Manifestations of wit and kindness of the Austrian and Russian courts.

Kościuszko's famous revolution was in the works, but I knew absolutely nothing about it and only learned of it after it had already taken place. Despite my complete ignorance, both courts, their officials, and their supporters blamed each other and ordered me to pay the price. Puławy was plundered, emptied from cellars to rooftops, and my most precious possessions were taken from me.

In Vienna, men and women pointed at me, avoiding me as if I were a sinister creature. Besides the grave sins attributed to me, I was sent a list of misdeeds, each more outrageous than the next—so stupid and ridiculous that you'd have to be Austrian to imagine them. They claimed, for example, that I hid Mr. Hare in my small office and that I was plotting. Well, I knew Hare only by sight and never spoke to him.

I was accused of conspiring at night with Father Piramowicz on a peasant cart, he with a cross, I with ten bonnets, to encourage and instruct the peasant women to rebel.

After all, a whole lot of nonsense was put forward and these stupid accusations were based on them to inundate me with suffering, to rob me, to ruin me and torment me.

Historical context:

In 1794, during the Kościuszko Revolution, Puławy, the residence of Izabela Czartoryska, was plundered by Russian troops as punishment for her links with the independence movement.

Historiography reveals conflicting accounts of Izabela Czartoryska's role in the Kościuszko Uprising. Some authors emphasize her patriotic commitment, hospitality to Tadeusz Kościuszko, and financial support for the uprising. However, Izabela herself claims she was unaware of the preparations for the uprising and learned of it only after its outbreak.

Regardless of the actual extent of her participation, she fell victim to repression after the uprising's failure. The Austrian and Russian courts leveled absurd accusations of conspiracy against her, which served as a pretext for the plunder of Puławy and the confiscation of its most valuable possessions.