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SCENES OF THE 29TH OF NOVEMBER, 1830. 



WARSAW, in common with all the capitals of Europe, possesses an 

 immense number of public places of every description. A short 

 time before the day of the glorious revolution, a new and splendid 

 coffee-room was opened in the street, which formerly bore the name 

 of Napoleon. This place became afterwards the centre of attraction, 

 where the young and the old, the gay and the thoughtful, the magis- 

 trate and the soldier, the titled nobleman and the plebeian risen to 

 importance, resorted to join in a joyful song, a mirthful dance, and 

 even to form a grave tribunal discoursing on the march of public 

 affairs. 



But now it was merely novelty and curiosity which attracted 

 crowds of votaries into this temple of fashion. It was certainly con- 

 spicuous by the splendour of its structure, the freshness of its deco- 

 rations, and chiefly the music performed by all the first players in the 

 town. Nor could the gloomy countenances and scrutinizing looks of 

 the Russian spies, who at that time beset every public entertainment 

 in Warsaw, scare away the idle and the curious from that place of 

 enchantment. 



One day I also went thither to pay my tribute of admiration. 

 Having found the room quite full, I jostled my way as decently as 

 possible through the crowd, putting out of order many a lady's high- 

 blown sleeve, and many a dandy's careful attire, without being able 

 to find a single unoccupied seat. At last, to my great delight, I was 

 able to bestow myself in a corner opposite to the music-stand. The 

 joyful tune of the Mazurka inspired my mind with the gaiety so cha- 

 racteristic of and peculiar to every Pole. 



But a sudden change came over my mind ; I found myself sitting 

 at the same table with a party of Russian officers. Their loud voices, 

 in a language so unpleasant and coarse to a Polish ear, marred all the 

 effect of the music. But their insolence surpassed all. One of them 

 boasted of his scandalous connexions with a lady well-known in 

 Warsaw for her probity ; another described how he obtained, by 

 means of threats and oppression, a large sum of money from some 

 landowners of a southern Polish province ; and a third related 

 how, having offended two Polish officers in a party, he not only 

 cleared himself, but caused his adversaries to be arrested and publicly 

 punished. These foul remarks could not but rouse in my mind 

 every feeling of disgust and indignation. Now and then one of the 

 party walked from the table to the counter to order a new supply of 

 the intoxicating beverage which they drank. He was a lieutenant of 

 cuirassers, well-known in Warsaw for his bad principles and disho- 

 nest conduct. He marked these frequent passages by his haughty 

 demeanour and affronting observations, in which Tie neither spared 

 sex nor age. Once he went so far as to highly insult a young and 

 beautiful lady; she blushed and burst into tears. The barbarian 



