8] 
dently to subvert the constitution 
they had established, and to bring 
the king under subjeétion. He 
warmly exhorted the diet, never to 
submit to such ignominious treat- 
ment, but manfully to support the 
system they bad adopted. He advis:d 
them, at the same time, in addition 
tothe efforts of the Polishnation to 
repel this unjustaggression, toapply 
to that ally on whom they had the 
clearest right to depend on this exi- 
gency. This was the king of Prus- 
sia. That prince had, in the face 
of Europe, openly concurred in the 
measures pursued by Poland, parti- 
cularly those which had been em- 
braced with the view of shaking off 
the influence of Russia, andin the 
negotiations with the Porte ; but 
especially in the forming a govern- 
‘ment, with which he could contra¢t 
a firm and durable alliance. That 
government had been framed, and 
thisalliancehad been contratted ac- 
‘cordingly ; and he had thereby en- 
gaged to assist Poland in maintain. 
ing its independence and dominions 
against all hostile attempts, first by 
mediation, and, were that to fail, 
by employing a force sufficient, in 
conjunttion with that of Poland, to 
resist the attempts of its enemies. 
The king’s address was received 
with unanimous satisfaction. He 
-was invested with the supreme com- 
mand of the Polish armies ; and it 
was resolved, that for all the da- 
mages sustained by private indivi- 
duals, in consequence of the en- 
trance of Russian troops into Poland, 
indemn’ fication should be made to 
the sufferers, at the expence of the 
public. The Polish nobles, con- 
_vinced of the danger their country 
was in, desisted from the opposition 
they had .so imprudently made to 
the arming of the nation, They 
b 4 
. 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1795. 
universallyagreed, that the forcesal. 
ready on foot should be augmented 
by one hundred thousand men, and 
that arms should be distributed 
among the people. The Polish no- 
bility displayed great patriotism on 
this occasion: some sent all their 
plate to the mint, others madelarge 
donations if money ; many raised 
and maintained companies of horse 
and foot, and even whole regi- 
ments; warlike implements and 
stores, in large quantities, were pro- 
vided by numbers ; several trains of 
artillery were furnished in the same 
manner. Prince Radzivil, reputed 
the richest nobleman in the king- 
dom, presented it with ten thou- 
sand stand of arms. No efforts, in 
short, were omitted to put the 
nation in a posture of defence. All 
family feuds and privatealtercations 
were now laid aside, and a cordial 
union succeeded between all indi. 
viduals and parties. 
Had this spirit, and these mea- 
sures, been adopted a year before, 
Poland would probably have found. 
itselfin a situation to meet its inva- 
ders on a footing ‘of some parity. 
Numbers of resolute men abounded 
in every part of the country; and, 
had the scheme of forming them into 
a regular militia taken place, it was 
computed, that more than four hun- 
dred thousand might with facility 
have been embodied. Prepared for 
ation by the constant training of a 
whole twelvemonth, and animated 
hy thelove of their country, and that 
hatred to the Russians, long implant- 
ed in the poles, the contest between 
them would not have been easily de- 
cided, and might have lasted long 
enough to produce some movements 
in favour of the latter, by thosewho 
could not be. deemed: indifferent 
spectators of their fate. 
