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Foreword
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AdamLewak)scategoricalstatementthatfiuntiltheyear1831thereareno
sourcematerialsprovidinginformationaboutBeniowski”isincorrect.Infact,
therecordsoftheUniversityofVilnius(thenWilno)andoftheRussianMinistry
ofEducationprovidesignificantinformationonBeniowski)searlylife.In
addition,Beniowski)sgrandson,TadeuszWróblewski,bequeathedfamily
documentationtotheLibrarythathefoundedinthe1920sinhonourofhis
parents,EustachyandEmilia(néeBeniowska)Wróblewski,andthisprovided
thebasisfortheWroblewskiLibraryoftheLithuanianAcademyofSciences.
Later,whenBeniowskiwasinexile,theFrenchauthoritiesretained
documentationonrefugeeswithgreatbureaucraticthoroughness;Beniowski)s
timeinParisandClermont-Ferrandisthereforewell-documented.Britishpublic
records,includingspies)reportsonChartistactivityandthecorrespondenceof
theTreasuryDepartmentcontrollingfundspaidtothePolishrefugees,also
providemuchinterestingmaterial.
PolishémigréorganisationstowhichBeniowskibelongedinLondonkept
goodrecords,andagreatdealofémigrédocumentationcanbefoundinthePolish
LibraryinParis[BibliotekaPolskawParyżu],includingthepapersofthecommittee
oftheOgółLondyński,theGeneralAssemblyofthePolesinLondon,ofwhich
Beniowskiwasamember,andbrieflyacommitteemember.Unfortunately,the
recordsofotherémigréorganisationstowhichhebelonged,liketheOgółParyski
[GeneralAssemblyofthePolesinParis]ortheGminaLondyn[LondonCommune]
werelost,alongwithmanyprivateémigrépapershousedintheRapperswillibrary,
establishedin1870inSwitzerlandbyWładysławBroel-Plateranddestroyedbyfire
inWarsawduringthesecondworldwar.
Despitethismajorloss,muchémigrécorrespondencesurvives,particularly
wellpreservedforthe1830sand1840s.Theémigrésweregreatletterwriters
andcollectionscanbefoundintheBibliotekaPolskainParis;intheCzartoryski
LibraryinKraków[BibliotekaKsiążątCzartoryskich],whichholdsforexample
correspondencebetweenAdamCzartoryskiandLordDudleyCouttsStuart;in
theBibliotekaKórnickawhichhousesthevastcorrespondencecollectedby
LeonardNiedźwieckiinParis;intheBibliotekaJagiellońskawhichholdsthe
correspondenceofJanNepomucenJanowski;andinthejointcollectionofthe
PolskaAkademiaUmiejętnościandPolskaAkademiaNauk[PolishAcademyof
KnowledgeandPolishAcademyofSciences]inKraków,whichcontainsthe
correspondenceofStanisławEgbertKoźmian,employedinLondonasLord
DudleyStuart)ssecretary.FewofBeniowski)sownletterssurviveinthese
collections,butheappearsinthelettersofothers.Andaswellasgivingbrief
autobiographicalmaterialintheintroductiontohispublicationsonphrenotypics,
healsomakesanappearanceinPolishmemoirs,andoccasionallythoseof
Englishmen.Inaddition,hefeaturedregularlyinvariouscontextsinboththe
émigréandBritishpress.
