offices among mankind, constituted his occupations until recent events drew him from his privacy.  The first call was made by the Russian functionaries, as stated in the text, for the purpose of self-protection! the second was that of his devoted country, when a government was essential to success.  He was chosen not only one of the five members of the executive body, but its president, a station which he still honourably fills.  Into his new office he has carried all the unostentatious and disinterested virtues that adorned Pulawy, and there is little doubt that if (and no one suspects that such will not be the case) the independence of Poland be fairly won, the choice of his country will point to him as its sovereign.  Having finished his academical career at the University of Edinburgh, he early acquired a strong taste for English institutions and for Englishmen, and of this he gave substantial proof by devoting 250 l. a-year to the exclusive purchase of English books.  His revenues are enormous; but his liberality is unbounded; and, as it is a rule in his munificent establishment to provide liberally for the families of all his dependants, his means are comparatively restricted, but his personal wants are few; and that he is ready to accommodate himself to circumstances, was well shown by his only observation on hearing of the confiscation of his large property in Podolia by Nicholas.  “Instead of riding, I must walk, and instead of sumptuous fare, I must dine on buck-wheat."[3] Such is a faint outline of this illustrious man’s character.  Were it only for the admirable example of such an individual guiding the reigns of the government of a devoted people, it is most ardently to be hoped that Poland may triumph over her enemies, and be raised to that rank from which she was degraded only by the basest of treasons.—­Fletcher’s History of Poland.

    [3] The common food of the poor.

As the pronunciation of the Polish language is attended with some difficulty, the author of this work has, in his advertisement, subjoined the following hints, taken principally from the “Letters Literary and Political on Poland, Edinburgh, 1823.”

All vowels are sounded as in French and Italian; and there are no diphthongs, every vowel being pronounced distinctly.  The consonants are the same as in English, except

w, which is sounded like v, at the beginning of a word; thus, Warsawa—­Varsafa; in the middle or at the end of a word it has the sound of f, as in the instance already cited; and Narew—­Nareff.

c, like tz, and never like k; thus, Pac is sounded Patz.

g, like g in Gibbon; thus, Oginski.

ch, like the Greek [Greek:  ch] or k; thus, Lech—­Lek.

cz, like the English tch in pitch;—­thus, Czartoryski pronounce Tchartoryski.

sz, like sh in shape; thus, Staszyc like Stashytz.