Poland

From the circumstances already narrated, it may with propriety be inferred, that Poland cannot have attained any great eminence in science and literature. Such an opinion is literally correct, as far at least as regards the great body of the people. She possessed indeed no regu lar seminaries for the education of the lower classes, till the reign of Stanislaus Poniatowski; and while schools in the country are still few and inefficient, those in the vil lages and towns can hardly be regarded as more useful and respectable. The truth indeed need not be concealed. The Poles in the lower ranks are either totally ignorant, or their acquaintance with books is uncommonly limited and superficial. In short, there is no current and common literature among the great body of the nation ; and though the cause of education is not neglected by the present gov ernment, ages must elapse ere the Poles attain to that de gree of intelligence and taste for reading, by which the common people in the more civilized nations of the conti nent are characterized. Notwithstanding this, however, Poland has produced many celebrated scholars and wri ters, whose names would shed a lustre over any nation. Mathematical and physical science in particular was cul tivated at an earlier period, and with happier success in Poland than in any other country in Europe. Vitellio, a Pole, who lived in the thirteenth century, has been re garded as the first in Europe who investigated the Theory of Light and understood its principles. (See the article On ics, Vol. XIV.) The illustrious astronomer Co pernicus, of whom any nation might boast, was a native of Poland, being born at Thorn, which, though now in Russia, was situated for time immemorial in a Polish pro vince. The names of Brudzewski, Martin of Olkusz, Grzebski, Broscius, arc intimately connected with the li terary history of Europe. Nor was Poland deficient in 'writers in other departments of literature. Her theolo gians, poets, historians, particularly the two last, are ex tremely numerous, many of them of superior learning and endowments, but whose works, with few exceptions, are not extensively known beyond the boundaries of the kingdom. Her poets indeed are so numerous, that in a " Dictionary of the Polish Poets," published in 1820 by Juszynski, the lives of upwards of fourteen hundred are described, including of course versifiers of every degree of merit. And this dictionary is not completed ; for it comprises only the poets anterior to the reign of Stanis laus Poniatowski. Nor have the fine arts been neglected in Poland. The government encourages them equally with science and literature ; and there is in the university of Warsaw a professorship for instruction in this department, besides academies and inferior seminaries. There is also in this capital an annual exhibition of paintings and en gravings, and the government awards prizes. In addition to many of a subordinate rank, Poland has produced two first-rate painters, Czechowicz and Sniuglewicz, both edu cated in Italy, the fountain of the fine arts. " The paint ings of the latter," says Mr. Szyrma, "adorn the cathe dral of \Vilna ; several of them are to be found in the churches at Warsaw, also in St. Petersburg, whither he had been invited by the emperor Paul. He excelled in strong original conceptions. His subjects are for the most part religious, taken from the bible, like those of the Eng lish West. Some few of them are historical. The as sassination of St. Stanislaus, the tutelary saint of Poland, by king Boleslaus the Bold, and his Cain and Abel, are master-pieces of art, and much admired by connoisseurs." —Music, both profane and sacred, is much cultivated; and the national airs and dances have long been regarded as elegant, dignified, and striking.—The theatre is also under the patronage of the government. There is a dra matic school in Warsaw for educating aspirants for the stage. 'The dramatic writings of Poland hat e not hither to attained to any great height of perfection ; but Bogus lawski, who has long been regarded as the Kernble of Po land, is devoting his retirement and old age to the publi cation of his dramatic writings, which are to extend to twelve volumes, and will undoubtedly be gratifying to his countrymen, as they have for a long time afforded them delight on the stage. Of the Polish language, a dialect of the Sclavonic, and which the works it has produced will not allow to perish, a copious grammar has been compil ed by Kopezynski, and a dictionary in six quarto volumes. by Linde, an author who has not inaptly been compared to Adelung, the famous German philologist. The litera ry institutions of this country, though yet not very numer ous or very efficient, may be expected rapidly to improve and increase, as they are liberally patronized both by the nobility and the government. Her national libraries have been transferred to Petersburg, and though there are se veral extensive private collections, the only public library is that belonging to the Society of Friends of Science at Warsaw. With the ekception of the University of War

saw, this society is the most learned and celebrated insti tution in Poland. Its origin is interesting. Stanislaus Poniatowski, we are told by Mr. Szyrma, soothed the mis fortunes of his life with the healing balm of literary pas time, destining every Thursday evening to social conver sation with men of learning. After the partition of Po land, when the name of that country was to be for ever obliterated, the same literati who were thus accustom ed to hold these literary meetings with the king, actuated by patriotic feelings, united themselves into a society for the object of escuing from oblivion whatever related to the history and literature of their unfortunate country. The members have since exerted their powers in different departments of learning, and have originated many literary productions that have excited a deep and general interest over the nation. The transactions of this society are pub lished under the title of Annals, and are now grown vo luminous. No institution promises to do more for the in terests of science and literature in Poland than that which Mr. Szyrma has thus described.

Poland, as already known, exists no longer as an inde pendent kingdom, but maintains its existence in an un equal conjunction with a mighty empire. The emperor Alexander, however, has done all in his power to prevent the Poles from regarding their dependence on Russia as a burden, or s a dereliction of their national independence. In a letter addressed to the president of the Polish senate immediately after the congress of Vienna, he says, " The kingdom will be united to Russia by the bond of its own constitution. If the great interest of general tranquillity has not permitted the union of all the Poles under the same seep' re, I have at least endeavoured to alleviate as much as possible the pain of the separation, and to obtain for them every where the peaceful enjoyment of the na tionality. Conformably to this promise, he granted them in 1815, a constitutional charter, embracing as nearly as possible the admirable principles of the constitution of 1791, with as much of the ancient spirit and ancient forms of their old dynasty as were consistent with the safety of the nation and the improvements made in legislation. There arc now, as formerly, a king, a senate, and a diet. The czar is represented by a viceroy, in whom, and in a cabinet of ministers, the executive government resides. The chief ministerial departments arc those of war, fi nance, police, law, and national education ; and the minis ters, as in Britain, are responsible to the senate. The se nate consists of thirty members, namely, ten bishops, ten palatines, and ten castellans named by the king for life. The chamber of representatives contains seventy deputies from the provincial nobility and gentry, and of the mem bers of the cabinet, who have seats in it in virtue of their office. The diet, analogous to the ancient ordinary Polish diet, consists of the senate and house of representatives. Its sittings cannot extend beyond a fortnight ; the king is not obliged to convoke it oftener than once in two years, its sanction being necessary only for certain measures, for the imposition of taxes, for the passing of new laws, or the abrogation or alteration of old ones. There are numerous provincial courts both civil and criminal, in which the laws are wisely and impartially administered ; and there are besides two courts of appeal, with one supreme court, whose decisions are final. The established church is the Roman Catholic, which is the religion of the majority ; but Protestants of every denomination are extremely nu merous ; a considerable number belong to the Greek church ; and the Jews, as formerly mentioned, amount to a seventh part of the population. The most unshackled toleration is established, embracing not merely every de nomination of Christians, but Jews and Pagans. It need only farther be mentioned, that the revenue of Poland amounts to £900,000 sterling ; that of this sum £180,000 goes to the civil list; and that the military force is conside rable, especially in cavalry.

See Tableau de la Pologne, par Malte-Brun, Paris, 1807, 8vo. ; Reichard's Guide des Voyageurs ; Guide du Voya geur en Pologne et dans la Republique de Cracovie ; Rein hard's Guide des Voyageurs dans le Nord ; Coxe's Tra vels in Poland, Sic.; Dr. Connor's History of Poland ; Palmer's Authentic Memoirs of the Life of John Sobieski ; Rulhier's Hist. de la Pologne ; Letters Literary and Poli tical on Poland, Edini 1823, 8vo. published anonymously, but known to be written by Mr. Szyrma, a Polish gentle man at present residing in Edinburgh : it is an interesting production, deserving the attention of every reader. (;r.