YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY •T.fltapnttm^c THE LIFE OF CATHARINE //.' EMPRESS OF RUSSIA. ¦WITH ELEVEN ELEGANT PORTRAITS, A VIEW'OF THE FORTRESS OF SCHLUSSELBURG, AND A CORRECT MAP OF* THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE. THE FOURTH EDITION, WITH GREAT ADDITIONS" AND A COPIOUS INDEX, IN THREE VOLUMES, vol. in. LONDON: Primed hy John Nkhoh, Red Lion Paffage, 'Fleet Street, FOR t. N. LONGMAN AND O.-REES, PATERNOSTER-ROW. l800. GONT EN T S OF THE THIRD VOLUME, C H A P. XIII. Trans-actions at the court of st.Peterfburg. — Bobrhrfky. — Seminary of jefuits effabliflied at Mohilef. — Letter to the pope. — Literary works of the emprefs. — Statue of Peter the great. — Institution of the order of St. Vladimir. — The Krimea defcribed. — Second interview with the king, pf Sweden. — Peace of Frederikiham. — The Taurian Palace. — Death of count Panin and of prince Orlof. 1782, 1783, 1784. Page 1 CHAP. XIV. Relations of Rufiia with Perfia, China, and Japan. — . The emprefs refolves to defend the fights of Jofepn II. over the Scheldt. — Adventure of the grand-duke at Gatfliina. — Death of Lanikoi. — Marriage of prince Potemkin. — Yermolof becomes favourite. — League ' of the 'eleftors. — Treaty of commerce with France. — Dinner of toleration. — Momonof fucceeds Yer- ' molof. — The emprefs purchafes the libraries of Vol taire and of d'AIembert. — 1784, 1785, 17S6. 52 CHAP. Iv ' CONTENTS. CHAP. XV. Catharine II. takes a journey to the Krimea. — Aflaf- fination. of khan Sahim Gueray.— The Turks declare war againfc Ruflia. — GuftaVus III. invades Finland. — Sea-fight between the Swedes and the Ruffians. — Bentzelftierna makes an attempt to burn the ruffian fleet at Copenhagen. — Capture of Otchakof. — Peace of Varela. — Vi&ories obtained over the Turks. — Capture of Ifmail Difmiflion of Momo- nof. — Elevation of Zubof. — The court of Great Britain fends Mr. Fawkener to Peterfburg. — Peace of YafTy. — Death of prince Potemkin.— - 1787, 1788, 1789, 1790, 1791, 1792. - Page 142 CHAP. XVI. State of the court of Peterfburg at the death of prince Potemkin. — Infurre&ion of Kofciufko. — Laft par tition of Poland. — Afiaffination of Guftavus III. — Death of Leopold II.. — ^French emigrants in Ruffia. — Of Plato Zubof and his brothers. — Treaty con cluded with Great Britain. — Confpiracy of Armfeldt. — Journey of Guftavus Adolphusto St. Peterfburg, — Conquefts in Perfia. — Death of Catharine II,— Statement of the prefents that were received by her favourites. — Forces, expenditure, and revenues of Ruffia.— 1792, 1793, 1794, I795» 1796' 334 CHAP. XVII. State of literature, arts, and ftiences, at St. Peterfburg, during the reign of Catharine the fecond. 403 APPEN- .CONTENTS, / APPENDIX to the THIRD VOLUME. No. I. Manifefto publifhed by order of the emprefs of Ruffia, upon the occafion of her troop*. entering the peninfula of the Krimea, the KuDan, and the ifland of Tama» ; which countries are thereby de clared to be annexed to her imperial majefty's, do minions." - - - Page 449 No. II. Letter from the emprefs of all the Ruffias to his pruffian majefty. - '- - 454. No. III. Manifefto of the fublime porte againft Ruffia, dated 24th of Auguft, 1787. - 455 Manifefto of the court ok Ruffia againft the fublime porte, dated Peterfburg, Sept. 13th, 1787. 458 No. IV. Note delivered the 18th of June, by the ruffian arnbaflador at Stockholm, to the fwedifh miniftry. - 462 Anfwer to the court of Stockholm to the foregoing refcript, • - 4H Copy of a circular note delivered by the court of Sweden to all the foreign mjnifters, dated Stuck' - holm, June 23, 1788, <- - 466 Declaration of the emprefs of all the Ruffias, againft the king of Sweden, Jurie 30, 1788. - 468 "Exhortation of the king of Sweden to his fubje&s. 471 ' Declaration, vi CONTENTS, Declaration, and counter-declaration, between Den mark and Sweden. - - Page 473 Copy of a declaration delivered to the confederated ftates of Poland by the pruffian minifter at Warfaw, dated Oftober 12, 178$, on the fubjeft of anin- tended alliance between Ruffia and Poland. " 475 Anfwer of the diet at Warfaw to the king of Prutffia's declaration. - - - 477 No. V. Articles of the quadruple alliance between Ruffia, Auftria, France, and Spain. - 478 No. VI. Treaty of peace concluded between the king of Sweden and the emprefs of all the Ruffias. 479 No. VII. A memorial prefented by the deputies of. the Greek iflands to the emprefs of Ruffia, offering the imperial grecian throne to her fecond grandfon Con- ftantine. - 482 Ali pafha's letter to captain Bogia, and captain Giavelja, two of the moil confiderable of the chiefs of the Greek inhabitants of the mountain of Sulli, praying them to meet him with air their foldiers or companions, to affift in his expedition. - - 484 No. VIII. Manifefto of the emprefs of all the Ruffias, relative to the partition of Poland, - 486 Manifefto of his pruffian majefty relative to the parti tion of Poland, March 25. - - 489 Declaration CONTENTS. yit Declaration of the king and republic of Poland, aflem- bled in diet at Grodno, protefting againft the forcible partition of Poland. - - Page 492 No. IX. The principal articles of the treaty concluded at Yaffy the 9th of January, 1792, and figned by yrince Repnin and the grand vizir. - 493 No. X. Some particulars of the ukafe or cdi£l publifhed in regard to this French, eftahlifhed. in Ruffia. - 494 N o. XI. Abolition of the meflages relative to family events between Sweden and Ruffia. - 496 No. XII. AcT: by which Courland, Semigallia, arid the circle of Pilten, furrendered themfelves to the emprefs of Ruffia. - 496 No. XIII. Form of the individual oath exacted of the Lithuanians and the Poles. - - 498 No. XIV. ' Ruffian declaration. - - 499 Note delivered by the illuftrious general confederation to his exc. M. de Sievers, ambaifador extraordinary of her majefty the emprefs of Ruffia, in anfwer to thofe of that minifter. - 502 No. XV. Univ'erfal, publifhed in the 'name of the emprefs in the heretofore polifh provinces, now un der her dominion. - - - 504 No. XVI. via , CONTENTS, No. XVI. Remonftrance made to the count d* Sievers, the ruffian ambaflador, on the part of the king and the ftates of Poland by th5 chancellor of the crown, and of the grand duchy of Lithuania. 507 Note delivered to M. de Sievers. - * 508 Aflfwer of the ruffian ambaflador. - - „ 509 Decree of the diet, pafled on the 2d of September, at Grodno, empowering the deputation to treat with the pruffian minifter* 510 LIFE LIFE OF THE EMPRESS CATHARINE II. CHAP. XIII. Tranfaclions at the court of St. Peterfburg. — Bo-* krinjky. — Seminary of jefuits ejiab lifted at Mohilef. — Letter to the pope. — Literary works of the em- prefs. — Statue of Peter the great. — Infiitution of the order of St. Vladimir. — The Krimea defcribpd. —Second interview with the king of Sweden.-— Peace of Fredefikjham.—fThe Taurian Palace.— Death of count Panin and of prince Orlof. 1782, 1783, 1784; 1 HE brothers Gregory and Alexius Orlof had long been retired from court. All at once they again made their appearance, and were almoft utter ftrangers to each other. Both of them were married*, and were juft come from their travels in * Gregory Orlof had married the young countefs Zinovief, his" niece, , maid of honour to the emprefs. He had no chil- - vol. m. b dren a LIFE OF THE [1782. in France, Italy, and England. Gregory, un able to bear the light of an all-powerful rival, abfented himfelf again without delay. Bobririfky too about this time returned to Pe terfburg. This darling fon, whom the emprefs had by Gregory Orlof*, feemed deftined to arrive at the firft dignities of the Empire. But the bad habits he contracted on his travels rendered ufelefs the tendernefs of his mother, and the care fhe had beftowed on his education. "Bobrinfky having finifhed his ftudies at Leip- iick and at Laufanne, Catharine wifhed to give him in charge to fome perfon whofe fagacity, learning, and prudence, rendered him worthy of fo much confidence. In order to find fuch a man, fhe applied to count Betzkoi, marfhal of the court, director of the imperial corps of cadets, and a flatterer of uncommon affiduity. Betzko'i'-f*, who thought of little elfe than the advancement of his family, and who imagined that the natural fon of Catharine would neceffarily make the for tune of whoever fhould ferve him in the capacity of governor, allured the emprefs that lieutenant- dren by his marriage. Alexius had only a daughter, who • was afterwards married to the fon of general Panin. * Catharine had alfo by Gregory Orlof a daughter, who either died young, or is living in obfcurity. f He was a natural fon of prince Trubetzkoi'. It being the cuftom in Ruffia for baftards to take the name of the fat!;er, leaving out the firft fyllable, this was called Betzkoi", ' colonel 178a.] EMPRESS CATHARINE It. 3 colonel Ribas, his fbn-in-law, was the fitteft perfon for filling that office. The emprefs believed him'. Bobrinlky, at that time gentle, rnodeft, docile, quitted Ruffia under the tutelage of Ribas, and returned to it with that peverfity of manners and infolence, which he could not fail to acquire from the leffons and the examples of his licen tious tutor *» Though * Ribas, who became vice-admiral of . the galley-fleet, frationed at Nicolaef, on the Erixine, , was born at Naples," of a fpanifh family. His father, who was called Boujon, was a farrier at Barcelona. When the fpanifh army marched into Italy for the eftablifhment of Don Carlos, Boujon per formed fome petty fervices to general De Los Rios; which procured him his attachment. Being come to Naples; he fent for Ribas ; and Los Rios, who was appointed rairiifter at war, employed him iii his office. Young -Ribas was made fub-lieutenant in the regiment of Sania.. Some little affair about the fabrication of falfe paffports and forged patents obliged him to quit Naples. He made for Leghorn, where the fquadron under the command of Alexey Orlof was then at anchor.' The admiral, who had reafon to know him to be a very ignorant, aiid not very fcrupulous man, gave him a brevet of lieutenant of one of the ihips> and employed him to commence1 the ftratagem that was praSifed on the unhappy daughter of Elizabeth.' He afterwards fent him off to Peterfburg with tidings that the victim was fallen into his hands. Ribas, being arrived at Peterfburg, was regarded with favourable eyes by the daughter of M. Betzkoi', and they were married. He. was at the fame time appointed lieutenant-colonel, and affiftarit to his father-in-law. After having attended Bobrinlky through France and Italy, he was promoted to the ranks of brigadier and colonel of the b 2 carabineers- 4 LIFfJ OF THE' [1782. Though extremely afflicted at the deviations of Bobrinlky, the emprefs long bore with them like an indulgent parent. But feeing that the prefence of this thoughtlefs youth would expofe her too often to confufion, fhe determined to fend him into a fort of exile at Reyal *. On her journey to Mohilef, the emprefs had cbferved that the people of White Ruffia, who for the moft part profefled the romifh religion, were ftrongly attached, hot only to. that faith, but to the jefuits. Confidering afterwards that there was no great danger in permitting thefe monks to live in a corner of her vaft doniiiiions, whereas, on the other hand, it would be ad vantageous to her to flatter the. opinion of the inhabitants of the new provinces, fhe appointed Shezronchevitch, a native of Poland, to be ca- carabineers. At the fiege of Otchakof, prince Potemkin made him chef-d'efcadre. Shortly after he commanded the galley-fleet on the Danube, and was railed to be vice-admiral. It may eafily be conceived what fort of a feaman he was.— iVe have been rather circumftantial in this note, in order to fhew \iy what means advancement might be fome times ob tained at the court of Catharine. 1 * Bobrinfky was ftill at Reval at- the time of the emprefs's deceafe. Shortly after his acceffion, Paul I. fent for him to Peterfburg, called him publicly his brother, and reftored to him his effete, prefenting him with the palace of Gregory Orlof, fituate on the MoVka; at which palace was confined the brave general Kofciufko and feveral other poliih prifoners. Bobrinlky has fnuc married a livonian lady. tliolic I782.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. $ tholjc archbifliop * of Mohiief, to whom fhe gave as coadjutor a jefuit named Beniflaufsky. At the fame time fhe granted leave for the eftablifhment of a feminary of jefuits, the direc tion of which was committed to father Gabriel Denkievitch, appointed vicar-general of his order. Beniflaufsky was. fhortly after difpatched, to Rome, in quality of minifter from the court of Ruffia. On requefting of the pope the eftablifh ment of the jefuits, he delivered to him, on the part of the emprefs, a letter, which, from re- fpect to the greek chriftians, fhe difavowed in the gazette of Peterfburg -j-, but which was not, there fore, the lefs written by her own hand- The following are a few fragments of it : " I know- that your holinefs is greatly embar- " raffed ; but fear ill agrees with your character. " Your dignity cannot coincide with politics, " whenever politics are injurious to religion. The " motives by which I have been led to grant my " protection to the jefuits are founded on reafon kingdoms fhould apply herfelf, with fo much zeal and afliduity, in fotming the minds of her impe rial progeny, that fhe underftood what was proper for them to learn, and took the pains to fee that r.hey were taught it well : this is worthy of parti cular notice' by the pen of the hiftorian; and the delightful " Tales of the tzarevitch Chlor," and that of the " Little Samoyede," will at once cap tivate the heart of every child, and pleafe every thinkings man. An emprefs wrote them, and drew none of the materials from any learned man's papers. She likewife compofed feveral historical and moral effays, which have been fince collected under the title of " Bibliotheque des grands-ducs " Alexandre et Conftantin." Catharine was eminently refpectable in the cir cle of her family. With a fevere, but always fond concern, the only proper method of treating chil dren, in contradiction to her maternal tendernefs, when it was necefTary to maintain the authbrity of the preceptor, fhe profecuted the culture of the affections- and talents of her grandfons, and lived to fee herfelf amply rewarded for the cares fhe beftovjed. She coriverfed with the tutor in their prefence; and, when they were abfent, wrote marginal remarks on their leflbns, one while ad- dreffed to the fcholars, and at others to the teacher; One inftance of this kind may fufhce. The fubject of the morning had been, the naturq of the government in- Switzerland, on which the tutor 10 LIFE OF THE [1782.. tutor had difcourfed in conformity with his liberal turn of mind. On returning to their ftudies the following day, they read at the bottom of the ex-* ercife, in the hand-writing of her majefty, " Mon~ .** fieur I'Harpe, continuez vos legons de cette forte ; " vos fintimens me plaifent beaucoup *." The education of the young princeffes was com mitted to the widow of lieutenant-general Lieven, a lady of fuperior underftanding and merit. This year was marked by the inauguration of the famous ftatue of Peter I. a work in which the genius of Stephen Falconet fo happily feconded the intention of Catharine. The emprefs having refolved to erect in the city of Peterfburg an equeftrian ftatue of Peter the Great, fhe wrote to Falconet at Paris, to come and execute that monument, ^e conceived the defign of having for the pedeftal of his ftatue a huge and rugged rock, to indicate to pofterity, whence the heroic legiflator had fet out, and what obftacles he furmounted. An idea fo novel and fo fublime met with gene ral approbation : and now the bulinefs was to find a mafs of ftone which in fhape and bulk might correfpond with the grandeur of the defign. Chance, which is only favourable to great un dertakings, and does nothing for mediocrity, ftept * M. L'Harpe (not La Harpe) retired afterwards to 8wif- ferland his native co.untry, where he has diftinguifhed himfelf in a revolution. in '1782.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. II in to aflift the difcovery. Near the village Lachta in Karelia, a rock was founds which Nature had placed in a vaft morafs, not far from a bay formed by the gulph of , Finland. At firft fight of this rnafs it was deemed proper for the execution of the views of the artift. On meafuring it, it was found, that the height of it, taken from the horizontal line, was twenty-one feet by forty-two in length, and thirty-four in breadth. The very idea of moving fuch an enormous mafs was fuflicient of itfelf to deter any perfons from the attempt : but under the reign of Catharine II. dif ficulties were no hindrances to the execution of a plan.' Accordingly the bold project, worthy of the ancient Romans, was formed for tranfporting this rock to Peterfburg. In order to this, a beginning was made by re moving the ground to difcover its foundations. It was natural tq imagine, that what appeared above the morafs was no more than the fummit of a rock which funk deep in the bofom of the earth ; but the workmen were juftly furprifed in finding that this folid mafs of ftone was abfolutely detached, and lay upon the ground as if placed there by a piracle. To this lingular difcovery another fucceeded not lefs remarkable ; which was, rhat in all this vaft morafs, and its environs, not another ftone was to be found, nor even gravel or fand, or any other kind 12 LIFE OF THE [1782. kind of fubftance, analogous to this fhipendous rock, Or adapted to form its conftituent parts. But what ftruek the beholders with moft afton- ifhment was the interior of the ftone. A ftroke of thunder had damaged it on one fide. On knocking off the fhattered fragment, inftead of homogene ous particles, a collection of all forts of precious ftones appeared : cryftals, agates, granites, to pazes, cornelians, amethyfts, prefented to the eyes of the curious a fight not lefs unexpected than magnificent, and to the naturalifts an object of interefting inveftigation *. All thefe circumftances, which Nature had combined in this rock, were powerful motives for fparing neither pains, nor expence, nor labour, for drawing it from its place, and fetting it as a monument, the only one of its kind in the world, and worthy of perpetuating tlie memory of the greateft of monarchs. The firft difcovery of this ftone had been made in the month of November, 1768. The labourers employed about it proceeded in their work fo brifkly, that, in the month of March, in the following year, they were able to raife it above the ground for placing it on grooves filled with * Thoufands of thefe, as well as other parts of the ftone, were cut and polifhed into bracelets, rings, necklaces, fnuff- boxes, heads of canes, .tc. and found a very rapid fale, not only among people of fafhion, but throughout the empire. cannon- 1782.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II, "13 cannon-balls, and dragging it forward by wind- laffes towards Peterfburg *. One cannot fufficiently admire the ardour and the celerity with which, in fo fhort a fpace of time, and in the moft inclement feafon of the year, fo much of this extraordinary enterprife was completed : hut what remained to perform pre fented a far more arduous operation. This immenfe ftone was fituate at the diftance of eleven verfts, or about forty-one thoufand two hundred and fifty Englifli feet from the fpot where the monument was to be erected to which it was to ferve as the pedeftal. On its tranfport thither it muft pafs over heights^ crofs moraffes and fwampy ways, be conveyed over rivers, fall down the Neva, be difembarked and drawn by land to the place of its deftination. Whoever would form a juft idea of the great- nefs of this undertaking, and the labours it re quired, muft confider that the weight of this enor mous mafs, geometrically calculated, amounted ** The mechanifm for the conveyance of this rock was in vented by count Carbury, who here went under the name of the chevalier Lafcari. A folid road was firft made from the flone to the fliore ; then brafs flips were inferted under the ftone to go upon cannon balls of five inches diameter in metal , grooves, by windlaifes worked by four hundred men, every day two hundrea fathom towards the fnore. The water tranfport was performed by what are called camels in the dock' ynrds of Peterlburg and Amfterdam, by which firft-rates and, other lhips of war, &c. are lifted over ihallows or bars of faud, to their place of deftination. to 14 t-IPE OF THE [1782* / to three millions two hundred thoufand pounds. The largeft obelifk that is known, that which Conftantius, fon of Conftantine the Great,' caufed to be tranfported from Alexandria to Rome, weighs only nine hundred and feven thoufand feven hun dred and eighty-nine pounds, which does not come up to the third part of the weight of the rock of Peterfburg. Such is the ftone which fupports the equeftrian ftatue of the legiflator of Ruffia. The hiftory of the arts knows of nothing either fo great or fo marvellous. The ftatue itfelf is truly a mafter-piece. Fal conet has fucceeded in the refemblance to admi ration ; the features of the tzar's countenance are wonderfully well exprefied *. The artift repre- fents the hero on horfeback as in the act of af- cending a fteep rock, the fummit of which he propofes to attain. ' Peter is crowned with laurels and in an afiatic drefs ; he extends his right arm with great dignity, while with the left he holds the bridle of his horfe, whofe beauty of form and elegant attitude captivate the admiration of all fpectators. He ftands only on his hinder-feet, and is in the attitude of a fiery courfer refolved to * In the model of the head of the hero the artift Falconet dil claimed all merit. It was the production ff a lady, made-. moifelle Collot, who afterwards was married to Peter Falconet, the fon of the artift, and is a performance of uncommon excellence. attain 1782.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 15 attain the fummit of the rock. To combine fo- lidity with excellence was therefore difficult ; but this the ingenious artift found a way to accom- plifh. The brazen ferpent which is trampled on by "the .horfe, is emblematical, doubtlefs, of op- pofition to the views of the monarch ; but it art fully ferves llkewife to give an equipoife to the ftatue ; the point of bearing is by this means not perceived, which is the full and flowing tail of the horfe gently falling on the ferpent writhing with pain *. Too much of the ftone was chipped off by M. Falconet, fo that at laft it was in want of an ad dition. It is grounded on piles clofely driven ; and has on the fide towards the admiralty, in letters of caft metal : Petru pervomu Ekate- rina vtoraia. 1782. and on the fide next the * The fount of the ftatue was likewife done by M. Falconet, in a houfe built on purpofe adjacent to the ftone. The metal is a bronze of copper with fome tin and zinc, and weighed forty-four thoufand and forty-one rufs pounds ; the iron inferted in the hinder part of, the horfe, to preferve the balance, was 10,000 pounds in weight. The head, the arms, • the feet, and the drapery of the rider, are of the tliicknefs of three, and the body of four lines ; the head and the fore feet of die horfe are three lines thick; but the thicknefs increafes-. hind wards to one inch. Few founts of fuch a magnitude have ever been fo thin. It is, a coloffal ftatue, the figure of the monarch being eleven feet in height, and the height of fhe horfe feventeen feet. fenate 16 life of the [1782. fenate the fame in Latin : Petro primo Catha- rina secunda *. On the day -f of the ceremonious difclofure of this noble monument to the public, the empfefs appeared in the balcony of the fenate-houfe, and folemnized the event by the diftribufion of gold and filver medals, and by a gracious ukafe, which put an end to every procefs of more than ten years ftanding, difcharged all debtors who had been five years in confinement, and remitted^ all debts to the crown below the fum of five hundred rubles J. In * See the ftatue, on the day of its firft expofure to the public, and its fituation, faithfully reprefented in the central compartment of our third plate in this work. f The 7th of Auguft, 1782. % The expence of this monument was truly imperial. The tranfport of the rock, its pedeftal, from Lachta, coft feventy thoufand rubles. Falconet's falary for nine years came to forty-eight thoufand rubles, and he received twenty-fix thoufand eight hundred rubles as a compenfatioh for free quarters : he was paid apart for the foundery feventeen thou fand five hundred rubles ; his three affiftants twenty-feven thoufand two hundred and eighty-four rubles ; the melter Kailoff two thoufand five hundred rubles, &c. :' all together amounting, by the accounts of the office for public buildings, to four hundred and twehty-four thoufand fix hundred and ten rubles. — Ma'demoifelle Collot acquired fuch great reputa tion by compofmg the head of tile hero, that fhe was em ployed to make a buft of the emprefs in marble, and en gaged by many of the nobility in works of like nature for them. The. medallion of the late lady Cathcart, who died in 17&2-3 EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 17 In the mean time, the fury of the plague, which, through the fummer and autumn of the year 1782, had moft cruelly ravaged all the tartar and turkifh countries on the frontiers of Ruflia and Poland, had ferved to reftrain the no lefs cruel ravages of war ; and in particular had greatly checked the operation of the ruffian armies, who were much more intent on guarding againft the approaches of , that fell enemy, than on gratifying ambition at the expence of any other. Before the effect of the late pacific counfels could be known, the porte had the mortification to difcover, that the impatience and .haughtinefs of its great neighbours were too extreme to admit of their liftening to arguments, of waiting the flow refult of negotiations, The emperor of Ger many now pulled off the malk, and avowed his determination of fupportihg all the claims and pretenfions of Ruffia, as well as his own ; and the engagements between both were declaredly, reci procal. ToWards the clofe of the year 1782, two very ftrong, and, as they were called, fpirited memorials, were ' prefented from the courts of Peterfburg, and Vienna ; in which, befides other things, it was peremptorily infifted, that the 1772, at Peterfburg, for her monument in Scotland, is the work of her chifel. This female artift, during her flay in Ruffia, by her indefatigable induftry, gained a competency of about fifty thp^fand rubles, vol. in. c portc l8 LIFE OF THE [17H2. porte fhould not in future, under any pretence, intermeddle in the affairs of the Tartars; that the privileges of the two provinces of Moldavia and Valakhia fhould not be infringed ; and that the free navigation of the Euxine and the Archipelago fhould not in any manner be obftructed. The confequences of a failure with refpedt to thefe de-, mands could not be more fully explained than they already were, by the appearance of the armies on the frontiers, and of the vaft preparations for war which had been made by both the parties. The part whiqh neceffity compelled the porte to take had been already decided in her own councils ; but it was neceflary to preferve fome appearances of dignity. Every preparation was made as if war had been determined upon ; and fome of the turkifh officers upon the emperor's frontiers, in their cagernefs for that event, and perhaps miftak.ing thefe appearances for realities, committed fome irregularities which afforded room for complaint. The porte, likewife defperate as its circumftances were, gave an immediate inftance offpirit, in the punifhment of one of its officers or vaffals.- The hofpodar of Valakhia was long known to be ftrongly attached to the ruffian in- tereft, and was likewife fufpected, probably with juftice, of keeping up a private, but conftant cor- refpondence with that people. Two of his fons, fome time before, had made a feeming efcape, as if purfued by enemies, from their father's court, and I782.3 EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 19 and fled to Vienna. With all thefe unfavourable circumftances, ;the proposition in the late memo rials, relative to the privileges of that province, was fuppofed to originate from this man, and partly to relate to him. However thefe things were, the hofpodar was condemned to the bow- ftring, in a few days after the memorials had been ' prefented. It is little to be doubted but that he hoped, in cafe a new arrangement of territorial dominion fhould take place, that the principality might, upon certain conditions, be rendered he- , reditary in his family : an idea" probably as pro blematical, as any he could poffibly have enter tained. 1 783. Not long after this, Catharine inftituted the order of St. Vladimir as a reward to fuch of her fubjects as had faithfully ferved the country in any civil employment ; having already created the military order of St. George *, the grand "cordon of which is only given to generals who have gained a battle. It niuft be owned that the hope of obtaining this, recompence has probably procured many a victory to Ruffia. None knew better than Catharine what influence the decora tions of vanity have upon mankind. Ruffia now beheld the rapid increafe of the adr- vantages derived from her late conquefts. 'Her commerce on the Euxine was making frefh pro- * For a brief account of thefe orders the reader is referred to the feoond volume. * c 2 grefs 20 LIFE OF THE Ll?%S\ grefs from day to day. The ruffian veffels paffed the Dardanelles, and proceeded to trade at Aleppo, at Smyrna, and in the ports of Italy. The racey and delicious wines of Greece were brought into White Ruffia, and thence were fent over all, Poland. , ' Catharine had recently caufed the foundations to be laid of the city of Kherfon, on the fhores of the Dniepr, at the diftance of about ten leagues from Otchakof ; and prince Potemkin accelerated the" works with incredible activity. He was fre quently feen to fet out from Peterfburg, fly as it were to the banks of the Dniepr *, and make his appearance .again on thofe of the Neva -j-, in lefs time than would be requisite for an ordinary man to perform the journey toMofco. Kherfon already counted forty thoufand inhabitants within its walls ; and from its yards were launched not only veffels for the purpofes of commerce, but fhips of war -deftined to ftrike terror into the ottoman enir pire. * KherXon, founded in 1778, is fituated on the fhores of the Dniepr, a little above the mouth of tth^ Bogue, and in the neighbourhood of the Liman, .a fwampy lake, the en trance of which is guarded by the fortrefs of Kjnburn, and is about a mile over. The Liman ha? depth enough for the re ception of large veffels ; but they very quickly decay in it, as the water is frefh. The antient city of Kherfon was fituate fomemiles to the fputhweft of the fpot where the Ruflians have built Sevaftopol. . t The diftance from Peterfburg to Kherfon is two thoufand yerfts. This 1f^S'l EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 21 - This advantage rekindledthejimhiflon of the em- prefs and Potemkin. They longed with equal ardour for the conqueft of a country without which they could hbrTTiopie~to realize tHeir plans againft the turkifh empire, and the pOfleffion whereof would * probably be fufficient to compeiifate the failure of thofe plans. Catharine began by detaching the Krimea from Turkey, and immediately refolved > to invade it. Thejfertility of. that country is ftill a matter in difpute : but the refources it affords' to her armies, and the advantages it holds out to commerce *, cannot be called in queftion. The importance of the Krimea being fo great in the opinion of Catharine, a fhort defcription of it will be here expected. The Krimea is a narrow peninfula, to which may be applied what Strabo fays of Spain in cotnparing v it to a bull's hide ftretched out. It is abdut 75 leagues in circuit, fituated about 2050 verfts to tETlWhTorTeterftjurg, between the 5 ift and 54th .'.. degrees of longitude, and about the 46th degree of latitude. Its fhbres on.thefouth and the weft are laved by the Euxine ; the fea of Azof or the Palus Mceotis, and the ftraights of Zabache, in- * Of what benefit it was to the antient Greeks, and after wards to the Genoefe, who got poffeflion of it in 13 71, and were driven out of it in 1475, by khan Bangli-Gueray, is well known. — For a more particular account of the Krim, fee that , tranfmitted by the writer hereof to the Gent.'s Mag. Auguft 178$, and thence copied into Ann. Reg. vol. xxviii. p. 129. . .» - ' c 3 ' clofe S* LIFE OF THE r- [M^3- clofe it to the eaft and the north. The ifthmus which joins it to the continent is not, in breadfh, above a league and a half. From this ifthmuS, on which is built the fortrefs of Perekop *, to the Jiill Karafubazar, the country is only a vaft plain, rifing infenfibly to the top -of the hill, which forms the fouthern coafts. The plain which extends from Perekop to the river Sargir is in length about five and twenty leagues. It contains a great number of moraffes and lakes, which furnifh fait to the provinces ad jacent to Ruffia, to the Krimea itfelf, to Natolia, and to Beffarabia. Almoft the whole plain may be traverfed with- outjneeting with a running ftream. The inha bitants of that part are obliged to conftruct, con tiguous to each houfe,__r^ejy_oirs for the prefer- vation of rain-water. The land is there deftitute of _ trees of all kinds. Not a fingle fhrub, not even a briar, is to be feen. The plants cultivated there are in a wretched: ..condition. This naked- nefs of the ground, however, is not to be attri buted to the defect of fertility, but to the nume rous herds and jflocks continually roaming-about this part of the Krimea, devouring or deftroying the vegetables it produces, at the very inftant they appear. * The tartars call it Or-kapi. . The 1783.} EMPRESS CATHARINE It. 2J ¦The inclination of the Tartars, for the nomadic life, and their averfion to agriculture, lslKeTreaioh. that this country is left to defolation. But if thefe people could be once brought to divide the lanxP between them, there would be pafturage enough, and the remainder would abundantly produce the vegetables neceffary to life. If one Tartar would addict himfelf to the culture of the earth, his labour would fuffice to fupply the wants of a hundred of his countrymen. The Krimea may be aivide'd into twojparts ; the flat country and the mountainous. The former, which extends from Perekop to Koflof, and from the river Bulganack to Karafubazar, toKeffa, and to Yeni-kaly, is fprinkled with a number of fmall villages, the inhabitants whereof live upon the profits arifing From fait and the products of their cattle. The mountains lie to the fouth, along the Euxine ; and, in a right line extend to the weft, from Keffa as far as the vicinity of B'elbek. The twomoft confiderable rivers of the Krimea are, the Salgir and the Karafu ; which fall into the Palus Mceotis. The formertakes its,fource not far from Achmetfched, and the fecond arifesnear Karafu-bazar : from which place, after having irrigated the adjacent plain, it flows into the Salgir. All the other rivers~and ftreams that fall from the chain of mountains, beginning at Keffa, take a north and nqrth-eaft courfe, excepting that which iffues from, mount Akta, beyond Achmet fched. The other rivers fall into the Euxine ; c 4 '* thefe »4 LIFE OF THE [x7^3' thefe are, the Amna, the Katfha, the Belbek, the Kafuli. The mountains are covered with forefts of tun- t ber trees, the haunts of favage beafts. The land Of the vallies is fertile ; and for being prolific, waits only for the hand of the labourer. Grain of all kinds and the vine flourifh on their declivi ties *. The mountains contain mines, which are fuppofed to be extremely rich ; but the moun taineers defpife thefe natural bounties : the pro duce of their flocks, and a little bread fuffiee them for fubfiftence •f-., The ifle of Taman, fituate at the entrance of the ftraight which connects the fea to Azof with the Euxine is rich and very populous J. * Excellent wine is made in the borders of Sudak. Prince Potemkin engaged a frenchman, named Banc, to fet up a brandy diftillery there. This brandy is equal to the beft Cognac. Banc had already carried on a diftillery at Aftrakan ; and he affirms that the brandy of Sudak is of a fuperior quality. f The myrzas, or nobles, and all the opulent Tartars in general, refide^cufhiuajlyjn thej^untry j never coming into towns but on matters of bufinefs. They have no courts of judicature in the country. Difputes are extremely rare j and whenever they happen, they are decided on the fpot by the authority of die koran. Petty differences, that arile in the villages, and cannot be adjudged by the koran, are amicably fetded by the elders or abefes. But in the towns, all affairs of importance, excepting cafes of murder, are brought before the kai'ma-khan, Or commandant, who pronounces without appeal. + The ifle of Taman was for fome time depopulated by the effects, of the war : but fhe Ruffians have tranfported thither a ftrong colony of Zaporogian Kozaks. The * 7^3*1 EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 45 The fcuban, a vaft and arid defert, which ex tends from the frontiers of the Krimea as far as the foot of mount Caucafus, has, like the Leffer Tartary, but a fcanty population. Such are the countries of which the court of Peterfburg, fi nee the peace of Kamardgl, had impatiently waited for_ the moment of getting poffeffion. Thefe countries have frequently changed their mafters. Already famous in the time of the "Argonants, about fourteen hundred years before , the chriftian sera, they tempted the ambition of the Greeks, who eftablifhed colonies there, built theantient city Of Kherfon, and gave rhe penin- fula the name of Kherfonefus taurica. This penin- fula wis then inhabited by Scythians, whofe fre quent aggreflions compelled the grecian colonies to fue to Mithridates for fuccours againft them. That prince drove the Scythians from the Kher fonefus taurica, and founded the kingdom of Bofphprus, comprehending the eaftern part of the peninfula with all the region which has fince ob tained the appellation of the Kuban. , ' ; At the time of Diocletian the Sarmates made "ihemfelves mafters of the, Kherfonefus taurica. The Alanes fucceeded to the Sarmates, they were expelled by the Goths, and thefe by the grecian kings : the country was afterwards fucceffively fubdued by the Huns, by the Hungarians *y by the Kozares, and even, in part, hy the Polovtzes. * The Hungarians are a colony of .Huns. Towards 3,6 LIFE OF THE [I7&3' Towards the clofe.of the twelfth century, the Genoefe conquered all the ports of the Euxine and the coafts of the taurican Kherfonefe. Some years afterwards the Mongoles and other Tartars drove the Polovtzes out of the territory of which theyhad got poffeffion, and gave the town of - Solgat the name of r Krim *, whence fhortly afterwards the whole pehinfula obtained that of the Krimea. The Genoefe were ftill for a long time in pof feffion of the ports of the Krimea. They even kept Keffa -f~ till 1475, at which period it was cap tured from them by the Ottoman's, who at the fame time reduced all the Tartars of that peninfula. Laftly, in 1774 the Ruffians emancipated the Krimea .from the yoke o? the Turks, in the defign of impdfing on it a lighter. Catharine had no other view in railing Sahim- Gueray .to the place of khan X, than to make him " , the * In the tartar language this appellation fignfies a fortrefs. , Some authors pretend that the name Krimea comes from the greek word Kimmerion. t Keffa is the Theodofia of the antients, or the Cimmerium of antiquity. t The khan had always been the eldeftmale of the Gueray family, of the race of Tfchingis khan, unlets debarred from the fucceflion by fome natural incapacity, or by the interference of the people, which occafionly happened, conferring their choice on another, but conftantly'one of the Gueray dynafty, being the eldtfft and nearcft to the right line of defcent- Tn procefs of time this family became very numerous, and it was difficult to determine whofe claim was moft valid j fo that lat ter^ 1783-} EMPRESS CATHARINE II. i S7 the inftrument of her am bjtign ; fhe only loaded him with careffes and "benefits, in order to render him a more refiftlefs victim. That prince, of a mild but weak and open difpofition,,' was far from fufpecting the defigns of the Ruffians. He was fond of the novelties, and delighted with the arts of Europe : the people of the court indulged his inclination; they procured him, the enjoyments of voluptuoufnefs and the refinements of luxury. He prefently learned to defpife the manners of his country. He quitted his ufual manner of eating, engaged a ruffian cook, and. had his dinner ferved^ up upon plate. Inftead of going on horfeback, like the reft of his countrymen, he travelled and paraded about the ftreets in a magnificent berlin. Heedlefs of his. independence, jindjto Jthe degra dation of his dignity, he folicited a_title Jn the ruffiaa'army ; and accepted a captain's commiffion in the preobaginflty guards ; of which the uniform was fent him, with the ribbon of St. Anne. Vaf- filliefky,_and Konftantinof, ruffian agents, deco rated with the title of minifters plenipotentiary, , were by turns the counfellors of this too confident ¦r— . — , . . , " ¦ ¦ ¦ - 1 terly the khans where wholly elective. The electors were chiefly the myrzas and their beys ; but the puhlic opinion was alfo taken into confideration, as the nonimation of an unwar- like or unpopular khan generally brought on an oppofition from the people. The porte afterwards eftabbfhed aright of con firming the election, which foon grew into a right of appointing the khan. prince ; 28 LIFE OF THE [}7%$' , prince; and thofe who contributed moft to his ruin. The Tartars loudly condemned his man ner of life, and lfis.attachment toRuffia ; but, a'S he governed them with gentlenefs and equity, they afcrib'ed his deviations rather to the chriftian* than to himfelf. In the mean time the Ruffians were in wantof a pretext for marching their troops into, the Kri- mea. They ftrove hard to foment fome revolt, that the khan might implore their fuccour, and furrender himfelf intirely to them. Money, pre- fents, finifter counfels fecretly fpread by their emiflaries, prefently niifed him enemies even in his own family. Two of his brothers, one of whom, named Bay-Gueray, was governor of the Kuban, made an attempt to furprife him in the city of Keffa, where he refided, and forced him to fly for fhelter to Taganrok. Immediately a ruffian army marched to his relief. Potemkin hafted 'thither himfelf ; and his name alone was fufficient to awe Bay-Gueray, who fent to inform him that he voluntarily divefted himfelf of the power which he had ufurped.. The khan Sahim-Gueray now entered again the Krimea ; and having called together the greater part of the tartar chiefs, he delivered up to them thirteen of the principal rebels, who were put to death , onjhejfppt. After which he faid: — " You " fee before you my two brothers and myfelf: " which of us will you have to govern you ? " Name I783.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 39 " Name him freely. I will fubfcribe to your ff choice." — All the Tartars fworethat they would have none but Sahim-Gueray. This arrangement was not perhaps very agree able to the court of Peterfburg ; but, whatever courfe the Tartars fhould have taken, its refolu- tion was already adopted ; the Krimea wajjtpjae., idinjped. The emprefs immediately fent off reinforce ments to her arfnies. in Poland and the Ukraine ; and made every preparation that a fpeedy decla ration of war could require. She then wrote to adher ,'minifter at Conftantinople to demand far more extenfive advantages than thofe which had been ftipulated by the treaties ; and to oblige the divan to promife, that, whatever might' hereafter be the fate of the Krimea, it would .POlijrierfeiej. She did more ; fhe erlgaged the imprudent Sahim- Gueray to demand the ceffion of Otchakof. The divan was incenfed at all thefe pretentions : but, feeble and difunited, they feigned a defire to go to war ; yet murmured, "inftead of flying to arms. .They; however, fent a paiha to take pof feffion of the ifle of Taman. Sahim-Gueray, pufhed on by the Ruffians, , fummoned the pafha to retire. Inftead of obeying, the irritated pafha caufed the envoy of the ^kjgn^to be beheaded. The Ruffians, 'pretending a determination to avenge the affront put upon that prince, requefted ^rrrrto°grint them apaffage for their troops to go and £3 LIFE OF THE [J783« and attack the Turks : but no fooner were they entered his dominions, than, inftead of proceeding againft Taman, they fell back, and fpread thera- felves over all the peninfula, of which they eafily became matters.^. General Balmaine * took by furprife the town of Keffa, where the khan was, and forced the imams, the myrzas, and the other principal Tartars, to take the oath of allegiance to the emprefs. During thefe tranfactions general Suvarof had been employed in fubduingtheTartars ofthe Kuban and the Budziaks. Prince Potemkin, who had advanced to the regions .beyond the Kuban, waj^, receiving the homage of fultan Baaty-Gueray and the hordes that roam about thofe extenfive dif- tricts. The Ruffians continued for fome time to flatter the khan, and promifed him a penfion of eight hundred thoufand rubles *f-. But both the prince and his country did not the lefs remain under the yoke. Though^ this invafion, executed in violation of every law of nations, and under fanction of the facred names of avenging juftice and protecting friendfhip, had not roufed even ottoman indo lence to arms, Catharine neverthelefs publifhed * This officer was a fon of Ramfay, vifconnt Balmaine, one of thofe who were obliged to leave Scodaud on account of their adherence to the unhappy family of Stuart. t Previous to the conoueft he had a revenue of three mil-' lions of rubles. a mani- 1783.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. !JI a manifefto to juftify, in the eyes of Europe, the fpoliation of the unfortunate Sahim-Gueray, and to accufe the Turks of having brokenthejtreaty of Kainardgi *. * The pacific difpofition, of the porte, and the terms propofed in confequence of it, were of no avail in bringing about an accommodation with her two great and ambitious neighbours. Their demands appealed fb exorbitant, that it became a queftion, even with the wife and moderate, whe ther it were not better at once to put every thing to the hazard, than to be trained on through de grading conceffions to a ftate of imbecillity, which would not leave them the means .or ability of even rendering their power glorious. The Re mands made by Ruffia were no lefs than the full poffeffion of the Krimea, the ifle of Taman, the Kuban, and Budziak, with the fortrefs of Otchakof, and other ceffions of lefs importance. On the part of the emperor, befides fmaller matters, was required the full reftitution of all that had been ceded by the treaty of Belgrade, including that city itfelf, with a confiderable part of the pro vinces of Valakhia, Servia, and Bofnia : thefe ceffions to be followed by fuch a demarcation of limits as would afford a fatisfactory frontier for their future fecurity ; the free navigation of the Danube, and of the turkifh feas, being in all cafes . * See this manifefto in the appendix to the prefent volume, N°L to 3* LIFE OF THE Zl7%3> to be confidered as a preliminary, from which there was no receding. All fides prepared for the moft decifive hofti- lity, and' the preparations were immenfe on all. Theyear 1783 accordingly exJnbjtedJuch^jnjUD- paratus of war on the northern and eaftern borders of Europe, as had never before been beheld, even in thofe martial regions. The Danube groaned, through the better part of his courfe, under the weight of the prodigious artillery, and the im menfe' quantity of ammunition and provifion, which the emperor forwarded from his hereditary ftates to the frontiers. The troops, which he had already in Hungary and the adjoining provinces, were eftimated at more than one hundred and thirty thoufand, and others were advancing- from different quarters. The artillery that he now fent to the frontiers, which were at all times well pro vided with that article, was eftimated at more than fifteen hundred pieces. Indefatigable in- all his purfuits, he vifited Hungary and the adjoining provinces , early in the fummer, and examined perfonally the ftate of the garrifons, magazines, lines, and armies. The ruffian forces were at the fame time ad vancing through different parts of Poland, and through all the countries from the Don to the Dniepr, towards the fcene of action. Their pre^ parations were, as uftial, immenfe ; that govern ment 1783-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. '33 ment never hefitating at any expence, with refpect to labour, men, or the means of fupply in wan On the Other hand, the porte had drawn great bodies of .their afiatic troops into Europe ; fo that their armies on the frontiers, or the approach to them, already exceeded one hundred and fifty thoufand men. Their • janiffaries and european troops were in good condition ; and their armies in general were better provided, and upon a much better footing, than they had been in, the late war. They had procured a great number of european officers, particularly french, to come into their fervice : among thefe were feveral engi neers, and they were indefatigable in the improve ment of their artillery, and in endeavouring to in troduce the european modes of difcipline, cloth ing, and arms, in their armies. The janiffaries and foldiers fhewed, upon^ this occafion, a docility which had never been expected from them : in deed, the bigotry and prejudices even of the common people were vifibly wearing away ; fo powerful are the effects' which misfortunes, joined with the example of their rulers, can produce in. the manners and tempers of men. The capudan pafha, who was the life of all their military improvements, as well by land as on his own element, had formed fuch a marine on the Euxine, as to be far fuperior to the ruffian "naval force in that quarter. He had likewife a considerable fleet for the Archipelago and.Medi- vol. in. d ferranean 34 LIFE OF THE C1?^* terranean fervice : but that was the ottoman weak- fide ; and they feemed to dread Ruffia more there than on any other. A treaty of fome fort or other, either of com merce, alliance, or both, was about this time concluded between Spain and the porte. The object of this treaty on one fide, was, an engage ment entered into by the other, that no ruffian fleet, beyond a certain fpecified number, fhould, in future be permitted to enter the Mediterranean on terms of hoftility. The porte, however, fur- rounded almoft as fhe was by her formidable enemieSj had ftill one confolation in referve. She knew, that, as France was now difengaged from . the war with Eagland, fhe would not be aban doned to abfolute deftruction by all the weftern powers. Nor was it to be fuppofed, that the king of Pruffia, or even Sweden, could have been a filent or inactive Spectator of fo great an accef- fion of power,- as the fpoils of the ottoman empire would afford, to their already too formidable neighbours. At all events, the portepjgp.ared vigoroufiy .for war. In regard to the tranfactions on the fide of the Krimea and the different Tartaries, it appears that the Ruffians had, in fome part of the preceding year, entirely defeated the riew khan of the Kri- S^L-i11^ obliged him to abandon the peninfula ; that his party were_ either ^difperfed /or'^bd^ed ; and that the conquerors had made themfelves maftevs 1783-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 35 mafters of all the considerable fortreffes and ports of .that couhtry. That, befide's fubduing the Ku ban, and other neighbouring Tartars, they had extended their power over no fmall part Of the mountains of Caucafus, towards the borders of v Georgia and Armenia, the petty ftates in thofe parts becoming their vaffals, under the name of receiving their protection. That Solomon, the chriftian prince of Mingrelia, being reftored to his principality, by their affiftance, fubmitted to the fame ftate of vaffalage : which, in fact, was no more than changing his mafters ; his country having been, from time immemorial,, under a Similar Subjection to the Turksj Prince Hera- clius of Georgia, ever watchful of occafions of advantage, having, during the late war^ feized the double opportunity' of the troubles in Perfia, and the weaknefs of the porte, to renounce his ., fealty to both powers^ had of Gourfe entered into a Strict alliance with Ruffia ** This * It is to be obferved, that the ruffian accounts have con- ftantly, mifreprefented this bufinefs, they ftating, that prince Heraclius, as well as Solomon, had, at his own defire, become a vaffal to the emprefs. The' fact is however btherwife. Hera clius was too ftrongly fortified in the; faftnefs of Jiis country, and at too far a diftance to be compelled to fuch a rheafure ; and he was too proud and too wife to become -a flave with out occafion. He had, through the courfe of no fhort life, bravely encountered, and fortunately furnaounted, many and great dangers, to fave or to free his country from the loweft d a degradation, 36 LIFE OF THE [I7^3' This war in the Krimea had not proceeded without great difficulties. The ruffian manifefto, which was published as a justification to the world of her conduct in taking poSfeffion of the Krimea, States the expences of the, war at twelve millions of rubles (which does not fall far fhort of three millions Sterling), and feems to confider that expence as a foundation for one of the emprefs's claims upon that country.. The fame piece, in ftating the lofs of lives upon the occafion, ob- ferving that their value is inestimable, refrains ac cordingly from giving an account of the number. In the mean time, the ruffian khan jibdicated his throne, and transferred the fuppofed right to the dominion of his^ country to the. emprefs. This was no lefs than an abjojujeigle of a people and their country, the khan receiving considerable eftates in Ruffia for the purchafe. It feems re markable, that neither this abdication nor pur chafe are fpecified as affording any title or claim- to Ruffia upon the country ; nor indeed are they degradation of abject, vaffalage. He had happily fucceeded in obtaining for it, and for himfelf (though by a precarious tenure) a freedom as perfect as unexpected. He could be litde difpofed to refign it now, who, through the weaknefs of his two fuperior lords, even while he acknowledged their dominion, had for many years been in the habit of letting his fealty and allegiance hang very lopfely about him. at 1783-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 37 at all taken notice of in the manifefto published by the emprefs on the occafioh *. In that piece, which is Signed by her majefty, and dated at St. Petersburg on the 8th of April, 13%$*., (although it did not make its appearance until late in the Summer,) the Krimea, the Ku ban, and the island of Taman, are declared to be for ever annexed to her_ domirupns, It States, that , the great fucceffes which enabled, Ruffia to fub- due the Krimea in the late war, and to have re tained it, if She had fo chofen, at the peace, would have afforded her a full right to its do minion. • But that and many other coriquefts were facrificed to her defire of establishing the public tranquillity, and the friendship between the two empires, upon the moft permanent foundations. That thefe motives had induced her to Stipulate for the freedom and independence of the Tartars, as the means of cutting off every poffible caufe of future diffenfidn. ¦> The failure of this defign^, and all the fubfequent troubles of the. Krimea, are partly attributed to the Secret insinuations and conduct of a certain un named, but well-underftood, power, in foment ing the difcontents,' partly to the rjeftkS^emp_e,r of the tartar nation, and partly to their being fo_ long accuftomed -to .Servitude, that the greater * Which the reader may fe"e at large in the appendix at the end of the volume, N° I. D part J8 LIFE OP THE CI7^3« part of the people were incapable of understanding or enjoying the benefits of that freedom and in dependence which had been obtained for them, To indemnify Ruffia for , the expence of money and blood She had already been at, to prevent Similar confequences in future, for the preferva- tion of the public tranquillity, and to remove all caufes of farther contention between the two em pires, were held out to be the objects of the pre sent meafure. At the conclusion of her majefty's manifefto the Tartars were aSTured that they Should be placed upon an equality with the ancient Sub jects of Ruflia, and that they Should enjoy the moft abfolute liberty of confcience, with the full exercife of their public worfhip and religious cere monies ; and they are exhorted to imitate the fubmilfion, the zeal, and fidelity of the people, who had long had the happinefs of living under her government. But the generality of the Tar tars, little affected by the promifes and the exhor tations of Catharine, refolved to deliver them selves from the yoke which her generals had juft been jmpofing on them. Potemkin, being made acquainted with their^jdeSign, gave orders tq prince Prozorofsky to fcize on the principal^per^ Sons concerned, and to puniSh them with death on th^fpot. Prozorofsky had the noble firmnefs, to anfwer, that he was 'not calculated for an af- faffin *. On this, Potemkin applied to general * Prince Prozorofsky was afterwards governor of M< f:o. 1783.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 39 Paul Potemkinj hiscoufin, who caufed thirty thoujand Tartars, of either fex, and every age, to be Slaughtered in cold blood. "This manifefto was anfwered by the porte in So mafterly a manner,, both with refpect to ftyle and matter, that it might be considered as a rnodel for fuch documents. Afterpointing out,: and feverely animadverting upon the encroaching difj^ofirijor^ and the over-ruling Spirit of the court of Peterf burg, arid examining and invalidating the pre tended claims upon the Krimea, it proceeds to expofe, in a very Striking point of view, that wantonnefs of^jpower, and inordinancy of ambi tion, which could extend them to the Kuban, to the iSle of Taman, and to the fovereignty of the Euxine. It puts the queftion, What pretention. of right can Ruffia have to territojjes annexedj"ar ages to the dominions of the porte ? Would not fuch claims, on any part of the ruffian em pire, be inftantly repulted. 'And can it be pre- fumed that the fublime porte, however defirous of peace, will acquiefce in wrong, which, how ever it may be difguifed by ambition, under the colour of policy, reafon and equity muft deem abfolute ufurpation ?' -What northern power has the porte offended ? Whofe territories have the ottoman troops invaded ? In the country of what prince is the turkifh Standard displayed ? Content with the boundaries of empire affigned by God and the prophet, the wishes of the porte i) 4 are 4© LIFE .OF THE [J7%3> are for peace : but if the court of Ruffia be de termined in her claims, and will not recede, with out acquisitions of territory which do not belong to her, appealing to the world for the juftice ofits proceedings, the fublime porte muft prepare for war, relying on the decrees of heaven, and con fident in the interposition of the prophet of pro- - phets, that he will protect his faithful followers in the hour of every difficulty. The porte, but little verfed in the art of reafon- ing, and yet determined to reply to the emprefs's manifefto, had recourfe to a chriftian pen *., which eafily proved the injuftiee of Catharine's preten- fions, and the perfidioufnefs of her conduct : but of what avail are fuch writings1 ? The caufes of fovereigns are pleaded effectually no otherwife than by the fword ; and for a long time the Turks were afraid to employ it, or employed it but badly againft the Ruffians. They did not even dare re- fufe to fign a new treaty of alliance and commerce prefented to them from the emprefs by Bulgazof, her minister at Conftantinople, a treaty that for mally contradicted the anfwer they had given to her manifefto. Notwithstanding this, remaining firmly decided to declare war againft the Turks, and being ap- preh^nfiye that Gjuft^yus_III._might take advan- f The anfwer of the porte was attributed to. fir Robert Ainflje, the englifli minifter at Conftantinople. tage 1783-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 4.1 tage of the ruffian armies for attacking her in that quarter, C^th^nn^formed the defign of conclu ding _a__new ; treaty of alliance , with that prince. ' She had already propofed it to him feyeral times, both by the minister whom he had at Petersburg, and by that whom She kept at Stockholm ; ¦ but her attempts were without effect. She refolved on hav ing a fecohd interview with the Swedish monarch- The place of appointment was fixed for Erede- rikfham, a fmall town Strongly fortified on the gulph of Finland, and the laft poffeffed by the Ruffians on the fide of Sweden *. The emprefs repaired thither -j- in a yacht. She was attended by count Ivan Chernichef,, the minister Bezbo- rodko, the grand ecuyer NariShkin,, the favourite LanSkoY, and feveral ladies of the court ; among whom was princefs DaShkof, who for fome time paft had to all appearance regained the friendship, of Catharine. , Guftavus X had in his fuite count Kreutz §, his firft minister, general Armfeldt, Munck, and feveral other Officers. * Since the peace of Varela, concluded in ^90, the laft fortrefs belonging to the Ruffians on the fide of Sweden is Eyttiene-Gorod,' built on the bank of the little Kymend. -j- The 29th of June. ' v J Only a few days before, being at a review, he had his arm prqke by a fall from his horfe. § The fame who had been ambaflador in Spain and in France. The 4^ UFE OF THE [_I7^3- The emprefs had previously caufed two con tiguous houfes to be hired, which were furhifhed with great elegance, and between which a gallery of communication had been constructed. One of thefe was occupied by herfelf, the other ferved as quarters to the king of Sweden; in fuch manner, that during the four days that thefe two fove'reigns remained at FrederikSham, they might freely dif- courfe together as often as oceafion required *. The peace had been Signed fome months before -f». There was no longer any reafon for keeping the neutrality of the north in arms ; yet tlie emprefs being defirous of it, Guftavus confented. She .. afterwards propoSed to that prince to remain neuter during the war with the Turks ; and affured him, that after the termination of that war She would affift him in gaining poffeffion of Norway. Flat tered with this hope, Guftavus promifed to com ply with all that Catharine required ; and they parted highly fatisfied one with the other, and their minds filled with their different fchemes of conaueft. * The emprefs, who was lavifh of her fine fpeeches to tlie fwedifh monarch, engaged Hoeyer, a danifh painter, to exe cute a piaure, where that princefs and Guftavus HI. are re- prefented fitting and converging amicably together. M. Caftera tell us he faw tlie original of this picture in tlie cabinet of the king of Sweden at Dronirigiholm ; he likewife faw a copy of if at tlie painter Hceyer's houfe at Copenhagen., | In the month of January. Before 1783-] EMPRESS .CATHARINE II. 43 Before fhe quitted Frederikfham, the emprefs gave her portrait to count Kreutz, and teftified her magnificence towards the fwedifh officers. Guf tavus alfo made divers prefents to the ruffian minif ters and courtiers. He decorated the favourite LanSko'i with the order of the polar ftar; and, on his return to Sweden, he fent to princeSs DaShkof a diploma of member of the academy of Stockholm. The porte was the lefs eager to make war, as the preparations of the Ruffians Jeem.ed.in/allibly to affure them of yijtory; Seventy thoufand men, under . the orders of prince Potemkin, were af- fembled on the frontiers of the Krimea. Prince Repnin was at the head of forty thoufand, in readinefs to back the former. MarShal Romant- zof, with a third army, had his general quarters at Kief. The fquadrons of the Euxine were armed ; and ten fail of the line, with feveral frigates, were only waiting the Signal for proceeding from the Baltic to the Mediterranean. 1 784., The court of London, vexed that Ruffia had appeared at the head of the armed neutrality, Strained every nerve to induce the divan to have recourse to arms : but in vain. France and Auf- tria prevented it. . Inftead of fightings they_Jtook__ the better mode of hegotTation. By a new treaty, Signed at Conftantinople, between the ruftian plenipotentiary Bulgakof and the minifters of the grand fignior, the emprefs retained the So vereignty of the Krimea, of the jfle of Taman, and 44 LIFE OF THE [l7^4 and a great part of the Kuban ; and the Turks acknowledged" the right which She pretended in- conWftTbly to have to the dominion of the Euxine, and to the paffage of the Dardanelles. Thus Catharine acquired, without the neceffity of going to war, a vaft territory, with a million and ajialf of new fubjects. The emprefs reftored their antient names to the Krimea and to the ' Kuban. The former of thefe countries was called Tavrida, and the other Caucafus *. The example of Sahim-Gueray might have taught the other princes to dread the cruel protec tion of Ruffia : . but the preSentsj)f prince Potem- kin dazzled the eyes of fome of them. Heraclius, fovereign of Kartalinia and Kakhetti, who had formerly borne arms under the famous Thamas Kouli-khan, and fought in the laft war of the Ruf- * Which never fail to remind us of the old ftories of the grecian hiftory : IphigeniainTauris ; the race-ground of Achil les ; the cities Fantikapaeum, Eofphorus, Tanais; and of the chained Prometheus, the tribes of Caucafus and Circaffia, ftill famous for the beauty of its ladies. The territory of the Kri mea is larger than the kingdom of Pruffia was at that time (that is, Eaft arid Weft Pruffia and the Netz diftrift) ; has- a rich foil, but is poor in people. Catharine herfelf brought away in 1 779 the numerous Greeks that inhabited tlie fouthern part of the peninfula into her own country ; though they have pot been very profperous in their new diftrifts; at that time, therefore, fhe feems to have had no thought of taking pof feffion of it. flans 7%-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 45 ians againft the Turks, 'performed homage to Catharine for his dominions. Solomon, fultan of Immeritia and Georgia, was tlfo, as we have feen, purfued by the courteous ntrigues and the treacherous benefits of the em- )refs„and the favourite. Brave and haughty, he tt firft refolutely perfifted in depending entirely )n his-fcymetar ; but a mound of gold, a crown, md oftentatious promifes, reduced him to Slavery. shortly after this he died ; and fultan David his Ton was incapable of imitating him, except in his . weakneffes. Potemkin , did not invade the country of the Zaporogians; but,, ever combining artifice with force> he carried off Sixty t,houfand of thefe kozaks, and fent them into the country of the Nogais and to the Shores of the fea of Azof and the Euxine, where he founded thofe colonies which at prefent furnifh failors to the Squadrons of the Euxine, and efpecially to the galley-fleet of Nicolaef. While employed in extending the empire- of , his fovereign, prince Potemkin was not unmindful o£ hisN perfonal interefts. Though ' proprietor of immenSe eftates in different .provinces of Ruffia, he Still acquired a part of the rich domains which the princes LubomirSky and Sapieha had poffeffed inPodolia and Lithuania. , His enemies thought that he was providing for a retreat into Poland : but, whatever were his intentions, (never did his favour 46 LIFE OF THE [I7^4« favour appear fo firmly eftablifhed, never had he been attached to Ruffia by fo many titles and em ployments. The emprefs honoured him with the Surname of Tavritfchefky *, gave him the govern ment of Tavrida, with the rank of grand admiraT of the Euxine, and built for him the magnificent palace in Peterfburg which bears the name of Tavritfchefky. This fuperb edifice, the Taurian Palace, con- Sifts properly of only a ground floor ; but the body of the building, the wings whereof extend to a prodigious length, has over the portal two Stories, fupported by columns, which are covered" at top by a grand cupola. The entrance of the main building leads into an open fpace, in which, on both fides, lodging, rooms project. Through this is the grand entrance into a quadrangular veStibule, Surrounded by columns of extraordinary magnitude, and lighted from above by the win dows of the fecond Story. A gallery at a con siderable height runs round it, for the orcheftra, which is alfo provided with an organ. From this veftibule the fpectator proceeds into tlie grand hall, through a double row of columns* If it be poffible by verbal defcription to excite the impreffion which the .Sight of this temple of gigantic architecture produces, it can only be done by the raoft artlefs and Simple representation. Let * The Taurian. the I784-3 EMPRESS CATHARINE It. 47 the reader then figure to himfelf a hall upwards of a hundred paces in length, proportionably broad, having the roof fupported by a double colonnade of coloffal pillars. At about half the height be tween thefe pillars are boxes, ornamented with. Silk curtains and feftoons. In thepaffage formed by the double rows of pillars, fcang at Stated distances large cryftal luftres from London, the lights of which are reflected by a mirror of un common Size at each end of the room. The room itfelf has neither ornaments nor furniture, it being only defigned for grand entertainments : but, in each of the two Semicircles that terminate the colonnades, Stands a vafe of carrara marble, both of which, by their extraordinary magnitude and the excellence of their workmanShip, corref- pond with the grandeur and magnificence of the whole. Now let the reader, with his intellectual compaffes, ftrifce out a Semicircle from one end of this great colonnade to the other, on the fide facing the veftibule by which he entered, and this will inclofe the winter-garden, of itfelf an enormous building ; the 'roof of which being too large to fupport itfelf without columns, thefe are - made to refemble palm trees. The warmth is kept up by numerous flues in the walls and co lumns, and by leaden pipes with hot water run ning in various ramifications under ground be neath the parterres and grafs plots. The walks of this garden lead between flowery Shrubs and fruit- bearing 4& MFE OF THE [l7»4'' bearing hedges, in ferpentine directions over little hills, and to a variety of bowers, occafioning at every ftep fome new furprife. The eye, when wejlry of the luxurious mixture of gaudy colours in the vegetable world, recreates itfelf in contem plating the choiceft productions of art. Here a grecian head invites our admiration ; there the attention is fixed by a motley collection of rare fiShes in cryftal vafes. We turn from thefe ob jects to enter a grotto of mirror-glafs, which re flects the trees, and plants; and Statues, and flowers in multiplied diversity, or to gaze at the Singular mixture of colours in the faces of a mirror-obeliflc. The genial warmth, the odour of the nobler plants, the voluptuous Silence that. reign in this enchanting garden, lull the fancy into fweet romantic dreams : we think ourfelves in the groves of Italy, while torpid nature, through the windows of this pavilion, announces the fe- verity of a northern winter. — In the centre of this bold creation Stands on an elevated pedeftal the ftatue of Catharine II. of carrara marble, with the attributes of legiflatrix. — On the death of prince Potemkin the emprefs adopted this as her autum nal palace ; for which purpofe the left wing was lengthened by taking in the whole fide of a Street. In making the neceffary alterations fifteen hundred men were employed, who continued their work in the night by the light of torches, that it might be ready for the coming autumn. Compare the foregoing 1784-} EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 49 foregoing defcription of the winter-garden with that of the climate of Ruffia *. In proportion as the number of thofe who had long been in her fervice diminished, Catharine doubtleSs was the better able to judge of their value. She loft now the two principal chiefs of the confpiracy that had placed her on the throne. Count Nikita Ivanovitch Panin and prince Gre- . gory Orlof died -almoft at the fame time, one at Petersburg, the other at Mofco. Panin died of grief and chagrin, a fatal malady to which difcarded minifters are very liable -{-. From the moment v>hen Potemkin refifted him in the council and deprived him of the manage ment of affairs, he began visibly to decline, and was a Stranger to all repofe of mind but what he looked for in death. Prince Orlof clofed his term of life in a Still more tremendous manner. Though he remained in poffeffion of the benefits which the emprefs. had v„ , heaped upon him, and was the hufband of a? * In our • preliminaries, vol. i. p. 7, 8, and feq.— -See Starch's " Gemaelde von St. Peterfburg." f Count Panin died the 31ft of March 1783, and left be hind him the charadter of an honeft well-meaning man. At his death his eftates were fold for 173000' rubles, which was not fufficient to pay his debts. Many inftances of his gene- rofity are well known : of 9000 boors once prefented him by -the emprefs, he gave 4000 among three of his fecretaries in the department of foreign affairs. vol. in. v. e young tp LIFE OF THE {1784. young and handfome wife, the prefence of the new favourites was infupportable to him. He paffed almoft all the latter years of his life in travelling. In 178a he Stopped at Laufanne, where he had the misfortune to lofe his wife, which threw him into a deep melancholy. He immediately returned to court, but it was only to prefent to his former friends the fad fpedtacle of his infanity. At one momen(t he delivered himSelf up to an extravagant gaiety *, which made the courtiers laugh: then, bursting out into re proaches againft the-ernprefs, he Struck terror and amazement into all that heard him, and plunged the monarch herfelf in the bitternefs or" grief. At length he was forced to retire to Mofco. There his remorfe revived with tenfold fury. The bleeding Shade of Peter III. purfued him into every retreat ; haunted his affrighted mind by day;, and feared him in the visions of the night ; he beheld it in- * When Gregory Orlof was all-powerful at court, he fre quently called Catharine by fhe diminutive of her name, Kattinia or Katoufchla. After his return from his firft travels, he retained this habit. He had brought with'him from Hol land a fort of doctor, or rather a buffoon, named Janijofiy, who took the fame liberty. The emprefs was at times fubjefit to fits of low fpirits, of which this phyfician pretended to cure her ; and when he found her in a dull humour, he wou^i fay, " Kattinka, we muft be cheerful in order to be well, and we " muft walk in order to be cheerful." — Then, giving heir his arm he walked with her about tlie gardens of tlie palace. ceffaptly 1784-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. £1 ceffantly aiming at him an avenging dart, and he expired in the agonies of defpair *. In the former period of his favour* Gregory Orlof had received of the emprefs a medallion furrounded with brilliantSj oh which was the portrait of that princefs, and he wore it at his button-hoki Aftef the death of the psince, cotmt Vladimif Orlof came to Petersburg to prefent this miniature to the foverelgn, who returning it to him, bade him give it to his brother Alexey, whom She permitted to wear it. Surely an awful prefent ! * In the month ef April 1783. . / < E 2 5a LIFE OF THE fx7^4* CHAP. xrv. Relations of Ruffia with Perjia, with China, and with Japan. — The emprefs refolves to defend the rights of Jofeph II. over the Scheldt. — Adventure of the grand' duke at Gatjhina. — Death ofLan- Jko'i. — Marriage of prince Potemkin. — Termohf ' becomes favourite.- — League of the eleclors. — Treaty of commerce with France. — Dinner of Toleration. — Mononof fucceeds Termolof. — The emprefs pur chafes the libraries of Voltaire and of d'Alembert. — 1784, 1785, 1786. JL HE vicinity of the Cafpian invites the Ruffians to trade with Perfia ; and by Perfia they can eafily profecute a commerce with India*. Accordingly they have long profited by this advantage. Tzar Alexey Mikhailovitch, who in a manner prepared the reign of his fon Peter I. as Philip had pre pared that of Alexander, caufed fome fmall veffels to be built by his dutch carpenters *, with which he protected the commerce carried on by his fubjects with the inhabitants of the provinces of Ghilan and Mazanderan. , About the year 1660. Peter 1784*] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 53 Peter I. whofe genius favoured every thing that was grand or ufeful, extended thefe relatioris Still farther, and established a counting-houfe at Schamachy, a rich and commercial town, which is faid to have been the antient abode of Cyrus *. Perfia was at that time a prey to a number of petty rebellious tyrants, who, taking advantage of the quarrels between the ufurper Mahmoud -f~ and the feeble Schah-Huffein ^, pillaged and ravaged thofe delighted countries. The Lefghis,' a race of Tartars who are the antient Albanians, rufhed down from Mount Caucafus, made them- felves mafters of Schamachy, and maffacred the ruffian merchants with the other inhabitants. Juftly incenfed at this outrage, Peter demanded juftice of its authors : but either from inability or infolence, fatisfaction was denied him. From that moment he refolved to feek his own revenge, and by taking advantage of the troubles in Perfia, to gain poffeffion of the whole weftern coaft of the Cafpuxn. He embarked,^ on that fea, failed as far as the town of Andreof, landed and pro- * He is called Kur-khan by the Tartars and Perfians, who relate many* particulars" concerning that prince, unknown to the hiftories in ufe among us. Some pretend that he had his name from the river Kur. f Son of the barbarian Mirvei'tz.' % Schah, or Schach, bgriifies- fovereign. Sophi is not a fide ;' it is tlie^ name of a family, which traces back its origin to Tamerlane.§ .In 1722. — See the hiftory of Peter the great. e 3 ceeded 54 LIFE OF THE [J7^4' ceeded to lay Siege to Derbent, capital of the Dagheftan. Derbent *, a fortified town of con-r fiderable ftrength, and taking its name from having formerly an iron gate, made no greater refiftance then than it Since did in our times, when attacked by Valerian Zubof-f-. The troops of Peter I. were victorious not only at Derbent, hut before the opulent town of Bachtu ; and three provinces remained fubmiffive to the Ruffians, till they were afterwards re-conquered by Thamas Kouli- khan J. The interruption of the commerce of the Ruf fians with Perfia lafted for fome timel It was not till 1744 that it was revived by the English, who obtained of the emprefs Elizabeth permiffion to navigate the Cafpian. By this navigation they procured great quantities of fine Silks, cotton, and the other valuable commodities the growth and manufacture of Perfta. They established a factory at Mefcheck ; they traded with the cara vans as far as the Greater Tartary, to Samarkand, and to Bolkara. The appearance of the englifh flag upon the Cafpian gave, qmbrage to the famous Thamas h * Derbent, or Iron-gate, is called by the Turks Demir- ' Cadi. f In the year 1 796. X The Ruffians pretend that it was by the treachery of Biren, and of prince GallJtzen, who was at that time ambaf lador in Perfia. Kouli- 1784.} EMPRESS CAtHARItfE II. 55 Kouli-khan : but, tinable to contend with it, that ' artful tyrant Carrie to the resolution of depriving the Ruffians of its affiftarice. In order to effect this, he gained over the captains Elton and Woodrofe *, who had under- their command the engliffi veffels, and they entered info his fervice. Elton, oh beirig made admiral by Thamas" Kouli-khan, caufed Ships of war to be constructed, with Which he forced the ruffian veffels to falute the perfiari flag, arid to acknowledge its Supe riority. The emprefs Elizabeth, having infor mation of this proceeding, immediately revoked tlie permiffion which She had granted to the erigliSh 6dmpany, arid fbUghr. means of avenging herfelf on' Tharrias Kouli-khan,- by raifing him up enemies among his own Soldiers-. ¦ Shortly ftfte'rwards, this * conqueror, while preparing to make a defcent on Ruffia, was affaffinated, during his fleep, in the plains of Mbgan -f-. * It is' to thefe two navigators that we aire indebted for the , firft good map that was ever made of tlie Cafpian, which chart the Ruffians correct, every year, on account of the fand- - banks in that fea which are perpetually changing their fitua- tions. \ f In 1747 Saleh-bey, colonel of the gtiard Aghuane, at tended by four foldiers rufhed into his tent by night and mur dered him. Thamas Kouli-khan was then in bed with the daughter of the grand- mogul, whom he had married after having feized upon the dominions of her father. — It has been srfirmed that Saleh-bey had been bought over by the Ruffians. e 4 From $6 LIFE OF THE [1784, From that time the Perfians, being involved in frefh troubles, thought no more about the affairs of the Cafpian ; and all their Ships were deftroyed by the Ruffians. By the treaty of commerce renewed with the cpurt of Londoi* in 1766, Catharine reftored to fhe English the privileges of which they had been. deprived by Elizabeth. But, whether from want of confidence, or whether on 'account of the con- fufions that were fecretly raifed among them, they were never able to make that trade fo pro fitable as their firft company had done. The Ruffians then are almoft the only people who derive any great advantage from the com merce of the Cafpian. With about 160 veffels of between forty and eighty tons burden, they go and fetch Silk, and cotton from Ghilan, carpets and fine Stuffs from the other provinces, carrying. in exchange to the Perfians, iron, Steel, and furs. Independently of this traffic, the Ruffians carry on a considerable fishery on the Cafpian. In that fea they take the Shamai, a fifh refembling the herring, and the koffa, greatly fuperior in flavour to the roach of the ocean *. They alfo take great numbers of fea-dogs, the Skins of which they fell to the English and the Dutch, making ufe of the fat in the preparation of foap. * The f fli -if the Cafpian is c. f a tafte far more delicate than , that ( f ,itb- --feas. This fuperiority is attributed to the quality of tlie waters , which is rather bitter than fait. The 1784.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 57 The rivers of* Perfia alfo fupply the Ruffians • with great quantifies of thofe fiSh whence the caviar * is, made ; a grand article of commerce, . and * Caviar, by the Ruffians called ikra, ah article of fo much confequence to the induftry and to the palates of the Ruffians, is prepared in the parts about tlie Volga, tlie Ural, and the Cafpian, of the roes of fturgeons, fterlets, fevrugas, and fitrinas. The lump of roe is the firft tiling taken out after cutting up tlie fifh. , A large beluga' will yield above five pood of roe; but which, on account of the quantity of vifcous matter mixed with it, is not much efteemed. From a fturgeon never more than thirty pound has been taken, and from the ' fevruga only ten or twelve. As of the beluga-roe five eggs weigh a grain, fo a large beluga has fix or feven millions of eggs. The different treatment of tlie roe determines the dif ferent quality of the caviar. The firft fpecies is the preffed caviar. To this purpofe the roes are only cleanfed from the coarfeft firings and fibres, falted with two pound of fait to the pood, and fpread out to dry in the air. This preparation in fair weather requires about fix hours, and in , cloudy weather at moft a day. It is' now immediately put into tubs. To make this fort for fale, it is common to take the fpoiled roes of dead fifh thrown upon the fhore, or fuch as are too greafy for other forts, -and even the fragments and offals that would not pafs through tlie fieve for the finer kind, fait it in boxes, and then tread it down in tight tubs. Such caviar cofts in Aftrakhan half a ruble the pood. —The feafoned or grainy < fort is better than this. "When the roe is cleanfed from tlie coarfer particles, it is fhaken into long troughs* falted with eight or ten pounds to the pood, and well mixed with it. It is now brought to the fieve or ftretched net-work, through which it is fqueezed, in order that the remaining fibrous, parts may be completely feparated : then, like the former,, it is prefied in tubs. The pood cofts between one and two rubles ; and j>3 LIFE OF THE £'784' arid without which feafcely any eatables are Served irt the florth. The 'and this fort is tlie ufual food of the common people during the tents or fafte enjoined by the religion of the country : hut it is too fait for the tafte of every one. The beft fort is the fack-caviar, for fhe cleanlinefs of its preparation and its eisqui- fite reliih. After being cleanfed it is fteeped in brine, till the! grains are quite foft. It is then hung up in long pointed* bags,- like jettybags, about half a pood in each, and brine agaifi poured in apon it. When this is all drained off, the 6ag M wrung between the hands till all tlie rhoifture is5 oat. If is then fet to dry twelves hours in the bag ; after which k is trod down in tubs by a labourer in leathern ftockings. This fort- requires the roe to be quite frefh, and is the deareft, cofSng two rubles the pood, and Upwards. Ifi winter the roe is eaten entirely frefh; and a great dairity it is. In general,- tKe ftandard for good caviar is, the lefs fait the better j but likes wife the lefs time will it keep. The beft caviar, as well as the beft ifinglafs, comes from fhe river Ural, where the koz^ks have the beft method of preparing them. Formerly the trade in caviar was a monopoly of the crown ; and ifi Peter the firft's time the contra6il brought him eigfctty thdufated rubles, in the" middle of the prefent century one hundred thoufand. At prefent it is free. M the year 1764 the quan tity exported amounted to forty-eight thoufand rubles, in 1768 only to fortfy-orie thoufand. In later years the quantity ex ported has been more various than that of ifinglafs. In the year 1788 it amounted to two thoufand feven hundred and fifty-eight pood, in 178,9 to ten thoufand feven hundred and fist pood, in 1786 to two thoufaBd' four hundred and feventy- fix pood, in 1788 to fifteen thoufand four hundred and forty- one pood. Caviar, goes mofily to Italy, (preffed, of courfe, becaufe of the voyage,) where it is eaten by the rich in faft- time. |..j EMPRESS CATHARINE II. J$ The fleet maintained in the Cafpian by Catha rine was constructed of oaks from Kazan *, and cpnfifted of three frigates, five corvettes, and a bomb-boat. Thefe veffels were continually cruif- ing along the coafts of Perfia, and burnt all the "Ships, and even all the floats of timber which they happened to meet. Their commanders bad befides pofitive orders to fow difcord between the feveral khans, and always to fupport the weaker againft the more Strong ; a method which the emprefs had found too fuccefsful both in Poland and in the Krimea, to admit of her neglecting- it in be half of the Perfians. In 178a that princefs adopted the refdlution of executing the project formed by Peter I. againft Perfia, by extending her dominion on the weftern Shores of the Cafpian. The diffenfions which continued to lay wafte thofe fertile regions feemed to favour her ambitious views. But fhe met with fome obstacles which She had not expected, _ The molt powerful of the tyrants of Perfia was at that time the khan Aga-Mahmed. Sprung from one of the firft families of the Koraffan, Aga- Mahmed was Still in his cradle when his father time. In Germany alfo, with the increafe of luxury, it is now much more in requeft than it was thirty years ago, when a phyfician in a publication called it a delicacy almoft un known. * The environs of Aftrakhan furnifh none at all. and 60 LIFE OF THE [I7^44 and, his brothers were Strangled by order of Tha mas Kouli-khan*. The conqueror contented himfelf with taking precautions to prevent this infant from ever perpetuating his race : but Aga- Mahmed neverthelefs, like the eunuch Narfes, became a warrior and a Statefman. After the death of Thamas Kouli-khan, the mother of Aga-Mahmed married again, and had feveral other children who became the determined enemies of their brother. One of hem, Murtuza Kouli-khan, thinking to procure powerful fuc- cours from Ruffia, appeared to be, with the ut most fervility, devoted to that cabinet. But, in fpite of Murtuza, in fpite of Abiilfat, fon of Ker- im-khan the laft ruler ; in Short, in fpite of all his rivals, Aga-Mahmed had the Skill to render himfelf mafter of the Ghilart, the Mazanderan, the Schirvan, and feveral other provinces. The emprefs gave orders to count Vo'i'no- vitch -f~, commander of her fquadron on the Caf-. pian, to employ all poffible means for forming fome establishments on the perfian coafts. In July 1 78 1, Voinovitch failed with four fri gates' and two armed Sloops from Aftrakhan, * It was about the year 1738. t Count Mark Voi'novitch was a Slavonian by birth. Eight years after his expedition into, Perfia, he ferved in the Euxine in quality of commodore : but, happening to difpleafe prince Totc-nikm, he made him lay afide the ruffian uniform, and difmiffcd him with difgrace. having 1784-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. •, 6l having on board the neceffary troops and ammu- > nition, and, after Stopping to examine the islands of Shiloy and Ogutzin, which he found to be barren fands and rocks, « repaired to Afterabat, the beft port of the Mazanderan, which is the ancient .Country of the Mardi. Aga-Mahmed then re sided at Ferabat ; where Voinovitch prefented him his requeft for pefmiffion to eftablifh a count ing-houfe on the coaft. The khan, considering perhaps that 'he was not able to drive away the Ruffians by force of arms, or rather choofing to employ artifice againft them, pretended to accede to thedefires df Voinovitch. ' The Ruffians immediately fet about construct ing a fortrefs to defend the harbour, at the dif tance of about fifty miles from the city of Aftera bat, which they furnifhed with eighteen guns ; whereof-Aga-Mahmed being informed, continued his dissimulation, but was refolved to give them a check. He came to look at the fortrefs, ad mired the building, praifed the activity of the Ruffians, and invited himfelf, to dine, with his attendants, on board the frigate of Vo'inovitch. After having merrily fpent the day, and testi fied great friendship for the Ruffians, the khan engaged them in return to come and take a dinner at one of' his country-feats among. the mountains. Thither they repaired! the Succeeding day. But - they had no fooner entered his houfe, than Aga-, , Mahmed caufed them to be put. in irons ; at the fame 6a LIFE OF THE [i784J fame time threatening Voinovitch to have his head cutoff, and to ferve all his officers in the fame manner, unlefs the fortrefs was immediately razed to the ground. Voinovitch, who plainly faw that all refiftance would be fruitlefs, Signed an order, which was carried lo the commandant of the fort. The cannons were re-Shipped, and the wall broke down. This done, Aga-Mahmed ordered' the ruffian officers into his prefence ; and, not fatif- fied with loading them with fcornful and injurious language, he delivered feveral of them over to his Slaves ; who, after inflicting on them every Sort of indignity, were commanded to drive them and their companions with fcourges to their Ships. Tlie court of Peterfburg revenged itfelf no otherwife for thefe affronts than by continuing to foment the deffentions that were raging in Perfia. Its agents there raifed up againft Aga-Mahmed a rival, who fpeedily became the moft formidable of his enemies, and took from him the province of Ghilan. This conqueror, who was called Ghedahed-khan, profiting by the arms and am munition fecretly conveyed to him by the Ruf fians, feemed ready to defpoil Aga-Mahmed of all his power. But the latter, finding means to corrupt the ruffian agent Toman pfsky, and the conful Skilitch, both residing at Sinfili, they be- ¦ trayed" Ghedahed-khan, and delivered him to Aga-Mahmed, who caufed him to be beheaded, and I7?4-3 IMPRESS CATHARIWE II. $j ^nd became once more the quiet poffeflbr of Jn the mean time the Ruffians affected pub licly to tak The teft of war or peace announced by the emperor, without waiting the refult of the negot iations at Bruffels, or regarding the mediation of France, was now to be put to iffue. Two impe rial veffels had been preparing for fome time to make the deftined experiment upon the conduct of the Dutch with refpedt to the Scheldt j it was to 8(3 LIFE OF THE [1784. to determine whether they would perfevere, at all events, in the affertion of their fuppofed right, or whether they would fink under the well- grounded apprehenfion of their great opponent's power. Every meafure was ufed, both at Bruf- fels and Paris, to induce the emperor to waive this meafure of decision, and to wait the refult of the negotiations ; but he was determined in his ob ject, and confirmed the threat of count Belgio- jofd, by declaring, that he would confider the firft infult offered to his flag upon this occafion as an adt of formal hostility, and a declaration of war on the part of the republic. The equipment and preparation of thefe vef fels was evidently carried on in a manner that was intended to, draw the eyes of all Europe to the tranfaction, and to prepare them for the confe- quences. One of thefe was to proceed down the Scheldt, from Antwerp to the fea ; and the other, up the river from the fea, on its courfe from Of- tend to that city. ' The former was checked in her prOgrefs by the falute of a broadfide from a dutch cutter, and the veffel from Oftend was likewife flopped in her attempt to pafs up from the fea ; the circum- ftances, being in general Similar, but that no Shots were fired. Every thing now tended to an immediate rup ture, Jo far as the emperor's abfence at the time from EMPRESS CATHARINE II. , 8l frOmViefiha,' and the great diftance of his armies^ did not ferve to retard that event. As foon as the instructions from court could be received, the imperial ambaffadbr was recalled from the Hague, and the negotiations at Bruffels broken' up. ," An army of Sixty thoufand men was under orders, { and in preparation for marching from' the Auftrian hereditary dominions to the Netherlands ; the troops already there amount ing to about fixteen thoufand. Great trains of artillery, and all the other apparatus of war, were in motion ; and none that know the emperor's character will fufpedt but that he was already for ward in preparation for an event which he could not but forefee was probable, and the iffue of which he had fo mvich at heart. The great dif tance of his forces from the fcene of action wasj however, an infurmountable check to his activity. The different States of the empire, whofe territo ries the army was to crofs in its long march, were applied to for a confent, which could not be well refufed, but which was in general unwillingly granted. The countries belonging to the king of Pruffia were of neceffity held facred upon this occafion. Nor was the emperor fatisfied with the bare paffage of his troops through their domi nions ; he called likewife upon the States of the empire to furnifh their refpedtive quotas of tropps towards the fupport of a war, which, from the late v'ot. in. o affair 8« -LIFE OP THE [}fo4- affair on the Scheldt, he wifhcd to be confidered as entirely defensive on his fide. , Nor was the republic by any means infenfible to her danger, nor negligent in providing all pof-r fible means for the moft obftinate defence. In (bite of her unhappy internal divifions, her an tient courage and resolution feemed to revive. tfhougfa She evidently dreaded the arduous and unequal eonteft, and was willing to make many facrifices to avoid it, yet fhe {feemed determined rather to hazard all things, and even to perifh in the encounter, than to fubrnit willingly to a con dition with which her ruin was infeparably in volved. " Agents were employed all over Ger many, that nurfe of war and i nexhauftible breeder of armies, who were indefatigable in their exer tions for hiring troops from thofe princes who make it a cuftom to barter mankind for money. The exertions were no lefs confiderable at home, in recruiting the troops, Strengthening the fron tiers, and putting the pofts and garrifons in the beft pofture of defence. As the appearances of things became more alarming, and the danger .feemed faft approaching, they prepared for the worft that might happen; being determined to have recourfe to the laft defperate refuges of defence which the nature of ^their country peculiarly af forded. In this determination, they were in readinefs for laying the flat and expofed countries under water ; and as the laft refort, took meafures for t«jl$4'3 EMPRESS CATHARINE II. .i&j' for fuddenly arfaaing the peafents, whofe fierce nature sod.characterifticobftinacy., when operated upon in the defence of their native dykes, would undoubtedly have afforded fpectacles of unufual animofity and horror. In the mean time, nothing was left untried, either fey the States, or by the court of Verfaiflgs, in their eadeavoiuirs- ¦ to divert the approaching ftorm. During thefe transactions, affairs feemed. ap proaching faft to the laft extremity On the borders of Holland and the Netherlands. The expoftujations'and rerh'onftrances of France were not capable of fubduing the inflexibility of" the emperor on the Subject of the Scheldt. He was willing to accept the. mediation of that power upon all other points of difference, and accord ingly toxonfent to the renewal of the negotiations, limited to thofe objects ; but the free navigation of that river he confidered as fo incontrovertible a right, that it was not to be Subjected to any dif- cuffion whatever. While all Europe contemplated this new and unexpected eonteft, and feveral of its powers feemed little difpofed to approve of its caufe or principle, Ruffia, who had fo lately feduced Hol land to'enter into the views of her naval ambition, by leading the States into the fcheme of the armed neutrality (to which all their fubfequent misfor tunes and prefent dangers might, with no fmafl g % juftice^- 84 EIFE OF THE Z1?^ juftice, be attributed), nPw took a decided part againft the republic, in a bufinefs with' which She feemed to have very little concern. At the fame time that She affected or affumed the office of being a mediator, She held out to the world her fixed determination in fupport of the emperor's claims, and an utter condemnation of the conduct of Holland in refusing to comply with them. It was likewife known or believed, whether publicly declared or not, that She was engaged tof upport him with all her forces, ineafe the interference of any other power in favour of the republic Should render her intervention neceffary. The reft of Europe was nor, however, at this time difpofed to fuffer the republic to become a facrifice to the views and ambition of thefe two gr^eat powers. The part which the pruffian mo narch muft neceffarily have taken in fuch an at tempt was fufliciently obvious : and that which -would be purfued by France . became now not lefs apparent. The two crowns were evidently united in opinion Upon this fubject ; and the long vifit which the celebrated prince Henry of Pruf fia paid at the court of Verfai'lles was attributed entirely to it : many fuppofing. that plans were ¦then formed for their future conduct and mutual operation, fhould affairs be. carried to the laft ex tremities. The northern Crowns, or at leaft one of them,- feerned to catch tlie alarm; and fuch naval and military movements and arrangements took i784.il; EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 8 J took place in Sweden, as occafioned the demand of an explanation from the court- of Peterfburg.'; Even the porte,' upon this occafion, feemed to. Shake off its native indolence, and to pay an un- ufual attention to the ftate of eutopean politics, So that it was generally, understood from their af- pedt and movements, that the Ottomans were re-- folve.d n6t to mifs fo favourable an opportunity as might now poffibly be offered for returning the recent obligations which they owed to '.the em peror. In fact, the private treaty . concluded between that prince and Ruffia in 1782, the objects of which were kept a fecret from their neareft friends and allies, although particularly and immediately alarming to the porte, did not fail to give much umbrage, to others of their neighbours. The con- > tinual fchemes. for the .aggrandizement of the houfe of Auftria, which had been purfued or in fome degree adopted by the emperor, and which" feemed to keep his mind in conftant action ; the ; concurrence which, upon every occafion, they received from 'his great afly; with the vaft am bition and dangerous defigns attributed to both, ferved, altogether, to increafe this jealoufy to a very high degree, and to extend it to no fmall number of the european princes „and States. It was fuppofed that the ruin of Holland would be only; the prelude to other pretenfions, which might be extended on every fide, while the ¦ fuccefs in g 3 each 85 LIFE OF THE , [I7^4- each would Serve as an encouragement to farther attempts at forming new arrangements of power, and new partitions of dominion. The fate of Poland could not be forgotten in fuch a courfe of consideration ; and the reflection might now come home to thofe who, thinking themfelves out of danger, had paid no regard at the time to the fire which was confuming their neighbour's houfe. It feemed therefore neceffary that fome meafure of union Should be adopted by the Central and weftern powers of Europe in order to counterba lance this great northern confederacy, and to ob viate its fufpected defignsT and apprehended e£» fedts. And if fuch a meafure were to take place, France feemed calculated, from her -Situation, power, intereft in the queftion, and other cir cumstances, to be the proper, if not natural, head" or centre of fuch an union. The negotiations for an accommodation between the emperor and Holland were, in the courfe of the Summer of the following year, relumed at Paris, under the aufpices of the french prime minister : and, towards tlie latter end of June, the barons de Waffenaar and Leydeh fet out from the Hague, as deputies from the republic to the court of Vienna. The objedt of this deputation feems to have been that merely of making fuch coneeffions on the part of the republic as might accord with the emperor's ideas of dignity, par ticularly with; refpedfc to the infult offered to his flag; 1784-j empress Catharine ii. 87 flag ; a point in which he feemed to think his ho nour fo much concerned, that nothing lefs than fatisfadtion on that head Could open the way to an accommodation. While Catharine Was fecuring peace without the empire, and giving it to other powers, cabals and Intrigues were reviving in her court. No me thods were left unemployed by the difaffected for inciting the grand duke againft his mother, and . for irritating that princefs againft him.. His im perial highnefs generally fpent the autumn at Gat- fhina, a country feat distant about eighteen verfts from Tzarfko-felo. All at once a report was Spread that ,he defigned to' build a town there, and to give liberty to all who Should .come and live in it. The prince was not a little furprifed to fee the peafants running in crowds from various parts of the empire to partake of thefe benefits. But, with great prudence, he kindly difrfiifled them, and thus diffipated an incipient revolt, from which undoubtedly great advantages were expected by the parties concerned. The' perfpicacity and the zeal of Bezborodko rendered him neceflary to the emprefs ; and, having fucceeded to Panin, he feemed to have in herited his fentiments. Connected with the fami- - iy of |Vorontzof *, he was thefecret opponent of Potemkin, * The two Vorontzofs are brothers of princefs Daftikof, and of the favourite lady of Peter III. One of them, Alex- a a ander 88 life of the .-. .* , \}7%4* Potemkin, who difdained all his enemies, openly braved them, and fometimes made them objects of his fport with peculiar addrefs. LanSko'i, beloved by Potemkin, to whom he was alfo greatly attached, became daily more dear to the emprefs. The education of this f avourite had been much neglected ; Catharine took the, care of his improvement on herfelf. She adorned his mind with every ufeful knowledge ; and. he, was very foon as distinguishable for his acquire ments, and the fuperior elegance of his manners, as he was already by the' graces of his perfon. Her love for this amiable youth was ardent and Sincere : She admired in him her own creation* But this fatisfadtion was not of long continuance.' LanSkoi was attacked with a violent fever, and periflied in the flower of his age, in the arms of her majefty, who lavished upon him, to the very laft moment, all the tendernefs the moft paffionaje affection could infpire. When he was no more, She gave herfelf up to deep and poignant forrow. The imperial apart ments, from the abodes of joy, refembled now the lonely defert. Catharine refufed all fuftenance for feveral days, and remained three months with' ander Vorontzof,- was placed at the head of tlie collage of commerce ; the other, Sergius Vorontzof, is the prefent minifter in England. out EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 89 out going out ' of her palace of Tzarflco-felo *. She afterwards raifed a Superb maufoleum ~f* to J&nSkoi, in the gardens of that imperial feat, juft vifible through the trees from the windows of her private apartment ; and, more than two years afterwards, accidentally walking near this monu ment, the people of the court who were with her, obferved her to Shed abundance of tears J. Prince; * On die firft fliock occafioned by the death of LanfkoT, the emprefs ordered herfelf to be put to bed, indifferent to Hfe or death, being alriioft entirely abforbed in grief. The grand duke and grand duchefs, on hearing of this, drove im mediately to Tzarfko-fekr: but when they were arrived at the door of the bed-chamber, and their prefence "was announced to tlie emprefs, fhe called to them, in an altered tone of voice, not to come in : arid diey were obliged to return without feeing her. / ' f This beautiful little piece of architecture was conftrudred by Mr. Charles Cameron, an englilh artift. % The fortune of Lanfkoi was eftimated at feven million? of rubles. He bequeathed it to the emprefs, which ftie re turned to the lifters of that favourite, referring only to herfelf 1 the right of purchaling tlie pi&ures, the medals, tlie library, the plate, and one landed eftate valued at four hundred thou- . fand rubles, of which ftie had made him a prefent. — One fine ^eolle&ion of coins, however, was irreparably loft fome time , before. In 1 780 the late Dr: John Glen King made a vifit to Peterfburg, and brought with him a ccllection of britifh and faxon coins that had been begun by Charles I. and being fold after die death of that unfortunate prince, it pafled into different hands, receiving additions by its feveral poffeflbrs ; at length being- bought by a clergyman who had a "tafte that way, he increafed it by purchafes, to the detriment of his flender £0 LIFE OF THE [1784. Prince Potemkin took upon him to difpel the grief of Catharine. He was' almoft the only per- ion who could prefume to penetrate the folitude* in which fhe pafled her hours. His influence with her increafed from day to day ; and whether from gratitude or from real attachment, She re- folved, it is faid, to bind him to her by indifixv luble ties, and fecretly gave him her hand *. flender income. On his deceafe it was a] moll the only pro perty that fell to his widow. Not able to find a purchafer for it in England, the doctor humanely took charge of the col lection, in hopes of difpofing of k in Ruflia for the benefit of the relict of his friend. . He was advifed to offer it to the new favourite ; and Lanikoi, on hearing the account of it, ac cepted the offer, paid the money, and ordered it to bis new houfe. There it was negligently placed.; and fome few day* aftenwards, the coins were feen in the hands of the children of the vaffals that had • the unfinifhed buildings in their care, who were rolling them to and fro ; in fhort, fome pieces fell through the floors, others perhaps found their way to the brandy-ftiop, Lanfkoi never thought of his purchafe more, and it was entirely loft without any inquiry being made about it. * ..Undoubtedly nothing is more difficult than to prove the authenticity of fuch a marriage. But it is affirmed by a perfon^ highly worthy of credit that the nieces of prince Potemkin were in poffeffion of the certificates of that event, and dint one of them told him fo. After all, both the emprefs and prince Potemkin being dead, this fecret is of no more importance. than that of the marriage of Louis XIV. with madame d* Maintenon. Th* I7&4-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. gi The bonds of wedlock were unable to fix either the tafte of Potemkin or the fancy of Catharine. He foon fet himfelf free from the obligations this tieimpofes, and delegated them to a younger and more ardent favourite. All who had ambition at court were defirous of feeing the place, now vacant by the death of Lanlko'i, filled up by fome perfonage who would allow them to Share in the favours dependent on if. PrinceSs DaShkof was induftrious in her en deavours to obtain it for her fon ; and fuccefs for a moment feemed to wait on her intrigues.' The young prince DaShkof was tall, well made, and of a figure adapted to make fomefm- pveffion on the heart of the emprefs *. Prince Potemkin who was aware of the meafures em ployed to bring this matter about, carefully avoided any apparent opposition, knowing that contradiction only ferves as a Stimulant. Feign ing on the contrary a wifh to favour the young DaShkof, .he took greater notice of his family, With whom he had hitherto been on very indiffe-^ rent terms. No one was better Skilled in the art of obferving and. imitating -whatever was ridi- * prince JJafhkof is now, or was lately with his regiment at Mohiief. Among a number of other accdmplifliments which he poffeffes, he fpeaks the engiifh language remarkably well, having had his education at Edinburgh, under the cele brated profeffors Robeytfon, Millar, Steward, &c. The prince is a fellow of die royal fociety of London. culous §2 LIFE OF THE' [»784- culous in the perfons whom he frequented ; and he neglected not to make Catharine remark thofe of princefs DaShkof and her fon. The emprefs laughed heartily at his mimickry; and the next day Potemkin fent to her, one after another, two fiibaltern officers of the guards, Yermolof and Momortof, with fome trifling commiflion, in order to give her an opportunity to fee them. Catharine decided in favour of the former. A ball was given at court. Young DaShkof was there, and difplayed an extraordinary magni ficence. The courtiers imagined his triumph was at hand, and already paid him thofe marks of deference which are the appendages of favourif- jfm. Potemkin redoubled his attention to princefs DaShkof, With this She was fo delighted, that on the following day She wrote him a note, re questing him to admit her nephew the young count Butterlin into the number of his aides-de camp. Potemkin mifchievoufly anfwered her, that all the places of aides-de-camp to him were full, and that the laft had juft been given to Ijeutenant Yermolof. The name as well as the perfon that bore it were alike unknown to the princefs DaShkof; That very day She became acquainted with them both, on perceiving Yermolof at the Hermitage, ftanding behind the chair of the emprefs. 1785. It was in the height of the eonteft about the Scheldt, when the public attention was fully engroffed, I785"J ' EMPRESS CATHARINE H. £3 engroffed, and the emperor's mind fuppofed to be entirely occupied by that momentous fubject, that the world was aftoniShed by the opening of a new fource of jealoufy and difeord in Germany. What rendered this new bufinefs entirely unac countable was, that it not only feemed in its nature, principle, and defign, to run directly counter to all the meafures which that prince had hitherto purfu'ed, and was Still, 'with no lefs ap parent eagerriefs and determination purfuing, with refpedt to Holland and the Scheldt, but at once Shut out all the avowed and imputed views, from which the eonteft was fuppofed to originate. This new fubjedt of alarm and contention was no lefs than, the propofed or fuppofed exchange of an antient and. great electorate in the heart of Germany, for the auftrian Netherlands ; thofe very Netherlands upon whofe account the emperor feemed at the time on the point of encountering all the hazards of a war, whofe confequences (as had been well obferved, and Strongly urged by the court of Verfailles) could not be calculated.' The pruffiart monarch now became, upon that great and very critical occafion, the distinguished. and fuccefsful guardian and protector of the rights. of the germaii princes, and the liberties, of the ger- manic body in general. The war which he then un dertook, though not illuminated by thofe dazzling actions which captivate the imagination, yet con fidered in its motives, with the difintereftednefe which 94 LlfK OF THE l'7*5' jvhich marked his whole conducl, through the progrefs and conclusion of the eonteft, has poflibly ferved to crown him with more unfading laurels, than the molt fplendid acts and the moft glorious victories of his youth. The peace con cluded atTefchen on the 13th of May 1779, So effectually annulled the claims and pretenfions of the houfe of Auftria upon the dominions of Bavaria, that it might be fuppofed to have cut off the poffibifity of any future difcuffion or con test upon that fubject. But though the neceSiity of apparently relin quishing the defign was then predominant, yet the object prefented fo irrefiftible a temptation, that the defire of its acquisition could not be foregone, rvnd as the fame great obstacles Still remained to the obtaining of it by force, other means were to he tried, and fheafures of another nature purfued. Ambition and vanity feldom grow old, and the lure of a crown was fuppofed to have been fuc- cefsfully held out to the elector palatine, in order to induce him to an exchange of the duchy of Bavaria, including all thofe appendages which were left and confirmed to it by tlie treaty of Telchen, for the auftrian Netherlands, which were to be constituted a kingdom, uiader the re vived denomination of Australia. Nothing could certainly have been more advantageous to the ho_ufe of Auftria, or more confonant to its views of 1 7°5'J EMPK.KSS CAXMAKliNlli II. JJJJ of fupreme greatnefs, than this - exchange. For, exclusive of the precarious tenure by which the Low Countries were held, and winch, was now perhaps more fenfibly felt than at any , former time, the acceffion of fo large and considerable a country as Bavaria rendered Still more important by its peculiar Situation ,* befides rounding and completing the auftxian dominions,, would have confolidated fuch. a great and compacted body of power, as nothing afterwards- in the empire, <:on- fidering the division and general weaknefs of its States, could be fuppofed able in any degree to counterpoife. On the other hand it would feem, that nothing lefs than the paffion of filling a throne, for how ever. Short a time, and the empty gratification of leaying a name enrolled in the mouldering cata logues of forgotten kings, could, have induced the elector, at his time of life, and without chil dren, to enter into a meafure fo difagreeable to his Subjects, fo dangerous to his co-eftates of the empire, and fo unjuft to his apparent heirs and presumptive fucceflors, as the dominion which he was to^obtain bore no adequate proportion in the great objects- of extent, number of inhabitants, importance, or fecurity, to the country which he was to give in exchange.. , ,,No Seafon, however, could well be chofen that was lefs favourable to the carrying of fuch* a meafure into execution than ,the prefent.. The attention of Europe was already much rouzed by the §6 riPE op the lJ7^5' the northern alliance, and by a fucceffion of meafures or projects which were fuppofed to have arifen from it; fo that the more distant as well as the nearer powers began now to entertain no fmall jealoufy of the conduct and' views of thefe two great empires, whofe union appeared to be fo ftrictly cemented, that they were fcarcely to be confidered in any other point of view than that of acting under the fame common influence of defign, and under the impulfe of the fame commori in terest in every thing. In fuch a difpofition and fete of circumstances, it was fcarcely reafonable to expect that an innovation' in the Constitution of the germanic body, as well as in the general fyftem of european policy, could by any means pafs unquestioned ; or indeed that the attempt would not be attended with much difficulty and danger. The negotiation upon this intended barter was Conducted with fuch extreme clofenefs and fe- crecy, that no ftifpicion of the defign was enter tained, even by thofe who were the moft imme diately interested in the meafure, and would be the moft deeply affected by it, until the treaty was fuppofed to be already far advanced, if not abfolutely concluded. This bufinefs was like- wife attended with the peculiar circumftance of its existence having been in the firft instance ab folutely denied, and never after fully acknow ledged, by the contracting parties themfelves. A letter I785.] EMPRESS CATHARI-NE 11. V- §J A' letter from the emprefs of Ruffia to the duke? of Deux-pontjr, tending to induce him to an ac- quiefcence j in the propofed fcheme of exchange or barter, if not a confirmation of it, was the firft intelligence which that prince, the presumptive Heir and fucceffor to the elector palatine in all his eftates, dominions, - and titles, received, ' that any fuch defign was in agitation. This letter was probably received about the clofe of the year F784, as the king of Pruffia was informed of the whole affair by the duke, who claimed his inters ference and protection, as guarantee of the treaty of Tefchen, early- in the following month of January. In whatever terms the duke's anfwer was con veyed, it was fo ill taken by tlie court of Peterfx burg, that the refufal was probably very peremp tory. The king of Pruffia immediately remofijN ftrated Strongly with that court upon the fubject, as having been a mediator of the peace at Tef- xhen, and being a guarantee to the treaty. The. emprefs, in her anfwer, declared, that She * had conceived this project to be the only fure means of preventing a ¦ war : that upon this ground She. very ferioufly wiShed for its being carried into immediate execution : ¦ that thefe - Sentiments - had indeed dictated the letter written by her to die duke of Deux-ponts,; inviting him\ in the m'oft friendly manner, to- come into the fcheme ; but finding herfelf ill requited for her good offices, fo vol. in. H far fS LIFE Of THB C»7^5» far as could be judged from the anfwer which fhe received from the duke, which is of a tenor that fhe neither can nor Shall give any reply to, She had dropped all farther concern in the bufinefs ; and the emprefs declares to the king, that. She has no intentions to enforce the execution of this project, excepting that the parties more immediately con cerned fhould fully agree to it. But, previous to this developement of the bufi nefs by the emprefs of Ruffia, both the courts of Munich and Vienna had thought it neceffary publicly to contradict the reports which were fpread upon the fubject, and to affert that they were unfounded ; and though the expreffidns were loofe and general, they were evidently in tended to convey an idea that no fuch defign had existed. The States of Bavaria were fo exceed" ktgly alarmed at the report, that the elector thought it neceffary to give them fome fatisfadtion on the fubject. He affured them, in a written document, dated on the 13th of February 1785, that the. reports fpread of a pretended treaty be tween him and the imperial court, relative to an exchange of country, were without foundation ; that the convention between him and that court, which had been lately ratified, related only to the adjustment of limits; and that he had already Ordered an extract of that treaty, fo far as it Concerned the provincial States, to be communi cated to thexn> Though 1785-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. t$ Though this anfwer feemed to afford fome temporary fatisfadtion, yet it was foon confidered as not being Sufficiently explicit ; a general appre henfion and alarm was fpread among the people ; and the brder of burghers joined the nobles ih the moft preffihg felicitations to the elector for a farther and clearer explanation. The difcbntents excited upon this occafion ferved to renew, with. additional force, thofe old animofities which, through a long courfe of mutual injuries and cruel wars, had for ages fubfifted between the in habitants of Bavaria and the palatinate. This ill temper became fo prevalent, that all the powers of difcipline and defpotifm were fcarcely fufficient to prevent the bavarian and electoral troops from. proceeding to the moft dangerous extremities. It was even faid to have pervaded the elector's palace and court ; and it was reported, thkt the very grooms could not be prevented from coming to blows in his Stables. Frederic II. who regarded the alliance between Auftria and Ruffia as highly dangerous to Pruffia, and even to all Germany, invited the electors and the other princes of the empire to unite for the defence of the germanic constitution *. The king of Great Britain, as elector of Hanover, was one of the firft who entered into the confederacy : a * The treaty was figned at Berlin the 83d of July 1785. H 2 Step JOO LIFE OF THE [I785* Step which caufed great difpleafure both to the emprefs and to Potemkin. The court of London, defirous of renewing its treaty of commerce with Ruffia, fent, in quality of minister plenipotentiary, to St. Petersburg, Alleyne Fitzherbert, efq. *, who, to the un- towardnefs of circumstances, added the mistake of attaching himfelf to the party of the Vorortt- zofs and of Bezborodko. The commerce which binds Ruffia to England is equally beneficial to both powers ; and Catharine certainly had no de- fire to relinquish it : but She was not difpleafed at being able to give a proof of her refentment againft the court of London, by delaying the renewal of the treaty -f\ Perhaps it may be neceffary here to ftate briefly in what the commerce carried on by the English with the Ruffians confjfts. This commerce began Tn the port of Archangel, which the EngliSh dif- covered about the middle of the Sixteenth century,- while in fearch of a north-eaft paflage to the Indies. From Archangel they went up the Dvina, proceeded over land to Moico, and there formed connections', which they afterwards greatly ex tended, when Peter I. had completed the con-, queft of Livonia, and opened to them the ports of St. Petersburg, of Reval, of Riga, and of Narva. , * Now lord St. Helens. -(- That treaty had yet two years to run. Since I7^5"l EMPRESS CATHARINE II. lot Since that aera the commerce with Ruffia is become one of the moft lucrative ih which Great Britain is engaged, and the moft ufeful fo her marine. The EhgliSh carry to Ruflia * the products of their country, of their manufactures, and of their colonies in the two Indies, as well as the wines ¦ * About the year 1553, in the reign of Edward VI. on the propofal of the famous navigator Sebaftian Cabot, a veffel was fitted out in England for the purpofe of difcovering a north- eaft paffage to China and India, the. command of which was given to iif Hugh Willoughby,' and after him to Richard Chancellor. This latter was wrecked in the bay of St. Nicholas in the White-fea, where at that time was only a riiohaftery. From this accident began the trade between the Ehglifh and the Ruffians. Tzar Ivan Vaffillievitch foon after ~ this caufed the harbour of the Archangef Michael to be made, granted feveral privileges to that nation, and at length arofe from this connection the confiderable mercantile city of Arch angel. The commerce here foon increafed,--and in i6$5'thp, commodities exported from it to England already amounted to 660,000 rubles: from 1697 to 1701 upon, a yearly average ii2,ajil. fterling, while the imports from England amounted only to _58',S84.1. fterling. The revenue of the crown in Archangel amounted annually to about 100,000 rubles, a turn which, according to the then value of money, was very confi derable. The principal articles of export at that time were, potashes, caviar, tallow, wax, hides, hemp, feathers, tar, linen-yarn, beef, rhubarb, filk, (probable chinefe' or perfian,) cork, bacon, cordage, leather, hogs-briftles, &c. all therefore raw materials. Under Peter I. a great alteration in this com merce enfued: for, when he had built St. .Peterfburg, he drew thither the trade from Archangel, which former city thereby became the chief commercial town of the ruffian empire. h 3 and IOa LIFE OP THE LT785- and the brandies of France and Spain, which they fetch from the ports of thofe countries, and by which they not only make a confiderahle profit, but gain likewife the freight of their Ships. The Ruffians, in exchange, give them corn, furs, iron, hemp, flax, pitch, tar, tallow, deals, and malts, without which Europe could never fit out thofe fleets which cover the feas, and. often tinge them with blobd. The Englifh have more over established at Mofco, at Tula, at Kazan, at Astrakhan, and in fome other towns in Ruffia, mercantile houfes which trade to the ports of the Cafpian, and fend their commodities into Tartary. In thefe places they have manufactories, in which the wages of the workmen are far lower than in England, and where their factors make fails, cables, anchors, and hammered or caft iron as Well as copper. Though . entirely paffive for Ruffia, this com merce procures her annually a balance of a million of rubles in time of peace, and a million and half in time of war. But how great the advantage to England ! What immenfe refources it affords for the fupport of her navy, and for the perpetual augmentation of her connections in every part of the globe ! The french ambaflador * at Conftantinople had inftigated, almoft contrary to his own inclination, * M. Saint-Prieft. the I785O EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 103 the court of Petersburg to adt in concert with that of Verfailles. This rninifter had lately been re called. V.ergennes, who was fenfible of the necef fity of forming fome connections with Catharine, procured the appointment of comte. de Segur to the embaffy of Peterfburg *. This young nego tiator was peculiarly fluted to fo important a million. To great mental endowments, he ad ded an extenfive erudition, combined politenefs <*vith dignity, and the art of perfuafion with franknefs of chara&er. , He could not fail of being agreeable to Catharine, and of gaining the regard of Potemkin, who, with his haughty foughnefs, always knew how: to appreciate real merit. % Never any french minister, fince La Che- tardie -f-, had been able to. fuoceed at Petersburg. By his fervile compliances, Breteuil had favoured the fchemes of Catharine, who prefently learnt to defpifc him : the folemn gravity of Beauffet was tirefome to. that princefs : the insignificant ¦mediocrity of the marquis de Juigne difgufted her ; and the comte de Vefac could never obtain from her the fmalleft degree of confidence, becaufe he ftammered in Speaking to her at his firft pre- * He arrived there in the month of February 1784. f La Chetardie had affifted, the emprefs Elizabeth in mounting the throne^ which however did not prevent him from running the rifk of being aflaffihated, by villians wh6m the chancellor Beftuchef had hired to way-lay him on the road, »nd who fired at his carriage. h 4 fentation. K>4 LIFE OP THE ,-¦ ll7$5' fentation. The comte de Segur repaired the; mifchiefs occafioned by hisaukward predeceffbrs. The emprefs was defirous of vifiting the famous canal of ViShney-Volotfliok,* which unites. the Volga with the Ilmen lake, that, again with the Ladoga, and confequently the Cafpian with the Baltic. Prince Potemkin, Yermolof, count Bez- borodko, Several others of the court, the engliSh: minister, and the ambaffadors of France and of the empire, acompahied her on this journey. One day the ambaflador of France going to talk as ufual with Potemkin, found him more angry than ordinary with the court of London. . Dex- teroufly taking advantage of this opportunity, Segur reprefented to Potemkin the benefit that would refult to Ruffia from having a commerce direct with France, inftead of leaving to the English all the profits?* which they draw from both the one and the other of thofe powers. Prince Potemkin engaged him to commit his obfervations to paper, and promifed to fpeak of them to none but her majefty. The ambaflador * Such nations as have no treaty of commerce with Ruflia are obliged to pay the duties in dollars. They muft therefore buy the ruble at 135 to 145 kopeeks the ruble, which is really worth no more than 135 paper money. The nations then that have a treaty gain twelve per cent, on rue duties, which, in dependently of other advantages, is a confiderable benefit. The ambaflador obtained befides of the court of Ruffia a diminution on the import duties on french wines. immediately 1785-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. I05 immediately returned to his barge ; and finding1 nobody there excepting count Cobentzel* and Mr. Fitzherbert, who were amufihg themfelves at backigammon, he borrowed the ink-ftand of the latter. It was therefore with the pen of the englifh minister that he drew up the plan of a treaty of commerce between France and Ruffia. This paper being immediately conveyed to Potem kin', was communicated' 'to the emprefs, and ob tained her confent : this done, it was faithfully *. Thej count de- Cobentzel is a man remarkable for- his talents and his urbane manners. Born in the Low-countries, where his father was long mimfter. plenipotentiary fronvthe emperor to the goverrior-generali the archduke Charles of Lorraine ; he has all the elegant accomplifhments of that court, fo diftinguifhedby, its brilliaricy»and its politenefs. He fpeakis french like a Frenchman, and perhaps better than he does german. At an early age he was fent ambaflador to the court of Ruflia, where he gave particular fatisfaction to Catharine II. He is an amiable courtier arid a fkilful negotiator ; the moft laborious application feeming to him nothing more than amufe- ment. His opponents -and enviers fay, it would be well if his plans were deeper laid and lefs haftily conducted. However, there is an eafe and dignity in the count's manner of doing tmfinefs ; and it is no flight encomium on him that he was deemed worthy of negotiating at Campo Formio with Bona parte, and that he did not difappoint the expectations of his government. He is rich and is fond of. pomp. At Peterfburg lie was remarkable not only for his d^ilomatic talents and the extent of his political knowledge, but for the magnificence of his ftyle of living. - The ferious nature of his employments has fcarcely at all impaired his natural vivacity, and he takes great delight in cheerful company. returned Ipri LIFR OF THE [I785» returned to the ambaflador, being defired to pre-* fent it, according to cuftom, to the vice-chan cellor Qftermann. _ < On the receipt of this paper, Otter mann, not knowing that it had already the approbation of the emprefs and Potemkin, and being entirely devoted to the English, told the ambaflador that he could not prefume to flatter him with the hopes offuccefs. The ambaflador kept Silence. Thq plan, being laid before the council, was imme diately approved of by all ; and it was in this manner that the treaty of commerce between France and Ruffia was brought about. Previous to the Signing of this treaty, Ofter- manp and Bezborodko obferved that it was ex* pedted that France fhould declare her adhefion to the armed neutrality. A notification of it was given to the ambaflador, who confented, pro vided that the court of Peterfburg would promife to conclude no treaty with any other power unlefs upon the fame conditions. This claufe inferred in opposition - to the interefts of England, re tarded for a long time the renewal of the treaty folieited by Mr. Fitzherhert. Segur, at his departure from France, had men.- tionedthe hope he entertained of concludingatreaty of commerce with Ruffia. He was haftily anfwered that there was no poffibility of fuch an event. On his writing to. his, court that this treaty was on foot, the count de Vergennes dispatched a courier 6 to 1785^ EMPRESS CATHARINE II. JC^ to inform him that it was no more than an empty lure thrown out to him by the court of Ruffia, and that he would furely bring the dignity of the king into queftion if he adted upon it. The ' treaty was already concluded when the courier ar rived at St. Petersburg, * Towards the clofe of,the fame year, a treaty of commerce was concluded with the emperor, which afforded great advantages to his fubjedts, who* befides their being in general placed upon a fpot-r ing with the moft favoured nations, were granted, feveral peculiar privileges. Among thefe was ths claufe which granted them an exemption from all duties in the port of Riga, and which placed' them in all refpects upon the footing of native inhabi tants in that city. In general, however, the ad vantages were reciprocal ; fuch as in lowering the duties upon hungarian wines on One fide, and thofe upon leather, hides, and other Commoditi?st which might in a good meafure be considered as., Staple, upon the other. UpOn the whole, the treaty feemed evidently calculated to eftab,liSh the eafieft poffible intercourfe, with the moft inti mate and lafting connections, between the fob* jedts of both empires ; fo that, though the terms "of the treaty limited its duration to twelve years, it appeared that the mutual friendship which it was to produce among the people was intended to be hereditary. Upon this principle, feveral cities and trading towns in both empires were placed upon io8 LIFE OF THE . [l7$5' upon the footing of open markets, where the foreign inhabitant, or even temporary refident, on either fide, was to enjoy > fort of denizenShip, and to poffefs the fame fecurity and advantages in trade with fhe native. The contracting parties likewife particularly bound themfelves to a Strict adherence to the terms and principles of that re gulation or compact of which the emprefs had been inftitutrefs in the late war, and which has been fo well known under the denomination of the armed neutrality; and which, though now of fome ftanding, She Still feemed to regard with all the predilection which novelty gives to a favour ite fcheme. The treaty of commerce with France was like- wife at this time concluded. Similar negotiations were at the fame time in train with feveral other nations. Yet, with this prevalent difpofition to, the forming of new connections in trade, the old treaty of commerce with England (which had fo long been confidered as the moft favoured nation, and entitled to peculiar privileges in Ruflia) was now fuffered to expire, nor had it yet been re newed. The Englifh had many grounds, with out reckoning political caufes or motives, whereon to fupport their claims to peculiar favour and privi leges in Ruffia. Among others, it is not to be for gotten, that the English were not only the firft people who ever opened a commerce with Ruffia by fea, but that they were the firft who discovered her at all poffeffing an acceffible fea-coaft. To I785J EMPRESS CATHARINE II. . T.OQ them, therefore, Archangel owed her rife from a poor fifhing village to be the great emporium of northern trade : to that caufe were the adjoining defert provinces indebted for the degrees of cul ture, improvement, and civiflzatijon, which they received ; and the whole empire, for thereby ob taining a ready vent for their own goods and an eafy fupply of the numberlefs European commo dities which they wanted.' But the emprefs feemed to be faft departing from that line of policy which had been fo long generally purfued by her predeceffors as well as herfelf, in their conduct with refpedt to England and France. The friendship Shewn, and the ef fectual fervice done by England in that war againft the Ottomans, which covered her reign with glory, and from which Ruffia derived fuch vaft. acquisitions of territory, and fo great an extension' of at leaft apparent power, was but ill returned by the latter in her fubfequent cpnduct,. at the time that1 Great Britain was oppreffed and nearly over borne by the greateft combination of hoftile power which had been formed, againft any Single ftate in modern times. The fcheme of the armed. neutrality was formed upon principles as un friendly to England, and, intentipnally, if not actually, as inimical, to her interefts, as any thing Short of abfblute hostility could well be; nor did it afford much lefs encouragement to her numer ous enemies, nor depreffion to herfelf, (for friends ftie tlC* LIFE OF THE ll7$5' fhe had none,) than an actual declaration of war from Ruffia would have done. Indeed the wifdom Of the policy adopted by Great Britain in that ruffian arid ottoman war was much questioned, and her conduct no lefs cen- fured, at the time, by not a few who were well acquainted with the general politics of Europe, as well as with the interefts of its refpedtive States. They contended, that She departed from the an tient principles, as well as the Strait line of her policy, in encouraging or admitting Ruffia to take any hoftile Share in maritime' affairs, without* the limits affigned to her by nature in the Baltic ; but that to lead her by the hand, as it were, from the bottom of the gulf of Finland to the ex tremities of the Mediterranean, and there to aid and encourage her in acquiring pofleffions which might enable her to eftabliSh a formidable naval force in thofe central feas, which would afford her an opportunity of continual interference in the concerns of the ftates of Europe, was reprefented as fuch a violation of all the obvious principles of* policy, that it feemed to partake more of the fafh predilection of an individual, than of thofe cold but comprehensive maxims which Should regulate the conduct of ftates, and which Should look as fully to fukire contingencies as to prefent effect. The coincidence of views and designs between Ruffia and the houfe of Auftria had drawn the* bands of their union fo clofe, that whatever ex cited 1785.3 EMPRESS CAfHARiWE II. tit cited jealoufy or diffatisfaction in the one was fure to operate no lefs powerfully upon the other ; a cifcumltance by no means tending to render the fudden and extraordinary friendship which had fprUng up between them the more pleafing to other ftates. This was fully exemplified in the hafty and uncalled-for fentence, without being authorized as a "judge or mediator to interfere, Which Ruffia pronounced againft Holland on the affair of the Scheldt. The part taken by the king of Great Britain as elector of Hanover, in his 'aceeffion to the germanic league, was, without queftion, the caufe of diftafte with both thefe formidable powers towards England : it was re ported, and probably not without foundation, that the court of Petersburg was no lefs zealous or Urgent than that of Vienna, firft in its endeavours- to prevent the aceeffion to that league, and then in uling every poffible means which Could induce the king to a renunciation of it. The failure in both produced fuch effects as were to be expected from the character and refpedtive Situation of the parties. It is not, however, to be forgotten* that the commerce with England is to the full as eflential to Ruffia as to the former ; that a very confider able annual balance, in money, is gained by her from England on that trade ; that no merchants, with fmaller capitals, or lefs commercial fprritthan tlie II* LIFE OF THE [}7%S' the English, could or would adventure the large fums of money which they constantly and necef- farily advance long before the period of a return, in order to invigorate the manufactures, to fet the people • to work in a wide and poor country, and to enable the fmall traders to bring, the goods, whether Staple or manufacture, from their re- » fpedtive and remote districts, to market ; and that, without this effential pecuniary affiftance, a Confequent decreafe of induftry and produdt muft inevitably take place, trade and manufacture. would languish, and whatever there was would become a monopoly in the hands of a few opulent natives, whofe avarice would encumber it with fuch obstructions as would bring it to nothing. The advantages being thus reciprocal, the evil of any interruption to.the long- established commerce between the two countries (if fuch it really would be to England, which is a queftion of much doubt) is likely to cure itfelf; and things, if not carried too far, will probably, in defiance of caprice or ill-humour, as in other cafes of im proper restrictions on trade, return to their na tural channel. Commerce once loft is with great difficulty recovered ; and it happens well to man kind in general, that there are but few products confined entirely to any one country. Our cotfn- trymen and old fellow-Subjects the Americans would joyfully fupply the place of Ruffia in a many *7&5\] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 113 * many refpedts, and thofe articles in which they ate yet deficient might be* procured in the inter mediate time. .Ere fhe returned to her residence, Catharine made a vifit to Mofco, and was there lefs un favourably received than She had before been on fimilar occafions. Time had almoft effaced the remembrance of her ufurpation. Among the perfons who appeared at her court was Gudovitch, who was eafily distinguished, by the extreme Sim plicity of his drefs, from the crowd of courtiers befpangled with ftars, croSfes, and badges of knighthood. His prefence alone called up the image of Peter III. in every breaft. Countefs Romanovna Vorontzof had been long recalled from exile, and was married to admiral PalianSky. The emprefs never invited her to, court, but She fent for her daughter and admitted her. into the number of the maids of honour; whether from cOmpaffion to the mother, or from kindnefs to the family of the Vorontzo'fs, is un certain. The fpirit of toleration that animated the whole of Catharine's administration, was a very remark able and almoft Singular phenomenon in a defpotic government. Notwithstanding all opposition, the emprefs was true to the refolution She formed at the commencement of her reign ; and, from that moment to the day of her death, not one inftance occurred of a human being Suffering, in any re- vol. 111. 1 fpedt 114 LIFE OF THE [}7%5' fpedt whatever, on account of his religious opi nions *. Not only the conquered provinces were protected in the free exercife of their religion, but lutherans, calvinifts, moraviart brethren, papists, mohammedans, heathens, and, people of all 'coun tries and perfuafions, might afpire to any poft under government, and hold ahy civil or military employment or dignity, if they were but worthy, or deemed worthy of it. The intolerant of more poliShed nations might go to the provinces of Eft- honia, Livonia, Finland, and Ruffia, to take leffons of moderation and chriftian forbearance. But at Peterfburg the general and peculiar feature in the public character is toleration ; a virtue which, in fonae fenfe, has long Since taken root in the nation at large, but in the residence, from the confluence of fuch numbers of people of various perfuafions and the moft diversified fyftems of faith, of the moft diffimilar manners, cuftoms, opinions, and prejudices, has acquired fo general and extenfive a Sway, that certainly it is not eafy to find a fpot * The emprefs, en all occafions, evinced great lenity of difpofition towards heretics. " Poor wretches !" fhe once feid, milling, " fince we know tiiat they are to fuffer fo much and " fo long in the world to come, it is but reafonable that we " fhould endeavour by all means to make'their fituation here " as comfortable to them as we can." It was, however, as much as the could do to fcreen tlie rev. M. Samborfky from the fury of tlie monks for appearing without a, beard, and in the ordinary drefs of an englifh clergyman, on his return from a refidence of feveral years in England. Of I.785.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. II j of earth Upon the globej Where, in this refpedt, a man may more quietly pafs his days than at St. Petersburg. It is to be understood, more over, that the word "toleration" is not here eon-\ fined to that narrow meaning in which it is ufually taken in fpeaking of an extorted and commanded forbearance in matters of religion, or of the petmiffion for the weaker party to exift by a Stated law. The idea here connected with the term in cludes- a voluntary and uhiverfally diffufed for bearance, in every places and towards every per- fon, his manner of thinking and acting. It therefore comprehends hot only religious, but alfo political and fecial toleration* arid is rehiark- able* not as the characteristic of the form of governmentj but as entirely that of the public *. That religious toleration prevails in Ruffia ap pears plainly hence, that the great and extenfive .liberties which the tolerated fedts of religion en joyed under Catharine's protection, no where j either among the populace Or the higher claffes, never even among the clergy, excited the fmalleft difcontent or rivalfhipi Prelates of the greek church lived with the religious teachers of other confeffions of faith in the moft friendly and fami liar iriterCourfe j and invited them to their tables and cohverfe-j-; ruffian popes, when not in function * Starch, (jernuelde vonPeterflbiirg, vol. 11. p. 504. f The writer of this note recojlefts with particular pleafure 1 2 the Il6 LIFE OF THE [l7%5' function themfelves, occafionlly frequented the worShip of the proteftants, profecuted their ftudies in Holland, England, and Germany, where they fometimes attended theological lectures. One instance even occurred of a refpedtable ruffian clergyman giving his daughter to be educated by a lutheran preacher. Among the laity of the greek feet of religion, this compatibility naturally proceeds farther. They appear not only as in vited witneffes and fponfors on folemn occafions, but often, in the congregations of the foreigners, readily contribute to the fupport of their churches and fchools, put their children to be educated by foreigners, and intermarry with them without hesitation, t° whatever communion they may be long. In focial ihtercourfe never Was any trace of religious party- fpirit difcernible. Converfa- tions in regard to differences in religion were feldom heard ; debates on fubjects of that nature, never. the agreeable hours he lias pafled at tlie monaftery of St. Alexander Nefskv, with that excellent and amiable metropo litan and archimandrite Gabriel archbifliop of St. Peterfburg and Novgorod ; alfo with Plato archbifliop of Mofco, Enge- iiius bifhop of Kherfon, Shezronchevitch tlie catholic arch bifliop of Mohiief, Pamphilief her majelfy's confefTor, and numbers of the parochial clergy : nor can he ever forget tlie hofpitable reception and entertainment he received, on a journey in the depth of winter, from the bifhop of Kargapol, at his monaftery on tlie banks of the Svir. Examples 785.3 EMPRESS CATHARINE II. II; Examples of this amiable virtue would have uned to the difgrace of foreigners, had they not rove to follow them. But alfo among thefe a mtual toleration and indulgence prevailed, fuch 5 is but rarely feen even in the moft enlightened auntries. Clergymen of all religions lived- in the reateft harmony, for the moft part on an inti- late footing. For feveral years the reformed and itheran preachers held weekly. meetings, in order > confer on matters of religion, and the exercife f their duties, and to keep up their union by imiliar converfe *. This laudable circle was alfo ifited at times by fome of the catholic and ruffian lergy. Not many years ago, when the place of reacher to the german reformed congregation /as vacant, the librarian of the academy of :iences-|-, who was a lutheran and not in orders, ar a long time delivered difcourfes from their pul- it; and the engiifh chaplain, on fimilar occafions, as often exhorted the french calvinift congrega- ion on the great festivals of the church £. It was ot unufual for lutheran preachers to administer he communion to the reformed, and 'preachers * Alternately at each 6ther's houfe. They confifted of Mr. lartin Luther Wolff, M. Lampe, M. Grott, M. Reinbott, I. Krokius, M. Renter, and the engiifh chaplain. ' + M. Bufie, editor of the Peferburgifche Journal,, and other ;orks. X Properly fpeaking, it was on the day after thefe feftivals; therwife it would have been impoffible. 1 3 of Il8 LIFE OF THE {.l1%$', 1 of the latter perfuafion have delivered funeral fer-> mons. in lutheran churches. Nay, it once hap pened that a lutheran preacher was fponfor to a Catholic child : as he might eafily, Since the catholic prieft omitted thofe questions to which the other, according to the fyftem of his church, could not anfwer in the affirmative. Foreigners of all fedts of religion contracted marriages with each other and with Ruffians, without attracting the Slightest remark. For his religious opinions, in Short, however extraordinary, no man had any ' thing to apprehend from the government or his equals, jf he did not attempt to force them upon others, or feek to make profelytes. A great part of the foreigners even lived without profeffing themfelves of ahy ecclefiaftical connection ; but no one ever fet himfelf up as an inquisitor into the faith of thefe independents, and none troubled themfelves about them. The emprefs, not Satisfied with having appoint ed a catholic archbifliop, and established a Semi nary of jefuits at Mohiief, and with having fup ported iflamilm in the Krimea, She gave to her people almoft every year fome folemn inftance of the protection She granted to the liberty of wor ship. On the day of the benedidtion of the waters, her confeSfor, by her orders, invited to his houfe the ecclefiaftics of all communions, and gave them a grand entertainment, which Catha- rine 1785-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 119 rine called the Dinner of Toleration *. Accord ingly this year, at the fame table were feated, the patriarch * Ivan Pamphilief, her majefty's confefTor, invited the clergy of the feveral communions in Peterfburg to dine with him annually, on the 6th of January ; who generally met in a company of fifteen or fixteen different denominations, all in the feveral habits of their church. At thefe agreeable meet ings, his eminence Gabriel, metropolitan archbifliop of Nov gorod and St. Peterfburg, always prefided. Pamphilief did the honours of the table with that hofpitality and fuavity df manners for which the Ruffians are fo famous among all that' vifit their country. When vines of various forts were ferved' round on a falver, the" before-mentioned prelate once obferv ed, with a fenfible allufion to the occafion : " Thefe wines " are all good ; they differ only in colour and tafte." — The perfons prefent at one of thefe dinners, as an example of the reft, were : Gabriel, metropolitan ; Innocelitius, archbifliop of Pfcove and Riga ; Eugenius, archbifliop of Kherfon, the famous tranflator of Virgil into greek hexameter verfe ; Ivaa Pamphilief, the emprefs's confefTor : all members of the holy fynod. Other ruffian clergy were : Innacentius, archiman drite, and rector of the gymnafium at the monaltery of St. Alexander Nefsky ; Antonms, archimandrite at the imperial corps of noble land-cadets ; Bafilius, protopope at tlie marine cadet corps; Andrew Samboriky, protopope of St. Sophia, formerly chaplain to the embaffy at London ; Nedtarius, monk at the greek gymnaflum \ Sergius, monk at the imperial academy of arts ; Sergius Liyitof; pope of the imperial cha pel ; Ivan, chaplain at the , imperial feminary for young la dies ; Matdiew, chaplain at tlie artillery and engineer cadet- corps : Bafilius, chaplain at the imperial academy of fciences ; Bafilius, pope of the churth of the annunciation ; Stackoeus, chaplain at the imperial noble land-cadet-corps '; Jofcph, dea con 'at the fame. Lutheran preachers: Joachim Chriftian 1 4 Grott, 130 LIFE OF THE [17%5- patriarch of Grufinia or Georgia, the archiman drite of St. Peterfburg, the bifhop of PolotSk, the biShop of Pfcove, a catholic biffiop, a prior Grotty paftor of tlie Catharine church ; Jeremiah Lewis Hoff mann, at the land-cadet-corps ; Emanuel Indrenius, paftor of the Swedifli church ; John Henry Krogius, paftor of the Finns church j John George Lampe, alternate preacher at. the Peter-church ; Thomas Frederic Theodore Reinbott, paf tor of the Anna-church ; Martin Luther Wolff, alternate •preacher at the Peter-church ; Daniel Frederic Zachert, preacher at the artillery and engineer corps. Minifters of the reformed churches : John David Collins, paftor of the german reformed church ; N. Manfbendel, paftor of the french re formed church ; William Tooke, chaplain to the britifli fac tory ; Mr. Reuter, tlie dutch reformed preacher; Chriftian Frederic Gregor, paftor of the congregation of the unitas fratrum. Roman catholic clergy : Sergius Krachinfky; Pe- truS Stankievitch ; Hieronymus Beroldingen; Johannes de Ducla ; Marius Dormagen ; Leopold Lafanky. Armenian clergy: Macarius Koikumof; Stephanus Lorifmilikof ; Ni- .kita Tfcherkefof. Sometimes were prefent tartar moulas arid kirghiftzi priefts ; bifliops and priefts from tlie greek iflands, from Valakhia, Moldavia, and the worthy abbe Guadalupe from Mexico. At the conelufion of the repaft, which was very fumptuous, the metropolitan ufually laid, with a loud voice, either in rufs or latin, " Glory to God in the liigheft !— " On eartli peace. — Good will towards men !" Which dolie, the reft of the evening was lpent in agreeable 'and fometimes facetious difcourfe, over a deffert of exquifite fruit and the thoiceft wines. The guefts talked to one another in rufs, german, french, italian, &c. as it might happen to fuit. But the general converfation was carried on in latin. The whole of the expence was defrayed by die emprefs, and it was con tinued for feveral years. of 1735.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. lit of the fame religion, francifcans, jefuits, anar- menian prieft, lutheran preachers; calvinifts, and the eftgliSh clergyman : in Short, here were priefts of no lefs than eight different forms of worfhip. It has been calculated, that the offices of religion are performed in Petersburg in fourteen different languages. Ever Since the commencement of her reign, Catharine had laboured with unremitted affiduity in diffusing instruction among her people. She had already, as we have feen, founded -houfes of education in feveral towns. She now took up the refolution of establishing them in like manner in various parts of the country. To this end a commiffion of public- instruction was erected, at the head of which was placed her former favou rite Zavadofsky, who, without refuming his office in that capacity, «was however taken again into distinguished notice, and had-been appointed Se cretary of the cabinet, and governor of the Lom bard, or loan bank. This being an establishment of fo Singular a nature, deferves a little further mention. The env prefs, reversing the ufual order of things, inftead of borrowing money from her Subjects, now be came the great money-lender of the empire. Upon this principle She opened a bank, the capital of which conlifted of thirty-three rnillions of rubles ; and was empowered to emit bills, with the currency of money, to the amount, of a hun dred 122 LIFE OF THE \I1%5- dred millions more ; (which, at the loweft evalu ation of the ruble at that time, amounted to twenty millions fterling ;) but it was particularly restricted from ever exceeding this prodigious emiffion of paper. Of the capital fund, twenty- two millions were to be lent to the nobility for the term of twenty years, upon mortgages on their eftates, at art interest of five per cent, befides a payment of three per cent, which was to be ap plied annually towards the difchai-ge of the ori ginal debt. The mortgages were not to include the whole eftate ; but fuch a number of villages, with the peafants appertaining to them, as Should appear to the directors a fufficient fecurity ; the male peafants to be eftimated at forty rubles per head, the females at thirty, well-grown boys and girls at twelve. The mortgaged eftates were not fubject to confifcation ; but •heavy pecuniary mulcts were to arife upon any dekv in paying either the five per cent, intereit, or the three per cent, which is allotted to the difcharge of the principal ; and if thefe mulcts be not fufficient to remedy the contumacy or neglect, the directors were to take the administration of the eftate into their own hands. Four periods were Stated in the courfe of the term, at any of which the borrower might redeem his eftate by paying off the reft of $he debt. The remaining eleven millions of the capital were deftined to the encouragement both of fo reign t^tfjj-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 123 "reign commerce and of the internal trade of the empire, by being lent out to merchants and retail dealers for the term of twenty-two years, at only four per cent, intereft, with the- fame annual ap plication of three per cent, towards the difcharge of the principal. The bank was likewife to act as an infurance office with refpedt to fire ; but the houfes muft be built of brick or ftone ; and all foreigners, as well as natives, were admitted to the privileges of depositing their money in it, and of having her majefty's imperial word pledged to them as their fecurity. In the commiffion for the normal fchools, after Zavadofsky came the learned vEpinus * and Paftukof -f~, private feeretary to the emprefs. The other members of the commiffion were perfons of no confequence, admitted through Zavadofsky 's intereft. The commiffion was much divided in opinion, torching the manner of instituting the normal fchools, fo as to fulfil, the intentions of the emprefs, iEpinus, who was apprehenfive left obftinacy and ignorance Should prevent the execution of the project, advifed the adoptidn of the auftrian * iEpinus had been preceptor to Paul Petrovitch. He is a innn not lefs diftinguifhed by his virtues than by his extenfive ¦ erudition. He has publifhed feveral pieces on the mathema tics, and atheoryoftheloadftone, much efteerned. -|- Paftukof was likewife employed in tlie education of the grand duke Paul. method ; 124 LIFE 0F THE Ll7%5- method; and after much refiftance, his opinion, was agreed to. He. was undoubtedly aware of the defects in the auftrian practice ; but he thought better to erect imperfect feminaries, fufceptible of progreffive correction, than to have none of any kind. The emprefs then propofed a variety of quef- tions to Jofeph II. concerning the normal fchools of Auftria : in confequence of which the emperor fent Yankovitch to her, as a man qualified to impart to her the information She required. Yan kovitch, an old country fchoolmafter, destitute of all talents, was no fooner arrived at Peterf burg, than he was decorated with the title of counfellor of ftate, appointed director of the nor mal fchools, and affeflbr to the commiffion of public, instruction. He became, at the Same time, the flatterer of Zavadofsky and the antagonist of iEpinus. The importance attached by the emprefs to her commiffion of public instruction was fuch, that She was perpetually employed in fending notes to them, communicative of her ideas for bringing to due perfection thefe normal fchools. Moreover, fhe attended them herfelf while the leffons were performing. A learned German *, member of the academy * A native of Hanover, named Bachmeifter, who com- pofed the only accurate work on the geography of Ruflia that ever appeared. Of* 1785.] EMPRESSCATHARINF.il. 11$ of fciences, confented to be profeffor of geography and hiftory in the ruffian language : a very for tunate circurriftance ; as no Ruffian would have been capable of it. Catharine, being prefent one day, with feveral of her courtiers, at a lecture which the academician was delivering to the feve ral tribes that inhabit Siberia, after listening to him with fixed attention, She beftowed great com mendation on him, both for his knowledge and his zeal. She afterwards propofed an objection to fome of his obfervations ; to which he replied in the moft fatjsfadtory manner. Zavadofsky and fome others, unaccuftomed to fee a literary man utter- an opinion contradictory to that of the fove reign, feemed to take fire at this great inftance of prefumptlon: but the emprefs was eager to ac knowledge that fhe had been led into a mistake ; and returned thanks to the academician for having rectified it with fo much ability. Obferving, at the fame time, the difpleafure of Zavadofsky, She embraced the opportunity offered her by the mo ment of his attending her to the carriage, to order him to repeat her thanks to the profeflbr. This, however, did not prevent- the prefident of the board of instruction from punishing this worthy man for his courage, by turning him out of his place, and even out of his lodgings. Thefe par ticulars may perhaps appear of little conSequence ; but every thing that tends to the exhibition, of perfonal 126 , LIFE OF THE , [I7%S, perfonal character is always fit matter for bio graphy. A victory claimed by Ruffia was pretty well authenticated by' the capture of a tartar khan, two of his fons,, and a nephew, who were all brought prifoners to Petersburg. This adtion was, however, acknowledged to have been very fevere ; and it was owned, that in the beginning the Shock fell fo heavily upon the regiment of Aftrakhan, that it was defeated, ruined, and its colonel killed. In the latter part of the year 1785, great havoc was made and execution done among the kuban Tartars, by the Ruffians. It would feem that the whole nation had been either fubdued, cut off, or totally ruined, by the destruction of their vil lages, and the lofs of their flocks and herds at the approach of winter. Brigadier-general Apraxin find a colonel Nagel distinguished themfelves greatly about this time, either againft the kuban, or fome other nations of Tartars ; for, from th@' loofe accounts that were always publifhed of thefe tranfadtions,- we cannot pretend to afcertain dates*' places, or circumstances. It appears, however^ that colonel Nagel had the honour of being the firft who defeated the new prophet, Sheik Man-1 four, and his adherents ; who, being difappointed in the fuccour which he had taught them to ex pect from tTeaven, were doomed to a fore con viction, I785.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. -. , izy vidtion, that their fanaticifm was no prbof what ever againft the ruffian bayonets. The prophet fought boldly on foot, at the head of feven or eight thoufand of his followers, who were in the fame Situation {which evidently Shews that they were not Tartars) ; and his own reliance oh the ' divine aid appears to have been fo weak, that as a fubftitute he employed his invention in the con struction of fome fort of rolling machines, which in their approach to the enemy they puffied on before them, as a cover from their fire. But the ruffian foot ruShing on furioufly with their bayonets, and the cavalry falling in pell-mell upon the wings and rear, this rabble was foon routed, and pur sued with unremitting SlaugHter. The impoftoc was wounded, but had the fortune to efcape. 1786. Yermolof had arrived at the pinnacle of favour ; and he was thruft from it by his own imprudence. This favourite, tall, fair complec* tioned, and of a figure declarative of a foul that ¦ could not be rouzed from apathy, was jealous to an extreme. He prefently behaved ungratefully to prince Potemkin, to whom he owed his fortune. He eagerly laid hold of every opportunity that offered to injure him ; and it was only in oppo sition to him that he defended the unhappy khafl Sahim-Gueray, the payment of whofe' penSioH was cruelly neglected. The emprefs, tvho, became every day more indulgent to her lovers, Shewed iamz csolnefs to Potemkin> and even to than this her majefty wrote her the following letter - " Peterfburg, Aug. ifa 1778. " I juft now leal'n, madam, that you confent to make a " furrender to me of that precious depofit left you by your vol. nr. k. - '•' late I30 LIFE OF THE |_1 786. Several travellers had at various times, by her orders, traverfed the northern Archipelago, and the remoteft of the ruffian provinces. In the year " late uncle, that library which fouls of fenfibility will never " behold without recollecting that this great man had the art " of infpiring mankind with that univerfal benevolence, which " all his writings breathe, even thofe of mere entertainment, " becaufe his foul was deeply penetrated with it. No man " before him. ever wrote like him ; to future generations be " will be both an example and a rock. To equal him, genius " and philofophy muft unite in one perfon with literature and " entertainment ; in a word, he muft be M. de Voltaire. If, " with all Europe, T have taken part in your grief, madam, " for the lofs of that incomparable man, you have entitled " yourfelf to participate in the grateful returns I owe to his "¦ writings. I am, indeed, extremely fenfible to the efteem " and the confidence which you fhew me. It is highly flatter- " ing to me to fee that they are hereditary in your family. The " generofity of your behaviour is your fecurity for my favoui- " able fentiments in regard to you. I have written to Mon- " fieur^e Grimm f to deliver to you fome inconfiderable tefti- " monies of it, which I defire you to accept. ' " Catharine." Her majefty had written on the cover : — " For madame "" Denis, niece of a great man who loved me much." ' At tlie conclufion of this letter, the emprefs requefted of madame Denis a plan in relief of tlie facade and of the interior diftri- bution of the chateau de Feiney, as well as the gardens and its avenues, as ftie propofed to have a building exactly like it in the grounds adjacent to Tzai fko-felo ; a defign that has never been executed. f M. Grimm was at Paris the literary correfpood*nt of the emprefs. *7*$ I78G.J EMPRESS CATHARINE II. I3I 1785 fhe fent again feveral learned perfons, fome towards Caucafus, others to the frontiers of China, - for the purpofe of difcovering, exploring, and examining, the moft remote provinces, and the yet unknown parts of that immenfe empire. The difficulties and perils to which this expedition by land was fuppofed liable, through the tracklefs deferts which were to be explored, the inhofpi- tality of the climates, and the barbarity of the nations that were to be encountered, with the numberlefs obstacles of various forts that were to be furmounted, rendered the profpect much more terrible than it had appeared to our circumnavi gators in any of their late great voyages, of dif covery. The boldeft and moft enterprising of all nations were accordingly fought out for this un dertaking, and high rewards and promifes held out as an encouragement to their zeal and per- feverance. Baron de Valchen Stedtz, who had a regiment of cavalry in the emprefs's fervice, was appointed commander in chief upon this expedi tion. His corps confifted of 810 chofen men, who were led on by 107 officers of different de grees of distinction, and accompanied by pioneers, * artillery-men, handyeraftmen, draughtfmen, en gineers, an historiographer, and naturalists." It need fcarcely be obferved, that they were amply provided with all manner of neceflaries, and that they were furnifhed with credentials fuited to every circumftance and Situation. It was fup- k 2 pofed 13a LIFE OF THE [1786. pofed that the expedition could not be completed within three years. The onlv fruit T3f their difcoveries which came to the knowledge of the public was that of a fmall fugitive colony of ftrangers and christians, whom they found Shut up from the world in a moft fequeftered part of the wilds of Caucafus ; and who, in the language of the country, are called Tfchetffies. Thefe poor people are faid to lead lives of the moft exemplary piety, and to exhibit a primaeval Simplicity of manners. They are totally ignorant of their origin, any farther than knowing that they are ftrangers, as which they are likewife confidered by the fcattered neigh bouring nations. From an affinity in their lan guage, and fome other circumstances, they arc fuppofed to-be defcended from a colony of Bohe mians, wl.o flying from the religious perfecutions in their own country towards the clofe of the fifteenth century, found at length a refuge from oppreffion in the diftance from the reft of man kind which thefe remote deferts afforded. Not fatisfied with the difcoveries which this expedition by land might produce, the emprefs formed another by fea about the fame time, in" order to extend and afcertain thofe which, within the prefent century, have been unfuccefsfully at tempted or imperfectly made by different ruffian navigators. Lieutenant-colonel Blaumayer was appointed to conduct this expedition, and com- miffioned I7'86.J EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 133 mtffioned to take along with him, befides able navigators, a number of perfons Skilled in various arts, to aflift in making proper enquiries, and in turning to the greatest advantage fuch difcoveries as they might make, or were already made. They were to embark at the mouth of the river Anadyr, and to profecute with greater accuracy and Stricter obfervation thofe difcoveries which had been made by former navigators, of feveral inhabited islands lying about the 64th degree of latitude, in Situations advantageous for trade. They were then to double TchukOtSkoinofs, and entering the Straits which feparate Siberia from America, to purfue their voyage at leaft to the 74th degree of latitude ; but if they found the feas practicable, to proceed as much farther as circumftarices wbuld permit. It is a Singular circumftance, at leaft in the modern hiftory of the old world, for a prince to be under the neceffity 'of undertaking great ex peditions by fea and land, in order to difcover new countries within his own dominions. Such is the vaftnefs of that unbounded empire ! But the great work, which, if ever it be com pleted, will be a lafting monument to the glory of Catharine, is the navigable canal in the pro vince of Tver, which, by opening a communi cation between the river Tyer^za and the Mfta, the former of which falls directly into the Volga, and the latterj by the great lakes, opens the paf- k 3 fage 134 LIFE OF THE [V/&6. fage to the Neva, will not only eftabliSh an in land navigation through all the vaft countries that lie between the fliores of the Cafpian and the Baltic, but will actually unite thefe distant feas ; an union unexampled in the hiftory of mankind. Thefe enterprises have by fome been attributed rather to a vain defire in Catharine of caufing her name to be refounded throughout Europe, than from a real love of the fciences. In confirmation of which it has been obferved, that in the latter cafe care would have been taken to publish to the world whatever thefe travellers had difcovered, either without or within her extenfive dominions. But, though their departure was always empha tically announced, their return was only attended by a clandestine light. In 1784 Mr. Pallas conceived the plan of a new expedition to the northern Archipelago, and drew rip instructions for the navigator who was to be employed in it. This navigator was Billings, an Englishman, who had been affiftant attronomer to the juftly celebrated captain Cook, in his voyages round the world. One of his instructions was, to find out a port for establishing an admiralty ; meaning thereby, a port for building, putting into dock, and Stationing Ships of war and other veffels. He firft proceeded to the river Kovima ; where he caufed a veffel to be built, for the pur pofe of doubling Tchukotlko'inofs, but in this at tempt he was not able to fucceed. The I786.J EMPRESS CATHARINE II. y£$ The year following captain Billings failed about the iflands of the eaftern ocean, departing from Okhotzk and the bay of Avatfha as far as the coafts of Japan. A captain of the navy was fent to join him in 1787, and to examine the coaft as^ far as the mouth of the Amoor, and to fix on a port. Oud, not far from the entrance of that river, was the place they chofe. At the diftance of two hundred verfts fouth of Oud, they alfo found a very fine, harbour beyond the chinefe frontier. It was at length determined to erect the admiralty on the american coaft, either at Prince William's found or at Comptroller's bay. They explored likewife many other excellent havens on the american coaft. Catharine wrote in 1788 to thefe captains, and to the commander of the "ruffian fortrefles, that She had fent fix Ships from the Baltic to Kamtchatka, to co-operate with a powerful army that was, to go down the Ambor," and take poffeffion of its banks to its mouth, and all the country to the left. Captain Billings even constructed the charts of his voyage ; but the difcoveries which he made are not of much importance. He, however, collected feveral cu- riofities, and brought to Petersburg a native of UnalaShka, and a woman whom the inhabitants ¦ of that ifland had carried off from the Shores of America, and who related that She came from a part of the continent very remote from that coaft. k 4 Being I36 ,LfFE pF THE [}l£fr', ¦ Being returned to Peterfburg, captain Billings, ' began to put into order, with the affiftance of Mr. Pallas, the journal of his voyage *r^ But it' is much to be feared that the work will break off in the middle, and, like thofe we fpoke pf before, be loft to the public -fr- The * Mr. John Ledyard, an American, if he had not been flopped on his journey, was die man who would doubtlefs, have given us much excellent information ; having about fix- teen years ago formed the defign pf travelling on foot to the Tfchouktfchis, of crofflng Behring's ftraits with fome of them, and thence proceeding to tlie engiifh fettlements at Hudfon's bay. He undertook this extraordinary journey alone and un armed. He was arretted at Yakutfk, under pretence of his being a fpy, and conveyed away to the frontiers of Pruflia, whence he returned to England.' This intrepid pedeftrian , weiit afterwards to Egypt in tlie defign of traverfing all Africa en foot: but death put a flop to his noble undertaking at Grand Cairo. f All that can be collected from fome private letters is, that tlie queftion fo long in doubt about the north-eaft paflage, feems to be at length fairly negatived by the following curious fart, eftablifhing the eternal icy barriers of Phips, Cook, and Billings, viz. Regularly every fpring immenfe herds of rein deer, fhoufands andten thoufands ftrorjg, come over to the open plains on the afiatic fide, to avoid the infe&s of tlie clofc damp american woods, and as regularly go back every Au guft, feeding on the mofs of the intermediate iflands in their paflage. Now, as that is the very time when the continued aftion'of tlie fiimmer's heat muft have opened the fea, if ever it did thaw ; an open paflage is out of all probability ; and indeed Billing^ I786. 'J" ^MFRESS CATHARINE II. 137 V The emprefs, defirous of augmenting the po pulation of Kherfon, and her newly-acquired pro vinces of Taurida and Caucafus, published a mani fefto inviting foreigners to come and fettle in thofe countries. We Shall here infert a few frag ments from it. " The, protection which we habitually grant to ^' ftrangers who come either to carry on their " commerce, or to exert their induftry in our "empire, is generally known. Every one may " enjoy in our dominions the free exercife of the " religion of his fathers, a perfect fecurity, and ** the protection of the laws and government. " All the neeefiaries and the accommodations of " life, as well as- the means of acquiring riches, " there offer themfelves, both from the fertility " of the foil, and the objects adapted to com merce. The territqry of Caucafus, in fub- miffion to our fceptre, affords all thefe refources in greater abundance than the other provinces of our empire. Foreigners who are willing to fettle there, whether in the towns, or in the country, will be fure to find, a peaceful afylum with many advantages. ..... .They Shall be, during fix years, exempt from all duties to the Billings gives it as Ills opinion, that the thicknefe of the ice, every where, (except juft about the mouths of large rivers, whofe warmer waters make a partial opening as far as they extend,) is fuch, that a ten years continued rummer would fcarce reduce it to a fluid ftate. , ' " crown. I38 LIFE OF THE [1786. " crown. If, at the expiration of that term, they lhall Signify their intention to leave our dominions, " they Shall be at full liberty to go, on paying " only the value of'the impofts of three years *." By another manifefto, which appeared within a few months after the former, the emprefs declared to all the inhabitants of Ruffia and Tartary, that it was no longer required of them, in addreffes to her, to call themfelves her /laves, but "only her fubjetls "f. That princefs was not ignorant of the means of rendering herfelf popular, and She often employed them with art. One of thofe which ferved greatly to render her fo, was the care She took of children. Whether from inclination or from policy, fhe had always a great number qf them in her apartments. Thefe they enjoyed the fame liberty with the princes, her grandchildren, and She returned their careffes with extreme com- plaifance. The fame Style of outward magnificence, with the fame munificent fpirit in the difpofal of boun- * This manifefto bears date' from Tzariko-felo, the 14th of July 1785. —By her fucceffor Paul I. the two fea-ports of Feodofia and Evpatoria in Taurida have been declared free ports for a term of thirty years, and leave has been granted to all ruffian, as v. .'11 as foreign merchants, not only to import all forts of goods and merchandizes into the above ports duty free, but alfo to export them thence to ail other places in Taurida, without paying either cuftoms or other duty. f Letters, memorials, and petitions, with erafures in them, might be prefented to her without danger of her taking of fence. She ne?er imagined that there was any intention therein of inflating her dignity. ties 1786.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. I39 ties or rewards, which had fo eminently distin guished the court of Petersburg through the reign of Catharine, Still continued to be its prin cipal characteristics. Every thing that comes within thefe defcriptions was done in the higheft Style of grandeur, and feemed not only fuited to the prefent greatnefs, but to the rifing hope and fortune of that empire. Indeed, the emprefs pro ceeded upon fo large a fcale in thefe matters, that it feemed rather to be graduated by an afiatic than an european model. It is not often feen, at leaft in the weftern world, that a great military ppwer, whofe ambition and armaments fpread apprehen fion or terror all round, and which feemed almoft constantly looking for war, fhould at the fame time exceed all others in the fplendid establish ments of peace and luxury. The emprefs had publicly announced, in the beginning of the year of which we are treating, her intention of making a magnificent progrefs to Kherfon and the Krimea, in order to her being crowned fovereign of the new conquefts. This, defign was apparently conceived at firft in the moft fplendid ideas of eaftern magnificence and grandeur. It was given out, that Catharine Was to be crowned queen of Taurida, and to be declared protedtrefs of all the nations of Tartars. That, in order, to render the folemnization of this great adt the more auguft, awful, and more extensively ftriking, She was to be attended by the metropolitan, by fix other archbiffiops, and by 140 LIFE OF THE [1786, by a great body of fhe clergy ; which with the court and its attendants would have formed a prodigious train. Triumphal arches were to be erected, and enriched with fcuiptures, devices, •and inscriptions, on the approaches to Kherfon, and in the town. The emprefs was to be drawn on the latter part of the way in a triumphal car, with a wreath of laurel on her head ; and the concourfe of people was expected to be fo great, that the multitudes which attend the pil- primages to Mecca would no longer be regarded as a wonder. She was befides to be efcorted by a formidable army, to confift of no lefs than fix regiments of cavalry, and twenty-two of in fantry. The magnificence of the proceffion, whether by land or by water, was to be fuited to that of the grand concluding ceremonial. A fleet of gallies were built on the Dniepr ; and, befides their embellishments and decorations, were to be furniffied with all the accommodations neceffary for a court, Or ufually found in a great city. It feemed as if coft was a matter not to be thought of in thefe preparations ; and it is fcarcely credible, though positively afferted, that the prodigious fum of feven millions of rubles * kad been originally dedicated to the purpofe only of thofe prefents which were to he distributed at the coronation. The fame allowance is probably to be made for vanity and exaggeration in fome of thefe * Amounting to about a million and a half fterling. accounts, I786.3 EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 14* accounts, which is ufually neceffary in fimilar cafes :' but it is certain, however, that every thing that could be conceived fplendid or grand, was included in the original defign, and the nfual magnificence of the emprefs. feems to give a fandtion to the whole. It, is likewife to be remembered, that there was a grand pQlitical object in view in this fplendour and expence ; that it was undoubtedly expected that all the adjoining nations would have ' been either terri fied by the power, or fafcinated by the pomp, fplendour, and wealth, which were now to be difplayed ; and that the tartar chiefs, under thefe impreffions, would not only have rendered the. fcene truly glorious, by coming from all parts to do homage to the new monarch of the eaft, but that She would thereby have enlarged and fecured her dominion without the trouble of war and conqueft. The reigning duke ' of Courland had long been out of. favour at the court of Petersburg, and being now reprefented or fuppofed to be in a precarious ftate of health, it afforded an op portunity of marching a body of ruffian troops into that duchy, under the colour of fupporting the freedom of election in, cafe of his demife ; ' a pretence fufficient to excite the risibility of thofe who were not too ferioufiy affected by their in-, tc-reft in the country to laugh at being reminded of its condition. 142 LIFE OF THE [1786. CHAP. XV. Catharine II. takes a journey to the Krimea. — Ajfaffmdtion of khan Sahim-Gueray. ¦ — The Turks declare war againft Ruffia. — Guftavus III. in vades Finland. — Sea-fight between the Swedes and the Ruffians. — Bentzelftierna makes an at tempt to burn the ruffian fleet at Copenhagen. — Capture of Otchakof. — Peace of Vartla. — : Viclo- ries obtained over the Turks. — Capture of If mail.- — Difmiffion of Momonof. — Elevation of Zubof. — The court of Great Britain fends Mr. Fawkener to Peterfburg. — Peace of Taffy. — Death of prince Potemkin. — 1787, 1788, 1789, 1790, 1791, 1792. 1 HE grand political object which Catharine had in view in this intended difplay of magnifi cence and power, was, after having folemnly taken the fceptre of the Krim, and awed the fi'irrounding nations into fubmiffion, to conduct' her grandfon Conftantine * to the gates of that Oriental * At his birth he was put into the hands of greek nurfes fetched on purpofe from the ifle of Naxos. He was always drefled 1786.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 143 Oriental Empire to which fhe had destined him from his birth. All was in movement for com pleting the preparations, when the young prince fell fick of the meafles, and he was obliged to be left at Petersburg. This circumftance, together with the news of fome Skirmifhes, and even more ferious engagements that had happened in the Krim between the Ruffians and the Tartars^ oc cafioned a great alteration in the fcheme of the progrefs to Kherfon. It was now greatly nar rowed in the defign, was difincumberfed of much of its intended fuperb magnificence ; the great object of the coronation, and of the affumption of new titles, was entirely given up ; the formidable .military force that was expected did not attend ; the proceffion did not take place at the time pro- pofed ; and the only end obtained, faving the conferences held with' the king of Poland and the emperor, was nothing more than the emprefsj} ihewirig.jLerfel£.to the new fubjects, and appear ing to take fome fort of formaP poffeffion of Kherfon and the Krimea. The Georgians, Lefghis, and other Tartars that inhabit thefe unmeafured, and almoft un- drefled in the fafhion of the Greeks, and furrounded by children of that nation, that he might acquire the greek language, which he foon fpoke with great facility. It was even in regard to him that the grecian cadet corps of two hundred cadets was eftabliflied. known 144- eife of TirE' [1786; known regions j and who Seem fcarcely to know any particular owner, as foon as the report of. the intended grand progrefs was fpread amongft them, inftead of producing the expected effect, in_daz- zfrng or terrifying thefe Tartars, it ferved, on the contrary, as a Signal of general and immediate danger, to cement their uniqnjn the ftrongeft manner, and to urge them to the gfeateft poffible exertion, and to the moft determined refiftance. This foon became apparent: and the war of the , Krimea was growing daily more ferious. The meetings and conferences of great and ambitious monarchs have ever been deemed dan gerous to their equals in power, and terrible to their inferiors. If all former instances of their nature and effect had been forgotten, the combi nation which defolated the kingdom of Poland, might ferve to warn mankind in fimilar cafes. It can therefore be no matter of furprife, that the ottoman court, which had already received proofs of no very disinterested difpofitions in its great chriftian neighbours, Should have been to the laft degree alarmed by the approaching congrefs at Kherfon; where, the bands of union were to be cemented and drawn more ftraitly between two of the moft formidable powers in the univerfe ; whofe ambition was at laft equal to their power ; and whofe object in this meeting was understood as aiming at nothing lefs than the fubverfion of that empire. And 1787.^, EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 145 ¦ And as if this combination of the two imperial powers of Ruffia and Germany had not been in itfelf Sufficiently alarming and dangerous, the poor king of Poland, who had already been the victim to their mutual enmity, was now, upon th^ir ambition, taking a new direction, , called fo participate, in fome fmall degree, in the fruits of their union. He could not indeed add much, nor perhaps any thing, to the fcale, ' of hoftile power againft the ottomans by actual exertion ; but this was not, in fact, the kind of aid which the great allies wanted, and wifhed to draw from him. Their own forces were fufficiently numer-. ous to anfwer all the purpofes to which, from the nature of things, armies could .be applied with effect. ; Poland in repofe was equal in value to the activity of any other ally. By its Situation jt was capable of uniting the two empires in, fuch a manner as1 to render their force one, and enable their combined or Separate, armies to make their impreffion ¦ in any one or different parts of three - fourths of a vaft circle, by which they, would then embrace, fo great a part of the turkifh fron tiers. Its products were no lefs valuable. Befides. abundant room for winter quarters, hpfpjtals, magazines,, places of refrefhm^nt, and all thofe other appendages' neceffary to great armies, the country was to be confidered as a vaft granary, ^eeming with every kind of provision ; nor were vol. iji. L , its tifi XIFE Ot THE {}7%7- its military refoufces defpicablfe with rtfpecVto men; but in regard to horfes, cattle, and forage, they were unequalled. Thus, was Poland cap&ble- of becoming a moft ufeful member Of the con> federacy ; an aceeffion of hoftile Strength, Which to the ottomans would be the more intolerably grievous from the recollection, that all theif late^ rnisfortuheSj along with the prefeht unprofperous ftate of their affairs, brkginated in their apparently generous endeavours to prefetve the frdedom and independence of that republic, and to prevent tht alienation of her dominions, in oppofitiori to the rapacious views of thofe very pow'ets with whom She was now to be leagued againft them. It was afterwards even rumoured that the king's friendship (limited-as his authority was) had been fecured, in One of the conferences held on this memorable progfefs fo Kherfon, by the prefent of a very large fum of money (amouhting to near 1 half a million fterling), in rubles ; and that report had fo much effedtj that he was publicly charged, at the enfuing diet, with having, at that con ference, entered into private contritions inimical to the republic ; and the decided part which with apparent rifque to himfelf he had taken in 'fup port of the ruffian views and intfereft, Undoubtedly afforded fome colour to the charge, yet it fhould likewife be remembered, that he owed his feat on tile throne to the empref- of Ruffia; and that gratitude being one of the moft ' predominant qualjtics 1 7^7*3 EMPRESS CATHASrNE II. 147 qualities of his private character, he had, never fince omitted any opportunity of Shewing his fenfe of that obligation ; and had, perhaps, under that topreffibn* in feme cafes, confounded the virtues of the man too much with the duties of the fovereign. , We have fhewri the very interesting appeal^ Under the form of a declaration or manifesto* which the grand fignior made in the year 1780* not only to his Own fubjedts",. but to the whole race of Mohammedans, Shewing the commom danger to which they were liable Shortly to be "expofed, and calling upon them, by every thing dear or facred to men, to prepare and unite,, with hearts and with hands, in order to repel the de- iigiis of their implacable enemy, whofe views were . not directed to conqueft, hut to extermination* and who, if they were permitted to fucceed, would Stop at nothing. Short of the utter annihila tion of the ottoman name, and the extinction of' all true believers from the face of the earth. It is little to be doubted that an appeal of fo new .and extraordinary a nature, coming from a fovereign fo great, and a name which had for fo many ages- been in the higheft degree revered, cloathed in the moft pathetic language,- and Stating circumftances of fuch evident injury as would have interested the - feelings of ftrangers, and even thofe of a different communion, muft have operated moft powerfully in all thofe wide l a region's I48 LIFE OF THE [l7&7* regions where the mohammedan creed predomi nated. Such was the State of things, and fuch the feafon of apprehenfion and alarm, that every muffulman was already, in imagination, fnatching up his weapons, and ruShing to the common de fence, when the report was fpread abroad of , the imperial Catharine's intended triumphal proceffion to Kherfon, to receive the homage of conquered nations, and to' celebrate with an oftentation un known to later ages the triumph of her arms, and her inauguration to new kingdoms and empires. The vaftnefs and prodigality of the original deSign^ with the powerful, army which was included in it, were of themfelves fufficient to fpread amazement and terror on all Sides; but 'when to this was ad ded the effect produced' by the language of flat tery and of vanity on the fpot, a'nd the application incident to all reports, in. proportion to the length of their courfe, it is not be wondered at if this fpectacle was magnified and rendered more terrific in the conception of diftant and ignorant nations.- But it was not merely the gratification of .femi nine vanity in celebrating a triumph over a fallen enemy, however diftafteful and odious fuch a celebration muft neceffarily be, that chiefly af- fedted the ottomans with regard to this progrefs.. A report was fpread, and the opinion very gene rally received, that the emprefs of Ruffia's am bition feared fo high, that the acquisition of pro vinces or kingdoms were little, farther eftimated by 1787.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 149 by her, than as they might lead to the attainment of her grand objedt ; ' and that this was nothing lefs than tlie placing of her Second grandfon, prince Conftantine, on ,Jhe throne of.the,.ancient greek emperors at Conftantinople; and' thereby „ establishing, in her own family, two mighty em pires, .capable, perhaps, of fubverting Europe arid Alia.' The christian' name of that prince was brought as circumftantial evidence in fupport of this opinion ; and theconduct of Ruffia in various relpedts, Since the . conclusion of the peace of Kainardgi,'the conditions of which She had fo fre quently violated, were brought as farther corro borations. Particularly her continual endeavours" to weaken the ottoman empire,, by loofening her dependencies on every fide, both in Europe and in Afia, and exciting the vaffal princes to withdraw from their allegiance : her debauching the Greeks in all places, through the agency of her confuls, and rendering them ripe for rebellion ; her in sidious arts, to excite infurredtions in Egypt, by offering to render the turbulent beys Sovereigns of their refpedtive provinces under her protection ; and her unceafing' efforts to corrupt even thofe muffulman1 officers, who held public employments, , civil or military, in all parts adjoining to the frontiers. The Turned tartar s too, who had been driven from the Krimea, and their ..other ancient Jeats, filled afl places with their complaints of the ,pufih- l 3 lanimity I50 LIFE OF THE CI7^7' lanimity of the port in thus abandoning them, and called loudly upon heaven and earth for juftice and vengeance. Now the intended and avowed enthronement of Catharine, would be affixing a final feal to all the ufurpations of Ruffia Since the peace of Kainardgi ; for as fuch the porte con sidered, or affected to confider, the Seizure of the Krimea and of the neighbouring countries ; in- -fifting, that, as they had only been obtained by fraud and circumvention, in the midft of peace, no claim c^uld lie againft them by the laws of arms as a conqueft, and it would not be pretended that the Ruffians could have any prior right to them; and as to the fubfequent convention, which feemed to give a fandtion to the feizure, they aflerted it was' only a temporary meafure, adopted for the prefent to divert the evils of war, until an equitable arrangement of frontier between the two empires, could take place, the Tartars Should be reftored to their rights, and, their future independence firmly established. It was further faid, that it would be an extraordinary violation of all laws, human and divine, for the .porte fo pretend to barter or affign the rights and dominions of others; and it would render the in justice Still more flagrant -and odious, if they con curred, in any degree, in Stripping the race pf Timur, their perpetual allies, and eventual fuc- ceflbrs to the ottomap throne, of the patrimony which they derived from their glorious ancestors. Such t7.87.ll EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 151 Such were not the principles upon which their government acted ; juftjceand good faith, whether with refpedt to muflulmans or christians, were the invariable maxims of the porte, The emprefs fet out *, accompanied by her ladies of honour, by the favourite Momonof, the grand'e'cuyer Narilhkin, count Ivan Chernichef, : the two counts Shuvalpf, and feveral more of the courtiers, with the ambaffadors of Auftria and France, and the engiifh envoy *J- The fledgej travelled' night and day. A great number of. borfes had been previously collected at every Sta tion ;, large fires were lighted at the distance of every thirty fathom, and an immenfe, crowd of perfons, attradted by euriofity, Skirted the road. On the Sixth day the emprefs arrived at Smo* JenSk. Fifteen days, after She made her entry into Kief, where the princes Sapieha and LubomirSky, the Potockis, the. BranitSkies, and moft of the osfeer nobles of Poland who were devoted to Ruf fia, had repaired to meet the fovereign. Prince Potemkin had gone on before^ He . joined her at Kief, as well as prince KaflaU" Siegen ; who, for fome time paft, had ' been en gaged in the ruffian fervice. ' MarShal Roman t- zof was there alfo. Already hurt at the arro- * •' * The 1 3th of January:. ' . A f Previous to their departure Catharine made each of thefe three minifters a prefent of a peliffe, a far-cap, and a muft. . c l 4 gance 1^2 LIFE OF THE C' 7^7' gance of Potemkin *, he had, during his Stay at Kief, additional caufes of complaint, and his dif- content became vifible. But, -whatever value the emprefs fet upon the brilliant fervices of the van- - quifher of the Ottomans, the favour of Potemkin was undiminished. ' The rocks that contracted the navigation of the Dniepr had been previously broken, and fifty- magnificent gallies were difpofed on that river for the reception of the emprefs. Her majefty, at the beginning of the fpring, went toKrement- fhuk, and embarked -f- there attended by a nume rous fuite. The next day the fleet caft anchor over againft Kanief. The king of Poland, who had come thither under his old name of count Poniatofsky, repaired immediately on board the emprefs's galley. The two , fovereigns had not feen each other for the fpace of three and twenty years ^. On their firft meeting, Catharine feemed rather affected : but Stanislaus Augustus preferved his entire- prefence of mind, and difcourfed with great compofure. Soon after this they remained alone in the apart- * Marfhal "Rpmantzof was general in chief of the cavalry., and during the fpacaof fourteen years there was no promotion- in that corps ; becaufe prince Potemkin had a diflike to the marfhal. -f The 6th of May. % It has been faid that a private interview between them took place at Riga 1111764. ment I787.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 1^3 ment belonging to the emprefs, and had a private conference, which lafted fomewhat more than half an hour. After which, they went over to another g'alley,1 where they dined together *.- Catharine decorated her former favourite with the ribbon of the order' of St. Andrew. Prince Potemkin, whojiad never feeufhe po lish monarch, feemed quite enchanted at now meeting him. It was perhaps to the impreffidrt which it made on him, that Startiflaus AuguftuS had to afcribe the prefervation of his crown for fome years longer than he otherwife would. How- - • ever this be, he retired that evening highly fatif- fied to all appearance at the reception he had met with, and the fleet continued its courfe. At KrementShuk the emprefs was lodged in a houfe fuperbly ornamented. There She found' an , army of twelve thoufand men in new uniforms, who prefented before her a Sham-fight by manoeu vring in four columns,' with a fquare battalion of kozaks -J- . The * On getting up from table Staniflaus Aaguftus took the fan and the gloves of the emprefs from the hands of the'page who held them, and prefented them to her majefty. Catha rine immediately took the king's- hat' which was held by his page, and moved it towards him. "Ah,, madam," faid he, alluding to tlie clrown of Poland,, " you have given me a much " finer." f It was on that occafion that the emprefs, who. was granting favours to every body, and of whom every body was prefiing 154 . hlFZ OF THE [I7S7' The paflage by water was Still more agreeable. The Shores of the Uniepr were covered with vil-, lages conftrudted for the occafion, with peafants elegantly dreffed tending numerous flocks, who came by crofs-roads- to different places on the coaft, which the fleet was to pafs, and were thus inceSfantly re-produced before the eye* of the voyagers. The beauty of the feafon even added to the magical effects of the fpedtacle prefented to the emprefs, and altogether converted this almoft defert region into a delightful country. Jofeph II. * had arrived at Kherfon fome time before the emprefs. He fet out to meet her, and joined her majefty at Ka'fdak ;- where She imme diately fet foot on Shore, and proceeded by land to Kherfon, to which place the emperor returned with her. Here Catharine lodged at the admiral- preffiirg to "aft them, faid to Suvarof : — "And you, general, " do you want nothing ?" — " Only that you would order my " lodgings ,to be paid, madam," anfwered Suvarof. The rent of his lodgings was three rubles a month. — Alexander Vaffillievitch Suvarof, at prefent field marfhal and commander of the Ruffians in Italy, is a general of no lefs Angularity than intrepidity. He was as yet very little known in Catharine's firft war againft the Turks, when, being once i» an engage- mentj he darted into tlie mjdft of tlie enemy's ranks, ftabbed feveral of the janiffaries, cut off their heads, filled a large facl? with them, and came and emptied it at the feet of his gene» nil. This fanguinary warrior never commences a battle with out firft repeatedly making tlie fign of the crofs. * Under the title of count Falkenftein. 170*7'] EMPRES% CATHARINE II. 155 / 1 ty, where a throne had been erected for her which coft fourteen thoufand rubles *. Kherfon feemed already an opulent city ; having a number of rich magazines -j-, a harbour full of veffels, and dock-yards well Supplied. A 66 -gun man of war was launched in the prefence of the, emprefs, and a frigate of forty guns. As her majefty was going through the feveral parts of the town, lhe read upon a gate, on the fide to the eaft, a greek infcription of, this import: — " Bx '-' THIS THE WAY LEADS TO BYZANTIUM." There was at that time a gfeat number of fo reigners : Greeks, Tartars', French];, Spaniards, English, Poles ; fome drawn thither by curiofity, others by the defife of paying homage to the em prefs. Prince Potemkin prefented to her Miran da §, who had been prefented to him by a foreign * The journey to the Krimea coft fevep millions of rubles. All the houfes where the emprefs was to bait were built, or at leaft furnjfhed for the occafion. None but new linen was ulied at every meal, which was afterwards given to the people of the houfe, or to fome peffons of the retinue. f Mercantile commodities had been brought on purpofe from Mofco and Warfaw. % Among tne French were Edward Dillon and Alexander Larrieth. § 'Miranda, a fugitive from the Havannah, ha:d gone to New York and into Canada: from North America he went to Conftantinople and to Kherfon. Being afterwards at Peterf burg, he. was demanded by Normandes the minifter of Spain. But the emprefs refufed to give him up ; and when he quitted Ruffia, fhe recommended him to her minifters at foreign courts. minister, I56 LIFE OF THE ¦ LI7$7' minister, and who, being obliged to fly his native country, fought an afylum among the Ruflians, and was afterwards a general in the fervice of the French. Miranda arrived at Kherfon in Company of a frenchman named Leroux, who pafled for a fecret emiffary of Calonne *. Among the women who had reforted to the court of Catharine, was a grecian lady already fa mous -j-, whofe charms had touched the heart of * What chiefly contributed to bring Leroux into fiifpicibn of being a fpy, was, that he was never in want of money ; yet no one knew whence he obtained it. Falling defperately in love with the wife of a jew-merchant, named Markus, he remained at Kherfon. Madame Markus, however, difcarded him ih favour of major Bremer, to whom fhe was afterwards married. One day, being provoked' at the reproaches of Leroux, fhe gave him a flap on the face, which tlie infulted lover took fo much to heart that he blew out his brains with a piftol. — Madame Markus was the daughter of a french mer chant, named Dauphine, at whofe houfe the -celebrated phi- Ianthropift Howard terminated his" ufeful and glorious* car reer. f She was called madame de Witt. From his partiality for her, prince Potemkin gave the government of Kherfon to her hulbarid. This did not prevent madame de Witt from com mitting fome infidelities to prince Potemkin. Under pretence of going to fee her mother, who was a poor tradefwoman at the feraglio, fhe went to Conftantinople with the countefs de Mnifcheck. Clioifeul Gonffier gave her lodgings in' the hotel de France. After tlie death of Potemkin, madame de Wilt followed the fortune of Felix Potocky : and, at the folicitation of die countefs Potocky, the emprefs caufed her to be fhut up in a convent. 2 prince 1787.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 157 prince Potemkin, and feemed likely to fnatch him away from the crowd of beauties who were con tending for his favours. Long before her departure from Petersburg, the emprefs had .fent major Sergius to Conftantinople, for the purpofe of announcing to the divan, her in tention, of. coming into the Krimea. Although he endeavoured to fatten -.the communication by de claring, that fome neceffary internal regulations were the only objects of his fovereign in this vifit to a part of her fubjedts, they remembered, the late menace of prince Potemkin, that he would march at the head of an army of feventy thoufand men to the frontier's, and that the emprefs would attend in perfon to enforce her claims, and to fettle all differences between the two- empires ; and this, under .the circumstances and impreffions which we have mentioned, could . not fail to in- creafe their mixed indignation and, alarm. The divan Shewed ftrohg fymptoms of uneafinefs at it : they almoft confidered this'journey as an aggref- fion. They took meafures to repel it : and while the emprefs was ,at Kherfon, four turkifh Ships of the line came and anchored at the mouth of the Boryfthenes. Thefe Ships were neither inclined, nor, had they been fo, were they able to make any fuccefsful attempt ; but the very fight of them caufed (disturbance to Catharine. She beheld them with fcorn,, and could, not turn away, her eyes from them- — " Do you fee ?" faid She to her ";.i, , courtiers, «5$ LIFE OF THE [x7^7- courtiers, " one would fuppofe that the Turks had no recollection of Tfchefme !" Jofephll. received at Kherfon the firft news of the rebellion that had broke out in Brabant. Some perfons exhorted him to repair immediately to Bruffels, and to act with great moderation, as the beft means of appealing an irritated people. That prince made no difcovery 'of the meaiures he in tended to purfue, nor did he take the road to his dominions. On the contrary, he followed the em prefs, who fet out on a journey to vifit the inland parts of the Krimea. The emprefs was received in that peninfula by the principal myrzas, whofe troops made various evolutions in her prefence. All at once the car nages were Surrounded by a thoufand Tartars» whb attended them as an efcort. JofephTI. who had not been apprifed of what was to happen, ex- preffed fome uneafinefs ; but the emprefs pre ferved her ufual tranquillity. Thefe Tartars had been placed there by prince Potemkin. They had certainly no finifter defign ; and if they had, thty never would have dared to put it in execution : being well aware, that Potemkin had, _not flu fromthe .pj&ee,. an army of one hundred and frftyr three thoufand men. Catharine made her entry with great pomp into Bachtfchifarai, and lodged, together with her fuite, in the palace of the khan. In the evening fhe was entertained with the Spectacle of a moun tain i7^7'-} EMPRESS CATHARINE IT. *j)9 tain artificially illuminated, in fuch a manner as to feem as if all on fire. Wherever She went, every exertion was friade to -prefent her with fome agreeable object ; and She employed every means in gaining thejiffedtions of the people. She al- 1 lotted funds for building two mofques. She dif- tfibuted confiderable "prefent$ among the myrzas. The tnyrzas teftifieoT "the "moft ardent devotion towards her ; and fix weeks afterwards they de clared in behalf of fhe Turks. On her way back, the emprefs was condudted to Pultova.. On her reaching that place, two armies appeared. They approached ; they en gaged; and gave Catharine an exadt reprefenta- tion__of the famous battle in fahTcT^Charles XIL was completely routed by Peter tire Great. ^ This fpedtacle was worthy of prince Potemkin, and of- the two fovereign* to whom he gave it. Catharine on this occafion, faid to fome of the courtiers who pointed out a fault committed by the Swedes: "Here we*may fee on what a fmall *' matter the fate of empires depends. Had it not " been for this fault we fhould not be here*" Jofeph II. on whom the, very name of a warrior made a lively impreffion, could not refrain from deploring the misfortune of the fwediSh monarch. He was neverrhelefs extremely delighted with all that was done both by Potemkin and the emprefs ; and was. fo captivated by the behaviour, of Catha rine, jhat he expreSfed his inclination to affift her in l6o LIFE OP THE., [J7^7* in caufing her grandfon to be crowned at Con stantinople. The emperor, however, could not help testify ing his furprife at the extraordinary complaifance the e-mprefs Shewed to MomOrtof. The favourite at times would Strangely exhibit his influence ; and his vanity feemed to be flattered in being able -to- give illuftrious witneffes to his puerile triumphs *. At Mofco Jofeph II. took leave of the emprefs ; and, rapidly croffing Poland, returned to his do minions, while that princefs purfued the road to Petersburg -f. . The unfortunate khan, S^hnu^Gu^iu^_was not in the Krimea when the emprefs vifited, that pe- ninfula. After having divefted hirn of hispower, Potemkin retained him for fome time with him ' at Khejfon ; where that imprudent Tartar wore ' the uniform of general of the preobajenlkoi guards, and was decorated with the- ribbon of. a ruffian * It is- the, cuflom in Ruffia, when playing at whift, infteaif of markers, to ufe pieces of chalk in a little cafe of filver or ~ ivory, with which the amount of the game is fcored in figures on tlie green cloth. Momonof was every day of the emprefs's party : and, having fome knowledge of drawing, he fome times took the chalk, and amuied himfelf with making car- ricatures on the table, while the fovereign, with the cards in her hand, condefcendiugly waited till he had finlflied his fcrawl, to proceed in her play. I ¦ >. * She arrived there the latter end of July : her journey having lafted fix months arid four days. order. I787-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. i6l Qrder. He was afterwards fent to Kaluga j his penfion was Stopped, himfelf left in the moft ex treme destitution ; and he was obliged to abandon his native eountry, to throw himfelf into the arms of the Turks, whom he might have regarded as his moft mortal enemies, if the Ruffians had not been fo. He firft retired into Moldavia, where a capigi- bachi and the hofpodar long advifed him in vain to- repair, to Conftantinople. Colonel de Witt *, then commander of the fortrefs of Kaminiek, and obfequioufly devoted to prince Potemkin, united his follicitations with thofe of the capigi-bachi. But Sahim-Gueray ftill held out. He doubtlefs forefaw the fatal lot that awaited him. In fhort, his perfon was feized^ and he was tranfported to the ifle of Rhodes. There Sahim- Gueray took refuge in the houfe of the french conful "|", of whom the Turks immediately de manded his furrender. The conful, thinking that they would not dare to violate his afylum, gene- •roufly refufed to give up the man who had put himfelf under his protection : but they threatened to fet fire to his houfe ; and, feizing the oppor tunity his momentary abfence gave them, they" -.tore down the arms of France from over the gate, 'which they went and placed againft a neighbour- ' ing houfe,, and Strangled . the .unfortunate klian. * The hufband.of madame de Witt before mentioned. f The name of the conful was Mille. VOL. III. &I As 1^2 LIFE OF THE tx7^7* As thefe affaffins did not pretend to have any commiffion or order from the porte for the per petration of this deed, and did not appear like the ufual minifters of juftice, it feems probable that they were adtuated merely by the rage of enthufiafm, as thinking him a neceffary facrifice to the mrfchiefs which he had brought upon his- ^ country and religion. Thus it was that the Turks took vengeance on this prince for his defection, and that the' Ruffians rewarded him for having ceded to them his dominions. Some time previous to fhe departure of the em prefs for the - Krimea, Bakunin, the minister of the department of foreign affairs, and at firft in the higheft degree of favour, received orders to travel. Bezborodko * was defirous of placing Arcadius r * The minifters, properly fpeaking, are the heads of fhe principal departments or colleges, and efpecially thofe of the college of foreign affairs. The chief, or the vice-chancellor, (the poft of chancellor being vacant fince the death of count Michael Vorontzof) may be confidered as prime minifter. Count Oftermann, a man not at all above the ordinary ftamp, filled this poft, and his father had it before him r he who held it under tlie emprefs Anne was involved in the difgrace of marfhal count Munich, and did not bear his reverfe of fortune with fo much fortitude as the marfhal. The feeond of the fame college was M. Bezborodko, looked upon as a very la borious ftatefman; and. his rapid rife would be almoft in credible in any other country. Not twenty years ago he was fecretary to Marfhal Romantzof. His chief talent confifted in a thorough knowledge of his native language, which he ¦wrote ±787;] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. i6^ Arcadius Markof at Petersburg. Nothing far ther was neceffary for procuring the banishment. of Bakunin. But whether he was unable to refift the chagrin he experienced from lofing his place, or whether it was fome, other caufe that accele rated the period of his life, Bakunin had not an opportunity to carry the fecrets of the govern ment 1 into foreign countries ; he died, almoft fuddenly. Markof was then recalled from Stockholm, and put in the place of Bakunin ; while Andrew Razumofsky, whofe talents and courage procured him the efteem of Catharine, was transfered from Denmark to Sweden. wrote in a pure ftyle ; a talent extremely rare among the Ruf fians, and which alone has'made the fortune of numbers. Th6 emprefs repofed great confidence in Count Bezborodko j em ploying him- to terminate the negotiations interrupted by the death of prince Potemkin, and gave him the title of prince. It was at that time reported, .that he intended fhortly to re tire, though ftill in tlie prime of life, and capable of fervice fot- many years to come. A confiderable income, a tafte for pleafure, and the loves of independence, all together feemed to give room to think that he would willingly fubmit to the ef forts of a powerful cabal directed againft him, and retire to Mofco, peaceably to enjoy his opulence : however, this1 re tirement never, took plaee, and the tzar Paul repofedas much confidence in him as his mother had done before. Bezborodko died at Peterfburg in tlie beginning of the year 1799- M a Markof, I64 LIFE OF THE C1?^' Markof, the fon of a ruffian peafant *, acting at firft in capacity of fecretary to prince Gallitzin, minister plenipotentiary at the Hague, had ac companied prince Repnin to the congrefs of Tefchen, and was afterwards fent to Paris, where he received orders from the emprefs to go into Sweden. Being active and artful, he fuited Bez borodko, efpecially as there was a great Similarity in their purfuits of pleafure. Accordingly, a great intimacy foon fprung up between them, which the latter had afterwards fome reafon to repent -f-. However, * M. Markof followed next to count Bezborodko in the fame college. He paffed for the moft fagacious of the three ; which was not faying a great deal. However, it muft be owned, that both his talents and attainments are of rather a fuperior caft ; and he might have afpired to tlie foremoft places while the emprefs lived, and which he would have filled as well as any- other perfon ; always fuppofing that he were fo have no other competitors than the people then about the court. f. He was removed from his poft by the prefent emperor Paul, foon after his aceeffion to tlie throne. — The mrnifterial functions never prevented him from attending to the promo tion of ,the arts : while minifter at Stockholm, a french aftrefs appeared tp him worthy of fhining on the ftage of Peterlbr.rg ; and he conceived it not incompatible with his dignity to take charge -of this modern Melpomene. Perhaps it might have been as well to have firft obtained the confi-nt of the managi-is of the theatre at Stockholm: but having only in view the glory.. of his country, and the claim he mould acquire on its grititude. 1 17'87-J EMPRESS CATHARINE II. l6c[ However, prince Potemkin wifhed,- at all events^ to induce the Turks to commence hoftilitiesv Independently of the hope of again difmembering the ottoman empire, he was defirpus of war>from a private motive, — a motive which rendered it neceffary to him. Though in a manner burthened with titles, honours, dignities, and crofles of knighthood, he ftill wiffied to procure the grand ribbon of the order of St. George. • -For the obi taining of this, he muft have the command of an army, gain a vidtbry, and confequehtly caufe the death of a. multitude of foldiers. But, in the fight of the ambitious, what are the lives of feveral thoufands of men in comparifon of an ornamen| that flatters their pride ! , Bulgakof, minister of Ruffia at .Constantinople, had been at Kherfon, to inform the emprefs of his fecret operations^ and of the di'fpofitibns of the divan. That minister , had formed correfponden- gratitude, by procuring to the imperial refidence of the ruffian empire fp exclianting a fubject, may be admitted as an excuTe for this piece of neglect. Madame Hufs, on her part, refolved not to be ungrateful towards the man to whom ,fhe was iri— ' deb ted for figuring in one of the, firft theatres in the world j file never quitted him, lodged at his houfe, and allowed, hjm not to recreate himfelf, after tlie painful bufinefs of the miniftry, any where but with her. Madame Hufs is certainly ah incomparable actrelj, by the confefiibn Of mamy-perfons who have frequented the theatres of London, as well as that ' of Peterfburg, > * - .* M 3 cies J 66 LIFE OF THE Cr7^7' cies in JEgypt, by means of baron TholuS, con- ful-general of Ruffia at Alexandria. Another cenful which Ruffia kept at Smyrna, named Peter Ferrieri, engaged in all the intrigues of which a prefumptuous Italian is capable. A third endeavoured to foment infurredtions in Moldavia, The ruffian Ships made a licentious ufe of the numerous privileges which had been granted them by the porte; and the court of Peterfburg per petually gave countenance to this violation of treaties. The porte, difcontented at this conduct, and irritated at the difcovery of a correfpondence be tween tbrahim-bey, one of the rulers of Cairo, ^.'nd the ruffian minister, gave orders to the capu- dan-paffia to go and quell the disturbances in ./Egypt. Within a few days afterwards, the grand vizir and the reis effendi demanded a con ference * of the minister, at which they delivered to him a memorial fuccindtly drawn up, to which they requefted him to give an immediate anfwer. This memorial Stated : " That experience having Shewn that the *' ruffian conful in Moldavia was a reftlefs and ** turbulent man, who employed all forts of *' means to disturb the peace of the two empires, ff the grand fignior infifted that he Should kaye ** his dominions withqut delay. * The 96th of July. «« That te 1787.]] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 167 " That the troubles which had now for two " "years been raging in Georgia, being evidently l< the effedt of the protection which' the emprefs " had granted to prince Heraclius, againft the fpirit of the treaties fubfifting, it was but juft of the fultan, that " I will have their heads cut off, and the heads " of their crews. But he who Shall difplay " courage, and perform his duty,, Shall be li- *¦' berally rewarded. Let all thofe who are willing " to follow me on thefe. conditions, rife up then, *' and Swear fo obey me faithfully." At thefe words all the commanders having rifen, fwore to conquer or die with their grand admiral. '•' Yes," exclaimed he, "T acknowledge you all *' as my brave and faithful companions t Go,- re- « turn I7& MFE OF THE [*787' *< turn to your Ships. Call your crews upon «* deck, Communicate to them my fpeech; " receive their oath, and keep in rcadinefs for " failing to-morrow." The Turks, fufpedting the fidelity of the Greeks, difarroed them all : at the fame time publishing a manifefto to invite the Tartars to return to their allegiance to the grand fignior. That people re gretted the lofs of their former matters, and de- tefted their new ones. In vain did the emprefs load them with prefents ; in vain had ftie caufed the koran to be printed *, and mofques to be built ; they faw in her only the chriftian, and in their heart preferred to her a muffulman prince. The myrzas then met and elected for their khan fhah Par-Gueray, who foon beheld under his orders an army of forty thoufand men. At Peterfburg the news of the war was received with tranfportsof joy. It had long been forefeen by the emprefs ; and She expected it with im patience. All her preparations were made. She had already a great force in the Kuban ; and de tachments of her armies were on their march to the Krim. The whole face of the country, from Kaminiek ' to Balta, was covered with her troops. Prince Potemkin, commander in chief of all thefe fordes, had under his orders Suvarof, Repnin, * The emprefs had the koran or kour'ann printed at Peterf burg, for the ufe of the inhabitants of Taurida. " KamenSkoY, I787.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 177 Kamehfkoi, Kakofsky, and a number of other generals. Marfhal Romantzof, unwilling to be an instrument to the glory of Potemkin, excufed himfelf on account of his great age, 'and refufed the command, of which fome remains of a forced refpedt had procured him the offer *". ' One of his fons went and joined the army. A fleet of eight Ships of the line, twelve frigates, and near two hundred- chebeks or gun-boats, was equipped in the Euxine ; and two Strong fquadrons under the command of Admiral Krufe and admiral • Gfeig, were in readiriefs at Cronftadt to fail for the Mediterranean. By the, al|iance of Jofeph II. the emprefs was Secure of another powerful fupport, as that prince was no lefs defiroUS than herfelf of a war with the Turks. Eighty thoufand Auftrians were on their march to Moldavia : in a word, all feemed to announce the approaching overthrow of the .otto man empire. Catharine, in the mean time, diffembling both her fentiments and her defigns, published a mani festo, in which She reproached the Turks with the infraction of the treaties which had been /violated only by herfelf. It was long, and conceived in a lofty fpirit, fuch as might feem, in; the eyes of * Marfhal Romantzof had at firft accepted the command of the army on a par with' Potemkin ; but, on perceiving that he was to be in fome fort fubordinate to his rival, he re quefted leave to retire. vol. in. n am 1^8 LIFE OF THE [}7^7- an impartial judge, more calculated to celebrate the triumphs and conquefts of the laft war, to difplay the fallen ftate of the porte, lying at the mercy of her conquering armies, together with the clemency and generofity with which She re ftored her numerous conquefts by the treaty of Kainardgi, than to juftify, or to imprefs the public with ideas of the equity of her conduct and proceedings' during the peace. The Turks are, however, charged with the blackeft perfidy in every tranfaction. Thefe charges are fupported and enforced throughout with abundant imputa tions of falfehood, treachery, contempt of the hioft folemn engagements, and a difregard to the fandtity of oaths, which are all charged upon the Ottomans, as if vices inherent in their nature : and, after a long enumeration of the pretended wrongs committed by the porte, fhe added : " That, provoked by fo offensive a conduct, She had, much againft her will, been obliged to have recourfe to arms, as the only means left her for aliening the rights which She had acquired at the price of (o much blood, and to avenge the dignity of her crown, injured by the violence that had been ufed towards her minifter at Conftantinople ; that, perfectly in nocent of all the calamities inevitably engen dered by war, She had a right to rely, not ohly^on the providence of God and the affift- ance of her allies, but on the devout afpira- " tibns 17S7*J EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 1,79 " tions of the chriftian world, for the triufnph '" of a caufe fo juft as that which She was forced " to maintain." ' This manifefto was foon followed by a fecond, which declared : — " That the port had had the " arrogance to infift on a categorical anfwer to " its abfurd demands ; and that the emprefs, " forced to repel the aggreffion of the enemy of " the chriftian name, armed herfelf with confi- " dence under the protection of that righteous " God who had fo long and fo powerfully pro- " tedted the ruffian empire." ' ¦ In fupport of thefe memorials by which Catha rine was moving heaven and earth againft the Ottomans, means were employed ftill more adapted to the fuperftition of the Ruffians ; papers were dif- perfed emphatically publishing the prophecies of the patriarchs Jeremiah and Nicon *, prediffting the fpeedy ruin of Conftantinople. Thifi was at the fame time an indirect manner of combating the formidable prophet the bey or Sheik ManShdur-f-, who again made his appearance, and, affirming * Nicon, raifed to the patriarchal dignity in 1552, changed the ancient liturgy of the greek church. | After the family of Gueray, defcended from Tfqhinghis- khan, that of Manfhour is one of die four principal ones of the Krimea. Tne three others are thofe of Scherin, of Barin> and of Sigevout. Sach as are fprung from either of thefe four families bear the title of bey, which fignifies prince. Thofe of the family of Gueray have the tide of fultan. n a that l8o > LIFE OF THE I, Z*7%7 that an angel had appeared to him in the midft 6: a wood, had been able to.colledt an army, and tc raife againft the Ruffians all the hordes of moun Caucafus. It might have been fuppofed that the' formei demonstration of the inefficacy Of his affume'c fupernatural powers and celeltial aids, when op- pofed to ruffian arms and difcipline, had left be hind fuch fore remembrancers of the failure anc imposition, as could not but effectually cure th< enfhufiafm of his followers : but the Sheik, ir whatever other qualities he might be deficient poffeffed a large natural Stock of courage, and ii is -poffible that the people confidered his valoui more than his. piety, in choofing him their leader. However this might be, the Sheik being fup ported by fome fmall neighbouring tribes o: Tartars, and by fuch Turks as were fcatterec amongft them, he entered the ruffians new frou tiers at the head of about eight thoufand men, without feeming, from any thing that appears to confider, or to make much inquiry, wha force he had to encounter. It is however to b< remembered, that in regions where the race o man are fo thinly fcattered as in the prefent fcein .of action, the difficulty of intelligence muft necef farily be great : it is likewife to be obferved, tha although the boundlefs wattes of thefe flat coun tries, which fcarcely have any other marks o division than a few great rivers, renders them ex ceedingl 1787.} EMPRESS CATHARINE II. i&i ceedingly favourable to predatory excurfion, yet the fame properties expofe the invader to a con tinual danger, againft which no forefight can. at all times provide, that of being fuddenly Surprized by a fuperior, and fuppofed. distant enemy. Prince Potemkin was in perfon at the head of the ruffian army, whjch he immediately divided into four columns, one of which led by himfelf, as well, as the others, but all purfuing different; routs," advanced expeditiously upon the enemy. If it were poffible to draw any fcheme of defign from thofe military details which were occasionally , published by the court of Petersburg, or 'to reafon upon them, it would be fuppofed that the object of this division and march of the army was to en-t clofe the enemy on all fides, fo that not a man could efcape. Yet this was not done, nor^ from what was feen, attempted, although the paffage of two or three rivers feem the only obstacles which the troops had to encounter on their march. Re- binder's column, however, came Singly in figln; of the enemy *. They found the Sheik himfelf, with about Six hundred Tartars, feparated. from the reft, and entrenched behind , their waggons*. Thefe,' upon the approach of the Ruffians, re-? peated aloud a Short prayer dictated by their pro phet, which, with the defperate courage they~dif- played in defence of their entrenchments, feemed * The ift of Oftober. . N 3 tO l8a LIFE OF THE [,7^7- to indicate that the fpirit of enthufiafm was not yet extinct. It was, however, impoffible that their courage could be of any avail ; the trenches were carried : and we may- judge of the defence, when, out of fo fmall a number, four hundred were left dead upon the fpot. The Sheik was fo far from finking under this misfortune, that, having colledted all the troops within reach during the night, he boldly returned to the charge next day, and, without regard to their artillery, had the hardinefs to attack the ruffian camp. This mode was not likely to be fuccefsful, with fuch troops as he commanded, and fuch arms as they poffeffed. They were ac cordingly repulfed ; the carabineers of Roften, the dragoons of Aftrakhan, and a battalion of grenadiers, carrying off the chief honours of the day. It feemed rather Singular in this encounter, that the Tartars Should have hoped, by a feigned flight, to draw an enemy, fo far their fuperior in the art of war, into an ambufcade. It is certainly a curious, though by no means a pleafing fpec- tacle, to behold the vigorous, though ineffectual Struggles of brave men, againft a vaft fuperiority of powrer, arms, and difcipline. Nor was the eonteft yet ended ; and it feemed as if courage would rife fuperior to difafter, or periffi in the attempt. The tartars benig., rein forced, a third adtion took place, in which major general prince Radifchef, at the head probably of another 1787-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 183 another column,* gained a complete ^ victory. After this fuccefs, the Sheik's habitation, and all the Tartar ^villages within reach, were plundered, and deftroyed by fire. Ten thoufand pints of lurtter, and a large quantity of barley, were the rural fpoil made upon this occafion : the cattle had probably been driven to a fafe diftance ; and money, valuable furniture, or merchandize, were articles not to be looked for in thefe regions. Such was the iffue of the fheikManffiour's fecond adventure in war. ; ¦ The Lefghis were likewife, Said to have received a great defeat from the Ruffians, about this time, Somewhere on the fide of Georgia. Some enterprizes which were undertaken by the Turks agairiffi the ifland of Taman, and the Krimea, were attended with as. littleJhccefs as the attempts of^the^Eaxtarj.-. n Next to the defeat or destruction of the ruffian fleet, no objedt, on that fide, could be fo interest ing to the Porte as the recovery of Kinburne. For this fortrefs being fituated directly oppofite to Otchakof, from which it is feparated only by the mouth of the Dniepr, where, united with the waters of the Bogue, it falls into the Euxine, this vicinity not only expofed the latter con tinually to the danger of a furprife, but being likewife a Station for the ruffian fleets, as well as a great naval and military arfenal, it was at all n 4 times 1»4 HFE op THE Ll787* times pregnant with the means of war on both ele-, ments. Through fome fatality, probably the want of a due fubordination being eftablifhed among the commanders, fuch diffentions broke out in this fleet, as ferved totally to overthrow every defign of the expedition. From whatever it proceeded, nothing could have been more unfortunate at the opening of a war, nor more ruinous than it proved in its fubfequent confequences. Haffan-bey, after Spending a few days fruitlefsly at Otchakof, re turned without making any attempt upon Kin burne, and, fo far as appeared, without any en deavour to fall in with the ruffian fleet on his re turn. Nothing could exceed the rage and cla mour of the people, nor the difappointment and indignation of the Porte, upon his bringing the news of his own misfortune and difgrace to Con ftantinople. The unfortunate vice-admiral who Commanded* the expedition, was probably deemed a neceffary victim to the firft, and perhaps an indifpenfable example of rigour at the commence ment of a war. Thus, through the weak and cruel maxims of the turkifh policy, was an ex cellent officer loft to the ftate, at a time when his Services- were likely to be more wanted than at any former period of its existence ; whereas, a proper inquiry into the caufes of the mifcar- riage, with a moderate reproof, if any was due, to 1787-], EMPRESS CATHARINE II. l8j[ to the commander, might have ftimulated him to the nobleft actions. In the mean time,', the brave garrifon of Ot-r chakof, notwithstanding their being deferted by the fleet and army, were inceffant in their endea vours, and ffiewed an extraordinary, but ill- judged, and mifapplied degree of enterprize and valour, ' in their efforts to recover Kinburne ; either by furprife, which could fcarcely be ex pected to Succeed, or by mere force of hand, which was ftill more impracticable. They were accordingly repulfed with lofs in the two firft at tempts, but the third proved fatal. The garrifon of Kinburne had been confiderably reinforced, when five, thoufand Turks, poffibly ignorant of the circumftance, having croffed the river from. Otchakof, made a fierce attack; on the fortrefs before day. The 'garrifon ^ac^ been, too lately alarmed to be now furprifed, and maintained their pofts, well while the darknefs continued; but as foon as day-light appeared, they quitted the de fensive, and fallying. from different gates nearly incloied the enemy, whom they attacked with great courage on at leaft three fides. A defperate action venfued, in which the Turks, being un doubtedly difmayed at the iinufual danger and hopeleffnefs of their Situation, were routed : after which - the fight was changed to an abfolute flaughter ; for, what- with the grounding and . other l86 LIFE OF THE [}1%7- Other casualties, in fuch a hurry, which befel many of the boats; what with the eager purfuit of the enemy, and, above all, the general blind- nefs and confufion which terror produced, not above a thoufand of the whole party are faid to have efcaped. A Slaughter fo vaft, and fo totally difproportioned to the number engaged, feems indeed, rather difficult of belief ; but the Situation and circumftances of the affailants were unufually perilous. The circumftance of the two ruffian generals, Beck and Suvarof, being feverely wound ed, feems to indicate that this adtion was not en tirely bloodlefs to the victors. Te Deum was now fung with the higheft pomp in all the churches at Petersburg upon this occafion, and the public re joicings were fuch as might have been expected for the greateft vidtory. The emprefs earneftly follicited the ambaflador of France to engage his court to join her for the difmemberment of the ottoman empirel In return for this fervice, fhe offered to cede to France the poffeffion of iEgypt *, of the' conqueft of which She * Great quantities of fugar of an exceedingly good grain are produced in .(Egypt 5 and if that country were under a better government, it might fupply Europe to a very large amount. In Candia too and in Sicily the cane thrives well ; where nothing is wanting but more induftry in the inhabitants, and fome enterprifing people of capital, for rendering this produft 1787-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 187 ftie thought herfelf fecure *. But the ambaflador was averfe from trusting to the Specious bait. He knew that if Turkey was to be partitioned, iEgypt would be lefs deferable to the French than the ifle of Candia. He knew, that though it would be advantageous for France to have a treaty of com merce with the Ruffians, it was greatly more to her intereft to prevent the demolition of the Turks, with whom She was engaged in a more fafe, more product, an article of vaft importance. This obfervation likewife may be applied to a large extent of the coaft of Barbary. jEgypt abounds in coffee- trees, and produces excellent hemp and flax.' The French might willingly abandon their Weft India iflands, were they once poffeffed of iEgypt. Terra fuis contenta bonis 5 non indiga mercis > Aut jovis : in folo tanta eft fiducia Nilo. * The chief force of JE,gypt confifts in about eight thou fand horfe ; for the janiffaries are by no means to be reckoned as foldiers. The Pharos of Alexandria, which, according to the regulations, ought to be garrifoned by five hundred janif faries, has never half that number, and not, more than four cannons for its defence. The whole of the fortifications might eafily be beat down by a fingle frigate ; and the greateft dif ficulty a foreign army would have to encounter in maintaining poffeffion of Alexandria, would be tlie want of water ; that city having none but what is conducted by canals into their' refervoirs at the time of the Overflowing of the Nile ; it would therefore be neceffary to conquer the wha^e country, at leaft as far as the banks of that river. The revenues of the beys are raifed by a land-tax arid the produce of the cuftoms, amount ing together to near two millions fterling, of which but a fmall proportion reaches the coffers of tlie porte. lucrative, j88 life OF THE CI7^7' lucrative, and more convenient commerce- In fhort, he knew that the inefficient government of Constantinople could never, like that of Peterf burg, threaten to disarrange the equilibrium of Europe. Befides, what right had Catharine to. reckon on the fubmiffion of .(Egypt ? Her con ful general Tholus, it is true, maintained feveral under-hand correfpondencies there; he had Se cured the beys Ibraham and Amurath in his inte reft ; but the temptations which he threw put to another bey, named Ifmael, were not attended with the fame fuccefs. Ifmael caufed 'him to be arretted, and fent him to the pafha of Cairo, who detained him prifoner *. A circumftance which happened foon after the opening of the war, though in itfelf of little con- fequence, occafioned great joy at Conftantinople, from its being confidered as an indication of future fuccefs, and that fortune had -again begun to look favourably upon the crefcent : — tlie ruffian fleet having, in the month of September, been fcat- * The ambaffador added j that the French had it always in their power either to feize on ./Egypt, or to make fuch an alliance with the beys as would open to diem a communica tion with India ; that die. beys would eagerly embrace any offer that promifed to fecure them a perfect independence on the ottoman porte; nay, would even become tributary to any other ftate, who would maintain them in their feparate govern ments, protecting each of them againft the others, and the entire country from tlie oppreffions and refcntraent of die Turks. tered I787.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. igfl tered and greatly injured by a violent tempeft on the Euxine, and having no' port, on the afiatic fide to afford them Shelter, the Boryfthenes, of Sixty- four guns, being nearly difmafted, and otherwife in great diftrefs, was driven by night into the ca nal of Conftantinople ; having pafled fo many of the forts in the dark, that her efcape, when She difcovered her Situation, Would have been im- poffible, had She even been in better condition for making the attempt. It may Well be fuppofed that nothing could exceed the aftoniffiment of the people, when day-light difclofed to them fo novel a fight, and One fo well calculated to excite a po pular and enthufiaftic joy. They were, however, probably equalled on the other fide, by the grief and difmay of the ruffian captain ; who1, perceiv ing himfelf- inextricably involved, -adopted the defperate refolu'tion of blowing up the Ship in the face of the city and harbour : but the crew, pre ferring the fmaller evil of imprifonm'ent, inftantly feized his perfon, and held him in durance until they were boarded by the turkiih boats. About fix hundred and fifty Ruffians were made prifoners. The Ship had been fo exceeding Sickly as to lofe one hundred and- fifty men in that Short cruife. In her endeavours to incite the chriftian princes to arm againft the Turks, Catharine Surely never fuppofed that they would fecond her in all her ambitious fchemes, or that they would remain at leaft calm fpedlators of her triumphs. , She was not I90 LIFE OF THE [1788. not ignorant -that England was inftigating the porte to go to war, and was fending it fupplies : and that Pruffia would not patiently fuffer either the aggrandifement of Ruffia or the houfe of Auf tria. But what the emprefs did not forefee, was the refolution of Guftavus III. to declare war, againft her immediately. 1788. It was during the progrefs of thefe hof- tilities with the porte, that Ruffia thus found her felf fuddenly involved in a new and unexpected war ; the poffibility and confequences of which were certainly not taken into account, in her ori ginal calculations of conqueft and fchemes of ag grandifement. For though the world, as well as themfelves, had long known the diftafte which prevailed between the courts of Petersburg and Stockholm, and faw that public jealoufies were by degrees ripened into perfonal diflike, and even an apparently fixed animofity between the fovereigns ; yet nobody imagined, or indeed believed, that, considering the prodigious difproportion of their power, Sweden could have, ventured upon entering into a direct war with Ruffia. The king of Sweden had fpirit, perhaps it may hereafter be confidered as fagacity and wifdom, to fee things in a different point of view. He might have been taught (if all more remote hif tory had been extinct) from the numerous exam ples afforded by his uncle, the hero and founder of the pruffian empire, how to distinguish between great 1788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. I9I great difficulties and abfolute impoffibilities ; he might likewife have learnt, from the fame fchool of knowledge and experience, that there are cer tain critical Situations, when it becomes wifdom, and is confonant to the ftridteftlaws of calculation, to commit every thing to the hazard of a Single great exertion, rather than to wait for that irre trievable ftate of things, when it wduld.be impof- fible for any exertion to produce a Single favour able caft. As a nation, Sweden had the gfeateft caufes of refentment againft Ruffia for paft injury and lofs, at the fame time that She had every thing to dread from her prefent overgrown , power and boundleSs ambition, which was as little qualified in the wanton difplay, as it was ungoverned in the actual exertion. It was impoffible to behold the rich province of Livonia, with the adjoining valuable ,ones of EftliQnia, Ingria, and Carelia, befides a great part of Finland, in the hands of, ftrangers , and enemies, without the deepeft regret ; or could a fwedifh. patriot behold, without a degree of in dignation equal to the regret, his countrymen perishing ail round him for want of bread, while , the firft of thefe provinces could moft abundantly have fupplied their wants ? Thefe loSfes were embittered by the recollection of particular inju ries and extraordinary cruelties. The favage war carried on by Peter the firft (it may be faid againft human nature) in the bowels and loweft caverns' of J1}2 LIFE OF THE £1788. of the earth, for the destruction of the fwediSh Copper and iron works, artd rendering the ruin irretrievable, by breaking down the moundsthat prevented the water from overflowing the mines, was, fo far as human power and malice could ap ply, entailing mifery and want through all gene rations upon a people, whofe harvefts and means of life were produced in thofe dark regions. Yet, in defiance of thefe, feemingiy incurable, national animofities, Ruffia had constantly found means to maintain a Strong and numerous party in Sweden, who were ever ready to facrifice the in terefts of their country to her felfiffi and dangerous views. This She accomplished by various means, by the common effect of power, in dazzling and fubduing the weak and the timid ; by her money, which could not fail fo operate with great effect upon a very numerous, poor, and factious nobi lity ; to this head may be referred the facility with which her vaft military establishments' ena bled her to provide for all thofe, and even for their relations and friends, whofe zeal for her fer vice rendered them obnoxious to their country. The vicinity of Ruffia, too, with that overreach ing affectation of friendship and good neighbour hood, under the covert of which fhe endeavoured to become a party in the affairs of all her neigh bours, together with the common ties of language, religion, blood, and various other connections, fubSifting between the fubjugated fwedifh pro vinces, 1788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 193 vinces, and thofe ftill retained by that crown, af forded her continual .opportunities of being mi-i nutely acquainted with the moft fecret affairs of that country, of knowing the exact ftate, views, and value ©f parties, and of knowing all thofe men who were the fitteft for the purpofe, and the moft liable to be pradlifed on, in order to make them profelytes to her views. The great revolution in the government ofeSwe- den, effected by the prefent king, tended greatly to leffen this Sinister influence ; but the evil was too deeply fixed to be foon eradicated, and the bold intriguing difpofition of the ruffian minifters at Stockholm, who, prefuming too much on the greatnefs of the power by which they were fup ported, difdained to fubmit to thofe nice regula tions, which the wifdom of ages and nations have established as laws to govern the conduct of the diplomatic body during their million in foreign courts. By this means a Strong foreign faction, though feemingly cemented by constitutional principles, and looking only to domeftic regula tion and concerns, was constantly nurfed and fup ported in the kingdom, who, directly inimical to the king, and to the new form of government, were no lefs To in effect, whether intentionally or not, to the real interefts and fecurity of their country. That Sudden and unforefeen revolution in the government of Sweden, was the fource of all the vol. 111. o cool- I94 MfrE OF THE [178&. coolnefs, jealoufy, and diflike, which, had Since taken place between the courts of Petersburg and Stockholm. Nothing could be more directly contrary to the views of Ruffia, or fubverfive of the policy which fhe had purfued during the greater part .of the prefent century, than that Sweden Should . ever again recover her former rank among nations, or any part of that weight and influence which fhe once held in the political fcale of Europe. A nominal king without power or effect, with a nation constantly rent and dif- tradted by jarring factions, any of which She might occasionally fupport againft the others, as beft fuited her immediate purpofes, would, in procefs of time, afford her fuch continual oppor tunities for interference and regulation, and fuch frequent pretences for fending armies into the •country to fupport her decisions, that all the feibftantial benefits of conqueft would thus be ob tained, without the odium and jealoufy ever in* feparable from that term. Nor might it be entirely overlooked, that dependent kings, as well as de pendent princes, would be neceffary appendages to the fplendor, as well as gratifications to . the vanity, of an imperial court. The revolution deftroyed all fchemes of this nature, however fondly entertained. It is now well known, that nothing lefs than the various calamities, occafioned by a long foreign war, a dangerous rebellion at homej and the cruel ra vages I788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. Ioj vages of the peftilence, all of which about that time afflicted Ruffia, could have prevented her from taking a direct and decisive part in over-r throwing, as She had not time to prevent* the fyftem of government , then eftablifhed by the king of Sweden- It was,.-, however, ftill perhaps expected, that a young prince like Guftavus, feel*" ing himfelf yet weak, and not fully affured in his new. aceeffion of .power, would have gladly ap* plied to his great, wife, and powerful neighbour, for her approbation and confirmation of it. Every body, however, expected* that the vifit , which the king rtpt long after paid to the court of Peterfburg, would have amply atoned for this in attention or neglect, which might well be imput* ed to the giddy effect, that a fudden aceeffion of power is ever liable to produce on a youthful and inexperienced - mind. The king, however, fuddenly departed from the court of Peterfburg, it was faid, without taking' leave, while the expe-' < dition which he ilfed irt returning to his' Own do minions, carried almoft the appearance of precipi tation ; and from that period the breach between the two courts, inftead of clofing, had been con tinually growing wider. It is Stated, in a pamphlet faid to have been written by himfelf on the Situation of public affairs, that the king of Sweden had early endeavoured to avert the impending ftorm, by offering his medi ation to reconcile the differences between Ruffia o 2 and I96 LIFE OF TriE [178$. and the porte ; an office he was peculiarly qua lified to fucceed in, from the long-eftablifhed friendship fubfifting between Turkey and Sweden. The contemptuous feorn with which the propofal was received, and the difdainful manner in which it was rejected, feem to have been fenfibly felt ' by the royal writer. A fimilar propofal made by Great Britain, fupported by Pruffia, was fcarcely better received. To this pertinacious adherence to her ambitious defigns, the king directly attri butes the fubfequent meafures, which, he fays, he was under a neceffity of adopting on the principle of defence.Since, count Oftermann had quitted Stock holm, his fucceffors * had faithfully imitated his conduct. But no one had distinguished himfelf fo much by his boldnefs as count Andrew Razu- mofsky -|-. Jealous of regaining the favour of his fovereign, * Moufchin-Poufk'rn, and afterwards Markof. -f Count Razumofsky, the ruffian minifter at Stockholm, was deeply initiated in all the intrigues, defigns, and political ¦myiteries of his court ; at the fame time that he derived from nature and habit no fmall portion of that haughty and over bearing fpirit, which marked her conduct in all tranfactions with her we.iker neighbours. He is charged with even ex ceeding his predeceffors, in the contempt with which he trampled upon the general laws of nations, with refpeft to the conduct prefcribed to public minifters in their miffion at fo- , reign courts ; with paying no regard even to outward appear ances ; and with carrying on his intrigues of feduction and corruption. I788.} EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 197 fovereign, that wiley minifter was perpetually working to fow diffenfions among the fwediSh nobles, Of whom the far greater part were dis contented with their king, and were but too much, inclined to listen to the infidious advice of the, Ruffian. < , t Guftavus was an impatient fpedtator of thefe machinations ; he faw with abhorrence the court of Ruffia giving honourable reception to general Sprengporten, who, after having affifted him himfelf to regain the authority over the fenate of Sweden, thinking ' his recornpences far Short of his deferts, had quitted his country, in order to enter into the fervice of Ruffia, and was ufing every effort to raife an infurredtion in Swedish Finland *. The king of Sweden refolved to take his re venge. Before the Turks had declared war againft Ruffia, Heideftam, his minifter at Conftantinopfej had' already received orders to conclude a treaty of alliance with them. The Turks recolledled corruption, in forming factions againft the ftate, openly and too fuccefsfully, in the capital, and under the eye of the fove reign at whofe court he refided. * Sprengporten is of an antient finnifh family. On leav ing Sweden he entered intp the dutch fervice, and fhortly After into that of the Ruffian's. At his inftigatiori the Finns fent off a deputation to St. Peterfburg, at the head of which was a gentleman named Yagerhorn, who foolifhly afked for their fovereign .prince Conftantine Pavlovitch. o 3 with I98 LIFE OF THE [J7^ with awe the victories of Charles XIL They ( thought that a king of Sweden might make a powerful diversion in their favour. They proT rhifed Guftayus to grant him confiderable .Subsi dies, ; which in part were paid him on the fpot. Befides, Pruffia lent him money, and England promifed him the affiftance of a fleet. That prince therefore began to arm. Being a witnefs to the preparations that were going forward at Stockholm, count Andrew Razu- mofsky haughtily aSked to what end they were making. Guftavus, with Still greater haughtinefs, replied, that he was not accountable for his adtions to any foreign power. It was fomewhat extraordinary to fee an ambaffador difputing in fhe capital of Sweden the prerogatives of the - fwediffi monarch, and pretending to fet bounds to his power. Guftavus, juftly exafperated at this inftance of prefumption, ordered Razumofsky to depart from Stockholm. But the Ruffian found m?ans, under various pretexts, to defer his de parture for a confiderable time. . Notwithstanding this, the preparations for war went on with the ufual ardour. The fleet was equipping at Carlefcrona ; the troops to be em barked Were gathering round the capital ; others were on £heir march to Finland. It Was artfully propagated that it was neceffary to put the king-; dom on its defence, as the court of Petersburg had threatened Swteden with an attack, unleSs, Guftavus 1788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. I99 Guftavus would confent to furnifh her with fuc cefs lagainft the Turks. The.fwediffi foldiers burnt - with defire to meafure fwords with a nation. which their ancestors had fo frequently vanquished. In ¦ a word, they were embarked, and the fleet which." had them on board arrived in Finland, whither Guftavus. was gone before. The troops had fcarcely fet foot on the frontiers, than a fmall detachment of ruffian chaffeurs made a feint to, diflodge a body of Swedes whp defended a bridge. Some fire-arms *. were even difcharged on both fides, which Guftavus readily took for a fignalof war. His orders were already given, and his fquadron captured too ruffian frigates that were cruifing off Sveaborgj for the purpofe1 of exer cising the marine cadets of Petersburg. Guftavus refolved to march againft Frederikf- ham ; but, as they had not yet been able to get the heavy artillery on Shore from on board the < fquadron of Carlefcrona, he now conceived the defign of attacking the town on two different fides at once, and take ft by affault. Terror' and amazement took poffeffion of every * By tlie fwedifh conftitution, the king cannot attack a foreign power, without tlie confent of the diet. — The Ruf= fians pretend, that Guftavus Ilf. had difguifed the boors of .Fjnland as ruffian foldiers, and confequently caufed his own Tubjecls to be killed, in order to have a pretence for entering the ruffian territory, : ^ 04 ' breaft 300 LPFE OF THE £I7$%. breaft at Petersburg. All the ruffian foldiery had been fent off againft the Turks. At the firft moment of alarm the emprefs had no more than fome invalids and a few detachments of her guards to fend to the relief of Frederikfham. No doubt was entertained that Guftavus would get poffeffion of that place, and proceed to lay Siege to the refidence. Catharine was extremely uneafy, but always preferved the appearance of perfect tran quillity. The french ambaffador juft at that time entering the palace, her majefty alked him, what news were talked of ? — " That you are going to " fet out for Mofco, madam," returned he. — " You did not believe it :" She immediately an- fwered. " I have given orders for a great num- " ber of poft-horfes to be kept in readinefs; but (t it is for the purpofe of bringing foldiers and " cannons."She did really bring together the few troops that were difperfed among the lefs distant garrifons, and fent them into Finland to join the detach ments that were already there. The command of this incomplete army was given to Moufchin- PouSkin, an inexperienced general, whofe repu tation for military conduct was not calculated to ftill the apprehenfions of the people of Peterf burg. The emprefs Shortly after wrote to the prince de Ligne, who, in converfation had familiarly given I 1788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. SOI given her the name of imperturbable, or immovable, ' and who happened to be then with Potemkin * : «¦' It is under the noife of cannon that Shake the " windows of my residence, that your immovable " writeS you this-f-." — At the fame time She fent to Potemkin the plan of the difpOfitions fhe had taken againft the king of Sweden, and added at bottom : " Have I done right, my matter J ?" The grand duke having earnestly folicited the eonfent of hisvmothef to ' go againft the Turks ; the emprefs, apprehenfive left this refolutiott might conceal under it fome dangerous defign, dexteroufly found means to elude it. Taking ad vantage of what dropped from the grand duchefs, that, though in a ftate of pregnancy, She was de termined to accompany her huSband, Catharine wrote to the prince, that the defire he had Shewn to fignalife himfelf in the war was proof fufficient of his courage and refolution ; and that his obli gations as fofl, hufband, and father rendered it incumbent upon him to defer his departure till the grand duchefs fhould be brought to bed. The grand duke had made all his preparations, and he was not diverted from his purpofe by the * It was o& account of the coaKtion between Ruffia and Auftria that the prince de Ligne ferved in the ruffian army as an» auftrian general, f " C'eff au bruit du canon, quffait trembler les vitres de "¦ ma re'fidence, que votre' imperturbable vous ecrit." { " Ai-je bien fait, mon maitse ?" 2, remonstrances 402 LIFE OF THE [l7$8> remonftrances of his mother. He rertewed his intreaties for her perrhiffion to fet ou», and his letter ended thus: " My intention of going to '•' fight againft the Ottomans is publicly known 5 " what will Europe fay on feeing that I do not " carry it to effect ?" — Catharine only wrote in reply: "Europe will fay, that the grand duke " of Ruffia is a dutiful fon." However, when the army of Finland was raifed, the emprefs granted leave to the grand duke to repair thither, though without conferring on him any' command, The heir of the empire, on find ing himfelf in the army destitute of all authority and furrounded by fpies, did not chufe to re-: main there long. He returned to St, Petersburg and fell Sick with vexation. Her majefty haftily published a declaration, in which, complaining of the behaviour of the king of Sweden, and of the neceffity to which he had reduced her of arming againft him, She artfully diffembled the weaknefs of her troops in Finland, and faid, on the contrary, that the garrifons had been reinforced, in the way of precaution, a long time before the aggreffion of the Swedes. At the fame time fhe ordered baron Nolken, the fwediffi minifter, to quit the empire without delay. . Hostilities were commenced between the Swedes and Ruffians *, in Finland, a few days after the * June sift, king's I788.3 EMPRESS CATHARINE II, aOJ king's arrival in that province. Each fide charged the other with the firft aggreffion, and it would. be of little ufe to enter into the. merits of the queftion ; the hoftility was Confidered and. treated by each as a declaration of war. The Swedes were generally fuccefsful in the fmall actions and flcirmiffies that now took place, taking feyeral places of no great confequenee, befieging: others of greater, and feizing fome Strong pofts and dif ficult defiles, which might ferve to facilitate their further operations in a country which nature had rendered in ail refpedt s fo extremely impracti cable. The fwediffi fleet, consisting of Sixteen Ships of the- line, five large frigates, and feveral cor vettes, paraded about the gulph, and even ad vanced to within fight of the batteries of Cronftadt,' and feemed fo bid defiance to the ruffian arma ment. That armament had received failing orders for the Mediterranean ; but the appearance of the fwediffi fleet occafioned them to be recalled. So near an approach of an enemy could not but greatly alarm the capital, where the voice of war, except in iffuing its decrees againft remote nations, had never before been heard, from the firft laying of its foundations by Peter the great. Troop? were drawn from all quarters for its protection, and every poffible meafure adopted to fecure it from the effect of any Sudden attack, to which, from fituaticm, it wasvfo much expofed.- The younger £04 LIFE OF THE [1788. younger branches of the imperial family were re moved to Mofco ; but the emprefs, with her ufual magnanimity, waited unappalled to face the tempeft. All the kozaks within reach were haftily collected to be turned loofe, as opportunity ferved, upon the fwediffi provinces ; and admiral Greig failed with a ftrong fleet from Cronftadt, to counteract the defigns of the enemy by fea, on which fide only they could yet menace Peterf- .burg. If Ruffia was flow in her movements by land, fhe was by no means flack in her naval prepara tion, which was fo favourite an object, that no labour was deemed a toil, nor no expence a watte of treafure, in its purfuit. For, befides that the fea prefented the ottoman weak fide, and that one decisive adtion on that element would more fatally affect the fecurity of the turkifh empire than the lofs of half a dozen battles by land, ^Egypt, and the beautiful iflands of the Archipelago, held out fuch a variety of fafcinating objects, and fo ap parently eafy of attainment, that it would require no common degree of political temperance and felf-denial to withftand the temptation of feizing them. It need fcarcely be obferved, that all the , ottoman pofleffions on the continent of Europe muft, after fuch an event, lie at the mercy of Ruffia. A powerful fleet of eighteen fail of the line, moft of them heavy Ships, of high rates, and great * * J 788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE III £©5 great weight of metal, together with a cloud of frigates, and other fmaller and lighter veffels, fuited to the nature of the feas . and intended fer vice, were accordingly equipped, and deftined for the Mediterranean. As the celebrated count Orlof, who had acquired fo much glory in the laft war, and who had the addition of Tfchef- minSki to his title, in commemoration of the re markable destruction which then befel the turkifh fleet, in a pott or bay of that name, on the coaft of the Leffer Afia, had now declined, from fome caufes not generally known, to take upon him the command of this expedition, that important truft was committed to the charge of admiral Greig, a Scotfman, a brave and distinguished feaman, who, in a Strange country, without fortune or intereft, had rifen, merely by his fuperior merit, from the humbleft walks of life to his pre fent exalted Situation. Another naval armament was prepared, with no lefs induftry J, for the fervice of the Euxine ; but Ruffia, not being able to cope with her ene my there, in the number or ftrength of line of battle Ships which She could bring into action, intended to fupply this defedt by the construction of a numerous flotilla, compofed of frigates, gal- lies, gun-boats, and various defcriptions of light veffels, calculated to act near the Shores, in a depth of water which would not admit the ap- jproach of capital Ships. It was; however, prin cipally 2el> LIFE OF THE [_I7&<>* cipally intended for the fecurity of Kinburne, by rendering the entrance of Dniepr inacceffible to the turkjffi fleet; ; which was the more eafily ac complished, as: the navigation is at all times dif ficult, and particularly dangerous to bad feamen, from the, number of Shoals with which the river is incumbered, together with the narrownefs of its channels and variety of the currents. As thefe veffels were not, on this fervice, liable to be ex pofed to the dangers of the feas and Storms, they were accordingly fortified with a tremendous ar tillery $ compofed of heavy battering cannon, and of large mortars ; and, being befides excellently ftored with able feamen and veteran foldiets, they were" eminently fitted for the defigned purpofe. The prince of Naffau, who had been heard of in the late war, both in the french unfortunate at tempt on the ifland of Jerfey, and in the ftill more difaftrous attack of the combined nations of ' France and Spain on the fortrefs of Gibraltar ; and whofe uncommon rage for adventure, and eager- rtefs to Signalize himfelf, have led him almoft to every part of the world where any fervice was to be performed W danger encountered ; was ap pointed to the command of this naval armament on the Euxine. It would feem as if the unaccountable fupine- nefs with which Europe looked on, as if totally unconcerned, at that dangerous precedent, and atrocious act of fraud, perfidy, and violence, the difmem- I788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE if. 607 difmemberment of their neighbour kingdom of Poland, had misled the united . allies' of Auftria and Ruffia in their prefent fyftem of policy, and that they took it for granted, that the fubverfion of an ancient* and one of the greatest empires in the world, with ' the apportioning of its vaft members and fpoils to their mutual aggrandize ment, would have been beheld with the fame in difference in the prefent day, v/hich had prevailed on their firft effay at partitioning countries in the former memorable inftance. But things were now changed, and the minds of men and of nations were not afleep ; or, what amounts to the fame thing, were not fo entirely occupied by mean concerns, or felfifh petty de figns, as to overlook affairs of the greateft mo ment. That fupinenefs, to which both great communities and the moft watchful individuals are at particular periods fubject, may, perhaps, with propriety, be as much confidered as an epi demical difeafe of the mind, as thofe which rank under the fame defcription are with refpedt to the body. Some of the principal powers in Europe1 had long Since looked back with wonder and re gret at their own inertnefs upon that occafion. The infupportable haughtinefs and arrogance of one of the allied powers, which was difpofed to dictate to all mankind in their moft fecluded concerns, together with the felfiffi policy and known duplicity of the other, ferved likewife to j roufe 208 LIFE OF THE [178&, roufe that general attention, and to awaken that jealoufy, which their power and union alone Should have been fully competent to excite, without any auxiliary aid. Engfand too had had full leifure to ruminate upon, and fufficient caufe to repro bate, that abfurd and blind policy, under the-in- fluence of which She had drawn an uncertain ally, and an ever to be fufpected friend, from the bot tom of the Finnish gulf, to eftablifh a new naval empire in the Mediterranean and Archipelago ; a meafure which, if it could have taken effect, would riot only have proved in the end ruinous to England herfelf, but which would have involved, while it could laft, all the vaft furrounding re gions of Europe, Afia, and Africa, in continued broils, troubles, and wars. The allied empires accordingly now experienced a very general coldnefs, with an implied or de clared difapprobation, with reipect to their claims, pretenfions, and defigns, in almoft all the courts of Europe. Tlie republic of Genoa was almoft the only exception; She, befides a confiderable loan, granted the ufe of her ports to Ruffia, and engaged to furnifh the mediterranean fleet with Stores and fupplies. The determination of Venice with refpedt to the war, and the refufal of the king of Sardinia to permit recruiting in his dominions, were already known. The new com mercial treaties which Ruffia had entered into with Naples- and Portugal, whatever future bene fits 1788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 209 fits they might poffibly afford in feafons of peace, could tell but little with refpedt to the war. But Spajn, which was, of much greater importance than hoth together, -bad a turkiSh ambaflador then at her court, who was treated with the greatest: honours, and was not only herfelf at all times avowedly inimical to the Ruffians obtaining any footing whatever in the Mediterranean, but, it was now univerfally believed, would have refitted the paflage of their fleet through the ftreights by force of arms; and nobody was ignorant that her fleets were far fuperior, both in number and good- nefs, to thofe of Ruffia. With refpedt to France, She 'made no fecret of her difpofetion, nor could any doubt be enter tained of it though She had. An uninterrupted . alliance for between two and three centuries, (a " duration of friendship fcarcely to be paralleled , between nations upon any equality of power,) a moft advantageous commerce, amounting nearly t» a monopoly, through that period, together with many particular adts of friendship, and many effential political fervicea in feafons of great occa fion, were, exclufive of that juft policy which had long induced her to regard with a jealous eye any augmentation of power to Ruffia, the Strong ties that bound France to the porte. It was then eafily feen, that nothing lefs than the deranged prefent ftate of her own affairs, could compel her vol. in. - p to aiO LIFE OF THE [1788* to.be a quiefcent fpedtator to the ruin of the otto man empire. As to the northern powers, Sweden ordered the ftridteft neutrality. to be obferved, and forbid her feamen, and fubjedts in general, from enter ing into the fervice of any of the belligerent powers. Denmark was filent, and the part She was difpofed to take not yet understood by her neareft neighbours ; but, although She was known to be a. good deal in the hands of Ruffia, yet it was not believed that, under the influence of a wife political forefight, She could really wiffi any farther aggrandizement of that overgrown em pire, whofe coloffal power had already rendered the independence and liberties of all the nations of the north extremely precarious. Holland, the open mart of all nations, whether friends or enemies, . for all commodities, lent fome money to Ruffia ; but this was no public act, and the loan dragged on but heavily even with individuals. With regard to the political Sentiments of that republic, nobody would ven ture to fufpedt her government of being at all favourably difpofed fo thofe fchemes of ambition and conqueft adopted by the allied empires. The pruffian monarch, both from Situation and power, feemed alone capable of -disturbing the views, and even of entirely frustrating the defigns, of the allied, empires : nor was there more than, ol-ie 1788.] * EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 21 i one fovereign irt Europe, to whom any great ac- ceSfion of dominion to either would have been fo immediately dangerous. And though he was not perhaps competent Singly to maintain a eonteft againft their vaft united force, yet, in a caufe which affected fo many other interefts as the, pre fent, he could not long fail of effective alliances. His policy was, however, too deep to be yet fathomed. Collected in his redoubtable native force, which rendered him fuperior to apprehen fion and circumftance, he coolly Surveyed the gathering tempeft, and waited to behold it burft, with a Steady eye and undaunted an countenance. The emperor had done as much as the habitual ftiffnefs arid pride of the court of Vienna, joined to his own' incurable animofity, could well admit, in order to procure the quiefcence and good neighbourhood of -Pruffia during the war. But the fuperipr haughtinefs of his great ally difdained to Stoop to temporizing meafures, or to concilia tory expreffions. It feemed as if She ratheejwifhed, that Pruffia was confidered as not of fufficient im portance to come within her eff innate of things, than that it Should be at all regarded as interfering with her views of ambition, or as capable of dif- tiirbing* her calculations of conqueft and domi nion. Perhaps it was thought that all the fpirit and wifdom of that kingdom had fled with the immortal Frederic. p a Such HZ LIFE OF THE [« Such was the afjpedt of public affair, and fo little favour did the countenance of moft o( the european powers exprefs to that war, whiqh. its partizans warmly hoped, and many others ex pected, would have terminated in ffi^ 6nal fabr verfion of the ottoman empire. The difppfitiqn of the firft maritime, power in the world was ftill unknown ; and upon that much depended. We have feen that the expedition to the Mediterranean was a moft favourite ohje.d^ with Ruffia ; but it was not its being merely, 4 fayourite that rendered it of importance \ it was confidered a.s the moft effective, if not the moft potent arm of the wart without whofe. aid n«t other exertion could be deemed abfolutely deci sive. Yet it was fcarcely poffible that this exge,-? dition could fucceed, in almoft any de.gree, withp out the concurrence, favour, and *ven affiftanee of England. With an equal dilregard of future. confequ.ences, and contempt of former favours and fervices* Ruffia had,, for feveral years,, heaped difobhgation -upon difobl.igation^ in hex tfanf- adtions with Great Britain. ; and even, now, when fo much was immediately at ftake, She ftill re fufed to renew the commercial treaties which had fo long fubfifted between the two nation* ; aj the fame time that She was running about all Europe, to form commercial engagements with ftates* who,, from nature, Situation, and circumftances,, w.ere incapable I788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 2I3 incapable of receiving 6r cbrnmUnkating any benefit Frbrh the cbhhe&iori ; arid that the engiifh merchants, without the fecurity of a treaty, were ^ill the great fupporters of the manufactures and cbtnrnerce of that empire* Yet Khe expected that England would again become the dupe to her atnbitioa* In this confidence, pilot-boats were engaged in England, to Wait ih proper Stations for the arrival of the ruffian fleet ; to guide therh into thbfe ports which, being the Station of the rdyal naval arfehals, cotild the more expeditiously Supply them With all manner of ftores and provisions, and, at the farhe time, moft effectually facilitate their equipment for the mediterranean fervice. Thefe objects being dttaihed, the pilots were to Conduct them through the channel, and then to be replaced by a new fet, equally verfed in the navigation of the ttiore diftaht feas Which they were to encounter. In the mean time, fome merchants in London, as agents to die court of Petersburg, had agreed for the hire of eighteen large Ships, of four hun dred tons, or upwards, to ferve as tenders to the rliffiah fleet, ih the conveyance of provisions, itores, arms, artillery, and ammunition. In this promising tfaih feemed the ftate of preparation for the expedition, when a proclamation ifi the L6A- ddn Gazette, prehibitihg British feamen from s> i entering 214 LIFE OF TIRE [1788. entering, into . any foreign- -fervice, threw a fatal damp upon the defign. This was attended with a notice to the contractors for thetenders, that the engagement for fupplying them muft be re nounced ; that the Ships would not be permitted to proceed ; and that government was determined to maintain the Strictest neutrality during the war, with refpedt to all the hoftile powers, and con fequently Should afford no aid whatever to any of them. In the1 hope of remedying in fome degree this grievous difappointment, of at leaft of putting the better countenance upon the bufinefs, and affecting not to regard it, Ruffia applied directly to the republic of Holland for the hire of a number of large tranfports to anfwer the fame purpofe; but here the difappointment was re newed, that government not only abfolutely re futing a compliance with the requeft, but declaring its fixed determination to obferve the ftridteft neutrality through the courfe of the war. As this rejection was attributed folely to the influence of Great Britain at the Hague, fo itwas added to the black catalogue of her political fins, and Stored up for future remembrance. Though nothirig' could exceed the vexation which this difappointment occafioned, nor ferve more effectually to exafperate the court of Peterf burg, yet it happened,. Singularly enough, that few things could have been of more effential fer vice to her than the failure. For, had that fleet proceeded 4788.} EMPRESS CATHARINE II.' 0,1$ proceeded on its intended courfe' to the Mediter ranean: early in the. fummer, .(as was intended, and the fervice required,) the remaining part of her marine force, her great naval and military arfenals, her ports, her golden acquisition, the province of Livonia,, and .her capital itfelf, would have been all expofed to great rifk arid apparent dan ger, in confequence of the rupture which foon after took place between her and her jealous and exafperated neighbour the king of SWederi. Thus, it not feldom- happens, that the favoured children of fortune are.. greatly ferved by her in fpite of themfelves, hy her overruling. and counteracting tlio'fe ill-laid defigns, tor which, the -blindnefs of ' their paffions and violencex' of their, defires have given birth. ,' .. The admiral received a command to make ready for fea ; but an incident of a Singular nature prevented his compliance. .; It is well knowii that there is a want of native officers of fufficient ability and experience to conduct the operations of the ; ruffian navy with judgment and effedt. It was hot perhaps, in ,the nature of things that this^ deficiency could' be fully fupplied by .foreigners : it was however- the only refource ; and the conclusion of the american war afforded a confiderable fupply of young eng iifh officers, whofe minds were too alert to live out of action if it could any where he found. FeWj. if any, of thefe had rifen to any higher rank: p 4 in 2l6 LIFE OF THE [1788. in their own fervice than that of lieutenant, fo^that the cbnknand of Single Ships feemed the higheft advancement to which they could yet be com petent. They were however of the utmoft im portance to Ruffia ih the prefent ftate of things ; and Great Britain, notwithstanding the jealoufies fubfifting between the two courts, refrained from proceeding to the extremity of recalling them home. This known fcarcity of commanders could not fail to attract the attention of foreign adventurers, who had acquired any experience and reputation in maritime affairs. Of this number was the eng iifh pirate and renegado Paul Jones, who had rendered himfelf fo notorious in the american war* by the mifchiefs which he did to the trade of his country, and whofe defperate courage, which only ferved to render his atrocioufnefs confpicu- ous, would, in a good caufe, have entitled him to honour. This man could not but experience the common fate incident to his character^ and, finding that he did not meet the consideration which he ex* pedted in America, he made a tender of his fer- vices to the court of Peterfburg ; where he was gladly received, and immediately appointed to a high command in the grand fleet which was under equipment at Cronftadt. The britifh officers, full of thofe national and profeffiorial ideas Of honour which they had imbibed in their own country and fervice, I788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 217 fervice, considered this appointment as the higheft affront that could be offered to them, and a fub miffion to it an act ©f fuch degradation, that no time or circumftance could wipe away the dif- honour. They accordingly went in a body, to the amount of near thirty, without a Single dif-- fentient lagging £ehind, or hefitating on the ac count of inconvenience or perfonal diftrefs, to lay down their commiffions; declaring at the fame time, that it was impoffible for them to ferve under, or to act in ahy manner or capacity what-» ever, with a pirate or a renegade. Nothing could have been more vexatious or more etnbafraffing to the court of Peterfburg, at the prefent critical period, than this fpirited con-' duct of the officers. Punctilios of honour, ope rating in the. face, of command, was a thing un heard of iri that fervice. No Ruffian, under the firft rank or drder, would dare to insinuate fuch an idea. As it was, it could not be confidered as lefs than a direct infult to the court, and any fubmiffion to it as a grievous derogation from its dignity. It would befides eftablifh a precedent Which might be troublefome or dangerous with refpedt to her owh Subjects. It was well for the officers that they Were not'the members of a fmall State, and that this did hot happen in a feafon of peace, when their fervices might be difpenfed with. The neceffity of the time however prevailed. The ap pointment of Paul Jones to a command in the Cronftadt ai8 life of the [1788. Crdnftadt fleet was recalled; and that adventurer (whofe character of .an impetuous courage had made an impreffion on the court far. beyond its real value) was ordered to the armament in the Euxine as fecond to the prince of Naffau. In the mean time, a report was raifed of a fcandalous adventure with a girl which making a noife in the town, occafioned him to think it advifable to quit the country entirely *. The capudan-paffia having taken the command of the turkiffi force in the Euxine, appeared with a numerous fleet at the mouth of the Dniepr, where the fervice grew warm between him and the prince of Naffau, who, with his flotilla of gallies and light veffels, oppofed, with great fuccefs, the attempts of the enemy tq. become mafters of that river. Two, if not three, defperate and bloody en gagements took place between the hoftile arma ments, in that broad lake which is formed by the Dniepr and the Bogue, before their junction with, the Euxine, and which is itfelf fo confidera ble a piece of water, as to be distinguished by the * Paul Jones afterwards went to Paris, where he died in July 1792, and was attended to his grave by a deputation of the national convention. — He was brave at fea, though not by land, having refufed to accept a.challenge more than once, and was handfomely caned upon the exchange at Philadelphia. Befides, he was extremely ignorant, and unqualified to have the command of more than one fhip. name 1788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II: 219 name of the Liman fea. In all thefe the Ruffians were fo highly fuccefsful, as to afford occafion for finging Te Deum twice, if not oftener, both at Peterfburg and in the army of prince Potemkin. The Turks difpiayed as defperate a valour, in thefe amphibious, engagements (which could fcarcely be confidered as naval) as their, brethren had done by land, on the borders-of the Danube ; but, through that fatal indolence which has fo long marked the conduct of that government, they were totally ignorant of the navigation of a river, which- had for fo many ages been in their poffeffion. The Ruffians were likewife fuperior to them in point of feamanfhip ; Still more in the construction arid fitnefs of their veffels-for the fer vice ; and above all in the management of their powerful artillery. .,. v .,. The ruffian fquadron commanded by admiral Greig now put to -fea, and the hoftile fleets came ' in fight, or rather approached each other, in a fog, off the ifland of Hohgland.' The adtion did not commence till five o'clock in the after noon, and intwo hours fo many Ships were dis abled on both fides,, that they were ' mutually obliged1 to lay by and refit, in order to prepare for a renewal. No fcene was ever lefs calculated for the action and evolutions of two fuch numer ous fleets, compofed of great and heavy Ships ; a narrow fea, every where Studded with innumerable iflands, rocks, and Shoals, intermixed with de- '%¦¦ ceitful 220 ' * LIFE OF THE [l 788. ceitful channels, and rendered more dartgerous by violent, irregular, and jarring currents : nor were the climate and face of the heavens more favour able : overeaft Skies, a frequently foggy, and generally hazy air, with fudden tempeftuOus Squalls and unexpected dead calms, were among the ift- commodities which feemed to fet feamanftiipand naval Skill at defiance. Indeed fuch an exhibition, in fuch a Situation, feemed fcarcely lefs than an outrage upon nature. At eight o'clock the battle was renewed with apparently a frefh acceffibn of rage on both fides. Nothing could exceed the dreadful violence of the action, Or the fury and determined obftirtacy with which it was main tained. The darknefs was fo great, that the knowledge of each Ship was in a great meafute confined to her own Sphere of action ; fo that, ignorant and heedlefs of what was paffing elfe- where, She fought is if all depended upon her felf individually, and as if victory or deftrudtibn were the only alternatives. The victory, as is ufually the cafe in actions not apparently and ab- folutely decifive, was claimed by both fleets, as a flag-Ship had been token on either fide. Admiral Greig, from the aceeffion of frefh fhips and the ncarnefs of the great naval magazines and arfenals, was enabled, in lefs time than feemed Credible, to put again to fea with greater force than before. He came fuddenly upon the Swedes in the road of Sveaborg in Finland, where they were as inappre- benfive I788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE If. 22t henfive of attack, as they were from fituation and circumftance incapable of defence. He attacked them furiouily in this moment of consternation and furprize, and during the diforder occafioned by their endeavours to get within the protection pf the forts. The Guftavus Adolphus, of fixty guns, feemed a Sacrifice deftined to the fecurity of the reft; fhe was taken and burnt by the Ruffians. *. From this time to the end of the campaign the Swedes continued Shut up in the harbour o£ Sveaborg, being precluded even from the meant of refitting? while the ruffian fleet rode the tri umphant miftrefs of all the feas within the Sound; nor was it long before a numerous flotilla of fmall veffels, laden with provisions for the army in Finland, as well as for the fleet, through the fatal lack of protection, became a prey to the enemy. The joy which this fudden turn of affairs oC- cafiohed at Petersburg may be eftimated from the panic which had fo lately, for the firft time, * It is not -to be diffembled, that feveral of the fwedifti flitps did not do their duty : but their commanders were not pufufhed like the ruffian officers, who betrayed a want of courage. Admiral Greig caufed »he captains Kutufof, Wal- deren, and Baranof, 'to be put in irons 'and brought to Cron- ftradt ; the two former were condemned- by .a council of war to fuffer death, and the third to ferve as a common failor for the remainder of hk li£e. The" emprefs granted thera all a pardon, and Poternkija employed t^eBa ** ^ #eet <& && Euxine. feized 222 LIFE OF THE [1788. feized tlie refidence ; and the importance that was fet upon the fervice at court, was fully Shewn by the favour which the emprefs conferred upon ad miral Greig. A letter written to him with her own hand, was filled with praife and acknowledg ment ; and this honour was |fucceeded or accom panied by the fubftantial benefits of a confiderable fum of money, and of a good eftate in Livonia. This commander, who was Singularly fortunate in his life, feems to have been no lefs fo in its period, which took place before the clofe 6f the year, when he was loaded with all the honour and fa vour which he feemed well capable of receiving. The distinction and honour paid to him did not end with his life. His funeral was, by the ex- prefs orders of the emprefs, celebrated with the greateft pomp, being decorated and adorned by all thofe appropriate naval and military honours, which the martial nations of Europe have affigned as the laft tribute to the memory of the brave. Guftavus now offered propofals to the emprefs for an accommodation, on conditions purpofely calculated to wound the pride of that princefs. He required that count Razumofsky Should be exem- plarily punished for the intrigues and machina tions of which he had been guilty at Stockholm ; that the part of Finland and of Karelia that had been ceded to Ruffia by the treaties of Neuftadt „ and Abo, Should be reftored to Sweden ; that the court of Petersburg fhould make peace with the porte, ' X788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 223 porte, under the mediation of Sweden, who would prop'ofe to re-eftablifh the independence of the Krimea, in conformity with the treaty of Kainard*- gi ; and, in cafe of a refufal, Should fix the boundaries fuch as they were in 1768. He farther required, that Ruffia fhould immediately difarm, and confent that Sweden -Should remain 'armed until after the conclusion of the treaty. — " What " language !" exclaimed Catharine. "> If the " king of Sweden were already at Mofco, I Should " even then Shew him what a woman like me is " able to do, Standing on the ruins of a mighty " empire." . Inftead of making any reply to the propofals of Guftavus, her majefty recalled general Mikhelfon, who was fighting againft the Turks ; conferred on him the command of her army in Finland, and reinforced that army with twenty thoufand men. The firft efforts of Mikhelfon were not attended with fuccefs. He attempted; to dislodge a body of Swedes, advantageoufly pofted in the Savolax, thinking that it was his bufinefs to attack them in front, while the deferter Sprengporten advifed him to turn them. Mikhelfon hearing with dif ficulty what Sprengporten faid, Sternly anfwered : " What ! are youafraid ?" to which Sprengporten, retaining the moft perfect compofure, only replied by faying : " Let us march on *." The * Sprengporten is, however, a very violent man, having, it is. faid, once drawn his fword againft king Frederic Adol- phus^ $24 I.I*B OP THE £l The Swedes fuftered the Ruffians to come up, and when they were within reach of their artillery, fired at them a volley of old iron, by which five hundred of them were killed. The reft retreated in diforder. Mikhelfon, difcovering his miftake, availed himfelf of Sprengporten's counfel, and got poffeffion of the fwediffi poft. Sprengporten, being dangerously wounded in the fif ft onfet, was rendered lame for the reft of his life. But the lot of a traitor is no object of concern. What ought not to be forgotten is the fpirited behaviour of his fon, who, uniting filial affection with the no lefs facred love of his coun try, followed his father to the wars, but never would draw his fword againft Sweden *. But the emprefs reckoned on the defection of the officers of Guftavus ; and it was foon found that She was not mistaken. The king of Sweden's manifefto, which was published -J- Shortly after his arrival in Finland, but fome time later than the ruffian, was fraught phus, father of Guftavus III. Difcontented with Ruffia, for better reafons than he had been with Sweden, he retired into Germany, and lived a good while at Teeplitz. Since the death of Catharine he has returned to Ruffia. * When his father was difabled from ferving any longer, the young Sprengporten went to the army of prince Sotem-, tyn, and was wounded at the affauh of Ifmail, f The lift of July. with 1788:] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 225 with' much fevere charge againft the conduct and Views of the court' of Petersburg, for a feries of paft years; and the effedt 'heightened, where the charge is deficient, by the bitternefs of irnplica- tion, Which leaves more to be conceived than di rectly meets the eye. But the fcolding of fove- reigns affords no more ple,afure or edification than that of common people ; and moft of the real caufes of complaint we have already gone over. The defigns and attempts of Ruffia upon the pro vince of Finland, which are here delineated, being new ground, yet untouched upon, we Shall now lay open. That power is charged with having, almoft continually, ever fince the conclufion of the peace at Abo, endeavoured to debauch the Finlanders from their connection with Sweden, under the fpecious pretence of rendering that great duchy independent, under which it would have experienced the fate which Courland already had done, of becoming a feudatory province to Ruffia. The failure of thefe projects, which is attributed only to the integrity and attachment of the people, feemed to damp the defign for a time : but the defection of an officer of high rank, whom She found means to draw into her fervice, and who had been long entrusted by the king in commands of importance in Finland, was faid again to have rouaed all the ambitious projects of that court. That fhe had accordingly laboured inceffantly Since to excite a fpirit of distention and revolt :' vol. 111. a among 226 LIFE OF THE [178& among that people, and had even fent a general officer privately into the country to reconnoitre the polls, and to found their disposition. The king of Sweden was deftined to meet with the greateft difappointments, and to experience the moft grievous mortifications, in his endea vours to emancipate his country from foreign in terference and control, to redeem, in fome de gree, her antient glory, and to enable her once more to hold her former rank among nations. But the Star of Ruffia was ftill predominant, while that of Sweden was not only obfeured for the pre fent, but afforded too much room for apprehen fion, that it was upon the point of fetting to rife no more. Thofe machinations and intrigues, of which the king complained fo much in his manifefto, had taken much deeper root, and their effect was much more widely diffufed, than he was yet aware of. A counter revelution, by which the antient forms of government would be preferved, the ambition and venality of the nobility gratified, while the nation was in fact governed, as Cour land long had been, by a foreign minifter refident in its capital, was the grand and determined objedt of Ruffia ; and her meafures were fo laid, that She probably calculated to a certainty upon the event. For She was feconded in the open and avowed part of her views (which went no farther than the restoration of the former government) by 1 much I788.J EMPRESS CATHARINE ti. £27 much the greater part of the antient nobility, with all the influence which fo numerous and eminent a body neceffarily poffeffed ; to which were to be added the infinite number of others, who, from various caufes, were inimical to the late revolu tion, and confequently to the fyftem of govern ment founded upon it. It was faid, and feems probable, that a counter revolution was aily part of the object, that no modification would be admitted, and that nothing lefs than abfolute dethronement could afford fa- tisfadtio*i. That the king's croffing at fo critical a period the favourite views of his great adverfary, the contemplation of which had long afforded the moft fublime gratification, had created a perfonal animofity beyond all bound and meafure, and which the moft fignal vengeance could fcarcely be fufficient to allay. It was even rumoured (and rumour « is not always unfounded, particularly in defpotic governments), that, in the height of re- fentment, an idea was once entertained of reviv ing the title of the grand duke to the crown of Sweden, as fucceffor to the late unfortunate em peror Peter the Third, who had, unhappily for himfelf, relinquished that quiet and fecure inhe ritance, for the delufive profpect of fucceeding to the unstable and bloody throne of a vaft, but dif- jointed and difordered empire. However that was, the excellently constituted, difciplined, and well-appointed army- which the a 2 king 228 LIFE OF THE [1788. king commanded in Finland, rendered ftill more formidable by the native unconquered courage of the troops, and the Singular intripedity of their royal leader, would have been able, if nothing Sinister intervened, and that no internal unfound- nefs vitiated its composition, to carry difmay and terror to the gates of Petersburg ; nor could the wifeft forefee ivhat revolution in public affairs fuch an event might not have occafioned. But, inftead of the gratification of thefe flattering ideas, ^he king foon difcovered that he could place nO Confidence in his army j that a generaldifaffedtion was fpread among his officers, efpecially thofe in high commands, and of the moft noble families ; that they were not only determined to counteract all his defigns in the field, but that feveral of them carried on a traitorous correspondence directly with the enemy, while a great number (and un doubtedly the honefteft part) declared openly, that they could not, without a violation of their confcience and the oaths they had taken to their country, draw their fwords in a war, undertaken without the confent of the ftates of the kingdom, and of courfe contrary to the constitution. This unexpected difgrace and misfortune Gufta vus was doomed to encounter at the Siege of Fre- derikffiam, where the officers refuting to lead on the troops to the attack, and he appealing to tlie latter, on whom he ftill relied, to his utter afto- nilhment and difmay, they generally laid down 2 their I788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. , 22Q their arms. While the king feemed inextricably involved in thefe difficulties and dangers (for even the fafety of his perfon, in his own army, ap peared to be fuffiqiently problematical) and that the feeds pf diffention and difaffedtion were equally Shooting up in the capital and other places, the violent irruption of the Danes, from the fide of Norway, into the richeft provinces of Sweden, feemed deftined to overwhelm him entirely. Un der this additional preffure, he was obliged to abandon the army in Finland, in its prefent un certain and, disjointed ftate, to the care of his fecond brother the duke of Oftrogothia, while, he undertook himfelf a perilous voyage by fea, ex pofed to the greateft of all dangers, that of being captured by a moft cruel and - implacable foe, from whom deliverance could fcarcely be hoped : and, after a fevere circuitous journey by land, proceeded to the fouthern, extremity of his do minions, to. oppofe, without troops or means, a new and very formidable enemy. The fwediffi monarch was already within a Short diftance of Frederikfham. He had caufed a part of his troops to be embarked on board of gallies, giving orders to general Siegeroth', ,who had the command of them, to go and land on the other fide of the town, to begin the attack as foon as ever the troops were on Shore, and to fire, a cannon as a Signal for acting on both fides at once. a 3 Siegeroth 230 LIFE OF THE [1788, Siegeroth was retarded by contrary winds, and had great difficulty in landing his troops. He however fucceeded at length, and gave the Signal agreed on. Immediately Guftavus refolved to lead up his men. But fome of the principal of ficers, at the head of whom was colonel Hefteko, reprefented to him how very difficult it was to attack the fortrefs on the fide where he was ; that it was againft their duty to allow him to expofe his perfon to inevitable danger ; and that he him felf ought to fet fome value on the lives of his faithful fubjedts. This certainly was not fuch language as was held by the' conquerors of Narva : but Gufta vus III. had no refemblance with Charles XII, Neverthelefs, expreffing his furprife at thefe words of his officers, he replied, that he would be- pbeye'd. Upon this, feveral of them united in declaring that they could not undertake an offen sive war without the confent of the nation ; that they were ready to Shed their blood in defence of their* country ; but that they would never refolve to attack a neighbour who had not provoked them. Stung with this refiftance, the king addreffed himfelf to the foldiers. The regiment commanded by colonel Hefteko immediately laid down their arms, and their example was followed by the greater part of the army. Guftavus now charged ' lieu- 1788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. ^o)^ lieutenant colonel" Rofenftein to go and tell ge neral Siegeroth, to reimbark his troops : and he himfelf retreated . to Kymenagorod. The next day he caufed the officers who had refufed to rriarch to be put on board a Ship, and fent them to Stockholm ; where they were received by the populace with every mark of difpleafure, and were Shortly after put under arreft. It is not to be doubted that the nobles, who re gretted the change in the ancient form of govern ment, were willing to avail themfelves of this op portunity for bringing it back to its primitive ftate, and were acting in concert with Ruffia *.'¦ But a number of other officers, whom they had gained ovdr, were not in the fecret ; and the foldiers efpecially could not be acquainted with it. There feems no fmall reafon for fuppofing, al though it could not be oftenfibly avowed, that, notwithstanding the near ties of blood and. affinity between the royal houfes, of the two northern kingdoms, yet, that the court of Copenhagen was little lefs difpofed to wiffi for and to accelerate' a revolution in the government of Sweden, than even that of* Petersburg : although it was eafily ' feen (the king's temper arid charadter confidered) that fuch a meafure could not be accomplished, * Letters^ were intercepted of a correfpondence which was Carried on by fome of die .principal officers with the court ef Ruffia. a 4 without 232 LIFE OF THE [1788. without the moft imminent danger to his perfon, and a great hazard of very ruinous eonfequenees to his family. This difpofition, however, is not entirely, nor perhaps in any great degree, to be attributed to that inveterate animofity which for feveral ages has been fo deeply rooted between the Danes and the Swedes. The king of Sweden himfelf, moft unadvifedly, as being totally inconsistent with that fyftem of policy, which feems in other refpedts to have been the great object of his life, indicated, foon after the commencement of his reign, dif- pofitions fo inimical to Denrriark, as feem fully to juftify her in adopting fuch meafures of fecu rity, and of forming fuch alliances and connec tions, as were beft calculated to counteract the apparently dangerous ambition of fo near a neigh bour ; who feemed w'atchful to take an unneigh bourly and unfair advantage of any circumftance that might embarrafs her affairs, or misfortune that might weaken the ftate. , It appears, if we credit the ftate of the matter given by the Danes, that the very year in which the king of Sweden accomplished the revolution in the government of his own country, he directed his views to the production of one of a different nature in Denmark, which, without meddling with its government, would, by a fatal fepara- tion of its parts, have reduced the power and confequence of that country in the fyftem of Europe I788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 233 Europe to nothing, and rendered its future ex istence, in any degree, as an independent ftate, extremely precarious. This was by an attempt to feparate the ancient and extenfive kingdom of Norway from that crown to which it had for feveral centuries been fo clofely united, and which would have rendered the name of a kingdom fcarcely appropriate to its remaining weak and disjointed dominion. It has unfortunately, and by a Strange perver- fion of reafon and policy, been nearly the con stant fyftem purfued by the court of Copenhagen, through a courfe of ages, to rule Norway with a harfh and unfeeling hand, and to afford too much room for complaint to that people, on whom its ftrength and power fo much depended: infomuch that they feem, to have been generally treated and confidered rather as aliens than as fubjects and equal members of the fame general dominion and government. How far thefe caufes of difaffedtion continued to operate in the prefent inftance, we cannot pretend to determine, but it is clear . from the event that great difcontents ftill prevailed in that kingdom ; for the new fwediffi fovereign was riot only charged with fomenting them, with a view to exciting a gerieral infur- redtion, but with, marching an army, in the year 1772, to the frontiers of Norway, under the in tention of abfolute invafion, in fupport of the infurgents. The difcovery of the plot, the taking of £34 LIFE OF THE [i; of the cyphers under which the correfpondencc was conducted, along with the immediate meafures which were purfued for placing that country in a proper ftate* of defence and refiftance, were alleged to be the caufes which difconcerted this project, and prevented, at leaft, a hoftile attempt, for carrying the defign into execution. If this charge be well founded, as it feems to be, it . could not be expected that the court of Copenhagen would afterwards place much con fidence in the faith or friendship of a prince, who had afforded fo1 early and fo glaring a testimony of his being little bound by either ; nor is it to be wondered at, that, fo circumftaneed, She ^Should be lefs apprehenfive of the distant power of Ruffia, formidable as it is, than of the reftlefs fpirit and watchful enterprife of a lefs potent power, whofe vicinity enabled him to be at all times trouble- fome. and might, in certain Situations, have af forded him opportunities of being highly danger ous. Ruffia was likewife the natural check upon his ambition, and almoft the onlv one that could be effective in cafes of Sudden emergency. To f-hefe caufes and motives for Denmark's throwing herfelf into the arms of Ruffia, in preference to Sweden, is to be added, and particularly re membered, the Signal obligation by which She had been recently bound to the emprefs, for the Singu lar ceffion which She made of her Son's (the great duke's) patrimonial rights and inheritance in the duchies 1788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. fij5 duchies of Slefvick and Holftein ; which may well be confidered as a free gift, the miferable county of Oldenburg, though the original natal feat of the Daniffi Sovereigns, not warranting the name of an exchange. Few acquisitions, if any, could be of equal importance to Denmark with this ceffion ; for, befides the very confiderable accefe fion of power and revenue which it afforded, with the benefit of thereby rounding and comr pleting her German dominions, it was of ftill much greater advantage, in precluding thofe fre*> quent litigations and wars, in which the Strangely mixed fovereignty in thefe duchies had fo long in volved the poffeffors ; and which would in future have become every day more arduous and danger ous, as the fovereigns of Ruffia would have been the oppofite parties in the contention. A Strict alliance between Ruffia and Denmark took place upon this occafion ; and it is Stated, thatby fome articles of the treaty then concluded, which do not appear to have been published, the latter was bound, in certain cafes therein fpeci fied, to fupply Ruffia with twelve thoufand aux iliary troops, together with a naval aid of fix Ships of the line. Undoubtedly the court of Peterfburg was equally bound, in oppofite cir cumftances, to afford an aid to Denmark com- menfurate to her power. Thefe tranfactions took place in 1773, the year immediately fucceeding the alarm, occafioned by the alleged attempt or de-> fign 236 LIFE OF THE [1788, Sign upon Norway. Thefe fpecific conditions, whether fuppreffed parts of the treaty then comr municated to the public, or included in a feparate one, were evidently kept fecret, as the king of Sweden declared, in a public document, that he ' never heard of them, until the general notice given by Denmark of their intended fulfilment; while he feemed upon the whole rather to doubt their existence. Whatever political errors the fwediffi fove reign might have committed in his early conduct with refpedt to Denmark, it feems probable that he afterwards Sincerely repented the hafty and un guarded loofe which he then gave to his imagina tion or paffions ; and he had fince endeavoured, by a courfe of the moft friendly attentions, to conciliate matters, and to wear off all remem brance of them. It feems more than probable that his political fyftem was not then formed, and that it was not abfolutely decided until his return from the vifit to Petersburg. Upon the ottoman war, the approach of the prefent ftate of affairs in the north, and his own determination to renew or confirm the ancient alliance with the Turks, he particularly laid him felf out, with the utmoft affiduity, not only to gain the friendlhip of Denmark, but to fecure her effectually, by making her a convert to his own opinions and principles. The fudden and unexpected vifit which, towards the clofe of the year I788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE LI. 237 year 178/, he paid at the court of Copenhagen, and which was fo devoid of all etiquette and ce remonial, as to refemble the free intercourfe be tween two common neighbours, was a matter which excited, at leaft, the obfervation and curiofity of all the courts of Europe, and occa fioned, much general political furmife and fpecu- lation. The king of Sweden's objedt in this vifit was to imprefs deeply on the court of. Co penhagen the fame apprehenfions which he en tertained himfelf, of the* danger arising from the overgrown power, the infatiate ambition, the infidious intrigues, and the over-reaching conduct of Ruffia : that the danger was com mon to both the northern kingdoms ; that nothing lefs than the clofeft union and friendship, which their interefts required to be, indiffoluble, along with the moft fpeedy and vigorous mutual exer tions, could poflibly avert, or even ward it off for any confiderable time. He ftated, that if Ruffia fucceeded in her prefent ambitious defign of overthrowing and partitioning the ottoman em- ¦ pire, her power would then become fo vaft, that all efforts on their fide to * control or reftrain it would not only be futile, but acts of abfolute lunacy ; for they could afterwards only hope to fubfift.as miferable dependents on her clemency. Though the king of Sweden enforced all thefe and various other argnments, reprefentations, and propofals, with all thofe powers of elocution by which 23# LIFE OF THE ^1788.- which he was fo eminently distinguished, and which wrought fuch wonders in the popular affem- blies of his own country, here they failed of their wonted effect : fo much does that, in all things, depend upon tirne, place, and circumftances. The royal Dane had already determined on the meafures which he would purfue, and no conver sion was made on either fide. The defection of the Swedes was more than a victory to Catharine. Not fatisfied with this ad vantage, that princefs, conformably with the trea ties fubfifting between her and Denmark, called for the fuccours She had a right to demand of that power againft tlie Swedes. Though wifely inimir cal to war, the court of Copenhagen was faithful * to her engagements. She immediately ordered a fleet to be equipped : and the prince' royal, ac companied by prince Charles of HeSfe *, went on board, in order to proceed to Norway, and put themfelves at the head of the troops. The Norwegians, a Simple and generous nation, maintaining amidft their rocks the purity of an tient manners, and that valour which rendered them fo famous under Margaret of Valdemar ; the Norwegians, whofe lofty Stature, flaxen hair, and venerable beards, keep alive the remembrance of their fathers, thofe heroes who fo often invaded * The prince of Heffe is father-in-law to the prince of Denmark. England, S788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE It. 239 England, and received the well-earned honour of being celebrated in the Strains of Offian; the Norwegians heard not in vain the Signal of war At the voice of the prince of Denmark, they darted through the paffage * enfanguined by the death of Charles XII. entered the weftern pro vinces of Sweden, forced, at Quiftrum-f-, apart of the regiment of Weftrogothia to capitulate, made themfelves mafters of Oudewallia, and of all the other places they came to in their way ; and. went and laid Siege to Gothemburg. Gothemburg, after Stockholm, is the moft con* fiderable city of Sweden. The lots of it would have been almoft irreparable to Guftavus. That prince was already returned to his. Capital, where * Near Frederikihall. It may here be obferved, that there is no longer any doubt in Sweden that Charles XII. was affaf- finated. An officer of the name of Cronftedt, who died at a very advanced age, declared that he himfelf engaged tlie en gineer Maigret to kill Charles XII. This plot was formed at the inftigation of that Monarch's brother in-law and fucceffor prince Frederic of Heffe-Caffel. Cronftedt, who delivered to the engineer the piftol with which he was to flioot Charles,, afterwards took back- that weapon, and kept it, hung up in his cabinet to the end of his life. M, Caftera faw at Stock holm tlie hat of Charles XII. and affures us that the hole made by tlie ball is a very fmall one. f The Swedes accufed Traneborg, the commandant of Quiftrum, of having taken a bribe from the danifh generals ; «nd he was accordingly tried by a council of war, who fen- 4enced him to be degraded, he 24-0 I«PE OF THE [1788. he learnt that Gothemberg Was befieged : where upon he fent the regiment of Yemland and his own guards to reinforce the garrifon, and repaired him felf to Dalecarlia. There he affembled the peafants, reminded them of what they had atchieved for Guftavus vVafa, and conjured them to march with him to the defence of their country. Three thoufand Dalecarlians followed him at once. They were imitated by the inhabitants of the neighbouring provinces ; and Guftavus foon found himfelf at the head of a numerous army ; but, dreading left Gothemburg Should furrender ere thefe fuccours arrived, he departed with one of his aides-de-camp and a Single domeftic, put on a difguife, that he might not be known to the enemy, and penetrated as far as the walls of the city. Pie at firft met with great difficulty in entering the gates. The foldiers would not believe that it was their king ; but at length the gates were opened to him. Notwithstanding his prefence, notwithstanding the army that followed him, Gothemburg would have been taken, had it not been faved by the ar rival of unexpected fuccours. Nothing could be more calamitous, or appa rently hopelefs, than the afpect of the king's affairs upon his return from Finland. Fortune had not only deferted, but feemed totally adverfe to him in every thing, and ruin appeared opening on every 1788.] EMPRESS CATHARINEII. 24I 'every fide. The contagion from. the army had fpread through various parts of the kingdom, and infected even the capital. Happy it was for Sweden, or at leaft for tlie king, that at this moment of fuch imminent dan ger there were other powers who were not indif ferent to the eonfequenees of that country being overwhelmed by Ruffia and Denmark,' whereby every idea of any future balance of power in the north would be totally deftroyed. It was the more fortunate at this feafon, as the affairs of France were getting into fuch a train as rendered the expectation of her being able, in any degree, to fupport her ancient ally, every day more pre carious. The new treaty of alliance concluded between Great Britain and Pruffia, and the Strict union already cemented between them and HoL- land, formed fo powerful a counterpoife to the „ dangerous alliance between the two empires of Germany and Ruffia, as feemed capable of being an infuperable bar to the pragrefs of their am bitious defigns, To render, this, balance the more completely effedtive, it was neceffary, in the firft inftance, to prevent Sweden from being top much weakened, and, above all things, any revolution from taking place in its government ; and, "fecon- darily, to preferye the ottoman empire from fub verfion or abfolute ruin. We here fee how, through a fudden turn of public affairs, thefe " powers found it neceffary to put themfelves in the vol. hi. r P^ce. ^4a LIFE OF THE [1788* place of France, to fupply her imbecillity by Sup porting her alliances, and to take up that fyftem of policy which She had fo long purfued. Such Were the motives which induced England and Pruffia to become arbiters of "the peace and pro tectors of the liberties of the north, fo far as the prefervation of fome eqnipoife in the ftate of power there might tend to produce that effedt. Mr. Hugh Elliot, the engiifh minifter at Den mark, was no fooner informed that Gothemburg Was in danger, than he quitted Copenhagen, croSP- ed Sweden in great expedition, and repaired to the camp of the daniffi prince. He fummoned that "prince to raife the fiege of Gothemburg, declaring to him, that, unlets he evacuated the territory. without delays, England would lay an embargo on all the daniffi Ships in her ports," and would fend a fquadron to bombard the caftle of Krohenburg. The prince of Denmark, Struck with thefe menaces, immediately thought of retiring, when the pruffian minifter * came and feconded that of Great Britain. ~ A truce was prefently concluded ; and the army of the daniffi prince noW peaceably returned to Norway -j-. It was certainly to the ' fpirit * Count Von Rhode. t Notwithftanding the various difficulties which the nego tiating minifters had to furmount, another armiftice for a month was happily concluded : and this was fucceeded by a third, for fix months, the term of which did not expire until the 1788.] EMfRESS CATHARINE II. 243 fpirit and activity of the britifh minifter, .that Guftavus was indebted for the prefervation of Gothemburg. The menaces held out by that envoy had not been prefcribed him in his dif- patehes : but they fucceeded ; notwithstanding Which, he had not the approbation of his court. In the mean time the ruffian forces that were gone againft the Turks and the Tartars were gain ing frequent advantages. The firft conflict happened neat Otchakof, and proved fatal to the Ottomans. The paffia of Ot chakof embarked in fmall veffels fix thoufand men, who, in the defign of taking the 'fort of Kinburn by furprize, landed on the promontory before it. Unfortunately for the Turks, general Suvarof was in the fortrefs. He fuffered them to dif- ernbark without opposition, and even encouraged them to -proceed by fending out a few raw muf- queteers, 'with orders to retreat immediately as though they were frightened. The Turks fell into the Share ; and, while their boats were gone back to Otchakof to fetch a reinforcement, Suvarof marched out at the head of two batallions, with bayonets fixed, and all the Turks who were on fhore were either Slain by their arms or drowned the 15th of May 1789. — The prince of Hefle withdrew his army from Sweden into $Tor.way, rather ; before the middle of November. r a in £44 11fe 0F THE [J! in the fea. Suvarof at the Same time received a dangerous wound in the neek *. Rear admiral Voinovitch -j-, who had the com mand of three Ships of the line ' and eight frigates in the Euxine, declined an engagement with the turkifh fleet of five times greater force than his own ; and, netwithftanding the remonftrances of the engliffi officer Prieftman, who ferved under him aurd was eager to fight, he retired under the Cannon of Sevastopol. This timid prudence occa fioned him to be difgraced, as prince Potemkin turned him out of the fervice, Here it was feen what courage national pride Can infpire, even in the breaft of Slaves. When the capudan-paftia's Ship xaught fire, a turkiffi failor ran acrpfs the flames to fave the flag ; and While he was unfaftening it, a ruffian failor, not lefs intrepid, jumped into a canoe, climbed on board the Ship ready to blow up, feized on the flag, and brought the Turk with him prifoner. The geherals Taliefin and Tekely defeated, in feveral rencontres, the Tartars of the Kuban." Tamara had already made himfelf matter of Georgia, and kept the Lefghis in awe. * This general always marches at the head of his troops, it being one of his maxims, that, " The head never waits for ff the tail."' t The fame who was fo maltreated in Perfia by Aga Mah- metjn 1782. In 17883 - EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 345 In the mean time vaft armies were preparing for the field. Nothing that tended to enftire the moft decifive fuccefs could be withheld from the grand favourite prince Potemkin, in whofe de partment the war lay ; or rather, who had the whole empire at his command. It was even ex- . pedted, that, in the distribution of kingdoms and empires, a fovereign dominion, under whatever title, would be allotted to his Share *; Thofe Ruffians who confidered themfelves as patriots, entertained in the mean time the moft ferious ap prehensions of the eonfequenees which might en- foe, under certain poffible and natural circum ftances, from' fo vaft a power being lodged in the hands of a Single man, as he already poffeffedi With refpedt to the war, nothing could exhibit a more forbidding or a more deplorable aSpedt than the intended fcene of action* Famine, peftilence, with all the defolation and calamity of a long and moft cruel war, had laid wafte the tartar countries, and ravaged both the turkifh and ruffian borders ; fo that all the provision for the armies, the Single article of green forage excepted, was to be brought from an immenfe diftance. In defiance of thefe difficulties, a vaft ruffian army, eftimated at one-hundred and fifty thoufand * There is little doubt that the idea at this time was to' have! formed the territories of Moldavia and, Valakhia into a mo narchy/ for the fake of placing prince Potemkin at its head. r 3 men, Q4& LIFE OF THE [l7§8. men, appeared on the banks of the river Bogue *, adjoining to the confines of Poland, Turkey, and Tartary, and on the way to the Euxine, under the orders of prince Potemkin and general count Romantzof. Thefe being affifted by prince Rep- nin, generals Suvarof and KamenSkoi, frequently beat the Turks, Who avenged themfelves on the Auftrians. This great force was fupported by a field-train of one hundred and thirty-feven pieces of artillery, befides an enormous park of heavy battering cannon and mortars, deftined for the fiege of Otchakof; and furnifhed with that exu berance of powder, ball, Shells, and all manner of military machines, which are the ufual con comitants of a ruffian army, particularly when engaged, as at prefent, upon favourite fervice. A large portion of this army, under the com mand of general Romantzof, was defigned to en force refpedt on the fide of Poland and Lithuania, and to furnifh a ftrong feparate command under general Soltikof, to fupport the auftrian com mander prince Cobourg -f- on the fide of Mol davia ; with a view firft to the fiege of Khotyim ; and, after that capture, to the conqueft of the whole province. This affignment of the active and principal fervice to prince Potemkin was * About the 1 8th of June. f The fame who was unfuccefsful againft tlie French ia r>o4. fo l7?8.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 347 fo decisive a victory over his great rival and competitor for honour and favour, general Ro mantzof, and fo grievous a mortification to the latter, that it prefently after occafioned his resigna tion. While thefe tranfadtions were going forward, prince Potemkin was employed in the fiege of Otchakof. Fortifications of uncommon Strength, an abundant fupply of ammunition, a numerous garrifon, artd the feverity of the feafon, feemed neceffarily to render this place impregnable. The befiegers fuffered fo greatly from cold, that they had been obliged to dig* fubterraneous huts to fcreen themfelves from its fatal effects : being likewife in want of provisions, they died in great numbers every night. But the froft, which caufed them fo much trouble to refift, affifted them in taking the town. Obferving that it was open to attack on the fide of the Liman, where it was lefs fortified, and where the ice facilitated accefs to it, prince Potemkin fuddenly fent orders to command the affault ; and, while he remained in his camp with his miftreffes, his-lieutenants, at the head of a party of troops, ruffied into the town, and fpread carnage and defolation on every fide. It is not, however, to be thought, that prince Potemkin was detained by any fuggeftions of fear: for, feveral days feefore, he had paffed many times to and fro, with the utmoft coolnefs, under the ver'y r 4 cannon V ' - V 248 life of The: [i; cannon of the ramparts *, became he had learnt, that fome one or other had dared to fufpedt his courage* He abfented himfelf from the affault of Otchakof for no other reafon than that it did not prefent him with an opportunity for distin guishing himfelf in an extraordinary manner. Prince Anhalt-Bernburg -f- followed a different conduct. Pie- was the firft to enter the town, at the head of the grenadiers J and chaffeurs. The fight was long and bloody, both on the ramparts and in the Streets. The turkifh foldiers defended themfelves with obftinate bravery ; and almoft all of them were Slain with their Weapons in their hands. The reft were put to the fword ; and a great part of the inhabitants met the fame fate. The Ruffians now gave up the town to plunder. They entered the houfes ; and, after putting the « * It is related that, in one of thefe walks, a general officer, who accompanied him, had his thigh . carried away by a can non-ball, and fuffered fome cries to efcape him. " What do " you cry for ?" faid Potemkin coldly. The officer was filent from refpect. He died the next day. -f Prince Anhalt-Bernburg, a, relation of the emprefs, was very brave, well informed, but rather pedantic. Potemkin and Momonof, who were afraid of his growing influence with the fovereign, were perpetually ftriving to make him appear ridiculous. X Prince Potemkin had created a body of forty thoufarid grenadiers and the fame number of chaffeurs. He muft al ways be in extremes, mafters I788.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. £49 matters of them to death, carried off the valuables, and abandoned themfelves to all the horrors of debauchery and rapine. The fcenes of riot arid Slaughter lafted three whole days, and coft the1 lives of more than twenty-five thoufand Turks'. In making the affault, the Ruffians loft twelve thoufand men. _ Otchakof, independent of the value it derived from, ftrength and fituation, feems to have been of much more consideration as a trading town, than it was ufually regarded in this part of the world-; for the number of inhabitants now made prifoners exceeded twenty-five thoufand ; a degree of population which affords no fmall indication of former profperity. Such are the fatal ravages\of unpitying war ! As this event took place on the festival of St. -Nicholas, the great patron of the ruffian empire, fo the fuperftition of the foldiery and common people attributed the guidance of the fortunate Shell entirely to their tutelary faint, who, they fuppofed, had thus gained a complete victory over Mohammed. If the occaflon- had been lefs doleful, it might have been rather a laughable circumftance to obferve, that all the letters from Otchakof, however they difagreed in other things, took particular notice, and feemed to lay fome emphafis upon the recital, that four thoufand very fine women were included among the prifoners. i' a$0 LIFE OF THE [[1789. 1789. Thefe conquefts were nearly as fatal to the victors as to the vanquished : but Catharine was not the lefs ardent in continuing the war. She ordered a frefh levy of recruits throughout her ex tenfive domains ; for the purpofe at once of rein forcing her armies in the Krimea and on the banks of the Danube, of Stationing others in Poland, and of marching a formidable force againft the Swedes. But men began' to grow fcaree in the ruffian empire : the wilds of Siberia were therefore ranfaeked for its exiles ; and a part of them were brought to be incorporated with the recruits. During all this time Guftavus III. was employed in forming fchemes of revenge. He could not forgive the emprefs for the diffentions which her agents were perpetually fomenting in Sweden, nor the daniffi government for the fupport it had given to Ruffia. A lieutenant- colonel, named Benzel- ftierna, took up the refolution of administering to the animofity of his mafter. The ruffian fquadron had entered the road of Copenhagen, where it was detained the whole winter by the ice *. Sprengporten -J~, the fwediffi * This fquadron, commanded by vice admiral Kozlainof, conlifted of eleven fliips of the line and feveral frigates. There were three fliips of a hundred guns. f Brother of the Sprengporten who had entered into the ruffian fervice. a ambaflador, 1789.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. . Q.$l ambaffador, was a frank and generous old man, much refpedted by Guftavus, but in whom he placed no great degree of confidence. Without recalling this ambaffador, his majefty conferred the title of charge" des affaires on a perfon named Abeldyl, and fent him to Copenhagen, earnestly recommending it to hitn to have a vigilant eye on the proceedings of the Ruffians and the Danes. Benzelftieraa loft no time in joining Abeldyl ; and, under pretence of fetting on foot fome new fpeculation in commerce, connected himfelf with a captain Obrien, a native of Ireland. He pur- chafed his Ship of him, paying twelve thoufand rix dollars in advance * ; and, leaving him in the. command of it, entered into a written engage ment farther to pay him a like fum, if the enter-' prife Should fucceed. He -then freighted the veffel with caSks well-pitched within and without, and filled with brandy ; and ordered him to take ad-. vantage of the firft north-eaft wind, by fetting fire to his Ship. By this execrable contrivance it was intended, hot only to burn the ruffian fleet, but that of the Danes alfo. Obrien had the indifefetion to fpeak of his agreement to one of his friends named Teft. This man, Struck with horror at what he heard, went in all hafte to report it. The daniffi ministry im mediately fent people to fearch the veffel,, and * About three thoufand pounds fterling. * - caufed 2,$% fclFE OF THE [}i%$-* Caufed Obrien to be taken into cuftody *.' Ben- zelftierna, fufpecting the failure of his plot, had gone for fafety to Abeldyl, who fent him to the houfe of a minifter of his acquaintance, whence he was enabled to make his efcape in the livery of a domeftic. The daniffi failors, excited by the Ruffians^ affembled in great numbers about the gate of Abeldyl, declaring their intention to murder him, and fet fire to his houfe. But, having forefeen this tumult, Abeldyl had already gone off to the coafts of Scania ~\-. The rioters were difpatched by a detachment of the military. The * Qbrien was condemned to die on the fcafrold, but that fentence was remitted, and he was fent to the gallies, where he died. -J- The defign of fetting fire to the men of war'in the har bour of Copenhagen was doubtlefs horrible. But perhaps the Ruffians had -no reproaches to make tlie Swedes on that head. Thefe two nations, who have often contended with fo much courage, have fometimes feen their courts defcending to the vileft ftratagemsf againft each other. Stockholm will never forget the aifaflination of major Saint-Clair. In 173.8, Saint- Clair, who had been fent -to Conftantinople with powers for negotiating, was returning with a Frenchman named Cou- ' ^urier. Being" arrived at Khotyim, the pafha informed him, that he was laid wait for by two emiffaries of Ruffia : the fame thing was likewife told him by a Pole. Saint-Clair re jected the advice with indignation. At an inn in Breflau he- met the ruffian captain Kutler, lieutenant Levitzki, and four foldiers difguifed as fervants, who, after having recognized him, ^789.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. S53 The atrocious attempt of Benzelftierna was not calculated to work a reconciliation between the two courts of Petersburg and Stockholm ; and the operations of the war were refumed with vigour. The fleets of the two nations met at the diftance of a few leagues from Bornhblm : but the wind permitted them not to come to an engagement. Shortly after, however, they fell in with one ano ther near Gothland * ; and, though both the ruffian admiral Chitffiagof and the fwediffi admir ral Lilienhorn wished at that time to avoid an en gagement,' the Ships in the rear got ahead of the him, went and waited for him near the village Zauche.t There Kutler came to him, greeted him politely, arid alked whether he was not major Saint-Clair ? Being anfwered in the affir mative, he arrefted him in tlie name of tlie emprefs Anne, and conducted him into a wood near Neuburg. Here hs; made him alight from his carriage, led him about twenty paces from it, fired a jiiftol at him, and, on his falling, caufed him to be difpatched by the four foldiers. During this time, Levitfki, who was placed as a guard 011 Couturier, coldly faid to him : " Ne timeas, peccatum effet contra fpiritum fandtura others, opened their batteries, and fought valiantly for near four hours *. The ruffian veSfel -j-, commanded by the engiifh captain Prefton, had a hundred and Sixty men killed or wounded. Three cannons burft on his upper deck, which occafioned the death of feveral of his people : but the intrepid Prefton remained calm, gave the neceffary orders, and continued the fight. Another engliffi captain, Frederic Thefiger, who commanded a Ship of Sixty-fix guns^, bravely maintained the combat againft vice-ad miral Modee §, a gallant Swede. The next day Lilienhorn, who might with his division have cut off that of the ruffian vice-ad miral Moufchin Pouffikin, neglected that advan tage || , which would doubtlefs have prevented the difafters which foon after befell the fwediffi fleet. Captain Tchitchoukof, who had the command of a flotilla, got poffeffion of the important Station of Porkala, which was kept by the Ruffians till the approach of winter. * It was in this action that the brave Molofsky, natural fon of count Ivan Chernichef, was killed. He commanded the" Mftiflaf, the Avenging Glory, of 74 guns. f Named Deris, the Quarrelfome. % The Vuifche Slava, or the High Glory. § He was afterwards governor of Stockholm. || Lilienhorn was tried and degraded for it by a court mar. rial. The 1789-] ' EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 255 The Swedes having fitted out a fleet of gallies and gun-boats, the emprefs oppofed to them one of fimilar conftrudtion, under the commarid of the prince of Naffau, who had quitted the Liman * and the Euxine for that purpofe ; having like- wife, as it was faid, had fome differences with prince Potemkin. The ruffian gallies fell in, by furprife, with the fwediffi gallies near Rogenfajm ; and prince Naf-~ fau, always affifted by the counfels of Varage-f-, captain Winter, and a milanefe officer, the che valier de Litta +, gained the ruffian flag a fecond victory. Winter, to whom the fuccefs of this \ * A broad lake> formed by the Dniepr and the Bogue, be fore their junction with the Euxine ; and which is itfelf fo confiderable a piece of water as to be diftinguifhed by the name of tlie Liman fea. ¦f Some time after this action, Varage, having gone afhore to reconnoitre tlie pofition of the fwedifli fleet lying at anchor, was met by a party of Bafchkirs, ferving in the ruffian army, who, obfprving him to be wrapped up in a blue cloak,' took him for a Swede and killed him. This done, they carried to general Numfen thecrofsof St. Charles of Spain and the crofs of St. George of Ruffia, with which Varage was decorated, and which they miftook for fwedifh orders. X The, chevalier de Litta, a Milanefe, commander of the .order of Malta, is vice-admiral of the galley-fleet. He is faid to have furaifhed a great number of plans which '{till remain unexecuted, «jft is a man of coloffai ftature, and fond of talking. day S^6 I-IFE OF THE L17®9* day was principally owing, was Struck by a can non-ball, and died of the wound *. During this engagement between the galleyT fleets, the Ruffians had attacked the fwediffi army, ftill in the neighbourhood of FrederikfV ham. Their advantages by land were not lefs confiderable than thofe by fe'a ; and they forced the troops of Guftavus to evacuate ruffian Fin land. The fwediffi monarch, having collected freSh forces, was preparing for a fecond invafion of th? ruffian territory : but Catharine had time to put them in a ftate of defence. The two armies met ; and the Ruffians, commanded ty general Num- feri^, gained a complete victory. * The merits of captain Winter, as a feaman, were uni- verfally acknowledged. The prince of Naffau was extremely* jealous of him ; Potemkin did not like him ; and Popof, fecre- tary to the latter, was much afraid of.him, becaufe "Winter once clenched bis fift at him. The fame fliot that carried away Winter's arm killed colonel Apraxin and one of the- rowers. f General Numfen is a Dane, and has been long employed in the ruffian fervice. — It was on this occafion that the fa mous contractor Denizof, general of the Kozaks, carried off the king of Sweden's baggage-waggons. At the peace that monarch defired to know who it was that deprived him of his fhirts ; and when the old Kozak was preJajted to him, he fiiewed him many civilities. $ i?9<*. i79°.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 1790. Guftavus, was not difcouraged by^s^ late feries of ill Succefs ; but wertt in perfon orr« board the galley-fleet, to go in queft of the prince of Naffau; from- whom, after a defperate battle, he captured thirty veffels. Not long after, hedii- tmbarked, at the diftance of not mOre than thirty miles from Petersburg) feveral battalions of in fantry and fome fquadrons of light troops, with Which he took poffeffion °f the important poft of Pardakofsky, which opened to him an entrance into the ruflian SavOlax. ' The residence was a fe cond time Struck with consternation ; during which the emprefs was at TzarSko-felo, and never quitted that country-palace. But She gave orders to general Igelftrtem, who commanded in the ab- fence of Ivan Soltikofj toxfpare nothing for re*- capturing Pardakofsky. Igelftrcem imriiediately inarched againft thispoft a column of eight thou fand chofen men, trusting the command of them to the brave prince of Anhalt-Bernburg, who was killed at the firft onfet, together with Ba'fkof, the fecond in command. The eight thoufand Ruffians fought with the titmoft intrepidity, and loft the half of their company, without being able fo dif- lodge two thoufand Swedes who guarded the- poft; Thefe Swedes^ however; would have fallen vic tims to their valour, if the thaw that came on had not hindered the Ruffians from renewing the attack, with a far greater force: vol. in. s The 2^8 1IFE OF THE Ll790i The grand fleet of the Swedes, commanded- by the duke of Sudermania, purfued the ruffian fquadron in the very, port of Reval *. This act of imprudence coft them, two of their Ships -f-. But this mistake was followed by one of greater mag nitude, as attended with more danger. They conducted into the gulph of ~ Vyborg both their fquadron of men of war and the galley- fleet, com- , manded by Guftavus III. By this ill-judged Step the entire destruction of the fwediffi navy feemed inevitable : but it was faved by two ruffian admi rals, Chitfchagof and the prince of Naffau. Admiral Chitfchagof, who had under his com mand a fleet far more numerous than that, of the Swedes, neglected to provide with batteries the only two paffages by which it was poffible for the Swedes to efcape %. Thefe latter, who were in abfolute v * On the fame day that Guftavus took Pardakofsky by •furprife., May 12, 1790. f The Prince Charles, of fixty-four guns, iurrendered to the Ruffians. Another, a feventy-four gun fhip, ran a-ground, and the crew fet fire to her, to prevent her falling into the liands of tlie enemy. X A fwifs officer, named Peliffier, who had been captain of a fhip in Holland, pointed out to tlie generals Soltikof and ¦ Zuchteller the pro'pereft place for fixing the batteries, telling them that the Swedes would infallibly come out as foon as tlie wind fhould change to the eaft. Chitfchagof refufed t» autltorife him to give the twenty -four pounders which he had offered. The fame officer was quite alone With a fmall frigate I79°-l EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 259 abfolute want of provifions, and could riot have long remained in the gulf, attempted to make their way out by fetting fire to the ruffian fqua dron that blocked up the paffage. The wind coming favourably round to the eaft, they got ready and fent a fire-fhip to lead the van *, in order to force the ruffians to difperfe -f-. But the fire-Ship Struck upon a fand-bank and did no harm to the Ruffians, while they fet fire to feveral of the fwediffi Ships which the wind forcibly drove towards them. Nine Ships of the line, three fri gates, and upwards of twenty gallies, fell into the power of the Ruffians. This adtion was particularly fatal to the britiffi bfficers. Captain Denifon, a gallant and Skilful commander, had his head Shot off by a cannon- ball ; captain Marffiall, in attempting to board in tlie midft of the fwedifh flotilla, while it was retreating ; doing them great" injury by taking no lefs than one thoufand three hundred men, nine chebeks, and four gallies. The jealoufy of the admiral ftifled the luftre of this brilliant action. * The 3d of July, 1790. f The firefhip was commanded by a fwedifli officer, named Saldern, who was tried by a court-martial and -degraded. The contriver of 'the ftratagem was fir Sidney Smith, who afterwards burnt tlie french .fleet at Toulon, attempted to fet fire to Havre,, efcaped from tlie prifon of the Temple at Paris, where he was confined, and at prefent commands a fmall fquadron at Conftantinople. s a one 260 tlFE OF THE . tl79°> '-¦ue of the enemy's Ships,' fell into the fea and was drowned; captain Miller, equally bold and enter prising, was feverely wounded in his leg ; captain Aikin, likewife a fpirited and brave commander, had his thigh-bone Shattered fo as to render am putation neceffary, and about four years after wards died of an epidemic fever at Cronftadt. .Several others were feverely wounded ; and captain James Trevenen, after having gallantly distin guished himfelf in" the action, was mortally wounded by the laft Shot fired by the enemy, and died on the. fifth day after *. He had already made * This gentleman, was a native of Cornwall, and ef a very refpectable family in that county. After receiving his edu cation at the royal academy at Portfmouth, in the year 1776, he embarked as a midfhipman with captain Cook, on his laft voyage to the fouth feas. In taking aftronomical obfervations, and furveying the various coafts, he proved an able affiftant to that great navigator, who juftly confidered him as a young man of ample promife to-do honour to the fervice and to his country. On his return from tHat expedition in 1780, he was prombted by the earl of Sandwich to tlie rank of lieutenant ; in which capacity he failed, till the conclufion of the war, with captain King, who had the higheft eileem and friend- fliip for him. Being impatient of an inactive life, in the year i7S7'he follici ted- employment of lord Howe, then at the head of the admiralty ; but, unfortunately for the naval fervice of his country, his application proved ineffectual. This refufal induced him to draw up a plan of difcovery ; and, knowing that a great faving would accrue to the ruffian government from fending by water the provifions for theh" fettlcments, which now go by land to Kamtfhatka, &c. at a great 179°-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. a6l made himfelf matter of the polls of Hanhoud, near Abo, and of Borefund, near Sveaborg, and great , expence, and that two thirds of them are often fpoiled,; he made a propofal for opening an intercourfe by fea between Kamtfhatka and Japan, and the northern parts of China, ¦ and tor keeping in thofe feas .a naval force fufficient to make themfelves refpedted; which was laid before the emprefs Catharine, and fo well approved of by her, that lhe imme diately fent an officer exprefs'to invite him over to carry it into execution. He arrived at Peterfburg the latter end of 1787 ; but the war with the Swedes breaking out put a flop to the intended expeditioni and he was prevailed upon to ac cept the command of a fhip of the line. Two fmall fquadrons had been fitted out at Cronftadt for Kamtfhatka ; one of them to he commande4 by captain Trevenen, and was to go round cape Horn ; the} other by captain Molofsky, who was tp , doufele the cape of Good Hope. It fhould fee r. as if the emprefs afted in conjunction with the court of Spain, for -Molofsky was to proceed, to the Philippines to purohafe largd veffels from the Spaniards. It fhould be here obferved, that tlie Ruffians cjaim the coaft pf America to a confiderable dif tance foufh : fhey have , not themfelves determined how far ; this probably may hereafter be fixed by the advantage they may prbmife themfejves from the country which they claim. In the various engagements that afterwards took place in the Baltic with the Swedes, captain Trevenen bore a very active part, and was honoured with repeated marks of the emprefs's favour ; and doubtlefs, had he lived, would foon have arrived at the foremoft rank in her fervice. He was a man of ftrong natural abilities, greatly improved by cultivation ; and poffeffed a high fenfe of honour, and a liberal enlightened piiiid. _ s q; ; cqnv 262 LIFE OF THE [I79°- commanded one of the five moored in thenarroweft paffage of the bay of Vyborg *. The remainder of the fwediffi' gallies retreated behind the rocks of Schvenko-fund, which form feveral petty ifles on a level with the water's edge. The prince of Naffau, whofe fleet was twice as ftrong as that Of Guftavus, advanced to give him battle. His unSkilfulnefs offered an immenSe ad vantage to the Swedes ; he was completely beaten, and loft the half of his fleet, with more than ten thoufand men. However, his arrogance and va nity did not forfake him. Imagining that the people under his command. had fuffered themfelves to be beaten purpofely to tarniffi his glory -j~, he wrote to the emprefs : — " Madam, I have had te the misfortune to fight againft the elements, " the Swedes, and the Ruffians. I hope that " your majefty will do me juftice." * The 9th cif July, r7$io. — In fpeaking of the twopaffages of the bay of Vyborg, it is not to be underftood that it is on account of the nearnefs of the coafts, but becaufe of the Ihallows. f. The truth of the matter is, that tlie ruffian crews had, for the laft fix days, been worn out with fatigue ; and, with out leaving them tlie leaft time for repofe, the prince of Naf fau forced them to attack the Swedes, who were. not only pofted behind the rocks at water-mark, but, recovered from their panic, refrefhed and reinforced by the junction of feve- ' ral fliips.' Four thoufand Ruffians perifhed in the action, and an equal number made prifoners. They loft one third of the galley-fleet, many of which either blew up or were funk. The I79°-3 EMPRESS CATHARINE II. , 263 The emprefs returned him for anfwer : " You " are in the right, becaufe I am refolved that you " Shall- be fo. Tiiis is highly aristocratic ; but (t it is therefore fuitable to the country in which " we live. Depend always on your affectionate "Catharine." Thus were the Ruffians at length defeated, partly, it may be faid, on their own element, and entirely in their own favourite manner 'of fighting, in which they were deemed irrefiftible ; fo. that as the Swedes formerly .taught them to conquer by land, they now in return taught the Swedes to beat themfelves in this new fevere mode of deciding the .fortune of war. The prince of Naffau likewife, who had plumed himfelf highly on being the king of Sweden's direct adverfary, and who Shewed fome evident marks of ostentation on his fucceffes againft him, was npw compelled to lower his creft, and to refign his laurels to a fiiperior foe. The Scanty provision made for hint afterwards by s the emprefs*, whofe ufual magni ficence, expence, and liberality, being consider ed, fufficiently Shews -that this misfortune ferved much to wear away the memory of his former ex- * The emprefs had conferred on prince Naffau the rank of admiral of the galley-fleet of the Baltic, an eftate in land with four thoufand peafants upon it, a palace in town, and a peiifion of twelve tlioufand rubles. '. All this however did not prevent him from quitting the ferviqe of Ruffia for that of Pruffia. S 4 , ploitSj S&J, LIFE OF THE [^793? ploits. Indeed, few things could have gone nearer to the heart of the emprefs than this defeat. The battle of Schvenko-fund accelerated a peace. Guftavus III. by this tjme faw the imprudence of his conduct, and no longer indulged the expecta tion that the war which he had declared againft the^ Ruffians could be attended with any great fuc cefs, and make a ufeful diversion in behalf of the Turks. He was rather apprehenfive left the Ruf fians might take advantage of the deftrudtion of his navy, of the difordered ftate of his finances, and of the difcontent of the fwediffi nobles, to in vade his dominions : accordingly he made no hesitation to accept the terms that were offered him on the part of the emprefs. Galvez, the minifter of Spain at the court of Ruffia, offered his mediation to Catharine, and zealoufly employed his good offices in 'obtaining favourable conditions, by promising that Guftavus ivould directly march againft the French. This was all that the emprefs defired ; and, feigning to pardon her enemy, in hope of feeing him entangle himfelf in a distant adventure, She blinded him the more to her views by affecting an uncommon generofity. She required nothing more than the re-eftablifhment of- the treaties of Neuftadt and Abo *, and the total oblivion of the late hoftili- * At leaft there was but little difference. The ruffian Jimfts were extended as far as Kymenegorod. ties. Iy9°"l EMPRESS CATHARINE II, 165 ties. ' The treaty was accordingly figned at Varela * without delay f. • \ The general heads of accommodation were thus fettled between the principals theinfelves ; it was in the 'firft inftance. laid down as a rule, that the allies dn either fide were not to be confulted, nor reference had to any mediation whatever, but that the peace Shquld be the.immediate act, 'and proceed from the fpontaneous will of the two fovereigns, without foreign advice or cbnfulta- * The 14th of Auguft. General Igelftroem on the part of Ruffia, and lieutenant-general baron Armfeldt 011 that of Swe den, were, without Ms, of time, appointed to confer and fetde tlie terms of peace. They met on the banks of tlie Ky- mene, in a large tent erected for the purpofe between die advanced pofts of die twoioftile camps, on the plain of Vare la. As the commiffi oners had not much bufinefs to fettle, an]*] major; the widow of' an' artillery-colonel,.' who was Slain in the attack, was, withlier children, Confoled with a good eftate ; promotion was ex tended to officers of a lower order ; and even the non-commiffioned fubalterns, and common fol diers who had entered Otchakof, were ornamented with filver medals. Rewards doubtlefs adapted to roufe a great fpirit: of emulation in tlie ruffian armies ! All their Steps were marked by triumphs. Prince Potemkin took the ifle of Berefan -*..- Prince Repnin drove the Turks from the borders; of the SolSka-. Suvarof beat them completely at FokShani'j- : then, hear ing that the auftrian army commanded by the prince of Saxe-Goburg was preffed hard by that of the .grand vizir, heiput himfelf at the head of eight thoufand Ruffians, and ran to affift the Auftrians. *The latter - to "the number of thirty thoufand, were already flying before the Turks, who had attacked them with an army of one hun dred thoufand 'men. The intrepid Suvarof came up and- changed t the whole fortune of arms. — " My friends':" cried he to his/oldiers, " never " look- at the eyes of your enemies. Fix-«your " view at their breafes : it is there that you muft " th'ruft your bayonets." — At that inftent falling ort the Turks, they were routed with a horrible »..'¦'¦¦ ''' * In 1789, a few days before the capture of Otchakof. f 1" 2iftof July 178-9. -, t 3 ' carnage, %7% LIFE OF THE^ [I79Qt carnage, and he remained mafter of the field of battle. This victory, gained near the river RimT niks, procured Suvarof the furname of Rimniklky, and the double title of count of the holy roman empire and of the ruffian empire. Some time after this, the fame general took pof- feffipn of Tutukay * in Bulgaria. The ferocious Kamenfkbi -f~ reduced to affies the magnificent town pf Galatffia, fituate on the Danube, and the foremoft of all Moldavia after Yaffi, to which it was fuperior in point of commerce. -Ac-kerman, -Khedfebey, Bielgorod, Palenka, fubmitted to the arms of Potemkin. Bender furrendered at dis cretion.. - The grand vizir, who, among his other vain glorious affurnptions, had boldly pledged him- * Suvarof is as lingular for the brevity, of his ftyle as for the rapidity of his conquefts. On this occafion he wrote no more Jo the emprefs than four lines of rufs poetry : Stava Bogu !. Glory to God ! Slav a vam ! Glory to you ! Tutiikai vzola Tutukay is taken, Jya tarn. And I am there. * General Kamenfkoi' was fo cruel, that Potemkin would pot leave him in the command pf the army. Heconfigned every place he took to plunder, and then burnt it: but his rage was particularly directed againft priefts, whom he caufed to be harneffed to the baggage-waggons of the army, inftead of horfes. The jews were alfo the object, of his fury. He rnattyrized them by ftripping them naked in the depth pf win ter and pouring cold water on their heads. felf 179O'] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. , , 279 felf for the - recovery of Otchakof, made • rnany preparations and movements which indicated a defign of endeavouring to fulfil his promife ; but a dreadful fearcity of provifions which forely dif- tre-Sfed his army, along with the watchful eye of the Ruffians upon all his. motions, and, above all, the torrent of 'ill fortune which now began to overwhelm him from every quarter, nqt only erafed all traces of that defign, but fobn con vinced' him, that even the prefervation of Bender was not within the compafs of his power or for tune. ' , , General KameriSko'i, who commanded the ruf fian forces in Beflarabia, had pofted them in fuch a manner through the winter, as, without forrning a = regular blockade, greatly to incommode the garrifon of Bender, by cutting off their copnmu- nications and intercepting their fupplies. This being, not only continued, but the evil augmented in the fine weather of fummer, the garrifon was .reduced to great diftrefs, and its relief became a matter of neceffity. The prince of Anhalt Bern- burg, who had gained great renown at the taking of Ofchakof, and now commanded a detachment of KamenSkoi's army, derived , art opportunity, from this State of things, of adding new laurels to the former. He had the fortune, near Kaufchen, on the Dnieftr, to fall in with a ferafquier, at the head of feven or eight thoufand fpahis,or turkifh cavalry, who were condudting relief to the garrifon of; t , 4 Bender, 280 1IFE OF THE [l790. Bender. Though the prince was inferior in force, he inftantly attacked the Turks, and feemed .to , have had no great difficulty in totally routing, and difperfing them ; their convoy and every thing they poffeffed falling into his hands, and the feraf- quier himfelf being madeprifoner. But defeats were now become fo common with the Ottomans, as to afford no matter of furprife either to themfelves or others. The gland vizir had entered the province of Valakhia, but thisen- terprife proved fatal to his army, and nearly fo to. the ottoman empire. The combined forces of Auftria and Ruffia, under the prince of Coburg and_general Suvarof, eftimated only at about thirty thoufand men, had the boldnefs to attacjc the grand turkifh army*, faid to confift of between ninety and a hundred thoufand men, near Mar- tinefti, where they gained, with little difficulty or lofs,, one of die moft Signal and extraordinary" victories known in modern times. In the accounts ' however nothing, was related hut the rout, Slaugh ter, puffui.t, and difperfion of the grand turkiffi army, as if thefe had been matters, of courfe, ' and the inevitable eonfequenees of their meet ing- About five thoufand Turks were killed on the fpot, arid about two thoufand in the purfuk ;"and nothing but the blunted Swords, the wearied arms, * September the.2»d, and 179O.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. aSi. and the tired horfes of the purfuers, could have checked the Slaughter. Few or no prifoners wefe made, the rage and indignation of the Turks be ing excited in fuch a degree try the Shamefulnef^ of their defeat, (which, as ufual, they attributed entirely to their general,) that they difdained to accept of quarter. The whole camp as it Stood, including the grand vizir's tents and equipage, became a prey to the victors : three hundred camels, four hundred oxen, five thoufand loaded waggons, eight thoufand tents, fix mortars, feven- teen pieces of heavy cannon. Sixty-four field- pieces, near one hundred Standards, with a pro-' digious quantity of ammunition and ftores, were among the fpoils and trophies of victory. A few hundred men, killed and wounded, was the whole lofs of the vidtors. The Ruffians purfued their conquefts to the - Euxine, where the ftrong port town of Bielgo- rod, more generally known of late years by the turkifh name of Ackefman, fituated at the mouth of the Dnieftr, fell without much difficulty into their hands ; fuch being the prefent State of hope- leffnefs and diforder, that the- garrifon was not competent to its defence. Kylia Nova, another fortrefs, lying on the northern mouth of the Danube, and which in better times. would have been deemed a 'conqueft, of difficulty, became now likewife an eafy prey. Ifma'il ?3? LIFE OF THE LI79°~* Ifmai'l ftill held out. Prince Potemkin had been befieging this place for feven months, and now began to grow impatient that he had not yet yeduced it. , Living in his camp like one of thofe ancient fatraps, whom he alone in our days has equalled, perhaps furpaffed, in luxury, he was furrounded by a crowd of courtiers and women, who employed every effort to amufe him. One of thefe women *, pretending to read the decrees of fete in the arrangement of a pack of cards, pre dicted that he would take the town at the end of ffifee weeks. Prince Potemkin anfwered, fmi-r ling, that lie had a method of divination far more infallible. At ffiat inftant he fent his orders tq Suvarof to take Ifmail within three days. Suvarof made himfelf ready, The third day he drew up his foldiers, and faid to them : — " My brothers, " no quarter] Provisions are dear !" and imme diately began the affault. The Ruffians were twice repulfed with great lofs. But at laft they fcaled the ramparts, forced their way into the town, and put all that oppofed them to the fword. Fifteen, thoufend Ruffians purchafed with their lives the bloody laurels of Suvarof. That general then wrote to the emprefs thefe words alone : — " The *' haughty Ifmail is at your feet-f-." The * Madame de Witt. ¦f The cruelties exercifed by Suvarof in Ifmail got him die nickname of Muley Ifmatl, in alhifion to the emperor, of Morocco. f79°\! EMPRESS CATHARINE II. ^83 The famous Haflfan, who, from the poft of c^pudan-paffia, had been raifed to that of grand vizir, was unable to bear up againft fo many' difafters, and died of vexation in his camp. His fucceffor was decapitated at-Shumla ; and paffia Yuffuf * fucceeded him ; but this change was nqt attended by a return of good fortune to the Turks. Several french officers were at the taking of Ifmail ; among whom Roger Damas, Langeron, and the younger Richelieu •f-, distinguished them- ! felves in the attack of that place, and were not the more noticed for it by prince Potemkin. Some days afterwards, this latter, difeourfing of the french revolution, and treating it as a crime for a people to ufe any efforts for regaining their liberty, faid to Langeron : " Colonel ;£, your ft countrymen are a pack of madmen. I would *' require only my grooms to Stand by me; and " we Should foon bring them to their fenfes." Langeron, who, though an emigrant, could not Morocco of that name, wl}Q is known to have been one. of the moft fanguinary men thatever exifted. * The fame vizir Yuffuf who lately marched in JEgypt againft the brave general Bonaparte, f He was formerly called Fronfac : at prefent her bears the name of Richelieu. X Langeron had been formerly colonel in the regiment of Amialsrnac. • patiently 384 LIFE OF THE [179O. patiently hear his nation thus fpdken of, anfwered boldly : " Prince, I do not think you would be ** able to do it with all your army." At thefe words the prince rofe up in great fury, and threatened Langeron to fend him to Siberia*. Langeron inftantly went away ; and crbffingthe Seret, which divides Moldavia from Valakhia, he entered him felf in the auftrian camp. , >¦ Catharine, elated on hearing of thefe fuccef- five victories, when Sir Charles Whitworth ap peared the next time at court, faid to him, with an ironical fmile, " Sir, fince the king your " mafter is determined to drive me out of Peterf- *' burg, I hope he wiH permit me to retire' to ** Conftantinople." In confequence of the extreme feverity with which the Greeks" had been treated by the Turks after the laft war -f1, Catharine had reafon to ima gine * Potemkin was on fome ocoafions extremely irafcible, and would fometimes be fo tranfported with paflion as to beat even general officers : he one day gave a box on- tlie year to a foreigner, who was a major in the ruffian fervice, for having praifed, in fome verfes he had compofed, the miftrefs of his fecretary Popof in the fame ftanza with that of the prince. ¦J- After fhe peace of Kainardgi, the Turks were ftill fo much inceniVd at the Greeks of die Morea for having tided with the Ruffians, that the divan was on the point of deciding that the whole ga-ek nation fhould be exterminated. The celebrated capudan-paiha, GaZi Haffan, prevented the iffuing oi this .barbarous decree ; but he could only bring the mem bers I79O.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 185 gine that they were eager for ,revenge. Accord ingly She caufed manifestos to be difperfed in all the illes, inviting the people to take up arms again againft the enemies of the crofs, to re conquer their country, and to reftore its priftine independance. The Greek, Sottiri, who had been in the for-: vice of Ruffia, was fent to Epire in Albania for- the purpofe .of diftributing the manifestos of the emprefs and to prepare,; in concert with the chief men of thefe parts, a fpeedy infuf redtion. Art army was therefore foon affembled in the environs of Suili. They mar,ollied~ agiafinft the pafha of Yanina,.and defeated him uv a, pitched batde. The fon of the paffia was killed in the action, and his brilliant armour was fent to the emprefs. The Greeks now entered into a voluntary Sub scription, and with the produce .of it they fitted out, at Triefte, twelve Small veffels, of which they gave the commaad to a mariner of thek nation, named Larnhfo Canzjani*. Lambro cruized in the Archipelago as if mafter of that ber.s of the divan to. hearken to his advice by urging political motives : " If we maffacre all the Greeks/' faid ,he, " \te " fhalllofe the capitation they pay us." * The particulars concerning Lambro Canziani and die deputation of die Greeks are. taken'from Mr.. Eton's, furvey of the turkifh empire. ' fea, 286 LIFE OF THE [J79& fea. Constantinople was filled with confternatiori, and orders were immediately difpatched to all the turkifh Ships in the Euxine to repafs the Boiphbras, in order to Stop the progrefs of the little grecian armament. In the mean time the emprefs fent into Sicily a man named PfarO, with fome other emifiaries, not only to prepare there what was neceffary for the ruffian fquadron that was intended for thofe feas *, but to fupply the Greeks with money and ammu nition, and to put an end to the difficulties,- which from a fordid policy, or in order to keep up appearances with the porte, the Venetians, had thrown in their way. But the diffioneft emiflaries of Catharine neglected to execute her intentions, and divided among themfelves and their bafe pro tectors the fums She had entrusted to them. Juftly exafperated at this conduct, the Greeks fent a deputation to Petersburg, who, after having long been debarred accefs to the throne by thofe whofe intereft it was that they Should not be heard, at laft obtained, by means of the favourite Plato Zubof, a private audience of the emprefs. The deputies prefented to her majefty a memorial in greek and in french, conceived in the following terms : * This was the fquadron commanded by admiral Greig, the failing oJEj which was flopped by die precipitate declaration' of war by die king of Sweden. " Madam, 179.0.}. empress catharine ii. &8f " Madam, -' , '* It is not till after we had long folicited in *' vain your imperial majefty's minifters for an " anfwer to the memorial which we had the '* honour of prefenfing to them ; till, driven to " extreme defpair - by reflecting on the dreadful " evils which this delay might" produce to our "countrymen, who, invited by the manifeftos of "your imperial majefty, have taken arms againft ": the enemy of the christian' name, and deputed " us to lay the 'offer of their lives and of their' "fortunes at the foot of your imperial throne ; *¦' it is not till we had loft all hopes of Obtaining " othervvife a fpeedy anfwer for Stopping thofe " Streams of blood of bur brethren which are " doubtlefs alreading- flowing through this delay; " that we have at length prefumed to proftraje " ourfelves at your feet, and to prefent our hum- *' ble memorial to your imperial majefty in per- "fonr *f Another- duty, equally facred, and which was " a principal objedt of our miffion, induced us to ".take this daring Step: it was to undeceive your " imperial majefty, whom, as well as your minif- " ters, there have been people audacious enough "to mislead. We have learnt with indignation, " that the chevalier Pfarq now erects himfelf into " a chieftain and leader of our .people ; a man ab- " horred by our nation, from the dregs whereof " he rofe, and wherein he woulcl have remained, *' had z88 LIFE OF THE ^79°' " had he not by an unexampled effrontery impofed " upon your imperial majefty 's minifters by arro- " gating to himfelf a reputation for exploits which "he never performed. Were no ill confe- " quences to en-fue to any but himfelf, we ffiould " patiently await his appearance in our country, " a boaft however which he will never perform " except upon paper. Efow he has acted toward^ " us your imperial majefty will perceive from our " memorial. We hear that he has received immenfe " fums, which he pretends to have expended on " our account. We affure your imperial majefty " that neither he, nor any of your officers fent to " us, ever paid us a Single ruble.. The -flotilla and " the other armaments of Lambro were equipped " at our own expence. One of us, abandoning " his peaceful home, fitted out two veffels at his " peculiar charges, and expended in armaments "twelve thoufand chequins; whjlft the Turks' " murdered his mother and his brother, levelled " his pofleffions. with the ground, and defolated "his lands. " We never petitioned you for money ; nor do " we requeft it now : we only aSk powder and " ball, -which we cannot purchafe, and to be led " to battle. We are come to offer our lives and " our fortunes, not to beg .of you money. " Deign, o great emprefs ! thou glory of die " grecian faith ! deign to perufe our memorial. " Heaven has referved our deliyerance for the " glorious • 179°'l" ?"' EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 4!?Q " glorious reign of your imperial majefty. It is " under your aufpices that we hope to deliver " from the hands of the cruel Mohammedans, " our empire which they have ufurped, our pa- " triarchate and our holy religion which they " have prophaned ; to refcue the defcendants of " Athens andofLacedemon from the tyrannic yoke " of ignorant barbarians, under which a nation, " whofe genius is not extinguished, groans ; a " people glowing with the love of liberty, Whom " the iron yoke of barbarifm has not degraded ; " who have constantly before their eyes the images " of their ancient heroes, and by whofe example " their warriors are animated to this day. " Our magnificent ruins fpeak forcibly to our "eyes, and proclaim our priftine grandeur; our " innumerable ports, our beautiful country, the " Sky ferenely fmiling on us the year throughout, " the ardour of our youth and even' of thofe ad-. " vanced in age, all atteft that nature is not lefs " propitious to us now than to our great pro- "'genitors. Give us for a fovereign your grand- " fon Constantine : it is the wiffi of bur na- " tion (the race of our emperors being extinjJW ; ' and we Shall become what our ancestors were). " We ate not perfons who have dared to im- < ' pofe on the moft magnanimous of fovereigns : " we are the deputies of the people of Greece, "furnished with full powers and other docu- " ments, and as fuch lie proftrate before the vol.- in. u " throne < 0-9° J-I-FE OF THE [}t%°*. *' throne of her, whom, next to God, .we look " to as our faviour ; declaring that we Shall be tq 5( our lateft breath *, " Your imperial majefty's. <* Moft faithful and devoted feryants, " Pajsto Kiri. St. Peterfburg, " Christo Lazzotti. April, 1790, *f Nipcoi-o Pangolo." The deputies, were received very gracioufly by the emprefs, who promifed them the fuccours they requefted. From the prefence chamber they were conducted to the apartments pf her grand- fons> where, offering to kifs the hand of the eldeft gfand duke Alexander, he pointed to his brother Conftantine, telling them it was to him that they were to addrefs themfelves. They then prefented their homages to the young prince, ftyling him their emperor -f-, and explained to hjm in greek the object of their miffion. He anfwered them in the tatne language : " Qo, and ** let every thing be according to your wishes." The greek deputies delivered to the ruffian ministers a plan of the operations which they pro- pofed to put in practice. Having received from the emprefs the means of augmenting the arma? ment of Lambro Canziani, with cannons and en- * For the fake of the curious in modern Greek, we have jnferted the original in the Appendix^ No. VII. •J- BtmtMvi Ty "ETwtjw. , gineersr «790."[) EMFR-E-SS CATHARINE II. 2QJ gineers for undertaking fhe fiege of fortified places, they thought of beginning a campaign at Siilli, which was their place of congrefs, and whence they kept up a correspondence with all Greece. Directing their firft advances towards Athens and Livadia, they divided their army into two columns, expecting to be joined on their rnarch by troops from the Moreaand Negropont *,- whither the fquadron of Lambro was appointed to repair. Having afterwards formed a junction for the purpofe of entering Theflalia, they were in hopes of being furniffied with confidetable rein forcements from Macedonia, and that on arriving at the plains of Adrianople, their army wouki amount at leaft to three hundred thoufand men. Their plan was then to join the RuSKans in order to go and make themfelves mafters of Conftanti- nople ; hoping that the ruffian fleet in the Euxine would be able to co-operate with them in their attack on that city : and at all events they thought themfelves fufficiently powerful to vanquish the Ottomans and drive them out of Europe, They had prudently calculated the fervice in which their troops were t;o be employed, their fupply of provifions, the means of fecuring a re treat in cafe of a reverfe, and in general the whole «?f thqjr refources, as well as the forces which the * The ifle of Negropont is feparated from the territory of Livadia only by a narrow ftraight. After Candia, it is thefineft pi di the jgrecian iflands. v z enemy &9* LIFE OF THE f^I790. enemy was in a condition to bring againft them. " Catharine, delighted with a project fo analogous to the ambition ffie entertained of fome time reigning in Byzantium, fent the three deputies into, Moldavia* that they might conciliate the friendship of Potemkin. After haying given them his instructions, Potemkin forwarded them to Sulli, accompanied by major-general Tamara, who was to fuperintend the grecian army, and furniffi it with whatever was needful. However, the collecting of an army of a hun dred and fifty thoufand Pruffians on the frontiers of Bohemia, the convention of Reichenbach, figned ¦jf between Pruffia and Auftria, for the acceleration of' peace, and the inimical disposi tions evinced by the court of London ^, caufed a relaxation in the armament of the Greeks. Only a fmall part of the funis allotted them by the em prefs ever reached their hands ; and it was recom mended to them to keep themfelves in readinefs, but to undertake nothing till a more favourable moment Should arrive. , * The emprefs caufed them to be paid a thoufand ducats to defray the expence of their journey. They quitted Peterfburg the aith of May 1790. f The i^tfi of July 1790. Prince Reifs and baron Spiel- mann figned' for the emperor Leopold II. and baron Hertz- berg' on behalf of the king of Pruflia. l' % An armament was got ready for fea to proceed to the Baltic to aft againft the Ruffians. '" ' Lambro, I79I0 EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 2,93 ' Lambro, whofe armament had been ravaging the ottoman feas, was at length obliged to fubmit to a fuperiority of numbers. Being attacked by a confiderable fleet, he defended himfelf for a long time with fpirit and vigour ; but all his veffels were funk, and a few of his company efcaped among the rocks in boats. 1 79 1. On the credit of fome of his friends, ffie again fitted out a Ship, with which he deftroyed a number of turkiffi veffels ; but it at length met with the fame fate that had befallen his little armament. Lambro once more faved himfelf in his boat, and efcaped to the mountains of Al- baiiia. Ruffia, after having encouraged him to fail under her flag; calmly fuffered him to be de clared a pirate ; and the agents of that power did not vouchfafe to deliver him from the prifon into which he had.been thrown for debts Contracted in its defence. He obtained his liberty, at laft by a Voluntary contribution rajfed by his countrymen-. Prince Potemkin, having made the neceffary difpoSitions for permitting him with , Safety to leave the army, haftened his return to Peterfburg *, to enjoy his triumphs in the approbation of his Sovereign. The emprefs received him with tranf- ports of joy. Festivities and prefents now re- fumed their alternate, courfe. She gave him ano- * * In the month, of March. u 3 thej ^94 tfFE OF THE ii79i* ther palace contiguous to her own, which had formerly belonged to baron Wolff, and which; had now been fitted up for his reception at the expence of fix hundred thoufand rubles, and a coat laced with diamonds, which coft two hun dred thoufand. He himfelf difplayed a pomp1 which would-ljave appeared exceffive in the moft folendid court of Europe. The expence of his table alone, on ordinary days, was regularly about eight hundred rubles : it was furniffied with the moft exquifite dainties and the rareft fruits. In the depth of winter he has befpoke long beforehand all the cherries of a tree in a green-houfe, at a ruble the cherry. He poffeffed an immenfe 'quan tity of jewels, fome of which he had fcarcely feen, and never cared about, fince the moment they were firft brought him. He one day took a dif- Mke to his diamonds, and they were all fold : Ibme time afterwards the defire returned of having. them ; and he ordered them to be bought on all liands and at any price *. Without * At one time he had formed' the prqjeft of purchafing, from a private proprietor the iflands of Lampedufa and Linofa" in the Mediterranean; and of obtaining the paramount lord-- fhip of them from the court of Naples. As die fcheme was- laid afide, probably on obtaining the confent of the king of Naples to admit the ruffian fleet into the harbours of Sicily, nothing more of it is known than'tihat an order of knighthood. was to be eftablifhed, 'fimilar > to that of Malta, for Ruffians aad Greeks, of whom proofs of antient nobility were not to bs 479*\I EMPRfiSS CATHARINE ii. £§$ Without being fo powerful as Biren or Ment- chikof, who wanted nothing but the title of em-* peror, prince Potemkin faw all Ruffia at his feet, efpecially the military, of whom he was the abfolute lord ; and his levee was frequently more thronged than that of the emprefs* Prince Potemkin, in . large companies, had a downcaft Allien look : feated among twenty ladies, like a fultan in a feraglio, fpeaking to not one of them, except in monofyllables and at long in tervals : he wanted nothing 'but the turkifh pipe for being abfolutely the figure we fee in pictures of the grand Signior. Though in Ruffia there are a great number of princes, and the major part of them fuperior by birth to prince Potemkin, yet he was always called the prince by way of excel lence. IThis prince, as has been already obferved, had a very Striking defect in One of his eyes : a re port was one day fent to him by the hands of a one-eyed Colonel ; which, might very naturally have happened without defign ; he, however, took it for a piece of ill-judged wit, and teftified his difpleafure in a very emphatical, and, it may be added, a very puerile manner. be required. Of this order the fovereign of Ruflia was to be grand-matter, and the governor of the ifland for the time being the mafter. v 4 He 1 296 LIFE OF THE Ll791' Fie behaved with great haughtinefs towards thofe who made their court to him. It is true, he knew his people, and conducted himfelf accord ingly. He has fometimes in public taken a ruffian general by the collar ; but he was extremely po lite to all foreigners, even to thofe who ferved in his army as fubalterns. He had major-generals to wait on his perfon, who performed exactly the office of valets-de-chambre : this indeed was no obstacle to their promotion ; and it depended on them to judge whether Or not they had reafon to congratulate themfelves on having obtained it at that price. A lady well known at PeterSburg,- whofe hufoand had a place at court, faid pub licly, in 1 79 1, that ffie ffiould fet out with the prince, who had given her an eftate of two thou fand rubles a year, to go and pafs the fummer with him at Xafy. He was eager to procure tlie moft coftly things of every kind. He had ten or a dozen violins of exorbitant price ; one among Others of fix- thou fand rubles value : he never played on a violin in his life ; and they were all either fpoiled by the dull, or gnawed by the rats ; for alter the mo ment he bought them, he never iaw them more. Somebody Speaking before him of a library, prince Potemkin faid he had one of greater value than .the moft learned man in Europe could Shew ; and, opening a book-cafe, there appeared feyeral Shelves of books, which, on being taken down, were I791-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. ¦ £97 were feen to be nothing more than boxes gilt and lettered at the backs, and . filled with bank-aflig- nats and rouleaux of imperials and ducats to an amazing amount *. It has already been obferved, that the prince was ha;fh towards the officers ; but was conde scending towards the f ldiers, among whom he had entirely deftroyed' all discipline : accordingly; he was beloved by them and detefted by the for mer. It is pretended, that this condudt had been concerted between the emprefs and him, in order to put difcord between the Officer and the foldier, efpecially in the regiments of guards; both of them being aware, that revolutions are effected in Ruffia by the foldiery,- and confequently that fuch a fpirit Should be kept up ; that the officers might be Sacrificed at the firft fignaL The moft extraordinary projects, of future ag- grandifement have been afcribed to him ; as that of taking advantage pf the influence he had over the troops for-excluding from the throne the grand duke and his fons, on the death of the empuefs, * There was fomething fo vvhimfical in the character of this extraordinary perfon, that while he was living dius roagm- ficendy he rarely thought of paying his debts. When any one waited on him for money, he would fay to Popof, his private iecretary, " Why don't you pay that man ?" at the fame time, by a fign,' giving him to underltand the manner iii which the creditor was to be treated. If he opened his hand, Popof gave the money. If he fliut it, the creditor got nothing. and S98 tIPE OP THE Cx79*' arid of caufing the eldeft of the grand ducheffes to be crowned : it is added, that his defign was to marry her, or at any rate to have reigned in her name. The fondnefs he always Shewed to hold up and heighten whatever the young princefs faid, to give it a confequence with the emprefs, might have given birth to this (te fay the leaft of it) cu rious idea. Others pretend, that his intention was to become hofpodar of Moldavia * ; and we ffiould be much difpofed to adopt this opinion, without, however, rejecting the others. Nobody doubted that he had formed fome plans of this nature. Potemkin had gained the good-will of the nobility of the country ; he careffed them all, from the higheft to the loweft 5 and every thing led * Moldavia is bounded oh the north and noftheaft by Po land, from which it is feparated by the Cnieftr, on the eaft by Beffarabia, on the fouth by Valakhia, and on the weft by Tranfylvania : is about one hundred and eighty miles in its greateft length from north to fouth ; and fomething lefs in breadth, from eaft to weft. The river Pruth croffes it from north to fouth. The country has fome very fertile lands, but a confiderable part of the eaftern divifion lies uncultivated, confifting chiefly of deferts ; and the weftern is very moun- ainous. Its principal rivers" are the Pruth and the Sereth. The inhabitants are of valakhian extraction, and profefs the greek religion ; but many of them are alfo mohammedans: Towards the clofe of the twelfth century, a valakhiam .colony came from Tranfilvania, and fettled in this country. Then- leader, named Bogden, eftablifhed their civil and ecclefiaftical government. He was the firft prince of Moldavia, for which reafon the country was originally called from him Bogdania The i791-) EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 299 led to believe that thefe nobles, 'flattered by^the officioufnefs and obliging manners of a man who, in general, was not laviffi of his civilities, would have given him their voice. And it Can as little be doubted that the emprefs would have fupported his pretenfions, becaufe, on his death, She would have gairied Moldavia, as ffie had already obtained the Krimea. During this Stay of four or five months, in 1 791, at Peterfburg, he expended upwards of one mil lion two hundred thoufand rubles. But the en tertainment he now gave at his TavritfcheSkoi palace* (Since his death called the Pantheon), exceeded any thing of the fort that we read of in the tales of our youth. Crowned with laurels, and wearied with conquefts, he hastened to the refidence of his fovereign, ' to enjoy his triumph in the fun-Shine of majefty, and for a moment to forget, in the circle of pleafures that awaited him, his bloody conflicts and the thoufands of Slain. A dark prefentiment feemed hovering in his mind, that this would be the laft moment he had The increafe of the power of the king of Hungary was a mif- fortttne The company now proceeded to another hall, hung with tapeftry of the richeft and moft coftly Jcind. Here Stood an artificial elephant, decorated with emeralds and rubies. The Perfian who con ducted him ftruck upon a bell ; and this was the • fignal for another change. A curtain flew up as if by magic, and opened to view a magnificently decorated theatre, where two ballets and a dramatical piece afforded enter tainment to the Spectators with their extraordinary excellence. The moft complete and charming mufic, interrupted by choirs of fingers, numerous fets pf fine dancers, a prodigious difplay of pomp, and the fight of an exceeding great diverfity of national dreffes in their moft pleafing coftume, now delighted every ferrfe at once. When the ¦play was over, the company divided, into the fever ral rooms of the palace. Whichever way the fpedtator turned his eye, the magnificent illumiT nation ftruck him with amazement. The walls and the columns all feemed to glow with various coloured fire : large mirrors here and there judi- cioufly fixed to the fides of the apartments, or- made to form pyramids and grottoes, multiplied • the effect of fjiis Singular exhibition, and even made the whole , inclofure from top to bottom feem to be compofed of fparkling Stones. A table, fui table to the magnificence of th$ feftivity, now waited for the company. Sk hun-r dr$d S791-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 303 dred perfoas fat down to it ; and the reft were en-r tertained at fideboards. No other table furniture was feen upon the cloth, but gold and filver. In- - ftead of the ufual candlefticks, the table was lighted hy various-coloured vafes in which lamps were inferred. An aftoniffiing number of fervants and domeftic officers, in fuperb dreffes, were em ployed in waiting on the guefts ; and in every place any thing was to be had at the very firft nod. Nothing that the moft Studied epicurifrn was able fo procure could be aSked for in' vain. The emprefs on this day, certainly the firft time for many years, made an exception to her general rule, by Staying till midnight,, in order not to difturb the pleafure of the hoft and his company. On her entering the veftibule again, the choir of voices melodioufly chanted a hymn to Catharine's praife. Her majefty, furprifed and af fected, was turning round to the prince, when, overpowered with his emotions, he fell on his knee, and, feizing her hand, bedewed it with tears. Some gloomy forebodings feemed to Shake his whole frame ; and his countenance was expref- five of the fentiment, that this was the laft time he Should ever, on that fpot, Stammer out his gratitude to his magnanimous patronefs. Latterly, his fpirits being wearied with the eter nal round of diffipation and pleafure in which he had fo long been engaged, and having nothing to h^ope for, or in any way to give agitation to his mind, / 304 LIFE OP THE CI79X* mind, the prince often experienced a languor and depreffidn that made time a burthen to him. Being now in Petersburg, towards the beginning of the long winter-evenings, he would fit alone, order the table to be fpread with a black velvet kept for the purpofe ; then, having his diamonds brought, he would continue for hours arnufing himfelf, like a child, in placing them one after another, in the forms of circles, croSfes, and fan ciful figures, considering each before he placed it, and then admiring the fituation of it or removing it to another. On one of thefe evenings the thought occurred to him to weigh his diamonds: they were found to amount to feveral pounds ! the moft remarkable were what compofed an epaulette of brilliants, to the value of eight hundred and fifty thoufand rubles; another of coloured Stones of three hundred thoufand ; perfect rubies, weighing from thirty-five to thirty, fix carats, of inestimable value ; the picture of tlie emprefs, pendant to yellow and black diamonds, in imitation of the ribbon of the order of St. George, &c. He fre quently amufed 'himfelf by pouring his diamonds out of one hand into the other, as children play with little Shells or dried peas. He would fome times pafs a couple of hours in biting his nails as he walked up and down his apartment, thongh there were a fcore of perfons prefent. He has been juftly accufed of employing himfelf in fri volous matters; and the truth has even been ex aggerated ; ,79'I0 EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 305 aggerated ; but it is certain that he had'grand and extenfive views, and that his death was a real lofs to the emprefs. Prince Potemkin was in the fecret of all fhe plans adopted by Catharine, who regretted him the more, as he held the grand duke in awe. She loft him at a time when She repofed no confidence in ahy one, and was too far advanced in life to think of training up another man to bufinefs, which demands the practice of a number of years. Potemkin directed all matters relative to the army ; it is not to be thence inferred that all went on well ; but all went on, and her majefty required nothing more. There was often a want of pro vifions, of forage, of every thing in his camp *. The hofpitals might be confidered as non-exiftent; but all this paffed at the diftance of fifteen hun dred or two thoufand verfts from the refidence. The emprefs could not hear the complaints of all her Subjects, and found it far eafiet to rely entirely on himv than to fupprefs abufes, perhaps difficult pf reform, from the number of people that pro fited by them. ( * His houfe at Peterfburg exhibited the fame diforder, and feemed to be under the fame /fort of management. It was no uncommon thing to pafs through a fuite of apartments without finding a fingle fervant to take one's name : fome times not a bit of bread or a drop of water was to be had in the houfe j but there was Always plenty of petit-nates and excellent champagne. VOL, III. X . T'he 306 1IFE OP THE [I791, The prince had a thorough knowledge of his country and his countrymen ; he would therefore, as was faid' before, put on a very different beha- vipur towards a young englilh or french officer from whaf he would ufe to a ruffian general ; the former being- feated befide him, while the other was kept ftanding, and did not venture over the fill of the door ; knowing that the Ruffians, though ever fo unfatisfied with this or fimilar treatment, neyer e3£Prefs. their difcontent againft a fuperior.- It was from his own. genius alone that he had feized. the charadter of other nations; and if certainly Shews a nicenefs of tact exceedingly rare, as he had never been out of Ruffia. 'f But the greateft encomium that can be paffed on the talents of prince Potemkin, is by faying, that, having ceafed to he favourite, inftead of falling, if not into difgrace, at leaft into neglect and obli-r V-ion, he was able to maintain himfelf for fo many years, and even to his death, in the poffeffion of a power entirely abfolute ; a power which was never balanced by that of any of the favourites his fucceffors : he kept it complete and entire in a country fo fubject to fudden revolutions, and (what is worthy of particular remark) with a fove-, reign who cannot be accufed of any defect of un derstanding and judgement, and of not reigning by herfelf. This, in the opinion of many, would alone be fufficient to evince, that prince Potem kin was a man of no ordinary ftamp ; and even . that -I ' ¦" 1791.J EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 307 that; he was very far from if* He is juftly com mendable for hating always patronifed his friends, and for never having ruined any one,, though af- furedly he had both the means and the opportunity in his power. Some time in the year 1787, he took it into his- head to have Plutarch read to him, to which he listened with great attention. When they were come to the life of Agefilaus, and the account of his conquefts, he interrupted his reader; and, after remaining thoughtful for fome moments, he aSked him: " Think you, that I could go, at " fome future period, to Conftantinople ?" To which the reader replied: "If the fovereign pleafe " there is no impoflibility to prevent your going." — " That is enough," returned the prince -, "and " if any. one ffiould come to-day, and tell me that " I could not go thither, I would Shoot myfelf " through the head." He had even meditated an attack upon China ; preparations, were actually made for taking poffeffion of the Amoor at Nert- ffiinSk, where the Ruffians have their gold and filver mines j and the chief difficulty he had to encounter was the want of timber. Nothing but his death put a Stop to this expedition. It was his firm opinion^ that a body of ten thoufand Ruffians could march thrqugh China, It is certain that he found the means of detach ing France from Turkey, and of bringing her to concur with Ruffia, which certainly Shews no x z fmall 3Q3 ^IPE OV THE [179?, fmall degree of political dexterity, efpecially as he had to do with fo political a people as the French. The news of the french revolution quite afflicted him. He was feveral times afterwards fur- prifed in talking to himfelf on that fubjedt, in broken fentences without connection, and wiffi great gesticulation. But we muft nqw return to our hiftory. After a Stay of about Sive months at Peferfburgi prince Potemkin quitted the refidence, to return to the army. Satiated with pomp and grandeur, with triumphs and with pleafures, he was reftlefs and uneafy every where ; and his frequent Sighs betray ed the gloom that qverfpread his mind *. He was, fatisfied neither with the flatteries of the courtiers, nor the bounties of his foyereign, nor with him felf : and his irritation feemed to increafe at, the prefence qf the new favourite. This favourite was Plato Zubof. Objects more important have hitherto detained us from fpeaking of him. It is neceffary now to ftate briefly the caufes of hig elevation^ and tlie dif- grace of his prgdecpfibr. * It is well known that prinpe Potemkin, otj quitting Pe terfburg, in j 791, had a fecret prefentiment that he fhould pever return : he faid it over and oyer again. However, diere was nothing marvellous in die matter. His manner of life, regular in no one reflect, evidendy tended to fhorten his days : he was no more than fifty-two years of age ; and his natura^ conftitution feemed to warrant lam a lqng courfe of Mqmonof 1791-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 30Q Moirtbnof was well ehdugh liked by the em prefs ';. but he" made her no adequate returns. Like Potemkin, nOt fatisfied with the magnificent pre- fents lavished on him by her majefty, he fraudulent ly extorted from her immenfe fums *. But he lived with her in the manner of a Slave, the weight of whofe chains were not the lefs felt for being of gold, and not as a lover, pleafed with pleafing. His heart, however, was not infenfible. Catha- rine^ in the number of Her maids' of honour, had the daughter of prince Scherbatof, /a lady young, handfbme, and fprightly, and having withal a ' difpOfition to gallantry. Momonof was foon fmit- ten by her charms, and had made himfelf agree able tb her. But his paffion had not as yet paffed the bounds of refpedt ; when one day he hap pened to hear Potemkin extol the charms of princefs Scherbatof Momonof was thunderstruck. He khew the unlimited power of Potemkin : he knew that it was fufficient for him to form a defire for having it gratified : he therefore ran and * As die advanced in age, die emprefs grew more parfimonio us to her lovers. She gave Potemkin and Momonof permiffion to uraw upon Strekalof, her private treafurer ; and they were fo licentious in the ufe of it, that the imperial coffers were foon indebted to the amount of five millions of rubles. Catharine, upon this> reprimanded. Strekalof j who, in his jufdficatioii, produced a heap of drafts from Potemkin and Momonof, molt- ly written on vile fcraps of paper. On her mendoning it to Momonof, he turned the affair into a joke; and all wa made up. x 3 threw 310 tiPE of The [}7$1' threw himfelf on his knees to princefs Scherba- tof,,and imparted to her the caufe of his uneafi-: nefs. For his comfort and encouragement She promifed to grant him what he was afraid of being deprived of by his rival ; and Shortly after he had additional reafons for difmiffing his anxiety : Po temkin fet out for the army. This intimacy fubfifted a long time, and was known to all the court. Catharine alone per ceived nothing of it. At length, however, by the jealoufy of fome of the courtiers, her eyes were opened ; ffie was told that Momonof had not furrendered to her the whole of his heart, of which fhe foon after had evident proofs. However of fended at this difcovery, ffie thought it beft to connive at it, at leaft for the prefent. This was during the Summer of 1789. The court was at Tzarftco-felo ; and the daughter of count Bruce, one of the richeft heireffes of the empire, had juft been prefented. . Catharine, laying hold of this opportunity y Said to Momonof, that fhe intended he Should marry the young countefs * Bruce. Momonof implored her not to infift upon it. The emprefs * In Ruffia and in alt the North, the young ladies bear ¦ the fame tide with their parents, The young countefs is now married fo count Mouffin Poufhkin, who has added to- his name that of Bruce. He is at prefent ambaffador from Ruffia to the court of Naples;. defired l79t'1 EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 31 1 - .* defired to know the reafon of his reluctance. At -this he was embarraffed : She infifted ; and he fell at her feet* confeffirtg that he had plighted his' faith to princefs Scherbatof. The emprefs wanted no farther explanation : the two lovers Were mar ried next day, and fet off for -Mofco. Momonof was bound by every tie of gratitude to Catharine for her bounties, and the extreme condefcenfion She had always Shewn him, . But it Was currently reported that he had the imprudence to mention to his wife the particulars of his inter views with the emprefs ; and that fhe divulged them With a levity injurious to the fovereign. It Was added that that princefs repaid the indifcretion by an act of great feverity. When Momonof and his lady were gone to reft, the mafter of the police at Mofco entered their apartment; andj after having Shewn them an order from her ma jefty, he left them in the hands of fix women, and retired to an adjoining chamber, Then the' fix women, or rather the fix men dreffed as women, feized the babbling lady, and having Stripped her entirely of her night-clothes, exer- cifed on her the difciplirte of flagellation with rods in the prefence of Momonof, whom theyv forced to kneel down during the ceremony. When the chaftifement was; over, the police mafter re entered the>room and faid: " This is the way the " emprefs puniffies a firft indifcretion. For the " fecond, people are fent to Siberia." x 4 The 312 LIFE OP THE [l79*-t The very day or1 the marriage of Momonof, tho poft of favourite was conferred on Plato Zubof, an officer in the horfe guards. Prince Potemkin heard with much concern that the choice of Catharine had fallen on Zubof. He made it the fubject of a letter to her majefty, employing all forts of arguments to induce her to change her lover. But from the firft period of his elevation Zubof had rendered himfelf fo agreeable that he was in no dreads of a rival. The emprefs wrote to Potemkin, that fo long as ffie had no juft reafons to complain of Zubof, ffie Should not refolve upon dffiniffing him. Notwithstanding this, Potemkin continued his importunities for fome time. — "If " you fee the emprefs," faid he to one of the courriers who carried his difpatches to court, " obferve to her that I have teeth which give me " great pain, and that I Shall not be eafy till I " have got rid of them." It was a clumfy play upon Words: Zubof, in rufs, Signifies teeth. The death of the emperor Jofeph II. * had left Catharine to contend with the Ottomans, reduced to her own forces alone. Leopold II. yielding to the folhcitations of Pruffia, and ftill more to the exigencies of his people, who were finking under die preSSure of an unjuft and unfortunate war, was in hafte to break off from Ruffia, and to conclude a feparate peace with, the porte. * Jofeph II. died the 20th of. February 1 790. It; t791'] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 313 It was no longer Frederic II. that reigned in Pruffia. Five years had elapfed fince he had terr- minated his long and brilliant courfe *. Endowed with a refolute charadter and a flexile mind, he had improved them both by Study and reflexion. The leffons he had imbibed from hiftory rendered him at once a profound politician and an able general ; his intercourfe with the philofophers and fine writers of every age and nation had qualified him for taking a place among distinguished au thors. While he was only prince royal, he feemed to afpire at the glory qf the Antonines or a Marcus Aurelius : but no fooner was he feated on the throne than he took for his models an Alexander and a Philip. Returning victorious from a war which had threatened his ruin, he extended the limits of his dominions, and from the fecondary power which fell to him by inheritance, he raifed himfelf into one of the moft authoritative poten tates of Europe. To the titles of politician and conqueror, which he had already acquired, he now added that of legislator ; and, by the code which bears his name, he merited in many refpedts the gratitude of his fubjedts. Difdainful of luxury from inclination, and fearful of it from oeconomy, he founded his pride on the number of his fol diers. Laborious, vigilant, indefatigable, he was * Frederic II. died die :17th of Auguft 1786. employed 3*4 LIFE OP tfHE C1'?0** employed to the laft ^moment of his life in the administration of his kingdom : but at the fame time he Shewed himfelf more jealous of Strength ening and fecuring his power* and of the profperity of Pruffia, than of the happinefs of the Pruffians* Did he live happily himfelf? It may be an fwered, No ; fince he was neither hufoand *, nor lover, nor father, and often fuffered .himfelf to be ruled by two tormenting paffions, avarice and ambition. He was emulous of the furname of Great: he obtained it of the age in which he lived, and there is no doubt but it will be Con firmed by posterity. But though Frederic II. was no more, the fame fpirit ftill directed the cabinet of Berlin. Some time before Leopold made peace with the Turks, Frederic William had figned a treaty with them. Thus Catharine at once loft a defender, and was expofed to the probability of havirig.foon a new enemy to contend with. That enemy how ever did not draw the fword againft her, at which fhe was not the lefs incenfed. He took advantage of the difcontents in Poland for gaining a confider able influence in that country, and leagued himfelf to it by a new treaty. Under pretence of defending the Poles he caufed his troops to enter their terri- * It is well known, that, though he was married, he never cohabited with his wife. tory ; --\ I701-] EMPRESS CATHARINE if. - $1$ tory ; and, what perhaps occafioned ftill more heart-burning . at the court of Ruffia, he took poffeffion of the cities of Dantzic and Thorn. The emprefs now began to fee that her victories Were ruinous, and that remote . conquefts might bring on the lofs of the provinces which ffie pof feffed in Poland. In a word, She perceived the neceffity of bringing about a peace ; but She had too much pride to fue for it, and rather than that, She chofe to continue fighting. , ffer armies obtained ftill- farther fucceffes. Kutufof beat the combined troops of the Turks and Tartars at Babada*: prince Repnin, at the head of twenty-five thoufand men, entirely routed feventy thoufand Ottomans whom he met and en gaged not far from Matzin -f- : Gudovitch, bro ther of him who had formerly been the favourite of Peter III. made himfelf mafter of the fortreffes of Sudyuk-kaly and of Anapa, on the frontiers of the Krimea and ffie Kuban, where he took four teen thoufand prifoners, among whom was the fheik Manffiour, the pretended prophet of Whom mention has been already made. * In the month of May, 179L Babada is in Bulgaria on the right hank of the Danube, as well as Matzin. f In the month of July 1791. This was the laft battle of the war. It has been feen above, that, at the beginning of the fame year, prince Gallitzin beat a body of Turks at the fame place. Great 316 life op the tl791' Great Britain, who, in revenge for the alliance' concluded between France and Ruffia, had ex cited the Turks to declare war againft the latter power, and had vainly been prodigal of her affift- ance in arms, ammunition, and counfel ; Great Britain refolved to take advantage of the moment when the court of Peterfburg was detaching itfelf from the French, to engage it in a connection with her. After 'having apprifed of her defign the cabinet* of Berlin and of the Hague, who had acted in concert with her from the beginning of the war, ¦ ffie eagerly propofed her mediation to the emprefs, on condition that in making peace that princefs ffiould confent to give up her conquefts, and to take for the bafis of the new arrangements the treaty of Kainardgi *. Still maintaining the fame character of haughty independence, which She had fupported through the whole of the war, the emprefs, in the very laft fcene of it, feemed defirous to mortify rather than conciliate the allied powers : fuch at leaft was her behaviour to the britiffi court. The cabinet of London had fent to Petersburg Mr. Fawkener, fecretary to the privy-council, giving him in charge two propositions, whereof the moft favourable to Ruffia was not to be produced un- * It was what the three allied courts called, in diplomatic terms, thtjiatut quo. lefs I79t'] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 317 lefs the other lhould not be accepted. Fawkener was not wanting in abilities as a negotiator : but was by no means a match for Catharine. Whether that princefs had been fecretly advertifed by her emiffaries, that fhe britiffi agent had the power to make her a double propofal, or whether it was only matter of furmife, ffie refolved tQ avail her felf of it. Determined on concluding a peace with the Turk?, whatever it Should coft her, in prdef that her armies might fall back into Poland, fhe received Mr. Fawkcner with extreme affability. She admitted him to her table at Tz&rSko-felo, placed him 0vPr againft her. djfcourfed wjth him $11 dinner-time, and after rifing frpm table talked with him again, artfully by turns giving him reafon to apprehend the failure of his negotiation, and infpiring him with the hopes of its fuccefs^ ffie at length fo completely entangled him, that he had not the courage to propofe any offier than the moft advantageous conditions. Abbut the fame time with the arrival of that gentleman, a traveller*, who happened to be connected both by confanguinity and friendship with the illuftrious leader pf the Oppofition-party in the houfe qf commons, appeared at the court of St. Peterfburg. Whatever was the objedt of his vifit, whether to collect for his friend more ac curate iAformation, fuch as. a ftatefman ought to * Mr. Adair. 3i3 life of" the {ji'jgx. ufe all due means of obtaining off fo great a! poli tical queftion as that relating to the equipoife of the european powers, or purpofes of mere curio- flty concerning the court of a princefs who made fuch a figure in the affairs of the world, his pre fence there was made by the emprefs an occafion offfiewinga marked flight to the agent, of. the britiSh m'miftry. Whenever She fpoke to the latter at 'Court, She always took care at the fame time to place the former at her right hand, in the place of honour 5 and on the arrangement of the peace, ' the prefents ffie conferred were precifely of the fame kind to both, but of greater value, and more in number, to the friend and relation of Mr. Fox, whom, as an orator and a ftatefman, ffie had air ways admired. Catharine, being thus made acquainted with the difpoSitions of England, caufed a memorial to be delivered to the Daniffi minifter, to prevail upon him to negotiate the preliminaries of peace with the cabinets of Berlin, of London, and of the Hague. Count Bernftorf was in all refpedt.s worthy, of being trufted with the mediation of fo important a caufe, and .eagerly informed the three allied courts of the intention of Catharine ; in confe quence of which an accommodation between thofe powers' and Ruffia was prefently agreed on, In purfuance of this accommodation, the three allied courts agreed to propofe to the porte the terms J791-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 379 terms offered by the emprefs, and declared, that if the Turks would not accept of thefe conditions, they would abandon their caufe, and leave them to profecute alone the war againft Ruffia. A congrefs' was affembled at Sbiftove ; where the negotiators found . at fiyft fome difficulty in coming to an agreement. Hence they removed to Galatch, and the preliminaries of peace were at length Signed, the 9th of January 179a, by prince Repnjn and the grand vizier.. The definitive treaty, concluded at Yaffy, foon after followed *. 1792. It has been calculated that in this war Auftria loft one hundred and thirty thoufand fol diers, and expended three hundred millions of florins. — Ruffia loft two hundred thoufand men, five Ships of the line, feven frigates^ and four- fcore fmaller veflels ~\- ; and expended two hun dred millions of rubles.- — The Turks loft three hundred and thirty thoufand men, flx Ships of the line, four frigates, with feveral other veffels, and expended two hundred and fifty millions of piaftres. * See the Appendix at the end of the volume. No. IX. •f One fhip of the line was taken in the Baltic ; three , perifhed by accident ; fix large frigates were taken, and near fourfcore armed veflels of inferior dimenfions. — Ruflia loft in the Euxine a large frigate, commanded by captain Mar fhal ; the Magdalene of 66 guns, captain Tifdalp, driven by a gale of wind into the canal of Conftantinople ; and the Krimea, of 40 guns, foundered in die fame ftorm. Sweden 3?0 LIFE OF THE [x792» Sweden had expended feventy millions of rix dollars, and loft twelve Ships of the line, three frigates, and forty fmaller veffels of war *. After Signing the treaty, Bezborodko declared that the emprefs gave up her claim to the twelve millions of piaftres which the porte had juft Stipu lated to pay her as an indemnity for the expences of the war. The ottoman plenipotentiaries juftly teftified their admiration of an act of generofity fo truly imperial. It muft not here be forgotten, that, while the formidable armament was fitting out by the court of London for theBaltic, to force the emprefs into a peace with the Turks, prince Naffau Siegen, then in high favour with her majefty, prefented to her a project of marching an army through Bokhara to Kaffimir, and thence to Bengal, to * Six fliips of the line and two frigates were captured, and fix fliips of the line and, a frigate deftroyed, as well as moft of the forty fmaller veffels. The fwedifh frigate the Venus, of 40 gups bafely ftniGk to the rufuan brigandne the Mercury of 3? guns commanded by captain Crown, who, being made captain of the Venus, took die fwedifh fhip the Rameden, of 64 guns; after having juft miffed of taking the yacht Amphion, on board of which was die king of Sweden. Captain Crown came to Ruflia in 1 788 and brought with him his lady, who was no lefs brave than handfome, and accompanied him on all his voyages. Catharine II. charmed with the anecdotes related of this heroine, had her introduced at court, and prefented her with her portrait fet with brilliants, and feveral other marks of her bounty. drive 179^.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. £41 drive the English out of India. He pretended not however to be the author of it, having received it of a Frenchman named de St. Genie, by whom it was conceived and drawn up. This man ptopofed that' the. emprefs. Should publiffi a manifefto, de- clarirtg that ffie fent the army for the purpofe of re- eftabliffiing the mogul on the. throne -of India, as a blind to the real objedt She had in view. De St. Genie affured her that few or no difficulties were to be -apprehended in paffing through Bok hara ; but father as the often fible 'defign was to reftore to the throne of India a prince of their own religion," they would be friendly to the enterprife : however, at any rate, nothing was to be dreaded from a pepple fo difunitedamong themfelves, and -who Stand in awe of the Ruffians ; adding, that She might lay her account in being joined in the north of India by the difcontented from alt parts. As a farther inducement to this undertaking^ de St. Genie affirmed, that there' were known to be paSfes through- the mountains, and that he could refer to perfons who had- been- fentinto the coun try by M. de Vergennes; at the fame time' he ac companied his project with a map accurately laid down of -the feveral Stations for the- march of the army *. Catharine teftified her approbation of the plan : but it was treated with derifion by prince Potem- * .See Eton's Survey of the Turkifh empire. vol. in. , y kin. 3^2 LIFE OF THE C1?^2* kin. Had the menaces of the britiffi' minifter been profecuted to open hostilities, from the tem per ffie was in at that time with regard to his pro cedures, there is no faying what the emprefs would have left untried, if not brought to effedt. However, for the prefent She contented herfelf with faying: " C'eft un miniftre de preparatifs, " qui ne vient a bout de rien." Prince Potemkin had not the good fortune to conclude the peace between Ruffia and the porte. He had repaired to the congrefs of Yaffy : but, being foon aftef attacked with an epidemical fever which was then rife at that place, he was unable to attend much to the negotiations that were car rying on. As foon as the emprefs had intelligence that he was Sick, ffie fent off to him two of the moft experienced phyficians at Peterfburg *. He difdained their advice, and would follow no regi men. He carried even his intemperance to an uncommon height, his ordinary breakfaft was the greater part of a fmoke-dried goofe from Ham burgh, Slices of hung-beef or ham, drinking with it a prodigious quantity of wine and Dantzio liqueurs, and afterwards dining with equal voracity. He never controlled his appetites in any kind of .gratification. He frequently had his favourite fterlet- foup, at feafons when that fifh is fo enormbufly dear, that this foup alone, which might be confidered * The doctors Tinmannand Maflot. only I792;] EMPRESS rfJATHARINE'll. 323 only as the overture to his dinner, Stood him in three, hundred rubles. Having mentioned his Slerlet-foup, it is impoffible to refrain from relating an anecdote on that fubject here., Being at Yaffy, the prince had promifed foine of the women that went about with him every where, and formed his court, a foup of this kind ; or perhaps, • in one of thofe whims which were fo common with him, he had a mind to it himfelf; but, as the capital maker of it was at .Petersburg, he difpatched a major to travel poft, with orders to have a large tureen of it made : which he did accordingly, and brought it with him, well luted. Now let the reader judge of the expence this fancy put him to : the cook, as we may imagine, made a greater quantity of it than was wanted for fhe prince, and ate the remainder with his friends * ; nay, we maybe fore that he ate it better than the prince, to whom it muft have come fomewhat lefs frefh, after having travelled near two thoufand verfts. This anecdote may likewife ferve as a fpecimen of the bufinefs ih which majors were fometimes employed by him, and confequently of the consideration in which they muft have, been held. He has fre quently fent his officers from the Krimea or from Krementfehuk to Petersburg, and even to Riga, for oyfters or china-oranges,' on their firft arrival at thofe ports. ' * It was by one of diofe friends that the ftqry got abroad, X 2 With 3H LIFE OP* THE [I794, With this fort pf diet it is no wonder that he perceived his distemper to be daily gaining ground, he thought, however, to get well by removing from Yaffy. Accordingly he refolved to- fet out for Nicolayef, a town which he had built at thecon- fluence of the Ingyl with the :Bogue. Scarcely -had he gone three leagues of his journey when he found himfelf much worfe. He alighted from his carriage in the midft of the highway, threw him felf on the grafs, and died * under a tree, in the arms of the countefs Branicka, his favourite niece. At firft a report was fpread, as ufual on the death of men of extraordinary character, that the prince * Prince Potemkin died the 15th of October 1791, at the age of 52. From Yaffy his remains were tranfported to Kher fon, where diey were_ inhumed, and the emprefs allotted a hundred dioufand rubles for the erection of a maufoleum over them.— - Having -often had occafion toipeak of the dignities ,and, the titles of. this extraordinary perfonage, we infert an abridgment of diem here : Knight of die principal orders of Pruffia, of Sweden, of Poland^and of all the orders of Ruflia ; field-marfhall, commander in chief of all die armies of Ruflia, chief general of die cavalry ; grand admiral of the fleets of the Euxine, of die fea of Azof, and of the Cafpian ; fenator and prefident of the college, of war ; goverhor^general of Ekatarinoflaf and of Taurida ; adjutant-general and actual chamberlain to die emprefs : infpector-genersl of the armies ; colonel of thepreobajeniky guards ; chief of the. corps of horfe guards ; colonel of the regiment of cuirafliers of his name, of the dragoons of Peterfburg, and the grenadiers of Ekatarino flaf; chief of all die manufactories of arms .and the fouudanes of cannon j grand hetman of the kozaks, &c. had I792-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 325 had been poiforred. His body, on being brought to Yaffy, ' was therefore opened, but not the' fmalleft indication was difcoverable that might juftify fuch a fufpicion. The name of Potemkin willlong hold a confpi- cuous place" in- the annals of Ruffia. Nature, in order to render him remarkable in every point of view, had given him a gigantic ftature, and a por tion of bodily ftrength, fuch as, in former times, excited aftoniflimerit in a Hercules and a Thefeus,. When 'firft beheld, he had Something; favaee in his appearance, which exhibited an extraordinary mixture of rude and of cultivated nature. His look was animated, lively, and piercing ; his countenance, fine, pliant, and lofty, befpoke the head" of a Richelieu or a Mazario, on the ¦ - ¦- > rob.uft Shoulders of a Savage. Prone to tacitur nity,' and eager to liften, his Silence was the Silence of thought and reflection. Active, in- defafigable, turbulent, bold, and . difcreet, with a capacity more comprehensive than juft, he was capable of undertaking and of atchieving the moft dangerous and .defp'erate enterprizes. He paid little attention to the. opinions of a world which he defpifed ; and his paffions acknowledged neither restraint nor limit, becaufe his heart was destitute. ,of .morality and devoid of principle. His mind was a composition of raw genius, boitndlefs atnbi- , tion, a thirft of independence, a love of fway, y 2 and 320" LIFE OF THE Cr792, and of all noble and of all low paffions. He was a wolf holden by a Single chain, but that chain was in the hand of Catharine, As to what farther might be faid of prince Potemkin, we Shall content ourfelves with inferring here the picture drawn of him by M. L. P. Se gur *, who Jived a long time in habits of inti macy with him. " Prince Gregory Alexandrovitch Potemkin was one of the moft extraordinary men of his times ; but in order to have played fo confpicuous a part, he muft have been in Ruffia, and have lived in the reign of Catharine II. In any other country, in any other times, with any Other fovereign, he would have been mifplaced ; and it was, a Singular ftroke of chance that created this man for the period that tallied with him, and * Formerly ambaflador at Peterfburg, not lefs diftinguifhed ' for his literary than his political talents. Le comte de S6gur wrote under the emprefs's pidture, juft after her return from the Krim, the following lines : Reconnois vers le nord l'aimant qui nous attire, Cet heureux conquerant, profond legiflateur, Femme aimable, grand homme, & que l'envie admire, Qui parcourt fes etats, y verfe le bonheur. Maitre en l'art de regnerj favante en l'art d'e'crhe, Repandant la lumiere, ecartant les erreurs ; Si le fort n'avoit pu lui donner un empire, Elle anroit eu toujours un trone dansnos coeurs. broue;ht I792-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 347 brortght together and combined all the circum ftances with which he could tally. " In his perfon were collected the moft oppo site defedts and advantages of every kind. He was avaricious and ostentatious, defpotic and popular, inflexible and beneficent, haughty and obliging, politic and confiding, licentious and fuperftitious, bold and timid, ambitious and in- difcreet. Laviffi of his bounties to his relations, his miftreffes, and his favourites, yet frequently paying neither his houfehold nor his creditors. His confequence always depended on a woman ; and he was always unfaithful to her. Nothing could equal the activity of his mind, nor the in dolence of his body., No dangers could appal his courage ; no difficulties force him to abandon his projects. But the fuccefs of an enterprife always brought on difguft. " He wearied the empire- by the number of his poftsand the extent of his power. He was hirtiT felf fatigued with the burthen of his existence ; envious of all that he didnot do, and Sick of all that he did. .Reft. was not grateful to him, nor occupation pleafing. Every thing with him was defultory; bufinefs, pleafure, temper, carriage. In every company he had an embarraffed air, and his prefence was a restraint on every company. He was, morofe to all that ftood in awe of- him, and careffed. all fuch as accofted him with familiarity. y 4 " Ever 328 LIFE OF THE [l^gi. "-Ever promising, feldom keeping his word, and- never forgetting any thing. None had read lefs than he ; few people"were better informed. He had talked with the Skilful in all profeffions, in all the fciences, in every art. None better knew how to draw forth and appropriate to himfelf the knowledge of others. In converfation he woujd have aftoniffied a fchdlar, an artift, an artifan, and a divine. His information was not deep, but it was very extenfive. He never dived into a fubject, but he fpoke well on all fub- jedts. " The inequality of his temper was productive of.an inconceivable oddity in his defires, in his conduct, and in his manner of life. One while he formed the projedt of becoming duke of Courland ; at another he thought of beftowing on himfelf the crown of Poland. He frequently gave intimations of an intention to make himfelf a biffiop or even a Simple monk. He built a fu- perb palace, and wanted to fell it before it was finished. One day he would dream of nothing but war ; and only officers, Tartars, and kozaks, were admitted to him : the next day he was bulled only with politics ; he would partition the otto man empire, and put in agitation all the cabinets of Europe. At other times, with nothing in his head but the court, dreffed in a magnificent fuit, covered with ribbons prefented him by every po tentate, IjgiJ] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 329 tentate, di Splaying diamonds of extraordinary magnitude and brilliance, he was giving fuperb entertainments without any .occafion. " He was fometimes known for attionth, and in the face of all the town, to pafs whole evenings at the apartments of a young female, feeming to have alike forgot all bufinefs and all decorum. Sometimes alfo, for feveral weeks fuceeffively, Shut up»in his room with his nieces and feveral men of his intimates, he would lounge on a fofa, with out fpeaking, playing at chefs, or at cards, with his legs bare, his ffiirt collar unbuttoned, in a morning gown, with a thoughtful front, his eye brows knit, and prefenting to the view of ftrangers who came to fee him, the figure of a rough and fqualid kozak. " All thefe Singularities often put the emprefs out of humour, but rendered him more interesting to her. In his youth, he had pleafed her by the ardour of his paffion, by his valour, and by his mafeuline beauty. Being arrived at maturity, he charmed her ftill by flattering her pride, by calm ing her apprehensions, by confirming her power, by cherishing her fancies of oriental empire", -the expulfion of the barbarians, and the restoration of the grecian republics. " At eighteen, an under-officer in the horfe - guards, on the day of the revolution, he per- fuaded his corps to take arms, and prefented to 33° LIFE- OF THE ll792< to Catharine his" cockade as an ornament for her fword. Soon after, become the rival of Orlof, he performed for his fovereign whatever the moft romantic paffion could infpire. He put out his eye to free it from a blemiffi which di minished his beauty. Baniffied by his rival, he ran to. meet death in battle, and returned with glory. A fuccefsful lover, he quickly Shook off the hypocritical farce, whofe cataftrophe held out to him the profpqdl of an obfeure difafter. He himfelf gave favourites to his miftrefs, and became her confidant, her friend, her general, and her minifter. " Panin was prefident of the council, and was a Stickler for the alliance of Pruffia. Potemkin perfuaddd his miftrefs, that the friendship of the emperor would be of more ufe to her in realising her plans againft the Turks. He connected her with Jofeph II. and thereby furnilhed himfelf with the means of conquering . the Krimea and the country of the Nogay Tartars, which de pended upon it. Reftoring to thefe regions their fonorous and ancient names, creating a maritime force at Kherfon and Sevastopol, he, perfuaded Catharine to come and admire herfelf this new fcene of his glory. Nothing was Spared for ren dering this journey renowned to the lateft poste rity. Thither were conveyed, from all parts of the empire, money, provifions, and horfes. The high- 1792.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 33 1 highways were illuminated. The Boryfthenes was covered with magnificent gallies. A hun dred and fifty thoufand foldiers were newly equipped. The kozaks were brought together : the Tartars were difciplined. Deferts were peo pled for the occafion ; and palaces were raifed in the tracklefs wild. The nakednefs of the plains of the Krimea was difguifed by. villages built on purpofe, and enlivened by fireworks. Chains of mountains were illuminated. Fine roads were opened by the army. Howling wilderneffes were transformed into engliffi gardens. The king of Poland came to pay homage to her who had crowned him, and who afterwards ftruck him from the throne. The emperor Jofeph II. came himfelf to attend the triumphal prbgrefs of the emprefs Catharine ; and the refult of this brilliant jourrtey was another war, which the Engliffi and the Pruffians impolitically instigated the Turks to undertake, and which was only afreffiinftrument to the ambition of Potemkin, by affording him an occafion to conquer Otchakof, Which remained to Ruffia, and to obtain the grand ribbon of St. George, the only decoration that was wanting to his vanity. But thefe latter triumphs were the term of his life. He died in Moldavia, almoft by a fudden ftroke ; and his death, lamented by his nieces and by a fmall number of friends, con cerned only his rivals, who were eager to divide his $$1 LIFE OF THE [1792. his fpoils, and was very foon followed by a total oblivion. " Like the rapid paffage of thofe Shining meteors which aftoniffi us by their luftre, but are empty as air, Potemkin began every thing, completed nothing, difofdered the finances, dis organized the army, depopulated his country, and enriched it with ' other deferts. The fame of the emprefs was increafed by his conquefts. The admiration they excited was for her; and ,the hatred they raifed, for her minifter. Posterity, more equitable, will perhaps divide between them, both the glory of the fucceSfts and the feverity of the reproaches. It will not beftow on Potemkin the title of a great man ; but it will mention"' him as an extraordinary perfon : and, to draw his picture with accuracy, he might be reprefented as a real emblem, as the living image, of the ruf fian empire. " For, in fact, he was coloffai like Ruffia. In his mind, as in that country, were cultivated districts and defert plains. It alfq partook of the afiatic, of the european, of the tartarian, arid the kozak ; the rudenefs" of the eleventh century, and tire corruption of the 4 eighteenth ; the fur- face of the arts, and the ignorance of the cloisters ; an outfide of civilization, and many traces of barbarifm. In a word, if we might hazard fo bold a metaphor, even his two eyes, the one open,' 1792-] EMPRESS* CATHARINE II, 333 open, and the other clofed, reminded us of the Euxine always open, and, the northern ocean, fo long Shut up with ice. " This portrait may appear gigantic : but thofe who knew Potemkin will "bear witnefs to its truth. That man had great defects : but without them, perhaps, he would neither have got the maftery of ~his 'fovereign, nor that of his country. He was made by chance precifely fuch as he ought to be for preferving fo long his power over fo extra ordinary a woman." 334 life of the [1792, &a CHAP. XVI. 1 State of the court of P tier/burg. at the death of prince Potemkin. ¦ — Infurreclion ofKofciusko. — Laft par tition of Poland. — Affaffmation of Guftavus III. — Death of Leopold II. — French emigrants in Ruffia. — Of Plato Zubof and his brothers. — Treaty con cluded with Great Britain. — Confpiracy of Arm- feldt. — Journey of Guftavus Adolphus II. to St. Petersburg. — Conquefts in Perfia. — Death of Ca tharine II. — Statement of the prefent s that were received by her favourites. — Forces, expenditure, and revenues of Rujfa. — 1792, 1793, 1794,1795, 1796. 1 HE emprefs, when death had raviffied Lan- Skoi from her, Shut herfelf up in her apartment ; and, giving way to her grief, was fo indifferent to the world, that She was willing to die of ina nition. On hearing of the death of Potemkin, ffie likewife Shut herfelf up ; but it was only for employing herfelf in the administration of the em pire. She was bufy for fifteen hours together, and divided among her minifters the direction of the affairs which had belonged to Potemkin. Count Bezborodko was Sent to the congrefs at Yafly, and concluded the peace, as related in die fore- 179^.] EMP.RESS CATHARINE II. 335 foregoing chapter ; and at his return, being at the head of the college of foreign affairs, he at firft poffeffed a very extenfive influence. The favourite, Plato Zubof, who till now had been an utter Stranger to bufinefs, was defirqus of bearing a part in the ministry, and of taking on himfelf the direction. On this fubject he aSked advice of the intriguing Markof, who foon became his flatterer, and readily undertoqk to be his guide in the career of politics. Markof was re- compenfed for it by the entire confidence of the favourite and that of the fovereign. They formed their junto, in which they treated of the moft im portant affairs, and from which .they excluded Bezborodko ; who, without being precifely dif- graced, loft considerably of his influence *. It was in one of thefe meetings, compofed of Zubof, Markof, the minifter at war Nicolai Sol- tikof," and fome others, that the annihilation of Poland, long fince propofed by Catharine, was refolved on. That princefs wished for it as a gra tification at once to her pride and her vengeance. Her favourites and her greedy minifters had been promoting it with great affiduity, in the hopes of obtaining a Share in the rich fpoils of the unhappy Poles. * Till Zubof, die favourites had never been publicly em ployed in date affairs ; and it is the general opinion that it would have, been more advantageous for thofe affairs, if they had been made to wait for his fncceflbr. The 336 LIFE OF THE fjl 79** The emprefs could never forgive that nation for either the act of the diet in 1788*, or the alliance of Pruffia accepted in contempt of her own, or, above all, the conftitution of 1791 -f~. Big with thefe ideas of revenge, She gave orders to Bulga kof, her minifter at Warfaw, folemnly to declare war againft Poland.. The diet being affembled, received this declara- , tion with a majeftic calmnefs, which was rapidly fucceeded by the generous enthufiafm excited by the ardour of felf-defence. The fentiments of the diet were diffufed over all the nation. The king himfelf was poffeffed by them, or rather pretended to be fo ; and the Poles had the weaknefs to be lieve, that, having abandoned his former fervility to Ruffia, and his cuftomary indolence, he was becoming the defender of liberty. An army was collected in hafte, and the command of it given to prince Jofeph Poniatofsky, whofe inexperience and frivolous purfuits were but ill-fuited to the management of fo weighty a charge,. The Poles could have oppofed the defigns of Catharine with an army of fifty-thoufand men : but they never yet could be brought to unite their forces ; and their different corps were foon after preffed between an army of eighty thoufand Ruf fians, who fell back from Beffarabia upon the * Which abrogated the conftitution dictated by violence in '775- f Decreed at Warfaw the 3d of May. ter- 179^] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 2B7 territory which extends along the Bogue, another of ten thoufand collected in the environs' of Kief, and a third of thirty thoufand, which had pene trated into Lithuania. We Shall not here attempt to draw the picture of the various battles that drenched the plains of Poland with blood ; and which, notwithstanding fome advantages obtained by tlie Poles, confumed the greater part of their troops. It was then that Thaddeus KofciuSko *, who as yet was nothing more than one of the lieutenants of young Jofeph Poniatofsky, difplayed talents that juftly obtained him, the confidence of the nation, the hatred of the Ruffians, and the efteem of Europe. During all this time, Catharine, not trufting alone to the power of her own arms, had been ne gotiating with unremitted affiduity. She propofed the definitive partition of Poland' to Frederic- William, who was undoubtedly no lefs defirous of it than herfelf. She fecretly won over to her views the two brothers Kaffakofsky, the hetman Braaicky, RejevuSky, and particularly Felix Potocky ~\*, who perhaps, while he was flattering himfelf with the hopes of mounting the throne of Poland, became only the Slave of Ruffia. In a word^ ffie infifted that Staniflaus Augustus Should * We have been told by a polifh gentleman, that this name fhould be written Kofchiefsky. f He put himfelf at the head of the confederation of Tar- govifka in favour of the Ruffians. vol. in. z make 338 * life OF THE [}79S' make a public declaration, that it was neceffary to yield to the fuperiority of the ruffian arms. That monarch had the deplorable courage to fubmit himfelf to this indignity : but he was not on that account treated by the emprefs with greater indulgence *. 1793. The confederation of the partifans of Ruffia affembled at Grodno, and had the hunn> * Staniflaus Auguftus departed diis life at St. Peterfburg, whither hehad,been invited by the emperor Paul, and where he lived in a fort of regal ftate in the magnificent marble palace on die quay of the Neva ; having afligned him for his cham berlain the fame Stackelberg who had treated him with fo much infolence while ambaflador at Warfaw. A letter from Peterfburg, of the aoth of February, 1798, acquaints us with ' the following circumftances attending his death : he had for feveral days complained of a head-ach; but in confequence of the ufe of medicine/on the nth he found himfelf much better and went to the window, to obferve the degree of cold indi cated by the thermometer, when he felt himfelf fuddenly feized with a violent pain in the head, and great feeblenefs and ill— nefs. His phyfician in waiting, privy- counfellor Bockler, and his chaplain Yurevitch, haftened to his alhftance. He was con veyed to bed ; and recourfe was had to bleeding and blifters j. but in vain. He requefted his chaplain to give him abfolution, and wifhed to repeat with him die penitential pfalms; but his fpeech foon failed. His majefty dien received the general abfolution and the facrament of extreme unction. About midnight he appeared fomewhat better ; but, as die morning approached, grew continually weaker, till about eight in the morning of the 12th of February, \vhcn he breatiied his laft. liation 1 793-3, EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 339 liation to fee the ruffian general proudly fearing himfelf under the canopy of the throne which he was about to overturn. The ruffian minifter. at the fame time published * a manifesto, in which he declared that his fovereign would incorporate with her domains all the territory of Poland which her arms had conquered. The king of Pruffia, ih concert with Catharine, had already marched an army into Poland. The Ruffians, difperfed about the provinces of that kingdom, committed depredations and ra vages of which hiftory furnishes but few exam ples. Warfaw became likewife the theatre of their exceffes. The ruffian ;general Igelftrcem, who governed all that city, connived at the diforders of his foldiers, and made the wretched inhabitants feel the whole weight of his arrogance and barba rity. The defenders of Poland had been obliged to difperfe -j-. Their property was confifeated ; their families reduced to fervitude. Goaded by fo many calamities, they once more took the refo- lution to free their country from the oppreffion of the Ruffians. Some of them affembled, and fent an invitation to Kofciufko to come and put himfelf at their head.. * Thegth of April.— r This minifter was called Sievers. f "Some ' of them were even arretted ; and Bonneau the french fecretary of legation, w'as carried off and conducted to Siberia, Z 2 That 340 "LIFE OF THE lI793' That general had retired to Leipfic, xvith Hugh Kolontay, Zajonchek, and Ignatius Potocky, a man of -great knowledge and fagacity, a fincere friend to his country, and in all refpeets the op pofite to his coufin Felix. Thefe four Poles hefi- tated not a rrroment in giving their approbation to the refolution adopted by their honeft country men : but they were fenfible that, in order to fucceedj they muft begin by giving liberty to the peafahts, who till then had been treated in Poland like beafts of burthen. Kofciulko and Zajonchek repaired, with all ex pedition, to the frontiers of Poland. The latter proceeded to Warfaw, where he had conferences with the chiefs of the confpirators. A banker, named Kapuftas, a bold; and artful man, made himfelf refponfibk for the inhabitants of the capi tal. . He faw likewife feveral officers, who de- ¦ clared their deteftation of the ruffian yoke. All, in Short, was ripe for an infurredtion, when the ruffian commanders, to whom Kofciulko's pre fence on the frontiers had given umbrage, forced him to poftpone it for a time. To deceive the diftruft of the Ruffians, Kofci- uSko went into Italy, and Zajonchek repaired to Drefden, whither Ignatius. Potocky and Kolontay , had retired, but all at once Zajonchek appeared again at Warfaw. The king himfelf impeached him to the ruffian general Igelftrcem, who had a conference with him, and ordered him to quit the a polifh I794-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 34.I poliffi territory. No alternative now remained, for him but to proceed immediately to action, or to abandon the enterprife altogether. Zajonchek re folved on the former. 1794. KofciuSko was recalled from Italy, and arrived at Cracow, where the Poles received him as their deliverer. In fpite of the orders of the Ruffians, colonel MadalinSky pertinacioufly re fufed to licenfe his regiment. Some other officers had joined him. KofciuSko was proclaimed gene ral of this little army * ; and the act of insurrection was almoft immediately published -f\ Three hundred peafants, armed with fcythes, came and ranged themfelves under the ftandard of KofciuSko. That general foon found himfelf faced by fevan thoufand Ruffians, who were put to flight after a vigorous refiftance. On hearing at Warfaw of the fuccefs of Kof ciuSko, the ruffian general Igelftrcern caufed all thofe to be arretted whom he fufpedt;ed to have any concern in the infurredtion : but thefe mea- fures ferved only the more to irritate the confpi- rators. The rebellion broke out ^. Two thou fand Ruffians were put to the fword. Their gene ral, being befieged in his houfe, requefted per- miffion to capitulate ; and, profiting by the delay * They had three thoufand infantry and twelve hundred horfe. ,, f The 24th of March. 4 The 18th of April. l z 3 that 342 LIFE OF THE , [x794- that was granted him, he efcaped to the pruffian camp, which lay at a little diftance from Warfaw. Vilna, the capital of Lithuania, followed the example of Warfaw : but the triumph of the in- furgents was there lefs terrible. Colonel YazinSky, who was at their head, condudted himfelf with fo much Skill, that he took all the Ruffians prifoners without Shedding a drop of blood. The inhabi tants of the cantons of Chelm and of Lublin de clared themfelves alfo in a ftate of infurredtion, and were imitated by three poliffi regiments, who were employed in the fervice of the Ruffians. /Some of the principal partifan's of Ruffia, the hetman Kaffokofsky, the biffiop his brother, Zabiello, Ozarofsky, and Ankvitch, were fentenced to be hanged, the firft at Vilna, and the others at Warfaw. KofcidSko exerted himfelf to the utmoft to aug ment his army. He got recruits among the pea fants; and, to infpire them with more emulation, he wore their- drefs, ate with them, and distributed encouragenlents among them; but thofe men,, too long degraded in Poland, were not yet deferving of the-liberty that was offered them. They dif- trufted the intentions of the nobles, who, on their , fide, for the moft part lamented the lofs of their abfurd prerogatives. Staniflaus Auguftus and his partifans augmented ftill further the ill-will of the nobles, by repreferit- ing to them the intentions of KofciuSko as difaf- trous 1 7 94*3 EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 343 trous to them, and by caballing Continually in favour of Ruffia. In the mean time the emprefs, not fatisfied with augmenting the number of her troopsin Poland, had fent her beft'generals tititjper. After feveral battles, in one of which Frederic- William, who had advanced to fupport the Ruf fians, fought at the head of his troops, againft KofciuSko, who was ftriving to prevent the junc tion of the ruffian generals, Suvarof and Ferfen, he was attacked by the latter at Macieyovitch *. His- talents, his valour, his defperation, were urt- 'able to prevent; the Poles from yielding to num bers. Almoft the whole of his army were either cut to pieces' or obliged to lay down their arms. Himfelf being covered with wounds, fell fenfelefs on the field of battle, and was taken prifoner. All who were able to efcape from the conque rors went and fliut themfelves up in the fuburbs of Praga -f-, whither they were purfued by general Suvarof. The fiege of Praga continued not long. On the morrow of his arrival X, the- dauntlefs Suvarof gave the affault ; and, having made him felf mafter of the -fuburb, put to the fword, not only the foldiers, but all the inhabitants, without distinction of fex or age. Twenty thoufand in- * The 4th of Oftober. f It is a fuburb of Warfaw, or rather a fmall town fituate on one fide of that capital. X The 2d of November. z 4 nocent 344 XIFE 0F THE [:794- nocent perfons fell victims to the fury of the-ruf- fian general. Covered with the blood of thefe unfortunate people, the barbarian entered War faw in triumph *. Some bands of infurgents, who were difperffd ifi the provinces, made all poffible hafte to furrender. The courts of Pe tersburg and Berlin divided at their pleafure the remainder of unhappy Poland ; and the cruel courtiers of the emprefs Shared amongft them the poffeSfions of a great number of the pfofcribed. Stanislaus Auguftus was fent to Grodno, where he was condemned to live •bfcurely on a penfion that was .granted him by the emprefs ; while Repnin, appointed governor of the ufurped provinces, of. tentatioufly difplayed the pomp of a fovereign. "" Zajonchek and Kolontay had efcaped to the auftrian territory, where the rights of hofpitality were violated in their perfons, and they were de tained in captivity. KofciuSko, Ignatius Potocky, Kapuftas, and fome others, were tranfported to Peterfourg, and Shut up in dungeons -f. Among thefe unfortunate men was the young poet Niem- chevitch, distinguished for his valour and his ta- * On being informed of this fuccefs, the emprefs raifed Suvarof to the rank of fieldmarflial, and wrote to him : " You "- know that I never advance any one out of rotation. I am " incapable of doing ah injury to a fenior officer ¦ but it is •' you who have juft made yourfelf fieldmarflial by the con- '* queft of Poland." + They were afterwards confined in the palace that had formerly belonged to Gregory Orlof, fituate on the Moika. lehts, 1 794-] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 345 lents, the friend of KofciuSko, wounded and made prifoner with him. The blood he had loft for his country was not the only injury with which Catha rine reproached Niernchevitch. He had compofed verfes againft her *, in all the boldnefs and energy of fatire. Her majefty had him at firft confined in the citadel of Peterfourg, and afterwards fent him to Schluffelburg, where he was treated with great feverity. All whom Catharine thought guilty did not ex perience from her .the fame feverity^ She knew when to forbear from chaftifing when the eon fequenees might become dangerous to her. Nay, ffie could occasionally fo far diffemble as to reward in public thofe whpm ffie fecretly wiffied to pu niSh. When, on the Signing of the prelimina ries for peace at Galatch, prince Repnin, think ing he had reafon to complain of the emprefs and Potemkin, retired to Mofco, all the malcontents who lived in that capital, Silently looked up to him as their chief, and the principal of them ral lied around him -J-. . f * There appeared at Warfaw, not only pieces in verfe and profe, but caricature prints, in which the emprefs was very much infulted. ^ f THe principal malcontents were the counts Scheremetof, Apraxin, Tolftoi, the princes Igor and Vaflilly Dolgoruky, prince Mentfhikof, lieutenant-general Bibikof, brother to him who fell in an army that afted againft Pugatfhef, An- drey Lapukhine, and fome others. Repnin 346 LIFE OF THE [r794« Repnin had adopted' the errors of a fedt of il- luminati, who, under the appellation of Marti- niftes, had for fome time infefted the north of Germany. He formed a club, which he called by the name of thefe fanatics, admitting Of it only fuch as he knew to imbibe thoroughly his indig nation againft the court. ' It is pretended that the objecVof thefe malcontents' was to effect a reform in the government, and to oblige Catharine to re store the crown to her fon. However this be, that princefs was foon informed, by her emiSSaries, that the Martinifts of Mofco were not wholly employed in the extravagant reveries of the fedt. Several of them were fuddenly arrefted, turned out of their places, Stripped of the marks of their dignities, and fent into banishment, fome to Siberia, and others to their eftates. All their papers were likewife burnt, in order, if poffible, to extinguish the leaft traces Of a plot. \- ' Repnin, on being fent for to court, thought himfelf undone : but the emprefs, who hated him in her heart, received him with a fmiling coun tenance, was prodigal of her commendations on him, and appointed him governour of Livonia, whence, after the laft partition of Poland, he was made governour-general of Lithuania. Upon this, Repnin went to refide at Grodno, whither the weak and unfortunate Stanislaus Auguftus was already come. < The I 1794.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 347' The account of the bloody revolution effected by the brave Kofciufko has obliged us to defer the recital of feveral events : we Shall here bring them under review. Impatient to fee Guftavus III. fet but upon his chivalerefque and perilous enterprife, Catharine gave orders to count Stackelberg, her minifter at Stockholm, to prpm'ife* that monarch twelve thou-, fand ruffian foldiers, and an^anriual fubfidy of three hundred thoufand rubles, to affift him in restoring to the king of France, his entire autho rity. Certainly it was not the intentkin of the emprefs to keep this promife, which ffie always. found means to elude. She wanted only to acce lerate the moment of the confederation of kings, and to excite her rivals to mutual deftrudtion. But Guftavus had not time to go and confum- mate the ruin of his country on the frontiers of France. The nobles of Sweden were for the moft part always difcontented with the revolution of 1772, of which they gave. a proof in refuting to1 fight at Frederikinam. By pardoning their defec tion, Guftavus only emboldened them, and ferved the Ruffians who were exciting them perpetually againft him. Three young men -j~ at this -time refolved to put him to death, and drew lots for the infamous honour of making the firft attack on * In the month of October, 1791. f The count von Horn, Ribbing, and Ankarftroem. his 348 LIFE OF THE . ['794' his perfon. A mafquerade, at which Guftavus was to be prefent, was in favour of their horrid purpofe. Here the three confpirators met. An- karftroem feized the moment when a groupe of maSks furrounded Guftavus, and fired a piftol * into the fmall of his back« The fwediffi monarch expired within a few days after -f\ His fon, Guf tavus Adolphus, a young prince, aged fourteen years, fucceeded to the crown ; and the regency was given to the duke of Sudermania. , A Short time previous to this, the emperor Leopold II, died at Vienna |, in a- manner lefs ffiocking, but almoft as fudden, leaving the im perial diadem, the archduchy of Auftria, and the kingdoms of Hungary and Bohemia, to his fon Francis II. The death of two chiefs of the league of kings againft France was a diftreffing circumftance to the french emigrants, who fled^ in great numbers to Peterfourg, to apply for affiftance in troops, which the emprefs failed not to promife, but was too wife to grant. * Ankarftroem was armed with a dentelated poignard and a pair of piftols charged with feveral pieces of balls, bullets, and little pails. One fhot of the piftol completed die dread ful aft. f The 29th of March, 1791. He had been affafiinated in the night of the 1 5th of the fame month. * The ift. of March, 1791. Her 1794-3 EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 34*9 Her majefty, however, took a great intereft in the revolution that had taken place in France ; apprehenfive left, the principles upon which it was effected might find their way into Ruflia, and there occafion fome combuftion fubverfive of ,the throne. To all the French who Signified that they were attached to their old form of govern ment, ffie gave a welcome reception ; while She feverely profcribed the reft. The ambaffador of France quitted Peterfourg : but as Catharine, while ffie ceftfured the opinions of that minifter, could not refrain from doing juftice to his virtues, to his talents, and the amenity of his manners, She faid to him, on his taking leave other :k" I *' am an aristocrat ; for I muft carry on my bufi- " nefs." A little while after She recalled the am baffador whom ffie had at Paris. She refufed accefs to her court to the chargd d'affaires * of France, and prdhibited her minifters from con ferring with him. Her animofity againft the French extended even to colonel FHarpe, who was employed in the education of the two young princes Alexander and Conftantine, and- who, as a Swifs and a philofopher, .bore in his heart the love of liberty. That eftimable and amiable man "bad often been fubject to attacks from the hatred of the emigrants ; but his prudence, and the well- * Genat. founded 350 LIFE OF THE [T794- founded refpedt that was Shewn him by the grand duke, fupported him againft their intrigues *. • Catharine obliged all the French that were in her dominions to take an oath of allegiance to the pretender to the crown of France, and to fwear an immortal hatred to the french republic. Thofe who refufed were allowed only an interval of Six weeks to fettle their affairs, and were after wards rigoroufly forced to quit the territory of Ruffia, where the greater part left behind them debts, which their creditors have probably long fince regarded as defperate y. The court of Peterfourg was at this time divided into two parties ; the one having at its head the old count Oftermann, the Vorontzofs, and Bez borodko, who endeavoured to Shelter themfelves under the name of the grand duke, but whom that prince had always the prudence not to avow, and of whofe intrigues he either was, or at leafe * The principal emigrants at that time in Peterfburg were, count Efterhazy, Bombelles, Saint-Prieft, Choifeul-GoufHer, M. Calonne, tlie count d'Artois, Roger Damas, d'Efcars, the fwif s colonel de Roll, the bifhop of Arras, and Senec de Meil- han. It is a curious fact, that when the fon of count Efter hazy appeared at court, the emprefs caufed the boy to fing the patriotic fongs of the French ; and thus the hermitage fome times refounded with the air ca ira and the carmagnole. f For the principal paff?ges of die ukafe publifhed on this occafion, the render is referred to the appendix at the end of die volume, No, X. . feigned I794'3 EMPRESS CATHARINE III £51 feigned to be ignorant. The other party was that of Zubof, Markof, and Nicolay Ivanovitch So'l- tikof, , devoted to the favourite *. .. This favourite was befides fupported by his father, his three brothers, and. his Sifter, all amply provided for by the bounties of the fove reign. It is neceffary here to give fome account of that family. The father of the favourite Zubof had been vice-governor of a province, and in that quality entrusted with the administration of the finances, the magazines, and the manufactories dependent on it. Thefe eftabliShments were burnt, not without fufpicion of its having been done for the fame purpofes as many other fires have happened in Ruffia, namely, for faving the managers the trouble of balancing their accounts. However that be, this conflagration was the means of pro curing the vice-governor an annual income of Sixty thoufand rubles. After the elevation of his fon, Zubof obtained the important place of pro- cureur- general of the fenate ; in which office he was guilty of fo much malverfation, that even his fon was fo, afhamed of him, that he refolved to remove him, and procured him the appointment of Senator in one of the departments of Mofco, where he died, leaving behind him an immenfe fortune. * Count Nicolay Ivanovitch Sdltikof is now prefident of the college of war. . v Nicolay 35a LIFE OF THE Ll794r* Nicolay Zubof, eldeft fon of this extortioner, was a man much efteemed. He ferved in Poland, where he diftinguifhed himfelf by his bravery, and married the daughter of, field-marffial Su varof. Valerian Zubof, brigadier and major of the guards, was alfo an officer in the army in. Poland, where he had a leg carried away by a cannon-ball. He, for fome time, Shared the favour of the fovereign with his brother Plato, and afterwards had the command of the army that marched againft the Perfians. Alexander Zubof, chamberlain to the emprefs, a man without talents, but ambitious, was fon- in-law of the rich prince VafemSkoY, who had united in his perfon the three lucrative pofts of procureur-general of the fenate of Peterfourg, minifter of finance, and minifter of the interior. Laftly, Plato Zubof, the lover of Catharine, decorated with the title of prince, and grand master of the artillery, enjoyed all the authority formerly poffeffed by Orlof, LanSkoi, and Po temkin. Minifters, generals, ambafladors, were feen reforting to the toilette of this favourite *, to r * One example may fuffice to fhew the reverence in which the favourite is held by the Ruffians. Zubof kept a little monkey, of that fpecies called the Sapajou, full of tricks and very Jroublefome, who was offenfive to every body, and whom every body careffed, in order to pleafe his mafter. One day, this '- i 79.4-3 EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 353 to pay humbly their court to him, fore that thefe acts of condescending cdmpiaifance were the moft effectual means of obtaining" the approbation of the -emprefs. The Sifter of prince Zubof was married to the chamberlain Jerebzof. This lady, handfome and very -gallant, employed a part of her revenues in acts of beneficence, and often failed in an assigna tion with a lover, to go and relieve the diftreffed. She abhorred the court, was an enemy to all etiquette, and avoided great companies.- The britiffi minifter attached himfelf to her, and through her influence, joined to that of the fa vourite, fucceeded in pacifying the emprefs, whom the, late y turkifh war had irritated againft the court of London. this animal jumped 611 the head of a general officer, highly dreffed and ^powdered : and, after having well touzled his hair, voided his excrement upon it, without fo far ruffling the fpirit of the general. as to make him venture to cornplain of the affront. — As Plato Zubof had but little difcretion and a iajge portion of malignity, he often let flip a witticifm that re bounded on himfelf. He was fond of jefting at the expence of Godoi', the Spaniard, fince become duke of la Alcudia, and - more recently the prince of Peace; thinking by To -doing to vex the raflian minifter in Spain, Zinovief, who was then at Peterfburg, and who, having been the rival of la Alcudia and fupplarited by him, , deteited from his heart die cafiilian fa vourite. __ ., VOL. Hi. A A Old 354 tlpE op TH^ C1794» Old Nikita Dimidof*, well known for .his great riches and his great follies, fell violently in love with the Sifter of the favourite ; and ffie, who had not the heart to be cruel, condefcended to accept of very confiderable prefents from him. The intimate confidant of Zubof was one of his relations, a volatile but fenfible young man, to whom he had given a place of chamberlain, and whofe advice he often followed. Zubof had befides great confidence in a Ragu- zan, named Altefti. Placed at firft in the count ing-houfe of a free merchant of Conftantinople, Altefti got acquainted with the ruffian minifter Bulgakof, who, properly appreciating the bold and pliant temper of this young Italian, attached him to his legation, and brought him to "Warfaw. The agreeable manners of Altefti attracted the notice of fome poliffi ladies of great consideration, who procured for him the office of envoy to Peterfourg, where he caballed with equal addrefs and ingratitude againft his patron, and at laft fuc ceeded fo far as to get him recalled. At the fame time he found means to intereft Zubof in his behalf, who took him as his fecretary -[-, and ad- * Son of a Prokopi Dimidof, long fince dead, and far more ridiculous than him. — However, the having founded a fchool at Mofco and endowed it by a donation of two hundred and five thoufand rubles, will atone for a great number of foibles. | Zubof had, for the department of war, anodier fecre tary, 1794'] EMPRESS CATHARINE If. g^ admitted him into the myfteries of his little' con clave. Among the perfons of whom we are fpeakmgj were feveral who had considerable influence in the cabinet of Peterfburg, but not fo much as to direct its bufinefs at their pleafure. The emprefs kept bver them a vigilant eye ; and .notwithstanding her advanced age, She employed herfelf fome, hours- every day with her minifters, arid decided ©f herfelf in all important affairs. About this time the emprefs concluded a new treaty of commerce with Great Britain * ; that which had expired in 1786 riot having been re- newedj Her majefty at the fame time published two edicts,- prohibiting the importation of french merchandize into her dominion's. This was a double triumph for the Engliffi ; as the ilew treaty. of commerce extended their , privileges, and they reafortably hoped to be able to Substitute the fluffs of India and their own manufacture, foi" thofe of Lyons, and the wirtes of Madeira ' and Oporto for the wines of France. They obtained ftill more.' .Catharine prortiifed ffiortlysto join their fleet with a ruffian fquadron ; and orders were even fent to accelerate the arma- tary, named Grabofsky, who' had been in the fecrefeiate of prince Potemkin under Popof; and in that of foreign affairs, the Lorrainer Aubert. * It was figned the ajjth of Maxeh 1793. a a a ments 356 LIFE OP THE tl79'4* ments at Cronftadt. Stackelberg pfeffed the court of Stockholm not to keep the neutrality with France ; and Krudener, animated with the fame fpirit, tormented with his follicitations the court of Copenhagen. But the Swedes and the Danes, who only considered the advantages 6ir their commerce, remained inflexible. The grand fignior fent to Peterfburg an ambaf fador *, offering magnificent prefents to the em prefs and her minifters -f- -r and her majefty at the fame time fent off to Conftantinople general Ku tuzof, with the title of ambaffador extraordinary. Kutuzof employed both prayers and menaces to determine the porte to expel all the French fromv the ottoman territory ; but in vain.- The divan,. exafperated at' the defertion of the Engliffi, who had abandoned them in the laft war, and being convinced of their true interefts by the french minifter Defcorches-, preferved the refpedt due to* a nation whom they regarded as their moft ancient and faithful ally. In the mean time the ambaffador of Ruffia at Stockholm, and the fwediffi party attached to that power, were perpetually caballing to deprive the duke of Sudermania of the regency, and to giver the young . king a council to administer the go vernment under the protection of the emprefs. A * Rafohid Mehemet effendi. f Among thefe prefents was a complete tent ornamented with pearls,, and eftimated to be worth thirty thoufand rubles.- conspiracy 1794$ EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 357 confpiracy was even formed, which was detected at the very moment when it was ready to break out ; but for giving a' juft idea of it, it will be neceffary to revert to a former period.' In 178a, Guftavus III. made a teftament, by which he provided, that, in cafe of his deceafe, his fon Guftavus Adolphus, conformably, to the fundamental laws of the kingdom, ffiould not af- , ¦ fume the reigns of government till arrived at the age of one-anch-twenty. "When the war broke out between him and Ruffia, he made a fecond, by which the majority of Guftavus Adolphus was fixed at eighteen,, on account of the unexpected progrefs which that young prince had made in his ftudies, . By thefe teftaments. the regency was given to the duke of Sudermania, together with all the prerogatives of royalty, except that of creating nobles and conferring knighthood. When the phyficians had declared to Gufta vus III. that his death was inevitable from thp wound he had received of the traitor Ankarftrcem, the monarch made a third wijl, in which,' ftill leaving the regency to the duke of Sudermania, lie obliged him to take into his council baron vbn Armfeldt and baron von Taube. As foon as the king was dead, this codicil was prefented to the duke, who read it, and then threw it into the fire. No mention was therefore made of any will, ' except the two former, which, on their being a A 3 prefented 55® EIFE OP THE [I794j prefented to the tribunal of the court, bore all the marks of authenticity, and in purfuance of which the, duke of Sudermania was declared regent. That prince immediately recalled the baron von Reuterholm, who, on the breaking up of the .diet of 1789, had retired into Italy ; and, without any other title, Reuterholm became the principal counfellor, or rather the prime minifter of the regent, Almoft all the friends of Guftavus III. were devoted to Ruffia, and had difperfed. Arm- feldt paffed into Italy, becaufe, contrary to his inclination, he had been appointed minifter pleni potentiary to the court of Naples. But, though at a diftance from Stockholm, that minifter was not the lefs active in endeavouring to deprive the duke of Sudermania of the regency, and even of his life. He kept up a regular correfppndence with the court of Peterfburg, by means of the Raguzan Altefti, fecretary to s Zubof, and drew up the plan of a confpiracy, in which were com prehended the friends whom he had left in Swe den. He now thought himfelf on the point of fucceeding. But all his Steps had been obferved by fpies, who followed him every where : his papers were taken feorn him, fent into Sweden, and laid before the tribunal of the court, who, immediately arrefted his accomplices, and brought fhem fo judgment, w. 1795'] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 359 1795. The greater part of the papers relative to this trial were printed, and proved inconteftibly to the fwediffi nation, that the confpirators were acting in concert with Ruffia, and relied on the affiftance of that power. v Thefe circumftances were not adapted to the restoration of harmony between the two courts. They rather widened the breach from day to day ; and the notes which the ruffian minifters foon after- prefented to the court of Stockholm were conceived in menacing terms ; to which the fwediffi ministry always replied with firmnefs and decency, - < The regent had refolved to bring about a match between the young king of Sweden and a princefs of the houfe of Mecklenburg. The marriage was even agreed on, and the princefs of Mecklenburg declared future queen of Sweden. At this the emprefs teftified great difpleafure ; pretending that Guftavus III. had promifed her the hand of his fon for one of the young grand ducheffes ; and She looked upon the failure in the execution of that promife as a perfonal .affront to her, 'Accordingly, when count Schverin was com missioned to go and announce at Petersburg the marriage of the young king, Catharine, who had been previously apprized of the object of his miffion,' dispatched a courier to meet him on 1 a a 4 the 360 LIFE OF THE [I79lr the borders of Finland, to forbid him to enter Ruffia *. Soon after this, the em'prefs made choice of the baron von Budberg to be her majefty's charge" d'affaires at Stockholm ; who, by an affected contempt for the court of Sweden, gave that cabinet room to fufpect that this agent had' been particularly feledted for that purpofe on account of his inexperienced age and his exceffiye pride-: sfor, if it had been recommended to him to fhew a confiderable degree of ftatelinefs' and in- folence, he neverthelefs certainly exceeded his orders -j-. 1796. The mifunderftandmg' between Sweden and Ruffia feemed now to be arrived at its height, when a french emigsartt, named Chriftin, made his appearance at -Stockholm ^. He had come * The regent contented hhnfelf with caufing to be pub lifhed, on this occafi'oni die declaration^ which the reader may fee- in the Appendix at the end of the volume, No. XI. f In. a company where the greater part of the ladies of the (court were prefent, and where the men were all uncovered, he was fo unpolite as to keep" his hat on his head. It was previous to his prefentation at 'court. Accordingly, the day on which he was prefented, tlie regent fpoke not a word to him; but, having his horfewhip in his haiid, kept ftriking it repeatedly on his boot, as if his fingers itched to ftrike elfewhere. X In the momth of January, Chriftin wore a fwifs uniform, and gave out that he was an officer in the fervice of that nation. He. was indeed of-YverdoB; but he had been fecretary. to (palunne. from ¦.J EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 361 from England to Gothemburgh, and gave out that he was charged^with a miffion from the count d'Artois to the emprefs of. Ruffia. But, this was only the better to conceal the real object of his- j.purney, as it was afterwards well known that he had fecret orders to incline the regent to an ac commodation with the emprefs. vHis negotiation was attended with fuccefs : and foon afterwards ge neral Budberg, uncle of the charge d'affaires, •arrived in Sweden, with the title of ambaffador from the emprefs. General Budberg informed the regent of the intentions of his fovereign. She requefted" that that prince and baron von Reuterholm would difpofe the young king to repudiate the princefs of Mecklenburg, in order to efpoufe one of the grand-daughters of Catharine ; s and that they would moreover engage him not to exact of his ponfort. a conformity to the law by which the jqueens of Sweden are bound .-to adopt the religion pf the country : Iaftly, She was defirous that the regent and Reuterholm Should accompany the young king to Peterfburg. Catharine fpoke : She, was obeyed. The regent, with his royal ward f,- his minifter, and ,5, great train of courtiers, repaired to Peterfourg -j-. The * The young king Guftavus Adolphus took the tide of Count von Haga, and the regent that of count von Vafa. f They arrived' dier-e the 2 4th of Auguft. pride 36s LIFE OF THE [I79^» pride of the emprefs was fatisfied : ffie now dif- played nothing more than her magnificence. The young king feemed greatly affected at the benevolence that was Shewn liim by the emprefs * ; but he was ftill mere fo at the charms of the grand duchefs Alexandra. The fight of her made him eafily forget the princefs of Mecklenburg : pro- pofals of marriage were made on the fpot, and the day 'fixed for the ceremony of the efpoufals, which was to be 'followed by a grand entertain ment. When the contract was prefented to the king for his Signature, he obferved, to the great aftoniffiment of the imperial family, that the fundamental laws of Sweden obliged him to re quire, that the princefs ffiould previously change her religipn ; and that, without this condition, he could not put his hand to the contract. Catharine at firft had recourfe to folhcitations and flatteries to perfuade the young monarch to fign the deed. But, perceiving that they were ineffectual towards bringing him to alter his reso lution, She coldly rofe up, and retired. She was followed by the grand duke, the grand duchefs, and their children. Nothing more was heard of * On his advancing to kifs the hand .of Catharine, fhe told him, fhe would not fuffer him t'o pay her that homage. — " If " you will not permit it, as emprefs," faid he, " allow it at " leaft as a lady for whom I have die higheft admiration and e< efteem." the 1 796.3 EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 363 the entertainment : and on the morrow Guftavus Adolphus and his retinue quitted Peterfburg. Catharine had conquered, either by her arms or by her intrigues, almoft one half of Poland, the Krin>ea, the Kuban, and a' part of the fron tiers of Turkey. But She had no need of arma ments and battles for ufurping another rich and well-peopled country. Her intrigues were fuffi cient. This country was Courland and Semigallia, where ftill reigned the feeble fon * pf. the fangui- pary Biren. For difplaying the advantage of this acquisition in its full extent, it will be neceffary to give an idea of the geography of Courland, its products; and its inhabitants. Courland, fituated between the 56th and the 58th degree of north latitude, is divided into three parts : Courland proper, Semigallia, and the circle of Pilten. It is bounded by Livonia, Lithuania, Samogitia, and the Baltic. The Duina parts it from Livonia on the north, and waters its frontiers for a Space of more than Sixty leagues. The fouth of Courland borders on Lithuania and Sa'mpgitia? from Varnovitch to the river Heili- genatch, which falls into the Baltic. * Duke Peter. — He had a fon, who died fome few years |go. He has now only three daughters. That 364 WEE OF THE [l That part of Samogitia * which fepatates Cour land from Pruffia is not above four or five leagues in breadth, and here are the only coafts that Poland has on the Baltic. Courland, more favourably fituated for naviga tion, has on that fea a hundred leagues of coaft, prefenting feveral creeks and bays, with the ex cellent harbours of Libau and JVindau. This latter, which is never Shut up by the ice, wilj- doubtlefs one day become the Station for ruffian fleets. It might very eafily be rendered capable of containing a hundred Ships of the line, which may in all feafons of the year- keep Sweden and Denmark in awe y. Couriand is watered by the Duina, the Vindau, the Aa, the Ekran and the SuSfeg ; and nothing would be more practicable than to form an inland navigation. The Vindau and the Aaa efpecially, may greatly facilitate the commerce of tlie Baltic with Lithuania and Samogitta, where thefe rivers take their fource. * Since the partition of Poland, Samogitia belongs to, Ruffia. f It was fetded by the treaty of Oliva in" 1630, and by the convention of 1783, that no. other port fliould he eftablifhed in Courland than thofe which already exift ; but what are fuch treaties to a fovereign who can infringe them with im punity. There .3796.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 3§£ , There are alfo lakes- and morafles in Courland. The principal lakes are thofe of Saueken, Angefrt, Refinai'ten, Libau,'and Popem Thediftridts that moft abound in wood are Dohndaftgen, Popen,- Schleck, and Rutzau. Thofe of Mertzendorf, Bengallen, and Ambothen, are covered with moun tains. The climate of Courland is good, though auf- tere. The changes are too fudden from cold to heat, and from heat to cold, and fogs are very frequent. Notwithstanding this, the inhabitants are robuft and live to a great age. The foil of the country is in general fertile. It produces abundance of timber, com, fruits-, and a variety of other vegetables. Indeed there are parts which lie uncultivated, but it is only for want of men and cattle. In the forefts are plenty of game, and tha rivers teem with fifln The quality of the land is calcareous, but covered in various places with fand, turf, and clay. There are quarries of marble, and mines of iron as well as of coal ; but they are not worked *. Vitriol'is alio found, and plumbago. The commercial articles furnished by Courland, are wheat, barley, oats, timber, -hemp, flax, potaSh, hides, furs, feathers, felted and * If we may believe tradition, other minerals befides iron are found in Courland, as well as falt-fprings and mines of tock-falt j but of diis tlie naturalifts are not certain. fmoaked $66 life or THE Er79^ fmpaked provisions, wax, honey, lofirt, tallow,' amber, beer, and corn-brandy. Courland has no manufactures j fo that all ar ticles of luxury, even many objects of prime neceffity, come from abroad, bringing great profits' to the Dutch, to the Danes, and the English, who barter them againft the commodities of the country. The vaft rtumber of little harbours belonging to Courland on the Baltic afford great encourage ment for fmuggling. Ere we proceed to fay in what ftate the in habitants arid the government of Courland were at the time when Catharine took poffeffion of thafc country, we will juft fuccinctly call to mind what they had been.. It is about two thoufand two hundred years fince fome navigators from the fouth difcovered in the northern parts of which we are fpeaking, a lavage people, who carried on a trade in- amber which they collected on their Shores. Herodotus igives them the name of Venedes ; by other wri ters of antiquity they are called Guttones or Gythones, Suevi, iEftians, Heruli ; and it is from one of thefe hordes that the Baltic, feventeen cen turies ago, bore the name of the Varagian fea, The Guttones drove the Suevi up into -the heart of the country, and remained mafters of the fea-coaft. They were fo bold and enterprising in their piratical expedi- J79fj'], EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 367 expeditions, that towards the end of the fixth century theyravaged the coaft of France. At that time there were kings of Cou'riand1, and a family Still fubfifts among the couriffi peasantry j which even now retains fome privileges as defcend- ing from thofe ancient kings. The Danes* the Swedes, artd the Norwegians, fucceffively fubdued the Courlanders, and were fometimes conquered by them. So late, as at the clofe of the -twelfth century the Courlanders, had never beert inclined to receive Christianity, and had even frequently Slain thofe who attempted to preach it among them: but a grand crufade, fet on foot againft them by pope Innocent III. com pelled, them^to be converted *. . The order of the Fratres Enfiferi, or knights of the fword, had got the maftery of Courland, now erected into a duchy, and regarded as an oblatory fief -J*, of which the kings of Poland were para mount. The grandmafter, Conrad of Medem, built the city of Mittau ^, its capital. Long after this, Sigifmond Auguftus? king of Poland, united Courland with his dominions ; and, at length the grandmafter Gotthard Kettler was duke of it in 1 56 1, but the king of Poland withheld his in- * In the year 1200. — r In the fame year the crufaders, who for die moft part were Saxons, founded the city of Riga. •f The civilians make a great difference between feudum t-hlctum and feudum datum. X In the year 1270. — The family of Medem ftill exifts. 1 veftiture 368 II FE OP THE [ljg6: - veftiture till eighteen years afterwards, that is, in J579- The defcendants of Gotthard Kettler almoft uniformly preferved the duchy of Courland till 1737. One of them, James III. who lived about the middle of the Seventeenth century, acquired - great fame and confequence in Europe. He con cluded beneficial treaties with England and France. He had a good navy, a very considerable revenue ; and the Ships of his fubjects carried on a free > trade to the ffiores of the Senegal, to the river of Gambia, to the Weftindies, and fo the ports of Iceland. Ferdinand, the laft offspring cf the race of Kettler, loft his duchy in confequence of having commanded the faxon army -againft tzar Peter I. During the fpace of thirty years, his opprdffed though faithful ftates repeatedly prayed him to return ; but he never dared to comply with their petition. At length, on the death of that prince,. in 1737, the emprefs Anne forced- the Cour- landers to elect for their duke her worthlefs fa vourite Biren. Biren, at that time all-powerful at the court of Petersburg, and afterwards baniffied for twenty years in the defarts of Siberia, went not to take poffeffion of his duchy till he returned from exile. Six years afterwards * he refigned the , reigns of * In 1769. — Peter Biren, fon of Erneft John, had been? elected in 1764. govern-- I796.] EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 369 government to his fon' Peter, already elected by the influence of Ruffia. The morals of the Courlanders were bad, and their laws were worfe. The nobles generally ad dicted to eXceffive debauchery, enjoyed too many privilege's, artd the inhabitants of towns, as well as the peafantry, were too much degraded. The latter, good-natured, but aukward and extremely fuperftitious, are ftill great believers in the arts of forcery. Sortie of them are even idolaters, artd in the hearts of the forefts facrifi'ce animals to their gods*. Their education is not calculated to improve them. In all Courland there is n6 public institution for learning except the miferable gymriafivfm of Mittau -f - Lutherartiffn is the predominant religiori pf the country ; but all bther fects are tolerated. The dukes, though elected fovereigris of Cour land, were till very lately abfolutely fubject to Poland. The only orders that had any force of law in Courland emanated from the republic and the king of Poland, fealed with the great feal of Lithuania. The dukes could only maintain a body * The courifh peafants live, hot in villages, but ih lone cottages fcattered over the country. , •(• The courifh language comes from that xof the Herul} their predeceffors, and has nothing in common either with the rufs, or with die polifh, though both are derived from dip flavonian. • It is faid that the courifh language is eminendy adapted-.to poetry. '. VOL. III. B B Of 37° tipE op the [}79®* of five hundred infantry and two hundred cavalry. They coined money, it is true, but with the im- prefs of the effigy and arms of the king of Poland ; and the couriffi nobility as well as the corporations took the oath of allegiance to the poliffi monarch. The rights and ufages of the couriffi nobles had a near refemblance with thofe of the poliffi no- bleffe. They had their diets, their dietines, with. their private and arbitrary tribunals. They were liable to neither duties nor taxes, paying no other contributions to the ftate than thofe they thought proper to impofe on themfelves. They were wealthy, becaufe they poffeffed the whole land of the country *. Duke Peter Biren was avaricious,, litigious and greatly difliked -f- ; his implicit acquiefcence in his favourite Wagener contributed not a little to render him odious to his fubjects : but this was not the only caufe of their complaints. Being bound to let out his domains in farms to the no bles at a moderate price, he took upon him to raife that price, making likewife agronomical al terations, that were burdenfome to the cultiva tors. During a journey that he made into Italy, the regency replaced every thing .on its ancient * Several courifh nohles have to die amount of a hundred thoufand crowns annual income. , f The duchefs was very defervedly beloved. Madame de Heck, her fifter, is much refpecfed for her talents and infor mation, footing ; EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 37? footing: but on his return, the duke recom menced his innovations, and thus increafed the ¦number of his enemies. He feemed, in Short, by his imprudent conduct^ to urge his fubjedts to in* vite the ruSfiah yoke. If was long Since the^emifiaries of Ruffia had been fuccefsful in their attempts to, gain over Several of the principal batons of Courland, ,and particularly the counfellor Hovep, an eloquent* complying, and ambitious mart. The couriffi - nobles * were often attracted to Peterfburg.; tvhere the flattering reception of the emprefs, diftiodtionsj honours, polls* and pleafurfis* ren dered their abode in the, imperial refidence far preferable to continuing in Mittau', and raifed in them the defire of beirtg under the fway of the fovereign of a vaft empire, rather than to' live in obedience to a duke, the obfcurity of whofe ori-* gin they could not forgetj and whom they re garded as their inferior; For inducing the people to partake in this fen-* timent of the nobles, Catharine artfully raifed a fpirit of diffention in their minds* and threw out teafons of alarm. She began by inftigating the inhabitants of Livoflia to irtfift upon the fulfil^ merit of an ancient convention, by which, the Courlanders were obliged to' bring all their mer chandizes to Riga ; certainly a very ftrange and * The principal of thefe nobles are the families of Man- teufel, Ba'hr, KJlopmann, Korf, Groth'aus, Safs, Igelftrbern',- Firks, Munfter^ Roop, and Medem. ? B a * . hard 37^ EIFE OF THE [t79^>' .hard, condition, by which a nation, that had on its coafts excellent harbours , happily fituated, ffiould be obliged to go, at a great expence,' to - embark the products of its foil in a foreign city. .But what cannot force effect? and what will not ambition dare ? The quarrel between the Livo- nians and the Courlanders was not yet terminated, when the emprefs fent engineers into Courland, to mark out a canal, to facilitate the tranfport of the merchandizes of that country into Livonia. The Courlanders feeing this, and fearing left they ffiould be foon forced to make ufe of this canal, thought it better for them to be protected than oppreffed by the emprefs, and to be her Subjects rather than her neighbours. Catharine, being informed of thefe difpoSitions, called the duke of Courland to her, under the pretext of having occafion to confer with him on matters of importance. But no fooner Was that .prince at the foot of the throne of the aufocratrix of the north, than the ftates of Courland held an affembly. The nobility propofed to withdraw the country from the paramount fupremacy of Poland, and to put it under that of Ruffia. The principal members of the grand council made a faint op position to this alteration, by obferving, that be fore1 they proceeded to a refolution, it would be expedient to wait the return, of the duke. The oberburgraf HovJen rofe up, and fpoke a long time in favour of Ruffia. Some coun- fellors expreffed themfelves of his opinion, and others 1796-]. EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 3 7 3" Othef-s reproached hirn with treafort. The" dispute grew' warm, on both Sides ; challenges were re ciprocally given and fwords were about1 to be-' drawn, when the ruffian general Pahlen appeared* in the' affembly *. His prefence restored tfariquil- lity. No one prefumed to raife his voice againft- Ruffia ;• and the propofal of the nobles was adopted. • The next day- "J- the act' was drawn up, by' .which Courland, Semigallia, and the circle of Pilten, made a formal' furrender of themfelves * Barod Hoven complained to the diet of having received the following challenge from the chancellor baron Wolf : " My 6arneft defire, after long perfeverance in feeking an op- "pottunity, for talking with you, without, any witneffes ex- " Cept our own four eyes> muft have been particularly maniferl' '•' to you to-day. Let us, this fine afternoon, devote one " minute to our country ! It maybe that the fate thereof de- " pends-upon it. — :.The glorious weather, at any rate, invites (' me to take a walk. We fhall then meet here without fail, "'near the city of Rome ? I fhad wait for yod till four o'clock 's at die other end of the long bridge. Oh how delightful ; — "how hearty will be our embrace. And the thoughts' on our f ' dear country ! ! ! " Now, you will certainly come ? Antient Rome was fa- " mous for ¦ a 'feries' of. patriotic atchjevements ; may our " " courifh Rome be renowned for one alone. ! — Suffice ; we '.' fhall talk, together, — ' and fliould you, which I can by no " means furmife, not. pleafe to attend at the time appointed j *' I-will not reft till I have found you fome other time, to " which I fhall be forced to employ coercive means. . /"Mittau, March 16, 1795., Wolf." + The iSthof March 1795. . This Angular act may be feen in the Appendix at die end of the volume, No. XII. BB 3 tO 374 LITE OF THE [*79^* to the emprefs of Ruffia ; and it was carried tq Petersburg, where the duke of Courland learnt, from the mouth of his own fubjedts, that they thernfely.es had deprived him of his dominions *. The emprefs immediately fent a governor thir ther. However, feme djfcpntent remained in Cour land : difcohtent brought on profcriptipn ; and thepoffeffions of the profcribed were given to the courtiers of Catharine. The favourite Plato Zubof and his brother Valerian obtained a. great part of thefe rich and Shameful fpoils. Though the peaceful fovereign of fo. many ufurped dominions, Catharine was perpetually taking frefh meafures to annex them infeparably to her eftates. Prince Repnin and general Tou-. toulmin exacted in her name a new path of alle-. giance, the one in Lithuania, the other in Po land 4; ; and the miferable inhabitants of thofe countries, who dared to refute to fubmit to that cruel formality, were inftanfly defpoiled of the heritage of their fathers, and driven from their natal foil. * It fliould feem that the duke was aware of this intended; filiation, as he had bought up feveral eftates in Pruffia, the duchy of Sagan in Silefia, the domains of Rothenburg^ and Frederiksfeldt in Brandenburg. He was already poflefTed, in Silefia, of the countries of Vartenberg, of Balin, and of Gofchutz. f The form of the oath to be taken individually by the T ihuanians and the Poles, is inferted in die Appendix, at the end of the yolume, N° XIII. The $796-} EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 375 The emprefs, who had fo long given Unavail ing promifes of affiftance to the-, concert of kings againft France, yielded to the folhcitations of the favourite Zubof, to which he had been constantly ftimulated by his Sifter, the britiffi, minifter, and Efterhazy. She determined * to join the engliffi- navy with a fquadron of twelve Ships of the line and eight frigates, the command whereof was given to admiral Hani kof"j-. But, never making treaties without a view to the benefit of her coun- • try, it was Stipulated on her part that' the Ships Should be provisioned at the expence of her ally,-. and fent home in thorough repair, by which means her raw mariners were difciplined, and her crazy veffels, moftly of fir-tjmber, and which would hardly bear the fea, were -completely refitted. Catharine' had married | her grandfon Alexan der with the princefs Louifa, of Baden -Durlach § ; and was now defirous of giving a fpoufe to prince Conftantine/" She invited to her court the three daughters of the prince of Saxe-Coburg ; and, after having fome time hefitated in her choice, ffie determined in favour of the youngeft, who, on * The 2d of July, .1793. f Hanikof is a brave and deferving officer, fpeaks engiifh remarkably well, and was to have accompanied commodore JamesTrevenen on the intended voyage of difcovery, which ¦ was laid afide on the breaking opt of the fwedifh war. 1 The 2 1 ft of May, 1793. § On embracing the greek religion, the prjnoefs Louifa of BadeiirDurlach took the name of Elizabeth Alexievna. , b b 4 becoming 376 LIFE OF THE [r796f becoming grand duchefs, took the name of Anna Feodorovna *. But thefe quiet ufurpations, thefe treaties and alliances, were not fufficient to give full occupa tion to the mind of Catharine. Inured to conqueft, She turned her arms againft Perfia,; and under pretence of defending Lolf-Ali-khan, an offspring of the race of the fophis, She wanted to take re venge on Aga-Mahmed, and to gain poffeffion of the perfian provinces which border on the Cafpian^ Pier minister at Constantinople' therefore, had or ders to prefs the porte to fecond her defigns. But, although Strongly fupported by the reis-effendi, Rafchid-Mehemet, the divan remained im movable. Valerian Zubof, at the head of a numerous army, penetrated into the province of Dagheftan, and advanced to lay Siege to Derbent. His firft attack was directed againft a high tower which de fended the place ; and, after having made himfelf mafter of it, and put the whole garrifon to the fword, he was preparing to make an affault upon the town. The Perfians, intimidated by the for- mer fucceffes and the impetuofity of the Ruffians, cried out for quarter* and the commandant, a venerable old man, of the amazing age. of a hun dred and twenty years, and the fame who, at the. commencement of the prefent "century, had fur- * The 14th of Febmaiy, 1796. rendered t79<5-3 EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 37* rendered Derbent to Peter I. came now; to deliver the keys to Valerian Zubof; ; Aga-Mahmed was advancing with fuccours to the relief of Derbent', when he heard that the place was already in the hands of the: Ruffiansv Valerian Znbof came forth from the place to offer* him battle, in which victory declared for the Per-. fians, who forced their enemies , to return into Derbent. Catharine, being, informed of this de feat, immediately gave orders for a hody of troops which ffie had in the Kuban to go and reinforce: the army of Valerian Zubof, not doubting that her general would very foon give a total defeat to Aga-Mahmed. She alfo flattered, herfelf wiffi, the hopes of ob taining a greater triumph. The new treaty which- ffie had juft concluded * with Great Britain and with Auftria fecured to her the affiftance of thofe, two powers againft Turkey : irt a word, She now reckoned on the full accomplishment of her darling- * The former treaty of this triple alliance had been fjgned in the month of February, 179;. The new one was to be figned the very day on which the emprefs breathed her laft; or, however, the day after diat on which fhe died, By this new treaty, it is faid, the was to furnifh the coalition imme diately an army of fixty-five thoufand men, and afterwards to augment that army to fourfcore thoufand men, if it fhould be judged neceffary. At die fame, time, GreatBritain bound herfelf to pay a, hundred and ftftyrthoufand pounds fterling jri advance, and a hundred thoufand pounds per mondi over and above the maintenance of the troops. project, 378 UFE OF THE [I79& project, of driving the Ottomans out of Europe,- and of reigning in Conftantinople. In that cafe the vaft empire of Catharine would, have had for its frontiers, the thracian Bofphonis to the fouth, the gulph of Bothnia to the north*, the Viftula to the weft, and the fea of Japan to the eaft. But death deceived her hopes. On the morn ing of the 6th of November She' was in good fpi- rits? and took her coffee as ufual. Some time after this She retired to her- elofet ; where, after remaining a full half hour, the' women who waited on her, not feeing her return, began to be alarmed ; , and, on entering the outer room in which She was, they found her Stretched on the parquet with her feet againft the door, and fpeech- lefs. Upon this, a meffenger was cjifpatched to Dr. John Rogerfon, her majefty's chief phyfici an,' who, "judging it to be a fit of apopleicy, ordered her twice to be let blood, on which ttie-emprefs at firft appeared to be fomewhat relieved ; but ffie was unable to utter a Single word, and at ten o'clock in the evening of the 'following day She expired -J-. The * It has been afferted by perfons of great credibility, that in the fecret articles of die treaty of Varela, Catharine II. had promifed Guftavus III. to affift him in conquering Nor way, on condition that he fhould cede all Finland to her. ¦\ Catharine, through life, had been feldom out of order ; and her even and cheerful frame of riiind perhaps contributed to. J79p\l EMPRESS CATHARINE II, 379 The grand duke was at his country palace of (Jatffiina, to which palace an officer was fent off jo apprize him of the danger of his mother. He repaired to Petersburg, and at the ihftant when ftie ceafed to breathe was proclaimed emperor, by the name of Paul I. Having taken in hand the reins of governgient, that prince failed not to pay the due funeral ho nours to his mother ; but he would not that ffie ffiould be the fole object'of this auguft and mourn ful ceremony. ; Whether from an excefs of filial piety, or whe ther to Shew that he ftill felt at heart the abhor rence of the crime that had deprived him of a fa ther, he revived in an awful and folemn manner the recollection of that horrid tranfadtion. The laft fcene of the bloody tragedy of 176a was pre fented after a period of thirty-five years. Paul I. ordered the_ tomb of the unfortunate Peter III. in the church of the monaftery of St. Alexander Nefsky, to be opened. On the coffin of that prince he caufed to be placed the imperial ' crown, which he ha4 font &r e^prefsly from Mof- to the prefervation of her health. She fuffered a little, latter ly, by fweljings in the legs, and. was- fometimes fubjecl to a trifling colic. She loft all -confcioufnefs from the moment of ¦ her laft attack. — Her good genius preferved her from the pains pf a lingering illnefs ; and ilie died fortunately as fhe hadj ' jiways lived. CO; 380 , 1IFB QF THE \_l79$* eo; the coffin was then laid, in State befide that of the emprefs*) with a true-love-knot reaching from one to the other, on. which was infcribed, in rufs characters; (< Divided in life — united in « death." l Alexius Orlof was fent for to Petersburg, to Stand, t with prince BaratinSky, One on -each fide of the coffin of Peter III. as chief mourners. This woeful preference had certainly no other aim than to excite remorfe and terror in the breafts of the two affaffins., For three hours which the ceremony lafted, the eyes of all the fpectators were fixed* upon them, ,_ as if reproaching them with their guilt. Alexius Orlof, poffeffing more force and infenfibility than.BaratinSky, betrayed no figns of emotion.; but his, accomplice feemed to be over whelmed with grief, and would probably have fallen into a fevoon had not recourfe been had to felts and other Stimulants which he conftantiy ap plied. All Peterfourg expected that this punishment would be followed by fome more Signal feverity ; but the vengeance of the emperor proceeded no farther., Alexey Orlof received perrhiffion to tra vel, without having afked for it; and BaratinSky had orders never more to appear at court. A dif- grace which he muft certainly have confidered as a favour. -j» ¦ W<5 1796-] EMPRESS CATHARINE If. 381 We Shall not attempt to trace in new colours the character of Catharine II. The hiftory we have how been writing fufficiently difplays it. What pencil will be found to paint, with Strokes fuffi ciently anirnated, that woman, whofe head and heart fubdued, governed, and civilifed an im menfe empire ; who, in her vaftly comprehensive plans, no fooner conceived than executed, gave and took away crowns -at her pleafure ; who, if death had not St6pped her career; would have placed her grandfon, Conftantine, on the ottoman throne ? , : She is dead — thus every thing dies but fame, The dart of death ftruck her with the rapidity of . lightning. In the morning fhe was an emprefs ; at night She was duft. Her great foul efcaped from its mortal coil, without a Single attendant to receive her laft Sighs, to hear her laft accents. How great muft have been her grief, how fevere her torment, when ffie fell, almoft inanimate, and incapable of elevating her voice; fo as to be heard by her faithful guards in, the outer apartment ! What an amazing crowd of thoughts muft have rallied into her mind in her laft moments ! To the little that has been faid before, we Shall only fubjoin a few wOrds on her perfon. ' That 'princefs had been handfome in her youth, and She preferved a gracefulnefs and majefty to the laft period of tfer life. She was of a moderate, rftature, but well proportioned ; and, as ffie car ried g&l LIFE OF THE' [r79& fied her head very high, ffie appeared rather tall. She had an open front, an aquiline nofe, ari agreeable month-, and her chin, though long, was not mis-lhaperi. Her hair was auburn, her eye brows black and rather thick ; and her blue eyes* had a gentlenefs which was often affected, but oftener ftill a mixture of pride. Her phyfiognomy was not deficient in expreffion ; but that expreflion never difcovered what was paffing hv the foul of Catharine, or rather it ferved- her the better to difguife it. The emprefs was ufually dreffed in the ruffian manner. She wore a green gown -f- fomewhat ffiort, forming in front a kind of veft, and with* clofe Sleeves reaching to the wrift. Her hair, Slightly powdered, flowed upon her Shoulders, topped with a fmall cap covered with diamonds. In the latter years of her life She put on a great deal of rouge ; for ffie was ftill defirous to prevent the impreffibns of time from- being vifible on her face ; and ffie always obferved the Strictest temperance J.- * Several perfons who lived at the court of that princefs* affirm, that Cadiarine II. had very blue eyes, andnotbrown^ as is faid by M. Rulhieres. ¦ -(• Green is the favourite colour with the Rufliaiis. Several- of their uniforms are green, * + She made but a light breakfaft, ate moderately at dinner,- and never had any fupper. When fhe read iii foreign prints, that fhe had a dropfy and a fcirrhous complaint, and that flic' could not live long, fhe affected to laugh at it ; but near ob- fervers ailed, that lhe was fecretly hurt at the time. We $796.]- EMPRESS CATHARLNE II.' , Jo^ We promifed to give a ftatement of the pre fents received by the favourites of Catharine. . The • following has been communicated, to us by per fons well informed : Rubles. The five brothers Orlof received 43,000 peafants ; and in lands, palaces, jewels, plate, and money - - - 17,000,000 Vissensky, officer of the guards, about two months in favour - - - 300,000 Vassiltschikof, fimj pie lieutenant of the guards, received, in the xi months that he was in favour : An eftate with 7000 peafants upon it, efti- mated at - - - 600,006 In money - T 100,000 In jewels - ' - .60,000' In plate - - - 50,600 A palace furnifhed - - 100,000 A penfion of 20,000 rubles per annum, nearly 200^000 - Total I,IOO,OQO ¦ The order pf St. Alexander Nefsky. OPriace Potemkin received, in the two firft years, about nine millions. ( He afterwards accumulated immenfe riches. He had great eftates in Poland, and in all the provinces of Ruflia. One of his book-cafes was full of gold, diamonds, and notes of the ' banks of London, Amfterdam, and Venice. His fortune was eftimated at - 50,000,000 Zavodofskv 384 LIFE OP THE , ^1796. Rubles. Zavodofsky received, in 18 months, lands in Poland with 2000 peafants, in the "Ukraine with 6ooo> and in Ruffia with 1800. Thefe eftates were eftimated at - i,ooo,doo He received in money - - 150,000 In plate - - - - 50,000 In jewels - - - i8o,ooo In a penfion on the cabinet of 10,000 rubles a year _ - 100,000 Total 1,386,000 The ribbon of the white eagle of Poland. Zoritch received, in one year, the ribbon of the order of the. fwprd of Sweden, and that of the white eagle of Poland. An eftate in Poland, of - 500,000 One in Livonia, of 50 haaks - 100,000 A commandery in Poland, produced ia,ooo rubles yearly, valued at 120,000 In money - 500,000 In jewels - 200,000 Korzakof received, in 16 months, the ribbon of the white eagle of Poland, the pa lace of Vafliltfchikof re-purchafed for him - An eftate with 4000 peafants In money and jewels 1 - . The liquidation of his debts - To fit him out for travelling Gratification while on his travels Total 1 ,420,000 100,000 400,000 150,000 100,000 100,000 70,000 V Total 920,000 Lanskoi kMPRESS CATHARINE II. 3^5 Lansko'i received, in eftates or mpney In diamonds To pay his debts A palace valued at - Rubles. 3,003,000 80,000 80,000 100,000 Total 3,260,000 Moreover his fifter and his coufih we're ad mitted into the number of maids of honour to the emprefs, and received many, prefents not brought into the account. . Yermolof feceiyed, l& 16 months, the ribbon of die white eagle of Poland. An eftate valued at Another with 3000 peafants - In money - - , 100,000 360,000 1 50,000 Total 550,000 Momonof received, in 26 months, in eftates In money ¦ - Injewels - Plato Zubof' was decorated with the tide of prince, and with feveral ribbons, and ap pointed grand-rriafter of the artillery. He re- ; oeived large eftates in Ruflia, in Poland, and in Courland. His fortune, exclufive of move ables and jewels, amounts to about 100,000 per annum, and confequently valued at His moveables and his jewels 600,000 200,000 8o,oco Total 880,000 2,500,000 200,000 Total 2,700,000 vox. 111. Valerias $86 LIFE OP THE Ruble*, Valerian Zubof received great fums'in money, eftates in Poland and in Courland, and a penfion of 12,000 rubles, payable in gold. The whole may be eftimated at - 800,000 To thefe gifts muft be added the expendi ture of the favourite, eftimated at 1,250,000 rubles per annum, which, during the thirty- four years of the reign of Catharine II. a- mounts to - - 8,500,000 Sum total - 92,820,000 We have fo often had occafion to fpeak of the wars and the conquefts of Catharine II. that we fhould not be eafily excufed for omitting an ac count of the forces of her empire, and all the means in her- poffeSlion, independent on her policy and uncommon talents, for eftabliShing and enlarging her power. Here follows then a fuccinct: ftate of the ARMY. In 1794 the ruSlian army was compofed of< eight divisions, each of fifty thoufand men ; and thefe divisions had their particular generals. i. The division of Finland, commanded by the prince of Anhalt, kinfman to the emprefs. %. The division of Livonia, commanded by field-marfhal Ivan Soltikof. 3. The division of Mosco, commanded by- general Prozorofsky. 4. The EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 3,8.7 4. Tlie division of White Russia, under the orders of general Mikelfon, conqueror of the rebel Pugatfhef. 5. The divifion of the Ukraine, commanded by fteld-rriarShal Suvarof RimnikSky. 6. The divifion of Caucasus, under orders of general Gudovitch, who took from the Turks the fortreftes of Anapa and of Sudyuk-kaly. 7. The divifion of Ufa, commanded by general Reck, having under him general Chardon, a native of Avignon. 8. The divifion of Siberia, com manded by general Strandmann, Thefe eight divisions were ftated to form a regular army of 400,000 men. The artillery, of which the fevourite Plato Zubof was grand mafter, reckoned about - - 30,000 Three regiments of foot- guards, and a regiment of , horfe guards - - - io,oqq' The kozaks of the Don, the Tartars of Taurida, the Kal- " muks, and feveral other, hordes, furnished, in irregular, troops, nearly ¦- - - -.- 120,000 Total of the army 550,000 c. c a This 388 LIFE OF THE This army was completed by the recruits which the proprietors of eftates were obliged to.furnifh fometimes by faifing one man out of every five hundred of their peafants, fometimes out of three hundred, fometimes out of one. hundred *• State of the ruSfian army in January 1795, according to the regifters of the college of * In the war before laft againft the Turks, it once hap pened, that one man out of thirty-five was taken, to recruit the army of marfhal Romantzof. This method of recruiting, though convenient to the em prefs, was ruinous to the empire, and was attended with horrible abufes. The officers employed in levying recruits, after dripping naked all the men prefented to them, cut the hair from behind of thofe they rejected, and the hair over the forehead ' of fuch as they accepted. They were obliged to felect. only found men, exempt from all bodily blemifh ; but . by means of a flight gratification, they were induced to take filch as the mafters wifhed to get rid of, and who often were not even able to bear the fatigues of the journey. Befides, the mafters were obliged to give- a certain fum of money to thefe recruits ; the relations almoft always added fomething to this fum ; ahd all this was trufted to the officer, whofe in tereft it was that the recruits fhould not join the army, that he might keep what belonged to them. Accordingly, he fed them fo badly, and fatigued them fo. much, that fometimes not more than a third reached the place of their deftination. 1 It was -very well authenticated, that of fixty thoufand men raifed in a diftrict, to recruit tlie army of prince Potemkin, only pne thoufand eight hundred were able to join diat army. war 8 Carabiniers (of 6 fquadrons) of 1106 men "1 8 Carabiniers (of 5 fquadrons) of 988 men f 5^048 EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 389 war, made up from the reports of the diSferent corps : Number of men Regiments. ' 1 in pay. 19 of artillery - - - - 38,110 11 Grenadiers, of 4075 rrien each - "> 3 Grenadiers, of 1000 to 3000 men each f 51 Mufketeers, compofed of 10 companies of^ mufketeers, and a companies of grenadiers, each regiment being compofed of 2424 men J» I39>5$2 7 Mufketeers without grenadiers 1 Mufketeers, of 4 battalions 4143 men New arquebufiers, fo called - 5>87q 12 Battalions of mufketeers, of 10 19 men - 1 3 Battalions of mufketeers, of 1475 men - f IO>o,53 48 Battalions, infantry in garrifon on the fron- -j tiers 10 in the country 9. Corps of chaffeurs (yaeger-corps) of 4 battalions of 988 men, each 3992 ... 2 ^ p'28 3 Battalions of chaffeurs ... 2»994 5 Cuiraffiers (of 6 fquadrons) of 1106 and 1125 men - -,,--'- ¦ Jj40O 10 Dragoons (of 10 fquadrons) of 1882 men ") 2 with huffars and grenadiers mounted C 33>573 &h$93 l.6>35i 2 Huffars, of 11 19 men 3 Squadrons huffars - - - \. ?..>72» 1 Squadron huffars de corps J ' 4 Regiments chaffeurs a che'val, of 1838 men - 7,352 5 Light horfe (of 6 fquadrons) of 1047 men. 5>235 6 Cavalry of die Ukraine, of 1047 men " 6,282 l6 Regular kozak cavalry - 30j^3 Troops to guard the country (mar'echauffee) 22,216 c c 3 390 LIFE OF THE In die new provinces acquired from Poland in the firft partition, viz. Number of men Regiments. '" Pay- 6 Brigades of 1 8 19 men - -\ 5 Brigades light hprfe, of 1098 men - \. 23,360 4 of infantry, of 1447, &c. in all - J Invalids in garrifon - - v - 3)864 Soldiers' fons at fchool for fervice - 1*6,816 Troops to affift the commiffaries, &c. - 1^258 Total regular troops - Men 541,741 Irregular kozaks cavalry - 2 1,625 "\ Irregular troops of die Don kozaks s. 46,601 cavalry, all in actual fervice 24,976 J A great number of other irregular troops, all - cavalry, as Kalmuks, Bafchkirs, &c. not en- roiled, but ready when called out, they re ceive no pay ; at leaft - 106,000 Men 688,333 All the regiments encamp irom the month of May to the end of Anguft. In Iheir tents they have no Straw ; but each foldier lies upon the bare and often the wet ground. When he mounts guard, it is for a fortnight together. But when he is taken ill, the government has him attended with maternal care. No expence. has been fpared in providing hofpitals ; large buildings have been constructed in the principal towns, and a proper number EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 391 number of phyfician's attached to them. There they have medicines and diet, fuited to the pa tient's cafe, let the coft "be what it may. Not withstanding all this, the foldiers enter the hof- pitals with repugnance, and -are glad to leave them as foon as they can. It is not fo with the officers of thefe hofpitals, who contrive to fecure fome comfortable perquisites to themfelves. With regard to the proportion of military force which the empire can fend into the field, RuSSia has great advantages, as it has but little luxury, commerce, or manufactures ; and after the greateft levies, hands enough will remain for all the pur pofes of agriculture. That the extent of the ruffian empire will not permit the railing of its whole military force is evident ; and fuppofing the population to be fix millions more than France, it ^'ould be a great miftake to fuppofe that Ruffia. could make as confiderable a levy. The manner of thinking of the: Ruffians is not favourable to this ; for if we except Some of, its people, as the kozaks, the Kalmuks, &c. the repugnance of the lower order of the people for the military profeffion is greater in Ruffia thatt in almoft any other country. It may be fome inducement to a ruffian peafant or ferf to enter into the army : the pay is tolerably good, more fo, comparatively, than in moft countries of Europe ; but they are not allowed leave of abfence for fix months in the year, as in c c 4 Germany ; 393 LIFE OF THE Germany ; and from the diftance of their Stations, a young man on enlifting may be confidered as- having quitted his family and connections for ever. It is true, that fince 1793 the time offer- vice, which ufed to be for life, is limited to, twenty-five years. This may have a good effect in giving hopes to the recruit of revisiting, though at a diftant period, his family and friends. However dear bread may be, the ruffian foldier always has'abundance ; indeed the dearer it is the better for him, as he has generally a fiiperfluity to difpp.fe of ; and considering all circumftances, the pay of the ruffian foldier is better than that of Pruffia, Auftria, or France. The difcipline is fevere, (the lower officers having a right to inflict a punishment, not ex ceeding twenty Strokes with a cane, of their own authority,) but the occafions of puniihment are not fo frequent as. in Germany. The Ruffian has no gaiters to clean, ' no breeches to whiten, no buttons to polish, or hair to drefs. When the foldiers remaiq in garrifon, tbeyvare generally not permitted to marry ; but when they are, there is an extraordinary allowance for their wives and children. Some confiderable improvements have been made of late in the ruffian army ; and the wars and revolutions of the prefent times, which, ac cording to the philofophers, are to improve the whole human race, have certainly tended in Ruf-r fia. EXPRESS CATHARINE II. 393 fia, as in other countries, to ameliorate the hard. pondition. of the private foldiers. NAVY. The fleet of the Baltic was eftablifhed by Peter I. at St. Peterfburg, at Cronftadt, and at Reval. _ In 1793, this fleet was cornpbfed of thirty-four Ships of the line,*' and twelve frigates. In 1794, admiral ' Pavlifhen brought from Archangel to Cronftadt -J-, fix Ships of the line and four frigates : in all, forty Ships of the line arid Sixteen frigates. Befides thefe there were feveral bomb-ketches, gun-boats, cutters, and other ftnall veffels. The galley-fleet of the Baltic conlifted of near four hundred gallies, which for the moft part mounted guns. The fleet, of the Euxine, eftablifhed by Peter I. was but of little confequence, till .the * There were in number forty-nine j but we fpeak here only of fuch as were fit to keep the fea. ¦f The fhips built in the ports of the Baltic are of oalc, and fhofe which come from Archangel of larch timber. time 394 XI FE OF THE time when prince Potemkin took pofTeflton of the Krimea. In 1793, there were at Sevastopol and Adji- bey *, under the orders of admiral Utfchakof, eight Ships of the line, of from 66 to 74 guns, and twelve frigates from $6 to 40 guns -f-. At Nicolayef and at Adji-der^:, two hundred cfiebeks, gun-boats, and other veffels with oars. The fquadron of the Caspian was established by tzar Alexey Michajlovitch, the father •£ Peter I. In 1793 it was compofed of three fmall frigates, one bomb-ketch, and five corvettes. EXPENDITURE. RuMes. The fupport of the army cofts fomewhat lefs than - 6,000,000 The fupport , of the navy about • 1,500,000 All the other ordinary expences amount to 3,500,000 Total 11,000,000 ' * Adji-bey is a harbour newly conflrudted for large fhips, between Otchakof and the Dnieftr. f Almoft all the cannons were of brafs. , X Adji-der is at die mouth of the Liman and of the Dnieftr. REVENUES, EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 395 REVENUES. Rubles. The revenues of Ruflia, proceed ing from the capitation, the tributes, the produce of the mines, the duties on .merchandize, monopo lies, &c. amount to about - 32,500,000 From Taurida and Caucafus 3,000,000 From Poland, about - - 7,000,000 From Courland, about - 2,000,000 Total of the revenues 45,000,000 Accordingly, a furplus of revenue remained of 34,000,000 of rubles, which was employed to, the maintenance of the tribunals, the various public institutions, in 'penfions, in entertainments, in prefents, and extraprdinaries of all. kinds. It was not fufficient for the administration of Catha rine II. fince fhe frequently raifed loans in Hol land, Genoa, Venice, and other countries. 1 TITLE OF THE EMPRESS. Formerly the fovereign was always Styled, Great Duke, or Great Prince, in rufs Velikie Knaes. If, according to fome of the ruffian anr nalifts, Novgorod and Kief were already in the ninth century great- dukedoms, then the origin of that 39^ LIFE OF THE that title is apparent : yet the primitive Significa tion of»the term might lead us to fuppofe that it was meant thereby to diftinguifh the fovereign from the other princes, efpecially the reigning ones, of whom there were always feveral in Ruffia as far back as authentic hiftory reaches. But all the ruffian principalities have been now, 1800, united into one monarchy under one fole ruler for 336 years. Ivan Vaffillievitch declared himfelf tzar *, as is generally affirmed, in the year 1547 ; though this title is exprefsly attributed in hiftory to ruffian Sovereigns of a period far more remote ; whether it was actually borne by them, or whether the old annalifts added it merely to Signify indifcrimi- nately a monarchical dignity, or modern, histo rians have arbitrarily applied it to them without fufficient reafon. It denotes, in the ruffian bible, a king ; yet the ancient ruffian writers make ufe- of it alfo when fpeaking of the greek em perors -j-. Ruflia, * Thus, we are told by Lomonofof, in his ancient ruffian hiftory, tiiat Vladimir the faint, who died in 1015, on h'is marriage with the greek princefs, took upon him the title of tzar. The fame author fays, in his abridged chronicle, that not only Vladimir Vfevolodovitch Monomachus, who began his reign in 11 14, was crowned tzar of all Ruffia; but alfo that Vaffilly Ivanovitch, who died in 1535, firftwrote himfelf in the laft year of his reign, tzar and felf-holder of all Ruffia. ¦j- Even the derivative tzar/lvo means kingdom ; thus inihe pater-? EMPRESS CATHARINE II. gfiy- Ruffia, from the extent of its domains, 19 which no kingdom can be compared, but which itfelf confifts of feveral kingdoms, had long me rited the name of an empire. Pefer I. on having the title of emperor given him by fome of his chief Subjects, chofe to aSTume it in the, year 172 1, and it has fince been borne by all the . paternofter tzarftvqe tvoe, thy kingdom ; but ^lfo in general ' it fignifies empire ; it is even ufedfor the kingdoms of nature. At prefent in rufs a king is iorol, and thence hrolevftvo a king dom. — Moreover, it is only the Ruffians, and' not the other . fclavouian nations, who by tzar denote a fovereign. And this brings onthe queftion, whence the word is derived ? It is-fcarcely imaginable tiiat it has been formed by an abbreviation of Caefar and Tzefar ; for throughout the new teftament/where the word occurs it was rendered by kefar, perhaps from die greek bible, which came into Ruffia with the chriftian religion ; this was af terwards changed into tzefar, and that again has been altered into imperator. Let us hazard a conjecture here : In the old ruffian year-books mention is frequently made of tartarian and fiberian tzars and tzarevitches (tzars' lbns) ,' thus, among iiutuberiefs otiier inftances, we find, the tzar of the goldfii horde, die tzar of the Krina, the tzar of Kazan. This tide has not been negligently introduced and appropriated by the ruffian hiftorians : for the fovereigas of Rulha have borne it fince the conqueft of thofe kingdoms, to tiiis very day, -as it- ftands in the imperial' title : "tzarina of Kazan, tzarina of " Siberia, ice." We may therefore fuppofe, with the highlit probability/ that the ruffian nation, on finding thefe tzars among the neighbouring people, borrowed the title from them, and adopted it into die ruffian laiigtfage, to which it is entirely foreign. ruffian 398 LIFE OF THE ruffian fovereigns ; being called in the rtifiia* tongue, if an emperor, Imperator *, and Impera tritza if an emprefs. Two foreign courts at firft had fome Scruples in acknowledging this title -f-, but they were foon removed : all potentates give the imperial title to the fovereigns of Ruffia. The ufual abbreviated title in ukafesj in de crees, orders, petitions, &e. is imperator and au- tocratorj, or imperatritza and autoeratrix, of all Ruffia or of all the Ruffias. The expreffion autocrator implies the fovereign and unlimited au thority ; arid the addition, of all Ruffia, or of all * In like manner in Ruffia the emperor of Germany is Ityled Imperator; but die king of the Romans is called Rimfky tzar. f The frenfch court would not at firft acknowledge the ruffian monarch directly for emperor, but only for " ruffian " emperor." A Very curious diftin&ion. The german emperor i^ ftill emperor, and fo is the ruffian. X In rufs it is uniformly famodtrjetz •vferoffyi/kie, or, when fpoken of an emprefs, famodcrjilza •uferojjyijkaia . The addi tion, as properly an adjective, is not completely rendered by either of the expreffions above, of all Ruffia, or of a'l the Ruffias ; the engiifh, any more than the german, having no fuitable term for it. Every attempt at a more exaft tranflation would have either idiom, or gender, or fyntax againft it, and at laft would look like trifling.- — Samederjetx is compounded of fam, felf, and derjetz. If the latter come from derju, I keep, or hold,' then famoderjeix is a felf '-bolder : and fo it is tranflated in the ukafes that are ifiued in the german tongue by the fenate, felbfthalter. "the EMPRESS pATHARINE II. 399 the Ruffias *, relates to the junction of all th« formerly diftinct principalities infio a monarchy, under one fole ruler. When written at length the title is thus : By the grace of God, Catharine II. -f- emprefs and autoeratrix of all the Ruffias, of Mofco, Kief, Vladimir, Novgorod, tzarina of Kazan, tzarina of Aftrakhan, tzarina of Siberia, tzarina of the Tauridan Cherfonnefe, lady of PSkove* and grand duchefs of Smolenlk, princefs of Efthonia, Livo nia', Karelia "{", Tver, Yugoria §, Permia, Viatka^ Bulgaria, and other countries : lady and grand* duchefs of Novgorod of the low country ||, of Tfchernigof, Riazane, PolotSk, Roftof, Yaroflavl, * Whoever fhould imagine that by this term is implied the feveral divifions of Ruffia at prefent exiftirig, namely, Great Ruffia, little Ruflia, Red Ruffia, White Ruffia, would have the teftimony of hiftory againft" Kim. For, long ere Litde Ruffia, 'for example, was fubjedted to the ruffian mo- narchs/they bore die title of felf-holder of all die Ruffias. f The fovereigns of Ruffia never put tiieir name before that of the Almighty Monarch of the Univerfe. X By Karelia is meant the prefent. government of Vyburg, generally called Finland. § This is a part of the- government of Archangel, namely the diftrict of Puftozero, about the mouth of the Peffchora. Yugoria isaft obfolete name, of which fome few appear in the imperial title, which have been retained from very remote peribds : commonly they denote but fmall tracts of country. -j| 'Meaning Niftyiey- Novgorod ': nijltney in rufs fignifies low. 1 Bielo- 40© LIFE OF THE Bielofero, Udoria*, Obdoria-f-, Kondia|, Vi-» tepfk, Mftiflavl, fovereign of the whole northern region, and lady of the country of Iveria § ; of the kartalinian and grufinian tzars ||, and of the kabardinian country, of the Tfcherkaffians, and of the mountain-princes, and of others hereditary lady and fovereign. * Likewife an obfblete name, which formerly denoted the region about the river Mefen, efpecially towards its mouth. f By this obfolete name, originating from the river Oby, is meant the region adjacent to Berefof, in the government of Tobolfk. Tzar Vaflilly Ivanovitch was die firft who put Obdoria into his title. X In the ukafes publifhed on the aceeffion to the govern ment, beginning with the imperial title, e.g. of the year 1762, &nd in other public acts which contain it, we find Condinia j apd fo fays Bufching. But in the two letters of grace before mentioned, of the year 1785, it is exprefsly written Kondia, and therefore that name is retained above : moreover, as it denotes die region circumjacent to the river Konda, where it falls into the Irtifh, it may properly be fo called. It is found in the imperial tide ever fince the reign of Vaflilly Ivanovitch. § Perfons of extenfive information, of whom we inquired, were unable to peint out the fituation of this place : perhaps we fhould look for it in die diftrict, of Valdai, where the fa mous old Iverian monaftery is ftill ftanding. || That is, the georgian tzars. We have feen, in the fore going hiftory, that the tzar of Kartalinia, in the year 1783, fubmitted himfelf, his fucceffors, and all his dominions, fo- lemnly and publicly, to the ruffian fovereignty : but tiiefe countries long before appeared in the imperial tide, as the former tzars of diem had put tiiemfelves under the ruffian protection. In EMPRESS CATHARINE II. ^J&T* In the letter of grace, granted by the emprefs to all the nobility, fhe adds the following illustra tion : "It is known to all nations, that this title " of our fole fovereignty is not that of an ima-> " ginary empire not in Subjection to us,; nor does *' it contain foreign principalities, provinces, " towns, and countries, but exprefles our wide'-' " extended andinumerous pofleffions by theShort- " eft denominations*. It may further be remarked, that in the earlier ukafes and manifestos, it always ran : "By the " grace of God, weJ Catharine II. &c." but in the two letters of grace it is: " By God's affifting '* grace,' we Catharine II. Sec." — Majefty is expreffed in rufs" by velUjcheftvo, which indeed Signifies fo-Vereignty, but originally imports great nefs, as derived froth veliki, great. *. Marry countries and provinces, fubject to the ruffian fqvereignty, indeed' do not appear by name' in- die imperial title: for example, the country of the Kirghifes, and th6' Tfchuktfchis lately brought, into fubjection to it, without mentioning the iflands ih the Eaftern-ocean, which never be longed to Siberia. VOL. III. D "O 40* LIFE OF THE CHAP. XVII. State of literature, arts, and fciences at St. Peter f-^ burg, during the reign of Catharine II. IT would be next to impoffible to give a com plete view of all the new and remarkable pro ductions in the republic of ruffian literature, as critical journals, literary advertifements, and even copious book-catalogues are here extremely rare. There is no other way of acquiring any informa tion of this nature, than, by inquiring at the dif ferent book-Shops after regent publications, and therefore it is late before even important and in teresting works come to the knowledge- of the public. However, by the affiftanee and comrtiu- nications of feyeral literary acquaintance, in ad dition to the refult of our own inquiries, we can venture to prefent the reader with the moft con fiderable productions of the ruflian authors during the reign of Catharine. II. Defective and dry as fuch an account muft be for want of room for critical and analytical difquifitions on the feveral authors, and the fubjects of their publicatiorts, yet it will be found not entirely deficient in refults that may EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 403 may enable us to form- -a judgment on the ftate of. national literature. Deceived by the obfcurity that, overfpreads the hiftory of the middle ages, we are apt to fee in the Ruffians .of that, period only a. warlike., but,rude. and uncivilized people, entirely , ftrangers to arts and fciences... : The tracesof a fuperiqr cultivation. which appear in the annalists "f , .and which the induftry of modern historians.; have drawn forth to lights are fufficient refutations of thisinyeterate prejudice, and eftabliSh. the probability, that pre*- viqus to the well known fubjugation by the.Tar^ \ars, , there was a ' .period when the ruffian nation merited the aplpellatjon of a civilized people. The knowfedgprand the ufe, of "the cyrillifh characters, and the fclavonian translation of the bible, in the ninth century ; the fcRools. which afterwards the grand duke Vladimir, founded ; the inclination of that prince to .the. fine arts; .the poetical para7 phrafe of the pfalms, which about that time began. to be fung in the churches ; the code of civil law which 'Yaroflaf Vladimirov itch gave to the Novpc "gradians about the year 1019 ; the fplendor of his court, whiqh evcnAfpreign contemporary hiftorians fnention with ^ftoriifhment ; laftly, the , monu ments of painting, an art winch, revived in Ruffifi '* For a more particular account of" Neftof ahd: the' other annalifts, fee profeffor 'Schlcetzer's pieces' in the feleitidns from, foreign journals, publifhed by DebreU, Vol; ii.:p. $93. i> 9 z earlier 4-04 LlFt OF THE earlier by a whole century than in Italy : all thefe, and numberlefs other evidences of a confiderable degree of culture, leave no room to doubt that the Ruffians of thofe times had attained to a pitch of improvement, ' which the other nations of Eu rope did not reach till a much later &ra. Under the domination of the Tartars, this fair d&wn of a glorious day was entirely clouded; and, during f hat difmal epdcha, the distanced nations of our quarter of the globe fo far outstripped the Ruf fians, that to this moment, notwithstanding the great exertions they have made, they- have not Been able to recover thtir ground. Rouzed by the fentiment of their oppreffion to an unintermitted refiftance, the difpofition to the arts of peace, for which, they had been fo honourably distinguished j was loft in that martial fury which rendered their nafde fo formidable in later ages : till at length it required the fuCceffive exertions Of two great princes to revive the dormant faculties, arid to connect the name of a brave and Spirited, with the more amiable epithet 6f a humane and enlightened nation. With the reign of Peter the Great, began a new epocha in the civilization of Ruffia. , A new and vaft .territory was - conquered for' the fciences; ufeful, branches of knowledge, like exotic plants, were transplanted and throve in this foil ; the na tional genius expanded' kfelf under the genial breath of a more mild and profperous age : the , language EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 40$; language was depurated, enriched, and formed ; authors of talents appeared and produced worl&9 which excited the enthufiafm of the nation, and the efteem of foreigners. A Short Slumber fuc ceeded to this Shining period, -apparently riot fo much the effect of a premature "effort j- as of the neglect under which the capacities of the* country languished. Catharine the feCorid arofe, and diffufed around her a renovated and increafed animation.'. ¦ En-» couraged by the example, of this great monarch, who held it not beneath her dignity to carry the torch before the national genius, it once more, ventured, with ftill bolder efforts, to fcngage in the nobleft ftrife pf mortals, the contention for excellence in intellectual and moral improvement. The progrefs fhe made in emulating her more cultivated neighbours, is worthy the attention of the reft of Europe. A philofophical Sketch of ruffian literature previous to the days of Peter the Great, as it was through his means, and as it now is, muft be an interesting fragment for the hiftory ofrhankind. — All that we can here pretend to communicate are Single Strokes, which* however Complete they may be ' in themfelves,. without combination with the whole muft ever jiftord only partial conclusions, and can lead to.no cer tain judgment. Theology, or what fometimes bears that name, was no where entirely neglected in the bar* j pp 3. barous^ 40& LIFE OF THE barous times of the middle ages ; and, on the revi val of the fciences, was one of the firft departments in which ingenious men. endeavoured to excel. Accordingly in Ruffia this field did not lie totally uncultivated, as is proved by the contents of the rnonaftic libraries : but it was referved for the age of Catharine. to;gjve birth, to a plainer fyftem and a popular chriftian morality'*.. Who cart be ig norant of the name and the. merit of the venerable Plato ?. His compendium , of chriftian theology, tranf- lated into feveral languages, . has gained him, even among the members of foreign communions, the reputation of an enlightened divine and a ufeful author.-., It is well known that in the fervice of the greek church, pulpit difcourfes. were rarely held ; the late emprefs, .who clearly perceived their uti lity, andaknew the effect which the public de livery of leffons of a fuperior morality, fubftan- tiated by the example of the Divine Author of our religion, muft have upon the, hearts of men, gave great, encouragement to facred eloquence with the utmoft energy and the happieft effects. Among jthe prelates who distinguished themfelves by their * Theophan Prokopovitch was the firft ruffian divine who reduced the dogma, and the characteriftic doctrines of his church, to'a confiftent fyftem. His principal work is com- Jjofed hvlathv under the title 'of ' C%rifliana brfhodoxa tberlogia. His fpiritual difcourfes, which are deemed claflical perform ances, are fometimes read in the churches during divine fer vice. He died archbifliop of Novgorod in the year 1795. ' , "' homiietical EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 407 . homileticaj talents and as authors, are principally to be noticed, Gabriel metropolitan of Novgorod and St. Peterfourg, Tnnoceritius archbishop of Pfcove and Riga, and Irenaeus bifliop of Kafchirt arid Tver. The fermons of thefe worthy divines are profitable, not alone to the reading clafs of the nation, but as they are delivered Occasionally in. the churches by imperial command.— r-Her Ma- • jefty's institutions for instruction m the elements of religion, and for diflerainating among the com mon people a rational perfuafion, inftead of % blind afta'chment to dutward ceremonies, are uni versally known and approved. Law has been hitherto the pooreft department of ruffian literature. Excepting the lectures which areTgiven at the univerfity of ^lofco, there is no public tuition in this Science ; a tolerable know ledge of the laws of the country, and a moderate Share of natural or acquired logic, are fufficient for forming a tolerable practitioner. The Whole produce therefore of this field of literature is- con fined to feveral collections, which have been made from the old law-books, and of the ukafes "of Peter the Great and his fucCeSfors. The eesra which Ca tharine's legislation forms in the. hiftory of the ruffian conftitution, will probably be favourable to the advancement of this-_ftudy, as in the new institutions for the administration of juftice, and in all the Ordinances relating to it, a more conr fiftent plan prevails, which renders the feientific i> p 4 culture „49<5 ' LITE OF THE .culture of this fyftem, and the red notions 'of it to general principles, not only practicable, but even in fome degree necelTary *-. A Singularly remark able phenomenon in this department muft not be .here unnoticed : the ruffian translation qf Black- ¦ ftone 's commentaries on the laws of England, which was fome "years fince brought out by, imperial command. Eyen medicine was but lately in fo uncul tivated a ftate, that in tlie year 1770 perhaps there jvere not three books on ; medical Subjects. The progrefs of ruSEzm fiterature in this; department is the more remarkable,, ,as a great part of the trea- tifes and wosks relating to it were cqrnpqfed in the latin tongue, and therefore cannot here be quoted. Among the phyficians who have deferved well of their country in this art, the following have come to , our knowledge : Ambodik, privy-counfeljor and profeffor of midwifery, who. has eminently contributed to the enrifching of ruffian medical literature. He is the author of a plain and practi cal Manual of the art of midwifery, a Phyfiolfigy, a" Maferip tpedica, and an Anatomical phyfiological dic tionary, in rufs, latin, and french- An enlarged and reformed translation of Sauperptte's celebrated Exanien, under the tide of, A brief examination qf inveterate prejudices and nations "concerning pregnant * A fyftem of ruffian Ugiflation appeared about ftx or feven years ago at Mofco. women, EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 409 women, lyingrin-women, and new-born children ; a book that has already gone through feveral edi tions, is alfo from his pen. He is likewife the translator of Schreiber's guide to the knowledge and cure of outward and inward difeafes, and of Home's Principia medicines. Tiflbt's writings : Avis au peuple, and . of the diforders incident ta the learned, are alfo tranflated into the rufs ; the former by the academician. Ozeretzkofsky, and the latter by Df. SchumlianSky ; who is likewife the .author of a treatife on the Perfection' of the moft ufeful fcience *. Various final! medical pieces of M. TichorSky can only be generally mentioned here, as' we have no diftinct and accurate knowledge of them, The ravages made feveral years ago by the plague in fome diftricts of the ruffian empire occasioned a multitude of writings on this dreadful feourge of the human race, wuereof feveral are become honourably known abroad "f- ; on this .occafion too Dr. Richard Mead's diSfertation on the-plague was tranflated into rufs. Von Swieten's defcription of camp fickneffes has found a translator in Dr. Terek- hqfsky ; and baron Dimfdale's Method of inoculating the [mall-pox, in ah anonymous admirer. — With the fame laudable zeal as the foregoing ruffian phyficians, feveral Germans, who were fufficiently mafters of the language, beftowed their talents * Medicine. t For example, Dr. Samoilovitch's difiertation on the plague, of which a german tranflationhas appeared. ' and <4I0 LIFE OF THE and induftry in adding to the jriches of- this de partment. Dr. Bacheracht published a popular book on feveral difeafes ; another on intemperance in fertfual enjoyments ; a . propofal for preferving the health of feamen"; a treatife on the fcurvy; and fome. others. M. Vieri, fecretary of .the. col- . lege of medicine, published a very complete Loi- pialogy. The priyy-CQunfellor Pekenis the author of a Phifiology ,and Py ret ho logy,, for ufeat lectures; and the translator of RXchter'' s, Elements of fmgery. Spedikatj wrote a controversial, piece on the Scurvy againft Bacheracht. A translation: of Gaubii In- Jkitufienfis pathologia medicin. was published bypro- felTor Hoffmann. An entirely hew appearance, the firft of its kindt is a medical weekly publica tion in rufs, conducted by two phyficians of St. Peterfourg, Dr. Uhden and Dr. EUifen. Whateyer pfeafure we feel in contemplating th is rapid progrefs of medical literature, we can find none in the furvey of philosophical, which, befides an elementary book of natural law by So- "lotnitzky, has no original wprk, and, befides the translations of detached articles of the french EnT ' cyclopedie, has no verfion to produce, if we ex cept the petty brochures which may be claffed in the district of-riiorals *. The field of political OECOt' . - * ft muft be remembered that we fpeak only of Peterfburg. Mofco has in this, as well as in -many other departments of literature, produced good original works and tranflations. ^ periodical V EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 411 .(Economy is not altogether fo barren ; though, the whole produce' of it confifts in translations. The rhpft important of-jthem is undoubtedly Mon- tefquieu's Efprit des loix by Kramarenkof. The fame author's tract Sur let' 'caufes de, la grandeur et de la decadence de V empire romain ; St. Pierre's phi- lpfophical dream of an everlafting peace ; Calliere's \work Delq,maniere de negeeier avec les fouverains ; &c. have likewife found translators; Jufti's Foun dation of the authority of governments is put into rufs by the aSfeflqr Bogajefsky, and that well- known book, Les intents des nations deV Europe re- lativement au commerce, by Bafeh'ifof, We Shall only mention farther the tranflatioa of Necker's book De t 'adminifiration des finances de la prance ; and the adaptation of Bechmann's Forefl-calendqr to the exigencies of the ruffian empire, as thefe publications are the rrroft irriportant of their fpe- cies. On rural (economy a great number of particular tracts have appeared, indebted moftly for fheir exiftence to the ceconomical fociety. The collection already published by the fociety form a considerable agricultural library, amount ing now to upwards of forty volumes. , periodical publication, the Mofco journal, fet up not long fince, is endeavourihg. to fupply this defect:. One object of this magazine feems to be to call the attention of die public to the great revolution which Kant has brought about in thilofophy. ', ' 412 LIFE OF THE" In phys-iCs and natural history, which ten orvfifteen years ago coiiltf ' fcarcely Shew a Single book, and for wliich a new language was to be framed-, much has lately been produced. The original investigations'1 with which' the academi cians Lepekhin, Ozeretzkofsky, SoKolof, Suyef, &C have enriched thefe feiences, are known to the learned abroad through the works of the acai- demy. The french tract of count Gregory Ra- zumofsky on mineralogy, and various papers of the fame author inferted in the acts of the helvetic fociety, are a proof how much the ftudy of na ture is prized and -'profecuted' even among the great. But ftill greater notice ' is due to the at tempts to extend the culture of phyfics and natu ral hiftory in the national tongue. Ainong the greateft and moft brilliant undertakings of this kind muft be- reckoned the complete, as far as poffible, Flora Rojica, or botanical and ^economi cal defcription of all the plants growing wild in Ruffia, with plates drawn and coloured from na ture, by the academician Pallas, at the command of the emprefs. To fay any thing of the execu tion of this work would be fuperfiuous, as the public of all Europe is in poffefljon of'fpecimens pf it, and withal as fomething extraordinary was to be expected from the plan of fuch a princefs as Catharine the Second, from the means afforded by fuch a country as Ruffia, and from1 the abili ties of fuch a man as Pallas. The engravings amount EMPRESS CATHARINE It. 413 amount to upwards Of fix hundred. The imgni- ficence with which this vyork appears is worthy of fuch an undertaking : it is printed at the ¦'imperial expence, and is, in all refpects, a noble prefent -to the fciences and the country, as the copies are Only distributed gratis. — Among the original- works, belonging to the department of natural hiftory, Suyef's elements- of this feiedce, for the ufe of the higher fchools, artd Lepekhin's tract on the neceffity of examining into the medicinal virtues of the indigenous plants, defer've to be mentioned on account of the utility of their de- Sign. The translations, made with a view to faci litate' the Study of natural knowledge,- maybe dif pofed in the following order : Locke's Eierherits , ofphyfics ; anonymous : Euler's- Letters to a ger man princefs, by the academician' Rurtidfsky : Kraftt's Plan of a courfe of physical experiments, from the 'freiich manufcript of Schirokoy : Mac- quer's Elements of theoretical arid practical che- iriiftry, by Florinfky : Erxleben?s chemistry* by Sokolof: Lefke's natural hiftory, by Oze'retz- kofsky: .Cronfted-t?s mineralogy, after Brunnich's ¦ edition, by Kurfftiman : Valch's la'pidarium, and Lehmann's mineralogy, by Nartof : Kirwan's mi- • rierafogy arid Rendvantz mineralogical defcription of the niirtes of the Altay mountains* by the acade mician ^evergin : Canerin's eferriefits of mine and fait- works, &c. The 414 LIFE OF THE The , atterripfs of the, natives in the mathema tical fciences are not merely confined to the papers which ^the academicians Kotelnikof, Ru- mofsky, Inokhodzof, &c. have published in the Acta'Petropolitana. An effay by the former on the doctrine of equipoize and the motion of bo dies ; Siretufchkin's plan for the improvement bf land-Surveying ; the elementary books of ma thematics by Kofelsky, Anitfchkof, and Rumof- Sky ; a manual for voyages by fea, &e. are among. the later original performances. Among the tranf- lations we are to diftinguifti thofe of Wolff's compend. elem. M-athefeos, Euler's theory of the , 'construction, &c. of Ships by Golpvin, and Veid- ler's guide to the knowledge of mines. A transla tion of the algebra Tpf the academician Fufs has lately appeared. We pafs by the department of the military art, which has been latterly enriched by feveral 'original works and translations, in order to make the reader acquainted with the moft remarkable productions in history, which the imperial refi- deoc-e produced towards the clofe of the late reign. On rib field, of literature has fo much labour been beftovyed-, and none has fuch excellent fruits to Shew. iBy the example and encouragement Of the emprefs great pains have been taken to difpel the obfcurity in which the early accounts of the coun try were involved. In 1 779 Catharine gave or ders to the college of foreign affairs to employ perfons, •EMPRESS CATHARINE II. -^S perfons, 'for the benefit of ruffian hiftory, in making a collection of public treaties, ahSient and modern, after the model of the Corps diplomatique of Dufnont, under the direction of the celebrated profeffor Muller of Mofco, keeper of the archives of that college. She afterwards ifliled a command fo the fyno'd to make diligent fearch for old ruf fian manufcripts in the two libraries belonging to that facred body ; and then, u'nder ' rife care and inspection of perfons competent to the undertak ing, to caufe, firft, the moft antient and moft difficult to be understood, and afterwards the reft to be -faithfully tranfcribed arid printed. This . order was prefently after followed by another, to ranfack the libraries of all the monasteries through out ''the empire for chronicles and other manu fcripts relative to the country. Thefe commands, the fatisfadtion which the perfons employed- ex perienced in the perufat of thefe manufcripts, and - the rewards with which feveral of them wefe fur ther encouraged, foon had the wiflied-for effects,;' effects of fuch importance to the elucidation of ruffian hiftory,- diat a great number of- curious, writings, for the moft part entirely unknown be fore, and the reft extremely rare, were laid before the public. ' The following, which have come to our knowledge,- we can mention by name : The' Book of the tzars, of annals of the reign of tznr Ivan Vaffillievitch, from September 1533 to March 1553- From a MS written on loofe Sheets in 4l6" i LIFE OF THE in fhe patriarchal library of Mofco, published by prince Schtfeherbatof. The reft, moft proba bly, had been confirmed for wafte paper. Journal of Peter the Great, from the year 1698 to the peace of Nyftadt (October, 172 1) printed from that in the imperial cabinet, written with the * emperor's own hand. The editor is prince Schtfeherbatof, who had permiffion from the em prefs to examine the archives there of Peter the Great, and to put them in order. Annals of the empire, reach' from 1414 to 1472. The editor is prince Schtfeherbatof. The MS was found in the library of prince Galhtzin. Year-book of the intefline dijlurbances and devas tations of the mofcovite empire, from 1584 to 1655. This was taken by, M. Muller as his guide- in his •eflay towards a modern hiftory of Ruflia. The editor is unknown. ' , Fidlerxs panegyric on tzar Borice Goduftofe From *he latin MS by Voronof. Campaign of the boyar and commander Schein, (1696) from a MS by Ruban. The old annalift, from 1254 to 1379, by order of the emprefs, from 'a MS in the academy of feiences. Letters and ukafes of Peter the Great to vice- admiral Sineevin. The originals are in the hands of his fon admiral Sinaevinj who published them. Life v EXPRESS CATHARINE II. 417 Life of the patriarch Nicon. From feveral fnanufcripts. An historical journal, under the title of The old tujian library, by Noyikof, containing accounts ofembaffies, curious letters, defcription of antient ufages, historical and geographical particulars, Works of the old ruffian bards, &c. Not content, by her. wife institutions, with' having opened an accefs to historical facts, Catha rine II. gave a model, in her Pieces relating tt> ruffian hiftory, well known throughout Europe, in what manner the hiftory of the Country Should be fought out and treated. A challenge of this fort, from fo high a quarter, could not be long without effect. Without reverting to the times of Sumaror kof, of Tatifchef, and Lomonofof, the firft ruf. fian historians who had the art of combining hif- torical 'criticifm and reprefentation together, we Shall content ourfelves with barely noticing the moft remarkable original productions of the laft twenty years.. The moft honourable place in this feries, is held by the Ruffian, hiftory of prince Schtfeherbatof, who employed his indefatigable activity for the greater part of his life in becorii- ing the historian of his country. Of the fuccefs of his endeavours, the lefs need here be faid, as the bbok is known abroad by a german translation. The critique on kClerc's hiftory of antient and modern Ruffia, by major general Boltin, lately deceafed, is efteemed by all judges of ruffian literature as an vol, in. e e -. excel- 4*8 LIFE OF THE excellent performance, in which doubtful facts and antiquated errors are corrected with penetra tion and accuracy. . Tfchulkof 's Hiflory of she Ruffian commerce is a work fuch as few. nations have to Shew. Supported by the bounty of the emprefs, and furnilhed with all the Sources which ¦manufcripts and archival accounts could commu nicate to, the author, he has produced a complete fyftem of the former and prefent ftate of ruffian commerce, which, both on account of its circuit and the abundance of its facts, Stands alone in ruffian literature.. The hiftory of Peter the Great has been treated by feveral authors. Among the better attempts, Golikof's hiftory of that monarch and The colleclion of various, writings concerning the life and acls of Peter the Great, by Tumanfky, muft be distinguished. Yelaghin, an author who had. already acquired a reputation by feveral lite rary productions, was ftill employed at the, time of Catharine's deceafe, in compiling a ruffian hif tory, from which great expectations. were formed. •The hiftorical piclure of Ruffia, by Bogdanovitch ; -.Ruban's chronicle of little Ruffia; Kreftimin's -people on the Dvina; TumanSky's_/##r£ of a life of the grand duke Alexander Nefsky, &c. are among the known works in the historical department. ,A hiftory of the; -armenian, Empire, by Vaganof, is deferving a place here, as it is drawn from wri ters of that nation, and may therefore be regarded as a primitive fource. The following may ferve as EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 419 as instances of the translations, as remarkable either ; for the felectioft of authorities, or for their ac- • knowledged value. Hiftory of John ¦ Sobiefky, by Bogayefsky: St. Real's Confpira.cy. of the Spaniards, againft Venice: V "ertotV Revolutions of the > roman republic : Mably's Grecian hiftory : Stritter's Account, of the byzantine hifiorians : D'Alembert's Memoirs and reflections concerning Chriftind, queen of Swe- . den : Fifher's Siberian hiftory : Muller's Treatife on the antient inhabitants of Ruffia : Robertfon's Hif tory of Charles V .- Genealogical hiftory ofthe Tartars, by Abulgafi baatiir khan : -Hiftory of Denmark, by Mallet : Pufferidorf's Introduction to the hiftory ofthe principal nations of Europe, &c. Geography alfo, which is fo intimately con nected with hiftory, made fuch aftoniftiing pro- gfefs' under the late reign, that the ruffian em pire, which, for the greater portion of it, but thirty years before, belonged to the terra incogni ta, now forms a more accurate and' ftated rubric in the knowledge of the globe, than many . other european countries.. So early as the year 1765, the emprefs fet on foot an expedition of able men for furveying the country and the frontiers, who began their labours the following year in the government of Mofco, and profecuted them with fo much diligence, that now greatly above the • half of the inhabited parts of Ruffia is as exactly furveyed as the private poffeffion of a careful land owner can poflibly be. This wife and beneficial ee 2 under- 420 LIFE OF THE undertaking, befides the infinitely great advan-* tage it 'has been of to the fecurity of property, and in eafing the administration of government, has alfo been of fervice to the improvement of the Country. About this time the emprefs ordered the academicians to travel, whereby the phyfical, ftatiftical, oeconomical, and moral condition of. this huge and hitherto unknown country, was properly investigated and defcribed. The voyages of difcovery which Catharine appointed for the promotion of the geographical knowledge of the eaftern and northern oceans ; the orders and in structions which She difpatched to her governors, for inquiring into the ftatiftical condition of the provinces ; the reiterated cenfus of the people, which She ordained ; the tables which She caufed to be made out and fent in to the academy of fciences, of the relative proportion of births and deaths, of the prices of provifions, of cuftorns and duties, of imports and exports ; the publicity which fhe gave to the refults of her political regulations: all thefe, and many other institutions, being fo many great fervices performed in behalf of geography and Statiftics, have awakened a general zeal for thefe fciences. Hence the numerous and invaluable charts and maps of the whole empire. Among the literary productions which owe their origin to thefe exertions, the foremoft place be longs of right to the Journals , of the academical travels. Original works on the fubject of ruffian Statistics EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 421 ftatiftics have multiplied fo very much for fome time paft, tiaat we can here only notice the titles of a few of the earlier writings of this kind. For inftance, major general Plefchtfcheyef's Statiftical furvey of the ruffian empire ; a work, which in a few Sheets contains fuch a quantity of important facts and Statements, partly new and partly rec tified, that the article of the ruffian empire, in all books of geography, muft henceforth afiume an afpect entirely new. Geography has likewife been a great gainer by tlie academician Suyef's Journey from Si. Peterfburg to Kherfon, Taurida, and Conftantinople, which german induftry will probably render ufeful to foreigners, if it be' not already done. Admiral Tfchitfchagof 's Voyage to the Frozen-ocean is known by a translation in Ger many. Ruban's Geographical, political, and hif torical accounts of Little Ruffia ; Anonymous Topo graphical remarks on the provinces of White Ruffia ; the prieft -Irodionof 's Hiftorical and geographical account of the city of Toropetz and its diftrjcl,, &c. belong to this clafs. Georgi's Hiftorical and geographical defcription of St. Peterfburg. A great number of Single tracts on geographical and fta tiftical Subjects oa the ruffian empire, are found difperfed in calendars and periodical publications. In this refpedt the calendar of [the academy "of > fciences is particularly abundant, to which Pallas, Guldenftasdt, Oferetzkofsky, &c. have contri buted, and continue to contribute, important and e e 3 in-- 422 LIFE OF THE . interesting memoirs. — Accounts too of foreign countries, and travels in them, at times appear, though but rarely ; fuch as, Plefchtfcheyef's Travels from Paros to Syria ; the defcription of the Archipelago and the barbarian coaft, by brigadier Kotoftzof, published by TumanSky, &c. AffeSibr Hackmann's two books, oi general and of ruffian geography, for the ufe of the fuperior fchools, are introductions of great utility, and the more valu able,, as there was nothing of the kind before. — Among the number of geographical translations, Bufchirig's Great geography Should be mentioned as that of the moft importance. The numerous collections of geographical maps which Ruffia has of late years produced, are fa mous abroad, not lefs for their intrinsic worth, as they are moftly formed on new difcoveries, than for their beauty and neatnefs. Bachmeifter's ruf fian bibliotheque mentions, by name above Sixty of thefe collections, many of which confift of feve ral, and fome of from twenty to forty Sheets. Under this head, fall the two fpecial maps of the Mofco circle, which were prepared from the fur- veying expedition ; one of tliem is fifty. arShines in dimension ; the other is printed on two Sheets imperial, by the imperial academy of fciences : the general map of the ruffian empire, according to the new divifion, by prince VaefemSky ; eight Sheets, in length three and three quarter arShines, artd one and three quarters in height : the aca- - demy's , EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 423 demy's Atlas ofthe ruffian empire, begun 1111767, every province forming a diftinct map.' — The grand Atlas of the government of Kaluga is the moft ex cellent of this kind, an undertaking which, out of France, has not perhaps its equal in any coun try. This Atlas is likewife one of the fruits of the furveying expedition, and confifts of three parts : 1. The general map pf the Kaluga government. a. Twelve plans ofthe twelve capital towns ofthe circles ; illuminated plot of each town, with their flobodes, gardens, &c. 3. Eight-and-twenty plans of the twelve circles. On thefe plans are marked arable land and foreft, roads, and bridges- Every poSfeffion, belonging either to a corporation or a private perfon, is in clofed and marked with letters or numbers referring to the defcription be longing to. the atlas. Where the limits are ftill litigable they are noted by a jagged line. When the poffeffions are fo fmall as not distinctly to give room fof a number, they are drawn larger on a piece of cartridge paper annexed. On the general map eight verfts go to an englifti inch, in moft of the plans of towns fifty, in the reft an hundred fathoms, in the plans of the circles twd verfts, in the enlarged pieces 200 fathoms. The magnificence with which this extraordinary un dertaking is executed is detrimental to its utility. The defcription that, accompanies it, in eleven columns, which refer by correfponding numbers to the adas, contains : .1. The number on the plan E E 4 of 424 LIFE OF THE of the district. 2. The name of the property and that of its poffeSfor. 3. The number, of dwel lings. ' 4. The number of perfons of both fexes. 5. The area! dimensions of the dwellings. 6. Of the arable land. 7. Ofthe meadow-land. 8. Of the woodland.- 9. Ofthe wafte land. 10. The total amount of the Statements one to nine. n. Brief oeconomical remarks. ' Whenever litigations concerning boundaries are fettled, a particular appendix is to Shew to whom the boundary was decreed. — The profecution of this work, which is one of the grandeft monuments of Catharine's reign, was continued to the time of her death with great fpirit. Her institution of the normal fchools in all the provinces of the empire, occafioned the compq- fition of a great number of elementary books for the lower orders of them, and others for the fupe- perior. It would be impoffihle to enlarge upon all thefe, and to enumerate them would be tedious : but, as a fpecimen of the religious instruction or dained to be taught in thefe fchools, we will juft .mention the contents of the fhort catcchifm ; with questions, under the text, to which the Scholar is to make his ownanfwers. 1. Of the being of God, of his effence, and of the veneration which we owe him. 2. Of evangelical faith. " Faith is a fincere acceptation of the gofp'el. The doc trine of faith is contained in the holy fcriptures, but abridged in the creed of the firft council of , Nice.'' EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 425 Nice." This creed is inferted at length. Then follow explanations of each of the twelve articles into which it is divided. 3. Ofthe divine law. Containing the decalogue with an explanation. 4. The Lord's prayer with, illustrations. This, the ten commandments, and the Nicene creed, are in fclavonian *, but the book itfelf is in rufs, though printed in fclavonian characters. At the end is, " revifed by the holy fynod." — A fhort religious hiftory of the church of the old , and new Teftaments. The hiftory of the latter relates par ticularly to the eaftern, and afterwards to the greek-ruffian church. — The fpirit of this book may be judged of from the following paffage : '"To the misfortune of the human race, thefe divisions \ were of long duration ; but by the fuc ceffion of enlightened times, when reigning princes applied themfelves to promote the general welfare •of the people, and the teachers of the church be- 'gan from the holy feriptures (inftead of ufing them, as heretofore had been done, to the oppref- fion,*of other religious parties) to preach the pure doctrines of Chrift, namely,' genuine chriftian love, concord, and gentlenefs towards all man-r kind, with thofe generous duties by which the virtuous chriftian and the good moral citizen are distinguished : the chriftian church has been ena- * The church language. f In the 9th and 16th centuries, , bled' 420? LIFE OF THE bled to furvive to, the prefent her calm and prof- perous age, in which we may efpecially fee the fubjects of the wife Catharine, and we cannot fee it without pleafure, living together in fuch union as if they were all adherents, not only to the fole chriftian religion, but even to one fole party of it, and praifing the only God in various tongues." Such a great number of proper fchool-books on the neceffary and ufeful fubjects of focial and civil life, might fuffice the nation for a long time. Neverthelefs, translations of foreign paedagogical works ftill meet with confiderable fuccefs.. We now read in the ruffian language, befides many other compendiums, the excellent Effai d'education rationale, byChalotais, Rollin's Man'iere d' enfeigner les belles-lettres, the Magazin des enfans, and others. The CULTURE OF THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE has, Since Lomonofof's time, taken a quite new direction, giving room to hope for its attaining a great degree of excellence. It is not only reduced to principles and rules, fecuring it from the de struction of its proper 'Structure ; but, by the ex ample of good authors, has received fucli abun-- dant materials for its' enrichment and, elevation, from its fource the fclavonian, that it has no need to borrow from any other terms and expreffions for any conceivable idea. That fo many foreign words, particularly in faffiionable converfation, are in circulation in the ruffian language, proceeds from EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 427 from that heteromania, which adheres to every nation, that receives a part of its culture from foreign countries. Excepting the Germans, there is certainly no people which employs itfelf fo much in the literature and the languages of foreign nations. The proofs of this are fo common, that it would be needlefs to adduce examples. But it is worth while juft to take notice that the Ruffians even cultivate languages that are not known to the reft of Europe. The translator Yaerig is main tained bf the academy of fciences to Study the mongolian language among that people. An . author lately deeeafed, Leontief, of the college of foreign affairs, is the translator of a great number of philofophical, political, and hiftorical writings from the Chinefe. As a proof how important the culture of this "language may be to the increafe of the knowledge we have of the Chinefe, we Shall only mention a couple of thefe translations. Su-fchu-ghyei, i. e. four books, with expofitions. The firft book of the philofopher Confucius. — Account of the war of the Chinefe s with the Sengorians, from' 1677 to 1698 ; with a preface by the emperor Kang-fi. — Defcription of the towns, revenues, &e. of the chinefe empire, from the geography of the empire printed at Pekin under the prefent khan Kyan-Lun. An authentic piece of Chinefe Statistics ! &c Attempts have been alfo made gradually to bring' under certain rules the lan guages and dialects, hitherto only fpoken in the vaft 428' LIFE 6& THE vaft circuit of the ruffian empire, as may be feen by what was done by a grammar of the votiak and tfcheremiffian languages. There is no want of books in Rufs for learning moft of the european tongues, efpecially fuch as are fpoken in the vici nity of the empire. Dictionaries likewife multiply with progreffive accuracy ; among the later under takings of this ¦ kind, the great french and rufs lexicon, publifhed by Weitbrecht, is confidered ., as the beft. Antient literature indeed does not, upon the whole, meet with fo good a reception as in many other countries; but it is by no means neglected. Several pieces are annually published not only in the latin but in the greek language ; the/ learning of them is held to be ufeful and neceffary, and people of high distinction caufe their fons to be taught at leaft one of them. Of the principal writers of antiquity translations already exift ; and for this too the country is in debted to the late emprefs. She appointed in the year 17608, the yearly fum of 5000 rubles for rufs ¦translations of good books, and commissioned the counts vShuvalof and Orlof, and the privy- coun sellor Kofitzky, to difpofe of it properly. It was at the beginning declared that preference would be given to veriions of greek and roman authors ; and it was attended with this good effect, that ruffian literature obtained an advantage in this branch which it muft' otherwife have been long 1 without. EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 429. without. A Short view of thofe that were done under this encouragement will not be difpleafing to the reader. Greek. Plato's works, by Sidorofsky and Pakhomof. Hefiod's works, by Fryafinofsky. Homer's Batrachomyomachia, by Ruban ; in prole, with fome' explanatory mythological re marks *. Homer's Iliad, by Yekimof; in profe bordering on the fclavonian. Lucian!s Dialogues of the dead, by Sidorofsky and Pakhomof. Dio- dorus Siculus, .by Alexeyef: reckoned a very goodone. Characters of Theophraftus, after the latin of Cafaubon and the french of Bruyere. Roman: Tacitus on the. ancient Germans, by Syyetof. - Ovid's Metamorphofea, by the late Ko'fitzky, member of the academy of fciences, in profe ; very much efteemed. Terence, by Kvof- ¦tof, Golovin, Richmann, Florinfky, Moijenkof, and 'Siniky ; after le Monnier's edition, becaufe, amongft other advantages, it is commendable for a very probably juft distribution of the fcenes. •Horace's Odes, by Popofsky. Cicero de finibus.-, by Pofnikof ; confolalio ; de natura deorum, by Komof. The poetical pafTages are turned into ruflian verfe. Julius Csefar. Velleius Paterculus. Valerius Maximus. Suetonius. Virgil's Georgics. Virgil's ALnels, by Yekimof, and by the college- * It had been already tranflated in the time of Peter the Great, by a certain Kopiefsky, and publiihed with jECop's '" fables at Amfterdam. counfellor 43° ^IFE OF THE counsellor Petrof, (a famous poet, as we Shall fee farther on,) in alexandrines. The latter is held to be of the firft excellence ; with this objection, how ever, that it becomes, at times unintelligible by too copious an intermixture of fclavonian turns and phrafes : the author has therefore lately brought out a fecond edition, in which he has corrected much of this exuberance of erudition. . The age of Catharine, which we have feen fo favourable to the mufes in general, was accord ingly a Shining epocha for poetry. On the death of Lomonofof and Sumarokof ruffian literature feemed reduced to an orphan State; thefe two happy geniufes, who announced the day-fpring of a refined tafte, appeared likewife to carry it with them, together with their fame, into the grave. The path which they had purfued remained for a time untrod ; but this dark interval was of no long duration. Never in any period of ruffian litera ture, has there been fuch a lift of fuccefsful, and for the moft part eminent poets to be feen, as in the prefent. The faireft epocha of Sumarokof's poetical career happened in the reign of Catharine the Second *. For this reafon, and becaufe with him the firft sera of ruffian poetry clofed, we cannot * He died in the year 1777, at Mofco, a knight of the order of St. Anne. The late emprefs, befides many other teftimonies of her favour, fettled upon him a yearly penlion of two thoufand rubles. abfolutely EMPRESS- CATHARINE II. 43I abfolutely pafs him by without fome farther no-- tice.' Happy in every, walk in which his ven turous genius chofe to rqam,- but happier no where than in. the dramatic fphere, Sumarokof feemed ordained to leave behind him a model in eyery clafs of his country literature. A lively but controlled fancy, a ; refined tafte formed by the Study of antient and riiodern writers, and a language purely claffical, are the characteristic properties of his productions. Instances would indeed be more convincing than this general judgment ; but even if it were poffible to deliver , the peculiar beauties of the original in a language fo different in its whole frame and texture, yet the plan ;aftd defign of our work allow us not to give fpecimens from the greateft mafter-pieces of this poet,, his dramatic works. ' , ¦ But however honourable the niche poffeffed by Sumarokof 's mufe in the temple of Fame, great is likewife the number of thofe who emulate the neareft Station befide his buft. Among the poets of this clafs, on whom posterity can already pafs their fentence, muft be reckoned the lately de eeafed Kniiaethnin, who proved himfelf in feveral kinds of poetry, a fuccefsful follower of his vex- cellent predeceflbr. The dramatical works with which he has enriched the theatre, unite great beauties of composition with a light harmonious , verfification, and a profound knowledge of the riches and ftrength of the language. To the moft famous 43* LITE OF THE famous productions of this clafs are to be added his tragedy of Dido and his comedy of the Boafter. A great number of mifcellaneous poems, among which are feveral very well-imagined epiftles and fathes ; the translation of the Henriade in blank verfe, and a variety of effays in profe, fecure to him the renown of one of the beft writers of his nation. — Among the poets now living none feem to have a jufter claim to immortality than the chevalier Derfchavin, not lefs refpectable as a ftatefman, patriot, and philanthropist, than as an amiable author. The moft unwearied diligence in his great and important fphere of action leaves him" ftill fufficient leifure tobeftow fome moments in fporting with the virgins of Helicon, and in embellishing the literature of his country with the products of his original and highly-cultivated talents. Propriety, delicacy, and elegance, form the characteristics of this author : the harmony of his diction, and the melody of his flowing num bers are inimitable ; he has difcovered the means of combining the moft luxuriant imagination with the pureft tafte. Willingly would we indulge our readers with fome proofs of what we advance; for translations of almoft all his works are in being : but how coarfe and corporeal is the Shell through which the fine fpirit of the original would appear ! No language that we know is fo full of infuperable difficulties to the translator as the ruffian. It is its peculiar characteristic EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 433 characteristic throughout to render a free imitation almoft impoffibfe; and as to a faithful verbal translation, it muft frequently happen that the moft elegant turn or the moft fublime expreffion becomes flat and vulgar, not to mention the great lofs of the verfification:- A beautiful little piece of his, called the Dream of Murza, has been attempted in german by M. Kotzebue * ; but the difficulties we fpeak of are not fofuccefsfully fur- mounted as could be wiffied. Among the poets Who have acquired a great and lafting reputation, the chevalier KheraSkof muft not be forgotten. His heroic poems, the Roffiad and the battle of Tfchefmfe, are the firft productions of the nation in the epic clafs that " have been attended with fuccefs ; but this poet has 'been not lefs fortunate in other departments of " literature. He has written tragedies and comedies which ftill, long after their firft appearance, keep their place upon the' Stage, and are always feen with pleafure. In his later year ; he alfo publifhed odes, fables, and eclogues. His laft performances. are Numa Pompilius, an hiftorical romance, in the manner of Telernachus ; Cadmus and Har- monia, a poetic tale, &c. All thefe works are in high efteem in Ruffia. — His fpoufe Elizabeth * Of la?e well known in England by fhe translations that have appeared of fome of his plays. Vol. hi. f f Kheraf- 434 life OF THE Kherafkof has likewife acquired a name "as a-poe- tefs, by heroic elegies and anacreontic odes. M. Petrof, librarian, to fhe emprefs, began his career in 1775, as a narrative poet ; but his very firft attempts were crowned with an applaufe which none, Since Lomonofof, have ever enjoyed to an equal degree. A bold and tumid fancy, a figurative Style, and a compofition which difcovers cultivation and tafte, advantageoufly distinguish his mufe. Familiar with the great models of antiquity, he hot only made them his Study, but even the aim of his literary purfuit. His poetical translation of the JEneis, already rfientioned, is by judges accounted , a niafter-piece ; but the author, not fatisfied with it, has fubmitted it to a reform entirely new. A long refidence in Eng land infpired him with a fondnefs for britiffi lite rature, and animated him to the difficult under taking of translating the Paradife Loft of Milton into his mother tongue ; which, though in profe, has juftly added to his reputation. A few- years - ago he collected and published a volume of his lyric poems. The ruffian drama has lately fuffered a Signal lofs in the death of M. van Wilin *. In this poet; who promifed to become the Moliere ofthe ruffian * The name is dutch, but the family has been ruffian for feveral ^fenerations. B r theatre, EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 435 theatre, were . combined all the qualities requisite to that end. In his beft pieces, the Brigadier, and the Spoilt child, a, well-fupported intereft prevails, an animated dialogue and a regularity whiqlf feldom meet together in performances of Similar nature. He laffies prevailing prejudices and brilliant vices with admirable keennefs : his fubjects being national, have for that reafon the greater effect. He is Jikewife the elegant transla tor of the Marcus Aurelius of Thomas, and the Jofeph of Bitaube". — The fenator Yelaghin, while employed on the ruffian hiftory, occasionally added to his literary reputation as a poet. Be fides feveral poems and fatires, he is principally remarkable as the translator of fome plays from de la Touche. — Kofadavlef, an agreeable Writer, whofe pieces are remarkable for an eminent degree ef delicacy and elegance, hasx tranfplanted. the Wilhelmina of Thummel, with fuch uncommon fuccefs^ into the ruffian foil, that it were much to be' wifhed that he would make a like prefent to his .country of the travels through the Southern provinces of France. — The privy-counfellor Kra- povitzky, the fenator Alexey Narifhkin-, lieu tenant-general Potemkin, the chamberlain Mura- vyef, the fenator Rjefsky, lieutenant-general Sviftunbf, the privy-counfeller Lukin, and feveral perfons of high Station, have done honour to their country as poets in various branches. — , Among the translators of poetical works, > Bog- F f % danovitch 43^ UFE OF THE danovitch has greatly Signalized himfelf by his Pfyche of la Fontaine ; Karabanof* by his Alzire of Voltaire : Dmitrief, by- his fables from la Fon taine j Sakharof, by his Telemachus and the Death of Abel; Popof by his Jerufalem delivered, the EfTay on Man *, and feveral others. Kapnift and Krilof have acquired fame in the excursions of fatire, Offipof has published an ^Eneas tra- vefty, in the manner of Blumauer, and nation alized all the foreign allufions. « — But we muft here break off, as this lift, which might be greatly enlarged, without fome acquaintance with the poetry itfelf, can have no intereft for foreign readers. Good profe-writers of the various claffes have been already mentioned in fuch numbers, that it is needlefs to fay any thing more of them. No department of ruffian literature is fo richly fur nished as that of Romance. The greater part of them confifts of translations, which cannot al ways, either in regard to felection or language, be deemed models of perfection. The dulleft productions of the german prefs, which have long been forgotten at home, here, often receive a fecond existence, and help to corrupt the national tafte. That very excellent exceptions are here to be made, is naturally understood. To thefe * It is a fingu'ar incident, thnt this moft excellent tranfla- tion of Pope's efiay fhould be made by a Popof. bev EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 437 belong the translations of Humphrey Clinker by Sakharof; of Gil Bias, by Tjeplof; of Jofeph Andrews, of Tom Jones, of Robinfon Crufoe, the Sorrows of Werter, Florian's Numa Pompilius, Diable Boiteux,, Nouvelles, and feveral others. Periodical publications have hitherto made no -progrefs with the public. Of all that , have been fet up, few have been continued for more than three or four years. The Peterfourg magazine, begun in 1778, Was the firft under taking of the kind ; but foon dropped for want pf encouragement. A fimilar fate befel the monthly academical accounts,, begun by the aca demy of fciences in 1779, and was to contain extracts from new publications, new inventions, &c. it lafted only till 1781. " Tfye affiftant to the lovers ofthe ruffian language," a journal con ducted by very celebrated writers, fell to the ground at the conclufion of the firft year. Among thofe that ftill proceed, are the " Monthly tracts" commenced by the academy in 1786, and the " Ruffian mercury" by Klufchin and Krilof, are the moft known. . We here clofe our view of ruffian literature, during a period of about twe'nty years. Incom plete as the materials were from which it is drawn up, yet we have been obliged purpofely to leave feme of them unufed, to avoid falling into a tire- fome detail, whfeh, even with the greatest pro- p f 3 lixity LIFE OF THE lixity could not be made very instructive to the reader. The conclufion from this Slight Sketch arifes fo naturally of itfelf, as to Stand in need of no farther exposition. The foreigners at St. Petersburg, efpecially the Germans, form a literary public of themfelves, among whom are authors of great reputation and merit. The academicians iEpinus, Pallas, Georgi, Fufs, Herrmann, &c. have acquired fuch a cele brity abroad by ufeful writings, difcoveries, and the like, beyond their academical fphere ; that it is fufficient to have cited their names. Schrceter in agriculture, the chemift Lovitz, the minera logist Renovantz, the phyficians Mohrenheim, Uhden, and others, are certainly not unknown to any readers, of the learned world, any more than the names of Nikolai, Klinger, Soltau, (the trans lator of Hudibras,) and madam von Krook, are to the lovers of the belles lettres. Ofthe ftate of the arts in St. Petersburg no circumftantial account can be expected in a book of this kind. A general outline will be quite fuf ficient. The gallery of the academy of arts is' open to the public once a year for a fortnight, in the Sum mer, and contains a good collection of antiques, works of art, and paintings Among the moft valuable are fix grand hunting-pieces by Rubens, a prefent from the late duchefs of Kingston. It would EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 439 k Hvould be to no purpofe to attempt giving a com plete lift ofthe artifts here : the principal of them in each clafs are : Painters. Groth, a German ; one of the •beft painters of animals now living. — Hune, a German ; hiftory-painter, a difciple^of Tifehbein, Tprelli, Mengs *. — Knappe, a German ; plants and animals : by this artift, whofe works are irjL 'high eftimation, are the drawings in the Flora- Roffica. — Meys, from Hennegau ; hiftory -}\ — ; Tifehbein, a German; court-architect, fcene "painter, and inventor of decorations : he painted the curtain at the opera-hpufe. — Mayr, a Ger man ; in the fervice of the academy of fciences : 'defigner and painter. — Stalin, a German ; arca- nift.to the imperial porcelain manufactory, and an eminent porcelain painter. — Mettenleither, a Swifs ; famous in landscapes. — Gonzago, an ex cellent painter of decorations. — Levitzky, a Ruf- fiari, profeffor of the academy ; a very celebrated portrait-painter. —.Kofiof, a Ruffian, fome years fince deeeafed, of the academy, director of the tapeftry manufactory ; a hiftory-painter of Angular merits Engravers. Skorodumof, a Ruffian; for- * The taking poffeffion of Taurida, a large allegoricalpic- fure. ' f The journey of the emprefs. to Taurida': which is alfo engraved. f f 4 ' merly 44° LIFE OF THE merly a pupil of the academy : his works are as well known as his name. — James Walker, an Englishman, in the fervice of the court : among his excellent performances are, the emprefs in her travelling drefs, prince Potemkin, general LanSkoi", admiral Greig, and others. — Schlepper, a native of St. Petersburg. — Pellerini, an Italian. Statuaries. Rachettej a Frenchman : pro feffor of the academy, modeller to the porcelain manufactory*. — Schubin, a Ruffian -j~. — Mof- chalof, a Ruffian ; artift in cafting of metals ^. — ivanof, a Ruffian §. — Gardeyef, a Ruffian. — Frediani, an Italian. — Khailof, a Ruffian ||. Architects. Kofelof, a Ruffian (3. — Gua- renghi, an Italian, and one of the firft artifts in his department B. — Feldten, of St. Peterfourg §. ¦ — Starof, a Ruffian ; architect to the court A. — . * The Cybele ih count Bezborodko's gardens ; bufts of Leonhard Euler, &c. t Bufts of the imperial family. X The Farnefe Hercules, and the flora at Tzarfkoefela. § ThebaptirmofOlga. / || Had a fhare in cafting the ftatue of PeteT the great. & The palace of Pella, belonging to the grand-duke Alex ander Pavlovitch. S The new exchange., the court theatre, and a trarhber of other grand edifices. $ St. Catharine's, St. Anne's, and the armenian churches., the Lombard, and feveral other ftru&ures. *. The Pantheonj the new church in the Nefsky fhohaf- tery. Trom- EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 441 Trombara, an Italian *. — Charles Cameron, an Englishman ; court-architect for TzarSkoefelo -f . Musicians. The leaders ofthe chapel choir, Aftarita, Cimarofa, Martini. — Violins: Tietz, a Peterfburger ; Canrtobi, Mafener, Chandofehkin. — Harpfichord: Palfcho, a Dane ; Hefsler and Bauerfchmidt, two admired performers, efpecially on the organ. — Behr, famous on the clarinet. — - Marefch, a Bohemian, one of the inventors of prince Potemkin's famous hunting- mufic. — Pratf- che had the greateft Share in fetting the ruffian. popular ballads to notes. Gard ening. — Jofeph Bufh, an Englishman ; courf ^gardener at TzarSkoe-felo. — Gould, anEng- liftiman ; the imperial gardens at Peterhoff, thofe of the Tauridan palace, and chief-gardener to prince Potemkin. — Gem-cutters, medallists, &c. are Gafs, Zollner, Kcenig, Lamoni, Radi, Ju- din, &c. It appears from this fhort view, in which it is probable that feveral famous names may be omit ted, that St. Peterfourg has a considerable num ber of excellent artifts to produce. The lift of the mechanical arts would not be lefs copious if it were poffible for us to give it complete. The fol lowing account however muft, fuffice : * The new Yaeger-corps, the new court-ftables. f The imperial baths in thofe gardens, fuperior to any ^ing of the kind in Europe ; the bafigifig gardens, the chinefe town, AHd many others. Mufical 44& LIFE OF THE Mufical instruments of all kinds are made here in the greateft perfection. The moft famous ar tifts in this way are Kirfchnek, Gabram, Vachter, for violins; Jackfon, &c. — Mathematical and phyfical instruments are,' indeed, imported from England ; but likewife Keflaref a Ruffian, Mor gan an Englishman, make them in great numbers. — Kofehenkof, a Ruffian, makes excellent Surgi cal instruments. — :As a mechanic we Shall only notice Kulibin, the Ruffian, the greateft genius , in this particular that the nation has ever pro duced : a boor -by birth, and by profeffion a meal-chandler ; without direction, without feien tific attainments, he unfolded his talents of •him felf, and the firft performance by which he en deavoured to attract notice was a curious piece of clock-work. Catharine the Second refcued him from his miferable Condition, placed him in the ftate for which he was fo confpicuoufly intended by nature, and honoured him with a golden me dal which he wears fufpended to a blue ribbon about1 his neck. He is at prefent mechanician to the academy of fciences. In this fituation he formedtlie bold defign of conftrudtinga bridge of timber acrofs the Neva ; and to this end prepared a model, in length the fifteenth part of the breadth ofthe river: it conlifts of horizontal balks, of which the upper one always projects fomewhat beyond that beneath, till they meet together at the middle ofthe bridge, and thus form only one great EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 443 g'reatarch : the model, indeed, in point of Strength remained'firm under every kind of trial ; but in the execution the bridge would have the height of a.- tower, and the reparation of 'it would be attended with greatdifficulties. ' As a printer, Schnoor, among many others, is a very remarkable perfon. By talents and in duftry, this artift, through numberlefs difficulties, has made fuch progrefs in his profeffion, that his ruffian types are* ufed in many other printing- ' houfes, and imitated by other founders. He was appointed by the emprefs to eftablifh a tartarian prefs, and fqcceeded fo well in his commiffion, that the learned of that natiort give the preference fo his letters beyond" all ffie fpecimens that have been produced in England, Holland, Venice, Rome, and Vienna, as moft refembling the com mon written character. Schnoor procured them to be drawn by a mullah, or tartar prieft, and two expert punch-cutters were employed about the punches till they were pronounced by the mullah to be properly finished. In this manner were formed the 'punches for three forts of characters, the krim-tartar, the kazan-tartar, and the arabic. In flie year 1785, this printing-office confifted of four prefles, and the firft produce of them were the translation of the ordinances for the adminif- tration of the government, and a Koran. To conclude, whatever the leading faults or \ices of the times riiight be, it was a delightful fpectacfe 444 LIPE 0F THE fpedtacle to the friends of humanity to fee that it was their great and peculiar characteristic, and it may be hoped will become their future glory, that a ftrong fpirit of civil liberty, and of inquiry into the functions, obligations, and duties of govern ment, were breaking forth even in Ruffia, as well as in various other places, where they were before fuppofed fcarcely to hold even the feeds of exif- tence. Another, no lefs laudable characteristic, was, that fpirit of reform and improvement, under the feveral heads of legislation, of the adminif- tration of juftice, the mitigation of penal laws, the affording fome greater attention to the eafe and fecurity of the lower orders of the people, with the cultivation of thofe arts moft generally ufeful to mankind, and particularly the public en couragement given to agriculture as an art, which was becoming prevalent in every part of Europe. This important revolution in the difpoSitions of fo great a part of mankind, might, in a great meafure, be attributed to the peculiar kind of philofophy cultivated in the prefent age, by men, without doubt, confiderable, and who have given the tafte, and, as we may fay, directed the fa shion in literature ; though their views have cer tainly not been favourable to die higheft and moft permanent interefts of our nature. As the prin ciples they had adopted, or the path they chofe to fame and eminence, made it neceffary for them to attack what have been generally confidered as a the EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 445 the great fan dt ions of morality and duty, they were obliged to counteract, the imputation to which their tenets might be liable, by not only profef- fing, but inculcating, the moft general and en larged philanthropy, and by letting loofe all the powers of fatire and invective upon, all infringe ments of natural rights ; but more particularly upon thofe which feemed, or were fuppofed to derive their origin from religious eftabliShments. Thus wit has been often enlifted on the fide of , juftice, and kd to a more minute and accurate in vestigation into the principles and boundaries- of authority. If in many refpects the force of received opi nions has in the prefent times been too much im paired, and perhaps too wide and mdifcriminate a fcope given to fpeculation on the domains of an tiquity and practice ; it is, however, a juft caufe of triumph, that prejudice , and bigotry were, the earlieft victims *. Happy will it be, if the blows which * A paftqral letter, which was iflued in the year 1784, h/ the ele&or.and archbifliop of Triers, to his clergy, will ferve confiderably to illuftrate this obfervation, .and is the more re markable, as that prince (who is of the houfe of Saxony) ^was confidered as being peculiarly attached to the tenets of that church of which' he was fo confidera'ble a member; and , that the outward marks of his zeal in that refpe'ft went muqfr beyond any that were difplayed by his brethren of Mentz and Cologne. , This 44^ LIFE OF THE which were aimed at the foundation and buttreffes fhall only Shake off the ufelefs incumbrances of' the This curious paftoral letter wdl however fpeak for him and for itfelf. After ftating to his clergy the objects which they fhould have in view, and the conduit which they fhould obferve in tlie difcharge of thofe facred functions to which they are afligned ; he dwells particularly upon the inftruftions which they fhould give to the people on religious fubje&s ; and ftridtly charges the rectors to confine themfelves in their fermons to morality, and to the practical duties of a virtuous life, which all may underftand and profit by, inftead of en tering into abftrufe queftions and theological difquifitions, which, beyond the capacity of moft of their auditors, ferve only to excite troublefome or dangerous doubts, and to dif- fufe an idle fpirit of difpufation, which frequently tends to the tresting of the moft delicate or facred fubjects with irre- verenee. He then ftric^ly prefcribes that all luxury fhould be banifhed from the churches : obferving (rather in the fenti- ments of a prefbyter of a reformed church, than tlie language of a roman catholic prince and prelate), " that neatnefs and --decency are all that are befitting the houfe of the Lord:" that, on days of ceremony, worldly magnificence fhould be avoided, the effeft of which was to excite more of curiofity than of devotion ; and forbids that the mufic of the theatres fhould ever be brought into the churches. He enjoins the .paftors to ufe their utmoft endeavours to undeceive and to wean the people from their prefent abfurd notions and preju dices, concerning wizards, fantoms, fpells, and raifing tlie devil, all. of which are the offspring of folly and the groffeft ignorance ; that they fhall difcharge to their flocks >.he re fpedtive functions of fathers, judges, and fpiritualphyficians; that they fhould vifit them frequently ; and that they fhould never, except in cafes of abfolute neceffity, fend fubftitutes. to fupply EMPRESS CATHARINE II. 447 the edifice. Arid this we are, to hope will be the cafe. We may confidently affert, that the ut moft freedom of inquiry and difcuffion, however fubject to partial inconvenience and abufes, muft in the end contribute to the benefit of fociety ; for, whatever Sinister ambition may warp the •defigns of thofe who endeavour by their writings to direct the opinion ofthe world, as theyaddrefs mankind through the channel of their reafon, and work with the powers of the understanding, they are obliged to apply themfelves to the cultivation and improvement of the fubject, and of the in struments of their labours. So that at laft the particular views of individuals, philofophers, and fedts, being, various and fluctuating, will be found to be comparatively but little advanced ; while fometimes one, and fometimes another of tiiofe general principles on which the happinefs of man kind depends (for thefe are uniform and perma nent) will receive ftrength and vigour from the alternate prevalence of difciplines and opinions. *>.* On the following page is the mufic of the popular air of the Ruffians. fupply their own place among the poor, who are thofe that ftand moft in need of confblation and affiftance. He alfo made great reforms in his dominions, and endowed fchools at his own expence. \ V K ¦I tmj L 1ML ffi A P P/£ N D I X TO THE THIRD VOLUME* No. L Manifesto publiftied ly Order, of the Empress of Russi \, , . Upon the Occqf£o?i of her Troops entering the Pe/iinfula of the KrisSea, the Kuban, and the I/land of Taman ; which Countries are herety declared to le annexed to1 her Imperial Majefty s Eotainiohs. t$Y the grace of 'C-od, we Catharine tlie Second, emprefs and fole monarch of all the Ruffias, fee. Our laft war againft the ottoman empire having been at- • tended with the moft fignal fucceffes,' we had certainly ac quired the, right of re-uniting to the territories' of our empire the Krimea, of which we wefe ifi poffeffion : we, howevor, kefitated not to facrifice that, with many other conquefts, to- ©urafdent defire of re-eftablifhing the public tranquillity, and ef confirming the good uhderftanding and friendfhip between 6qr empire and the ottoman porte. This motive induced ua to ftipulate for the freedom ajjd independej^e_of^the__Tartrirs, Vhoai we had reduced by our arms ; hoping to remove for ever, by this means, every caufe of diffention, and even of coolnefs, between Ruflia and the ottoman porte, expofed too often to thefe, inconveniences by the form of government which then fubfifted among the Tartars. '""voiT'iif. "' g g Grqit 45© AFPENDIX, NO. t. Great as were our facrifices and efforts, for realifing thofe hopes, they were foon, to our great regret, confiderably diminifhed. -The reftleffnefs natural to the Tartars, fomented by infinuations, the fource of which is not unknown to us, caufed them eafily to fall into a fnare laid by foreign hands, which had (owed amongft them the feeds of difturbance and confufion to fuch a degree, as to induce them to labour for the weakening, and even the total ruin of an edifice which our beneficent cares had erefted for the happinefs of that hation/Tby : proeuffng_ them liberty and independence, under the authority of a chief_ele£ted by themfelves. Hardly was their khan eftablifhed according to this new form of govern ment, before he faw himfelf deprived of all authority, and even obliged to defert his country, to give place to an ufurper, who would again fubjeft the Tartars to the yoke of ajdomi- nioiwfrom which our beneficence had releafed them. The greater part of them, as blind as they were ignorant, had fubmitted to that ufurper ; the reft, thinking themfelves too weak to refift, would infallibly have yielded to this yoke j and thus we fhould have loft Jhe fruits of our victories, and the principal recompence for the facrifices which we willingly- made at the laft peace, if we had not inftantly taken under our immediate prpteftion fuch of the well-difpofed Tartars, who, prizing the bleffings of tl leir new political ekiftence, lamented their being forced to fubmit to the ufurper who had expelled their lawful khan. By thus effectually protecting them, we furnifhed them with the power and the means of choofing a new than, in the roehi of Sahib-Gheray, and of eftabiifhing an adminiftration analogous to this ftate of affairs. It was to attain this end that our military forces" were put in motion j that a confiderable body of our troops were ordered, notwithftanding the feverity of the feafon, to enter the; Krimea, where they were fubfifted at our expence, and obliged to exert the power of our army for the fupport of tlie good caufe, in order to recall fuch of the Tartars as were eftranged from it By their revolt. The public is not ignorant that Appendix, no. i. 45* that a ttipirtre between Ruffia artd the ottornan porte had very hear enfued upon this occafion ; but, thanks fo»tlie divine affiftance, we difpofed rnatters in fuch a manner, that the ottoman porte again acknowledged the independence of the Tartars, and the validity of the eledlion of Schaghin-Gheray, their lawful fovereign. JCotwithftanding all the inconveniences above-mentioned, as' long as we were fhftained and animated by the hope of re-eftablifhing the repofe neceffary' to the ad- Vantage and prefervation of good neighbourhood with tlie otto-" toan empite, ^e_regar^d_thg. .Krimea according to the tenour and letter of the treaties, as a free and independent. country, confining ourfelves folely to appearing the trotrbles which pre- ValleaTambngft them ; from out love of peace we found in Ihis conduel: a fufficient recdmpence for the great expences inciirred by it ; but we were foon undeceived in this refpefir. by thd frefh^volt occafioned in the Krimea laft year, the- encouragemeat of which always flowed from the fame foVrrce. We have been obliged in confequence to have recoorfe again to confiderable armaments, and to caufe troops to enter into the Krimea and the Kuban, whofe prefence is become indif- penfable for maintaining tranquillity and good order in the ad jacent countries. The fad experience of evert day demon- Urates more clearly, that if the fovereignty of the ottoman porte in the Krimea was a perpetual fource of difcord between our two empires, the independence of the Tartars' expofes us to fubjects of contention no lefs numerous and important, fince the long fervitude fo which that people have been accuftomed hasjimderedjthg_.greater part of. the individuals Jncapable of valuing'the advantages ofthe new fituation procurtd for them1 by that independence of which we fohght to give them the" enjoyment ; and which, laying us under the neceffity of being always armed, occafions not only great expences, but alfo ex pofes our troops to inevitable and continual fatigues. The efforts they made to extinguifh the flame of difcord, in fbecoufing the well-intentioned of that nation, expofed them fo the violences of the feditious and ifi-intentioned whom wtf g g a were 45* APPENDIX, NO. 1. were willing to leave unpunifhedj. in order to avoid even the ifhadowof an aft of fovereignty, fblong as we could cherifh the leaft hope of at length reftoring good order, and preventing by this means the effential intetets pf ourempire from being in jured. But to our great regret all thefe meafures, diftated folely by our love of humanity, tended only to bring upon us loffes and damages, which we have the more fenfibly at heart, as they effected our fubj efts. The lofs in men is not to be appreciated y- we will not attempt to eftimate it ; that in money, according to the moft moderate calculations, amounts to upwards of twelve millions of rubles. To thefe particulars is to be added another of the utmoft importance, both in its objeft and with regard to its eonfequenees : we have juft been informed, that the porte has begun to lay claim to the exercife of fovereignty in tHe" tartar dominions, "by fending one "of their officers, at the head of a detachment of troops, to the ifland of Taman, who has even proceeded to caufe the officer to be publicly be headed, who was fent to him by the khan Schaghin-.Gheray, with a commiffion only to inquire of him what were the motives for his arrival in that ifland; and what evidently proves the nature ofthe miffion of this commandant of the troops is, that he made no difficulty in declaring openly to the inhabitants of Taman, that he'looked upon them as fubjefts of the porte. This decifiye,, though.. unexpected ftep, convincing us of the inutility of the facrifices we had made upon the laft peace, annuls in confequence the engagements we had contracted, with the fole intention of firmly eftablifhing the freedom and independence of the Tartars, and fufficiently authorizes" us to enter again into the enjoyment oflhofe rights which we had lawfully acquired by conqueft ; the more fo, as it is the only .means remaining for us to fecure hereafter a folid and per manent peace between the two empires. Animated therefore with a fincere defire of confirming arid maintaining die laft peace concluded with the porte, by preventing the continual difputes which the affairs ofthe Krimea produced, our duty to Qurfelf, APPENDIX, NO. I. 453 ourfelf, and the prefervation of the fecurity of our empire, equally demand our taking the firm resolution to put an end, once for all, to the troubles in the Krimea ; and for this pur pofe we re-unite to our empire the peninfula of Krimea, the ifland of Taman, and all the Kuban, as a juft indemnification for the loffes fuftamed, and the expences we have been obliged to incur in maintaining the peace and welfare of tiiefe territo ries. In declaring to tlie inhabitants of thofe countries by the .prefent manifefto, that fuch is our imperial pleafure,_we promife them, for us and our fucceffors in the imperial throne of Ruffia, that they fhall be treated upon an equality with our antient fubjefts j and that^ in taking them under our high proteftion, we will defend againft jdl people tlieir perfons, their eftates, their temples, and the religion they profefsj that they fhall enjoy the moft abfolute liberty of_cojifci6nce, without the leaft reftriftion, in the public pxercife of their worfhip and their ceremonies ; and that not only the nation in general, but alfo each individual in particular, fhall par ticipate in all the advantages enjoyed by our antient fubjefts. But we alfo expeft from the gratitude of our new fubjefts, that, touched with thefe favours, they will be fenfible_of the value of this fortunate revolution, wliich removes them from a convulfed ftate of difturbances and diffentions to one of entire fecurity"and perfeft tranquillity under tlie proteftion jof the Jaws ; and that, ftriving to imitate the fubmiffion, 2ealf and "fidelity of thofe who have long had die happinefs of living under our government, they will render themfelves worthy of "our imperial favour, beneficence, and proteftion. Given at our imperial refidence of St. Peterfburg, the 8th of April, in the year of Grace 1783, and in the sift year of our reign. {Signed with her imperial majefty's own hand) CATHARINE. (L. S.\ 1SG 4 454 APPENDIX, NO. II, No. II, Letter from the Empress of all the Russias to his Prussian Majesty. MY advantageous fentiments refpefting the' houfe of Pruffia, fentiments of which I have given efficacious proofs^ permit me to hope for die fame pa their part. I expeft it the more, as I have ever been convinced of their reciprocal affec-j tion. The war which is preparing' between the emperor of the Romans and the Hollanders excites the immediate atten-; tion ofthe cabinet of Berlin, of which the Dutch endeavoured by all forts of intrigues to fecure the aceeffion. Your wifdom acknowledges that die pretentions of the emperor are equally juft and moderate. Nature herfelf hath granted to the auftrian Low Counties the ufe and advantage of the river in difpute j Auftpa alone, by virtue- of tlie law of nature and nations, is entitled to an exclufive right to the ufe ofthe river in queftion. Sq that the equity and difintereftednefs of Jofeph II. can only impart this right to other people, it belonging exclufively to his ftates. The fentiments of Auftria merit efteem and at-s tention; but the avidity of tlie Dutch, and the judgment which they permit themfelves to affume on account of the treaty of Munfter over the houfe of Auftria, are notorious and blameable in every refpeft. Nothing can be alledged with foundation in favour of Hol land, therefore 'fhe merits not the affiftance of any foreign -power. The eonfequenees which thefe republicans are draw ing upon themfelves by their "obftinacy, muft be fubmitted tp the moderation ofthe emperor alone. I am firmly refolved to affift his pretenfions with all my land and fea-forces with as much efficacy as if the welfare of my own empire was in agi tation. APPENDIX, no. rr. 455 tation. I hope that this declaration of my fentiments wiU meet with the fuccefs which our reciprocal friendfhip deferves, and which hath never been interrupted. ' CATHARINE. No. HI. Manifesto of the Sublime Porte againft Russia, dated the fitit o/ZiiEAB^ the Year iaoi (the lajth of Auguft , *;87.) THE peace concluded between the Sublime Porte and the the court of Ruffia in 1187 (1774) was chiefly made for die repofe and tranquiTIHy~of~their refpeftive fubjefts ; yet the court of Ruffia has not ceafed to raife and maintain preten- fions capable of difturbing the good harmony which that peace ought to procure : it has even proceeded fa far as to feize on the Krimea, a proceeding ' direftly oppofite to the conditions agreed on to ferve as the foundation of the ^ea^pjfKjnnaolgi. It was ftipulated jn the inftrument then given on both fides, that there fhould be no farther difcuffion between the two em pires, and that they fhould enjoy a perfeft peace. It was fpe cified in the capitulations that they fhould avoid for the future all intrigiie whatever, and all plots fecret or publk ; yet the court of Ruffia has raifed up prince Heraclius, who was fur- nifhed with a diploma of imreftlture as vaffal of the fublime porte. Ruffianjroops have been placed in Tifflis ; they have declared themfelves fupreme over the faid prince, and from th^F^noment the diforder in Georgia and our adjoining fron tiers has been general. When we alledged that this proceed ing was a formal infraftion of the treaties, it was maintained to the contrary. It was exprefsly agreed on, that the Otcha- g g 4 kovians 456 APPENDIX, NO. III. kovigns fhould have the free and unlimited extraftion of the falt-works, which always belonged to die inhabitants of that frontier; yet they have always met with a number- of impedi ments, and experienced every fort of ill-treatment from the Ruffians ; and when they reclaimed the execution of the con ventions, the court of Ruffia has conftantly refufed it. The conful of that court has ftduced the voyvOde of Moldavia, who has the rank of a prince j he favoured his flight, and when the fublime porte reclaimed him, the ruffian envoy re plied, his court would not deliver1 him up ; a refufal direftly oppofite to tlie treaties. The ruffian court has fhewn as bad i defigns by giving what turn it pleafed to many fimilar tilings. Jt has corrupted ffieXuhJfift&ofjhe fublime porte, by eftablifh- ing confuls in Valakhia, Moldavia, in ifles and places where the prefence of thofe officers was ufelefs, and even prejudicial to the true believers. It has invited to its eftates the fubjefts^ bf the fublime pprtp, and employed them in its' marine and Other feryjggs^ 1\ haT efpecially eptered into the interior dif- pofitjon pf our admuiiftralipn, by folliciting either the recall pr punifhment of governors, judges, vaffals, and of all die pfficers not in their intereft, and even of the pafha of Georgia ^nd fhe princefs of Valakhia ant) Moldavia. Every one knows how generoufly the porte behaved to the ruffian merchants : • — they carrjed on their trade in die ottoman ftates with fafety pnd liberty, and might go wherever they pleafed ; for which reafon we expefted die fame indulgences, for the fubjefts of the fublime porte. Such were pur conventions when the ruffian court wanted to monopolize all the commerce, and ex acted a duty far greater from, the fubjefts pf the fublime porte than from otjier ppwprs, "When the fubjefts of tlie fublime porte wanted to recover their debts in the ruffian ftates, they met a thoufand obftacles ; not bping able to go where they required," they were obliged to return without their due j many even have dilappeared without our knowing what bepame of {hem. When the merchant veffels of the fublime porte requefted, either through ftrefs of weather^ or want of water, or APPENDIX, NO. III. 457 any Other urgent neceffity, to go on board a ruffian fhip, the Ruffians kept them off with their guns. They have likewife fometimes fired on our veffels frpm Soghudgiak. The court of Ruffia defired to underftand the article relating to prince He- raclius, amongft other articles of a great deal lefs importance, and gave notice in a minifterial manner, by its envoy to the fublime porte, to furnifh a common inftrument for all diefe ' objefts ; if not, it had ordered general Potemkin to march to ourfrontijprsjvjth fixty .or... feyenly, thoufancLmen to exaft the execution of all the articles, and that the emprefs was to come thither herfelf. This notice was an open ahd formal declara tion of war. The order given to general Potemkin to repair to our frontiers, at the head of fo many -troops, Is analogous to the proceedings of the court of Ruffia, with regard to the ufurpation ofthe Krimea: If the Ruffians rejnaiu-ma&ers-of-. it, the porte cannot hope to continue in fecurity ; for the. future, and they will always have fome bad defigns to fear. Thefe confiderations engaged the porte to fliew te the ruffian envoy the defirejhey had for the Krimea Jo_ be eftabliffiedpn.i^jl-.. cient footing, and to make a new treaty to cement friendfhip between the twoempires. The envoy anfwered, he could not make thefe propofitions to his court, and that if he were to doit, he forefaw no good could refult from it. ' He rejefted ,or ehided the articles which contained our complaints, and formally anfwered, that his court would not renounce the Krimea. That for all thefe reafons, and others, either fecret .or public, which it is impoffible to enumerate, the fublime porte is obliged to declare war, in confequence of which flic has publifhed this manifefto to the refpeftable court of France, to inform it of the refolution fhe has taken to go to war with Ruffia. The fublime porte fubmits the motives herein contained (o die equity of her friends. Manifesto 458 APPENDIX, NO, III. Manifesto of the Court of Russia agaivft the Subuhje. Porte, dated Petersburg, Sept. 13th, 1787, THE court having received the nev.-s of the imprifonment of M: Bulgakof, minifter of Conftantinople, and the declara* tion of war made by the porte, can no longer ayoid a rupture, and in cpnfequence has publifhed 3 manifeftp, jhp tejipr of wbjch is as follows : The troubles which haye inceffantly agitated the public repofe and tranquillity eftablifhed between the ruffian empire pod the porte, by the peace of Kainardgi, are too recent to yequirp recapitulation, Suffice it to fay, that fince tlie con clufion of that peace, unto the prefent moment, the porte has fhewn, in all her conduft, the moft manjfeft want of faith, and a difpofition to render the effential ftipulations they made. jllufive. Though the court of Ruffia is fumifhed with a multitude of proofs of this truth, which fhe refprves for a more particular detail to be publifhed hereafter, fhe will at prefent cite the facts, the moft recent, which have brought on the unexpected developement fo contrary to the pacific fyftem which fhe fol lowed moft willingly on all occafions. She flattered herfelf to have fixed an immoveable bafis for peace by the declaratory convention of Analy Cavack, concluded in 1779,, hy the commerce, and in particular by the tranfaftion refpefting the peninfula of the Krimea, the end of which was, as then de- monftrate.d, not to extend the frontiers of the empire, but rather to terminate the diforders and depredations continually made by the people ofthe peninfula, by fubjefting them to a police which would make them refpeft the laws, and keep up harmony and good intelligence with the frontiers of both ftates. Such were the fincere intention and views of the court of Ruf fia, which fhe was at great pains and trouble to accomplifh. After APPENDIX, NO. III. 45Q After having reconciled differences of fp delicate and im portant a nature, ( every thing feemed to promife a durable peace ; but affairs were hardly thus happily cpmpromifed and adjufted, on the faith of treaties and engagements, the moft folemn and facred, when the next turkifh miniftry, whiq| fucce«ded to that under which all thefe negotiafibns had paffed, fliewed difpofitions diametrically contrary to fheflr fpirit and tenor. Ill-founded pretentions foonarofe pefpeftjnc die exportation of fait, which had been granted ,by treaty to the inhabitants of Otchakof. Ruffian confuls were depied enw prance into fome places of their nomination j and as if it ha4 been proved that objefts qf this nature could not fuffice to effeft the rupture in view, proteftion was publjcly permitted to the invafions of the Lefghis and Tartars of Kuban j the; former of which Jjoftijely attacked the ftates of tzar Heraclius, " the acknowledged yaffal of the emprefs ; and the latter pene trated into~the frontiers pf Ruflia, where they robbed, pillaged and carried off whatever was not defended by the trppps fta* tipned in thofe parts. The emprefs, conftant to her plan of moderation which her humanity and love of peace had made her adopt, upon re ceiving the above advices, contented herfelf with calling upon the turkifh miniftry to refpeft the treaties, and demanding in confequence fatisfaftion for fuch breaches of faith and peace : 'but all her remonftrances were fruitlefs, and anfwered with arrogance and difrefpeft. In the meantime, her principles remain unaltered. Being miftrefs of her choice of means, -fhe ftill preferred once more the way of negotiations, and laid open to the emperor, her ally, the ftate of her affairs, and accepted v|he good pffer of the king of France to mediate between her felf and the porte j fhe made her pretenfions known to them both, and thefe monarchs declared the juffice and equity of them. In fhort, to negleft nothing that might preferve Co valuable a bleffing as the peace of her people, the took occa fion, when in the neighbourhood ofthe turkifh ftates, during the memorable journey which fhe had but lately finifhed, to call 4.60 A/PENDIX, NO. lit. call her minifter at the porte, and examine him touching 'the differences which had arifen, and the means moft efficacious for an accommodation of them, all. In this view, and in full •onfidence of the refpeft which tlie Turks would fhew on their part for mutual and folemn engagements then fubfifting, fhe fent back her minifter to Conftantinople. Upon his return he was immediately fummoned to a conference, at which, in ftead of the points being refumed which were in agitation be-^ fore his departure, and acquiefcing in the demands of Ruffia, ¦a new turn to affairs was given, and pretenfions ftarted ; the firft of which was contrary to ftipulations made by treaty, and the others derogatory to the dignity of the emprefs, or rather hurtful to the interefts of the empire. After the turkifh miniftry had thus broken through the limits exprefsly ftipulated, they thought they might then at «nce take off tlie mafkj and have difcovered the defign which, in all probability, was long harboured, fince they declared to ¦the ruffian minifter, that the porte confidered itfelf bound only by the treaty of Kainardgi ; and as the afts which 'fol lowed it were but the effeft of compjaifance, fhe did not tfiink herfelf obliged to adhere to them longer than fuited her convenience. A term was fixed for receiving a categorical anfwer from the ruffian minifter to the demands and preten*- fions communicaUd to him. The minifter protefted againft the injuftice, the indecency, and impossibility, in fo fhort a time, of complying with fuch a requrfition 3 he was not heard, net even on the fubjeft ofthe complaints ftated before this time, and for which he had demanded fatisfaftion. All that he could obtain was the promife of another conference, which .alfo took place, but at which the fame demands and preten*. fions were repeated, without adding any thing more except a vague promife of the fatisfaftion he had demanded. When the news of thefe two conferences came to the em prefs, lhe did not abandon herfelf to the difcontent and re^ fentnient which are juftifiable ; fhe theught fhe might remain fpeftatrefs of the attempt which a want of delicacy and cir- cumfpeftioiij APPENDIX, SO. Ill* 4.6^ eamfpeftion, fufficiently common on tlie part of the turkifh miniftry, had made them hazard; meanwhile tlie fequel has proved that it was a plan long formed, and going to be put immediately in execution. In thefe fentiments her imperial majefty was willing to crown all the former proofs given of her moderation and diftante in thought from tlie eonfequenees which fuch a critical fituation of affairs prefaged, by fome condefcendence on her part to certain of the pretentions of the porte, and for this purpofe orders were difpatched to prince Potemkin, when fuddenly fhe learned that tlie porte, without. waiting for the expiration of the' term fixed by herfelf, had fummoned M. de Bulgakof to a conference on the 6th (16th),, and after propofing to him to fign an aft by which the treaty of commerce and the tranfaftion concerning the peninfiila of the- Krimea were to be annulled, upon his refufal peace was de clared to be broken, and himfelf fent to the caftle of Seven Towers, where, in contempt of the rights pf nations, he re mains a prifoner at this moment. Such a proceeding prefents every reflection that can arife en the fubjeft. The porte has thought fit to unite perfidy with tlie moft irifulfing attack. She omits nothing to make manifeft the ftrong defire that has been long felt to break a peace, which was granted in a manner the moft generous and noble. Provoked by a conduft fo offenfive, the emprefs fees fcerfelf obliged unwillingly to take up arms, as the only means remaining of maintaining her rights, which fhe has aqquired with fo much lofs of blood, and revenging her wounded dignity. Entirely innocent of all the evils attendant on the war now. ready to be kindled, fhe has a right to depend upon divine proteftion and the fuccours of her friends, as alfo upon tlie devout prayers of all christians, for her triumph in a caufe of juftice and felf-defence.. 4&2 A* pendix, no; tvt No. IV. Note delivered the l&th of June, ly the Russian AmSas^ sador. at Stockholm, to the Swedish Ministry. IN confequence of the various objefts on which the under written envoy extraordinary and miniftet plenipotentiary of the imperial court of Ruffia has lately conferred with his ex-< celleucy count Oxenftiern, he has now the honour to prefent to him a fuccinft recapitulation of the fame in the prefent note. r Whatever may have been the furprife of the emprefs my fovereign, when fhe was informed of the armaments carried on in Sweden, her imperial majefty, not feeing any juft mo tives which could occafion them, refolved to be filent as long as thofe motions fhould be confined to the interior parts of the Kingdom. But being apprifed of the motives alledged by the! fenator count Oxenftiern to the minifter of Denmark, and which he, in confequence of the intimacy fubfifting between the two courts, communicated to the under-written, her im perial majefty has refolved to break filence, and given orders to the under- written to enter into the following explanations widi his Swedifh majefty's minifters. During the twenty-fix years of her reign, the emprefs has never ceafed to give conftant teftimonies to the king, and ta the whole Swedifh nation, of her wifli to cultivate the moft perfeft harmony and good neighbourhood, fuch as at the laft peace was eftablifhed between the two ftates ; if, therefore, in the midft of the repofe which her empire enjoyed from its other neighbours; her imperial majefty has never conceived the leaft idea of difturbing or altering, in any fhape, the order of things, it would be arguing againft every degree of proba bility to attribute it to her now, when fhe finds herfelf en gaged APPENDIX, No. iv; 4f5j gaged in a war wliich has been unjuftly excited againft her by a powerful enemy, and to which ffie cannot give too much attention. Provoked in this manner to difplay all the means which fhe holds from Providence, to repej the attack of her enemy, fhe has not failed to make an amicable communica tion of it to all the chriftian powers, and particularly obferv- ing this conduft when fhe refolved to arm a fleet to fend into Jlie Archipelago ; which intention die under-written did, by her orders, communicate to the Swedifh minifters. All thefe difpofitions and preparations being therefore vifibly and firtgfy directed to the circumftance in which Ruffia found herfelf, were in no wife of a nature to alarm any neighbour' that did not hourifh fome fecret intention to multiply her embarraff- mefits, and take advantage of them. But admitting for a moment that the court of Ruffia had intimated fuch defigns, that of Sweden,, however contrary they are to the faith of treaties which bind them, found reafoning, as well as the intereft ofthe former,, would have confined all her meafures to prevent their eftefts, and not to provoke them j and, in faft, fuch as prudence diftated, and were adopted, 'after the rumours which were fpread on all fides of the armaments carrying on in Sweden, are reduced to a trifling reinforcS- ' ment of the ruffian troops in Finland, and the deftination of the ufual fquadron that annually cruifes in the Baltic to exer- cife the feamen ; a cuftom to which Sweden has never given any attention, or occafioned any umbrage, —i- Nevevthelefs, her armaments were daily advancing and inereafing, without the court of Stockholm thinking proper to give any formal notice pf it to the court of Peterfburg ; and then at laft they were prepared. The fenator, count von Oxenftiern, in the name of the king, did not fail to declare to the minifter of a court clofely allied to Vienna, and confequently, it may be pfefum- ed, not bound to conceal it from us, that thofe preparations were dtrefted againft Ruffia, on a fuppofition that Sweden was tnreatened to be attacked by her. In 464 APPENDIX, NO. IV. In this fituation, the emprefs, on her fide, has as readily ©rdered the under-written to declare to his Swedifh majefty'9 miniftry, and to all thofe who have any fhare in the admi- niftration, that her imperial majefty could not give tliem a more folid proof of her pacific difpofitions towards them, and of tlie intereft fhe takes in tlie prefervation of their tran quillity, than by affuring them, on her imperial word, that all the oppofite intentions which fome might impute to her, are void of all foundation ; but if affurances fo formal and fo pofitive, joined to arguments fo plain and Convincing, are not fufficient to reftore calmne.fs and tranquillity, her imperial majefty is refolved to await the event with that confidence and fecurity which the purity and innocency of her intention afford her, as well as tlie powerful means wliich the Almighty has put into her hands, and which fhe has never emploj'ed but for tlie glory of her empire and the happinefs of her fub jefts. Stockholm, June 18, 1788. (Signed) Count Andre Razumofsky. Answer ofthe Court of Stockholm to the foregoing. Rescript. HIS majefty could not avoid beings furprifed when he faw, tn the note delivered on the 18th of June, by M. le comte de Razumofsky, envoy extraordinary and minifter plenipoten tiary from the court of Ruffia, the manner in which it was attempted to diftinguifti between the king and the nation ; and the affurances given by the emprefs of her difpofition in. their favour, and of the intereft which ffie takes in the pre-" fervation of their tranquillity. Although in this language tlie king recognizes principles often divulged by the court of Ruffia in oilier countries, his majefty cannot reconcile fuch friendly fentiments on the part of the emprefs with an infinuation that tends direftly to draw a diftinftion between him and his people; and, firmly APPENDIX, NO. IV. 465 firmly refolved never to admit fuch a principle, he cannot be- fieve that a declaration of that nature was ordered to be made to him by" tlie court of Ruffia. The king is rather willing to impute it to their minifter only, refiding at his court; but, vfurprifed as well as hurt at the language it -contains, which is at once irregular and hoftile to the tranquillity of his kingdom, he cannot after this moment acknowledge the comte de Ra- 'fcumofsky as envoy extraordinary and minifter plenipotentiary at his Court, referving himfelf, until his arrival in Finland, to anfwer the emprefs of Ruffia on the other articles of the de claration, by his minifter at Peterfburg. Meanwhile hjs ma jefty finds himfelf obliged to require the departure of the comte de Razumofsky, by announcing to that minifter that he (can no longer treat with him, as having 'in Iris written memo rial offended both the principles qf the fwedifh government and failed in the refpeft that is due to the perfon of tlie king.1 The attention wherewith the king has honoured this mi nifter ever fince he knew him, ftrongly*marks tlie regret felt by his majefty in commanding his departure ; and nothing lefs than the powerful reafons, of his dignity being peffonally of fended, and tlie peace pf his dominions rendered liable to be difturbed by thofe principles it has notfcrupled to avow, could have influenced his majefty to defire the removal of a perfon who has fuch claims upon his regard, that, id fignifying his intentions 'to the comte de Razumofsky, (whom he no longer - acknowledges a public minifter), his majefty allows him a week to make tlie neceffary preparations.. The' king has alfo given Orders for fhips, and every other accommodation that can tender his paffage to St. Peterfburg convenient, that being^ ffie only mark of attention which the prefent circumftances leave it in his power to fhew to the comte de Razumofsky-. vol. m. hh' Copy 466 APPENDIX, NO. iv» Copy of a Circular Note delivered ly the Court of Sweden to ufl the foreign Ministers, dated Stockholm^ June 13, 1788. WHILE the king, anxious to preferve a good underftand- ing with all his neighbours, neglected nothing in the cultiva tion of the fame with the court pf Ruffia ; he has been afto- niffied to obferve the little effeft which his fentiments have produced on the minifter of that power; whofe language,, for fome months paft, in his public ' conduft, ftill appears to bear the marks of that fyftem of diffenfion which his predeceffors tranfmitted to him, and which they have perpetually laboured to extend. The king was always willing to deceive himfelf on this point, and wiffied he could doubt the exiftence of the efforts made by the ruffian envoy, to induce the fwedifh na tion to return to thofe errors which led it aftray during tlie time of anarchy, and to diffeminate anew, in the heart of the ftate, that antient fpirit of difcord, which heaven and his majefty's paternal care have happily extinguiflied ; till at length count Razumofsky, by his note of the i8tli of June, has extinguiflied all thofe doubts the king" was ftill defirous of preferving on this fubj eft. Amidft-the declarations ofthe emprefs's friendffiip for the king, with which the note is filled, this minifter has not hefitated to appeal to others be fides tlie king. He addreffed himfelf to all the members of adminiftration, as well as to the nation itfelf, to affure them. of the fentiments of his fovereign, and how much fhe has their tranquillity at heart. This Sweden, however, derives folely from its proper union ; and the king could not but fee, with the greateft furprife, a declaration expreffed in fuch terms, difcenling therein but too much of the policy and lan guage ufed by that minifter's predeceffors ; who, not content with fowing divifions among his majefty's fubjefts, wanted to fet' up other authorities in ppppfition to the legitimate power, APPENDIX, NO. IV. jJSf $b\ver, and to undermine the fundamental laws of the king'-s * dom, by calling in aid of their affertipns witneffes which the. form of government cannot recognize. It was in vain that his majefty fought to reconcile tlie affdrances of the friendfhip of the emprefs of Ruffia oii one fide, with the. appeal to the fubjefts of Sweden on the other. Every minifter being charged to declare tlie fentiments of his mafter; ought not; nor can announce to them any othet than tlie fovereign by Whom his credentials have been accepted. All other' a'uthd-i rity is unknown to him, and every other witnefs fuperfiuons.- Such is the law, fuch is tlie conftant praftice in all the courts pf Europe, and this rule lias never ceafed to be obferved, un- lefs when by captions infinuations the Only aim has been (aSL heretofore in Sweden) to embroil matters, to confound every thing, and again to fet up thofe barriers which form the di£« tinftion between the nation and their fovereign. Thus huft, in a " way moft nsarly affefting his dignity, and no longer hearing ffoni count Razumofsky the language of a minifter, hitherto charged to convey the friendly fentiments of the! emprefs ; but, at the fame time, Unable to conceive), that ex* preflions fo contrary .to the fundamental laws of Sweden,. and which, by dividing tlie king and tlie ftate, would render every fubj eft culpable, were pre.fcribed to him, the- king chobfes rather to attribute them to the private fentiments ofthe' ruffian minifter, of which he has given fufficient indication, than- to the orders of his court. In the mean time, after what has paffed, after declarations as contrary to the happinefs! Of the kingdom as to the laws and refpeft due to the king, his majefty can no longer confider count Razumofsky in the quality of a minifter, and finds himfelf obliged to require nia departure from Sweden, confiding to his ambaffador at the court, Of Ruffia the anfwer to tlie other points, which have been juft Communicated. ¦ ; Nothing lefs than fo direft an attack On the dignity of the king, on the part of count Razumofsky, could mduce his majefty to infift oh the departure of one* whcm he has , """* . -i h h » honoured 468 APPENDIX, NO. IV. honoured with particular regard. But feeing himfelf reduced to fuch neceffity with regret, his majefty in confequence of his former good-will has endeavoured to fpften the difagree- able nature of this event, by the care he takes iri regard to count Razumofcky's departure, and by the attention that will be paid to the time, and to his accommodation in his vpyage- to St. Peterfburg. His majefty, wiffiingthat the diplomatic body fhould be ac quainted with the foregoing occurrences, the fenator count Oxenftiern has the honour of communicating- the fame, (Signed) Oxekstiern. Declaration of the Empress of all the RrssiASi againft the King o/"Swed:e!n, June 30, 178S. IT was towards the end of the laft winter that the arma ments by fea and land began to fhew themfelves in Sweden. — Whifpers were purpofely circulated in tlie kingdom, as if Ruffia meditated an attack. In proportion as tiiefe prepara tions advanced, and as it was believed they had made an im- preffion on fome national fpirits, the cabinet of Stockholm began to extend rumours of the fame kind, even to foreign courts. The emprefs has the fatisfaftion to learn that thefe infinuations have every where failed of their aim. In truth, the courts of Europe are too enlightened to believe that Ruf fia, after having for fo long a time maintained a pacific fyftem in regard to Sweden, had chofen to depart from it in tlie mo ment when ffie was engaged in a war fo ferious as that in which the ottoman porte had involved her. In the; mean time, the emprefs, attentive to every thing which paffed in a place fo adjacent to her territories, judged it neceffary, on the information and advice wliich ftie re ceived, not to negleft to take meafures of precaution. But, anxious to avoid- every thing which might give umbrage or excite alarm, flio contented herfelf with ordering to Finland a flight reinforcement of troops, and with eftabliffiiiig in ct -. this- APPENDIX, NO. IV. 460 this province magazines proportioned to their number, and indifpenfabjy neceffary to their fubfiftence. In fine, repofing on the innocence and rectitude of her intentions, on the re ligious obfervance of the perpetual treaty fubfifting between the empire of Ruffia and the kingdom of Sweden; and above all, not knowing of any one fubjeft of difcuffion, open or concealed, between the two courts — the amicable correfpon- dence, on the contrary, continuing as ufual between them — fhe had undoubtedly every right to think, that, great as might be the ambition, the uneafinefs, and the envy ofthe imperial powers, the true motives that -could impel the fwediffi mo narch to make war on her muft be repreffed by the refpeft of good faith, which ought to .actuate, the hearts -of fovereigns even more than of other men; by the impoffibillty of, giving any colour of equity to the fcope which he wifhed to give to his paffions ; and, in fine; by the obftacle, equally ftrong, thajt of die folemn compaft he had made with his people, not to undertake any war without affembling, confulting, and ob taining vthe confent of his fubjefts. Nothing could prove more effectually tlie fatisfaftion which ffiould have been placed in her imperial majefty's vari ous affurances, than the refolution which ffie took of detach- 'ing from the fleet deftined for the Archipelago a fquadron of pnly three fliips, which fhe fent to fea in the beginning of this month, notwithstanding the pofitive advices ffie had of all the fwedifh fleet being cruifing in the Baltic. Thefe fliips, three days after their departure from the port of Cronftadt, fell in, off .the ifle of Dago.with the fwedifh fleet, which detached a frigate, th,e captain of which came aboard of the fhip of tlie vice-admiral Vanderfeer, who commanded this little fqua dron. The captain of the frigate announced to the vice- admiral the prefence of the duke of Sudermania, the king's brother, the commander of the fwedifh fleet, and required the falute. The vice-admiral replied, that by the 17th arti cle of the treaty of Abo, no falute could take place between the ruffian and fwedifh fleets- but that refpefting, in the h h 3 ¦ perfon 47© - APPENDIX, Nd. IV. perfon of the. duke of Sudermania, the coufin-german of fhe Emprefs and the brother of the king of Sweden, he had no difficulty in rendering to thefe diftinftions all the honours that were due, He then ordered a falute with thirteen guns, and fent an officer on ioard the duke's fhip to pay his com pliments, and to announce to him at the fame time, that it was to his perfon only that the honours were addreffed. The anfwer of the duke of Sudermania was, that although he was not ignorant of tlie tenor of the convention made between th* courts of Sweden and Ruffia, in regard to ffie falute, he would not accept of that which was to be rendered, unlefs it was given to the fwediffi flag, as he had received the moft precife orders from the king his brother to make that flag refpefted in every place, and on every occafion. The emprefs had hardly time to make her complaints on the injuftice and irregularity of this proceeding to the court of Stockholm, when ffie was informed of that other, ftill left expefted, of the difmiffion of her minifter from the fwe diffi court and territories. The pretended reafons of this meafure are expofed in the declaration of tlie king made to the minifters of foreign courts. Thefe reafons are not calcu lated to impofe on the moft unenlightened, and they there* fore require no anfwer ; one obfervation, however, cannot be avoided, that it is the firft example of the kind by which a Sovereign affured his fubjefts of the pacific and benevolent fentiments he entertained towards them, - In the mean time the emprefs, refolved to Continue to the Jaft in the principle of moderation fhe had profeffed, Confined her refentment of this proceeding to the retalia tion which fhe was naturally authorifed to ufe in regard to the minifter of the king of Sweden. She fignified to him lo quit her court in tlie fame fpace of time which had been fixed for her minifter at Stockholm. The only difference in the proceeding was, that all falfe and infidious imputa tion was .carefully avoided. — This difference has been efta blifhed and demonftrated indeed by the good faith, which has accara-s APPENDIX, NO. IV. 471 'Accompanied the caufe of the emprefs, and the breach of faith which has marked the whole conduft of the king of Sweden. • Netwithftanding thefe fcenes which threatened an almoft inevitable war, the eniprefs'Vas pleafed to cherifh hopes that the amicable explanations which the fwediffi monarch had himfelf promifed the foreign powers, might yet tend to pre- ferve the good harmony and neighbourhood, which no one reafon of ftate on either fide had a tendency to interrupt. But this hope is totally vanifhed. She learns that on the aift or 32d of this month the troops of the king of Sweden, having fallen haftily on tlie frontiers pf Ruffia, have carried off the ftioney depofited in feveral cuftom-houfes, have penetrated. to the environs of Nieflat, and have even opened the fiege of its caftle. It is by a feries of violent proceedings (of which every one infringes on the rights the moft generally received among civilized nations) that the king of Sweden, without haying complained of one grievance againft Ruffia, has at length piifhed to the uttermoft tlie moderation of the emprefs, and has obliged her to have recourfe to the only remedy which is left her, of repelling force by force. It is with regret that flie fifties her orders to the commanders of her forces by land and fea. In making known this refolution, as. well as the motives that have provoked her to it, to the friendly powers, fheprotefts to them, that the king of Sweden is alone refponfible to God, to the world, and to his own people, for all the calamities to which his ambition and injuftice. may give rife. Exhortation of the King of Sweden to his Subjects. We Guftavus, by the grace of God king of Sweden, of the Goths and Vandals, to all our faithful 'fubjefts health ! com mending them to the care of the Almighty, with our favour and particular good-will. « h 4 . Seeing 47^ APPENDIX, NO. IV- Seeing purfelves again attacked by enemies oh another fide of our kingdom, and obliged to arm, in order to defend our ftates and the independence of our dear country, no lefs than your lives, your property, your liberties, and your welfare, we doubt not that our dear fubjefts will with the arms affume the courage of their anceftors, with firmnefs and unanimity to repulfe the enterprifes of our enemies — more efpecially as - ourfelf fhall fet them the example, hke our illuftrious pre deceffors, to defend, to the very laft man, the independence of a kingdom, that bpafts fo remote an antiquity. Never- thelefs, we muft not conceal from- you, my fubjefts, all the means which the enemy wiffies to employ, in order to fub-. jugate a people, whofe valour they have often experienced to their detriment. As they cannot hope to effeft our common ruin folely by open force, they are ftriving to excite difcord, as well among yourfelyes, as between you and us, fomenting jealoufies by fecret intrigues, and provoking quarrels, in the full perfuafion that a fwediffi king, united with" the fwediffi nation, could not eafily.be brought under their yoke. We exhort you, then, in fhe name of the Almighty God, as the true and only defender of kings and ftates, that you will not liften to trea cherous infinuations, but that you will conftantly perfevere in the fidelity which we have a right to expeft from you," and which, during fixteen years of our reign, we have no lefs ex perienced than deferved. We have alfo to give you tlie happy information, that the principal powers in Europe now in al liance with each other, which ihtereft themfelves in the inde pendence of the fwediffi nation, are at this prefent moment endeavouring to accomplifli our wiffies in the reftoration of peace ; which we hope, with the help of the Almighty, will, by our joint efforts, foon be eftablifhed. We truft, that fo foon as that falutary end fhall be attained, we fhall have the fatisfaftion to meet our fubjefts, united in the ftrifteft bonds of concord, in a general diet of the ftates, where we may offer up our thankfgivings to the Supreme Being, for his pro teftion APPENDIX, NO. IV. 4*3 tectum vouchfafed to us, and to our kingdom. In the mean while, we recommend you to his all-powerful hand : and we remain in the utmoft affeftion towards you all, of whatfoeyer rank, with all our royal favour and good- will. (Signed) * GUSTAVUS. , Done at Carlftadt, Sept. 26, 1788. (and lower) Herm. von Laajstbon*.' Declaration, and Counter-Declaration, between Denmark and Sweden. declaration. HIS daniffi majefty has ordered the under-figned to declare, that although he complies with tlie treaty between, the courts of Peterfburg and Copenhagen; in furniffiing the former with .the number of fliips and troops ftipulatcd by feveral treaties, and particularly that of 1781 ; he yet confiders himfelf in per fect amity and peace with his fwedifh majefty : which friend- ¦fhip fhall not be interrupted, although, tlie fwediffi arms fhould prove viftorious, either in repulfing, defeating, or taking pri foners the daniffi troops now in the fwedifli territories, afting as ruffian auxiliaries under ruffian flags. Nor does he con ceive that his fwedifh majefty has the leaft ground to com plain, fo long as the daniffi fhips and troops now afting againft Sweden dp not exceed the number ftipulatcd by treaty ; and it is his earneft defire, that all friendly and commercial intercourfe between ^the two nations, and the good under- ftanding between the courts of Stockholm arid Copenhagen, remain inviolably as heretofore. (Signed) Count de Bernstorf. Delivered to the baron de Sprengporten, his fwedifli ma jefty's minifter plenipotentiary at the court of Copenha gen, Sept. 23, 1788. COUNTER- 474 APPENDIX, NO. IV. COUNTER-DECLARATION. THE declaratory note delivered by the count Bernftorf to. the under-figned, in which his daniffi majefty conceives that his fwedifh majefty cannot1 have any ground of complaint, as long as the danifli ffiips and troops merely aft as auxiliaries to Ruffia, is a doftrine wliich his fwedifli majefty cannot alto gether reconcile with the law ' of nations and rights of fove reigns, and againft which his majefty has ordered the under- figned toproteft. Neverthelefs", to prevent an effufion of blood between the fubjefts of ffie two kingdoms, andparticularlyat-tfee moment' when a negotiation has begun to reftore perfeft peace and tranquillity in the north of Europe, which affords a pleafing profpeft bf a general pacification ; his fwediffi majefty, from motives of a love of peace, waves entering into a fpeculative difcuffion, whetiier or not there be a caufe or ground of complaint, on his fide, and refts perfeftly fatisfied with the affurances contained in his daniffi majefty's declaration, that his daniffi majefty has no hoftile views againft Sweden, and that the friendly and commercial intercourfe between the fubjefts of both kingdoms, and the good underftanding be-- tween the two .courts, fliall remain uninterrupted. His fwediffi majefty puts tlie ftrongeft faith and utmoft confidence in what Mr. Elliot, envoy extraordinary and. minifter plenipotentiary of his britannic majefty, has repre- prefented to him on this important occafion. His majefty, therefore, to prevent the horror of war, and the calamities impending over the two nations; anxious to' behold peace ahd union reftored between them ; embraces with fatisfaftion his danifli majefty's declaration, and parti-v cularly as it will facilitate the negotiation for a general peace - which is happily begun through the mediation of Great Britain, France, Holland, and Pruflia, and the good fuccefs of wh\ch is the greateft objeft of his majefty's ambition, and which his ' majefty has fully declared to the aforefaid Mr. Elliot, .pro vided the defeating of the ruffian auxiliaries be not confidered aa APPENDIX, NO. IV. 471* as Ijoftilities againft his daniffi majefty, agreeably tq the de claration delivered by count Bernftorf. (Signed) Baron de Sprengporten. Dated Stockholm, Oftober6, 1788, and delivered to the Count Bernftorf at Copenhagen. i Copy of a Declaration delivered to the Confederated States of Poland ly the Pruffian Minifter at Warsaw, dated OCioler 12, 1788, on the\Subjeb~i of an' intended Alliance ¦between Russia and Poland. IF the projected alliance between Ruffia and Poland has for its firft objeft the confervation of the ftates of Polaiid, the king does not fee the neceffity or utility of it, becaufe the fafety of Poland is fufficientiy guaranteed by the laft treaties. It cantiot be fuppofed that her majefty the emprefs of Ruffia, or her ally the emperor of Germany, would infringe theirs. It muft then be fuppofed the king has fuch a defign ; and, in confequence, this alliance is direfted againft him. Thus the king cannot but objeft and proteft folemnly- , againft the faid alliance, as tending to break the good har mony eftablifhed between Pruffia and Poland by the' moft fo lemn treaties. If, in the fecond place, 'this alliance be direfted againft the Common enemy, and if under this qualification be included tlie ottoman porte ; the king, out of friendfhip for the re public of Poland, cannot but reprefent, that the porte having always religiGufly obferved the peace of Carlowitz ; and that during the whole courfe ofthe prefent war they have carefully, avoided the ftates of the republic, there will infallibly refult tlie moft dangerous eonfequenees, as well for the ftates of the republic, as for thofe of his pruffian majefty wliich are next adjoining, if Poland contraft alliances which authorize the porte to regard Poland as an enemy. Every loyal and en lightened citizen of Poland will fee at once how difficult and irnpoffible 476 APPENDIX, NO. IV. impofiibie it will be to defend his country .againft an enemy fo near, fo formidable, and fo reftlefs. The king cannot then be moifferent to the projeft of an al liance, which menaces not only the greateft danger towards the republic, but to his own ftates, and which will infallibly ex tend farther the flames of war, already too general. The king finds nothing to objeft againft the republic of Ppland's augmenting its army, and putting its forces in a re- fpeftahle ftate. But he leaves to the confideration of the good citizens of Poland, if, in each augmentation pf tlie army of Poland, a power is not given to engage the republic in a war which is abfolutely foreign to it, and confequently leading to grievous eonfequenees. The king is flattered, that his majefty the king pf Poland, and the ftates of the ferene republic af fembled in the prefent diet, will take into mature delibera tion all thathis majefty now reprefents, in ffie way and through motives of the moft fincere friendffiip, and for the true welfare and common intereft of the two ftates, fo clofely united by the indiffohible ties of a perpetual alliance. His majefty alfo hopes, that her majefty ffie emprefs of Ruffia will not refufe her approbation to motives fo juft, and fo conformable to the welfare of the polifh nation ; and he expefts alfo with confidence, from one part and tlie other, that they defift from ffie projeft of an alliance fo little necef fary, but always fo dangerous for Poland. It is in diis hope, that his majefty invites all ffie true patriots and good citizens pf Poland to unite with him, to prevent, by their union and wife meafures, the imminent danger with wliich their coun try is menaced. And they may depend, that his majefty will grant them the neceffary affiftance, and the moft powerful fuccours, for maintaining the independence, liberty, and fecurity of Poland. Given at Warfaw, the 12th of Oftober 1788. Louis deBuckholtz. answer APPENDIX, NO. IV. 477 Answer of the Diet at Warsaw to the Kins of Prussia's Declaration. THE under-figned, by the exprefs orders of the kipg and the confederate ftates of the diet, has the honour to tranfmit to M. de Buckholtz the following anfwer : The reading of the faid decTaration of his pruffian majefty, in a full council, on the 13th, has impreffed the ftates affem bled with a lively fenfe of the generous manner in which tlie king has afted as a friend and neighbour, in affuring to Poland the fafety of its pofleffions. The projeft of an alliance between Ruffia 'and Poland, not having been propofed either to the permanent .council, or to ffie diet when free, and afterwards confederated, is not there fore an objeft of the^aft of union, which leads' the bufinefs of the diet, conformably to ffie general will of the nation ; and die propofitlons coming from the throne refpefting the aug mentation of irnpofts, and the military of the republic, are1 not in ffie fyftem of an offenfive force, but folely for defend ing and preferving its pofleffions and* its free government. If in' the already determined proceeding the ftates affem-» Bled receive a propofition and a projeft of an alliance, the re public, being held by the fame nature of a diet, in fo public a ftep will never veil its proceedings, but aft conformably to the independence of its fovereignty, to the rules of prudence, to the facred principles of public faith, and to ffie deference due to the' friendly fentiments of his majefty the king, of Pruffia. - The general will, ever right and ever public, forming the fpirit of the deliberations of the prefent diet, tlie ftates affem bled unanmlpufly make it their wiffi to fix in the opinion of hi« 47S APPENDIX, n6. ivi his pruffian majefty an advantageous idea of their tmder« ftandings,' and their patriotifm. (Signed) Stanislaus Nalzel Malachofsky, ) Referendary of ffie crown, marfhal of the diet, and of tlie confederation of the crown. (Signed) CasiMir Prince Sapieha, General of artillery of Lithuania, marfhal of the con federation of the grand' duchy of Lithuania. Warfaw, Ocl.ipth, 1788. No. V* Articles of the Quadruple All< ance letween Russi.t, Austria, France, and Spain. I. THAT in cafe any of tlie parties are attacked, by fea or land, the other three ffiall defend wjdi money, forces, or ffiipping, II. The treaties of 1748, 1753,- 1756, the Bourbon Family Compaft in 1761, and the ' Convention between Auftria and Ruflia in 1787, ffiall be in full force. III. Their moft chriftian and catholic majefties oblige themfelves to obferve tlie ftrifteft neutrality in the prefent war with the Turks. But in cafe tlie emperor fhould be attacked by any other power, the french king is to furnifh him thirty thoufand men, or an equivalent in money, on demand. And in cafe ffie french king is attacked, tlie emperor is to furnifh ffie like fuccours. , IV. The king of Spain agrees, on his part, to tire aforefaid third article, as the emperor alfo does toward tlie king o£ Spain. V. If the emprefs of Ruflia ffiould be' attacked in die pre-" fent war wiffi tlie Turks, his moft chriftian majefty engages to APPENDIX, NO. V. 479 ^o* afiift her with eight ffiips of the. line and fix frigates ; and. s j his catholic majefty is to furnifh the like fuccours ; the em prefs of Ruffia binding herfelf to furnifh either or both powers with an equal affiftance, in cafe any 'attack be made on them. VI. The treaty of commerce between France and Ruffia, made in 1787, fliall be in full force, and a fimilar treaty, be figned by Ruffia and Spain'. VII. The treaty of 1761,1 between France and Spain to be in full force. ' VIII. Though this treaty is to be purely defenfive, the parties agree, that if any of them are attacked, the other three fliall not make peace, until the province which is in vaded is reftored back in the fame ftate it was before attacked. IX. Whenever any of the parties fliall,, by their ambaf- fadors, demand ftipulated fuccours, the faid ambaffadors fliall be reciprocally admitted into the councils of war, and deliberate upon and fettle^whatever may be moft advantageous to the four contracting parties ; and the auxiliary fuccours are to be augmented as events may require. X. The high contrafting parties fliall have liberty to invite . fuch other powers to accede to the prefent treaty as they may- think proper. • XI. Denmark, as an ally of Ruffia, fhall be fpecially in vited to accede thereto. No. VI. Treaty of Peace concluded letiveen the King (^Sweden . , and tlie Empress of all the Russias. ',v - In the name ofthe holy and undivided trinity ! HIS majefty tlie king of Sweden, and her majefty the em prefs of all. tlie Ruffias, equally defirous of putting an end to the 4&*a APPENDIX, NO. VI. the war which had unhappily broke out between them, and to re-eftabliffi ffie friendffiip, harmony, and good neighbour- nood which have long fubfifted between ffieir refpeftive ftates and countries, have" reciprocally communicated to each offiet their pacific intentions ; and with a view to realize them, they have appointed and authorized, viz. 'his majefty the king of Sweden, the fie'ur Guftavus von Armfeldt, baron of Voren- tatha, &c. and her majefty the emprefs of all the Ruffias, the fieur Offio Henry von Igelftroem, lieutenant-general of her, armies, &c. who, after having communicated to each other ffieir frill powers, and found them duly authorized, and in pro per form, arid having mutually exchanged them, have agreed on the following articles : I. There ffiall be henceforward, hetween his majefty tlie Sting nf Sweden and his eftates, countries, and nations, on one part, and her majefty the emprefs of all the Ruffias, and her eftates, countries, and nations, on the other, perpetual peace, good neighbourhood, and perfect tranquillity, both by fea and land ; and, confequently, the moft fpeedy orders for the ceffation of hoftilities ftalLbe given by each party. What ever is paft ffiall be forgotten : attention will only be paid to the ie-eftabliffiment of that harmony and mutual good-will which has been interrupted by ffie prefent war. II. The limits and frontiers fhall, on each fide, continue as they were before the rupture, or tlie beginning of tlie pre fent war. III. Therefore all the countries, provinces, or places what ever, which have been taken or occupied by ffie troops of either ofthe contracting parties, fliall be evacuated as fpeedily as poffible, or in fourteen days after the exchange of the rati fication of the prefent treaty. IV. All prifoners of war, or others who, not bearing arms, have been taken by either of the belligerent parties during the courfe of hoftilities, fliall be fet at liberty by each party with out ranfom ; and they ffiall be permitted to return , home without any indemnification being required by either party for 48 1 for their maintenance; but 'they ffiall be obliged to pay the debts wliich they have contrafted with individuals of each re fpeftive ftate. V. And, in order to prevent the giving the leaft occafion for a mifunderftanding at fea between the contrafting parties,, it is ftipulated and agreed, that whenever one or more fwediffi men of war, whether fmall or great,- ffialLpafs by the forts of her imperial majefty,' they ffiall be obliged to give a falute in the fwediffi manner ; which ffiall be immediately anfwered by. ' a falute in the ruffian mode. The fame fliall be obferved by ruffian men of war, whether one or more; they fliall be- obliged to falute before the forts of his fwedifli majefty, and they ffiall be anfwered by a, fwedifli falute. In ffie mean time, the high contrafting parties ffiall order, as fpeedily as poffible, a particular convention to be made, in which the mode of faluting between fwedifli and ruffian ffiips fhall be eftablifhed, whetiier at fea, in port, or wherever they may chance to meet. Till then,, in order to prevent miftakes in the -above cafe, fhips of war belonging to either party fliall not falute each other. VI. Her imperial majefty of all the Ruffias has alfo agreed, that his fwedifli majefty fliall be at liberty to buy every year corn to the amount of fifty thoufand rubles in the ports of the ¦ gulf of Finland and of the Baltic fea, provided it be proved that it is for the ufe of his fwediffi' majefty, or for the ufe of fome of his fubjefts duly authorized by his majefty, without dues or charges, and to export it freely into Sweden. In this, however,- barren years fliall not be included, nor fuch years in wliich, for fome important- reafons, her imperial majefty may be induced to forbid the exportation of grain to any nation whatever. VII. As the eagernefs of the high contracting parties for the fpeedy termination of thofe evils with which their refpec- tive fubjefts have been afflifted, in confequence of war, does not allow them time for the regulation of mgny points, and vol. in. i i objefts 4021 APPENDIX, NO. VI. objefts tending to eftabliffi firmly a good neighbourhood ana perfeft tranquillity of the frontiers, they agree, and mutually promife to pay attention to thofe points and objefts, and to difcitfs and regulate them amicably by means of ambaffadors or plenipotentiary minifters, whom they ffiall appoint imme-' diately after the conclufion of the prefent treaty of peace. VIII. The ratifications ofthe prefent treaty of peace ffiall be exchanged within the fpace of fix days, or fooner if pof fible. In teftimony whereof, we have figned the prefent treaty of peace, and fealed it with our arms. Done in the plain of Vercle, near the river Kymene, be tween the advanced pofts of each camp, the nth of Auguft 1790. Gustavus Maure, Baron von Armfeldt. Otho, Baron von Igelstrcem. No. VII. A Memorial prefented by the Deputies qf the Greek Islands to the Empress of Russia, offering the Irnperial Grecian Throne to her fecond grandfon Constantine. «} Bafl-iAiWj) ffiaerin rSi 'PstrtJy, xj T« ¦£. *) T« i§. xj ret KAI TKTO a «frf>OS STtJOV Tl tljUl TO im f*«X{OS x?°,ai f*«TE»{ Jm9t»- Tif, tch; u5r»{yo~; t?s fyuTsgas AuToxpaTogixii; MfyaAetoTtiro; ct§ h awoxpiff-iv, avapoja; at ^y *> WEpiao-iay auray. Nai, SacraSo-o-a x} KtifiV tSto a fojo; t» ittqm »jjU>j aToAoAo'yTEs «ao-ay thrnSai pia; "raffa; '•amxe.itreu;, ToApvpsy yon x*i>oyTS{ ^ocr^Epiiy Ttjv Tairivi* ifiai, esyapapay, «o£o; tBb- ito',5',*? tyq ad-rijs Auf . Msy. «!¦( ts5 sic tw» aJs^iJy vjuwv alpixTut p'uauas |)jjwfiy, 0* Ete^ov sy iffoy Ai^EA^a J^wy to xj xt/jioy (Moj t?; »|i*S» urapayyai- Jiei;, o» xj yptQntrs u^Sf ey T<*t/ni tii TotyiEipcJ eVi%ei£ijo-«, Efty oVui; IlaBario-o^sy, ri» av-r?; Aut. M£y. s| «y irfapwat' airarift (i; h xj of (*(yir«yEf autij;) eyttojjist yap, Sri 6 uVmv; fapoj -ayjjg /3d£Aef0Ta'T0; Ix tS i;uuiy Iflyfi;, tVEXty Ti)j xpowrata; auTS, «{ i|^S?» xj e!{ «y EkftVxETxt. O yag.« Jay ft»j srX'aywy, ay!!raj-j£EfyT«; raj iwapysf auxSi,- wir^y auT0~c l«sutoy„ £5 a|)- o-a» >cj 09rAiir8i>ca» ^ia tw; tui if/.i;v ^n,aiirai> ^aTrayig;. ei; f/oyoc s J 5^»Sy taaaj riy xf«yixi)y avra xoitij», iSciiratncri $i*.x, k, wo %rti*d«; Xe"fo\ «fi!J/i«T» ex Twy to*»»y a^Ta xgnftuim, oirAicaj^ o't's yaw;, sysxey tbtb oi 'Oflaijuiioi uvritTiitxt ^ T«y (*nT£ja airS, tu. lAm\aT5)o-«y ta &irx(x°"Tet ^ T" e^Seijo* t«s ttyjsf. Oux Iria-a^fy roeTE ^ ax lTB|i«£y Tas 0-B5 9)jo-aiJfB;, sn lT7)rapit Ek/tri wiJpio* xoviy 19 (Ti^iSf 0-^ i> TJ» 'E| f y*yT»«; otwtrtlXay jifsaj f»yoo-$tjs«y o-jip(ri» Jaijy >^ t« x1«{*«to» •VTuy, 1^ «x IxEry tas o-a; 9>io-«ujbj. N, wjoo-5i;Kai(tEy XuT{oo-a>, riy a&ro*%xmpla* ij*aiy ^{upAnv, xiy -Eraxpiap^/ay x) isjay ^yja-xEray, xara^oyiflio-ay xj xaxa- a-aTiSia-ay Ix xSy ^Si^ay, xj j3ag£af«y 'OSwji*«y2y' •a^oo-lmufiit ut TttiQH, h ' Efiyo?, 8 To 'Bttifia BX eWso-Ce'rtl, a 0 Ipw; inri%V9>tt xij; XrvOipsa;, ax l$vti8i)?at ya{ a* fihgcu axiom rut |9a££ctf£>y airoo^ivt&t, e^« Je vr^orSt avr3 ofiftarut Tijy Etxoya xwy flga>Vx£y v^a^iut Twy oevxa ispoirxropvt ewj tvt. At \a.{jLW£a) rjjuiy rix.ohfj.al dyxyiyocrxsy ^jy eraXiiy i/AM juEya- >Mt-i)Ta' oi dmeoi XijuEvai, 4 liQvtn rut ayfit fiaf, 0 Oieatc,; a iittaug yi\wt \

iJri; lix-'/in a juoyo? tor; »eo(5 **/\$ rag me oyoys; aura. *Hf*s<5 ax ETftty ex t&» oWaTAvv oIViyEj Irorijj.va'sit a.yrarj;£0TEgt>y T"v <*y»xT»y' v/»e~; Io-(as/ 01 oWEj-a/ljUEyoi t»y X«S» TrJ; 'EXXaJbj «rpo/x»i6£i'/*£voi awo/iuTB dvyajuEai;, w; Je toiaroi wpoo-irjir- tovIes to^ woViy avrris ijy /*£xa v£oy o-ulvgoc. iKn^opKt vix>voy.n ai^ 7o-«o-G«i ^isXf ' TfXEtiliotj «/ioiy ayan-yo??. 0» xyjj i^ETEfa; AvToxpatajgixii; Miya/WoWot -fnrara-' ' toi oiAoi, xj ra <|. ITsvo; Kigi), Tl£Tga5roX»i, Xjiro; A*foT7<, ATp»A<8, -1790. Nixo/Vao; IlayxaXo;. Ali ¦bafhas'lelter to captain * Bogia ararf captain Giavella, two o/" /Ae 7no/? conjideralle of the chiefs of the Greek inhabitants ofthelkountain of Sulli, praying them to meet, * The Creeks call their chiefs captains. hint APPENDIX^ NO. VII. '485 him with all their foldiers or companions, to affift in his expedition. His letter was in modern Greek, of which the following is a copy, which, as a literary curiojity, is here . inferted.(tHho'f/M K«B-»xav Mm>£f» k} Kauri-ray T^aS(>\>.% iyw 0 'AKv Ilao-ias aa% jjjaipsr^, x, cat piA» ra, paxi'a, iirnlrt iy lya %iiev tooAAi xaAa xn» aiiiays.ii.at aa.; >£, ?ucsAAixap.V.> ca-c. MS (paitsrat na.Xu ^fyaAnv x(iix' awo Aoyaaas, A<,i-o v y.ri * dp.tr i a.\\luq ^ra^axaAu/, aM.' tivv$ ova JiiSiti xtj« ypa pcjsf «y «o AoySo-a,', x) j^syo* ya £(o« tijy (fi>, »-jy tya oe» -cjaya y» tooAeujjjh TOpiy ya s/\9exe eo-fir, xj ca; xagtfgu oAAi- yoja ya eASbxs. TaSxa, x) fl-a; ^ki?-etw. Whereof the following is a trdnflation, • My friends, captain Bogia -and captain Giavella, I, AH paffia, falute you, and kifs your eyes, becaufe I well know your courage and. heroic minds. It appears to me that I have great need of you, therefore I entreat you immediately, when you receive my letter, to affemble all your heroes, and come to meet me, that I my <;o to fight my enemies. This is- the hour and ffie time that I have need of you. I expeft to fee your friendffiip, and the love which you have for me. Your pay ffiall be double that which I give to ffie Albanians, becaufe I know that your courage is greater than theirs ; therefore I will not go to fight before you come, and I expeft that you will come foon. This only; and I falute you. 486 APPENDIX, NO. VIII. No. VIII. Manifesto of the Empress of all the Russias relative to the 'Partition' of Poland. I Michael Krechetnikof, general in chief, fenator, general- governor of Tula, Kaluga, and ffie countries newly annexed from the polifh republic to the ruffian empire, comr mander of all the armies there, &c. hereby make known, by tlie fupreme will and command of my moft gracious fovereign her Imperial majefty of all the Ruffias, to all tlie inhabitants in general of ffie countries now united for ever to the ruffian empire from the popiffi republic : Her imperial majefty has hitherto taken, in the affairs of Poland, a part that has always been tending to ffie intereft of both empires. It has not only been unfuccefsful, buj proved a fruitlefs burthen; and her endeavours to maintain peace and freedom ampng her neighbpurs have been attended with innumerable loffes. Thirty years of experience has evinced it, in the numerous Internal difputes which have diftrafted ffie poliffi .republic' Her imperial majefty has viewed their fufferings, in the countries and cities bordering on her empire, with great cempaffien, confidering them as defcending from ffie fame race, and pro- feffing ffie holy chriftian religion. Even at this moment, fome unworthy Poles, enemies to. their country, have not been affiamed to approve the govern ment of the ungodly rebels in the kingdom of France, and to requeft their affiftance to involve their country alfo in bloody civil wars. The true chriftian religion, and the well-being of the inha bitants of the above-mentioned countries, would .fuffer from the introduftion of ffich deteftable doftrines, which tend to annihilate all the bonds of fociety, to overthrow all fafety, iroperty, and profperity, Thefe enemies of peace, following « the 4*7 ffie deteftable plan of the rnob of rebels in France, propagate their doftrines throughout Poland to the utmoft of their power, which would deftroy for ever their own and their neighbours happinefs. From thefe confiderations, her imperial majefty, my moft gracious miftrefs, as well to indemnify herfelf for her many loffes, as for the future fafety ef her empire and the poliffi dominions, and for the cutting off at once, forever, all future difturbances and frequent changes of government, has been pleafed now to take under herfway, and to unite for ever to. her empire, the following trafts of land, with all their inha bitants-: namely, a line beginning at the village of Druy, on the left bank of tlie river Dvina, at the corner of ffie border of Semigallia : thenee extending to Neroch and Dubrova, and following the border of the voivodefhip of Vilna to Stolptfaj to Nefvij, and then to Pinfk j and thence paffing Kuniffi, between Vifkero and Novegreble, near the frontier of Gallicia; thence to the river Dnieftr ; and, laftly, running along the river, till it enters the old border of Ruffia and Poland at Yer*i getic: in fuch manner, that all the cities and countries within this line qf demarcation, the new border of Ruffia and Po land, fhall henceforward, for ever, come under the fceptre of the ruffian empire, and the inhabitants, of all ranks what ever, be -fubjefts thereof. I, being appointed by her imperial -majefty governor-gene ral of thefe countries, by her fupreme order have to certify, in her facred name, and in her own words, to all her im perial majefty's new fubjefts, and now my beloved country-,. men, that her moft gracious majefty is pleafed, not only "to confirm and enfure to all the free and public exercife of their religion, and full fecurity of property and poffeffion, .but to unite and to affiliate them under her government, for the fame and glory/of the whole ruffian empire ; an exatnple of which is to be feen in her faithful fubjefts, the inhabitants of White Ruffia, now living in full peace and plenty under her wife and gracious dominion. Further, .that all and every i i 4 one 488 APPENDIX, NO. VIII. one of them ffiall enjoy all the rights and privileges of her old fubjefts; and that from this day, every denomination of the inhabitants enters on tlie full participation of thefe benefits through the whole extent of the ruffian empire. Her imperial majefty expefts, from the gratitude of her new fubjefts, that Nthey, being placed by her bounty on an - equality with Ruffians, ffiall in return transfer the love of their former country to the new one, and live, in future, attached .fo fo great and generous an emprefs. 1 therefore now inform every perfon, from the higheft to the loweft, that, within one month, they muft take tlie' oath of allegiance before the witneffes whom I fhall appoint ; and if any of the gentlemen, or other ranks, poffeffing real or immovable property, regardlefs of their own intereft,' ffiould refute to take ffie oath prefcribed, -three months are allowed for the fale of their immovables, and their free departure over ffie borders ; after the expiration of which term, all their re maining property ffiall be confifcated to the crown. The clergy, both high and low, ' as paftors of their flocks, are expefted to fet the example in taking ffie oath; and in ffie daily fervice in their churches they muft pray for her im perial majefty, for her fucceffpr the great duke Paul Petro- vitch, and for all the imperial family, according to tlie form which ffiall be given them. . In the above-mentioned folemn affurance concerning the free exercife of religion and undifturbed poffeffion of property, it is underftood that the jews living in thefe countries united to the ruffian empire, ffiall remain on the, former footing, prc- tefted in their religion and property ; for her majefty's huma nity will not permit them alone to bex excluded from the.bene- fits of her kindnefs, under the protection of God ; fo long as they continue to live in peace, and purfue their trades like faithful fubjefts, law and juftice fliall be adminiftered, in the; name of her imperial majefty, in the proper places with the Utmoft ftriftneis and equity. 2 I have 489 : I have further thought it needful to add, by order of her imperial majefty, that the troops ffiall, as in their own coun try, be under tlie ftrifteft difcipline. Their taking poffeffion, therefore, ofthe various places', and changing ffie government, fliould not1 in the leaft alter the courfe of trade or living; for ffie increafe of the happinefs of the inhabitants in all'parts is the intention of her imperial majefty. This manifefto ffiall be read in all the churches on th# 27th of this prefent month of March, 'regiftered in all ffie municipal books, and nailed up in proper places, for the gene ral information ; and that full credit may be given to it, I have, in confequence of the powers entrufted to me, figned it with my ha'ndj' and affixed to it the feal of my arms, at ffie head-quarters ofthe army under my command at Polonna, (Signed) M. Krechetnikof. Manifesto of his Prussian Majest.t relative to his 'Partition of Poland, March 25. WE Frederic William, by the grace of God, king of Pruf fia, &c. make known to the refpeftive ftates, bifhops, abbots, voivodes, caftellans, ftahrofts, chamberlains, and' country judges; the knighthood, vaffals, and nobles, the magiftrates and ' inhabitants of the cities, tlie countrymen, and all ffie re mainder of the fpiritual and fecular inhabitants of the voi- vodefhips of Pofen, Gnefen, Kaliffi, Siradia, ffie city and monaftery of Chentochova, the province of Vielun ; ffie Voivodeffiip of Lentfchitz, ffie province of Cujavia, the pro vince of Doorzyn, the voivodefhips of Rava and Plotzk, Sec. in the circle of the boundaries, as likewife the cities of Dantzic and Thorn, hitherto in the poffeffion of the crown of Poland, our gracious will, royal grace, and all forts of good, and give them the following moft gracious notice : It is univerfally known that the poliffi nation never ceafed to afford te the neighbouring powers, and chiefly to ffie pruf fian 49© APPENDIX, NO, VIII* fian ftate, frequent reafons of juft difcontent. Not fatisfied (contrary to all rules of good neighbourhood) wiffi injuring the pruffian territory, by frequent invafions, with molefting and ill ufing the fubjefts on this fide the frontiers, and with almoft continually refuting them juftice and legal fatisfac- tion ; this nation have, befides, always bufied themfelves with pernicious plans, which muft needs attraft ffie attention of ffie neighbouring powers. Thefe are matters of faft which could not efcape the eye of an attentive obferver of the late occur rences in Poland ; but what chiefly excited ffie ferious con-. federation of the neighbouring powers is, ffie fpirit of rebellion continually increasing in Poland, and the vifible influence- which was obtained by thofe abominable exertions, by which all ciyjl, political, and religious ties would have been diffolved, and ffie inhabitants of Poland expofed to all ffie tremendous eonfequenees of anarchy, and plunged into mjferies, ffie end of which could not be fbrefeen. If in every country the adoption and fpreading of fuch de- ftraftive principles be always attended with the lofs of ffie tranquillity and happinefs of its inhabitants, its deftruftive eonfequenees are the more to be dreaded in a country like Poland ; fince this nation have always diftinguifhed them felves by difturbances and party , fpirit, and are powerftd. enough of themfelves to become dangerous to their neighbours, by thefe diftnrbanees. It would certainly militate againft the firft rules of found policy, as well as ffie duties incumbent on us for the prefer vation of tranquillity in our dominions, if, in fuch a ftate of things in a neighbouring great kingdom, we remained inac tive fpeftators, and ffiould wait for the period when the fac tions feel themfelves ftrong enough to appear -in public ; by which our own neighbouring provinces would be expofed to feveral dangers, by the eonfequenees of the anarchy on our frontiers. We APPENDIX, NO. VIII, 451, We have, therefore, in conjunction with her majefty the emprefs of Ruffia, and with the affent of his majefty the roman emperor, acknowledged^ that the fafety of our ftates did require to fet to tlie republic of Poland fuch boundaries as are more compatible with her interior ftrength and fitu- atjop, and may facilitate to her the means of procuring, without prejudice to her liberty, a well-ordered, folid, and aftive form of government ; of maintaining herfelf in the undifturbed enjoyment of the fame ; and preventing, by thefe means, tlie difturbances which have fo often ffiaken he* own tranquillity, and. endangered the fafety of her neigh bours, In order to attain this end, and to preferve the republic of Poland "from the dreadful eonfequenees which muft be the refult of her internal divifions, and to refcue her from her utter ruin, but chiefly to withdraw her inhabitants from the horrors of the deftruftive doftrines which they are bent ta follow ; there is, according to our thorough perfuafion, to which alfo her majefty the emprefs of all the Ruffias accedes, no other means, except to incorporate her frontier provinces into our ftates, and for this purpofe immediately to take pof feffion Of the fame* and to , prevent, in time, all misfortunes which' might arife from ffie continuance of the reciprocal dif turbances. Wherefore we have refolved, with the affent of her ruffian majefty, to take poffeffion of ffie above-mentioned diftrifts of Poland, and alfo of the cities of Dantzic and Thorn, in -order to incorporate them into our dominions. We herewith publicly announce our firm and unfhaken re- folution, and expeft that the poliffi nation will foon aflemble Jn the djet, and adopt ffie necelfary meafures to the end qf fettling things in an amicable manner, and of obtaining the falutary end of fecuring to the republic of Poland an undif turbed peace, and preferving her inhabitants from ffie terrible eonfequenees of anarchy. At the fame time, we exhort the ftates and inhabitants of tlie diftrifts and towns which we have 49a APPENDIX, NO. VIII. have 'taken poffeffion of, as already mentioned, boffi in a gracious and ferious manner, not to oppofe our commanders and troops ordered for that purpofe ; but raffier traftably to fubmit to our government, and acknowledge us, from this day forward, as their lawful king and fovereign, to behave , like loyal and obedient fubjefts, and to renounce all connection with ffie crown of Poland. We doubt not ffiat all whom this may concern will attend to> it with obedience ; but in cafe, and contrary to all expecta tion, fome one or other ftate and inhabitants of the faid dif trifts and towns ffiould refnfe to obey ffie contents of this, and not take ffie oath of allegiance, nor fubmit to our govern ment, or even attempt to oppofe our commanders and troops, fuch perfon or perfons have unavoidably to expeft, ffiat ffie punifhment ufual in fuch cafes ffiall be inflifted upon them without any diftinftion. In witnefs whereof we have fubferibed this patent wiffi our own hand, and caufed our royal feal to be fet to it, to be publifhed in due place, and to be publicly printed. Done' at Berlin the 25th of March, 1793. Frederic William. (L. S.) Declaration of the King and Republic of Poland, affembled in Diet at Grodno, protefting againft thefdrcille Partition q/"Poland, Sept. 24. SURROUNDED clofely by foreign. troops on ffie 2d of this month, threatened with further invafion ofthe territory of the republic by ffie pruffian armies, to its uttermoft ruin, and oppreffed by innumerable violences, the ftates in diet affem bled. were forced to give leave to their deputation for fi'gning the impofed treaty, wiffi addition of a few claufes, and fuch only as the diftating power itfelf feemed in pity to. approve of. But with grief and furprife we find, by tlie fad experience i)f this APPENDIX, NO. VIII. 493 this day, that the court of Berlin is not fatisfied therewith. We fee frefh afts of violence forcing a new projeft upon us: and, in order to fupport it, the fame preponderant power, not contented with invefting the place of our deliberations by an armed foreign force, with addreffing to us notes full ofmehaces, feizes from among us, and carries off, our mem bers; and, by an unexampled proceeding, keeps us, the king, bent under the weight of age, and under fuch manifold cala mities, and us, the ftates of the republic, confined and im- prifoned in the fenate. Thus fituated, we do declare, in the moft folemn manner that, unable to prevent, even with the rifk of our lives, ffie effeft of the oppfeffive force, we leave to our pofterity, hap pier perhaps than ourfelves, thofe means of' faving our dear country, whereof we are bereft at prefent ; and thus tlie pro jeft fent to us by the ruffian ambaffador, though contrary to our laws, wiffies, and opinions, forced by the above means to accept, we do accept. Done at Grodno, the 24th of September. Signed and engroffed in the public records, according to law. No. IX. The principal Articles of the Treaty concluded at Y assy, thegth of January, 1792, and figned % ly Prince Repnin and the Grand Vpzir. I, THAT a fincere amity fhall henceforth fubfift between ffie two empires. II. That the ftipulations in tlie treaties that preceded the. laft rupture ffiall refume. their entire force. III. That 494 Appendix, no. x. III. That the Dnieftr ffiall henceforth ferve as ffie 'boundary of the two empires ; and that all the territory fitoaf e on the left bank pf the- river ffiall be reftored to ffie porte. IV. That the antient rights and privileges of the principal towns of Moldavia and of Valakhia ffiall be confirmed; ffiaf the inhabitants of thofe towns ffiall remain, during two whole years, exempt from all tribute; and that thofe who would fell their property, and retire elfewhere, ffiall be at liberty to do fo without difficulty. V. That tlie porte ffiall henceforth guarantee the kingdom} of Grufinia or Georgia and the adjacent countries. VI. That1 it ffiall ftrive to do ffie fame in regard to Cau cafus. VII. That it ffiall undertake to put a flop to ffie piracies of the barbarian corfairs, and to indemnify tlie fubjefts of Ruffia for the loffes they may fuftain by the failure of execution of ffie three preceding articles. VIII. That the ruffian, greek, moldavian, poliffi, and ether prifoners ffiall be fet at liberty. No. X. Some Particulars ofthe Ukase or Edict pulliftied in re gard to the French eftabl[ftied in Russia. AFTER a preamble againft the french revolution, the emprefs adds : i. All the effefts of the treaty of commerce concluded the 30th of December 1786, between us and the late king Louis XVI. are fufpended, till fuch time as order fliall be re-eftabliflied, and there ffiall be a legitimate autho rity in Franqe. 2. We prohibit, till ffiat fame time, ffie en trance of 1 french fliips, whether under ffieir own or under ¦ foreign colours, into all our ports fituate in the feveral feas ; and Appendix, no..x. 49$ aftct we likewife forbid all our merchants and mafters of ffiips to caufe their veffels to enter the ports of France. 3. We command tlie ci-devant confuls, agents, &c. to withdraw from our two refidences ; and that a term of three weeks fliall be prefcribed to them for fettling their affairs, and being without the frontiers of Ruffia 4. We in like manner command all our confuls, &g. and in general all Ruffians of both fexes, to quit, without delay, the kingdom of France. . . . 5. We command that none tolerate, and that they remove from our empire all ffie French, of either fex, without ex ception. ,.;.,. 6. We except the French who, being fum moned before the government of the place where they are fettled, fhall teftify a fincer'e defire to abjure the principles ffiat are now in vogue in their country It ffiall be clearly reprefented to them, ffiat their abjuration fliall be in- ferted in the ruffian and foreign gazettes, together wiffi ffie names of thofe who ffiall have fworn and fubferibed it. Form ofthe abjuration. — " I, the underwritten, fwear by "Almighty God, and by his holy gofpeh.that, as I have " never, wittingly or willingly, given my approbation to the *' impious and feditious principles that have been introduced " into France, and that I confefs the government which, has; " juft been eftablifhed there to be unlawful and ufurped, in " violation of all laws That I am convinced in my " confeience, of the excellence of ffiat religion which has been " tranfmitted to me by my anceftors t promife, and " bind myfelf, in confequence, fo long as I ffiall enjoy ffie " fecure proteftion which her imperial majefty of all the " Ruffias has gracioufly vouchfafed to grant me, to live in the " Obfervance of the precepts of the religion in which I was " born; to be fubmiffive to the laws and to ffie government " of her imperial majefty ; to break off all correfpondence in " my native country with the French who acknowledge the " monftrous form of government now exifting in France. .... "And in cafe I Arnold ever be guilty of a violation of this " oath, I fubmit myfelf to all the feverity of the laws in this "life, . 49°^ APPENDIX, NO. X. "life, and, for that which is to come, to the tremendous " judgment of God. And in confirmation of this oath, I kifs *' ffie holy gofpel and the crofs of my Saviour." No. XI. Abolition ofthe Messages relative to Family Events between Sweden and Russia. THE king of Sweden thought it his duty, on occafion of the recent refolution of his marriage, to give a princefs [the emprefs of Ruffia], who is his relation and his ally, the fame mark of attention which he has already given to ffie pruffian and daniffi majefties, to whom he is equally attached by ffie bands of amity and good neighbourhood. It is therefore with the utmoft aftoniffiment, that his majefty has feen that tlie emprefs of Ruffia in no refpeft correfponded wiffi this atten tion. The king has, in confequence, refolved in future to re ceive none of thofe private miffions which have relation to family events, and which have hitherto been cuftomary be tween ffie two courts, but which ffie king has now aboliffied for ever. No. XII. Act by which Courland, Semigallia, and the Circle of Pilten, furrendered themfelves to- the Empress o/Russia. I. WE fubmit ourfelves for ourfelves and, our poflerity, ourfelves and the duchies of Courland and Semigallia, to lier. imperial .majefty Catharine II. emprefs of all ffie Ruffias, glorioufly reigning, aud to her fovereign fceptre. II. We. APPENDIX', NO. XII. ' 4Q7 II. We know by experience the great inconvenience- of ffie feudal fyftem which attached us to the paramount fovereignty of Poland, and how greatly it bppofed the general profperity of the country. We imitate our anceftors of that part of Livonia beyond the Dvina, who, in ij6i, renouncing the fupremacy of the emperor and of the empire, confequently ffie feudal fyftem of that time, and the mediate government of the teutonic order, fubmitted themfelves immediately to Poland We renounce for ourfelves and our pofterity the; feudal fyftem which has fubfifted hitherto under the polifh, fupremacy, and the mediate government refulting from it, We fubmit ourfelves immediately to her imperial majefty of all the Ruffias and to her fceptre. We refign to her, with ffie more confidence and refpeft, the more particular decifion of our lot, as her faid majefty has hitherto ffiewn herfelf ffie generous proteftrefs and guarantee of all our rights, of our laws, of our cuftoms, of our immunities, of our privileges *, and of our pofleffions. She will certainly be difpofed, ac cording to her magnanimous and benevolent way of thinking, to ameliorate, in her maternal folicitude, the future lot of a Country which fubmits itfelf to her with the moft refpeftful 'and ffie moft "unlimited confidence. III. A deputation of fix perfons ffiall. go to Peterfburg, to follicit her imperial' majefty to deign to accept of our entire fubmiffion ; and in that cafe, to take there to her imperial majefty the oath of fidelity and obedience. * Witnefs, when the raflian troops re-inftated Biren by open force. VOL. III. K K 49§ APPENDIX, NO. XIII. No. XIII. J?orm ofthe Individual Oate; earaciMo/' Me Lithuanian* and, the P9LE5. " I N. N. promife and fwear to God Almighty, by his P holy gofpel, to be always ready to ferve, faithfully and *' loyally, her imperial majefty the moft ferene emprefs, grand - " lady, Catharine Alexievna, autoeratrix of all the Ruffias *' and her well-beloved fon, grand duke Paul Petrovitch, her " lawful fucceffor, to go for ffiat purpofe to yield up my life, *c and to fted the laft drop of my blood ; to pay due and per- >' feft obedience to the commands already iffued, or hereafter f to iflire, " from ffie authorities appointed by her ; to fulfil and (' maintain them all confeientioufly to the beft of my power ; f to contribute, with all my ftrength, to ffie maintenance of ff the peace and quiet wliich her majefty has eftablifhed in my f countiy, and to have no communication or intelligence ff whatever with ffie'difturbers of tliat quiet, either mediately i' or immediately, either publicly or privately, either by ac- f tions or by advice, and whatever be the particular occafion, f ' circumftance, or caufe that may lead to it. " la cafe, on the contrary, any thing ffiould come to my f ' knowledge prejudicial to tlie intereft: of her imperial majefty, i" or to the general welfare, I will not only ftrive to remove at V the time, but I will . oppofe it wiffi all ffie means that ffiall P be in my power, to hinder it from coming to pafs. I will fo V ponduft myfelf in all niy aftions as it behoves me, like a '.' faithful citizen, to behave towards the authorities which " her majefty' has fet over me, and as I muft anfwer for it to V Gpd and to his terrible judgment. So may God help me, as ft well in my body as in my foul ! " In confirmation of theprofeffion made by this oaffi, I kifs " the holy word and tlie crofs of my Saviour." APPENDIX, NO. XIV. 459 No; XIV. ' Russian Declaration, THE intentions- which her majefty the emprefs of all the , Ruffias has caufed to be announced in ffie declaration delivered on ffie 7-i8th May, laft year, by her minifter at Warfaw, upon ffie occafion of her troops entering Poland, were without contradiftion of a nature for obtaining the fuffrage, deference, and one might even add, thankfulnefs ofthe whole poliffi na tion. However, all Europe has feen in what manner they have. been received and appropriated. To open to the confederation of Targovich the road by which they might attain the exercife of their rights and legal power, it was' neceffary to take up arms, and the authors of ffie revolution of ffie 3d of May 1791, and their adherents, iiave not quilted the career by which they -have provoked ffie ruffian troops, until after they were vanquifhed by their efforts. But if open refiftance ceafed, it was only to make room for fecrej machinations, whofe developed fprings are the more dangerous, as they often efcape ffie moft attentive vigilance, and even the reach of the law. The fpirit of fadtion and difturbance has ffiot fuch deep joots, that thofe who.mifchievoufly foment and propagate ffiem, after having been unfuccefsful in ffieir cabals at foreign courts to render the views of Ruffia fufpicious to them, have endeavoured to delude the multitude, always eafy to be over* |aken, and fuceeeded in making ffiem ffiare in the hatred and animofity they have conceived againft this empire, for having frufirated' them in their criminal expeftations. Without fpeakihg about feveral fafts of public notoriety, that prove the mjfchievous difpofition of the greateft number •f the Polanders, let if fuffice to mention, ffiat they have been k x. % known (JOO APPENDIX, NO. XIV. known to abufe even ffie principles of humanity and of mode ration, to which the generals and officers of the emprefs's army, purfuant to the exprefs orders they had received, con formed ffieir conduft and aftions ; and to btirft out againft them in all manner of infults and bad proceedings, infomuch that ffie moft audacious durft to make mention of Sicilian Vefpers, and threaten, to make them undergo the fame. Such is the reward which thefe enemies of tranquillity and of good order, whom her imperial majefty was willing to re- eftabliffi and fecure in their native country, referved for her generous intentions. From thisv one may guefs at the fincerity of the aceeffion of moft among them to tlie now exifting confederation, and alfo at the duration and folidity of the peace, both abroad and- in ffie bofom of the republic. But the emprefs, accuftomed for thefe thirty years to-ftrug- gle againft the continual agitations of this ftate, and trufting to the means Providence gave her to contain within their bounds the diffentions which have reigned there until this day, would have perfevered in her difinterefted exertions, and continued to bury in oblivion all ffie grievances ffie has to lay to its ¦ charge, and alfo the lawful pretentions to which tbey entitle her, if inconveniences of a ftill more ferious nature were not to be apprehended. The unnatural delirium of a people, of late fo flouriffiing, now degraded, difmembered, and on the brink of an abyfs ready to fwallow them, inftead of being an objeft of horror for thofe faftious 'perfons, appears to ffiem a pattern for imitation. They endeavour to introduce into the bofom of tlie republic that infernal doftrine, which a feft, al together impious, facrilegtous, and abfurd, has engendered, to the misfortune and diffolution of all religious, civil, and political focieties. Clubs, which are connefted with ffie jacobin clubs at Paris; are already eftablifhed in the capital, as well as in feveral pro vinces of Poland ; they diftil their poifon in a fecret mannery fill the people's minds with it, and caufe them to ferment. - ' The APPENDIX, NO. XIV. £Ot The eftabliffiirient of an axiom fo dangerous for all powers Whofe ftates border upon the dominions of the republic, muft naturally excite their attention. They have in conjunction taken tlie moft proper meafures for ftifling the evil before ft came to maturity, and preventing its contagion from reaching their own frontiers. Her majefty the emprefs of all the Ruffias," and his majefty the king of Pruffia, with the affent of his majefty the emperor of the Romans, have found no other ef feftual means for ffieir refpeftive fafety than by confining the re public of Poland within narrower bounds, by awarding to her an exiftence and propofitions, which beft fuit an intermediatdry power, and which facilitate' to her the means of fecuring and preferviiig herfelf, without prejudicing her former liberty, with a government that is wifely regulated/ and at the fame time aftive enough to prevent and reprefs all diforders ahd'difturb- ances that have fo often impaired her own tranquillity- and* that of her neighbours. For this purpofe, ffieir majefties the em prefs of all ffie Ruffias and tlie king of Pruffia, being united' in perfeft harmony of views and principles, are thoroughly convinced that they cannot better prevent the entire fubverfion that threatens the republic after the difcord that has divided it, and efpecially by thofe monftrous and erroneous opinions that began to manifeft themfelves, than by uniting to their refpeftive ftates thofe of. the provinces which aftually border upon ffie fame, and by taking- an immediate and effeftual poffeffion of thenv in order to ffielter them in time from the fatal effefts of thefe very Opinions which are propagated with fo much zeal. Their faid majefties, by announcing to ffie whole poliffi , nation in general the firm refolutiqbs they have taken on this head, invite ffiem to affemble as foon as poffible ih a diet,- for the purpofe of proceeding to an amicable regulation concerning this objeft, and to concur wiffi the falutary intention they have for fecuring to her in future a ftate of undifturbed peace fixed on a ftable and folid balls. -, Given at Grodno, the 29th of March O. S, 9th April 1 793. James de Sievers, Ambaffador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of her im perial majefty of all the Ruffias. S<3» APPENDIX, NO. XIV. Note delivered on the 2,8th of April, by the illuftrious Gene- «xal Confederation, to his exc. M. De Sievers, Ambaf- bqfador Extraordinary of her Majefty the Empress of Russia, in Answer to thofe of that Mm hte*.) under date ofthe 18th ult. THE general confederation of the two nations having en joined the under-figned to anfwer the notes of his excellency M. de Sievers, the ambaffad or extraordinaryof her imperial - majefty of all the, Ruffias, dated the 9th arid 18th of ffie pre fent month, they find themfelves charged and conftrained to confefs that the confederation never expefted a declaration of feizing on ffie provinces of the republic, and that they on the receipt of -the firft note, have of courfe found themfelves in the difficult and arduous fituation of conciliating ffie painful fentiments they experienced refpefting ffie regard due te neighbouring and allied powers ; a fituation which alone was the caufe of a longer deliberation. The general confederation thought ffiat they might indeed fuppofe, by the purport of tlie notes delivered to them, both on the part of her imperial majefty of all ffie Ruffias, and on the part of his pruffian majefty, ffiat the taking of the wealthieft provinces of tlie republic of Poland, and whofe extent exceeds that which is left her, is no longer an objeft of negotiation fufceptible.of a mutual arrangement but rather a declaration of what thefe two powers have pleafed to fubmit under their 'dominion ; and it has confequently appeared to the general confederation, that no power wbatfoever, not even that of the diet, being able to avert the difafter which unexpeftedly has befallen the republic, it would have been tlie- duty of the faid confederation, who with a folemn oath have bound themfelves in the face of the church, to maintain the integrity of tlie country to the fmalleft particle, to withdraw themfelves APPENDIX, NO. XlVi ijOj memfelves from the leaft participation of any thing that might render them juftly perjurers. The deliberations then only run upon proper means of faying the honour of a clear and ir reproachable confcience; but -fince the confederation have found themfelves to- be unable to ferve the country in a. ufeful rnannet, and to deferve by a loyal counter-declaration to fee themfelves rather pitied than defpifed, after ari event they can in no ways reproach themfelves wiffi, and of which they hope to be cleared by an equitable and compaffionate public." ' Amidft a eonteft of fuch fenfations as thefe, the fecond note of his excellency the ambaffador; dated April the 18th, was handed to the general confederation, who are befides forced1 to fear the reproaches of the nation concerning their inaftion, efpecially after having been informed, that whatever was furnifhed to the numerous army of her imperial majefty, ffiould not be fefubded till the univeffals were publifhed, in order to affemble an extraordinary diet. Finally, they have charged the 'Underwritten to declare in the name jof ffie general confederation, and by their exprefs order, that the faid confederation think themfelves fully abJ folved in the fight of ffie Supreme Being, and ffie equitable judgments of the neighbouring and allied powers, as of their own impartial countrymeni concerning any participation whatever in the plan of dividing Poland, and relative to tlie meafures 'they adopt, purffiant to the laws guaranteed by thofe very powers— by recalling the members Of ffie permanent council, who have not given ari account yet of their paft ad,- miniftration— by replacing with new members thofe that ate lawfully excluded — and to further the complementeftabliffied by tlie law of 1 77 j ; by reftoring befides to this magiftracy all the activity given them, to the end of effeftually relieving the preffing exigencies of ffie republic, and of continuing its government. The underwritten are in hopes his excellency the ambaffa dor extraordinary of her imperial majefty, will find this prefent anfwer as loyal and juft as all the aftions of ffie confederatiofi k b * :*»t» 5O4 APPENDIX, NO. XIV. have always been, and ffiat he will acquaint his court with it, rectifying whatever may have been the effeft of a too li mited power by an oath of the faid confederation taken in a folemn manner. Putavoki, Vice-marfhal of ffie confederation of Lithuania. Zabiello, Marfhal of ffie confederation of the crown, Warfaw, May 8. No. XV. Universal, publifhed in the Name of the Empress in the heretofore Polish Provinces, now under her Dominion. By the grace of God, we Catharine II. emprefs and fovereign of all the Ruffias, TO all the inhabitants of the provinces forming in former times a part of the demefnes of ffie republic of Poland, and now aftually united to our empire, greeting : and we give them notice, afliiring them of our imperial good will, of our having united to our ftates tlie poliffi provinces which of old effentially formed part of therri, which were feparated from them in critical times, that which ever fince that epoch did mot ceafe to be expofed to all the deftruftive effefts of domeftic difturbances, diforder, arid diffentions, and caufing the moft -fatal infringements, not only upon public tranquillity, but alfo upon the fafety and welfare of individuals. On one hand, the records of Ancient hiftory ; on the other, tlie events that •took place under our eye, prefent to us on every fide the doleful detail of difaftro.us revolutions ; long and murderous wars; in ffiort, difafters of every denomination, which the people eftabliffied in ffiefe provinces muft have experienced ¦before they came again under our dominion, and ffiared the glory APPENDIX, NO. XIV. 505 glory and profperity our empire at prefent enjoys, and which proclaims its fame in all corners of the world. At laft, how ever, they are about to tafte this happinefs, which fpreads it felf over all our fubjefts ; and our views, by taking poffeffion again of thefe provinces, have been and will always be, to fecure in ffiem the tranquillity of the citizens ; to eftablifh therein a wife government, under wliich each individual may obtain the juftice he,has a right to claim, and to give to this conftitutional form of government a more lafting bafis ; where fore we think the firft and the moft agreeable of our obliga tions, and as it were a duty impofed upon us by tlie Almighty himfelf, is that of anticipating by our imperial good- will all the wiffies of the citizens of thefe diftrifts, and of leading ffiem all equally to the path of felicity, as much as 'it lies in our power. Faithful to ffiefe principles, we have not only guaranteed to each of ffiem the fafety of ffieir perfons and property, but we moreover intend to indemnify them for the damages they have fuftained throug'h the difturbances and dif orders which took place, in thefe provinces, through the' marching of troops, and efpecially in the laft war, of which this part has been the chief feat. Wiffiing moreover to give them the firft token of our maternal follicitude, we have' given orders to our- -general governor of tlie faid provinces, M. Kreclietnikof, to caufe an accurate inventory to be made of thofe damages ; neverthelefs, we farther prohibit the collect ihg from any clafs of citizens, of any kind of taxes or contri butions whatever, for the benefit of our treafury, from this day forward to the firft, of January 1795, except, fuch volun tary gifts as the citizens ffiould offer of their own accord, and ' which, therefore, cannot be a burden to any body whatever ; referving our farther difpofitions on this head. We permit alfo the collection on the old footing, till we ffiall order it otherwife, qf all the tolls and duties inwards, according to die already-eftabliffied cuftom-houfe officers, or that are able to be fo on the new frontiers of the empire of Ruffia, as being in- difpenfably neceffary in the prefent juncture, for tlie eftablifh- ment 5~6 AP"PEN.DIX, NO. J£V. ment and maintenance of the government, and ffie chancery tof our irnperial Fifcns. The firft aftion of our authority being a tefbmony of bene volence in favour of fubjedts that are newly come under out dominion, and of folicitude for the welfare ofthe country they inhabit, we are apt to think that they will gratefully receive this mark of favour, and will know how to value> as they ought to do, the defire we announce here of gaining their hearts by our favours, and to attach them to ffieir ancient mother country, by the hopes of tlie advantages we offer them inftead of fubduing them, by dint pf arms. We hope that, anfwering oUr generous views, they will fend up to Heaven their thankfgivings for their being returned, into the bofom of ffieir antient mother-country, that adopts ffiem for ffie fecond ' time ; ffiat ffie objeft of their zeal and of their endeavours ¦will be, to corroborate them in ffie fealty they owe us, and in a Confta'nt fubmiffion to our laws ; that they will unite themfelves wiffi heart arid foul to our faithful fubjefts tlie Ruffians j that, in ffiort, they will form, as they did formerly, a refpeftable nation, always tractable, always faithful to their monarchs, always valiant and invincible, whereby they will fender themfelves truly worthy of ffie folicitude we fhew to them, as a tender mother, who only wiffies for ffie happinefs of her children. Given in the city of St. Peterfburg, our imperial refidence^ th* 24th of April 1793, of tlie birth of Jefus Chrift; of our dominion over all ffie Ruffias ffie 31ft, and over Taurida the loth. (Signed) Catharine, APPENDIX, tto. Xvi. £0J No. XVI. Remonstrances made to the Count de Sievers, the Rus sian Ambassador., on the Part of the King and the States qf Poland by the Chancellor of the Crown* and of the GeaNd Duchy of Lithuania. THE king, and the confederated ftates of the republic,, having had notice of a fecond violence committed to-day upon the deputies of the nation, of whom many have been arrefted at their houfes — feeling with forroW tlie injuries which a free and independent nation has fuffered from a foreign power, and not being able to continue legally our deliberations without the prefence of thofe members of the diet, we have ordered unanimoufly the chancellor to prefjjnt, in our name, a note to the ruffian ambaffador, to reprefent to him the general fenfa- tion which fuch a proceeding has occafioned, and fo demand the immediate enlargement of the perfons arrefted. Having alfo learned, that the ambaffador had ordered ffie provifions deftined for the ufe of the king to be intercepted* and the eftates of M.,Tysfkievitch, marfhal ofthe grand duchy of Lithuania, to be fequeftrated, which gives us reafon to ap prehend that in future fuch violences may be increafed, we re folved unanimoufly, that the chancellor ffiall make to the am baffador fnitable reprefentations ' on the fiibjeft, infifting that fuch orders fliould be countermanded, as well with regard to the king's domains, as the fequeftration of ffie eftates of which the violation" has not yet come to our knowledge, and that the ambaffador will henceforth be pleafed to abftain from giving fuch orders. A copy of this note ffiall be communicated to all ffie foreign minifters refiding near tlie king's perfon, an fign the treaty, fuch as it was planned and amended under the mediation ofthe ruffian ambaffador, containing jn particular this claufe — "That it ffiall be gua ranteed by her majefty the emprefs of Ruffia, his fovereign, with all feparate articles' relating thereto, efpecially in regard to commerce, clergy, fecurity of the republic and of the in habitants, either wholly comprifed under foreign dominion, - or poffeffing property in bpth countries ; namely, ffiat the pre fent prince primate of Poland might refide conftantly within the republic, for attending to his high office, and enjoy his entire revenues ; alfo, that in cafe ofthe family of the princes Radzivil being extinft, the houfe of Brandenburg ffiould not taup. any pretention to ffieir fucceffion, which fliall belong to the 51a APPENDIX, NO. XVI. the repubKc." With the following alteration, however, of the laft article in the faid treaty ; " That we the king will not ratify fuch treaty of ceffion, both in our and in the republic's name, unlefs ffie treaty of commerce, and all feparate articles mutually agreed on, under the accepted mediation and gua rantee of the court of Ruffia, by both parties, ffiall be finally fettled and figned by the contrafting powers." END OP THE APPENDIX. INDEX. C 5*3- ) -¦,v,-n >'. INDEX- A J, a river of Courland, iii. 364. Abolition of the meffages between Sweden and Ruffia, iii. 495. ; A&aza-pqfha, ftrangled, ii. 65. Abdul Ackmed If . death and charafter of, iii. 270, 271. Abdulbamtt, janiffaries diffatisfied with, ih 130. v Abddyl, fent to Copenhagen, iii. 251. goes off to the coafts of Sca nia, 2j2.~ Abiliiies of ffie emprefs, extraordinary, i. 311. . ' T Abo, treaty of, iii. 222. , Academician:, fent to travel through the empire, i. 4541, Academy, of aits, founded by emprefs Elizabeth, 1 ii. 324. the num ber of its pupils increafed, i. 461. of Stockholm, princefs Daffi- kof made a member of, iii. 43. Acbmetfchfd, iii. 23. Acker man, the white town, ii. 37. fubmits to prince Potemkin, iii. 278. Acre, country of, to the plains of Efdraelon, excited, ii. 44. Ail of furrender of Courland, Semigallia, &c. iii. 496. Adair, Mr. his reception at St. Peterfburg, iii. 317. \ Adriample, difturbances at, ,ii. 149. \ Advancement, meahs of obtaining, iii. 4. , Mgypt, frontiers of, ii. 44.. revolution in, 50. the granary of Con- X 'ftantinople, 51. correfpondences formed in, iii. 166. ffie capudaii- \. pafha returns from, 174, produces great quantities of good fugaf, ' 186. JEpinus, fome account of, iii. 123.. Aga-Mahmed, the moft powerful of the tyrants of Perfia, iii. $g. * ) Aiguilhm , duke of, fome account of, ii. 95. '.Ainflie, fir Robert, tlie fuppofed author of the fpirited and elegant 1 manifefto from the porte, iii. 40. Alanes expelled from the Krim by the Goths, iii. 2j; Albanians, antient, the Lefghis, iii. 53. Albert, of Auftria, renounces his claim to Bavaria, iii. 383. of Bran- ;¦-, den burg, perfidy of, ii. 106. \ Alembert, invited to Peterfburg, i. 288. refufes the offer of being ,, preceptor to the grand-duke, i. 405. letter from- tlie emprefs toy '• 994- Aleppo, raflian veflels trade at, in. 20. Alexander Nef 'sky, St. order of, ii. 37a- vol. 111. L L Alexander 514 INDfe3P» Alexander the Great, defirous of being talked of, ii. 330. Alexander, grand-duke,, iii. 290. marries, 375- AUxandra, grand-duchefs, attrafts the attention of the king of Sweden, iii. 362, Alexandria, the pharos of, iii. 187. ALyutan ifles, dlfcoYered, i. 454. Ali-bey,t moft ferviceable to Ruffia, ii, 44. lays claim to Syria, Paleftine, and Arabia, 52. connefted with ffie Ruffians in tlie Mediterranean, 134. his death, 135. Alliance, an uninterrupted, fubfifting two or three centuries, between France and the porte, iii. 209. between Ruffia and Denmark, 235. triple between England, Auftria and Ruflia, 377. Almann, .Dr. his reafon for not attending in his office, ii. 312. Aliffti; gets acquainted with Bulgakof,' iji. 3541 Ambhun, of the poliffi nobles confummates the ruin of their coun try, i. 358. works ftrange metamorphofes, ii. 283. love is filent iii the prefence of, 3og. an inftance of, in the fpringing up of 3 new prophet, iii. 64. and vanity feldom grow old, 94. Ambrofe,, St. how his fong got into the. ruffian liturgy, ii. 286. s Ambrofiw, archbifliop of Mofco, ftrives to quell a commotion, and is murdered, ii. 74, 73. Amoor, river, preparations for taking poffeffion of the, iii. 307. Amurath and Ibrahim, rebellious beys, the fame that were routed by general Bonaparte, iii. 174. Anadyr, a' voyage of difcovery departs from the, iii. 133. Anapa, taken by general Gudovitch, iii, 313. , Andriof, Peter I. fails on the Cafpian to the town of, in. 53, Andrciu, St. order of, ii. 372. Anecdote of a lady in a dangerous fituation, ii. 340. of a young ger man nobleman, 254. of a man ffiat fells a ring, 256. of a german lady and a rafnofchtfchik, 258. Anhalt-Beraberg, a relation of ffie emprefs, hi, 248. killed at Par-. dakofsky, 257. Anthony Ulrik, duke, rejefts the offer of liberty, ii. 171. Apotbtcaries, precautions concerning their medicines, ii. 365. Aakarjlrcem, the affaffin, wears tlie white handkerchief, ii. 349. the king's woynd received from, declared mortal, iii. 357. A»ne, St order of, ii. 374, 375. A'fne, proclaimed regent during the minority of Ivan III. J'373. Antizof, the confidant of Pugatflief, ii. 212. A.pollo, ^the, a famous room in the palace, ii. 375. Apraxin, marflial, takes Memel and gains a viftory oyer the Pruffians at Grol's Yaegerfdorf, i. 112. is removed from the command, 113. diftinguifhes himfelf againft the Tartars, iii. 126. A'b:trary power, uncertain tenure of, ii 303. Archangel, dockyards of, ii. 2&, 42 1 . engliffi veffels arrive in greater, numbers at, 366. harbour made, iii. 101. Arcbbilhop of Kazan fubmiffively brings a bag of gold to Pugatflief, ii- 215. ' ' Ac1 ctn, nuncio at Warfaw, fent to Peterfburg, iii, 7 'Afcktt, triumphal, erefted at Mofcp, ii. 281. Arcbi; I,NDE,X. 515 Archimandrite, i. 481. < Archipelago, a ruffian fleet in the, ii. 30. 3$. peftilence extends .. even there, ii. 158. northern, travelled over by Catharine's orders, iii. 130. Architecls, at St. Peterfburg, iii. 440. Archives, reduced to order by the- learned Muller, ii. 407. A'gonauts, iii. 25. Argumtnts, ufed by the king of Pruffia to eftabUfli his claims on Poland, ii. 107, 108. for opening and ftutting the Scheldt; iii. 7^. Armfeldt, ,baron, negotiates a peace, iii. 263. appointed minifter to Naples, 358. Armed neutrality, '11.465.10478. ' Amies, vaft, preparing for the field, iii. 245. Arms, the din of, firft heard at Peterfburg, iii. 203. Army of Ruffia, iii, 386, 387, 388. Affliine, ruffian meafure, i, 47. Artelfcbiki, or porters, i. 29. Article, fecret, in the treaty with the king of Pruffia, i, 361, Artificers, foreign, i. 34. fare better than the ruffian, i. 39. dif- ••' proportion between thetn, ib. ¦Artift, german, fuperlative produftion of, i. 45. Aitifts of Paris, bounties to the, i. 405. Aftbforgy count Ranzau, envoy from Copenhagen, i. 290. Afid, the moft defert provinces of, have been repeatedly the feats of arts, arms, commerce, and literature, ii. 125. and Europe opens a.,wide field for the ambition of Ruffia, 428. Ajjatic troops-, great bodies of, drawn into Europe, iii. 33, Aftrakhan, lands proper for cultivation in the government of, i. ?2i. a prey to revojt, ii. 156. the environs of, furnifh lio oak timber, iii. 59. Mas, geographical, of uncommon fize, iii. 4.23; '¦ dttaman, what that title imports, ii. 193. Augufius III. declining in his health, i. 354. Auguftus*, Sigifmond, of Poland, i, 356. his wife aft of toleration, 409. on his death the poliffi" conftitution changed, 412. Aujra/ta, a new kingdom to be conftituted under the revived deno mination of, iii. 94. Auftria, number of people it got by the partition of Poland, ii. nj. Catharine irritated againft, 382. the. felfifh policy and known du-, I; plicity of, iii. 207. %Auteroche, the abbe Chappe d', his book anfwered by the emprefs, i-»88, Autocrator, its fignification, iii. 398. Azof -and Taganrok, Ruffians mafters of, ii. 8. retained, 154.. Azof, fea of, a channel of conveyance for the produfts of Ruffia to -, ( the- Mediterranean, ii. 365. ' Azof, (ea of, or the Palus Moeotis, iii. 21. 23. lis BABADA, $rf INDEX. B. BABADA, ffieTurks beaten at, iii. 315. Bacbmeifier, profeffor of geography and hiftory, iii. 125. Bacbtfdiifarai, ffie emprefs makes her pompous entry into, iii. 158. Bakunin, minifter for foreign affairs, iii. 162. Balmaine, general, takes the town of Keffa by furprife, iii. 30. Baltic, ruffian marine in the, ii. 422.* united with the Cafpian, by means of a canal, iii. 134. Banc, a Frenchman, diftils excellent brandy at Aftrakhan, iii. 34. Baptifm into the greek faith, ii. 137. Bar, confederation of, ii. 8. harraffed by ffie ruffian troops, 80. Jofeph II. feems difpofed to fuccour, 96. Baratinjky, prince, one of the affaffins of Peter HI. i. 274. ii. 88. afts as chief mourner by the coffin of that monarch, iii. 380. Baflikakof, captain, lofes his fhip at the ifles d'Hieres, ii. 420. Bajlikirs prefer their old idolatry to a religion of greedy oppreffors, ii. 302'. BaanXivf -rm 'EWimi, iii. 290. [there mifprinted ; a * for a X.] Bajlaras, how they derive their names in Ruffia iii. 2. Bath, order ofthe, conferred by Catharine on fir James Harris, ii. Battogues, apuniffiment, how inflifted, ii. 163. Bavaria, Charles Theodore fucceeds Maximilian Jofeph, as eleftor °f, ii. 383. Catharine demands the immediate dereliftion of, 384. Auftria obtains a part of, 386. to be exchanged for the auftrian Netherlands, iii-. 94. Beauffet, marquis de, fent from Lewis XV. to Peterfburg, i. 404. Beck, general, wounded at Otchakof, iii. i§<5. Belbek, river, iii. 24: •Bebring's ifland, a faftory fettled at, i. 454. Bender unfuccefsfully befieged, ii. 34. furrenders to Panin, '36. fur- renders at difcretion to prince Potemkin, iii.,278, Benediclion of ffie waters, ceremony of, i. 179. Beniflaufsky appointed coadjutor to Shezronchevitch, iii. j. Benoit, the pruffian minifter at Warfaw, ii. 277. ' Benzel/lierna, lieutenant colonel, iii 2 {o, Ber, anibf, governour of Schlulfelburg caftle, i. 382. Berenger, charg6 des affaires of France, i. 403. Bergen, in Norway, i. 392. Be'hn, Frederic II. invites the grand>duke to, ii, 316. public entry of the grand-duke into, defcribed, 3 18, prefents at leaving, 322. Bernftorf, count, removed from his placecif minifter at Copenhagen, ii. 33.3. his death and character, 33$. the bounty of the court ex tended to his family, '358. a prudent minifter, 392. mediates an accommodation, iii, 318. Btlfarabi-a, deputies from, ii, 37. fuiniffiei with fait from the' Krim, iii. 22. defigned to form part of a fovereignty for prince Potemkin, 274. general Karnenfkoi' commands in, 279. 336. , Befvchf INDEX* tij >StJkthef his origin, i 37. inimical to the grand duke Peter, ?6\ Purloins the will of 'Catharine I. 78. Becomes ffie fycophant of boltikof in order to his undoing, 98, removed from his office, 113. fentenced to baniffiment, 116. recalled from exile, 281. pubhflies a book of devotion, .283. attends the emprefs to Mofco", ao. 1. his pradent advice to Catharine, 335. counfels Orlof to ob tain a ffiase in the throne; 336. advifes Catharine to take a con- fort, 1.337. declaration publifhed by the emprefs on his recall from Siberia, 497, 498. , Bet&koi, a natural fort of prince Trubetzkoi.', iii. 2, Beys of Egypt, revenues ofthe, iii. 187. the French have it always in their power* to make an alliance with, 188. Bezborodko, admitted into the council, ii. 402. minifter, iii. 41. 128. 162. makes a declaration on the part of the emprefs, 320., de puted to- ffie congrefs at Yaffy, 334. lofes much of his influence, 335' ¦ . ' Btbikof, engaged in a confpiracy, i. 205. recalled from the frontiers of Turkey, ii, 206; forces Pugatflief to raife the fiege of Qren? burg, 208. killed, 209. B'telgqrod, fubmits to prince Potemkin, iii. 278. Billings, an Engliffiman, proceeds-from the Kovima for ffie purpofe of doubling the Tchuktfchi promontory, iii. 134. Biren, Erneft JohnA account of, i. 160.,. Biren and Munich con- trafted, 276. his fervile ad'drefs to Catharine, 284. declaration in favour of, 328. baniffied to Yaroflaf, 373. dies at a great age, u. 140. Peter, his fon, iii. 368. character of, iii. 370. Bijhopric, in the latin ritual, erefted by the emprefs at Mohiief, ii. '. 276. , , Bifbops, regular fucceffion of, interrupted by Nikon, ii. 191. Black-eagle, order of, given to Catharine, i.329. / Blaumayer, lieutbnant-cOlonel, charged with a voyage of difcovery, iii. 132. Babrinjky, brought up by the empsefs, ii, 83. whom the emprefs had by Gregory Orlof, finifhed his ftudies at Leipfiek andjLaufann, iii. 2, called from Reval to Peterfburg by Paul I. 4 Bogue, a vaft ruffian army appears on the banks of the river, iii, 2^6. Bohemia, pruffian army on the frontiers of; iii. 292. : Borefund, taken by captain Trevenep, iii. 26 1 . Boryfthenes, four turkifh ffiips of .the line come and anchor, there, while the emprefs is at Kherfon, iii. 157,. Bofpborus founded by Mithridates, iii. 25. Bojlan and Philadelphia, bloody war to prevent their independence, - ii-389. ¦ .', t Brabant, Jofeph II. hears of the rebellion there while at Kherfon, iii-. 158. ¦ , ,-• Brandy and beer diftributed among the foldiers, i. 266. and money, ,., great effefts of, 29 1 . Branicka, countefs, the favourite n.'ece of prirce Potemkin, iii 324. Bramtchly, count, takes arms againft the Ruffians in Poland, i. 364. ' - defeated by a body of Ruffians, 36S. triffan, inftance of gratitude in, i. 239. 1L j Breteuil, 518 INDEX. Breteuil, applied to for a fupply, i. 222. fets out for Vienna,- 4ij, how he was of fervice to the confpiracy* 224. his vanity, 303. Catharine's converfation with, 326. at Tefchen, ii. 386. favoured her fchemes, iii. 103. Brocktorf, fecretary, his fentiments of Catharine, i. 300. Bronze manufaftory, i. 32, 33. Bronun, general, i. 1 14. honeft fimplicity of, 387. Bruce, count, made governour of Mofco, i. 291. countefs, married to Mouffin Pouffikin, iii. 3-10. . Bruhl, count, i. 104. Brummer, inftrufts the young Sophia, i. 69. Bruffels, negotiations at, broken up, iii. 81. Byzantium, iii. 155. Budberg, baron, agent at Stockholm, iii. 360, Buildings raifed in Ruffia wiffi greater celerity than elfewhere, ii. 147- Bukbareft, negotiations there refumed., ii. -p3- Bulgakof [mifprinted Bulgazef] a treaty figned with, ii;. 40. 43. forms correfpondences iniEgypt, 165. brings Altefti to Warfaw, 354- 'Bull, papal, aboliffiing the order of jefuits, iii. 7. annulled at the inftance of Catharine by Pius VI. 6: Bulof, colonel, fent againft Pugatffief, and inhumanly put to the fword, ii. 20-1. Buft of the emprefs, marble, made by mademoifelle Collot, iii. 16. Butterlin, countefs, , i. 430. cpunt, nephew to princefs Daffifeof, iii. 92. C. CABOT, Sebaftian, propofes a voyage of difcovery, iii. 101. Cadiz,, ruffian fliips in ffie port of, i.353. Cairo, Ali-bey removed from, ii. 44. Cairo, a garrifon of janiffaries at, ii. 51. Cameron, Charles, an engliffi architeft employed at Tzarfkoe-fehv iii. 89. Canal and docks of Cronftadt, i. 252. Canals and rivers of Peterfburg embanked with granite, ii. 175. Condi a i the fugar-cane thrives well there, iii. 186. Caps, party of, fupported by Ruflia, is continually making ufur pations on the royal prerogatives, ii. 341. - Captain of a ruffian fhip, bold exploit of a, ii.304. Captains, ferving under admiral Greig, punifhed for not doing their duty, iii. 221. '» CapuJan pafha, his uncommon merits, ii. 431, 432, man of ex- • traordinary patriotifm and great abilities, iii. 33. is appointed grand-admiral of the fleet and generaliffimo of ffie armies in the Euxine, 173. ¦Caravans, to China, ii. 30 1 . Ca> avans, when firft fet up by the Bukharians and Siberians, to Pekin, iii. 68. ' > Caravan-trade to China, i. 349. Carbury, tNDEX,. 5;T0. ; Carbury, count, invents, the mechanifm for tranfporting a huge fbck, , ', "' ih-13- - Cardhalate, Archetti promoted to the, at the inftance of Catharine, iii. 7. Carlefcrona, a fleet fitting put at, iii. 198. Qarlt'h, major Thomas, cdmes to Ruffia, ii. 39, ifarouzel, grand, held at Peterfburg, i. 429. Carriages, great numher of, kept at St. Peterfburg; ii. 263. Cartetet, lord, conceives the projeft' of making Sweden a republic, ii, 340. Cafimir III", of Poland, furnamed ffie Great, i. 355. Cafpian, kozaks on ffie borders of the, a credulous and ignorant race, ii. 195, union of with the frozen otean, ii. 305. ferves Ruffia as a communication .with Perfia and India, 365. beft chart of, made by Elton and Woodrofe, iii. 55. the Ruffians almoft the only people who derive advantage from ffie commerce of, 56. its fifh . of fuperior delicacy, ib. Catharine, St; order of, 372, 373. Cathcart, lady, the medallion on her monument, the work of made- moifelle Collot, iii.' 16. Catholics, roman, give fcope to their fiery zeal, i. 41 u Caucafus, mount, iii. 23.. 3 5. learned perfons fent to travel there,.. iii. 131. Caviar, how made, iii. 57, 58. < Cederftreebm, baron, is committed to prifon, ii. 347. Chance only favourable to great undertakings, iii. 10. Chancellor, Richard, wrecked near Archangel, iii, 101. Character pf prince Potemkin, iii. 323. Charles Peter Ulric, afterwards Peter III. i. 60. Charles XII. tlie time of, no plan ever thought offer reducing the power of Ruffia, fince, i. 309. Chartorinjky, prince Adam, the generous courage of, i. 365. /Chartorinfky, prince, ii. 81.- . Cheating, arts of, no where better underftood than at Peterfburg, '" ii. 258. / Chernichef, count Ivan, recalled from London and put at the head of the admiralty, ii. .46. a curious blunder of his, 47. difpiite between him and ffie due de Chatelet at the court, of London, i. 304. attends the emprefs ir^a yacht, iii. 41. Chernichef, count, ordered to march into Poland, i. 189. Chernichef, Zakhar, ii. 87. 90.diminiffies the pay of ffie Kozaks, 194. delivers in his resignation, 'ii. 278. Chernichef, an importer at Kopenka, has his head cut off, ii. -183. Chernhkef, . general, taken and put to death by Pugatffief, ii. 20 1 . Chetardie, ambaflador from France, i. 59. affifted the emprefs Eli zabeth in obtaining the crown, iii. 103. Chevalier-guards, defcription of that corps, ii. 40 1 . China, application made to, to deliver up tlie fugitive Kalmuks, ii. 166. ffiort .anfwer from, to the emprefs, 167. the Ruffians dc- . . nied accefs to, iii. 69. Uf China, $20 ., INDEX. China, Catharine plants villages in the road to, ii. joj. prince Po temkin .meditates an attack upon, iii. 307. Cblor, tales of the tzarevitch, written by Catharine, iii. p. . Choifeul, due de, difliked by ffie emprefs, i. 288. projefts a war with the Turks, 422. a -letter of his, 451. Chriftians, a fmall fugitive race of, found fecluded frortl the world in a moft fequeftered. part ofthe wilds of Caucafus, iii. 132. Chriftin, an emigrant, appears at Stockholm under a feigned charac ter, iii. 361. Churches and chapels, Catharine diftributes faints among, ii. 281. Circular note from the court of Sweden, iii . 466. Cities ofthe empire, rifing in riches and fplendour under the form* ing hand of Catharine, ii. 176. Clajfes of ruffian traders or merchants, ii. 399. Clearance oi fliips, i. 28. Clemency difplayed by the emprefs, ii. 224. Clergy, fecretly brought over to Caffiarine's meafures, i. 293. pafforal letter from the archbp, of Triers to his, iii. 445. Clergymen, of all religions, live at Peterfburg in the greateft har mony, iii. 117. , Climate of Ruffia, i. 7. Clinker, Humphrey, tranflated into rufs, iii. 437. Cuftom in Ruffia of giving honourable furnames, ii. 65. Cuftom-boufes at Cronftadt and Peterfburg, i. 24, 25. 29. Cyprus and Candia, Ruffians make dpfcents on, ii. 13 j. Coacbmakers, i. 40. Coachmen, Ruffians excellent, ii, 263. Cobentzel, count, attends ffie congrefs at Tefchen, ii. 386". account of, iii. 105. Coburg, prince,, the auftrian commander, iii. 246. Cdld, greateft degree of, at Peterfburg, i. 14. why countries in the fame parallel experience different degrees of cold, iq, 16, 17 18. ffiermometrical obfervations on, 14. ' ' ' Coffin borne through the ftreets on ffie day of ffie revolution, i. 241. Coin, ruffian, i. 48. Coinage frequently altered, i. 350. Coins, britiffi and faxon, a fine collection loft, iii. 89. Colleges and hofpitals founded by the emprefs, i. 34c. Collot, mademoifelle, models the head of the ftatue of Peter ffie Great, iii. 14. Colonel, the emprefs appoints herfelf of the life guards, i. 293. Cohnifts invited into Ruflia, i. 320. Cclonifts about Saratof, Kief, and Tzaritzin, ii. 302. . Comedies compofed by tlie emprefs, ii. 379. , ", Commerce of Ruffia, i. 19. in produfts, 21. how carried on, 37. encouraged by Catharine, 346. ii. 297. Commerce on the Euxine making freffi progrefs, iii. 19. of Ruf- . fia wiffi England, brief ftatement of, 100. of Archangel, 101. Commerce, treaty' of, with England,' iii. 3 jj. INDEX. C2I Commiffaries, appointed to fettle the limits between the republic of Poland and thofe of ffie partitioning powers, ii. 275. can neither agree among themfelves, nor with the Poles, 3 13'. • Commodities, engliffi, prejudice in favour of, i. 42. Communion, roman catholic, Abdul Achmed's reafon for giving it the preference, iii. 273. Confederacies, polifh, formed, i. 366. Confederates, poliffi, apply to ffie Turks, ii. 3. eleft Pulaufsky for ffieir general, ii. 80. Conquefts, nearly as fatal to the viftors as to ffie vanquifhed, iii. i ii. 1 79. Dtux-ponts, a letter from ffie emprefs to the duke of, iii, 97, ,. Dexterity, political, prince Potemkin's, iii. 308. Diamond of prodigious value, ii. 129. Diamonds, profUfion of, at the court of Peterfburg; ii. 371. pro- ....digious quantity of, poffeffed by prince Potemkin, iii. 294. weight of, 304. Diderot, the emprefs pUrchafes his library, i. 40 j. ii. 170. at "the ' court of Peterifcurg', ii, 743. Dimidof, Nikita, famous for his wealth, iii. 354. £>/W ii. 159. ' Dorigny, a french officer, propofes to raife the kozaks, &c. ii. 189. Doulet-Gberay, fent among the various Tartars, ii. 151. devoted to the Turks, 305. reftored in the Krim; 409. Drevitck, general, author of an execrable aft of inhumanity, ii. 9. Dungeon of prince Ivan defcribed, i. 379. .Durnof, captain, fent to quell the kozaks ofthe Yai'k, ii. 193. Dutch oppofe the opening of the Scheldt, iii. 73, their conduft in regard to that meafure put to the teft, 79. Duties and d^ftinftions of the imperial favourites, ii. 272. E. Ecclefiaftics of all denominations invited to Catharine's dinner of tole ration, iii. 118. Edinburgh^ prince Daffikof educated at, iii. 91. Education, houfes of. eftabliffied in feveral towns, ii. 335. iii. 121. Effeil, no human invention can hinder an, where ffie caufe is natu ral, ii. 259. Effendi, a title of honour, ii. 434. Elizabeth, emprefs, i. 55. pardons ffie grand duke and duchefs, 142. her death and character, 147. curious anecdote of, 275. Ellers, fecretary, ii. 348. Elliot does wonders at Georgefn, ii. 130. Elliot, Hugh, minifter at Denmark, his magnanimous conduft the falvation of Sweden, iii. 242. Elocution, Guftavus HI. eminently diftinguifhed for the powers o£ iii. 237. Elpbinfton, admiral, joined by Spiridof, ii. 40. in the Archipelago, 311. ' . Elton, captain, conftrufts fliips of war for Kouli-khan, iii. 55. Emigrants, in the diftant provinces, almoft ruined by the rapacity of the governours, ii. 301. Emigration, remarkable, ii. ij8. Empire, the ruffian, men begin to' grow fcaree in, iii. 250. England, the commerce of Ruffia of immenfe advantage to, iii. 102. as effential to Ruffia as to her, 111. had full leifure to ruminate upon, and fufficient caufe to reprobate, her abfurd and blind po licy, 208. Engiifh, what detached the emprefs from ffie, ii. 366. Engravers at Peterfburg, jii. 439. En- INDEX. 5^5 Entertainments, magnificence of thofe given by Catharine, ii. 26. at San-s-fouci, ii. 321, at Tz'arfko-felp, 354. fuperb, at -the Taurian palace, 303. Enthufiafm, fanaticifm, and fuperftition, attacked by the emprefs,, . "¦ 379- Envy itfelf muft confefs that Catharine performed her part in the great drama of the world with a dignity never feen before, ii. 228. , Ephraimof, the ataman, Pugatffief becomes adjutant to, ii. 189. Epiftle, poeticar, from Suvarof, iii. 278. laconic, on the capture of Ifmail, 282. Equity, tender regard to the forms of, in the partitioning powers, ii. 112. Eton's furvey, extraft from, i. 276. Euler invited from Berlin, i. 460. Europe aftoniffied at ffie conduft ofthe court of Ruflia, i. 421. Ca tharine's great authority among the powers of, ^1,-391. plan to drive ffie Turks out of, iii. 291. none of the fovereigns of make any hefitation at acknowledging the title of Catharine, i. '2S7. its equipoife broken, ii. 123. the influence and glory of . the em prefs extending throughout, 157. refounds with the munificence of Catharine, 323. would exhibit a curious pifture if all its pow ers were now obliged to recur to original principles, iii. 75. fur- prifed at the forbearance of tlie porte, 171. the unaccountable fupinenefs of, at that atrocious aft of fraud, perfidy, and violence, tlie difmemberment of Poland, 207. . Euxine, trade encouraged there, ii. 303. 365. 410. fleet ofthe, iii. 393. a ruffian fleet equipped there, 177. a naval armament prepared for, 205. • Examples, illuftrious, emulated by Catharine, i. 305. Exclamation, fpirited, of Catharine, iii. 223. , Exchange and courfe of trade, i. 27, Executioner of Pugatffief has his tongue cut out, ii. 319. Expenditure a£ the ruffian government, iii. 394. Exports from Ruffia, i. 19. and imports, 36. ^Extent oi the ruffian empire, i. i. - Exhortation of the king of Sweden to his fubjefts, iii. 471. F. Favors, i. 28. Falconet, Stephen, engaged to execute the famous ftatue of Peter the ; Great, iii. 10. Falkenftein, count, title affumed by Jofeph II. Hi., 154. Families, principal, in Courland, iii. 371. >;_ , Family, Catharine eminently refpeftable in the circle of her, 111. 5. Famine in the revolted provinces, ii. 229. Fathom, ruffian, orfajene, i. 47. Favourite, poft of, peculiar to Ruffia, ii. 271. a property to the magnificence ofthe court, 272. munificently recompenfed at his difmiffion, 374. never employed in ftate affairs till Plato Zubof, -iii- 336' v v Favourites, 526 INDEX. Favourites, Caffiarine's, of very little fignifieance with her, ii. 177% prefent$ received by the, iii, 383., Fa-iuhener, Mr. comes to Peterfburg, iii. 316. Fayence manufaftory, i. 32. Feafts and entertainments at Charlottenburg, Pot/dam, and Sans- fouci, ii. 321. Feodafia and Eupatoria in Taurida, declared free ports, iii. 138. Ferabat, the refidence of Aga-Mahmed, iii. 61. Ferdinand lofes the dukedom of Courland, iii. 368. Fermer, general, having fucceeded Apraxin, takes Koenigffietg, befieges Kuftrin, defeats the pruffian army, and enters ffie city, then lays do-ivri his command, i. 1 22. Ferney, the philofopher of, declines coming to the court of Peterf burg, ii, 141. Ferrieri, Peter, conful at Smyrna, iii. 166. F"fin, count Ax,el, eloquent and attached to ffie old form of govern ment, ii. 342. Finances ofthe emprefs in a dilapidated ftate, ii, 157. Finkenftein, count, extract of a letter from the king of Pruffia to, i. 289. died at Berlin, Jan. 3, 1800, after being minifter ofthe cabinet frorh 1749, full fifty years. Finland and Karelia, part of, reftored to Sweden, iii. 223. Finland, the defigns and attempts of Ruffia upon, laid open, iii. 225. the king of Sweden obliged to abandon his army in, 229. Finns fend a deputation to Peterfburg, iii. 197. Fires, depredation by, not fo great as formerly, ii. 262'. at Mofoq and at Peterfburg, 419. Fitxherbei t, Alleyne, now lord St. Helen's, iii. 109. Fleet, the emprefs goes on board ffie, ii. 376. Flight of the Kalmuks, kept fecret, ii. 165. Fogs at Peterfburg, i. iS. Fot/hiani, a congrefs appointed at, ii. 84. opened, 92. Foma, or Thomas, remarkable fanaticifm of, ii. 196, 197, Fontanka, the river, ii. 174. Foot, ruffian meafute, i. 46. Force, ruffian naval, increafed and improved, ii. 304. Fortune, diftance and difference between the circumftances of, rouze the paffions, and urge the human intelleft to every fpecies of in duftry, ii. 259. Fortune of Lanikoi bequeathed to the emprefs, iii. 89. Fortune, the favoured children of, are often greatly ferved by her in fpite of themfelves, iii. 215. feems totally adverfe to the king of Sweden, 240. Fortunes rapidly made, i. 30. Fount of the ftatue of Peter the Great, iii. 1 ;. Fox, Sir. Charles James, his buft in marble in' the Hermitage, ii. vi. France, ambaffador of, follicits a reverfal, i. 303. ffie expoftulations and remonftrances of, incapable of fubduing the inflexibility of the emperor on the fubj eft of the Scheldt, iii. -83. commercial treaty treaty wiffi, 10S. Catharine offers the poffeffion of iEgypt tp, i86. detached from Turkey by prince Potemkin, 307. Fratres Erififeri, or knights of the fwprd, iii. 367. Frederic-Adolphus fucceeded by Guftavus III. ii. 349. Frederic II. the ally of England, lofes a battle at Grofs-Yeegerfdorf, i. 112. Suddenly extricated from the gloomy ftate of his affairs, 153. attachment of Peter III. to him, 171. advifes Peter to go and be crowned at Mofco, 178, his friendffiip for Peter, III. 307, Catharine's emotion atperufing his letters, 308, carries off"i2,ooo faftiilies from Poland, ii. 119. becomes the diftinguifhed and fuc cefsful' guardian of the rights pf the german princes, and ffie liberties of the germanic body, iii. 93. 99. his charafter, 312. Frederic-William, figns a treaty with the Turks, hi- 314. Frederikjhall, Charles XII. affaffinated at, iii. 239. Guftavus re- folves to march againft, 199. Frederick/ham, appointed for an interview wiffi tlie king of Sweden, iii. 41. difgrace and misfortune of Guftavus at ffie fiege of, 32i5, Froft and its effefts at Pelerfburg, i. 10. / Frozen-ocean, union of the Cafpian wiffi the, ii. 305. fugitives, poliffi, find refuge where Charles XII. had not fought it in .vain, i. 368. Funeral, admiral Greig's, by exprefs orders of ffie emprefs, cele- ._ brated with the greateft pomp, iii. 22s. G. GABRIEL, archbifliop of Peterfburg, performs trie marriage-cere mony of the grand, duke with Natalia Alexievna, ii. 138. with Maria Feodorovna, ii. 322. , Galatfha, reduced by Kamenfkoi, iii. 278. preliminaries figaed at> 3*9< Gallies, ruffian and fwediffi fleets of, engage near Rogenfalm, iii. 255. Gallipoli, city of, to have been burnt, ii. 49. Galliizin, prince, tranquillity reftored by, i. 389. appointed gover- nour of Peterfburg, ii. 403. paries the Dnieftr, 8. valiantly attacks Pugatffief, ii. 209. Gahez, minifter from Spain, mediates a peace, iii- 264. 1 Gaming, the fpirit of, much curbed at St. Peterfburg, ii. 247. Gatchina, Orlof 's country-feat, ii. 89. bought by the emprefs, 177. the grand-duke's palace, iii. 87, Garden, fummer, defcribed, ii. 368. Gardener, Mr. B.ufh, ffie engliffi, converts his houfe into an inn for the accommodation of Jofeph II. ii. 406. , "Gardening, iii. 441. dGarnofsky, fteward of ffie duchefs of Kingfton s eftate at Fockenliof, il». : near Narva, ii. 358. r 1 ' • -n • ::::y, Gazi-Haftan, capudan-paffia, commands the fleet of the Jiuxine, '-' jii. 174. his dexterity in preventing the iffuing of a barbarous decree,- 384, . " > uaie- 50.8 INDEX. Genealogical tables of the imperial houfe, i. $o, _$ I, 52. ^ Generals, able, Pugatffief affifted by, ii. 209. recompenfed for ffieir conduft againft the Turks, ii. 286. civil, not known at Berlin, 321. Generoftty, count Panin's, iii. 49. Genie, de St. conceives a project for driving the Engliffi out of India, iii. 321. Genoefe poffeffed and were driven out of the Krim, iii. 21. ftill keep poffeffion of its ports, 36. Geography in Ruffia,' ftate of, iih Ax9- . George, duke of Courland, difplaced, i. 281.' Germans abound in'ffie empire, i. 35. flock to Ruffia as colonifb; 322. Germany, emperor of, pulls off the mafk, iii. 17. Catharine renews the alliance with, 73. arguments in fupport of his claim to open the Scheldt, 74. treaty of commerce concluded with, 107. the rrarfe of war and inexhauftible breeder of armies, 82. a new fourcc of jealoufy and difcord, 93. George, St. order of, ii. 374. Georgia, prince of, inftigated by Ruflia to rebellion, iii. 169. Glafs-houfes, i. 34- Ckbqf, agent m Holftein, i. 158. difmiffed from ffie war department, 159. his ingratitude, 214. Gibralar, ftraits of, paffed by a ruffian fleet, ii. 30. attack of France and Spain on the fortrefs of, iii. 206. Giurgevo, magnificent reprefentation of ffie taking of, ii. 147. Godo'i, fince become duke of la Alcudia, iii 353. Gods hired, borrowed and fold in Ruffia, ii. 73. Gcertz, count, prevented from accepting ffie offer of a poft in Deft- mark, ii. 333. . Gold and filver manufactories, i. 33. Gohfkin, madame, ridiculoufly nick-named at court, i. 426. Golovtzin, viceroy of Archangel, 1.390. Goltz, baron, lingular anecdote concerning, i. 225. remonftrates wiffi Peter III. 328. -Gothemburg, after Stockholm, the moft confiderable city of Sweden, iii. 239. preferved by the refolute behaviour ofthe britiffi minifter, 243. _ Goths expelled from the Krim by the grecian kings, iii. 25. Gotoftzof, direftor of the bank at Tobollk, ii. 2^7. Government, lenity of, ii. 245. Goufier, Choifeul, iii I 1 56. 1 70. 373 Grabofsiy, fecretary to Plato Zubof, iii. 355. Grace, afts of, on occafion of completing ffie grand monument in honour of Peter the Great, iii, 16. Grand-duke, inoculated by baron Dimfdale, i. 470. his public entry into Berlin, ii. 318. follicits to go againft the Turks, iii. 201. Gratification, empty, of leaving a name enrolled in ffie mouldering catalogues of forgotten kings, iii. 93. Grave of Peter III. i. 280. Gravity arid ridicule, both happily employed by Catharine, ii. 379. Great- flritain's policy, the wifdom of, much queftioned, iii. -no. Ruflia for feveral years heaped one difobligation on another in her tranfaftions IND-E&. 529 teanfaftiion with, iii. a 13, deter-mined to maintain tlie ftrifteft neutrality during tlie war, iii. 314. Greece, the emprefs refolves to attack the Turks in the ifles flf, ii. a8. Ruffians on the continent of, 3 1 . Catharine refolves to be thV founder of liberty there, 39. -Orlof s. plan to conquer, 47. how it fell to decay, 125. Greek chriftians of Moldavia and Vajakhia, ii. 362. Greek church, members of the, in Poland, i 407. afk proteftion of the court of Peterfburg, 413. Greeks, the antient, poffeffed the Krim, iii; si. . Greets, and jews taken into ruffian pay, ii, 45. defeat the paffia of Yanina, iii. 285. fend a deputation fo Peterfburg, 286. their, peti tion to the emprefs, 287. defire to.have prince Conftantine for their fovereign, 289. their plan for making themfelves mafters of Con ftantinople, 291. Green, a favourite colour with tlie Ruffians, iii. 382. Greig, admiral, dire6ts the works at Cronftadt, i. 253. wiffi Elphin- fton and Dugdale, burns the turkifh fleet at Tfchefme, ii. 42, 43. enters the harbour of Leghorn, ,-6o-. prepares a fleet at Cronftadt, iii. 177. fails with a ftrong fleet from Cronftadt, 204. rofe merely by his fuperior merit, 205. comes to an aftion with the Swedes off Hohgland, 219, 220. Grief and indignation excited by the inhuman murder of prince Ivan, i- 3«5' Grimm, the literary correfpondent of Catharine at Paris, iii. 130. Grinef, colonel, gains a firft advantage over Pugatffief, ii. 208. Gripjbolm, EriCkXIV. confined at, ii. 353. Gudovitch, fhe faithful adherent of the grand-duke Peter, i. 80. 16; . his honefl remonftrance to Peter III. 166. fent into Germany, 185. returns to Peterfburg, 188. vifits prince Ivan, 225. brings dreadful tidings to Peter III. on the day of the revolution, 245. ' boldly faces the rebels, 260. imprifoned, 267. liberated, 330. ap pears at Court, iii. 113. his brother defeats tlie prophet Manthoux, 315- Guibald, mademoifelle, a Angular ftratagem of, ii. 397, 398. _ Guldenfttedt 2nd other academicians travel through theempire, i. 459. Gurief, three brothers, i. 302. Gufetnikof, a ruffian merchant, has the ufe of ffiips, freight-free, ii. 303. GuftafscbceU, name conferred on general Hellechius, fignifies Guf- tavus's ffiield, iii. 343, Guftavus III. refolves to free himfelf from the double yoke of Ruffia . and the fenate, ii. 340. ufually fpoke the fwedifh language, 346. excelled in making harangues, 349. arrives at Peterfburg, 354. figns the armed neutrality, 3 03. the emprefs refolves on having an interview with, iii. 41. confents to keep the neutrality of the north in arms, 42. luddenly refolves- to declare war againft the emprefs, 190. offers propofals of accommodation to the emprefs, 322. the emprefs not rrfiftaken in reckoning on ffie defeftion of his officers, 224. his vifit to tlie court of Copenhagen occafions. much .political furmife, 237. indebted for the prefervation ofGo- thembero- to die fpirit and aftivity of ffie britifla sainifter, 243. vol. in. ** employed 53° INDEX. employed in forming fchemes of revenge, s Kaluga, Sahim-Gueray fent to, iii, 161. Kamenfko'i, general, ii. 153. afts ulider the command of prince Potemkin in the Kuban, iii. 176. on the banks ofthe Bogue, 146. reduces the town of Galatffia, 278. his cruelties, 278. Kaminiek to Balta, the whole country from, covered wiffi ruffian troops, iii, 176. Kamtfhatka, difcoveries ofthe trading company of, i-453- offers the Ruffians a wayto America, ii. 365. to China and Japan, 366. feve ral expeditions to, iii. 71. Kaplan-Guemy, a warlike prince, ii. §3. Karafu, river, iii. 23. Karafubazar, iii. 22, 23, Kargvpol, bifhop of, iii 1 1 6. , . . Kaiiiin, lieutenant, marries a daughter of the duke of Brunfwick, i. 39J< Karr, general, fent againft Pugatffief, ii. 199. Kartalinia and Kakhetti, Heraclius fovereign of, iii. 44. Kartalhia, tzar of, iii. 400. Kaufchen, prince Anhall-Bernberg routs the Turks at, iii. 279. Kaunitz, prince, his declaration, i. 1S9. ii. 26. applauds the parti: tion of Poland, 96. Kayal, reprefentation of the bloody battle of, ii. 522. Kayferliog, count, the emprefs writes to, i. 363. ambaffador at War- . faw, lends a letter from die emprefs to the eleftion-diet, 366 M M 3 Kazan, 534 INDEX. Kazan, a prey to revolt, ii, 158. the governor of, neglefts to pro fecute Pugatflief, 190. nobleffe there- convoked, 207. applauded by Catharine, 208. ffie fuburbs of, fet on fire by Pugatffief, 219. fleet conftrufted of oaks from, iii. 59. Kazansky- church, ffie emprefs crowned at, i. 238. Keffa, ft'raights of, ii. 94. 145. iii.- 23. the Theodofia ofthe antients, 26. taken by general Balmaine, iii. 30. Keith, Mr. britiffi ambaffador, i. 171. ferviceable to the king of Pruffia, 189. renews the treaty, 290. Kerim-Gueray fucceeded by his nephew, ii. 33. Kertfch and Ye'nikaly ceded to the Ruffians, ii. 94. a fort conftrufted between, 306. Kettler, Gotthard, duke of Courland, iii. 367. Kexholm, prince Ivan conveyed to the fortrefs of, i. 201. Khan of the Krimea of ffie race of Tfchinghis, iii. 26. latterly eleftive, 27. abdicates his throne, 36. Kbedfebey, fubmits to prince Potemkin, iii. 278. Kherfon, foundation of, iii. 20. antient, built by tlie Greeks, 25. the emprefs iffues a proclamation inviting- foreigners to come and fettle there, 137. Kherfonefus taurica, the prefent Krim, iii. 25. Khita'igorod, great part of, burnt, ii. 419. Khotyim, unfuccefsfully attacked, ii. 27. regiments there reduced, 68. preparations for the fiege of, iii. 246. Kiachta, the common rendezvous of the ruffian and chinefe mer chants, iii. 70. Kief, reinforcements advancing towards, i. 366. colonifts at, ii.302. bifhop of, his infolence and fury, i. 4 14, 415. affiftance fent thi ther againft the plague, ii. 69. the emprefs makes her entrance in, iii. 151. Kiel quitted by the daniffi commiffaries, i. 330. treaty of exchange of territory figned at, ii. 338. Kien-Ldng, emperor of China, ii. 167. an author and a poet, ii. 168. Kinbum, ii. 154. fortrefs of, guards" the entrance ofthe Liman, iii. - 20. the porte much interefted in the recovery of, 183. King, french, a fignificant letter to him, ii. 218. Kingfton, the duchefs of, her famous yacht, ii. 261. 358. Kingfbergen, captain, enters the ruffian fervice, ii. 39. fails to Keffa, ,94- Kirghifes, ii. 152. attack ffie. Kalmuks on their emigration, '65. and Bafllkirs unite with Pugatffief, 202. omitted in tlie imperial title, iii. 401. KifchenJkoi, lieutenant, his rapacitv towards the peaceful Kalmuks, ii. 162. his example followed, 302. Hot properly rewarded, 168. Khge, an houeft furgeon, ii. 67. Knight! of the feveral orders, number of, ii.375. Knoot givi-n to ffie murderers of Ambrofius, ii. 75. Knowledge of mankind, Catharine's, i. 326. Knowlesi, admiral fir Charles, much' improves the ruffian navy, ii. 29. fails to Keffa, 94. 421. Knutjen'% houfe the rendezvous of ffie Cpnfpirators, i. 216, Kcenig, INDEX. 53J Kcenig, a merchant of Copenhagen, a great ffiip-owner, ii. 396. Kolmogor, the family of Ivan trahfported to, i. 195. Anne die's there, ib. Ivan fent thither, 338. where fituate, 390. Kolomifii, tlie emprefs goes to meet marfhal Romantzof, ii. 285. Kondia-, in the imperial title, iii. 400. Kopeek, its value, i. 48. ' Kopenka, an importer in the village of, ii. i8-, a ruffian captain, murders major Saint-Clair, iii. 253. Knifhuk-Kdinardgi, plenipotentiaries, meet at, ii, 154. Kutuzof, general, beats the Turk? at Babada, iii. 3.15. fent ambaf fador to Conftantinople, 356. Kylia Nova, on the Danube, taken by the Ruffians, 281. Kymene-gorod, the laft ruffian fortrefs on tlie fide of Sweden, iii. 41, Guftavus retreats to, 251. Lachta, a village in Karelia, a rock found there fif for taepedeftal ofthe intended ftatue, iii. n. Ladoga-canal, defcribed, i. 201. Lambro Canziani, particulars concerning, iii. 285. obtains fuccours s from ffie emprefs, 390. fayes himfelf in his boat, 293 . Lampedufa and Linofa, iflands of, Potemkin forms the defign of ptirchafing, iii. 294, Land-cadet-corps, founded by the emprefs Anne, \\. 334. Langeron, colonel, his reply to Potemkin, iii. 283. , Language, national, culture of the, iii. 426. Lafkarof, acknowledged by ffie porte as conful- general pf Ruffis, ii. 434. ; ¦ Lanfkoi, taken into favour, ii. 401.. iii. 41. dies, 88. demeanor of the emprefs on his death, 334. prefents made to him, 5*5. Lavkq, or ffiop, i. 30. Laufanne, prince Qrlof lofes his wife at, iii. 50. Law, iii. 407. Laws, new code pf, intended, i. 434. promulgation of, ii. z6j. Laxmann obtains permiffion for ffie Ruffians to fend tvery year a veffel tp Japan, iii. 73. Ledyard, John, an American, undertakes 8 fcrprffiag journey on foot, iii. 136. Leghorn, ruffian ffiips at, i. 353 ': LegiJlatrix, the emprefs the firft, i. 439. Lehvald, marflial, defeats marfhal Apraxin, i. 112, Lemnfis, Ruffians retire from, ii. 41. Leopold II. the emprefs not fatisfied with, Hi. at>6. contludes a fepa rate peace with the Turks, 3 13. Lip'ekbin and other academicians travel through the cpuntry, i-459* Leroux fufpefted as a fpy, iii. 156. Lefiko, a race of kings whofe power was nearly abfolute, i. 355. Le/loc-i favours the ftratagem of the grand-duchefs, i. 87. -account of him, 54, banifhed, 59. Letter, INDEX. |3^ fatter, remarkable, from Frederic II. to the king of Poland, i. 370, of thanks from the dowager queen of 'Denmark, 391. from the emprefs to prince Henry of Pruffia, ii. 3 17. anonymous, of Fre deric II. 320. from tlie king 'of Pruffia to the emprefs, 446, 447., - from the emprefs to count Vladimir Orlof, 448. fromM. Rarnofsky to Mr. Short of London, 44&. from Mr. Fox to M. Simolin, 484. paftoral, from the archbp. ofTriers-to his clergy, iii. 445, 446. from the emprefs to M. dAlembert, i.. 449. from Catharine to the ro man pontif, iii. 5. to madame Denis, 12.9. to admiral Greig, 222. from the emprefs to the king of Pruffia, 454. from Ali paffia to captains Bogia and GiaTeila, 485. Letters, intercepted, iii. 231. Levant, ruffian operations in the, ii. 133. LevaJhef, uncle pf Yermolof, iii. T28. , Levenhaupt, count, ii. 346. his rough anfwer to baron Rucffiek, ii. 3+7- ' ' Levitfki, lieutenant, guards Couturier while his companion is mur dered,, iii. 253. ( Lewis of Hungary, fucceffor of Cafimir, i. 355. Levjis XIV. the annexations of, a trifle compared with what Catha rine perforrhed in regard to Poland, i. 399. ¦Liberty of confcience grahted to the Tartars, iii*. 38. Liberty, civil, the glorious jealoufy of, tlie admiration, and envy of all ages, ii. 126. ¦ v Liberum veto, created in ffie r,eign of John Cafimir, i. 357- Libraries oi dAlembert and Voltaire, purchafed by the emprefs, ' iii. 129. JJbrary of the grand-dukes, a book of that name, iii. 8. L'Harpe, tutor to the grand-dukes, iii. 10. Lieven, madame, educates the young princeffes, iii. 10. Li'cvers, fent to takt ffie command of Cronftadt for Peter, i. 251. put into prifon, i. 253. Life, Catharine's ordinary mode of, ii. 180. Sahim-Gueray's, iii. 3,7. Ligne, prince de, Catharine writes familiarly to, iii. 200. Lilienhorn, the fwediffi admiral, engages with admiral Chitffiagof off Gothland, iii. -253. tried and degraded by a courtmarihal, 254. Liman fea, bloody and defperate engagements there, iii. 21.8. Otcha kof open to attack on the .fide of, iii. 247. Liquors, fpirituous, immenfe cpnfumption of, ii. -377. Literature, arts, and fciences, ftate of, iii. 402. Lithuania entered by 12,060 Ruffians, i. 366. Poniatofsky proclaimed grand-duke of, 369. annexed to the kingdom of Poland, 407. Litta, chevalier de, vice-admiral ofthe galley fleet, iii. 255. Livadia, divided from Negropont by a narrow ftraight, iii. 293. ¦Livonia, the emprefs declares her intention of vifi ting, i. 371. Lloyd, general, comes to Ruflia, ii. 39. Loans, confiderable, procured at Leghorn, Genoa, Lucca, and Am fterdam, ii. 32. Lcevenhielm, countefs of, beloved by Panin, ii. 349. Lombard, or loan-bank, , account of ffie, iii. 131. Lomofiofof's 538 INDEX. Lomonofof's antient ruffian hiftory, iii. 396. greek and roman, 429. antient, 428. London, Catharine feeks an alliance with the court of, i.425. inftru- ments procured from for obferving the tranfit of Venus, 449. -, Ca binet of declares war againft ffie Dutch, ii. 418. fome merchants of, agreed for the hire of ffiips, as tenders to the ruffian fleet, iii. 213. court of, vexed wiffi Ruffia, 43. 292. treaty of com- \ merce renewed with, 56. Lote, a ruffian weight, i. 48. Lotteries, none permitted in the ruffian empire, 1^247. Louifa, princefs of Baden-Durlach, married to the grand-duke Alex ander, iii. 375. Lovitcb, the aftronomer, barbaroufly murdered by Pugatffief, ii.212. Low-countries held by a precarious tenure, iii. 95. Lubeck, a fhip from, wafted, into a wood, ii 261. count Andrew Razumofsky fetches ffie grand-duchefs from, 311. Lubomirjky, princefs, the grandfather of Poniatofsy had been fteward "of a fmall eftate belonging to, i. 366. M. Magazines of hemp, i. 29. Majefty, how expreffed in rufs, iii. 401. Mainots and Montenegrins, ii. 32. defcended from the Lacedemo* nians, 40. Malekofska, Pugatflieffeize.dat, ii. ^89. Mdlakofsky, count, appointed marfhal ofthe diet of Warfaw, i, 365. Manifefto of the emprefs on her aceeffion to the throne, i. 489. de claratory of her motives for taking the reins of government, 490. concerning the death of prince Ivan, i. 504, 501;, 506, 507. fcurrilous, 386. Pugatffief's,, ii. 198. king of Sweden's, iii. 224. declaring the Krimea, the Kuban, and the ifle Of Taman, to be an nexed to fhe ruifian dominions, 449, 450 — 453. of the Turks againft Ruffia, 455. reply to it by Ruffia, 458. relat'ag to the partition of Poland, ii. 99. king of Pruffia's 011 the fame fubjeft, 103. Manifeftoes, edifying, i. 263. Manifeftoes, relative to the partition of Poland, iii. 486, &c. Manfliour, the ffieik or bey, pretends that he was predoomed by tlie eternal and immutable decrees of heaven, to fill up the meafure of divine revelation to mankind, iii. 6^. difappointed in tlie fuc cours expefted from heaven, finds that fanaticifm is not proof againft the bayonet, 126. his family, 179. poffeffed a large na tural ftock of courage, 180. taken prifoner by general Gudovitch, 315- Manufactories, i. 31, 32. number of at Peterfburg, 33. eftabliffied by direftion, and encouragement of the emprefs, ii. 300. Mardi, the antient country of , the, .iii. 61. Maria-Therefa, ii. 25. deceived in Catharine, i. 288. Catharine mediates with, 328. . Mart- index. 539 Maritime treaty between ffie emprefs and the king of Denmark, ij. 478, 479, 480. Markof, Arcadius, fucceeds Bakunin, iii. 163., combines with Plato Zubof, 33$. Marriage of Catharine, with prince' Potemkin, difficult to bejprOved, iii. 90. Martinefii, prince of Coburg and Suvarof, defeat the Turks near., , with horrid flaughter, iii. 280,281. Maruzzi, marquis, banker at Corfu, appointed minifter to Venice, - .' ii. 32. Mafquerades, at court, ii. 375. vMataphan, the antient Tenaros, ii., 40. Materials of manufacture, i. 33. < ¦ Mathematical fciences, iii. 414. Mathonius affifts the emprefs in compiling her inftruftions for anew > code of laws, i. 435. Matilda, Caroline, queen of Denmark, ii. 333. much beloved by the people of Zell, ii. 334. , Matzin, the Turks entirely routed at, iii. 315. Mauro-Cordato, hofpodar of Moldavia, fufpefted of treachery, iii. 167. Maufoleum, raifed to Lanikoi at Tzarlkoefelo, iii. 89. for prince , Potemkin, 324. Maxims, one of Catharine's, ii. ' 225. Mazanderan and Ghilan, commerce with, iii. 52. Aga-Mahmed ren> ders himfelf mafter of, iii. 60. Mazeppa, hetman of the kozaks, iii. 274. Meckanifm for conveying a huge rock to Peterfburg, iii. 13, Mecklenburg, princefs of, declared future queen of Sweden, 111,359. Medals ftruck to perpetuate the fucceffes of the turkifh war, ii. 147. Medicine, college of, grants licences to phyficians, furgeons, and nfidwives,. ii. 266. iii. 408. , Mediterranean, commerce with the ports of encouraged, ii. 29..418. expedition to the, confidered as the moft effeftive arm of the war, iii. 212. Mednoi-oftrof, a japanefe bark ftranded on, iii. 71. - Melgunof, governor-general of Archangel, i. '390. imprifoned, 267. liberated, 330. Mellin, countefs of, her accounts of the early life of Catharine, i. 67, 68. Memorial, . curious, prefented in Poland, ii. 117. amicable, of ffie porte, 440. , to tlie polifh refident at Peterfburg, i. 502, 503. from the emprefs to tlie ftates general, 482. another, 483. Men, learned and literary, correfpondents of Catharine, ii. 141- Mercantile-boufes , i. 39. Merchants, engliffi, fet the faffiions, i. 41; Meftvin, laft duke of Dantzic, ii. 105. 5 Metal, compofition of the, for the ftatue of Peter the Great, iii. 15.. Metropolitan of Peterfburg baptizes Wilhelmina of Hefle-Darmftadt into the Greek communion, ii. 137. Metropolitans, archbiffiops, -and bifhops, i. 481. e Mikel- £4<* INDEX. ¦iMMelfim, general, defeats Pugatffief, ii. .3 to. to his indefatigabfe exertions the extinftion of ffie rebellion owing, 314. recalled from ¦fighting againft the Turks and .put at ffie head of the army in Fin, land, iii. 223. fifikhailovitck, Alexey, i. 373. his code, 432. prepared ffie way fox Peter the Great, iii- <;2. ¦JffitU, french conful at Rhodes, iii. 161. Milleners, moftly french, i.~4Q. Miller, a brave engli-fti-captain, killed, in. 360. Mind, Catharine's, comprehenfive, i. 35a. greatnefs of, difplayed, by the emprefs, ii. 224. Mihgrelia, Solomon prince of, becomes a -vaffal to R_uffia, iii. 35. - Mmifttrs, cabinet, iii. 162. Miranda, from the Havannah, ffie emprefs refafes to §ive him up, 'iii: 155. Mirovitch, Vaflilly, lieutenant, flattered with the hope of recovering his forfeited eftates, i. 379- atks t0 he on guard for one week longer, 381. marches towards the prifon of Ivan, 382. reads- to his followers a forged decree of the lenate, 3S3 .- furrenders his fword to governor Berednikof, 3K5. condemned to death and publicly executed, 387. the flanderous manifefto found upon him produced, 388. and his accomplices privately examined, 393. their fentences, 394,39;. M'Jcellaneous pieces, written by the emprefs, iii. 8. Misfortunes have powerful effefts on the manners and tempers of men, iiL 33. Miftra, ffie antient Sparta, ii. 31. Mithridatts expels the Scythians from ffie Krim, iii. 25, Mittau, the grand-duke received at, by the duke of Courland, ii. 318. Mogan, the plains of, Thama-s, Kouli-khan affaffinated in, iii. 55. Muh.immed, the difciples of, arming for popery, i. 420. prayer to,, in behalf of the chriftians, ii. 69. Mohiief, the emprefs arrives at, ii. 404. catholic archbifliop . of, iii. 5. - < Mo'iia, xivar, i. 217. bridges over the Moi'ka, 231. Mokranofsky, nuncio of Cracow, bravely addreffes.the Ruffians, i, 365- Moldavangi, ali-paffia, recalled from exile, ii. 49. Moldav'a, deputies fent from, ii. 37. intended to be erefted into a monarchy for prince Potemkin, iii. 245. ffiort defcription 0^298. Momgnof, fucceeds Yermolof, iii. 139. complaifance of the emprefs towards him, 160. 309. fmittenby the charms of princefs Scher- batof, 309. prefents to him, 385. Monarchs, great and ambitious, conferences of, dangerous to their eqn Js in power, and terrible, to their inferiors, iii. 144. Monaficry of St. Sergius, i. 258. of St. Alexander Nefsky, body of Peter III. expofed there, 279. Monplaifir, where Catharine was lodged, defcribed, i. 333.' Morand, tlie famous furgeon, prefents to, i. 405, Mofco, INDEX. 54! Mofco, when Ae rivers freeze, i. 13. peftilence appears at, ii. 66. three fourths of ffie inhabitants die of the plague, ii. 70. mer chants and factors, i. 28. greatly alarmed, 263*. .plague ceafe.s at, ii. 71. meafures1 taken there concerning the plague, 78. a trium phal arch erefted to Gregory Orlof for his exertions on that occa fion, 79. governor of, vainly attempts to animate the populace, i. 371. foundling-hofpital at, 325. indignities fiiewii there to Ca- . tbarine, 342. deputies from all the provinces fent to, 434. the fpirit of rebellion fpreads to, ii. 205. corn fent from, 226. the emprefs vifits, 281. Peter I. made the journey to in forty-fix fcours, 284. vifited by the emprefs, iii. 113. Jofeph II. takes leave of the emprefs at, 160. the emprefs reported to be on the point of fetting out for, 300. the younger branches of the impe- r rial family removed to, 304. Muiabedladzy figns an armiftice, ii. 84. Muky Ifmail,. Suvarof fo nicknamed from his barbarity^ iii. 282. Munich, Gount, account of, i. 161. his falutary advice to Peter, 350. more generous counfel of, 256. prefides at the grand carouzel, 42^. arrefts the regent Biren, 373. furniffies" the idea of getting poffeffion of Conftantinople, ii. 39. his noble behaviour to Peter III. i. 257. his fpirited and loyal reply to Catharine, 264. con- trafted with Biren, 376. dies at Riga, 277. forced tlie lines of - Perekop, ii. 155. Mvficians, iii. 441. Muffoum Oglou, commands on the Danube, ii. 84. treats with mar shal Romantzof, ^3. Muftapka IIL- his death and charafter, ii. 148, 149. Myftagogues and religious or political feftaries, find little encou ragement in Peterfburg, ii. 246. Mytelene, now called Navarino, ii. 31. N. Nagel, colonel, gives the firft defeat to the new prophet, iii. 126. Names, antieYit, reftored to the Krimea and the Kuban, iii. 44. Naples, queen of,-and count Andrey Razumofsky, ii. 313. Narifbkin, Leof, Alexandrovitch, accompanies Peter III. on his vifit to prince Ivan, i. 195. his family receives prefents from Denmark, ii. 329. Naffau, prince of, known by the attempt on the ifle of Jerfey, iii. 206. warm fervice between him and the capudan-paffia, 218. ¦ ii. 423. with admiral Chitfchagof, faves the "fwediffi fleet, iii. "258. his letter to the emprefs, 362. anfwer, 263. his projeft of marching an army through Bokhara to Kaffimir, and thence to Bengal, 320." Natalia Alexievna, grand-duchefs, dies, 11. 314. _ .... ' Nations that have" no treaty of commerce with Ruffia, pay duties in dollars, iii. 104. Natural hiftory, iii- 4 **• ,.r ,.„ JSaSuraltfts, 54* INDEX. Naturalifts, an objeft of interefting inquiry to, iii. ia. Nature, ffie refults of the grand, eternal, and beneficent laws, by which ffie afts upon the whole are often deftruftive to ffie parts, ii. 360. Naval archif efture, . Peter ffie Great's firft attempts in, ii. 430,. Navigation and commerce improved by Catharine, i. 346. - Navy, ruffian, a want of native officers of fufficient ability and ex perience to conduft its operations with judgment and effeft, ii. 420. iii 215.393. <¦ Negotiating better than fighting, iii. 43. Negotiation, remarkable fecrecy of that, concerning the barter of JSavaria, iii. 96. Negropont, one ofthe fineft of ffie greek iflands, iii. 291 . NertfchinJk, gold and filver mines at, iii. 307. Neftor and the other annalifts, iii. 403.. Neva', river, manner of its freezing, &c. i. n. how its beautiful •'¦ ftream divides, ii. 174. ffie rifi ng of its waters notified by cannon, 261. Neuftadt, treaty of, iii. 222." Neutrality, armed, bafis of the, ii. 393, 394, 395. difplays its flag in all the northern feas, 418. formed on principles unfriendly to ffie interefts of England, iii. 1 09. Nicolayef, prince Potemkin dies on the way to, iii. 324. Nikonj the patriarch, introduces alterations in ffie rights and cere monies of ffie church, ii. 191.' Nobles permitted to travel, i. 164. of Poland, the more ffiey increafed their power, abufed it the more, i. 357. ¦Normelin, an old and brave enfign, ii. 352. Norway, ruled by Denmark with a harffi and unfeeling hand, iii. 233. a firnple and generous nation, 238. Note from the ruffian ambaffador to the fwediffi miniftry, iii. 462. anfwer by the court of Stockholm, 464. circular, delivered by Sweden, 466. Novgorod, archbifliop of, brought over by the confpirators, i. 213. . one of the principal inftruments in tlie revolution, i. 298. Numfen, general, gains a complete viftory over the Swedes, iii. 356. O. Oak, the whole army crowned with wreaths o£ i. 265. ruffian, not good for fliip-building, ii. 42a. Obeliftt, that tranfported from Alexandria to Rome, iii. 14. Obrien, captain, a native of Ireland, iii. 251. fent to the gallies, iii. 252. Obroi, of yearly tribute, i.31. Obftacles that oppofe the farther progrefs of ffie ruffian navy, ii. 424. Occupations, various, of the emprefs, ii.307. Ocean, eaftern, Billings fails about the iflands of the, iii. 135.' Odart, attached to princefs Dafhkof, i. 208. betrays her, 297. fent off, 304. Oeconomy, rural, iii. 411, Oelat, INDEX. 543 Oelat, tribes of the, furprifed by Pugatffief, ii. 200. Oelcets, improperly called Eleuts, ii. 159. Officers, engiifh, arrive in Ruffia, -ii. 29. foreign, offer themfelves to Catharine, 39. general promotion oi; 367. french, great numbers prbcured by tlie Turks, iii. 33. young engiifh, the conclufion pf the american war afforded a confiderable fupply of, 215. go in a, ( body to lay down their commiffions, 217. a general difafteftion fpread among the fwedifli, 228. declare they, will never attack a neighbour who had not provoked them, 230. are fent to Stockholm and put under arreft, 23 1. Offices of religion performed in fourteen different languages at St. Peterfburg, iii. 121. , Oldenburg, difference between the houfe of, and that of Holftein- Gottorp, ii. 339. and Delmenhorft relinquiffied to the bifhop of Lubeck, 338. tlie miferable country of, iii. 235. .Olivia, by the treaty of, no new port to be made in Courland, iii. 364- Olfufief, colonel, marches his regiment to Catharine, i, 240. Adam , ¦ Vaffillievitch,. ii. 283. penfioned.by the court of Copenhagen, > ii. 329. Opera, the firft in the fwedifli language, ii. 345. opei-a-houfe at , Mofco burnt down, 419. Oral court, ii. 247. Qranienbaum given "to the grand-duke, i. 83. That palace defcribed, i. 84. Peter's amufements there, 227. Oranienburg, Ivan carried oft'by a monk frOm, i. 195. Ordinances; Catharine's, uncomnionly confidential and,open, i. 311. Orenburg a prey to revolt, ii. 158. extremities to which that towii was reduced, ii. 202. Organization and vigilance of the police at Peterfburg, ii. 244. Orlof, Gregory, account of him and his brothers, i. 304. marches the regiment of artillery to the emprefs, 236. fent to Mofco to check the progrefs of ffie plague, ii. 70. his laudable conduft there, ii. 78, 79. his .great, prefents and uncommon magnificence, 9q. his fplendid appearance at Fokffiiani, 92. appointed lieute nant general of the ruffian armies, i. 266. accompanies the em prefs 'to Mofco, 291. his arrogant behaviour, 299. Catharine at tached to him more from policy than afte&ion, 300. conlults with Beftuchef, 934. 'near upon being emperor of all the Ruffias, 339. accompanies ffie emprefs to Livonia, 372. his want 6f dii- cretion, 4b 1. travels into foreign parts, ii. 169. fuddenly re turns, and is well received at court, 172. his coarie manner, of life 173 requefts the removal of Potemkin, 270. afks permiffion ¦ to retire from court and is refufed, 279. fets out in difguft for Mofco, 309. marries the. countefs Zinovief, 111. 1. dies at Mofco, ' Orlof, Alexius, one of the three perfons to whom the. cuftody of • Peter III was committed, i. 274. promoted, with his brothers, " 201 304 feizes a country-cart for Caffiarine's conveyance, to- town 3 *i hi< execrable treatment ofthe emperor at Ropfcha, 274. • raifed all at once from a Ample foldier to the rank of- general, t^ ^_ — l^iL- t-^r'-'fit by his viftories, 45. flops 'at Vienna on his 544 Index. way to the Archipelago, $3. comes to Rome, 57. offers marriage to princefs Tarrakanof, 58. his brutal behaviour, 63. quarrels with Potemkin, which cofts the latter an eye, 370. his daughter marries tlie fon of general Panin, iii. 2. declines taking the com mand of an expedition to the Mediterranean, 205. acts as chief mourner by the coffin of Peter, 380. Orlof, Vladimir reftores the decorations of his deeeafed brother to the emprefs, iii. 51. Orlof s, brothers, fuddeiTly make ffieir appearance at court, iii. 1, prefents ffiey received, 3 83 . Orthodoxy, pure, the hordes of Kozaks extremely bigoted to, ii. 193. Offian, Norwegians celebrated in the ftrains of, iii. 339. OJftpovna, Sophia, a young poliffi widow, attempts the heart of the grand-duke Paul, ii, 13^. Oftermann, count, imitates Panin at Stockholm, ii. 340, 351. 3^3: vice-chancellor, 403' entirely devoted to the Engliffi, iii. 106. a roan not above the ordinary ftamp, 162. Oftngotbia, duke of, ii. 3^1. iii. 229. Otchakof, about ten leagues from Kherfon, iii. 20. Turks march to cover, 170. its vicinity to Kinburne, 183. confiift near, fatal to the Turks, 243 . vaft preparations for the fiege of, 246. pillage and flaughter at, lafts three whole days, 349. ffie conquerors of, rewarded, 276, 277. Ottoman empire, all feems to announce the approaching overthrow -of, iii. 177. Paila conventa, the charter fo called, i. 356. Padiftia, title of, granted by the porte to the emprefs, ii, 156'. Painters at Peteriburg, iii. 439. Palenka fubmits to Prince Potemkin, iii. 278. Palace, magnificent marble, at Peterfburg, ii. 175. Palatines, poliffi, account of, i. 358. Pailas, profeffor, and other academicians fent to make obfervations in various parts ofthe empire, i. 459. Catharine buys his collection of natural curiofi ties, iii. 129. Pamphilief, Ivan, the clergy of the feveral communions in Feterf- ' burg dine with him annually on twelfth-day, iii. 119. Fanin, count Nikita -Ivanovitch, account of, i. 132. governor to Paxil Petrovitch ; his character, 133. fond of an ariftocratic con ftitution, 134. addreffes himfelf to Elizabeth's confeffor, 141, advifes Peter III. to have himfelf elefted by the fenale, 143. engages in the plot againft- him, 212. his bold fpeech to Catha rine, 217.. obtains a renunciation of the fovereignty from Peterlll. 262. made prime minifter, 266. his addrefs to Dr. Dimfdale, 464. his reafon why the emprefs neglefted to invite him to ac company her on her pilgrimage, ii. 282, Potemkin ftands in awe of him, 281. his indolence increafes, 309. his artful conduft when at Stockholm, 340. retires from bufinefs, 402. delivers to Catharine a plan of government, i. 333. had confiderable imper fections, index. 545 feftions, but was the only one of Catharine's minifters who had a true notion of bufinefs, 400. ordered to quit his apartments in the palace, 138. Catharine refutes to content to his baniffiment, 173. his charafter drawn by a courtier, 174. held togethei: tlie moft important places, 178. dies at Peterfburg, iii. 49. Paper manufactories, i. 33. 1 Papers relative to the re-eftabliffiment of peace, i. 486. with erafures might be prefented without feai: of offending tlie emprefs, iii, 138. pardakofsky taken by ffie king of Sweden, iii. 257. Pardon, general, granted, ii. 225. 290. Paros, Ruffians landing a^ ii. 31. anchor there, 43. famous for wine and marble, 133. 1 ,' , 1 Partition of Poland, acquisitions from, by the three powers, ii. 115. Party, Catharine's, of whom compofed, i. 226. PaJJick, lieutenant, his bafe propofal, i. 216. advifes to haften the execution of the plot, 230. Pa/luiof, private fecretary, iii. 123. Patriarchs of Ruffia, i. 478. , , Patronymics, ruffian, i. 64. Paul Petrovitch declared fucceffor, i. 238, Catharine ffiews him to the populace, 241. reprimands a courtier for his advice, ii. 282, accompanies the emprefs to Mofco, i. 292-. unfettled 'ftate of his health, 301. his cold conftitution, 13^. intercedes for Panin, ii; 139. his difcretion and filial reverence, 310. iiis addrefs to Fre deric II. at Berlin, 319. marries the princefs of Wirtemberg, 323. fingular circumftances relating' to, 403. travels, 4C8. Paul I. orders the tomb pf Peter 111. to be opened, iii.- 379. Paulmy, marquis de, ambaflador from France at Warfaw,a. 360. Pavlofsk, palace, built by Paul- Petrovitch, ii. 177. Peace with foreign powers, i. 308. rejoicings on account of, ii. 157. Catharine employed in cultivating the arts of, 277. Peafants, the barbarous lot to which they are doomed in Poland, i. 3c e. Peil, the only banker in Stockholm who lends money to the king, »• 36x- Pekin,, the fupreme tribunal of, fends an: abrupt anfwer to the ruf fian fenate, ii. 166. the caravans take three years in going to, flopping there and returning to Tobolik, iii. 68. Pelijper, a' fwifs officer, iii. 258. • Perekop, famous lines of, fubmitted to Munich, ii. 64. called by tlie Tartars Or-kapi, iii. 22. Perfection not to be looked for in any thing that we are capable of underftandingi ii. 127. Perfia, the Cafpian favourable to the Ruffians in their trade with, iii. 52. ,-¦'... Ptrfonal regards never governed Catharine, 11. 177. Pefchlin, general, as venal as Wilkes, ii. 343. arrefted, 352. Peftilence appears in Mofco, ii. 66. rages at Yaffy, 67. peft-houfes at Mofco, 71. infefts the ruffian and ottoman armies on the banks of the Danube, 79. furniffies the king of Pruffia with a pretext for marching his troops into Poland, 'j6. vol, 111. * N Beter, 546 irtDEX. Peter, grand-duke, attacked by the fmall-pox, i. 72. His nuptials folemnized, 73. Reciprocal diflikes arife, 74. IJis irregular con duft at Oranienbaum, 86. a great admirer of ffie king of Pruffia, no. not agreeable at court, 131. Peter I. fome account of, 435, 436. made a law concerning the fucceffion, i. 61. Peter II. reigned only three years, i. 54. Peter III his name become dear to" the Ruffians, i. 451. fudden and furprifing- clrange in his behaviour, 158. his reign at firft po pular and aufpicious, 159. recalls the exiles from Siberia, 160. correfts numerous abufes in the adminiftration of juftice, 168. diminifhes ffie wealth of ffie monks, 173. arts of his enemies, 1-74. his anfiwer to the king of Pruffia, 178. rude behaviour to the emprefs,. 182. other afts of imprudence, 183. afraid of look ing like the king of France, 184. caufes the peace to be cele brated with magnificence, 196. intends to repudiate ^Catharine, 192. determines to adopt prince. Ivan, 194. ftrange fpeech im puted to him, 226. his reply' to the' remonftrances of Goltz and Schverin, 228. his amazing fecurity on the very eve of the re volution, 244. plunged in diftrefs, 250. prefents himfelf before the harbour of Cronftadt 254. his weaknefs and irrefolution, 256. bafely murdered at Ropfcha, 274. his charafter, 275. im porters under his name, ii. 184. Petethof, palace of, i. 93. defcribed, 215. Petufburg, climate of/ 10, 11. ifland, 39. Peterfen, colonel, complains to the Porte of a violation of treaty, ii. 298. Philofophical literature, iii. 410. Philofopbnf. inftance of his inquifitorial authority, ii. 332. aids the defigns of Eernftor£ 337.' Philofophy, Catharine had learnt patience and lenity from the leffons of, ii. .225. Peter II. refolves to devote himfelf to, i. 273. Piaft, whence that denomination is derived, i. 355. _ Piccolo, Stefano, incites the Montenegrins againft the Turks, ii. 1S5. Pictures, purchafesof, ii. 176. Pilgrimage performed by the emprefs, ii. 2S2. Pi/ohboats engaged in England to wait in proper ftations for the ar rival of die ruffian fleet, iii. 213. Phatical war, Greeks and Albanians fit for no other than a, ii. 133. Pifhkof, Jacob, admitted into the confidence of Mirovitch, i. 381. Plague, one cruel, re.ftra ins another, iii. 17. Plefchtfclteyef, omiffion in his account of his expedition in iEgypt, ii. 45. favourably received by the bey, 46. Plotmii, or carpenters, i 36. Plots, feveral ineft'eftual, againft Catharine, i. 341. Ployart, captain, takes a Homer on ffiore at Naxos, ii. 31. Podolia, piopofals made by the nobility of, ii. 7. Poetiy, ruffian, -ftate of, iii. 430. Poland, loft by the d.'-fcfts of its government, a part "of the advan tages it had received from nature, i 353. kings of, not two in stances of free election of, 359. feveral of the provinces' of, " have index. . £47 . Jiave'recourfe to arms, 366. popery introduced into, 406. chrif tian harmony m, 408. parties in, 415. king of, calls a diet, 416. conduct of the emprefs towards, infinitely more juft, moderate, _ and temperate, than that of the other powers, ii. 274. ah in demnity granted to the king of, for the lot's of his revenues, 276. 1 his interefts particularly' fupported by tlie partitioning powers, 277. cabinet of Peterfburg d'irefts all the affairs of, 298. the annihila tion of, decreed, 314. the theatre of cruel wars, 2. the, emprefs fends reinforcements thither, 3. to be. confidered no otherwife than as a province of Ruffia, 6. its difmemberment refolved on, .34. king of, foot at, 81. foreign armies extend from one end to .' the other of, 97. king of, a fort of honourable prifoner, in. thought fecretly to favour ffie partition, 114. fpirited fpeecli of, ii c. a new diet 'affembled, 117. king of, uncivilly treated- by 1 Stackslberg, 1 18 Poland cruelly dealt with by the king of Pruffia, '1 119. fcarcdy poffible for it ever to emerge from its .diftrefsfiu fituation, 123. ruffian forces advancing through, iii. ,32. Potemkin acquires rich domains in; 45. in repofe' equal - in value wiffi the activity of any other ally, 145. king of, his reply to Caffia- : rifle,' 153. Bulgakof. ordered to declare war againft, 336. prince Jofeph Poniatofsky commands an army in, 336. Poles, astrfual, defeated by the Ruffians, i: 368. exiled; add to' the ' force of Pugatflief, ii. "303 . never could be brought to unite ffieir forces, iii. 336. Police, btnefitsarifingfrom a well regulated, ii. 233. mechatiifmof that -at Peterfburg, 242. Po'lovizes fubdued the Krim, iii. 3;. driven out by the Motigoles and Tartars, 26. prefents received hy, 383. Popes, ruffian, i. 169. encourage- an impoftor, ii. 185, held in extreme veneration, 280. Popof, and prince Potemkin, curious underftanding between, iii. 297. Populace, ficklenefs of ffie, i. 270. ^Population of Ruffia, i. 2,3. increafe of, 6. Porcelain, manufaftory, i. 32. Porte, ottoman-, blamelefs in regard to Poland, ii. c. prepares vrgoroufly for war, tii. 34. rhafteily; manifefto of, 39. 147. Pofnania obliged to furnifh fifty marriageable girls to general Belling, ii. i22. Pcfpolite, account of that military inftitution, i 3C9. Poniatofsky, count Staniflau-s, his origin, i. ror, obtains the favour of Catharine, 103. ordered' by Elizabeth; to quit Ruffia, 103. - appointed minifter from Poland, 105. his intimacy with thegrand- duehefs increafes, ro9- is difgracetully arrefted at Oranienbaum, 119. die emprefs corresponds with him, 2 ,.9. renews his foficita- tiotfs to come to Petersburg, 351. joins the emprefs at Kanief, iir. - 152. made choice of by Catharine to fill the throne of Poland, i. 3-54. ' ' his character, 363. vifits tlienuncios feparately, 368. proclaimed k'n°" of Poland, 369. begins to reign in as much tranquillity as if riis election had not. been effected by violence, 370. motives in crowning, 4°5- „ n n 3 Potemkin 548 INDEX. Potemkin rides up to the. emprefs on the day of the revolution, i. 243. fixes the attention of the emprefs, ii. 269. fome account of the family of, 379. looked to as tlie difpenfer of, all bounty, and ffie fource of all honours, 277. reconciled with the Orlofs, 278. his curious reafon for not going to the council, 279. bids adieu to good cheer, and lives upon roots, 283. unbofoms to his confefTor all his tranfgreffions, 284. ceafes to be the object of Catharine's affection, 307. more jealous of abfolute power than love, 326. works the downfall of Zavadofsky, 327. with him Catharine balanced the fate of Europe, 328. writes a letter of thanks to M. de Saint-Prieft, 365. Zoritch complains to, 3-9. his nieces, 3g6. his prodigious influence, 398. refolves to take poffeffion of ffie Krimea, 402. expeditious in travelling, iii. 20. haftens to Tagan- rok, 28. receives the oath of allegiance of fultan Baaty Gueray, 30. affembles an army on the frontiers of the Krim, 43. not un mindful of his perfonal interefts while extending tlie empite of his fovereign, 45. difmiifes Voinovitch with difgrace, 6,0. always knew how to appreciate real merit, 103. plays high, 128. joins the emprefs at Kief, 151. retains Sahim-Gueray with him at Kherfon, 160. commander in chief of all the forces in the Kuban, 176. the emprefs fends him a plan of tlie meafures taken againft Sweden, 201. te deum fung in his army, 219. has the whole empire at his command, 245. befieges Otchakof, 347. always in extremes, 248. appointed hetman of ffie kozaks, 274. takes the ifle of Berezan, 277. befieges Ifmail, 283. joyfully received at Peterfburg, 293. his exceffive pomp, 294. particulars of, 295. . his manner of living, 305. ftudies Plutarch, 307. has a prefenti- ment of his death, 308. puns on ffie name of Zubof, 312. his manner of living at Yafly, 333. bis titles, death, and character, 334, 335, 326. was not with the affaffins of Peter III. i. 274. fitted for a prime minifter, ii. 177. Potemkin, Paul, caufes 30,000 Tartars to be flaughtered in cold blood, iii. 39- Pound, ruffian, i. 41. Powers, partitioning, remarks on ffieir proceedings, ii. in. Preachers, reformed and lutheran, hold weekly meetings, iii. 117, P remiftaus has the territory of Pomerellia, ii. J05. ' Preobajenfkoi guards declare for the emprefs, i. 236. Ireftpn, .captain, an intrepid Engliffiman, iii. 254. Fretenders to the crown of Ruflia, i. 373. "Prieftman, an engiifh officer, iii. 344. Princes oi Germany who make it a cuftom to barter mankind for money, i)i. 83. Printing, at St Peteriburg, iii. 443. Proclamation prohibiting britifli feamen from entering into any foreign fervice, -iii. 213. Products, natural, well for mankind that but few are confined to any one country, iii. 112. Fiogeny, imperial, ii. 322, 323. Frateft againft the polifh diet, ii. 440. ' Pioteftants, INDEX. 549 'Proteftants, of Poland, implore the interceffion of the courts of Lon don, Copenhagen, and Berlin, i. 413. Provinces, divifion of, completed;, iii. 8. Prozorofsky, prince, noble anfwer of, iii. 38. Pruffia, king of, concludes a treaty with the emprefs, i. 361. his anfwer to the addrefs of the grand-duke, ii. 320. hereditary prince of, arrives at Peterfburg, ii. 408. acquires 860,000 fouls by the partition of Poland, 1 15. king of, the curious intereft he takes in the diftreffes of the inhabitants of Poland, 277. Pruth, battle fought near that river, ii.,34. Peter ffie great's difgrace , at the, e.fface.d by Catharine, 22-1. < Pfaro, fent by the emprefs into Sicily, iii. 286. Pugatfhef, Ikhelman, his origin and rebellion, ii. 187. affociates with hermits, 188. vifited by the popes whilein prifon at Kazan, 190. not wanting in difcernment, 191. his plaufible pretences, 195. commits depredations on a!} fides, 203. wears an epifcopal robe, 204. a reward let upon his head, 207. general Panin fent againft him, 212. approaching faft to Europe, 215. unexpeftedly fees his wife, 216. conveyed to Mofco ' in an iron cage, 218. the butchering fentence paffed on him not executed, 319 meets his fate with the moft undaunted refolution, 220. rebellion of, be trayed fome d'efeft in the conftitution, 416. Pulaufsky, general, goes to America, where he dies, ii. 444. , Pultava, the battle of, reprefented to Catharine on the fpot, iii. 159. 7 uftikin, lieutenant, arrefted, i. 236. , Fytos conquered by Ruffians, ii. 31. Q. 'Quarrels in ffie ftreet or ih public houfes feldom happen at Peterfburg, ' ii. 247. between the ufurper Maffmood and the feeble ffiah Huf- fein, iii. 5.3. with the Chinefe bring on a fufpenfion of that trade, 69. Sjieftions fur I'Encyclopedie, ii. 144. clofe, put by the porte to the • court of Peterfburg, iii. 39. a harffi queftion put by Potemkin to - a dying officer, 248. Sttftrum, the Norwegians, at, force part of a regiment to capitulate, iii. 239. -, , R. Radifchef, prince, gains a complete viftory over ffie tartar prophet, iii. 183. Radifchef, a fatirical author, iii. 367. Rad'zivil, princefs, apd her fifter-in-law fight on horfeback with fabres, i. 308. Radzivil, prince, takes arms againft the Ruffians in Poland, i. 364. 416. leaves princefs Tarrakanqf at Rome, ii. 36. his famous library carried off, No. Ra^uzinftty pacifies the Chinefe, iii. 6g. Ramfayj general, devoted to the court of Stockholm, ii. 341. K N 3 Ranzitu 55<> INDEX. Ranz.au Afchberg, count, minifter from Denmark, ii. 330. di£ miffed, 33^. R aphael's gallery at Peterfburg, ii. 31. Rifcbid Mehsmet effendi, fent to Peterfburg, iii. 3^6. fuppprts the ruffian caufe at Conftantinople, 376. Rq/kojniki, or old believers, ii. 191. Siberia abounds with ffiem, 192. account of, 196. "Rafnofchik, or ftreet-pedlar, ¦ i. 30. ii. 258. Ratifbon, Catharine kept an ambaffador at. ffie diet of, ii. 331. Razin or Radzin, Stenka, author of a.dreadful rebellion among ffie hordes of the Volga and of the Yai'k, ii. 194. Razumof/ky, Alexey, a broad hint to him, i. 158. adheres to the emprefs, 235. Razumofjky, Cyril, arrives from the Ukraine, i. 79. infinuates" him felf into the favour of ffie grand-duke, 80. offered the command ofthe army, 177. engages in the plot, 210. reply of the king of Pruffia to, ii. J2r. appointed field-marfhal, iii. 276. Razumofjky, count Andrey, ferves under admiral Elphinfton indie Archipelago, ii. 311. tent envoy extraordinary to Venice, 313. goes from Denmark to Sweden, iii. 163. his behaviour at the court of Stockholm, 196. the king of Sweden requires ffiat he ffiall be-exemplarily puniihed, 222.. RazumofJk) and others, intrepid reply of Catharine to, i. 301. Gre gory, marriestiie widow Chartorynfka, ii. 136. Rebellion, Pugatffief's, imputed to the Turks, and to ffie French, ii. 190. reflexions on, 221. Rebinder, colonel, attacks the tartarian prophet, iii. 181. Recruiting, meffiodof, iii. 388. Regifter -offices for fervants, ii., 249. Reindeer, immehfeherds of, come annually from ffie american to ffie afiatic coaft, 136. Religion, catholic, flies for proteftion to the ftandard of Mohammed, i. 425. Religious coercion the occafion of horrible wars with the Kozaks, ' ii. 192. Renunciation oi the imperial dignity by Peter III. i. 496. Reply oi Catharine to the grand-duke, ni. 202. Repnin, prince, undue influence of, in Poland,. i. 419. appears at the congrefs of Tefchen, ii. 386..exafts a new oath of allegiance in Poland and Lithuania, iii. 374. demands toleration, i. 415. recalled from Warfaw, ii. 9. young, taken prifoner by the Turks, 129. calms the refentment ofthe divan, 307. at the head of an army near the Krim, iii. 43. afts under the command of Potem kin in tlie Kuban, 176. aififts Potemkin and Romantzof in.fre- <• quently beating the Turks, 246. drives the Turks from the bor ders of the Sorjka, 377. entirely routs them at Matzin, 315. Reval, its harbour ^and fort, i. 256. Revenue oi Ruffia, i. 3, 4. Revenues of the empire, iii. 395. Reuttrholnt% INDEX. 55! Reuterholm, baron, appointed'prime-miniftei- of Sweden, $..358., Revolution in favour of Catharine, i. 242, kc. . counter,- iruSweden, , the grand and determined objeft of RuOia, iff.' 226. in Denmark, . remark of Frederic II. on' .tlie, ii. 334. in Sweden, 350. fudden and unforefeen, in the government of Sweden, iii. 193. only ef fected -in Ruffia by the foldiery, 297. Rhodes, Sahim-Gueray tranfported to, iii. 161. Ribas? a Neapolitan, fome account of, ii. Co. tutor to Bobrinfky, fome account of, iii. 3. Richardfon, profeffor, extraft from a letter of," ii. 24. Riga, the emprefs uneafy at, i. 387. Rimnikfky, Suvarof furnamed, iii. 278. Robberies and murder feldom heard of at Peterfburg,- ii. 239. Robertfon, principal, Catharine wiffies to engage him to undertake lfer hiftory, i. 298.. Rock, an enormous, tranfported to Peterfburg, iii. 11. Rcgerfm, Dr. tlie eniprefs's chief phyfician, affifts her majefty in her laft illnefs, iii. 378. Romantzof, count, fucceeded in the. Ukraine by general Panin, ii. 33. croftcs the Danube, and forced to repafs it, 130. ffiarp letter from gatiiarine to, 132,. encamps at the gates of Siliftria, 153. a dif- ' patch of his left unanfwered by Panin for four months, 283. the emprefs goes to- meet ¦ him at Kolomifki, 285. raifes an army on the banks of the . Boryfthenes, 307J attends the grand-duke to ' Berlin, 316. views the garrifon of Potfdam, 321. has an inter view wiffi. the fanfous Haflan-Gazy, 36r has his head-quarters at Kief, iii. 43. meets the emprefs, 151. declines afting, under tlie command of prince Potemkin, 177. afts with prince Pofem-. kin, 246. Ropfcha, horrid tranfaftions there, i. 273. Rofetti, Carlo, an artful Italian, ii. 45. Kbzenftem, lieutenant-colonel, iii. 2^31. Rozetfky affifts Gatiiarine in drawing up her inftruftions for, framing - a code of laws, i. 435. Ruble, its value, i. 48. _ 1 Rubles ftruck by Pugatffief, ii. 207. Ruby, the lafgeft known to be in the world, was brought from China to prince Gargarin, iii. 6g. Rudbek, baron, governor of* Stockholm, ii- 34.3- Rules, cautionary, 'concerning travellers quitting the town, ii. 245-. Rumour, not- always unfounded, efpecially in defpotic governments, iii. 227 ' Ruffia, 'growing in fubftantial power, i. 309. her friendfliip much ' fouoht, and generally paid for, 310. an a fylum to the learned and ineenious; 448. number of people it got by tlie partition of Po land ii. US- great power of, and magnificence of its emprefs, I-1&' enjoys her power, influence, and glory, with a noble and fplendid magnificence, 227. fliould, as little as poffible, take any concern in tire foreign tranfaftions and commerce of tlie monarchs of Europe, 229- the monarchs of, .have always had favourites of ficially for a feries. of feventy years, 271. excites- the admiration. N N 4 Of $$t INDEX. ofthe world, 303. exorbitant demands of, iii. 31. the infupport able haughtinefs and arrogance of, 207. an overgrown empire, whofe coloffai power renders the independence and liberties of all the nations ofthe north extremely precarious, 210. fuddenly in volved in a" new and unexpected war, 190. the ftar of, ftill pre dominant, while that of Sweden feemed on ffie point of fetting to rife no more, 236. eonfequenees of her ambitious defign of over throwing and partitioning the ottoman empire, 237. Courland formally furrendered to, 373. Ruffian ambaffador fliut up in the caftle of feven towers, ii. 4. armies extend from the Danube to the Kuban, 7. hiftory, fketch of, com piled by the emprefs, iii. 8. Ruffians much addifted to trade, i. 30. Catharine wiffies to infpire them with fome dread of infamy, 303. furprifingly cunning and of quick parts, ii. 256. fituate as they are in Europe and Afia, may eafily trade with all the world, 36$. harmony fubfifts between them and ffie Turks, 409. young, fent to Pekin to ftudy the chi nefe language, iii. 70, take ffiips from ffie Swedes, 259. Sahim-Gueray fends a deputation to Peterfburg, ii. 306. worfted in the Krimea, ii. 436. views of ffie emprefs in making him khan of the Krim, iii. 26, his fpeech to' the tartar chiefs, 28. impru dently demands the ceffion of Otchakof, 39. .Sailor, a turkifh, runs acrofs the flames of a ffiip on fire to fave tlie - flag, iii. 244. Saint-Clan; major, ffie a ffaffi nation of, iii. 252. Saints, prayers to the piftures of. univerfal in Ruflia, ii. 72. Saldein, count, feme account of, ii. 330. determines the king of Denmark to travel into England and France, 331. Saldern, a fwediffi officer, degraded, iii- 259. Saleb-bcy murders Thamas Koufiikhan, iii. 55. Samoderytz, its etymology, iii. 398. Samrgitta belongs to Ruffia by the partition of Poland, iii. 364. Samoye le, the little, a tale written by Catharine, iii. 9. Samoyedes, frank declaration of the, i. 437. ' Sarmates conquer the Krim, iii. 35. Savolax, ruffian, Guftavus III. opens an entrance in to -the, iii, 257. Sr.xejCdurg, prince of, relieved by the intrepid Suvarof, iii. 277. Scanians, their murmurs flopped, ii. 343. Schamachy , Peter I. eftabliffies a conipting-houfe at, iii. 53. Scheffer and Salza, counts; aft in concert with Vergennes at Stock holm, ii. 341. 345- 1 Scheldt, magnificently reprefented as the fineft river in Europe, iii 75. . ' Scherbatof, primeis, beloved by Momonof, iii, 309. fhamefully chaf- tifed, 311. Ejihetemetof, count, Jus' fortune, i. 438. Sthez- INDEX. 553 Sckearonchevitch, appointed catholic archbifliop of Mohiief, iii. 4. 116. Schifcbkofsky, Stepan Ivanovitch, head of the fecret commiffion, iii 266. Scblefvig, duchy, contefts concerning, i. 176 pretentions to, com- promifed, 187. ii: 329. 33-1, Schluffilburg, caftle, its fituation, i. T99. church of defcribed, 385. Schveriw, count, i. 188. Peter's reply to his remonftrances, 328. Schuvalof, count Peter, i. 57. his affeftionate addrefs to the grand- duke, 138. reconciled to him, 140. raifed to ffie rank of field- , marflial, 158. the family of, receive prefents from Denmark, ii. 3^9- . Schuvalof, count Ivan, miftaken in his views, i. 295. Schnvahf, Ivan, i. 57 129. alarmed at findingffiimfelf at the head of a party, 135. harangued by Panin, 136. Sclavonian, the church language, iii. 425. Scythians inhabit the Krim, iii. 25. ' Sea-fight maintained with uncommon fury and obftinacy in a thick , fog, iii. 220. off Gothland, 253. Secret fervice money laid out by France in Sweden, ii. 353. Security, perfonal, ii. 235. Segur, count, ambaffador at Peterfburg, ffiort account of, iii. 103. repairs the mifchiefs occafioned by his aukward predeceffors, 104. his charafter of prince Potemkin, 316., Selentfchii, or gree^feller, anecdote of, i. 37. Selim III. afcends the throne of Oenftantinople, his charafter, iii. 369,270. ( Semigallia defcribed , iii . 3 63 . , Senate-houfe, ffie emprefs in' the balcony of, to view the pubKc dif- clofure of the ftatue of Peter the Great, as reprefented in the cen tral compartment of the third plate in this work, iii. 16. Senate reformed, i. 351. Separattfts, religious, ih.191. , Sergius, majpr, fent to Conftantinople, iii. 157. SeJIrabek, i. 353. Settlements in Ruffia, i. 334, 32^. Sevaftopol, fouffi-weft of the antient Cherfon, iii. 20. fleet retires under the cannon of,- 244. Shah, fchah, or fohach, fignifies fovereign, iii. S3.. Sbahfsko'n prince, the only perfon removed from his employment on the aceeffion of Peter III. i. 158. Sheik Manffiour appears again, pretending ffiat he had feen an angel in the midft of a Wood, iii. 180. Ship oi fixty guns taken from the Swedes and burnt by the Ruffians, iii. 231. Ships, turkifh, burnt, ii. 41. Sb'ftove, a congrefs at, iii. 319s Sbopa, the booth of eleftion, i. 369. Siberia, rich in minerals, i. 21. noblemen recalled from ffieir ba- niffimentin.ii. 387. commerceof, regains its former aftivity, 297. the wilds of, ranfaeked for recruits, iii, 350. Sicily, 554 INDEX. Sicily, the fugar-cane.! thrives -weum, iii.,iSfi. '¦'- . Si'%eroih', general, ordered' to embark the fwedifh troops on-board the' gafiiesi. iii. 329. Sigifmundf emperor, fold tlie marquifate of Brandenburg to ffie pre fent royal famjly of Pruffia, ii. 105. * • Simolin,, envoy oi- Ruffia to Mi'ttau, 1.338. Simove'ifk, Pugatffief a native of, ii. 187. SI edge-party to Tzarfkp-felo, ii., 18.I Slovo i dele, cruel praftice of exclaiming, aboliffied, i. 318. Smith, Sir Sidney, iii. 259. Smiths, german, fucceed very well, i. 38. Smolenft, Ivan III. conveyed by a monk to, h-374. Soldiers at Oranienbaum, Peter's, moftly Germans, i. 85. their con* cern for the emprefs, 342. repent of having afted againft PeterllL 368. Solms, count, his note to Panin, i. 440. Solomon, the chriftian prince of Mingrelia, iii. 3^. his charafter, 45. Solotnik, aruffian weight, i. .48. Soltikof, count, his character," i. 88,89. n*s affiduities with the grand-duchefs, 90. in great favour with her, 92. threatened with baniffimeht, 94. exculpated "by the grand-duke, and reftored to the court, 95, 96. flattered by Beftuchef as an inftrument to the; ruin of the grand-duke, 98. fent to Stockholm, and thence to Hamburgh, 100. fucceeded in favour by count Ppniatofsky , 1 o 1 . fuc ceeds Fermer in the command of the army,. 122. gains the battle of Kunerfdorf, 123. his remarkable reply to marfhal D'aun, ib recalled from Hamburgh, 193. goes with reinforcements into ¦ - land, ii. 3. croffes the Danube, 153. Soltikof, Nicola i\ minifter a,t war, iii. 335. M Sqltyk, qifhop of Cracow, a haughty and fanatical prelate, i. 414. Sophi, the name of. a family defcended from Tamerlane, iii. ^3. . Soliiri, a Greek, fent to foment infurreftions, in Epire, iii. 285. Sovereigns oi Ruffia, fucceffion of, i. 475. Sovereigns, the feolding of, affords no more pleafure or edification than that of common people, iii. 225. Spain and the porte, a treaty between, iii. 34. Speech, pr filence, mercenary bargains made for, ii. 337. truly mar tial, of the capudan-paffia to the fultan, iii. 173. to the principal officers of his fleet, 1 74. eloquent, effefts of, depend in all things on time, place, and circumftances, 238, . Spiltler, quotation from, concerning. the emprefs, i 397. Spiridof, admiral, commands a fleet in the Archipelago, ii. 30. Sprengporten, general, ftrives to raife an infurreftipn in Finland, iii. 197. his gallant reply to Mikhelfon, 223. dangeroufly wounded, 224. St. Prieft, M. de, prevents the Turks frpm engaging ip a war, ii. 360. receives magnificent prefents from the emprefs, 364. prime minifter to Louis XVIlf. at Mittau, ii. 36$. Stackelberg at Warfaw, ji. tl8. artfully invites tlie magiftrates of Dantzick to implore ffie proteftion of Catharine, iii. 73. preffes Sweden to break the neutrality with France, 3 56. , Stanchio, index, 555 tyavchio, four facks fujhof ruffian heads, fent from, ii. 135. Sfarovertzt, a religions feft," ii. 191. / Smfchief, the ruffian minifter, attacked on the road by turkifh fai lure, ii. 362.' obtains a large eftate, 364. refident at Conftantinople, receives a valuable prefent, 418. •States, reflections on' the mutual interefts, of, ii. 126 — 128. Statuaries, at St. Peterfburg, iii. 440. Statue of Peter tile Great truly a m,uter-piece of art* iii. 14. defcrip tion of the, 14, 15. expences attending it, 16. , Stettin, the birth-place of Catharine, i. 66. Stockholm, alarm raifed at, ii. 3 y§-. 'Siofeln, lieutenant-general, his curious order, ii. 67. ¦Stone, immenfe, drawn by wi'ndlaffes towards Peterfburg,- iii. r3. Strabo, what he fays of Spain applicable to. the Krim,. iii. 21. Streets at Peteriburg broad and fpacious, ii. 263^ Strekalof, private fecretary, reprimanded, iii. 309. Stnganof, baron, i. 182. [Struenfee, extract, from his account of ffie commerce of tire ftates of EUfope, ii. 229. Struenfee, count, from phyfician become, admirer of queen Caroline Matilda and prime minifter, is brought to the Scaffold, ii. 3.34. Subjects, regulations for the fecurity, advantage, and happinefs of the, ii. 225. new, aUiilljon and an half of, acquired by the em prefs, without going- to war, iii. 44. ffiat word to be rubftituted fei; flaves in all addreffes to ffie emprefs, 138. Sudak, excellent wine made in the borders of, iii. 24. Spdebtiik, an antient code of laws, i. 432. Sudermania, duke of, ou a vifit in France, ii. 11. ferves ffie royal caufe, 352. commands the fwediffi fleet, 258. attempts to.deprive him of the regency, iii. 356. Sveaborg, a detachment from, goes to the king, ii. 352. the Swedes fliut up in the harbour of, iii. 221. ¦> Sugar-vjorks , i. ,33.. Sunday the court-day at Peterfburg, ii. i8r. Superftitious propensity of ffie multitude, Catharine always: attentive to flatter the, ii. 314. , f Suvatof, general, with Kamenfko'i, gains an advantage over the - reis effendi,.ii. 153. puts Pugatffief under a guard, 217. fubdues the kubanian and budziak Tartars, iii. 3.0. his modeft reply to the emprefs, 154. afts under the command of Potemkin in the Kuban, 176. feverely wounded at Otchakof, 186. his ftratagem at Kinburne, 24.3. affifts Potemkin and Romantzof in frequently -beating the Turks, 346. magnificent prefents made to, on ffie taking of Otchakof, 376. beats the Turks at Fokfhani, and after wards relieves the Auftrians, 277. his poetical epiftle, 278. his bloody conqueft of Iftoai'l, 282. S&veden, the only court that went in mourning for Peter III. i. 280. kin«>- of, cannot go to war. without the content of the fenate, iii. 199^ idea of reviving the title of the grand-duke to the crown of, entertained, 227. affairs of, apparently hopelefs, 240. prefied b? St'ackelberg not to keep the neutrality with France, 356, kept iii a fort 55*> INDEX. afortofvaffalage by count Oflerman, ii. 340. revolution in, 349. king of, fuddenly departs from Peterfburg, iii. 195. prince royal of, ii. n. king of, breaks his arm by a fall, iii. 4 . Ruffia con- ftantly found means to keep a ftrong and numerous.partyin,i93. and Ruffia, mifunderftanding between, 360. Swedes, a fault committed by them on the day of Pultava pointed out by Catharine, iii. 159. fhut up in the harbour of Sveaberg, 221. defeftion of, more than a viftory to Catharine, iii. 338. Table oi confidence at the palace, ii. 22. Tagamok, Potemkin hurries thither, iii. 28. Talieftn, admiral, goes to take Cronftadt for Peter, i. 253. laman, ifle of, depopulated by war, iii. 24. taken poffeffion of by a turkifh paffia, 29. ' Tamdra makes himfelf mafter of Georgia, iii. 344. fent to command the grecian army, 292. Tapeftry manufaftory, i. 32. ' ¦ Tarrakanof, counts, i. c,6. ) Tarrakanof, princefs, the unfortunate daughter of Elizabeth, ii. 55. left at Rome by prince Radzivil, 56. her inexperience and can dour, 57. her fate compared wiffi that of the daughter of Sejanus, 59. is paid peculiar honours on-board the fleet, 62. fhut up in ffie fortrefs of Peterfburg, -where it is fuppofed ffie died, ib. Tartar-khan and his family brought prifoners to Peterfburg, iii. 136. 'Tartars, of the Krimea, ii. 7. excited to increafe the internal diftur bances, 151. no longer fo formidable as formerly, ib. unable to withftand ffie Ruffians, 436. if they would but till ffie ground, the labour of one would fupply ffie wants of a hundred, iii. 23. the emprefs efcorted by a thoufand, 158 caucafean, in all ages among ffie fierceft, braveft, and moft independent of mankind, 68. Tatifcbeva, the rebels retreat to, ii. 208. Taurian palace, that fuperb edifice defcribed, iii. 46, 47, 48, 49. has lately been converted into barracks by Paul I. 301. Taurida, defcription of, i. 9. a magnificent progrefs to, iii. T39. Tavritfchefkoi palace, prince Potemkin gives a feftival of extraordinary magnificence at the, iii. 299. Tax, capitation, augmented, ii. 145. Taxes a number. of, aboliihed, ii. 225, 288. Taylors, wealthy, i.37, 38. Tchien-L'ong, emperor, Catharine could not forgive, for. wifhing that heaven would grant her more wifdom, iii. 70. Tekdy, general, defeats the Tartars of the Kuban, iii. 344. Teplof, account of him, i. 228. at Ropfcha, 273. Tefchen, treaty of, ii. 387. few treaties more equitable, 388. the congrefs of, iii. 164. T eft anient of Catharine. I. fabricated, i. 78. Text of the preacher at the opening of tlie eleftion-diet at Warfaw, i. 3<56. Theological index. 557 Theological controversies among a half-favage people, ii. 193. Tbeolofy, iii. 401;. Thefiger, Frederic, a gallant engliffi captain, iii. 254. Thome harflily treated by Frederic II. ii 121. Throne of Catharine feems to be tottering under her, i. 371. Tibet, original country of the Kalmuks, ii. 164. Tichfina, the body of Ivan removed in fecrecy to the monaftery of, , i-389- Tifdale, captain, driven into the canal of Conftantinople, iii. 319. Title oi the emprefs, iii. 39; — 399. Titles, honourable, decreed by acclamation to the emprefs, i. 438. title of Imperial not acknowledged, 450. of prince Potemkin,, , "iii. 324. 'Tobacco-trade declared free, i. 350. Tobolftt, a bank eftabliffied at, ii. 297. Toleration, by? proteftantifm ftourifhes, i, 409. unlimited, in reli gious matters, ii. 276, 300. the fpirit of, animated the whole of Catharine's adminiftration, iii. 113. a charafteriftic of Peterfburg, u4- Tot, barbn, procured to ereft batteries, ii. 49. regulates the turkifh arfefials, 84. Tottleben, and Lafey take Berlin, i. 123. an obfervation of his, ii, 22b. 'Tournaments at Peterfburg, i. 438. Toutoulmin, general, iii. 374. Towns of the ruffian empire, ffiewing their feveral diftances from Mofco, Peterfburg, &c. i. 508, 509, 510, 511, 512 — 520. Trade, perfian, revived by the Engliffi, iii. 54. Trades moftly followed by Ruffians, i. 3^, 36. Traitor, the lot of a, no objeft of concern, iii, 224. Traneborg, commandant of Quiftrum, iii. 239. 1 Tfanfaetion, no great, in- which Catharine would not interfere,, ii. 227. * , Tranfport, inland, of goods, - i. 22. Tranquillity maintained, without civil liberty, is the tranquillity of ~ the grave, producing foulnefs and corruption, ii. 233. Traubenberg, general, fent to quell the Kozaks of tlie Yai'k, ii. 193. Treaty of peace between Sweden and Ruffia, iii. 479. Treaty concluded at Yaffy, iii. 493. between Peterfburg and Berlin, ii. wg. 1 Trevenen, captain James, ii. 136. an enterprifing and able officer, account of, iii. 260. Trinkets made of rocky particles, iii. :2. Trubetfkoi, prince, conlulted by Peter III. on the meafures to be taken on his aceeffion, i. 145. v Tfchekm, lieutenant, one of the guards placed over prince Ivan, Tfcheibtnin, madame, daughter of princefs Dafhkof, i. 297. Tfchefme, palace of, defcribed, ii. 15. the battle of, pillar to com memorate, ii. 18. battle of, 43. viftory there magnificently cele- ' brated, 47, 3&3. Tfchcvandef, 55 8 ' INDEX. Vfchcvaridef, Simeon, lieutenant of artillery, i. 380. ._ .. IJboglokof, Simeonovna, a dangerous confidant of Elizabeth, i. 81. intoxicates the grand-duke, 82. baniftied to Siberia, 4; 3, Tula, the hardware manufaftory at, vifited by the emprefs, ii. 284. Turkey, frontiers of, ravaged, ii. 129. Turks, particularly value themfelves on protefting the unfortunates ' i: 36S. behind other nations in taftics, ii. 427, their marine arid commerce ruined, 54. defeated near"_Ifaaki», 63. victorious at Bukhareft, 64. a fpirit of revolt ufual with them in confequence of.a defeat, 153: war with, ffiem prevented,. 360. make, prepara tion for war, iii. 170 a thundering manifefto of Catharine's againft them, ^77. routed with immenfe flaughter at Otchakof, 185. promife confiderable fubfidies to Sweden, 198. fail into Suvarof 's fnare, 243.- - Tutukay, Suvarof s poetical epiftle on the capture of, iii. 278. Tver, relief given to the inhabitants of, ii. 377. Tzat, the meaning of, iii. 30O, 397. Tzarevitch, fign'tication of. ii. 178. Tzaritzin, hard preffed by the rebel forces, ii. 213. Pugatfhef in- doled in'a -.lefart behind, 216. Tzars, power of,- i. 202. 'Tziirf-io-jtl,, the emprefs privately inoculated at, i. 469. entertain ments given at, ii. 554. prince Henry entertained there, 18. pa lace of, defcribed, 14. Valakhia, Beffarabia, and Moldavia, deputies fent from, ii. 37. for climate fuperior to moft countries in Europe, ib. produfts of, 38, Romantzof winters there, 64 given up by ffie porte, 66. Orlof accufed of afpiring to be fovereign of, 87". the governors of, 363. to be, formed inDo a fovereignty for prince Potemkin, iii. 274. hof podar of, attached to Ruffia, :t>. condemned to the bowftring, 19. and Moldavia intended to form a monarchy for Potemkin, 245. Valchen-Stedtz, baron, heads the expedition for exploring the dif tant provinces, iii. 131. Valdai, Ivan put in a monaflery at, i. 195. Valois, a french architeft, difcovers the plot to Peter III. i. 228. Henry de, by promifes and gold obtains the throne of the Y^agel- lons, 357. fwcars to proteft the di.ldeuts, 410: Vanity, decorations of, ffieir influence well underftood by the em prefs, iii. 19. Vaela, peace of, iii. 41. a treaty figned at, 265. peace of, cele> bratcd, .268, 26). fecret articles in, 378.- Varva'fkoi-biidge, picture of God's mother there, ii. 73. Vafa, count von, the duke of Sudermania goes to Peterfburg under tlie title of, iii. 36 r. Vafa,' Guftavus, the king of Sweden reminds the Dalecariians of what they had atchieved for, iii. 240. Vaffift-oftrof, INDEX. 5^9 Faffilli-oflrof, hemp'-warchoufes on ffie, burnt, ii. 419. 'Vaffiltfchik'f, his character, ii. 87. ordered to repair to Mofco/ ii. 171. receives his difmiffal, 269. prefents received by him, iii. 3$3- Vazcmfkoy, prince, deprives the Kozaks of their pafturages, ii. 194. Veguezac, brigadier, flain by the Kalmuks, ii. 203, Velihi, Simeon, fon.of tlie Velikbi knez, ii. 136. Venetians, throw obftacles in tlie way ofthe Greeks, iii. 2 3 6. Venice, Andrew Razumofiky fent to, ii. 313. -Venus, tranfit of, i. 448. Ve'rac, count' de, could never gain tlie confidence of Catharine, tii. >' 103. Veigennes, count de, Choifeul's letter to, i, 422. finds it neceffary to form political connexions with Catharine, iii. 103. ambaflador of 'France, contributes to the revolution in Swcden,,ii. 341. what lie f faid of general Pefchliu, 343. frames the armed neutrality, 391. his teftimony, iii. 272. . Ver failles, court of, Catharine - manifefts her contempt for, i. 288. might have prevented the partition, of Poland, ii. 10. that :of Pe tersburg mftigated to co-operate with, iii. 103. , Weifcs written under the pifture of the emprels, iii. 336, Verft, or ruffian mile, i. 47. , ^/w/aj- reprefented by fire-works, ii. 19. Viceroyalty, government of a, ii. 292. Victory gained by St. Nicholas over Mohammed, iii. 349. Vienna ^dnd Veruiille,-, courts of, guarantee royal- Pruffia to Eliza - beth, i. 186. court of, diffuad.es from generalizing the confedera tion of Bar, ii. 10. concludes a treaty with tlie porte^, 6.5. ftrives to obtain the re'leafe' of Bulgakof, iii'. 170. the habitual ftiffnefs and pride of, 211. count Andrew Razumofsky ambaffador at, ii. 311. and Peterfburg, fpirited memorials from the courts of, iii. 17. Vigilance and caution, extraordinary, at Peterfburg, on public oc cafions, ii. 264. VilheorJky, count, propofed to be minifter of the confederation of Bar, ii. 10. ' Villebo'is, general, i. 206. delivers die arfenals t9 the friends of Ca tharine, i. 237. •Vilna, fuftragan bifhop of, tranflated to the new biffiopric of Mohi ief, ii. 376. Vinterfeldt, general, much efteemed by ffie king of Pruffia, ii. 320. ,VifftnJky, admitted into favour, i. 401. difmiffed, and' marries a re flation of Potemkin, 402. prefents received by, iii. 383. Vifkney-Volotftiok, fluices ffiere, i. 22. the emprefs takes a journey to, iii. 104. , Viftula, commerce of, acquired by Pruffia, ii. 115. Vizir, o-rand, performs the part of a great captain, ii. 131. en camped at Shumala, "• *54- ready to unforl the ftandard of Mo hammed, iii. 171, enfrufted wiffi extraordinary powers, ib. Vladimir, St order of, ii. 374.' iii. 19. 396. fchools formed by, 403. - jnftituted by Catharine, 19. Plaffief, 560 INDEX. Vlaffief, captain, one of the guards placed over prince Ivan, i. 379. Voinovitch, rear-admiral, aga Mahmed dines on board his frigate, iii. pi. declines an engagement with the turkifh ffeet, 244. Via, the plain of, 'diet of eleftion held in, i. 366. Volga, its fertile ffiores, i. 21. fifheries and trading-houfes on the borders ofthe, plundered by the Kalmuks on their flight, ii. 165. Pugatflief croffes that river after his defeat, ii. 210. twelve new colonies eftabliffied on the borders of tlie, 300. Vo'.gaft, dukes of , ii. 105. Vulkof counfellor, i. 190. vifits prince Ivan, 198. 225. imprifoned, 267. penfionedby Denmark, ii. 339. fet at liberty, i. 330. Volknfky, prince, engaged in tlie plot, i. 213. his palace at Mofco, burnt, ii.. 72. Volkonfky, Mikhaila Nikitich, fucceeds prince Repnin at Warfaw, ii. 9. Voltaire cautioned by the emprefs concerning madame Dafhkof, i. 217. emprefs writes to, i. 403. 469. a correfpondent of Catha rine's, ii. 141. extraft from one of her letters to, ii. 143. Vm-onetch, an impoftor at, ii. 184. Vwontzbf, count, Mikhaila fucceeds Beftuchef, i. 113. defends the rights of Peter, 130. his character, ib. what paffed at fupper with him, 184. boldly a ddreffes the emprefs, 248. long engaged in an epiftolary cocrefpondence with Terrier, iii. 73. no chancellor fince, 162. his return gives uneafinefs to Panin, i. 402. dies, ii. 403- Vorontzof, count Alexander, fufpefted of patronizing the libel of Radifchef, iii. 268. Vorontzof, countefs Elizabeth Romanovna, becomes. ffie miftrefs of the grand-duke Peter, i. 121. gains additional influence, 191. married to admiral Palianfky, iii. 113. Vorontzofs, brothers of princefs Dafhkof, iii. 87. Votiaks flock to ffie banners of Pugatffief, ii. 215. U. Ubache, prince ofthe Kalmuks, ii. 162. Ufa, an impoftor appears there, and dies under the knoot, ii. 186. Uk.ife-pi Peter III. giving permiffion to the nobility to travel, i. 483. regarding the French in Ruffia, iii. 494. Uka/es and nianifeftos, Catharine's extrafts from, i. 313, 314. Uiraine, etymology of, i. 352. kozaks of the, penetrate into Mol davia, ii. 8. advantages of, to Catharine, 156. furnifhes hemp, 422 Utcmas, or turkifh lawyers, ii. 360. Ulojheine, code of laws, i. 432. Unalalhki, a native of, brought to Peterfburg, iii. 135. Xlneafinijfts at Peteriburg, ii. 183. Ungern-Sternbcrf, baron, with prince Ivan, i. 198. Union oi the Cafpian with the Frozen ocean, ii. 3C5. Ural mountains, Pugatflief efcapes to the, U. 209. Ural, INDEX. 561 Ural river,' when freed from ice, i. 14. formerly the Ya'ik, ii. 189. Uralftc the city formerly Yaitfk, ii. 221. Vfchakof, lieutenant, takes an oath to affift Mirovitch, i.380. W. Wacbtmeifter, a brave fwedifli admiral, taken by the Ruffians, iii. 267. ' ' War, defultory, confifting of furprifes by night and ambufcades by day, ii. 130. a civil, breaks out in the Krimea, 436. with Sweden, operations ofj returned with vigour, iii. 253. a long paper, carried on between Frederic II. and Jofeph II. ii. '$84. maritime, quickens the fprings of commerce in the north, ii. 389. inevitable with tlie Turks, 411. againft Ruffia only prevented by ' a .powerful oppofition to niiniftry in England, iii. 275. Warfaw hears with amazement that Poniatofsky was deftined by Catharine to the throne, i. 362. diet of, elefts Poniatofsky by aft unanimous fuffrage, 364. the ruffian ambaffador rules at, 366. protefts entered, 367. prince Repnin commands defpotically in, • 420. prince Repnin recalled from, ii. 9. Catharine fends declara tions thither, 80. entered by the confpirators againft the king, 81. manifefto delivered at, declaratory of the intended partition, 98. to be delivered up to pillage if tlie diet refufed to comply, 113. king of Poland vifits Stackelberg there, 118. diffidents allowed churches and fchools at, 299. king of Poland's difcourfe in the cathedral of, 441. Waffeuaar and' Leyden deputed from the republic to Vienna, iii. 86. Watch, nightly, at Peterfburg, ii. 243. Weft-indies, the French might readily abandon them, were they ' once poffeffed of ^Egypt, iii. 187., 1 Weight of an enormous rock tranfported from a great diflance to Peterfburg, iii. 14. Weights, ruffian, i. 48. White-Ruffia, regulation in the taxes of, ii. 302. White-fea and the Baltic .afford the Ruffians a correfpondencc with moft of the nations of Europe, ii. 366. Whitworth, fir Charles, ironical addrefs of the emprefs to, iii. 384. Wilhelmina, of Heffe-Darmftadt, joined in wedlock to the heir of Williams, it Charles Hanbury, in -the confidence of the emprefs Elizabeth, i. 108. Willoughby, fir Hugh, goes out on a voyage of difcovery, 111. 101. Winter, captain, killed in an aftion at fea, iii. i<,6. Winter-garden, in the palace of Peterfburg, ii. 22. Wit, John de, fays, that the greatnefs and opulence of Antwerp were not compatible with the views of fpanifh defpotifm, 111. 78. Witt, colonel de, commander of Kaminiek, iii. 161. Witt, madame de, fome account of, iii. 156. 282 Wirtemburg Stutgard, princefs of, betrothed to the prince of Heffe- Darmftadt, ii. 315. demanded in marriage by Paul Petrovitch, vol. in. 00 321- 562 INDEX. v 321. adopts the name of Maria Feodorovna, and is married to ffie grand-duke 322. Wolff, chancellor of Courland, fends a curious challenge to baron Hoven, iii. 373. Wolff, baron, his houfe converted into an inoculation-hofpital, i. 471. houfe built by, prefented to prince Potemkin, iii. 294. Woodrofe and Elton, captains, gained over by Thamas Kouli-khan, iii. 55., Woman, politics cf the, not entirely abandoned by Catharine for thofe of the monarch, U. 307. women all "alike to Gregory Orlof, 173.. Ruflia governed by, fince the year 1730. ii. 274. four thou fand. very fine, taken prifoners at Otchakof, iii. 249. Workhoule at Peterfburg, ii. 249. Worjhip ofthe pictures of faints, i. 107. Writers, french, much admired by Catharine, i.281. Wroughon, Mr. his declaration in behalf of the diffidents, ii. 444, fVurmfer, general, attacks ffie Pruffians, UT384. Y. Yablonitch, marflial Romantzof encamps near, li. 13a, Yaffer-bey, capudan-pafha, ii- 40. Yagelhn, Ladiflaus, duke of Lithuania, i. 356. 407. Yagerhorn deputed from Finland, iii 197. Yaik, Kozaks of the, flop and purfue the Kalmuks on their flight, ii. 165. the name of that river changed to Ural, 189. violent feuds among, concerning their fifheries, ii. 193. YaitJk, commandant of, hanged by Pugatffief, ii. 199. fufferings and intrepidity pf the garrifon," 200. Pugatffief lofes his time in, the fiege of, 205. marries -a public woman there," 206. ffie name qf that city changed into Uralfk, 221. " Yakutfk, Mr. John Ledyard arrefted at, iii 136. Yanina, the pallia of, defeated by the Greeks, iii. 285. Yankovitch, an old country fehoolmafter, iii. 124. Yard, or arffiine, ruffian meafure; i. 47. Yaroflaf, Biren baniffied to', i . 3 ~ 3 . YarqflafWaA\mxroyl\.ch, ifis code of laws, iii. 403. Yafty, and IbraiJof, poffeffed by the Ruffians, ii. 34. 434. Mauro-i Cordato efcapes from, iii.' 167 prince Potemkin at, 296. capital of Moldavia, 299. definitive treaty concluded at, 319. prince Po-t temkin goes to the congrefs at, 321. removes from, 324. Yelagin employs Zavadofsky as prompter, ii. 308. Yemland, regiment pf, fent to reinforce tlie garrifon of Gothemburg, iii. 240. Yenik.ily ceded to the Ruffians, ii. 94. 306. iii. 23. Yerapkin, general, his exertions againft the fpreading of the plague, ii. 70. gives affiftance to the prelate Ambrofius, 74. puts an end to the commotion, and is recompenfed by the emprefs, 77. 1 'trmolof, lieutenant, made aide-de-camp, to prince Potemkin, iii. 92. accompanies the emprefs to Vifhney-Volotfliok, 104. thruft frnm the INDEX. 563 the pinnacle of favour, .137. Potemkin calls him a white negro, 129. prefents obtained by liim, 385. Yfbrandt Ides charged by Peter I. with an enibaffy to Pekin, iii. 69. Tfed-Mehemet,. aooointed grand-vizir, ii. 433. Yuffuf, paffia, fucceeds thefamous Haffan-bey, iih-283. Tuftpof, princefs, married to ffie duke of Courland, ii . 14!* 2. Zaboche, ftraights of, iii. 2r. Zagreijky, madame, a witnefs of the loyalty and intrepidity of Gudovitch, i. 255. Zadunai/ky, marfhal Romantzof, ii. 319. his reply to Frederic II. at Berlin, 320. Zaporogiaa kozaks, tranfported into the ifle of Taman, iii. 34. Po temkin carries off fixty thoufand, 45. Zavadofskv, a young Ukrainian, fome account of, 308. difcarded, 327. 402. prefents received by, iii. 384. placed at the head of the commiffion for public inftruftion, 122. 125. Zell, queen Caroline Matilda, imprifoned, detruded from the throne, and exiled to, where ffie dies of grief, ii. 334. . Zeibft, princefs of, comes with her daughter to- Peterfburg, i. 6*4. interferes- in the intrigues o£ the court, 86. ordered to quit the empire, 88. princefs Sophia of, propofed to be the con fort of the grand-duke, 65.67. changes her name for that of Catharine, 69. and is married to the grand-duke, afterwards Peter III. i. 72, , Zinovief,. the rival of la Alcudia, 3^3. Zinovief, countefs, married to prince Gregory Orlof, iii. 1 . Zinzendorf, count, attends the congrefs at Tefchen, ii. 386. Zipletoft, colonel, quells an infurreftion at Tzaritzin, 186. Zoritch, a young Servian, fucceeds Zavadofsky, ii. 327. ordered to quit the court, 379. goes to France, 380. lives at prefent at Mohi ief, ib. 400. prefentsbeftowed on, iii. 384. 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