LEAVING CRACOW.--THE RUSSIAN FRONTIER.--THE POLICE AND THE
CUSTOM-HOUSE.--RUSSIAN CENSORSHIP OF BOOKS AND PAPERS.--CATCHING A
SMUGGLER.--FROM THE FRONTIER TO WARSAW.--SIGHTS AND INCIDENTS IN THE
CAPITAL OF POLAND.--FROM WARSAW TO ST. PETERSBURG.
[Illustration: OUTER WALL OF CRACOW.]
The sun was setting as our friends reached Cracow, on their return from
Wieliczka. The walls of the city were gilded by the rays of light that
streamed over the hills which formed the western horizon. In all its
features the scene was well calculated to impress the youthful
travellers. Frank wished to make a sketch of the gate-way through which
they passed on their entrance within the walls, but the hour was late
and delay inadvisable. The commissioner said he would bring them a
photograph of the spot, and with this consolation the young man
dismissed from his mind the idea of the sketch.
All retired early, as they intended taking the morning train for the
Russian frontier, and thence to Warsaw. They were up in good season, and
at the appointed time the train carried them out of the ancient capital
of Poland.
[Illustration: CUSTOM HOUSE FORMALITIES.]
At Granitsa, the frontier station, they had a halt of nearly two hours.
Their passports were carefully examined by the Russian officials, while
their trunks underwent a vigorous overhauling. The passports proved to
be entirely in order, and there was no trouble with them. The officials
were particularly polite to the American trio, and said they were always
pleased to welcome Americans to the Empire. They were less courteous to
an Englishman who arrived by the same train, and the Doctor said it was
evident that the Crimean war had not been entirely forgotten. Several
passengers had neglected the precautions which our friends observed at
Vienna, in securing the proper indorsement to their passports, and were
told that they could not pass the frontier. They were compelled to wait
until the passports could be sent to Cracow for approval by the Russian
consul at that point, or else to Vienna. A commissioner attached to the
railway-station offered to attend to the matter for all who required his
aid; formerly it was necessary for the careless traveller to return in
person to the point designated, but of late years this has not been
required.
"This passport business is an outrageous humbug," said the Englishman
with whom our friends had fallen into conversation while they were
waiting in the anteroom of the passport office. "Its object is to keep
improper persons out of Russia; but it does nothing of the kind. Any
Nihilist, Revolutionist, or other objectionable individual can always
obtain a passport under a fictitious name, and secure the necessary
approval of consuls or ambassadors. Ivan Carlovitch, for whom the police
are on the watch, comes here with a passport in the name of Joseph
Cassini, a native of Malta, and subject of Great Britain. His English
passport is obtained easily enough by a little false swearing; it is
approved by the Russian minister at Vienna, and the fellow enters Russia
with perfect ease. The honest traveller who has neglected the formality
through ignorance is detained, while the Revolutionist goes on his way
contented. The Revolutionist always knows the technicalities of the law,
and is careful to observe them; and it is safe to say that the passport
system never prevented any political offender from getting into Russia
when he wanted to go there.
[Illustration: PASSPORT NOT CORRECT.]
"I have been in Russia before," he continued, "and know what I am
saying. The first time I went there was from Berlin, and on reaching the
frontier I was stopped because my passport was not properly indorsed. I
supposed I would have to go back to Berlin, but the station-master said
I need not take that trouble; I could stop at the hotel, and he would
arrange the whole matter, so that I might proceed exactly twenty-four
hours later. I did as he told me, and it was all right."
"How was it accomplished?"
"Why, he took my passport and a dozen others whose owners were in the
same fix as myself, and sent them by the conductor of the train to
Koenigsburg, where there is a Russian consul. For a fee of two English
shillings (fifty cents of your money) the consul approved each passport;
another fee of fifty cents paid the conductor for his trouble, and he
brought back the passports on his return run to the frontier. Then the
station-master wanted four shillings (one dollar) for his share of the
work, and we were all _en regle_ to enter the Russian Empire. We got our
baggage ready, and were at the station when the train arrived; the
station-master delivered our passports, and collected his fee along with
the fees of the conductor and consul, and that ended the whole business.
The consul knew nothing about any of the persons named in the passports,
and we might have been conspirators or anything else that was
objectionable, and nobody would have been the wiser. Russia is the only
country in Europe that keeps up the passport system with any severity,
and it only results in putting honest people to trouble and expense, and
never stops those whom it is intended to reach. There, they've opened
the door, and we can now go before the representatives of the autocrat
of all the Russias."
[Illustration: IN THE PASSPORT BUREAU.]
One by one they approached the desk, with the result already stated. At
the examination of the baggage in the custom-house the clothing and
personal effects of our friends were passed without question, but there
was some difficulty over a few books which the boys had bought before
leaving Vienna. One volume, pronounced objectionable, was seized as
contraband, but the others were not taken. Every book written by a
foreigner about Russia is carefully examined by the official censor as
soon as it is published, and upon his decision depends the question of
its circulation being allowed in the Empire. Anything calculated to
throw disrespect upon the Imperial family, or upon the Government in
general, is prohibited, as well as everything which can be considered to
have a revolutionary tendency.
"They are not so rigid as they used to be," growled the Englishman, as
he closed and locked his trunk after the examination was completed. "In
the time of the Emperor Nicholas they would not allow anything that
indicated there was any other government in the world which amounted to
anything, and they were particularly severe upon all kinds of
school-books. Now they rarely object to school-books, unless they
contain too many teachings of liberty; and they are getting over their
squeamishness about criticisms, even if they are abusive and untruthful.
The worst case I ever heard of was of an inspector at one of the
frontier stations, who seized a book on astronomy because it contained a
chapter on 'The Revolutions of the Earth.' He said nothing revolutionary
could be allowed to enter the Empire, and confiscated the volume in
spite of its owner's explanations.
"Under Nicholas," continued the Englishman, "Macaulay's 'History of
England' was prohibited, though it could be bought without much trouble.
After Alexander II. ascended the throne the rigors of the censorship
were greatly reduced, and papers and books were freely admitted into
Russia which were prohibited in France under Louis Napoleon. All the
Tauchnitz editions of English works were permitted, even including
Carlyle's 'French Revolution.' It is possible that the last-named book
had escaped notice, as you would hardly expect it to be allowed free
circulation in Russia. Books and newspapers addressed to the professors
of the universities, to officers above the rank of colonel, and to the
legations of foreign countries are not subjected to the censorship, or
at least they were not so examined a few years ago. Since the rise of
Nihilism the authorities have become more rigid again, and books and
papers are stopped which would not have been suppressed at all before
the death of Alexander II.
"If you want to know the exact functions of the censor," said the
gentleman, turning to Frank and Fred, "here is an extract from his
instructions."
With these words he gave to one of the youths a printed slip which
stated that it was the censor's duty to prohibit and suppress "all works
written in a spirit hostile to the orthodox Greek Church, or containing
anything that is contrary to the truths of the Christian religion, or
subversive of good manners or morality; all publications tending to
assail the inviolability of autocratical monarchical power and the
fundamental laws of the Empire, or to diminish the respect due to the
Imperial family; all productions containing attacks on the honor or
reputation of any one, by improper expressions, by the publication of
circumstances relating to domestic life, or by calumny of any kind
whatever."
The boys thanked the gentleman for the information he had given them on
a subject about which they were curious; and as the examination of the
custom-house was completed, they proceeded to the restaurant, which was
in a large hall at the end of the station.
[Illustration: WAY STATION ON THE RAILWAY.]
Near the door of the restaurant was the office of a money-changer, its
character being indicated by signs in at least half a dozen languages.
Passengers were exchanging their Austrian money for Russian, and the
office seemed to be doing an active business.
"That fellow has about as good a trade as one could wish," said the
Englishman, as he nodded in the direction of the man at the little
window. "Two trains arrive here daily each way; for people going north
he changes Austrian into Russian money, and for those going south he
changes Russian into Austrian. He receives one per cent. commission on
each transaction, which amounts to four per cent. daily, as he handles
the money four times. I have often envied these frontier bankers, who
run no risk whatever, provided they are not swindled with counterfeits,
and can make twelve hundred per cent. annually on their capital. But
perhaps they have to pay so dearly for the privilege that they are
unable to get rich by their business. By-the-way," said he, changing the
subject abruptly, "did you observe the stout lady that stood near us in
the anteroom of the passport office?"
[Illustration: BEFORE EXAMINATION.]
"Yes," answered the Doctor, "and she seemed quite uneasy, as though she
feared trouble."
"Doubtless she did," was the reply, "but it was not on account of her
passport. She was probably laden with goods which she intended smuggling
into Russia, and feared detection. I noticed that she was called aside
by the custom-house officials, and ushered into the room devoted to
suspected persons. She isn't here yet, and perhaps they'll keep her till
the train has gone. Ah! here she comes."
[Illustration: AFTER EXAMINATION.]
Frank and Fred looked in the direction indicated, but could not see any
stout lady; neither could the Doctor, but he thought he recognized a
face he had seen before. It belonged to a woman who was comparatively
slight in figure, and who took her seat very demurely at one of the
tables near the door.
"That is the stout lady of the anteroom," said the Englishman, "and her
form has been reduced more rapidly than any advocate of the Banting or
any other anti-fat system ever dreamed of. She was probably detected by
her uneasy manner, and consequently was subjected to an examination at
the hands of the female searchers. They've removed dry goods enough from
her to set up a small shop, and she won't undertake smuggling again in a
hurry. Import duties are high in Russia, and the temptation to smuggle
is great. She was an inexperienced smuggler, or she would not have been
caught so easily. Probably she is of some other nationality than
Russian, or they would not have liberated her after confiscating her
contraband goods."
The incident led to a conversation upon the Russian tariff system, which
is based upon the most emphatic ideas in favor of protection to home
industries. As it is no part of our intention to discuss the tariff in
this volume, we will omit what was said upon the subject, particularly
as no notes were taken by either Frank or Fred.
In due time the train on the Russian side of the station was ready to
receive the travellers, and they took their places in one of the
carriages. It needed only a glance to show they had crossed the
frontier. The Austrian uniform disappeared, and the Russian took its
place; the Russian language was spoken instead of German; the carriages
were lettered in Russian; posts painted in alternate stripes of white
and black (the invention of the Emperor Paul about the beginning of the
present century), denoted the sovereignty of the Czar; and the dress of
many of the passengers indicated a change of nationality.
[Illustration: SCENE ON THE RAILWAY.]
The train rolled away from Granitsa in the direction of Warsaw, which
was the next point of destination of our friends. The country through
which they travelled was not particularly interesting; it was fairly
though not thickly settled, and contained no important towns on the line
of the railway, or any other object of especial interest. Their English
acquaintance said there were mines of coal, iron, and zinc in the
neighborhood of Zombkowitse, where the railway from Austria unites with
that from eastern Germany. It is about one hundred and eighty miles from
Warsaw; about forty miles farther on there was a town with an
unpronounceable name, with about ten thousand inhabitants, and a
convent, which is an object of pilgrimage to many pious Catholics of
Poland and Silesia. A hundred miles from Warsaw they passed Petrikau,
which was the seat of the ancient tribunals of Poland; and then, if the
truth must be told, they slept for the greater part of the way till the
train stopped at the station in the Praga suburb of Warsaw, on the
opposite bank of the Vistula.
[Illustration: SHUTES FOR LOADING COAL ON THE RAILWAY.]
As they neared the station they had a good view of Warsaw, on the
heights above the river, and commanded by a fortress which occupies the
centre of the city itself. Alighting from the train, they surrendered
their passports to an official, who said the documents would be returned
to them at the Hôtel de l'Europe, where they proposed to stop during
their sojourn within the gates of Warsaw. Tickets permitting them to go
into the city were given in exchange for the passports, and then they
entered a rickety omnibus and were driven to the hotel.
It was late in the afternoon when they climbed the sloping road leading
into Warsaw, and looked down upon the Vistula and the stretch of low
land on the Praga side. Fred repeated the lines of the old verse from
which we have already quoted, and observed how well the scene is
described in a single couplet:
"Warsaw's last champion from her heights surveyed,
Wide o'er the fields a waste of ruin laid."
Laid desolate by many wars and subjected to despotic rule, the country
around Warsaw bears little evidence of prosperity. Many houses are
without tenants, and many farms are either half tilled or wholly without
cultivation. The spirit of revolution springs eternal in the Polish
breast, and the spirit of suppression must be equally enduring in the
breast of the Russian. It is only by the severest measures that the
Russians can maintain their control of Poland. A Polish writer has well
described the situation when he says, "Under a cruel government, it is
Poland's duty to rebel against oppression; under a liberal government,
it is her duty to rebel because she has the opportunity."
After dinner at the hotel our friends started for a walk through the
principal streets; but they did not go very far. The streets were poorly
lighted, few people were about, and altogether the stroll was not
particularly interesting. They returned to the hotel, and devoted an
hour or so to a chat about Poland and her sad history.
"Walls are said to have ears," the Doctor remarked, "but we have little
cause to be disturbed about them, as we are only discussing among
ourselves the known facts of history. Poland and Russia were at war for
centuries, and at one time Poland had the best of the fight. How many of
those who sympathize so deeply with the wrongs of Poland are aware of
the fact that in 1610 the Poles held Moscow as the Russians now hold
Warsaw, and that the Russian Czar was taken prisoner, and died the next
year in a Polish prison? Moscow was burned by the Poles in 1611, and
thousands of its inhabitants were slaughtered; in 1612 the Poles were
driven out, and from that time to the present their wars with Russia
have not been successful."
"I didn't know that," said Frank, "until I read it to-day in one of our
books."
"Nor did I," echoed Fred; "and probably not one person in a hundred is
aware of it."
[Illustration: POLISH NATIONAL COSTUMES.]
"Understand," said the Doctor, with emphasis--"understand that I do not
say this to justify in any way the wrongs that Russia may have visited
on Poland, but simply to show that all the wrong has not been on one
side. Russia and Poland have been hostile to each other for centuries;
they are antagonistic in everything--language, religion, customs, and
national ambitions--and there could be no permanent peace between them
until one had completely absorbed the other. Twice in this century (in
1830 and 1863) the Poles have rebelled against Russia, because they had
the opportunity in consequence of the leniency of the Government. From
present appearances they are not likely to have the opportunity again
for a long time, if ever."
One of the youths asked how the revolution of 1830 was brought about.
[Illustration: PEASANT'S FARM-HOUSE.]
"Poland had been, as you know, divided at three different times, by
Russia, Austria, and Prussia," said the Doctor, "the third partition
taking place in 1795. At the great settlement among the Powers of
Europe, in 1815, after the end of the Napoleonic wars, the Emperor of
Russia proposed to form ancient Poland into a constitutional monarchy
under the Russian crown. His plan was adopted, with some modifications,
and from 1815 to 1830 the country had its national Diet or Parliament,
its national administration, and its national army of thirty thousand
men. The Russian Emperor was the King of Poland, and this the Poles
resented; they rebelled, and were defeated. After the defeat the
constitution was withdrawn and the national army abolished; the Polish
universities were closed, the Polish language was proscribed in the
public offices, and every attempt was made to Russianize the country. It
was harshly punished for its rebellion until Alexander II. ascended the
throne.
"Alexander tried to conciliate the people by granting concessions. The
schools and universities were reopened; the language was restored; Poles
were appointed to nearly all official positions; elective district and
municipal councils were formed, and also a Polish Council of State. But
nothing short of independence would satisfy the inhabitants, and then
came the revolution of 1863. It was suppressed, like its predecessor,
and from that time the Russians have maintained such an iron rule in
Poland that a revolt of any importance is next to impossible. All the
oppression of which Russia is capable cannot destroy the spirit of
independence among the Poles. They are as patriotic as the Irish, and
will continue to hope for liberty as long as their blood flows in human
veins."
A knock on the door brought the Doctor's discourse to an abrupt end. It
was made by the commissioner, who came to arrange for their excursion on
the following day.
We will see in due course where they went and what they saw. It is now
their bedtime, and they are retiring for the night.
[Illustration: ROYAL PALACE AT WARSAW.]
The next morning they secured a carriage, and drove through the
principal streets and squares, visiting the Royal Palace and other
buildings of importance, and also the parks and gardens outside the city
limits. Concerning their excursion in Warsaw the youths made the
following notes:
"We went first to the Royal Castle, which we were not permitted to
enter, as it is occupied by the Viceroy of Poland, or 'the Emperor's
Lieutenant,' as he is more commonly called. It is a very old building,
which has been several times altered and restored. There were many
pictures and other objects of art in the castle until 1831, when they
were removed to St. Petersburg. In the square in front of the castle is
a statue of one of the kings of Poland, and we were told that the square
was the scene of some of the uprisings of the Poles against their
Russian masters.
[Illustration: SHRINE AT A GATEWAY.]
"From the castle we went to the cathedral, which was built in the
thirteenth century, and contains monuments to the memory of several of
the kings and other great men of the country. It is proper to say here
that the Catholic is the prevailing religion of Poland, and no doubt
much of the hatred of Russians and Poles for each other is in
consequence of their religious differences. By the latest figures of the
population that we have at hand, Russian Poland contains about 3,800,000
Catholics, 300,000 Protestants, 700,000 Jews, and 250,000 members of the
Greek Church and adherents of other religions, or a little more than
5,000,000 of inhabitants in all. Like all people who have been
oppressed, the Catholics and Jews are exceedingly devout, and adhere
unflinchingly to their religious faith. Churches and synagogues are
numerous in Warsaw, as in the other Polish cities. In our ride through
Warsaw we passed many shrines, and at nearly all of them the faithful
were kneeling to repeat the prayers prescribed by their religious
teachers.
"From the cathedral we went to the citadel, which is on a hill in the
centre of the city, and was built after the revolution of 1830. The
expense of its construction was placed upon the people as a punishment
for the revolution, and for the purpose of bombarding the city in case
of another rebellion. From the walls of the citadel there is a fine view
of considerable extent; but there is nothing in the place of special
interest. The fort is constantly occupied by a garrison of Russian
soldiers. It contains a prison for political offenders and a military
court-house, where they are tried for their alleged offences.
[Illustration: LAKE IN THE PARK.]
"There are ten or twelve squares, or open places, in Warsaw, of which
the finest is said to be the Saxon Square. It contains a handsome
monument to the Poles who adhered to the Russian cause in the revolution
of 1830. Some writers say it was all a mistake, and that the Poles whose
memory is here preserved were really on their way to join the regiments
which had declared in favor of the insurrection.
"There are several handsome streets and avenues; and as for the public
palaces and fine residences which once belonged to noble families of
Poland, but are now mostly in Government hands, the list alone would be
long and tedious. One of the finest palaces is in the Lazienki Park, and
was built by King Stanislaus Poniatowski. It is the residence of the
Emperor of Russia when he comes to Warsaw; but as his visits are rare,
it is almost always accessible to travellers. We stopped a few minutes
in front of the statue of King John Sobieski. There is an anecdote about
this statue which the students of Russian and Polish history will
appreciate. During a visit in 1850 the Emperor Nicholas paused in front
of the statue, and remarked to those around him, 'The two kings of
Poland who committed the greatest errors were John Sobieski and myself,
for we both saved the Austrian monarchy.'
"Inside the palace there are many fine paintings and other works of art.
There are portraits of Polish kings and queens, and other rare pictures,
but not as many as in the Castle of Villanov, which we afterwards
visited. In the latter, which was the residence of John Sobieski, and
now belongs to Count Potocki, there are paintings by Rubens and other
celebrated masters, and there is a fine collection of armor, including
the suit which was presented to Sobieski by the Pope, after the former
had driven the Turks away from Vienna. It is beautifully inlaid with
ivory and mother-of-pearl, and covered with arabesques of astonishing
delicacy. We could have spent hours in studying it, and you may be sure
we left it with great reluctance.
[Illustration: A BUSINESS MAN OF WARSAW.]
"Warsaw has a population of nearly three hundred thousand, and there are
a good many factories for the manufacture of carriages, pianos, cloth,
carpets, and machines of various kinds. The city is the centre of a
large trade in grain, cattle, horses, and wool, and altogether it may be
considered prosperous. Much of the business is in the hands of the Jews,
who have managed to have and hold a great deal of wealth in spite of the
oppression they have undergone by both Poles and Russians.
"The women of Warsaw are famous for their beauty, and we are all agreed
that we have seen more pretty faces here than in any other city of
Europe in the same time. The Jews of Warsaw are nearly all blonds; the
men have red beards, and the hair of the women is of the shade that used
to be the fashion among American and English actresses, and is not yet
entirely forgotten. We bought some photographs in one of the shops, and
are sure they will be excellent adornments for our albums at home.
"In the evening we went to the opera in the hope of seeing the national
costumes of the Poles, but in this we were disappointed. The operas are
sung in Italian; the principal singers are French, Italian, English, or
any other nationality, like those of opera companies elsewhere, and only
the members of the chorus and ballet are Poles. Russian uniforms are in
the boxes and elsewhere in the house, and every officer is required to
wear his sword, and be ready at any moment to be summoned to fight. The
men not in uniform are in evening dress, and the ladies are like those
of an audience in Vienna or Naples, so far as their dress is concerned.
The opera closed at half-past eleven; our guide met us outside the door,
and when we proposed a stroll he said we must be at the hotel by
midnight, under penalty of being arrested. Any one out-of-doors between
midnight and daylight will be taken in by the police and locked up,
unless he has a pass from the authorities. In troubled times the city is
declared in a state of siege, and then everybody on the streets after
dusk must carry a lantern.
"As we had no fancy for passing the night in a Russian station-house, we
returned straight to the hotel. Probably we would have been there by
midnight in any event, as we were tired enough to make a long walk
objectionable."
The next day our friends visited some of the battle-fields near Warsaw,
and on the third took the train for St. Petersburg, six hundred and
twenty-five miles away. There was little of interest along the line of
railway, as the country is almost entirely a plain, and one mile is so
much like another that the difference is scarcely perceptible. The
principal towns or cities through which they passed were Bialystok and
Grodno, the latter famous for having been the residence of several
Polish kings, and containing the royal castle where they lived. At
Wilna, four hundred and forty-one miles from St. Petersburg, the railway
unites with that from Berlin. The change of train and transfer of
baggage detained the party half an hour or more, but not long enough to
allow them to inspect this ancient capital of the independent duchy of
Lithuania. At Pskof they had another halt, but only sufficient for
patronizing the restaurant. The town is two miles from the station, and
contains an old castle and several other buildings of note; it has a
prominent place in Poland's war history, but is not often visited by
travellers.
[Illustration: IN ST. PETERSBURG.]
At Gatchina, famous for its trout and containing an Imperial palace, an
official collected the passports of the travellers, which were
afterwards returned to them on arriving at the St. Petersburg station.
As they approached the Imperial city the first object to catch the eye
was a great ball of gold outlined against the sky. Frank said it must be
the dome of St. Isaac's Church, and the Doctor nodded assent to the
suggestion. The dome of St. Isaac's is to the capital of Russia what the
dome of St. Peter's is to Rome--the first object on which the gaze of
the approaching traveller is fixed.