The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-11-19

food, ammunition, and all other sinews Of war
Contributions were raisedI pro:lamations issued
recruits obtained by his authority. The Prus
slams, who had approached within days march
of the capital, were triumphanlly repused and
expelled. The revolution was confirmed and
but for the treachery and anarchy which sur
rounded the chief, the Polish republic might
have existed until the power of'Napoleon had
lent it permanent strength. TO combine the
conflicting element, Kosciusko resigned the die
tatorship, and betook himself to the sword. The
campaign of 1894 is memorable. AT Maeziec.
WIGS, on the Goth Of October, came the final
conflict. Four different assaults Of the Russian
army were gloriousy repealed, before the Polish
lines wavered and it was only when covered
with wounds. and exclaiming, This is the end
of Poland" Kosciusko fell, that the Cossacks
achieved the victory. Warsaw dropped into the
hands oDthe monster Su~arrow, and 90 900
citizens were slaughtered. Thousands of the
most conspicuous rebels were sent to Siberia
The chief of all consigned to the dungeon of
Russian fortress.
Catharine ii. died year after. Paul, her
successor, was inoculated with French ideas Of
liberte Ell egalite and the Kosciusko's prison
opened. The hero was extremely caressed by
the Gar. His friendship and society were all
the latter professed to care for Fifteen thou
sand serfs and twenty thousand rubles were
presented to him. He rejected all; and turn
ing his back upon Russia and his helplessly en-
shaved country, sought once more the hospita-
BILE shores of America.
In the spring of 1897 Kosciusko arrived in
London, the FIRST stage of his pilgrimage, and
was welcomed with enthusiastic feeling. The
Tory press alone was hostile. The Courier
and The Post were most violent. No maledic-
tons and ISLANDERS were too bitter to pour out
upon the head Of the patriot. On the other
hand, the liberals were as devotedy impressed
with his merits The Wing Club, on the mo-
ton of Gen. Tarleton, the well.known partizan
commander in the Southern revolutionary an.
nails, seconded by Charles James Fox, voted
him a sword His levees, while staying in the
capital, were attended as namerously as the
Kings. AT Bristol, the point of embarkation
from the Sheriffs, and tremendous public de-
monstration. The citizens procured splendid
set of plate and presented him as a parting ties.
timony of their veneration.
At Philadelphia where he disembarked from
his transatlantic voyage, the expressions of joy
and admirations were extravagant. Statutes
were fired from the national forts, as the vessel
assembled the Delaware. His carriage was
dragged through the streets to his lodgings, by
the enthusiastic mob. The great men Of the
nation gathered abont him instantly. Jefferson,
then Vice. President, DR.. James Logan, chief
justice M'Kean, Gov. Miflin, Senator Mason,
and all the republican members Of Congress,
were in constant intercourse with him. The
republican papers were loud in his praise while
the Government organs, sympathising with
English toryism, abused him at a round rate
1t is amusing, in glancing over some Of the arti-
cles Of the time, to observe the identity of sen.
timent, and frequently Of language, with what
we now have daily of the Hungarian. Neither
the President, Mr.. Adams, nor any of his cabi-
net, paid the least attention to the ilustrious
Pole. They did or said nothing indicating
consciousness of his presence in the country
But for the tone of their organs, we might
suppose them to have been ignorant of it.
Washington, on the other harS wrote from
Mount Vernon, under date of August 81
1897, cordial letter of welcome, from which
we quote:
Il beg you to be assured that no one has
higher respect and veneration for your character
than have; and no one more sincerely wished
during your arduous struggle in the cause OF
liberty and your country, that il might be
crowned with success. But the ways Of Prov.
idence are inscrutable, and mortals must submit
pray you to believe, that at all times and under
any circumstances, it would make me happy TO
see you at my last retreat, from which never
expect to move more than twenty miles again.
With great esteem, remain &c.
Such was the language Of the noble patriot
Of earth, TO a man, whom executives Of those
days and these, would join in Insulting Kos.
ciusko did not visit the father of his country.
Still suffering from the wounds received In the
final battle with the Russians, the hero seldom
left his room or his bed. Thither came visitors,
male and female, from New York, then two days
journey away, two pay their respects TO the suf.
ferer. The officers Of the army; all the first
men Of the land who congregatei at Philadel-
phia, then the capital city Of the Union, were in
daily attendance. Congress voted him some
$4,000, the administration members of the
House Of Representatives opposing the appror1
priation. The public land, to which he was en-.
titled for his revolutionary services, he gave
away TO poor Welchman, who had been fel.
low-voyager. This liberality called for indignant
attacks from federal papers. lie was advised TO
travel west, weak and helpless he was, and
cultivate the land he was entitled to. lie was
said TO despise the generosity Of our govern
ment, because, declining to turn buckeye farmer,
he proposed TO return to France, and there end |
his days. After he had done so, in May, 1898, |
he expressed his gratitude to the French minis.
try for acts Of courtesy or kindness were con-
strued into malicious reflection upon the Amer.
can people. But, happily, the hold Of the glo.
rious Pole, upon the hearts Of that people, was
too close to be shaken by all the official misrep.
in the world. At his death, in 1917,
on the anniversary, we believe, Of the day when
The fatal field of Maeziewics was fought the ex.
Of sorrow were as general throughout
The Union, as if one Of its own favorite sons
had departed.
II our patient reader is not struck with the
many extraordinary point, Of similarity between
The Hungarian and the Pole, the fault is in our |
necessarily hurried account Of the latter Age, |
character, objects, behavior, il-success, and sub
,equent fate, all have their tangcntial points
Both we're qualified by genius and education for
yreat national leaders; both excluded from their
designs the schemes Of tyranny and jacobinism.
Both self-denyingly occupied their almost abso-
ute position solely for the benefit of their re-
spective countries and resisted the dazzling
temptations which corrupt ambition must have