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TheTourthroughEnglandisarecordofher
observationsandimpressions,rangingfrom
smallmemorypromptstolongerpassagesof
developedreflections,diligentlypennedevery
day.However,whatshedoesnotwriteabout
isalmostasinterestingaswhatshedoes.There
isnomentionofthepoliticalsituationinPo-
land,notraceoftheanxietiestroublingher
throughoutthejourney,noindicationofher
seriousboutsofdepression,noexplanations
ofthefrequentarguments,andnothingthat
wouldallowustoknowherasapersoninthe
traditionofapersonalmemoir.Tolearnof
theemotionalturmoilofthePolishtravellers
weneedtoturntotheconfidentialpassagesin
thelettersIzabelawrotetoherdaughterMa-
riaWirtemberskaandherfriendKonstancja
Dembowska.Clearly,Izabeladidnotconsider
herdiaryaprivatenotebooktorecordasuc-
cessfulexpositionoftheself.
Moretroublingisthefactthatthediary
doesnotattempttocritiqueanyoftheserious
problemscausedbytherapidindustrialization.
ForthefirsttimethePolesexperiencedthe
wide-rangingchangesbroughtbytheindus-
trialrevolutionandtalkedtotheverypeople
responsibleforthesetransformations.There
isnorecordofmeetingsaboutindustrialeth-
ics;nordowehearofenclosureseverbeing
mentionedinconversationswithlandowners,
despitethevisiblehardships.Similarly,there
isnodiscussionofthecampaignfortheabo-
litionofslavery,whichwasnotonlythemost
contestedsocialandpoliticalissueoftheday
butalsodirectlyaffectedtheverypeoplethe
Polesbefriendedonthejourney.Onemustre-
member,however,thatCzartoryskatravelled
inasemi-officialcapacityasaprincess,asthe
cousinofthePolishking,andalandowner
equaltotheBritisharistocracy.Hercontacts
withtheBritishwereprimarilyasthemother
ofthefuturestatesmanandarepresentativeof
Polandinadifficulttime.Whilewecanex-
pectthatherroleelicitedcertainrestraintin
conversations,itissurprisingtoseeitinthe
diaryaswell.ItisevidentthatCzartoryskaex-
ercisedadisciplinedself-control.Forherpri-
vateviewsontheseissues,weneedtolookto
thelettersaddressedtoherhusband,buteven
then,sometopicswerereservedforprivate
conversation.
Intheend,thediarytellsuslessaboutEng-
landattheendoftheeighteenthcenturythan
itdoesaboutPolishdesiresandaspirationsat
thelastmomentbeforethehistoriccatastro-
phe.Threeyearslater,Polandwillundergothe
SecondPartition,followedbytheKościuszko
InsurrectionandtheThirdPartitionin1795.
TheCzartoryskiswouldnotbeabletoimple-
mentideasgatheredinEnglandandthefam-
Preface
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