In 1863 the Rev. Fortescue L. M. Anderson accepted an invitation from Count Alexander von Bisping-Galen to accompany him to his estate of Wereiki in Lithuania, he having made his aco/uaintance at the University of Bonn, where his father held the appointment of English chaplain. The Count was in his political views what was known as a Conservative Pole, that is one who was opposed to insurrection; and as indicative of the desire of the Count to avoid even the appearance of sympathy with the disaffected it is mentioned by Mr Anderson, in giving a narrative of their journey, in prosecuting which they had reached Konigsberg, ' he (the Count) had bought some time before a pair of guns and pistols of superior workmanship, which he naturally wished to carry home with him. But to have tried to introduce these with his own luggage at the Russian frontier would have been to expose them to certain seizure, and himself probably to heavy penalties. To have sent them (as he might have done) by boat up the river, along with a reaping machine which he had bought in England, and which was now awaiting his arrival in Konigsberg, would have been simply an evasion of the law, and have subjected him to the charge of secretly supplying arms for the insurgents. He resolved, therefore, at once to abstain from any and every attempt, directly or indirectly, to make use of the guns and pistols which he prized so highly; and begged me to ask my father, in the letter I was then writing, to take charge of them. They were accordingly sent off to Bonn, before our departure from Konigsberg; and my father has them still in his possession, with the cases unopened/
They found everywhere an abundance of military, but the first offensive conduct which they saw was at Grodno. ' From Wilna our next journey was to Grodno; the country is for the most part flat, and only diversified here and there by small lakes, and patches of fir and birch plantations. The intermediate stations were all crowded with soldiers; but no authentic particulars of information could be learned anywhere respecting the insurrection which had thus drawn them out from their various winter quarters. We had learned much more about its progress, whilst we were yet at a distance, from English and French and German newspapers, than we seemed likely to learn in the country disturbed by it.
' A run of about four hours by railway brought us to Grodno, where we were received by a cousin of the Count; and, having dressed hastily at the hotel, went to dine with Prince and Princess Lubecki, who received us with the utmost kindness. I was agreeably surprise! to find that the Princess, who is an aunt of the Count, spoke English; and this circumstance, joined with the hearty friendliness of all the party, tended not a little to secure for me a most agreeable evening in this land of strangers,
' Our breakfast next morning presented the novelty of tea served up in tumblers, accompanied with cigarettes, and, from that time until midday, there was an uninterrupted succession of visitors coming in to see the Count. We went out for luncheon to a neighbouring restaurant, and met a number of Russian officers who had been playing billiards there. The demeanour of the Russian officers, especially those of the Imperial Guard, is generally marked by great courtesy; but, upon the present occasion, I must confess, they exhibited it only in scant measure. In fact, one of them did not scruple to stretch his hand rudely over the table and help himself to a portion of bread which had been placed for our party. Whether he did it intentionally, or from inadvertence, I cannot say; but a significant smile which passed, at the same moment, over the face of one of his brother officers who observed him, forced me to believe that they were trying how far they might venture to show their contempt for those whom they regarded as merely Polish intruders. But their plan to pick a quarrel with us — if such had been their purpose — was frustrated by our taking not the slightest notice of their conduct.