men, who often exhibit almost Herculean proportions, and intelligent countenances.

This melancholy degradation of the lower orders is partly owing to the long continuance of that abominable relic of barbarism, feudal vassalage, to which the neglect of education, and superstition, have added their full share; the whole consummated by the tragic rule of Russia, who continues sowing the seeds of moral debasement, in order the more effectually to extinguish every spark of public spirit, and love for the liberties of their fatherland.

The partition of Poland, although an act of the most flagrant injustice against the rights of nations, has, nevertheless, been productive of much benefit, by ameliorating the condition of the serfs, in those portions under the more enlightened administration of Austria and Prussia; and, it is to be hoped, that those brave nobles, who now wander as exiles through the more enlightened countries of Europe, will bring with them

should they ever return to their native land, the seeds of a better state of things,-a desire to imitate the refinement, the comfort, and the institutions, they have witnessed, a determination to emancipate and reclaim their unfortunate countrymen, from the bondage and semi-barbarism in which they are plunged; and, perhaps, Heaven has willed their present disastrous condition, and scattered them abroad among the nations, for its own wise and good purposes.

The heat was excessive, and the drought having continued for several months, increased tenfold the miserable aspect of the country; the very trees were stripped of their foliage, for the purpose of feeding the famishing cattle; and the few sheep, who were as lean as greyhounds, were vainly endeavouring to glean the parched herbage which skirted the road. The cold pine alone seemed to defy the scorching beams of the sun, to which we may add the peasants, who evinced an equal indifference, for they were dressed in sheepskin mantles.

The Jews also appeared to be of a most salamander temperament, for their heads were covered with bearskin caps, and their persons enveloped in long, dark, woollen robes, trimmed with fur; at the same time, their flowing beards, of all shades, jet, brown, red, and hoary, which frequently descended to the waist, did not tend to make them cooler. Indeed my intercourse, since I entered Poland, had been almost exclusively confined to the migratory tribes of Israel; for they are the innkeepers, money-changers, bakers, brewers, and distillers.

As I approached Warsaw, the last tints of the glorious sun were still glowing in the west; the moon, in a graceful crescent, enthroned high on the blue arch of heaven, was shedding her mild light over the devoted city, so lately the theatre of so much bloody strife; and, unlike the vicinity of other great capitals, every thing wore a sombre, melancholy appearance. Instead of gay parties of merry-making citizens, Russian soldiers, with fixed bayonets, were passing and repassing; the only music that greeted our ears was the distant sound of the noisy drum; and to render the scene still more deplorable, groups of half-naked wretches, some stupified by intoxication, and others brawling with the rage of excited intemperance, were issuing from the cabarets, whose interior displayed a combination of filth, vice, and poverty, rarely equalled. On entering the Faubourg, the numerous lights in the windows

were the feeble substitutes for lamps, and disclosed the shadowy outline of heaps of dilapidated buildings, while the moon, as it threw its pale beams athwart the various crumbling edifices, distinctly revealed the desolation of war.

At the sound of the post-boy's whip, the porte of the still magnificent capital of the once mighty Polsk revolved on its creaking hinges, and after undergoing another inquisitorial examination, and disbursing a second dollar, we were allowed to enter. On arriving at our hotel, my brave friend fell on his knees, and breathed forth the most passionate thanksgiving that he was once more permitted to visit the land of his birth. His anxiety to see his parents was excessive; but to accomplish this it was necessary to proceed with the greatest caution, for Warsaw is inundated with spies. We therefore left our hotel under the pretence of taking a bath, instead of which, by adopting a circuitous route through a variety of streets, courts, and passages, we completely succeeded in baffling the vigilance of the police, who were evidently watching our motions..

The joy of the venerable couple on seeing their brave son is indescribable,-that of the mother was almost frenzied, and after lavishing on him a thousand kisses, she embraced me; at that moment, the door was hastily thrown open, and two lovely girls rushed in, pushed aside their mother, and nearly smothered me with kisses before they discovered their mistake, to the great amusement of our whole party. In fact, it was not surprising they did not recognize their brother, as

he was robbed of his brown mustachios, and enriched with a dark red wig; at the same time, his fine military figure was encased in the uniform of an English groom: the delusion was so complete, and he portrayed the character with such fidelity, that it was nearly impossible to detect the imposition.

The next day I had again the pleasure of witnessing the happiness of this amiable family, when I received every document that could possibly be necessary to remove the scruples of my relative; and in the evening dined with a large party of the patriotic Poles, assembled for the purpose of celebrating the arrival of my friend, who, it appeared, had been expected for several days. This is the more singular, when we remember that every letter which crosses the frontier is opened by the authorities, and shows, that however arbitrary a government may be, yet when it attempts not only to stifle the etherial spirit of liberty, but to sever the nearest and dearest charities of the human heart, its most vigilant and active measures will prove altogether unavailing; for I found that the Poles with whom I conversed contrived by some means or other to maintain so extensive a foreign correspondence, that they were as well acquainted with every political question which agitated Europe, as if they had passed their time in England.

It is rather a curious circumstance, that the banquet was held at the house of a distinguished Russian, as great an enemy to tyranny, as he is a friend to rational freedom. Yet even here, where suspicion was in a