694 
dressed to the empress Catherine II. by 
her Quarter-master-General, M. de Pistor. 
They are two in number; the first treats 
of the revolution that took place at War- 
Saw, on the 6th of April 1794, and pre- 
sents extensive and circumstantial details, 
relative to the measures adopted by the 
Russian chiefs, to prevent the events that 
ensued. The second, contains an ac-~ 
count of the operations of the campaign 
that ensued, and both of them were pre- 
sented to her imperial majesty, in Ja- 
nuaiy 1796. Their author, M. de Pistor, 
who was one of the officers appertaining 
to the staff of General Igelstrom, he re-en- 
deavours to prove that none of the mis- 
fortunes that ensued, can be jusly attri- 
buted to him. He at the same time 
frankly avows, that faults had been com- 
mitted, and he points out the officers who 
were guilty. 
Throughout the whole of the details, 
the writer appears in the character of a 
subject of a despotic monarchy, and af 
fects to believe that Russia possessed le- 
gitimate claims to the sovereignty of an 
ancient, independent republic! The con- 
duct of the Diet of Warsaw is accord- 
ingly complimented with the epithet of 
‘< insurrectionelle,” and that of the Po- 
lish nation is,with equal truth, considered 
as factious. He wished to treat the whole 
country, as in astate of rebellion, and 
therefore was for seizing all the forts and 
arsenals, and subjecting every portion of 
it, even those territories which remained 
neutral, or obedient te Russia, to all the 
horrors of military law ! 
The Quarter-master General appears 
to have anticipated every thing, but the 
singular courage of the people, and the 
celebrated victory of Kosciusko at Ra- 
slawic, where a body of peasants, ill 
armed and without discipline, penetrated 
through the Russian ranks, so that the 
imperial troops were obliged to retire 
fron the centre. Immediately after this, 
the insurrection extended to the palati- 
nates of Chelm and Lubiin: the occu- 
pation of Warsaw enabled it to spread 
throughout the remainder of Poland, 
It was thus, by means of a class of 
men, whom he qualifies with the names 
of brigands, of populace, and of revolters, 
that the capital was at length evacuated 
on the part of nine battalions and two 
companies, besides eight squadrons of 
horse, supported by 36 field-pieces, with- 
out reckoning the Prussians encamped 
in the neighbourhood. 
Tn the second memoir, the author finds 
himself obliged to treat the “ insurgents” 
‘with less scorn. 
Retrospect of French Lateraiure—Miscellaneous. 
He acknowledges the 
disputes that had taken place between 
the Russian and Prussian officers, and 
attempts to justify hunself in respect to 
the disastrous events that had occurred. 
He farrly allows, however, tzat his owt 
soldiers were not blameless. 
** What has greatly diminished the 
number of our troops,” says he, “ is pil- 
Jage—many of them having entered the 
city for that-purpose. A body of them 
having been found searching for booty, 
during the night, in the quarter of Lesch- 
no, severai of the inhabitants repaired to 
the commandant of the Polish troops near 
the arsenal, in order to demand assist- 
ance. This was at length affe.-'.d; a 
party of soldiers having been marched ex- 
pressly for that purpose, and these imme 
diately began to massacre all the stras- 
glers: no less than 200, all of whom were 
intoxicated, perished in one cellar. A 
hundred on this retired to a house, near 
the street of the Franciscans, ard being 
at length forced to surrender, they also 
were put to death.” 
By-~way of introduction to the whole, 
the editor has given a summary of the 
History of Poland; and he there lays 
down two principles, of which the pre- 
sent work 1s adduced as a proof and con- 
firmation. The first is, that, for a long 
series of years, Russia had conceived, 
meditated, and prepared a system of 
usurpation in respect to the country in 
question; that this dangerous neighbour 
had been the constant fomenter of all the 
intrigues, of all the troubles, and of all 
the factions which have desolated that 
nation; that its disunion constituted 
its ruin, and that its ruin was the con- 
‘stant invariavle aim of the court of St. 
Petersburgh. 
The second is, that the system of an 
elective monarchy, adopted by the Poles, 
exposed them to periodical convul- 
sions and to interminable civil strife. At 
each succeeding election, ambition of 
every kind, both national and foreign, 
was engendered, which ended at length 
in their subjugation by the neighbour- 
ing nations that had conspired against. 
them. z 
After this, the author points out the 
different epochs when Russia manifestly 
displayed her mtentions to infringe on 
the rights of an independent country, 
He recails to the memory of his readers’ 
“the forced election” of Poniatowski, 
the alliance of Catherine II. with Fre- 
deric, called the Great ; the stipulation of 
certain secret articles relative to the re- 
public ; 
