Page:Julian Niemcewicz - Notes of my Captivity in Russia.djvu/154

126 ; but when, soon after, the garrison and citizens of Warsaw defeated the Russians, and compelled them to evacuate the capital, seeing himself deprived of every protection, and fearing the outburst of popular indignation, he hastened again to assure the people that he would never separate himself from the nation, and presented Mons. Zakrzewski, a man much beloved by the citizens, with the presidentship or mayoralty of the city of Warsaw. But all these promises deceived nobody; though he was uniformly treated with all possible respect, and they communicated to him even the discussions of the Supreme National Council, he took no part in the decisions which were passed; in short, he had no power. His caresses, complaints, and patriotic gifts, having produced no change in the line of conduct they adopted respecting him, he had recourse to secret intrigues, which were the cause of many dissensions, and created great excitement in the public mind. I repeat, then, that the King of Poland has not wronged Russia