book. daie ; the folitary extent o f the forefts was more than ufual
, . interfperfed with villages, and dotted with fields o f pafture,
in which we obferved numerous herds o f cattle.
Upon our arrival at the fmall village of Mir, we found
that our original intention of reaching Minik by the next
morning was fcarcely pra£ti,cable, even if we continued our
journey during the night. The diftance was between fixty
and feyenty- miles ; the night extremely dark ; the roads
bad, and, we were informed, that in fome places we Ihould
be obliged to crofs feveral bridges not very paffable even in
the day without the utmoft circumfpeition. Our defire
therefore of being prefent at the election of nuntios gave
way to thefe fuggeftions; and we facrificed the gratification
o f our curiofity to the confiderations of perfonal fafety. The
pleafures of Mir certainly offered no inducement for delay :
the poverty of the inhabitants denied a fcanty fupply of the
moll ordinary refrefhments'; the. higheft entertainment
which the place afforded being a fufpenfion of the dangers
of travelling, and the lum of our comforts an intermiflion
of fatigue.
The badnefs of our accommodations at-Mir led us to
confider Minik (where we arrived on the evening of the
17th) as the feat of tafte and luxury. We there experienced
comforts to which we had lately been ftrangers, a
neat white-wafhed room with a brick floor, no fleas or flies,
plenty of clean itraw, good bread, and frefh meat. After a
refrefhing night’s reft, we fallied forth the next morning to
the refectory of the Jefuits monaflery, the place where the
nuntios had been chofen the preceding day. We had fome
difficulty in gaining admittance ; at length a perfon, who
appeared to be a man of confequence,came out and inquired
in the German language our country and our bufinefs.
Upon.
Upon our anfwering that we were three Englifh g e n -GHAP-
tlemen, defirous of feeing every thing worthy of obfervation,>_v_ j
he expreffed much furprize at the plainnefs of our dreffes,
particularly at our want of fwords. | “ In Poland,” he faid,
“ every gentleman wears his fabre as a badge of his rank,
“ never appearing in public without i t ; and I advife- you to
“ obferve this cuftom as long as you continue in this coun-
“ try, if you wifh to be confidered as gentlemen.” Thanking
him for his advice, we accompanied him into the refedtory,
where we found the majority of the dietine ftill aflembled,
though not upon, national bufinefs-; in plain Englifh, they
were engaged in drinking, a: no lefs effential appendage of a
Polifh than a Britiih eledlion. One perfon, whom they
feemed to treat with deference,, was conilantly employed in
delivering drams to the eleitors, who were ftanding in different
parts of the room: many ceremonies paffed at every
circulation of the glafs; they touched their breads, Hooped
towards the ground, and drank the nuntios’ and each other’s
health with great folemnity.; Several of thePoliih gentlemen-
converfed with me in the Latin tongue they informed me,,
that every palatinate is divided into a certain number of *
diftricts, and that each di ft rift ehufes two nuntios. I aflced
them whether the election of the diftriff of Minik had been
contefted; they told me, that three candidates had offered
fhemfelves. I then demanded whether the eleiited nuntios:
were of the king’s party ; and they anfwered, “ We have-
“ in this inftance complied with his majefty’s reeommentla-
“ tion.”— “ You have aited,” I replied, “ with great pro-
“ priety : is he not a good prince ?”— “ A good prince !” returned
the Poles,. “ yes, the tnoft excellent that ever filled
“ a throne..”
Minfk.