them were s'ain. The Polish general, emboldened by this success, attacked the enemy on the succeeding day. The Russians had been renforced during the night. Availing themselves of their superior numbers, they extended their line, and completely surrounded the Peles: these, however, stood their ground, with the utmost valour; but after a contest of some hours, found it necessary to make a retreat. Those who were present at this action, were less astonished at their giving way, than at their being able to retire from the force that almost encompassed them.

Another conflict took place on the fourteenth. Prince Joseph Poniatowski had received intelligence, that a strong detachment from the Russian main army was on its march to seize a large magazine belonging to the Poles. He dispatched instantly a chosen party of his cavalry, which quickly came up with the enemy. The engagement was long and severe, and terminated wholly to the advantage of the Poles. The prince advanced immediately with all the troops under his command, intending to follow up the blow with the capture of the whole Russian detachment; but on reaching the ground, and reconnoitering the enemy's position, such numbers were discovered to have poured in to their assistance, that it was judged impracticable to attack them with success. Their strength increasing hourly, the prince broke up his camp, and retired with all expedition. The Russians followed with equal speed, and came up with his rear, while it was crossing a bridge, which unhappily breaking down with the weight of the waggons and artillery, a considerable number

of those who formed the rear of the Polish army were left exposed to the Russians, who assailed them with both cannon and musketry. They made a gallant but ineffectual de fence, and with difficulty retreated from Vollonna toward Zielim, after losing many of their bravest offi cers and soldiers.

During the retreat of the army. from Vollonna, five hundred Poles, like the Greeks at Thermopylæ, in order to stop the progress of the enemy, devoted their lives and covered with their dead bodies the ground they had disputed with their arms. Many were the instances that now appeared in the Polish nation of that generous and undaunt.. ed spirit of liberty and patriotism, that raises the human soul above all low and selfish desires, and even the love of life. Patriotic contribu tions were made in every district; the soldiers displayed a fearlessness of death in every action.

Prince Joseph Poniatowski cons tinued to retreat during two days. On the third he met with a con siderable reinforcement. This determined him to halt and hazard a general engagement. The Russians were seventeen thousard strong, and had between twenty and thirty field-pieces. Notwithstanding that they were much inferior in number, the Poles charged this veteran army with a vigour and spirit that supplied every want of military skill and experience. In order to cope with the Polish cavalry, which consisted almost entirely of gentlemen, full of the high est sentiments of honour and patri otism, the Russian generals had collected a numerous and chosen body of horse: it amounted to more than eight thousand men; but with all these advantages on

theat

their side, they were not able to stand the impetuous valour of the Poles. After a bloody combat of more than twelve hours, every part of the Russian army was completely defeated, and obliged to retire from the field of battle, covered with up. wards of four thousand of their dead. The loss of the Poles did not much exceed 1100 men.

The news of this signal victory, gained by an inferior number of men inexpert in war, and inspired solely by patriotic courage, over a superior number of troops, exceltently disciplined, and long inured to war and victory, filled all Europe with astonishment and admiration. But those members of the diet, who, in concert with the king, had so strenuously insisted on the formation of those plans that would have given to Poland a powerful and wellregulated military, could not contain their resentment and indignation at that numerous but contemp. tible majority of Polish nobles, who had, from the basest motives, rejected them. Had they been accepted, it was evident that Poland might have been saved. If the handful of men now opposed to the Russians, could perform such wonders, what would hundreds of thousands have done, all animated with the same spirit, and with far greater hopes of success! These complaints of the patriotic party, in the diet, were taken up and urged with unrestrained violence by the public at Warsaw. Never, it was said, had the spirit of aristocracy, displayed its malignity so fatally as in the present instance. The king and his faithful people would have saved the country; but the haughty nobles, rather than part with the privilege of lording it over the nation, had delivered it into the hands of the enemy.

Unfortunately for Poland, there was too much of truth in these come plaints. True it was, the nobles had repented of their error; but the day of repentance came too late. The enemy was in the bow. els of their country; and to the sorrows they must feel, at the de. struction impending over it, was now added the poignant reflection, that it might have been saved, had they been willing in time to save it.

In the mean time, the great victory over the Russians, though it did the highest honour to the Poles, was of no service to their cause. The Russian armies continued their irruptions into all parts of Poland. They were masters of the principal cities in Lithuania, and advancing gradually towards Warsaw, Prince Poniatowski, assisted by the cele brated Kosciusko, made many a desperate stand! but the vast superiority of numbers, discipline, and military knowledge and experience, proved ultimately irresistible. The courage displayed by the Poles, in the many obstinate engagements daily taking place, was the more heroic, that they fought merely to preserve the honour of their coun try, and that its liberty might not expire unrevenged.

The virtues of the Poles, overborne by injustice and a combination of despots, contrasted with the pol luted triumphs of the French republic, awakened throughout Europe a generous sympathy with that noble nation, and indignation against their oppressors. A subscription for their relief and support, set on foot in the metropolis of the British empire, and which was carried on with unexampled and rapid success, afforded to the Poles the consolation, that their misfortunes were not beheld with insensibility by their neighbours; and that, with whatever

whatever unconcern their struggle against despotism and ambition was viewed by sovereign princes, had they been able to continue their resistance they would have met with all that support, from the generosity of Britons, which it was in their power as individuals to bestow. At the

same time that the Russian forces poured into Poland, Stanislaus received a letter from Catharine II. written with her own hand, in which she informed him that it would be vain to make farther resistance, as she was determined to double and even triple her army, in case of necessity, rather than abandon the cause she had undertaken. She intimated, besides, that the sentiments of the emperor and the king of Prussia were in unison with her own, and that a farther opposition, on his part, would induce those powers to give her the most effectual support.

The king now saw the inevitable necessity of yielding to superior force. He had applied to the court of Vienna for its interposition, but was answered in a style that shewed it acted in conjunction with those of Petersburgh and Berlin. Finding all his endeavours to resist the power of Russia ineffectual, and that all its neighbours either abetted or did not dare to oppose it, he consulted with himself, it is said, in this sad extremity, whether he should not, in imitation of illustrious precedents, disdain to survive the destruction of his country; and expire sword in hand in its defence. Certain it is, that his words and behaviour indicated such an intent: but those who were most in his intimacy, represented to him that such a sacrifice of himself, though it might contribute to render his name faVOL. XXXVII.

mous to posterity, would by no means conduce to the good of his country. It would no sof en the disposition of the three partitioning potentates, who, though unwilling to embrue their hands in his blood, would not abate any thing of their pretensions in consideration of such a deed; which either bigotry or hypocrisy would represent as criminal: the most prudent part he could act in this difficult juncture, would be to terminate a contest to which Poland, in its present circumstances, was evidently inade. quate, by yielding to the demands of the empress; who might be prevailed upon, by a timely submission, to grant more favourable terms than she would probably listen to, were the resistance to her arms protracted until they had made an entire conquest of the kingdom: an event absolutely unavoidable, and that must put an end to all treaty and compromise.

The inutility, or rather, indeed, the detriment that would hence result to his country, from the desperate resolution of perishing in battle, at the head of his army, were laid before him so forcibly, that he resolved, however it might prove mortifying, to yield to the irresistible destiny that awaited his country, and to mitigate its rigour, if possible, by acceding to the imperious requisitions of the empress, whose pride, by submitting with some degree of acquiescence, might be soothed into measures of less severity than was now threatened. In compliance with the ad. vice of the coolest heads in his coun cil, who were of opinion, that no time should be lost in a fruitless and ruinous resistance, all the members of the diet, that could conveni [C]

ently

took this opportunity of condemning it, by repeatedly exclaiming, the constitution without the King! The protest or manifesto of Malachowski, dictated by the liveliest grief and indignation, concludes in the following manner. "Fortified by the purity of my intentions, I "submit to the divine justice, the "destinies of my country, and the proceedings of those whose pleait has been to do hurt to the republic. Oh! nation that I "bear in my bosom! Oh my dear compatriots! I partake of your "misfortunes, but I cannot soften "them! Alas! there only remains "for me to offer you tears. My fidelity and my attachment are "known to you. Nothing can di. "minish or destroy them. But I cannot give you any more proof

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"of them; as they have deprived me of the means."

But this popular effervescence of the Polish nation, however bold and extensive, lasted only some days, during which the arrangements made by the enemy to suppress all resistance, rendered it wholly impracticable. A silent and sullen acquiescence in the measures enforced upon them, succeeded to those lively sentiments of national honour and freedom, which had roused the Poles to such extraordinary exertions for their independence. The whole country was now under the government of Russia, which ruled with undisputed sway. Every town of consequence was garrisoned with Russian troops, and the Poles now completely experienced the divers insults and mortifications incident to a conquered nation.