treaty, dictated and imposed upon them by the Russian ambassador. On After terminating, in this manTer, the negotiation with Russia, the two courts resolved to effect the conclusion of that now pending with Prussia, in the like manner. the twenty-third of September, pre. viously to the sitting of the diet, the Russian ambassador ordered four members to be arrested, and station. ed a body of soldiers round the castle. The diet demanded the liberry of those members, but were refused. The assembly remained inactive during five hours, openly declaring, they were deprived, by main violence, from proceeding to business with freedom of deliberation. Meanwhile, they were insult. ed by a Russian general, who ad dressed them insolently, with threats and with admonitions, to sign, with out disputing the terms, the treaty required by the king of Prussia. It was moved, at length, by count Ankwitz, the deputy from Cra. cow, to draw up a formal protest, against this unlawful and tyrannical violation of public and personal li berty by the Russian ambassador, and that, when the treaty should again be proposed, their total dissent should be marked by the profound. 'est silence, In consequence of this determi nation, the treaty, when it was again proposed, according to the usual forms, meeting with no opposition, passed of course; and the cession of the Polish provinces seiz. ed by Prussia, was signed. The protest that followed it was dictated by a deep sense of wrongs, that could not be remedied; and conveyed, with great energy, the sentiments of a noble-minded people, and a virtuous monarch, oppressed by a fatal concurrence of inauspicious circumstances, which no wisdom could avert, nor the most spirited exertions of patriotism or of courage oppose. The protest concluded with these remarkable words: "I, the king of Poland, enfeebled by age, and sinking under the accumulated weight of so many vexations and misfortunes, and we, the members of the diet, hereby declare, that being unable, even by the sacrifice of our lives, to relieve our country from the yoke of its oppressors, consign it to posterity, trusting, that means may be found, at some happier period, to rescue it from oppres sion and slavery; such means, unfortunately, are not in our power, [C4] and and other countries abandon us to our fate. While they reprobate the violations which one country is said to have committed against li. berty, they can view, not only with apathy, but with approbation, the outrages that have been perpetrated aga nst Poland.” endure them. Why, therefore, sire, (addressing himself to the king) are we to be thus alarmed? They me. nace with exile all tho e who dare defend their country: those who refuse to put the seal to its annihi. lation. Let us go, then, into Si. beria: she will have charms for us: her deserts will become our para. dise; for every thing, even our ashes, shall proclaim the inflexibi. lity of our virtue, its devotion to our country. You, sire, whose reign is marked by a lengthened chain of misfortunes, if, in the midst of these disasters, you have been a thousand times in circumstances which might have secured immor. tality to your name, and happiness to your country, alas all frus. trated! now seize with more suc. cess those which present themselves this day. Efface the faults of your early years, and, if the want of experience has given this reproach to your youth, that we needed a sover ign more active and determined, reply to this reproach, by evincing, under grey hairs, the courage and vigour denied to your youth. Par. don me, sire, that I here become your censor; but who can be other. wise, that boasts his attachment to you and the nation, and who remembers your sacred pledge, that they should be for ever indivisible; that, rather than set your hand to the partition of the country, it should wither to the bone.' He who recollects this will justify my sentiments, and their language. He will be compelled to confess, that it is the pure and simple truth which issues from my lips. It is on such sad occasions as these, when whole nations of men are overwhelmed by irresistible injustice, oppression, and slavery, that the hu. man mind rises to the greatest height, above every selfish and low desire, is softened by the most comprehen. sive as well as generous sympathy, and fortified by the most animating sense of duty and virtue: when the captive Israelites, hanging their harps on the willows, by the streams of Babel, are melted into tears at the recollection of Zion; when the Moors are compelled, by the unre. lenting bigotry and overbearing force of the Spaniards, to leave the land possessed by them and their forefathers, during the lapse of so many ages; when the Dutch nation, in the period of simple manners, and a love of their country, pressed by the same bigotry and power, meditated the design of embarking on board their vessels, and seeking li. berty in distant and dangerous climes; and the Vendeans, with their whole families, wander from region to region, fighting, as they go, for subsistence and for life.The fate of Poland, in the present meeting of the diet, was deplored by the pathetic eloquence of the nuncio Kimbar; "My advice," said he," is, that we cede not to the instances of the Russian ambassador; that we raise ourselves superior to his menaces. Sufferings are incon siderable to virtue: it is her essence to contemn, and, if inevitable, to "Sire, we love you. You may reckon upon our entire affection. The nation loves you: the country, which served you for a cradle in in fancy, |