i 
. 
324 
The manufactures of England are in 
great requifition,. notwithftanding the 
prohibitions which exifted, before the.ar- 
rival of the French, againit their impor- 
tation. You cannot enter a fhop in any 
large town, but every thing of this de- 
{cription is Engli/h, even to an ordinary 
filk purfe. Of courfe, this cannot be 
always, though it is frequently, true. 
I had occafion to buy a hat at Lem- 
berg. The name of the maker, of the 
ftreet in London, and number where he 
lived, were all diitinctly noted on a label; 
but from fome particular and decifive 
marks, I could not hefitate a moment to 
conclude that the hat had never been in 
Engiand. 
Trade almoft of every defcription is, 
for the moft part, conducted by Jews. In 
all the large towns, and indeed in the 
‘Ymall ones, their fhops are not only the 
moft numerous, but the beft. Thefe thops 
have their emiffaries, who are interior 
_Jews, and whofe bufinefs it is to loiter 
about the town, and particularly about 
the hotels and taverns to colleét cul- 
toners. A firanger no fooner arrives at 
an hotel, than he is accofted by fome 
dirty Jew, whe will even enter his apart- 
ment without ceremony, and is ready, 
on a faveurable anfwer, to conduét him 
to the fhop of his empleyer, It-is cu- 
rious to fee the officious eagernefs, the 
perfevering importunity, the unceafing 
watchfulnefs of every motion. of the 
firanger, which diftinguith thefe emiflary 
Jews, and the alacrity with which they 
lead the way, when they have gained 
their point. The fhops even in Warfaw 
make but little exterior difplay. Thole 
which are abundautly furnifhed with va- 
juable goods, have windows of inconfi- 
derable dimenfions. 
There are many Jews, who have even 
obtained farms of the nobles. One of 
thefe was pointed out to me at Dantzic, 
who was refident there for’a time to fell’ 
hiscorn. He had divefted himfelf, how- 
ever, of his beard, and of the black robe 
diftinctive of his order. - ; 
The general population of Poland is 
fiated at 15 millions. It was thus efti- 
mated before the laft partition: but the 
nobles are foud of thinking that it has 
declined fince that event. The accounts 
of others, however, who may be fup- 
pofed lefs interefied in the independence 
ef the country, do not confirm their opi- 
nion ; nor, from the various marks of im- 
provement difcoverable, particularly in 
the Prufifian part, would a ftranger be led 
to fuch a conclufion, Of this popula- 
Particulars of the prefent State of Poland. 
[May 1, 
tion, the peafants eonftitute a large ma- 
jority. 
A Polifh peafant is fhort in ftature, 
and appears as if ftinted in his growth. 
He has fmall grey eyes, a fhort nofe, 
generally fomewhat turned up; hair in 
general approaching to yellow, though it 
fometimes inclines to a darkifh colour; 
his complexion is alfo of a yellow hue ; 
his general afpeét dull and dejected ; his 
gait heavy and devoid of life. Still, the 
Poles affert that he may be drilled into 
avery good foldier, The peafant wo- 
men are ufually very fhort, and fquat. 
From their extreme dirtinefs and gene- 
ral unfightlinefs, nothing in the form of 
woman can be conceived lefs lovely. I 
have never feen in a young peafant girl, 
even when clean and neat, the flighteft 
approach to beauty. 
The drefs of the peafants confifts 
chieily in a coarfe upper garment of a 
dark reddith coleur, more like a mantle 
than a coat, which reaches below the 
knee, and is confined round them with a 
girdle. This, in winter, is lined with 
fheep-fkins. They have befides, a. little 
fur-cap, and afew other articles of dréfs, 
all of the coarfeft materials. The drefs 
of the peafant women is fearcely to be 
analyfed, at leafi by a man. When they 
are dreffed on a Sunday, it istawdry be- 
yond defcription, confifling of a great 
variety of different colours, as in patch- 
work, of which, however, red is the pre- 
dominant one. When thus, accoutred, 
they look as if made up for {carecrows. 
In fammer, the women have nothing on 
but a mere fhift and an under-petticoat, 
which extends fcarcely below the knees ; 
and are commonly without fhoes or 
fiockings. 
Their diet is very feanty, They have 
rarely any animal food; their bef 
things are their milk and poor cheefe, 
which they have in fufficient abundance; 
but the ftaple of their diet. is the coarfe 
rye bread I have before mentioned, and 
which I have attempted in vain to fwal- 
low. 
The political condition of this wretch- 
ed race of beings, is ftillmore degrading 
to human nature. I have before given 
fome account of a Polifh farm; and have 
now to add a few particulars, as! con- ~ 
nected with the fubjeét of the peafantry. 
When'a farmer rents a farm, the villages 
fituated on it, with thei inhabitants, are 
confidered as included in the bargain; 
and the farmer derives a right to the la- 
bour of the peafantry for the cultivation 
of that farm. ‘The relation hetween the 
peafant - 
