the owners of large houses were induced to compromise with the
billetmaster for a sum in cash equal to one-fourth, and in some
instances to one half of the amount of rent, in lieu of having a general
or any number of inferior officers quartered on them. In Warsaw many of
the houses contain from fifty to a hundred families; consequently, the
billet-compensation money was a grievous tax. The mass of extortions
were found to exceed in reality any previous estimate. A new scene now
opened to view. Those gentlemen received evidence that the Russian
generals _were participators in the pillage of the town_, and in
league with the president and billet-master. Feeling that they should be
detected in proceedings so disgraceful, they consulted a lawyer
(_Wolinski_,) to know if the researches of the committee could not
be legally prevented. His opinion was given in the negative; but, in
order to divert the public mind from the investigation, he advised
_Czarnecki_ to provoke one of the commission to strike him, when he
should be able to prosecute him for attacking an _employé_ and by
that means get rid of the investigation. _Czarnecki_ used the most
insulting language to Mr. Schuch, and in a fit of desperation seized
hold of his arm, with the intention of putting him out of the room by
force. The committee-man being on his guard, the manoeuvre failed.
_Czarnecki_, seeing himself foiled, his iniquity discovered, and
his ill-gotten wealth likely to be confiscated, committed suicide, and
thus left the president and generals to fight their own battles. The
artillery of Messrs. _Schuch_ and _Czarnecki_ was now directed
against the whole of the Russian and two Polish generals, the notorious
and unprincipled _Raznieki_, the head of the secret police of the
kingdom, and _Kossecki_. Means had in vain been tried to bribe
Messrs. _Schuch_ and _Czarnecki_ through the commissary of the
circle, that the investigations should cease, or that the generals
should not appear to be implicated in the affair. It was ascertained by