Skip to main content

Full text of "The Cossacks of the Ukraine; comprising biographical notices of the most celebrated Cossack chiefs ... With a memoir of Princess Tarakanof, and some particulars respecting Catharine II., of Russia, and her favourites"

See other formats


GIFT  or 

MICHAEL  REESE 


^^^^% 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/cossacksofukrainOOkrasrich 


J 


^^IM'^ 


.  THE  /Slo 

COSSACKS   OF   THE   UKRAINE:.     "^ 

COHFBISINQ 

BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTlOl^rf   ; 

OF 

Cl^c  nujgt  «lebrateU  CoiS^acfe  €^ti^  or  ^{ttamans, 

INCLUDING 

CHMIELNICKI,  STENKO  RAZIN, 
MAZEPPA,    SAVA,    ZELEZNIAK,    GONTA,    PUGATCHEF, 

AND 

A  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE   UKRAINE. 

WITH 

A  MEMOIR  OP  PRINCESS  TARAKANOF, 

AND  SOME  PARTICULARS  RESPECTING  CATHERINE  II.,    OF  RUSSIA, 
AND  HER  FAVOURITES. 


BY 

COUNT  HENRY  KRASINSKL      ^^-^"^ 

CAPTAIN  IN  THE   LATE   POLISH   AKHT  ; 

KNIGHT  OF   THE  POLISH  MILITARY   ORDER  ;    AND  MEMBER   OP    THE    POLISH 

HISTORICAL  SOCIETT  IN  FRANCE  AND  ENGLAND  ; 

Author  of  "Vitold;"   "The  Poles  in  the  Seventeenth  Century;" 
"  Gonta,  an  Historical  Drama,-"  <fec. 


LONDON  : 

PARTRIDGE  AND  OAKEY,  PATERNOSTER  ROW. 

MDCCCXLVIII. 


J)K3 


r 


Reese 


<^Oib(^ 


T.  C.  JOHNS, 

WINE  OFFICE  CODBT,   FLEET  STBEBT. 


^'    UNIVERSITY 


TO    HIS    IMPERIAL    MAJESTY, 

ABDUL  MEDJID, 


Sire, 

The  history  of  the  Cossacks  of  the  Ukraine 
has  such  a  strong  connexion  with  the  history  of  Poland, 
and  the  history  of  the  Ottoman  empire,  that  it  shows 
most  clearly  that  both  these  countries  had  for  ages,  and 
have  even  now,  but  one  common  enemy ; — an  enemy 
which,  under  the  plea  of  friendship,  has  never  ceased  to 
weaken  indirectly  the  resources  of  Turkey,  to  under- 
mine her  vital  strength,  and  to  lay  such  artful  snares 
for  the  taking  of  Constantinople,  that  had  not  all  the 
movements  of  Russia  been  closely  watched  by  your 
Imperial  Majesty's  illustrious  father  of  glorious 
memory,  Sultan  Mahmoud,  had  she  not  been  foiled  in 
all  her  schemes  on  Turkey  in  1840,  by  the  great  energy 
and  extraordinary  sagacity  of  the  Right  Honourable 
Viscount  Palmerston,  one  of  the  greatest  statesmen  of 
his  age,  she  might  have  inflicted  the  deepest  injury  on 
your  Imperial  Majesty's  dominions. 

A  2 


iv  DEDICATION. 

For  the  above  reasons,  and  considering  that 
your  Imperial  Majesty  is  animated  with  the  best 
possible  feelings  towards  her  most  gracious  Majesty, 
Victoria  I.,  Queen  of  Great  Britain,  whom  I  can  now 
in  my  heart  call  my  own  sovereign ;  considering,  more- 
over, that  one  of  my  ancestors,  who  belonged  to  the 
Confederation  of  Bar,  was  most  hospitably  received 
on  the  Turkish  soil,  and,  that  he-  recommended,  on  his 
death  bed,  his  Mends  always  to  be  grateful  to  the 
Turks ;  I  therefore  hope  that  it  may  please  your  Impe- 
rial Majesty  to  accept  the  dedication  of  my  work 
on  the  Cossacks,  which  I  venture  to  lay  at  the 
foot  of  your  Imperial  Majesty's  august  throne,  as 
a  small  token  of  my  regard  for  your  Imperial  Ma- 
jesty's qualities  and  virtues,  and  my  ardent  wishes  for 
your  Imperial  Majesty's  health,  and  the  prosperity 
of  the  Turkish  empire. 

I  have  the  honour  to  remain. 

Your  Imperial  Majesty's 

Most  humble  and  devoted  Servant, 

HENRY  KRASINSKI. 

London,  I5ih  October,  1848. 


PREFACE. 


There  are  two  kind  of  authors,  one  who  foster  some 
predominating  view  with  their  pen,  the  other,  who 
use  it  chiefly  as  an  instrument  for  securing  their  per- 
sonal advantages.  I  claim  a  place,  however  humble,  in 
the  former  category. 

Ever  intent  on  the  contemplation  of  the  ancient 
glory  of  Poland,  whose  history  and  politics  are  familiar 
to  me,  because  they  have  seldom  ceased  to  be  the 
special  object  of  my  researches  and  persevering  study, 
I  am  always  anxious  to  attract  the  reflecting  readers 
attention  to  that  which  engrosses  my  own  thoughts ; 
namely,  how  it  is  possible  to  humble  Russia,  to  restore 
Poland  as  a  nation,  and  to  increase  the  salutary  influence 
abroad,  and  the  prosperity  at  home,  of  Great  Britain. 
Hence,  all  that  I  have  ever  written  in  Polish,  French, 
or  English,  has  been  historical  in  character,  anti- 
Russian  in  sentiment,  and  consequently  exclusively 
favourable  to  Poland  and  England.  Having  spent 
some  of  my  boyish  years  in  the  secluded  regions  of  the 
Polish  Ukraine ;    and  having,  at  a  later  period,  often 


VI  PREFACE. 

inhabited  and  visited,  north  and  south,  the  most  dreary 
parts  of  ancient  Poland ;  having  always  been  passion- 
ately fond  of  shooting,  and  lived  occasionally  for  days, 
even  in  winter,  in  the  open  air,  I  naturally  acquired 
(though  I  have  never  been  in  America),  something 
of  the  habits  of  a  North  American  hunter,  and  may 
be  almost  considered  as  a  child  of  the  desert.  Indeed, 
though  I  lived  for  years  at  Warsaw  and  Paris,  stayed 
often  even  in  London,  yet,  however  partial  at  times  I 
might  have  been  to  polite  society,  I  could  never  shake 
off  completely  my  early  recollections,  nor  forget  the 
effect  produced  on  my  youthful  and  naturally  enthu- 
siastic mind,  by  the  soaring  of  eagles,  the  neighing  of  the 
herds  of  wild  horses,  the  howling  of  ravenous  wolves, 
and  the  harmonious  winds  of  the  Steppes.  To  this  may 
be  attributed  the  facility  with  which  I  occasionally  d  ^- 
scribe  some  of  the  fiercer  passions  of  the  human  heart, 
and  my  partiality  in  fostering  in  my  publications 
subjects,  more  connected  with  the  history  of  my  own 
country,  than  with  other  countries,  and  consequently 
more  congenial  with  the  branch  of  politics  to  which  I 
devoted  my  attention.  To  the  abovenamed  early 
recollection  may  be  also  ascribed,  that  the  outpourings 
of  my  pen  bear  rather  an  impress  of  romantic  wild- 
ness  than  that  of  too  refined  civilization.  But  if  I 
sacrifice  elegance  to  energy  in  my  writings,  it  will,  I 
think,  be  admitted,  that  I  have  a  noble  object  in  view. 
Without  being  for  an  instant  deceived  by  the  artfully 
concealed  aim  of  panslavism,  which   with  all  its  fine 


PREFACE.  Vii 

words,  crafty  sophisms,  and  childish  arguments,  intends 
nothing  more  than  to  dismember  Turkey  and  Austria, 
to  erase  Poland  from  the  map  of  nations,  to  disturb 
the  balance  of  power,  to  check  British  commerce  and 
British  influence  in  the  south-east  of  Europe,  as  well  as 
in  Egypt  and  Persia,  and  to  endanger  the  British  com- 
munications with  India  for  ever  in  favour  of  Bussia. 
Thoroughly  convinced  that  nothing  short  of  the  com- 
plete independence  of  Poland,  on  a  liberal  scale,  and 
the  rigid  preservation  of  the  Ottoman  empire,  can  save 
Europe  from  north-eastern  invasion,  and  permanently 
guarantee  the  blessings  of  peace  and  progressive 
improvement  all  over  the  world.  I  have  boldly 
pointed  attention  to  what  I  deem  the  weakest,  and 
therefore  the  most  vulnerable,  part  of  Russia. 
>•  To  those  who,  having  never  exposed  their  heads  to 
the  Russian  bullets,  advised  the  Poles  to  submit 
blindly  to  Russia,  as  well  as  to  those  who,  without 
the  slightest  knowledge  of  Polish  history,  past  or 
present,  became  suddenly  authors  of  political  pamphlets, 
and  from  various  motives  (no  doubt  favourable  to  their 
private  interests),  now  preach  the  same  doctrine  among 
the  Poles,  I  beg  to  answer,  that  in  proportion  to  the 
increasing  danger  with  which  Russia  was  occasionally 
threatened  by  numerous  wars  and  political  commotions 
in  Europe,  she  always  flattered  Poland,  and  tried,  with 
crafty  and  seasonable  insinuations,  to  gain  the  confidence 
of  the  Poles.  So  did  Catherine  11.  before  the  partition 
of  Poland ;  so  did  the  Emperor  Paul  I. ;  so  did  Alex- 


VIU  PREFACE. 

ander  in  1807,  1812,  and  1815 ;  so  did  the  Emperor 
Nicholas  in  1829,  and  does  now — and  while  I  admit 
that  the  hatred  that  exists  between  Russia  and  Poland 
for  ages,  is  entirely  of  a  political  nature,  and  can  cease 
under  proper  circumstances — I  by  no  means  admit 
blind  submission  to  E-ussia  as  beneficial  to  the  Poles, 
especially  in  the  present  unsettled  state  of  Europe.  If, 
however,  Russia  will  give  up  part,  at  least,  of  her 
Polish  provinces ;  if  she  will  restore  all  the  confiscated 
property  of  the  Poles,  recal  from  abroad  and  Siberia  all 
the  Polish  political  exiles,  if  she  will  withdraw  her 
armies  from  Poland,  re-establish  the  constitutional  king- 
dom of  Poland,  proclaim  either  his  Imperial  Highness 
the  Grand  Due  Michel,  or  his  Imperial  Highness  the 
Duke  of  Leichtenberg,  or  any  other  personage  whom 
she  may  think  proper,  as  the  future  king  of  Poland,  and 
allow  the  formation  of  a  purely  national  Polish  army, 
under  the  command  of  Chlopicki,  Skrzynecki,  Uminski, 
Dwernicki,  Bern,  or  Rozycki,  as  the  safest  guarantee  of 
keeping  her  promise,  then  a  permanent  peace  between 
Russia  and  Poland  is  possible,  and  Poland,  though 
oppressed  for  ages,  and  who  had,  and  still  has  such  a 
strong  claim  to  the  gratitude  of  civilized  Europe,  may 
consider  Russia  as  her  sister,  improve  her  morality, 
keep  pace  with  the  march  of  constitutional  freedom,  and 
drown  in  oblivion  her  Tartaro-Calmuck  pranfe??  but 
without  the  fulfilment  of  a  great  part  of  the  above- 
named  guarantee,  the  friendly  dispositions  of  Russia 
towards  Poland   is  too  great  a  mockery,   and   cannot 


PREFACE.  IX 

possibly  deceive  any  man  who  has  one  single  grain 
of  common  sense. 

The  denationalizing  of  Poland  for  many  reasons  is 
impossible,  and  if  Russia  will  not  give  up  Poland  volun- 
tarily, that  kingdom  will  be  wrested  from  her  sooner  or 
later.  Poland  was  conquered,  temporarily,  because 
she  was  a  republic ;  had  she  been  a  regular  kingdom, 
she  would  never  have  become  the  prey  of  her  neigh- 
bours. Should  all  Europe  become  a  republic  (which  is 
very  doubtful),  Poland  might  accept  the  form  of  re- 
publican government;  but  even  then,  Poland  would 
be  the  last  of  all  the  European  nations  where  the 
republican  government  can  work  well.  Whoever  has 
a  practical  knowledge  of  all  the  parts  of  Poland, 
must  be  well  aware,  that  a  king  is  as  necessary  to  the 
future  well-being  of  Poland,  as  the  mother's  milk  to 
the  existence  of  a  child. 

Having,  after  a  mature  consideration,  formed  my  own 
opinion  on  the  Polish  question  (though  at  variance  with 
the  generaUty  of  the  Poles  of  two  opposite  parties),  I 
am  convinced,  that  neither  any  advocate  of  the  wild 
democracy,  nor  any  man  notoriously  connected  with  the 
last  Polish  insurrection  in  1831,  can  ever  rule  Poland; 
but  any  talented  and  energetic  man  (unconnected  with 
either  party),  whom  circumstances  or  European 
diplomacy  may  favour,  can  rule  that  kingdom,  and 
soothe  all  its  internal  animosities.  Considering  that 
true  liberty,  which  is  spoken  of  everywhere,  does 
not  exist  but  in  England ;  considering  that  all  dispas- 


X  rUEFACE. 

sionate  men,  who  have  resided  some  years  in  England, 
agree  that  British  institutions  are  superior  to  all 
others  without  exception;  that  the  British  govern- 
ment is  the  best  in  the  world;  considering  that 
dethroned  kings,  expelled  dukes,  illustrious  princes, 
fallen  ministers  of  various  shades ;  considering  that 
even  such  contrasts  as  Metternich  and  Louis  Blanc, 
with  swarms  of  persecuted  chiefs,  sectarians,  exiles, 
from  all  parts  of  the  world,  find  shelter  in  England, 
where  their  persons  are  safe,  their  creed  respected, 
their  property  protected ;  considering  that  parties 
are  so  well  balanced  in  England  that  none  of  them 
can  oppress  each  other;  considering  that  England 
expended  twenty-five  millions  for  liberating  the  slaves  ; 
considering  that  British  sailors  and  soldiers,  without 
much  noise,  under  Nelson,  Wellington,  Harding, 
Napier,  Edwardes,  never  showed  their  backs  to  the 
enemy,  and  conquered  all  nations;  considering  that 
there  is  no  better  climate  for  longevity  than  in 
England;  nowhere  are  to  be  found  fairer,  or  more 
virtuous  women  than  in  England ;  it  must  be  acknow- 
ledged, without  speaking  of  British  superiority  in 
every  branch  of  science  and  literature,  that  as  long 
as  she  shall  reasonably  protect  the  Established  church, 
and  produce  such  political  giants  as  Lansdown,  Pal- 
merston,  Russell,  Peel,  and  Graham,  who,  under  the 
most  trying  circumstances  governed  her  realms  with  ex- 
traordinary firmness,  prudence,  and  foresight,  and  give 
at  the  same   time   fairly  an   example   of  all  domestic 


PREFACE.  XI 

virtues,  England,  firm  like  a  rock  amidst  the  raging 
political  storms,  will  always  be  the  real  queen  of  the 
world;  and,  therefore,  I  cannot  but  imagine  that 
nothing  could  be  more  advantageous  to  Poland  (in 
the  event  of  the  restoration  of  that  country),  than 
that  a  British  nobleman  should  become  the  future 
king  of  Poland.  But  should  no  British  noble  be 
induced  to  ascend  the  throne  of  Poland— and  my 
earnest  hope  thus  remain  ungratified — his  place  might 
then  be  supplied  by  one  of  the  princes  Esterhazy,  or 
by  a  Swedish,  Servian,  German,  Italian,  or  any  other 
foreign  prince. 

By  propagating  such  an  opinion,  I  offended  some  in- 
fluential individuals,  who  never  forgave  me,  and  find- 
ing it  impossible  to  alter  my  feelings  in  their  favour, 
knowing  some  of  my  weaknesses,  as  also  various  difii- 
culties  in  which  I  have  necessarily  been  involved  as  an 
exile,  they  have  indirectly  inflicted  great  injury  upon 
my  prospects  in  England.  I  was  exposed,  not  only  to 
annoyances,  but  to  artfully  propagated  slander,  un- 
worthy even  of  an  answer.  Let  them  remember  that 
noble  blood  flows  in  my  veins,  and  that  no  offers,  how- 
ever tempting,  can  bribe  me,  and  though,  in  conse- 
quence of  crafty  intrigues,  some  publications  have 
been  directed  against  me  in  various  languages,  it  will 
ultimately  rather  tend  to  serve  than  to  injure  me. 
Confident  in  the  purity  of  my  intentions,  and  in  the 
soundness  of  my  political  intellect,  I  shall  fight  my  own 
battle,  like  the  worthy  British  Missionaries  who  spread 


Xll  PREFACE. 

in  all  parts  of  the  world,  amid  raging  storms,  the 
blessings  of  the  Gospel. 

Three  years  ago,  during  my  stay  at  Richmond,  in 
Yorkshire,  I  compiled  a  regular  history  of  the  Polish 
Cossacks,  which  I  properly  corrected  in  the  British 
Museum ;  but  having  neither  literary  acquaintances, 
nor  available  means  of  publishing  it,  and  being  more 
thwarted  than  encouraged  in  my  literary  exertions,  I 
was  twice  obliged  to  curtail  it,  and  so  leave  unpublished, 
perhaps,  the  most  interesting  part  of  it.  "Whoever  is  an 
author,  must  admit  that  there  is  nothing  more  un- 
pleasant than  to  condense  and  completely  re-model 
historical  subjects,  after  they  have  been  once  prepared 
and  matured  for  the  press. 

In  my  present  work  on  the  Cossacks,  I  describe 
their  piratical  expeditions  into  Turkey,  and  sketch  their 
dangerous  rebellion  (fostered  by  Russia)  in  Poland, 
under  Chmielnicki,  Zelezniak,  and  Gonta  ;  and  not  less 
formidable  rebellions  in  Russia,  under  Stenko  Razin, 
Mazeppa,  and  Pugatchef,  which  rebellions  cost  Russia 
nearly  a  million  of  human  beings,  and  shook  that 
empire  to  its  very  foundation,  and  even  to  this  time 
has  not  only  impaired  its  whole  strength,  but  ren- 
dered its  continued  existence  a  mysterious  problem. 
Having  further  described  all  the  branches  of  the 
Polish  Cossacks,  with  their  most  noted  chiefs,  from 
almost  the  beginning  of  their  political  existence  till 
our  time,  I  then  unveil  many  interesing  facts  re- 
specting Catherine    II.,    as    connected    with  Poland, 


PREFACE.  Xm 

and  give  a  short  account  of  her  lovers  and  the 
victims  of  her  hatred,  as  also  the  various  diabolical 
intrigues  for  which  she  was  so  infamously  celebrated. 
I  conclude  the  work  with  a  statistical,  historical, 
and  geographical  description  of  the  Ukraine,  from 
time  immemorial  the  land  of  unbridled  passions, 
poetry,  and  romance,  and  the  source  from  which 
the  genius  of  Byron  d-rew  the  material  of  his  poem  of 
Mazeppa. 

Some  of  the  notes  are  written  in  the  form  of 
memoirs,  and  will  be  found  full  of  interest.  The 
anecdotes  on  Prince  Pashkievich  and  Countess  Cordule 
Fredro,  are  peculiar  and  characteristic.  Many  curious 
customs  of  the  dreariest  parts  of  Poland  are  mentioned. 
The  dark  shade  of  the  Ukrainian  poetry,  and  the 
singular  adventures  of  the  principal  Ukranian  poets 
are  faithfully  described.  The  music  to  be  found  at  the 
end  of  the  book  may  be  attractive  to  the  fairer  portion 
of  my  readers. 

In  the  life  of  Pugatchef,  following  blindly  a  written 
document,  I  committed,  unintentionally,  an  historical 
error,  which  I  am  anxious  to  correct.  It  was  not  the 
Russian  general  Tchernishef,  but  the  Russian  general 
Carr,  who  was  first  vanquished  by  Pugatchef. 

The  whole  work,  though  very  imperfectly  written  in 
English,  may  yet  prove  interesting  alike  to  the  histo- 
rical student  and  the  general  reader,  if  they  wiU  but 
consider  the  importance  of  the  subject  rather  than  its 
style  of  composition. 


XIV  PREFACE. 

A  small  part  of  this  work  I  have  already  written  in 
French,  those  who  wish  to  translate  it  into  Italian, 
Spanish,  and  German,  will  not,  probably,  take  ad- 
vantage of  a  Polish  exile,  and  may  readily  make 
terms  for  publication.  In  any  written  communication 
with  me,  it  is  necessary  to  put  distinctly  my  christian 
name,  Henry,  on  the  address,  to  prevent  mistakes, 
which  has  on  more  than  one  occasion  exposed  me  to 
great  annoyances. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Chapter  L — The  Polish  Cossacks 1 

n.— Kebellion  of  Stenko  Razin 57 

nL— The  Zaporogues 74 

rV.— Mazeppa 92 

v.— Zelezniak 105 

VL— Gonta 117 

Vn.— Sava 134 

VIIL— Rozycki 141 

IX.— Prmcess  Tarakanof 163 

X.— Catherine  II.,  and  her  Favourites         .        .        .178 

XL— RebeUion  of  Pugatchef 186 

Xn.— Description  of  the  Ukraine  .        .        .        .224 

Notes 275 


OF  THE 

NIVERSITY 


HISTORY 


OF 


THE   COSSACKS   OF   THE   UKRAINE. 


CHAPTER  i; 

THE    POLISH    COSSACKS. 


C  Origin  of  the  Cossacksz-Perivation  of  the  Nam^  Invasion  of 
BatuEhan — 'ihe Tatars— Pifferen^TietweiBn  Eiissian  and  Polish 
Cossacks— The  Cossacks  of  the  Don— Their  Arms  and  Mode  of 
Warfare— The  first  Chief  of  the  Cossacks  of  the  Dnieper— Union 
of  the  Cossacks  with  Poland — Batory — His  Policy  respecting  the 
Cossacks— Their  Incursions— Boats— Cruises  on  the  Black  Sea — 
Dissensions  between  the  Cossacks  and  the  Poles — Revolt  of  the 
Cossacks— Their  Defeat — Sahaydatchny — Dechne  of  the  Cossacks 
—History  of  Khmielnitski — Andrew  Firley — His  Defence  of 
Zbaraz— Horrors  of  the  Siege —The  friendly  Arrow— Battle  of 
Zhorof— Convention  of  Khmielnitski  with  the  Poles — His  treacher- 
ous conduct — Deliverance  of  Khmielnitski — His  Invasion  of  Mol- 
davia—Battle of  Beresteczko — Defection  of  Khmielnitski — The 
Convention  with  Russia— The  two  wild  Bulls— The  dying  words 
of  Khmielnitski. 

The  immense  solitudes  which  spread  between  the 
Volga,  the  Don,  and  the  Dnieper,  between  the  Caspian 
Sea  and  the  Black  Sea,  appear  to  have  been,  from  time 
immemorial,  the  fatherland  of  those  wandering  nations 
and  barbarian  hordes  who,  subsisting  by  rapine  and 


25  THE    COSSACKS 

pillage,  thundered  down  upon  civilized  Europe  like  an 
avalanche ;  leaving  in  the  rear  of  their  destructive  and 
fearful  track  nought  save  carnage,  conflagration,  ruin, 
and  despair. 

Confounded  and  intermixed,  as  regards  their  origin, 
the  one  with  the  other,  these  predatory  tribes  have 
passed,  ever  since  the  ancient  Scythians,  under  different 
names;  but  all  bear  one  peculiar,  distinctive,  and 
forcibly -impressed  character,  both  individually  and  in 
common,  too  indelil?le  to  be  either  obliterated  or  mis- 
taken: whii&t  the  general  resemblance  observable 
amongst  them  is  so  decided  and  striking,  as  to  preclude 
their  being  confounded  with  any  other  races  ;  notwith- 
standing that  a  few  varying  shades  in  individual 
character,  attributable  to  slight  diiferences  or  modifi- 
cations of  general  climate — the  moral  results  of  suc- 
cessful or  of  unsuccessful  wars — and  other  accidental 
circumstances  influencing  the  destiny  of  so  numerous 
and  widely- extended  a  race  of  barbarian  adventurers, 
may  have  caused  some  disparity  in  the  general  features 
of  resemblance  otherwise  recognizable  among  them. 

The  origin  of  the  Cossack  tribes  is  lost  in  the 
obscurity  of  ages ;  and  many  celebrated  historians  are 
still  divided  in  opinion  as  to  whence  the  term  Cossack, 
or  rather  Kosaque,  is  properly  to  be  derived.  This 
word,  indeed,  is  susceptible  of  so  many  etymological 
explanations,  as  scarcely  to  offer  for  any  one  of  them 
decided  grounds  of  preference.  Everything,  however, 
would  seem  to  favour  the  beKef  that  the  word  Cossack, 


OF    THE    UKRAINE.  6 

or   Kosaque,  was  in  much  earlier  use  in  the  vicinity    ^^ 
of  the  Caucasus  than  in  the  Ukraine.* 

It  is  possible  that  the  Kotzagery  and  the  Kosarts  may 
claim  some  sort  of  affinity  with  the  primitive  ancestors 
of  the  ancient  Kosaques,  with  whom  they  are  occasion- 
ally confounded ;  nevertheless,  it  is  not  until  long  after- 
wards, that  the  Pelooses  or  the  Komans  can  be  reason- 
ably considered  as  the  true  stock  of  the  Kosaque  race, 
from  whom  the  Mamelukes  also  derive  their  origin. 
Sherer,  in  his  "  Annals  of  Russia  Minor/'  (La  Petite 
Russicj)  traces  back  the  origin  of  the  Cossacks  to  the 
ninth  century ;  but  he  does  not  support  his  assertion 
by  any  facts  clothed  with  the  dignity  of  historical  truth. 
It  appears  certain,  however,  that  the  vast  pasture  lands 
between  the  Don  and  the  Dnieper,  the  country  lying  on 
the  south  of  Kiow,  and  traversed  by  the  Dnieper  up 
to  the  Black  Sea,  was  the  principal  birthplace  of  the 
Cossacks. 

When,  in  1242,  Batukhan''  came  with  five  hundred 
thousand  men  to  take  possession  of  the  empire  which 
feU  to  his  share  of  the  vast  inheritance  left  by  Tchingis  V 
Khan,  he  extirpated  many  nations  and  displaced  many 
others.  One  portion  of  the  Komans  flying  from  the 
horrors  of  this  '^terrific  storm,  and  arriving  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  Caspian  Sea,  on  the  banks  of  the  la'ik,  (now 
Ouralsek,)  turned  to  the  left,  and  took  refuge  between 
the  embouchures  of  that  river,  where  they  dwelt  in 
small  numbers,  apart  from  their  brethren,  in  a  less  fer- 
tile climate.     These  were,  incontestably,  the  progeni- 


THE    COSSACKS 


tors  of  the  Cossacks  of  the  laik,  who  are,  historically^ 
scarcely  important  enough  for  notice  ;  and  who;,  obscure 
and  ignoble,  were  supported  chiefly  from  the  produce 
of  their  fisheries,  and  the  plunder  acquired  during 
their  predatory  excursions.  In  religion  they  were 
rather  idolaters  than  Christians. 

At  the  approach  of  this  formidable  invasion  towards 
the  Don,  that  portion  of  the  Komans  located  on  the 
left  bank  took  refuge  in  the  marshes,  and  in  the 
numerous  islands  formed  by  that  river  near  its  em- 
bouchure. Here  they  found  a  secure  retreat ;  and 
from  thence,  having,  from  their  new  position,  acquired 
maritime  habits  and  seafaring  experience,  they  not 
only,  themselves,  resorted  to  piracy  as  a  means  of 
existence,  but  likewise  enlisted  in  a  formidable  con- 
federacy, for  purposes  of  rapine  and  pillage,  all  the 
roving  and  discontented  tribes  in  their  surrounding 
neighbourhood.  These  latter  were  very  numerous. 
The  Tatars,  ever  but  indiflferent  seamen,  had  not 
the  courage  to  join  them  in  these  piratical  expeditions. 
This  division  of  the  Komans  is  indubitably  the  parent- 
stock  of  the  modern  Cossacks  of  the  Don,  by  far  the 
most  numerous  of  the  Cossack  tribes:  by  amalgamation, 
however,  with  whole  hosts  of  Tatar  and  Calmuck 
hordes,  lawless,  desperate,  and  nomadic  as  themselves, 
they  lost,  in  some  degree,  the  primitive  and  deeply- 
marked  distinctive  character  of  their  race. 

The  Komans  of  the  Dnieper  offered  no  more  ener- 
getic resistance  to  the  invading  hordes  of  Batukhan 


OF    THE    UKRAINE.  O 

than  had  been  shown  by  their  brethren  of  the  Don : 
they  dispersed  in  various  directions;  and  from  this 
people,  flying  at  the  advance  of  the  ferocious  Tatars, 
descended  a  variety  of  hordes,  who  occasionally  figure 
in  history  as  distinct  and  independent  nations.  Some 
of  them  hastened  to  implore  the  hospitality  of  Bella 
IV.,  king  of  Hungaria:  they  made  their  appearance 
as  supplicants  for  his  protection ;  lands  were  distributed 
to  them,  a  chief  assigned  as  their  ruler,  and  efiTorts 
were  made  to  polish  and  soften  down  their  rude  and 
ferocious  manners.  As  long  as  the  danger  lasted, 
they  remained  quiet ;  but,  after  a  while,  incapable  of 
subjection  to  the  yoke  of  a  calm  and  peaceful  existence, 
they  broke  out  into  open  revolt,  massacred  the  chief 
who  had  been  set  over  them;  and  resumed  their 
former  life  of  rapine  and  pillage.  Being  consequently 
attacked  with  considerable  forces,  they  were  defeated 
and  pursued  with  great  virulence;  and  ultimately 
found  a  permanent  resting-place  in  the  wild  islets  of 
the  Dnieper,  below  the  cataracts,  where  dwelt  already 
a  small  number  of  their  ancient  compatriots,  who  had 
escaped  the  general  destruction  of  their  nation.  This 
spot  became  the  cradle  of  the  Cossacks  of  the  Ukraine, 
or  of  the  tribes  known  in  after  times  as  the  Polish 
Cossacks. 

When  Guedjmum,  Grand  Duke  of  Lithuania,  after 
having  defeated  twelve  Russian  princes  on  the  banks 
of  the  Pierna,  conquered  Kiow  with  its  dependencies, 
in     1320,    the    wandering   tribes   scattered    over   the 


b  THE    COSSACKS 

steppes  of  the  Ukraine  owned  his  allegiance.  After 
the  victories  of  Olgierd,  of  Vitold,  and  of  Ladislas 
lagellon,  over  the  Tatars  and  the  Russians,  large 
bodies  of  Scythian  militia,  known  subsequently  by  the 
comprehensive  denomination  of  Cossacks,  or  Kosaques, 
served  under  these  conquerors:  and  after  the  union 
of -the  Grand  Duchy  of  Lithuania  with  Poland,  in  1386, 
they'continued  under  the  dominion  of  the  grand  dukes 
of  Lithuania,  forming,  apparently,  an  intermediate 
tribe  or  caste,  superior  to  the  peasantry  and  inferior 
to  the  nobles.  At  a  later  period,  when  the  Ukraine 
was  annexed  to  the  Polish  crown,  they  passed  under 
the  protection  of  the  kings  of  Poland.  Kazimir  lagellon 
had  in  his  service  a  body  of  these  troops,  forming  a 
kind  of  militia,  dressed  in  English  woollen  cloth.''  We 
cannot,  therefore,  assign  to  the  Cossacks  a  Russian 
origin,  without  rejecting  the  authority  of  a  series  of 
historical  documents,  the  veracity  and  genuine  character 
of  which  are  indisputable.  The  similarity  of  their  lan- 
guage to  that  of  the  Slavonic  races ;  and,  as  regards 
religion,  their  profession  of  the  Greek  faith,  may  be 
easily  explained  and  accounted  for.  Located  in  the 
immediate  neighbourhood  of  the  Slavonic  nations,  they 
have  adopted  the  idiom  of  the  latter :  in  nearly  equal 
proximity  to  the  Greeks,  they  embraced  that  religion, 
probably  at  a  much  earlier  period  than  did  the  Rus- 
sians. 

To  give,  in  the  present  work,  a  detailed  account  of 
all  the  Cossack   tribes,  and   to    describe   the   various 


OF   THE   UKRAINE.  7 

points  of  difference  formerly  existing,  and  which  still 
continue  to  exist,  between  the  Russian  and  Polish 
Cossacks,  would  be  too  wide  a  digression  from  the 
main  subject  of  this  historical  essay :  however,  as  the 
two  races  in  question  are  still  frequently  confounded 
together,  it  may  be  proper  here  succinctly  to  inform 
the  reader  in  what  these  points  of  difference  appear 
chiefly  to  consist. 

Although  there  may,  doubtless,  exist  several  species 
or  castes  of  Cossacks,  and  to  whom  Russia,  in  order 
to  impose  on  Europe,  is  pleased  to  give  as  many 
different  names,  yet  there  never  have  been,  nor 
will  there  ever  be,  properly  speaking,  more  than  two 
principal  tribes  of  the  Cossack  nation,  namely,  the 
Cossacks  of  the  Don,  or  Don-Cossacks,  and  the  Cos- 
sacks  of  the  Black  Sea,  known  in  ancient  times  as  the  ^-/^ 
Polish  Cossacks,  or  Zaporowscy  Kozacy.  And  notwith- 
standing that  the  Cossacks  may  have  had  one  common 
origin  from  the  very  commencement  of  their  existence  as 
a  people,  it  needs  to  be  repeated  again  that  a  variety  of 
causes,  as,  for  instance,  the  lapse  of  time,  the  mutation  of 
events,  the  disparity  of  their  individual  modes  of  life, 
the  changing  influence  of  unforeseen  circumstances,  the 
modifications  of  slightly  varying  climate,  or  of  the  soil 
they  inhabit,  and  more  especially  their  fusion  or  inter- 
mixture with  other  nations,  (the  sure  and  powerful 
source  of  change,  both  social  and  physical),  would  seem 
to  have  established  a  perceptible  difference  between  the 
two  principal  branches  of  this  singular  race  of  men. 


>^: 


THE    COSSACKS 


¥ 


The  Cossacks  of  the  Don  long  inhabited  both  shores 
of  that  river.  They  are  the  most  numerous :  as 
military  adjuncts,  they  are  excellent  for  foraging 
parties,  for  surprising  an  enemy,  cutting  off  his 
communications,  and  pursuing  him  when  defeated. 
They  make  excellent  pioneers ;  nor  are  their  services 
less  useful  in  pillaging  a  country,  or  in  guarding  its 
frontiers.  They  utter  most  singular  cries  when  in 
pursuit  of  a  retreating  foe:  their  horses,  small  in  make 
but  extremely  vigorous,  and  proof  to  all  kinds  of 
fatigue,  clear  all  difficulties  of  the  ground,  carry  their 
riders  everywhere  with  facility,  and  are,  like  their 
masters,  content  with  the  most  meagre  fare :  indeed, 
there  can  no  be  doubt,  but  that  the  Cossacks  in 
question  have  rendered  signal  service  to  Russia,  which, 
ever  since  the  year  1549,  has  taken  them  under  her 
protection,  without,  however,  the  existence  of  any 
official  act,  treaty,  or  stipulation,  confirming  their  sub- 
mission to  that  power.  But  sooth  to  say,  these  pre- 
tended heroes  are,  in  point  of  fact,  altogether  wortliless 
as  regular  soldiers :  the  mere  aspect  of  a  musket  or  a 
pistol  suffices  to  disperse  them:  they  never  dare  charge 
in  line,  nor  can  they  sustain  a  charge  made  upon 
them;  so  that  with  a  single  regiment  of  regular 
cavalry,  one  may  always  successfully  attack  ten  regi- 
ments of  Cossacks.  In  addition  to  a  crooked  sabre,  a 
very  long  lance  without  pennant,  and  pistols,  some  few 
amongst  them  are  armed  with  a  long  carabine,  which 
carries  to  an  almost  incredible  distance,  and  the  ball  of 


OF    THE    UKRAINE. 


which  is  exceedingly  small :  this  is  perhaps  their  most 
dangerous  weapon,  and  in  the  use  of  which  they  are 
very  expert,  turning  it,  mostly,  to  very  good  account. 
Occasionally,  they  feign  a  sudden  retreat ;  and  when 
they  perceive  that  their  pursuers  are  comparatively 
small  in  number,  they  rapidly  face  about,  and  become 
the  assailants ;  this,  however,  can  only  happen  with  an 
inexperiencedbody  of  troops,  totally  detached,  and  who 
are  unacquainted  with  their  adversaries'  wily  mode  of 
warfare.  The  Don-Cossacks  especially  have  always 
stood  in  extreme  dread  of  the  Polish  Lancers  ;  a  few 
squadrons  of  whom  put  to  flight,  during  the  wars  of 
Napoleon,  many  of  their  entire  regiments.  The 
Cossack  troops  but  rarely  form  into  squadrons ;  they 
even  appear  to  entertain  a  strong  aversion  to  every 
species  of  order  and  discipline ;  they  never  decide  an 
action ;  but  divide  in  their  attack,  falling  indifferently 
on  the  van,  the  flanks,  and  the  rear  of  an  army  on  its 
march ;  hovering  around  them  like  a  vapoury  cloud, 
which  from  one  instant  to  another  alternately  aug- 
ments, fades  away,  or  dissipates  entirely,  again  to  form 
into  shape  and  to  revive  with  increased  density.  They 
but  seldom  make  a  direct  charge  in  line  with  their 
cavalry ;  but  keep  constantly  pirouetting  and  prancing 
about,  wheeling  round,  and  skirmishing  about  in  every 
possible  direction,  with  astonishing  swiftness  and 
activity.  From  the  moment  of  their  having  taken 
the  field  for  a  campaign,  they  observe  no  regular 
int^vals  of  repose,  nor  stated  times  for  repast;  they 


4 


10  THE    COSSACKS 

set  at  nought  the  inclemency  of  the  weather;  and 
rarely  does  anything  escape  the  vigilance  of  their 
piercing  sight,  or  the  well-trained  alertness  of  their 
acute  sense  of  hearing  :  pillage  is  their  peculiar /br^ey 
and  they  are  dangerous  only  to  a  flying  enemy.  Once 
dismounted,  they  lose  all  their  previous  activity  and 
courage,  become  altogether  useless,  and  may  be  easily 
vanquished. 

The  Don-Cossacks  enjoy  a  certain  kind  of  liberty 
and  independence ;  they  have  a  hetman^  atiaman^  or 
chief,  nominated  by  the  Emperor  of  Russia ;  and  to 
this  chief  they  yield  an  obedience  more  or  less  willing 
and  implicit ;  in  general,  they  are  commanded  only  by 
Cossack  officers,  who  take  equal  rank  in  the  Russian 
army.  They  have  a  separate  war  administration  of 
their  own ;  although  they  are  compelled  to  furnish  a 
stated  number  of  recruits  who  serve  in  a  manner  for 
life,  inasmuch  as  they  are  rarely  discharged  before 
attaining  sixty  years  of  age :  on  the  whole,  their  con- 
dition is  happier  than  that  of  the  rest  of  the  Russian 
population.  They  belong  to  the  Greek-Russian  church. 
The  existence  of  this  small  republic  of  the  Don, 
in  the  very  heart  of  the  most  despotic  and  most  ex- 
tensive empire  in  the  world,  appears  to  constitute  a 
problem,  the  solution  of  which  is  not  as  yet  definitively 
known,  and  the  ultimate  solution  of  which  yet  remains 
to  be  ascertained. 
\  As  for  the  second  branch  of  the  Cossack  race,  the 
V  /  remnants,  so  to  speak,  of  which,  namely,   Czarnon^cy, 


OF   THE   UKRAINE.  11 

still  exist,  and  who  have  not  hitherto  lost  in  any- 
material  degree  the  distinctive  mark  of  their  origin, 
a  wide  and  striking  difference  is  observable  as  to 
habits,  mode  of  Ufe,  customs,  and  social  peculiarities 
between  them  and  the  former  class,  without  however 
impairing  the  general  mutual  resemblance  which  must 
ever  continue  to  characterize  the  two  nations. 

The  south-eastern  districts  of  Poland,  the  Ukraine, 
and  Podolia,  exposed  in  former  times  to  the  incursions 
of  barbarian  hordes,  were  the  scenes  of  eternal  strife 
and  bloodshed ;  but  as  the  soil  of  this  part  of  Poland  is 
the  richest  and  most  productive  in  all  Europe,  these 
provinces,  although  constantly  ravaged,  and  frequently 
depopulated,  became  speedily  repeopled,  and  regained 
their  previous  state  of  prosperity ;  and  this  the  more 
easily,  as  these  countries  principally  consist  of  extensive 
fields,  capable  of  yielding  support  to  a  population 
of  almost  unlimited  numbers.  In  order  to  impose  an 
efficient  check  to  the  incursions  of  the  Tatars,  the 
WaUachians,  and  the  Kussians,  the  kings  of  Poland 
made  grants  of  vast  tracts  of  land  on  the  banks  of  the 
Dnieper  to  the  Polish  nobles,  on  condition  of  the 
latter  providing  for  their  defence  at  their  own  expense 
and  charges ;  an  arrangement  which  compelled  these 
seignorial  lords  constantly  to  maintain  a  certain  num- 
ber of  armed  retainers  in  their  pay,  and  to  construct 
a  line  of  strongholds,  or  fortified  habitations,  proof 
against  the  danger  of  a  sudden  attack.  The  soldiers  . 
in  their  pay  were,  usually,  either  the  descendants  of 


12  THE     COSSACKS 

ancient  warriors,  or  of  the  primitive  inhabitants  of  the 
Ukraine."^ 

It  is  towards  the  year  1506,  after  the  I'atar  wars, 
and  in  the  time  of  Sigismund  I.,  king  of  Poland,  that 
historians  mention,  for  the  first  time,  a  peculiar  race  of 
men  as  inhabiting  both  banks  of  the  Dnieper  (then 
nominally  appertaining  to  Poland) ,  as  likewise  the  large 
and  numerous  islands  formed  by  the  course  of  that 
river  below  the  cataracts.  They  are  described  as  half- 
savages,  living  from  the  produce  of  the  chase,  of  their 
fisheries,  and  of  their  excursions  both  by  sea  and  land 
into  Turkey ;  their  numbers  were  daily  increasing  by 
the  arrival  amongst  them  of  deserters,  fugitives,  and 
adventurers  of  all  kinds  and  from  all  countries,  seeking 
a  refuge  from  the  vengeance  of  their  respectiye  laws, 
and  anxious  to  make  war  on  their  own  account ;  and  as 
the  word  Kozah,  according  to  the  Tatar  translation  of 
it,  signifies  a  man  slightly  armed,  a  man  who  belongs 
or  owes  allegiance  to  no  one,  a  man  who  has  no  fixed 
residence,  who  despises  the  conventional  forms  of 
society,  and  is  ever  ready  to  adventure  on  break-neck 
enterprises,  the  class  of  men  in  question  then  received 
for  the  first  time  in  Poland  the  denomination  of 
Kosaques ;  and  as  za  signifies  beyond,  and  porog 
cataract,  in  the  Polish  language,  they  were  also  called 
"  Kosaques  beyond  the  Cataracts,"  Zaporogscy  Kozacy, 
although  strictly  speaking  this  term  is  applicable  only 
to  the  Cossacks  actually  inhabiting  the  islands  of  the 
Dnieper,  known  under  the  designation  of  Zaporogues. 


OF    THE   UKRAINE.  13 

These  latter  formed  afterwards  a  kind  of  aristocracy 
amongst  the  Cossacks,  and  must  not  be  confounded 
with  the  agricultural  Cossacks  :  they  were,  however, 
the  nucleus  of  the  race  of  Cossacks  of  the  Ukraine, 
and  ultimately  separated  themselves  from  the  main 
body,  in  order  to  form  a  confraternity  apart  ;  retaining, 
up  to  the  last  moment  of  their  existence,  the  primitive 
distinctive  mark  of  their  origin.  We  shall,  subse- 
quently, have  again  to  recur  to  this  subject,  when 
explaining  the  word  Zaporogue. 

The  first  chief  or  attaman  of  the  Cossacks  of  the 
Ukraine,  Polish  Cossacks,  or  Cossacks  of  the  Dnieper, 
(for  they  are  aU  three  comprised  under  this  denomi- 
nation,) appears  to  have  been  Przeclaw  Lanckoronski 
(pronounced  Pchetslave  Lantskoronsqui),  staroste  de 
Khmielnitza,  a  Polish  noble  of  very  ancient  and  dis- 
tinguished family.  At  first  the  union  of  the  Cossacks 
with  Poland  (in  1515)  was  the  source  of  great  embar- 
rassment to  the  latter,  seeing  that  over  the  vast  pasture 
grounds  of  Podolia,  then  but  nominally  belonging  to 
Poland,  and  forming  scarcely  more  than  a  desert  waste, 
the  Turks  left  their  herds  of  cattle  to  rove  at  will 
beyond  the  river  Dneister.  In  so  doing,  they  had  never 
yet  experienced  any  hindrance  whatever.  The  Cossacks, 
however,  urged  by  their  thirst  for  rapine,  and  without 
permission  from  the  Polish  government,  fell  on  their 
defenceless  neighbours,  whom  they  surrounded  on  all 
sides,  massacred  the  herdsmen,  and  seized  upon  their 
cattle.     At  the  news  of  this  outrage,  the  Turks  passed 


14  THE    COSSACKS 

the  Dniester,  which  they  then  regarded  as  the  limit 
or  barrier  between  the  two  states,  and  in  their  turn 
fell  upon  the  aggressors.  The  Turks  were  defeated, 
but  returned  to  the  charge,  seven  times  invaded 
Podolia,  and  set  the  Tatars  upon  Poland.^  This  was 
afterwards  the  firuitful  source  of  frequent  and  cala- 
mitous wars  between  Turkey  and  Poland,  and  between 
the  Cossacks  and  the  Tatars ;  whereas  their  true  line 
of  policy  would  have  been  for  all  to  have  united  for 
mutual  self-defence  against  their  common  enemy  the 
Russians. 

As  the  Cossacks  aided  Sigismund  I.  on  his  return 
from  his  Russian  expedition  to  take  possession  of 
Bialogrod,  they  thereby  insinuated  themselves  into 
his  good  graces;  and  shortly  afterwards  the  Diet  of 
Piotrkow  (in  French,  Petrykof)  accorded  them  (in 
1518),  by  the  influence  of  that  prince,  a  kind  of  pay 
or  subsidy,  on  condition  of  their  defending  the  frontiers; 
and  it  is  only  from  this  period  that  they  are  officially 
known  throughout  Poland  under  the  name  of  Cossacks. 
By  a  second  resolution  of  the  Diet  of  1529,  both  their 
numbers  and  their  pay  was  somewhat  increased.  But 
it  must  be  here  remarked  that  the  crown  of  Poland 
never  recognized  any  territorial  rights  as  belonging 
to  the  Cossacks;  a  precaution  equally  just  as  prudent. 
Sigismund,  however,  with  his  habitual  sagacity,  resolved 
to  turn  this  irregular  militia  to  some  useful  account, 
and  to  render  it,  by  degrees,  advantageous  to  the 
state  ;  for   this  reason,  he  permitted  Ostaii  Daszkiewicz 


OF    THE    UKRAINE.  15 

(pronounced  Daschkievitch),  a  man  of  low  extraction, 
but  of  great  intelligence  and  bravery,  to  organize  them 
if  possible  into  regular  form  and  discipline,  and  to 
instruct  them  in  the  art  of  war ;  a  task  which  he  ac- 
compKshed  to  a  certain  point.  He  fashioned  them  into 
something  like  a  regular  body  of  militia,  by  means  of 
which  he  was  enabled  to  repel  the  incursions  of  the 
Tatars,  and  to  gain  some  advantages  over  the  Ottomans, 
the  Wallachians,  and  the  Russians.  The  king,  Sigismund, 
not  only  ennobled  the  successful  chieftain,  but  conferred 
upon  him  the  starosties  of  Czerkassy  with  Krzyczef 
and  Cieciersk  (pronounced  Tcherkassy,  Kchitcheve, 
Tsetshiersque,)  on  the  banks  of  the  Dnieper,  and 
appointed  him  attaman  or  chief  of  all  the  Polish 
Cossacks,  as  the  recompense  of  his  fidelity,  valour, 
and  good  conduct.  Although  Daszkiewicz  was  not 
the  first  attaman  of  the  Cossacks  in  question,  yet  it 
is  to  him  nevertheless  that  is  incontestably  due  the 
merit  of  having  laid  the  first  stone  of  their  military 
organization :  his  successors  but  followed  in  the  track 
he  had  originally  marked  out  for  them,  and  only 
perfected  the  work  his  genius  had  commenced. 

At  a  later  period,  the  celebrated  Stephen  Batory, 
as  great  a  captain  as  he  was  a  shrewd  politician,  saw 
clearly  the  advantages  derivable  from  a  nation  (for 
with  that  title  they  were  already  invested,)  who  h^ 
been  kindly  treated  in  consideration  of  the  good  ser- 
vices they  had  rendered  to  the  state,  but  who,  in 
reality,  were  nothing  more  than  a  barbarian  horde,  a 


16  THE    COSSACKS 

rabble  of  notorious  adventurers,  a  troop  of  ferocious 
banditti.  He  flattered  himself  with  the  hope  of 
taming  their  impetuous  ardour,  by  overwhelming  them 
with  kindness  and  marks  of  favour ;  of  attaching  them 
permanently  and  indissolubly  to  Poland,  and  of  being 
able  to  make  a  beneficial  use  of  their  enterprising 
bravery,  without  having  to  fear  from  their  turbulence, 
their  excesses,  and  unbridled  license.  He  nominated 
Bohdon  Rozynski  attaman  of  the  Polish  Cossacks, 
and  gave  him  the  fortress  of  Trehtymirow,  together 
with  considerable  revenues ;  assigning  superior  marks 
of  distinction  to  the  dignity  with  which  he  had  in- 
vested him.  As  part  of  the  insignia  of  office  the  new 
attaman  likewise  received  the  huldva,  or  baton  of  com- 
mander-in-chief, a  horse''s  tail,  bunizuk  (bougnetchou- 
que),  for  his  standard ;  and  for  armorial  bearings  or 
device,  a  figure  representing  a  Cossack  armed  for 
battle,  bearing  a  naked  sword  above  his  head,  covered 
with  the  peculiarly  shaped  czapka  (tchapka)  or  Cos- 
sack-bonnet, surmounted  by  a  sort  of  triangular  tassel, 
by  way  of  aigrette,  in  all  of  which  latter  insignia  the 
allusion  to  the  Scythian  origin  of  the  Cossacks  is 
sufficiently  evident. 

In  order  still  further  to  facilitate  the  subjection  of 
these  new  troops  to  the  restraints  imposed  by  a  system 
of  vigorous  discipline,  King  Batory  distributed  the 
Cossack  forces  into  six  regiments  of  one  thousand  men 
each,  again  subdivided,  respectively,  into  hundreds, 
or    sotnia ;   and   in  some  one  of  which   subdivisions 


OF   THE    UKRAINE.  17 

every  Cossack   soldier  was  required   to  have  himself 
inscribed.     He  likewise  created  a  general  of  artillery, 
styled    ohozny,    a    secretary     (pisar),     aides-de-camp 
{assawaly,  pronounced  assavouU),  colonels  commanding 
regiments    (pulkowniki    or   poulkoveniqui)^    centurions 
commanding   a   sub-division   or    sotnia    {sotniki),   and 
sudi  (soudi),  a  species  of  military  judges,  whose  office 
it  was  to  assist  the  chief  in  the  regular   discharge  of 
his  duties,  and  by  their  presence   to  add  a  more  im- 
posing and  solemn  character  to  his  station  and  dignity. 
The   hetman,  attaman,  or  chief  of  the  Cossacks,   was 
required  to  fix  his  residence  at  Czehrin  (Tcheguerine) 
or  Trekthymirow,  and  it  was  in  the   environs  of  these 
two  military  stations  that  he  was  to  exercise  his  militia, 
to  renew  the  garrisons  in  the  islands  of  the  Dnieper, 
to  prevent  the  incursions  of  the   Tatars,  keep  watch 
over   the  safety  of  the   frontiers,   and  direct   all   the 
ofiensive   expeditions.      Each  Cossack  received,  as  a 
largess  or  bounty  from  the   King  of  Poland,  as  part  of 
his  pay,  a  ducat  of  gold  and  a  pelisse.     Those  who 
were  in  receipt  of  this  allowance  were  inscribed  on  the 
registers,  and  were  called  rejestrowi  (registered  men). 
Their  chief  had  at  his   disposal,  not   only    infantry, 
cavalry,   and   artillery   forces,   but   also    an    excellent, 
marine.     Stephen  Batory  sanctioned  the  establishment 
of  a  stiU  greater  number  of  Cossacks  in  Lower  Podolia 
and   the  Ukraine,   as    a   reserve   body,  wherewith  to 
replace,  in  case  of  need,  their  brethren  engaged  in 
active  service ;  allowing  them  in  the  meantime  to  clear 


18  THE    COSSACKS 

and  cultivate  the  waste  lands.  All  this  organizing  of 
the  Cossacks  of  the  Dnieper  seemed  to  be  somewhat 
foreign  to  the  settled  institutions  of  the  Polish  mo- 
narchy, and  resembled  rather  one  of  those  military- 
colonies  of  ancient  Scythians,  organized  after  the  model 
of  a  Roman  legion. 
i  This  was,  undoubtedly,  an  institution  highly  favour- 

^*\J      able  to  the  project  of  this  great  king :  by  this  means 
he   secured  the  defence  of   the  southern  frontiers  of 
Poland,  and  increased  his  military  strength  at  a  cheap 
rate  ;  at  the  same  time  fertilizing  a  desert  country,  and 
by  insensible   but    sure    degrees   civilizing   a  race  of 
men  who  were  no  less  dangerous  to  those  whom  they 
were  to   defend    than  those  with  whom   it  was  their 
business   to    be    in   a   state   of   constant   warfare   and 
hostility.     As   the  Cossacks   in   question  were   under 
the  obligation  of  serving  the  king  of  Poland  in  all  his 
warlike    expeditions,   Batory,  from   their  ranks,   aug- 
mented the  Polish  army  by  an  additional  force  of  six 
thousand    light    cavalry ;    and    this   addition,   it   was 
intended,  should  be  permanent.     In   1578,  during  the 
memorable  war  with  Russia,  this  newly  raised  Cossack' 
cavalry  performed  prodigies  of  valour,  and  powerfully 
contributed  to   the   victories   obtained  by    the   Polish 
army  over   the   Russians.     At   a.  latter  period.   King 
Batory,  whilst  according  his  favour  and  protection  to 
the  brave  and  meritorious  portion  of  the  Cossack  troops, 
yet  neglected  at  the  same  time  no  measures  for  re- 
pressing  their   lawless    depredations.      Having  heard 


OF   THE    UKRAINE.  19 

that  their  new  chief,  Podkova  (a  Wallachian,  so  named 
on  account  of  his  extraordinary  strength,  he  having 
repeatedly  broken  in  two,  with  his  fingers,  a  horse-shoe, 
podkova^  in  Polish),  had,  without  his  orders,  invaded 
Wallachia,  and  by  a  sudden  and  totally  unexpected 
irruption  into  that  country,  had  seized  possession  of  it, 
before  its  hospodar,  Peter,  an  ally  and  relative  of 
Batory,  could  have  time  to  arm  in  its  defence,  he  sent 
a  prompt  reinforcement  to  the  assistance  of  the  latter  ; 
and  Podkova,  pursued  and  vanquished  by  superior 
numbers,  was  captured,  and,  by  the  king's  orders, 
beheaded.  This  was  the  first  collision  that  had  occurred 
between  the  Poles  and  the  Zaporogue  Cossacks ;  and, 
although  affording  a  seasonable  opportunity  for  the 
assertion  of  sovereign  authority,  and  for  the  exercise 
of  a  just  severity,  requisite  for  the  maintenance  of 
public-  order,  this  incident  served  to  open  Batory's 
eyes,  and  to  warn  him  that  the  Cossacks  and  their 
chief  already  possessed  by  far  too  ample  means  and 
incitements  to  create  disturbance  for  them  to  remain 
submissive  and  tranquil.  He  resolved,  therefore,  to 
place  some  restrictions  on  their  growing  power ;  and, 
by  a  skilful  admixture  in  his  measures  of  well-timed 
rigour  with  politic  conciliation,  he  succeeded  in  calming 
the  restless  agitation  of  the  Cossacks ;  sending  Polish 
colonists  into  the  Ukraine  to  counterbalance  for  the 
future  the  innate  turbulence  of  this  singular  race.  As 
a  state  of  almost  eternal  warfare  existed  beyond  the 
cataracts  of  the   Dnieper,  the   successor  of  Podkova, 


20  THE  COSSACKS 

the  Attaman  Schah,  found  a  pretext  for  invading 
Turkey  both  by  sea  and  land.  After  ravaging  several 
of  the  Turkish  provinces  on  the  coast,  he  burned  the 
suburbs  of  Constantinople,  subdued  the  Turkish  forces 
on  every  side,  and  carried  off  from  the  gates  of  the 
Seraglio,  and  under  the  very  eyes  as  it  were  of 
the  Sultan,  one  of  his  most  beautiful  favourites,  re- 
turning back  with  his  prize  into  the  Ukraine.  Incur- 
sions of  a  similar  nature  constantly  succeeded  each 
other,  like  the  waves  of  a  tempest-troubled  ocean. 

All  the  corsair  incursions  of  the  Cossacks  in  ques- 
tion were  performed  in  light  boats,  called  czayhi  (pro- 
nounced tchaiqui),^  the  nature  and  construction  of  which 
merit  particular  notice.  The  largest  of  these  pirate-ves- 
sels of  the  Zaporoguian  Cossacks,  the  czayka^  would  con^ 
tain  from  thirty  to  sixty  men ;  was  sixty  feet  long  by 
twelve  in  breadth ;  furnished  with  a  sail  and  from  fifteen 
to  twenty-five  oars,  and  was  armed  with  a  couple  of  swivel 
guns,  or  leather  cannons,  and  a  competent  number  of 
smaller  fire-arms.  These  vessels  were,  sometimes,  con- 
structed of  the  single  trunk  of  the  linden-tree,  which 
was  hollowed  out  by  the  Cossacks,  and  so  fashioned  that, 
by  fastening  to  it  a  few  planks  of  wood  coated  with  pitch, 
they  converted  it  into  a  kind  of  light  bark  or  elongated 
barge,  lined  on  the  inside  with  skins  or  with  leather, 
and  surrounded,  outside,  with  small  floats  or  osier- 
boxes,  which,  breaking  the  force  of  the  waves,  served 
both  to  lighten  the  weight  of  the  vessel,  and,  at  the 
same   time,  to  secure  its   steadiness,  even   during  the 


OF    THE    UKRAINE.  21 

most  violent  tempests.  This  singular  species  of  bark, 
having  from  eight  to  ten  feet  interior  depth,  possessed 
also  the  advantage  of  being  managed  with  a  facility- 
aim  ost  incredible ;  inasmuch  as  a  bark  so  constructed 
drew  infinitely  less  water  than  any  other  vessel  of  equal 
capacity  and  dimensions.  To  complete  such  a  vessel 
required  generally  the  labour  of  sixty  Cossacks  for 
fifteen  days. 

With  these  barks,  well-furnished  with  arms,  ammu- 
nition, and  ships'-stores,  the  Cossacks,^  having  chosen 
a  naval  chief  and  a  favourable  season,  made  sail  for  the 
Turkish  coast.  To  form  some  idea  of  the  boldness  and 
reckless  daring  of  these  marauders,  it  may  be  remarked, 
that  the  Turks  possessed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Dnieper 
and  along  the  two  opposite  banks,  Kissikerman  and 
Tavangorod;  and  that  the  passage  was  defended  by 
strong  iron  chains,  stretched  across  under  the  cannon  of 
both  fortresses.  The  Cossacks,  previously  to  their 
arrival  at  this  spot,  usually  felled  an  enormous  tree, 
which  they  drove  before  them  on  the  surface  of  the 
stream  with  prodigious  force :  the  chains  were  burst 
asunder,  and,  at  the  alarm  thus  given,  the  cannon  were 
discharged.  But  the  Cossacks,  after  clearing  the  ob- 
stacle in  question,  and  in  utter  contempt  of  the  Turkish 
fire  now  opened  upon  them,  pushed  forward  into  the 
Black  Sea.  Like  the  ancient  Danes,  wherever  they  x 
made  good  a  landing,  they  spread  slaughter,  conflagra-  \ 
tion,  and  ruin ;  they  burned  the  fleets,  pillaged  the  / 
towns,  gathered   together   their  booty,  carried  oflf  they 


22  THE    COSSACKS 

young  women  and  children,  massacred  without  pity 
all  the  males,  and  disappeared  before  news  could  be 
spread  of  their  sudden  appearance,  or  the  necessary 
measures  taken  for  repelUng  their  terrible  incursions. 
The  time  chosen  for  these  murderous  attacks  was 
generally  at  day-break,  or,  occasionally,  under  cover  of 
the  darkest  midnight.  Their  very  name  created  terror 
along  the  coasts  of  the  Black  Sea.  Not  unfrequently 
they  would  even  penetrate  into  the  centre  of  Natolia. 
At  sea,  they  directed  their  course  without  the  aid  of 
any  nautical  instruments,  but  by  the  sole  guidance  of 
the  stars  ;  and  this  with  a  regularity  and  precision  dif- 
ficult to  be  conceived — presaging  winds,  calms,  and 
tempests,  with  mathematical  exactness.  By  dint  of 
these  continual  cruises  on  the  Black  Sea,  and  of  their 
expeditions,  almost  invariably  successful,  they  had  ac- 
quired so  intimate  an  acquaintance  with  its  navigation, 
that,  even  through  the  darkest  and  most  tempestuous 
night,  they  could  sail  on  its  waters  with  far  greater  cer- 
tainty and  security  from  danger  than  could  the  Turks 
in  mid-day.  The  vessels  that  gave  chase  to  them  on 
their  retreat,  not  only  could  never  come  up  with  them, 
but  were  frequently  exposed  to  considerable  loss.  The 
Cossacks,  to  whom  all  the  harbours  were  well  known, 
took  refuge,  with  their  light  barks,  in  shallows  and 
sheltered  creeks;  from  whence,  having  thus  enticed 
their  pursuers  into  dangerous  and  sometimes  fatal  posi- 
tions, they  slipped  away  beyond  reach  of  their  ven- 
geance, and  arrived  safely  with  their  booty  on  the  desert 


—     OF    THE    UKRAINE.  23 

islands  of  the  Dnieper,  in  triumphant  defiance  of  the 
Turkish  vessels  sent  out  to  chase  them.  The  number 
of  the  Cossacks  engaged  in  these  piratical  expeditions, 
varied  from  six  to  ten  thousand  picked  men.  The 
retreatj  however,  of  the  Cossacks  into  the  shelter 
afforded  by  their  islands  was  occasionally  attended 
with  considerable  difficulty,  and  with  greater  hazard 
than  even  their  attack,  seeing  that,  closely  watched,  as 
was  often  the  case  by  the  Turkish  navy  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Dnieper,  and  not  having  the  advantage  of  sail- 
ing with  the  tide  in  their  favour,  they  were  compelled 
to  secrete  themselves  in  the  tall  osier-beds,  and  to  gain 
at  high  tide  a  bay  separated  only  by  a  narrow  slip  of 
land  from  a  lake.  This  lake  communicated  with  a  river 
which  discharged  itself  into  the  Dnieper,  a  few  miles 
above  the  mouth  of  the  latter  stream.  The  Cossacks, 
having  once  reached  the  vicinity  of  the  lake,  trans- 
ported overland,  and  on  their  shoulders,  their  portable 
barks,  gained  the  lake,  on  which  they  then  re-em- 
barked, and  by  this  route  returned  home,  thereby 
avoiding  the  Turkish  batteries  :  at  other  times,  they 
would  retreat  by  way  of  the  Don,  ascending  the  course 
of  a  small  stream  which  flows  into  that  river  close  by 
the  Samara.  Such  a  mode  of  retreat  was,  however,  but 
of  rare  occurrence,  as  in  general  they  boldly  ventured  to 
make  good  their  passage  homewards  under  the  very 
beards  of  the  Turks.  It  may  also  be  remarked  that, 
as  it  was  only  during  the  clear  bright  nights  that  the 
Cossacks  were  liable  to  interruption  by  the  Turks  in 


24  THE    COSSAOKS 

their  movements,  they  generally  chose  for  their  piratical 
excursions  the  period  of  new  moon,  when  the  nights 
are  dark  and  gloomy. 

There  never  yet  have  been,  as  there  probably 
never  will  be,  a  finer  race  of  seamen  navigating  the 
Black  Sea,  than  were  formerly  the  Cossacks  in  ques- 
tion :  they  were  never  equalled,  but  in  order  to  have 
again  a  Kke  class  of  men,  it  would  be  necessary  that  a 
state  of  circumstances  similar  to  those  then  existing 
should  likewise  be  revived,  an  event  which  is  all  but 
impossible. 

After  the  death  of  Batory,  dissensions  of  a  dangerous 
character  began  to  arise  between  the  Cossack  colonists 
and  the  Polish  nobles.  Sigismund  III.,  either  from 
weakness  or  from  ignorance,  allowed  the  seignorial  lords 
to  oppress  the  Cossack  settlers,  who,  it  is  true,  were 
considered  merely  in  the  light  of  a  militia  in  the  pay  of 
the  PoHsh  crown,  but  who  were  never  serfs.  They 
enjoyed,  defacto^  a  certain  kind  of  independence ;  had 
the  privilege  of  reclaiming  the  waste  lands  in  particular 
districts  ;  as  also  of  distilling  brandy  and  brewing  beer ; 
privileges  highly  displeasing  to  the  Polish  nobles,  and 
tending  to  diminish  the  revenues  of  the  latter,  who 
were  in  the  habit  of  establishing  Jews  in  their  wine- 
houses  or  taverns  for  precisely  the  same  purposes. 
Hence  the  extraordinary  antipathy  manifested  by  the 
Polish  Cossacks  towards  the  Jews,  an  antipathy  which 
has  never  subsided.  To  this  cause  of  ill-feeling  was 
added  another   subject   of  discord   still   more    serious, 


OF    THE    UKRAINE.  25 

the  Poles  were  Catholics  and  the  Cossacks  schismatics. 
Sigismund  III.,  a  zealous  Catholic,  and  governed  en- 
tirely by- the  Jesuits,  insisted  on  converting  the  Cos- 
sacks at  whatever  price ;  an  attempt  which  exasperated 
the  latter  more  than  ever.  As  some  of  the  attamans  ^ 
appeared  favourable  tohisprojects,  the  Cossacks  refused 
to  accept  an  attaman  at  the  hands  of  the  king,  but 
elected  their  own  chiefs,  some  of  whom  they  even  killed 
occasionally,  when  they  happened  to  be  unsuccessful  in 
their  piratical  expeditions.  They  perceived,  moreover, 
that  there  was  no  longer  a  Batory,  whom  they  at  the 
same  time  loved  and  dreaded,  at  the  head  of  state  affairs. 
It  may  also  be  remarked  that  the  emperors  of  Ger- 
many, frequently  at  war  with  the  Turks,  powerfully  en- 
couraged, underhand,  the  incursions  of  the  Cossacks 
against  the  latter  power. 

Under  this  complication  of  disturbing  causes,  symp- 
toms of  open  rebellion  began  soon  to  manifest  them- 
selves in  the  Ukraine.  After  a  few  abortive  attempts, 
energetically  repressed  by  the  skill  and  promptitude  of 
the  Polish  generals,  the  Cossacks,  in  1596,  revolted  en 
masse.  The  Grand- Hetman  Zolkiewski  marched 
against  them  ;  defeated  them  several  times,  not  without 
considerable  difficulty,  and  drove  them  at  last  into  a 
spot  where,  surrounded  on  every  side,  and  exposed  to 
the  destructive  fire  of  the  Polish  artillery,  they  were 
forced  to  surrender  at  discretion.  Their  chiefs,  Nale- 
ygyke  and  Laboda,  were  taken,  condemned  to  death, 
and  executed.     An  amnesty  was  granted  to  the  rest. 


»b  THE   COSSACKS 

In  1621,  in  the  war  declared  by  Turkey  against 
Poland,  and  which  threatened  the  very  existence  of  the 
state,  Peter  Konassewitch  Sahaydatchny  was  elected 
by  the  Cossacks  themselves  attaman,  and  his  election 
confirmed  by  the  king.  This  chief,  renowned  for  his 
victorious  expeditions  against  the  Russians,  the  Tatars, 
and  the  Turks,  after  having  defeated  and  slain  his 
rival,  led  35,000  Cossacks  to  the  Polish  camp  of  the 
Grand-Hetman  Chodkiewicz,  near  Khotzim  ;  and, 
having  signalized  himself  by  prodigies  of  valour,  greatly 
contributed  to  the  glorious  result  of  that  memorable 
war.  He  died  shortly  afterwards,  with  the  reputation, 
undoubtedly  well  deserved,  of  having  been  one  of  the 
greatest  chiefs  of  the  Polish  Cossacks,  of  whom  he  had 
several  times  been  elected  attaman.  He  was  also  pre- 
fect of  the  convent  of  K'iof  (Krivobratzkay),  and  pre- 
sident of  the  academy  of  that  celebrated  town. 

From  the  year  1621  the  maritime  excursions  of  the 
Polish  Cossacks  appear  to  have  declined  in  frequency, 
either  on  account  of  Turkey  having  adopted  more  effi- 
cient measures  for  repelling  them,  or  from  the  Cossacks 
themselves  (who  had,  in  consequence  of  the  wars  with 
Russia  and  Germany,  frequent  opportunities  of  display- 
ing elsewhere  their  restless  activity  in  the  field,  and  their 
passion  for  plunder),  esteemed  these  marauding  adven- 
tures as  no  longer  so  profitable  as  before.  Previously  to 
the  Turkish  war,  in  1621,  one  of  their  chiefs  was  admitted 
into  the  presence  of  the  Sultan,  who  seems  to  have  been 
anxious  to  behold  with  his  own  eyes  an  individual  of 


OF  THE   UKRAINE.  27 

that  strange  race  of  beings  who  had  formerly  been  so 
severe  a  scourge  to  the  Ottoman  empire.  After  putting 
several  questions  to  him,  which  the  Cossack  answered 
with  equal  boldness  and  sincerity,  he  asked  him,  what 
were  the  numbers  of  his  people.  **  Sire,"  replied 
the  chief,  '^  they  are  as  numerous  as  the  grains  of  sand 
on  the  sea  shore  :  each  grain  covers  a  multitude  of 
others."  He  was  dismissed  with  presents.  It  appears 
that  they  carefully  concealed  the  true  amount  of  their 
population.  As,  after  the  war  with  Turkey,  they  again 
continued  to  seduce  the  peasantry  of  the  great  nobles 
from  their  allegiance  to  their  feudal  lords,  the  latter, 
exasperated  at  the  incessant  defection  of  their  vassals, 
commenced  a  still  harsher  system  of  oppression  than 
before,  towards  the  authors  of  these  vexations.  Seve- 
ral partial  revolts  ensued  in  consequence.  The  Cos- 
sacks were  defeated  by  Konietzpolski,  and  by  others 
of  the  Polish  generals,  who,  however,  failed  to  turn 
their  victories  to  profitable  account.  The  centre  of  the 
Cossack  power  was  at  that  time  established  at  Czerkask 
(Tcherkaske),  defended  by  precipices  and  inaccessible 
rocks:  they  had  50,000  excellent  troops  under  arms, 
and  a  large  flotilla  on  the  celebrated  islands  of  the 
Dnieper;  and  this  force  they,  on  emergency,  easily 
augmented  by  fresh  levies  of  trained  recruits.  After  the 
victory  gained  by  the  Polish  general  Konietzpolski 
over  the  Cossacks  at  Kumeyki,  and  the  execution  of 
their  chiefs,  the  Diet  of  1635  deprived  them  of  the 
city  of  Trchtymirow,  abolished  their  privileges,  sup- 


250  THE    COSSACKS 

pressed  their  militia,  and  declared  their  territory  re- 
united for  ever  to  Poland.  But  to  publish  decrees  of 
this  kind,  with  any  prospect  of  having  them  obeyed, 
requires  an  accompanying  power  of  being  able  to  carry 
them  into  effect.  Poland  had  at  this  period  several 
other  wars  in  hand ;  the  Cossacks  were  rather  scattered 
and  dispersed  than  definitively  vanquished ;  added  to 
which,  an  event  altogether  unexpected  exercised  the 
most  fatal  influence  on  this  unfortunate  war.  The  cir- 
cumstances of  this  new  subject  of  political  disaster  are 
of  sufficient  interest  to  merit  particular  mention. 

Sinevoy  Boghdan  Khmielnitski  was  the  son  of  a  Po- 
lish gentleman  of  Mazovia,  who  had,  in  order  to  repair 
his  shattered  fortune,  formed  an  establishment  in  the 
Ukraine,  near  Tcheghrine.  Successful  at  first,  he  was 
subsequently  taken  prisoner,  and  died  a  captive  in 
Turkey.  His  son  shared  the  fate  of  his  parent.  Pre- 
viously to  his  being  taken  prisoner,  the  elder  Khmiel- 
nitski had  maltreated  and  caused  to  be  flogged  in  the 
Ukraine  a  young  and  high-spirited  Pole,  Czaplinski, 
who,  in  consequence,  had  vowed  deadly  and  implacable 
hatred  against  him,  but  had  not  had  sufficient  time  to 
avenge  the  insult.  Boghdan  Khmielnitski,  after  the 
death  of  his  father,  had  been  ransomed  by  the  liberality 
of  the  Polish  king,  Ladislas  IV.,  of  whose  favour  he 
subsequently  proved  himself  worthy,  by  the  extent  of 
his  knowledge  and  his  great  capacity,  both  military  and 
political.  He  was  appointed  secretary-general  of  the 
Zaporogues,  a  post  of  considerable  importance,  and  he 


OF    THE    UKRAINE. 

resided  on  the  patrimonial  estate  of  his  father  at  Sob- 
otof,  a  domain  the  value  and  productiveness  of  which 
he  greatly  improved  by  the  cultivation  of  fresh  districts 
of  land,  hitherto  lying  waste,  and  by  his  industry. 
Whilst  thus  engaged,  Czaplinski,  then  pidotsrostu  of 
Czegryn,  excited  by  the  still  nourished  thirst  for  re- 
venge, persecuted  him  with  unremitting  animosity. 
Not  content  with  thwarting  his  plans  of  territorial  im- 
provement, and  contesting  with  him  the  advantages 
justly  derivable  from  a  superior  system  of  management* 
he  proceeded  so  far  as  to  attack  him  in  his  own  house, 
burn  it,  throw  him  into  prison,  and  offer  outrage  to  his 
wife.  Khmielnitski,  on  his  release  from  prison,**  found 
that  in  the  meantime  his  wife  had  died  of  grief.  Un- 
able to  obtain  justice  from  the  local  tribunals,  he  re- 
paired to  the  Zaporogues,  and  raised  the  standard  of 
revolt  at  the  head  of  50,000  men.  With  these,  making 
his  appearance  in  the  Ukraine,  he  was  forthwith  pro- 
claimed chief  of  all  the  Cossacks  of  the  Dnieper.  He 
attacked  and  took  by  assault  several  towns  in  succession, 
and  at  the  outset  obtained  many  signal  advantages  over 
the  Polish  generals,  who  were  forced  to  yield  to  supe- 
rior numbers.  Either  as  a  ruse,  or  from  some  other 
motive  not  explained,  he  addressed  to  King  Ladislas  a 
letter,  couched  in  the  most  humble  and  submissive 
terms,  ascribing  his  hostile  proceedings  to  the  sole  desire 
of  avenging  the  affront  to  which  he  had  been  subjected, 
and  promising  to  lay  down  his  arms,  and  to  return  to 
his  allegiance,  provided  the  condition  of  the   Cossacks 


30  THE    COSSACKS 

were  ameliorated,  and  himself  pardoned.     As  Ladislas 
IV.  had  just  then  (1648)  died,  this  letter  remained  un- 
answered;  meanwhile  the  forces  of  Khmielnitski  in- 
creased daily,  so  that  in  a  very  short  time  he  found 
himself  at  the  head  of  a  vast  body  of  adherents.     John 
Kasimir,  who  had  now  ascended  the  Polish  throne,  had 
at  this  period  a  variety  of  other  wars  in  hand,  and  was 
moreover  sufficiently  occupied  and   distracted  by  the 
internal  dissensions  of  his  own  kingdom.    Khmielnitski, 
after  having  proclaimed  the  emancipation  of  the  pea- 
sants, called  the  Cossacks  of  the  Don  to  arms,  increased 
his  army  by  a  strong  reinforcement  of  Tatar  troops, 
and,  having  taken  several  places  by  assault,  crowned 
his  exploits  by  the  indiscriminate   massacre  of  all  the 
Polish  nobles  and  of  the  Jews.     He  ransomed  Leopold, 
and,  after  having  married  the  widow  of  his   former 
persecutor  CzapKnski,  he  advanced  with  400,000  men 
to  annihilate  the  remnant  of  the  Polish  armies.     This 
war  was  conducted  on  either  side  with  relentless  cru- 
elty, and  in  the  savage  spirit  of  a  struggle  for  mutual 
extermination,  the  more  especially  as  it  was  to  some 
extent  a  species  of  religious  warfare ;   the  schismatics 
of  the  Russian  provinces  favouring  the  cause  of  Khmiel- 
nitski.    Never  indeed  had  Poland  found  herself  placed 
in  a  position  of  such  imminent  danger.     Her  assailant 
was  already  master   of  a   third  part   of  the  kingdom ; 
giving   public  audience  to  foreign   ambassadors   from 
the  principal  courts  of  Europe,  and  deigning  scarcely 
to  listen  to  the  various  propositions  for    an  amicable 


OF    THE    UKRAINE.  31 

arrangement  which  were  submitted  to  him.     Already- 
had  he  meditated  the  project  of  falling  suddenly,  Hke 
a  second  Attilla,  upon  Europe,  and  of  conquering  for 
himseK  a  new  empire  by  relinquishing  Poland ;  when 
his  victorious  career  was  at  once  arrested  by  the  heroic 
courage   and   surprising    energy  of    a    Polish   noble, 
Andrew  Firley,  castellan  of  Betz,  near  Zbaraz.     This 
nobleman   had  but   9,000  men  under  his   command. 
Zbaraz  is  a  siiiall  town  of  Lower  Podolia,  situated  at 
the   conjunction   of    two  roads ;   its  population  num- 
bered at  that  period  but  a  few  thousand  souls.     Firley, 
foreseeing  that  he   would  very  shortly  be   attacked, 
repaired    the    old  fortifications,   laid   in   a   competent 
supply    of   stores   and   ammunition,   strengthened  his 
camp  by  an  entrenchment,  and  took  the  requisite  mea- 
sures for  securing  from  sudden  attack  a  small  pond  or 
natural  tank  in  the  neighbourhood,  the  waters  of  which 
sufficed  for  the  requirements  of  his  little  army.     To  his 
prudence  and  valour  it  was  that,  on  the  near  approach 
of  the  coming  storm,  the  Polish  king  had  confided  the 
important  charge  of  arresting  the  progress  of  Khmiel- 
nitski,  and  of  awaiting  with  some   other  Polish  troops 
the  first  arrival  of  the  enemy :  nor  was  ever  task  more 
faithfully  accomplished  or  royal  confidence  more  judi- 
ciously placed  than  on  this  occasion. 

Scarcely  had  Firley  taken  up  his  position  and  com- 
pleted his  entrenchments,  when  the  Cossack  and 
Tatar  armies  surrounded  him  on  all  sides :  instead, 
however,  of  tamely  surrendering,  he  resolved  to  defend 


\ 


32  THE    COSSACKS 

himself  to  the  last  extremity.  Khmielnitski  and  the 
Tatar  Khan  glanced  in  anticipated  triumph  from  the 
aspect  of  the  immense  forces  at  their  command  to  the 
comparatively  insignificant  strength  of  the  small  Polish 
army  before  them ;  and  with  a  smile  of  disdain  made 
certain  of  destroying  the  latter  in  the  course  of  an 
hour's  engagement.  Too  confident  of  victory,  Khmiel- 
nitski, willing  to  prevent  the  effusion  of  blood,  sum- 
moned Firley  to  surrender,  assuring  him  of  kind  treat- 
ment, and  of  the  highest  regard  for  his  courage,  which 
he  held  to  be  unimpeachable.  Firley  returned  for 
answer,  that  he  had  only  to  come  and  take  them ;  upon 
which  several  columns  of  infantry  were  instantly  set 
in  motion,  fifty  pieces  of  cannon  opened  their  fire  upon 
the  Polish  camp,  and  60,000  Cossacks,  commanded 
by  Khmielnitski  in  person,  and  led  by  skilful  and 
experienced  officers,  mounted  to  the  assault.  They 
were,  however,  repulsed  with  considerable  loss.  The 
Tatars  and  Don-Cossacks  now  followed  in  their  turn 
but  with  no  better  success,  and  their  dead  bodies 
choked  up  the  ditches.  Khmielnitski,  anxious  to  avoid 
the  protracted  delays  of  a  siege  in  form,  and  to  animate 
his  troops  by  the  excitement  of  a  victory,  gave  orders 
to  resume  the  assault.  Column  after  column  pressed 
forward  to  attack  the  entrenchment,  but  the  incessant 
and  well-directed  fire  of  the  besieged  rendered  unavail- 
ing every  effort  of  the  assailants,  whose  dense  masses 
were  every  moment  thinned  by  the  terrific  discharges 
of  grape-shot  and  musketry  brought  to  bear  upon  them 


OF    THE    UKRAINE.  33 

by  Firley,  upon  whom  these  repeated  onslaughts  failed 
to  make  the  slightest  impression.     Irritated   and   ex- 
asperated rather  than  discouraged,  Khmielnitski   now 
issued  orders  to  concentrate  the  principal  attack   in  the 
direction  of  the  pond,   a  point  of   the   Polish   camp 
which  appeared  less  strongly  defended  than  other  por- 
tions of  the  entrenched  position,  and   where,   conse- 
quently, a  breach  seemed  more  practicable.  Eighty-five 
pieces   of    cannon   were   sent   forward   to    cover    this 
attack ;  by  the  combined  fire  from  these,  the  artillery 
of  Firley  was  dismounted.     Scaling-ladders  were  now 
everywhere   applied,  but  a  fearful  discharge  of  mus- 
ketry from  the  besieged,  joined  to  the  havoc  caused 
by  the  explosion  of  a  shower  of  shells  and   ignited 
hand-grenades  hurled  by  them  amongst  their  assailants, 
occasioned  such  great  loss  and  confusion  in  the  ranks 
of  the  latter,  that  the  assault  was  once  more  repelled ; 
Khmielnitski  himself,  from  motives  of  commiseration, 
giving  the  order  to  retreat,  after  having  suffered  in 
seventeen    successive    assaults   enormous    loss.       The 
night  passed   off  quietly.     On   the   following   day,   a 
number  of  general  assaults  were  attempted ;  and  the 
attack  was  pushed  with  so  much  vigour  and  pertinacity, 
that   already  the  Cossacks   were    on  the  very    point 
of  carrying  both  the  camp  and  town,  when,  at  this 
critical   juncture,    Prince   Visniovietski    cried    aloud 
to  spare  the  Tatars,  since  they  had  brought,  by  mes- 
sengers from  their  khan,   words  of  peace  and  good- 
will, and  were  about  to  turn  their  arms  against  the 


34  THE    COSSACKS 

Cossacks.  This  stratagem  had  the  desired  effect ;  it 
revived  the  drooping  courage  of  the  besieged,  and 
damped  the  ardour  of  the  assailants ;  the  Poles  made 
a  last  desperate  effort,  and  the  enemy  were  repulsed. 
Khmielnitski,  perceiving  that  his  army  began  to  mur- 
mur, and  that  it  would  be  dangerous,  for  the  moment 
at  least,  to  renew  the  assault  openly,  had  recourse  to 
treachery,  and  despatched  three  secret  emissaries,  dis- 
guised in  the  Polish  uniform,  into  Zbaraz,  to  sow 
discord  in  the  camp,  and  to  assassinate  Firley :  the 
attempt  however  failed,  the  plot  was  discovered, 
and  the  three  spies  quartered.  He  was  compelled, 
therefore,  to  undergo  all  the  delays  and  procrastinations 
of  a  regular  siege.  In  a  short  time,  immense  works, 
directed  by  foreign  officers  and  engineers,  had  brought 
the  Cossacks  into  close  proximity  to  the  town.  For- 
midable batteries  were  erected ;  in  addition  to  which 
Khmielnitski  gave  orders  to  divert  the  course  of  a  small 
river  that  fed  the  pond,  in  order  to  cut  off  the  supply 
of  water  to  the  Polish  army,  and  thereby  deprive  the 
besieged  of  a  resource  indispensable  to  their  very 
existence.  This  project  was  not  altogether  impracti- 
cable, considering  the  then  prevailing  heat  of  the 
summer  season ;  but  it  required  time  for  its  accom- 
plishment, which,  on  the  other  hand,  was  not  unattended 
with  serious  difficulties.  Firley,  who  began  already  to 
feel  the  absolute  necessity  of  economising  his  means 
of  subsistence,  was  obliged  to  expel  from  the  town  all 
the  women,  children,  and  old  men.     The  rest  of  the 


OF    THE    UKRAINE.  35 

inhabitants,  even  to  the  boys  of  the  age  of  thirteen 
years,  were  armed  and  organized  for  the  defence  of 
Zbaraz.  Scarcely  had  this  wretched  crowd  of  helpless 
beings  quitted  the  entrenchments,  when  a  brutal  and 
ungovernable  soldiery  fell  upon  the  women,  whom 
they  first  maltreated;  and  afterwards,  together  with 
all  that  left  Zbaraz,  pitilessly  and  indiscriminately 
massacred,  without  regard  to  age  or  sex.  At  the  sight 
of  this  atrocity,  cries  of  rage  and  execration  arose  from 
within  the  ramparts;  but  it  was  already  too  late  to 
afford  succour  to  the  miserable  sufferers,  and  they  all 
perished. 

During  the  enemy's  operations  to  divert  the  course 
of  the  river,  Firley,  now  more  than  ever  resolved  to 
sell  his  life  dearly,  was  not  inactive  ;  and  as  he  united 
in  his  disposition  an  iron  stubbornness  of  will  with 
consummate  skiQ  in  all  branches  of  the  art  of  war, 
he  ordered  some  houses  to  be  demolished,  and  on  their 
site  a  second  entrenchment  to  be  constructed,  imme- 
diately behind  and  parallel  with  the  first :  within  this 
again  a  third,  on  the  descent ;  and  finally,  an  inner 
stockade  of  baggage-waggons  and  caissons,  linked 
together  by  iron  chains:  he  even  made  all  requisite 
dispositions  to  defend  himself  and  his  men  to  the  very 
last  extremity,  in  the  vaults  and  under-ground  works 
of  the  fortifications.  As  soon  as  the  small  river  had 
been  intercepted,  and  a  number  of  breaches  made  in 
the  outworks,  a  heavy  cannonade  announced  a  fresh 
attack  on  the  part  of  the  Cossacks.     Strong  columns 


3b  THE   COSSACKS 

of  the  enemy  advanced  to  the  storm ;  but  when,  after 
a  vigorous  resistance,  the  Cossack  troops  had  carried 
the  first  intrenchment,  they  were  not  a  little  surprised 
at  finding  a   second   and   a   third,  wherein  they  met 
with  so  warm  a  reception,  that,  bravely  repulsed,  and 
in  their  turn  fiercely  attacked  and  pursued,  they  left 
the  streets  of  Zbaraz  encumbered  with  the  corpses  of 
their  slain,   and   with  the   bodies   of  their    wounded 
comrades  cut  off  in  their  retreat.      In  the   intervals 
thus  gained  from  attack,   Firley  ordered  all  the  mus- 
kets and  ammunition  to  be  collected  from  the  dead, 
and  distributed  but  few  rounds  of  cartridge  to  each  of 
his  men,  in  order  that  they  might  be  thereby  induced 
to  take  surer  aim.     He  had  recourse,  moreover,  to  a 
singular  stratagem,  the  success  of  which  even  surpassed 
his  hopes.     He  had  perforations  made  in  the  intrench- 
ments;   and   in  these  apertures  were  planted  several 
rows  of  muskets,  well  charged,  and  so  arranged  as  not 
to  be  perceptible   to  the  enemy.     These  muskets  were 
all  carefully  levelled  so  as  to  tell  with  precision  on  the 
ranks  of  an  assailant;  and  to  each  trigger  was  attached 
a  string  which  led  from  other  stronger  ropes,  disposed 
in  such  a  manner  as  that   on  violently  shaking   the 
latter  the  muskets  were  discharged  in  vollies  of  fifteen 
at  a  time.     To  guard  against  an  attack   by  surprise, 
the  main  cords  of  this  species  of  "  infernal  machine  " 
passed  through  holes  under  ground;  that  is  to  say, 
into  the  subterranean  barracks  or  excavations  beneath 
the  intrenchments,  wherein  were  lodged  some  of  the 


OF    THE    UKRAINE. 

wounded  and  disabled  from  active  service,  who  re- 
ceived the  requisite  instructions  for  the  management 
of  this  novel  means  of  defence. 

For  some  days  the  besieged  remained  unmolested, 
but  the  waters  of  the  pond  continued  to  decrease  visi- 
bly ;  the  provision  stores  began  to  fail,  threatening  an 
absolute   scarcity   of  food.     The   stifling   heat   of  the 
weather,  the  great  numbers  of  men  cooped  up  together 
in  a  confined  space,  and  more  especially  the  want  of 
proper  nourishment,  carried  off  the  sick  and  wounded  by 
hundreds.     Many  of  the  soldiers  perished  in  defending 
the  breach :  all  the  messengers  whom  Firley  despatched 
to  the  king  to  apprize  him  of  the  fearful  position  of  the 
small  garrison  of  Zbaraz,  anxiously   expecting   every 
instant  but  in  vain  the  arrival  of  reinforcements,  were 
either  taken  or  killed  by  the  troops  of  Khmielnitski. 
To  crown  all  these  disasters,  a  putrid  fever  broke  out 
amongst  the  besieged,  and  did  more  havoc  in  the  Polish 
camp  than  did  the  balls  of  the  enemy.     Meanwhile, 
Firley  continued  to  sustain  the  drooping  courage  of  his 
countrymen,  scarcely  allowing  himself  time  for  sleep ; 
present  everywhere,   providing   with  promptness  and 
decision  for  every  emergency,  and  constantly  impress- 
ing on   the  minds  of  his  companions  in  distress  how 
preferable  it  was  to  die  nobly  in  the   breach,  than  to 
expire  in  lingering  torment.     After  consuming  all  the 
horses,  dogs,  cats,  rats,  frogs,  snakes,  reptiles,  and  the 
miserable  remnant  of  such  food  as  desperation  suggests 
or  chance  supplies,  Firley,  seeing  that  his  garrison  was 


38  THE    COSSACKS 

reduced  to  the  very  last  extremity,  ordered  all  the 
bodies  of  the  young  Cossacks  recently  killed  to  be  col- 
lected, had  them  cut  up  and  salted  with  gunpowder, 
and  then  distributed  amongst  his  famishing  troops. 
Some  of  these,  indeed,  testified  an  insurmountable  re- 
pugnance to  taste  of  this  fare  so  novel  and  revolting  ; 
but  the  rest,  impelled  by  the  imperious  rage  of  hunger, 
were  fain  to  follow  the  example  set  them  by  their  chief 
himself.  Monks,  artizans,  and  priests,  crowded  to  die 
in  the  breach.  Occasionally,  the  Cossacks  speculated 
on  the  chances  of  an  assault :  every  day,  towards  even- 
ing, and  at  sunrise,  whilst  the  Polish  flag  waved  at  the 
summit  of  the  castle,  was  chaunted,  to  the  sound  of 
martial  music,  the  solemn  hymn  to  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
queen  and  patroness  of  Poland,  to  the  intent  that  she 
might  deliver  the  remnant  of  her  brave  people  from 
their  hapless  fate  :  and  many  a  time  did  the  strains  of 
this  pious  and  warlike  hymn  revive  the  courage  of  the 
dying,  and  pour  into  the  despairing  soul  the  balm  of 
cheering  hope  and  the  quietude  of  resignation. 

The  Cossacks,  having  heard  of  the  misery  that  pre- 
vailed in  the  Polish  camp,  made,  in  the  middle  of  the 
night,  a  last  and  desperate  effort  to  surprise  it.  They 
forced  the  first,  second,  and  third  intrenchments ;  they 
were  already  on  the  point  of  butchering  the  womided ; 
already  had  they  raised  their  cry  of  triumph ;  when,  at 
a  given  signal,  the  report  of  fire-arms  was  heard  in  their 
rear  :  they  fell  by  hundreds,  and  these  incessant  and 
murderous  discharges  fully  impressed  them   with  the 


OF    THE    UKRAINE.  89 

belief  that  they  were  being  attacked  by  some  new 
enemy,  whereupon  they  turned  about  and  fled,  the 
garrison  making  a  sortie  and  pursuing  them.  The  day 
broke,  and  an  arrow,  shot  by  some  unknown  hand,  fell 
in  the  centre  of  the  Polish  camp :  it  bore  an  inscrip- 
tion announcing  the  arrival  of  the  king  with  reinforce- 
ments. The  arrow  and  its  tidings  were,  at  first,  looked 
upon  as  a  stratagem  of  the  enemy,  but  soon  the  con- 
tinued movements  perceptible  amongst  the  hostile 
troops,  and  the  evident  symptoms  of  disorder  in  the 
Cossack  and  Tatar  armies,  left  no  further  doubt  as  to 
something  of  the  kind  having  happened.  The  arrow 
had  been  sent  by  a  Polish  noble,  who,  in  resentment  of 
an  affront,  had  joined  the  standard  of  Khmielnitski :  but 
the  important  intelligence  he  had  forwarded  to  Firley, 
and  the  good  service  he  had  rendered  the  king  by  trans- 
mitting to  him  news  of  the  fearful  state  to  which  the 
garrison  of  Zbaraz  was  reduced,,  procured  him  a  free 
pardon  for  his  desertion  to  the  enemy.  Firley  had 
completely  exhausted  his  stock  of  gunpowder  and  ball, 
so  that  his  garrison  could  not  possibly  have  held  out 
longer.  The  king  of  Poland,  John  Kasimir,  was  now 
actually  advancing  to  its  relief,  and  had  already  reached 
Zborof,  a  small  town  not  far  from  Leopold. 

Khmielnitski  and  the  Tatar  khan  having  learned 
that  the  army  of  the  Polish  king  consisted  of  but 
barely  20,000  men,  imagined  that  this  was  a  new 
prey  for  them  to  devour ;  the  more  easily  too  as  the 
royal  army  did  not  occupy  any  fortified  position.    Leav- 


40  THE    COSSACKS 

ing,  therefore,  45,000  Tatars  and  200,000  Cossacks 
before  the  intrenchments  of  Zbaraz,  they  marched  upon 
Zborof  with  60,000  Tatars,  and  100,000  Cossacks,  the 
elite  of  both  armies,  and  a  strong  force  of  artillery. 
They  soon  arrived,  under  cover  of  a  thick  fog,  close  upon 
the  royal  army,  before  the  latter  had  warning  of  their 
approach.  Scarcely  had  they  sufficient  time  to  form 
into  battalion,  when  they  found  themselves  assailed  on 
every  side.  A  canal,  confined  by  a  high  bank,  pro- 
tected their  rear;  but  this  embankment  having  been 
broken  through,  the  rear-guard,  violently  attacked,  lost 
their  baggage  trains.  The  moment  was  critical  for  the 
fate  of  Poland.  Neither  the  Tatars  nor  the  Cossacks 
were  able  to  force  the  centre  and  the  right  wing,  where 
they  were  repulsed  with  immense  loss;  but  the  left 
wing,  raked  by  the  artillery  and  attacked  by  over- 
whelming numbers,  after  losing  all  its  officers,  was  ex- 
posed to  the  greatest  danger.  Thither  the  king 
hastened,  and  his  presence  revived  the  spirit  of  the 
soldiers,  who  performed  prodigies  of  valour. 

Nightfall  brought  no  cessation  to  the  fury  of  the 
assailants  :  during  the  construction  of  a  rampart  with 
the  heaped-up  bodies  of  the  slain,  the  Polish  generals 
convoked  a  council  of  war,  wherein  a  resolution  was 
come  to,  confirmed  by  an  oath,  either  to  conquer  or 
die.  Further,  it  was  decided,  that  measures  should 
be  taken  to  detach  the  khan  from  the  Cossack  alliance. 
When  daylight  dawned  on  this  terrible  night,  the 
battle  was   renewed  with   increased  determination  on 


OF    THE    UKRAINE.  41 

either  side.  AVhilst  a  hand-to-hand  conflict,  sustained 
by  all  the  rancour  of  mutual  hate  and  animosity,  was 
raging  with  deadly  force  amongst  the  combatants, 
whole  ranks  were  swept  away  at  once  by  the  fearful 
discharges  of  artillery.  Ultimately,  however,  the  im- 
mense superiority  in  numbers  was  forced  to  yield  to 
the  steady  power  of  military  tactics,  and  the  resistless 
courage  of  despair.  The  Poles  were  victorious  on  all 
points.  Khmielnitski  having  received  unfavourable 
news  from  Lithuania,  where  Prince  Radziwill  was 
everywhere  defeating  the  Cossacks  with  terrific  energy, 
and  having  reason,  from  hour  to  hour,  to  expect  the 
arrival  of  that  victorious  general  with  15,000  troops 
to  reinforce  the  royal  army;  finding,  moreover,  that 
the  khan  of  the  Tatars  had  withdrawn  his  support 
from  the  Cossack  cause,  and  had  actually  concluded 
an  armistice  with  the  Polish  king  ;  Khmielnitski,  thus 
hampered  and  thwarted  in  his  plans,  found  himself 
under  the  necessity  of  likewise  agreeing  to  a  suspension 
of  hostilities,  and  of  soliciting,  in  person,  his  pardon 
from  the  king ;  an  event  which  afforded  some  tempo- 
rary respite  to  unhappy  Poland.  The  convention  of 
Zborof  (17th  August,  1649,)  was  by  no  means  favour- 
able to  Khmielnitski  himself.  He  was  therein  treated 
as  a  rebellious  subject,  compelled  to  disband  his  army, 
and  forbidden  for  the  future  to  receive  deserters  or 
refugees ;  he  was  to  be  permitted  to  retain  no  greater 
number  than  40,000  registered  Cossacks — and  these 
merely  for  the  defence  of  the  frontiers,  conformably 


42  THE    COSSACKS 

to  the  ancient  stipulations  settled  by  King  Batory. 
But  on  the  other  hand,  an  amnesty  was  granted  to 
all  the  Cossacks,  who  were  to  be  permitted  in  future 
to  elect  their  own  attamans  and  to  distil  brandy : 
they  were  also  to  have  the  right  of  hunting  and  fishing 
throughout  the  south  of  the  Ukraine;  they  were  to 
enjoy  the  free  exercise  of  their  religion ;  and  a  pro- 
mise was  even  made  them  to  admit  to  the  Senate 
and  to  the  Diet  a  Cossack,  with  the  title  of  Palatine 
of  Kiow,  as  likewise  a  metropolitan  of  the  Greek 
religion.  Further,  there  was  accorded  to  each  re- 
gistered Cossack,  a  ducat  in  money,  together  with 
sufficient  cloth  for  his  dress. 

Scarcely  had  the  Tatars  and  Khmielnitski  retreated, 
when  the  king's  troops  made  their  appearance  before 
Firley's  camp.  At  the  aspect  of  the  national  banners 
waving  in  the  air,  near  Zbaraz,  all  attempts  to  preserve 
order  and  discipline  in  the  garrison  became  useless.  A 
crowd  of  living  spectres  rushed  into  the  embraces  of 
their  brethren  in  arms.  Some,  exhausted  by  long 
suffering  and  privation,  e:8:pi«:ed  with  excess  of  joy. 
Shortly  afterwards,  masses  were  performed,  to  render 
thanksgiving  to  Heaven  for  the  miraculous  deliverance 
of  this  band  of  heroes ;  but  many  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Zbaraz  never  more  were  blessed  with  the  sight  of 
wife,  mother,  sisters,  or  children.  This  celebrated 
defence,  one  of  the  most  obstinate  and  determined  of 
its  kind  in  the  seventeenth  century,  earned  for  its 
leader,  Firlev,  immortal  fame  ;    afforded  time  to   the 


OF   THE    UKRAINE. 

king  of  Poland  to  detach,  by  means  of  skilfully 
directed  intrigues,  the  Tatar  troops  from  the  Cossack 
alliance ;  reawakened  the  energies  of  the  Polish 
nation ;  and  thereby,  most  probably  saved  all  Europe 
from  a  terrible  invasion  on  the  part  of  the  barbarian 
tribes,  not  less  dangerous  than  had  been  formerly  that 
of  Attila  or  of  Ghengiz-Khan.  Khmielnitski  and  the 
Tatars  lost  in  twenty-nine  attacks  on  Zbaraz,  and  in 
the  battle  of  Zborof,  upwards  of  50,000  of  their  best 
troops,  and  the  best  part  of  their  artillery.  There  was 
in  Firley's  camp  a  priest,  Mucheveski,  stationed  at  the 
gate  of  the  castle,  who,  with  his  single  carabine,  shot 
down  upwards  of  two  hundred  Cossacks,  according  to 
Pastorius ;  himself  receiving  several  wounds.  Firley 
was  presented  with  a  starosty,  as  a  reward  for  his 
signal  exploit;  but,  beyond  this,  history  is  silent  as 
regards  his  subsequent  career.  It  is  only  by  such 
another  man  that  Poland  can  once  i^ore  be  freed. 
The  Firley  family  is  of  British  origin;  ranking, 
however,  amongst  the  most  illustrious  of  the  Polish 
nobility.  It  has  produced  several  warriors,  a  few 
statesmen,  and  a  host  of  beautiful  women.  There  were 
yet  remaining,  in  Austrian  Gallicia,  a  few  surviving 
descendants  of  this  distinguished  family;  and  there 
may  still  be  found,  if  indeed  they  have  not  been 
massacred  by  the  peasantry  in  the  late  insurrection  of 
the  latter  against  the  nobles.  Many  historians  con- 
sider the  defence  of  Zbaraz  by  Firley  one  of  the 
most  surprising  military  achievements  upon  record. 


44  THE    COSSACKS 

The  convention  of  Zbaraz  was  highly  displeasing  to 
the  Polish  nobility,  as  being  too  favourable  to  the 
Cossacks.  Complaints  on  the  subject  were  in  conse- 
quence made  to  the  Diet ;  but  the  king,  unshaken  in 
his  purpose,  appeared  more  obstinately  bent  than  ever 
on  having  it  observed.  In  a  short  time,  however, 
Khmielnitski,  still  protesting  his  good  intentions,  fanned 
anew  the  embers  of  discord :  setting  on  foot  a  variety 
of  intrigues,  now  with  Turkey,  now  with  the  Court  of 
Russia,  on  his  own  account ;  and  after  promising  the 
Sultan  to  yield  him  up  the  Ukraine,  on  certain 
conditions — amongst  others,  that  he  might  expel  the 
hospodar  of  Moldavia,  as  being  too  favourably  dis- 
posed towards  Poland — he  openly  and  without  any 
previous  declaration  of  war  invaded  the  latter  province, 
of  which  he  made  himself  master.  Scarcely  had  the 
hospodar  sufficient  time  to  take  refuge,  with  a  few 
troops,  in  those  vast  forests  which  had  so  often  been 
the  tomb  of  an  invading  foe.  From  this  retreat, 
however,  he  shortly  afterwards  emerged,  after  paying  a 
heavy  ransom  to  Khmielnitski,  to  whose  son,  moreover, 
he  promised  to  give  his  daughter  in  marriage.  This 
invasion  spread  alarm  once  more  throughout  Poland ; 
more  especially  as  Khmielnitski,  under  the  pretext  of 
aiding  the  khan  of  the  Tatars  in  an  invasion  against 
the  Circassians,  was  levying  fresh  troops ;  and  as  one 
of  his  subaltern  chiefs,  Nitchai,  about  this  time  made 
an  irruption  into  Podolia ;  where  however,  beaten, 
pursued,  and  his   forces  cut   to   pieces,   he  perished, 


OP   THE    UKRAINE. 

together  with  his  adherents.  Although  these  irrup- 
tions were  disavowed  by  Khmiebiitski,  two  Polish 
divisions,  one  of  them  under  the  orders  of  Kalinowski, 
and  the  other  under  Potocki,  advanced  upon  the 
Ukraine  and  Podolia.  There  existed,  moreover, 
another  ground  of  quarrel.  The  disbanded  Cossacks 
would  not  allow  t  the  peasants  to  cultivate  the  soil,  nor 
the  seigneurs  to  reside  on  the  estates  of  these  districts. 
A  deputation  of  Cossacks  sent  to  negociate  with  the 
king,  made  such  extravagant  demands  and  proposals 
so  insolent,  that  John  Kasimir  himself  changed  his 
mind  regarding  them ;  and  having  learned  that  the 
Cossacks  were  about  voluntarily  to  submit  themselves 
to  Turkey,  he  immediately  raised  50,000  fresh  troops, 
convoked  the  Pospolite  ruszenie,  or  general  muster  of 
the  nobles,  and  marched  against  Khmielnitski ;  whilst 
Radziwill,  almost  invariably  successful  against  the 
Cossacks,  guarded  Lithuania. 

The  royal  troops  thought  to  take  Khmielnitski  by 
surprise ;  when,  to  their  astonishment,  that  chief, 
having  collected  immense  forces,  suddenly  made  his 
appearance  within  a  thousand  paces  of  the  Polish  army. 
On  making  this  discovery,  the  king  fell  back  and  took 
up  his  position  near  Beresteczko,  on  the  bank  of  the 
river  Styr,  in  Volhynia ;  having  on  the  one  hand  that 
river  as  his  point-d'appui,  and  on  the  other,  a  hilly 
ground,  which  he  bristled  with  infantry.  He  had  all 
the  bridges  destroyed,  in  order  to  leave  no  possibility 
of  retreat. 


46  THE    COSSACKS 

As  this  battle  would  decide  the  fate  of  the  Cossacks, 
and  as  Khmielnitski,  during  the  two  days'  skirmishing 
which  preceded  it,  had  become  convinced  that  the 
Polish  army  was  more  numerous  than  usual,  he  seemed 
inclined  to  avoid  the  chances  of  a  general  engagement. 
The  king,  who  penetrated  his  design,  thereupon 
ordered  his  army  to  form  in  line  of  battle — a  manoeuvre 
which  was  effected  under  cover  of  a  dense  fog.  The 
right  wing  was  commanded  by  the  Grand-Hetman  Po- 
totski,  who  had  under  him  the  illustrious  Sobieski,  just 
arrived  from  his  recent  journey  into  France,  and 
who  was  shortly  to  adorn  the  Polish  crown  with  the 
added  glories  of  his  immortal  fame.  The  left  wing 
was  confided  to  the  command  of  General  Kalinowski, 
supported  by  the  Princes  Ostrogoki  and  V'isniovietski, 
two  noblemen  of  approved  bravery  serving  under 
him,  the  king  taking  charge  of  the  centre,  and 
having  in  front  of  his  line  the  Polish  and  German 
infantry,  as  likewise  the  artillery  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Przyiemski,  a  veteran  Swedish  general.  The 
second  line  was  composed  of  a  superb  body  of 
cavalry,  amongst  whom  was  the  king  in  person. 
The  third  portion  of  the  line  formed  a  reserve, 
under  the  orders  of  Prince  Charles,  brother  to  the 
king,  and  of  a  French  colonel,  Duplessis,  whose  skill 
and  daring  had  become  proverbial.  In  the  rear 
of  these  main  bodies  were  posted  a  few  regiments 
of  light  infantry,  whilst  the  whole  was  hedged  in 
with   a  forest   of   lances,   the  floating   pennants   from 


OF    THE    UKRAINE.  47 

which  spread  farther  than  the  eye  could  reach,  and 
fonned  a  spectacle  at  once  imposing  and  fantastic.  The 
Polish  army  numbered  100,000  men. 

The  enemy's  force   consisted   of  350,000   men:    its 
numbers  were  lost  in  the  distance,  and  presented  the 
appearance  of  living  waves,  tossing  to  and  fro  on  the 
agitated  surface  of   a  tempest-torn  ocean.     The   Cos- 
sacks drawn  up  facing  the  left  wing  of  the  Polish  army 
were  intermixed  with  Turkish  troops.     Several  rows 
of  chariots,  linked  firmly  together  by  iron  chains,  called 
tabor,   and    defended   by  picked    men,   formed    their 
centre;   on   both   wings  and   on  all  the  neighbouring 
heights  were  the  innumerable  Tatar  squadrons,  ranged 
in  the  form  of  a  half-moon  or  single  crescent.     The  fog 
had  just  dispersed,  and  the  rays  of  a  bright  sun  dis- 
closed to  mutual  view  the  two  armies,  surprised  and 
motionless,  in  front  of  each  other.     Since  the  days  of 
Timur-lenkh  never  had  the  like  for   importance  and 
extent  been  seen.     After  a  few  seconds  of  deep  and 
solemn   silence  had  elapsed,  forty-eight  pieces  of  field- 
artillery,  under  Przyiemski,  opened  a  deadly  fire ;  the 
ranks  of  the  enemy  were   visibly  thinned  by  the  dis- 
charge, and  the  entire  Polish  army  rushed  upon  the 
Cossacks,   who   were  the  principal  object   of    attack; 
these,  after  a  vigorous  defence,  broken  at  last  by  the 
fury  of  the   Polish  charge,   took  refuge  behind  their 
iron-bound  chariots,  leaving   their  Tatar  allies  openly 
exposed  to  the  murderous  fire  of  the  artiUery,  beneath 
which  they  fell  by  whole   squadrons  at  a  time.     Com- 


■ 


48 


THE    COSSACKS 


pelled  to  regain  the  heights  from  which  they  had  des- 
cended, the  Tatars  rallied  again  at  first,  but  when  all 
around  the  khan  had  been  either  killed  or  wounded, 
that  chief  gave  way :  his  best  squadrons  dispersed,  and 
towards  nightfall  took  to  flight,  pursued  by  the  Polish 
cavalry;  leaving  behind  them  their  camp,  their  bag- 
gage, and  their  prisoners,  as  also  an  immense  booty, 
the  whole  of  which  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  victorious 
Poles.  Khmielnitski  strove  in  vain  to  arrest  their 
retreat,  and  with  this  view  rode  after  the  Tatars ;  but 
the  khan,  after  reproaching  him  with  his  deception  in 
having  given  him  a  false  report  of  the  strength  of  the 
Polish  army,  had  him  arrested,  and  even  threatened 
to  deliver  him  up  to  the  Polish  king,  unless  he  con- 
sented to  indemnify  him,  the  khan,  for  the  losses  he 
had  sustained  in  consequence,  by  delivering  to  him  one 
half  of  all  the  booty  which  the  Cossack  chief  had 
realized  in  the  immediately  preceding  campaign  against 
Poland.  The  absence  of  Khmielnitski  threw  the  Cos- 
sack army,  still  200,000  strong,  into  a  state  of  para- 
lysing uncertainty.  Batteries  were  erected  all  around 
them  and  they  fell  by  hundreds.  After  making  some 
unsuccessful  sorties,  the  Cossacks,  weakened  by  two 
days'  fighting,  were  as  a  body  completely  dispersed: 
the  small  remnant  of  their  but  lately  innumerable 
forces,  entrenched  themselves  on  a  neighbouring  island, 
where,  obstinately  refusing  to  surrender,  they  were  ex- 
terminated to  the  very  last  man. 

In  this  brilliant  action,  which  lasted  three  successive 


OF    THE    XTKRAINE.  49 

days,  and  which  destroyed  the  Cossack  power  in  Po- 
land, the  Poles  sustained  but  very  trifling  loss.  Forty 
thousand  Cossacks  and  Tatars  were  left  dead  on  the 
field  of  battle  ;  sixty  pieces  of  cannon,  all  their  baggage 
trains  and  banners,  together  with  an  immense  collection 
of  booty,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  conquerors,  as 
trophies  of  their  victory.  The  king  committed  a 
great  oversight  in  not  following  up  to  the  very  last  in 
pursuit  of  the  flying  enemy.  The  Cossacks  were 
allowed  to  eflfect  their  retreat  comparatively  unmo- 
lested, and  the  victor  was  content  with  a  mere  restric- 
tion of  their  privileges.  Khmielnitski,  however,  soon 
made  his  re-appearance  in  arms,  raised  once  more  the 
standard  of  revolt,  and  even  with  some  partial  success 
at  first :  but  was  again  defeated,  after  having  in  vain 
soHcited  the  protection  of  Turkey  and  Sweden,  who, 
at  the  same  time  that  they  refused  him  their  support, 
advised  him  to  place  no  reliance  whatever  on  Kussia. 
He  tdtimately  changed  his  line  of  policy  as  regarded 
the  establishment  of  the  Cossacks  as  an  independent 
state :  and  having  received  information  that  Prince 
Radziwill  had  just  at  this  period  annihilated  his  best 
troops  in  Lithuania,  and  that  the  Tatar  khan  had 
entered  into  a  treaty  with  the  king  of  Poland,  whereby 
he  undertook  to  pursue  the  Cossacks  in  every  direction 
and  to  break  up  their  settlements,  on  condition  of  his 
Polish  majesty's  aiding  him  to  reconquer  the  Khanat 
in  the  kingdom  of  Astrakhan,  subjugated  a  century 
before  by  the  Czar  Ivan  IV.,  —  conscious,   moreover, 

£ 


50  THE    COSSACKS 

that  he  was  in  no  condition  to  struggle  single-handed 
against  Poland,  Khmielnitski,  on  the  6th  January, 
1654,  concluded  at  Pereaslav  a  convention  with  the 
Czar  Alexy  Michalovitch,  by  the  terms  of  which  a 
portion  of  the  Ukrania,  together  with  its  Cossack 
population,  submitted  under  certain  conditions  to  the 
dominion  of  Russia.  The  conformity  of  creed  in 
matters  of  religion  existing  between  the  t^^  nations, 
the  desire  to  furnish,  elsewhere,  employment  for  the 
turbulent  activity  and  restless  enterprise  of  the  Cossack 
hordes,  joined  to  an  inclination  to  enjoy  at  his  ease 
the  sweets  of  power — by  no  means  an  object  of  easy 
attainment  in  Poland — would  seem  to  have  been  the 
principal  motives  for  his  taking  this  rash  and  impru- 
dent step,  in  direct  opposition  to  the  advice  of  Charles 
Gustavus,  king  of  Sweden,  and  against  the  wish  and 
opinion  of  many  of  the  Cossacks  themselves. 

It  may  be  as  well  here  to  remark,  that  when  Khmiel- 
nitski advised  the  czar  to  attack  Poland,  the  latter, 
willing  at  the  same  time  both  to  play  upon  the  super- 
stitious feelings  of  the  common  people,  and  to  have 
his  still  wavering  decision  confirmed  by  some  favour- 
able omen,  had  a  couple  of  wild  bulls  brought  before 
him ;  one  of  these  bore  the  name  of  Poland  the  other 
Muscovy:  the  larger  and  more  powerful  of  the  two 
was  the  champion  of  Eussia.  The  bulls  were  then 
let  loose  upon  each  other :  in  the  event  of  the  Polish 
bull  being  crushed  by  his  adversary,  then  Alexy  was 
to  be  considered  as  fulfilling  orders  from  on  high.     At 


OF    THE    UKRAINE.  51 

first  the  superior  activity  of  the  Polish  bull  gave  him 
some  advantage  over  his  more  ponderous  assailant, 
and  he  parried  the  attack  of  the  Russian  bull ;  but  the 
latter,  infuriated  by  resistance,  redoubled  his  efforts, 
and  by  dint  of  his  overwhelming  strength  overthrew 
the  former,  and  was  on  the  point  of  being  proclaimed 
the  conqueror,  when  suddenly  the  Polish  bull,  whom 
every  one  supposed  to  be  nearly  dead,  started  up  again 
on  his  legs,  rushed  with  resistless  fury  on  his  anta- 
gonist, buried  his  horns  in  his  flank,  and  stretched  him 
lifeless  on  the  arena.  This  circumstance,  related  by 
several  writers,  made  such  an  impression  on  the  mind 
of  Alexy,  that  it  became  necessary  to  set  in  motion 
the  intrigues  of  the  courtiers,  and  even  of  the  metro- 
politan himself,  in  order  to  force  him  to  invade  Poland. 
As  for  the  Cossacks,  naturally  a  superstitious  race,  it 
was  for  them  an  infallible  prognostic  of  the  ultimate 
victory  that  must  one  day  be  achieved  by  Poland  over 
Russia.  As  Khmielnitski  had  not  the  right  of  dispo- 
sing of  the  Ukraine,  a  war  with  Russia  ensued,  and, 
after  much  bloodshed,  and  the  loss  by  the  Cossacks  of 
several  battles,  a  portion  of  Ukrania  was  restored  to 
Poland. 

Although,  in  accordance  with  the  convention  of  Pe- 
reaslav,  between  the  czar  and  Khmielnitski,  the  latter 
took  possession  of  the  Russian  Ukraine,  as  a  fief  of 
Muscovy,  yet  on  behalf  of  the  Cossacks,  whom,  as  his 
proteges,  he  erected  into  a  species  of  separate  nation, 
they    were    in    reality    much    less    independent    than 


ft 


52  THE    COSSACKS 

they  had  formerly  been  whilst  under  the  dominion  of 
Poland.  The  Russians  personified  despotism  itself; 
the  Cossacks,  on  the  contrary,  the  essence  of  freedom : 
their  customs,  their  character,  their  Magdeburg  code 
of  laws,  under  which  their  government  was  carried  on, 
all  gave  umbrage  to  the  Russians. 

When  we  reflect  on  the  conduct  of  Khmielnitski,  we 
cannot  but  admit  that  he  possessed  in  an  eminent  de- 
gree the  talent  of  adapting  his  measures  to  the  peculiar 
disposition  and  manners  of  the  Cossacks ;  that  he  pos- 
sessed over  them  a  great  ascendancy  and  controlling 
influence ;  but  it  is  nevertheless  equally  evident  that  he 
never  intended  definitely  to  separate  himself  from  Po- 
land, either  because  he  still  secretly  cherished  in  his 
bosom  a  remnant  of  affection  towards  his  native  land, 
or  that  he  foresaw  that  a  race  of  men,  who  exist  but 
for  rapine  and  plunder,  and  who  seem  to  have  a  decided 
repugnance  to  establishing  themselves  anywhere  as  a 
settled  community,  do  not  possess  within  themselves 
the  requisite  elements  for  constituting  a  separate  nation. 
Khmielnitski,  it  is  true,  took  signal  vengeance  for  his 
wrongs,  but  he  dealt  an  almost  mortal  blow  to  Poland, 
and  would  appear  subscquenj:ly  to  have  bitterly  repented 
his  conduct  in  so  doing ;  since,  on  his  death-bed,  after 
having  summoned  together  the  principal  Cossack 
leaders,  and  returned  them  thanks  for  their  devotion  to 
his  cause,  he  uttered  these  memorable  words  :  "  /  have 
committed  towards  God  a  grievous  sin,  in  having  betrayed 
the  Cossack  people  to  the  Czar  Alexy :  it  were  better  that 


OF    THE   UKRAINE.  OO 

they  should  confide  in  the  Turks,  or  even  in  the  Tatars 
themselves,  than  in  the  good  faith  of  Russia,  Return 
back  then,  Cossacks,  to  Poland,  and  continue  for  ever 
united  to  her.''  After  pronouncing  this  address  he  ex- 
pired, on  the  I5th  of  August,  1656. 

After  his  death  the  Cossacks  alternately,  as  occasion 
offered,  returned  to  their  allegiance  to  Poland,  or  sub- 
mitted to  the  Turks;  now  allying  themselves  once  more 
with  Russia,  now  breaking  out  into  fresh  revolts,  which 
deluged  the  country  with  torrents  of  blood.  All  the 
efforts  of  an  historian  would  be  unequal  to  the  task  of 
describing  the  endless  intrigues  and  convulsions  by 
which  they  were  incessantly  agitated.  Although  Russia 
held  out  to  them  the  hope  of  something  like  indepen- 
dence, she  never  in  reality  entertained  the  slightest  idea 
of  fulfilling  her  promises  to  the  Cossacks  in  this  respect. 
8he  on  the  contrary  abrogated  their  privileges,  and 
suppressed  the  Cossack  settlements  in  Lesser  Russia. 

Outrages  similar  to  those  perpetrated  by  Czaplinski 
could  not  be  tolerated  anywhere.  Had  he  been 
punished  with  death  in  Khmielnitski's  presence  the 
terrible  rebellion  of  the  Cossacks  under  his  sway  would 
never  have  happened.  On  the  other  side,  had  Khmiel- 
nitski's  father  not  shamefully  illtreated  Czaplinski,  the 
latter  would  probably  never  have  committed  such  enor- 
mities at  Khmielnitski's  house,  and  never  avenged  on 
the  son  the  insults  to  which  he  had  been  subjected  by 
the  father.  Those  also  who  are  acquainted  with  the 
recesses   of  the  human  heart,  are  well  aware,  that  a 


54  THE    COSSACKS 

proud  man  may  forgive  many  things,  but  scorn  never ; 
and  that  there  are  offences  which  are  never  forgiven. 

More  than  once  we  have  seen  that  private  quarrels 
often  exercised  a  fatal  influence  on  the  destiny  of  large 
empires.  Such  things  produce  generally  a  terrible 
commotion  when  the  offender  is  too  powerful  to  be 
dealt  with  openly;  and  the  more  powerful  he  is,  the 
more  his  injuries  are  resented.  Even  time,  instead  of 
diminishing,  only  increases  the  thirst  for  revenge. 

Khmielnitski,  after  his  defection  from  Poland,  usurped 
the  Polish  title  of  hetman,  which  nowhere  now  exists 
but  among  the  Cossacks.  The  dignity  of  grand 
hetman,  which  corresponds  to  that  of  field-marshal,  or 
general-in-chief,  existed  till  the  last  partition  of 
Poland.  The  supreme  military  title  among  the  Cos- 
sacks, granted  to  the  latter  by  the  Polish  kings,  and 
known  among  the  Cossacks  themselves,  was  Attaman 
Koshovy,  or  only  Koshovy;  Attaman  Kourenny,  or 
Kourenny  only,  corresponding  with  the  title  of  colonel, 
with  some  higher  distinctions. 

After  the  defection  of  Khmielnitski  from  Poland  and 
his  death,  a  Cossack  chief,  Samoilovitch,  taking  advan- 
tage of  a  disastrous  treaty  between  Poland  and  Russia 
in  1686,  by  which  not  only  the  Polish  territory  at  the 
east  of  the  Dnieper,  but  even  the  important  town  of 
K'iof  was  given  up  to  the  latter  power,  prevailed,  by 
Russian  intrigues,  on  great  numbers  of  Polish 
Cossacks  settled  on  the  western  bank  of  that  river  to 
emigrate  with  him  to  Russia  in  1675,  under  the  plea  of 


OF    THE   UKRAINE.  55 

finding  great  advantages  for  them  in  the  Russian 
Ukraine,  where  lands  were  actually  distributed  to  them 
in  the  Steppes,  and  high-sounding  promises  made  them 
by  order  of  the  czar.  This  emigration,  which  may  be 
considered  as  one  of  the  most  important  after  the  death 
of  Khmielnitskij  was  undertaken  more  from  religious 
than  from  political  motives,  as  the  Cossacks  on  all  im- 
portant occasions  have  invariably  shown  a  greater 
predilection  to  Poland  than  to  Russia,  on  account  of 
their  attachment  to  liberty  and  democracy. 

AVars  between  Poland  and  Russia  on  account  of  the 
Cossacks  have  been  incessant.  The  continual  emigra- 
tion of  the  Cossacks  to  both  countries  became  an 
apple  of  discord  between  Poland  and  Russia  till  the 
complete  suppression  of  the  Zaporogues  before  the  par- 
tition of  Poland :  though  some  of  the  Polish  Cossacks 
were  still  to  be  found  in  the  Ukraine.  If,  on  one  side, 
during  the  beginning  of  their  political  existence  the 
Cossacks  were  useful  to  Poland;  on  the  other,  their 
piratical  expeditions  and  rapine  in  Turkey  were  chiefly 
the  cause  of  many  wars  with  the  Ottomans  ;  while  their 
numerous  rebellions  cost  rivers  of  blood.  The  perse- 
cution of  their  religious  creed,  chiefly  attributed  to  the 
bigotry  of  the  Jesuits  who  governed  the  weak  Sigis- 
mund  III.,  and  the  oppression  to  which  they  were  sub- 
jected by  the  Polish  grandees,  sapped  the  political 
existence  of  Poland.  As  there  was  a  time  when  all  the 
Cossacks  were  inclined  to  be  incorporated  completely 
with  Poland,  it  was  as  necessary  to  invest  them  cau- 


56  THE    COSSACKS   OF    THE   UKRAINE. 

tiously  with  the  privileges  of  the  Polish  nobles  as  to 
exterminate  them  completely. 

The  general  characteristics  of  the  Cossacks  appear  to 
be  their  predilection  for  a  wandering  life,  love  of 
rapine,  a  wild  passion  for  democracy,  and  a  liberty  they 
know  not  how  to  use.  A  Cossack  will  endure  any 
climate,  and  is  remarkable  for  the  instinct  by  which  he 
finds  his  way  in  the  wildest  tracts.  With  noisy  demon- 
strations of  joy  in  successes,  they  combine  sudden 
depression  of  spirits  in  reverses,  and  their  passions  ai'e 
easily  excited,  being  governed  rather  by  impulse  than 
by  reason.  The  generality  of  the  Cossacks  are  of 
middle  size  but  of  robust  constitution,  enduring  hun- 
ger, thirst,  fatigue,  and  want  of  sleep,  with  astonishing 
hardihood.  They  have  mostly  auburn  or  red  hair,  blue 
sunken  eyes,  and  Asiatic  features  :  cunning  and  patient 
in  stratagem,  they  are  at  the  same  time  proud  and 
hospitable.  They  are  rather  a  peculiar  race  than  a 
distinct  nation,  whose  ultimate  destiny,  assigned  them 
by  Providence,  is,  probably,  not  yet  fulfilled. 

See  Lessur's  Histoire  des  Cosaques;  Chevalier's 
Guerre  des  Cosaques ;  Pastorius ;  Niemcevitch ;  Beau- 
plan;  Sherer  Annales  de  le  Petite  Russie;  Pologne 
Pittoresque ;  Brown  on  the  Cossacks ;  Pamietniki ; 
Hetmana  Zulkiewskiego,  &c.,  &c. 

See  on  Pazin,  L'Eveque ;  Lessur ;  Kelation  of  the 
rebellion  of  Eazin,  British  Museum,  &c.,  &c. 

See  on  Mazeppa,  Life  of  Peter  the  Great,  Charles 
XII.,  Nurymberg,  &c.  &c. 


CHAPTEE  II. 

REBELLION    OF    STENKO    RAZIN. 

Stenko  Eazin— Obscurity  of  his  early  History— His  Oath  of  Ven- 
geance against  Russia — His  Eetreat  at  the  Mouth  of  the  laik— 
Amnesty  with  Russia — Again  RevoUs — His  Popularity— Attack 
on  Astrakhan— Its  Capture— Stenko  Razin's  ambitious  Design — 
His  Stratagem  and  Successes — Head-quarters  of  Prince  Dolgorouki 
— Horrible  Execution  of  the  Rebels — Stenko  betrayed  by  Yakolof — 
— His  Execution,  and  extraordinary  Firmness — Restoration  of 
Tranquillity. 

The  very  first  act  of  the  Russian  supremacy  over  the 
Cossacks  of  the  Ukraine  was  by  no  means  of  good 
augury  for  the  future,  as  we  shaU  prove  by  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  rebellion. 

The  origin  of  Stenko  Razin,  and  the  manner  in 
which  he  spent  his  youthful  days,  are  by  no  means 
well  known,  and  seem  to  be  enveloped  in  mystery.  In 
almost  aU  the  books  written  concerning  him  he  is  de- 
scribed as  a  Don  Cossack,  but  the  termination  of  his 
surname  is  purely  foreign :  stiU,  as  neither  the  place 
of  his  birth,  nor  the  name  of  Cossack  Stanitza  (com- 
mune) to  which  he  belonged,  is  mentioned,  it  is  pos- 
sible that  either  he  emigrated  with  Khmielnitski  from 
Poland  to  Russia,  in  his  childhood,  or  joined  his 
Cossacks  from  more  distant  regions. 


58  REBELLION    OF 

Prince  Dolgorouki,  who  commanded  in  the  Russian 
Ukraine,  was  desirous  of  retaining  a  Cossack  regiment 
for  some  time  longer  that  he  was  warranted  in  doing 
by  the  stipulations  agreed  upon  with  the  Cossacks,  who 
had  just  previously  thrown  themselves  into  the  arms  of 
E/Ussia,  and  which  stipulations  had  been  formally  rati- 
fied by  the  Czar  Alexy.  The  soldiers  refused  to  re- 
main, and  with  their  colonel,  Razin,  at  their  head, 
marched  ofi"  home.  The  Russian  general  had  the 
colonel  seized,  brought  privately  back  to  the  Russian 
camp,  and  there  hanged  under  his  own  eyes.  This 
colonel  had  a  brother,  named  Stenko  Razin,  a  simple 
Cossack  soldier  in  the  ranks,  but  whose  lofty  and  enter- 
prising character,  uncommon  courage,  strength  of  body, 
and  skill  in  military  affairs,  greatly  distinguished  him 
above  all  the  rest  of  his  companions.  Indignant  at  the 
infamous  treatment  experienced  by  his  brother,  he 
swore  an  oath  of  vengeance  for  the  injury,  and  to  ex- 
tend that  vengeance  to  all  that  bore  the  name  of  Rus- 
sian. For  the  moment,  however,  he  managed  to  re- 
strain his  feelings,  and,  under  the  appearance  of  sub- 
mission, to  gain  the  favour  of  his  superiors,  whilst  at 
the  very  time  he  was  secretly  nourishing  the  flames  of 
discord,  and  spreading  the  seeds  of  revolt.  Under  the 
pretext  of  avenging  their  outraged  religion,  he  assem- 
bled a  body  of  his  companions,  and  proceeded  privately 
with  them  towards  the  Don,  in  order,  as  he  gave  out, 
to  free  all  the  Cossacks  from  the  Muscovite  yoke. 
Pursued  by  superior  forces,  he  pushed  forward  to  the 


STENKO    RAZIN.  59 

Volga,  and,  after  having  taken  the  command  of  all  the 
robbers  and  banditti  there  congregated,  and  of  as  many 
Cossacks  as  he  could  gather  together,  he  attacked  and 
took  possession  of  a  rich  caravanne,  which  the  czar  was 
sending  to  Persia,  escorted  by  one  of  his  favourites ; 
enrolled  such  of  the  soldiers  as  were  willing  to  enter 
his  service,  and  had  all  the  rest  massacred  without  pity, 
together  with  their  officers.  He  then  descended  the 
Volga,  gained  the  shores  of  the  Caspian  Sea,  and  sur- 
prised the  town  of  Goui-ief,  at  the  mouth  of  the  laik 
(now  Ouralsek).  The  fame  of  his  robberies  and  his  vic- 
tories brought  him  a  numerous  accession  of  partisans 
and  of  vagabonds  attracted  by  the  hope  of  plunder. 
Prince  Khilkuf,  the  governor  of  Astrakhan,  alarmed  at 
his  success,  sent  him  a  deputation  of  officers  to  offer 
him  a  free  pardon,  on  condition  of  his  returning  to 
his  allegiance  to  the  czar.  Razin  received  these  officers 
at  first  with  great  politeness,  and  then  had  them  all  put 
to  death  in  his  presence.  The  governor,  having  some 
misgiving  as  to  their  fate,  despatched  a  regular  divi- 
sion of  the  army,  under  Siverof,  against  Stenko 
Razin ;  but  the  latter,  still  retreating,  enticed  his  pur- 
suer into  a  disadvantageous  position,  and  cut  his  army 
to  pieces.  He  then  attacked  and  took  by  surprise  the 
town  of  latskoy  (Ouralsk),  where  he  had  all  the  officers 
hanged,  and  all  the  soldiers  who  refused  to  submit  to 
his  orders  massacred.  In  this  fortified  position,  at  the 
-extremity  of  Russia,  surrounded  by  fearful  deserts, 
and  by  savage  hordes  impatient  of  the  Muscovite  yoke. 


60  REBELLION   OF 

he  used  every  possible  means  to  attach  the  half-savage 
Cossacks  of  the  laik  to  his  cause.  He  organised  and 
disciplined  his  troops,  increased  his  flotilla,  and,  antici- 
pating that  he  must  very  shortly  be  attacked,  des- 
patched emissaries  in  all  directions  to  rouse  the  spirit 
of  insurrection.  He  descended  the  Volga,  seized  upon 
all  the  merchant-vessels,  and  annihilated  the  Russian 
fleet,  that  had  just  been  sent  out  against  him.  He 
attacked  Persia,  after  having  augmented  his  forces  by 
the  incorporation  with  them  of  another  famous  band  of 
Cossack  corsairs,  led  by  Krivoy,  who  came  voluntarily 
to  place  himself  and  followers  under  his  orders.  In  the 
course  of  a  very  short  time  they,  together,  sacked  seve- 
ral towns,  and  beat  the  Persian  army,  giving  out  that 
they  so  did  by  order  of  the  czar.  As,  however,  the 
united  force  of  Persia  threatened  to  crush  them  at  once, 
they  retreated  towards  the  mouth  of  the  laik,  amongst 
the  islands,  or  rather  forests,  of  reeds  and  osier-beds, 
which  there  formed  an  asylum  inaccessible  to  any  other 
vessels  save  their  own  light  barks,  and  where  they 
made  provision  of  food,  ammunition,  and  military 
stores,  previously  to  recommencing  their  piracies  and 
excursions  for  propagating  rebellion. 

But  the  Russian  court  having  by  this  time  received 
information  of  their  robber-like  exploits,  deposed 
Khilkuf,  and  ordered  the  governor  of  Astrakhan, 
Prince  Prozorowskoi  to  set  out  immediately  in  pursuit 
of  the  two  chiefs ;  and  to  hunt  them  down  without 
mercy    or    intermission.      Aware    of    their    place   of 


STENKO    RAZIN*.  61 

Tetreat,  he  had  the  river  closed  up  in  the  narrow  parts 
with  strong  iron  chains,  and  landed  a  body  of  troops 
in  the  rear  of  the  Cossacks ;  he  likewise  sent  forward  a 
squadron  of  well-armed  ships  of  war,  manned  by  his 
best  sailors,  to  exterminate  the  Cossack  pirates. 
Stenko  Razin,  thus  suddenly  enclosed  as  in  a  trap — • 
destitute,  moreover,  of  sufficient  stores  and  ammuni- 
tion to  enable  him  to  hold  out  for  any  continuance — 
despatched  confidential  envoys  to  Prince  Prozorowskoi, 
with  proposals  of  surrender,  and  of  consecrating,  like 
a  second  Yermak,  his  talents  and  the  remainder  of 
his  life  to  the  service  of  the  czar,  provided  he  was 
assured  of  pardon  for  his  past  acts  of  rebelHon.  But 
at  the  same  time  that  he  was  making  these  proposals, 
which  he  had  every  reason  to  anticipate  would  be 
rejected,  he  took  every  possible  measure  within  liis 
power,  to  either  conquer  or  perish  in  the  struggle. 
Whether  it  was  that  Prozorowskoi  hoped  to  turn 
his  submission  to  some  account,  or  that  the  chances 
of  a  sea-fight  with  such  experienced  corsairs  as 
Razin  and  his  followers,  so  often  victorious,  and  now 
reduced  to  despair,  appeared  to  him  somewhat  too 
doubtful ;  the  result  was,  that  he  accepted  the  latter's 
ofier  of  submission.  Stenko  Razin  was  amnestied ; 
and  after  he  had  renewed  his  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  czar,  was  confirmed  in  the  command  of  his 
troop  of  Cossacks,  which  were  distributed  along  the 
banks  of  the  Don.  But  what  appears  still  more 
extraordinary,  is    the   fact  of  the   Czar    Alexy    never 


o:(5  REBELLION    OF 

having  in  the  sequel  violated  this  amnesty.  The 
thirst  for  vengeance,  however,  still  raged  in  the 
bosom  of  Stenko  Razin;  the  dead  body  of  his 
brother  was  incessantly  before  his  eyes ;  he  renewed 
his  intrigues ;  he  was  now  observed  to  make  a  great 
display  of  his  riches, — to  be  prodigal  of  his  money 
to  his  friends  and  partizans,  whom  he  confidentially 
gave  to  understand,  by  mysterious  hints,  that  he  would 
shortly  be  in  a  condition  to  renew  with  them  the 
former  course  of  profitable  expeditions.  By  all  these 
manoeuvres,  joined  to  their  natural  impatience  of  an 
inactive  life,  and  craving  for  booty,  the  eyes  of 
all  the  Cossacks  of  the  Don  were  gradually  directed 
towards  Stenko,  who  completely  eclipsed  the  influence 
of  Kernel  Yakolof,  their  attaman. 

Seeing  that  the  time  had  now  arrived  for  throwing 
aside  the  mask  of  submission,  and  for  taking  an 
attitude  of  independence,  Razin  gave  the  signal  for 
action.  From  the  banks  of  the  Don  to  those  of  the 
laik,  nothing  was  now  heard  but  one  unanimous 
cry  of  "  Long  live  Stenko  !  down  with  the  Russians !" 
All  the  officers  who  had  been  set  to  watch  the 
Cossacks  disappeared.  Stenko  started  up  once 
more  on  the  Volga.  In  possession  of  a  new 
flotilla,  he  destroyed  the  merchant  vessels,  ravaged 
both  banks  of  the  river,  and  massacred  all  those 
who  hesitated  or  refused  to  attach  themselves  to 
his  fortunes.  A  regular  body  of  Strelitzes,  sent  against 
him,  instead  of  opposing  his  troops,  introduced   them 


STENKO    RAZIN.  63 

into  the  town  of  Tzaritch.ine,  where  all  the  Russians 
were  put  to  the  sword ;  whereupon  adherents  flocked 
from  every  direction  to  join  his  cause,  and  his  forces 
thenceforward  rapidly  increased  in  numbers.  A 
division  of  the  Russian  army,  under  Livof,  despatched 
against  him,  revolted ;  massacred  their  oiEcers,  and 
enlisted  under  his  orders.  Another  division,  sent 
from  Moscow,  proved  more  faithful,  but  less  fortunate ; 
overpowered  and  cut  to  pieces,  scarcely  three  men 
escaped.  Tchernoiar  opened  its  gates  to  the  rebels. 
Prozorowskoi,  shut  up  in  Astrakhan,  and  anticipating 
a  speedy  attack,  laid  in  a  store  of  provisions,  repaired 
the  fortifications,  took  all  possible  measures  to  repel 
the  assailants,  and  despatched  courier  after  courier 
to  Moscow,  to  solicit  reinforcements.  But  symptoms 
of  sedition  already  began  to  manifest  themselves  in 
the  place  ;  the  soldiers  mutinied,  and  demanded  their 
pay,  and  the  metropolitan  opened  his  treasures  in 
order  to  appease  them. 

In  this  state  of  things  it  was  that  Stenko  Razin, 
dragging  after  him  the  scum  and  refuse  of  various 
robber  nations,  made  his  appearance  before  Astrakhan, 
and,  assuming  the  mask  of  humanity,  summoned  the 
governor  to  throw  open  to  him  the  gates  of  the  city,  in 
order  to  avoid  pillage  and  massacre.  The  governor, 
by  way  of  reply,  had  his  messenger  hanged  from  the 
battlements  on  the  rampart.  The  bravest  of  the  troops 
were  now  posted  at  the  weakest  points,  and  volleys  of 
musketry  were  returned  in  answer  to  the  insolent  pro- 


64  REBELLION    OF 

position.  In  a  short  time,  however,  thousands  of 
scaling-ladders  were  applied  to  the  walls :  the  Cossacks 
mounted  them  with  surprising  audacity  :  instead  of 
resisting  them,  the  Russian  soldiers  received  them  as 
brethren.  The  result  may  be  easily  foreseen.  Some 
of  the  officers,  who  wished  to  recall  the  troops  to 
their  duty,  were  instantly  set  upon,  and,  together  with 
all  those  who  were  most  interested  in  the  defence  of 
the  town,  overpowered  and  put  to  the  sword,  their 
houses  pillaged,  their  wives  maltreated,  and  their  chil- 
dren thrown  out  of  the  windows.  Stenko  himself, 
drunk  with  brandy  and  carnage,  and  covered  all  over 
with  blood,  ran  through  all  the  streets,  poniard  in 
hand,  in  search  of  Prozorowskoi,  whom  he  at  last  dis- 
covered lying  wounded  in  a  church.  He  ordered  him 
to  be  thrown,  in  his  presence,  from  the  top  of  a  high 
tower.  By  a  singular  accident,  his  body,  crushed  and 
mutilated,  fell  close  by  that  of  his  brother,  who  also 
was  mortally  wounded  and  expiring.  He  then  had 
Prozorowskoi's  two  boys  hanged  by  the  heels,  under  the 
pretext  that,  after  repeated  questions  put  to  them  on 
the  subject,  they  refused  to  discover  where  the  govern- 
ment chest  was  deposited.  The  metropolitan,  who 
endeavoured  to  protect  them,  was  put  to  death.  The 
mother  of  the  two  boys  was  spared.  A  general  pillage 
wound  up  this  eventful  day,  ever  memorable  for  Astra- 
khan, wherein  all  the  Tatars  were  spared,  as  being 
victims  of  Muscovite  tyranny. 

Now  it  was  that,  master  of  a  city  renowned  for  its 


STENKO    RAZIN.  66 

commerce,  and  of  several  fortresses,  with  a  fleet  and  an 
army  at  the  extremity  of  Russia,  Stenko  Razin  medi- 
tated the  overthrow  of  the  Romanow  dynasty,  their 
expulsion  from  the  Muscovite  throne,  the  abolition  of 
serfdom,  the  extermination  of  the  noblesse  of  the  em- 
pire, and  the  erection  into  independent  principalities  of 
all  those  provinces  which  Russia  had  recently  and  per- 
fidiously seized  from  the  Tatars  and  theii*  allies,  as 
likewise  from  other  nations. 

A  YSLiiety  of  singular  circumstances  existing  at  the 
period  seemed  to  favour  this  project;  amongst  others  the 
quarrel  between  the  Czar  Alexy  and  the  patriarch 
Nickon,  whom  he  had  just  deposed,  and  the  recent 
death  of  his  eldest  son  and  heir  to  the  throne,  against 
whom  it  was  generally  supposed  his  father  had  con- 
ceived a  deeply-rooted  hatred.  Stenko  Razin  resolved 
to  turn  these  incidents  to  account,  and  to  excite  the 
Cossacks  and  other  superstitious  subjects  of  the  czar 
to  rebellion  by  an  appeal  to  their  feelings  of  religious 
fanaticism.  To  this  end  he  caused  a  rumour  to  be 
circulated  that  both  the  patriarch  and  the  czarewicz, 
(the  heir  apparent)  having  escaped,  by  miracle,  from 
their  oppressor,  had  fled  to  him  for  protection  and  ven- 
geance for  their  wrongs.  In  order  to  give  confirmation 
to  this  rumour,  he  had  two  barks  constructed,  the  one 
covered  with  red,  and  the  other  with  black  velvet.  In 
the  former  was  understood  to  be  concealed  the  fugitive 
czarewicz,*  and  in  the  latter  the  injured  patriarch. 
The  ruse  succeeded  to  admiration.     From  this  moment 

F 


66  REBELLION    OF 

Stenko  was  regarded  by  the  multitude  in  no  other  light 
than  as  the  guardian  angel  of  religion  and  the  champion 
of  outraged  liberty.  All  the  fanatics,  adventurers, 
and  brigands,  far  and  near,  flocked  to  his  standard,  and 
his  army  already  amounted  to  100,000  men.  In  a  short 
time  he  quitted  Astrakhan,  where  he  left  25,000  of  his 
troops,  and  advanced  up  the  Volga,  to  establish  his 
head-quarters  at  Kazan,  the  ancient  metropolis  of  the 
Tatars.  On  his  way  thither  he  took  Saratof  and  Sa- 
marra,  seizing  on  all  the  money  he  could  find  there, 
and  putting  all  the  E-ussian  inhabitants  to  the  sword. 
The  whole  of  the  Cossack  and  Tatar  populations  on 
his  route,  including  the  various  scattered  and  bar- 
barian hordes,  inflamed  by  his  proclamations,  and 
headed  by  their  respective  chiefs,  declared  for  him. 
All  the  country,  from  Astrakhan  to  Nizny  Novograd, 
was  sacked  and  pillaged;  the  nobles  were  massacred, 
their  wives  dishonoured,  and  their  dwellings  set  on  fire, 
till  at  last  Sineberik  succeeded  in  arresting  their  san- 
guinary and  devastating  march. 

A  division  of  the  Russian  army,  under  the  orders  of 
Miloflaskoy,  who  was  instructed  to  retake  Astrakhan, 
met  with  the  rebels,  whom  they  defeated;  the  latter 
retreated  into  the  town,  resolved  to  defend  themselves 
to  the  last  extremity,  under  the  orders  of  Krivoy. 

Stenko  Razin,  after  having  gained  several  victories 
over  the  Russians,  began  at  last  to  meet  with  nothing 
but  reverses:  defeated  by  Prince  Boratynskoy,  and 
pursued  by  the  very  same  Dolgorouki  who  had  caused 


STENKO    RAZIX.  67 

his  brother  to  be  hanged  in  the  Ukraine,  he  was  over- 
taken by  him  just  as  he  was,  with  his  Cossacks,  at  the 
gates  of  Moscow,  which  would  have  been  thrown  open 
to  him,  had  he  not  lost  too  much  time  in  pillaging  the 
provinces — a  fatal  delay,  as  the  result  proved,  for 
Stenko,  who,  not  having  sufficient  time  to  concentrate 
his  army  against  Dolgorouki,  was  by  that  general 
surprised,  and  15,000  men,  the  elite  of  his  Cossack 
soldiers,  suddenly  fallen  upon  by  superior  numbers, 
were  cut  to  pieces.  Three  times  broken,  three  times 
they  recovered  the  battle,  but,  panic-stricken  at  this 
unlooked-for  disaster,  the  rebels  fell  from  the  height 
of  confidence  to  the  extremity  of  discouragement.  The 
peasants  returned  to  their  several  homes,  the  barbarian 
hordes  fell  off  one  after  the  other,  and  disappeared  in 
the  deserts,  whilst  the  Cossacks,  incessantly  pursued  by 
their  victorious  and  implacable  foes,  who  gave  them  no 
quarter,  opposed  but  an  inefiectual  resistance.  All  the 
roads,  towns,  villages,  passes,  rivers,  lakes,  ponds,  barns, 
and  houses,  were  full  of  their  mutilated  bodies. 

In  the  ancient  town  of  Arsamas,  in  the  country  of 
the  Morduates,  the  terrible  Prince  Sergue  Dolgorouki 
established  his  head-quarters.  In  the  suburbs  of  that 
town,  on  a  level  ground,  was  a  large  square  field,  where 
was  established  the  merciless  tribunal  which  pro- 
nounced judgment  and  immediate  execution  on  the 
rebels.  There  was  a  tent,  and  some  clergy  of  the 
Greco-Russian  church,  where  mass  was  daily  celebrated. 
Before  the  chapel  was  the  likeness  of  the  czar,  before 


68  REBELLION    OF 

whom  every  one  was  compelled  to  kneel.  Behind  the 
chapel  was  a  rack,  and  on  both  sides  of  the  rack  were 
several  rows  of  gallows,  some  miles  in  length,  and  in- 
struments of  torture  ready  for  the  unfortunate  victims. 
The  punishments  were  in  accordance  with  the  degree 
of  culpability  and  station  in  society  of  the  rebels. 
In  the  first  row  of  gallows  the  most  guilty  were  exe- 
cuted; after  being  subjected  to  the  rack  they  were 
quartered  alive.  The  leaders  had  their  right  hand  and 
left  leg  cut  off,  and  were  afterwards  impaled  on  long 
spikes,  and  left  to  their  horrible  fate.  Their  groans 
were  heard  for  miles,  and  their  bodies  feasted  the 
eyes  of  the  panic-stricken  population.  In  the  second 
row  of  gallows  they  were  only  quartered,  and  their 
sufferings  were  at  least  shorter.  In  the  third  row, 
the  parties  were  simply  beheaded.  In  the  fourth  row, 
they  were  merely  hanged.  In  the  fifth,  they  ran  the 
gauntlet  and  the  knout.  All  the  ecclesiastics  were 
burned.  There  were  separate  gallows  for  women, 
married  and  maiden.  Even  children,  from  thirteen 
years,  were  subjected  to  great  cruelty.  Married  couples 
were  occasionally  hanged  on  the  same  gallows,  as  well 
as  whole  families.  During  the  space  of  three  months 
13,000  human  beings  were  executed  in  the  presence 
of  Dolgorouki.  Stenko  Razin''s  nephew  and  his  parti- 
cular friend  were  quartered. 

Among  the  female  prisoners  there  was  a  handsome 
nun,  who  over  her  female  garments  had  a  male  attire. 
She  commanded  a  corps  of  7000  men,  gave  more  than 


STENKO    RAZIN.  69 

once  proofs  of  extraordinary  courage  and  great  ability 
in  the  field,  and  inflicted  terrible  losses  on  the  Russians. 
When  summoned  before  Dolgorouki,  she  displayed  a 
presence  of  mind  and  a  firmness  diflicult  to  describe, 
and  said,  if  every  one  under  her  command  had  done  his 
duty  in  such  a  manner  as  she  had  done,  Dolgorouki, 
instead  of  erecting  the  gallows,  would  have  taken  to  his 
heels.  As  for  a  nun  in  Russia  to  run  away  from 
a  monastery  is  a  capital  oflTence,  she  lay  down  quietly 
on  a  funeral  pile,  and  was  burned  to  ashes.  The 
dangling  dead  bodies  of  so  many  thousand  veterans 
brought  many  crows  and  ravens,  which  devoured  the 
corpses.  From  that  time  that  suburb  is  called  the 
suburb  of  hell.'* 

The  likeness  of  the  czar,  the  artificial  church,  the 
Greco-Russian  priests  in  their  black  dresses  with  their 
long  beards,  the  inquisitive  auricular  confession,  the 
rack,  the  gallows,  the  instruments  of  torture,  and  the 
executioners,  bring  involuntarily  to  mind  the  dark 
ages  of  Muscovite  tyranny,  which,  partly  subdued  by 
the  spirit  of  our  more  fortunate  age  and  the  rising  star 
of  western  liberty,  is  not  yet  completely  vanquished. 
Stenko  Razin,  persecuted,  chased  and  hunted  without  a 
moment's  repose  upon  the  Volga,  through  the  Steppes, 
through  the  wildest  tracks,  trying  in  vain  to  recall  and 
rally  the  fugitives,  who  were  not  less  frightened  at  the 
ignominious  death  of  their  comrades,  than  at  the  danger 
of  that  merciless  struggle ;  seeing  them  partly  disposed 
to   deliver  him   up ;  daring   not  to   enter  Astrakhan ; 


70  REBELLION    OF 

arrived  at  the  Don,  requesting  the  hospitality  of  the 
Hetman  Yakolof,  and  hinting  at  the  possibility  of  plan- 
ning new  expeditions.  But  the  latter,  secretly  offended 
against  him,  indignant  at  his  cruelties,  and  wishing 
to  take  all  possible  advantage  of  that  opportunity  for 
ingratiating  himself  in  the  czar''s  favour,  betrayed  him, 
put  him  in  irons,  and  delivered  him  to  the  Russians, 
with  his  brother  Frolko.  The  latter,  being  well  aware 
of  the  terrible  torments  reserved  for  them  both,  re- 
proached him  with  all  his  misfortunes,  shed  abundant 
tears,  and  gave  up  his  mind  to  despair.  Stenko,  whose 
spirit  was  not  yet  subdued,  comforted  him  as  well  as  he 
could,  and  said  that  the  whole  population  of  Moscow 
might  yet  liberate  him,  and  hail  him  as  their  benefactor. 
The  czar,  having  been  apprised  of  their  conversation, 
and  wishing  to  make  a  public  example  of  him,  ordered 
that  he  should  enter  the  city  in  a  mock  triumph.  A 
spacious  cart,  drawn  by  three  mules,  was  accordingly 
sent  to  meet  Stenko  E-azin  a  mile  from  the  city.  Here 
he  was  stripped  of  his  fine  silk  clothes,  put  in  rags,  and 
chained  by  his  neck  and  his  two  hands  and  feet  to  the 
hinder  part  of  the  cart,  in  which  was  a  gallow,  without 
being  able  to  move,  and  attended  by  two  executioners 
with  their  long  axes.  Thus,  with  his  brother,  who, 
chained  by  the  neck,  followed  on  foot,  the  cart  entered 
at  noon  the  metropolitan  city.  He  was  publicly  exe- 
cuted in  the  citadel  of  Moscow,  the  6th  of  June,  1671, 
having  been  quartered.  To  the  last  moment  he  never 
lost  his  firmness,  but  comforting  his  brother,  mocked  the 


STENKO    RAZIN.  71 

executioners ;  invoking  the  ghost  of  his  brother,  whose 
death  he  avenged,  as  he  said,  and  to  whom  he  seems 
to  have  been  most  tenderly  attached.  When  one  of 
his  legs  and  one  of  his  hands  were  cut  off,  he  was 
whistling,  and  died  without  manifesting  the  slightest 
sign  of  pain.  When  his  brother  Frolko  was  going  to 
be  executed,  he  showed  great  contrition,  and  requested 
to  see  the  czar,  to  reveal  to  him  only  a  secret  of 
great  importance.  His  execution  was  postponed,  and 
he  apprized  the  czar  of  hidden  treasures,  buried  by  his 
late  brother  in  a  particular  spot.  As  the  information 
was  found  to  be  correct  he  was  reprieved. 

After  Stenko  Razin's  death,  Astrakhan  opened  its 
gates  to  the  Russians,  and  Krivoy,  alias  Devil's-feast, 
who  wished  longer  to  disturb  the  public  peace,  was 
poisoned  by  his  own  soldiers  for  his  tyranny.  The 
other  attamans  of  the  Cossacks  were  betrayed  and  de- 
livered up  by  a  Circassian  prince  to  the  Russians,  and 
some  adventurers  who  intended  to  follow  Stenko's  ex- 
ample in  the  neighbourhood  were  quartered.  Prince 
Dolgorouki,  who  destroyed  above  115,000  rebels  in- 
cluding his  executions,  was  recalled,  and  Prince  Tcher- 
niskif  ultimately  quelled  to  a  great  extent  the  serious 
rebellion,  respecting  which  there  are  some  contradic- 
tions. Some  authors  assert  it  was  quelled  in  1671, 
some  in  1673,  and  others  that  peace  and  tranquillity 
were  not  restored  till  1679. 

There  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  had  Stenko 
Razin,  instead  of  spending  a  month  in  pillaging  the 


72  KEBELLION    OF    STENKO    RAZIN. 

provinces,  marched  directly  to  Moscow,  he  would  have 
dethroned  the  czar.  According  to  L'Eveque  and  some 
Russian  authors,  that  rebellion  cost  the  lives  of  800,000 
human  beings ;  according  to  others  of  more,  as  anarchy, 
murder,  and  pillage  reigned  for  several  years  after 
Razin's  execution  in  distant  provinces  of  the  Russian 
empire,  especially  amongst  the  barbarous  and  predatory 
hordes  and  the  serfs,  in  consequence  of  his  proclama- 
tions. 


73 


CHAPTER     III. 


THE    ZAPOROGUES. 


Origin  of  the  Zaporogues — Description  of  the  Country  formerly  In- 
habited by  them— Their  Numbers,  Customs,  Laws,  and  Conditions 
of  admission — Their  Robberies  by  Sea  and  Land — Their  Mode  of 
Life,  and  Manner  of  Electing  Chiefs — Wars  with  Turkey,  Russia, 
and  the  Tatars— Their  Independence— Cruelty  of  Peter  the  Great 
towards  them  —  Their  Treaty  with  Mazeppa  —  Surrender  to 
Turkey  —  Submission  to  Russia,  and  afterwards  to  Poland  — 
Massacre  organised  by  Catherine  —  Their  Incursion  into  the  Polish 
Ukraine — Complete  Suppression. 

It  is  extremely  difficult  to  assign  any  fixed  epoch  as 
being  that  of  the  true  origin  and  first  establishment  of 
the  Zaporogues,  whom  many  authors  appear  altogether 
to  confound  with  the  Polish  Cossacks,  of  which  race 
they  were  in  some  degree  the  parent  stock.  As,  how- 
ever, they  must  not  be  entirely  confounded  together,  it 
may  be  as  well  to  give  some  of  the  reasons  for  our 
assertion,  which,  based  as  they  are  upon  facts,  in 
themselves  indisputable,  may  give  some  approximate 
idea  of  the  diflference  which  existed  between  the  two, 
without  attempting,  however,  to  enumerate  all  these 
points  of  dissimilarity,  a  task  which  would  involve  too 
wide  a  digression  from  the  main  object  of  the  present 
work. 


74  THE    ZAPOROGUES. 

The  Polish  Cossacks  did  not,  from  the  outset,  con- 
stitute a  body  separate  from  the  rest.  The  Zaporogues 
appear  to  date  only  from  the  17th  century:  they  were, 
originally,  nothing  but  a  militia  corps,  chosen  from 
amongst  the  very  bravest,  the  most  expert,  and  the 
most  active  of  the  Cossack  race — they  were  called  prcB- 
sidiarii,  and  may  be  regarded  as  the  first  Zaporogues — 
especially  appointed  to  guard  the  islands  of  the  Dnieper 
(on  which  were  situated  the  dockyard,  the  arsenal,  and 
the  treasury  of  the  Cossacks,)  during  the  absence  of  the 
latter  on  their  piratical  excursions.  At  a  later  period, 
this  militia  was  reorganised  by  king  Stephen  Batory, 
in  1578,  being  registered  and  paid  expressly  for  the 
defence  of  the  southern  frontier  of  Poland  against  the 
incursions  of  the  Tatars,  the  Russians,  and  the  Turks  : 
they  were  always  under  arms,  and  upon  active  service, 
either  on  the  islands  or  along  the  banks  of  the  Dnieper ; 
and  were  to  be  changed  or  relieved  in  rotation.  Sub- 
sequently, as  we  shall  prove,  this  same  militia  separated 
from  the  main  Cossack  body,  and  formed  a  distinct 
community,  retaining  to  the  last  moment  of  its  existence 
the  impress  of  its  primitive  descent. 

The  Zaporogues  were  so  named  from  the  Polish 
words,  za,  beyond,  and  porog,  cataracts ;  that  is  to  say, 
''the  inhabitants  or  dwellers  beyond  the  cataracts." 
One  of  their  earliest  stations  was  the  island  of  Khor- 
chitza  (forty  miles  to  the  south  of  Kiof),  in  lat.  50  deg. 
and  long.  40  deg.^ 

In  order   to  obtain  admission  as  a  member  of  the 


THE    ZAPOROGUES.  75 

Zaporogue  community  at  their  first  establishment,  the 
candidate  was  required  to  pass,  in  his  boat,  the  thirteen 
cataracts  of  the  Dnieper;  and  this  too  against  the 
current ;  a  feat  which  might  well  seem  impracticable, 
even  to  a  Hercules  himself,  were  not  the  fact  averred 
and  attested  by  a  host  of  eye-witnesses,  and  by  several 
of  the  earlier  historians,  amongst  others  by  Boauplan, 
Starovolski,  Sherer,  and  many  others.  Further,  he 
must  have  killed  ten  of  the  enemy;  have  made  a  success- 
ful excursion  on  the  Black  Sea ;  profess  the  Greek  faith, 
and  be  unmarried :  to  all  which  qualities  he  was  to 
unite  the  minor  recommendations  of  being  able  to  hit  a 
mark  at  a  considerable  distance  with  the  ball  from  his 
carabine ;  to  transfix  with  an  arrow  a  bird  on  the  wing ; 
and  to  swim,  several  times  in  succession,  across  the 
Dnieper.  At  a  later  period,  however,  any  robust  and 
desperate  brigand  was  eligible  as  a  Zaporogue.  Essen- 
tially free,  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  highest  consideration, 
and  of  great  privileges  amongst  the  general  mass  of 
Cossacks,  over  whom  they  considered  themselves  to 
have,  as  they  indeed  possessed,  a  marked  superiority, 
the  Zaporogues  appear  to  have  entertained  a  sovereign 
contempt  for  all  those  who  cultivated  the  soil,  or  addicted 
themselves  to  commerce. 

The  country  formerly  occupied  by  the  Zaporogues  as 
their  peculiar  place  of  abode,  extended  on  either  bank 
of  the  Dnieper  (including  the  islands  formed  by  that 
river),  over  wide-spreading  marshes  and  frightful 
deserts,  rendered  almost   inaccessible    by    rocks   and 


76  THE    ZAPOROGUES. 

precipices,  and  eternally  beaten  by  the  raging  waters  of 
the  cataracts,  whose  ceaseless  roar  might  be  heard  for 
many  miles  round :  a  dwelling-place,  rugged,  dismal, 
wild,  romantic,  and  solitary  ;  well  fitted  to  its  savage 
tenants,  and  capable  of  hardening  men  of  even  the 
mildest  habits.  Their  head-quarters  were  shifted  occa- 
sionally, but  always  so  as  to  be  safe  from  the  attack  of 
the  Ottoman  galleys,  or  of  foreign  cavalry.  According 
to  Sherer,  they  had  three  principal  establishments  on 
the  islets  ;  namely,  those  of  Khortchitza,  Sednef,  and 
Kaniof :  these  strongholds  were  surrounded  by  a  pali- 
sade, a  ring  of  chariots  bound  together  with  iron  chains, 
and  by  a  deep  trench  or  ditch :  occasionally  they  were 
defended  by  artillery,  and  by  a  species  of  embrasures 
for  musketry  or  cannon.  These  war-establishments, 
plentifully  supplied  with  arms,  provisions,  stores,  and 
ammunition,  were  termed  sicz^  from  the  Polish  or 
Russian  word,  siec  od  siec — divide,  cut  up. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  estimate  the  numbers  of  the 
Zaporogues  with  any  approach  to  certainty,  as  they 
varied  according  to  circumstances  :  in  the  time  of  their 
prosperity  they  may,  according  to  Starovolski,  have 
numbered  forty  thousand  men,  capable  at  all  times  of 
bearing  arms :  an  assemblage  of  banditti  more  than 
sufficient  fearfully  to  disturb  the  tranquillity  of  their 
neighbours. 

At  first,  the  Zaporogues  made  their  incursions  con- 
jointly with  other  Cossack  hordes,  or  obeyed  the  orders 
of  the  kings  of  Poland :  subsequently,  however,  when 


THE    ZAPOROGUES.  77 

they  had  formed  themselves  into  a  separate  community, 
they  acted  on  their  own  account.  Their  organisation 
resembled  that  which  they  had  formerly  received  from 
King  Batory,  a  few  slight  changes  or  modifications 
excepted. 

The  Zaporogues  formed  a  species  of  military  order 
or  association ;  or,  rather,  they  may  be  compared,  as 
regards  the  general  features  of  their  combination,  to 
their  contemporaries,  the  famous  Flibustiers  of  the  17th 
century.  They  were  governed  by  a  supreme  chief 
{attaman  koshovy),  whom  they  elected  and  deposed 
according  to  their  own  caprice.  He  had  under  him  a 
secretary-general,  pisar ;  an  auditor-general,  a  stafi*- 
major,  assavula  ;  a  lieutenant-general  of  artillery  and 
engineers,  and  some  other  subaltern  assistants.  Besides 
the  officers  in  question,  nominated  by  themselves,  as  the 
country  of  the  Zaporogues  was  subdivided  into  nume- 
rous districts  or  kourenes,  each  kourene  had  its  own 
particular  chief,  invested  likewise  with  the  title  of  atta- 
man, whose  rank  corresponded  as  nearly  as  possible 
to  that  of  colonel  of  a  regiment ;  and  who  exercised 
moreover  a  kind  of  civil  magistracy  in  the  administra- 
tion of  the  lands  pertaining  to  his  individual  kourene. 
On  the  1st  of  January,  in  each  year,  the  Zaporogues 
assembled,  with  great  pomp  and  bustle,  in  order  to 
distribute  their  lands  into  as  many  portions  as  there 
were  kourenes.  Each  individual  of  a  district  had, 
throughout  the  year,  the  right  of  hunting  and  fishing  on 
his  own  kourene  exclusively ;  or,  in  other  words,  no 


78  THE   ZAPOROGUES. 

Zaporogue  belonging  to  any  other  kourene  was  per- 
mitted to  interfere  with  his  local  privileges  or  to  tres- 
pass on  the  grounds  of  his  neighbour's  kourene. 

After  this  partition,  they  deliberated  on  the  fate  of 
the  chiefs  of  the  preceding  year,  whom  they  either 
confirmed  in  office  or  deposed  at  pleasure.  The  latter 
awaited  their  sentence,  standing.  If  the  Zaporogues 
happened  to  be  satisfied  with  the  conduct  of  their  chiefs, 
the  latter  bowed  to  the  assembly  and  retired  :  if,  on  the 
contrary,  the  attamans  had  displeased  the  midtitude, 
they  laid  down  the  insignia  of  their  dignity,  and  re- 
turned back  as  simple  Cossacks  to  their  respective 
kourenes. 

The  mob,  by  this  time  completely  drunk,  then  pro- 
ceeded to  the  choice  of  the  particular  kourene  from 
which  should  be  selected  the  new  koshovy;  whom, 
having  nominated  and  duly  elected,  the  most  sturdy  of 
the  drinkers  and  vociferators  waited  upon  at  his  own 
dwelling,  if  he  had  been  absent  from  the  assembly,  in 
order  to  announce  to  him  his  elevation.  If  he  thrice 
positively  refused  to  accept  the  proflfered  dignity,  they 
in  the  olden  time  killed  him  there  and  then.  At  a  later 
period,  they  merely  abused  and  maimed  him.  When, 
after  the  two  formal  refusals  required  by  etiquette,  he 
accepted  the  appointment,  they  announced,  by  sound 
of  kettle-drum,  his  accession  to  the  dignity  of  attaman ; 
and  the  most  aged  of  the  Zaporogues,  taking  up  a 
quantity  of  earth,  moistened  with  water  or  melted  snow, 
plastered  over  therewith  the  face  of  the  newly-elected 


THE    ZAPOROGUES. 

chief,  amidst  the  shouts  and  joyful  acclamations  of  his 
companions.  This  rude  and  barbarous  ceremony  had 
allusion  to  his  perilous  and  often  short-lived  dignity, 
seeing  that  if  he  might  not  happen  to  be  killed  in  an 
expedition  against  the  enemy,  the  Zaporogues  usually 
massacred  him  themselves  should  he  chance  to  be  un- 
successful in  war.  It  may  be  here  remarked  that,  during 
a  period  of  seventeen  years  passed  by  Boauplan  in  the 
Ukraine,  there  was  not  one  single  chief  or  attaman  of 
the  Zaporogues  but  who  came  to  an  untimely  end. 

In  addition  to  the  ceremony  of  besmearing  the  face  of 
the  new  attaman  with  mud,  they  stuck  a  crane's  feather 
in  his  bonnet,  and  placed  in  his  hands  the  baton  of 
command :  further,  they  forced  him  to  swallow  a  mouth- 
ful of  tar,  giving  him,  however,  a  glass  of  water  to  wash 
his  mouth  withal ;  and  then  they  comforted  him  with  a 
a  glass  of  excellent  hydromel  (mead),  which  he  was  to 
gulp  down  at  a  single  draught. 

There  was  also,  occasionally,  a  second  meeting  held 
on  Easter-day,  for  the  purpose  of  renewing  the  koshovy, 
and  the  other  principal  officers  under  him.  But  for 
this  convocation  the  assent  of  thirteen  kourenes  at  the 
very  least  was  required.  Now  and  then,  too,  it  hap- 
pened that  party  differences  and  squabbles  arose,  either 
respecting  the  kourenes  or  the  relative  characters  and 
capacities  of  the  various  chiefs.  Then  it  was  that 
quarrels  ran  high,  and  disputes  waxed  hot;  assuming 
the  character  of  a  domestic  war,  wherein  the  victor 
made  the  law,  laid  waste  the  kourenes  of  the  vanquished^ 


80  THE    ZAPOROGUES. 

and  spread  havoc  and  bloodshed.  But  this  kind  of 
intestine  outbreak  was  not  a  normal  condition  of  the 
Zaporogue  confederation  :  such  quarrels  were  by  no 
means  of  very  frequent  occurrence,  and  were  usually 
of  short  duration.'' 

The  koshovy,  all-powerful  during  war,  had  no  great 
authority  in  time  of  peace  within  the  sitche,  where 
nothing  could  be  done  without  the  Starszyzna,  or 
Council  of  Ancients.  It  must  likwise  be  remarked, 
that  neither  the  koshovy  nor  the  principal  officers  under 
him  received  any  salary  whatever ;  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  enjoyed  certain  emoluments,  which  varied  accord- 
ing to  circumstances  and  the  success  of  the  war  in- 
cursions. 

A  more  frequent  subject  of  tumult  and  disorder  arose 
during  the  distribution  of  the  booty,  or  of  the  pay 
granted  to  the  Zaporogues  by  the  kings  of  Poland. 
The  meetings  held  for  these  purposes  were  called 
szodka,  schodka,  or  mala  kromada,  i.  e.  minor  assem- 
blies ;  and  they  ended  frequently  with  a  fight. 

They  were  all  lodged  in  vast  barns,  or  wooden 
barracks.  The  members  of  each  kourene  ate  with 
their  attamans  at  one  common  table,  supplied  at  the 
general  expense.  Their  usual  food  consisted  of  every- 
thing calculated  to  render  men  strong  and  vigorous. 
But,  out  of  the  sitche,  they  ate  whatever  they  pleased, 
and  did  whatever  they  listed.  They  were  also  at  full 
liberty  to  quit  their  community  whenever  they  chose ; 
but,  whilst  in  the  sitche,  they  were  bound  to  conform 


THE    ZAPOROGUES.  81 

to  its  regulations  and  usages.  The  most  ancient  of  all 
their  laws,  and  one  which  was  ever  enforced  with  the 
most  extreme  rigour,  was  that  enacted  for  the  utter 
exclusion  of  women  from  the  sitche.  Every  woman 
who  might  happen  to  be  caught  therein  was  stoned  to 
death,  or,  occasionally,  after  receiving  one  hundred 
blows  from  the  kanczuk,  or  short  whip,  to  the  thong 
of  which  is  appended  a  leaden  buUet,  she  was  hung 
up  by  the  feet;  a  fire  was  then  lighted  under  her, 
so  that  she  was  suffocated  by  the  smoke.  If,  how- 
ever, as  it  sometimes  chanced,  a  foreign  young  girl, 
altogether  innocent,  arrived  in  the  sitche,  they  buried 
her  in  the  ground  up  to  her  neck,  a  fire  was  lighted  at 
a  few  paces  before  her,  and  she  was  shot  at  from  a 
considerable  distance.  As  the  smoke  from  the  fire  did 
not  allow  of  a  steady  aim  being  taken  at  her,  the  marks- 
man generally  managed  to  miss  her  ;  not  unfrequently, 
too,  by  design.  After  three  shots  from  the  carabine 
she  was  released,  without  being  subjected  to  any  further 
outrage,  and  escorted  outside  the  limits  of  the  sitche. 
If  she  was  wounded,  she  was  not  fired  upon  again ;  but 
the  whole  kourene  was  called  together,  and  the  heroine, 
whose  wounds  had  in  the  meantime  received  every 
possible  care  and  attention,  was  set  at  liberty,  with  the 
now  acquired  privilege  moreover  of  selecting  from 
amongst  the  gallant  Zaporogues  whomsoever  she  pleased 
as  her  husband.  All  the  Cossacks  of  the  sitche 
made  her  a  present ;  by  which  means  her  support  for 
life   was   secured,   and  she  retired  with  her  husband 


025  THE    ZAPOROGUES. 

to  establish  herself  in  the  Ukraine.  Even  the  women 
carried  oiF  in  their  piratical  expeditions  and  retained 
were  not  suffered  to  live  in  the  sitche.  The  barbarous 
treatment  experienced  by  several  women  at  their  hands 
sufficed  not,  however,  to  deter  others  from  secretly 
visiting  these  Flibustiers,  and  from  incurring  all  the 
threatened  dangers  of  the  attempt,  in  order  to  satisfy 
their  inclinations  or  their  curiosity. 

As  to  the  pretended  secret,  or  love-charm,  of  which 
some  of  the  Zaporogues  are  by  several  authors  related 
to  have  been  in  possession  for  attracting  the  fair  sex, 
it  may  be  considered  in  the  light  of  a  mere  fable 
invented  for  the  lovers  of  the  marvellous,  inasmuch 
as  it  is  notorious  that  cases  of  the  kind  in  ques- 
tion form  an  exception  only  amongst  the  generality 
of  mankind,  having  no  sort  of  relation  either  with  the 
islets  of  the  Dnieper,  or  with  the  banks  of  the  Boh ; 
in  point  of  fact,  with  no  particular  spot  on  the  face  of 
the  globe.*" 

There  existed,  however,  several  strange  peculiarities 
amongst  the  Zaporogues ;  such,  for  instance,  as  a 
species  of  duel  or  single  combat  with  the  kanczuh,  or 
loaded  whip,  before  alluded  to.  The  two  combatants 
stripped  off  their  upper  garments  down  to  the  waist, 
after  the  fashion  of  the  English  boxers,  and  grasped 
each  other  by  the  left  hand,  whilst  with  the  right  they 
mutually  dealt  most  terrific  blows  with  their  whips  to 
the  sound  of  military  music,  or  of  a  kettle-drum,  which 
beat  time  to  their  movements.     These  duels  took  place 


THE    ZAPAROGUES.  66 

in  the  presence  of  tlieir  companions.  He  wlio  first  fell 
exhausted,  or  who  relinquished  the  further  continuance 
of  the  conflict,  was  declared  the  vanquished  party. 
Something  of  the  kind  existed  amongst  the  ancient 
Tartaro-Kalmouques.  The  Zaporogues  governed  them- 
selves according  to  the  laws  of  Magdeburg,  which 
passed  from  Poland  into  their  community. 

Although  they  professed  generally  the  Greek  reli- 
gion, and  attended  whilst  in  the  sitche  the  celebration 
of  divine  service  according  to  that  ritual  as  there  per- 
formed by  priests  sent  thither  from  Kiof,  yet  they 
would  not  listen  to  sermons  or  religious  exhortations  of 
any  kind  ;  and  the  diversity  of  faith  amongst  them  was 
not  productive  of  any  serious  dispute. 

Every  Zaporogue  Cossack  was  bound  to  be  provided 
with  a  gun,  a  lance,  a  pennant,  a  crooked  sabre,  and  a 
brace  of  pistols.  His  dress  consisted  of  very  loose 
trowsers,  a  sheep-skin  vest  confined  by  a  girdle,  and  a 
felt  bonnet  trimmed  with  fur.  Their  heads  were  close 
shaven,  with  the  exception  of  a  long  tuft  of  hair  which 
hung  down  over  the  forehead.  Their  chief  strength 
as  a  military  force  consisted  at  first  in  their  infantry, 
armed  with  long,  carabines,  so  indispensable  in  their 
corsair-like  expeditions  on  the  Czayki,  and  of  which 
notice  has  already  been  taken  :  subsequently,  however, 
they  were  by  no  means  deficient  in  excellent  cavalry. 

The  Zaporogues  presented  a.  strange  mixture  of 
virtues  and  vices  difficult  to  be  described.  Merciless 
and    cruel    destroyers    in   their   predatory   incursions 


84  THE    ZAPOROGUES. 

abroad,  they  were  nevertheless  just,  hospitable,  and 
humane  at  home.  They  possessed  everything  in  com- 
mon ;  the  doors  of  their  huts  were  never  kept  locked, 
and  any  stranger,  without  distinction,  excepting  a  Jew, 
was  in  the  day-time  at  full  liberty  to  enter  them 
unnoticed,  and  to  help  himself  freely  to  whatever  he 
might  require,  money  excepted.  Lost  money  and  other 
articles  of  value  were  by  the  finder  openly  exposed  in 
places  of  public  resort,  in  order  to  be  reclaimed  by  the 
proper  owners.  A  thief,  when  apprehended,  and  his 
guilt  clearly  established,  was  fastened  to  a  post  erected 
in  the  centre  of  the  sitche ;  near  him  were  placed  a 
bottle  of  brandy  and  a  stick,  and  every  passer-by  had  a 
right  to  taste  of  the  brandy  and  to  beat  the  culprit. 

Amongst  these  ferocious  banditti,  who  spared  no  one 
in  war,  the  murderer  of  one  of  his  companions  in  arms 
was  buried  alive,  stretched  out  upon  the  body  of  his 
victim.  A  punishment  no  less  terrible  was  reserved 
for  that  nameless  crime,  for  the  commission  of  which, 
as  may  well  be  supposed,  the  law  already  noticed  enact- 
ing the  rigid  exclusion  of  women  from  the  sitche 
would  naturally  furnish  a  fatal  inducement. 

A  Zaporogue  was  never  permitted  to  remain  for  three 
consecutive  days  inactive :  if  no  warlike  afiairs  were  for 
the  moment  on  hand,  he  must  busy  himself  in  the 
chase  of  the  bear  or  the  wolf,  or  in  the  fisheries,  which 
were  carried  on  in  all  seasons  throughout  the  year. 

This  isolated  community  of  brigands  and  roving 
corsairs  might  have  passed  unheeded  down  the  great 


THE    ZAPOROGUES.  85 

stream  of  human  events  into  oblivion,  had  it  not  been  for 
the  fact  of  their  being  entrusted  with  the  duty  of  keeping 
watch  and  guard  over  the  great  frontier  of  Poland ;  and 
were  it  not  that  their  maritime  expeditions  had  been 
fraught  to  surrounding  states  with  very  considerable 
danger/ 

When  the  Cossacks  under  Khmielnitski  separated 
from  Poland,  the  Zaporogues  did  not  follow  their 
example,  but  formed  themselves  into  a  distinct  commu- 
nity, nominally  indeed  apart  from  and  independent  of 
the  others ;  but,  in  reality,  never  properly  entitled  to 
the  rank  of  an  independent  state  :  for  living  as  they 
did  under  the  nominal  protection  of  Poland,  Russia,  or 
of  Turkey,  and  constantly  changing  masters,  they  in 
point  of  fact  subsisted  only  upon  the  produce  of  their 
inroads  upon  their  neighbours,  by  whom,  consequently, 
and  justly  too,  they  were  looked  upon  in  no  other  light 
than  that  of  pirates,  lawless  adventurers,  and  common 
robbers. 

The  Zaporogues  were  in  constant  correspondence 
with  all  the  other  Cossack  races,  even  with  those  at  the 
remotest  distance ;  forming  the  nucleus  or  central  point 
of  every  plundering  expedition,  and  exercising  over  all 
the  other  tribes  a  marked  influence  and  ascendancy. 

In  the  wars  of  Charles  XII.  against  Russia,  alter- 
nately cajoled  and  horribly  maltreated  by  Peter  the 
Great,  they  appeared  to  incline  in  favour  of  the  czar's 
adversaries :  they  even,  by  the  good  offices  of  Mazeppa, 
concluded  a  treaty  with  the  Swedish  king  at  Dykanka. 


86  THE    ZAPOROGUES. 

The  details  of  this  treaty  are  curious.  The  attaman  of 
the  Zaporogues,  Horodynski,  noted  for  the  hatred  he 
bore  the  Russians,  placed  himself  voluntarily  under  the 
orders  of  Mazeppa.  In  order  to  celebrate  this  happy 
alliance  with  becoming  splendour,  a  magnificent  repast 
was  provided  for  the  entertainment  of  the  Zaporogue 
deputies;  Mazeppa,  for  the  occasion,  was  obliged  to 
borrow  a  quantity  of  plate  from  a  nobleman  of  the 
Ukraine  with  whom  he  was  lodging  :  and,  as  a  further 
mark  of  his  high  consideration  for  his  guests,  he  pro- 
mised that  they  should  be  introduced  to  the  Swedish 
king,  and  have  the  honour  of  kissing  his  majesty's  hand. 
Their  koshovy,  Horodynski,  as  likewise  Mazeppa, 
having  duly  expatiated  on  the  merits  and  extolled 
the  glory  of  the  royal  warrior  of  the  north,  exhorted 
their  subaltern  chiefs  to  observe  some  kind  of  decorum : 
the  latter  swore  on  the  Evangelists  not  to  get  drunk 
until  after  dinner,  and  received  instructions  as  to  the 
manner  in  which  they  were  to  comport  themselves  in 
the  presence  of  his  majesty  and  his  suite.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  the  dinner,  however,  and  of  the  ceremony  of 
kissing  hands,  they  gave  loose  to  the  wildest  demon- 
strations of  gaiety  after  their  own  peculiar  fashion,  and 
began  to  make  off  with  all  the  plate  within  reach,  and 
on  which  their  dinner  had  been  served  up.  The  maitre 
d'hotel  hastened  to  reclaim  it.  According  to  their  code 
of  politeness,  the  Zaporogues  regarded  this  interference 
in  the  light  of  an  insult,  and  demanded  reparation  at 
the  hands  of  their  koshovy,  more  especially  as   they 


THE   ZAPOROGUES.  87 

had  fulfilled  the  conditions  exacted  from  them  as 
regarded  their  conduct  during  dinner :  they  threatened 
to  break  off  the  alliance,  and  to  pass  over  on  the  instant 
to  the  side  of  the  Russians,  if  the  maitre  d'hotel  was  not 
given  up  to  them  to  be  punished  according  to  their 
summary  mode  of  procedure. 

As  it  was  to  be  apprehended  that  some  of  the 
Russian  agents  might  take  advantage  of  this  untoward 
incident,  the  unhappy  maitre  d'hotel  was  delivered  up 
to  them.  After  they  had  jostled  and  pitched  him  about 
for  some  time  from  one  to  the  other,  he  was  ultimately 
despatched  by  a  stab  with  a  knife  through  the  heart. 
Charles  arrived  too  late  to  save  him.  According  to 
the  Zaporogue  custom,  a  guest,  provided  he  be  not  a 
Jew,  invited  to  a  dinner-party,  is  entitled  to  carry  off 
with  him  whatever  he  may  take  a  fancy  to,  with  the 
exception  of  money  or  arms.  The  reader  must  pardon 
this  slight  digression  illustrative  of  Zaporogue  manners. 

After  the  battle  of  Pultawa,  in  which  a  great  num- 
ber of  them  fell,  the  rest  of  the  Zaporogues  followed 
Mazeppa  into  Turkey,  which  they  quitted  however 
after  his  death. 

At  a  subsequent  period,  the  Empress  Catherine  II. 
of  Russia,  flattered  the  Zaporogues  by  having  'her 
name  inscribed  in  letters  of  gold  in  their  public  regis- 
ters, and  employed  them  during  the  rebellion  of  1768, 
under  Zelezniak,  against  the  Polish  nobles.  After  the 
suppression  of  this  revolt,  partly  by  the  aid  of  the 
Russian  troops  (Catherine's  policy  having  in  the  mean- 


88  THE    ZAPOROGUES. 

time  changed  as  regarded  this  insurrection),  a  portion 
of  the  Zaporogues  perished  on  the  scaffold :  another 
portion,  faithful  to  Poland,  took  refuge  in  Turkey 
under  !N  ekrassa,  whilst  the  remainder  fled  to  their  fast- 
nesses. But  Catherine,  uneasy  at  their  existence,  sud- 
denly despatched  General  Tekeli  with  considerable 
forces  to  crush  them  in  their  retreats.  Surprised,  sur- 
rounded, and  attacked  at  all  points,  the  Zaporogues, 
after  a  determined  but  ineffectual  resistance,  were  com- 
pelled to  surrender :  the  sitche  was  declared  from 
thenceforth  broken  up ;  the  ancient  Zaporogue  territory 
incorporated  with  Russia  (where  it  now  forms  the 
modern  governments  of  Ekaterinoslav,  Kharkof,  and 
Tauride)  ;  and  the  very  existence  of  the  Zaporogues 
themselves,  as  a  separate  community,  annihilated.  A 
considerable  body  of  them  dispersed  themselves  in 
various  directions.  Amongst  the  remarkable  incidents 
to  which  this  obstinate,  although  ultimately  fruitless 
resistance  of  the  Zaporogues  gave  rise,  and  which 
characterised  their  last  struggles  for  existence  as  a 
nation,  may  be  particularized  the  heroic  exploits  of 
the  last  of  the  Zaporogue  chieftains,  Sava. 

Amongst  other  grave  accusations  laid  to  the  charge 
of  the  Zaporogues,  the  chaste  Czarina  Catherine 
reproached  them  with  leading  a  debauched  and  licen- 
tious life  !  At  a  later  period,  those  amongst  them  who 
made  their  submission  to  Russia,  and  declared  them- 
selves willing  to  marry,  received,  by  virtue  of  the  Ukase 
of  the  30th  June,  179^,  the  right  of  territory  over  the 


THE   ZAPOROGUES.  89 

island  of  Taman  and  all  the  country  situated  to  the  east 
of  the  Black  Sea,  between  Kuban  and  the  sea  of  Azof, 
as  far  as  Labinskay  Krepost,  occupying  in  all  a  space 
of  1700  geographical  miles. 

They  are  now  no  longer  known  under  the  name  of 
the  Zaporogues,  or  Cossacks  of  the  Lesser  Russia,  but 
under  the  designation  of  the  Cossacks  of  the  Black  Sea 
(Tsharnomortscy).  They  form  twenty- six  regiments 
constantly  attached  to  the  army  of  the  Caucasus,  and 
scarcely  ever  make  their  appearance  on  the  left  banks 
of  the  Dnieper. 

A  single  river  separates  them  from  the  Cossacks  of 
the  Don,  but  there  is  a  proverb  extant  among  the  Rus- 
sians, that  a  Cossack  of  the  Black  Sea  is  equal  to  three 
Cossacks  of  the  Don;  nor  is  there  the  least  doubt  that 
in  point  of  ferociousness,  of  indomitable  courage,  and 
bodily  strength,  they  are,  as  they  themselves  believe, 
infinitely  superior  to  the  latter.  Proud,  independent 
by  nature,  and  waging  eternal  warfare  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  Caucasus,  they  look  with  contempt  on 
the  Cossacks  of  the  Don.  In  their  songs  they  make 
frequent  allusions  to  Poland  and  to  the  town  of  Kiof. 
Their  favourite  colour  is  that  of  Poland,  namely,  crim- 
son ;  they  detest  the  Russians ;  they  bear  for  the  most 
part  Polish  names ;  and  there  are  still  some  vestiges  of 
the  Polish  character  amongst  them.  They  are  distin- 
guished from  the  rest  of  the  Cossacks  by  the  peculiar 
symbol  of  their  tribe,  and  to  which  they  formerly 
appeared  to  attach  a  sort  of  religious  veneration,  viz.. 


90  THE   ZAPOROGUES. 

by  a  lock  of  hair,  which  rising  from  the  top  of  the  head 
falls  down  behind  the  right  ear.  Their  lances  too  are 
much  shorter  than  those  of  the  Cossacks  of  the  Don. 

The  other  branch  of  this  famous  race,  which  took 
refuge  in  Turkey  under  Nekrassa,  and  received  a  grant 
of  lands  on  the  Danube,  was  known  under  the  name  of 
the  Cossacks  of  Nekrassa.  During  the  last  war  of  the 
Russians  against  Turkey,  in  18^8,  they  remained  faith- 
ful to  Turkey,  and  testified  by  the  horrible  carnage 
they  made  of  the  Russian  troops,  several  cavalry  regi- 
ments of  which  they  exterminated  to  the  last  man, 
their  hatred  towards  Russia.  Occasionally  they  took 
the  Russian  Cossacks  by  surprise  by  imitating  their 
language  and  assuming  their  dress.  They  spread  great 
terror  amongst  the  Don  Cossacks,  upon  whom  they 
would  likewise  also  fall  by  surprise,  and  whom  they 
succeeded  sometimes  in  deceiving  by  a  similar  strata- 
gem. They  never  gave  them  quarter.  The  Emperor 
Nicholas  oiFered  them  very  advantageous  conditions  to 
induce  them  to  return  to  Russia,  but  they  have  hitherto 
rejected  every  proposition  to  this  eifect.  By  the  treaty 
of  Adrianople  the  designation  of '^Cossacks  of  Ne- 
krassa" is  suppressed :  they  constitute  at  present  a 
species  of  Ottoman  militia,  and  may  one  day  prove  a 
powerful  element  of  aggression  against  Russia. 

Such  was  this  singular  community  of  Zaporogues; 
unique,  perhaps,  in  its  kind,  and  concerning  which  we 
have  gathered  all  the  information  possible,  and  con- 
sulted  every  accessible   authority.      Amongst    others. 


THE    ZAPOROGUES. 


91 


Sherer,  Annales  de  la  Petite  Russie,  Memoires  Secretes 
de  la  Russie,  Miller,  Bushing,  Boauplan,  Chevalier, 
Lessur,  Neemeevicz,  the  Memoirs  of  Colonel  Lagawski, 
Norberg,  &c.  The  time  perhaps  is  not  far  distant 
which  may  once  more  bring  this  remarkable  race  of 
warlike  adventurers  upon  the  scene  of  northern  Asiatic, 
if  not  of  European,  affairs.  As  regards  Russia  more 
especially,  their  existence  is  fraught  with  considerations 
of  the  most  serious  importance. 


92 


CHAPTER    IV. 


MAZEPPA. 

Mazeppa — His  Extraction— Intrigue  with  the  wife  of  Kontsky  disco- 
vered— His  Punishment — Preservation—  Appointed  Aide-de-camp  to 
Doroszenko  and  Samoilovitch — Ingratitude  towards  his  Benefactor 
— His  Election— Shameful  Conduct  to  his  Sons— His  successful 
Intrigues  against  Sofia,  hated  sister  of  Peter  the  Great,  never 
clearly  explamed— His  Inroads  against  the  Tatars  of  Otchokaf— 
His  Successes  cheering  to  Peter  the  Great  in  his  Check  at  Azof— 
The  taking  of  that  Place  chiefly  attributed  to  Mazeppa — Favours 
lavished  on  his  Cossacks — The  leading  Idea  of  Mazeppa  against 
Peter  the  Great  and  the  Kussians — His  Intention  to  return  to 
Poland  with  his  Cossacks — Stratagem  to  escape — Correspondence 
with  Charles  XIL  and  Turkey— His  skill  in  deceiving  the  Czar— 
His  Stratagem  for  getting  rid  of  his  Enemies— His  Danger— Blind 
Confidence  of  the  Czar  in  his  Fidelity— His  Precautions  before 
joining  the  Swedish  King— His  Deputation  to  the  Czar,  and  his 
Intention  discovered— His  Speech  to  the  Cossacks— Its  Efiect— 
Sack  of  Baturin  by  Menzikof — Mazeppa's  Effigy — Torture  of 
Thirty  Prussian  Officers — The  Czar's  offers  to  Mazeppa  rejected 
— Treaty  with  the  Zaporogues — His  advice  to  besiege  Pultawa — 
Accidental  Success  of  the  Kussians— Unfortimate  Position  of  the 
Cossacks— Danger  of  Mazeppa  and  the  King  of  Sweden— Arrival 
in  Turkey — Mazeppa's  Remorse,  and  Death  at  Bender. 


Mazeppa  was  the  son  of  a  Polish  gentleman  esta- 
blished in  Podolia/  and  by  one  of  those  fortunate 
circumstances  which  often  exercise  a  great  influence 
on  human   destiny,  and  also  by  his  family  connexions. 


MAZEPPA.  93 

attracted  the  attention  of  John  Kazimer,  king  of 
Poland,  who  spared  no  expense  in  giving  him  an 
excellent  education,  and  made  him  page  at  his 
court. 

The  beauty,  accomplishments,  and  enterprising  spirit 
of  the  young  page  did  not  fail  of  making  a  deep  im- 
pression  on  many  a  fair  lady  in  fashionable    circles. 
He  was  introduced  to  the  wife  of  Martin   Kontsky, 
grand  general  of  artillery ;    and  felt  inspired  at  the 
first  sight  with  a  passion  which,  by  frequent  opportu- 
nities of  seeing  the  beloved  object,  and  the   difficulty 
of  gratifying   its   fancy,   became  every  day  stronger, 
more  dangerous,  and  daring.     For  a  while  the  passion 
of  the  two  lovers  by  their  mutual  prudence  and  care- 
fulness was  not  known;    and   its   secret   gratification 
added  new  charms  to  its  existence.    Such  a  thing,  how- 
ever, could  not  possibly  be  long  concealed  at  a  court, 
where    jealous    and    watchful   eyes    were    constantly 
directed   on   both   parties.     A  lady,   whose    advances 
Mazeppa  received  with  coldness,  soon  discovered  the 
true   object  of    the   latter 's   afiection,   and    indirectly 
apprised  the  husband  of  the  conduct  of  his  beautiful 
and  guilty  spouse. 

Mazeppa,  watched  secretly,  was  caught  by  the  out- 
raged husband,  who,  indignant  at  the  extent  of  his 
domestic  misfortune,  and  excited  by  the  thirst  of 
revenge,  ordered  his  men  to  scourge  him  unmercifully 
till  he  lost  his  consciousness,  to  pour  a  sort  of  salt 
liquid  on  his  body,  and  cover  it  with  tar.     The  young 


94  MAZEPPA. 

page  was  then  tied  by  cutting  strings  to  the  back  of  a 
wild  and  indomitable  Ukrainian  horse,  sought  and  pre- 
pared beforehand  for  that  purpose,  and  was  thus  left 
to  his  destiny. 

The  horse  suddenly  liberated  after  being  tormented, 
and  unable  to  shake  the  weight  oiF  its  back,  dashed 
at  a  furious  speed  into  the  deserts  of  his  native 
steppes.  Hunted  by  wolves,  as  well  as  by  some  Cos- 
sacks, who  thought  it  an  apparition  of  an  evil  spirit, 
the  horse  traversed  torrents,  ravines,  rivers,  crossed 
the  Dnieper,  and  gallopped  with  incredible  speed  into 
a  small  town  in  the  Eastern  Ukraine  on  the  market 
day ;  and  there,  excited  by  hunger,  fear,  and  fatigue, 
fell  dead.  Mazeppa,  restored  to  life,  and  hospitably 
taken  care  of  by  the  Cossacks,  adopted  their  manners 
and  religion,  and  became  the  favourite  aide-de-camp  of 
Doroszenko ;  on  the  retirement  of  the  latter,  he  became 
the  aide-de-camp  of  Samoilovitch,  an  able  Cossack 
chief,  by  whom  he  was  treated  in  the  most  friendly 
manner ;  an  ungrateful  return  for  which,  however,  was 
subsequently  manifested  by  Mazeppa ;  who,  taking 
advantage  of  the  unfortunate  expedition  of  Samoilo- 
vitch into  the  Crimea,  became  his  principal  accuser, 
deposed  him,  and  was  unanimously  chosen  their  leader 
in  his  stead. 

Not  satisfied  with  his  new  position,  which  he  owef' 
to  his  craft  and  ingratitude,  and  dreading  the  influence 
and  revenge  of  the  two  sons  of  Samoilovitch,  his  bene- 
factor, he  unjustly  ordered  one  of  them  to  be  slain^ 


MAZEPPA.  95 

and  sent  the  other  through  his  intrigues  to  Siberia. 
These  acts  displeasing  even  his  own  partisans  did  him 
much  harm  and  thwarted  some  of  his  mighty  projects. 

Mazeppa,  being  well  aware  that  only  warlike  suc- 
cesses could  secure  his  authority  among  the  Cossacks, 
in  1689  attacked  the  Tatars  of  Oczakaf,  and  vanquished 
them  in  several  engagements.  The  following  year  he 
accompanied  the  expedition  of  Galiczyn  into  the  Crimea 
with  his  Cossacks,  which  ended  in  the  discomfiture 
of  the  Tatars.  Mazeppa  was  rewarded  by  rich  pre- 
sents and  decorations.  Soon  after,  by  some  means  men- 
tioned by  several  historians  but  never  well  explained, 
he  attracted  the  eye  of  Peter  the  Great,  by  hinting 
to  him  a  dark  intrigue,  secretly  put  in  motion,  by 
which  his  sister  Sofia  and  her  favourite  Galiczyn  were 
humbled  for  ever. 

After  the  defection  of  Khmielnitski  with  his  Cos- 
sacks from  Poland  to  Russia,  there  were  for  a  long  time 
a  certain  part  of  the  Polish  Cossacks  whose  chiefs 
(attamans)  were  nominated  by  the  kings  of  Poland. 
One  of  them,  Paley,  after  defeating  his  rival  Samuel, 
and  exciting  the  jealousy  of  the  Polish  lords  by  his 
intrigues  and  wealth,  passed  over  with  numerous 
partisans  to  the  Russians  and  acknowledged  the  supre- 
macy of  Mazeppa,  who  at  that  time  was  the  sole  chief 
or  attaman  of  all  the  Cossacks,  but  that  act  of  sub- 
mission did  not  satisfy  the  daring  adventurer.  Paley 
was  soon  sent  by  his  intrigues  to  Siberia,  where  he 

mained   till  the   battle   of    Pultawa,   and    Mazeppa 


I 


96  MAZEPPA. 

obtained  some  advantages  in  several  minor  military- 
expeditions,  which  gratified  the  vanity  of  Peter  the 
Great,  who,  in  spite  of  the  loss  of  30,000  men,  could 
not  master  the  town  of  Azof  at  first.  When,  however, 
that  crafty  prince,  obstinate  in  his  views  for  the  con- 
quest of  the  Crimea,  pressed  that  town  with  great 
vigour,  Mazeppa,  who  got  by  accident  secret  intelligence 
in  that  town,  requested  his  master  to  allow  his  Cossacks 
to  storm  it,  which  was  accepted.  The  Cossacks,  ani- 
mated by  the  thirst  of  plunder  and  encouraged  by  the 
presence  of  their  chief,  had  already  climbed  its  walls, 
when  its  commander  surrendered  the  fortress  at  dis- 
cretion. Peter  the  Great,  well  aware  of  the  importance 
of  that  town,  which  he  attributed  to  Mazeppa's  strata- 
gem, did  not  fail  to  consider  him  as  his  best  friend,  and 
never  failed  to  show  him  marks  of  his  consideration ; 
but  as  that  prince  had  a  sagacious  eye,  and  was  more 
than  once  frustrated  in  his  views  by  the  Cossacks,  he 
ordered  his  generals  to  watch  them  closely,  and  did 
all  he  could  to  humble  them,  and,  dividing  them, 
quelled  their  insurrections  by  great  atrocities. 

Though  Mazeppa  left  Poland  with  revengeful  feelings, 
and  greatly  contributed  to  the  victories  of  Peter  the 
Great,  it  seems  he  never  lost  completely  the  memory  of 
Poland.  In  his  heart  he  desired  to  be  an  independent 
sovereign,  but  he  never  wished  to  be  under  the  Russian 
I  yoke,  and  was  besides  this  infinitely  superior,  by  his 
education,  to  the  generality  of  the  Russian  generals,  who 
cast  on  him  a  jealous  eye,  and  he  was  more  than  once 


MAZEPPA.  97 

obliged  to  submit  tamely  to  great  insults  from  his  haughty 
master.  Once,  when  the  latter  openly  avowed  the 
project  either  of  exterminating  the  Cossacks,  or  of  bend- 
ing them  to  the  same  obedience  as  his  Russian  subjects, 
Mazeppa  ventured  to  remonstrate;  when  Peter  the  Great, 
excited  by  wine,  threatened  to  punish  his  remark  by  a 
cruel  death.  From  that  time  the  hetman  was  more  pru- 
dent, and  adapted  his  language,  his  conduct,  and  even 
his  dress,  to  his  master's  taste ;  the  better  to  deceive  him, 
and  so  escape  the  watchful  eyes  of  his  numerous  ene- 
mies, he  feigned  sudden  illness,  went  to  bed,  displayed 
signs  of  sinking  life,  spake  often  of  God,  frequently  con- 
fessed, and  in  his  confessions  more  than  once  hinted 
into  the  ear  of  the  priest  that  his  services  were  not 
sufficiently  great  for  repaying  his  master's  favours,  for 
whom  he  was  always  ready  to  sacrifice  his  life.  He 
bequeathed  part  of  his  wealth  to  the  priests,  purchased 
indulgences,  kissed  their  hands,  showing  them  humi- 
liating submission,  and  though  of  vigorous  health,  he 
manifested  all  the  signs  of  a  speedy  departure  to  the 
other  world.  During  his  dreams  he  often  pronounced 
some  words  favourable  to  the  czar,  to  whom  everything 
was  reported.  In  the  meantime  the  hetman  was 
secretly  preparing  the  insurrection  among  the  Cossacks ; 
his  friends  were  hinting  to  them  that  the  czar  intended 
to  make  them  slaves,  to  govern  them  as  peasants, 
and  transport  them  to  Siberia,  and  that  unmistakable 
documents  were  found  on  that  subject;  that  those  who 
were  faithful  to  the  Russians  were  traitors ;  and  some  of 

H 


98  MAZEPPA. 

them  who  were  suspected  to  be  so,  were  skilfully  ex- 
posed to  great  dangers  in  their  conflicts  with  the  Turks 
and  Tatars,  where  they  perished.  He  found  means  to 
establish  a  correspondence  with  the  sultan  of  Turkey  in 
the  most  secret  manner,  as  well  as  with  Charles  XII. 
For  the  latter  he  professed  the  greatest  admiration,  and 
promised  to  join  him  with  all  his  men,  to  exterminate 
the  Russian  corps  scattered  in  the  Ukraine,  provided  he 
might  have  the  duchy  of  Severy  ceded  to  him  as  a 
principality,  and  also  the  title  of  hetman  of  all  the 
Cossacks,  whom  he  wished  to  bring  back  to  the  Polish 
domination. 

Charles  XII.,  however,  seems  to  have  been  very 
careless  about  Mazeppa's  promises,  and  had  not  much 
reliance  on  the  Cossacks.  Thanking  Mazeppa  for  his 
offers,  he  advised  him  to  postpone  his  defection.  This 
unlucky  delay  placed  the  Cossack  chief  in  a  very 
dangerous  position.  Already  alarming  rumours  re- 
specting his  projects  were  propagated,  and  even  the 
czar  was  apprised  of  them ;  but  Mazeppa  played  his 
cards  so  well,  that  the  czar,  considering  as  traitors  all 
who  suspected  Mazeppa's  fidelity,  sent  him,  under  a 
strong  escort,  his  two  principal  accusers,  Iskra  and 
Kotczubey.  Mazeppa  was  obliged  to  sacrifice  them  for 
his  safety,  and  they  were  both  kiUed  by  three  strokes  of 
sharp  hammers  on  their  heads  in  his  presence  (a  punish- 
ment reserved  to  traitors  among  the  Cossacks).  The 
czar  also,  wishing  to  give  him  a  more  decided  mark  of 
his  imperial   favour,   invited  him  to  proceed  to  Kiof, 


MAZEPPA.  99 

to  lay  with  him  the  first  stone  of  the  fortress  of  that 
town.  Mazeppa,  who  had  left  his  bed,  convoked  all 
the  subordinate  chiefs,  and  sent  his  own  nephew  Woy- 
naroski  to  the  czar,  requesting  him  to  govern  the 
Cossacks  with  more  liberality.  Before,  however,  that 
deputation  reached  Moscow,  one  of  his  letters  was  in- 
tercepted: the  czar  ordered  Woynaroski  to  be  imme- 
diately put  in  irons,  and  gave  peremptory  orders  to  all  his 
generals  to  forcibly  prevent  the  junction  of  the  Cossacks 
with  the  king  of  Sweden.  He  liberated  from  Siberia 
all  persons  sent  there  by  Mazeppa's  influence.  He 
also  put  in  circulation  the  rumour  that  all  the  defeats 
of  the  Cossacks  by  the  Swedes  were  attributable  to  the 
treason  of  their  own  hetman,  who  wished  to  reduce  the 
Greek  church  to  the  caprices  of  the  Pope  and  Luther- 
anian  court.  In  fact,  nothing  was  spared  to  blacken  his 
character,  and  to  lower  him  in  their  estimation. 

Mazeppa  saw  that  the  time  was  come  for  action.  He 
therefore  marched  towards  the  Dnieper,  collected  pro- 
visions, put  in  a  good  state  of  defence  the  towns 
of  Gotchi,  Tchernigof,  and  especially  Baturin,  and 
joined  the  king  of  Sweden  with  15,000  Cossacks  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  river  Desna.  He  soon  after  made  a 
favourable  treaty  with  the  Zaporogues,  renewed  the 
correspondence  with  the  Turks  favourable  to  his  cause, 
and  neglected  nothing  that  could  improve  the  situation 
of  the  Swedish  army,  and  contribute  to  the  success  of 
his  projects. 

Peter  the  Great  being  well  aware  of  the  importance 


100  MAZEPPA. 

of  the  defection  of  the  Cossacks  in  favour  of  Charles, 
did  all  he  could  to  stop  it ;  and  having  been  apprised  that 
the  Swedish  king  had  forgotten  to  secure  the  post  of 
Starodub,  which  could  thwart  all  the  efforts  of  the 
Russians  to  master  the  fortress  of  Baturin,  where  large 
stores  of  ammunition  and  provisions  were  amassed  for 
the  Swedes,  he  detached  his  favourite,  Menzikof,  with  a 
large  body  of  troops,  to  storm  it.  The  latter  marched 
with  great  haste  through  difficult  tracts,  took  the  town 
by  surprise,  burned  and  sacked  it,  and  after  putting  the 
inhabitants  to  the  sword,  sent  thirty  Prussian  officers  as 
prisoners,  with  their  general  Koenigseck,  grand  master 
of  the  artillery  in  Mazeppa's  service,  to  the  czar ;  who, 
after  ordering  his  clergy  to  excommunicate  Mazeppa, 
and  to  attach  his  likeness  to  the  gibbet,  sent  them  to 
the  scaffold,  where  they  perished  by  the  most  horrible 
tortures. 

The  taking  of  this  fortress  by  Menzikof  was,  per- 
haps, the  most  important  step  towards  the  ultimate 
victory  of  the  Russians.  Peter  the  Great,  however, 
having  heard  that  Mazeppa  was  indefatigable  in  victual- 
ling the  Swedish  army,  offered  him  a  complete  oblivion 
of  the  past  should  he  return  to  him  again;  but  the 
hetman,  well  aware  of  his  true  disposition,  and  indig- 
nant at  the  atrocities  which  the  czar  had  inflicted  on 
his  partisans,  refused  the  offer,  and  wisely  continued  to 
be  faithful  to  his  new  friend. 

Charles  XII.,  after  passing  the  most  terrible  winter 
of  1709  almost  without  shelter,  advanced  into  the  wilds 


MAZEPPA.  101 

of  the  eastern  Ukraine ;  and  after  several  successful 
skirmishes  besieged  the  town  of  Pultawa,  situated  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  river  Worskla,  whei:e  Peter  the  Grea^t 
soon  arrived  with  80,000  men  and  a^ouiac-rous'train  of 
artillery.  Without  entering  into  the  p^Jiicnl^ais.  of;  the- 
battle  of  Pultawa,  it  may  be  sufficient  to  ^tate,  that 
it  saved  the  Russian  empire  from  a  revolution,  lowered 
the  political  importance  of  Sweden  for  centuries,  and 
was  gained  over  Charles  XII.,  chiefly  by  a  mistake  of  the 
Swedish  general  Kreutz,  and  the  king''s  illness.  One 
portion  of  the  Cossacks  under  Peter  the  Great  fought 
with  the  others  under  Mazeppa.  After  the  loss  of  that 
battle,  Charles  XII.,  attended  by  some  Cossacks  and 
the  wreck  of  his  army,  retreated  towards  the  Dnieper, 
constantly  harassed  by  General  Menzikof,  who  pressed 
them  closely  and  gave  no  quarter  to  any  Cossack; 
though  several  thousands  of  the  Swedish  veterans,  so 
often  victorious,  whose  very  name  struck  terror  in  the 
heart  of  the  Russians,  surrendered. 

Charles  XII.,  beaten,  attended  by  Poniatowski,  Ma- 
zeppa, and  some  of  his  most  faithful  friends,  sick,  and 
carried  on  a  litter,  reached  at  last  with  great  difficulty 
the  Dnieper,  where  some  boats  were  prepared  for 
transporting  him  to  the  other  shore,  and  facilitating  his 
progress  to  Turkey.  Scarcely  had  Mazeppa  and  the 
king  leaped  into  a  boat  when  a  terrible  storm  arose,  and 
the  angry  waves  dashed  with  such  fury  from  the  west 
that  the  greater  part  of  the  boats  were  broken,  the 
boatmen  drowned,  and  the  hetman  was  obliged  for  his 


102  MAZEPPA. 

own  safety  to  throw  immense  treasures  into  the  river, 
which  proved  a  watery  grave  to  all  those  who  attempted 
to  swim  through  it. 

AfteralQUg,  painful,  and  harassing  journey,  during 
.five  days>  with  scanty  provisions,  without  water,  without 
shelter,  without  any  visible  track,  through  the  romantic 
deserts  of  the  mighty  Ukraine,  Charles  XII.,  with  his 
suite,  and  Mazeppa  watching  constantly  the  guides 
that  they  might  not  betray  them,  directing  their  steps  by 
the  stars,  by  the  gusts  of  moaning  winds,  and  the  flocks 
of  screaming  birds,  reached  at  last  in  safety  the 
Turkish  town  of  Otchakof,  where  they  were  most  hospi- 
tably received  by  the  Turkish  pasha. 

Mazeppa  was  attended  by  the  remainder  of  those 
celebrated  Zaporogues,  under  the  command  of  Horo- 
dynski  their  chief,  who  acknowledged  his  superiority 
before  the  battle  of  Pultawa.  They  received  some  lands 
by  order  of  the  grand  seignor  near  the  river  Ka- 
mionka,  and  at  first  were  allowed  to  govern  themselves 
according  to  their  own  laws,  and  found,  in  their  misfor- 
tunes, benefactors  in  those  very  Turks,  whose  land  they 
formerly  plundered  and  sacked  so  many  times  in  their 
expeditions.  In  consequence  of  the  great  annoyance 
of  the  Russians,  the  scattered  remains  of  the  Zaporogues 
were  obliged  to  retreat  further  towards  the  Crimea,  which 
they  did  always  governed  by  Mazeppa,  who  remained 
by  the  express  wish  of  the  king  of  Sweden  near  his 
royal  person  at  Bender.  There  the  aged,  vigorous,  and 
unfortunate  hetman,  who  had  passed  through  so  many 


MAZEPPA.  103 

extraordinary  scenes,  whose  long  life  resembled  more 
an  Ukranian  tale  than  reality ;  whose  counsels,  not  well 
appreciated  by  the  northern  hero,  were  perhaps  the 
principal  cause  of  his  downfall,  charmed  more  than 
once  the  Swedish  king  by  his  flowing  eloquence  and 
brilliant  conversation,  always  pertinent,  and  adapted  to 
the  meanest  understanding. 

It  is  to  be  remarked,  that  in  all  the  negotiations  which 
Peter  the  Great  attempted  to  make,  either  with  the 
king  of  Sweden  or  with  the  Turkish  government,  he 
always  requested  the  delivery  of  Mazeppa,  for  whose 
person  he  ofiered  large  sums  of  money.  But  the  Turks, 
who  never  broke  the  sacred  laws  of  hospitality,  whose 
noble  feelings  and  generosity  are  universally  acknow- 
ledged, constantly  rejected  such  proposals.  And  Charles, 
barbarous  once  only  in  his  life  towards  Patkul,  too 
proud  to  complain,  and  having  a  generous  heart,  attached 
to  Mazeppa  by  the  bonds  of  common  misfortune,  and 
judging  men  according  to  their  real  value,  never 
dreamed  of  committing  such  a  wrong.  Soon,  however, 
grief,  imeasiness,  inactive  life,  mingled  probably  with 
cutting  reproaches  of  conscience  and  disappointed  hopes, 
undermined  Mazeppa's  constitution  and  spirit,  and  he 
took  poison,  and  died  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his  age. 

In  carefully  investigating  the  adventures  of  Mazeppa, 
we  must  acknowledge  there  is  something  mysterious, 
wild,  and  romantic  in  them,  -^hich  cannot  fail  to  in- 
terest the  fair  sex,  and  which  have  been  turned  to  such 
good  account  by  the  fervid  genius  of  Byron. 


104  MAZEPPA. 

Without  refusing  the  homage  due  to  the  great 
ability,  accomplishments,  and  manly  qualities  of  Ma- 
zeppa,  we  cannot,  as  an  historian,  refrain  from  pointing 
out  also  his  ambition,  ingratitude,  and  crimes,  which 
can  only  be  exceeded  by  the  misfortunes  of  his  early 
days.  Under  the  cloak  of  sincerity  and  indifference,  the 
crafty  Mazeppa,  whose  features  and  words  never  be- 
trayed the  secret  thoughts  of  his  heart,  and  whose  dis- 
position was  rather  adapted  to  form  an  eastern  tyrant 
than  a  ruler  of  the  civilised  world,  was  a  perfect 
master  in  the  art  of  dissimulation,  and  never  failed  to 
sacrifice,  without  any  visible  emotion,  even  the  lives  of 
his  best  friends  for  the  gratification  of  his  ambition. 
Liberal  and  impenetrable  by  nature,  of  abstemious 
habits,  he  easily  wrested  the  secrets  of  another  by  a  jest, 
a  smile,  or  a  word.  His  conduct  towards  Samoilovicz, 
his  benefactor,  whose  innocent  son  he  murdered ;  his 
conduct  towards  Paley,  and  many  other  murders  and 
crimes,  are  stains  on  his  memory  which  cannot  be 
washed  away.  He  passed  through  the  world  like  a 
gust  of  moaning  wind  in  the  desert,  and  to  this  hour  the 
Ukranian  people  preserve  his  memory  in  their  national 
songs.  See  Life  of  Peter  the  Great,  Hist,  de 
Charles  XIL  par  Voltaire,  see  Voyage  de  la  Motraye, 
Poiogne  Pittoresque,  Ncemcevicz,  Lettres  de  Charles 
XII.,  rapportees  par  Norberg;  Roulliere,  Anarchic  de 
Poiogne;  Leclerc,  Pufendorf,  John  Perry,  Present 
State  of  Russia ;  and  Lesur,  on  the  Cossacks. 


105 


CHAPTER    V. 


ZELEZNIAK. 


Zelezniaque — His  Parentage  unknown  —  Retires  to  a  Monastery — 
Stanislaus  Poniatowski — A  Confederation  of  Nobles  to  expel  the 
Russians  from  Poland — They  attack  Souvaroff— The  King  takes  no 
part  in  the  Insurrection — Wretched  Means  used  by  the  Russian 
Ambassador  to  corrupt  the  Youth  of  Warsaw — Induces  the  King 
to  withdraw  his  Troops  from  the  Ukraine — Russian  Priests  excite 
a  Rebellion  against  the  Nobles  in  that  province — The  Empress 
Catherine  encourages  the  Zaporoguian  Cossacks  to  rise  in  arms — 
Zelezniaque  leaves  his  Retreat,  and  is  made  their  Attaman — He 
commits  the  most  horrible  Excesses  through  the  Ukraine — Most  of 
the  Nobles  destroyed,  but  a  remnant  take  Refuge  in  Houmagne — 
Zelezniaque  enters  the  town  by  Treachery,  and  butchers  the 
Inhabitants — Polish  Troops  sent  against  him— Catherine  disavows 
the  Insurrection,  and  sends  an  Army  to  queU  it — The  Russian 
Colonel  Goloriva  pretends  Friendship  to  the  Rebel  Chiefs — Zelez- 
niaque, after  being  Defeated  by  the  Poles,  seeks  Protection 
in  the  Russian  camp — Is  made  Prisoner,  and  the  Outbreak  is 
suppressed— Supposed  end  of  Zelezniaque — His  Person,  Talents, 
and  Character. 

Maximus  Zelezniaque,  whose  very  name  inspires 
still  a  feeling  of  horror  in  the  Ukraine,  was  a  Zapo- 
roguian Cossack  by  birth.  Traditional  records  fur- 
nish but  few  particulars  of  his  origin  and  early 
life.  After  the  commission  of  crimes,  or,  to  say  the 
least,    of  glaring   irregularities,   which  his    conscience 


106  ZELEZNIAK. 

disapproved,  he  retired  as  a  penitent  to  the  secluded 
schismatic^  monastery  of  Medvedovka. 

Catherine  II.,  empress  of  Russia,  had  just  placed 
upon  the  throne  of  Poland,  one  of  her  discarded  lovers, 
Stanislaus  Poniatowski,  a  Polish  nobleman,  whose 
weakness  of  mind,  coupled  with  his  debauchery  and 
lascivious  manners,  drew  down  upon  him  the  indignation 
of  the  Polish  nobles.  The  mere  puppet  of  Russia,  he 
quietly  crouched  under  the  domination  of  Prince  Rep- 
nin,  the  Russian  ambassador  at  the  court  of  "Warsaw ; 
Repnin,  whose  prodigality,  licentiousness,  and  un- 
qualified effrontery,  added  to  his  craftiness,  arrogance, 
and  malevolence,  proved  a  dreadful  scourge  to  Poland. 

The  majority  of  the  Polish  nobles,  exasperated  at 
the  pusillanimity  of  their  king,  at  a  period  when  the 
greatest  firmness  and  the  most  energetic  measures  would 
scarcely  have  been  able  to  rescue  Poland  from  ruin, 
at  length  began  to  entertain  serious  thoughts  of  either 
rousing  him  from  his  debasement,  or  hurling  him  from 
the  throne.  Universal  indignation  prevailed.  Poland 
at  that  time  was  already  governed  as  a  Russian  province, 
and  a  confederation  was  forthwith  formed  at  Bar^  (a  little 
town  in  Podolia,  a  southern  Polish  province),  by  Adam 
Count  Krasinski,  bishop  of  Kamienietz,  his  brother 
Michael,  Pulawski,  with  his  sons  and  nephew,  and  a 
few  other  leading  Polish  patriots,  in  1768,  in  the  month 
of  February.  The  object  of  this  confederation  was  the 
expulsion  of  the  Moscovite  party  from  the  kingdom, 
and  the   elevation   of  Poland  from  the  humiliation  to 


ZELEZNIAK.  107 

which  she  had  been  reduced.  Ere  long,  without  arms, 
ammunition,  regular  troops,  or  pecuniary  resources, 
they  commenced  a  series  of  attacks  against  the  Russian 
armies  commanded  by  Souvarof,  one  of  the  ablest  of 
the  Russian  generals. 

This  daring  and  desperate  enterprise  gradually  re- 
kindled the  energy  of  the  Polish  nation,  and  menaced 
Russia  with  no  inconsiderable  danger.  The  initiatory 
acts  of  hostility  were  confined  to  a  desultory  warfare, 
which,  unimportant  as  it  first  appeared,  harassed  the 
Russians  greatly,  allowing  them  no  rest  either  by  night 
or  by  day,  and  altogether  demoralizing  their  soldiery. 
The  regular  troops  of  Poland,  with  their  king,  at  first 
took  no  part  in  this  war,  appearing  to  favour  it  the 
more,  in  proportion  as  the  alarm  which  it  gave  to  the 
Russians,  increased.  Battles  were  fought  in  rapid  suc- 
cession, and  scarcely  a  day  passed  without  some  bloody 
conflict ;  the  combatants  on  both  sides  contending  with 
the  most  savage  fury.  The  Polish  insurgents,  dis- 
ciplined by  daily  experience,  became,  with  every  new 
conflict,  more  formidable  to  Russia ;  and  Poland  might 
have  been  delivered  from  the  Moscovite  yoke,  if  more 
decisive  measures  had  been  taken  in  regard  to  the 
king,  who  formed  one  of  the  greatest  obstacles  to  the 
success  of  this  glorious  struggle  for  independence. 
Repnin  was  commanded  to  employ  every  possible  means 
for  suppressing  the  insurrection ;  and  was  enjoined  to 
neglect  no  measures,  open  or  underhand,  for  crushing  it. 
The  plans  he  adopted  for  accomplishing  this  object  were 


108 


ZELEZNIAK. 


indeed  very  extraordinary ;  and  they  were  successful  to 
a  certain  extent,  through  one  of  those  contingencies 
which  bid  defiance  to  all  preconcerted  schemes  and 
previous  calculations.  It  was  known  that  many  females 
of  the  higher  orders  of  society  were  favourable  to  the 
insurgents;  and,  accordingly,  he  sent  for  twenty-eight 
young  and  handsome  citizens  of  Moscow  and  St.  Peters- 
burgh,  and  many  other  foreigners,  all  men  in  the  bloom 
of  life,  whose  elegance  of  person,  pleasing  manners, 
and  splendid  attire,  could  not  fail  to  captivate  the  softer 
sex  and  thus  to  gain  possession  of  family  secrets.  A 
bevy  also  of  syren  Pompadours  came  into  Poland  with 
similar  intentions.  Such  attractive  personages,  sur- 
rounded with  Asiatic  magnificence,  easily  gained  ad- 
mission into  the  highest  circles ;  while  their  numerous 
retinue,  acting  as  inferior  agents,  endeavoured,  accord- 
ing to  the  instructions  they  had  received,  to  gain  the 
good  graces  of  the  domestic  menials  by  every  art  of 
captivation. 

Kewards  and  distinctions  were  not  wanting  to  crown 
the  fortunate.  Those,  indeed,  of  the  male  sex,  who 
were  commissioned  thus  to  use  their  influence,  were 
ordered  likewise  in  secret,  to  tarnish  the  reputation  of 
virtuous  females,  to  turn  them  into  ridicule,  to  dissemi- 
nate discord,  to  foment  disunion,  and  to  excite  the 
Polish  aristocracy  to  a  violation  of  all  sumptuary  re- 
strictions. It  was  not  long  before  Repnin  was  apprised 
that  the  insurgents  were  supplied  with  money  and  pro- 
visions by  certain  of  the  nobles.    The  Russian  generals, 


ZELEZNIAK.  109 

however,  acted  with  unceasing  vigilance,  and  their  con- 
sequent proceedings  inflicted  a  greater  amount  of  in- 
jury upon  the  confederates,  than  the  often  doubtful 
results  of  actual  conflict. 

The  second  plan  adopted  for  crushing  the  insurgents 
was   dictated    by   the   following    circumstance.      The 
Turks,  having  apparently  afibrded  secret  assistance  to 
the  insurrection,  which  derived  its  principal  resources 
from  the  Ukraine,  and  from  whence,  on  the  part  of  the 
nobles,  the  principal  opposition  to  the  king  emanated, 
Repnin  artfully  contrived  to  persuade  King  Poniatowski 
to  cause  the  Polish  troops  under  Branetzki  to  be  with- 
drawn from  that  province.     After  this  had  been  done, 
two  hundred  priests  of  the  Greco-Russian  creed,  with 
Basil,  bishop  of  Tchegrine,  at  their  head,  an  ecclesiastic 
of  ability,  but  of  unparalleled   cruelty,  craftiness,  and 
hypocrisy,  were  sent  into  the  Ukraine,  for  the  purpose 
of  exciting  a  rehgious  rebeUion  against  the  nobles.     In 
every  commune  these  vile  emissaries  secretly  distributed 
in  the  night  large  casks  filled  with  daggers  for  mas- 
sacreing,  without  distinction,  all  who  did  not  profess  the 
Russian  faith.     These  murderous  priests,  not  content 
with  pronouncing  blessings  upon  these  daggers,  thus 
consecrating  them  to  the  cruel  purpose  for  which  they 
were  intended,  gave  complete  and  unlimited  absolution 
from  all  their  sins,  to  those  who  with  lavish  hand  should 
spread   abroad,  carnage,   conflagration,  mourning   and 
despair.     The  Zaporoguian  Cossacks  were  persuaded  to 
become  the  agents  of  similar  horrors.     All  the  monaste- 


110  ZELEZNIAK. 

ries  of  the  schismatics  that  were  in  the  Ukraine  became 
so  many  strongholds  for  the  rebellion,  and  this  the  more 
easily,  as  the  country  was  at  that  time  destitute  of  troops, 
and  as  the  common  people  were  for  the  most  part  under 
an  impression  (so  effectually  had  the  priests  worked  upon 
them)  that  the  outbreak  had  been  made  in  obedience  to 
the  mandates  of  the  king  of  Poland.  Proclamations 
were  likewise  disseminated  throughout  the  Ukraine  and 
amongst  the  Zaporogues,  that  the  confederates  of  Bar, 
principally  composed  of  nobles,  were  desirous  to  enforce 
the  conversion  of  the  population  to  the  Church  of 
Rome,  or  exterminate  them  without  mercy:  but  that 
the  Empress  of  Russia,  holding  the  same  religious 
tenets  as  themselves,  would  despatch  50,000  men 
to  guard  their  liberties  against  the  encroachments  of 
their  Polish  masters.  Then  she  raised  Zelezniaque  to 
the  rank  of  Brigadier  of  Lesser  Zaporoguia.  The  Zapo- 
roguians  were  at  that  time  living,  nominally,  under  the 
protection  of  Russia,  Turkey,  and  Poland,  but  in  reality 
they  formed  a  distinct  caste,  maintaining  relations  with 
other  Cossacks,  and  committing  excesses  wherever  they 
were  able.  Catherine  caused  her  own  name  to  be  in- 
scribed on  their  public  register,  in  letters  of  gold,  and 
took  every  opportunity  of  flattering  them.  In  thus  acting, 
she  had  a  twofold  object  in  view — to  weaken  Poland, 
and  to  lessen  the  numbers  of  a  body  she  wished  to  ex- 
terminate. The  Zaporoguians,  as  if  blindfolded,  fell 
into  the  snare  she  laid  for  them,  lost  all  remembrance  of 
their  benefactor  Stephen  Bator y,  forgot  their  mother 


ZELEZNIAK.  Ill 

country,  were  blind  to  their  own  interests,  and  seemed 
to  have  banished  from  their  memory  the  cruelties  of 
Peter  the  Great,  and  the  terrible  lessons  they  had  re- 
ceived from  that  barbarous  potentate. 

Intelligence  of  the  prevailing  consternation  did  not 
fail  to  reach  the  ears  of  Zelezniaque  in  his  monastic 
retreat;  a  glorious  spoil  seemed  to  glisten  before  his 
eyes ;  fr-om  an  ascetic  he  became  a  chief,  and  was  pro- 
claimed attaman  koshovy  of  the  Zaporoguians.  He 
began  by  secretly  organising,  in  the  dense  and  gloomy 
forests  on  both  banks  of  the  Tasmina,  bands  of  incen- 
diaries and  brigands,  seconded  by  schismatic  clergy  and 
Russian  officers.  PoKsh  Ukraine  was  soon  overrun  by 
these  human  demons.*^  The  dark,  fanatical  Zelezniaque, 
surnamed  the  Hyena  of  the  Ukraine,  whose  great 
strength  of  body,  whose  iron  will,  and  tiger-like  ferocity 
fitted  him  for  the  most  daring  enterprises,  dashed  at 
once  into  the  career  of  crime ;  uplifting  the  crucifix,  and 
invoking  the  holy  name  of  Christ,  while  he  inflicted 
the  most  cruel  punishment  for  the  least  disobedience  of 
his  commands. 

AU  who  were  not  of  the  Greek  religion,  aged  men, 
women,  children,  nobles,  serfs,  monks,  tillers  of  the 
soil,  Catholics,  Lutherans,  Jews,  aU  were  slaughtered 
indiscriminately.  The  entire  province  presented  the 
spectacle  of  a  town  taken  by  storm.  Cossack  and 
rebel-serf  vied  with  each  other  in  acts  of  merciless 
cruelty :  deep  weUs  were  filled  up  with  the  dead  bodies 
of  infants ;  nobles,  females,  and  priests,  were  buried  in 


112  ZELEZNIAK. 

the  ground  up  to  the  chin,  while  the  assassin  torturers 
danced  around  them  to  the  sound  of  music,  amusing 
themselves  at  intervals  with  mowing  off  the  heads  of 
their  victims,  like  the  grass  of  the  field.  On  the  same 
gibbet  were  seen  mothers  and  their  children.  Other 
details  of  the  barbarous  cruelty  practised  on  females, 
and  related  by  historians,  are  of  too  horrid  and  revolt- 
ing a  character,  to  bear  more  minute  description.  They 
hanged  likewise  upon  the  same  tree  on  the  public  high- 
way, a  Polish  nobleman,  a  priest,  a  protestant,  and  a  dog, 
with  the  inscription  "  one  and  the  same,^^  Children  of 
tender  years  were  fastened  alive  to  other  sufferers,  thus  to 
perish  by  a  slow  and  dreadful  death  ;  or,  being  incapable 
of  resistance,  while  they  were  firmly  held,  they  were 
poinarded  or  deprived  of  their  eyes  by  Cossack  boys 
not  more  than  ten  years  of  age.  But  here  we  must  pause, 
the  pen  shrinks  from  tracing  such  inhuman  deeds.  The 
Jews,  abominated  more  than  others  on  account  of  their 
religion,  were  almost  all  burned  alive  ;  nor  did  even  the 
abjuration  of  their  religion  secure  them  from  the  stake. 
In  the  villages  lay  murdered  women,  and  the  mutilated 
trunks  of  adults  and  children  crushed  by  the  iron- 
bound  hoofs  of  the  horses.^  All  to  whom  flight  was 
possible,  sought  a  doubtful  safety  in  remote  places ; 
while  the  whole  of  the  nobles  scattered  throughout  the 
Ukraine,  fell.  Examples  were  not  wanting  of  serfs 
defending  their  masters  with  the  utmost  devotedness 
and  bravery;  most  of  the  villages  were  taken  by 
assault  and   burned  to   ashes;    the    inhabitants   being 


ZELEZNIAK.  113 

slaughtered.  A  remnant  of  the  Polish  nobility  took 
refuge  at  Houmagne,  the  principal  fortified  town  of  the 
southern  part  of  the  Ukraine,  in  which  were  stationed 
some  Polish  Cossacks  under  Gonta,  and  a  few  other 
soldiers.  A  dark  plot  was  formed  for  taking  it  by  sur- 
prise, and  the  undertaking  unhappily  succeeded  through 
the  treachery  of  Gonta.  Under  pretext  of  revictual- 
ling  the  town,  Zelezniaque,  with  his  ferocious  bands, 
was  introduced  into  it,  at  nightfall,  by  his  agents;  and, 
after  a  short  resistance,  eighteen  thousand  inhabitants 
were  put  to  the  sword.  The  slaughter  lasted  three 
days :  atrocities  which  no  power  of  language  can 
describe  were  committed ;  and  while  the  massacre  was 
being  accomplished,  the  Russian  priests  pronounced 
blessings  and  chaunted  h}Tnns  of  triumph. 

As  the  rebellion,  daily  increasing  in  intensity  and 
extent,  began  to  assume  a  very  alarming  aspect,  some 
Polish  troops,  under  Brigadier  Stempkowski,  in  con- 
junction with  a  corps  of  faithful  Cossacks  under  Ne- 
krassa,  came  up  and  gave  successful  battle  to  the  rebels 
in  several  encounters.  The  general  terror  arising  from 
this  appalling  outbreak  at  length  arose  to  so  high  a 
pitch,  that  the  court  of  St.  Petersburgh  was  obHged 
to  discountenance  by  an  overt  disavowal,  the  rebellion 
excited  by  its  own  instrumentality ;  and  to  punish 
those  who  had  taken  a  part  in  it.  (See  Lesur.)  The 
main  body  of  the  Haidamaques  still  maintained  their 
encampment  at  Houmagne  under  Gonta ;  while  Zelez- 
niaque  was   constantly   sending    out    detachments    to 

I 


114  ZELEZNIAK. 

overrun  the  country,  when  a  body  of  infantry  and 
Russian  Cossacks  of  the  Don,  under  the  command  of 
Nolkin  and  Goloriva,  suddenly  showed  themselves 
before  the  town.  As  the  Poles  under  Nekrassa,  who 
had  cut  up  to  the  last  man  some  troops  of  rebels,  were 
advancing  to  engage  in  battle,  the  Russian  general 
Kretchetnikoff  despatched  Colonel  Goloriva  to  apprise 
the  rebel  chiefs  of  the  impending  danger.  This  step 
was  crowned  with  complete  success.  Goloriva  spoke 
in  friendly  terms,  approved  everything  that  had  been 
done  in  the  name  of  the  czarina,  drew  up  an  ulterior 
plan  of  military  operations,  assisted  in  regulating  the 
discipline,  visited  the  chief  officers,  assured  them  that 
they  would  be  defended  in  case  of  any  sudden  attack 
by  the  Poles,  and  completely  won  their  confidence. 
The  rebel  confederates  shortly  after,  while  reconnoitring 
for  information,  fell  in  with  the  Polish  vanguard. 
Beaten  by  this  force  and  pursued  by  Nekrassa,  they 
took  refuge  in  the  Russian  camp,  but  Goloriva  then 
adopted  an  opposite  line  of  conduct,  and  after  having 
hemmed  them  in  on  all  sides,  he  ordered  them  to  be 
thrown  into  irons,  together  with  Zelezniaque  and  other 
chiefs.  He  then  attacked  and  routed  the  rest  of  the 
Haidamaques  conjointly  with  the  Poles ;  and  having 
surrounded  them,  caused  them  to  be  sent  back,  to  the 
number  of  eighteen  hundred,  together  with  Gonta,  to 
General  Branetzki,  while  he  reserved  to  himself  Zelez- 
niaque  with  a  smaller  number  of  Russian  prisoners. 
The  accounts   relative  to  the  death  of  Zelezniaque  are 


ZELEZNIAK.  115 

contradictory.  The  end  of  his  earthly  career  has 
never  been  altogether  cleared  of  mystery,  although 
no  doubts  remain  touching  the  concluding  scene  of  the 
life  of  Gonta.  Some  say  that  Zelezniaque,  after  the 
dispersion  of  the  Ha'idamaques,  was  punished  with 
the  knout,  and  transported  for  life  with  all  his  family 
into  Siberia  :  others  assert  that  he  succeeded  in  effect- 
ing his  escape,  and  that  he  fell  in  a  skirmish  at  the 
head  of  one  of  his  detachments.  Again,  it  is  main- 
tained by  others  that  he  died  at  a  very  advanced  age, 
a  -voluntary  recluse  in  a  monastery  at  Moscow.  This 
last  statement  appears  to  me  to  rest  on  an  apparently 
good  foundation,  as  I  very  distinctly  remember  having 
heard  it  on  several  occasions  during  my  stay  in  the 
Ukraine.  It  is  also  confirmed  by  some  of  my  fellow- 
exiles  and  countrymen,  natives  of  that  district.  Zelez- 
niaque may  have  survived  the  punishment  of  the  knout, 
though  instances  of  this  are  very  rare;  he  may  also 
have  been  left  for  dead  upon  the  field  of  battle,  and 
there  have  returned  to  consciousness. 

The  historical  notices  that  have  been  published 
respecting  him,  agree  in  describing  him  as  a  man  of 
middle  stature  and  of  extraordinary  physical  strength ; 
that  he  was  fierce  in  aspect  and  sombre  in  disposition  ; 
that  his  energies  were  inexhaustible,  and  that  his  very 
name  excited  an  involuntary  shudder  ;  that  he  was  a 
religious  fanatic,  guided  by  the  sincere  impulses  of  a 
misdirected  enthusiasm,  and  that  he  was  neither  crafty 
nor  ambitious.     He  was  at  that  time   (in  1768)  in  the 


116  ZELEZNIAK. 

fortieth  year  of  his  age.  He  appeared  to  cherish  an  in- 
surmountable antipathy  to  the  Jews,  an  antipathy  which 
suffered  no  diminution  to  the  end  of  his  career ;  and 
which  was  ascribable  perhaps  to  the  false  notion  mali- 
ciously propagated  by  the  Russian  peasants  against  them. 
During  his  meals,  he  often  feasted  his  eyes  with 
their  dying  agonies;  he  invented  for  these,  his  most 
hated  victims,  tortures  which  surpass  all  belief,  and  of 
which  the  bare  idea  makes  the  blood  run  cold.  He 
was  superstitious,  and  had  a  peculiar  aversion  for 
females  of  dark  complexion ;  and  if  they  bore  the  least 
symbol  of  manhood  upon  their  chins  he  burnt  them 
as  witches.  In  his  features  were  combined  the  bold- 
ness of  the  lion  and  the  fierceness  of  the  tiger.  His 
eyes  glared  with  a  fiery  but  sullen  redness,  which  was 
quite  in  keeping  with  the  solitary  life  he  had  passed, 
within  hearing  of  the  roar  of  the  cataracts  of  the 
Dnieper.  He  had  an  enthusiastic  veneration  for  the 
priesthood  of  his  own  creed ;  and  seemed  to  have  a 
remarkable  predilection  for  prophets  so  called,  and 
astrologers.  His  voice  was  like  the  bellowing  of  a 
bull.  His  portrait,  which  I  saw  several  times  in  my 
early  boyhood,  did  not  belie  the  execrable  historical 
character  of  the  prototype.  See  Lesur,  Histoire  des 
Cosaques;  Tuczapski,  Madame  Crebs,  fille  de  Mado- 
novicz.  Description  de  la  Rebellion  des  Haidamaques, 
Lelevel,  Colonel  Logoski,  Swientski,  Ferrand  les  trois 
Demembremens,  Niemcevictz,  and  Czaykoski. 


117 


CHAPTER  VI. 


GONTA. 


Born  a  Serf  of  Cpunt  Pototski — Raised  from  his  station,  and  made 
Chief  of  the  Cossacks— Houmagne— The  Empress  Catherine 
foments  discord  in  the  Ukraine — Mladanovicz  sends  him  to  relieve 
Houmagne — A  Polish  Deputation  make  him  large  offers  to  secure 
his  co-operation — Is  persuaded  to  desert  the  cause  of  his  Country — 
Joins  Zelezniaque,  and  opens  Houmagne  to  his  ferocious  bands — 
Assists  at  the  dreadful  Carnage  perpetrated  there — Assumes  the 
command  of  the  Rebel  Army — Is  defeated  by  Nekrassa  and  the 
Polish  troops — Takes  refuge  in  the  Russian  Camp,  and  is  made 
prisoner  with  Zelezniaque,  by  Goloriva,  who  was  sent  by  the 
Empress  to  queU  the  Rebellion — Gonta  is  condemned  to  a  cruel 
death,  and  his  family  exiled  to  Siberia— Branetzki  the  Polish 
General — Many  Polish  Families  driven  from  their  homes— Induced 
to  return,  they  are  massacred — Dreadful  state  of  the  Ukraine — Its 
desolations,  and  awful  sacrifice  of  human  life — Gonta's  Character 
— The  present  Count  Pototski  and  his  sister  the  Countess  Kieseleff 
emigrants  from  the  country. 

If  the  guiltiest  deeds  that  darken  the  annals  of  the  past, 
if  the  savage  ferocity  of  the  tiger^  and  the  subtlest 
wiliness  of  the  fox,  if  great  versatility  of  mind  and 
unexampled  perfidy,  united  to  the  loftiest  ambition, 
have  at  any  time  rendered  a  brigand  chief  notorious, 
no  one  has  better  deserved  so  detestable  a  renown, 
than  the  man  who  is  the  subject  of  this  biographical 
memoir. 


118  GOKTA. 

Gonta  was  originally  a  serf,  professing  the  Greco- 
Kussian  religion,  and  was  born  at  Rosuszl^i,  a  small 
village  belonging  to  Szczesny  Pototski,  palatine  of 
Kiow,  the  capital  of  the  Ukraine.  This  nobleman  was 
possessed  of  immense  riches,  and  was  the  owner  of  the 
town  of  Houmagne  with  all  its  dependencies.  Since  the 
year  1760  he  had  confided  this  property  to  the  care  of 
a  skilful  steward  named  Raphael  Mladanovicz.  This 
man,  seeing  that  the  greatest  portion  of  the  land  about 
Houmagne  was  lying  uncultivated,  and  that  with  proper 
agricultural  attention  its  value  might  be  increased, 
erected  farm-houses  in  convenient  localities,  and  assigned 
them  to  industrious  tenants  at  a  very  moderate  rent,  on 
condition  of  their  making  good  roads,  and  using  every 
means  to  augment  the  revenue  of  his  master.  At  the 
same  time  he  endeavoured  to  secure  the  well-being  of 
the  palatine's  subjects  and  dependents.  He  then 
improved  and  ornamented  the  town  of  Houmagne, 
repaired  the  houses  and  streets,  and  established  schools, 
which  he  placed  under  the  direction  of  men  esteemed 
for  the  excellence  of  their  character.  For  the  security 
of  the  town  and  its  vicinity,  in  addition  to  a  certain 
number  of  regular  troops,  there  were  some  regiments  of 
militia  formed  from  the  relics  of  the  ancient  Polish 
Cossacks. 

Houmagne  soon  became  a  flourishing  place,  and  its 
liches  and  prosperity  rapidly  increased.  As  its  inhabi- 
tants were  composed  of  a  mixture  of  Roman  Catholics, 
members  of  the  Greek  catholic  church,  and  of  the  Greek 


GONTA.  119 

non-united  schismatic  church,  several  priests  of  the 
Koman  and  Greek  churches  came  hither  for  the  pur- 
poses of  education  and  proselytism.  This  caused  some 
alarm  among  the  clergy  of  the  Greek  church.*  An  ill- 
feeling  was  engendered,  and  mutual  calumnies  and 
recriminations,  with  the  various  bickerings  of  religious 
animosity,  followed  in  their  train. 

Gonta,  living  under  the  protection  of  Mladanovicz,  a 
courtier  by  nature,  and  gifted  with  much  acuteness  of 
intellect,  contrived  to  insinuate  himself  into  the  good 
graces  of  his  master,  the  Palatine  Pototski;  who, 
highly  appreciating  the  valour  and  abilities  of  his 
vassal,  gave  him  the  command  of  his  Cossack  troops. 
He  also  ameliorated  his  condition,  enabled  him  to  con- 
tract an  advantageous  marriage,  and  placed  him  in  the 
proprietary  tenure  of  two  villages  for  a  rent  almost 
nominal. 

Gonta  did  not  at  first  show  himself  unworthy  of  his 
master's  bounty,  and  appeared  to  be  actuated  by  a 
devoted  attachment  to  his  benefactor.  As  he  at  all 
times  lived  in  perfect  harmony  with  Mladanovicz,  to 
whom  he  confided  his  two  sons ;  and  as  the  palatine's 
high  opinion  of  him  was  daily  increasing,  Gonta  was 
entrusted  with  the  command  of  all  the  baronial  or 
seignoral  troops  in  the  neighbourhood ;  and  was  cajoled, 
humoured,  and  flattered,  as  always  happens  in  similar 
circumstances.  Availing  himself  of  all  the  advantages 
he  enjoyed,  he  gained  extensive  influence  and  great 
consideration  in  the  Ukraine ;  and  became  the  favourite 


120  GONTA. 

of  all  the  Cossacks,  over  whose  minds  he  had  obtained 
a  powerful  ascendancy. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  empress  of  Russia,  alarmed  at 
the  progress  of  the  confederates  of  Bar,  and  having 
been  apprised  that  there  was  a  misunderstanding 
between  Felicyan  Volodkovicz,  the  metropolitan  bishop 
of  the  united  Greek  church,  and  Melchisedeck 
Javorski,  the  superior  of  a  schismatic  monastery  of  the 
Greco-Russian  faith,  resolved  to  take  advantage  of  this 
circumstance  in  order  to  bring  about  a  definitive  and 
permanent  disunion,  and  thus  facilitate  the  rebellion 
of  the  common  people  against  the  nobles.  She  accord- 
ingly despatched  her  emissaries  into  all  the  Greco- 
Russian  monasteries,  situated  for  the  most  part  in 
isolated  places  in  the  depths  of  the  forests  of  Tasmina, 
as  well  as  on  the  confines  of  the  steppes  of  the  Ukraine. 
These  delegates,  by  their  insidious  counsels,  as  we  have 
already  mentioned,  were  the  original  authors  and 
abettors  of  the  rebellion  of  Zelezniaque.  But  it 
appeared  to  her  of  the  utmost  importance  to  gain  pos- 
session of  the  town  of  Houmagne,  in  which  great  num- 
bers of  the  nobles  had  taken  refuge,  in  order  that  she 
might  have  a  point  of  support  for  giving  an  eflfectual 
impulse  to  the  revolt ;  and  this  it  seemed  impossible  to 
do  without  the  concurrence  and  co-operation  of  Gonta. 
Zelezniaque,  at  the  head  of  the  Haidamaques,  made 
himself  master  of  Medvedovka,  Zabatine,  Smila, 
Zvinigrod,  and  captured  the  castle  of  Lysianka  by 
stratagem,  as  well  as  several  other  places.     He  then 


GONTA.  121 

pursued  his  march  at  the  head  of  his  bands,  distributing 
arms  to  the  peasants  as  he  passed  along,  and,  preceded 
by  numerous  schismatic  priests,  arrived  near  to  Hou- 
magne.  Gonta,  the  chief  of  the  Cossacks,  ha%dng 
incurred  suspicion,  Mladanovicz  apprised  him  of  the 
fact,  and  accused  him  of  tampering  with  the  fidelity  of  the 
troops  under  his  command.  Gonta  exculpated  himself 
by  protestations  of  gratitude,  and  renewed  his  oath 
of  fidelity  at  the  front  of  his  Cossacks,  drawn  up 
in  array.  The  confidence  formerly  reposed  in 
him  by  Mladanovicz  was,  by  this  public  declaration, 
renewed ;  and  he  sent  him  with  one  of  his  friends  to 
convey  provisions  into  the  town,  at  that  time  crowded 
with  fugitives,  and  to  give  battle  to  the  bands  of 
Zelezniaque.  During  this  time  General  Nisse,  then 
holding  the  chief  command  in  this  country,  withdrew 
his  forces  from  the  town,  in  conformity  with  secret 
orders  he  had  received.  He  also  clandestinely  induced  a 
Prussian  major,  who  happened  to  be  in  the  neighbour- 
hood for  the  purpose  of  making  a  purchase  of  horses, 
to  follow  his  example ;  so  that  there  remained  in  the 
town  but  a  very  small  number  of  soldiers,  for  the  most 
part  invalided,  who  could  not  be  openly  withdrawn  at 
so  short  a  notice,  without  causing  alarm  to  the  inhabi- 
tants. These  soldiers  were  sacrificed.  A  political 
problem  had  to  be  solved,  and  the  blood  of  a  few  infirm 
men  was  not  to  be  spared  under  the  working  of  the 
Machiavellian  councils  of  the  cabinet  of  St.  Petersburgh. 
After   the   retreat   of  the   confederates,  and   the  with- 


122  GONTA. 

dravv^al  of  the  regular  troops,  and  the  departure  of 
Gonta,  a  sudden  horror,  a  dark  presentiment  of  coming 
ruin,  seized  every  heart. 

In  this  phase  of  events,  the  arrival  of  Nekrassa  was 
expected.     Nekrassa  was  a  young  chief  of  Polish  Cos- 
sacks, whose  known  valour,  high  military  talents,  and 
implacable  hatred  to  all  that  was  Russian,  gained  him 
the  utmost  confidence  and  esteem.     He  was  to  effect  a 
junction  with  the  troops  of  Gonta,  after  having  gained 
some  recent  advantages  over  the  Haidamaques  as  well 
as  the  Russians.     No  breath  of  suspicion  had  tarnished 
the  high  principles  of  patriotism  and  honour  by  which 
he  was  actuated,  and  it  was  asserted  he  was  in  possession 
of  such  knowledge  as  would  unmask  the  dark  perfidy 
of  the  Moscovite  cabinet.     Gonta  was  near  Sakolovka, 
when  Nekrassa  joined  him,  at  the  head  of  a  small  depu- 
tation of  Polish  nobles,  in  order  to  concert  measures 
for  saving  the  town  of  Houniagne,  which  could  only  be 
done  by  immediately  attacking  the  Haidamaques  under 
Zelezniaque.     To   secure  the  co-operation  of  Gonta,  a 
large  sum  was  offered  him  by  this  deputation,  in  the 
name  of  the  Polish  nobles,  an  equal  sum  from  the  Pa- 
latinate  Pototski,   together  with   the  property  of  two 
villages  as  an  heir-loom  to  his  family,  to  be  selected  at 
Gonta's  own  choice,  from  his  vast  domains.     To  these 
gifts  were  also  to  be  added  a  high  commission  in  his 
troops,  a,nd  Mladanovicz  was  to   arrive  with  the  legal 
documents  of  the  cession  of  the  two  villages,  the  names 
of  which  were  to  be  inserted  in  the  title  deeds,  accord- 


GONTA 


123 


iiig  to  the  direction  of.  Gonta.  Having  listened  to  and 
discussed  the  proposals  of  Nekrassa,  Gonta  accepted 
them,  and  a  final  arrangement  seemed  thus  to  have 
been  efiected. 

By  a  strange  fatality,  however,  Mladanovicz  did  not 
make  his  appearance  with  the  expected  papers.  Gonta, 
perhaps  not  without  reason,  attributed  his  absence  to  an 
evasion  on  the  part  of  the  palatine,  relative  to  the  dona- 
tion of  the  villages.  Mladanovicz,  who  was  no  stranger 
to  the  intended  enrichment  of  Gonta,  might  have  been 
jealous  of  losing  even  a  small  part  of  his  master's  pos- 
sessions, and  his  bhnd  devotedness  might  have  made 
him  forget  that  it  is  sometimes  the  soundest  policy  to 
be  generous  from  interested  motives.  Nekrassa  and  the 
ortier  members  of  the  deputation  had  no  sooner  taken 
leave  of  Gonta  with  a  favourable  reply,  than  Basil, 
bishop  of  Tchegrine,  of  the  Greco-Russian  faith,  sud- 
denly came  into  the  presence  of  the  wavering  chief- 
This  ecclesiastic  was  the  principal  organiser  of  the  re- 
bellion, and  he  was  aided  in  his  godless  design  by  two 
hundred  priests,  who  were  then  sanctioning  bloodshed 
and  murder  by  their  blasphemous  preachings  thi'ough- 
out  the  Ukraine.  Basil  was  the  bearer  of  titles  and 
presents  for  Gonta,  and  by  high-sounding  promises  on 
the  part  of  the  Empress  of  Russia,  he  endeavoured  to 
prevail  upon  him  to  declare  himself  against  the  Poles, 
to  join  Zelezniaque,  and  to  deliver -up  the  town  of 
Houmagne.  He  represented  to  him  that  the  king  of 
Poland  was  secretly  favourable  to   the  rebellion,  and 


124  GONTA. 

that  he  was  borne  out  in  this  assertion  by  the  conduct 
of  Branetzki.  Still  all  the  insidious  persuasions  of  this 
infamous  prelate  seemed  incapable  of  alienating  Gonta, 
who,  in  expressing  his  refusal,  dwelt  upon  the  bounty  of 
the  palatine  his  benefactor.  At  these  words  the  Rus- 
sian prelate,  with  Satanic  joy  beaming  in  his  looks,  in- 
formed Gonta  that  the  palatine,  whom  he  till  now  had 
deemed  his  benefactor,  had  been  guilty  of  criminal 
conversation  with  his  wife ;  and  he  placed  before  Gonta's 
eyes  written  evidences  of  the  truth  of  his  allegation. 
It  is  not  known,  and  perhaps  it  never  will  be  known, 
whether  the  letters  which  he  exhibited  to  him,  and 
which  Gonta  believed  to  be  in  the  handwriting  of  his 
wife,  were  authentic  or  fabricated.  That  fac-similes  of 
writing  are  sometimes  undistinguishable  from  the  genuine 
copy  is  well  known.  Authors  vary  in  their  statements 
relative  to  the  production  of  the  letters:  we  have 
heard  the  fact  averred  by  many  persons,  and  have  read 
it  in  the  Memoirs  of  Colonel  Lagowski,  who  spent  a 
part  of  his  life  in  the  Ukraine.  After  reading  the 
letters,  Gonta's  countenance  betrayed  the  anger  that 
was  raging  in  his  heart:  the  inward  struggle  escaped 
not  the  scrutinising  eye  of  the  wily  delegate,  who  scarce 
had  time  to  renew  his  subtle  persuasions,  when  Gonta 
declared  against  his  country.  The  Cossacks  under  his 
command  fraternised  with  the  Haidamaques  under  Ze- 
lezniaque,  in  a  small  wood  called  Grekhova-lasek,  ren- 
dered famous  by  this  event.  When  the  junction  had 
been  effected,  the  army  of  the   rebels  confessed  them- 


GONTA.  125 

selves,  with  their  chiefs,  on  this  spot,  and  received  abso- 
lution firom  the  Greco-E-ussian  priests,  arrayed  in  their 
sacerdotal  robes,  to  carry  on  a  war  of  extermination 
against  their  unoflfending  fellow-creatures. 

Gonta,  by  the  abominable  stratagem  of  pretending  to 
re-victual  the  town,  succeeded  in  taking  possession  of 
Houmagne  at  the  close  of  day,  and  so  artfuUy  did  he 
concert  his  plans,  that  Zelezniaque's  forces  gradually 
advanced,  and  seized  the  most  important  posts,  while 
the  inhabitants  still  believed  themselves  in  safety. 
Mladanovicz  had  an  interview  with  Gonta,  whose 
treachery  now  became  apparent,  and  to  endeavour  to 
soften  his  heart,  he  conducted  to  him,  his  (Gonta's) 
two  sons,  who  had  been  confided  to  his  care.  The 
people  flocked  to  the  churches,  in  which  mass  was 
celebrated,  that  they  might  be  prepared  to  meet  the 
fearful  doom  which  now  appeared  to  be  inevitable. 
We  have  before  observed  that  the  garrison  was  com- 
posed of  a  few  feeble  and  infirm  soldiers.  All  resis- 
tance was  therefore  vain.  The  inhabitants  were  or- 
dered to  bring  out  all  their  efiects  into  the  public 
squares  and  open  places,  to  ransom  their  lives  with 
all  the  property  they  possessed.  These  orders  had  not 
been  fully  executed,  when  Gonta  murdered  his  two 
sons  with  his  own  hand.  He  then  commanded  that 
Mladanovicz  should,  in  his  presence,  be  transfixed 
with  pikes  through  his  body,  and  borne  along  by  a 
party  of  the  soldiers.  Thus  perished  Mladanovicz 
in   the   most   horrible   agonies.      The   inhabitants,   to 


126  GONTA. 

the  number  of  eighteen  thousand,  were  put  to  the 
sword ;  and  although  the  greater  number  of  the  nobles 
defended  themselves  with  the  courage  of  lions,  all 
were  massacred.  The  bloody  orgies  lasted  three  days. 
A  few  young  females,  on  their  conversion  to  the 
Greco-Russian  faith,  were  saved,  being  purified  with 
holy-water,  and  assigned  by  lot  to  the  Hai'damaques.'' 

After  this  terrible  event,  Gonta,  who  took  the  command 
of  all  the  rebels,  pursued  the  work  of  carnage.  Detach- 
ments of  troops  pillaged  Granof,  Toplik,  Daszof,  Tul- 
czyn,  Monasterzyska,  Haysyn,  Bossovka,  and  Ladiszyn, 
while  the  inferior  chiefs  carried  desolation  as  far  as 
Balta,  on  the  banks  of  the  Dniester,  in  the  Pobereze, 
and  even  to  Turkey,  as  well  as  to  the  environs  of 
K'low.  Soon  after,  however,  some  bands  of  the  Haida- 
maques  were  completely  exterminated  by  Nekrassa 
with  his  Polish  troops.  The  communes  of  Ositna, 
Kuzminogrobla,  Subska,  Siennitsa,  and  Podwysokie, 
signalized  themselves  by  an  heroic  resistance  and  an 
unalterable  attachment  to  their  masters,  who  nobly 
recompensed  them. 

The  main  body  of  the  Haidamaques  still  remained 
at  Houmagne  under  Gonta  and  Zelezniaque,  when  a 
detachment  of  Don  Cossacks  under  Goloriva,  and  a 
body  of  Russian  infantry  under  KretchetnikofiT,  appear- 
ed in  the  vicinity  of  the  town.  Both  these  officers 
had  received  secret  instructions  to  observe  the  Haida- 
maques, and  to  gain  the  confidence  of  their  chiefs. 
Goloriva    visited    these    officers,  gave    them    counsel. 


GONTA.  127 

and  performed  his  mission   with  considerable   ability. 
When  the  troops  headed  by  Nekrassa  began  to  defeat 
and    pursue    the    Haidamaques    in     every   direction, 
Gonta   with   his   chiefs   went   to  visit    Goloriva,  who 
received  them  with  courtesy  and  marked   politeness. 
Then,  having  secured   their   horses  so  as  to   prevent 
their  escape,  he  suddenly  changed  his  tone,  and  threw 
them  into  irons.     He   then  attacked  and   routed   the 
Haidamaques    conjointly   with    the    Poles,   who   sur- 
rounded them   on  all  sides,  and  delivered  up  Gonta 
with  eighteen  hundred  of  the  rebels  to  General  Branet- 
zki  by  the  orders  of  Kretchetnikoff.     Branetzki  found 
means  to  convey  a  secret  message  to  Gonta,  to  assure 
him  that  if  he  would  observe  strict  silence  and  make 
no  oral  declaration,  he  would  save  him  from  impending 
death ;  but  the  same  messenger  was  charged  with  an 
especial  order  to  Goloriva  that  he  should  command  hia 
Cossacks  to  cut  out  the  tongue  and  chop  off  the  right 
hand  of  Gonta,  under  some  frivolous  pretext,  in  order 
to  prevent  him  divulging  state  secrets.     It  is  to  be 
remarked,   that   after   the   murder   of   his   two    boys, 
Gonta's  mind  was  partly  deranged.     He  could  never 
sleep  nor  take  any  rest ;  he  constantly  fancied  he   saw 
the  ghosts  of  his   children  and  of  his  mother  cursing 
him.     He  spoke  often  to  them  in  the  dead  of  the  night; 
and  before  his  execution,  which  took  place  in  Novem- 
ber, he  bore  already  all  the  weight  of  the  punishment 
of  his  horrible  crimes.     When  one  of  the  Haidamaques 

K covered  the  son  of  Mladanovicz,  a  boy  of  ten  years 
to 


GONTA. 


of  age^  who  escaped  death  by  accident,  and  conducted 
him  to  Gonta,  the  latter,  moved  by  pity,  not  only  saved 
his  life  but  took  care   of  him,  paid  him  the  greatest 
possible  attention,  and  seems  to  have  been  particularly 
fond  of  that  child,  who,  well  acquainted  with  him,  con- 
stantly asked  what  became  of  his  father  with  tears  and 
lamentations.     He  twice   escaped  almost  certain  death, 
and  was  only  wrested  from  Gonta's  arms  half-an-hour 
before  his  execution.     It  is  also  to  be  remarked  that, 
after  the  rout  of  the  Haidamaques,  when  Gonta  entered 
a  small  cottage  near  Serby,  he  discovered  in  it  a  female 
whom  he  had  seduced  in  his  youth,  and  who  had  pre- 
dicted to  him,  captivity  and  a  terrible  death.     She  was 
a  natural  daughter  of  a  Turkish  prisoner,  and  a  Bohe- 
mian woman.     She  had  received  a  good  education  and 
possessed  great  accomplishments,  and  was  for  a  long 
time  the  acknowledged  mistress  of  General   Branetzki> 
who,  even  after  his  marriage  with  the  niece  of  Potem- 
kin,  secretly  visited  her.     This  woman  (Marylka)  had 
a  tame  fox  which  followed  her  everywhere   and   of 
which  she  was  very  fond.     General  Branetzki  passing 
accidentally   through   the  village  saw  the  well-known 
fox  entering  the   barn;  he   soon    concluded   that   his 
mistress   must   be  there,  and    followed  it;  but   found 
Gonta   kneeling  at  the   feet    of  his   former   affection. 
From  that  time  he  felt  for  him  an  intense  hatred,  which 
was  never  abated.     Marylka   had  a  child,  which  was 
carried  off  by  the  Tatars,  and  not  being  able  to  recover 
it,  she  fell  into  deep  melancholy,  disappeared,  and  in- 


GONTA.  129 

habited  for  many  years  tinder  another  name,  an  isolated 
dwelling  on  the  banks  of  the  Dniester.  She  had  the 
reputation  in  the  neighbourhood  of  having  connexion 
with  evil  spirits.  (See  Memoirs  of  Colonel  Lagawski) . 
Goloriva  acted  in  strict  conformity  with  the  instructions 
he  had  received.  Gonta  was  condemned  at  Serby,  with 
every  necessary  formality,  to  undergo  publicly  the 
terrible  punishment  of  the  hooks,  of  mutilation,  and 
death ;  and  he  was  executed  in  the  presence  of  a  great 
many  eye-witnesses  at  the  head-quarters  of  Branetski. 
The  severity  of  the  punishment  he  underwent  was 
augmented  by  incredible  barbarities,  and  the  survivors  of 
his  family  were  sent  into  perpetual  banishment  in  Siberia. 
The  booty  carried  off  by  the  Haidamaques  (November, 
1768),  which  amounted  to  a  considerable  sum,  was  divided 
for  the  most  part  between  Branetski  and  Kretchetnikoff 
and  some  of  the  inferior  officers.  Although  Branetski 
appeared  to  be  devoted  to  Russia,  and  although  he  had 
married  the  niece  of  Potemkin,  a  marriage  which 
brought  him  great  riches,  all  accounts  agree  more  or 
less  in  ascribing  his  apparent  zeal  to  his  desire  to  usurp 
the  throne  of  Poniatowski,  while  he  detested  the 
Russians  in  his  heart.  For  whenever  intoxication  un- 
locked the  secrets  of  his  breast,  he  rarely  concealed  the 
antipathy  he  had  against  them.  Doubtless  he  was  not 
free  from  dissimulation,  but  he  was  certainly  endowed 
with  considerable  talent,  and  if  he  had  ascended  the 
throne  of  Poland  he  would  likely  have  saved  that  un- 
happy country.     But  Russia  well  knew  with  what  sort 

K 


130  GONTA. 

of  a  man  she  would  have  had  to  deal,  and  Branetski 
remained  without  further  promotion.  After  the  death 
of  Gonta,  the  Haidamaques  being  routed  everywhere, 
were  executed  by  thousands  in  all  the  southern  parts  of 
Poland.  They  were  hanged,  they  were  quartered,  they 
were  beheaded,  during  the  space  of  several  months. 
The  greatest  number  of  them  suffered  at  Leopold, 
Lysianka,  Berdyczew,  Zytomirz,  Kodnia. 

During  the  massacre  of  the  rebellion,  a  great  many 
Polish  families,  driven  from  their  houses  by  fear, 
wandered  shelterless  in  the  plains  of  Moldavia.  The 
hospodar,  however,  was  ordered  to  cause  them  to  with- 
draw from  his  province.  They  had  then  no  asylum  nor 
place  of  refuge  whither  they  could  betake  themselves  ; 
but  as  the  Turks  were  favourable  to  Poland,  it  was 
suggested  to  them,  that  they  shoiild  proceed  further  into 
the  heart  of  the  country,  to  be  more  removed  from  the 
observation  of  the  Russian  agents.  They  accordingly 
retired  into  the  interior  of  the  province,  when  the 
Russians  proclaimed  the  restoration  of  tranquillity  in 
the  Ukraine,  and  invited  them  to  return,  that  they 
might  repossess  their  estates,  to  prevent  them  falling  into 
the  hands  of  unauthorised  occupants.  This  was  a  dark 
and  infamous  snare  laid  to  entrap  them  ;  and  all  those 
who  returned  during  the  year  1769  were  put  to  the 
sword,  by  a  new  band  of  assassins  organised  by  Ty- 
mienko.  The  dissolution  of  all  social  order  was  universal 
throughout  the  Ukraine.  No  one  who  was  known  to 
have  signed  the  confederation  of  Bar  escaped  destruc- 


GONTA.  131 

tion.  Persecution,  anarchy,  and  vengeance,  exercised 
their  direful  sway  during  the  space  of  several  years,  and 
the  judicial  executions  did  not  cease  till  1773.  It  is 
not  possible  to  determine  the  exact  number  of  those 
who  were  the  victims  of  this  terrible  outbreak,  more 
terrible,  perhaps,  than  any  which  history  records. 

In  the  space  of  a  few  months  the  Ukraine  was  changed 
from  its  flourishing  and  beautiful  aspect  into  a  vast 
desert,  where  "  death  and  fire  had  altogether  gorged 
the  spoils  of  victory."  Five  towns,  sixty  boroughs,  and 
a  thousand  villages  were  destroyed;  more  than  two 
hundred  thousand  of  the  inhabitants,  without  reckoning 
those  that  were  assassinated  by  Tymienko,  lost  their 
lives.  The  number  of  judicial  executions  amounted  to 
six  thousand ;  a  number  more  than  sufficient  to  entail 
upon  the  authors  of  this  sanguinary  carnage  the  exe- 
crations of  posterity  to  the  remotest  ages.  The  Russian 
agents  doomed  beforehand  to  the  scaffold  those  whom 
they  excited  to  revolt  in  the  sacred  name  of  religion, 
while  Russian  policy  reaped  in  this  expedition  two 
advantages — the  subjection  of  the  Ukraine,  and  the 
weakening  of  the  Zaporoguians. 

The  most  numerous  body  of  Haidamaques,  under 
Zelezniaque  never  amounted  to  more  than  fifty  thousand 
men;  but  there  were  several  other  bands  under  dif- 
ferent leaders.  At  this  time  there  lived  in  the  Ukraine 
an  aged  Cossack,  named  Vernyhora,  who  by  his  in- 
fluence and  humane  feeling,  often  prevented  the  shed- 
ding of  blood.     He  even  predicted  the  fall  of  Poland, 


132  GONTA. 

but  also  foretold  its  future  regeneration.  The  con- 
federation of  Bar  was  fraught  with  more  danger  to 
Russia,  than  any  other  insurrection  hitherto  directed 
against  her. 

Gonta  was  a  man  of  middle  stature,  and  was  thin, 
beardless,  and  feminine  in  his  features.  He  had 
neither  the  ferocious  look  nor  the  vigorous  frame  of 
Zelezniaque,  but  he  surpassed  him  in  quickness  of  in- 
vention, and  in  the  arts  of  dissimulation.  There  was  an 
evident  perfidiousness  lurking  in  his  cat-like  eyes ;  but 
he  seldom  looked  his  interlocutor  in  the  face,  while  the 
honied  words  of  persuasion  flowed  from  his  lips.  He 
paid  the  penalty  of  his  fiendish  career  in  the  very 
prime  of  his  life.  The  town  of  Houmagne  still  exists  ; 
its  ancient  fortifications  were  razed  by  the  orders  of  the 
Russian  government  in  1812,  and  a  wooden  palisade 
now  only  surrounds  it.  Its  owner.  Count  Alexander 
Pototski,  is  amongst  the  emigrants  from  his  country. 
He  was  a  colonel  in  the  Russian  army,  and  only  a  few 
weeks  before  the  conclusion  of  the  last  fruitless  irrup- 
tion against  the  Russians  he  put  on  the  Polish  uniform, 
which  cost  him  a  little  kingdom.  This  nobleman  is 
passionately  fond  of  music ;  he  is  a  genuine  lover  of  the 
fine  arts,  and  is  remarkable  for  the  suavity  and  amenity 
of  his  manners,  as  well  as  for  his  many  excellent 
qualities.  His  features  and  look  are  Ukrainian.  He 
often  resides  in  Paris,  and  appears  to  attract  the 
admiration  of  the  ladies  of  high  rank  by  his  elegant 
conversation  and  dignified  manners.     It  is  said  that  he 


GONTA.  133 

refused  to  avail  himself  of  the  amnesty  in  which  the 
emperor  of  Russia  intended  to  include  him.  He  is  the 
brother  of  the  amiable  Countess  Kisielef,  whose  charm- 
ing disposition,  united  to  a  romantic  turn  of  mind  and 
distinguished  elegance,  were,'a  few  years  ago,  the  theme 
of  admiration  in  the  high  circles  of  Parisian  society. 
This  it  is  said  excited  the  jealousy  of  the  czar. 

In  sketching  the  political  events  of  the  Ukraine,  and 
the  fate  of  the  two  principal  Moloch-destroyers  of  its  in- 
habitants, during  the  sanguinary  rebellion  which  has  been 
the  subject  of  our  narrative,  we  may  for  a  moment  em- 
ploy our  imaginations,  while  thinking  of  that  soil  which 
has  imbibed  the  gore  of  so  many  of  the  unhappy  sons  of 
men.  "We  may  contemplate  the  cupolas  of  the  churches, 
reflecting  the  red  rays  like  waves  of  blood  from  the 
broad  crimson  disk  of  the  setting  sun,  and  we 
may  console  ourselves  with  the  reflection  that  blood 
barbarously  shed  cries  to  Heaven  for  vengeance; 
thousands  of  accusing  voices  will  be  raised  to  the  foot- 
stool of  mercy,  and  Heaven  is  just. 

See  Anarchic  dePologne;  Pamietniki  XiedzaMlada- 
nowicza;  the  works  of  Lesur,  sur  les  Cosaques;  Life  of 
Catherine  II.;  L'Histoire  de  Pologne,  by  Lelevel;  La 
Pologne  Pittoresque;  W.  Took;  Les  trois  De- 
membremens  de  Pologne,  par  Ferrand ;  Cox's  Travels  ; 
Swientski,  &c. 


134 


CHAPTER   VII. 

SAVA    (kALINSKi). 

Origin  not  well  known — The  last  among  the  Cossack  chiefs  faithful  to 
Poland  before  her  ultimate  partition — Celebrated  among  the  Cos- 
sacks —  Comes  late  to  the  Confederation  of  Bar — His  deadly  hatred 
to  the  Russians — Raised  by  the  sole  ascendency  of  his  character  and 
his  military  talents  to  a  command  of  small  Corps  composed  of  the 
Polish  Nobles  and  the  Polish  chosen  Cossacks — Performs  extraor- 
dinary feats  of  valour — Beats  successively  several  Russian  Gene- 
rals— Seldom  gives  Quarter — Takes  in  five  months  fifteen  pieces 
of  cannon,  one  hundred  waggons,  and  two  chests — Is  the  terror  of 
the  Russians — Advises  to  make  an  Insurrection  among  the  Cos- 
sacks— Combines  the  Polish  valour  with  the  patience  and  cunning 
of  the  ancient  Cossacks  —  Pressed  by  Sauvarof,  fights  a  hard 
battle  at  Szrensk — Already  victorious,  receives  a  gun-  shot  in  the 
leg — Deposed  in  the  forest  of  Pszasnysz — Betrayed  by  a  Jewish 
surgeon — Delivered  to  the  Russians  —Dies  from  ill-treatment— The 
ablest  among  the  Confederate  Chiefs. 

The  exploits  of  this,  the  last  of  the  Cossack  chiefs 
who  remained  faithful  to  Poland,  are  of  sufficient 
importance  to  merit  particular  notice.  Weakened  and 
disorganized  as  were  the  Cossack  body  by  the  defection 
to  Turkey  of  Nekrassa  and  his  adherents,  the  remnant 
still  constituted  a  formidable  power,  at  the  head  of 
whom  Sava  immortalized  his  name  by  prodigies  of 
valour,  and  by  his  consummate  skill  in  the  art  of 
partisan  warfare. 


SAVA.  135 

Sava  was,  originally,  a  Cossack  of  the  Ukraine,  but 
was  animated  by  feelings  of  the  most  implacable 
hatred  against  all  that  bore  the  very  name  of  Russian, 
and  by  a  burning  thirst  for  revenge  against  the 
barbarians  who  had  murdered  his  relative  and  com- 
mitted unheard-of  atrocities  in  Poland.  He  enlisted 
into  the  confederation  of  Bar,  and,  in  a  short  time, 
without  name,  without  influence  or  protection,  and 
by  the  sole  aid  of  his  natural  genius  and  the 
ascendancy  of  his  firm  and  energetic  character,  he 
acquired  the  friendship  and  esteem  of  the  confede- 
rated chiefs,  and  created  for  himself  a  position  of 
superior  command. 

Fighting  after  the  manner  of  the  ancient  Cossacks, 
from  whose  traditions  he  had  drawn  the  resources  of  his 
genius  as  a  military  tactician ;  subtle,  persevering,  and 
impenetrable  in  his  plan  of  operations ;  at  once  cunning, 
daring,  cautious,  and  intrepid;  wary,  active,  and  yet 
intangible  to  the  enemy ;  suffering  near  him  neither 
rival  nor  confidant,  he  spread  carnage  and  destruction 
amongst  the  Russians,  to  whom  he  scarcely  ever  gave 
quarter  or  respite.  He  defeated  in  succession  a  num- 
ber of  Sauvarofs  best  lieutenants ;  gaining  over  them 
a  series  of  briUiant  advantages  ;  seizing  upon  their 
baggage-trains,  cutting  off  their  communications  ;  exter- 
minating their  detachments,  and  falling  constantly 
either  on  the  flanks  or  on  the  rear  of  their  columns. 
He  shifted  about  from  place  to  place  with  almost  fabu- 
lous rapidity,  and  allowed  no  rest,  whether  by  day  or 


136  SAVA. 

night,  to  the  Russian  armies.  All  the  expeditions 
attempted  against  him  utterly  failed  one  after  the  other, 
and  Sauvarof  himself,  who  by  order  of  the  Empress 
Catherine  had  put  a  price  upon  his  head,  could  not 
refrain  from  testifying  repeatedly  his  admiration  of  the 
outlawed  Cossack  chief. 

Amongst  other  unfortunate  results  of  the  failure  of 
the  confederates'  plan  of  operations,  badly  concerted  by 
the  foreign  general  Dumouriez,  who  was  defeated 
by  Sauvarof,  and  which  proved  so  disastrous  in  its 
consequences  to  the  confederation  of  Bar,  Sava,  who 
from  the  first  had  disapproved  of  the  arrangements 
in  question,  being  suddenly  pursued  by  the  Mite  of 
Sauvarof 's  army,  consisting  of  far  superior  forces  and 
a  numerous  train  of  artillery,  was  driven  on  the  night 
of  the  25th  April,  (1771),  between  the  defiles  of 
Szrensk.  Thus  hemmed  in  within  the  narrow  limits 
of  two  dykes,  the  intrepid  partizan  warrior  faced 
about,  and  resolved  either  to  die  on  the  spot  or  to 
cut  a  free  passage  for  himself  and  his  troops  over  the 
bodies  of  his  pursuers.  The  conflict  was  fierce  and 
desperate  on  either  side,  and  lasted  the  whole  of  the 
following  day.  Sava  repeatedly  rallied  his  cavalry 
under  the  murderous  Russian  fire  of  grape-shot  and 
musketry ;  he  took,  lost,  and  retook  five  times  in  suc- 
cession the  fatal  dyke :  and  having  at  last  found  a 
lateral  passage  towards  Przasnysz,  he  succeeded  in 
striking  down  all  that  opposed  his  exit  at  this  point, 
and  had  mounted  to  the  roof  of  a  house,  to  give  from 


y 


SAVA. 


187 


thence  the  last  orders  to  his  already  victorious  troops, 
when  a  gun-shot  shattered  his  leg.  Fearing  that  this 
accident  might  damp  the  ardour  of  his  soldiers, 
he  had  himself  carried  amongst  them  on  a  litter, 
encouraging  them  by  his  presence,  and  directing  their 
final  attack.  He  had,  indeed,  the  satisfaction  of  be- 
holding the  Russians  beaten  and  pursued,  but  unable 
longer  to  support  the  increasing  agony  of  his  wound, 
aggravated  by  the  motion  of  the  litter,  he  gave  orders 
to  his  troops  to  continue  their  march,  and  had  himself 
secretly  conveyed  into  the  interior  of  a  neighbouring 
forest.  But  a  Jewish  surgeon  who  attended  him  gave 
information  of  his  retreat ;  he  was  delivered  up  to  the 
Russian  Colonel  Salomon,  whom  Sava  had  often 
defeated ;  and  who,  astonished  at  the  capture  he  had 
thus  made,  treated,  it  is  said,  with  aU  possible  kindness 
the  unhappy  chief,  to  whom  he  ordered  that  every 
attention  should  be  paid.  But  Sava,  exasperated  by 
pain,  and  disdaining  to  owe  any  kind  of  obligation  to  a 
Russian,  whom  he  never  by  any  chance  spared,  tore 
the  bandages  from  his  wounds,  opened  them  afresh, 
and  enlarged  them  with  his  nails,  pertinaciously  refus- 
ing to  accept  of  the  projBfered  aid.  Subsequently  he 
was  claimed  by  Sauvarof,  who,  in  revenge  for  the 
repeated  discomfitures  which  his  lieutenants  had  met 
with  at  the  hands  of  the  now  helpless  Sava,  over- 
whelmed him  with  insult,  treated  him  with  cruelty, 
and  finally,  exasperated  by  his  haughty  answers,  had 
him  put  to  death. 


138  SAVA. 

Such  was  the  end  of  this  terrible  partizan  chief,  who, 
with  his  own  hand,  killed  thirty-two  Russians,  defeated 
them  several  times  in  the  field,  and  who  contemplated 
raising  the  whole  of  the  Cossacks  in  open  insurrection 
against  Russia.  In  order  to  form  some  idea  of  Sava's 
military  capacity,  it  may  be  remarked  that,  in  the  short 
space  of  five  months,  having  scarcely  1,800  men,  he 
had  destroyed  three  Russian  divisions,  had  taken  fif- 
teen pieces  of  cannon,  two  military  chests,  one 
hundred  military  waggons,  eighty  officers,  and  some 
standards  :  and  all  this  at  a  period  when  the  Russian 
army  was  in  its  highest  state  of  efficiency  and  dis- 
cipline. 

His  advice  to  the  confederates  had  always  been  that 
king  Poniatowski  should  be  dethroned  or  killed 
without  much  ado,  and  that  Repnin  and  Drevitch 
should,  if  possible,  be  caught  alive,  in  order  that  they 
might  be  torn  to  pieces  limb  from  limb.  The  latter 
had  ordered  the  right  hand  to  be  severed  from  each 
of  three  hundred  confederate  prisoners,  and  it  is  said 
that  he  himself  cut  off  the  hands  of  nine  of  these 
unfortunate  victims,  whom  he  afterwards  paraded 
through  the  streets  of  Warsaw.  Sava,  by  way  of 
retaliation,  had  the  soldiers  of  this  Russian  man-butcher 
put  to  the  sword  without  mercy. 

Kazimir  Pulawski,  Sava,  and  Zaremba  were  beyond 
all  doubt  the  three  most  able  chieftains  of  the  Con- 
federation of  Bar.  Pulawsld  defeated  Sauvarof  once, 
and  was  in  his  turn  twice  defeated,  but  rose  again  more 


SAVA.  139 

formidable  than  ever.     We  have  just  mentioned  the 
fate  of  Sava. 

Zaremba,  formerly  a  major  in  the  army,  was  never 
once  beaten  nor  taken  by  surprise.  Impatient  of  any 
superior  command,  he  could  never  be  brought  to  make 
his  operations  subservient  to  any  combined  or  para- 
mount plan  of  attack ;  consequently,  he  always  acted 
individually,  or  in  a  manner  on  his  own  account.  At 
a  later  period,  nevertheless,  losing  all  hope  of  ultimate 
success,  he  deserted  the  cause  of  the  Confederation, 
abandoned  his  troops,  and  went  over  to  the  Prussians, 
by  whom  as  well  as  by  the  Russians  he  allowed  himself 
to  be  corrupted. 

In  the  course  of  the  struggle  against  this  famous 
Confederation,  the  Russians  lost  upwards  of  65,000 
of  their  best  troops. 

The  fate  of  the  principal  Confederates  was  singular. 
Krasinski,  the  Bishop  of  Kamienietz,  succeeded  by  his 
extraordinary  activity  to  make  hostile  treaties  to  Russia, 
with  Turkey  and  Saxony,  and  died,  with  his  brother 
and  F.  Pototski,  a  natural  death.  The  old  Pulawski,  who 
was  a  lawyer  of  Prince  Czartoryski,  unjustly  accused 
of  treason,  died  in  irons  at  Constantinople,  and  before 
his  death  gave  his  blessing  to  his  sons  provided  they 
did  not  avenge  his  death.  One  of  his  sons  was  taken 
prisoner  and  sent  to  Siberia,  where  he  fought  under 
Pugatchef,  the  other  and  his  nephew  were  killed  at 
Lomazy,  and  Kazimir,  the  last,  went  to  America,  and 
was  killed  at  Savannah. 


140  SAVA. 

There  arc  still  extant  in  the  Ukraine  a  host  of  popu- 
lar songs  or  ballads  commemorating  with  tolerable 
fidelity  not  only  the  tragical  end  of  Sava,  but  likewise 
his  victories  over  the  Russians,  his  attachment  to 
Poland,  and  the  leading  exploits  of  his  adventurous 
life.  They  all  bear,  as  did  also  the  character  of  Sava 
himself,  the  easily  perceptible  impress  of  that  bias  for 
the  sombre,  the  romantic,  and  darkly  mysterious  in 
poetry,  which  has  ever  been  the  peculiar  mark  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Ukraine. 

See  Anarchic  de  Pologne,  by  E-oulhiere ;  Les  trois 
Demembremens  de  Pologne,  by  Ferrand;  Life  of 
Catherine  II.  ;  the  works  of  Lelevcl ;  and  Pologne 
Pittoresque. 


141 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


ROZYCKI. 

An  ancient  Lieutenant  of  the  Polish  army — Resides  near  the  borders 
of  the  Ukraine — Drills  a  detachment  of  the  Polish  insurgents  in 
the  middle  of  the  Russian  armies — Surrounded  by  the  Russian 
Regulars,  vanquishes  them — Breaks  several  squares  of  the  Russian 
infantry  with  yoimg  men  who  had  never  been  under  fire — Pro- 
ceeds to  Miendzyrzec,  in  Volhynia — Marches  through  the  Russian 
armies  in  the  night  as  Russian  Cossacks— Orders  to  speak  Russian 
— Destroys  a  Russian  detachment — Marches  towards  Poland— Gal- 
lant afiair  before  the  village  of  Novosilki — Cuts  to  pieces  the  Rus- 
sian infantry  regiment  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington — Makes  his 
junction  with .  the  Polish  army  near  the  fortress  of  Zamosc— Is 
made  a  Colonel— Gallant  affair  at  Hza,  where  he  kills  the  Colonel 
of  the  dragoon  regiment  of  Kargopol,  and  routes  superior  forces — 
Rises  in  fame — Excites  jealousy — Beats  superior  Russian  forces — 
Intends  to  raise  the  whole  of  the  Russian  provinces  against  Russia 
— Dreaded  and  beloved  by  his  soldiers,  inspires  great  confidence — 
Is  never  vanquished,  and  maintains  rigid  discipline  to  the  end  of 
the  war — Great  military  and  administrative  capacities — The  only 
Partizan  of  note  in  the  last  War — Believes  in  the  success  of  the 
Insurrection  in  the  Ukraine  on  a  large  scale — Adventure  of  the 
Marquis  of  Douro  and  the  Emperor  of  Russia— Their  misimder- 
standing — Douro  leaves  Kalisz — Returns  to  England. 

In  the  late  war  by  Poland  against  Russia  in  1831,  a 
war  so  badly  conducted,  and  the  disastrous  results  of 
which  are  to  be  attributed  more  to  the  incapacity  of  its 
directors  than  to  any  other  cause,  there  shone  forth. 


142  ROZYCKI. 

nevertheless,  some  military  characters  well  worthy  of 
admiration  and  renown ;  and  amongst  which  must 
certainly  be  included  Charles  Rozycki,  of  whose  vic- 
tories I  shall  now  endeavour  to  trace  a  rapid  but  faithful 
sketch. 

Rozycki  was  at  the  time  a  retired  officer,  residing  on 
the  borders  of  the  Ukraine.  No  sooner  did  he  per- 
ceive that  circumstances  afforded  him  an  opportunity  of 
serving  the  cause  of  his  native  country,  than  he  con- 
trived to  form,  to  organize,  and  to  animate  with  his  own 
ardent  spirit,  in  the  midst  of  hostile  Russian  forces,  and 
as  we  may  say,  indeed,  in  their  very  teeth,  a  detachment 
of  light  cavalry,  mounted  and  armed  according  to  the 
ancient  Polish-Cossack  fashion ;  at  the  head  of  which, 
surrounded  as  he  was  by  infinitely  superior  numbers  of 
the  enemy,  he  made  good  his  escape,  and,  subsequently, 
performed  a  series  of  brilliant  achievements. 

After  surmounting  the  greatest  difficulties,  and  the 
fatigues  and  hazards  of  a  twenty- five  days"*  march,  he 
succeeded  in  joining  the  Polish  army  near  the  fortress 
Zamosc. 

Promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel,  he  soon  became 
conspicuous  for  his  enterprising  bravery;  constantly 
breaking  through  their  squares  of  infantry,  and  routing 
every  squadron  of  cavalry  he  attacked,  he  became  a 
terror  to  the  Russians :  and  even  towards  the  end  of  this 
war,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  general  anarchy  and  dis- 
order of  the  Polish  army,  he  managed  to  maintain,  in 
his  own  regiment,  the  strictest  discipline;  so  that  his 


ROZTCKI.  143 

name  spread  consternation  and  dismay  to  such  an 
extent,  that  the  Russians,  who  well  knew  his  detach- 
ments, more  than  once  evidently  avoided  measuring 
their  forces  with  them. 

The  intrigues  of  petty  rivalship,  the  mean  and  sordid 
machinations  of  jealousy,  and  more  especially  the  miser- 
able incapacity  of  certain  pretenders  to  miKtary  talent, 
whose  measures  served  but  to  engender  mistrust  and 
discouragement  throughout  the  army,  prevented  the 
really  splendid  talents  of  Rozycki  from  being  adequately 
and  efficiently  employed ;  nay,  on  more  than  one  occa- 
sion it  was  but  too  apparent  that  these  very  soi-disant 
patriots,  who  were  incessantly  blaming  every  thing, 
inventing  nothing ;  and  who,  in  point  of  fact,  at  the 
most  critical  and  important  juncture,  purposely  checked 
or  withheld  the  forces  organized  for  the  defence  of  the 
country ;  were  absolutely  desirous  of  getting  rid  of  him 
altogether. 

As  Rozycki  was  the  victor  in  several  engagements^ 
and  as  I  am  unable,  for  the  moment,  to  procure 
access  to  the  details  of  all  his  military  successes^ 
I  shall  here  confine  myself  to  a  relation,  and  that  too  but 
cursory  and  incomplete,  of  such  only  of  his  principal 
military  achievements  as  appear  to  me  to  contain  the 
most  striking  points  of  interest. 

When  Rozycki  left  his  native  district,  he  had  with 
him  but  two  hundred  horsemen  and  fifty  carabineers. 
Out  of  the  two  hundred  troopers  there  were  but 
seventy-three  who  might  be  properly  said  to  have  been 


144  ROZYCKI. 

tolerably  well  armed  ;  that  is  to  say,  with  regular  lances, 
the  rest  had  nothing  save  long  wooden  poles,  tipped 
with  large  iron  nails  sharpened  to  a  point.  Amongst 
this  little  troop  of  insurgents,  was  here  and  there  to 
be  seen  a  sabre  or  a  pistol;  the  carabineers,  famous 
marksmen  it  is  true,  had  neither  much  ammunition 
nor  good  carabines ;  the  whole  troop,  in  fact,  was 
wretchedly  armed. 

Scarcely  had  Rozycki  quitted  his  village,  when  seve- 
ral detachments  of  the  Russian  troops  intercepted  his 
road :  other  bodies  of  the  enemy  followed  close  upon 
his  little  band. 

In  front  of  a  wood  on  the  road  by  which  he  must  of 
necessity  pass,  three  battalions  of  Russian  infantry 
marched  forward  to  meet  him,  and  immediately  formed 
into  squares ;  the  enemy's  cavalry  was  fast  closing  upon 
his  rear. 

Rozycki  saw  plainly  that  there  was  no  time  to  be 
lost.  He  gave  instant  orders  to  his  troops  to  attack  the 
first  square  of  infantry;  the  attack  succeeded;  the 
young  insurgents,  who  had  never  yet  stood  fiire,  dashed 
upon  the  square,  which  they  cut  to  pieces ;  the  second 
and  third  were  in  like  manner  broken  and  destroyed : 
a  small  number  of  the  fugitives  rallied  in  the  wood.  In 
the  interval,  the  Russian  cavalry  had  come  up;  had 
deployed,  and  were  preparing  to  charge  ;  on  perceiving 
which,  Rozycki  caused  his  own  to  retire  slowly: 
the  Russian  horse  kept  following  close  upon  their  heels. 
Suddenly,  Rozycki,  finding  that  there  was  now  a  wall 


ROZYCKI.  145 

covering  one  of  his  flanks,  halted,  faced  about,  and  at  a 
given  signal,  the  insurgents  being  excellently  mounted, 
fell  like  lightning  upon  the  enemy's  cavalry,  to  the  cry 
of  "  Death  to  the  Muscovites !  no  quarter !"  The 
Russians  gave  way,  and  were  in  an  instant  broken, 
defeated,  and  pursued  with  great  slaughter  ;  but  they 
were  in  great  numbers  ;  they  endeavoured  to  rally  near 
a  garden  wall ;  E-ozycki,  however,  had  anticipated  this 
manoeuvre,  and  had  secretly  posted  aU  his  carabineers 
behind  the  waU,  under  favour  of  a  dry  ditch  running 
behind  it,  and  along  which,  at  the  commencement  of 
the  action,  they  had  passed  unnoticed,  by  creeping  with 
their  heads  held  down.  For  the  moment,  he  delayed  to 
harass  the  routed,  but  now  rallying  enemy,  with  his 
reserve  ;  waiting  the  favourable  instant  for  augmenting 
their  confusion  and  taking  advantage  of  their  disorder. 
On  a  sudden,  at  the  word  " paV  (signifying  «^  fire  !''  in 
Polish),  the  carabineers,  who  had  taken  steady  aim  at 
nearly  every  Russian  cavalier  of  note,  making  a  simul- 
taneous discharge,  brought  down  several  of  the  Russian 
officers,  as  likewise  a  great  number  of  men  and  horses. 
The  most  terrific  disorder  ensued ;  Rozycki's  reserve 
now  made  a  desperate  charge,  and  so  scared  the  Russian 
cavalry,  that  they  broke  through  and  trampled  down 
their  own  infantry.  The  latter,  indeed,  closing  again, 
attempted  to  advance  to  renew  the  engagement ;  but 
were  cut  to  pieces  and  nearly  exterminated.  Rozycki, 
after  having  collected  together  all  the  muskets,  sabres, 
cartridges,  and  sound  horses,  pushed  forwards  on  his 


146  ROZYCKI. 

march ;  taking  the  precaution  of  breaking  down  all  the 
bridges  he  left  behind  him  on  his  road. 

In  this  brilliant  action  he  lost  but  very  few  of  his 
own  troops,  and  did  considerable  damage  to  the 
Russians.  Its  result  was,  to  raise  the  courage  and 
greatly  increase  the  confidence  of  his  adherents,  whose 
conduct  on  the  occasion  was  indeed  admirable. 

A  few  forced  marches  brought  him  to  Miendzyrzec 
(Miandzirjetz),  a  town  in  Volhynia,  now  belonging  to 
the  Princess  M.  Radzivill,  (by  birth  Countess  Alex- 
andrina  Stecka,  '  Stetska,' )  a  lady,  whose  intelli- 
gence, superior  mind,  and  noble  sentiments,  joined  to 
her  many  accomplishments,  elegant  manners,  and 
various  other  advantages,  both  natural  and  acquired, 
might  well  render  their  possessor  worthy  to  adorn  a 
throne.  Her  husband  had,  from  the  commencement 
of  the  war  of  1831,  the  nominal  command  of  the  entire 
Polish  army ;  a  post  in  which  he  conducted  himself  in 
all  respects  as  became  a  man  of  honour.  After  the  fall 
of  Warsaw,  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Russians,  and 
sent  in  exile  to  Siberia;  whence,  after  the  lapse  of  a 
few  years,  he  was,  by  the  exertions  of  his  wife,  and  the 
intercession  in  his  behalf  of  the  court  of  Prussia,  per- 
mitted to  return  to  Warsaw.  The  Miendzyrzec  in 
question  must  not  be  confounded  with  another  town  of 
the  same  name,  situated  about  fifty-eight  miles  (EngHsh) 
to  the  east  of  Warsaw,  belonging  to  Prince  C.  Czar- 
toryski;  and,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  which  there  was 
a  battle  fought  on  the  29th  of  August,  1831,  wherein 


ROZYCKI.  147 

the  Russians,  although  far  superior  in  number  to  the 
Polish  forces,  were  completely  beaten;  and  at  which 
battle  the  author  was  present.  It  was  in  this  engage- 
ment that  a  single  Polish  regiment,  the  5th  of  the  line, 
led  by  Colonel  E-ychlowski,  exterminated,  with  the 
bayonet,  three  entire  Russian  regiments,  in  a  cemetry. 
To  return,  however,  to  Rozycki.  As  the  news  of  the 
remarkable  victory  he  had  just  gained  had  already  pre- 
ceded him,  his  arrival  was  welcomed  by  the  ringing  of 
all  the  church  bells ;  the  whole  population  poured  out 
of  the  town  to  receive  him.  Money,  provisions,  and 
horses,  were  furnished  him  in  abundance;  whilst  a 
swarm  of  young  schoolboys  rushed  into  the  street,  kiss- 
ing the  feet  of  the  officers  and  soldiers,  and  conjuring 
them  to  lead  them  on  to  fight  against  the  Russians.  It 
was  in  vain  that  they  were  remonstrated  with,  and 
told  to  recollect  that  they  were,  as  yet,  but  children ; 
that  a  time  would  come  when  they  might  prove  them- 
selves of  real  service  to  their  country ;  whilst,  by  in- 
sisting upon  following  the  insurgent  troops,  they  would 
only  incur  the  risk  of  being  crueUy  persecuted  by  the 
Russians  for  thus  openly  declaring  their  sentiments ; 
that  they  had  far  better,  therefore,  return  back  to  their 
respective  schools.  The  boys  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  all  the 
reasoning  that  could  be  urged  against  them ;  they  wept, 
vociferated,  and  were  absolutely  bent  on  following  Ro- 
zycki's  detachment;  and,  better,  indeed,  had  it  been  for 
them,  as  the  sequel  proved,  if  they  had  been  allowed  to 
have  their  own  way,  and  to  follow  the  regiment.     In 


148  ROZYCKI. 

order  to  appease  them  in  some  sort,  they  were  permitted 
to  tend  upon  the  wounded  ;  and  Rozycki,  having  re- 
inforced his  small  troop  by  the  addition  of  a  few  good 
horsemen,  and  gathered  all  the  information  possible  as 
to  the  whereabouts  and  movements  of  the  enemy,  left 
Miendzyrzec,  and  marched  forward  a  few  miles.  Shortly 
afterwards,  however,  he  received  authentic  warning 
from  his  faithful  scouts,  that  several  Russian  columns, 
supported  by  artillery,  were  already  waiting  on  his  road 
to  intercept  his  advance.  He  likewise  received  in- 
telligence that  some  detachments  of  Russian  cavalry 
were  following  on  his  rear ;  and  that  some  of  them  had 
entered  Miendzyrzec  immediately  on  his  quitting  that 
town.  After  listening  attentively  to  all  these  reports, 
and  having  well  considered,  scrutinized,  and  weighed 
them,  he  altered  his  plan  of  advance,  and  returned  back 
by  a  side-road  to  the  town.  Here,  upon  re-entering, 
he  heard  cries  of  lamentation  and  hopeless  distress :  the 
Russians  had  just  massacred  all  the  schoolboys  they 
could  meet  with  in  the  streets ;  and  the  bodies  of  the 
youthful  victims  were  lying  scattered  in  every  direction 
bathed  in  blood.  Fired  with  indignation  at  sight 
of  this  heartless  butchery,  he  fell  by  surprise  upon  the 
Russian  troops  who  were  in  the  town ,  cut  them  to 
pieces,  and  exterminated  nearly  every  Russian  he  could 
find  in  Miendzyrzec  :  then,  profiting  by  the  darkness  of 
the  night,  and  conducted  by  faithful  guideS;  he  passed 
in  safety  the  numerous  columns  of  the  enemy ;  for  as  he 
ordered  the  Russian  language  to  be  spoken  by  his  men. 


ROZYCKI.  149 

and  as  his  detachment  was  in  the  Cossack  dress,  and 
was  armed  after  the  Cossack  fashion,  it  was  easily- 
mistaken  for  a  regular  body  of  the  Russo-Cossack  troops. 
By  forced  marches,  he  arrived  facing  the  village  of 
Novosilki,  in  the  full  belief  that  he  had  now  surmounted 
the  chief  of  his  difficulties,  but  here  it  was,  precisely, 
that  the  very  greatest  difficulties  of  all,  and  the  most 
imminent  danger  awaited  him :  for  the  enemy,  having, 
by  accident,  now  ascertained  the  true  object  and  direc- 
tion of  his  line  of  march,  all  the  Russian  columns  had 
concentrated  their  movements  on  this  spot,  in  order  to 
come  up  with  him,  and  effectually  prevent  his  further 
advance. 

In  order  that  the  reader  may  be  enabled  to  form 
some  idea  of  the  extraordinary  nature  of  the  conflict  I 
am  about  to  describe,  I  consider  it  absolutely  essential 
that  he  should  previously  be  made  acquainted  with  the 
peculiar  local  circumstances  of  the  ground  whereon  it 
took  place. 

Fronting  the  village  of  Novosilki,  there  is  a  marshy 
river,  over  which  was  a  bridge  in  very  good  repair,  and, 
as  my  readers  will  probably  have  already  anticipated,  in 
Rozycki's  front.  This  bridge  was  guarded  by  a  Russian 
infantry-battalion  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  regiment, 
and  by  some  companies  of  sappers  and  miners  posted  at 
the  entrance  to  the  village,  with  several  pieces  of  cannon  : 
at  some  thousand  paces  from  the  village  in  question, 
there  was  a  fordable  passage  over  the  river ;  this  spot  was 
guarded  by  six  hundred  Russian  Cossacks  of  the  Don ; 


160  ROZYCKI. 

facing  the  village  there  was  a  raised  dyke  or  elongated 
mound,  about  a  thousand  feet  (English)  in  length,  and  of 
considerable  height,  abutting  on  the  bridge.  Two  roads, 
from  opposite  directions  met  on  the  embankment.  The 
right  side  of  this  embankment  was  unapproachable,  on 
account  of  the  marshes ;  the  left  side  was  somewhat  more 
accessible. 

Rozycki,  marching  on  the  top  of  the  embankment, 
at  once  perceived  that  his  fate,  one  way  or  the  other, 
must  speedily  be  decided  :  he  ordered  one  half  of  his 
horsemen  slowly  to  descend  the  dyke,  with  a  few  cara- 
bineers ;  and  made  a  show  of  seriously  intending  an 
attack  on  the  Cossacks ;  but,  in  realit}'-,  he  wished  to 
sound  their  dispositions,  or  at  all  events,  to  keep  them 
oflf  as  far  as  possible,  to  avoid  being  placed  between  two 
fires.  The  Cossacks,  who  have  an  antipathy  to  serious 
attacks  of  every  kind,  began  to  fall  back  in  visible  alarm. 
Rozycki  himself,  now  began  to  descend  the  dyke, 
whereupon  the  Cossacks  moved  off  in  full  retreat. 

Immediately  on  perceiving  this  manoeuvre,  the  com- 
mander of  the  Russian  infantry  quitted  the  excellent 
position  he  occupied  behind  the  bridge  at  the  entrance 
of  the  village,  and  advanced  rapidly  on  the  dyke 
towards  Rozycki;  treating  with  contempt  the  advice 
of  a  veteran  soldier,  who  conjured  him  not  to  stir  a 
step  forward,  to  have  a  little  patience,  and  that,  in  less 
than  an  hour's  time,  the  whole  of  the  rebel  detachment, 
as  he  termed  it,  would  be  annihilated.  The  commander 
replied  to  him  with  a  sharp  reprimand ;  telling  him  to 


ROZTCKI.  151 

remember  "  that  soldiers  who  had  the  honour  to  bear 
the  illustrious  name  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  must 
not  be  content  to  lie  in  wait  for  the  enemy,  like  mice  in 
their  holes,  but  must  have  courage  enough  to  attack 
him,  openly,  wheresoever  he  may  appear,  as  did  the 
duke  at  Waterloo !" 

Rozycki  seeing  all  this,  and  apprehensive  that  the 
least  delay  might  prove  fatal,  suddenly  reascended  the 
dyke  with  his  cavalry  ;  formed  them  into  platoons  for  a 
charge,  and  posted  his  smaU  infantry  force,  by  way  of 
guard,  on  the  accessible  side  of  the  embankment,  in 
order  to  protect  himself  from  a  surprise  on  the  part  of 
the  Cossacks.  The  Russians,  who  were  advancing  in 
serried  columns,  now  formed  into  squares ;  here  again 
a  chance  of  the  ground  seemed  to  be  greatly  in  favour 
of  the  Russian  commander,  as  there  was  a  small 
wooden  bridge  between  him  and  Rozycki,  by  taking 
possession  of  which,  or  by  destroying  a  few  of  its  planks, 
he  might  greatly  have  embarrassed  and  impeded 
Rozycki's  attack,  and  have  thus  materially  aided  his 
own  defence :  these  precautions  however  he  neglected. 
The  insurgent  Poles  lowered  their  lances,  and  charged 
with  impetuosity  on  the  close  ranks  of  the  enemy  :  the 
Russian  infantry  reserved  their  fire,  which  commenced 
only  when  the  Polish  horsemen  had  arrived  within 
ninety  paces  of  their  position.  The  foremost  attacking 
platoons,  however,  were  mounted  on  those  choice 
and  far-famed  horses  from  the  steppes  of  the  Ukraine, 
the  superior  energy  and  spirit  of  which  it  would  be 


152 


ROZYCKI. 


difficult  to  describe.  Three  of  the  insurgents  rode 
down  a  few  of  the  foot  soldiers,  and  leaped  into  the 
square.  This  was  the  signal  for  the  general  disorder 
that  ensued.  A  Russian  infantryman  cried  out  for 
quarter ;  the  commander,  with  a  blow  from  his  sword, 
killed  him  on  the  spot,  at  the  same  time  shouting — 
*'  niet  pardon  dery  sia !  (no  quarter,  fight  away  I)"  But 
in  another  instant  three  Polish  lances  lifted  him  aloft 
into  the  air,  and  he  fell  dead  to  the  earth.  The  carnage 
now  commenced ;  the  square  once  broken  was  speedily 
cut  to  pieces  and  all  but  exterminated :  every  officer 
perished,  scarcely  a  soldier  escaped.  A  second  Rus- 
sian detachment,  who  essayed  to  close  the  road  to  the 
Polish  troops,  was  instantly  overthrown;  and  Rozycki 
entered  Novosilki,  passing  over  the  bridge,  which  he 
immediately  began  to  demolish.  Whilst  his  orders  to 
this  effect  were  still  being  executed,  and  the  last 
remnants  of  the  bridge  were  being  destroyed,  several 
columns  of  Russian  infantry  and  cavalry,  a  number  of 
field-pieces,  and  a  whole  army  of  Cossacks,  were  already 
mounting  the  embankment ;  but  it  was  too  late ;  Rozycki 
escaped  with  all  his  men ;  had  the  chains  and  fetters 
which  had  been  prepared  for  him  by  the  Russians,  in 
anticipation  of  his  capture,  broken  to  pieces  and  thrown 
into  the  river,  and  ultimately  made  good  his  junction 
with  the  Polish  army  at  Zamosc. 

In  the  conduct  of  this  famous  skirmish,  which  saved 
this  little  Polish  band  of  patriots  from  apparentl}^ 
almost  certain  destruction,  and  in  which  he  lost  but  verv 


y 


ROZYCKI.  153 


few  of  his  men,  we  cannot  deny  to  Rozycki,  the  merit 
of  great  courage  and  ability.  The  Russian  commander, 
although  on  his  part  perhaps  equally  brave,  and  worthy 
both  of  a  better  cause  and  of  a  better  fate,  was  as 
clearly  deficient  in  military  tact  and  keenness  of  obser- 
vation ;  he  was,  indeed,  the  cause  of  his  own  perdition  : 
a  daring  and  chivalrous  courage,  untempered  by  pru- 
dence, would  appear  to  be  far  more  serviceable  to 
cavalry  than  to  infantry,  whose  courage,  especially  in 
attacks  from  cavalry,  should  be  of  the  tranquil  and 
passive  order.  He  forgot  that  the  Duke  of  Wellington, 
whose  name  he  invoked,  and  who  fought  seventy  battles 
and  gained  seventy  victories,  never  once  omitted  to  turn 
to  the  best  account  all  the  advantages  he  might  find  to 
be  available ;  that  he  never  left  anything  to  chance ; 
never  abused  his  power  ;  and,  above  all,  never  allowed 
his  passions  to  interfere  with  nor  to  interrupt  the  cool 
exercise  of  his  reason. 

At  a  later  period,  another  of  Rozycki's  military 
exploits  was  the  destruction  of  KargopoFs  Russian 
dragoon  regiment,  near  Ilza ;  and  the  dispersion  of  an 
enemy's  force  five  times  more  numerous  than  his  own, 
and  provided  moreover  with  artillery.  The  leading 
facts  of  this  brilliant,  indeed,  almost  romantic  afi^air, 
may  be  thus  briefly  stated.  The  colonel  in  question, 
seeing  Rozycki's  small  troop  advancing  to  attack  him, 
made  with  his  hand  a  gesture  of  contempt,  and  accepted 
the  profiered  engagement  before  the  whole  of  his  artil- 
lery and  the  rest  of  his  forces  had  come  up.     The  con- 


164  ROZYCKI. 

ilict  took  place  partly  in  a  deep  ravine.  Rozycki,  after 
he  had  beaten  the  dragoons,  and  with  his  own  hand 
slain  the  Russian  colonel,  would  not  suffer  the  rest  of 
the  forces  to  deploy,  keeping  them  blocked  up  in  the 
ravine,  and  making  repeated  and  incessant  charges  on 
the  head  of  the  enemy^s  column.  After  a  most  obsti- 
nate, deadly  fight,  of  several  hours'  duration,  he  turned 
the  column  by  his  carabineers,  and  forced  the  enemy  to 
take  to  flight. 

Subsequently,  and  when  Rozycki's  military  fame  had 
begun  to  spread  in  all  directions,  a  Russian  colonel, 
who  had  distinguished  himself  in  the  preceding  wars, 
experienced  a  vehement  desire  to  measure  his  strength 
against  him.  As  his  forces  were  superior  in  number, 
and  in  the  hope  that  he  would  prove  victorious,  his 
wish  was  complied  with  from  head-quarters.  At  first 
they  met  together  in  a  skirmish,  but  without  any 
decided  result.  In  the  sequel,  Rozycki  affected  to  be 
afraid  of  him,  and  withdrew  at  his  approach.  Having 
by  a  few  skilful  manoeuvres  succeeded  in  drawing  his 
antagonist  gradually  into  a  disadvantageous  position, 
Rozycki  now  in  his  turn  became  the  assailant,  and  the 
Russian  colonel  was  beaten,  and  forced  to  retreat  with 
,  the  loss  of  nearly  all  his  men. 

Colonel  Rozycki,  who  is  at  present  living  in  exile  in 
France,  maintains  that  without  the  aid  of  artillery, 
there  is  no  infantry  in  the  world  capable  of  resisting  a 
properly  directed  charge  of  cavalry,  well  mounted, 
composed  of  courageous  men,  and  led  by  skilful  and 


ROZYCKI.  155 

experienced  officers.  In  this  opinion,  I  venture  to 
differ  from  him  most  completely.  The  very  contrary  I 
maintain  to  be  the  case.  The  English  squares  have 
never  yet  been  broken.  A  good  infantry  force,  in  fine 
weather,  ought  to  bid  defiance  to  any  species  of  cavalry 
whatever  that  can  be  brought  against  it. 

Beyond  all  doubt,  nevertheless,  Rozycki,  who  was 
by  no  means  destitute  of  administrative  talent,  who 
united  in  his  own  person  all  the  requisite  qualities  of 
a  partisan  chief,  who  was  not  wanting  in  that  admix- 
ture of  persuasive  eloquence  and  tact,  so  essential  to 
the  gaining  over  of  zealous  adherents  to  a  cause ;  who 
could  contrive  to  render  himself  at  the  same  time 
beloved  and  feared ;  and  who  possessed,  moreover,  a 
profound  and  practical  knowledge  of  the  means  and 
resources  alike  of  Russian-Poland  and  of  E-ussia  itself : 
Rozycki  was  the  only  man  of  the  period  capable  of 
organising  those  insurrections  which  have  ever  proved 
the  most  dangerous  and  effective  weapon  in  a  contest 
with  Russia ;  and  which,  although  entirely  neglected 
in  the  war  of  1831,  will,  to  a  certainty,  be  found  in- 
dispensably requisite,  and  a  most  powerful  adjunct, 
in  any  future  effort  which  may  be  made  by  Poland  for 
the  recovery  of  her  independence. 

Unfortunately,  and  as  a  link,  it  would  appear,  in 
that  chain  of  fatalities  which  has  ever  bound  the  Polish 
struggle  for  emancipation,  Rozycki  made  his  appear- 
ance only  towards  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  wont 
repeatedly   to   say,    "give   me  but  3000  men,   and  I 


156  ROZYCKI. 

will  undertake  to  exterminate  the  corps  of  General 
Rudiger ! "  and  most  assuredly  he  would  have  re- 
deemed his  pledge.  A  great  Polish  noble,  who  is  in 
the  habit  of  listening  only  to  the  cool  dictates  of  his 
reason,  and  not  to  the  fervid  suggestions  of  exalted 
sentimentality,  and  who  had  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  Rozycki's  capacity,  used  frequently  to  say,  that 
provided  only  the  chief  military  command  in  the 
Ukraine  were  given  to  the  latter,  and  the  civil  govern- 
ment of  that  province  to  himself,  the  whole  of  the 
Russic  provinces  could  be  thrown  into  a  state  of 
revolt ;  50,000  excellent  cavalry  troops  be  raised  with 
ease  in  six  weeks  ;  and  insurrectionary  movements  be 
everywhere  so  multiplied  against  Russia,  that,  in  a 
couple  of  months,  the  Russians  might  be  driven  entirely 
from  Poland ;  notwithstanding  all  the  errors,  blunders, 
and  oversights  that  had  been  committed  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  war  of  1831.  At  the  same  time, 
he  maintained  that  nowhere  else  than  in  Russian 
Poland  did  the  same  facilities  exist  for  a  general,  and 
from  thence  wide-spreading  insurrection  in  favour 
of  the  Polish  cause. 

Rozycki  has  devoted  himself,  during  his  stay  in 
Paris,  to  the  assiduous  study  of  military  affairs.  In 
person,  he  is  above  the  usual  height ;  his  complexion 
is  dark ;  and  his  face  deeply  pitted  with  the  small- 
pox: although  now  passed  the  meridian  of  life,  he 
being  about  sixty  years  of  age,  and  his  hair  slightly 
turning  grey,  he  is  still  strong  and  active,  and  in  the 


I 


ROZYCKI.  157 


enjoyment  of  excellent  health.  Those  now  living, 
who  served  under  him  during  the  war  of  1831,  say 
that  he  scarcely  ever  slept ;  and  that  when  on  horse- 
back and  giving  his  orders,  there  was  so  much  of 
dignity  in  his  manner  and  deportment,  that  he  in- 
spired, apart  from  the  circumstances  of  his  position,  a 
certain  feeling  of  deferential  regard  in  all  that 
approached  him. 

Rozycki  says  that  the  best  officer  can  be  sometimes 
beaten,  but  that  it  is  an  unpardonable  blunder  when 
he  allows  himself  to  be  taken  by  surprise. 

It  is  to  be  remarked  that  most  of  the  Polish  nobles, 
and  the  Polish  Ukranian  Cossacks,  seem  to  possess 
almost  by  natui'e  a  considerable  talent  for  the  cavalry 
partisan  war.  This  talent,  however,  is  not  always  ex- 
tended to  the  infantry. 

^BOn  the  subject  of  individual  exploits,  I  have  here 
perhaps  been  somewhat  too  diffuse;  if  so,  my  only 
exculpation  is  the  satisfaction  I  experience  in  making 
known  to  the  world  the  glorious  achievements  of  my 
fellow-countrymen,  when  their  authenticity,  as  in  the 

,  present  case,  is  founded  not  upon  the  hollow  preten- 
sions of  would-be  heroes,  vaunted  and  bruited  forth 
by  subservient  tools  and  artful  intriguers,  but  upon 
actually  accomplished  facts  and  talents,  proved  and 
undisputed. 

As  I  have  just  mentioned,  indirectly,  the  Duke 
of  Wellington's  glorious  name,  a  name  which  not 
only  in  the  present  age,  but  also  in  future   ages,  will 


1 


158  ROZYCKI. 

always  be  dear  to  every  British  heart,  and  will  not 
cease  to  excite  the  admiration  of  the  world,  it  may 
not  be  amiss  to  give  a  sketch  of  a  misunderstanding 
which  took  place  between  his  son,  the  Marquis  of 
Douro,  and  the  present  Russian  emperor  Nicholas. 

Some  years  ago,  the  Marquis  of  Douro  visited  Rus- 
sia, for  the  purpose  of  enjoying  the  pleasure  of  wild 
bear  hunting.  Just  as  he  was  returning  from  the 
Russian  dominions,  where  he  had  been  most  hospitably 
received,  having  heard  that  there  was  to  be  a  review 
of  100,000  Russian  and  Prussian  combined  troops 
at  Kalisz,  in  Western  Poland,  he  stopped  in  that  town. 

The  emperor  of  Russia  and  the  king  of  Prussia 
were  present  at  this  review ;  and  the  former,  wishing 
to  oblige  all  the  foreign  officers  there  present,  in- 
vited them,  collectively,  to  dine  at  the  imperial  table. 
Douro,  in  consideration  of  his  title,  his  connec- 
tions, and  in  his  quaHty  of  a  British  nobleman,  re- 
commendations fully  appreciated  abroad,  had  the  place 
d'honneur  assigned  him,  and  was  seated  at  the  right 
of  the  emperor.  It  was  remarked,  the  first  and  second 
day,  that  the  emperor  conversed  freely  with  all  the 
foreign  officers  present  at  his  table,  but  never  addressed 
one  single  word  to  his  British  guest.  The  Marquis 
of  Douro,  who  is  un  homme  eoeille^  and  who  has  the 
reputation  of  possessing  strong  perceptive  powers, 
was  somewhat  piqued  at  this  apparent  slight  on  the 
part  of  his  imperial  entertainer ;  and  gave  hints, 
indirectly,  to   General   Count    Bekendorf,   the    chief 


I 


ROZYCKI.  159 


aide-de-camp  of  the  emperor  Nicholas,  that  it  seemed 
to  him  as  though  he  must,  in  some  way  or  other,  have 
incurred  the  displeasure  of  his  imperial  majesty ;  but 
that  he  was  wholly  at  a  loss  to  know  in  what  manner 
he  could  have  deserved  the  emperor's  anger.  General 
Bekendorf  immediately  answered,  that  the  emperor 
of  Russia,  his  master,  who  rules  over  fifty  millions  of 
men,  and  who  was  always  anxious  to  discharge  faith- 
fully the  duty  imposed  on  him  by  Providence,  was 
at  times  absent  and  pre-occupied  in  his  mind,  and 
might  consequently  appear  careless  about  his  guests ; 
though  nothing  in  reality  might  be  farther  from  his 
intention ;  that  his  obliging  disposition  towards  all 
foreigners,  without  exception,  who  did  not  meddle 
with  politics  in  Russia,  was  so  well  known  and  fully 
acknowledged  that  it  needed  no  comment;  that  he 
was  sure  that  the  next  day  his  imperial  majesty  would 
redeem  his  unintentional  neglect,  and  would  not  fail  to 
open  to  the  noble  marquis  the  large  stock  of  his  know- 
ledge and  the  hidden  treasures  of  his  ever  entertain- 
ing conversation:  a  mark  of  attention  to  which  the 
marquis  was  fully  entitled,  not  only  by  his  birth,  but 
by  his  amiabihty,  numerous  qualities,  and  unblemished 
character. 

The  next  day  Douro  was  again  present  at  the 
imperial  table.  The  emperor  never  once  looked 
at  him ;  entered  into  a  long  conversation  with  a  person 
seated  at  the  right  of  the  marquis,  but  never  ad- 
dressed one   single  word  to   the  latter;   it  was  even 


160  ROZYCKI. 

remarked,  that  whenever  the  emperor  accidentally 
turned  his  head  towards  Douro,  the  imperial  features 
momentarily  assumed  that  icy  coldness  and  stern  for- 
biddingness  of  expression,  peculiar  to  the  morose  cha- 
racter which  is  often  attributed  to  him. 

After  the  dinner,  Douro  again  mentioned  to  General 
Bekendorf  that  he  was  now  quite  sure  that  the  emperor 
was  seriously  angry  with  him ;  but  that  of  the  existence 
of  any  probable  cause  of  offence  on  his  part,  or  of  the 
reason  for  his  having  thus  incurred  the  displeasure 
of  his  imperial  majesty,  he,  the  marquis,  was  as  com- 
pletely ignorant,  as  of  the  hour  and  manner  of  his  own 
death. 

Bekendorf,  visibly  embarrassed,  answered,  that,  some 
time  ago,  it  was  reported  to  the  emperor  that  the  noble 
marquis  had  been  present  at  a  baU  given  for  the  relief 
of  the  Polish  refugees  in  London.  That  the  emperor 
was  so  much  surprised  at  such  a  report,  that  he  would 
not  at  first  believe  that  the  son  of  the  Duke  of  Wel- 
lington could  have  attended  at  such  a  ball,  and  that  it 
must  have  been  a  mistake ;  but  that  the  news  of  his 
being  actually  present  was  subsequently  officially  con- 
firmed to  his  imperial  majesty  :  he  thought,  therefore, 
that  this  circumstance  might  probably  have  displeased 
the  emperor,  and  that  this  might  perhaps  be  the  real 
cause  of  the  latter  not  having  manifested  to  him  those 
marks  of  kindness  uniformly  extended  by  the  emperor 
to  aU  foreigners  of  distinction.  After  this  explanation, 
the   Marquis    of  Douro,   to   the   great  regret   of   the 


ROZYCKI.  161 

inhabitants  of  Kalisz,  left  Poland,  and  returned  to 
England, 

Setting  aside  tlie  paramount  respect  of  right  due  to 
his  illustrious  birth,  let  it  be  also  remembered  that  the 
marquis  was  not  a  Russian  but  a  British  subject ;  and, 
consequently,  that  he  was  not  obliged  to  adopt  the 
political  views  of  the  Russian  autocrat,  or  to  partake  of 
his  imperial  antipathies. 

Let  it  be  remembered  that  the  noble  marquis  was 
not  at  that  time  married  to  his  splendid  and  virtuous 
spouse;  and  as  he  is  a  nobleman  who  undoubtedly 
possesses  a  certain  amiability  of  character,  with  pleasing 
manners,  and  had  not  the  reputation  to  be  insensible  to 
the  fair  sex,  he  might  have  appeared  at  the  Polish  ball, 
not  for  any  political  motive  hostile  to  Russia,  but  for 
seeing  either  a  lady  of  his  acquaintance,  or  some  of 
his  brother  officers ;  or  he  might  have  had  a  whim  of 
contributing  to  the  support  of  those  Polish  exiles  who, 
having  fought  for  their  country,  oppressed  beyond  all 
power  of  description,  claimed  British  hospitality,  and 
were  without  the  slightest  means  of  existence. 

The  emperor  has  never  spoken  to  him  since.  It 
seems,  however,  that,  on  the  last  visit  of  the  Emperor 
Nicholas  to  England,  some  sort  of  reconciliation  must, 
indirectly,  have  taken  place,  as  it  is  a  well-known  fact 
that,  by  the  exertions  of  the  Marquis  of  Douro,  Count 
Mostowski,  a  Pole,  received  permission  to  return  to  his 
country,  and  was  well  received  by  the  emperor,  who 
at  a  levee  shook  hands  with  him,  and  bade  him  welcome 

M 


162  ROZYCKI. 

back  to  Poland,  where  he  remains  to  this  time  iinmo- 
lested. 

As  soon  as  it  was  known  at  Kalisz  that  the  Marquis 
of  Douro  was  there,  some  persons  attempted  to  bribe 
the  waiter  to  give  them  the  opportunity  of  catch- 
ing a  sight  of  the  son  of  the  conqueror  of  Napoleon.  I 
guarantee  the  veracity  of  all  the  particulars  of  the  above 
anecdote,  which  was  communicated  to  me  by  Lord 
Dudley  Stuart,  and  by  some  persons  well  acquainted 
with  the  neighbourhood  of  Kalisz.  I  venture  to  men- 
tion it  without  thespecial  authorisation  of  the  marquis 
alluded  to. 

I  shall  probably  resume  the  history  I  have  already 
commenced,  of  the  life  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  in 
the  PoUsh  and  English  languages.  Being  neither  an 
Enghshman  nor  a  Frenchman,  and  consequently,  in  the 
position  of  an  impartial  observer,  I  shall  treat  the  subject 
without  bias  towards  either  side ;  and  although  I  may 
perhaps  diflfer  in  some  particulars  from  the  historians  of 
the  latter  nations,  who  have  given  biographies  of  the 
noble  duke,  I  shall  conscientiously  endeavour  to  dis- 
charge the  task  without  favour  or  prejudice. 

I  intend  to  dedicate  the  above  work  to  the  Right 
Hon.  Lord  Viscount  Hardinge,  who  contributed  so 
much  to  the  glory  of  the  British  name  in  India. 


163 


CHAPTER  IX. 


PRINCESS     TARAKANOF. 

Her  Birth — Rank  and  Claim  to  the  Russian  Throne  as  the  lawful 
Daughter  of  the  Empress  Elizabeth  and  Grand-daughter  of  Peter 
the  Great— Excites  the  jealousy  of  Catherine  II.— Is  advised  to 
leave  Russia  without  delay  —  Claims  the  Protection  of  Prince 
Charles  Radzivill,  the  richest  grandee  in  Poland — Is  carried  clan- 
destinely by  him  to  Poland,  and  treated  with  the  regard  due  to  her 
illustrious  rank— Her  Danger— Sets  out  for  Italy  with  Prince 
Radzivill— Stops  at  Rome — Lives  in  apparent  Seclusion,  attended 
by  Masters — Intrigues— Infamous  Propositions  to  Radzivill  for  be- 
traying the  Princess  rejected — Tricks  of  the  Russian  Agents  on 
the  latter  in  Italy — Devastation  of  Radzivill's  Possessions  in  Po- 
land by  the  Russian  Generals— His  pecuniary  difficulties— Sets  out 
for  Poland — Leaves  the  Princess  under  the  care  of  a  Governess — 
Arrives  in  Poland— Is  duped — Count  Alexy  Orloflf's  Stratagem  in 
Italy — His  artful  Snare  to  entrap  the  Princess— Carlo  Ribas — 
His  acquaintance  with  the  Princess — Introduces  Orloff  to  her — 
Mock  Marriage  of  OrlofF  with  her— Orloff  leaves  Rome,  goes  to 
Pisa,  and  ultimately  to  Leghorn — Treachery  of  the  Russian  Fleet 
— The  Princess  falls  a  Victim— Her  real  Lover — Indignation  of  the 
Inhabitants— The  Princess  arrives  in  Irons  at  Petersburg— Is  put 
into  a  Dungeon,  and  treated  with  harshness  and  dies — Remarks. 

Before  we  proceed  to  a  description  of  one  of  the 
darkest  and  most  abominable  intrigues  that  stained 
the  reign  of  Catherine  II.,  it  may  be  proper  to  give 
some  information  to  the  reader  about  the  early  days  of 


164  PRINCESS    TARAKANOF. 

its  unfortunate  victim  ;  and  we  must  revert  to  the  time 
of  the  Empress  Elizabeth. 

Elizabeth  Petrowna,  empress  of  Russia,  second 
daughter  of  Peter  the  Great,  inherited  from  her  fa- 
ther, neither  his  natural  cruelty,  his  firmness,  nor 
mental  ability :  she  was  more  known  by  her  personal 
attractions,  by  her  love  of  good  living,  and  fondness 
of  pleasure,  than  by  any  briUiant  quality  suitable  to  her 
exalted  position. 

Left  a  widow  in  the  meridian  of  life,  on  the  throne 
of  one  of  the  largest  empires  in  the  world,  Elizabeth 
was  often  the  dupe  of  the  first  court  intriguer  whom 
chance  brought  to  her  palace  ;  and  who  flattering  her 
passions,  and  possessing  a  firmer  mind,  availed  himself 
of  any  favourable  opportunities  for  promoting  his 
private  aggrandisement ;  a  result  not  always  favoui'able 
to  the  welfare  of  the  country. 

Having  a  large  field  for  the  gratification  of  her 
caprices,  and  dreading  no  control,  Elizabeth  had  many 
lovers,  whom  she  changed  according  to  her  fancy,  and 
to  whom  she  refused  nothing.  She  seems  not  to  have 
been  much  inclined  to  share  with  any  of  them  the 
yoke  of  matrimony.  As  she  was,  however,  not  exactly 
free  from  the  clergy's  influence,  Count  Alexy  Grego- 
rovitch  Razumoskoy,  master  of  the  buck-hounds,  and 
one  of  her  most  favoured  lovers,  whom  she  had  raised 
to  the  first  dignities  of  the  empire,  taking  skilful 
advantage  of  an  expression  which  fell  accidentally  from 
her  majesty's  lips,  prevailed  on  her  (through  the  advice 


PRINCESS   TARAKANOF.  165 

of  her  confessor,  who  was  in  his  pay,)  to  marry  him 
privately.  She  left  three  children  by  this  marriage ; 
namely,  two  sons  and  a  daughter,  the  Princess  Tara- 
kanof. 

No  sooner  had  Catherine  ascended  the  Russian 
throne,  after  the  murder  of  her  husband,  Peter  III., 
than  being  apprised  of  her  existence,  she  became  evi- 
dently jealous  of  her ;  whereupon  the  friends  of  the 
youthful  princess,  dreading  some  sinister  design  against 
her,  advised  her  to  leave  Russia  without  delay.  Con- 
forming to  their  advice,  the  princess  sought  the  pro- 
tection of  Prince  Charles  Radzivill,  who,  having  gained 
over  one  of  her  female  attendants,  brought  the  princess 
to  his  estate  in  Lithuania,  where  she  was  treated  with 
regard  and  kindness. 

As,  however,  Poland  at  that  time  was  full  of  Russian 
troops,  and  was  already  governed  as  a  Russian  pro- 
vince, Radzivill  having  accidentally  discovered  an  in- 
trigue dangerous  to  the  safety  of  his  illustrious  prote- 
gee^ took  her  suddenly  with  him  to  Rome,  where,  in 
comparative  seclusion,  she  received  instruction  suitable 
to  her  birth  and  rank. 

Perhaps  the  prospect  of  being  able  to  put  a  stop 
to  the  domestic,  foreign,  and  rehgious  war  excited 
by  Catherine  II.  in  Poland,  induced  Radzivill  to  pro- 
tect a  young  lady  who,  under  proper  circumstances, 
and  as  the  grand- daughter  of  Peter  the  Great,  might 
become  a  formidable  rival  to  Catherine's  power.  Her 
very  name  rendered  her  dear  to  the  Russians ;   perhaps 


166  PRINCESS   TARAKANOF. 

the  loftier  aim  of  mounting  with  her  the  Russian 
throne,  secretly  governed  the  conduct  of  the  Polish 
grandee  towards  the  fair  object  of  his  attention. 

However  it  may  have  been,  the  czarina,  having  been 
well  apprised,  by  her  spies,  of  what  was  going  on  at 
Rome  in  Radzivill's  house,  ordered  her  generals  in 
Poland  to  pillage,  destroy,  and  burn,  under  some  pre- 
text or  other,  all  the  property  of  Radzivill;  to  arrest 
all  his  stewards,  and  not  to  allow  them  to  send  him 
any  money  abroad,  under  any  circumstances.  She 
even  went  so  far  as  to  make  a  liberal  gratuitous  offer, 
through  her  agents,  to  all  the  bankers  at  Rome,  to 
induce  them  not  to  provide  Prince  Radzivill  with  any 
money. 

Radzivill,  thus  suddenly  deprived  of  his  immense 
revenue,  was  obliged  to  live  in  Italy  on  the  produce  of 
his  diamonds ;  and  when  these  supplies,  and  the  money 
borrowed  by  him  from  his  friends  were  exhausted,  he  set 
out  in  order  to  gain  some  intelligence  concerning  his 
private  affairs  in  Poland ;  leaving  the  young  lady  under 
the  care  of  a  governess,  to  whom  he  gave  proper  in- 
structions to  watch  over  her  charge,  and  not  to  admit, 
during  his  absence,  any  stranger  to  the  princess,  with- 
out a  previous  knowledge  of  his  character  and  princi- 
ples. Scarcely  had  Prince  Radzivill  returned  to 
Poland,  when  the  Russian  ambassador  stated  that,  if 
he  would  deliver  the  Princess  Tarakanof  to  the  empress 
of  Russia,  not  only  all  his  possessions  should  be  in- 
stantly restored  to  him,  and  all  his  losses  liberally  paid. 


I 


PRINCESS    TARAKANOF.  167 


but  that  the  prince  would  also  thereby  secure  to 
himself  for  the  future,  her  imperial  majesty's  favour, 
extended  even  to  aU  his  relatives  and  friends. 

In  the  first  burst  of  indignation,  Radzivill  intended 
to  demand  personal  satisfaction  from  the  Russian  am- 
bassador for  his  insulting  proposition ;  but,  acting  on 
the  advice  of  his  friends,  he  answered,  in  writing,  with 
great  dignity,  that  whatever  might  happen,  and  how- 
ever eager  he  might  be  to  secure  her  imperial  majesty's 
favour,  he  would  never  betray  the  trust  placed  in 
his  honour,  and  would  never  deliver  Princess  Tara- 
kanof  into  the  hands  of  her  enemies,  as  such  an  action 
would  stain  his  noble  name  with  eternal  infamy,  and 
would  lower  him  in  his  own  estimation.  In  this  letter 
he  threw  all  the  blame  on  the  over  zeal  of  the  Russian 
ambassador;  and  played  so  well  on  the  generosity, 
nolle  feelings,  and  magnanimity,  of  the  czarina,  that 
the  insulting  proposition  was  ne^er  renewed  to  him ; 
and  though  he  was  not  recompensed  for  his  losses,  his 
possessions  were  all  restored  to  him,  and  his  stewards, 
previously  arrested  by  the  Russian  generals,  liberated. 
The  Russian  ambassador  added  also,  that  if  he,  the 
prince,  gave  him  his  promise,  as  a  gentleman,  not  to 
have  any  personal  intercouse  with  the  princess  alluded 
to,  not  to  encourage  any  ambitious  dreams  in  her  mind, 
directly  or  indirectly,  and  not  to  correspond  with  her, 
he  could  assure  him,  as  a  gentleman,  that  she  should 
be  left  unmolested  abroad.  Should,  however,  anything 
happen  to  the  contrary,  Radzivill  would  thereby  work 


168  PRINCESS    TARAKANOF. 

her  misfortune  and  ruin.  Radzivill,  who  was  naturally 
of  a  chivakous  disposition,  thinking  any  man  of  high 
station  incapable  of  breaking  his  word  or  of  affirming 
a  falsehood,  and  dreading,  not  without  reason,  the 
dark  hints  of  the  ambassador  respecting  the  young 
lady's  fate,  sent  her  privately  some  money,  which, 
however,  never  reached  her;  recommended  her  to 
some  friends,  and  left  her  exposed,  unprotected,  and 
helpless,  to  the  diabolical  snares  skilfully  prepared  for 
entrapping  her,  just  at  that  very  time  when  she  re- 
quired protection  more  than  anything  else. 

The  czarina,  having  been  apprized  that  Radzivill 
had  been  duped,  henceforth  acted  with  more  boldness. 
At  that  time  Prince  Gregory  OrlofF  was  her  principal 
and  acknowledged  favourite  ;  and  it  was  said  that  his 
own  brother,  Count  Alexy  Orloff,  who  had  gained 
some  naval  victories  over  the  Turks,  and  who  had  come 
to  Petersburg,  to  share  with  other  Russian  generals 
the  honours  and  substantial  rewards  awaiting  them  at 
court,  aspired  also  secretly  to  supplant  his  brother  in 
her  imperial  majesty's  heart.  Catherine  had  a  keen 
eye ;  she  soon  suspected  his  concealed  aim,  and  listening 
to  the  warm  protestations  of  gratitude  of  Alexy  OrloiF 
to  her  imperial  person  for  the  favours  lavished  on  him, 
gave  him  hints  that  they  would  soon  be  put  to  the  test ; 
and  that  the  sacrifice  of  his  passion  for  a  young  and 
beautiful  lady,  dangerous  to  the  well-being  of  the  em- 
press herself,  might  probably  be  required  from  him,  as  a 
condition  for  the   future  continuance  of  her  imperial 


PRINCESS    TARAKANOF.  169 

majesty's  kindness.  In  reality,  however,  thd  czarina 
wished  to  turn  to  her  own  advantage  the  growing  attach- 
ment of  Orloff  to  her  person,  to  prolong  his  stay 
abroad,  and  to  induce  him  to  commit  a  crime,  the  dis- 
grace of  which  (if  committed)  would  fall  heavier  on 
him  than  on  her.  She  was  anxious,  probably,  also  to  be 
at  liberty  to  gratify  some  new  fancy,  without  the  envious 
gaze  of  a  too  jealous  and  troublesome  rival.  Instruc- 
tions were  given  to  Orloff  respecting  Princess  Tai'aka- 
nof ;  he  promised  to  fulfil  them,  and  was  true  to  his 
word ;  a  part  far  more  difficult  than  the  promise  itself. 

Orloff  soon  left  Petersburg,  and  after  stopping  some 
days  at  Vienna,  repaired  to  Leghorn,  where  the  Russian 
squadron  was  already  expecting  him.  He  was  also 
commissioned  to  find  an  artist  to  paint  some  pictures, 
representing  the  burning  of  the  Turkish  fleet  by  the 
Russians.  Orloff  soon  found  a  painter  of  the  name  of 
Halkert,  to  whom  he  made  liberal  propositions  to  this 
effect ;  but  the  artist  told  him  he  never  saw  the  burning 
of  a  ship.  Orloff  immediately  ordered  one  of  his  large 
ships  to  be  blown  up,  for  the  purpose  of  satisfying  com- 
pletely the  painter's  curiosity,  and  to  enable  him  to 
finish  his  pictures  with  greater  precision,  though  at 
the  hazard  of  the  ships  lying  in  the  port. 

As  soon  as  Count  Orloff  had  acquired  from  his  agents 
all  the  necessary  information  about  the  young  Russian 
lady,  he  sent  to  Rome  Carlo  Ribas,  a  convicted  felon,  a 
Neapolitan  of  foreign  extraction,  a  young  man  of  good 
address,    whose    dashing    appearance,   smoothness    of 


170  PRINCESS    TARAKANOF. 

tongue,  and  insinuating  manners,  coupled  with  a  pecu- 
liar fitness  for  intrigue,  concealed  a  black  and  treache- 
rous heart,  and  rendered  him  a  worthy  associate  of  his 
infamous  projects.  After  discovering,  as  if  by  accident, 
the  lodging  of  the  young  princess,  Eibas  (who  had  re- 
ceived every  necessary  instruction  from  Orlofi",)  in- 
troduced himself  to  her  in  a  splendid  uniform,  under 
the  name  of  an  officer.  He  told  her  that  he  had  ven- 
tured to  call  on  her  from  the  sole  desire  of  paying  due 
homage  to  a  princess,  whose  fate  and  misfortunes,  ac- 
complishments and  virtues,  were  highly  interesting  to 
all  her  countrymen.  He  seemed  very  much  affected 
and  distressed  at  the  state  of  destitution  in  which  he 
found  a  young  lady  of  her  rank.  He  afforded  her  some 
pecuniary  assistance ;  beseeching  her  on  his  knees  to 
accept  it,  as  he  would  consider  her  so  doing  as  a  great 
honour  paid  to  him  ;  and  as  he  was  well  assured  that 
she  would  not  forget  him  as  soon  as  she  should  be  re- 
stored to  her  country,  and  to  the  lofty  station  in  society 
to  which  her  rank  and  birth  entitled  her.  As  his  man- 
ner and  behaviour  were  extremely  respectful,  and  at 
the  same  time  subdued  and  distant,  and  as  the  tone  of 
his  voice  was  sorrowful  and  tender,  she  requested  him 
to  rise,  accepted  his  money  with  a  slight  blush,  evidently 
grateful  and  flattered  at  his  conduct:  and  the  wily 
traitor  soon  appeared  to  his  artless  and  unsuspecting 
victim  in  the  light  of  a  messenger  whom  heaven  had 
sent  for  her  deliverance. 

Henceforward,   Ribas  was  occasionally   admitted  to 


PRINCESS    TARAKANOF.  171 

the  society  of  the  princess ;  and  when  he  thought  he 
had  sufficiently  gained  her  confidence,  he  declared  that 
he  was  commissioned  from  a  far  higher  personage  than 
himself,  to  apprise  her  of  an  intended  visit  connected 
with  her  private  afiairs.  And  when  she  became  eager 
to  know  the  name  and  particulars  of  the  intended 
visitor,  after  tantalizing  for  some  time  her  curiosity, 
he  apparently  yielded  to  her  entreaties,  and  told  her 
respectfully,  in  a  whisper,  that  Count  Alexy  OrlofF 
wished  to  offer  to  the  daughter  of  Elizabeth,  the  throne 
that  was  lately  filled  by  her  mother.  He  said  that  the 
Russians  were  discontented  with  Catherine  ;  that  Orloff 
especially  could  never  forgive  her  ingratitude  and 
tyranny ;  and  that  if  the  young  princess  would  accept 
the  proposals  and  services  of  that  general,  and  reward 
them  with  the  grant  of  her  hand,  an  outbreak  would 
soon  take  place,  which  was  already  ripe  for  action  and 
success. 

Such  extraordinary  and  brilliant  proposals  ought  na- 
turally to  have  opened  the  eyes  of  the  Princess  Taraka- 
nof,  and  to  have  raised  her  suspicions  ;  but  her  amiable 
and  confiding  soul,  her  inexperience  of  the  world,  com- 
pletely deceived  her.  Besides,  the  language  of  the 
emissary  of  Alexy  Orloff  was  in  harmony  with  some 
hints  which  she  often  heard  about  herself  at  Prince  Rad- 
ziviU's  house.  She  imagined  herself  destined  to  the 
throne ;  and  all  the  airy  and  poetical  dreams  floating  in 
her  head  on  that  subject,  could  not  but  encourage  the 
deceit.     With  a  thankful  heart  she  unhappily  promised 


17^  PRINCESS    TARAKANOF. 

to  receive  the  proposed  visitor,  and  thus  herself  con- 
curred in  the  work  of  her  destruction. 

Count  Alexy  Orloff  shortly  afterwards  came  to  Rome, 
having  been  announced  already  by  his  agent;  and 
hastened  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  young  Russian  lady. 
He  was  received  as  a  particular  friend,  as  a  benefactor. 
However,  some  persons  to  whom  the  princess  and  her 
governess  communicated  the  good  fortune  that  awaited 
them,  advised  them  to  be  on  their  guard  against  the 
evident  treachery  of  a  man  whose  character  for  wicked- 
ness was  well  known ;  and  who,  without  doubt,  had  too 
much  reason  to  remain  faithful  to  his  present  sovereign 
to  think  of  conspiring  against  her. 

Instead  of  paying  due  attention  to  such  useful  and 
timely  advice,  the  princess  was  so  imprudently  frank  as 
to  repeat  immediately,  word  for  word,  to  OrloiF  all  she 
had  heard.  The  latter,  as  a  skilful  courtier,  soon  con- 
trived to  allay  her  apprehensions  ;  and  thenceforth  threw 
a  deeper  shade  of  dissimulation,  address,  and  hypocrisy 
into  his  honied  speeches  and  behaviour.  Not  satisfied 
with  flattering  the  ambition  of  the  young  Russian,  he 
contrived,  by  the  usual  arts  of  dissimulation  and  of 
feigned  attachment,  to  assume  the  semblance  of  a  passion 
for  her,  and  succeeded  so  far  as  to  inspire  her  with  a 
true  one.  As  soon  as  he  was  sure  of  it,  he  conjured  her 
in  the  most  urgent  terms  to  marry  him  without  delay ; 
she  unhappily  consented,  and  even  with  joy,  thinking 
that  the  title  of  spouse  to  Count  Alexy  Orloff  would 
shelter  her  powerfully  from  the  imminent  dangers  and 


PRINCESS    TARAKANOF.  liS 

treacherous  machinations  which  she  was  taught  to  ap- 
prehend. 

Feigning  a  desii'e  that  the  marriage  ceremony  should 
be  performed  according  to  the  rites  of  the  Greek 
church,  Orloff  suborned  some  low  villains  to  disguise 
themselves  as  lawyers  and  priests,  and  the  mock 
marriage  shortly  afterwards  took  place.  Thus  profa- 
nation was  combined  with  imposture,  in  the  conspi- 
racy plotted  against  the  unprotected  and  too  confident 
Tarakanof. 

When  Alexy  OrlofF  had  become  the  husband  of  the 
unhappy  princess,  he  represented  to  her  that  their  stay 
in  Rome  exposed  her  to  too  close  observation  ;  and  that 
it  would  be  better  for  her  to  proceed  to  some  other  city 
of  Italy,  to  wait  for  the  breaking  out  of  the  plot  that  was 
to  call  her  to  the  tlirone.  Believing  this  advice  to  be 
dictated  by  love  and  prudence,  she  answered  that  "  she 
had  married  him,  not  out  of  ambition,  but  for  affection  ; 
and  that  as  became  her  duty  towards  him  as  an  obedient 
and  devoted  wife,  she  would  willingly  follow  him  where- 
ever  he  chose  to  conduct  her,  even  to  the  end  of 
the  world."  He  brought  her  immediately  to  Pisa, 
where  he  had  previously  hired  a  magnificent  palace. 
There  he  continued  to  treat  her  with  unshaken  marks 
of  tenderness  and  respect  ;  but  he  permitted  none  to 
come  near  her,  excepting  persons  completely  devoted 
to  him ;  and  when  she  went  to  the  theatre,  or  to  the 
public  promenades,  he  himself  always  attended  her. 
The    division   of  the    Russian  squadron,   under  the 


174  PRINCESS   TARAKANOF. 

orders  of  Admiral  Grieg,  had  just  entered  the  port  of 
Leghorn.  Having  been  apprised  of  this,  OrlofF  told 
the  princess  that  his  presence  was  necessary  at  Leghorn, 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  some  orders;  and  he  re- 
quested the  latter  to  attend  him  there.  To  this  she 
immediately  consented,  having  previously  heard  of  the 
magnificence  of  the  Russian  ships,  and  the  beauty  of  the 
port  of  Leghorn.  Imprudent  creature,  the  nearer  she 
approached  the  catastrophe  of  the  plot,  the  more  she 
trusted  to  her  faithless  betrayer. 

The  princess  departed  from  Pisa  with  her  customary 
suite  of  attendants,  and  was  greeted  by  the  whole 
population,  her  aifability  and  obliging  manners  having 
rendered  her  a  general  favourite.  On  arriving  at 
Leghorn,  she  landed  at  the  house  of  the  British  consul, 
where  suitable  apartments  had  been  already  prepared  for 
her,  and  where  she  was  received  with  all  the  marks  of 
the  profoundest  respect.  The  next  day  she  was  visited 
by  all  the  ladies  of  rank,  and  was  soon  surrounded  by 
a  numerous  court.  Every  one  was  preparing  some 
new  entertainment  for  her.  Whenever  she  went  out, 
the  people  lined  the  way  as  she  passed  along;  and 
being  pleased  with  her  beauty,  and  having  heard  of  her 
liberality  and  kindness,  cheered  her  with  repeated 
huzzas,  with  that  southern  enthusiam  so  difficult  to 
describe,  and  which  is  seldom  known  in  the  northern 
countries.  They  called  her,  La  hella  e  huena  prin- 
cessa — "  The  good  and  beautiful  princess."  All  circum- 
stances conspired  to  lull  her  into  a  fatal  security.     All 


I 


PRINCESS    TARAKANOF.  175 


tended  to  dispel  the  idea  of  any  immediate  danger  at 
the  very  time  when  her  days  were  already  numbered. 

The  young  Russian  princess  was  so  far  from 
apprehending  any  danger  threatening  her,  that  after 
having  passed  several  days  in  a  round  of  amusements 
with  which  she  was  pleased  and  delighted,  she  made 
of  her  own  accord  the  proposition  to  visit  the  Russian 
fleet.  The  idea  was  applauded,  the  necessary  orders 
were  immediately  given,  and  the  next  afternoon  every- 
thing was  ready  at  the  water-side,  for  her  reception. 

On  her  arrival  at  the  port,  the  princess  was  handed 
into  a  boat  with  splendid  awnings.  Many  ladies,  with 
the  British  consul,  seated  themselves  with  her.  A 
second  boat  conveyed  Count  Alexy  Orloff  and  the 
admiral ;  and  a  third,  filled  with  Russian  and  British 
officers  and  sailors,  closed  the  procession.  The  boats  put 
from  shore  in  sight  of  an  immense  multitude  of  people, 
and  were  received  by  the  fleet  with  bands  of  music, 
salutes  of  artillery,  and  repeated  huzzas.  As  the 
princess  came  alongside  the  ship  on  board  of  which 
she  was  to  go,  and  when  silence  was  restored,  she  could 
not  help  admiring  the  beautiful  scenery  of  Leghorn, 
and  the  distant  tops  of  the  Appenine  range  drawn  in 
the  streams  of  crimson  light  of  an  Italian  setting  sun. 
A  splendid  chair  was  let  down  from  the  yard,  in  which 
being  seated,*  she  was  readily  hoisted  upon  deck ;  and 
it  was  observed  to  her  that  these  were  particular 
honours  paid  to  her  rank. 

OrlofF  soon  followed  her,  under  the  plea  of  helping 


176 


PRINCESS    TARAKANOF. 


some  ladies ;  but  no  sooner  was  she  on  board  with  him 
than  she  was  handcuffed.  In  vain  she  implored  the  pity 
of  her  cruel  betrayer;  in  vain  she  called  him  by  the 
most  tender  names  ;  in  vain  she  threw  herself  at  his 
feet,  and  bathed  them  with  her  tears.  No  answer  even 
was  given  to  her  lamentation,  she  was  carried  down  into 
the  hold,  put  in  irons,  and  the  vessel  set  sail  for  Russia. 
The  confusion,  the  shrieks  of  the  ladies,  and  of  all  those 
who  were  present,  may  be  better  imagined  than  described. 

On  arriving  at  St.  Petersburg,  the  young  victim  was 
shut  up  in  a  fortress,  placed  in  a  dark  dungeon,  and 
treated  with  the  greatest  harshness  and  barbarity. 
What  became  of  her  afterwards  was  never  precisely 
kno^vn,  no  one  ever  daring  to  inquire  about  her.  It  is 
said  that  Catherine  once  feasted  her  eyes  with  her 
torments.  The  author  of  the  interesting  Memoires 
Secretes  sur  I'ltalie,  says,  that  the  young  victim  was 
drowned  on  the  10th  of  September,  1777,  when  the 
waves,  moved  by  a  terrible  gale,  rose  ten  feet  above 
their  usual  level.  Others  assert  that  the  unfortunate 
princess  fell  in  prison  by  the  hands  of  the  executioner. 
All  agree  that  she  died  in  the  course  of  that  year. 

The  inhabitants  of  Leghorn,  who  saw  the  princess 
embark,  heard  shortly  after  with  inexpressible  horror 
that,  instead  of  the  grand  entertainment  which  the 
princess  was  to  have  on  board  the  fleet,  she  was  put  in 
irons.  The  grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  whose  territory 
was  thus  so  shamefully  violated,  wrote  immediately  to 
Vienna  and  Petersburg,  to  complain  of  the  outrage ;  but 


PRINCESS   TARAKANOF.  177 

protestations  without  coercive  measures  are  of  little 
avail.  All  the  British  oiScers  in  the  naval  Russian  ser- 
vice, indignant  at  the  infamy  perpetrated  in  their  pre- 
sence on  the  Princess  Tarakanof,  returned  to  England. 

Such  was  the  fate  of  the  grand-daughter  of  Peter  the 
Great,  bom  in  wedlock  :  whose  only  crime  was,  that  she 
raised  the  jealousy  of  Catherine  II.,  and  might  have 
laid  claim  to  the  Russian  throne. 

Nothing  can  possibly  exculpate  Catherine  from  her 
participation  in  this  barbarous  deed,  however  some  of 
her  admirers  may  partially  justify  her  conduct  in  the 
matter :  as  for  Alexy  Orloff  (in  whose  heart  the  rattle- 
snake, the  foam  of  a  mad  cat,  and  the  bile  of  seven 
jealous  furies  must  have  taken  shelter),  considering 
that  Princess  Tarakanof  was  an  orphan,  young,  beauti- 
ful, unprotected,  innocent ;  that  she  never  in  any  way 
offended  him ;  that  she  loved  him  ;  that  she  lived  with 
him  for  some  months  as  his  lawful  wife;  that  she 
belonged  to  a  family  which  ought  to  be  dear  to  every 
Russian ;  considering  that  she  put  perfect  trust  in  him ; 
we  must  consider  his  action  as  an  instance  of  the  most 
abominable  and  blackest  perfidy  that  ever  stained  the 
conscience  and  honour  of  any  human  being. 

See  Histoire  de  Pierre  III.,  et  les  Amours  secretes  de 
Catherine  II.;  Life  of  Catherine  II.  p.  61 ;  Life  of 
Catherine  II.,  by  Costera ;  Memoirs  of  the  reign  of 
Catherine  II. ;  and  Memoires  secretes  d'ltalie. 


178 


CHAPTER  X. 


CATHERINE    II.   AND   HER  FAVOURITES. 

Catherine's  Birth,  Education,  and  Talents— Her  early  Gallantries  and 
Dissimulation—  Arrival  at  the  Court  of  the  Empress  Elizabeth  of 
Russia — Marriage  with  the  Grand  Duke  Peter,  afterwards  Czar  of 
Russia,  under  the  name  of  Peter  IH. — She  concocts  a  Plot  with  her 
liorers  to  hurl  him  from  the  Throne,  and  conducts  it  with  great 
skill  and  boldness— Is  successful— Orders  the  Murder  of  her  Hus- 
band, and  becomes  after  his  Death  the  absolute  Sovereign  of  Russia 
— Her  numerous  Lovers  —  Prince  Potemkin  —  The  manner  of 
Choosing  and  Dismissing  the  Favourites — Lontskoi — Momonof  and 
his  Lady — Catherine's  Cruelty  and  Excesses— Her  Death. 

As  the  reign  of  Catherine  II.  empress  of  Russia,  her 
crafty  intrigues,  the  caprice  of  her  numerous  favourites, 
and  the  enormities  of  her  generals,  greatly  influenced 
the  ultimate  fate  of  unhappy  Poland,  it  may  not  be 
improper  to  give  a  sketch  of  her  early  days ;  to  furnish 
the  reader  with  the  names  of  her  principal  lovers  (the 
others  are  too  insignificant  and  numerous  to  be  men- 
tioned), and  to  narrate  some  of  the  dark  villanies  related 
by  her  most  authentic  biographers. 

Sophia  Augusta  Frederica,  who,  under  the  name  of 
Catherine  II.,  became  the  absolute  empress  of  Russia 
after  the  murder  of  Peter  III.  in  1762,  was  the  lawful 
daughter  of  Prince  Augustus  Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg 


CATHERINE    II.    AND   HER   FAVOURITES.  179 

and  the  princess  of  Holstein ;  and  was  bom  May  2, 
1729,  at  Stettin,  in  Prussian  Pomerania. 

Catherine's  mother  was  a  remarkably  clever  woman, 
and  gave  her  an  excellent  education.  From  her  early 
days  the  youthful  Princess  Sophia  was  not  less  remark- 
able for  her  beauty,  her  eloquence,  and  her  firm  and 
sagacious  mind,  than  for  her  ambition,  her  licentious- 
ness, and  the  extraordinary  art  with  which  she  con- 
cealed her  most  secret  thoughts.  Even  at  the  early  age 
of  fourteen  she  conducted  her  love  affairs  with  no 
ordinary  dissimulation.  Brought  to  the  court  of  the 
Empress  Elizabeth,  and  married  to  the  Grand  Duke 
Peter,  she  attracted  general  admiration.  Feigning  an 
ardent  passion  for  her  husband,  who  became,  after  the 
death  of  his  aunt  Elizabeth,  czar  of  Russia,  under  the 
title  of  Peter  III.,  she  planned  with  her  lover  an  in- 
trigue for  hurling  him  from  the  throne,  and  taking  into 
her  own  hands  the  sceptre  of  the  Russian  empire.  In 
this  difficult  undertaking,  which  she  conducted  with 
extraordinary  skill,  boldness,  and  dissimulation,  under 
the  most  trying  circumstances,  she  ultimately  suc- 
ceeded. 

Without  attempting  to  describe  her  life,  which  has 
been  so  well  written  by  many  distinguished  authors, 
we  proceed  to  the  description  of  the  czarina's  favourites. 

It  is  a  general  remark,  that  when  kings  reign, 
women  rule;  and  when  women  reign,  men  govern. 
Though  some  women  may  have  possessed  great  strength 
of  mind   and   talents;  yet,  on  the   whole,  they  never 


180  CATHERINE   II. 

equal  in  any  science  or  undertaking  eminent  men; 
but  they  always  govern  them  by  the  power  of  their 
charms.  From  a  remote  period  of  Russian  history,  and 
especially  in  the  last  century,  the  monarchs  of  Russia 
have  always  had  favourites  oiScially ;  it  is  no  wonder 
that  a  custom,  so  ancient  and  scrupulously  observed  by 
four  empresses,  namely,  Catherine  I.,  Anne,  Elizabeth, 
and  Catherine  II.,  should  be  almost  considered  as  the 
fundamental  law  of  the  empire,  and  as  a  concomitant  of 
the  imperial  grandeur. 

As  the  reign  of  Catherine  II.  was  longer  than  that 
of  any  of  her  predecessors,  and  as  her  passions  were 
warmer,  it  was  natural  that  the  number  of  her  favourites 
should  be  greater.  Sovereigns  are  but  mortal  after  all, 
and  are  governed  by  the  same  feelings  as  the  rest  of 
mankind;  consequently,  they  are  often  slaves  to  the 
same  caprices  and  weaknesses,  and  having  a  larger  field 
wherein  to  gratify  their  fancies  and  propensities,  and 
being  obliged  often  for  state  reasons  to  sacrifice  their 
affection  to  the  paltry  considerations  of  court  policy, 
they  have  more  claim  to  our  indulgence  than  those 
whose  sphere  of  life  shelters  them  from  similar  sacri- 
fices. Infamy  and  crime,  however,  must  not  be  com- 
mitted, nor  the  laws  of  public  decency  violated  with 
impunity. 

It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  give  some  idea  of  the 
ceremonies  connected  with  the  installation  of  Cathe- 
rine's favourites.  When  her  imperial  majesty  had 
fixed  her  choice  on  a  new  favourite,  she  created  him 


AND    HER    FAVOURITES.  181 

her  general  aide-de-camp,  in  order  that  he  might 
attend  her  everywhere,  without  creating  scandal  or 
attracting  malicious  observation.  Thenceforward,  the 
favourite  occupied  in  the  palace  an  apartment  below 
that  of  the  empress,  to  which  it  communicated  by  a 
private  staircase.  The  first  day  of  his  installation,  he 
received  a  present  of  £15,000,  and  every  month  he 
found  £2500  on  his  dressing-table ;  the  chief  steward 
of  the  court  being  commissioned  to  provide  him  with 
a  daily  table  of  twenty-five  covers.  The  favourite  at- 
tended the  empress  to  all  places  of  amusement ;  was 
her  constant  companion  at  the  opera,  at  balls,  prome- 
nades, excursions  of  pleasure,  and  was  not  allowed  to 
leave  the  palace  without  express  permission.  He  was 
given  to  understand,  that  it  would  not  be  taken  well 
if  he  conversed  familiarly  with  other  women ;  and  if 
he  went  to  dine  with  any  of  his  friends,  the  mistress 
of  the  house  was  not  to  be- present. 

Whenever  the  empress  took  a  fancy  to  any  one  of 
her  subjects,  with  the  design  of  raising  him  to  the 
post  of  favourite,  she  caused  him  to  be  invited  to  din- 
ner by  some  lady  of  her  confidence,  on  whom  she 
dropped  in  as  if  by  chance.  Then  she  would  enter 
into  familiar  conversation  with  the  new  comer,  with  a 
view  to  discover  whether  or  not  he  was  worthy  of  the 
favour  she  intended  to  bestow  on  him.  When  the 
judgment  she  formed  was  favourable,  the  confidant, 
who  was  informed  of  it  by  a  significant  look  from  the 
empress,  did  not  fail,  on  the  departure  of  her  imperial 


182  CATHERINE    II. 

visitor,  to  notify  to  the  favourite  the  extent  of  his 
happiness.  The  day  following,  he  received  a  visit 
from  one  of  the  principal  physicians  of  the  court,  who 
came  to  inquire  into  the  state  of  his  health  without 
ceremony ;  and  the  same  evening  he  met  the  empress 
at  the  hermitage,  and  took  possession  of  the  apart- 
ment that  had  been  prepared  for  him. 

When  the  power  of  a  favourite  was  on  the  wane, 
a  hint  of  dismissal  was  given  to  him  by  ordering  him 
to  travel;  and  from  that  time  he  was  debarred  all 
access  to  her  majesty.  All  his  debts,  however,  were 
paid,  his  near  relatives  provided  for,  and  he  received 
a  boon  of  an  hereditary  estate  in  recompense  for  his 
services. 

The  first  of  Catherine's  acknowledged  lovers,  after 
she  came  to  Russia,  was  Count  Soltykof —  second, 
Stanislaus  Poniatowski  (the  late  king  of  Poland) — 
third,  Prince  Gregory  Orloff— fourth,  Vissensky — fifth, 
Vassiltchikof — sixth.  Prince  Potemkin — seventh,  Za- 
vadosky — eighth,  Zoritch — ninth,  Rymski-Korsakof — 
tenth,  Lontskoi — eleventh,  Yermolof— twelfth,  Momo- 
nof — thirteenth,  Prince  Platto  Zubof — fourteenth. 
Valerian  Zubof. 

It  is  to  be  remarked,  that  among  all  the  above  men- 
tioned lovers  (though  to  Prince  Gregory  Orloflf  she 
was  chiefly  indebted  for  her  throne),  the  ablest  man 
was  undoubtedly  Potemkin,  who  governed  the  Empress 
Catherine,  her  lovers  and  the  whole  Russian  empire, 
to  the   end  of  his   days.     He   was  of  Polish   origin. 


AND   HER    FAVOURITES.  183 

Lonskoi  (Lonski)  was  the  only  one  for  whom  she 
entertained,  when  already  past  the  meridian  of  life, 
the  most  tender  and  devoted  attachment ;  which,  it  is 
said,  was  partly  returned :  he  died  in  her  arms,  and 
left  her  his  fortune,  which  she  gave  to  his  relatives. 
After  his  death,  she  was  so  completely  absorbed  in 
grief,  that  she  wished  to  die  of  inanition,  and  for  three 
months  did  not  quit  her  apartment.  During  this 
time,  she  refused  to  see  any  one,  excepting  her  ser- 
vants; and  erected  him  a  superb  mausoleum  in  the 
garden  opposite  the  windows  of  her  bed-room ;  bathing 
it  for  several  years  with  her  tears,  and  actually  stating 
with  sobs  that  she  was  unworthy  of  having  such  a 
lover.  She  often  visited  his  grave  at  midnight.  He 
was  a  native  of  the  Polish  province  torn  by  Russia 
from  Poland  by  the  first  partition ;  his  original  name 
was  Lonski,  which  was  changed  by  Catherine  into 
Lontskoi. 

After  the  death  of  Lontskoi,  and  shortly  before  her 
own  death,  Catherine  seems  to  have  much  liked 
Momonof ;  but  he  fell  in  love  with  one  of  her  maids  of 
honour,  Princess  Schteherbatof,  and  had  private  inter- 
views with  her.  This  was  soon  reported  to  the  em- 
press ;  and  she  once,  unperceived,  caught  him  actually 
kneeling  before  her.  The  next  day  she  suggested 
to  Momonof  a  marriage  with  the  rich  Countess  Bruce, 
as  if  to  know  what  efiect  such  a  proposal  would  make 
on  him.  Momonof,  after  some  hesitation,  threw  himself 
at  the  empress's  feet,  and  openly  avowed  his  attach- 


184  CATHERINE    II. 

ment  for  the  princess.  The  next  day  they  were  mar- 
ried, and  set  out  for  Moscow,  with  orders  not  to  visit 
St.  Petersburg.  Catherine,  however,  never  forgave 
Princess  Schteherbatof  for  having  deprived  her  of 
Momonof's  society,  and  planned  secretly  a  merciless 
vengeance.  Momonof  had  the  imprudence  to  relate 
some  curious  particulars  of  his  love  affair  with  the 
Empress  Catherine ;  and  his  lady,  who  hated  Cathe- 
rine, divulged  them  immediately  with  a  levity  injurious 
to  the  sovereign,  and  amplifying,  it  is  said,  many 
things.  Momonof  and  his  lady  had  one  night  gone  to 
rest,  when  the  master  of  the  police  of  Moscow  entered 
their  apartment  with  six  men  in  women's  attire,  and  a 
written  order  of  the  empress.  They  seized  the  babbling 
lady,  and  having  stripped  her  entirely  of  her  night- 
clothes,  flogged  her  terribly  with  rods,  in  the  presence 
of  her  husband,  whom  they  compelled  to  kneel  during 
the  ceremony.  Such  a  barbarous  violation  of  domestic 
privacy  could  only  happen  in  Russia,  and  gives  some 
idea  of  the  manner  in  which  that  country  is  governed. 

The  choice  of  her  imperial  majesty  was  not  always 
bestowed  on  educated  men.  Once  a  simple  trumpeter 
attracted  her  attention,  and  speedily  became  a  general. 
In  the  latter  part  of  her  life,  the  empress  threw  aside 
all  restraint,  and  shortened  her  life  by  the  most  dis- 
gusting excesses.     She  died  November  6,  1796. 

It  is  stated  that  Catherine  lavished  nearly  fifty 
millions  of  pounds  sterling  on  her  love  affairs,  and 
demoralized  for  centuries  the  whole  Russian  nobility. 


AND    HER    FAVOURITES.  185 

Some  Eussians,  however,  refused  the  place  of  favourite, 
in  spite  of  all  the  substantial  advantages  derivable  from 
it.     Among  them  was  Prince  S.  Dolgoruki. 

Such  was  the  woman  on  whom  sordid  writers  have 
lavished  their  flatteries  ;  but  if  there  have  been  women 
on  the  throne,  who  have  disgraced  it  by  their  vices, 
there  have  been,  as  there  are  still,  others,  who  are  ex- 
amples of  domestic  virtue,  and  who  have  been  orna- 
ments to  their  station. 

See  Life  of  Catherine  II.,  3  vols. ;  Authentic  Me- 
moirs of  Catherine  II. ;  Life  of  Catherine  II.,  by  Costera ; 
Pierre  III.  et  les  Amours  de  Catherine ;  Dzieta  Nie- 
meevioza,  &c. 


186 


CHAPTER  XI. 


REBELLION    OF   PUGATCHEF. 

Pugatchef— His  Birth  and  Initiation  in  Warfare  and  Robbery— Bio- 
graphies of  him  difficult  to  be  procured — His  Flight  into  Poland — 
Adopts  the  religious  Creed  of  Roskolniki  (Starowiertzy  Puritans) 
— Joins  the  Cossacks  of  the  laik — His  Expedition  in  Kuban — Is 
arrested  at  Malefolka,  but  escapes — Rebellion  among  the  Cossacks 
of  the  laik  on  account  of  the  Infringement  of  their  Privileges — 
Pugatchef  joins  them — Uncertain  when  he  assumed  the  title  of 
Peter  IH. — His  Invasion  of  the  newly -established  Colonies  at  the 
Banks  of  the  Irghis — Besieges  the  Town  of  laitzkai,  and  is  re- 
pulsed— Attracts  to  his  Party  the  Cossacks  of  the  Betz — Takes 
Basyrnaya,  Ossernaya,  and  Tateschtcheva — Cuts  to  pieces  the 
Russian  Corps  under  Colonel  Bulof— Vanquishes  General  Tchemi- 
shef,  and  slays  all  who  refuse  to  join  him— Besieges  the  Town  of 
Orenburg — His  Successes  and  Extent  of  his  Domination — His  Hy- 
pocrisy— Inscription  and  Motto  on  his  Standards — His  unexpected 
Successes — His  Court  and  Ministers — His  Intention  of  extermi- 
nating the  Russian  Nobility — His  Proclamations  and  Manifesto — 
Price  offered  for  his  Head — Partial  Successes  of  Bibikof— Unsuc- 
cessful Siege  of  Orenburg— Battle  with  the  main  Army  of  General 
Bibikof— His  Retreat  into  the  Uralian  Mountains  and  Re-appear- 
ance with  an  Army — Burning  of  Kazan,  and  Rejection  in  the  Moim- 
tains  by  Michelson— Re-appearance  with  Proclamations  and  Mani- 
festos—Capture of  the  Towns  of  Pensa,  Saratof,  and  Dymitrefsk — 
His  SurpriseofDuboskai'a- Ultimately  vanquished  and  routed  near 
Tchernojar — His  Flight  to  the  Deserts  on  the  Banks  of  the  Ouzem 
— Is  Betrayed  and  delivered  to  the  Russians— His  Punishment  and 
Execution  at  Moscow — Consequences  of  his  Rebellion — Compa- 
rison with  Stenko  Razin — Remarks. 

After  the  murder  of  Peter  III.  by  Catherine's  fa- 
vourite, at  the  imperial  seat  Ropscha,  in  176^,  though 
the  body   of  that  ill-fated  monarch  was  publicly   ex- 


REBELLION    OF    PTJGATCHEF.  .  187 

posed  in  the  convent  of  Alexander  Newski,  a  rumour 
was  prevalent  that  the  czar  had  escaped  the  snares  of 
the  assassins,  and  was  living  concealed  in  a  distant  pro- 
vince of  the  Russian  empire,  till  more  favourable  circum- 
stances should  allow  him  to  regain  his  throne  and 
punish  the  traitors. 

Several  different  impostors  successively  attempted  to 
avail  themselves  of  this  popular  delusion,  and,  by  per- 
sonating the  ill-fated  emperor,  to  make  good  their  claims 
to  the  Russian  throne;  but  four  of  them  were  suppressed 
with  more  or  less  difficulty,  and  they  expiated,  by  a  cruel 
death  on  the  scaffold,  the  crime  of  their  mischievous 
imposture. 

Of  these  audacious  pretenders,  who  were  all  more  or 
less  favoured  indirectly  by  the  Russian  priests,  the 
first  was  a  shoemaker  of  Voronetz ;  the  second,  a  private 
deserter  from  the  regiment  of  Orlof ;  the  third,  Stefano 
Piccolo,  an  lUyrian,  an  Austrian  deserter  of  good 
address,  who  practised  surgery  in  Turkey  ;  the  fourth, 
a  serf  of  the  illustrious  family  of  Vorontzof  ;*  and  the 
fifth,  a  malefactor  escaped  firom  the  prison  of  Irkutsk. 
One  only  of  them,  the  third  in  rotation,  Stefano  Piccolo, 
more  fortunate  than  the  others,  amassed  some  wealth  and 
escaped,  probably  because  he  attempted  his  imposture, 
not  in  Russia,  but  in  the  country  of  the  Montenegrinos, 
under  the  Turkish  domination. 

In  spite,  however,  of  aU  these  repeated  failures,  and 
of  the  terrible  example  of  retributive  justice  thus 
afforded,  the   elements  of  rebellion  still   existed;  the 


188  REBELLION    OF 

discarded  clergy,  the  Cossacks,  and  some  disappointed 
Russian  grandees,  were  busily  engaged  in  preparing 
secretly  a  more  serious  and  more  formidable  outbreak, 
and  a  terrible  and  unexpected  storm  was  gathering. 

The  man  whose  name  made  the  whole  of  Russia  trem- 
ble to  her  very  foundation — the  man  whose  courage, 
enterprise,  ability,  perseverance,  as  well  as  ferocity, 
hypocrisy,  and  disgusting  excesses,  are  about  to  be 
narrated — deserves  particular  notice,  though  the  extent 
of  this  work  does  not  afford  space  to  explain  many 
interesting  facts. 

Ikhmelian  Pugatchef,  son  of  a  private  Cossack, 
Izmailof,  was  bom  in  17^6,  at  Simoveisk,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Don,  in  the  commune  of  the  Kossack  Stanitza 
Zinvilskaia,  served  under  the  command  of  Field- 
marshal  Apraxyn,  in  the  seven  years"*  war,  and  made  the 
campaign  of  1769  against  the  Turks.  After  the  siege 
of  Bender,  where  he  distinguished  himself  by  his 
gallantry,  he  resolved,  for  some  reasons  never  yet 
clearly  explained,  to  leave  the  military  service;  but, 
not  having  received  on  that  subject  a  satisfactory  an- 
swer, he  deserted,  went  to  Poland,  and  was  hospitably 
received  and  taken  care  of  by  some  clergy  of  the  Greco- 
Russian  church  in  Podolia. 

Concealed  and  sheltered  in  this  retired  spot,  he 
adopted  the  religion  of  Roskolniki — the  Russian  puritan 
faith;  an  ancient  community  of  the  Greek  Church, 
established  by  some  fanatics  in  the  twelfth  century,  who 
were  to  be  the  strict  observants  of  the  New  Testament; 


PU&ATCHEF.  189 

a  community  persecuted  by  Peter  the  Great  and  his 
ancestors,  and  scorned  by  the  majority  of  the  Russian 
people,  not  for  trifling  differences  in  the  ceremonies  of 
their  rites,  but  for  a  singular  custom,  to  this  time,  it  is 
said,  prevalent  among  them,  which  decency  forbids 
me  to  mention.  The  rigorous  persecutions  of  these 
fanatics,  known  by  their  great  chastity  and  abste- 
mious habits,  produced  in  Russia  the  same  effect  as 
everywhere  else  in  similar  circumstances:  it  greatly 
increased,  instead  of  diminishing  their  number,  espe- 
cially in  the  remote  parts  of  the  Russian  empire. 

Pugatchef  did  not  fail  to  turn  these  persecutions  to 
his  own  account.  Being  obliged  to  leave  his  hospitable 
friends,  he  went  to  Dobrynka,  where  he  lived  on  alms  : 
thence  he  wandered  some  time  in  Lesser  Russia,  pro- 
vided for  and  well  taken  care  of  by  the  numerous  vota- 
ries of  his  adopted  creed;  but  having  received  timely 
warning  of  the  danger  to  which  he  was  exposed  in 
dwelling  among  them,  he  proceeded  through  the  coun- 
try of  the  Don,  towards  the  land  of  the  Cossacks  of  the 
laik,  where  religious  persecution,  combined  with  the 
growing  impatience  of  the  Russian  yoke,  were  preparing 
a  formidable  rebellion. 

As  soon  as  Pugatchef  had  assembled  some  of  his 
partisans,  he  hinted  that  he  was  about  to  undertake  a 
lucrative  expedition;  and  went  towards  the  river  Kuban 
and  the  passes  of  the  Caucasian  mountains,  where  the 
commerce  carried  on  between  the  Turks,  the  Persians,' 
and  the  Russians,  afforded  him  excellent  opportunities 


190  REBELLION    OF 

of  satisfying  the  rapacious  habits  and  cupidity  of  his 
followers.  It  is  certainly  not  easy  to  imagine  the  exist- 
ence of  such  a  band  of  organised  robbers  in  western 
Europe;  but  nothing  is  more  common  than  similar 
bands  in  eastern  Russia,  which  have  always  existed 
somewhere,  and  are  found  even  at  the  present  time. 
During  his  successful  and  murderous  excursions,  Pugat- 
chef  frequently  complained  of  the  cruelty  and  oppression 
of  the  Russian  government,  and  never  failed  to  impress 
the  belief  on  the  mind  of  his  people  that  the  time  was 
not  far  distant  when  they  would  see  better  days. 
Similar  expressions  and  promises,  always  artfully  in- 
troduced at  proper  times  and  under  favourable  circum- 
stances, and  seasoned,  moreover,  with  the  powerful 
stimulant  of  affected  secrecy,  augmented  daily  the 
number  of  his  adherents,  and  attracted,  at  the  same 
time,  the  attention  of  the  Russian  authorities.  Pugat- 
chef  was  suddenly  arrested  at  the  small  town  of  Male- 
folka,  and  sent  in  irons  to  Kazan  to  undergo  his  trial. 
This  unlucky  accident  would  have  cut  short  all  his 
mighty  projects,  had  he  not  so  skilfully  assumed  the 
character  of  a  half  idiot,  as  to  baffle  the  vigilance  of  the 
governor,  whose  consequent  delay  in  inflicting  the 
punishment  awarded  to  Pugatchef,  enabled  the  latter, 
by  means  of  certain  money  furnished  him  by  the  clergy- 
men of  his  community,  to  bribe  his  guards  and  to  effect 
his  escape. 

Thus  liberated,  almost  by  a  miracle,  from  his  dungeon, 
he  lost  no  time  in  descending  the  Volga  and  the  river 


PUGATCHEF. 

Irghis  which  flows  in  the  desert;  and  reappearing  on 
the  banks  of  the  laik  under  more  favourable  circum- 
stances, adopted  fresh  expedients  for  the  furtherance  of 
his  projects.  The  Cossacks,  who  bear  the  name  of  that 
river,  are  the  scattered  remains  of  the  ancient  inhabit- 
ants of  Kaptshak ;  a  curious  mixture  of  Russians,  Tatars, 
Kalmucks,  and  Kerghis.  On  the  whole,  they  were 
more  barbarous  than  their  western  brethren ;  rather 
pagan  than  Christian,  ignorant,  superstitious,  leading  a 
wandering  life,  hating  the  culture  of  the  soil,  and  sub- 
sisting chiefly  on  rapine,  the  produce  of  their  fisheries, 
and  the  breeding  of  cattle,  as  well  as  extracting  salt 
from  their  extensive  marshes.  The  Russian  govern- 
ment robbed  them,  inch  by  inch,  not  only  of  the  vast 
tracts  of  fertile  soil  which  they  never  touched,  but  also 
of  the  abundant  pastures  which  fed  their  herds  in  these 
cold  and  dreary  solitudes.  Deprived  of  the  scanty 
allowance  which  was  due  to  them  on  the  sacred  faith  of 
voluntary  treaties  with  Russia ;  deprived  unjustly  of  all 
the  comforts  of  existence ;  obliged  to  sell  almost  for 
nothing  their  celebrated  herds  of  beast,  and  denied 
redress  from  Petersburg,  where  their  deputies  were 
treated  as  rebels,  they  dispersed,  partly  in  wilder  tracts 
towards  the  Uralian  mountains,  and  partly  in  other 
directions.  Passionately  attached  to  the  creed  of  the 
Russian  puritans  (Roskolniki),  to  their  barbarous  cus- 
toms, to  their  laws,  bearing  a  strange  resemblance  to 
the  customs  of  the  Zaporogues,  they  obstinately  rejected 
all  the  changes  and  reforms  intended  for  their  civilisa- 


192  REBELLION    OF 

tion ;  they  were  more  attached  to  the  conservation  of 
their  beards  than  of  their  lives.  The  Russians,  agree- 
ably to  the  order  transmitted  to  them  by  the  czarina, 
endeavoured  to  transform  them  from  regiments  of 
Cossacks,  into  regiments  of  regular  cavalry  ;  but  they 
absolutely  refused  to  allow  their  beards  to  be  cut,  and 
raised  a  rebellion.  Major-General  Trauenberg  was  sent 
against  them  with  some  regulars ;  but  he  was  beaten 
and  massacred,  together  with  their  own  attaman,  who 
was  suspected  of  being  favourable  to  the  Russians. 
The  approach  of  winter,  so  terrible  in  these  climates^ 
prevented  a  speedy  quelling  of  their  insurrection ;  but 
in  the  following  spring  the  Russian  general  Freyman, 
with  a  large  body  of  troops,  traversed  their  territory, 
routed  them,  and  took  laitzkay  by  storm.  After 
putting  to  the  sword  their  principal  leaders  and  com- 
mitting great  cruelties,  he  quelled  their  rebellion,  and 
left  the  town  to  the  care  of  a  Russian  colonel,  who  had 
under  his  command  a  large  body  of  regulars. 

In  spite  of  all  this,  many  of  the  unfortunate  Cossacks, 
and  even  some  of  their  leaders,  escaped  into  the  wilds 
which  surround  the  lakes  of  Kamish  SamarsMe,  where 
they  lived  on  fish  and  some  animals  which  frequent, 
occasionally,  its  bleak  and  inhospitable  shores  ;  as  well 
as  on  the  scanty  provisions  which  their  families  sent 
them  secretly,  with  great  difficulty  and  danger,  till  they 
found  a  skilful  chief  who  terribly  avenged  the  cruelties 
mercilessly  inflicted  on  them. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  fix  on  the  correct  time  when 


PUGATCHEF.  l93 

Pugatchef  assumed  the  name  of  Peter   III. :    before, 
however,  he  determined  on  the  adoption  of  that  dan- 
gerous character,  he  did  not  fail,  during  his   stay  in 
Podolia  and  elsewhere,  to  collect  all  the  information 
possible  relative  to  Stenko  Razin,  the  celebrated  rebel, 
and  likewise  respecting  the  peculiarities  of  character 
that  had  distinguished  the  ill-fated  Peter.     His  friends 
hinted  also  to  some  of  the  Cossacks,  that  he  was  sent 
secretly  by  a  few   discontented  Russian  nobles  in  quest 
of  the  lost  emperor  ;  others,  that  he  wished  to  ascertain 
in  what  manner  they  would  consider  the  idea  of  his 
assuming  the    character  of  the  deceased   czar.    It  is, 
however,   a  weU-known    fact,    that   when   Pugatchef 
was  sent  to  his  general  with  a  despatch,  during  the 
siege  of  Bender   in  1769,  aU  the   officers  of  his  staff 
were    surprised   at  his   extraordinary  resemblance    to 
the  late  emperor  Peter  III.,  in  consequence  of  which, 
he  was  invited  to   dine  at  the  table  of  General  Tot- 
leben,  where  this  resemblance  was  fully   and   unani- 
mously  confirmed :    it   is  also   to   be    remarked   that 
when    Pugatchef,    after    deserting    his  ranks,   was  in 
Podolia,    two   clergymen    knelt    before   him   and  ac- 
knowledged him  as  the  Russian   czar.     In  vain  some 
authors   deny  this  resemblance  :  the  great  majority  of 
them,  as  well  as  some  disinterested  testimonials,   and 
even  the  portraits  of  Peter  III.  and  Pugatchef,  to  be 
found  in  the  British  Museum,  and  which  we  have  care- 
fully examined,  fully  confirm  it.   All  these  things  com- 
bined together  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  mind  of 

o 


194  REBELLION    OF 

Pugatchef,  and  he  resolved  to  try  his  fortune  in  that 
capacity.  His  resemblance,  even,  to  the  late  czar  was 
not  absolutely  necessary  for  seducing  the  credulous, 
ignorant,  and  persecuted  people  living  at  a  great  distance 
from  the  capital. 

After  his  arrival,  in  the  month  of  April  1773,  in  the 
town  of  laitzkoy,  Pugatchef  attended  a  secret  meeting 
of  discontented  Cossacks ;  and  being  well  aware  of  their 
excitement  and  thirst  of  revenge,  he  industriously 
circulated  a  rumour  that  the  late  czar,  supposed  to  be 
murdered,  would  not  fail  shortly  to  make  his  appear- 
ance amongst  them;  and  soon  after,  having  been 
apprised  of  the  secret  abode  of  their  chiefs  who  had 
escaped  from  the  late  destruction  of  the  town  by  General 
Freyman,  he  went  boldly  to  them,  asserting  that  he  was 
the  Czar  Peter  III.  himself ;  that  he  had  escaped  from 
the  daggers  of  his  paid  assassins  ;  and  that  the  news  of 
his  death  was  invented  by  his  enemies ;  he  therefore 
claimed  their  protection. 

These  savage  and  oppressed  Cossacks  had  never  seen 
Peter  III.  The  crafty  impostor  flattered  their  vices ; 
adopted  their  creed;  and  promised  to  avenge  their 
wrongs.  They  recognised  him  unanimously  as  their 
lawful  sovereign ;  swore  blind  obedience  to  him,  and 
promised  to  sacrifice  their  lives  in  his  cause:  and 
numerous  bands  of  their  brethren  enrolled  themselves 
under  his  orders.  Placing  himself  at  their  head, 
Pugatchef  immediately  attacked  the  newly-established 
colonies  on  the  banks  of  the  Irghis,  composed  chiefly 


PUGATCHEF.  195 

of  the  Polish  political  exiles,  as  well  as  of  men  artfully 
entrapped  into  those  cold  and  dreary  regions.  They 
yielded  to  the  first  caU,  and  some  of  them  swelled 
the  rebel  ranks.  He  took  their  arms,  horses,  and 
provisions  ;  did  them  no  harm ;  and  mastered  his 
natural  cruelty  for  a  time. 

After  this  easy  success,  Pugatchef  directed  his  steps 
towards  laitzkoy.  It  seems  to  have  been  imprudent 
to  attack,  with  savage  and  untrained  bands,  expe- 
rienced and  victorious  soldiers,  commanded  by  skilful 
officers,  well  aware  of  their  advantages,  and  especially 
interested  in  the  defence  of  that  place.  Some  defi- 
ciency in  the  fortifications  however  induced  Pugatchef 
to  turn  his  eyes  towards  it.  Arrived  under  its  walls, 
he  summoned,  officially,  the  governor  to  surrender  the 
town  to  Peter  III.,  czar  of  Russia ;  and,  after  having  re- 
ceived a  peremptory  refusal  to  comply  with  his  demand, 
he  issued  immediate  orders  to  take  the  place  by  storm. 
Repulsed  everywhere,  he  converted  the  siege  into  a 
blockade,  hoping  to  render  himself  master  of  the  town 
by  famine  :  but  he  was  again  disappointed  by  the 
extraordinary  perseverance  of  the  garrison.  The  inha- 
bitants, reduced  to  the  last  extremity,  after  consuming 
the  most  disgusting  animals,  were  at  last  relieved  by 
the  arrival  of  some  Russian  troops  ;  which  obliged 
Pugatchef  to  retreat. 

Checked,  but  not  dispirited,  by  this  slight  reverse, 
he  marched  against  the  Cossacks  of  the  Iletz,  the 
greater  part  of  whom  joined  his  standard.     Soon  after, 


196  REBELLION    OF 

he  made  liimself  master  of  two  forts,  Basyrnaya  and 
Ossernaya,  as  well  as  of  the  important  town  of  Tates- 
chtcheva;  the  wooden  walls  of  which  he  destroyed 
by  fire.  The  governor  of  Ossernaya,  Major  Charlof, 
was  newly  married  to  a  young  and  beautiful  woman, 
strongly  attached  to  her  husband.  Her  beauty 
made  an  impression  on  the  daring  Cossack,  who, 
excited  by  her  refusal  to  satisfy  voluntarily  his 
passion,  ordered  her  husband  to  be  hanged,  the 
officers  to  be  butchered;  and  then,  after  ravishing 
the  lady,  delivered  her  over  to  the  brutality  of  his 
soldiers. 

As  soon  as  the  governor  of  Orenburg  was  apprised 
of  the  success  of  the  rebellion,  he  despatched  in  great 
haste,  a  large  body  of  troops,  under  Colonel  Bulof,  to 
fight  the  rebels.  Bulof  was  expecting  to  be  reinforced 
by  the  corps  of  General  Tchernishef,  sent  from  Simbirsk, 
but  their  movements  w^ere  badly  managed.  Pugatchef, 
possessing  by  nature  military  capacities  improved  by 
experience  in  warfare,  prevented  their  junction,  and 
marching  against  Bulof,  cut  him  in  pieces.  He  then, 
without  losing  an  instant,  attacked  Tchernishef  who, 
surrounded  and  entrapped  by  false  rumour  into  a 
difficult  position,  surrendered  and  perished.  Pugatchef 
in  these  two  victorious  battles  ordered  all  who  refused 
to  join  his  ranks  to  be  put  to  the  sword.  Being  well 
aware  that  the  most  important  part  of  a  good  general 
is  not  only  to  gain  a  victory,  but  to  take  the  proper  ad- 
vantage of  it,  he  directed  his  steps  toward  Orenburg. 


PUGATCHEF.  197 

That  town,  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  la'ik,  on  the 
verge  of  a  bleak  desert,  and  noted  for  some  fine  build- 
ings and  extensive    commerce  with   the  most    remote 
parts  of  Asia ;  at  a  great  distance  from  the  centre  of  the 
Russian  empire ;  fortified  also  by  art  and  nature,  was  an 
excellent  place  of  defence,  and  well  suited  his  purposes. 
He  expected  also  to  find  money  there  and  some  parti- 
sans.    He  would  have  taken  it  by  storm,  stratagem, 
or  bribery,  had  not  the  garrison  of  Krasno'iark  cut  its 
way   through   the  rebel  army.      Soon   afterwards  the 
Baskirs  and  the  Kirghis,  the  remainder  of  those  fero- 
cious and   barbarous  hordes   which  followed  the  star 
of  Bathu-Khan,   and   who  were  nominally  subject  to 
Russia,  weary  of  the  Russian  yoke,  and  longing  for  pillage 
and  rapine,  joined  the  impostor's  ranks.     The  Nogay 
Tatars,  inhabiting  formerly  the  deserts  of  Boodziak,  not 
far  from  the  ancient  country  of  the  Zaporogues,  and 
whom  Russia  transplanted  to  the  banks  of  the  Volga, 
lost  no  time  in  following  the  army  of  one  who  ofiered 
them  the   opportunity  of  returning  to  their  fatherland, 
and  of  taking  signal  revenge  on  the  Russians.     This 
example  was  quickly  followed  by  the  inhabitants  of  all 
the  principal  colonies  in  those  inhospitable  regions,  and 
especially  by  the    exiles   condemned  to   work  in   the 
mines  in  the  bowels  of  the  Uralian  mountains.     Many 
Poles,  who  fought  in  the  ranks  of  the  Confederates  of 
Bar,  and  who  had  been  taken  prisoners  by  the  Rus- 
sians, sent  to  these  wilds,  deprived  of  their  country, 
and  torn  from  their  homes  and  families,  by  the  violence 


198  REBELLION    OF 

and  injustice  of  the  Empress  Catherine,  animated  by 
the  thirst  of  revenge  against  E-ussia,  flocked  from  all 
parts  of  Siberia,  to  serve  in  the  ranks  of  the  rebels. 

Hitherto  nothing  seemed  to  have  checked  the  gigantic 
projects  of  Pugatchef.  His  sway  extended  from  the 
Uralian  mountains  to  the  banks  of  the  Volga,  about 
three  thousand  three  hundred  miles.  The  Russians, 
shut  up  in  some  of  the  towns,  expected  to  be  crushed 
and  annihilated  at  any  time,  by  the  ever-increasing 
forces  of  the  daring  impostor.  The  troops  sent  from 
the  interior  of  Russia,  could  scarcely  defend  the  most 
important  military  points  between  Kazan  and  Oren- 
burg. The  siege  of  Orenburg  was  followed  up  with 
great  spirit  and  constancy  by  undisciplined  bands,  unac- 
quainted with  the  formidable  means  of  prosecuting  war 
adopted  by  regular  armies,  in  spite  of  the  gallant  re- 
sistance of  the  Russian  general,  Reinsdorf,  who  vainly 
attempted  to  repulse  the  attack  made  by  Pugatchef  on 
the  latter  town.  General  Carr  received  orders  to  take 
the  command  of  the  Russian  army,  and  to  quell  the 
rebellion  of  Pugatchef.  He  travelled  by  post  from 
Moscow ;  arrived  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Orenburgh ; 
and  sent  a  detachment  of  regulars  against  Pugatchef, 
who  was  besieging  that  town ;  he  was,  however,  not 
successful.  One  part  of  Pugatchef 's  army  attacked  and 
so  completely  routed  the  detachment,  that  scarcely  five 
men  escaped. 

The  general  himself  then  advanced   with  a  larger 
force ;  but,  contrary  to  the  advice  which  he  received 


PUGATCHEF.  199 

fi:om  some  of  his  friends,  to  be  extremely  cautious  in 
all  his  movements,  he  rashly  attacked  Pugatchef,  fell 
into  the  snare  laid  for  him,  lost  his  forces,  and,  com- 
pletely beaten,  seeing  no  chance  of  success  with  that 
celebrated  rebel,  he  returned  by  post  to  Moscow,  with 
as  much  haste  as  he  came  from  that  city.  In  the  mean- 
time, whilst  one  part  of  the  rebels  were  engaged  near 
that  town  in  the  dead  of  winter,  Pugatchef,  always 
restless  and  enterprising,  went  to  the  mountains  to 
take  from  the  mines  aU  the  silver  and  gold  he  could 
lay  hands  upon,  and  likewise  the  store  of  brass,  far 
more  necessary  to  him  for  casting  cannon  for  the 
purpose  of  battering  the  walls  of  Orenburg.  During 
this  daring  excursion,  at  the  head  of  numerous  bands, 
Pugatchef  returned  with  rich  spoil,  but  failed  to  take 
the  fortress  of  Uffa :  *  soon  after,  a  false  rumour,  pur- 
posely spread,  of  the  march  of  a  large  Russian  army, 
made  him  more  cautious  in  his  movements ;  and  gave 
time  to  some  scattered  regiments  on  the  Siberian 
frontier,  to  prevent  his  taking  Ecatherinendstat, 
where  he  would  have  found  considerable  sums  of 
money.  Duriag  Pugatchef s  absence  in  the  Ural, 
the  Polish  exiles  who  had  joined  his  standard,  and 
whom  he  left  behind  near  Orenburg,  were  specially 
entrusted  by  him  with  the  organisation  and  drilling  of 
his  untrained  troops  :  a  task  in  which  they  succeeded 
to  his  entire  satisfaction.  At  a  latter  period,  Pugat- 
chef promised  them  a  safe  return  to  their  country, 
gave    them    the    command    of    his    chosen    cavalry. 


200  REBELLION    OF 

made  Major  Suchodolski  (previously  sent  to  Siberia  by 
Catherine's  order,)  the  chief  of  his  staff,  and  ordered 
him  to  take  particular  care  of  his  artillery. 

For  a  long  time  Pugatchef  following  strictly  the 
rites  of  his  adopted  creed  (Roskolniki  Starowiertzy), 
assumed  their  abstinence  and  piety.  Often  he  was 
seen  in  sacerdotal  robes  to  bless,  with  humility,  the  fero- 
cious fanatics  continually  flocking  to  his  presence.  On 
his  standards  were  written,  in  large  letters  of  gold,  the 
latin  words,  Redivivus  et  ultor  (Re-arisen  and  avenged), 
a  motto  which,  often  repeated  and  explained,  daily  in- 
creased the  number  of  his  partisans.  In  order  to  stimu- 
late as  far  as  possible  the  zeal  of  his  people,  Pugatchef, 
being  well  aware  that  one  of  their  priests,  Fuma,  had 
been  condemned  to  lose  his  right  hand  by  fire  and  to 
be  burned  alive,  in  1715,  at  Moscow,  by  the  orders  of 
Peter  the  Great,  for  having  hewn  to  pieces,  with  an  axe, 
the  images  of  the  Saints  and  of  the  Virgin,  in  the  Russian 
church ;  and  having  been  also  apprised  that  that  religi- 
ous fanatic,  when  summoned  before  the  Russian  autho- 
rities and  clergy  for  the  recantation  of  his  faith,  was 
true  to  his  creed,  and  possessed  extraordinary  firmness ; 
calmly  preaching  against  the  abuses  of  the  Russian 
heresy,  while  his  right  hand  was  burned  to  ashes ;  (for 
which  he  was  worshipped  by  the  Roskolniki,  his  image 
exhibited  without  a  hand,  and  himself  considered  as  a 
saint) ;  the  crafty  Pugatchef  not  only  procured  the  like- 
ness of  the  martyr  without  a  hand  as  his  standard,  to 
which  he  showed  publicly  a  religious  veneration,  but  he 


PUGATCHEF.  201 

also  found  an  impostor  without  a  hand  of  the  name  of 
Fuma.  This  fanatic,  possessing  great  flow  of  language, 
assumed  the  character  of  a  descendant  of  the  celebrated 
martyr ;  preached  daily  against  the  abuses  of  the  Russian 
church  and  against  Catherine's  tyranny ;  and  with  such 
effect,  that  crowds  of  people  were  always  saluting  him 
■Nvith  repeated  huzzas,  crying,  "  Long  live  Fuma ! " 
"Long  live  our  beloved  emperor;  our  great  czar;  our 
benefactor,  the  defender  of  our  church  ;"*'  with  a  sort 
of  phrenzy.  Speaking  of  his  resurrection  and  ven- 
geance, the  pretended  Peter  III.,  openly  declared  that, 
having  himself  no  longing  for  power,,  he  had  decided 
to  place  the  Muscovite  crown  on  the  brow  of  the 
grand  duke  his  son;  and,  after  accomplishing  that 
laudable  action,  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  days 
in  retirement.  This  pretended  disinterestedness,  this 
resignation  and  piety,  this  deep  and  well  sustained 
hypocrisy,  admirably  served  his  purposes.  In  the 
meantime,  active,  enterprising,  indefatigable;  always 
rea^y  to  take  every  possible  advantage  of  the  weakness 
of  the  Russians,  and  of  the  incapacity  of  their  generals  ; 
combining  with  superiority  of  information,  a  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  country  and  of  his  numerical  strength, 
Pugatchef  soon  inspired  his  army  with  that  blind  con- 
fidence in  his  genius,  which  Mahomet,  in  bygone  ages, 
infused  into  the  hearts  of  his  warlike  and  conquering 
followers. 

Surprised   and   dazzled   at  his  unexpected  success, 
looking  with  pride  at  the  niunerous  tribes  and  immense 


REBELLION    OF 

barbarian  army  devoted  to  him,  Pugatchef  believed 
himself  really  the  mighty  sovereign  whose  name  he 
usurped ;  forgot  his  engagements,  ceased  to  be  a  hypo- 
crite, adopted  the  imperial  insignia,  established  a  court, 
named  his  ministers,  instituted  orders  of  knighthood,  and 
distributed  honours  and  dignities  among  his  friends.  In 
the  delusion  of  his  presumption  and  victories,  he  would 
never  admit  any  undertaking,  however  unreasonable,  to 
be  impracticable,  nor  the  existence  of  any  obstacle,  which 
the  energy  of  his  will  might  not  overcome;  but  he 
failed,  by  miscalculation,  to  pick  up  scattered  diamonds 
at  his  feet,  which,  according  to  Shakspere,  are  at  some 
one  period  of  every  man's  life  within  his  reach.  He 
lost  undoubtedly  some  precious  moments  for  action, 
which  if  promptly  seized  would  have  saved  him,  and 
changed  the  destiny  of  the  Russian  empire :  he  neg- 
lected, too,  soon  the  means  which  served  him  so  well ; 
cast  off  the  mask,  and  showed  himself  such  as  he  was 
in  reality.  Vexed  and  excited  by  the  desperate  re- 
sistance of  Orenburg,  instead  of  mastering  his  passions, 
he  abandoned  himself  wantonly  to  all  sorts  of  disgusting 
excesses  and  atrocious  cruelty.  There  was  an  excellent 
opportunity  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  projects  at 
that  time.  In  consequence  of  the  war  with  Turkey, 
the  celebrated  field-marshal,  Romantzof,  could  not 
weaken  his  army  on  the  Danube;  and  Moscow  was 
without  troops,  and  full  of  serfs  hating  their  masters. 
They  were  all  prepared  to  join  heart  and  hand  with 
Pugatchef,  who  certainly  had  at  his  disposal  more  means 


PUGATCHEF.  20S 

than  any  other  impostor  in  bygone  ages,  for  founding  a 
new  Russian  dynasty.  By  an  unpardonable  blunder, 
or  an  unwise  policy,  he  openly  avowed  the  dangerous 
intention  of  exterminating  the  Russian  nobility;  and 
to  convince  his  friends  that  his  words  were  in  harmony 
with  his  actions,  he  peremptorily  ordered  to  be  put  to 
death,  with  their  wives  and  children,  all  the  nobles 
who  fought  against  him.  Being  also  well  aware  that 
Peter  III.  spoke,  with  great  fluency,  the  German  lan- 
guage; and  dreading  that  it  should  be  known  that 
he  did  not  understand  a  word  of  it,  he  summoned 
before  him  all  the  German  officers  who  were  taken 
prisoners  by  his  army,  and,  at  a  preconcerted  sign  which 
he  had  made  to  his  guard,  they  were  all  put  to  the 
sword  without  mercy. 

Pugatchef  committed  also  a  great  imprudence,  which, 
by  giving  rise  to  scandal  in  his  army,  was  stiQ  more 
dangerous  than  the  loss  of  a  battle,  in  espousing  publicly 
a  common  woman  from  laitskoy,  though  he  was  actually 
married  to  Sophia,  the  daughter  of  a  Cossack,  and  had 
three  lawful  children.  In  the  midst  of  the  pomp  and  re- 
joicings on  that  occasion,  during  which  he  lavished  his 
favours  and  squandered  immense  sums,  he  was  apprised 
that  a  regular  army,  of  45,000  Russian  veterans,  well  pro- 
vided, was  actually  marching  against  him,  under  the 
command  of  General  Prince  Bibikof,  and  with  a  formid- 
able artillery.  There  was  also  no  longer  any  doubt 
that  the  Empress  Catherine  had  pubKshed  a  manifesto 
against  him  in  the  principal  towns  of  the  empire.     For 


204 


REBELLION    OF 


a  long  time,  this  formidable  rebellion  was  considered, 
at  Petersburg,  as  a  mere  rising  of  a  band  of  robbers, 
so  common  among  the  wandering  tribes  of  disaiFected 
Cossacks  and  Tatars  in  those  regions ;  and  Pugatchef 
as  their  audacious  chief.  Catherine's  policy  was  inter- 
ested in  considering  his  efforts  as  unworthy  for  an  in- 
stant of  any  serious  alarm  respecting  the  stability  of  her 
throne,  just  at  the  time  when  all  the  great  military 
talents  of  Romantzof  could  scarcely  prosecute  the 
bloody  war  against  the  Turks,  who  fought  with  un- 
disputed bravery,  and  displayed  in  it  more  than 
ordinary  spirit.  Some  enemies  also  of  the  ancient  and 
powerful  family  of  Orloff,  ventured  more  than  once  to 
hint  that  Gregory  Orloff  secretly  fostered  the  rebellion, 
and  had  actually  sheltered  Pugatchef  in  his  house. 
There  was  also  a  rumour  that  Baron  de  Tott,  a  skilful 
French  officer  in  the  Turkish  service,  and  who,  on  more 
than  one  occasion,  had  beaten  the  Russians,  and  had 
displayed  his  sound  policy  in  protecting,  at  the  Sultan's 
court,  the  views  of  the  Polish  confederates  of  Bar, 
(whose  sole  aim  was  to  fight  their  common  enemy),  had 
some  communication  with  Pugatchef,  and  directed  his 
mihtary  movements.  Catherine,  who  seems  to  have 
scorned  these  rumours,  laughed  at  them  openly ;  and 
gave  to  Pugatchef  the  title  of  marquis,  in  derision. 
Soon,  however,  her  sagacious  mind  did  not  fail  to 
perceive  the  whole  extent  of  the  danger  to  which 
she  was  undoubtedly  exposed;  and  for  a  long  time 
she    directed   her   whole    energy  and   activity  to    the 


PUGATCHEF.  205 

means    of   avoiding  it.      Her   masculine   mind   forgot 
the  weakness  of  the  female  body,  and  was  completely- 
absorbed    in    this    pressing   and    important    business. 
Not   satisfied  with   sending   a  powerful   army,  under 
General    Bibikof,   to    crush    the    rebels,  she    in   her 
manifesto,  hinted,  indirectly,  at  the  well-known  death 
of  her   murdered   husband,   and   at  the  daring  impo- 
sition of  Pugatchef  in  assuming  the  name  of  Peter  III. 
She  also  put  in  circulation  some  ukases  or  ordinances 
to  her  subjects.     By  one  of  them  she  warned  her  people 
not  to  obey  any  order  which  was  not  signed  with  her 
own  hand,  or  that  did  not  emanate  from  her  private 
chancery  at   Petersburg;   by  another,  she  invited  all 
the  deluded  Cossacks  of  the  Don  and  the  laik,  who 
were  in  the   rebel   army,  to  return  speedily  to  their 
homes;  accompanying  this  advice  with  a  liberal  promise 
of  forgetfulness  of  the  past :  by  a  third,  far  more  dan- 
gerous for  the  personal  safety  of  Pugatchef,  and  in  full 
accordance  with  the  rapacious  propensities  of  the  Cos- 
sacks, she  promised  a  reward  of  one  hundred  thousand 
silver  rubles  to  any  one  who  should  deliver  him,  dead 
or  alive,  to  the  Russian  authorities ;  with  a  free  pardon 
if  the  individual,  so  delivering  him  up,  was  in  the  rebel 
army.    Pugatchef,  however,  who  could  neither  read  nor 
write,  having  some  men  of  ability  at  his  court,  was  not 
idle  on  his  part ;  and  replied  by  other  proclamations  and 
manifestos,  which  he  always  issued  in  the  name  of  the 
sovereign,  whose  name  he  unblushingly  usurped ;  he 
ordered  also  small   busts  of  himself  to  be  cast;  and 


206  REBELLION    OF 

issued  gold,  silver,  and  copper  coins,  stamped  with 
his  image,  with  the  inscription,  Peter  III.,  Emperor 
of  all  the  Russians.  Conforming  also  to  the  advice 
of  the  Polish  major,  Suchodolski,  his  chief  of  the 
staff,  who  joined  him  from  the  Confederates'  ranks, 
he ,  widely  circulated,  in  all  parts  of  Russia,  a  well- 
couched  and  solemn  order,  printed  in  several  dialects, 
in  large  letters,  by  which  he  abolished  servitude, 
liberated  unconditionally  all  the  peasants  from  the 
grasp  of  their  oppressors,  and  made  them  proprietors 
of  the  soil  on  which  they  toiled  and  worked; 
giving  proper  instructions  to  all  the  governors  of 
the  Russian  empire,  for  the  rigorous  fulfilment  of 
this  order,  under  the  penalty  of  death.  This  measure 
would  have  completely  disorganised  the  Russian 
empire ;  would  have  put  down  the  influence  of  the 
nobility  for  ever;  might,  if  strictly  executed,  and  oppor- 
tunely enforced,  have  worked  a  great  social  revolution ; 
and  had  not  the  adventurous,  daring  Cossack  chief, 
shaken  the  confidence  of  his  bands  by  all  kinds  of 
debauchery,  and  scorn  for  every  kind  of  religious  creed. 
After  his  arrival  at  Kazan,  General  Bibikof  found  all 
the  citizens  and  nobles  eager  to  take  arms  against  a 
man  who  visibly  attempted  their  complete  annihilation ; 
and  they  immediately  formed  some  regiments.  The 
Empress  Catherine,  apprised  of  their  conduct,  and 
strongly  urged  by  the  necessity  of  self-preservation,  as- 
sured them  publicly  of  her  gratitude,  and  ordered  her 
imperial  name  to  be  inscribed  in  letters  of  gold  among 


J 


PUGATCHEF.  207 

the  nobles  and  citizens  of  the  town  of  Kazan — a  mise- 
rable farce,  gratifying  only  to  vanity. 

The  merit  of  possessing  some  military  talent  can  not 
be  denied  to  General  Bibikof.  In  marching  from  Kazan 
towards  Orenburg  he  retook  some  towns,  which  had 
been  surprised  by  the  rebels,  over,  whom,  with  the 
aid  of  his  lieutenants,  he  gained  some  advantages. 
Pugatchef  was  soon  apprised  of  his  victorious  march, 
just  at  the  time  when  all  the  horrors  of  famine  in 
Orenburg,  gave  him  a  weU-founded  hope  of  the  speedy 
surrender  of  that  important  place.  He,  however, 
quickly  retired  from  its  walls,  animated  with  a  strong 
desire  to  retrieve  his  fortune  on  some  more  favourable 
occasion.  The  major-general.  Prince  GaUiczyn,  who 
was  ordered  to  follow  him  quickly,  with  a  great  part 
of  BibikoFs  army,  lost  no  time  in  attacking  him  in 
a  strong  position  near  Tateschtcheva.  The  combat  was 
fierce  and  obstinate ;  and  it  was  soon  evident  that 
Pugatchers  army  was  well  trained  and  instructed  by 
many  Poles  who  had  crossed  swords  with  the  Russians, 
not  only  in  the  wilds  of  the  Baskhirs  but  also  else- 
where. He  was,  therefore,  repulsed  with  great  loss ; 
and  as  the  Cossack  chief  did  not  think  proper  to 
fight  a  decisive  battle  immediately  with  him,  he  con- 
tinued his  retrograde  movement,  with  his  ferocious 
bands,  in  great  order,  without  molestation. 

Pugatchef  retreating  with  extraordinary  speed,  chang- 
ing every  day  the  direction  of  his  march,  well  acquaiated 
with  the  country,  and  having  the  best  possible  inform  a- 


208  REBELLION    OF 

tion  of  his  adversary's  movements,  deceived  Galliczyn  ; 
and,  after  crossing  a  sandy  desert,  a  large  forest,  and 
some  almost  impassable  marshes  by  an  unknown  track, 
he  in  a  few  days  concentrated  all  his  forces,  and  ap- 
peared, in  hostile  attitude,  before  Bibikof's  army,  which 
was  completely  taken  by  surprise.  The  Prince  accepted 
the  battle  :  it  was  one  of  the  most  obstinate  ever 
recorded  in  the  annals  of  Northern  Russia.  Pugatchef 
was  a  skilful  commander ;  he  employed,  for  the  second 
time  successfully,  a  very  simple  stratagem  worthy 
to  be  mentioned,  and  which  greatly  contributed  to 
gain  the  battle.  As  the  battle  was  fought  in  the  winter, 
so  protracted  in  these  gloomy  regions ;  and  as  the 
ground  was  covered  with  snow,  Pugatchef,  perceiving 
some  snow-hills  skirting  one  of  his  flanks,  and  at  a 
point  whereon  he  expected  to  be  attacked,  planted 
behind  them  some  of  his  cannon,  and  ordered,  under 
cover  of  his  men,  some  trees  and  planks  to  be 
placed  on  the  declivity  of  these  snowy  hills,  direct- 
ing as  much  water  to  be  thrown  on  them  as  pos- 
sible. This  done,  he  feigned  a  retreat,  after  some 
resistance ;  the  Russians  saw  their  adversary's  weak 
point;  a  strong  body  of  Bibikof's  infantry  received 
peremptory  orders  to  storm  the  rebel's  wing,  and  was 
taken  in  the  snare  :  the  water  thrown  on  the  trees  and 
planks  was  frozen,  which  made  them  slippery;  the 
Russians,  in  spite  of  all  their  efforts,  were  unable  to 
climb  them,  and  were  suddenly  exposed,  at  point  blank 
distance,  to  such  a  deadly  fire  of  musketry  and  grape- 


PUGATCHEF.  209 

shot,  that  they  were  almost  annihilated;  and  as 
Pugatchef  lost  not  a  moment  in  taking  advantage  of 
his  success,  General  Bibikof  was  completely  beaten, 
and  could  scarcely  effect  his  retreat  with  the  wreck 
of  his  forces :  he  died  soon  after. 

After  the  death  of  General  Bibikof,  Galliczyn  took 
the  command  of  the  army ;  and  having  concentrated 
his  forces,  and  reinforced  them  by  some  scattered 
regiments,  marched  against  Pugatchef,  whom  he  closely 
chased  for  several  days  through  wild  and  unknown 
tracts,  with  great  spirit  and  perseverance,  reaching 
him  at  last  at  Kargula,  not  far  from  Orenburgh,  where, 
after  six  hours'  hot  fighting,  he  completely  routed  his 
bands.  Pugatchef  fled  towards  the  Ural  mountains 
in  great  haste ;  and  the  rebellion  was  supposed  to  be 
entirely  suppressed. 

Only  one  head  however  of  the  Cerberus  was  cut  oiT. 
The  inaccessible  wilds  of  the  Ural  mountains,  unknown 
to  the  Russian  troops,  swarmed  with  numerous  hordes 
of  Kalmucks,  Kirghis,  and  wandering  Cossacks,  whom 
Galliczyn  dispersed  rather  than  annihilated;  these  wilds 
also,  were  not  completely  cleared  of  those  peasants  and 
miners,  who,  as  we  have  seen,  were  always  eager  to 
breathe  fresh  air  and  avenge  their  wrongs.  At  the 
magic  voice  of  Pugatchef,  they  again  took  the  field; 
and  for  the  second  time,  he  appeared  with  an  army, 
victorious  in  all  directions.  After  mastering  some  towns 
and  forts,  built  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  in  obedience 
the  refugees    and    miners,   he  besieged    and    burned 


h 


210  REBELLION    OF 

Troitsa.     Beaten,  however,  near  that  town  by  General 
de  Koln,  he  disappeared  again  in  the  mountains. 

More   excited  than  dispirited  by  these  reverses,  he 
determined   to    retrieve    his   fortune   by   all   possible 
means.     Pugatchef  descended,  for  the  third  time,  from 
the  summit  of  the  Ural,  and  conceived  the  bold  idea  of 
conquering  the   ancient   kingdom    of   Kazan;    like    a 
chafed  lion  rushing  suddenly  from  his  den,  he  marched 
towards  Kazan  on  the  wings  of  destruction  ;  burning, 
sacking,  and  killing  everything  which  obstructed  his 
terrible   progress,   but  treating  at  the  same   time  his 
friends  with  great  kindness  and  liberality.     After  gain- 
ing several  victories  over  the  Kussians,  and  putting  to 
the  sword  every  one  in  the  suburbs  of  Kazan,  he  mas- 
tered nearly  the  whole  kingdom.     Everything  was  com- 
pletely subdued  excepting  the  citadel.     The  Archbishop 
of  Kazan  came  submissively,  with  large  bags  of  gold,  to 
Pugatchef;  acknowledged  him  publicly  as  his  sovereign, 
and  promised  to  crown  him,  and  to  provide  him  with 
immense  treasures,   as  soon  as  the  citadel  surrendered. 
Not  only  the  latter,  but  the  generality  of  the  popula- 
tion in  the  regions  of  Orenburg,  Kazan,  UiFa,  the  whole 
of  Siberia,  and  the  whole  country  to  the  river  Ural, 
had   declared    unanimously   for   the   daring   impostor. 
Pugatchef  besieged  the  strong  citadel  of  Kazan;  and 
having  been  apprised  of  the  treasures  there  concealed, 
promised  its  plunder  to  his  bands,  and  pressed  the  siege 
vigorously.     Major  General  Paul  Potemkin,  relative  to 
the  celebrated  favourite  of  the  czarina,  dared  not  openly 


PUGATCHEF.  211 

to  fight  with  Pugatchef ;  he  did  not  even  try  to  prevent 
the  burning  of  Kazan ;  and  would,  in  all  probability, 
have  been  taken  by  him,  and  have  perished  in  torments, 
had  not  Colonel  Michelson  appeared,  at  the  critical  time, 
to  relieve  him. 

Michelson,  the  active,  indefatigable,  worthy  subaltern 
of  Rumiantzov,  was  not  wanting  in  this  exigency;  he 
gave  not  a  moment's  rest  to  the  rebels,  and  was  con- 
stantly at  their  heels.  During  several  days  they  resisted 
him  with  great  skill  and  ferocity ;  he,  however,  com- 
pelled them  to  accept  a  battle,  in  which  they  were  so 
far  beaten  and  routed,  that  Pugatchef  himself  escaped 
almost  by  miracle.  He  repassed  the  "Wolga  with 
scarcely  three  hundred  Cossacks  of  the  lai'k,  the 
remainder  of  his  numerous  army.  This  time,  accord- 
ing to  all  human  probability,  he  was  humbled  to  the 
dust,  and  the  rebellion  seemed  crushed  and  annihilated. 
But  while  various  rumours  were  prevalent  respecting 
his  death,  he  suddenly  reappeared,  like  the  fabled 
Antaeus,  reinvigorated  from  his  faU.  He  seemed  only 
to  have  to  stamp  with  his  foot  on  the  top  of  the 
Ural  mountains,  to  wrest  from  them  new  and  powerful 
legions  devoted  to  him.  His  manifestos  and  pro- 
clamations, written  in  different  languages,  penetrated 
into  the  remotest  parts  of  the  empire ;  other  hordes  of 
Baskirs,  Kalmucks,  Cossacks,  and  exiles,  swarms  of 
peasants  armed  with  scythes  and  other  agricultural 
instruments,  flocked  from  all  directions  to  hail  their 
liberator.     The  mass  of  the  people  are  seldom  mistaken 


212  REBELLION    OF 

ill  their  friends.  At  siglit  of  these  new  bands,  which 
seem  to  have  mainly  increased  in  proportion  to  his 
misfortunes,  he  yet  cherished  a  hope  of  reaching 
Moscow,  where  his  emissaries  were  secretly  organizing 
a  powerful  rebellion.  Well  aware  of  their  exertions, 
and  having  been  taught  by  experience  how  difficult 
it  was  for  his  newly-levied  troops  to  cope  in  the  field 
with  well-trained  regulars,  Pugatchef  resolved  to 
avoid  all  fortified  towns  and  general  engagements ;  to 
march  through  the  deserts,  to  descend  the  Volga,  to  ap- 
proach the  Caucasus,  and  to  amass,  during  his  projected 
journey,  the  remainder  of  the  new  colonies,  the  hordes 
of  discontented  Tatars,  the  Cossacks  of  the  Don  favour- 
able to  himj  as  well  as  the  Cossacks  of  the  Ukraine,  and 
especially  the  Zaporogues,  deprived  of  their  ancient 
territory.  He  intended  also  to  proclaim,  for  the  third 
time,  the  freedom  of  the  press,  liberty  of  conscience, 
the  extermination  of  the  nobility,  and  the  abolition  of 
all  social  and  hereditary  distinctions.  In  spreading 
everywhere  terror,  devastation,  and  fire,  he  wished  to 
disorganise  the  stability  of  the  empire,  to  undermine 
the  throne,  and  to  change,  reform,  and  remodel  the 
whole  of  E-ussia;  or  to  plunge  her  in  anarchy,  if  he 
could  not  be  her  sole  and  mighty  ruler. 

But  the  favourable  tide  for  accomplishing  so  gigantic 
a  project  had  ebbed ;  the  people  showed  some  mistrust 
and  disafiection;  and  the  treaty  of  Koadtshak-Kain- 
ardgy  which  was  concluded  between  Turkey  and  Russia, 
in  the  month  of  July,  on  the  banks  of  the  Danube, 


PFGATCHEF.  213 

obliged  Pugatchef  to  change  his  quarters.  Dreading, 
not  without  strong  reasons,  that  the  army  which  was 
engaged  against  the  Turks,  might  be  sent  against  him, 
he  came  to  the  decision  of  remaining  on  the  spot  which 
he  had  chosen,  in  the  very  centre  of  his  power,  near 
those  deserts  and  wilds  so  familiar  to  him ;  and  where  he 
might  yet  find  a  refuge,  in  the  event  of  any  mis- 
fortune befalling  him ;  he  resolved  to  annoy  the  Russians 
by  quick  marches,  unexpected  attacks,  and  guerilla 
warfare ;  thereby  training  his  bands,  by  well  directed 
excursions,  and  by  the  exercise  of  unremitted  and  rest- 
less activity,  to  acquire,  gradually,  the  nerve,  expe- 
rience, and  power  of  disciplined  soldiers ;  and  gaining 
time  and  opportunity  either  to  seduce  and  disorganize 
the  Russian  armies,  or  to  brave  them  openly. 

As  Pugatchef  had  lost,  in  previous  battles,  many  able 
officers  who  were  training  his  army ;  as  his  adversaries 
were  infinitely  superior  to  the  former  Russian  com- 
manders ;  as  he  had  some  practical  knowledge  of  naviga- 
tion and  was  a  good  sailor,  he  descended  suddenly  the 
Wolga,  on  a  small  flotilla  which  had  been  formerly  con- 
structed by  his  orders ;  and  having  heard  that  a  Russian 
corps,  unprepared  for  his  visit,  was  encamped  near  the 
small  town  of  Dubofska,  under  the  orders  of  Baron 
Diez,  he  pounced  suddenly  upon  him,  put  to  the  sword 
every  living  soul,  and  took  by  storm,  Pensa  and  Saratof. 
The  governor  of  the  latter  town  escaped  with  scarcely 
fifteen  of  his  men.  A  few  days  later,  Pugatchef,  whose 
very  name  spread  terror  in  all  directions,  seduced  the  gar-. 


S14  REBELLION    OF 

rison  of  Demitrewsk;  and  after  putting  to  death  without 
mercy  all  the  Russians  faithful  to  the  czarina,  he  feasted 
his  eyes  with  the  agonies  of  its  commander,  who,  aban- 
doned by  his  soldiers  for  his  oppression  and  cruelty,  was 
barbarously  impaled  alive  by  the  order  of  the  Cossack. 

Not  far  from  that  town,  Pugatchef,  having  been 
apprised  that  a  scientific  man,  Lowitz,  a  member  of 
several  universities  and  a  distinguished  astronomer,  was 
actively  engaged,  by  order  of  the  Russian  government, 
in  taking  the  proper  measures  for  the  construction  of  a 
navigable  canal  between  the  river  Wolga  and  the  Don, 
summoned  him  before  him;  and  after  conversing 
with  him,  asked  him  whether  he  was  an  astrologer 
and  could  foretell  his  destiny  ?  On  giving  an  evasive 
answer,  the  man  of  science  was  not  a  little  amazed  at 
the  sight  of  his  own  letter,  which  the  terrible  Cossack 
drew  from  his  pocket ;  and  in  which  the  astronomer  had 
spoken  slightingly  of  him,  and  had  given  information  to 
the  Russian  colonel  respecting  his  military  movements. 
Lowitz  cried  for  mercy ;  but  Pugatchef,  casting  on  him 
the  look  of  a  tiger,  ordered  him  to  be  lifted  up  with 
long  spears,  that  he  might  have  the  better  opportunity,  as 
he  said,  of  giving  more  correct  information  respecting 
this  world,  and  he  on  the  way  to  the  other,  nearer  the 
countless  stars.  Thus  perished  Lowitz  in  terrible 
agonies,  in  spite  of  all  his  entreaties  to  spare  his  life. 

The  Empress  Catherine,  having  now  nothing  to  fear 
from  the  Turks,  who  were  often  duped  by  Russian 
diplomacy,  in  the  most  critical  moments  for  the  safety 


PUGATCHEF.  215 

of  the  Russian  empire,  was  able  to  concentrate  all  her 
power  against  the  Cossack  chief.  Count  Peter  Panin, 
who  had  distinguished  himself  in  the  last  Turkish  war, 
received  a  peremptory  order  to  march  immediately 
with  a  large  army  and  unlimited  power  against  Pugat- 
chef,  and  to  crush  the  rebellion  by  all  possible  means. 

Having  been  apprised  that  Colonel  Michelson  had 
successfully  fought  against  Pugatchef,  who  had  offered 
a  large  reward  for  his  head.  Count  Panin  detached  from 
his  army  several  regiments,  and  sent  them  by  forced 
marches  towards  Kazan,  for  his  release.  He  also  dis- 
missed, under  different  pretexts,  all  of  superior  rank, 
whose  jealousy  or  inferiority  might  have  obstmcted  his 
views  and  fettered  the  military  talents  and  activity  of 
Colonel  Michelson.  These  two  wise  measures,  and 
especially  the  latter,  coupled  with  unexpected  circum- 
stances, produced  the  ultimate  success  of  General 
Panin's  mission,  just  at  the  very  moment  when  the 
crown  of  the  czarina  was  already  tottering. 

Pugatchef  must  have  possessed  a  secret  and  unac- 
countable charm  to  make  himself  dreaded  and  che- 
rished at  the  same  time.  Even  at  the  time  when  the 
victorious  army  pressed  him  with  restless  activity; 
when,  by  the  loss  of  several  engagements,  his  forces 
were  reduced  to  4,000  men ;  and  himself,  compelled 
constantly  to  be  changing  his  quarters ;  his  very  ap- 
pearance produced  wonders ;  at  his  mere  voice  in  the 
districts  in  which  he  had  never  been  before,  the  people 
flocked  to  him,  murdered  their  lords,  and  acknowledged 


216  REBELLION    OF 

him  their  sovereign  and  master,  with  a  sort  of  devotion 
difficult  to  describe,  and  which  surpasses  all  belief.  At 
length,  though  vanquished,  he  seemed  to  have  formed 
the  most  dangerous  of  his  plans;  he  crossed  the  Wolga, 
gave  the  slip  to  his  enemies,  and  resolved  to  march 
towards  Moscow.  Whole  regions  went  over  to  him  ; 
the  utmost  consternation  prevailed  in  that  capital,  the 
great  mass  of  Russian  serfs  were  longing  for  his  arrival ; 
and  had  he  reached  Moscow,  nothing  could  have  pos- 
sibly resisted  him,  as  the  fame  of  his  genius  and  vic- 
tories, strongly  magnified,  preceded  him.  Some  writers 
venture  to  say,  that  he  had  more  chance  of  being  ulti- 
mately successful  in  his  second  attempt  to  conquer 
Moscow,  when  he  had  matured  his  plans,  than  at  first. 
In  order  to  check  his  progress,  and  to  convince  the 
people  of  his  being  an  impostor,  his  first  wife,  Sophia 
(the  second  he  married  at  laitzkoy),  was  found  out  at 
the  Don,  and  sent  to  meet  him  publicly,  by  special 
orders  of  Catherine  II.  The  interview  took  place. 
She  came  on  him  unexpectedly,  but  the  object  of  the 
stratagem  failed.  Pugatchef  did  not  lose,  for  an  instant, 
his  presence  of  mind ;  and,  perceiving  her,  he  said  to  his 
friends,  ''Take  care  of  that  woman;  I  knew  her  hus- 
band ;  he  was  very  kind  to  me  ;  the  poor  creature  is  at 
times    deranged." 

But  the  time  had  now  arrived,  when  Pugatchef  was 
rapidly  approaching  the  end  of  his  hitherto  prosperous 
career. 

Colonel   Michelson   having   received  the   necessary 


PUGATCHEF.  217 

reinforcements,  and  gained  new  advantages,  lost  not 
a  moment  in  marching  against  Pugatchef.  Not  satis- 
fied with  forcing  him  to  retreat  with  his  army  from 
the  town  of  Tzaritshin,  he  pushed  him  towards 
Tschernoiar,  cut  oif  his  supplies,  and  following  his 
advantage  with  great  ability,  surprised  him  at  last  in  a 
difficult  position,  when  his  scattered  forces,  embarrassed 
by  waggons,  women,  artillery,  cavalry,  and  a  multitude 
without  order,  were  scarcely  moving,  in  a  long  and  deep 
ravine  on  the  banks  of  the  Wolga.  His  bands,  attacked 
in  all  directions,  were  compelled  to  fight  for  their  lives, 
and  made  the  most  determined  resistance  ;  but  soon 
disabled  by  the  superiority  of  numbers,  not  less  by  the 
difficulties  of  their  military  position,  than  by  the  efforts 
of  their  adversaries,  they  gave  way  and  fled  in  all 
directions.  Some  of  them  were  cut  to  pieces ;  others, 
who  endeavoured  to  escape,  were  hurled  with  their 
horses  and  waggons  from  high  rocks  into  the  river,  and 
were  either  killed  or  drowned;  the  remainder  sur- 
rendered at  discretion. 

After  miracles  of  valour  and  supernatural  efforts  in 
fighting  to  the  last,  Pugatchef,  covered  with  Russian 
blood  and  gore,  was  compelled  to  seek  safety  in  flight. 
Unhurt  amidst  a  thousand  dangers  which  threatened 
his  life ;  spared  by  all  the  bullets,  spears,  and  swords 
directed  against  him,  he  plunged  into  the  Wolga,  swam 
across  the  river,  and  fled  into  the  desert,  where  he 
found  himself  by  a  singular  chance  on  the  wild  banks 
of  the  Ouzem,  in  the  very   spot  so  familiar   to   him, 


218  REBELLION     OF 

whence  lie  had  started  eighteen  months  before  on  his 
terrible  expedition.  Weary,  anxious,  having  lost  his 
army,  his  wealth,  and  his  most  devoted  subalterns; 
hunted  in  all  directions,  but  not  dispirited,  he  took 
shelter  in  a  wild  cavern,  concealed  by  an  enormous 
stone,  bearing  to  this  day  his  name,  and  attended  only  by  a 
few  friends,  who  soon,  however,  were  obliged  to  disperse. 
Of  aU  his  partisans  torn  from  him  by  terror,  fatigue, 
misery,  and  all-powerful  hunger,  there  remained  only 
three  Cossacks,  TworogofF,  of  Iletz  ;  Tschumakof,  and 
Fidulef,  of  laik.  All  three  gave  him,  repeatedly,  the 
most  unequivocal  proofs  of  their  devotion ;  and  never 
failed  to  risk  their  lives  for  him  and  his  popular  cause ; 
all  three  seem  to  have  enjoyed,  to  the  last,  his  confidence. 
At  last,  however,  alarmed  at  their  common  danger  and 
the  gloomy  prospects  for  the  future,  they  began  to 
waver ;  they  remarked  to  each  other  the  full  pardon 
and  the  reward  which  was  offered  by  the  empress  to 
him  who  should  deliver  their  chief  to  the  Russians. 
After  some  consultation,  the  lower  feelings  of  human 
nature  prevailed,  and  they  resolved  to  purchase  their 
own  safety  by  the  sacrifice  of  their  chief:  but  such  was 
the  magic  ascendancy  which  Pugatchef  exercised  over 
every  one  who  came  in  contact  with  him,  that  though 
they  were,  next  to  himself,  the  most  daring,  they  all 
trembled  lest  he  should  suspect  their  intention.  One  of 
them  being  seated  close  to  Pugatchef,  hinted  to  him  the 
danger  to  which  he  was  exposed,  and  the  impossibility 
of  avoiding  it,  if  he  should  still  refuse  to  beg  the  mercy 


PUGATCHEF.  219 

of  the  empress.  At  the  word,  mercy,  Pugatchef,  though 
humbled  and  assailed  by  his  misfortunes,  started  like  a 
tiger,  and  drew  a  sharp  dagger  to  plunge  it  into  the  heart 
of  his  pretended  friend ;  when  the  two  other  Cossacks, 
who  were  already  anxiously  watching  all  his  movements, 
jumped  on  him,  and  after  a  desperate  struggle,  disarmed, 
secured,  and  conducted  him  immediately  to  the  camp  of 
Major-General  Samarof,  posted  at  that  time  with  his 
corps  on  the  banks  of  the  laik.  Thence  he  was  dragged 
in  chains,  to  the  town  of  laitzkoy  (now  Uralsk),  and  soon 
after,  to  Simbirsk.  From  this  place,  by  the  express 
order  of  General  Panin,  he  was  publicly  driven  through 
aU  the  country  he  had  sacked,  to  Moscow,  shut  up  in  an 
iron  cage,  and  attended  by  a  detachment  of  soldiers. 

As  soon  as  Pugatchef  arrived  at  that  capital,  his 
trial  commenced  with  all  possible  formality  and  display  ; 
a  special  commission  of  the  Senate  was  ordered  to 
attend  it  and  be  present  at  all  its  minute  investigations. 
There  he  avowed  that  he  was  a  Cossack  of  the  Don  ; 
he  named  the  place  of  his  birth ;  he  was  recognised  not 
only  by  his  relatives,  but  by  his  former  companions  in 
arms ;  and  after  the  strictest  examination  of  his  life,  it 
was  not  proved  either  that  his  rebellion  was  instigated 
by  any  foreign  power,  or  that  he  had  made  treaties  with 
independent  states,  as  mentioned  in  the  historical 
romance  bearing  his  name ;  though  all  this  might  cer- 
tainly have  happened,  had  the  existence  of  the  re- 
bellion been  prolonged.  The  empress  forbade  the  ap- 
plication  to   him  of  the  torture,  as  at  first  intended ; 


KEBELLION    OF 

either  from  clemency,  or  the  fear  of  some  sanguinary 
reaction  which  might  have  exposed  the  empire  to  dan- 
gerous disturbances.  It  is  said  that  the  Empress 
Catherine  visited  him  secretly  in  disguise,  -attended  by 
her  lover. 

Pugatchef  voluntarily  avowed,  before  his  death,  that 
his  great  resemblance  to  Peter  IIL,  coupled  with  clerical 
intrigue,  was  the  true  reason  of  his  rebellion,  in  which 
he  would  undoubtedly  have  been  successful,  had  his 
lieutenants  fulfilled  his  orders,  and  had  he  not  had  Co- 
lonel Michelson  for  his  principal  adversary.  The  above 
named  resemblance  between  the  ill-fated  Peter  III. 
and  Pugatchef  was  not  such  as  is  sometimes  met 
with  between  twins ;  but  it  was  at  all  events  a  striking 
resemblance,  although  Pugatchef's  countenance  was 
gloomy,  and  his  frame  infinitely  more  vigorous.  Pug- 
atchef was  condemned  to  be  quartered  alive ;  to  have 
his  hands,  feet,  and  head  cut  off,  and  to  be  left  on  the 
scaffold,  his  body  to  be  burned,  and  his  ashes  scattered 
to  the  wind. 

To  the  last  moment  he  hoped  for  mercy,  in  considera- 
tion of  the  daring  courage  he  undoubtedly  possessed ; 
but  when  all  hope  of  life  had  vanished,  he  completely 
lost,  it  is  said,  that  spirit  and  ferocious  energy  which 
made  him  so  celebrated :  he  appeared,  even,  so  timid 
and  terror-stricken  in  his  dungeon,  that  it  was  neces- 
sary to  lift  him  up,  that  he  might  not  faint,  and  to 
enable  him  distinctly  to  hear  every  word  of  his  sentence, 
to  which  he  was  obliged  to  listen. 


PUGATCHEF.  221 

The  vanquished  rebel-chief,  however,  was  not  sub- 
jected to  the  whole  of  his  cruel  sentence ;  in  all  proba- 
bility owing  to  a  mistake,  or  the  pity  of  his  executioner. 
What  confirms  this  is,  that  the  executioner  received 
the  knout,  had  his  tongue  cut  out,  and  was  sent  to 
Siberia  for  life.  Pugatchef  was  first  beheaded  (21st 
of  January,  1775,)  and  afterwards  quartered,  and  the 
different  parts  of  his  body  exhibited  on  the  principal 
gates  of  the  town.  Some  of  his  accomplices  were  also 
executed,  and  others  were  sent  to  Siberia.  The  others, 
among  them  Antizof,  were  employed  in  pacifying  their 
countrymen.  The  payment  for  guarding  the  frontiers, 
suspended  temporarily,  in  order  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  the  Turkish  war,  was  resumed  among  the  hordes  oi 
the  laik ;  and  everything,  for  the  time,  pacified. 

Such  was  the  end  of  this  rebellion,  which,  during  the 
space  of  eighteen  months,  was  the  cause  of  immense 
losses,  the  burning  of  numerous  and  flourishing  towns, 
the  complete  destruction  of  three  hundred  and  fifty 
boroughs,  the  sack  of  extensive  provinces,  the  massacre 
of  upwards  of  350,000  human  beings,  and  the  extinc- 
tion of  several  noble  families. 

It  was  decided  by  a  special  order,  that  the  town  of 
laitzkoy,  near  which  was  the  principal  focus  of  the 
rebellion,  should  in  future  be  called  Uralskaia  ;  and  the 
river  laik,  Uralsk;  alluding  to  the  large  chains  of 
mountains  of  that  name,  from  the  foot  of  which  it  flows 
to  the  northern  shore  of  the  Caspian  sea. 

In   investigating  the  life    of   Pugatchef,  we  cannot 


22^  REBELLION    OP 

refrain  from  comparing  him  with  Stenko  Razin.  Both 
these  celebrated  men  were  Cossacks;  both  raised  a 
rebellion  which  made  the  whole  of  Russia  tremble  to 
her  very  foundation ;  both  rose  by  the  same  means,  and 
almost  in  the  same  places ;  both  would  have  changed 
the  de§tiny  of  the  Russian  empire,  had  they  not  missed 
the  proper  tide  of  action;  both  intended  to  abolish 
slavery,  and  exterminate  the  nobility;  both,  cloaking 
themselves  under  the  mask  of  concern  for  the  people, 
aspired  to  the  supreme  power ;  both  took  advantage  of 
religion  and  of  the  clergy  for  accomplishing  their  private 
political  purposes;  both  were  practical  and  excellent 
seamen,  as  well  as  good  generals  ;  both  were  betrayed, 
and  perished  on  the  scaffold ;  both  were  cruel,  daring, 
and  crafty ;  and  might  have  been  mighty  rulers  in  the 
north-eastern  wilds ;  but  would  have  been  crushed 
under  the  weight  of  the  crown  of  the  czars,  after 
plunging  the  Russian  empire  in  a  long  anarchy ;  both 
punished  crimes  by  the  commission  of  still  greater 
crimes  ;  so  certain  is  it  that  every  great  injustice  perpe- 
trated in  a  higher  social  position,  always  creates  a  terrible 
reaction.  Had  the  brother  of  Stenko  Razin,  a  colonel 
of  the  Cossacks,  not  been  hanged  by  the  orders  of  Prince 
Dolgorouki,  the  lives  of  upwards  of  300,000  human 
beings  would  have  been  spared ;  and  fifteen  thousand 
men  would  not  have  perished  in  torments  on  the  scaffold : 
had  not  Peter  III.  been  murdered  by  order  of  the  Em- 
press Catherine,  the  frightful  rebellion  of  Pugatchef 
would  never  have  taken  place,  and  350,000  men  would 


PUGATGHEF.  22S 

have  been  spared.  They  were  both  evidently  children 
of  democracy.  Stenko  Razin  seems  to  have  been 
craftier  than  Pugatchef,  because  the  latter  cast  off  the 
mask  too  soon.  It  is,  however,  difficult  to  say,  which 
of  the  two  was  more  daring  and  skilful.  Some  writers, 
and  among  them  two  Englishmen,  assert  that  Pugatchef 
met  his  fate  with  the  most  undaunted  resolution.  Let  it 
be  remembered  that  his  examination  was  secret ;  and 
that  what  was  allowed  to  transpire  respecting  him  was 
exactly  suited  to  Catherine's  interest.  I  gathered  many 
things  from  a  friend  of  Suchodolski,  who  returned  to 
Russian  Poland,  and  who  used  to  relate  many  inter- 
esting anecdotes  of  Pugatchef.  Suchodolski  died  at  an 
advanced  age.  Pugatchef  was  evidently  a  sort  of  Tam- 
erlan  ;  his  rebellion  gives  an  idea  of  the  weak  points  of 
Russia. 

"We  have  not  had,  to  this  time,  any  real,  well 
written  history  of  Pugatchef.  What  seems  extraordinary 
is,  how  Pugatchef,  after  his  defeats,  appeared  with  new 
trains  of  artillery.  The  best  lieutenants  of  Pugatchef 
were  Chita,  Salavatka,  Naga-Baba-Azanof,  and  Sucho- 
dolski. (0 

See  Lesur"*s  Histoire  des  Cosaques;  William  Tooke; 
Authentic  Memoirs  of  Catherine  II. ;  Life  of  Catherine 
II.,  3  vols.;  Biography  of  Russian  Generals;  Les 
Amours  de  Catherine  II. ;  Voltaire ;  and  Cox's  Travels 
in  Russia. 


224. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    UKRAINE. 

Derivation  of  the  word  Ukraine — Its  Boundaries — Eastern  and 
Western  Ukraine— Its  Fertility — Description  of  the  Steppes — Their 
Loneliness  and  Danger— The  Cimmerians  and  Khosars— Their 
early  History — Description  of  Kiow — Its  interesting  Reminis- 
cences— Brief  Account  of  various  Towns  in  the  Palatinate  of 
KVow — Towns  in  the  Palatinate  of  Czernichow— Animals— Popu- 
lation of  the  Ukraine  —  Costume  —  Singular  Custom  —  Nuptial 
Ceremonies— Characteristics — Description  of  the  Nobility — Music 
—  Poetry — Legends  —  Superstitions  —  Prophecy  respecting  the 
Ukraine — Visions  of  the  past. 

The  country  situated  between  the  50th  and  53rd 
degrees  of  north  latitude^  and  of  which  the  city  of 
K'iow  has  ever  been,  if  not  the  central,  at  all  events 
the  principal  place  of  resort ;  the  country  traversed  by 
the  foaming  waters  of  the  mighty  Dnieper,  and  extend- 
ing about  five  hundred  English  miles  in  length,  and 
nearly  two  hundred  miles  in  breadth,  may  furnish  some 
idea  of  the  contested  locality  of  the  Ukraine,  which  has, 
at  no  time,  been  accurately  defined. 

This  vast  extent  of  barren  fields,  rich  pastures,  and 
cultivated  lands,  bounded  at  their  edges  by  dense  forests, 
deep  lakes,  and  sandy  monticules,  formed  a  province,  be- 
longing, for  the  most  part,  to  the  ancient  palatinates  of 
K'iow,  Bratslav,  and  Tchernikhof  (comprised  at  the  pre- 
sent day  under  the  governments,  gubernies,  of  Kharkov, 
and  Pultava,  Zytomierz,  and  Kiow).  This  ancient  Polish 


DESCRIPTION   OF   THE   UKRAINE. 

province,  comprehending  the  southern  part  of  Volhynia, 
the  eastern  part  of  Podolia,  and  some  bleak  districts 
which  extend  as  far  as  the  Black  Sea,  was  called 
Ukraina  (Oukraina),  from  the  Polish  words  Kraina, 
u  Kraiu,  a  country  near  the  edge ;  Kraiac  ukroic,  to 
carve,  to  cut ;  a  country  near  the  limits,  or  towards  the 
Hmits,  or  near  a  detached  portion,  near  a  part  cut  off. 
Some  authors  suppose  the  Ukraine  derives  its  name 
from  the  Latin,  as  the  Romans  called  this  province 
Acheronensis.  For  a  long  period  it  was  a  mere  desert, 
the  haunt  of  numerous  herds  of  wild  cattle,  the  dwell- 
ing-place from  time  immemorial  of  some  nomadic  tribes, 
the  wreck  of  ancient  nations,  and  frequented  by  hordes 
of  adventurers,  whose  origin  is  involved  in  obscurity. 

The  Ukraine  was  long  the  apple  of  discord  between 
the  Tatars,  the  Poles,  and  the  Russians,  by  whom  it 
was  deemed  a  common  frontier.  The  Greek  authors 
have  partially  described  this  country :  their  description 
is  equally  appHcable,  for  the  most  part,  to  the  main 
features  of  its  appearance  at  the  present  time ;  they 
notice  its  wandering  hordes,  its  immense  troops  of  wild 
horses,  and  many  of  its  other  characteristics. 

The  Ukraine  is  divided  into  two  parts;  Eastern  Uk- 
raine and  Western  Ukraine,  stretching  eastward  and 
westward  from  the  banks  of  the  Dnieper.  It  is  also 
divided  into  the  Russian,  and  the  Polish  Ukraine ;  the 
latter,  the  more  extensive  and  populous  of  the  two, 
contains  the  city  of  Kiow,  the  capital  of  the  Ukraine ; 
and   preserves,  even  to  our   own  times,  its  primitive 

o 


22Q  DESCRIPTION    OF 

name  of  a  province.  Although  both  Ukraines  belonged 
formerly  to  Poland,  as  they  now  belong  to  Russia,  we 
shall  give  a  special  description  of  the  western  Ukraine 
only,  that  is,  of  Polish  Ukraine  (  Ukraina  Polska.) 

On  the  north  of  the  Polish  Ukraine  are  Polessia 
(Polesie),  and  Yolhynia  (Volyn):  on  the  east  it  is 
bounded  by  the  Dnieper,  on  the  west  by  Red  Russia, 
(Czervona  Rusy  and  Podolia  (Podole) ;  and  on  the  south 
by  the  Black  Sea  (Czarne  Morze.) 

The  political  existence  of  the  Ukraine  seems  to 
belong  to  the  past ;  since,  in  legitimate  accuracy,  neither 
government  nor  province  of  the  Ukraine  at  present  exists. 
There,  however,  is  a  government  of  Volhynia,  and  like- 
wise of  Podolia,  in  Russian  Poland.  Nevertheless,  every 
Pole  who  is  a  native  of  Russian  Poland  understands 
this  designation  better  than  any  other;  the  more 
especially,  as  in  every  point  of  view,  the  Ukraine 
bears  the  peculiar  and  exclusively  characteristic  im- 
press of  its  origin. 

The  armorial  bearings  of  the  Ukraine,  as  a  province 
of  the  ancient  kingdom  of  Poland,  were  an  angel,  with 
a  sword  in  his  right  hand,  and  a  halo  over  his  head,  a 
two-headed  eagle  and  a  crescent  moon  in  an  oval,  set 
in  a  large  cross.  In  this  province  there  were  three 
palatinates,  ^those  of  K'iow,  Bratslav,  and  Tchernigow. 
There  are  several  bishops,  both  Roman  catholic  and 
catholic  of  the  Greek  united  church,  and  also  a  metro- 
politan of  the  Greek  faith,  schismatic  and  not  united. 

The  Ukraine,  as  a  province,  enjoyed  privileges  from 


THE   UKRAINE.  227 

which  others  of  the  Russic  territories  were  excluded. 
As  the  Ukraine  was  inhabited  by  the  Polish  Cossacks, 
it  was  very  difficult  to  take  an  exact  estimate  of  its  ever- 
varpng  population.  The  Ukraine  formed,  in  almost 
every  particular,  an  exception  to  the  other  Polish  pro- 
vinces. Its  rivers  are  the  Dnieper,  too  well  known  to 
need  description ;  the  Dziesna,  the  Sula,  the  Yorskla, 
and  the  Samara,  which  poured  their  tributary  waters 
into  the  Dnieper  on  the  east ;  and  the  Teterof,  the 
Piema,  the  Ros,  the  Tasmina,  with  several  others,  on 
the  west.  The  climate  of  the  Ukraine  is  temperate, 
being  softer  in  the  Polish  than  in  the  Russian  Ukraine. 
This  country  is  rich  in  various  produce;  its  soil  is 
almost  eveiywhere  impregnated  with  saltpetre;  it 
abounds  in  timber,  grain,  esculent  vegetables, 
odoriferous  flowers,  and  delicious  fruits;  and  was 
justly  considered  from  remote  ages  as  the  garden 
and  granary  of  the  neighbouring  provinces.  The  nu- 
merous herds,  scattered  over  the  luxuriant  and  spacious 
pasturages ;  the  fish  with  which  the  rivers  teem ;  the 
honey  and  wax  of  the  bees,  in  the  management  of  which 
the  inhabitants  excel ;  the  oil,  saltpetre,  leather,  tobacco, 
salt  (the  produce  of  the  salt  lakes  towards  the  Black 
Sea),  and  many  other  usefal  articles,  may  justly  entitle 
this  country  to  the  figurative  character  of  "  a  land  flow- 
ing with  milk  and  honey."  In  short,  if  the  Ukraine 
were  not  at  times  laid  waste  by  myriads  of  locusts, 
(Szarancza,  pronounced  Charantsha),  which  destroy 
sometimes  the  most   abundant  crop;    if  the  cataracts 


22S  DESCRIPTION    OF 

of  the  Dnieper  did  not  form  an  obstacle  to  the  naviga- 
tion of  that  river  ;  and  if  the  energies  of  the  popula- 
tion were  not  crippled  by  Russian  domination,  trade 
•with  the  Ukraine  would  be  more  flourishing  than  even 
that  of  the  East  Indies ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  its  ter- 
ritory would  be  one  of  the  most  fruitful  and  delightful 
in  all  Europe. 

The  traveller,  journeying  from  the  romantic  scenes 
of  the  beautiful  and  mountainous  Podolia,  commonly 
called  the  garden  of  Poland,  on  reaching  the  Ukraine, 
is  struck  with  amazement  at  beholding  those  vast 
uncultivated  plains,  known  by  the  appellation  of 
Steppes.     In  these  Steppes,  the  troops  of  wild  horses 

Wild  as  the  wild  deer  and  untaught, 
With  spur  and  bridle  undefiled. 

Btkon's  "  Mazeppa." 

dashing  across  the  plains,  are  seen  suddenly  to  halt, 
to  extend  their  necks,  and  gaze  with  intensity,  as  if  sur- 
prised at  the  sight  of  a  living  being  come  to  disturb 
them  in  their  solitude;  one  of  them  neighs,  others 
respond,  then  aU  retire  with  lightning  speed. 

A  thousand  horse  and  none  to  ride  ! 
With  flowing  tail  and  flying  mane, 
Wide  nostrils — never  stretched  by  pain. 
Mouths  bloodless  to  the  bit  or  rein, 
And  feet  that  iron  never  shod 
And  flanks  unscarred  by  spur  or  rod, 
A  thousand  horse,  the  wild,  the  free. 
Like  waves  that  follow  o'er  the  sea. 

Byron's  "Mazeppa." 

At  times  also  is  descried,  soaring  in  the  welkin,  a 


THE   UKRAINE.  229 

solitary  eagle,  or  perchance  a  flight  of  large  ravens. 
Sometimes  hungry  wolves  have  been  known  to  pursue, 
with  savage  howling,  the  flying  steeds  yoked  to  the 
traveller's  car.  Now  and  then  may  be  seen  flights  of 
wild  ducks  and  geese  cleaving  the  air ;  or  cranes  in 
triangular  bodies,  with  other  birds,  sending  forth 
shrieks  that  re-echo  in  the  deep  silence  around.  Not 
a  house,  not  a  tree  for  miles,  not  a  spot  of  elevated 
ground  meets  the  eye,  except,  indeed,  large  barrows 
containing  the  bones  or  dust  of  the  myriads  of  victims 
of  war  or  pestilence.  Ravines,  called  iary,  of  im- 
mense length,  sometimes  intersect  the  monotonous 
plains.  There  exists  also  an  ancient  rampart,  known 
by  the  name  of  Wall-zmiiowy;  this  is  of  considerable 
length  ;  and  there  is  also  another  commencing  near  Biala 
Cerkiew,  which  disappears  towards  the  Dnieper,  and  is 
called  the  Rampart  of  Trajan,  a  name  explained  by  a 
popular  tradition,  but  rejected  by  historical  criticism. 

The  Ukraine  has  been,  from  remote  antiquity,  the 
theatre  of  sanguinary  battles.  It  was  anciently  inha- 
bited by  the  Cimmerians,  extending  from  the  river 
Kuban  to  the  mouth  of  the  Dniester  towards  the 
Black  Sea.  Herodotus  relates,  that  at  the  time  of  the 
irruption  of  the  Scythians  into  the  country  of  the 
Cimmerians,  the  latter  were  overcome  by  the  superior 
numbers  of  the  invaders,  and  their  sovereigns  sacrificed 
by  the  sword  of  the  victors,  and  buried  on  the  banks 
of  the  Dniester,  where  the  vestiges  of  their  tombs  were 
still  traceable.     In  proportion  as  the  traveller  advances 


230  DESCRIPTION    OF 

towards  the  east  and  south  of  the  Ukraine,  similar 
tombs  become  more  numerous  ;  and  the  Steppes  as- 
sume an  aspect  still  more  monotonous  and  sterile. 
Occasionally  the  pelican  of  the  desert  is  to  be  met  with. 
At  sight  of  a  human  being,  this  rare  and  unsocial  bird, 
a  fitting  representative  of  the  Black  Sea,  takes  rapidly 
to  its  wing,  uttering  a  wild  and  piercing  cry.  Here 
and  there,  too,  may  be  seen  an  enormous  and  isolated 
oak  tree,  whose  spreading  branches  and  venerable  head 
awaken  a  reminiscence  of  bygone  ages.  Were  these 
time-honoured  oaks  gifted  with  the  faculty  of  speech, 
and  could  they  describe  all  the  events  to  which  they 
have  been  eye-witnesses,  what  strange  things  could  they 
not  tell  us,  what  mysteries  unveil,  what  mundane  vani- 
ties rebuke;  might  they  not,  perchance,  instruct  us,  how 
to  interchange  our  ideas  by  some  hitherto  unknown 
medium  of  converse  with  our  distant  friends  ?  how  to  un- 
fold the  secrets  of  our  hearts,  to  the  objects  of  our  afiec- 
tion,  by  the  roaring  of  the  winds  or  the  sacred  power 
of  music.  Whoever  has  not  seen  the  mighty  Steppes 
of  the  Ukraine,  especially  in  the  dead  of  the  night, 
and  at  the  rising  and  setting  of  the  sun,  cannot  possibly 
describe  the  sensation  which  they  produce ;  their  vast 
expanse,  their  soul-chilling  monotony,  shake,  humble, 
crush  the  human  mind. 

The  traveller  in  journeying  over  these  Steppes,  oc- 
casionally meets  with  large  inns,  or  caravansaries,  the 
true  oases  of  this  great  desert.  They  are  for  the  most 
part  kept  by  Russian  Puritans,  or  by  Jews  {Karaimes)^ 


THE    UKRAINE.  231 

whose  lively  gesticulations  and  oriental  characteristics 
bespeak  an  Asiatic  origin.  In  these  resting  places, 
particularly  in  such  as  are  kept  by  Russian  Puritans 
{Marhitani)^  there  is  need  of  precaution;  personal 
security  is  often  endangered,  and  frequent  murders 
have  been  committed,  few  being  discovered,  from  the 
secluded  nature  of  the  locality.  The  traveller,  there- 
fore, in  these  regions,  should  be  well  provided  with 
fire-arms,  of  which  the  innkeepers  stand  in  great 
dread.  Banditti  sometimes  lie  in  wait  for  the  mer- 
chants returning  from  the  marts  at  Kiow,  or  from  the 
port  of  Odessa,  and  who  are  supposed  to  carry  with 
them  considerable  sums  of  money. 

After  the  wars  of  the  Scythians,  the  Cimmerians  and 
the  Khosars,  supposed  to  be  the  earliest  ancestors  of 
the  Cossacks  of  the  Ukraine,  traded  with  the  Greeks 
of  Byzantium  ;  the  industry  and  activity  of  the  latter, 
induced  them  to  establish  Greek  colonies,  and  to  build 
several  cities  in  these  provinces  ;  amongst  others,  Olbia 
and  Nicosia,  whose  names  bear  testimony  to  their  Hel- 
lenic origin.  At  a  subsequent  period,  this  country 
witnessed  the  sanguinary  wars  between  Mithridates  and 
the  Romans.  The  Goths,  in  their  turn,  about  the  year 
214,  and  the  Huns  about  376,  extended  their  incursions 
to  the  banks  of  the  Dnieper.  In  the  tenth  century, 
the  Moscovites  (Russians),  inhabitants  of  the  shores  of 
Ladoga,  driven  from  the  north  to  the  south,  poured 
down  upon  these  fertile  territories,  under  Rurik,  who 
established  his  residence  in  the  wealthy  town  of  Kiow. 


DESCRIPTION   OF 

The  companions  of  Eurik,  Oskold  and  Dyr,  were 
raised  to  the  dignity  of  governors  of  Kiow ;  but  Oleg, 
guardian  of  Igor,  the  son  of  Rurik,  after  having 
caused  the  above  governors  to  be  massacred,  and 
having,  subjugated  the  Viatichans  and  the  Radi- 
mitchans,  the  Severians  and  the  Drevelians,  nations 
of  Slavonic  origin,  founded  the  Russic  power,  which 
became  more  formidable  under  Igor,  and  arrived  at  a 
great  point  of  maturity  under  Vladymir  the  Great. 

As  the  latter  divided  his  conquered  territories 
among  his  twelve  sons,  their  dissensions  gave  Boles- 
laus  the  Great,  king  of  Poland,  an  opportunity  of 
avenging  those  tribes  or  nations  that  had  been  invaded 
by  the  Russians ;  and  of  this  opportunity  he  availed 
himself  the  more  readily,  as  they  had  been  allies  of 
Poland.  Sviatopelk,  a  Russic  duke,  and  step-son  of 
King  Boleslaus,  driven  out  of  Kiow  by  Jaroslav 
his  nephew,  sought  refuge  in  Poland.  Jaroslav 
not  contented  with  having  dispossessed  him  of  his 
possessions,  invaded  Poland.  Boleslaus  marched  to 
oppose  him ;  and,  after  having  twice  defeated  him,  and 
re-established  Sviatopelk  in  his  ancient  possessions, 
made  his  triumphal  entry  into  the  city  of  Kiow,  in 
the  year  1018.*  He  returned  into  his  own  states  with 
an  immense  booty.  Some  time  after  this,  Boleslaus 
the  Bold,  great  grandson  of  Boleslaus  the  Great,  being 
attacked  by  the  Russic  princes,  defeated  them,  re- 
duced the  Ukraine  into  subjection,  and  took  the  city 
of   Kiow;  but,  indulging  in   the   most  shameful  ex- 


THE   UKRAINE.  233 

cesses,  he  lost  the  fruits  of  his  victories,  and  having 
committed  great  cruelties,  amongst  them  the  murder  of 
the  bishop  Szczepanoski,  he  was  dethroned  and  excom- 
municated, and  died  a  miserable  death  in  a  foreign  land. 

At  the  time  when  the  Polish  scimitar  was  menacing 
the  power  of  the  Russic  dukes,  a  power  which  was 
not  yet  firmly  established,  there  appeared  in  the 
Steppes  of  the  Ukraine,  some  tribes  of  Polovcians 
(Polovcy),  springing,  like  the  Hungarians  and  Turks, 
from  the  race  of  the  Huns.  In  1060,  these  Polovcians 
made  themselves  masters  of  the  town  of  Pereaslaw,  in 
Lesser  Bulgaria ;  and  taking  advantage  of  the  dissen- 
sions of  the  Russic  dukes,  established- themselves  in  the 
Ukraine.  The  calamities  which  weighed  heavily  upon 
these  territories,  were  succeeded  by  others  still  more 
terrible ;  when  the  hordes  of  the  Tatars,  at  first  led  by 
Genkiscan,  and  subsequently  by  other  chiefs,  com- 
menced the  struggle,  which  lasted  five  centuries, 
between  barbarism  and  civilisation,  between  Europe 
and  Asia — that  dreadful  struggle  during  which  Poland 
alone  preserved  the  other  powers  from  destruction, 
otherwise  inevitable,  and  which,  at  a  later  period,  was 
the  principal  cause  of  her  ruin. 

The  Russic  power,  weakened  as  it  was  by  the  Polish 
and  Tatar  arms,  still  thought  itself  sufficiently  strong  to 
make  an  attack  upon  the  Lithuanian  possessions.  The 
grand  duke  of  Lithuania,  Guedymin,  already  famous  by 
the  victories  he  had  gained  over  the  Teutonics,  placed 
himself  at  the  head  of  an  army,  traversed  Volhynia, 


^34  DESCRIPTIOX    OF 

overtook  twelve  Kussic  dukes  near  the  river  Pierna, 
gave  them  battle,  defeated  them,  made  himself  master 
of  the  whole  Ukraine,  took  possession  of  Kiow  in  1320, 
established  a  governor-general  in  the  conquered  terri- 
tories, and  returned  into  Lithuania.  His  son,  the  Grand 
Duke  Olgierd,  inheriting  the  high  qualities  of  his  father, 
attacked  the  Tatars  in  Podolia  (which  was  still  groaning 
under  the  yoke),  near  Sine  Wody,  totally  defeated  them, 
and  united,  in  1331,  the  two  provinces  to  Lithuania, 
which  formerly  extended  from  the  Baltic  to  the  Black 
Sea. 

The  Tatars,  subdued  by  Olgierd,  having  rebelled,  the 
Grand  Duke  Vitold,  son  of  Keystut,  and  nephew  of  the 
above  mentioned  Olgierd,  marched  against  them  at  the 
head  of  an  army,  attacked  them  several  times  on  the  bank 
of  the  Don,  and  made  them  feel  the  weight  of  his  sword. 
Vitold,  ere  long,  penetrated  the  confines  of  Asia ;  and 
powerful  princes  sought  his  alliance  and  protection. 
One  of  the  Tatar  princes,  Tacktamisz,  being  twice 
beaten,  and  then  driven  from  his  states  by  Timur* 
Kutluk,  of  the  horde  of  Kapchake,  one  of  the  lieu- 
tenants of  Tamerlan,  solicited  Vitold  to  protect  him 
against  his  enemy.  Vitold  kindly  received  the  illus- 
trious exile,  granted  him  a  residence  in  the  town  of 
Kiow,  promised  to  reinstate  him  in  his  domains,  and  to 
punish  Timur-Kutluk  the  usurper.  Although  many  of 
Vitold's  friends  advised  him  to  abstain  from  taking  any 
part  in  the  measures  required  to  effect  these  objects, 
warning  him  of  the  immense  numerical  superiority  of 


THE    UKRAINE.  2S5 

the  Tatars,  and  reminding  him  of  the  military  experience 
and  valour  they  had  derived  from  their  wars  with 
Tamerlan ;  Vitold,  unshaken  in  his  decision  and 
nothing  daunted,  assembled  an  army  composed  of 
Tatars  and  the  Russia  dukes,  his  tributaries,  as  well  as 
of  Lithuanians  and  Poles,  under  experienced  leaders : 
ambitious  of  glory,  panting  for  conquest,  and  hating 
repose,  he  led  his  forces  against  Timur-Kutluk. 

The  latter,  having  learned  that  Vitold  was  advancing 
at  the  head  of  a  hostile  army,  sent  to  him  an  envoy 
with  a  message,  couched  in  the  following  words  : — 

*'  Valiant  prince,  deliver  into  our  hands  Takhtamysz, 
formerly  a  powerful  chief,  now  an  exile  and  our  enemy : 
such  is  the  will  of  the  khan,  my  master." 

Vitold  replied — ''  I  am  on  my  way  to  see  him !" 
then,  having  crossed  the  Sula,  Khorolem,  and  several 
other  rivers,  he  came  in  sight  of  the  army  of  Timur- 
Kutluk,  encamped  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Vorskla. 

Well  acquainted  with  the  high  renown  of  Vitold,  as 
well  as  with  his  military  talents,  he  did  not  appear  dis- 
posed to  combat  with  him.  He  sent  a  second  time  an 
envoy,  bearer  of  the  following  question  : — 

"  I  ask  you  the  cause  of  this  war.  I  have  never 
offended  you.  I  have  never  invaded  your  states.  What 
then  do  you  want  from  me  ?" 

Vitold  answered,  ''  God  is  preparing  to  give  me  the 
dominion  over  all  nations ;  my  will  is,  that  you  be  my 
son,  and  my  tributary,  or  my  prisoner." 

Timur-Kutluk,  according  to  several  historians,  was 


2S6  DESCRIPTION    OF 

not  averse  to  peace  under  certain  conditions ;  but  Vitold 
required  that  Timur-Kutluk  should  restore  all  the  pro- 
vinces of  Takhtamysz,  and  that  money  should  be 
coined,  bearing  Vitold's  image. 

The  Mongolian  chief  requested  a  delay  of  three  days 
for  his  final  answer,  ardently  expecting  the  arrival  of 
reinforcements  under  Ediga  Holoossa,  a  renowned 
Tatar  chief,  who  soon  made  his  appearance.  Having 
heard  the  conditions  of  peace,  he  exclaimed,  that  he 
would  rather  perish  than  accept  them ;  and  he  imme- 
diately demanded  an  interview  with  the  grand  duke  of 
Lithuania,  which  was  granted.  The  two  chiefs  met 
each  other  in  the  space  between  the  two  armies.  Vitold 
was  one  of  the  greatest  captains  of  the  age,  and  a 
renowned  conqueror.  Ediga  Holoossa  was  one  of  the 
ablest  chiefs  of  Tamerlan,  whose  praise,  admiration, 
and  even  jealousy,  he  excited.  After  the  usual  greet- 
ings, the  Tatar  addressed  him,  "  Great  prince,  Timur- 
Kutluk,  with  good  reason,  called  you  father,  for  you  are 
older  than  he ;  but  as  I  am  more  advanced  in  years  than 
you,  let  my  image  be  stamped  on  your  coinage ;  bow 
down  your  proud  head  before  your  master,  and  be  my 
slave."  At  these  words,  Vitold's  anger  was  roused  to 
the  highest  pitch ;  he  retired  from  the  Tatar's  presence, 
reviewed  his  army,  and  placed  it  in  battle  array.  The 
two  Tatar  chiefs  made  a  final  eflfort  to  bring  about  a 
reconciliation,  and  they  would  perhaps  have  succeeded, 
had  not  a  Pole,  named  Szczukoski,  who,  seeing  the  cele- 
brated Yitold,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  undecided  and 


THE   UKRAINE.  237 

wavering,  thus  rashly  addressed  him  : — "  Great  prince, 
if  the  charms  of  a  young  and  beautiful  spouse,  perchance 
attach  you  so  strongly  to  the  pleasures  of  this  world, 
permit  us  at  least  to  perish,  or  humble  the  pride  ot 
these  innumerable  hordes."  These  words  wounded  the 
pride  of  Yitold,  and  he  gave  immediate  orders  for  the 
attack. 

Both  armies  amounted  together  to  five  hundred 
thousand  men.  The  Tatars  were,  at  first,  unable  to  resist 
the  impetuous  shock  of  Vitold's  troops,  far  less  nume- 
rous than  the  Tatar  host,  which,  in  the  hyberbolical 
language  of  some  of  the  historians,  was  said  to  be 
"  countless  as  the  sand  of  the  sea."*'  The  bravery  of 
Vitold  was  assisted  by  a  few  cannon,  employed,  for  the 
first  time  in  the  north  of  Eui'ope  in  this  conflict. 
These,  though  ill-served,  committed  great  ravages  in 
the  ranks  of  the  Tatars  :  but  they  failed  to  produce, 
in  his  favour,  the  successful  result  which,  at  the  battle 
of  Cressy,  the  use  of  artillery,  then  of  modern  intro- 
duction into  European  warfare,  assured  to  the  English. 
Ediga  thrice  rallied  his  troops,  and  by  a  desperate  ejffort, 
captured  the  scanty  artillery.  Vitold  performed  pro- 
digies of  valour ;  but,  being  at  length  overwhelmed  by 
superior  numbers,  he  was  completely  defeated.  After 
having  lost  forty  thousand  men,  and  seventy-five  princes, 
he  was  indebted  for  his  life,  to  the  swiftness  of  his 
courser.  This  famous  battle  was  fought  on  the  12th 
August,  1399,  on  the  banks  of  the  Vorskla.  The  loss 
of  the  Tatars  was  enormous.     After  the  victory,  Ediga 


238  DESCRIPTION    OF 

Holoossa  pillaged  Kiow,  returning  laden  with  booty 
and  glory  into  his  deserts;  and  having  learned  that 
Vitold  was  assembling  a  fresh  army,  he  offered  the 
latter  an  advantageous  peace,  which  was  accepted. 

Some  historians  have  wrongly  recorded  that  Vitold 
was  conquered  by  Tamerlan,  who  died  in  1395,  four 
years  before  this  battle  took  place.  The  mistake  may 
have  arisen  from  the  confusion  of  the  names  of  Timur- 
Kutluk  and  Timur-Lankh  (Tamerlan.)  It  is  to  be  re- 
marked that,  although  Vitold  was  worsted  in  the  battle  of 
Vorskla  against  Timur-Kutluk,  yet  he  always  preserved 
his  ascendancy  over  the  Transdnieperian  Tatars,  inas- 
much as  he  brought  away  several  of  their  tributary 
khans  at  the  battle  of  Grundwald.('') 

The  whole  of  the  Ukraine,  as  well  as  the  country 
which  extends  to  the  Black  Sea,  comprehending  Wal- 
lachia,  remained  under  Lithuanian  dominion  till  1453, 
when  Mahomet  II.,  sultan  of  Turkey,  after  the  taking 
of  Constantinople,  changed  the  political  condition  of  the 
east.  Shortly  after  this  conquest,  the  Ottomans  achieved 
another  over  the  vassals  of  Lithuania,  already  united  to 
Poland.  A  long  series  of  unfortunate  wars,  comprehend- 
ing those  with  the  Cossacks,  ravaged  the  Ukraine  and 
all  the  south  of  Poland  up  to  the  time  of  the  treaty  of 
Karlovitz,  concluded  in  1699.  The  Ottomans,  then 
swearing  eternal  friendship  to  Poland,  united  them- 
selves to  their  natural  ally,  in  order  to  combat  the  Mus- 
covite power,  which  was  beginning  to  extend  itself  in 
every  direction.    The  history  of  its  wars  from  Peter  the 


THE   UKRAINE.  239 

Great  to  Nicholas  I.  is  too  well  known  to  require  our 
notice  here.  With  regard  to  the  Transdnieperian 
Ukraine,  it  passed  with  the  city  of  Kiow,  by  the  illegal 
treaty  of  Andruszof,  in  1688,  under  the  dominion  of  the 
czars  of  Russia.  This  treaty,  concluded  in  the  reign  of 
Sobieski,  was  a  most  unfortunate  one  for  Poland,  who, 
by  the  consequent  troubles,  was  weakened  and  disorgan- 
ised ;  and  the  same  treaty  subsequently  brought  down 
gradual  calamities  upon  Polish  Ukraine ;  especially  in  • 
the  year  1768,  during  the  revolt  of  Zelezniaque  and 
Gonta,  which  was  fostered  and  organised  by  Eussia. 

After  the  second  dismemberment  of  Poland,  Polish 
Ukraine  passed  also  (according  to  all  appearances,  pro- 
visionally) under  Russian  domination. 

Our  notice  of  the  principal  towns  of  the  Ukraine  shall 
be  preceded  by  a  description  of  Ki'ow  (which  the 
Russians  spell  Kief),  the  capital  of  the  province.  The 
origin  of  Kiow  appears  to  date  from  a  time  very  far 
anterior  to  our  own  era ;  it  may  be  traced  back,  in  the 
opinion  of  some  annalists,  to  the  period  when  the 
Greeks  (Cheronites),  who  laid  the  first  stone  of  tliis 
city,  carried  on  an  active  commerce  with  Byzan- 
tium, the  modern  Constantinople.  On  the  right  bank 
of  the  Dnieper,  the  true  patriarch  of  Polish  rivers, 
which  pours  its  broad  floods  into  the  Euxine,  stands  the 
sacred  city  of  Kiow,  crowning  a  rugged  steep,  that 
rises  from  the  bosom  of  the  moving  sands  on  the  river's 
brink.  It  is  divided  into  two  portions,  the  upper  town, 
called  Pieczarsk,  and  the  lower,  called  Dolny  Kiov.  The 


240  DESCRIPTION    OF 

former  contains  the  noble  cathedral  of  St.  Sophia,  con- 
secrated in  1037,  a  masterpiece  of  architecture  and 
magnificence ;  and  in  the  same  portion  of  the  city,  there 
are  subterranean  vaults  or  catacombs,  containing  the 
bones  of  many  saints  or  Russian  martyrs.  Under  the 
ruins  of  the  ancient  church  of  St.  Basil,  are  alabaster 
tablets  with  Greek  inscriptions,  bearing  the  date  260 
of  the  Christian  era.  Ki'ow  has  always  been  the  seat  of 
extensive  commerce,  and  several  times  has  been  sur- 
rounded with  ramparts,  the  scene  of  many  a  warlike 
achievement.  When,  in  1018,  Boleslaus  the  Great, 
king  of  Poland,  entered  this  city  in  the  character  of  a 
conqueror,  it  contained  eight  spacious  squares,  and 
more  than  four  hundred  churches,  with  their  gilded 
towers,  shedding  floods  of  reflected  radiance  when  the 
sunbeams  played  upon  them.  These  churches  contained 
immense  riches,  supposed  to  have  been  taken  from 
Theodosia  (Kaffa).  A  great  part  of  this  wealth  was 
conveyed  into  Poland  by  Boleslaus ;  and  at  a  later  date, 
when  Mieczyslaw  II.  occupied  the  Bohemian  throne, 
the  Bohemians  carried  the  same  into  Prague.  Although 
the  greatest  number  of  these  churches  were  dedicated 
to  the  worship  of  the  Greek  Church,  yet  there  was  a 
Roman  Catholic  cathedral ;  and  there  were  also  some 
Roman  Catholic  churches.  In  the  beginning  of  the 
tenth  century,  the  Russian  duke  Gleg,  first  took  this  city 
from  the  Slavonians.  In  988,  Vladimir  the  Great, 
established  his  residence  in  this  city;  and,  after  having 
espoused  Anne,  or  Anastasia,  sister  of  Basil  and  Con- 


THE    UKRAINE.  S41 

stantine,  who  occupied  the  throne  of  Constantinople, 
embraced  Christianity,  together  with  a  great  number  of 
his  subjects.  In  the  same  year,  the  patriarch  of  Con- 
stantinople gave  to  K'iow  its  first  metropolitan  bishop, 
in  the  person  of  Bishop  Michael.  In  1018,  Boleslaus 
the  Great,  and  in  1077,  his  great  grandson,  Boleslaus 
the  Bold,  entered  this  city  as  victors.  In  1228,  it  was 
plundered  by  the  Tatars.  In  1320,  the  grand  duke  of 
Lithuania,  Gedymen,  took  possession  of  it  in  his  turn. 
In  1399  and  1414,  Ediga,  who  conquered  Vitold, 
committed  in  it  many  acts  of  ravage  and  destruction, 
from  which  it  never  recovered.  In  1650,  Chmielnicki 
(Khmielnitski),  made  himself  master  of  it  with  his 
Cossacks  ;  but  in  the  following  year,  Prince  Janus  Rad- 
ziwill,  always  successful  against  these  Cossacks,  drove 
them  out  of  it.  In  1660,  it  was  occupied  by  the  Mosco- 
vites,  and  has  remained  in  the  power  of  the  Russians 
ever  since  1686.  Ki'ow  possesses  an  academy  and  a 
gymnasium.  For  a  long  time  the  schools  of  the  govern- 
ment of  K'iow  were  under  the  direction  of  the  university 
of  Vilno ;  but  in  recent  years,  they  have  been  transferred 
to  that  of  the  university  of  Kharkof.  A  bishop  of  K'iow, 
J.  A.  Zaluski,  is  known  in  the  annals  of  Poland,  by  his 
having  formed  a  library  composed  of  two  hundred 
thousand  volumes.  This  noble  collection  was  ordered, 
in  1795,  to  be  transported  from  "Warsaw  to  Petersburg. 
In  the  vast  gardens  of  Pietcharsque,  abounding  in  aU 
the  most  delicious  fruits  of  the  season,  there  are  vines 
producing  grapes,  from  which  wine  is  sometimes  made. 

B 


S4S  DESCRIPTION   OF 

In  these  gardens,  situated  in  the  upper  town,  black 
grouse  are  sometimes  to  be  seen.  Kiow  has  from  a  re- 
mote  period  been  greatly  celebrated  for  its  exquisite 
confectionary,  elsewhere  unsurpassed.  At  the  festival  of 
St.  John,  towards  the  end  of  June,  the  highest  ranks  of 
society  belonging  to  the  Ukraine,  and  even  the  proprietors 
of  all  the  Kussic  lands,  assemble  at  Kiow ;  many  trans- 
actions are  effected,  and  immense  sums  change  hands. 
The  whole  city  is  crowded  with  wealthy  visitors ; 
estates  are  sold  and  purchased ;  balls  and  brilliant 
parties  exhilarate  the  young  and  the  gay. 

In  1831,  during  the  war  with  the  Eussians,  Kiow 
yearned  to  be  united  to  Poland,  its  long-lost  mother 
country.  This  happiness  it  was  not  destined  to  enjoy ; 
and  now,  sad  and  solitary,  seated  in  Moscovite  darkness, 
sullied  by  acts  of  infamy,  it  groans  as  an  unfortunate 
heroine  in  chains,  directing  its  straining  gaze  towards 
regions  whence  the  adored  hero,  the  life  of  its  life,  is 
expected  to  arrive,  to  release  it  from  its  bondage,  and  to 
fill  with  the  thrillings  of  rapture,  the  heart  now  rent  by 
despair.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  though  the 
government  of  Kiow  is  composed  of  a  population  pro- 
fessing the  religion  of  the  Greek  church,  yet,  in  1831, 
the  insurrection  here  was  much  more  formidable  to 
Russia,  than  it  was  in  any  other  government  forming  a 
part  of  Russian  Poland. 

We  will  now  take  a  view  of  other  places  formerly 
belonging  to  this  palatinate.  Loiovygrod,  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Dnieper,  is  at  the  north  of  Kiow.     Near 


THE  UKRAINE.  243 

this  borough,- on  the  31st  July,  1640,  Prince  Janus 
Radzivill,  grand  hetman  of  Lithuania,  gained  a  complete 
victory  over  38,000  rebellious  Cossacks.  Vasilkof  and 
Montvidovka  were,  in  the  olden  time,  fortresses  on  the 
ancient  frontier  of  Polesia.  Ovrucz,  a  small  town  on  the 
Naryna,  formerly,  as  well  as  at  the  present  time,  the 
chief  town  of  the  district ;  it  now  belongs  to  the  govern- 
ment of  Volhynia.  Trylisc  and  E-omanof,  on  the  Ka- 
miencza,  Staviski  fortified  against  the  incursions  of  the 
barbarians ;  it  has  also  been  rendered  famous  by  an 
act  of  heroic  courage  on  the  part  of  a  Pole  named 
Zglobitski.  This  heroic  man  was  the  first  to  leap  upon 
the  walls,  and  plant  thereon  the  Polish  standard;  his 
hands  were  struck  off*  in  succession,  and  he  seized  the 
standard  with  his  teeth,  and  held  it  so  firmly,  that 
no  force  could  wrest  it  from  him.  He  died  with  the 
consolation  of  preserving  the  standard  from  the  hands 
of  the  enemy,  and  beholding  his  countrymen  victorious. 
This  noble  act  of  devotedness  took  place  under  Czar- 
niecki,  in  the  wars  against  the  Cossacks. 

Korsun,  a  borough,  situated  upon  the  Ros :  it  was 
founded  by  Stephen  Batory,  in  1581 ;  it  was  here 
that  Khmielnitski,  with  the  Cossacks  that  revolted  in 
1648,  surprised  and  defeated  the  Poles  under  Martin 
Kalinowski  and  Nicholas  Pototski. 

Zytomii'z,  with  a  population  of  6,000,  is  at  present 
the  chief  town  of  the  government  of  Volhynia,  after 
having  formerly  stood  in  the  same  relation  with  regard 
to  the  district  of  the   palatinate  of  Kiow.     There   is 


244  DESCRIPTION    OF 

here  a  school,  as  also  a  small  theatre,  in  which  Polish 
pieces  are  sometimes  acted. 

Bialotcerkief,  a  borough,  of  3,000  souls,  with  an  im- 
mense castle,  belongingto  the  wealthy  family  of  Branetski. 
Trehtymirow,  a  borough,  which  was  formerly  assigned 
by  Stephen  Batory  as  a  residence  for  the  attaman  of  the 
Cossacks. 

Kaniof,  upon  the  Dnieper,  an  ancient  starosty  that 
belonged  to  the  nephew  of  King  Stanislaus  Poniatowski, 
who  had  an  interview,  in  1787,  with  Catherine  II.  in 
this  town. 

Berdyczef,  with  a  population  of  10,000,  principally 
Jews.     This  town  belonged,  and  probably  still  belongs 
to  the  illustrious  family  of  the  princes  Kadzivill ;  it  is 
incorporated  in  the  government  of  Yolhynia.     It  is  re- 
markable for  the  horse-fairs  which  are  held  there  twice 
in  a  year.     The  most  considerable  is  that  which  is  held 
in  the  month  of  August ;  it  lasts  three  or  four  weeks.    It 
may  be  stated,  without  exaggeration,   that  there   are 
often  to  be  seen  in  the  fair  100,000  horses  of  every  kind, 
from  aU  parts  of  Russia,  Poland,  Austria,  and  Turkey  ; 
and  even  at  times,  a  few  from  Persia.     In  my  boy- 
hood, I  twice  visited  this  fair ;  and  I  remember  having 
seen  in  it,  a  Persian  stallion,  as  white  as  snow,  with  the 
exception  of  his  mane  and  tail,  which  were  as  black  as 
coal,  exciting  the  admiration  of  ^11  beholders ;  he  was 
purchased  at  a  high  price.     There  are  also  many  wild 
horses,  which  are  sold  at  a  ducat  each ;   sometimes  six 
shillings  each. 


THE   UKRAINE.  245 

Jahorlik,  a  borough,  situated  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Jahorlik  and  the  Dniester.  There  was,  here,  a  kind  of 
obelisk,  which  marked  the  boundaries  between  Poland 
and  Turkey,  after  the  treaty  of  Karlowitz  in  1699. 
With  regard  to  the  towns  and  boroughs  situated  in 
Transdnieperian  Ukraine,  and  which  belonged  to  the 
ancient  palatinate  of  Kiow,  before  the  treaty  of  Grzy- 
multov,  by  which  they  were  ceded,  in  1686,  to  Mus- 
covy, we  will  follow  the  Polish  geographer,  Swie^ki 
(Sviantski.) 

Hadziacz,  upon  the  Pszczola,  memorable  for  a  treaty 
concluded  here  between  Poland  and  the  Cossacks,  on 
the  16th  of  September,  1658. 

Pultawa,  upon  the  Vorskla,  at  the  present  day  the 
chief  town  of  the  government  of  this  name,  and  re- 
markably associated  with  the  defeat  of  Charles  XII.  on 
the  8th  of  July,  1709. 

Batourin,  a  town  founded  by  Stephen  Batory,  king 
of  Poland.  In  1664,  John  Casimir  here  concentrated 
his  formidable  forces,  ere  he  marched  against  the  Cos- 
sacks, who  then  threw  themselves  into  the  arms  of 
Moscovy.  Prince  Menzikoff  took  this  town  by  assault, 
in  the  time  of  Peter  the  Great,  in  1709;  and  after 
having  destroyed  the  magazines  of  provisions  which 
Mazeppa  had  there  amassed  for  the  use  of  Charles 
XII.,  he  put  all  the  Cossacks  to  the  sword,  as  accom- 
plices of  the  latter,  and  set  fire  to  the  town. 

Jeremiof  ka,  formerly  belonging  to  Prince  Jeremiasz 
Wisniowiecki. 


246  DESCRIPTION   OF 

Pereaslaw,  upon  the  Trubitza,  a  town  formerly 
flourishing,  which  contained  a  college  of  Jesuits,  founded 
by  Zolkiewski,  nephew  of  the  renowned  general  of 
that  name.  The  Cossacks  under  Khmielnitski  pillaged 
it,  committing  every  kind  of  excess. 

Nizyn,  on  the  Ostrza,  which  formerly  separated  the 
palatinate  of  Kiow  from  that  of  Czernichow,  and  the 
most  eastern  of  the  possessions  of  ancient  Poland. 

We  now  turn  to  the  palatinate  of  Czernichow  (pro- 
nounced Tchernikhof ),  the  territories  of  which  were  at 
first  governed  by  the  Eussic  dukes  descended  from 
Vladimir  the  Great ;  but  the  grand  duke  of  Lithuania, 
Gedymin,  having  annihilated  their  army  on  the  banks 
of  the  Pierna,  incorporated  in  his  own  states,  in  1320, 
the  towns  and  fortresses  of  Kiow,  Bialogrod,  Slepowrat, 
Kaniow,  Czerkassy,  Bransk,  Pereaslaw,  and  the  duchy 
of  Severia,  even  to  Puty  vel,  with  all  their  dependencies. 
About  the  year  1394,  Vladislaus  Jagellon,  king  of 
Poland,  confided  to  his  brother  Korybut,  the  government 
of  Severia  and  of  Czernichow  ;  but  Korybut,  wishing  to 
make  himself  independent  of  the  grand  duke  of  Lithua- 
nia, Vitold  assembled  an  army,  marched  against  him, 
gave  him  battle,  routed  him  completely  near  Niedo- 
kodow,  took  possession  of  his  states,  made  him  pri- 
soner with  all  his  family,  and  sent  him  under  a  strong 
escort  to  Vilno;  he  then  established  starosties  in  this 
palatinate. 

Subsequently,  Korybut  was  restored  to  liberty  by 
the  intercession  of  the  duke  of  Kazan;  and  obtained 


THE  UKRAINE.  247 

the  castles  of  Bratslaw  and  Vinnista,  in  Volhynla,  with 
all  their  dependencies.  He  then  founded  Zbaraz  and 
Visnioviatz,  whence  the  powerful  families  of  princes 
Zbaraski  and  Visniovietski  derived  their  origin.  To 
the  latter  of  these  families  belonged  Michael  Korybut 
Wisniowiecki,  (pronounced  Visniovietski)  elected  king 
of  Poland,  before  Sobieski.  These  families  have  been 
long  extinct.  Towards  the  close  of  the  reign  of  Casimir 
the  Jagellon,  in  1490,  the  dukes  who  governed  Severia 
repaired  to  Vilno,  to  do  homage  to  the  king  of  Poland ; 
but  as  one  of  the  servants  of  the  castle,  in  opening  the 
gate,  accidentally  broke  the  finger  of  one  of  these  dukes, 
this  exasperated  them  so  much  that,  without  delay,  they 
quitted  Vilno,  and  threw  themselves  into  the  arms  of 
Russia ;  becoming  subject  to  that  power,  till  the  year 
1684,  when  the  victories  of  the  Poles  over  the  Czar 
Michael  Federovitch,  brought  about  the  glorious  peace 
of  Wiazma.  By  the  treaty  then  made,  Smolensk,  Se- 
veria, and  Tchernigovia  reverted  to  the  power  of  the 
mother  country,  and  were  included  in  the  palatinate  of 
Czernichow,  divided  into  three  districts  by  the  decision 
of  the  diet  of  1635.  They  again,  by  the  truce  of 
Andruszow,  fell,  together  with  all  the  Transdnieperian 
territory,  into  the  power  of  Russia. 

The  principal  towns  and  boroughs  of  the  ancient  pala- 
tinate of  Czernichow  are: — Czernihow,  a  flourishing 
town  upon  the  Desna,  at  the  present  day  chief  town  of 
the  government  of  the  same  name  in  Russia. — Novo- 
grod   Sieverski,  formerly  the  residence   of  the  dukes. 


248  DESCRIPTION   OF 

now  the  chief  town  of  the  district. — Bransk,  a  town 
memorable  for  the  victory  of  the  hetman  Pac  over  the 
Russians.  The  illustrious  Polish  family  of  Tryzna 
were  the  possessors  of  estates  here  situated. — Konotop, 
memorable  also  for  a  celebrated  victory  gained  by  the 
Poles  over  the  Russians  in  1664. — Glinsk,  anciently 
the  property  of  the  family  of  the  princes  Glinski,  one  of 
whose  members  betrayed  his  country,  and  delivered  up 
to  the  Russians,  the  fortress  of  Smolensk  in  1548.  This 
traitor  afterwards  met  with  condign  punishment;  his 
eyes  were  put  out  by  the  czar,  and  he  perished  in  a 
dungeon.  This  family  is  extinct. — Putywell,  an  ancient 
fortress,  adjacent  to  an  immense  forest,  scarcely  inferior 
in  extent  to  that  of  Bialovieza. 

In  concluding  this  short  geographical  view  of  the 
Ukraine,  it  may  be  interesting  to  give  a  description  of 
its  inhabitants,  particularly  those  of  Polish  TJki-aine. 

The  population  of  the  Ukraine  is  composed  of  seve- 
ral races,  which  have  more  or  less  amalgamated  with 
each  other.  The  Scythians,  or  Cossacks,  were  the  first 
to  seize  upon  the  lands  and  to  defend  them ;  but  their 
nomadic  habits,  added  to  a  thirst  of  predatory  excur- 
sions, did  not  allow  them  to  set  a  just  value  on  these 
lands,  which  lay,  for  the  most  part,  in  fallow,  or 
altogether  uncultivated.  Poland,  accordingly,  established 
therein  colonies  of  veteran  soldiers,  whose  services 
seemed  worthy  of  a  recompense  ;  and  whose  posterity 
constitute,  at  the  present  day,  the  nobility  of  the  Ukraine. 
Besides  the  Polish  and  Russian  nobles  that  have  long 


THE   UKRAINE.  249 

been  established  here  amidst  some  Cossacks^  several  fami- 
lies of  the  latter,  tired  of  their  unsettled  and  turbulent 
life,  built  dwellings  and  settled  here,  forming  a  class  of 
small  proprietors,  much  more  numerous  in  the  Ukraine 
than  in  any  other  part  of  the  ancient  kingdom  of 
Poland.  The  grandees  have  at  all  times  formed  and 
still  form,  as  it  were,  a  separate  caste.  There  are  also 
many  Jews  in  the  various  towns.  The  huts  of  the 
common  people  are  formed  of  argillaceous  loam,  mixed 
with  the  hair  of  beasts,  and  covered  over  with  glaize, 
or  fine  clay.  These  huts  are  cleaner  and  more  conve- 
nient than  those  of  the  Russians;  and  they  are  ge- 
nerally surrounded  with  firuit  trees. 

The  costume  of  the  common  people  in  the  Ukraine, 
resembles  that  of  the  Cossacks.  Their  hair  is  gathered 
up  behind  into  a  tuft ;  and  they  wear  loose  trousers. 
The  young  women  wear  a  corset,  fitting  close  round 
the  waist:  their  long  flowing  tresses,  hanging  over 
their  shoulders,  are  tricked  out  with  variegated  ribbons; 
and  there  is  much  grace  and  elegance  in  the  general 
features  of  their  dress. 

The  celebration  of  the  nuptial  rites  has  been,  from 
time  immemorial,  accompanied  with  singular  and 
peculiar  usages.  In  other  countries,  probably  without 
exception,  the  softer  sex  are  wooed;  in  the  Ukraine, 
on  the  contrary,  they  are  the  wooers.  When  a  young 
female  has  conceived  an  attachment  for  a  youth,  she 
goes  to  the  house  of  his  parents,  where  she  tells  the 
young  man,  in  the  presence  of  his  parents,  that  "  the 


250  DESCRIPTION    OF 

kindness  she  beholds  depicted  in  his  countenance,  and 
the  good  qualities  of  his  heart,  inspire  her  with  the 
hope  that  he  will  prove  a  good  husband,  and  under 
this  impression  she  has  come  to  beg  he  will  accept  her 
as  his  wife."  If  this  initiatory  announcement  meets 
with  hesitation  or  coldness  on  the  part  of  the  parents 
or  their  son,  she  sometimes  renews  her  solicitation, 
either  immediately  or  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  days ; 
and  then,  if  the  young  man  assents  to  her  proposal, 
the  parents  believe  they  would  expose  themselves  to 
the  wrath  of  heaven,  should  they  withhold  their  com- 
pliance. 

Then  follow  the  ceremonies  of  the  betrothal,  which 
are  more  boisterous,  more  expensive,  and  of  longer 
duration,  than  elsewhere.  At  the  time  of  the  sacred 
ceremony,  the  father  of  the  intended  inflicts  upon  her, 
during  the  administration  of  the  holy  sacrament,  several 
slight  blows  with  a  kind  of  scourge,  at  the  same  time 
saying  to  her,  "  if  to-morrow  you  obey  not  your  hus- 
band, it  will  be  he  that  will  chastise  you."  On  the 
day  after  the  marriage,  amid  the  prevailing  mirth  and 
festivity,  attestations  of  the  chastity  of  the  new  bride 
are  attached  to  a  board  aiExed  to  the  chimney-piece  ; 
and,  if  her  purity  is  arraigned,  there  is  neither  dancing, 
nor  music,  nor  rejoicing,  but  a  mournful  silence  is 
observed ;  and  amid  this  gloom,  several  females,  with 
tears  streaming  down  their  faces,  and  one  of  them 
bearing  a  dead  crow,  suddenly  appear  sobbing,  and 
lamenting  the  lost  innocence  of  the  unhappy  maiden ; 


THE   UKRAINE.  ^51 

and  all  the  family  prostrate  themselves  before  the  All- 
powerful,  beseeching  him,  in  his  divine  mercy,  not  to 
visit  the  sin  of  the  daughter  upon  the  whole  family. 
The  bride  is  then  publicly  beaten  by  her  father  or 
nearest  male  relative;  receives  a  number  of  strokes 
corresponding  to  the  years  of  her  age,  and  must 
observe  a  rigid  fast  for  a  certain  length  of  time.  This 
custom  is  not,  however,  in  all  cases,  rigidly  observed. 
There  was  an  exception  to  this  custom,  if  it  was  proved, 
by  respectable  witnesses,  that  the  girl  was  too  basely 
treated,  during  the  invasion  of  some  barbarous  horde ; 
a  visitation  at  all  times  frequent  in  the  Ukraine. 

The  nuptial  ceremonies  for  a  widow,  though  they 
are  remarkable  and  singular,  do  not  seem  worthy  of 
especial  notice  here.  A  woman,  guilty  of  infidelity 
to  her  husband,  was  formerly  buried  alive  up  to  the 
neck  in  the  ground,  and  condemned  thus  to  perish  by 
starvation.  This  law,  which  was  in  force  among  the 
ancient  Scythians  as  well  as  in  Russia,  still  remains 
valid  in  the  Ukraine,  although  it  is  not  strictly 
enforced. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  Ukraine  are  generally  well 
formed  and  robust.  Their  address  is  dignified,  their 
speech  concise,  their  gestures  energetic ;  they  have 
piercing  eyes;  in  this  respect  resembling  the  inhabitants 
of  the  savannah  or  the  desert.  They  are  excellent 
equestrians,  and  faithful  and  devotedly  attached  to  those 
who  are  kind  to  them ;  but  they  are  implacable  in  their 
hatred,  which  is  occasionally  fatal  to  those  on  whom 


S53  DESCRIPTION    OF 

it  falls.  Murders  are  sometimes  committed,  robbery 
very  seldom.  The  common  people  speak  the  E-ussic 
language,  which  has  greater  affinity  with  the  Polish 
than  with  the  Russian ;  and  they  profess  the  schismatic 
Greco-Russian  religion.  The  nobility  are  principally 
Polish. 

The  Ukraine  is  the  nati^ve  land  of  the  princes  Czet- 
wertynski,  lablonowski,  Lubomirski,  Radziwill,  Sangus- 
zko;  of  Counts  Bobr,  Borkowski,  Branicki,  Brzozowski, 
Chodkiewiez,  Esterhazy,  Dunin,  Czacki,  Gizycki,  Gro- 
cholski,  Komar,  ICrasicki,  Mniszech,  Moniuszko,  Mos- 
zynski,  Morsztyn,  Leduchowski,  Olizar,  Ostrowski  Or- 
lowski,  Potocki,  Potulicki  Rzewuski,  Sobanski,  Stecki, 
Sulatycki,  Szalayski,  Ulatowski,  Wit,  as  well  as  of  the 
wealthy  families  of  Abramowicz,  Balaban,  Baniewski, 
Choiecki,  Czarkowski,  Czaykowski,  Dzierzek,  Goszczyn- 
ski,  Grodecki,  Glebocki,  Haraburda,  larmunda,  laros- 
zynski,  Turunski,  Ilowicki,  lelec,  Iwanicki,  Iwanowski, 
Karsza,  Kormanski,  Mankowski,  Orlinski,  Oskierko, 
Prazmowski,  Proskura,  Ruzycki,  Woynarowski,  Wys- 
zynski,  Szaszkiewicz,  Urork,  Zubr;  but  more  especially 
of  the  families  of  princes  lablonowski,  Lubomirski, 
Sanguszko,  and  counts  Branicki,  Potocki,  and  Orlowski. 
All  these  nobles  possess  immense  estates  in  the  Ukraine, 
inhabiting  magnificent  castles,  whose  gilded  towers 
and  grey  lichen-clad  walls  display  their  gigantic  pro- 
portions amid  the  monotony  of  the  Steppes ;  dazzling 
or  surprising  the  traveller  as  they  present  them- 
selves to  his  gaze,  withdrawing  his  thoughts  from  the 


THE   UKRAINE.  ^53 

present   to  the   past,   filling  his   mind  with  historical 
associations,  and  again  leading  it  forward  to  an  ideal 
contemplation  of  the  future  :  of  that  future,  which  makes 
the  heart  beat  with  hope  or  anguish,  and  which,  behind 
its  impenetrable  veil,  conceals,  perhaps,  blood-red  visions 
of  slaughter,  and  the  roseate  dawn  of  restoration  and 
glory.     In  these  noble  palace-like  mansions,  adorned 
with  the  splendour  of  the  east  and  the  elegance  of 
Europe,  ancient  Polish  hospitality  has  taken  refuge  ; 
that  hospitality  elsewhere  unequalled,  and  which  even 
the  enthusiastic  feelings  of  a  true  patriot  could  hardly 
define.     The  customs  of  the  Polish  nobles  are  too  well- 
known  to  need  description.     The  nobles  of  the  Ukraine 
are  stamped  with  a  peculiar  impress.     They  are  unos- 
tentatious,  though    splendid;   refined,  though   blunt; 
and  to  these  contradictory  qualities  they  unite  bravery 
unsurpassed.     In  their  castles,  enchanted  as  it  were,  all 
that  flatters  the  senses,  aU  that  cultivates  the  mind,  all 
that  strengthens  the  body,  finds  a  dwelling ;  and  amid 
all  this,  there  is  a  something  grand,  sombre,  and  wild, 
which  forces  itself  upon  the   imagination,  and  rivets 
attention.     The  same  noble  personage  who  charms  by 
his  conversation  upon  Rousseau,  Voltaire,  or  Byron ;  ox 
who  expatiates  upon  liberty,  will  order  a  domestic  to  be 
punished  with  fifty  blows  for  a  trivial  offence,  will  treat 
without  much  ceremony  a  female  domestic;  and  will 
kill  a  man  in  a  duel  for  any  slight  breach  of  etiquette. 
No  armies  of  Germany  or  France  have  ever  waved  their 
banners  in  the  Ukraine ;  it  has  never  been  in  contact 


254  DESCRIPTION    OP 

with  civilised  Europe ;  and,  hence,  it  has  preserved  its 
primitive  character.  All  that  locate  themselves  in  the 
Ukraine,  soon  become  essentially  Ukrainian.  The  Ukrai- 
nians are  generous,  brave,  friendly,  faithful,  neither 
cunning  nor  egotistical.  When  a  stranger  visits  the 
country,  every  politeness  is  shown  to  him :  if  he  be  a 
person  of  consequence,  he  is  invited  to  the  different 
castles  on  his  route,  separate  apartments  are  assigned  to 
him,  two  servants  are  commanded  to  do  his  bidding,  a 
Cossack  attends  upon  him,  three  horses  are  at  his 
orders;  a  purse  of  gold  is  placed  in  his  drawer,  and  his 
wardrobe  receives  the  attention  of  appointed  female 
servants. 

The  youth  of  the  Ukraine  are  not  softened  by  luxury. 
The  young  Ukrainian,  in  addition  to  having  received 
advantages  of  a  high  intellectual  education,  is  taught  to 
handle  the  sabre,  to  fire  the  pistol,  to  hunt  wolves,  and 
to  tame  a  wild  horse,  a  feat  by  no  means  easy  of  accom- 
plishment. The  Ukrainian  ladies  are  taught  music,  paint- 
ing, dancing,  and  several  languages.  They  are  at  once 
graceful  and  beautiful ;  preserving  their  freshness  to 
declining  years,  uniting  to  an  eastern  imagination  a 
persuasive  eloquence,  and  possessing  manners  amiable 
and  distinguished,  and  are  especially  celebrated  for  the 
beauty  of  their  eyes,  for  the  most  part  dark,  which  attract 
and  burn  at  the  same  time ;  and  can  almost  guide  a  mis- 
directed traveller  in  a  gloomy  night.  During  ten  years' 
residence  in  England,  I  have  met  only  three  ladies  whose 
features  bear  decidedly  an  Ukrainian  impress,  namely, 


THE    UKRAINE.  255 

Mrs.  L.  G.  Remington,  in  London,  whose  father  is  a 
governor  of  a  part  of  British  India;  Miss  Fanny  Brand- 
ling, at  Newcastle;  and  the  dashing  and  handsome 
maiden  sister  of  the  fair  Mrs.  Simpson,  at  the  Grieves, 
the  general  favourite  at  Lancaster,  known  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood under  the  glorious  denomination  of  a  most 
excellent  daughter.*'  There  is  in  the  Ukraine  a  singular 
custom  prevalent  during  the  carnival:  whole  fami- 
lies visit  each  other,  prolonging  their  stay  for  several 
weeks.  As  many  as  ten  or  twelve  of  these  families,  or 
more,  are  thus  often  congregated  under  the  same  roof; 
while  the  vacant  houses  are  left  to  the  care  of  the  domes- 
tics. This  usage  is  confined  to  the  upper  class ;  and  a  sort 
of  rotation  is  observed  in  the  order  of  the  visitors  and  the 
visited.  Such  a  habit  of  life,  although  practised  only 
at  the  season  of  the  carnival,  would  be  scarcely  practi- 
cable in  western  Europe  ;  it  tends,  however,  greatly  to 
develope  the  manners,  the  happiness,  the  sociability,  the 
wit,  and  the  eloquence  of  the  Polish  nobles ;  and  renders 
them,  without  any  Exaggeration,  the  most  courteous  and 
attractive  in  the  whole  world.  The  Polish  nobles  are  a 
singular  race  of  men;  outrageously  jealous  of  any  en- 
croachment upon  their  class- privileges,  they  were  yet 
often  despotic  towards  those  of  humbler  station  :  their 
lives  were  principally  devoted  to  war,  political  strife^ 
personal  contests,  and  aflfairs  of  gallantry  :  they  must 
consequently  have  acquired  great  skill  in  the  successful 
management  of  such  matters.  These  family  meetings 
(termed  kuliki),  are  sometimes  productive  of  domestic 


256  DESCRIPTION   OF 

troubles  and  conjugal  separations.  They  are  more  in 
vogue  in  the  Ukraine  and  Polessia,  than  in  Poland 
Proper. 

The  animals  in  the  tFkraine  are  the  same  as  those 
found  throughout  Poland,  with  few  exceptions.  The 
rossomach,  which  is  occasionally  seen  in  the  Steppes,  is 
a  mixture  between  a  wild  cat  and  a  wolf  J  it  is  to  be 
found  also  in  the  forest  of  Bialovieza,  but  it  is  extremely 
rare.  The  pelican,  the  jet-black  hare,  and  a  kind  of  red 
teal,  much  smaller  than  the  common  teal,  are  met  with. 
There  is  a  kind  of  scorpion  very  dangerous,  and  a 
peculiar  viper  called  vrzetsionitsa  {wrzecionica) ,  short, 
thick  in  the  middle,  small  at  the  ends,  whose  bite 
is  almost  certain  death ;  it  is  to  be  found  in  dry  situa* 
tions,  and  is  of  a  slightly  reddish  colour ;  it  is  by  no 
means  common.  An  ordinary  viper  (commonly  called 
adder)  can  be  easily  distinguished  from  a  harmless  ser- 
pent (whose  colours  vary  according  to  the  species,  the 
age,  and  the  season)  by  two  characteristics  never  to  be 
mistaken,  namely,  by  dark  spots  in^ig-2ag  on  its  back, 
and  its  brown  belly ;  it  is  also  considerably  thicker  and 
shorter  than  the  common  serpents,  and  likes  more  ele- 
vated ground,  while  the  latter  has  always  a  belly  of 
variegated  colours,  a  yellow  ring  close  to  its  head,  and 
is  to  be  found  in  more  moist  places :  the  female  and 
young  vipers  are  of  a  reddish  colour.  Sometimes  a 
viper  hangs  on  a  low  bush ;  generally  speaking,  open 
copses,  dry  heaths,  newly-covered  woodlands,  sandy 
wastes,  and  southern  banks  of  rivers,  are  the  haunts  of 


THE   UKRAINE.  257 

the  viper.  Poisonous  bites  are  more  dangerous  in 
summer  than  in  the  autumn,  and  can  be  cured  by- 
rubbing  the  fat  of  the  viper  or  olive  oil  on  the  part 
wounded,  over  a  chafing-dish  of  coals,  and  taking  the 
oil  internally.  It  is  also  necessary  to  purge  the  body, 
and  to  apply  the  remedy  without  delay.  Much  depends 
on  the  state  of  the  blood.  A  bite  in  a  blood-vessel  is 
always  very  dangerous  :  the  female  viper  is  the  more 
poisonous  of  the  two.  There  is  a  large  kind  of  spider 
which  digs  a  round  hole  in  the  earth,  and  carries 
its  young  on  its  back ;  it  is  a  sort  of  tarantula,  and  is 
dangerous.  The  children  put  some  water  in  their 
holes,  and  thus  oblige  the  spider  to  come  out,  and  often 
kill  it.  There  was,  and  there  is  still,  probably,  a 
wild  goat,  called  sumah,  whose  horns  are  transparent 
and  as  white  as  snow ;  they  are  to  be  found  in  the 
higher  range  of  the  southern  Steppes.  According  to 
Samicki,  boa  constrictors  were  occasionally  to  be  met 
with  in  the  south-eastern  part  of  the  Ukraine.  The 
ptarmigan  is  very  common,  and  the  buzzard  the  largest 
bird  after  the  turkey  :  the  latter  is  extremely  shy,  of  a 
greyish  colour,  have  long  feet,  and  must  rim  at  least 
thirty  yards  before  it  can  rise.  They  are  often 
caught  by  greyhounds. 

The  music  of  the  Ukraine  is  strikingly  peculiar. 
Those  wondrous  melodies,  called  dumki^  are  charac- 
terised by  their  touching  harmony ;  they  are  at  once 
Ossianic,  oriental,  plaintive,  and  martial.  They  abound 
in  the  loftiest  sentiments,  and  are  interwreathed  with 

s 


258  DESCRIPTION   OF 

eastern  imagery.  Now  the  fiercest  emotion,  the  wild 
tornado  of  the  soul,  rushes  through  them;  now  the 
dark  eyes  of  some  love-lorn  maiden  are  the  theme  of 
their  enthralling  strains.  They  always  terminate  with 
some  sad  catastrophe,  and  happy  love  finds  no  refuge  in 
their  touching  stanzas.  The  popular  ditties  of  the 
Ukraine  form  a  pleasing  and  enrapturing  minstrelsy. 
Very  many  of  them  are  not  set  to  music.  In  others, 
the  tide  of  song  rolls  gently  on.  At  times,  the  harmo- 
nious lay  rises,  through  a  climax  of  exaltation,  from  the 
softness  of  the  breeze,  to  the  dirge-like  wailings  of  the 
blast,  and  the  roar  of  the  hurricane;  and  bloodshed, 
revenge,  and  conflagration  glide  through  the  flowing 
cadence  ;  the  neighings  of  the  steed,  the  howling  of  the 
wolves,  the  whizzing  of  arrows,  the  pattering  of  musketry, 
the  clash  of  arms,  the  ill-boding  cries  of  the  vulture,  or 
the  croakings  of  the  raven,  the  shouts  of  victory,  the 
groans  of  the  dying,  despair,  rage,  and  laughter,  gush 
forth  in  their  imitative  harmony.  The  songs  of  the 
Ukraine  are  its  history.  Its  wars,  its  triumphs,  its 
defeats,  its  sorrows,  are  imaged  forth  and  chronicled  as 
it  were  in  these  sublime  and  spirit-stirring  rhapsodies. 
One  might  say,  as  is  said  of  Ariel's  music  in  the  im- 
mortal Shakspere,  **  This  is  no  mortal  business,  nor 
no  sound  that  the  earth  owes." 

The  fragments  of  the  Ukrainian  poetry  charm  and 
attract  by  their  tenderness  and  pathos,  by  the  sympa- 
thies they  awaken,  and  by  thoughts  which  a  different 
race  would  in  vain  essay  to  express.     Among  the  gems 


THE   UKRAINE.  259 

of  this  delightful  art,  we  may  notice  ''  Maria,"  by 
Malczewski ;  "  The  Castle  of  Kaniov "  (Zamek  Kani- 
owski),  by  Goszczynski,  written  in  the  Polish  lan- 
guage. Both  have  a  clark^  essentially  Ukrainian  im- 
press; both  describe  love,  murder,  despair,  and  re- 
venge ;  both  hint  at  the  terrible  pride  of  the  Polish 
oligarchy ;  both  dig  a  hole  into  the  coal-pit  of  human 
passion ;  both  are  founded  on  facts.  Both  these  effu- 
sions of  genius  unfold  the  beauty,  the  richness,  and 
the  harmony  of  the  Polish  language.  These  strange 
poems  seem  to  be  twin  sisters,  and  both  unaccountably 
linked  with  the  other  world.  The  latter  is  completely 
in  Byron''s  fashion,  and  by  no  means  inferior  to  any 
production  of  that  celebrated  poet.  But  it  is  local,  and 
cannot  be  judged  by  any  translation.  .  There  are  also 
several  other  Ukrainian  writers,  namely,  Bohdan  Zalew- 
ski,  Michel  Czaykowski  (nephew  of  Colonel  Rozycki), 
Grabowski,  the  two  brothers  Budzynski,  Olizarowski, 
and  Alexander  Ilowicki.'^  The  works  of  the  latter  are 
written  in  a  pure  and  pleasing  style,  while  some  of  the 
passages  claim,  by  their  ideality  and  wonderful  power 
of  description,  no  ordinary  place  in  Polish  literature. 
— (A.  Ilowicki  having  felt  an  unfortunate  passion  for  the 
beautiful  Countess  Komar,  took  holy  orders,  and  is  in 
great  favour  with  the  present  Pope,  who  is  certainly  no 
ordinary  man,  and  would  have  assured  the  welfare  of 
Italy  had  his  counsels  been  followed). — Zalewski  is 
well  known  for  his  poetry  in  Poland.  Michel  Czaykowski 
and  Grabowski  are  celebrated  novelists :  all  their  Polish 


260  DESCRIPTION    OF 

works  are  exclusively  devoted  to  the  Ukraine,  and,  in 
point  of  the  knowledge  of  the  human  heart  and  the  de- 
scription of  strong  passion,  are  undoubtedly  superior  to 
Sir  Walter  Scott:  but  as  Poland  has  not,  at  present,  po- 
litical existence,  their  works  cannot  be  well  appreciated. 
Czaykowski  took  the  Cossacks  under  his  special  pro- 
tection,  and  intends  to  Polonise  them,  a  thing  by  no 
means   impossible.     I   am  intimately  acquainted  with 
him ;  he   is  an  extraordinary  man,  and  speaks  several 
languages :  he  is  a  great  writer,  an  able  politician,  an 
excellent  officer  in  the  field,  an  accomplished  gentle- 
man :  he  is  well  acquainted  with  the  whole  machinery 
of  the  Russian  government,  is  now  abroad,  and  may 
be  very  useful  to  his  country  under   proper  circum- 
stances;  but   having  never  been   in    England,   he  is 
not  well   aware  of  her  gigantic  powers.     During  five 
years  I  had  daily  intercourse  with  him  at  Paris.     The 
two  brothers,  Budzynski  have  translated  "Goethe"  into 
Polish.    Olizarowski  has  written  some  poems,  and  often 
writes  ballads  which  please  Prince  Czartoryski. 

Malczewski  is  dead.^  Czaykowski,  the  two  brothers 
Budzynski,  Goszczynski,  are  political  emigrants.  There 
is  also  an  Ukrainian  lady,  Miss  Korzeniowska,  so 
fond  of  science,  that  whenever  she  was  invited 
to  a  party,  she  always  carried  with  her  a  pencil  for 
taking  notes  of  any  thing  worthy  to  be  noticed.  It 
is  impossible  to  describe  the  stock  of  information 
which  this  bride  of  science  possesses,  who  is  known  in 
the  literary  world  for  her  wonderful  productions.   She  is 


THE   UKRAINE.  261 

a  sort  of  Polish  Miss  Agnes  Strickland,  and  her  style 
resembles  that  of  the  Marchioness  of  Londonderry  in 
her  ladyship's  poetical  description  of  Moscow. 

The  legends  of  the  Ukraine,  which  form  the  nucleus 
of  the  dumki  airs,  are  very  numerous.  These  legends 
have  no  parallel  in  any  other  part  of  the  civilized  or 
barbarous  world.  Some  of  them  evidently  refer  to  the 
wars  of  Mithridates  with  the  Eomans,  others  to  more 
modem  eras.  In  these  legends  figure  enchantresses, 
prophetesses,  seers,  furies,  good  and  evil  genii,  demons 
of  every  kind,  females  in  tears,  drowning  women,  inva- 
sions, massacres,  famine,  and  pestilence.  Some  of  them 
make  obvious  reference  to  the  discovery  of  America ; 
others  plunge  into  the  Scandinavian  mythology,  in 
union  with  the  vestiges  of  the  heathenism  of  the 
ancient  Lithuanians,  mingled  with  the  rites  of  the  East 
and  with  Christianity.  These  legends,  too,  may  be 
sometimes  explained  by  the  Greek  colonies,  the  wars  of 
the  Poles  under  the  two  Boleslaus  ;  the  conquests  of 
the  grand  dukes  of  Lithuania;  the  invasion  of  the 
Tatars ;  and  other  events  of  history.  In  one  of  them 
are  some  passages,  word  for  word,  to  be  found  in 
Shakspere'^s  "  Hamlet."  In  another,  a  floating  island  in 
Keswick  lake  is  so  well  and  so  precisely  described, 
that  no  one  can  possibly  doubt  its  reference  to  that 
island.  It  has,  however,  a  singular  tale  attached  to  it. 
It  is  extremely  difficult  to  trace  the  manner  in  which 
these  two  Ukrainian  legends  became  so  strangely  asso- 
ciated with  English  literature  and  scenery. 


DESCRIPTION   OF 

The  superstitions  of  the  Ukraine  are  numerous. 
The  great  enemy  of  mankind  is  sometimes  called 
Didho,  sometimes  Biss,  sometimes  Satan,  sometimes 
Czort.  He  is  represented  now  under  the  form  of  a 
black  dog  ;  now  of  a  three-horned  bull ;  now  of  a  he- 
goat  ;  now  of  a  boy  in  a  German  dress, — this  latter  is 
not  considered  to  be  very  malignant  or  dangerous, — he 
smokes  tobacco,  regales  himself  with  cream,  visits  the 
ladies,  taking  the  features  and  assuming  the  dress  and 
manners  of  their  husbands.  The  one  in  the  form  of  a 
black  dog  is  most  dreaded ;  he  can  be  exorcised  only  by 
holy  water  and  fervent  prayers ;  and  when  he  yields,  the 
hurricane  takes  place,  which  dances  ^Ae  Cossack  vi^onihe 
Steppes.  The  apparition  of  a  tall  female,  arrayed  in 
white,  with  her  arms  folded,  mourning .  and  wailing  on 
the  skirts  of  the  forest,  forebodes  pestilence.  The  re- 
peated hootings  of  the  owl  are  considered  to  prognos- 
ticate a  corresponding  number  of  deaths  in  the  village 
during  the  space  of  three  years.  The  appearance  of 
a  beautiful  maiden,  Topielitza,  weeping  and  sobbing, 
on  the  banks  of  rivers  or  the  margins  of  lakes,  with 
her  head  hanging  down,  and  dishevelled  hair,  represents 
the  drowned  unhappy  one,  who  has  murdered  her 
illegitimate  child ;  and  is  destined,  by  way  of  penitence, 
to  walk  upon  the  marsh-plants,  to  induce  the  young  of 
the  opposite  sex  to  come  in  pursuit  of  her,  and  perish  in 
the  waters,  until  some  one  succeeds  in  saving  an  infant 
from  death  by  drowning.  A  woman  with  a  beard, 
Czarownica,  (pronounced  Tcharovnitsa),  is  looked  upon 


THB  UKRAINE.  263 

as  a  sorceress,  and  is  accounted  extremely  dangerous. 
Such  were  sometimes  burned. 

There  prevailed  also  very  singular  notions  and  customs 
in  regard  to  a  being  they  called  Pachole  (pronounced 
Pakhole),  which  comes  from,  the  Polish  word  Pacholeh^ 
signifying  a  mysterious  orphan  who  knows  not  his 
parents,  and  who  is  left  alone  and  without  protection  in 
the  wide  world ;  and  who  appears  to  be  the  fruit  of  an 
ill-assorted  marriage  of  a  lady  of  quality  with  a  husband 
of  low  grade.  This  orphan,  without  home  or  country 
or  relatives,  wandered  about  in  quest  of  some  one  who 
might  give  him  a  resting-place,  adopt  him,  and  by  acts 
of  kindness  banish  from  his  mind  the  recollections  of  the 
miseries  he  had  undergone  :  he  generally  appeared  about 
eleven  to  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  was  accompanied  by 
a  large  dog.  This  species  of  orphan  boy  enjoyed  great 
privileges  in  the  Ukraine,  and  received  the  especial  pro- 
tection of  the  ladies,  of  the  nuns,  and  above  all  of 
widows,  who  sometimes  espoused  them.  They  were  ac- 
customed to  sing  plaintive  songs  by  moonlight,  under  the 
window  of  some  love-lorn  widow.  After  the  refrain  at 
the  conclusion  of  each  stanza,  the  dog  set  up  a  howl,  and 
the  following  dialogue  ensued : 

Widow.  Who  is  singing  there  ? — Boy,  A  Pachole,  a 
Pachole. 

Widow,    What    is  your  name? — Boy.  I    have    no 
name. 

Widow,  Where  do  your  parents  live  ? — Boy.  I  have 
no  parents. 


S64  DESCRIPTION    OF 

Widow.  Where  are  your  brother  and  sister,  your 
cousins  ? — JBoy.  I  have  none. 

Widow.  "Where  do  you  live? — Boy.  I  have  no 
home ;  the  wild  Steppe  is  my  bed,  the  heaven  my 
covering;  but  perhaps  I  shall  find  a  mother,  or  a 
kind  female  friend  who  will  guard  me  from  hunger, 
cold,  and  misery  ;  who  will  give  me  a  cool  shelter  in 
summer,  a  warm  one  in  winter,  and  will  take  care  of 
my  dog,  that  he  become  not  the  prey  of  wolves. 

Widow.  Present  yourself  at  the  great  gate  of  my 
abode,  in  presence  of  two  witnesses ;  I  will  adopt  you, 
you  shall  be  my  son.  (He  was  accordingly  adopted,  and 
inherited  her  possessions ;  nor  was  it  in  the  power  of 
any  one  to  entirely  disinherit  him). 

If  the  widow  replied  to  the  boy,  ^'  Your  voice 
pleases  me ;  come  in  and  be  mine,  we  will  be  united ; 
such  is  the  will  of  God,"  then  they  were  married, 
and  the  marriage  was  considered  legal,  if  the  Pachole 
had  attained  his  seventeenth  year.  If  the  widow  re- 
sponded, "  Knock  at  the  gate,  you  shall  receive  my 
hospitality,  as  my  guest  you  shall  want  for  nothing ;" 
then  he  knocked  accordingly,  and  came  under  the 
hospitable  roof. 

This  custom,  unique  and  strange  as  it  appears,  pre- 
vailed in  the  Ukraine  with  greater  or  less  modifications, 
and  it  may  easily  be  accounted  for.  Wars  continually 
raged  in  the  Ukraine  in  ancient  times ;  the  Zaporoguians 
carried  oflf  the  children  in  their  predatory  and  warlike 
excursions;  these  children  were  left  to  wander,  when 


THE    UKRAINE.  265 

their  captors  might  have  perished  by  the  sword.  Like- 
wise, many  children  might  have  fled  into  the  Ukraine 
when  the  Tatars  had  butchered  their  parents;  these 
children  received  hospitality  in  the  villages,  and  it 
would  have  been  thought  a  crime  to  ill-treat  them.  The 
Cossack  women  also^  during  the  long  absence  of  their 
husbands,  often  adopted  such  orphans.  Hence  is 
derived  most  certainly  the  Polish  proverb,  ''  Happy  as 
a  Pachole  with  a  Ukrainian  widow/*  (Szczesliwy  iak 
na  Ukrainie  pacholek  u  wdowy.) 

The  manner  of  drinking,  amongst  the  Ukrainian 
people,  with  each  other,  strongly  resembles  the  usages 
known  on  such  occasions  in  England.  A  man  who  in- 
tends to  drink  a  glass  of  brandy  with  another,  takes  a 
glass,  rises,  bows  to  him,  and  when  the  bow  is  returned 
he  makes  a  speech  and  drinks  his  health,  while  the 
others  are  standing.  His  friends  return  the  compli- 
ment, and  all  the  guests  follow  in  rotation  with  speeches, 
in  which  they  all  fehcitate  themselves  till  they  lose  their 
senses  and  become  inebriated.     (It  is  called  byczek,) 

Land  in  the  Ukraine  has  greatly  increased  in  value 
since  the  foundation  of  the  port  of  Odessa;  but  as 
the  roads  are  bad,  and  there  is  not  any  railroad 
yet  completed,  this  port  has  not  given  that  ex- 
tension which  it  would  otherwise  have  given  to  the 
trade  of  this  province.  The  roads  of  the  Ukraine,  from 
the  nature  of  the  soil,  are  bad  only  during  the  rains  of 
spring  and  latter  autumn ;  at  other  seasons  they  are 
most  excellent.     The  nobility  of  the   Ukraine   lately 


266  DESCRIPTION    OF 

proposed  to  the  Russian  government  to  construct  at 
their  own  expense,  some  good  common  roads,  as  well 
as  railroads  to  the  Black  Sea  for  facilitating  the  export 
of  grain;  but  this  project  incurred  the  displeasure  of 
the  Emperor  Nicholas,  and  it  was  abandoned.  There 
exists  in  the  Ukraine  a  superstitious  belief  that,  ac- 
cording to  the  prophecy  of  Vernyhora,  the  principal 
attack  upon  Russia  will  be  made  by  the  Ukraine,  and 
that  Poland  will  be  restored  by  the  Ukraine.  The 
Russian  government  appears  by  no  means  disposed  to 
favour  any  undertaking  which  might  augment  too 
much  the  revenues  of  the  Ukrainian  nobles,  facilitate 
their  communication,  and  give  them  access  to  the  Black 
Sea,  whence  in  case  of  war  they  may  derive  resources 
and  reinforcements. 

If  the  lover  of  his  country  should  perchance  stray 
among  the  Steppes  of  the  Ukraine,  when  the  sun  casts 
its  setting  glories  over  the  plains,  wherein  the  bones  of 
ancient  warriors  have  become  dust,  and  drunk  of  Bo- 
kudo's  blood ;  the  Ukraine  will  present  to  his  imagina- 
tion an  indefinable  something  between  love  and  hatred, 
between  civilisation  and  barbarism,  between  the  past 
and  the  future,  between  the  darkness  of  night  and  the 
brightness  of  day,  between  poetical  fiction  and  reality, 
between  Europe  and  Asia,  between  modern  and  ancient 
days;  the  nations  whose  names  have  perished;  the  nations 
whom  tradition  has  preserved, — the  Scythians,  the  Huns, 
the  hordes  of  Ghengiskan,  of  Tamerlane,  those  of  the 
Grand  Dukes  of  Lithuania,  the  Russic  chieftains,  the 


THE   UKRAINE.  267 

Turks,  the  Poles,  the  Cossacks,  the  Swedes,  the  Kus- 
sians, — will  pass  before  his  eyes  as  a  phantasmagoria  on 
this  arena  of  blood,  on  which  Poland  repelled  during 
several  ages  the  invasions  of  the  barbarians,  which  were 
especially  directed  against  civilised  Europe. 

That  Poland  now,  alas  !  lies  prostrate,  bathed  in  her 
tears  and  moaning  in  the  dust.  Shall  she  perish  ?  No, 
she  shall  yet  rise  again.  I  see  the  Pole,  the  Cossack, 
and  the  Mahometan  in  a  friendly  embrace.  I  see  a 
dazzling  light  in  the  west  and  in  the  east.  I  see  a 
splendid  cradle  drawing  forth  from  her  imaginary 
tomb. 

Having  depicted  the  country  of  the  Steppes,  let  us  now 
glance  at  the  present  state  of  Europe.  Napoleon  said, 
"  Dans  cinquante  ans  d'ici,  toute  TEurope  sera  libre,  ou 
Cosaque,"  i.  e.,  '^  every  thing  would  depend  on  Poland." 
Should  Russia  sincerely  attach  Poland  to  herself— not 
by  the  subjugating  sword,  but  by  genuine  acts  of  kind- 
ness, restoring  to  Poland  its  complete  independence, 
then  might  these  two  great  nations  be  eternally  re- 
conciled, and  Eussia  thereby  enabled  to  become  indeed 
almost  "  mistress  of  Europe,"  but  never  otherwise.  As, 
however,  no  such  reconciliation  is  probable,  and  as, 
sooner  or  later,  war  between  Russia  and  western  Europe, 
that  is,  between  despotism  and  liberty,  must  burst  forth, 
— a  war  which  will  shake  the  most  remote  parts  of  the 
globe — it  is  incumbent  on  us  to  expose  the  weak  point  of 
Russia,  and  convince  the  reader,  by  facts,  that  Russia  is 
really  far  weaker  than  other  nations.  Moreover,  we  must 


S68  DESCRIPTION   OF 

demonstrate  that,  in  the  event  of  war  with  Russia,  if 
proper  means  are  taken  to  strike  at  her  vital  point,  she 
must  be  vanquished,  and  repulsed  behind  the  Dzvina 
and  the  Dnieper  within  one  year;  but  if,  on  the  con- 
trary, she  is  allowed  to  concentrate  her  whole  strength, 
if  she  be  not  attacked  with  wisdom  and  vigour,  she  may 
prove  the  victor ;  may,  if  aided  by  Austria,  swallow 
up  the  Turkish  empire ;  may  pour  her  barbarous  hordes 
in  the  west,  and  may  inflict  terrible  mischief  on  the 
whole  of  Europe  (France  alone  excepted)  for  centuries. 
If  a  sportsman,  when  confronted  by  a  tiger,  levels  his  gun 
at  its  paw  or  leg,  he  may  wound  slightly  that  tiger  and 
himself  perish ;  if,  on  the  contrary,  he  aims  at  the  heart, 
the  animaFs  terrific  growl  of  anguish  will  testify  that  the 
shot  has  taken  effect ;  and,  without  peril  to  himself, 
the  sportsman  may  slay  the  ferocious  beast.  So  if  a 
ravenous  wolf  is  prowling  near  a  farm,  it  is  the  farmer's 
duty  for  the  safety  of  his  herd  to  maim  or  kill  it.  This 
comparison  is,  to  a  great  extent,  correct  as  respects 
Russia  and  her  neighbour  nations.  Russia  is  specially 
dangerous,  not  to  France,  but  to  Germany,  Austria, 
Turkey,  and  even  England.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive 
that  any  German  army  could  victoriously  contest  in  a 
pitched  battle  with  a  Russian  army.  The  latter,  composed 
of  men  of  sterner  stuff,  more  accustomed  to  hardship,  to 
the  rules  of  iron  discipline,  possessing  the  advantage  of 
unity  of  command,  longing  for  pillage  and  rapine,  and  its 
movements  protected  by  swarms  of  Cossacks,  must  have 
ultimately  a  decided  advantage  over  the  former ;  the 


THE   UKRAINE.  269 

more  so,  that  while  Germany  is  vulnerable  the  whole 
year,  Russia  is  scarcely  vulnerable  for  six  months. 
For  checking  at  once  such  a  calamity,  at  any  time 
pregnant  with  danger  to  civilized  Europe,  there  are 
only  two  modes.  One  consists  in  having  an  immense 
standing  army,  in  magnitude  double  that  of  Russia, 
which  would  necessarily  entail  increased  taxes,  and 
swallow  more  gold  than  Crcesus  ever  possessed  ;  and 
the  other  mode  presents  itself  in  rendering  Poland 
sincere  assistance  in  regaining  her  independence, 
to  dissolve  the  principal  aggressive  resources  of  Russia, 
and  to  weaken  in  every  direction  that  power.  The 
second  remedy  is,  in  every  respect  less  troublesome, 
and  appears  far  more  certain  than  the  first.  What  is 
Russia  ?  It  is  rather  a  government  than  a  nation  ; 
a  government,  whose  first  edition  reverts  to  the  time  of 
Ivan  the  Cruel,  and  its  second  edition  Peter  the  Great 
and  the  debaucheries  of  Catherine  II.  It  is  a  govern- 
ment which,  from  the  Gulf  of  Finland  to  the  Chinese 
boundary ;  from  the  Black  and  the  Caspian  to  the 
White  Sea;  from  the  Pacific  to  the  Baltic;  exists 
only  by  rapine,  plunder,  oppression,  and  systematic  de- 
moralization. Russia  is  continually  augmenting  her 
armies;  increasing  her  large  navy  (which  costs  her 
immense  sums,  though  she  has  no  colonies) ;  intriguing 
in  all  parts  of  the  world ;  undermining  some  years  ago 
the  British  power  in  India  ;  watching  the  movements  of 
Turkey,  almost  as  a  spider  watches  the  movements  of 
a  fly ;  menacing  the  whole  of  Germany  with  invasion ; 


270  DESCRIPTION   OF 

speaking  of  religion  and  God,  yet  scorning  and  perse- 
cuting every  creed  which  is  not  of  Greek  persuasion ; 
spreading  her  propaganda  of  panslavisra,  which  visibly 
disorganises,  under  various  colours  and  different  shades, 
the  vital  parts  of  Turkey  and  several  other  states. 
Further,  bribing  swarms  of  authors  and  periodicals  in 
foreign  countries,  she  prostitutes  with  the  utmost  im- 
pudence, the  words  of  justice,  disinterestedness,  and 
virtue,  and  dares  to  speak  of  her  pacific  intention; 
because  she  was  suddenly  stopped  in  her  aggressive 
career  by  the  magic  and  all  powerful  word  Poland ! 
Happily,  Kussia  has  in  herself  the  germ  of  her  own 
destruction.  There  is  no  law,  no  liberty  of  the  press, 
no  personal  security  in  Eussia.  All  the  civilians,  and 
the  army,  are  so  badly  paid  that,  according  to  approx- 
imative calculations,  they  cannot  subsist  more  than  two 
months  in  the  year  out  of  their  pay,  and,  therefore, 
during  the  remaining  ten  months  they  must  exist  by 
robbery.  Plundering  the  people,  and  compelled  to  main- 
tain their  own  superiors,  they  let  loose  the  flood-gates 
of  immorality,  and  excite  general  hatred  or  contempt 
to  the  government.  In  short,  they  form  one  cancer  of 
corruption,  and  promote  insurrection,  the  more  so  that 
the  Russian  nobles  may  be  considered  as  the  very  heart 
of  despotism.  There  being  almost  no  control  over 
them,  they  are  at  times  more  oppressive  than  the 
czar  himself,  and  the  Russian  people,  therefore,  are 
subjected,  not  to  one  but  a  whole  swarm  of  tyrants.  A 
Russian  noble  is  sole  master  and  sovereign  of  his  serf; 


THE   UKRAINE.  271 

le  can  flog  him  at  any  time,  and  as  brutally  as  he 
pleases ;  he  can  choose  any  female  that  his  unbridled 
lust  may  desire ;  he  can  transport  his  serf  under  any 
pretext  to  Siberia;  he  can  sell  his  serf,  or  tax  his 
labour  to  the  uttermost,  as  it  may  suit  his  convenience 
or  rapacity ;  and  woe  to  a  serf  who  presumes  to  mur- 
mur against  the  oppression  of  his  lord.  Such  a  frightful 
and  artificial  state  of  society  cannot  possibly  exist  in  the 
present  state  of  Europe  without  endangering  the  whole 
structure  of  the  Russian  empire,  the  more  so,  that  a 
regular  democratic  element  exists  among  the  Cossacks 
and  other  semi-civilized  hordes  nominally  subjected  to 
Russia.  The  historical  reminiscences  given  in  previous 
chapters,  testify  that  the  Cossacks  have  never  been  com- 
pletely reduced  under  the  Muscovite  sway.  Centuries 
of  Russian  domination  has  utterly  failed  in  assimilating 
the  Cossack  to  the  Russian;  and  Cossack  hostility  to 
Russia,  like  the  sacred  fire  of  the  ancient  Persians,  has 
never  been  extinguished.  Thus,  at  the  very  commence- 
ment of  the  Russian  supremacy  in  the  Ukraine,  we 
behold  Stenko  Razin — an  obscure  Cossack,  previously 
unknown,  even  by  name,  to  his  tribe — exciting  a  for- 
midable insurrection  against  Russia.  Throughout  the 
desperate  war  waged  by  Stenko  Razin,  he  did  not  re- 
ceive the  slightest  aid,  or  even  countenance,  from  any 
foreign  power,  yet  his  self-energy  alone  enabled  him  to 
rally  200,000  men  round  the  standard  of  revolt.  He 
vanquished  Russian  army  after  army ;  subjugated  the 
kingdom  of  Astrakan ;   checked  Russian  influence  in 


212  DESCIilPTION    OF 

Persia;  marclied  upon  Moscow  itself;  and,  in  brief, 
made  Russia  tremble  to  her  very  foundation.  Nay, 
had  not  Stenko  Razin  been  betrayed  into  the  hands  of 
his  enemies,  he  would,  most  assuredly  have  overthrown 
the  Romanow  dynasty,  and  seated  himself  on  the  Mus- 
covite throne.  A  century  after  this,  we  behold  the 
Cossack,  Pugatchef,  at  the  head  of  innumerable  barba- 
rous hordes,  who  gave  him  constant  proofs  of  their 
devotion  even  under  the  most  unfavourable  circum- 
stances. Five  times  repulsed,  yet  five  times  he  re- 
newed the  contest.  During  the  terrific  struggle  he 
routed  several  well  organised  Russian  armies,  con- 
quered Kasan,  and  the  whole  country  between  the 
Ural  Mountains  and  the  Volga,  and  threatened  Mos- 
cow itself  with  destruction !  What,  then,  is  to  be 
done?  Why,  to  attack  Russia  by  press  and  in- 
surrections, and  to  raise  against  her  those  very  bar- 
barian hordes  with  which  she  threatens  Western 
Europe ;  to  re-establish  the  independence  of  Poland ; 
to  restore  to  Sweden  and  Germany  their  former  pro- 
vinces; to  liberate  the  Russian  serfs;  to  excite  an 
insurrection  in  the  military  colonies,  where  rebellion 
has  already  twice  broken  out ;  to  give  to  the  Cossacks, 
to  the  Mahometans,  to  the  Mato  Russes,  to  the  Kirg- 
hise,  to  the  Circassians,  and  the  other  large  tribes  now 
under  Russian  domination,  kings,  who  may  protect 
their  own  nationalities,  establish  regular  governments, 
and  erect  their  countries  into  separate  states.  It  is 
deserving  of  note,  that  Colonel  Dorigni,  a  foreign  re- 


THE   UKRAINE.  273 

fugee  in  the  Russian  service,  proposed  to  the  French 
cabinet  during  the  seven  years'  war,  to  raise  300,000 
Kherghes  and  Tcheramess  against  Russia,  and  he  was 
confident  of  the  success  of  such  a  raising.  Napoleon, 
gigantic  genius  as  he  was,  yet  knew  not  where  to  strike 
a  real  blow  on  Russia.  If  instead  of  sending  his  armies 
into  Russia,  he  had  but  adopted  the  line  of  policy  here 
suggested,  with  proper  care  and  activity  he  would 
easily  have  humbled  Russia.  Russia  was  then,  as  I 
have  proved  it  now  to  be,  weaker  internally  than  any 
other  European  state,  in  which  such  rebellions  as  those 
above  referred  to  have  never  been  known,  and,  indeed, 
are  impossible.  In  fact,  a  conspiracy  of  some  Russian 
colonels  can,  at  any  time,  shake  the  whole  Russian 
empire  ;  especially  in  the  military  colonies. 

It  may  be  remarked  that  the  weakness  of  any  govern- 
ment is  always  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  spies 
employed  by  that  government ;  and  in  no  country  are 
they  so  numerous  as  in  Russia.  However,  the  secret 
police,  so  formidable  in  Russia,  have  failed  in  checking 
the  frequent  conspiracies  against  the  government — con- 
spiracies that  may  yet  prove  successful.  I  will  but  add, 
that  every  attack  on  Russia  from  the  Pacific,  or  from 
the  regions  of  the  White,  jCaspian,  Black,  and  Baltic 
seas,  is  fraught  with  danger  to  her. 

In  conclusion,  I  may  remark  that  although  the 
present  state  of  Germany,  and  of  Europe  generally 
clearly  proves  that  communism  or  socialism  is  nowhere 
in  fashion  on  the  continent    (and  thanks  to  General 

T 


274  DESCRIPTION   OF   THE   UKRAINE. 

Cavaignac,  is  almost  extirpated  in  France) ;  yet,  at  the 
same  time,  the  progress  of  despotism — such  as  that  of 
Russia — is  quite  out  of  the  question.  A  strong  re- 
action against  ultra-democratic  principles  is  visible,  and 
their  fallacy  clearly  proved ;  but  a  new  era  of  European 
reasonable  liberty  is  to  be  established  on  the  basis  of 
a  real  friendship  between  England  and  France.  Eng- 
land has  no  other  desire  than  to  behold  France  great 
and  powerful,  and  never  intended  to  interfere  in  her 
internal  affairs.  Lamartine  testified  himself  a  wise 
politician  as  respects  England,  since  he  foresaw  well  the 
consequence  that  might  spring  out  of  an  unjustifiable 
interference  with  the  threatened  Irish  insurrection.  To 
quote  from  my  work  '^  The  Poles  in  the  Seventeenth 
Century,"  I  can  but  exclaim,  "  Let  then  France  and 
England  unite  heart  and  hand ;  let  them  extinguish 
every  spark  of  petty  rivalry.  Not  then,  would  Russia 
raise  her  despotic  head,  but  these  two  nations  might 
exercise  a  salutary  influence  over  the  civilized  world. 
Cherished  and  adored  by  the  whole  human  race,  they 
might  crush  oppression,  annihilate  tyranny,  and  restore 
to  their  former  integrity  the  nation  that  has  been  dis- 
membered, and,  for  a  time,  enslaved  !" 

See  Clarke,  Beauplan,  and  Lesur,  Description  de 
rUkraine,  Malte  Brun,  Chodzko,  Siviecki,  Staszyc 
Count  Lewis  Plater,  Bzonczynski  Sarnicki,  &c.  &c. 


NOTES. 


CHAPTER  I.— THE  COSSACKS  OF  THE  UKRAINE. 

Page  3.  (a). — Kazachia  Orda  was  a  tribe  known  in  the  Caucasus 
long  before  the  word  Kozak  was  known  in  Europe,  Some  writers  say, 
that  Schah  Matey,  the  Tatar  khan  of  the  Wolga,  bound  by  a  treaty 
made  with  John  Albert,  king  of  Poland,  to  make  war  with  the  khan  of 
the  Crimea,  had  a  brother  of  the  name  of  Kosak,  whom  he  sent  to  the 
Nogay  Tatars  for  reinforcements,  and  that  that  brother,  having  a 
whole  tribe  of  Tatars  under  his  command,  gave  the  name  of  Kosak  to 
the  whole  Kosak  nation,  in  whose  territory  the  conflicts  between  the 
two  Tatar  chiefs  were  raging.  Others  assert,  that  the  name  is 
derived  from  the  Polish  word  Koza,  which  means  a  goat,  in  order  to 
give  an  idea  of  the  swiftness  of  the  Cossacks.  Sherer,  in  the  Annals 
of  Lesser  Russia,  asserts,  that  they  derive  their  name  from  a  sUp  of 
land  called  Kossa  (a  scythe).  The  Poles  and  the  Russians  mean  by 
the  word  Kosak,  a  brigand  lightly  armed.  See  Cromer,  p.  452  ; 
Lesur,  pp.  185,  186. 

Page  3.  (6).  Such  is  the  version  of  Lesur,  but  he  contradicts  him- 
self visibly  respecting  the  Cossacks  of  the  Ukraine  ;  and  we  would 
rather  be  inclined  to  follow  the  opinion  of  Cromer,  and  other  PoHsh 
historians,  who  assigned  the  existence  of  the  Cossacks  to  the  ninth 
century. 

Page  6.  (c). — See  Cromer,  Sherer,  and  other  historians,  who  mention 
that  the  militia  of  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Lithuania,  which,  after  the 
annexation  of  the  Ukraine  to  Poland,  passed  completely  under  the 
dominion  of  the  Polish  crown,  was  dressed,  in  the  reign  of  the  Polish 


276  NOTES. 

king  Kazimir  Jagellon  in  English  grey  woollen-cloth.  The  above-men- 
tioned militia  were  no  other  men  but  Cossacks. 

Page  12.  (d). — See  Lesur,  Beauplan,  about  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Ukraine. 

Page  13.  The  Kings  of  Poland  were  the  possessors  of  certain 
lands  belonging  to  the  crown,  which  they  were  obliged  to  give  to  the 
Polish  nobles,  who  signalised  themselves  in  war,  or  in  council,  or  who, 
on  other  occasions,  might  have  deserved  well  of  their  country.  These 
lands  varied  in  value,  according  to  the  rank  and  merits  of  those  to 
whom  they  were  assigned.  They  were  not  given  in  perpetuity,  but 
for  life,  sometimes  for  two  or  three  generations,  but  very  seldom  as  a 
heritage.  The  widows  very  often  continued  in  possession  of  these 
estates  till  the  time  of  their  death,  and  none  but  nobles  could  receive 
them.  They  were  called  in  Polish  Starostwa.  The  title  of  Starosta 
was  enjoyed  by  the  possessor  of  them,  and  his  consort  was  entitled 
Staroscina ;  the  Starosta's  son  was  called  Staroscic,  and  the  Starosta's 
daughter  Staroscianka,  and  the  name  of  the  estate  or  village  was  often 
adjoined  to  the  title.  The  Starosta  enjoyed  a  certain  authority  on 
their  estates,  especially  during  the  interregnum.  There  were  two 
sorts  of  Starosta,  those  who  enjoyed  the  magistracy  on  their  estates, 
and  those  who  did  not  enjoy  the  same  privilege  ;  yet  it  is  to  be  re- 
marked, that  when  a  Polish  noble  had  nine  sons,  six  of  which  were  in 
the  army,  he  received  an  estate  of  the  government  and  was  Starosta. 

Page  14.  (e).— See  Lesur  sur  les  Kosaques  ;  Beauplan's  Description 
de  rUkraine. 

Page  20.  (/). — Czayki  (pronounced  tchaiqui),  means,  in  Polish,  the 
sewwicks.    These  boats  were  so  called  on  account  of  their  lightness. 

Page  21.  (g). — The  Polish  Cossacks,  according  to  Beauplan,  used 
in  their  piratical  expeditions  a  kind  of  cask,  which  contained  a  quan- 
tity of  fresh  water,  so  well  preserved  that  it  never  putrified,  and 
acquired  at  sea,  even  with  the  length  of  time,  a  better  taste.  The  secret 
of  preserving  sweet  water  from  putrefaction— a  secret  which  would 
be  of  the  greatest  importance  in  navigation— was  never  disclosed  by 
the  Cossacks.  Several  historians  mention  it.  It  seems  now  to  be 
completely  lost . 

Page  29.  (A).— According  to  Lesur,  p.  321,  Czaplinski,  after  ravishing 
the  lady  of  Klimielnitski  on  the  dead  body  of  her  son,  massacred  her, 
put  Khmielnitski  in  prison,  and  burned  his  house.  Lesur,  however, 
who  wrote  his  History  of  the  Cossacks  in  1813  and  1814,  dwells  often 
on  all  things  unfavourable  to  Poland.    He  mentions  that  the  Cossack 


NOTES.  277 

chief,  Nalevayko,  vanquished  and  taken  prisoner  by  the  celebrated 
Polish  chieftain  Zulkiewski,  in  1598,  was  publicly  burned  at  Warsaw, 
in  a  copper  bull  made  on  purpose  ;  when  it  is  a  well  known  fact, 
which  I  minutely  investigated,  that  nothing  of  the  kind  ever  happened 
in  Poland.  Nalevayko  was  beheaded.  Some  authors  assert  that 
Czaplinski  ill-treated  Khmielnitski,  burned  his  house,  put  him  in 
prison,  and  lived  publicly  with  his  wife. 

Page  56.  (t). — It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  a  real  democracy  does  not 
exist  anywhere  but  among  the  Cossacks.  How  then  the  democratic 
element  can  harmonize  with  the  Russian  government  and  the  Russian 
aristocracy,  the  very  heart  of  despotism,  and  the  most  decided  element 
of  oppression  and  tyranny,  it  is  difficult  to  account.  These  two  con- 
trary elements,  which  have  already  had  some  collision,  cannot  ulti- 
mately harmonize,  and  must  sooner  or  later  fight  to  the  death. 

CHAPTER  II.— REBELLION  OF  STENKO  RAZIN. 

Page  65.  (a). — A  young  Circassian,  Prince  Pereghorski,  previously 
taken  prisoner  by  Stenko  Razin,  was  obliged,  by  the  orders  of  the 
latter,  to  assume  the  character  of  the  czarewicz,  in  the  bark  covered 
with  red  velvet ;  in  that  covered  with  black  velvet,  another  young 
man  represented  Nickon,  the  disgraced  patriarch.  The  above  named 
Prince  Pereghorski  was  pardoned  and  kindly  treated  by  the  Czar 
Alexy,  as  it  was  undoubtedly  proved  that  the  former  was  compelled  to 
do  so  under  the  fear  of  a  violent  death.  See  relation  of  the  Rebellion 
of  Stenko  Razin. 

Page  69.  (6).— To  this  time,  this  name,  the  Suburb  of  Hell,  still 
exists,  according  to  the  author  of  the  relation  of  the  Rebellion  of 
Stenko  Razin. 

CHAPTER  m.-THE  ZAPOROGUES. 

Page  74.  (a). — Suppressed. 

Page  77.  List  of  the  Attamans  Koshovy  of  the  Polish  Ukrainian 
Cossacks,  nominated  by  the  kings  of  Poland,  or  approved  by  them,  till 
the  defection  of  Khmielnitski : — 1,  Pzeclaw  Lanckoronski  (pronounced 
Fshetzlaf  Landskorongski),  called  also  Pazetzlav  Lantski  Bronski,  first 
chief  attaman  of  the  Polish  Cossacks,  nominated  in  1506  by  Sigis- 
mund  I. ;  2,  Ostaphy  Daszkiewicz  (pronounced  Dashkievitch)  ;  3,  Ro- 
zynski  (pronounced  Rojinski)  ;  4,  Wezyk  Chelmicki  (pronounced  Van 
jick  Khelmitski)  ;  5,  Twerkoski  (pronounced  Tferkoski)  ;  6,  Bohdanko 
Rozynski  (Rojinski)  ;  7,  Podhowa  {Podkovd)^  means  in  Polish  a  horse 


278  NOTES. 

shoe  ;  8,  Szah  (Sshagk)  ;  9,  Skalozup  (Skalozoop)  ;  10,  Kosemski  (Ko- 
samski);  11,  Nalevayko  (JValavaiko)  ;  12,  Piotr  Konasewicz  Sahay- 
daczny  (Peter  Konasavitch  Saghaydatchny)  ;  13,  Yaras  (Yaras) ;  14, 
Saavkanof-Perewieska  (Savakanof-Paraviaska)  ;  15,  Pawluk  (Pav- 
look  ;  16,  Ostranica  {Ostranitza)  \  17,  Poltora-Kozuch  (JPooltora-Ko- 
joogh)  ;  18,  Buluk  {Boolook)  ;  19,  Sineroy  Bohdan  Chmielnicki  (Sina- 
voi  Boghdan  Khmielnitski).  Among  the  aboTe-mentioned  Polish  Cos- 
sack chiefs,  or  attamans,  Ostafy  Daszkiewicz,  Twerkowski,  Boghdanko 
Rozynski,  Shah,  Nalevayko,  Sahaydaczny,  and  Khmielnitski,  were  the 
most  celebrated.  After  the  defection  of  Khmielnitzki  to  Russia,  in 
1654,  the  Cossack  chiefs  in  Russia  were,  and  are  to  this  time  desig- 
nated under  the  title  of  Hetmans,  a  title  borrowed  from  Poland,  cor- 
responding in  meaning  to  the  general-in-chief,  and  which  lasted  in 
Poland  till  the  partition  of  the  latter  country. 

After  the  defection  of  Khmielnitzki,  as  there  were  continual  wars 
between  Russia  and  Poland  respecting  the  Cossacks,  and  as  the  Zapo- 
rogues  formed  a  distinct  community,  though  there  were  more  atta- 
mans Koshovy  nominated  by  the  kings  of  Poland,  yet  as  the  Cossacks 
of  the  Ukraine  alternately  acknowledged  the  supremacy  of  Poland, 
Russia,  and  Turkey,  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  trace  the  regular  suc- 
cession of  their  attamans. 

Page  So.  {h). — Suppressed. 

Page  82.  (c). — Colonel  Lagowski,  who  spent  part  of  his  life  in  the 
Ukraine,  and  was  a  living  dictionary  of  the  Russic  lands,  mentioned, 
with  many  other  persons,  that  the  Zaporogues,  leading  several  years 
a  wild  life  on  the  islands  of  the  Dnieper,  acquired  sometimes,  if  young, 
a  secret  love  charm  for  the  ladies,  which,  if  once  known  by  them,  in- 
creased their  attachment  to  a  sort  of  phrenzy  for  those  who  pos- 
sessed it.  The  colonel  alluded  to,  who  gave  himself  the  trouble  of 
describing  this  charm,  says,  that  it  was  often  transmitted  from  the 
father  to  the  son  ;  that  the  use  of  the  waters  of  the  Dnieper  near  the 
cataracts,  and  the  river  Boh,  especially  at  the  time  when  a  kind  of  red 
flower  is  blooming  on  the  Steppes, — a  flower  whose  aromatic  scent  has 
been  known  to  invigorate  the  human  frame, — produced  occasionally 
such  a  charm.  Be  this  as  it  may,  I  have  heard  several  times  of  that 
charm,  and  a  gentleman  well-known  in  Volhynia  and  the  Ukraine,  of 
the  name  of  Iwanicki  (pronounced  Ivanitski),  probably  still  alive, 
has  been  known  to  possess  undoubtedly  such  a  charm. 

Page  85.  (</).— Some  authors  assert  that  the  Lissowczyki,  a  kind  of 
light  cavalry,  which  jierformed  extraordinary  feats  of  valour  abroad 


NOTES.  "279 

and  in  Poland,  during  the  reign  of  Sigismnnd  III.,  were  recruited 
among  the  Zaporogues  :  they  were  almost  all  killed  on  the  field  of 
battle. 

CHAPTER  IV.— MAZEPPA. 

Page  92.  (a). — Not  aU  things  in  Mazeppa's  early  life  are  explained. 
We  never  could  find  any  authentic  information  on  Mazeppa's  re- 
venge, which  is  mentioned  in  Byron's  work. 

CHAPTER  v.— ZELEZNIAK. 

Page  106.  (a)  — Schismatic.  The  Russians  of  the  Greek  church 
not  united,  were  so  called  because  they  seceded  from  the  metropolitan 
of  Constantinople  and  acknowleged  the  czar  as  their  patriarch.  By 
the  Synod  of  Brzesc  Litewski,  in  1594,  under  the  reign  of  Sigismimd 
ni..  King  of  Poland,  a  voluntary  union  between  the  Polish  subjects 
of  the  Greek  Church  and  the  Roman  Catholic,  was  partly  accom- 
plished, by  which  the  Polish  Unitarians  acknowledged  the  supremacy 
of  the  Pope,  retained  however  the  Sclavonian  language  in  the  cele* 
bration  of  divine  service,  and  were  not  subjected  to  the  inconveniences 
of  celibacy ;  they  were,  however,  not  allowed  to  marry  more  than  once, 
and  not  with  a  widow,  and  were  obliged  to  shave  their  beards.  The 
metropolitan  of  Kiow,  with  several  Bishops,  publicly  assented  to  that 
union  with  great  pomp.  This  wise  and  important  political  event  hap- 
pened under  the  papacy  of  Clement  VIII. ,  and  was  accomplished  chiefly 
by  the  exertions  of  Adam  Pociey,  Bishop  of  Vladimir,  and  Terlecki, 
Bishop  of  Lutzk.  From  that  time  the  followers  of  that  creed  were  called 
Unici,  Unitarians,  or  Unistes ;  sometimes  Greek  Catholics.  Six  millions 
of  them  were  formerly  under  the  Polish  domination.  They  were  always 
subjected  to  annoyances  and  persecutions  by  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment, especially  during  the  present  reign.  The  Emperor  Nicholas 
ordered  their  suppression.  The  celebrated  nun,  Svientoslawska,  (the 
Abbess  of  Minsk),  whose  name  was  so  familiar  to  the  British  and 
French  newspapers  not  long  since,  is  of  that  creed.  From  two 
hundred  Greek  Catholic  nuns,  above  one  hundred  and  eighty  died  in 
torments,  which  are  too  shocking  to  be  mentioned.  In  vain  the 
Russian  Ambassador  attempted  to  contradict  these  cruelties, 
they  were  corroborated  and  satisfactorily  proved.  The  apos- 
tate villain,  who  became,  by  sordid  and  selfish  motives,  the  infa- 
mous  and  principal  tormentor  of  the  nuns  of  Minsk,  came  to  an  un- 
timely end.     He  did  even  terrible  harm  to  the  Emperor  Nicholas' 


280  NOTES. 

and  increased  his  unpopularity  everywhere.  In  spite  of  all  this, 
there  are  some  miserable  authors  connected  with  Petersburgh,  who 
dare  to  mention,  for  sordid  motives,  under  the  beards  of  the  Poles  in 
a  foreign  country,  things  contrary  to  historical  facts  and  their  own 
conviction.  They  preach,  indirectly,  the  Greek  creed  in  Poland,  and 
other  ideas  tending  to  increase  visibly  the  Kussian  power  ;  in  doing 
so,  the  above  authors  wiU  injure  only  their  open  protectors,  but  not 
the  sacred  cause  of  Poland.  Two  millions  of  Unistes  are  yet  to  be 
found  in  Gallicia.  It  is  to  be  remarked  that  two  descendants,  in 
direct  line,  from  the  illustrious  families  of  Pociey  and  Terlecki,  are 
among  the  Polish  emigrants.  The  worthy  Count  Pociey  is  at  Paris, 
and  John  Terlecki  (pronounced  Terletski)  in  London.  The  latter? 
for  years,  was  copying  in  the  British  archives,  documents  connected 
with  Polish  history.  He  went  recently  to  Posen,  believing  in  the 
probability  of  a  War  with  Russia,  and  having  received  a  wound,  came 
back  to  England  and  resumed  his  laudable  occupation.  He  is  a 
native  of  the  same  province  as  myself,  and  though  we  may  differ  in 
opinion  on  some  branches  of  Polish  politics,  I  consider  his  conduct 
with  me,  as  well  as  with  everyone  who  knows  him  well,  perfectly  in 
accordance  with  an  honourable  man.  Among  the  real  Polish  emi- 
grants in  England,  no  one  possesses  more  superior  knowledge  of  his- 
tory and  geography  than  Baszczewicz,  (pronounced  Bashtchevitch)  : 
more  fortunate  than  most  other  Poles,  he  formed  an  accidental  ac- 
quaintance with  an  influential  clergyman,  who  procured  him  a  situa- 
tion, with  a  fixed  salary,  at  Leamington,  where  he  became  professor 
of  universal  history.  Sheltered  completely  from  want,  and  being  of 
a  quiet  disposition,  he  devoted  his  time  to  sedentary  occupation  and 
study,  and  acquired  a  stock  of  information  difficult  to  describe.  His 
pupils  presented  him  with  a  splendid  watch  as  a  testimonial  of  their 
good  wishes  and  regard.  It  is  a  well-known  fact,  that  the  protestant 
clergy,  at  all  times  liberal  and  eager  in  promoting  knowledge,  were 
the  tried  and  most  valuable  friends  of  the  Poles. 

A  rather  curious  usage  exists  among  the  Unistes.  The  consecration 
of  their  respective  churches  is  annually  commemorated  by  a  kind  of 
fete  called  praznik.  This  is  attended  by  the  neighbouring  clergy  and 
their  families,  as  also  by  the  proprietor  of  the  village  (who  is  mostly 
the  owner  of  the  presentation)  with  other  guests.  The  reunion  lasts 
the  whole  day,  and  the  guests  are  regaled  with  various  delicacies, 
including  a  sort  of  cake  {kolduny),  'strongly  resembling  the  English 
plum-pudding.    In  the  evening  a  peculiar  dance,  accompanied   by 


NOTES.  281 

singing,  takes  place.  It  is  called  poduszeczka  (pronounced  podoos- 
chetchka),  and  may  be  thus  described.  A  circle  of  gentlemen  and 
ladies  is  formed,  with  a  lady  or  gentleman  in  the  centre.  The  song 
and  dance  terminated,  the  centre  performer  flings  a  handkerchief  to 
one  of  the  other  sex,  bestowing  at  the  same  time  a  kiss  upon  the 
party  so  selected.  The  receiver  of  the  kiss  then  takes  his  or  her 
place  in  the  centre,  dancing  and  singing  are  resumed,  concluding,  as 
before,  with  the  flinging  of  the  handkerchief  and  kiss,  and  ^so  on,  imtil 
the  entire  company  have  participated  in  the  "  fim."  A  yet  more 
singular  custom  winds  up  the  festivities  of  the  day.  The  number  of 
guests  precluding  the  accommodation  of  beds,  their  hosts  endeavour 
to  obviate  that  difSculty  by  strewing  hay  on  the  floor,  with  a  cover- 
ing of  carpets  and  blankets,  upon  which  all  are  necessitated  to  repose 
for  the  night.  But  previous  to  preparing  this  "  shake-down,"  (as  it 
would  be  designated  in  England),  the  company  are  numbered,  the 
gentlemen's  numbers  being  placed  in  one  purse,  and  the  ladies'  num- 
bers in  another.  The  youngest  boy  and  girl  are  then  called  in,  and 
they  draw  the  numbers,  by  way  of  lottery,  until  each  lady  is  provided 
with  a  "  sleeping  partner  "  of  the  other  sex.  So  strictly  is  this  ad- 
hered to,  that  even  husbands  and  wives,  or  brothers  and  sisters,  are 
forbidden  to  sleep  close  to  each  other,  if  not  favoured  by  the  lottery — 
in  which,  as  a  matter  of  course,  some  trickery  occasionally  prevails. 
It  may  be  assum'ed  that  this  strange  mingling  of  the  sexes  sometimes 
leads  to  unwarrantable  liberties.  However,  this  is  not  of  frequent 
occurrence,  as  they  endeavour,  as  far  as  possible,  to  guard  against 
such  an  abuse  by  forbidding  any  one  from  disrobing,  and  by  having  a 
lamp  burning,  throughout  the  night,  in  the  corner  of  the  adjacent 
chamber.  Besides,  the  guests  are,  generally  speaking,  sufl&ciently 
numerous  to  be  a  mutual  check  upon  indulgence  in  any  impropriety. 
In  my  youth  I  personally  assisted  at  several  such  reunions  on  the 
estates  of  my  late  maternal  uncle,  Mr.  Gabryel  Orzeszko.  I  recollect 
that  on  one  occasion  a  jealous-minded  young  clergyman,  the  hus- 
band of  a  beautiful  woman, — who  attracted  the  admiration  of  the 
whole  neighbourhood,  protested  against  the  chance  of  the  lottery, 
imfavourable  to  his  wishes.  This  raised  a  storm.  The  master  and 
mistress  of  the  parsonage,  especially  the  latter,  were  extremely 
oflended  that  he  should  imagine  for  an  instant  that  anything  improper 
could  possibly  occur  in  their  house.  Indeed  he  narrowly  escaped 
being  well  thrashed,  though  he  stuck  to  the  last  to  the  safer  side  of 
the  question,  in  matrimonial  fidelity.    These  fetes  are  invariably  held 


282  NOTES. 

in  the  latter  part  of  autumn,  or  in  winter.  But  the  peculiar  custom 
here  described  is  not  limited  to  the  Unistes.  It  was  popular  among 
the  Greek  clergy,  and  prevails,  with  slight  modifications,  in  some  of 
the  wild  districts  of  the  ancient  kingdom  of  Poland.  Doubtless  it 
originated  in  the  unbounded  hospitality  of  those  secluded  regions, 
where  bad  roads,  snow  storms,  and  numerous  hordes  of  prowling 
wolves,  render  internal  communication  in  winter  extremely  diflBcult. 
Something  somewhat  similar,  but  under  diflferent  circumstances, 
exists,  I  believe,  in  the  rural  districts  of  Great  Britain,  as  in  Wales 
the  custom  of  "bundhng  "  is  well  known.  So  also  in  the  Carpathian 
mountains,  where  a  Highlander  courting  a  widow,  was  privileged, 
by  custom,  to  consider  her  as  his  lawful  wife  during  forty-eight 
hours,  with  the  option  of  subsequently  marrying  or  leaving  her. 
This  singular  custom  is  not  yet  abolished,  and  is  called /^-^/erAa. 

Page  106.  (6).— The  confederation  of  Bar  was  signed  on  the  29th 
of  February,  1768,  in  Podolia,  by  Adam  Krasinski,  the  Bishop  of 
Kamienietz,  his  brother  Michael,  Prancis  Potocki,  and  Pulawski,  for 
the  protection  of  the  Roman  Catholic  religion,  and  the  expulsion  of 
the  Russians  from  Poland. 

Page  111.  (c). — The  cruelties  perpetrated  by  Gonta  and  Zelezniak, 
during  the  religious  rebellion  of  1768,  are  beyond  all  power  of  descrip- 
tion. There  was  a  hall  at  Houmagne  where  they  compelled  naked 
women  to  dance  on  the  floor  covered  with  broken  glass.  These  unfortu- 
nate ladies  were  surrounded  with  spears,  and  often  stabbed  while  the 
music  was  playing. 

Page  112.  (c?). — These  are  things  which  cannot  be  mentioned. 


CHAPTER  VL- GONTA. 

Page  119.  (a).— Suppressed. 

Page  120. — Zelezniak  promised  to  spare  every  one  at  Lysianka 
if  the  gates  of  the  town  were  opened  to  him.  Its  governor  was 
suoh  a  fool  that  he  complied  with  this  proposition  j  but  no  sooner  did 
he  do  so,  than  a  general  massacre  ensued. 

Page  126.  (6).  —Levelel  says,  that  when  the  inhabitants  of  Houmagne 
were  slaughtered,  some  young  females  of  great  beauty  were  spared, 
holy  water  was  thrown  on  them  on  account  of  their  changing  their 
creed,  and  they  were  given  to  the  Haidaraaques.  The  rebellious  pea- 
sants were  called  Haidamaques.  Only  three  boys  were  spared  by  acci- 
dent ;  they  secured  themselves  on  the  top  of  the  church,   and  re- 


NOTES. 

mained  three  days  without  food ;  among  them  was  the  brother  of 
Colonel  Lagowski,  who  became  a  clergyman. 

CHAPTER  IX.-PRINCESS  TARAKHANOF. 

Page  175.  (a). — In  an  old  novel,  entitled  "Les  Annales  de  Leghorn," 
it  is  aflirmed  that  the  Princess  Tarakhanof  inspired  a  real  passion  in  an 
Italian  youth  at  Pisa,  who  having  been  introduced  to  her  at  a  party, 
accidentally  discovered  the  fatal  snare  so  artfully  prepared  for  her  de- 
Btruction.  On  the  sadden  departure  of  the  princess  from  Pisa,  her 
southern  lover  followed  her  to  Leghorn,  resolved  on  saving  her,  or 
perishing  himself  in  the  attempt ;  but  by  a  strange  fatality,  which 
sometimes  mars  human  purposes,  he  arrived  too  late,  and  as  she  was 
just  embarking  on  board  the  Russian  man-of-war.  Had  he  arrived 
but  a  few  minutes  sooner,  he  would  in  all  probability  have  preserved 
her  from  her  fate.  He  waS  seen  running  with  extraordinary  speed 
towards  the  sea  shore,  crying  and  gesticulating,  and  was  taken  for  a 
madman.  Polled  in  this  attempt  to  save  the  princess,  he  feU  senseless 
to  the  ground,  overwhelmed  by  excitement  and  despair.  This  anec- 
dote, slightly  varied  in  detail  only,  was  further  narrated  to  me  by 
several  persons ;  consequently  I  am  induced  to  believe  it  based 
on  fact. 

By  the  way,  speaking  of  love  at  first  sight,  her  Imperial  Highness 
the  present  Grand  Duchess  Michel  of  Russia  is  most  likely  uncon- 
scious, and  may  always  remain  so,  that  she  also  excited  such  a  passion 
in  the  bosom  of  a  private  Polish  soldier,  attached  to  the  first  division 
of  infantry,  and  who  was  hence  nicknamed  by  his  comrades  Wielki 
Xiaze  Michal,  that  is.  Grand  Due  Michel.  Previous  to  the  war  of 
1831  the  Grand  Duchess  made  frequent  visits  to  Warsaw,  and  was 
then  seen  by  her  humble  Pohsh  admirer,  whose  peace  of  mind 
she  then  unintentionally  destroyed.  How  I  became  the  confidant 
of  this  poor  fellow's  hopeless  love  may  perhaps  amuse  the  reader. 
One  day  previous  to  the  insurrection  of  1831  I  sallied  forth  on  a 
shooting  excursion  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Warsaw,  and  meeting  with 
my  brother  oflBcer,  Chmielinski,  who  was  enjoying  a  ramble,  induced 
him  to  accompany  me.  Scarcely  had  we  entered  the  forest  of  Bielany, 
when,  in  a  secluded  part  of  it  we  perceived  a  private  Polish  soldier 
reclining  despondingly,  on  the  brink  of  a  rivulet,  while  big  tears 
were  trickling  down  his  sorrow-stricken  cheeks.  Having  observed 
him  at  first  in  silence,  we  called  to  him,  but  received  no  answer. 
Lieut.  Chmielinski  then  touched  him  slightly  on  the  shoulder,  when 


S84  NOTES. 

he  turned  quickly  round,  and  recognizing  his  superiors,  made  his 
obeisance.  We  then  inquired  the  reason  of  his  grief,  promising,  if 
possible,  to  alleviate  it.  He  answered  that  he  wanted  not  money, 
nor  had  he  to  complain  of  any  ill  treatment,  but  that  death  alone 
could  terminate  sufferings  for  which  there  was  no  remedy  what- 
ever. After  some  entreaty,  he  frankly  confessed  his  unconquer- 
able passion  for  her  Imperial  Highness  the  Grand  Duchess  Helene  of 
Russia,  consort  of  the  Grand  Duke  Michel,  youngest  brother  of  the 
Emperor  Nicholas.  This  confession  was  corroborated  by  these  words 
carved  on  the  trees— Cudowna,  piekna,  hloga,  Wielka,  Xiezna,  Micha- 
lowa.  (Wonderful,  beautiful,  sweet,  Grand  Duchess  Michel !)  We  ad- 
vised him  to  be  chary  in  talking  of  his  love,  as  there  was  no  telling 
what  effect  such  a  tale,  if  known,  might  have  on  the  mind  of  the 
Grand  Due  Michel,  and  especially  on  that  of  the  Grand  Due  Con- 
stantine  his  brother,  then  commanding  the  Polish  army.  The  latter, 
if  apprised  of  his  malady,  would  probably  have  prescribed  a  twitch 
dance  on  his  skin,  as  the  most  effectual  means  of  cure.  His  comrades, 
however,  frequently  teazed  him,  and  even  reproached  him,  that  he 
was  enamoured  of  a  Russian  lady.  This  always  put  him  in  a  passion, 
and  he  answered  that  the  Grand  Duchess  was  a  German,  and  not  a 
Russian  lady. 

A  passion  for  a  married  lady  seldom  produces  on  the  lover's  part  a 
friendly  feeling  towards  the  husband,  but  it  did  so  in  this  instance- 
Lieut. -Colonel  Gorski  subsequently  informed  me,  that  during  the  last 
war,  1831,  before  a  general  engagement  between  the  Polish  army  and 
the  Russian  guard,  the  soldier  above  referred  to  oflBcially  apprised 
his  superiors,  that  although  otherwise  determined  to  do  his  duty  in  the 
field  as  became  a  Polish  soldier,  yet  should  he  chance  to  be  confronted 
sword  to  sword  with  the  Grand  Duke  Michel,  he  would  neither  kill 
nor  wound  his  imperial  antagonist,  in  order  to  spare  the  bitter 
anguish  which  such  misfortune  would  probably  produce  on  the  mind 
of  the  Grand  Duchess,  but  that  he  should  have  no  objection  to  make 
him  a  prisoner. 

This  singular  declaration  naturally  excited  general  hilarity  among 
the  oflBcers,  who,  at  all  times  courteous  to  the  ladies,  afforded  the  Grand 
Duchess's  ardent  admirer  the  opportunity  of  drinking  sundry  glasses 
of  excellent  claret,  to  the  health  and  prosperity  of  the  fair  object  of 
his  affection,  whom  he  saw  but  twice  for  an  instant,  and  with  whom 
he  never  exchanged  a  word.  The  taste  of  the  Polish  soldier  was  by 
no  means  a  bad  one  :  the  Grand  Duchess  proved  to  be  the  best  dancer 


NOTES.  285 

at  the  fashionable  Polish  balls  at  Warsaw  ;  she  is  of  dignified  stature 
and  graceful  deportment ;  she  bears  an  equal  resemblance  to  the 
Marchioness  of  Aylesbury  and  Viscountess  Palmerston,  and  thus 
realising  our  conception  of  a  Scandinavian  queen,  one  of  those  northern 
beauties  so  glowingly  portrayed  in  Ossian's  poetry.  She  received  a 
superior  education  at  the  celebrated  seminary  of  Madame  Campan, 
protected  by  Napoleon,  and  was  there  called  la  belle  savante. 

His  Imperial  Highness  the  Grand  Duke  Michel  when  in  a  passion 
is  like  a  lion,  ready  to  tear,  it  is  said,  everything  before  him,  but  when 
the  passion  is  over,  he  is  sociable,  and  such  a  wit,  that  his  jests  force  a 
smile  on  the  most  care-stricken  countenances.  Albeit  he  is  a  Eussian, 
he  behaved  well  some  years  ago  to  one  of  my  female  relatives  at 
Carlsbad.  He  saved  her  intended  from  a  journey  to  Siberia.  Indeed 
he  does  not  seem  to  partake  of  the  deadly  hatred  of  the  generality  of 
the  Russians  towards  the  Poles,  nor  is  he  so  much  hated  by  them. 

It  is  to  be  remarked  that  the  late  Grand  Duchess  Constantine  ex  • 
cited  almost  a  similar  passion  at  first  sight  in  the  heart  of  Baranski, 
one  of  the  strongest  men  in  the  guard  in  the  late  Polish  army,  pro- 
bably still  alive  ;  but  the  latter  saw  her  often  at  the  reviews.  She 
even  remarked  him  first,  and  the  late  Grand  Duke,  her  husband^ 
wishing  to  oblige  his  wife,  and  having  been  apprised  of  his  good  con- 
duct, promoted  him  to  the  rank  of  an  officer. 

CHAPTER  XL— PUGATCHEF. 

Page  187.  (a). — As  everything  on  Russia  now  is  interesting  and 
excites  the  general  curiosity,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  give  a  sketch 
of  her  principal  military  commanders. 

The  most  powerful  men  in  Russia,  after  the  emperor,  are  Princes 
Worontzof  and  Paszkiewich. 

The  former  has  an  aristocratic  name  ;  has  been  in  England,  and 
has  the  reputation  of  being  an  accomplished  gentleman,  an  able 
administrator,  a  man  of  extensive  knowledge  and  information, 
rather  than  a  great  general,  though  he  is  not  altogether  deficient 
in  military  capacity.  He  has  always,  it  is  said,  advised  peace  being 
made  with  the  Circassians,  against  whom,  no  Russian  general  was 
ever  successful.  He  owes  his  elevation  not  only  to  his  enormous 
wealth,  to  his  high  friends  and  connexions  at  the  Russian  court,  but 
also  to  the  minor  military  successes  of  Prince  Dolgorouki  and  General 
Freytack. 

As  to  Prince  Paszkiewich,  he  is  a  man  that  does  not  belong  to  the 


286 


NOTES. 


Russian  aristocracy  by  birth,  but  who  owes  his  elevation  chiefly  to 
his  own  exertions,  and  to  some  favourable  events  attending  his  cam- 
paigns. His  military  capacity  in  the  last  Polish  war  was  much 
exaggerated.  When  he  took  the  command  of  the  Russian  army  in 
Poland,  in  1831,  the  Poles  were  deserted  and  discouraged  ;  their 
indomitable  valour  was  gradually  and  systemically  shaken  by  the 
indecision,  weakness,  and  incapacity  of  their  leaders  ;  and  by  many 
treasonable  machinations  which  might  have  been  prevented  and 
crushed,  had  more  energetic  measures  been  taken,  a  true  govern- 
ment established,  and  some  generals  been  shot.  The  cancer  of 
anarchy  and  corruption  had  spread  in  all  directions.  Under  such 
favourable  circumstances,  any  general  possessing  a  moderate  share 
of  ability  and  patience,  and  with  such  extensive  means  at  his  dis- 
posal as  Paszkiewich  had,  might  have  been  equally  successful.  But, 
as  to  his  former  campaigns  in  Persia  and  Turkey,  no  lover  of  fair 
play,  who  carefully  studies  them,  can  possibly  deny  him  military 
talents  ;  and  his  rule -in  Poland,  under  difficult  and  trying  circum- 
stances, denotes  a  sagacious  mind  :  and  though  Paszkiewich  is  not  a 
man  of  Suvarof  cruelty,  and  is  not  disliked,  it  is  said,  by  the 
generality  of  the  Poles,  the  following  circumstance  will  convince 
the  reader  how  terrible  are  the  means  he  sometimes  employs  for 
repressing  abuses  and  disorders : — 

Some  time  since,  a  Polish  gentleman  with  his  wife  and  daughter 
left  Warsaw  in  a  carriage  and  four  ;  and,  contrary  to  the  advice  of 
his  friends,  was  returning,  in  the  night,  to  his  home  in  the  country. 
Scarcely  had  he  proceeded  a  few  English  miles  from  Warsaw,  when 
he  was  stopped  by  a  Circassian  cavalry  patrol.  He  was  robbed,  his 
servants  beaten,  his  wife  and  daughter  ill-used,  and  one  of  the 
ruffians  cut  off  his  lady's  finger  on  which  was  a  large  diamond. 
As  the  use  of  every  kind  of  weapon  is  forbidden  in  Poland,  the 
gentleman,  in  the  struggle,  repelled  several  of  the  assailants  with  his 
fist,  and  gave  one  of  the  Russians  such  a  happy  blow  with  his  pipe 
on  the  hind  part  of  his  head,  that  it  stunned  the  ruffian,  who  fell 
senseless  to  the  ground  ;  and  soon  afterwards  another  travelling  car- 
riage liberated  the  Polish  family  from  further  molestation.  As  the 
outrage  occurred  almost  within  sight  of  Warsaw,  the  gentlemen, 
indignant  at  such  a  robbery  on  the  public  highway,  returned  imme- 
diately thither  ;  and  alighting  directly  at  Paszkiewich 's  residence, 
demanded  an  interview  with  the  latter  ;  the  prince  soon  came  out, 
and  felt  eager  to  know  what  he  wanted.    Scarcely  had  the  Russian 


NOTES.  287 

field-marshal  made  his  appearance,  when  the  Polish  lady,  excited  by 
the  loss  of  her  finger  and  by  the  infamous  treatment  to  which  they 
had  been  subjected,  opened  so  skilful  an  attack  on  the  latter  in  her 
first  burst  of  indignation,  (and  with  her  cutting  eloquence   inter- 
spersed with  sobbing  and  screammg),  that  the  conqueror  of  Poland, 
unprepared  to  parry  her  reproaches  and  forcible  arguments,  could 
not  at  first  say  a  word  in  justification  ;  but,  after  a  while  answered, 
*'  Madam,  remember  with  whom  you  are  speaking ;  if  you  address  me  thus 
in  public,  I  shall  be  obliged  to  punish  you  :  but,  enter  my  house  with  your 
husband,  and  I  give  you  my  word  of  honour,  as  a  soldier,  that  no  harm 
shall  be  done  to  you :  and  there  you  may  say  to  me  what  you  think  pro- 
per"   She  then  entered  his  house,  where  she  was  patiently  listened 
to  ; — and  when  a  Polish  lady  unbridles  her  tongue  it  is  no  joke. 
Paszkiewich,  in  all  probability,  heard  such  verba  veritatis,  as  he  will 
never  hear  again.    At  all  events,  he  promised  her  to  take  all  neces- 
sary measures   for  punishing  the   guilty    parties.     He  called  his 
aide-de-camp  and  gave  him  peremptory  orders  that  all  the  Cir- 
cassians   who    were    engaged     in    patroling   the    previous    night, 
should  attend,  without  the  exception  of  a  single  man,  (whether  sick 
or  dead,)  in  the  Saxon  square,  the  next  morning ;  and  after  taking 
leave  of  the  injured  ladies,   he  requested  the  Polish  gentleman  to 
attend  him  there  at  the  proper  time.     The  next  day  he  inspected, 
personally,  all  the  Circassians,  made  the  most  minute  inquiries,  but 
could  not  discover  the  guilty  parties  ;   and  asked  the   gentleman, 
alluded  to,  whether  he  could  recognise  any  one  among  these  soldiers 
who  had  robbed  him  on  the  preceding  night  ;  the  latter  answered, 
that  it  was  a  dark  and  starless  night,  and  his  conscience  would  not 
allow  him  to  criminate  any  particular  man  unjustly ;  that  he  thought 
however,  that  they  belonged  to  the  field-marshal's  guard  ;  and,  that 
the  one  who  received  a  blow  on  the  head  from  him,  must  have  a  mark. 
The  field-marshal  immediately  ordered  that  all  the  men  belonging 
to  the  Circassian  detachments,  should  come,  one  after  the  other,  take 
off  their  caps,  and  show  him  their  heads.    One  soldier  actually  had 
a  fresh  and  bloody  mark  on  his  head  ;  and  after  a  careful  examina- 
tion it  was  soon  found  that  it  must  have  proceeded  from  a  blow. 
Paszkiewich  gave  him  a  box  on  the  ear,  accused  him  of  robbery, 
and  peremptorily  ordered  him  to  name  his  accomplices  :   he  men- 
tioned seven  persons,  among  them  an  oflBLcer  ;   they  were  all  im- 
mediately arrested,  tried,  and  convicted.    Paszkiewich  ordered  three 
physicians  to  be  called  without  delay,  and  seven  coflObas  to  be  con- 


288  NOTES. 

structed  in  two  hours,  if  they  were  not  to  be  found  ready-made  at  the 
undertakers.  When  everything  was  ready,  the  seven  men  alluded  to, 
including  the  officers,  were  undressed,  tied  to  their  coffins,  and, 
without  any  further  ceremony  flogged  to  death,  in  the  presence  of 
the  Polish  gentleman.  When  the  physicians  had  pronounced  them 
to  be  dead,  they  were  all  buried  close  to  the  place  where  they  com- 
mitted the  offence.  From  that  time  the  spot  is  called  "  the  grave  of 
the  seven  robbers  "  (^rob  sied  miu  rozboynikow).  This  terrible  example 
struck  terror  into  the  hearts  of  the  soldiers  ;  and  stopped  the  further 
commission  of  robbery.  The  soldiers  alluded  to,  were  certainly 
deserving  of  exemplary  punishment,  but  the  manner  of  its  infliction 
was  not  in  accordance  with  the  customs  of  civilized  Europe.  I 
mention  this  -anecdote,  the  details  of  which  I  give  on  the  authority 
of  an  eye  witness  to  the  circumstance,  as  it  bears  the  peculiar  stamp 
of  the  Russian  rule.  Field-marshal  Paszkiewich,  Prince  of  Warsaw, 
seems  to  be  superior  in  military  capacity  to  Prince  Worontzof,  but 
the  latter,  it  is  said,  is  more  liked  at  the  Russian  court.  I  noticed 
at  Warsaw,  to  my  fellow-officers  in  the  Polish  guard,  in  1828,  the 
military  talents  of  the  former. 

Page  199.  (e). — Ufia ;  a  town  of  that  name  exists  near  White- 
haven, in  Cumberland,  in  a  very  bleak  and  deserted  neighbourhood, 
the  most  isolated  perhaps  in  England  ;  where  the  communication,  on 
account  of  the  extended  moors,  steep  hills,  deep  ravines,  bad  roads, 
and  snow  storms,  in  winter  especially,  is  difficult.  The  surrounding 
scenery  of  Uffa  is  grand,  romantic,  and  beautiful.  Not  unfrequently 
eagles  are  to  be  seen  on  the  top  of  Blackcombe. 

CHAPTER  XII.— DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  UKRAINE. 
Page  226.  (a). — The  word  Russian  must  be  distinguished  from 
Muscovite ;  the  epithet  here  does  not  apply  to  any  part  of  Muscovy 
or  Russia,  simply  so  called.  Black  Russia,  White  Russia,  and  Red 
Russia,  belonged,  from  time  immemorial,  to  the  kingdom  of  Poland. 
The  country  round  Vitebek  Polotzk  and  Mohilev,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Dnieper,  of  the  higher  banks  of  Dzvina,  at  the  present  time  incorpo- 
rated, in  a  great  measure,  with  the  governments  of  Minsk,  was  called, 
and  is  still  called  White  Russsia,  Biala  Rus\  on  account  of  the  nume- 
rous white  hares  that  are  met  with  therein,  as  also  on  account  of  the 
dresses  of  the  same  colour  worn  by  the  peasants.  It  is  one  of  the 
poorest  countries  in  Europe.  The  country  between  the  Dnieper  and 
the  Prypetz,  forming  the  ancient  circle  of  Novogrodek,  at  the  pre- 


NOTES.  289 

sent  time  incorporated  with  the  government  of  Grodno,  was  formerly, 
and  is  still  denominated  Black  Russia,  Czama  Rus\  The  southern 
part  of  the  ancient  palatinate  of  Lublin,  the  country  round  Chelm,  a 
portion  of  Volhynia,  and,  above  all,  the  circle  of  Lutzk,  the  country 
round  Przeraysl  and  Halicz,  were  formerly  called  Red  Russia,  Czer- 
vona  Bus\  White  and  Black  Russia,  at  the  dismemberment  of  Poland, 
came  imder  the  power  of  the  Russians.  With  respect  to  Red  Russia, 
the  soil  of  which  is  extremely  fertile,  and  which  was  very  extensive, 
tlds  was  not  assigned  to  Russia  ;  it  was  only  the  extreme  north  of 
this  province  that  was  annexed  to  the  Government  of  Volhynia.  The 
territory,  in  the  environs  of  Lublin  and  Chelm,  belonged  lately  to  the 
kingdom  of  Poland,  which  was  suppressed  after  the  war  in  1831.  All 
the  rest  was  placed  under  the  dominion  of  Austria,  together  with  the 
capital  of  Red  Russia  Leopol,  in  Polish  Lvov  ;  in  German  Lemberg, 
now  the  capital  of  GaUicia,  that  is,  of  all  the  Austrian  portion  of  Po- 
land. This  town  was  not  only  the  ancient  capital  of  Red  Russia,  but 
of  all  the  Russic  territories.  These  Russic  territories  (we  venture 
upon  the  use  of  this  epithet  for  the  sake  of  distinction)  comprehended 
nearly  a  third  part  of  the  kingdom,  embracing  the  whole  extent  of 
the  south  of  Poland,  that  is,  of  the  Ukraine,  Podolia,  Volhynia,  and 
Red  Russia.  This  latter  was  ruled,  in  the  thirteenth  century,  by  a 
king,  the  only  Russic  king,  Daniel,  who  invaded  the  country  at  the 
head  of  a  Batar  force,  which  committed  dreadful  devastation.  Casi- 
mir  the  Great,  Kazimierz  Wielki,  in  the  year  1346,  incorporated  Red 
Russia  with  Poland,  and  divided  it  into  palatinates  ;  it  formed  a  part 
of  Poland  for  the  space  of  449  years,  that  is,  till  the  final  dismember- 
ment of  the  country.  An  individual  dared  to  write  in  the  "  Britisli 
and  Foreign  Review,"  especially  devoted  to  the  Polish  cause,  that 
the  provinces  in  question  ought  to  belong  to  Russia  ;  this  singular 
assertion  can  in  no  wise  alter  the  truth,  based  as  it  is  on  historical 
facts,  and  absolutely  incontrovertible.  Peter  the  Great  was  the  first 
who  took  the  title  of  Emperor  of  all  the  Russias.  This  title  is  rather 
politic  and  imaginary  than  real,  inasmuch  as  the  last  king  of  Po- 
land, Stanislaus  Poniatowski — that  effeminate  puppet,  better  calcu- 
lated to  figure  in  a  tavern,  than  on  the  throne  of  a  great  nation — that 
vile  tool  of  the  Russian  cabinet,  who  signed  the  dismemberment  of 
his  own  kingdom,  and  quietly  allowed  the  senators  of  the  diet  of 
Grodno  to  be  carried  away  by  force,  an  act  of  complaisance  which, 
after  his  abdication,  appeared  to  have  gained  for  him  a  prompt  pass- 
port into  the  other  world — bore  the  title  of  King  of  Poland,  Grand 

V 


290  NOTES. 

Duke  of  Lithuania,  Grand  Russic  Duke.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that 
there  is  no  difference  in  English,  as  in  Polish  and  French,  between 
Ruski  a,nd  Bussyiki,  Russien  and  i?Msse,  Rus  and  Rosya,  Rmsie  and  terres 
Russiennes,  by  which  many  historical  errors  would  have  been  avoided. 
We  have  presumed  to  use  the  epithet  Russic  to  mark  a  distinction  so 
imperatively  necessary  ;  since  the  denomination  of  the  word  Rus,  the 
Poles  understand  and  consider  Red  Russia,  Volhynia,  Podolia,  and 
the  Ukraine,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Dnieper,  all  the  Russic  terri- 
tories belonged  to  Little  Poland,  Malo  Polska  the  most  extended  pro- 
vince of  ancient  Poland. 

Page  230.  [Steppes.]  The  steppes  of  the  Ukraine  are  for  the  most 
part  covered  with  plants,  from  three  to  four  feet  high,  called  budziake 
(pronounced  6ooc?2:za^i).  They  are  smooth  from  the  end,  and  prickled  on 
the  top  ;  thus  affording  an  excellent  shelter  for  all  kinds  of  game,  wild 
animals  and  sometimes  wolves.  "Wood  being  very  scarce,  these  reeds 
are  used  as  fuel,  especially  in  winter.  To  afford  the  reader  some  idea 
of  the  danger  to  which  a  traveller  was  not  unfrequently,  (in  times  past, 
and  may  yet  be)  exposed,  at  the  inns,  in  the  thinly  peopled  wilds  of  the 
south-  eastern  Ukraine,  I  may  instance  an  appalHng  circumstance  that 
occurred  during  my  stay  in  that  province  many  years  ago,  as  also  an 
adventure  which  happened  in  those  regions  to  my  father  (deceased  28 
years  since),  and  in  which  his  life  was  almost  miraculously  preserved. 

Twelve  Greek  merchants,  having  successfully  sold  their  goods  at 
Odessa,  were  returning  to  the  town  of  Brody  with  large  sums  of 
money,  and  halted  at  an  inn  in  the  Steppes.  One  of  them  attended 
to  the  horses  ;  the  remainder  slept  in  the  same  room  on  the  carpets, 
placed  on  hay,  as  the  comfort  of  beds,  known  in  Western  Europe,  is 
out  of  the  question  in  these  resting-places. 

Having  partaken  of  refreshments,  smoked  their  pipes,  and  drank 
some  grog,  the  merchants,  fatigued  by  the  journey,  and,  confident  in 
their  number,  scorning  the  necessary  precautions,  soon  fell  into  a 
deep  slumber.  After  midnight  three  men,  with  noiseless  steps,  en- 
tered the  travellers'  room.  Two  of  them  carried  a  narrow  plank, 
prepared  beforehand,  and  holding  it  at  each  end,  in  which  some  lead 
was  put  on  purpose,  placed  it  cautiously  across  the  breasts  of  the 
unsuspecting  travellers,  pressing  it  down  with  all  their  might,  while 
the  third,  with  a  double-edged,  thick,  and  sharp-pointed  knife,  cut 
the  eleven  victims'  throats  with  lightning  speed. 

A  mere  accident,  however,  led  to  the  detection  of  this  atrocity. 
Shortly  subsequent  to  its  perpetration  another  traveller  entered  the 


NOTES.  291 

inn,  and  accosted  one  of  the  assassins.  This  fellow  had  appropriated 
to  himself  the  valuable  watch  of  one  of  his  victims,  which  watch,  by 
an  ingenious  contrivance,  played  several  airs,  after  the  fashion  of  a 
musical  box.  While  the  two  were  conversing  the  watch  commenced 
playing.  "  Wliat  is  that  ?  "  inquired  the  traveller.  "  It  is  only  my 
watch,"  answered  the  villain,  turning  pale  with  conscious  guilt.  "It 
must  be  a  very  curious  one;  pray  let  me  examine  it,"  said  the  tra- 
veller. The  man's  hesitation  at  complying  with  this  request,  and  his 
evasive  replies  to  other  interrogatories,  naturally  excited  a  suspicion 
that  an  article  so  imusual  to  one  of  his  humble  rank  had  not  honestly 
come  into  his  possession.  Consequently  the  traveller  lost  no  time  in 
communicating  the  affair  to  the  police.  The  premises  were  thereupon 
searched,  and  the  result  was  the  detection  and  arrest  of  the  criminals. 
After  a  protracted  trial,  they  were  convicted,  knouted,  and  executed. 

Now  for  my  father's  adventure.  Shortly  after  the  above  transaction, 
he  was  travelling  between  Odessa  and  Kiow,  and  stopped  at  an  inn, 
kept  by  a  married  couple  of  Ormians  (^Ormianie),  an  eastern  sect  of 
mixed  race,  deserving  separate  description.  Having  held  a  commis- 
sion in  the  Polish  legion,  and  having  fought  against  Souvarof  in  Italy, 
under  the  command  of  the  French  general,  Championet,  my  father, 
who  had  only  two  servants  with  him,  was  conscious  of  the  danger 
attending  such  places  ;  therefore,  after  taking  a  complete  survey  of 
the  premises,  he  gave  the  necessary  orders  to  the  servants  to  be  on  the 
watch,  himself  being  well  prepared  for  any  emergency.  The  landlord 
pressed  him  to  seek  repose,  but  as  there  was  something  in  the  man's 
looks  which  by  no  means  inspired  confidence,  my  father  resolved  not 
to  comply  with  his  importunities.  He  was  very  submissive,  and  in 
answer  to  several  questions,  contradicted  himself  on  the  main  points. 
He  aflSrmed  that  he  did  not  expect  any  other  guests,  and  that  no  one 
then  resided  in  the  house  except  his  wife,  his  daughter,  a  girl  about 
fifteen  years  of  age,  and  a  male  servant,  notwithstanding  that  my 
father  thought  he  occasionally  heard  a  low  whispering  of  strange 
voices  ;  but  as,  despite  his  most  searching  examination,  he  could  not 
discover  any  one,  he  ascribed  it  only  to  the  working  of  his  imagination. 
The  disappearance,  however,  of  the  coachman's  dog,  which  could  no- 
where be  found,  re-excited  his  suspicion.  Being  well  provided  with 
fire-arms,  he  placed  a  brace  of  loaded  pistols  on  the  table  Why  he 
remained  at  all  was  that  the  badness  of  the  road,  the  want  of  provender 
for  his  tired  horses,  and  the  utter  darkness  of  a  November  night  pre- 
cluded a  removal,  at  that  late  hour,  from  his  anything  but  pleasant 


292  NOTES. 

quarters.  He  remarked  that  the  hostess  often  cast  her  eyes  on  the 
pistols,  and,  bringing  a  cup  of  tea,  she  let  fall  the  cup,  as  if  by  acci- 
dent on  the  locks.  My  father,  greatly  displeased,  began  to  scold  her, 
and  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  there  were  really  more  persons  in 
the  house  than  those  mentioned  by  the  landlord,  he  put  fresh  powder 
in  the  locks,  and  fired  a  pistol.  At  the  report  some  traps  were  sud- 
denly opened,  and  several  men,  with  flashing  eyes  and  large  knives  in 
their  hands,  sprang  up  from  beneath.  My  father,  however,  was  pro- 
vided with  two  brace  of  pocket  pistols,  which  he  had  kept  concealed, 
and  one  of  the  domestics,  with  pistol  in  hand,  came,  conformably  to 
the  previous  orders  which  he  had  received,  to  my  father's  assistance, 
while  the  other  was  guarding  the  carriage  and  horses.  My  father 
threatened  to  shoot  the  first  who  dared  to  approach,  and  the  warning 
produced  a  salutary  efiect.  Soon,  however,  the  welcome  daylight 
afibrded  him  a  fair  opportunity  for  quitting  this  most  suspicious 
house  of  entertainment.  Although  the  whole  affair  was  reported  to 
the  Russian  police,  and  a  Russian  magistrate  (sprawnik)  examined  the 
premises,  it  could  not  be  satisfactorily  proved  that  the  landlord  ac- 
tually designed  to  murder  my  father,  but  the  latter  had  certainly  no 
reason  to  doubt  the  man's  guilty  intention  in  that  respect.  My  mother 
was  also  once  in  great  danger,  while  travelling  in  the  Ukraine  mider 
different  circumstances.  But  a  large  volume  would  be  filled  were  I  to 
detail  the  numerous  similar  circumstances,  of  unquestionable  authen- 
ticity, that  have  come  to  my  knowledge — not  alone  intended  murders 
but  actual  assassinations,  as  also  attacks  not  always  successful.  Ge- 
nerally speaking,  such  crimes  are  committed  on  by-roads,  on  tra- 
vellers not  sufficiently  on  their  guard.  The  offenders  are  not  so 
easily  to  be  caught,  it  not  unfrequently  happening  that  the  Russian 
police  magistrates,  who  are  badly  paid,  are  indirectly  participators  in 
the  robbers'  plunder.  The  vast  extent  of  the  country  forms  also 
another  obstacle  to  the  speedy  capture  of  the  offenders.  The  robbers 
also  have  their  faithful  spies  abroad,  who  guide  them  how  to  act,  even 
in  large  towns.  The  whole  country  of  the  Steppes,  from  the  Ukraine 
to  the  Tartar  boundary,  is  not  safe.  It  is  thinly  settled,  indeed,  from 
the  difficult  access  to  water  in  dry  seasons.  The  following  precautions 
may  be  useful  in  such  places  :  to  examine  carefully  the  premises  ;  to 
have  a  dog  and  fire-arms  ;  to  be  always  on  the  qui  vive;  not  to  take 
any  liquid  from  the  landlord,  and,  by  sounding  with  a  hammer  or 
other  means,  to  ascertain  whether  there  is  any  trap  or  concealed 
entrance  into  the  room.    The  journey  in  these  wilds,  notwithstanding 


NOTES.  293 

all  its  difficulty,  presents,  especiaUy  in  agreeable  company,  far  more 
charms  and  attraction  than  the  common  and  prosaic  journey  in 
Western  Europe.  Mr.  Cortazi,  member  of  the  Polish  Association, 
who  was  for  some  years  resident  in  the  Ukraine,  and  is  now  in  Lon- 
don, can  decide  as  to  the  correctness  of  my  observations. 

Page  232.  (6). — As  he  entered  in  triumph  he  struck  with  his  sword 
the  gilded  gate  of  the  city,  and  made  a  mark  upon  the  gate  as  well  as 
upon  his  sword,  which  was  called  Szezerbiec  (pronounced  Schtchar- 
biatz)  on  account  of  the  mark.  The  kings  of  Poland  were  girded 
with  this  sword  during  the  ceremony  of  their  coronation. 

Page  255.  (c).— Speaking  of  Ukrainian  ladies,  I  take  this  opportu^ 
nity  of  describing  other  shades  of  provincial  PoUsh  beauties,  whose  fac- 
simile I  have  seen  among  the  fair  daughters  of  Great  Britain.  Gene- 
rally speaking,  Polish  ladies  do  not  resemble  either  French,  or  German, 
or  English  ladies,  though,  by  their  manners,  complexion,  and  charac- 
ters, they  form  a  curious  mixture  of  them,  partaking  something  of  the 
eastern  ladies.  Poland  is  also  such  a  large  country,  that  between  North 
Polish  ladies  and  South  Polish  ladies  there  may  be  a  slight  difference 

in  features.     The  Marchioness  of  M (the  lady  of  the  gallant 

Colonel,  Marquis  of  M )  aide-de-camp  to  Prince  Louis  Napo- 
leon, has  somethingJPolish  in  her  manners  and  features,  and  can  be  easily 
taken  for  a  Gallician  lady  (Gallicia  is  in  Austrian  Poland.)    Mrs. 

H ,  the  second  wife  of  the  banker  of  that  name,  at  Skipton,  Mrs* 

Richard  D ,  at  Knaresborough,  and  one  of  the  Misses  D , 

from  Red  How,  in  the  Lake  district,  present  living  specimens  of 
Polish  ladies,  of  purely  Polish  race,  of  midland  Poland.  Mrs.  Henry 
G ,  of  Moorland,  Lancashire,  the  wife  of  a  member  of  Par- 
liament, can  be  taken  as  a  specimen  of  a  Polish  lady,  a  native  of  the 
grand  duchy  of  Posen  in  Prussian  Poland.  Mrs.  M.  T re- 
siding in  the  secluded  wilds  of  the  south-eastern  borders,  is  a  living 
specimen  of  a  Mazovian  lady.  Indeed  these  ladies  are  equally  distin- 
guished for  their  personal  graces,  their  fascinating  manners,  their 
varied  accomplishments,  and  their  estimable  qualities. 

Speaking  so  much  about  Ukrainian  ladies,  I  consider  it  as  a  pleasing 
duty  to  mention  the  name  of  one  of  the  shining  stars  among  them, 
Countess  Delfina  Potocka  (pronounced  Pototska),  whose  talents,  know- 
ledge, eloquence,  various  accomplishments,  united  with  high  birth, 
wealth,  noble  feelings,  fascinating  manners,  and  virtues,  are  fully 
worthy  to  be  described.  Prom  Poland  to  the  banks  of  the  Rhine,  from 
♦  he  foaming  cataracts  of  the  Dnieper  to  the  soft  sky  of  Italy,  power- 


294  NOTES. 

ful  princes  bow  to  her,  court  her  smile  and  approbation,  and  would 
be  glad  to  crouch  at  her  feet.  Polish  grandees  and  poets  paint  her  in 
their  poetry,  and  retain  for  her,  after  their  marriage,  a  platonic 
attachment  founded  on  esteem,  respect,  and  friendship.  When  she 
sings,  and  when  her  fair  fingers  touch  the  piano,  or  slightly  teaze  and 
caress  the  grateful  strings  of  the  harp,  she  pours  streams  of  delight 
into  the  human  soul:  not  only  men  but  animals  are  moved,  and  even 
the  sorrowful  sister  of  the  night,  the  silent  protector  of  lovers,  mourn- 
ful and  solitary,  longing  for  ages  in  vain  for  a  sweet  companion, 
slightly  advances  from  the  tops  of  time-honoured  oaks,  looks  in  at  her 
window,  and  begs  for  a  kiss — Bobr..»a  Zapomniana  Sigis. 

Page  260.  (e.) — It  may  not  be  amiss  to  inform  the  reader  that  not 
only  young  Potocki  (Palatine's  son)  mentioned  in  Malczewskis 
mournful  poem  "  Maria,"  was  unfortunate  (the  father  having  ordered 
the  son's  beautifid  wife  to  be  murdered  during  the  honeymoon,  under 
circumstances  of  peculiar  atrocity)  but  Malczewski  himself.  The 
latter  was  a  yoimg  man  of  ancient  family  settled  in  the  Ukraine. 
Possessing  an  ardent  soul,  and  having  received  a  superior  education, 
he  left  his  home,  visited  the  holy  land,  reached  the  top  of  Mont  Blanc, 
and  travelled  through  all  Europe.  After  spending  the  greatest  portion 
of  his  moderate  fortune  during  his  wanderings  abroad,  he  suddenly 
felt  a  taste  for  retirement,  and  stayed  for  some  time  at  the  seat  of  his 
schoolfellow  (to  whom  he  was  very  much  attached),  in  a  secluded 
part  of  Volhynia,  not  far  from  the  town  of  Wlodzimirz  ;  the  latter 
married  a  lady  who  was  induced  by  family  connexions  to  accept 
him  for  a  husband  ;  and  scarcely  had  Malczewski  been  introduced 
to  her,  than  he  fell  suddenly  a  victim  of  her  charms.  Admitted  to 
her  intimacy,  he  had  the  opportunity  of  displaying  his  knowledge 
and  eloquence,  which  his  friend,  a  good  and  homely  kind  of  man, 
did  not  possess.  As,  however,  the  latter  received  him  with  open 
arms,  and  never  gave  him  any  offence,  and  as  in  Poland,  where  great 
sociability  exists,  the  sacred  laWs  of  hospitality  are  always  respected, 
he  never  abused  his  friend's  confidence,  nor  betrayed  his  secret  to  any 
one.  The  temptation,  however,  of  seeing  the  beloved  object  every 
day  increased  the  difficulties  of  mastering  that  passion  ;  he  became 
restless,  whimsical,  shunned  her  sight,  wandered  in  the  night,  often 
spent  the  whole  day  on  the  neighbouring  lake,  yet  always  patted 
and  caressed  the  children  in  the  house,  who  became  fond  of  him. 
Once  he  was  taken  for  a  robber,  another  time  for  a  madman.  The 
lady  complained  to  her  husband  that  she  never  gave  any  offence  to 


295 

lis  friend,  and  yet  that  friend's  manners  were  so  distant  towards  her, 
that  it  led  her  to  tliink  she  had  somehow  offended  him.  Malczewski, 
however,  tormented  by  temptation,  suddenly  formed  the  wise  resolu- 
tion to  leave  his  friend's  house,  but  before  leaving  it  he  wished  to  take 
a  secret  farewell  of  the  object  of  his  ardent  affection.  After  waiting  a 
long  time  in  the  night,  he  suddenly  left  his  room,  came  imder  the 
window  of  her  bed-chamber,  knelt,  pronounced  the  cherished  name, 
and  wept  like  a  child.  A  favoured  maid,  however,  of  the  lady 
alluded  to,  induced  by  curiosity,  watched  him,  and  discovered  his 
secret,  and  after  his  departure,  apprised  her  mistress  of  everything 
connected  with  the  subject.  Though  ladies  keep  their  own  secrets 
very  well,  yet  they  very  seldom  keep  the  secrets  of  others.  This 
matter,  under  various  shapes,  soon  became  the  principal  topic  of  con- 
versation amongst  the  old  maids  of  the  whole  neighbourhood,  and 
Malczewski,  whose  health  was  much  injured,  careless  about  his 
business,  wandering  from  place  to  place,  without  friends  and  relatives, 
was  confined  to  his  bed,  and  subjected  to  want  and  misery.  Some  of 
his  enemies,  jealous  of  his  talents,  had  the  imprudence  to  slander  him 
in  the  presence  of  his  favourite  lady  and  her  husband,  who  had  nothing 
to  reproach  him  with,  and  who  seemed  to  listen  too  much  to  their 
tattle  :  this  offended  his  wife,  who,  highly  indignant  at  their  in- 
justice, packed  up  her  things,  left  a  letter  for  her  husband,  and  went 
directly  in  quest  of  Malczewski.  She  stepped  into  the  room  as  he 
was  just  pronouncing  her  name  ;  he  was  very  iU,  and  could  not  at 
first  believe  his  own  eyes.  She,  however,  embraced  him,  and  apprised 
him  of  her  gratitude.  She  never  left  him  any  more,  and  he  soon 
died  in  her  arms.  It  is  an  indisputed  fact,  confirmed  by  a  thousand 
ages,  that  we  cannot  command  our  affection,  that  true  love  is  always 
felt  at  the  first  sight  ;  though  its  power  can  be  modified  or  increased 
under  adverse  and  favourable  circumstances.  It  is  also  a  sentiment, 
which  is  sometimes  ungovernable,  and  gains  the  mastery  despite  all 
difficulties;  combining  moral  weakness  with  sexual  passion,  it  asserts 
that  one  common  law  governs  all  mankind,  though  natural  disposition, 
education,  and  habits,  make  a  wonderful  difference  between  one  man 
and  another.  Love  is  also  always  disinterested  and  generous  ;  it  is  a 
friend  to  youth,  and  an  enemy  to  old  age  ;  it  seldom  bears  a  long 
absence  ;  it  requires  also  reciprocity,  because  though  we  may  be  occa- 
sionally partial  for  awhile  to  those  who  care  not  for  us,  yet  on  the 
whole,  and  for  any  length  of  time,  we  cannot  love  but  those  who 
love  us. 


296  NOTES. 

It  is  also  a  great  mistake  to  think  that  even  friendship,  which  is 
based  on  esteem,  is  formed  only  with  years  ;  particular  circumstances, 
and  our  first  impression  of  the  man  whom  we  choose  for  our  friend, 
have  a  good  deal  to  do  with  it.  "We  may  live  for  half  a  century 
with  a  man,  and  even  esteem  him,  yet  we  do  not  feel  for  that  man  the 
same  friendship  as  for  another  whose  countenance  pleased  us ;  and, 
therefore,  in  love  and  friendship  there  is  a  mesmeric  influence  which 
guides  us  indirectly,  is  felt  and  cannot  be  described.  For  my  part,  I 
never  could  conquer  my  first  impression  of  any  one  imder  the  most 
trying  circumstances. 

The  "  Castle  of  Kaniof,  by  Goszczynski,"  is  founded  on  the  follow- 
ing fact,  which  happened  during  the  time  of  the  rebellion  of  Gonta. 
A  powerful  Polish  grandee,  Staroste,  and  governor  of  Kaniof,  who  was 
residing  in  that  town  on  the  banks  of  the  Dnieper,  had  a  favourite 
Cossack,  known  by  his  valour  and  strength,  called  Nebabo,  who  fell 
in  love  with  a  beautiful  Ukrainian  girl,  Orlika,  strongly  attached  to 
him,  and  courted  at  the  same  time  by  the  governor,  whose  advances 
she  rejected.  The  marriage,  however,  between  the  two  lovers  did  not 
take  place,  though  the  day  for  the  nuptial  ceremony  was  settled.  The 
governor  of  Kaniof,  having  been  informed  of  the  intended  marriage, 
summoned  the  girl  Orlika  and  her  brother  before  him,  and  peremp- 
torily ordered  the  former  either  immediately  to  become  his  wife,  or  to 
be  the  eye  witness  of  her  brother's  death  on  the  gibbet  for  an  imagi- 
nary crime.  Orlika  saved  her  brother,  and  married  the  governor. 
Nebabo,  in  despair,  joined  the  bands  of  Gonta,  and  came  with  them 
at  midnight  to  sack  the  castle,  and  to  kill  its  inhabitants,  but  was 
prevented  in  his  project  by  Schvatchka.  Orlika,  when  the  governor 
was  sleeping  on  his  splendid  couch,  cautiously  took  a  sharp  knife, 
and  plunged  it  in  the  heart  of  her  husband.  When  the  gates  of  the 
castle  were  broken  by  the  Haidamaques,  and  when  they  entered  with 
lighted  torches,  Id  quest  of  the  governor,  Orlika,  out  of  her  senses, 
in  her  night  dress,  and  with  a  knife  stained  with  warm  blood  in  one 
hand,  and  a  lamp  in  the  other,  with  a  sneering  smile,  talked  of  her 
vengeance,  and  killed  herself.  Soon  afterwards,  however,  Nebabo 
was  woimded,  and  died  in  the  arms  of  another  girl  whom  he  had 
previously  seduced.  These  two  poems  are  translated,  but  the  trans- 
lations are  as  inferior  to  the  original  as  a  candle  to  tlie  sim. 

Page  269.  (d.) — Alexander  Ilowicki  (pronounced  Ilovitski),  the 
present  lloman  Catholic  clergyman  at  Home,  with  his  brother  Edward 
Ilowicki,  had  thirteen  squadrons  of  cavalry,  which  was  formed  in  a 


NOTES.  297 

fortnight  in  the  Ukrakie,  in  the  last  Polish  insurrection  in  1831 ; 
they  had  vigorous  men  and  excellent  horses,  but  no  officers  to  direct 
them.  Alexander  Ilowicki  was  one  of  my  seconds  in  a  duel  which  I 
fought,  the  29th  of  September,  1833,  with  Count  Vladislas  Plater,  at 
Paris.  Edward  Ilowicki,  commonly  called  Marszalek  (a  title  in  Rus- 
sian Poland  corresponding  to  the  title  of  a  high  sheriff  of  the  county 
in  England)  has  a  peculiar  taste  for  mechanics,  studied  the  art  of 
artillery  for  several  years  in  France,  and  had  a  practical  knowledge 
of  it,  and  indeed  is  one  of  the  best  artUlery  marksmen  I  ever  saw. 
He  was  for  some  time  residing  at  Algiers,  where  he  distinguished 
himself  by  his  gallantry,  and  was  decorated  with  the  French  order 
of  legion  d'  honneur,  while  his  hospitality,  attachment  to  Poland,  and 
cheerfulness  of  mind,  made  him  a  general  favourite.  There  is  also  in 
the  Polish  emigration  their  namesake  Nicholas  Ilowicki  a  good  lin- 
guist, and  clever  writer. 


COUNT  KORWIN  KRASlNSia'S  FAMILY. 

As  in  my  pamphlet  on  the  Polish  aristocracy,  published  in  1842, 
I  did  sufficient  justice  to  the  principal  Polish  families,  but  committed 
some  errors  respecting  the  origin  of  my  own  family,  I  promised 
a  person  acquainted  with  my  relatives  to  correct  such  errors  in 
any  new  work  that  I  might  subsequently  publish.  I  think  it  proper 
to  fulfil  my  promise  now  in  a  note  ;  and  to  describe  faithfully,  not 
only  the  origin  of  Corvin  (Korwin  in  Polish)  Ka-asinski's  family 
according  to  the  most  authentic  information  which  I  have  since 
gleaned  from  several  authors  ;  but  also  to  mention  all  those  who 
belong  to  it,  to_  name  the  seats  of  which  they  are  the  owners,  and  to 
describe  more  or  less,  their  features  and  character,  according  to 
my  disinterested  observation,  though  I  know  very  well  that  it  may 
expose  me  to  annoyances. 

The  first  ancestor  of  Korwin  Slepovron  Krasinski's  family  was  a 
Roman  knight,  who,  called  out  by  a  foreign  chief  of  noted  size,  strength, 
and  bravery  to  fight  a  deadly  duel  with  him,  slew  him,  and  took  a 
golden  ring  from  his  finger  in  the  presence  of  both  armies.  As  during 
the  fight  a  raven  was  seen  near  him,  he  was  called  from  that  time 
CorAin  (Korwin),  which  means  raven  (Kruk),  and  which  name  he 
transmitted  to  his  descendants.  He  died  at  the  age  of  a  himdred  years. 
From  Italy  that  family  went  to  Hungary.  Valerius  Messalus  Cor- 
vinus  conquered  that  province    for    the   Romans    in  the  reign  of 


S98  NOTES. 

Tiberius  Caesar.  There  are  still  in  Dalmatia  and  Raguza  some 
splendid  buildings,  public  documents,  and  historical  reminiscences 
associated  with  that  family. 

The  mother  of  Holy  Szczepan,  king  of  Hungary,  was  a  Corvin. 
To  that  family  also  belonged  the  celebrated  Hungarian  warrior,  John 
Huniad  Corvin,  whose  son  Mathias  was  elected  to  the  throne  of 
Hungary.  For  political  reasons  the  latter's  natural  son  emigrated  to 
Poland,  and  settling  among  his  relatives  there,  became  the  progenitor 
of  the  youngest  branch  of  the  Krasinski  family  ;  while  at  the  same 
time,  another  Krasinski  went  from  Poland  to  the  court  of  King 
Mathias,  who  acknowledged  him  as  his  relative,  and  satisfied 
with  his  courage  and  ability,  liberally  rewarded  him  for  his 
services,  and  then  allowed  him  to  return  to  his  country.  These 
two  branches  were  much  mixed  by  intermarriages,  and  the  young- 
est branch  is  extinct.  The  Hungarian  Korwins  are  also,  I  have 
heard,  in  all  probability  extinct,  though  many  years  ago  they 
claimed  their  share  of  succession  in  Poland.  There  was  a  time 
when  some  Hungarian  Korwins  were  staying  among  the  Polish 
Korwins,  and  some  Polish  Korwins  were  staying  among  the  Hunga- 
rian Korwins.  From  Hungary  that  family  passed  to  Poland,  and 
settled  in  the  duchy  of  Mazovia,  which,  before  its  annexation  to  the 
kingdom  of  Poland,  in  the  reign  of  Sigismundus  I.,  in  1537,  was  an 
independent  principality. 

Antecedent  to  the  year  1224,  Conrad,  the  old  Duke  of  Mazovia 
(Konrad  Stary),  at  the  request  of  Vavrzenta  Corvin  (Wawrzeta 
Korwin),  who  first  removed  from  Hungary  to  Poland,  permitted  the 
latter  to  add  to  his  original  surname  the  title  of  his  estate,  Slepovron, 
which  means  a  crow.  The  above  Wawrzeta  Korwin  married  Dorothy 
Pobozanka,  a  Polish  heiress,  who  to  wealth  and  beauty  joined  great 
amiability  of  character.  Her  husband  had  a  daughter  to  whom  he 
was  attached,  and  whose  personal  attraction  was  daily  increasing  ;  his 
lady,  however  (Pobozanka),  instead  of  being  jealous  of  her,  paid  so 
much  attention  to  her,  and  overwhelmed  her  with  so  much  kindness 
that  she  gained  her  friendship  for  life  ;  while  Wawrzeta  Korwin, 
wishing  to  give  a  mark  of  his  particular  regard  to  his  wife,  adopted 
legally  her  coat  of  arms,  and  put  them  under  his  own,  which  he 
transmitted  to  his  descendants  :  a  case  scarcely  ever  known  in 
Poland.  Under  the  raven  with  a  golden  ring  in  its  beak,  he  placed  a 
silver  horseshoe  in  a  blue  field,  which  was  originally  red,  on  account 
of  the  blood  spilt  by  his  ancestor's  vanquished  antagonist.    He  left 


NOTES.  299 

two  sons,  and  divided  among  them  his  estates  ;  the  law  of  primo- 
geniture never  having  prevailed  in  Poland.  The  oldest  who  took 
his  mother's  estate,  retained  the  blue  field  in  his  coat  of  arms  ;  the 
youngest  reverted  to  the  red  field.  In  some  documents  and  title 
deeds  it  is  half  red  and  half  blue,  or  entirely  red  or  blue,  though  the 
armorial  bearings  are  the  same. 

Slavomir  Korwin  was  the  first  who,  from  the  estate  called  Krasne, 
transmitted  him  by  his  father,  took  the  name  of  Slawomir  Korwin 
Slepowron  Krasinski,  in  1337.  His  descendant,  Stanislas  Krasinski, 
palatine  of  Plock  (pronounced  Plotsk),  who  visited  Africa  and  travelled 
over  all  Europe,  left,  by  two  wives,  five  daughters  and  ten  sons.  He 
was  raised  to  the  dignity  of  a  foreign  coimt,  which  title  was  inherited 
by  his  progeny  (Vide  Konstytucye  Xwa  Mazovieckiego). 

Among  all  the  above  mentioned  descendants  of  Korwin  Krasinski's 
family,  none  was  more  noted  for  his  knowledge  and  influence  than 
Francis,  the  bishop  of  Cracow,  who  was  several  times  sent  as  an 
ambassador  from  the  Polish  clergy  to  the  pope,  Paul  IV.,  and  by 
whose  exertions  the  ultimate  imion  of  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Litvania 
with  Poland  was  accomplished  in  1569,  in  the  reign  of  Sigismundus 
Augustus.  He  was  the  latter  king's  confessor,  and  was  always 
opposed  to  religious  persecutions,  in  fasliion  in  his  time. 

After  him,  setting  aside  some  good  generals,  none  was  equal  in 
wisdom,  craft,  and  knowledge  to  Coimt  Adam  I^j-asinski,  the  bishop 
of  Kamienietz,  who  signed  the  confederation  of  Bar,  the  29  th  of 
February,  1768. 

There  are  at  present  four  branches  of  Krasinski's  family,  and  three 
generations.  The  head  of  the  first  branch,  and  the  senior  in  age, 
is  General  Count  Vincent  Korwin  Krasinski,  who  by  his  late  wife. 
Princess  Radzivell,  has  an  only  child,  a  son,  Sigismond,  married  some 
years  ago  to  Elizabeth  Countess  Branitska,  by  whom  he  has  two 
yoimg  boys. 

The  general  alluded  to,  performed  extraordinary  feats  of  valour 
under  Napoleon,  especially  at  Samossiera  in  the  month  of  November, 
1808,  in  Spain,  where  three  squadrons  of  Polish  lancers  under  his 
command  stormed,  up  hill,  a  pass  half  a  mile  in  length^nd  twenty- 
five  yards  in  breadth,  defended  at  the  top  by  fifteen  pieces  of  heavy 
cannon,  and  eleven  thousand  of  Spanish  regular  infantry,  under  the 
order  of  General  St.  Juan.  In  spite,  however,  of  all  these  formidable 
defences,  and  the  two  hills  swarming  with  sharpshooters  ;  in  spite  of 
the  grape  shot  of  the  cannon,  his  intrepid  band,  composed  of  chosen 


300  NOTES. 

men  and  chosen  horses,  reached  the  top,  took  all  the  cannons,  hroke 
all  the  squares,  routed  the  Spaniards  and  cleared  the  road  for  Napo-» 
Icon's  army  to  Madrid. 

In  aU  the  French,  and  even  British  military  works,  this  celebrated 
charge  is  mentioned,  and  is  undoubtedly  considered  as  one  of  the 
most  extraordinary  in  this  century.  It,  however,  succeeded,  not  only 
by  the  brilliant  and  indomitable  valour  of  the  Polish  lancers  and 
their  gallant  commander  ;  but  also  by  some  favourable  circumstances 
attending  it.  Napoleon  was  so  much  surprised  at  the  complete  suc- 
cess of  the  charge  of  Samossiera  that  he  said  :  "  Now,  dear  Krasinski, 
I  believe  in  wonders."  "It  would  be  a  wonder,  sire,"  rejoined  the 
latter,  "  if  there  was  one  single  soldier  under  my  command,  who 
should  hesitate  an  instant  to  sacrifice  the  last  drop  of  his  blood  for  your 
majesty's  glory."  This  bon  mof  extremely  pleased  Napoleon,  and  was 
followed  by  many  others,  which,  always  delivered  under  proper 
circumstances,  brought  him  substantial  favours.  Napoleon  called 
him  the  Polish  Alcibiades  ;  the  PoHsh  Alcibiades  having  expensive 
habits  was  often  in  want.  Once  Napoleon  met  him  walking  dis- 
pirited in  the  streets  of  Paris.  "  You  have  debts,  Krasinski,"  said  the 
emperor.  "Yes,  sire,  I  have  ;"  "Your  debts  are  mine;"  and  thrice 
they  were  paid  (30,000/,)  Once  Napoleon  ordered  Duroc  to  give  to  his 
favourite  Polish  aide-de-camp  £6,000.  Duroc  looked  cross.  "  Give  to 
Krasinski  £3,000  more,"  and  they  were  given,  and  when  the  latter  said, 
"  The  interest  is  worthy  of  your  majesty,"  a  handsome  interest  of 
that  sum,  much  larger  than  that  which  any  banker  would  require  for 
it,  was  added  to  the  additional  gift,  which  altogether  amounted  to 
100,000/.  The  general  alluded  to  served  in  all  the  wars  from  1806 
till  1814,  under  Napoleon,  and  his  regiment  of  lancers  became  the 
terror  of  the  enemy,  as  they  broke  and  routed  every  cavalry  and 
infantry,  which  they  ever  attacked,  and  they  never  were  beaten.  To 
this  time  even  at  Bordeaux,  there  are  numerous  ballads  and  songs  in 
their  favour.  They  formed  the  guard  of  the  French  emperor,  under 
the  name  of  chevaux  legers ;  they  did  wonders  at  Wagram,  and  in  1813. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  enthusiastic  cheers  with  which  the 
remainder  of  the  gallant  Polish  bands,  under  the  command  of  the 
General  alluded  to  were  received  at  Posen  in  1814.  Men,  women,  and 
children  hailed  them  weeping.  The  uniform  of  the  lancers  was  blue, 
trimmed  with  crimson,  and  double-breasted  (not  according  to 
the  Enghsh  fashion),  trimmed  witli  rich  embroidered  gold.  They 
wore  a  splendid  crimson  lancer's  cap,  on  which  there  was  a  golden 


NOTES.  301 

sun  and  a  fine  white  ostrich  feather.  This  uniform,  with  golden 
epaulets,  splendid  horses,  chosen  men,  coloured  pennants  streaming 
from  the  top  of  the  lances,  produced  in  the  sunshine  an  efiect  impos- 
sible to  describe.  At  the  sight  of  these  warriors,  preceded  by  the  fame 
of  the  victories  of  Samossiera,  Vagram,  Reichenbach,  and  others,  (most 
of  them  being  decorated  with  military  orders)  the  heroes  of  a 
hundred  battles,  commanded  recently  by  the  most  skilful  captain  of 
the  age,  to  whom  they  were  faithful  when  every  thing  left  him,  pass- 
ing slowly  in  military  array,  and  returning  to  their  country  without 
ever  having  been  fairly  vanquished,  a  sort  of  religious  veneration 
filled  the  heart.  One  would  have  thought  that  the  sacred  soil  of  a 
country  that  gave  birth  to  such  soldiers,  could  not  be  stained  by  a 
foreign  foot,  or  oppressed. 

When  the  ringing  of  bells,  the  clash  of  arms,  the  roar  of  cannons, 
and  repeated  huzzas  ceased,  when  twenty-four  beautiful  maidens, 
dressed  in  white,  had  thrown  their  flowers  on  the  lancers,  and  silence 
was  restored,  the  general,  one  of  the  handsomest  men  of  his  age — 
thirty-three  at  that  time — dazzling  the  eyes  by  the  diamonds  of  his 
numerous  decorations,  sitting  on  a  splendid  steed  worthy  of  a  Maho- 
met or  a  Tamerlane,  advanced  some  steps  towards  the  ladies,  stopped, 
bowed  gracefully  to  them,  and,  in  a  clear  and  distinct  voice,  delivered 
a  speech  during  which,  without  any  exaggeration,  he  put  Cicero  fairly 
in  his  pocket,  and  melted  half-a-dozen  Demosthenes  on  his  lips.  After 
repeated  huzzas,  when  the  officers  left  their  horses,  he  was  obliged  to 
submit  his  manly  cheeks  to  the  repeated  kisses  of  the  maidens. 
The  silky  hair  of  one  of  them  got  entangled  seriously  to  his  golden 
epaulets  for  more  than  a  minute,  to  the  jealous  surprise  of  some  dow- 
agers. The  same  evening  a  ball  was  given,  and  as  my  late  father 
was  a  schoolfellow  of  the  general's,  and  travelled  with  me  in  haste, 
we  arrived  the  same  day  at  Posen.  I  was  at  that  time  nine  years 
old.  After  embracing  me  he  introduced  me  as  his  relative  at  the  ball, 
and  delivered  me  to  the  care  of  the  Posen  ladies.  As  I  had  not  slept 
for  two  nights,  I  soon  fell  into  a  deep  slumber  between  two  Posen 
beauties.  The  sound  of  music  awakened  me ;  I  danced  the  polo- 
naise with  the  lady,  and  partook  of  some  ice.  So  strong  are  my 
early  impressions,  that  though  this  happened  to  me  above  thirty  years 
ago,  I  perfectly  remember  her  features,  which  greatly  resembled  those 
of  the  likeness  of  the  northern  Sappho  at  Ulverstone. 

Some  weeks  afterwards  I  marched,  between  Lieut.  Gnatowski  and 
Stakieuicz,  with  the  Polish  army  into  the  late  kingdom  of  Poland,  and 


802  NOTES. 

entered  Warsaw  with  the  staff  of  the  general,  on  a  small  black  horse 
of  remarkable  beauty.  My  first  recollections  were  thus  associated 
with  a  military  life.  I  never  could  forget  the  hospitality  and  kind- 
ness shown  me  by  the  inhabitants  of  Posen. 

General  Count  Vincent  Korwin  Krasinski  Senalor  Palatin,  is  one  of 
the  richest  men  in  Poland,  and  has  most  of  the  Polish,  French,  and  Rus- 
sian decorations.  His  knowledge,  gallantry,  and  flowing  eloquence,  his 
celebrated  repartees,  his  singular  adventures  and  liberality,  also  made 
him  the  pet  of  all  the  ladies,  from  queens  to  peasant  girls,  and  the 
favourite  of  all  the  sovereigns  to  whom  he  was  introduced.  He  was 
successively  the  aide-decamp  and  the  favourite  of  Napoleon  (who 
made  him  lieutenant-general),  to  whom  he  was  faithful  as  a  dog  to 
its  master,  even  to  the  last  when  every  thing  left  him.  After  bringing 
the  remainder  of  the  Polish  army  in  1814,  from  France  to  Poland  ; 
he  became  aide-de-camp  of  the  Emperor  Alexander  and  Nicholas,  as 
kings  of  Poland,  and  held  a  superior  command  in  the  late  Polish 
army.  He  served  them  faithfully.  Some  of  his  adventures  are  so 
singular,  that  they  are  worthy  to  be  mentioned.  During  his  youth 
he  had  a  mistress,  called  Tekla,  who  presented  him  a  first-born 
son.  At  this  happy  news,  two  batteries  of  small  cannon  (vivatove 
harmaty),  fired  one  hundred  shots  ;  merry  peals  were  ringing  in  all 
directions,  there  was  a  regular  levee  at  his  palace  ;  eloquent  speeches 
were  delivered,  five-hundred  bottles  of  champagne  were  beheaded, 
thousands  of  pounds  in  money  and  clothing  were  distributed  to  the 
poor,  offences  of  the  peasants  on  his  estates  were  forgiven,  fifteen 
thousand  pounds  were  settled  on  the  mother  and  child,  a  wine 
merchant,  unexpectedly  patronised,  made  his  fortune  and  married 
his  daughter  well,  the  old  maids  unbridled  their  tongues  for  a  fortnight, 
six  couples  of  young  orphans  were  united  and  provided  for,  and  even 
the  faithful  companions  of  man,  dogs  and  horses  (according  to  the 
letter  of  my  late  uncle,  Hilary),  had  their  share  of  rejoicings.  At  this 
time  Warsaw  was  under  Prussian  domination,  and  the  Prussian  police 
seeing  the  whole  fashion  of  the  town  in  motion,  and  hearing  constant 
firings  and  the  ringing  of  bells,  became  alarmed,  and  thought  it  was 
an  insurrection  ;  but  the  alarm  soon  subsided.  At  any  rate,  no 
human  being  ever  came  into  this  world  under  more  noisy  and  favour- 
able circumstances  for  the  prosperity  of  his  fellow-creatures,  than  the 
lateral  descendant  of  the  noble  house  of  Korwin,  but  unfortunately, 
he  died  soon,  and  his  inconsolate  and  beautiful  mother  followed  him  to 
the  grave,  to  the  general's  regret.     Having  heard  that  it  is  in  fashion 


NOTES. 

not  to  attach  too  much  importance  to  money,  he  lost  at  cards 
^25,000  in  one  evening.  On  another  occasion  he  engaged  a  cab 
for  the  whole  day  ;  the  next  day  a  cabman  called  early  and  re- 
quested to  speak  with  him  ;  he  was  admitted,  and  handed  to  the 
general  (at  that  time  a  civUian),  a  small  parcel  containing  in 
mixed  bank  notes  £500  ;  the  general  counted  them,  and  saw  that 
all  was  right ;  thanked  the  cabman,  marked  his  number,  gave 
him  a  glass  of  wine  and  shook  hands  with  him  ;  when  he  was 
close  to  the  door,  he  re-called  him,  and  handed  him  £500  as 
a  reward  for  his  honesty,  which  made  his  fortune  for  life.  Similar 
actions  on  a  smaller,  and  even  on  a  larger  scale,  were  repeated.  At 
another  time,  his  friend  being  well  aware  of  the  general's  taste  for 
naked  feet,  induced  his  wife  to  give  a  splendid  ball,  at  which  all  the 
female  portion  of  her  chosen  guests  were  dressed  a  Vantique,  and 
obliged  to  disclose  the  top  of  their  fair,  snowy,  and  delicate  feet  to  the 
searching  gaze  of  men,  who  plunging  their  eyes  in  them,  should  have 
liked  to  discover,  if  possible,  on  those  feet  the  same  charms  which 
a  happy  bridegroom  discovers  on  the  cheeks  of  his  blooming  bride, 
when  after  a  kiss,  he  dares  to  hint  to  her  in  a  whisper  the  prospects  of 
the  pleasures  concealed  for  them  under  the  cloke  of  night,  whose  very 
name  make  her  blush  and  tremble  at  the  same  time.  The  general, 
whose  passion  for  the  naked  feet  is  too  well  known,  was  so  delighted 
with  it,  that  he  never  could  forget  it,  and  was  obliged  to  describe  it  to 
the  late  Queen  Hortense  and  Napoleon.  No  man  in  the  world  was 
ever  cherished  more  by  his  servants,  his  tenantry,  his  soldiers,  and 
his  officers.  To  the  latter  he  was  a  sort  of  brother.  To  his  dinners, 
which  I  often  attended,  he  invited  one  day  the  country  squires,  another 
day  military  men,  the  third  his  equals  and  superiors,  and  every  Friday, 
scientific  men,  poets  and  writers.  The  latter  party  always  included 
a  paltry  writer  named  Marcin . . .  ski,  whose  poetry  and  person  ex- 
cited general  hilarity  and  undoubtedly  promoted  digestion  ;  for 
which  laudable  services  he  was  rewarded  by  a  situation  of  £200 
per  annum.  The  subjoined  facts  will  best  prove  the  devotedness  and 
affection  which  distinguished  the  servants  and  officers  of  the  general. 
During  the  time  of  Napoleon  a  fierce  quarrel  broke  out,  close  to  the 
general's  palace  at  Warsaw,  between  the  Saxon  and  Bavarian  troops. 
Mutually  exasperated,  they  fought  furiously  among  themselves. 
Several  had  already  fallen  on  either  side,  when,  anxious  to  stop  the 
further  effusion  of  blood,  the  general  interposed  between  the  com- 
batants ;  but  no  sooner  had  he  done  so,  than  the  infuriated  soldiers 


304  NOTES. 

turned  their  weapons  upon  the  general's  person,  who  would  undoubt- 
edly have  perished,  had  not  Zdanovitch,  by  chance  beholding  the 
extreme  peril  of  his  beloved  general,  come,  at  the  most  critical 
moment,  to  his  assistance,  and  presented  his  naked  hands  as  a  shield 
against  the  swords  and  bayonets  so  ferociously  thrust  at  the  general. 
Their  assailants  every  moment  increasing  in  number,  the  danger  be- 
came yet  more  imminent.  Thereupon  Zdanovitch  exclaimed,  "  Fly  at 
once,  dear  general,  or  you  are  lost."  "But,"  said  Krasinski,  "what 
will  become  of  you  ? "  "I  shall  be  happy  to  die  for  you,"  replied  the 
noble-minded  Zdanovitch.  With  some  difficulty  the  general  escaped, 
and  having  procured  aid,  returned  to  the  scene  of  his  adventure. 
The  devoted  gallant  Zdanovitch  was  found  stretched  senseless  on  the 
ground,  literally  bathed  in  the  gore  which  had  gushed  from  his 
numerous  wounds.  However,  he  ultimately  recovered,  and  was  not 
forsaken  by  the  grateful  general.  On  another  occasion,  during  the 
war  of  1813,  the  same  general  accompanied  only  by  his  lieutenant 
Vonsovitch,  was  surprised  and  surrounded  by  a  detachment  of  the 
enemy's  dragoons.  Having  fought  until  their  swords  were  broken, 
Vonsovitch  then  flung  himself  between  the  general  and  his  opponents, 
receiving  on  his  own  person  the  blows  aimed  at  the  former,  until  he 
was  actually  covered  with  wounds,  thus  preserving  Krasinski's  life  at 
the  hazard  of  his  own.  Vonsovitch  also  survived  the  effect  of  the 
dangerous  injuries  thus  sustained  by  him,  and  was  not  forgotten,  in 
having  an  estate  presented  to  him,  by  the  general.  I  am  personally 
acquainted  with  these  two  noble  defenders  of  his  life,  and  believe  them 
yet  in  existence.  Surely  the  man  who  could  thus  attach  other  men 
to  himself,  could  not  have  been  destitute  of  good  qualities. 

The  general  was  not  engaged  in  the  Polish  insurrection  of  1831, 
but  he  did  not  fight  against  his  countrymen ;  and  after  that  un- 
happy war  did  much  good  to  them,  even  to  some  who  were  known 
to  be  his  enemies.  Here  is  a  proof  of  his  kindly  disposition  and 
his  influence  in  this  respect.  A  short  time  back,  the  Kussian 
governor  of  Kamienietz  Podolski  having  a  spite  against  a  Polish 
gentleman,  named  Ratsiborowski,  endeavoured  to  extort  £2,520  from 
him,  by  accusing  him  with  being  connected  with  an  imaginary  plot, 
and  also  carrying  on  treasonable  correspondence  with  the  Countess 
Cordule  Fredro,  of  Austrian  Poland,  a  kind,  affable  lady  (Countess 
Krasinska's  de  domo),  who  never  interferes  in  politics,  and  has  a 
splendid  seat  near  the  Carpathian  mountains,  close  to  the  corner  of 
tlie  Austrian,  Russian,  and  Turkish  boundaries.    To  prove  the  guilt 


NOTES.  305 

of  the  unhappy  Ratsiborowski  and  other  Poles,  the  rascally  governor 
concocted,  and  produced,  several  letters  and  suitable  answers,  in  sym- 
pathetic ink.  The  Russian  authorities  required  the  iVustrian  govern- 
ment to  deliver  up  the  Countess,  but  this  was  refused,  though  some 
of  her  tenants  were  arrested,  and  confronted  (at  Kiof),  with  other  vic- 
tims of  the  governors  infernal  artifice.  They  would,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  have  been  condemned  and  exiled  to  Siberia,  but  luckily  for  them 
General  Count  Krasinski  arrived  at  Kiof,  on  his  way  to  his  estates. 
Hearing  that  a  Russian  subaltern  (an  agent  of  the  governor)  was 
hovering  previously  about  the  Coimtess  Fredro's  estate,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  collecting  evidence  respecting  her  correspondence,  and  so 
forth,  the  general  suspected  some  trick.  He  therefore  lost  no  time  in 
communicating  his  suspicions  to  Count  Bekendorf  (the  head  of  the 
Russian  police.)  The  result  of  the  general's  interposition  was  that 
the  subaltern  was  placed  under  arrest,  and  the  first  night  of  his  in- 
carceration hung  himself — the  letters  were  satisfactorily  shown  to  be 
forgeries— the  iniquitous  governor  was  dismissed— and  his  intended 
victims  liberated. 

General  Count  Krasinski  is  about  sixty-eight  years  of  age.  He  is  of 
middle  size,  though  stoutly  built,  and  his  features  are  marked  by  two 
large  scars,  one  extending  across  his  face,  the  other  on  his  fore- 
head ;  he  is  a  celebrated  pistol  shot,  and  could,  formerly,  so  well 
manage  the  lance,  that  surrounded  at  the  battle  of  Wagram,  in  1809, 
by  several  Austrians,  he  defended  himself  with  it  several  minutes, 
killing  two  and  disabling  some  of  them  without  himself  sustaining  any 
injury.  He  dedicated  to  Napoleon  a  well-written  pamphlet  on  the 
advantages  of  the  lancers,  and  the  use  of  the  lance,  for  which  he 
received  a  brace  of  pistols  and  a  double-barrel  gim  from  Napoleon 
valued  at  £3,000. 

On  another  occasion,  in  the  Russian  campaign  in  1812,  he  was 
ordered  to  make  a  reconnoissance  with  a  small  party  of  soldiers  :  he 
met  three  battalions  of  Russian  infantry,  advanced,  contrary  to  the 
advice  of  his  friends,  within  gun-shot  of  the  Russians,  alone,  and, 
wishing  courageously  to  fulfil  his  duty,  quietly  inspected  their  lines. 
The  Russians  fired  a  volley  at  him,  and  missed  him ;  he  bowed  to 
them,  and  continued  to  observe  them  ;  they  twice  reloaded  their  guns 
and  fired  ;  twice  more  he  bowed,  and  departed  unhurt.  A  Colonel  of 
the  Cossacks,  however,  having  an  excellent  horse,  dashed  so  furiously 
at  the  general,  that  had  not  one  of  the  Polish  lancers  parried  the 
thrust  of  the  Cossack,  he  would  have  in  all  probability  killed  the 

X 


306  NOTES. 

former.  The  Colonel  was  taken  prisoner,  and  cried  like  a  woman  when 
obliged  to  part  with  his  horse  ;  he  was  kindly  treated  by  the  general 
and  soon  exchanged,  and  before  leaving  the  Polish  lancers  a  purse  of 
gold  was  given  to  him.  The  Cossack  swore  never  again  to  fire  at  a 
Pole,  and  was  lost  sight  of. 

In  1814,  in  France,  the  Cossacks  were  constantly  at  the  heels  of  the 
French,  and  the  general  made  a  bet  with  Lefevre  Denouette,  that  in 
the  first  encounter  with  the  Cossacks  he  would  not  use  his  sword  ;  he 
gained  the  bet,  and  narrowly  escaped  being  shot  or  taken  prisoner. 
Most  fortunately  the  same  Cossack  colonel  recognised  him,  came  to 
his  assistance,  gave  him  a  glass  of  brandy,  did  not  allow  any  one  to 
fire  at  him,  called  hira  his  friend,  and  exchanged  almost  every  day 
some  friendly  words  with  him.  This  anecdote,  which  the  general 
often  mentioned,  was  corroborated  by  a  Frenchman,  at  Chantilly,  who 
was  the  eye-witness  of  it. 

The  general's  mother  (sister  of  the  celebrated  Count  Czacki,  the  most 
learned  man  in  Poland)  amassed  immense  wealth,  and  was  residing 
in  Podolia.  Some  of  her  relatives  watched  this  wealth  like  a  hawk 
watches  a  partridge,  and  so  much  slandered  him,  that  she  became 
visibly  cold  to  her  son,  and  inclined  to  make  a  will  in  favour  of  his 
enemies.  He  was  apprised  of  the  trap,  and  having  heard  that  the 
Countess  R was  the  undoubted  favourite  of  his  mother,  and  re- 
sided with  her,  he  came  on  a  visit  to  his  mother  for  three  weeks,  and 
paid  so  much  attention  to  the  lady  alluded  to,  that  she  prevailed  on  his 
mother  to  live  with  him,  and  to  give  him  all  the  cash  she  had,  with 
slight  restriction.  After  this  she  retired,  it  is  said,  to  a  convent ;  it 
was  the  last  of  his  celebrated  conquests,  accomplished  at  the  age  of 
forty-five. 

To  give  an  idea  of  his  energetic  eloquence,  and  bewitching  man  • 
ners  it  is  worthy  to  be  mentioned,  that  Napoleon  called  him  one 
of  the  bravest,  the  most  faithful,  and  the  most  dangerous  of  his 
courtiers.  The  French  marshals  gave  him  a  splendid  sword  as  a 
token  of  their  regard  for  his  fidelity  to  Napoleon.  He  is  stiU  alive, 
and  in  favour  at  the  Russian  court.  His  discernment  is  so  great  that 
he  can  read,  as  it  were,  the  character  of  a  man  at  twenty-five  yards' 
distance.  He  is  now  busy,  it  is  said,  in  writing  his  memoirs,  and  cer- 
tainly they  will  be  well  written  and  extremely  interesting. 

His  only  son,  Sigismond,  received  an  excellent  education,  and  has 
written  some  beautiful  novels  and  poems  :  but  some  passages  are  so 
mystic  and  at  the  same  time  lofty,  that  it  is  no  easy  matter  for 


NOTES.  307 

common  minds  to  comprehend  their  meaning  without  explanation. 
Many  poems  attributed  to  him  are  not  his.  He  possesses  a  liberal 
mind,  stocked  with  extensive  information.  To  noble  sentiments  and 
sterling  qualities  he  unites  some  minor  faults  ;  but  his  conversational 
powers  and  pleasing  manners  enable  him  to  shine  in  polite  society, 
although  he  possesses  neither  the  manly  beauty  nor  the  dashing  elo- 
quence of  his  father.  He  is  fond  of  the  company  of  scientific  men  ; 
loves  and  dreads  his  father  ;  is  a  faithful  friend  and  forgiving  enemy. 
Though  slightly  whimsical,  he  charms  every  one  by  his  obliging  dis- 
position, but  wUl  never  take  the  lead  in  any  thing.  He,  however, 
inherited  from  his  father  a  peculiar  tact  in  gently  befooling  others. 
Indeed,  practical  joking  seems  almost  necessary  to  his  existence,  and 
if  he  cannot  find  somebody  in  high  society  to  endure  his  jests,  he 
will  be  satisfied  with  any  man,  on  whom  he  may  safely  indulge  such 
propensities.  His  jests,  however,  are  rather  piquant  than  offensive. 
He  is  a  great  sportsman.  His  wife,  an  amiable,  rich,  and  handsome 
Ukrainian  lady,  who  gave  him  two  children,  must  have  greatly 
contributed  to  his  comfort  and  happiness.  He  is  not  far  from 
forty,  and  is  smaller  and  thinner  than  his  father.  He  did  not  take 
any  part  in  the  last  war  with  Russia,  in  1831.  His  father's  estates 
are  Dunaiowce ;  lackovce,  in  Podolia  ;  Opinogora,  in  the  late  king- 
dom of  Poland ;  a  splendid  seat,  Knyszyn  ;  Slivna,  Bembnovka,  and 
others,  in  Russian  Poland ;  he  has  a  fine  palace  at  Warsaw.  One  of 
Count  Sigismond's  estates  is  Luboml,  and  others  belonging  to  his  wife. 
It  is  the  richest  branch  of  the  family. 

The  head  of  the  second  branch  (Gallician)  of  Krasinski's  family, 
is  Count  Peter  Krasinski,  with  his  two  brothers,  Leopold  and  Augustus. 
Count  Peter  was  colonel  in  the  previously  mentioned  celebrated  regi- 
ment of  Polish  lancers,  and  made  several  campaigns  under  Napoleon, 
winning  three  decorations ;  he  married  the  late  Countess  Pawlikowska, 
has  no  children,  likes  dashing  life,  is  stout,  bald,  under  the  middle  size, 
above  sixty-one,  and  resides  on  his  fine  seat  of  Rohatyn  in  Austrian 
Poland.  He  has  all  the  airs  of  a  great  lord,  and  is  an  honourable  man. 
His  second  brother  Leopold  is  a  man  about  sixty,  thin,  of  middle  size, 
and  still  a  bachelor  ;  he  has  pleasing  manners,  but  there  is  nothing 
Polish  or  Sclavonic  in  him.  When  his  brother  Peter  was  fighting 
under  Napoleon,  he  voluntarily  entered  the  Austrian  military  service, 
and  fought  against  the  French,  but  in  the  very  first  engagement 
he  received  a  musket-ball  through  the  shoulder,  which  obliged  him  to 
leave  the  Austrian  ranks,  and  checked  his  martial  ardour  for  life. 


308  IQOTES. 

This,  however,  brought  him  in  such  high  favour  at  Vienna,  that 
he  was  created  chamberlain  at  the  Austrian  court,  and  he  has  always 
been  treated  by  the  Austrians  with  great  regard.  He  is  very  clever, 
but  so  aristocratic  in  his  predilections,  that  he  would  consider  himself 
a  criminal  if  his  lips  could  pronoimce  the  name  of  a  commoner. 
He  always  says,  "  I  have  seen  Prince,  Marquis,  Count,*  or  Baron 
so  and  so  ;"  and  as  he  is  a  rigid  Catholic,  he  hears  mass  every  day, 
often  confesses,  speaks  frequently  of  religion  and  God,  kneels  for 
half  an  hour  on  rising  in  the  morning  and  going  to  bed ;  he  may 
be,  and  probably  is,  very  honest  and  very  good,  but  he  yet  has 
an  unfortunate  countenance  which  seldom  pleases.  However, 
he  is  not  answerable  for  his  countenance.  The  general  used  to 
call  him  Fafenschtein,  on  account  of  his  German  predilections.  He 
was  in  1843  residing  in  England,  and  is  acquainted  with  the  Earl 
of  Chesterfield.  He  has  money  in  the  funds  and  a  small  landed 
estate.  His  youngest  brother  Augustus,  married  the  late  Countess 
Jane  Krasinska,  the  heiress  of  Krasne,  the  nest  of  Krasinski's  family 
in  the  district  of  Plotsk,  fifty-six  English  miles  north  of  Warsaw. 
After  his  marriage  he  left  Gallicia,  and  settled  in  the  Russian  kingdom 
of  Poland.  He  is  extremely  clever,  an  inveterate  jester,  and  owes  his 
whole  fortune  principally  to  General  Count  Vincent  Krasinski, 
with  whom  he  has  frequent  misunderstandings  ;  their  tongues  meet 
each  other,  at  times,  like  two  razors,  and  they  do  not  seem  to  be 
always  on  intimate  terms,  though  several  reconciliations  have  taken 
place,  and  the  usual  form  of  poUteness  is  still  kept  between  them.  They 
fully  acknowledge,  however,  their  mutual  abilities.  Whenever  the 
general  intended  to  jest  too  much,  a  la  Frederick  the  Great,  with 
Augustus,  he  met  such  cutting  rebukes,  and  such  a  stout  resistance,  that 
like  a  skilful  tactician,  he  observed  only  his  adversary's  movements, 
without  hurting  him.  The  latter  is  a  great  lawyer,  and  defies  the 
best  of  them.  His  age  is  about  fifty,  he  is  strongly  marked  with  small 
pox,  and  has  an  aquiline  nose.  He  was  in  the  war  with  Russia,  in  1831, 
an  aide-de-camp  of  the  General-in-Chief,  Skrzynecki,  now  in  Belgium, 
and  fought  nobly  at  Ostrolenka,  where  he  was  wounded  and  decorated* 
An  Ukrainian  valet  of  General  Count  I^asinski  called  him  "Raboy 
jMudry  Panicz,  tliat  is,  a  crafty,  spotted,  young  lord."  This  sobri- 
quet excited  mucli  mirth,  and  will  remain  with  him  for  life  ;  he  comes 
to  the  point  in  all  questions,  and  laughs  at  the  poetry  of  life.  His 
estates  are  Krasne,  Golow,  Adamow ;  the  two  latter  are  in  Podlassia; 
he  has  a  son   thirteen  years  of  age,  and  two  sisters,  one,  Cordula, 


NOTES.  309 

"married  to  the  late  Count  Fredro,  and  the  other  married  to    lab- 
lonowski.    The  former  visited  London  recently. 

The  head  of  the  third  branch  is  Count  Stanislaus  Krasinski, 
with  his  Wo  brothers,  Charles  and  Adam.  He  is  now  about 
thirty-seven  years  of  age,  six  feet  high,  proportion  ably  stout,  has 
dark  hair,  hazel  eyes,  and  is  a  fine  man  ;  he  held  a  commission 
in  the  Polish  army  in  the  last  war  with  Russia,  in  1831  ;  distinguished 
himself  by  his  gallantry,  charged  boldly  a  large  square  of  llussian 
infantry  with  a  half  squadron  of  cavalry,  and  received  sixteen 
bayonet  wounds  ;  a  book  put  under  his  coat  saved  his  life.  He 
married  after  the  war.  Princess  lablonowska,  a  lady  of  superior 
knowledge  and  amiable  disposition,  and  has  several  daughters  by  her; 
they  are  very  happy  with  each  other.  He  has  strong  common 
sense,  a  good  deal  of  tact  (easily  kept  with  wealth),  and  is  a  man  of 
noted  principles  of  honour,  and  a  certain  ability  in  managing  his 
estates.  His  principal  seats  are  Zegrze,  near  Warsaw,  and  Sterdynia, 
in  Podlassia,  in  the  Russian  kingdom  of  Poland  ;  his  wife  brought  him 
also  some  estates  in  the  Polish  Ukraine.  His  second  brother,  Charles, 
is  inferior  to  him  in  point  of  bodily  strength  and  manly  qualities  ; 
he  married  Countess  Lubinska,  and  without  speaking  to  her  one  single 
word,  a  year  after  his  marriage,  having  heard  of  some  fine  paintings 
at  Rome,  suddenly  left  his  wife  and  set  out  for  Italy  ;  and  when  she 
with  tears  and  lamentations  inquired  what  had  become  of  him,  she  found 
a  letter  on  her  table,  in  which  he  advised  her  not  to  distress  her  mind, 
and  to  do  during  his  absence  what  she  thought  best  for  herself, 
because  he  should  soon  return,  and  he  never  ceased  to  like  and  esteem 
her  ;  he  actually  returned  in  a  few  months,  and  the  only  motive  of  his 
sudden  departure  was,  it  is  said,  a  trial  of  his  wife's  attachment  and 
his  love  of  the  fine  arts.  His  youngest  brother,  Adam,  is  about 
twenty- six  years  of  age,  married  Countess  Mycielska,  (a  Gallician 
lady,  of  high  birth  and  noble  feelings)  and  resembles  in  many  respects 
his  eldest  brother,  Stanislaus.  Their  estates  are  Radzieiowitze, 
Krasnosielc,  a  palace  at  Warsaw,  and  a  mansion  at  Cracow. 

They  have  two  amiable  sisters,  one,  Mandzia,  married  to  Count 
Kazimir  Lubinski,  and  the  second,  Paulina,  married  to  Gorski.  Their 
mother,  the  dowager  Countess  Joseph  Krasinska,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Countess  Emily  Ossolinska,  is  still  alive,  and  was  remarkable,  no 
less  for  her  great  beauty  and  fidelity  to  her  husband,  under  the  most 
trying  circumstances,  than  for  her  cheerful  spirit. 

The  head  of  the  fourth  branch  is  the  author,  political  emigrant 


310  NOTES. 

since  1831  ;  he  has  two  younger  brothers,  namely,  Boleslaus,  who 
divorced  the  wife  of  Colonel  Breanski,  an  emigrant,  specially  cherished 
by  Prince  Czartoryski  ;  and  Vincent,  married  to  Miss  Eustachia 
Swientoslawska.  The  former  received  an  excellent  education,  and  in- 
herited the  principal  part  of  the  property  of  our  uncle  (Isldor), 
the  late  Polish  minister  for  the  war  department.  He  resides  at  lanikof. 
The  second,  whose  education  was  neglected,  lives  at  Siemiennitze. 
Both  are  of  quiet,  easy  dispositions,  and  are  fond  of  country  life, 
without  being  fond  of  shooting.  The  former  was  engaged  in  the 
last  war,  and  the  other  not.  The  former  has  no  children.  The  second 
is  blessed  with  four  of  them.  Our  only  sister,  Adela,  married  to 
the  late  General  Malecki,  resides  at  Zbozenna.  She  speaks  seven 
languages.    She  has  a  daughter. 

There  are  three  gener.ations  of  Count  Korwin  Krasinski's  family.  The 
head  of  the  first  is  the  general  alluded  to ;  and  to  the  abovenamed 
generation, besides  him,  belong  Peter, Leopold,  and  Augustus  Krasinski. 

The  author  is  head  of  the  second  generation,  and  it  includes 
Stanislaus,  Sigismundus,  Boleslaus,  Charles,  Vincent,  and  Adam 
Krasinski.  The  youthful  son  of  Augustus  Krasinski  is  the  head 
of  the  third  generation,  and  it  comprises  the  two  sons  of  Sigis- 
mundus, the  children  of  Stanislaus,  and  the  children  of  the  author's 
brother  Vincent.  All  the  abovenamed  Korwin-Slepowron  Krasinski, 
belonging  to  four  branches  and  three  generations  of  that  family,  are 
Roman  Cathohcs,  though  by  no  means  fanatics.  They  are  each  entitled 
Count  in  the  registration  of  their  birth,  and  their  fathers  paid  some- 
thing for  legalizing  their  title  after  the  partition  of  Poland,  but  such 
title  not  being  Polish,  it  was  not  held  in  much  regard  by  them,  and 
seldom  mentioned,  except  on  the  address  of  a  letter.  They  were  gene- 
rally designated  by  their  Christian  and  surnames.  The  late  Emperor 
Napoleon,  however,  wishing  to  reward  the  feats  of  General  Count  Vin- 
cent Krasinski,  and  his  unshaken  fidelity  to  his  imperial  person,  created 
him  also  a  Count  of  the  French  empire;  but  that  title  (of  which  he  is 
very  proud,  and  which  is  acknoAvledged  by  the  Emperor  of  Russia), 
is  limited  to  the  general  himself,  his  son,  and  grandsons.  It  may  be 
further  remarked  that  the  late  Emperor  Alexander,  as  king  of  Poland, 
not  only  confirmed  the  general's  possession  of  the  lands  temporarily 
granted  to  him  in  Poland  by  Kapoleon,  as  an  inheritance,  but  it  is 
said,  desired  to  confer  on  him  the  title  of  a  prince,  which  honour  the 
general,  thinking  that  he  had  not  the  proper  opportunity  to  deserve , 
begged  his  Imperial  Majesty's  permission  to  decline. 


NOTES.  311 

Besides  the  relationship  of  the  Korwin-I^asinski  family  to  two 
dynasties  of  the  ancient  kings  of  Hungary,  it  is  allied  to  other  regal 
families,  in  the  following  manner:— Countess  Frances  Krasinska  mar- 
ried, at  Warsaw,  Nov.  4, 1 7  60,  the  Prince  Royal  of  Poland,  Charles  Duke 
of  Courland,  son  of  Augustus  III.  King  of  Poland  and  Saxony.  Their 
only  daughter,  the  Princess  Mary,  born  at  Dresden,  espoused,  after 
the  death  of  her  parents.  Prince  Carignan  of  Savoy,  whose  descend- 
ants are  closely  connected  with  the  reigning  families  of  Lombardy 
and  Sardinia. 

After  the  conquest  of  Moscow  by  the  celebrated  Polish  chieftain 
Zulkiewski,  who  vanquished,  dethroned,  and  took  prisoner  the  czar 
Szuyski,  in  1610,  a  new  Russian  dynasty  (called  Romanoff)  was 
elected  to  the  throne  of  Russia,  in  consequence  of  which,  after  the 
death  of  the  captive  czar  Szuyski,  in  Poland,  his  relatives,  fearing  the 
persecution  of  the  above-mentioned  dynasty,  left  Russia,  turned 
Roman  Catholics,  and  established  themselves  in  Poland. 

The  author's  grandmother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Princess  Anna 
Szuyska,  and  who  married,  firstly.  Count  Krasicki  (pronounced  Kra- 
sitski),  and,  secondly,  John  Orzeszko,  and  died  twenty-five  years  ago, 
at  Warsaw,  was  one  of  the  last  female  descendants  of  that  family. 
She  was  very  proud  of  her  noble  descent,  and  used  a  crown  (mitra) 
in  her  armorial  bearings.  Her  mother  was  an  Italian  lady,  connected 
with  the  powerful  Sardinian  family  of  Oreglio,  and  her  grandmother 
was  a  native  of  England.  Thus,  north  and  south  of  Europe,  Korwin 
Krasinski's  family  was,  and  still  is,  distantly  related  to  sovereign 
houses. 

Though  the  author's  branch  is  now  the  least  wealthy  of  the  four 
abovenamed  branches  of  Krasinski's  family,  it  was  originally  the 
richest.  Enormous  wealth  passed  from  the  author's  ancestor  into 
Prince  Lubomirski's  family,  and  one  Princess  Lubomirska,  having  no 
children,  purposed  bequeathing  part  of  her  wealth  to  the  descendants 
of  the  author's  branch,  (from  whence  it  was  derived),  but  she  died  very 
suddenly  without  a  will,  and  was  thus  precluded  from  carrying  into 
effect,  her  just  and  laudable  intention,  though  it  was  proved  by  many 
persons  that  she  mentioned  it  the  very  day  of  her  demise.  The  author 
may  be  pardoned  an  expression  of  his  hope  that  his  Highness  Prince 
Henry  Lubomirski,  who  is  not  only  an  honourable  man,  but  one  of  the 
most  accomplished  gentlemen  in  Poland,  may  so  far  prevail  on  hi  s  re- 
latives, that  the  author,  who  is  the  eldest  of  the  family,  and  has  not 
taken  any  share  in  the  succession  which  was  divided  after  the  death 


312  NOTES. 

of  his  three  uncles,  among  his  younger  brothers  and  his  sister 
(already  mentioned),  shall  not  be  utterly  left  without  some  honourable 
means  of  existence  in  England  (where  he  will  probably  reside  for  life) 
merely  because  he  fought  for  Poland. 

In  the  future  edition  of  the  "  Polish  Aristocracy "  the  author  will 
probably  mention  more  anecdotes  of  the  Polish  families,  and  may 
publish  all  the  songs  and  poems  on  the  celebrated  regiment  of  Polish 
lancers  commanded,  during  the  time  of  Napoleon,  by  General  Count 
Vincent  Krasinski,  who  has  been  very  kind  to  the  author's  parents, 
and  even  to  the  author  himself  before  1831  ;  and  though  he  may  differ 
in  politics  with  many,  whoever  knows  the  general  must  more  or  less 
like  him.  He  is  a  sort  of  scion  of  the  Krasinski  family ;  and  though 
the  author's  paternal  uncle  (Isidor),  who  commanded  the  whole  Polish 
infantry  before  the  war  of  1831,  had  frequent  misunderstandings  with 
the  general  alluded  to,  yet  before  his  death  in  1841,  he  appointed  him  a 
trustee  of  his  lady.  Her  maiden  name  was  Countess  Barbara  Kra- 
sicka,  and  she  was  half-sister  to  the  author's  late  mother,  and  is  still 
alive,  but  blind. 

All  the  abovenamed  Krasinskis,  with  whom  the  author  is  personally 
acquainted,  are  liberal,  brave,  at  times  excitable,  slightly  proud  and 
whimsical,  extremely  hospitable,  rather  fond  of  the  fair  sex  and  of  jesting. 
They  prefer  a  monarchy  to  a  republic.  They  possess  strong  perceptive 
powers,  are  grateful  for  the  slightest  mark  of  kindness,  and  yet  often 
difficult  to  please.  The  general  has  recently  established  an  entail  in 
the  family,  reversable  to  other  branches. 

From  the  above  description  of  Korwin  Krasinski's  family  it  will  be 
perceived  that  it  is  not  inferior  to  any,  not  only  in  Poland,  but  in 
Europe.  Pew  even  sovereign  houses  can  trace  their  ancestors  to  the 
Romans. 

Count  Stanislaus  Krasinski  was  decorated  for  his  gallantry,  and 
has  been  in  England. 

Among  the  female  portion  of  Korwin  Krasinski's  family,  Countess 
Sigismond  Krasinska  is  one  of  the  best,  and  for  charity  and  kindness 
has  a  reputation  equal  to  that  which  the  honourable  Mrs.  Hamilton 
enjoys,  near  Worcester,  and  Misses  Harris  and  Lowther,  near  White- 
haven. 

See  ancient  edition  of  Niesiecki,  Sarnicki,  Konstytucye  Xieztwa 
Mazowieckiego,  Akta,  Woievrodztwa,  Plockiego,  Rozmaitosci,  Wegi- 
erckie  i  Szlaskie,  &c.  &c. 

T.  C.  JOHNS,  Wine  Office-court,  Fleet-street. 


NA  SZEROKIM  POLL 


^^^i^aii^ 


aO  iJIj  f_, 


izz=: 


1-» 0^n-i — I r— ^ • r—A n 


^^^^^iiipl 


/i^ffl 


llegretto. 


COSAQUE  ET  DZIUBA. 

> 


:p=P= 


gj=^ 


4-j-^^H— hjij:^ 


^i 


^ES 


^s 


■•-! — •■ 


i= 


^ 


^4-^l-jT^%f 


=  3 


izsz: 


f^ 


r^^^^\ 


-m-  -m-   -&- 


*i=ii:ptti: 


• — m—r^ 


•f(v  rallent. 


i^pp 


-•-^-•s»- 


^ 


'       Mil 

DUMA  O  HRYCIU. 


Andanfino. 


:±^. 


»— »- 


'5i|a 


"/-< 


^^ 


n^^ 


H 


U? 


H»--|-t-V 


/I  ^    , 


f=}: 


:t=p:tt=J 


'£•■ 


."""i^iir 


'^ 


*t^23 


JSIl 


.:^tS3:.^|:^fe>l^:f^M"feS 


^iilK^ii 


t-r-'-t 


^ 


SZUMYT  I  HUDE. 


J 1/ egret  to. 


\ 


^ 


tUJ  tUJ  lLD  l1_lj   ll5  i^ 


/I 


-i_-1»-h-f-'=g— _gr'^h-r-h-t-^ ^« T  ~r^ 

/^^"      OF  THE      ^>' 


JRN 


CIRCULATION  DEPARTMENT 

202  Main  Library 


N  PERIOD  1 
lOME  USE 

2 

3 

5 

6 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 
1 -month  loons  nnay  be  renewed  by  colling  642-3405 
nth  loons  moy  be  recharged  by  bringing  books  to  Circulation  De 
enewols  and  recharges  may  be  mode  4  days  prior  to  due  date    1 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 

;t^  0  1970 

1 

«-r»      c;.-.,. 

-- 

\ 

mj^mmr    ^^^     ^ "' 

e 

CSg?  *^^ 

'I'.        *i  <nr)i 

kV.       0   |30b 

ENTONILL 

FR  n  R   ^"^ 

r*  Ri- 

\  NO  DD  6    40m  10'  77      UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  BERKELEY 

BERKELEY,  CA  94720 


BDDDaabM'=)Q 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  UBRARY