One sees no prospect for the regeneration of Poland. To occupy a position under the government the young must acquire the German language, notwithstanding their prejudice and hate of their subduers. They are divided up between three powers, and get little sympathy from the great nations they looked towards for relief. Little by little their identity will be lost, and they will become part and parcel of the governments which deprived them of their liberties.
When I look upon and examine the bulwarks of defence newly erected, and in progress of erection, at Swinemunde, Stettin, Konigsberg, here, and at Custrin, I am not surprised that from one-third to one-half of the whole revenue of Prussia is employed in the army department. These are besides only a small portion. Look at the immense establishment of Ehrenbreitstein, the Gibraltar of the Rhine; at the fortress of Mayence, and the many others on the frontiers. How thankful should we be as a people that we are not obliged to tax every article of food put into our mouths, every garment we wear, and abridge all pursuits and pleasures to sustain masses of soldiers and hordes of officers for defence against our sister states, thereby employing the youngest and most active of our youth, incapacitating them for other pursuits, and demoralizing the society of wives and daughters.
Dirschau, where the road branches off for Dantzic, has one of the finest Gothic station houses which I have seen in the north of Europe. The line belongs to the government, and the iron bridges over the river Weichsel or Vistula at that place, and over the Nogat at Marienberg, in connexion with the old castle, formerly the seat of the grand masters of the German Order of Knights, altogether attract many visitors. The old town in itself, for its antiquity, is worth a visit, but the castle is of much interest to Germans. It was built in the thirteenth and fourteenth century, during the conquest of the country, and rebuilt by the government from 1819 to 1820. The saloons are beautifully arched, and one of them is sustained by a single column gracefully supporting its burden not unlike the branches of the palm tree. A cannon ball still sticks in the wall, thrown by the besieging Poles, from which the centre pillar barely escaped.
The portraits of the Knights, with their names and coats of arms, were, for me, in some respects souvenirs of the original Knights of St. John, from which the order sprang, and of whose monuments I found so many in the islands of Rhodes and Malta. The antique figures, weapons, and coats of mail are to the people very curious.
Frankfort-on-the-Oder is in steam communication with Stettin. It is a dull city for a population of thirty thousand persons, although active during its four annual fairs, when it overflows with purchasers and sellers from all parts of Germany. Many of its warehouses are afterwards closed until the season returns, which gives it a melancholy appearance. Its suburbs and gardens, however, are pretty, as indeed they generally are in Germany, and the people have great taste for flowers and plants, as is noticed in the windows of the humblest village cottage.
I had passed through here twice before, but now I hold up for a rest, for which this city is well adapted, where nothing remarkable demands attention. It is a mistaken notion that the tourist lives a life of pleasure and indolence; on the contrary, untiring labor, application, and energy are required to enable him to profit by his travels. One is rejoiced at times to get to some quiet spot where no obligation is felt to take advantage of the sojourn, and have time for repose and to review the ground passed over.
The government is building new salt stores here upon the river bank, that article being a monopoly. Strolling along I observed some sixty men employed driving piles for the foundation, with only two drivers. I counted thirty men, each with cord in hand, a wooden handle thereto attached, and all fastened to the main rope. At a given signal up went the hammer, and down it fell upon the head of the pile. I was so astonished at the loss of power I asked the overseer why he did not use a machine, and that with six men I could accomplish more work than with his sixty. He answered they had none. I observed he would save the cost in a few days. Then an officer remarked that machines were a great curse, as they deprived the laborer of employment. The other dissented thereto, and added that they could not get men enough even at ten silben groschen (or twenty-five cents) per day. Think of that, where coffee is from thirty to forty cents per pound, sugar fifteen cents, and meats and rents in proportion, and tell me how the poor man lives!
A few days ago I met at a station an under forester in crown employ, with his wife and four children. He was being transferred from one domain to another. I asked him how much salary he had. He replied, ten thalers per month, or one hundred and twenty per year, equal to ninety dollars of our money. I inquired, “How can you get through the year?” The reply was, “I must; rye bread is now cheaper, and water costs nothing.” A young girl was also waiting with a free passage ticket from her brother in America, via Hamburg to New York. Her position was evidently envied.
CXLVIII.
Hamburg, Germany, Nov. 5, 1858.