88 FORESTRY IN POLAND. 



kingdom should immediately be laid under military execu- 

 tion, and be treated as a conquered state. The glory of 

 Poland was past; and though some of the nobles, rather 

 than be the instruments of bringing their country to 

 ruin, chose to spend their days in exile and poverty, the 

 measure was at length agreed to ; and Stanislaus himself, 

 threatened with deposition and imprisonment, was pre- 

 vailed upon to sanction it. Europe, though astonished at 

 what was taking place in Poland, remained inactive. The 

 courts of London, Paris, Stockholm, and Copenhagen, 

 indeed, sent remonstrances against this usurpation ; but 

 remonstrances without a military force will, as in the case 

 before us, be ofttimes unavailing. 



"Oh bloodiest picture in the book of time, 

 Sarmatia fell, unwept, without a crime ! " 



A, large portion of the eastern provinces were seized by 

 Russia; Austria appropriated a fertile tract on the south- 

 west ; while Prussia acquired a commercial district in the 

 north-west, including the lower part of the Vistula. 

 Poland was thus robbed of 70,000 square miles, or about 

 a fourth of her whole territory.' 



Wars followed. Russia and Prussia triumphed, Warsaw 

 still remained unconquered. At length Warsaw also fell 

 before an invading host. 



'Poland being thus overthrown, the two ursurping 

 powers were about to form a partition of it betwixt them, 

 when Austria unexpectedly stept forward, and declared 

 that she could not permit the entire destruction of Poland, 

 unless she were allowed to share in the division. The 

 consequences of a refusal they were not willing to encoun- 

 ter ; and Austria had thus her ambitious views realised, 

 without having incurred the smallest danger or expense. 

 Stanislaus, who had all this while remained in his capital, 

 was at length removed to Grodno a second time, where he 

 was compelled to resign his crown, and was thence carried 

 to St. Petersburg, where he resided as a state prisoner in 



