Lietuvos istorijos institutas

In 1772, the first partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth occurred. A few outraged English and French pamphleteers grabbed a pen to defend its cause. The same year, John Lind released his Letters Concerning the Present State of Poland. In 1773, Simon Linguet published his Considérations politiques et philosophiques, sur les affaires présentes du Nord, et plus particulièrement sur celles de Pologne. In 1775, the Marquis de Caraccioli released La Pologne telle qu’elle a été, telle qu’elle est, telle qu’elle sera. This article aims at defining how these authors’ reactions to the first dismemberment of the Commonwealth contributed to the nascence of public opinion in the last quarter of the 18th century, thus accelerating the advent of a shared sentiment of European membership. The study is intended as a contribution to our knowledge of the reception in European public opinion of the partition of Poland-Lithuania. The article encompasses: I) the emergence of public opinion in 18th-century Britain and France; II) Caraccioli, Linguet and Lind: three different personalities devoted to the same cause; III) combating prejudices: Restoring the truth on serfdom in the Commonwealth, and the dissidents affair; IV) ensuring support for a king struggling alone against hostile neighbouring powers.

Antoine-Charles du Houx, Baron de Vioménil (1728–1792) was sent by the French Government after Colonel Charles-François Dumouriez (1729–1823) to provide guidance to the leaders of the Bar Confederacy during the years 1771–1772. However, if Colonel Dumouriez is famous because of his activities during the French Revolution, namely for the determinant role he played at the Valmy battle (1792), it is different when it comes to the Baron. Except for some articles in the 19th century biographical encyclopedias and a short biography centered on the role he played during the American Revolutionary war published in 1935, there is no study on him. In spite of this, Baron de Vioménil’s career is a matter of interest, for he participated in the major conflicts the French army took part during the reign of the kings Louis XV and Louis XVI. The baron’s archives, which include abundant correspondence related to his campaigns, are preserved today in the Académie François Bourdon, le Creusot, Burgundy. Being inaccessible for a long time they have not been thoroughly

On the basis of correspondence between Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert and the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Stanislaw August, the article reveals issues of adaptation of a foreign scientist in the late eighteenth-century Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The attention is focused on the life of J.-E. Gilibert, his financial situation, his life and work conditions with the emphasis on health problems and psychological situation of the scientist, as well as the circumstances of his return to France. The research revealed, that one of the most important problems that faced J.-E. Gilibert upon his arrival to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the insufficient financing of his life and work. There were problems with his salary as the payments were late by half-year or more. Because of the non-payment of his designated salary, the scientist was forced to borrow with high interest in France and send money to Lithuania. Analysis of the correspondence shows that even upon the ninth year of his arrival to Lithuania, J.-E. Gilibert was still demanding to be paid for the time he was the director of the school in Grodno. J.-E. Gilibert was not satisfied with his living conditions in Grodno. In his contract with Antoni Tyzenhaus it was stated, that J.-E. Gilibert and his family will be provided with the living quarters suited for his status as doctor. However, the scientist was especially unhappy and even shocked that musicians of the town theatre and dancers lived much more comfortably than he did. The environment in Grodno also affected psychological condition of the scientist. J.-E. Gilibert enjoyed sharing his observations and to learn from experience of other researchers. However, he seriously lacked such social ties in Grodno. J.-E. Gilibert suffered from the feeling of isolation because he did not speak Polish and was unable to freely communicate with Grodno inhabitants, except for other foreigners.

Straipsnyje analizuojamas vieno žymiausių XVIII a. Lietuvos Didžiojoje Kunigaikštystėje gyvenusių ir Lietuvos vyriausioje mokykloje dėsčiusių mokslininko botaniko prancūzo Žano Emanuelio Žilibero gyvenimo epizodas – bandymas jį nunuodyti 1782 m. Remiantis teisminėmis bylomis ir profesoriaus bei jo žmonos asmenine korespondencija, atkuriamos pasikėsinimo detalės ir reakcija į šį įvykį.