They were translated by him and
communicated in manuscript to his friends: but whether they have ever
been printed we are not informed.
This subject, however, was not long suffered to rest. Two societies
have been formed within the last twelve years, one at Breslau among
the students of the university natives of Lusatia; the other at
Bautzen among the scholars of the Gymnasium or High School; for the
promotion of their native language and extending the knowledge of the
antiquities of their country. Both these societies of the rising
generation are favoured and assisted by gentlemen who take a general
interest in Slavic affairs. Another learned society, called "The
Scientific society of Upper Lusatia," a union of scholars, had been
founded previously. In 1836, this society offered a premium for
collecting a certain number of genuine songs with their melodies,
still extant among the common people. The result has been a very
valuable collection. The first numbers appeared in 1841; and the whole
will form a standard work in the literature of popular poetry. It was
an agreeable surprise to find, that even these isolated Slavic tribes,
who have been so long separated from other nations related to them,
were still in possession of a store of genuine Slavic ballads and
ancient melodies; while, on the other hand, many other ballads were
found among them, in which the influence of their German neighbours,
or perhaps their own influence on the latter, could be distinctly
traced.
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