Mrs. Daw's travel diaries, 1838. Volume 2

in taking a little walk after our arrival saw a house a good deal better than the ordinary cottages, with a partly good humoured person; apparently master of the mansion standing near it -

On reparting to Mr W - he and Mary - set out with some secret hope, either from the well known hospitality of the Poles, our Sweep on a former occasion, as some other equally cogent cause; that they might manage by a little skilful manuvuring to procure better nights quarers than we were likely to get at our Kershma - Accordingly they accosted this great man of the village, Mr W - being spokesman as it was necessary to speak in Russian as Polish, and he was so skilful as very soon to entract an invitation to tea, but no quarthers could he we get, the worthy gentleman could not be made to perceive, what the real drift of this invasion was and so what was to be done with the invitation to tea. Mr D - said his wife was at the Sun but that did not serve as an objection as he said the lady wonts he very welcome also. Accordingly Mr D - came

back to bring me, with him, we entered a little homely parlour somewhat like a Scotch school master's parlour with a dirtier floor, here our host was sitting merry and good humoured, talking Russian with Mr W - . He conversed in Latin with [[Mr Daw]] who though he he had never talked Latin at a tea table before came off tolerably well -

In an inner room was a young lady like a daughter, preparing tea (as we hoped at least._ we were told a person was coming immediately who could speak French; but we sat long ore the speaker of French as the tea appeared, at length the latter entered the room - were village school masters the fashion in three regions, he might have been one, and might have served as a character in one of Kotzebue's village scenes. But still the tea the important matter of fact was not forth coming. After some further delay the Master of the house at length produced before me a plate of raw apples and a knife; as raw apples are very questionalby beneficial, I would willingly have prepared them by but having forced ourselves into the [Serapi?] we were obliged to submit. They frowned however the prelude to something better, as a tray with tumblers of tea was soon after handed rounded, with some Kringels, a sort of bread (not generally of the best sort,) baked in the form of rings, which are strung

up constantly in village market places. After this had been repeated the second time we came off to our cots comfortless room, and I wonder the table as usual in the night - To ended our first and probably last Lithuanian tea drinking

One great object of interest with the two gentlemen seemed to be, England's feeling about [[Poland]]; connected with the news of the proceedings of the English in Persia, and the possibility of their leading to a war, as if it were still the last hope of Poland that England might take her part.

24th Through very bad road, not only sand but deep ruts, holes, pools of half frozen water, and loose branches of trees laid as pavement across the road; so that we were happy in escaping without breaking our springs.

Reached [[Brese Letovsky]] about noon, and having had our passports examined at the Russian, and our luggage searched at the Polish barrier, which was all expedited by the payment of douceurs, very openly given and received, we were dismissed, and fairly bed adieu to Russia

[[Terespol]] is the name of the Polish from this town. Tobacco is the great object of search, and I supposed of smuggling -

All one troubles seemed now nearly at

an end, + one felt as if we were almost at the gates of [[Warsaw]], though we were 170 versts from it. We seemed to have got into the habitable world again + now enjoyed an excellent chausses, As it lay through a very flat country even our heavy coach proceeded with wonderful rapidity.

[Picture of Three women in elaborate headress (watercolor or gouache and pencil)] [[Jewesses]] [[Brese Letovsky]]

While we were detained at [[Brese Letovsky]] about our passports, I tried to get a few of the various head dresses of the Jewish women from the carriage window ; the sort of crown made up of imitation pearls, stones, gold+, I had observed before at [[Gelissen]]. The red loop on the other heads is a very common + character= istic piece of their head dress ; sometimes they wore large red turbans. ^ Some^ of the women are pretty, the married woman I think always put their hair out of sight -

After leaving [[Terespol]] we slept at the small town of [[Bailec]], + next day pro= ceeded nearly 80 versts to within 66 of War= saw [[Warsaw]], which we reached the succeding day ; a most joyful sight was the first distant glimpse which we caught of it -

From [[Brese]] to [[Warsaw]] is almost one vast plain, partly under cultivation, partly wooded, generally pine , but with some mixture of other wood es= pecially birch, with a thin poor popu= lation. Indeed in all the vast extent of country through which we had passed between [[Moscow]] + [[Warsaw]] there is very little variety of scenery -

[[Poland]] is however more com= pletely level. As we approached [[Warsaw]], we saw [[Cossacks]] + [[Circassians]] stationed along the road as guards, this being reckoned a dangerous neighbor= hood at present, but they are {crossed out word} not very trusty guards, as we hear that in a robbery not long since committed, a [[Cossack]] was found to be among the ag= gressors -

The villages are rather better than we had seen on the other side of the border, tho' consisting still of poor wooden huts which however are white washed -

Better Inns, + the females whom we saw in them of a superior appearance, especially we now saw again what we had scarcely seen since leaving [[England]], neat comfortable caps upon their heads ; not however on the lowest orders these were still rude enough ; but on the whole one feels that they have come into longer civilized + pleasanter country than that they have left, though wasted + melancholoy