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THE 
 
 MOST REMARKABLE YEAR 
 
 IN 
 
 THE LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 AUGUSTUS VON KOTZEBUE ; 
 
 CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF 
 
 HIS EXILE INTO SIBERIA, 
 
 AND OF 
 
 The other extraordinary Events xvhich happened to him 
 IN RUSSIA. 
 
 WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN, SY 
 
 THE REV. BENJAMIN BERESFORD. 
 
 English Lecturer to the Queen of Prussia. 
 
 o - 
 
 JN THREE VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 EcnDon: 
 
 PRINTED FOR RICHARD PHILLIPS 
 
 No. 71, St. Paul's Church-yardi 
 By T, Gillet, Salisbury -square* 
 
 1802. 
 
<y 
 
 -r-,-^1 
 
 l~ 
 
 ,XA 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 H^O my noble and generous protec- 
 tors, his Excellency M. de Ku- 
 scheleff, Coiinsdlof of State, and Go- 
 vernor of Tobolsk ; his Excellency RL 
 de Richter, Counsellor of State, and 
 Governor of Livonia ; to my noble 
 and generous friends in the hour of 
 need, M. de Lo wen stern, formerly 
 Mademoiselle de Bayer, at Wcfmers- 
 hofF; M. Eckardt, Secretary to the 
 Regency of Riga ; M. Provost Kock, 
 and his respectable Lady, at Jesse - r M. 
 de Rnorring, Provincial of the Cham- 
 ber, and his worthy Lady, at Chariot- 
 tenthal j M. Secretary Huek, at Re- 
 
IV 
 
 ^vel ; and M. Charles George Grau- 
 mann, at Petersburg. 
 
 TMor brass nor marble bears your honour'd names^ 
 My glowing heart the fair inscription claims, 
 Deep-grav'd it lies, to grateful mem'ry true, 
 For ever legible, for < ever new ! 
 Your gen'rous succour pierc'd Siberia's gloom* 
 And snatch'd the exile. from the darksome tomb:; 
 Eestor'd the charm that sooths and sweetens life^ 
 The smiling offspring, and the gladden'd wife. 
 A theme like this demands no lofty lay >; 
 Let simple truth the noble deed display ! 
 And tho' whatever I write may ill withstand 
 The ruthless stroke of Time's destructive hand— 
 The grateful Muse- shall from oblivion steal 
 The votive line that speaks how much I feel'! 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 TN presenting to the Public the his- 
 tory of the last twelve months of 
 my life, I have not been prompted by 
 vanity. My adventures have been of 
 so extraordinary and wonderful a na- 
 ture, that they would interest the reader 
 even as a romance ; how much more then 
 must they interest him as a true story ? 
 
 But reasons of a more important 
 nature than the amusement of the rea- 
 der have determined me to publish the 
 history of that year. All Germany, 
 and, I may venture to add, a consider- 
 able part of Europe, have expressed some 
 interest in my fate, arising either from 
 motives of curiosity, or from a prin- 
 
Vi 
 
 ciple of benevolence. It lias been every 
 where asked, what could have been the 
 cause of my banishment? The effect 
 was too striking not to induce an en- 
 quiry into the cause* A thousand tales 
 have been invented and propagated. A 
 book entitled, according to the reports 
 of some, The White Bear, according to 
 others, The Bear of the North, has been 
 ascribed to my pen. There are people 
 too who pretend to have read it. Some 
 maintain that this book was w r ritten by 
 another person, whose name began with 
 the same letter as mine, and that I was 
 the victim of this mistake. Others there 
 are,, who lay indiscreet conversations to 
 my charge j while others again attri- 
 bute my banishment to certain satirical 
 passages, which they have discovered in 
 
Vll 
 
 some of my pieces composed ten years 
 ago. Among a variety of conjectures, 
 no one, however, imagined the real 
 <;ause, which originated solely in a -mo- 
 mentary impulse of suspicion. I conceive 
 then, that, in justice to my reputation, 
 my children, and my friends, I ought 
 to relate frankly, and with the strictest 
 regard to truth, every circumstance re- 
 lative to the affair; and thus rectify the 
 various conjectures of which I have 
 been the subject. 
 
 There is still another important obli- 
 gation which renders this task neces- 
 sary. To the Monarch, whose conduct 
 respecting me has been so generally and 
 so severely censured, I owe, not indeed 
 a justification of that conduct, but a 
 publication of the exalted generosity 
 
Vlll 
 
 with which he acknowledged and re- 
 paired the wrongs he had done me. I 
 do not consider as reparation the rich 
 presents I have received from him, and 
 which have been so much exaggerated 
 in the newspapers ; for presents cost 
 monarchs little, and titles cost them 
 nothing. What I deem reparation, is 
 the manner in which he conferred those 
 favours, and in which he sought mc 
 out, treated, and conversed with me. 
 Such conduct would have rendered even 
 a private individual dear and amiable in 
 my estimation j how much more so 
 then the Sovereign of a mighty env 
 pire ? One virtue he possessed, which 
 is seldom found in common life, and 
 still more rarely on a throne : he was, 
 ever ready to acknowledge, veluntarily^ 
 
IX 
 
 the wrongs he had committed, and he 
 repaired them not as an Emperor but 
 as a man. 
 
 Another duty, as sacred as that 
 which commands me to honour the 
 memory of an Emperor, who is now 
 no more, still further prompts me to 
 take up the pen, namely, gratitude to 
 the reigning Monarch, whose clemency 
 and humanity are above all praise. He 
 it is who has restored me to an infirm 
 and aged mother, and to the Muses, 
 He it is who, adding to the beneficence 
 of his father, has made me for ever his 
 faithful subject, even beyond the limits 
 of his empire. May his reign be happy ! 
 May every day of his life resemble that 
 of his accession to the throne, to which 
 I was witness! and may he long live 
 
the joy and admiration of a people who 
 adore him ! 
 
 Such were the motives which induced 
 me to compose the following sheets, 
 and to offer them to the perusal of the 
 Public. 
 
 September, 180L 
 
THE 
 
 MOST REMARKABLE YEAR 
 OF MY LIFE. 
 
 &c. Eft; 
 
 THREE years had nearly elapsed 
 since my wife and myself quitted 
 Russia. The flattering reception we 
 met with there strengthened the endear- 
 ing ties which held us to the North :, 
 there we had children, relations, and 
 friends ; it was also the native country 
 of my wife. I had promised her, that 
 in the course of three years I would 
 conduct her there again ; and I was 
 proud to keep my word. The journey, 
 it is true, tore me away from a mother 
 justly beloved, from a circle of worthy 
 friends and a little possession at Wei- 
 mar : but the separation was only to be 
 for four months ; it was merely a visit 
 necessary to the health and happiness of 
 
T2 
 
 my wife, who passionately desired to sec 
 her native home once more. 
 
 The free ingress into the Russian ter- 
 ritories being interrupted, it was indis- 
 pensably necessary to provide myself 
 with a passport from the Emperor. Of 
 this I was aware, and applied to Baron 
 de Krudener, privy counsellor to his Im- 
 perial Majesty, and his minister at the 
 Court of Berlin. The Baron, in answer 
 to my letter, informed me that he 
 would instantly lay my request before 
 his Court, but that I should do well to 
 make direct application at the same time 
 myself. In consequence of this, I wrote 
 to the Emperor, explained the object of 
 my journey, stated that my property in 
 Russia required my presence there, and 
 entreated his Majesty to grant me per- 
 mission to reside four months in his 
 dominions. My letter had scarcely been 
 sent when I received another from Ba- 
 
*3 
 
 Ton de Krudener, which, for several rea- 
 sons, I think it necessary to insert here* 
 
 " It gives me great satisfaction, Sir, to 
 " inform you of his Majesty's favourable 
 cc answer relative to your passport. I 
 u am directed to make out the same, 
 ic and to insert therein the exact route 
 " you intend to take, in order to remove 
 u all obstacles to which, without such 
 " precaution, you might be liable. You 
 " will therefore, Sir, have the goodness 
 " to inform me immediately of the 
 '• above particulars, and the number of 
 " persons who are to accompany you, 
 " and likewise to let me know whither 
 " I am to send the passport, in case you 
 " do not take Serlin in your way. I 
 *< am, &c. &c." 
 
 This letter afforded great pleasure td 
 my wife, while on the contrary it cre- 
 ated suspicion in me. I had left Russia 
 with the. Emperor's consent, and before 
 
*4 
 
 the publication of the order which re- 
 quired all persons leaving the country 
 to engage never to return : but I knew 
 that Paul was no friend to authors, 
 and -it was difficult to reconcile this 
 well-known antipathy with an answer 
 so prompt, and apparently so full of 
 kindness. I could not conceive what 
 obstacles I had to encounter when pro- 
 vided with a regular passport ; and if 
 such obstacles were common to all tra- 
 vellers, it was singular that an excep- 
 tion should be made in my behalf. What 
 right had I to such distinction ? Nor 
 could I at all conceive what interest the 
 Emperor could feel in being so well in- 
 formed of my route, 
 
 I imparted all my doubts to my wife, 
 but she only laughed at them. Having 
 accepted an invitation from a lady 
 distinguished both by her rank and 
 virtues, at whose house much company 
 
*5 
 
 usually resorted, we spoke of the con- 
 tents of this letter agreeably to the 
 different manner in which they had 
 affected us, and every one present not 
 only discountenanced my apprehen- 
 sions, but pronounced them to be un- 
 reasonable and ill founded. To believe 
 the Emperor capable of laying a snare 
 for me was considered by them as 
 an offence against the sacred faith of 
 
 sovereigns. 
 
 I became more easy ; and if ;.ny 
 thing still continued to create anxiety, 
 it was the circumstance of the term of 
 four months being omitted in the body 
 of the passport which I afterwards re- 
 ceived. This omission was distressing, 
 as it might tend to prevent my return, 
 and I therefore had recourse to the fol- 
 lowing expedient. I had the honour to 
 be dramatic writer to the Emperor of 
 Germany, and in that quality I procured 
 
i6 
 
 a written leave of absence from the 
 court of Vienna for the above-mentioned 
 space of time, and I reserved this in- 
 strument to shew to the Austrian mi- 
 nister at St. Petersburg, in case my 
 return should be at all impeded. 
 
 Having thus provided for my de- 
 parture, my wife and myself, accom- 
 panied by three young children, left 
 Weimar on the 10th of April 1800. We 
 arrived at Berlin, where I found several 
 letters which my friends in Livonia aad 
 Petersburg had written to me at the 
 same time. They appeared to have 
 acted in concert in advising me to con- 
 sider how far I was able to encounter 
 the severe cold of a northern climate. 
 This concealed manner of warning me 
 had not the effect they had reason to 
 expect ; I did not follow their advice, 
 but considered their apprehensions as 
 exaggerated or chimerical. 
 
*7 
 
 I waited on Baron de Krudener. I was 
 already known to that estimable man, 
 who is a friend to letters and humanity. 
 He received me with his accustomed 
 kindness; and I requested him, on taking 
 mv leave, to consider me as the father of 
 a numerous family, and tell me in the 
 sincerity of his heart, if he thought my 
 return would be attended with any diffi- 
 culties. My suspicions were confined 
 entirely to that particular, and I must 
 confess that M. de Krudener replied like 
 a man who knew how to unite the rigo- 
 rous obligations of duty with those of 
 humanity. " In your place," said he, " I 
 would write once more; vou may how- 
 ever proceed on your journey, but wait 
 at Konigsberg till your doubts are en- 
 tirely removed. " 
 
 The advice was good; and I was inclin- 
 ed to follow it, but my wife, whom I 
 -consulted on the occasion, and who had 
 
 VOL. I. b 
 
i8 
 
 solely her children and her country be- 
 fore her eyes, did not value it as it de- 
 served. We both indeed treated the 
 matter too lightly, and being furnished 
 with a passport in the name and by the 
 order of the Emperor of all the Russias, 
 we ventured to proceed. 
 
 Every one who has travelled through 
 the Prussian dominions knows that the 
 post-horses there are very sluggish.* I 
 frequently got out of my carriage and 
 walked, and without any exertion was 
 often a German mile before it. In this 
 manner I one day arrived at a little town 
 in Pomerania, which I think is called 
 Zanert j I walked through it, and when 
 I came to its extremity found several 
 roads without knowing which to take. 
 
 * Some new regulations have taken place to the 
 advantage of the traveller. Of this I am unable to 
 speak from my own experience, having now lett 
 off travelling post in Prussia and Pomerania. 
 
1<> 
 
 An old man who was near set me 
 fight ; he was a tall thin figure, and pro- 
 bably belonged to the gate* He asked 
 me whither I was going ; and when I 
 told him I w r as on my way to Russia, his 
 voice altered. (He advised me not to 
 think of going thither, made use of the 
 strongest reasons in support of his ad* 
 vice, and betrayed a solicitude so ten* 
 der and paternal, that he seemed like 
 an angel sent to counsel me* At last, 
 finding that his advice was unavailing, 
 he concluded with this short exclama- « 
 tion : "*God help the man who goes into 
 Russia!" I laughed exceedingly and con- 
 tinued my way ; but how often have 
 these emphatic words since struck me! 
 how often have I been tempted to think 
 that this man was a prophet who had 
 foretold my destiny. 
 
 These repeated admonitions had, in 
 spite of my reason, made some impression 
 
20 
 
 en me, and I felt it still increase as I ap- 
 proached the confines of Russia. ( Such 
 was the effect they had on me, that fre- 
 quently on the road, and particularly at 
 Memel, I seriously proposed to my wife 
 that she should continue the journey by 
 -herself and I would return to that city 
 and wait for her ; but my fate was de- 
 creeds — she could not resolve upon this 
 measure. 
 
 When we left Memel I took the pre- 
 caution to leave my books there in order 
 to avoid disputes with M. JTummanski 
 of Riga, a man too well known for the 
 ridiculous severity of his inquisitions. 
 
 The following pages were written in 
 Siberia after my arrival at the place of my 
 destination, at a time when the remem- 
 brance of my sufferings was still fresh and 
 keen. I shall be obliged to rectify se- 
 veral passages, having since my return 
 ■teen furnished with further information 
 
21 
 
 relative to many objects and to several 
 personages, not always to their advan- 
 tage. I reserve however the rectification 
 for the sequel of this narrative. Not a 
 word of what I wrote on the spot shall 
 be suppressed ; the reader will thus see,, 
 without disguise, what then were my 
 sensations, my thoughts and my hopes,. 
 
 •«-x-®< 
 
 WE came in sight of the frontiers;; 
 we passed the line, and were now on the. 
 territory of Russia. We could however 
 have returned. No soldier stopped us y. 
 no river, no bridge, not the slightest bar- 
 rier separated us from the Prussian do- 
 minions. Silent and with a heavy heart, 
 I cast my eyes to the left: all the admo- 
 nitions I had received now assailed me; 
 I could scarcely breathe. 
 
 My wife too had her alarms, which 
 she has since owned. She looked at 
 me without, saying a word. Still we 
 
22 
 
 had time to retreat, but the wheel of 
 fortune was turned, and we were about 
 to undergo our destiny. 
 
 " Halt !" cried a Cossack, armed with 
 a long pike. We were at the foot of a 
 bridge that led over a small brook, the 
 guard-house lay on our left ; the officer 
 made his appearance. " Your passport, 
 Sir!" — "Here it is." — The officer opened 
 it and examined the signature. " What 
 name is this?-— Krudener. — You are 
 come from Berlin? — Yes. — Very well, 
 pray go on, Sir." He made a sign, the 
 barrier opened, the carriage rolled with a 
 heavy sound over the bridge, the bar- 
 rier shut behind us, and I heaved a deep 
 sigh. " Here we are," said I to my wife, 
 affecting to be gay. Heaven knows, 
 however, that all my uneasiness was 
 confined to the single point of my re- 
 turn ; far was I from thinking that my 
 personal safety w r as at all in danger. 
 
 We arrived in a few minutes at Polan- 
 
*3 
 
 gen, a small town where the custom*- 
 house is established. At the head of 
 this department was M. Sellin, a polite 
 and humane man, formerly lieutenant- 
 colonel of a regiment quartered at Nar- 
 va. He had resided at no great dis- 
 tance from my wife's patrimonial estate* 
 When I last left Russia we had embraced 
 on this same spot, and my wife and 
 I were happy to find we were on the 
 point of meeting him here again. 
 
 I alighted from my carriage, and Sellin 
 appeared on the flight of steps before 
 his door. I approached and embraced 
 him, but he returned my falute with an 
 air of gravity. I asked him if he did not 
 recollect me; he made no reply, and 
 strove afterwards to appear cordiaL 
 
 My wife now alighted, and the evi- 
 dent embarrassment of Sellin made her 
 shudder. He received her however with 
 politeness, and handed herinto thehoufe. 
 
*4 
 
 Weyrauch the comedian, who had ac- 
 companied us from Memel, was likewife 
 admitted without difficulty. 
 
 My wife assumed the easy gaiety of 
 behaviour which takes place between 
 old acquaintances ; Sellin answered in art 
 awkward manner, and at length, turn- 
 ing towards me, said, " Where is your 
 passport? — In the hands of the Cossack 
 officer." He was silent, and the concern 
 he felt was visible in his countenance 
 The passport soon appeared ; Sellin pe- 
 rused it, and then asked if I was the Pre- 
 sident de Kotzebue. The question on 
 his part was singular. " Doubtless," I re- 
 plied, I am that person. " In that case," 
 continued he, (but he instantly stopped 
 short, and I observed that his countenance 
 was pale and his lips quivering,) then 
 addressing himself to my wife ; " be not 
 alarmed, Madam," said he; ^ but I have 
 orders to arrest your husband.-' The 
 
*5 
 
 unhappy woman gave a loud shriek, her 
 knees tottered, she flew to me, threw 
 herself about my neck and began to 
 load herself with the most bitter re- 
 proaches^ My children could not un* 
 derstand what was going forward, and 
 I myself was petrified, but the sight of 
 my wife who was falling into a swoon 
 restored my presence of mind ; I took 
 her into my arms and placed her in a 
 chair; I then ftrove all in my power to 
 console her and she recovered; then 
 attending to what related to myself, I 
 turned instanly towards Sellin: " Tell 
 me," said I, " what your orders imply* 
 and above all, keep nothing from me," 
 "I am commanded to seize your papers 
 and to send them, together with your- 
 self, to the Governor of Mittau. — What 
 will happen to me there? — Your papers 
 will be examined, and the Governor will 
 receive further instructions upon the 
 
26 
 
 business. — Nothing more? — Nothing — 
 And my family may accompany rne? — 
 Certainly-" " Well, then," said I to my 
 dear and excellent wife, " we may make 
 ourselves perfectly easy. We are going to 
 Mittau, such was our original intention. 
 We shall have to stay there a day per- 
 haps, and that will be all. My papers 
 are in order and can be liable to no sus- 
 picion; this arrest is nothing more than 
 mere precaution, a measure of prudence 
 which may be overlooked in a monarch 
 during the revolutions which at this 
 time convulse the world. The Emperor 
 does not know me, he knows only 
 that I am an author ; many writers 
 have been led astray by the system of 
 liberty which now agitates Europe ; 
 his Majesty suspects me to be one of 
 that number, and in truth I would rather 
 he should frankly declare his suspicions 
 than keep them to himself. He will now 
 
2 7 
 
 learn what sort of a person I am, and his 
 knowledge of me will turn to my advan- 
 tage; I shall perhaps gain his confidence.'* 
 
 In this manner I expressed myself as 
 I pressed my still trembling wife to my 
 heart. Heaven knows that I spoke what 
 I felt ; for, convinced as I was of my 
 guiltlessness, what had I to dread ? — 
 My wife soon came to herself. She 
 had imagined we were instantly to be 
 separated, that I should be ill-treated, 
 thrown into a common cart ; but when 
 she saw that no violence was used, 
 and that we were to continue our jour- 
 ney together, she ceased to be so much 
 alarmed. 
 
 My baggage had been searched, my 
 port-folio and other papers seized ; 
 thing now remained unexamined but 
 my person. I was obliged to turn my 
 pockets inside out, and to lay upon the 
 table every scrap of paper, and every 
 
2:8 
 
 bill of travelling-expences I had about 
 me. I was provoked at this, and could 
 not disguise my feelings. It is my duty, 
 said Sellin, in a low and halfchoaked 
 voice y I was not angry with him, for it 
 was evident that he was acting an in- 
 voluntary and painful part. 
 
 He now requested us to take out of 
 our trunks whatever things we might 
 want on the road from Polan^en to 
 Mittau, for his orders obliged him to 
 seal up our baggage. I had a small box, 
 containing such things as- were of daily 
 use, as tobacco, razors, medicines, &c. 
 Having begged that this box might go 
 unsealed, he had the goodness to indulge 
 me in my wish, but was desirous to 
 examine it more closely. As the bot- 
 tom was thick, he asked me if the box 
 contained a vacant space for the purpose 
 of concealing papers. " No," I replied. 
 I had bought it at Vienna, and had 
 
2 9 
 
 never examined its construction; but 
 here it seems people understand better 
 the art of discovering secrets* Sellin 
 touched a spring which discovered a 
 second bottom, and that bottom was 
 found empty* " You see," said I with a 
 smile, " the little use which I had for a 
 false bottom ; I possessed the box without 
 beino; aware of this contrivance." He was 
 himself so well convinced of this, that 
 he told the officer, in the Russian lan- 
 guage, that he was satisfied of my igno- 
 rance of it. 
 
 \The inquisition was now over, but 
 we had to wait for a long attestation, 
 which was drawing up at the chan- 
 cery. Our children had nothing to eat ; 
 for so eagerly had we driven on to our 
 ruin, that, although a dinner was ready 
 at the last post-house, we had refused to 
 partake of it. I asked for some refresh- 
 ment for them; as for ourselves, it 
 
3° 
 will be easily supposed we did not stand 
 in need of any* Sellin immediately or- 
 dered such provisions as were at hand 
 to be set before them. 
 
 But notwithstanding the politeness of 
 Sellin on the occasions already mention- 
 ed, he refused to grant me a request 
 which I conceived to be a very reasonable 
 one. I had left my aged mother in a bad 
 state of health, and had reason to fear 
 that, on her hearing what had happened 
 to me, her apprehensions would prove 
 fatal. I begged leave to write a few 
 lines to her, which Sellin himself might 
 have read and sealed up. He was, how- 
 ever, deaf to all my entreaties ; but I am 
 Sure that this refusal, which occasioned 
 me so much affliction, was equally pain- 
 ful to this humane man, who made it 
 in spite of his own feelings. 
 
 He afforded me indeed some conso- 
 lation 'by assuring me that I might 
 
3 l 
 
 write from Mittau. I then turned to 
 Weyrauch, who had been present dur- 
 ing the whole scene, and grasping his 
 hand, entreated him not to mention a 
 word at Memel of what had happened, 
 lest some newspaper-writer should make 
 it public. This he promised me in the 
 most solemn manner. 
 
 But what shews clearly that the wor- 
 thy Seilin was not master of himself 
 in the execution of this painful duty, 
 was, that Weyrauch, whom he had not 
 noticed, had been allowed to be pre- 
 sent. I was a prisoner of state, the 
 order for my arrest was to be kept 
 a profound secret; such instructions 
 were inserted on the back of it, pro se- 
 creto. In this case, the officer who re- 
 ceives it is obliged, under the highest re- 
 sponsibility, to impart the contents to 
 no one ; and much less is he allowed to 
 * execute the warrant in the presence of 
 
3* 
 
 witnesses. I am perfectly convinced 
 that the great embarrassment he was 
 under was the sole cause of the inad- 
 vertency of which he had been guilty. 
 
 My business was now finished, my 
 trunks sealed up, and the horses put to. 
 The cradle of my youngest child, which 
 had been fixed behind the carriage, now 
 gave place to one of the servants, whose 
 seat forward was to be occupied by a 
 Cossack who escorted us. My port- 
 folio was likewise sealed, and replaced 
 in the pocket of the coach, and the keys 
 were returned to me. I refused, how- 
 ever, to take them, reflecting that the 
 string of the seals might break and cre- 
 ate new grounds for suspicion. I there- 
 fore insisted on their being also sealed up. 
 
 Sellin having executed his painful 
 task resumed his accustomed manner of 
 behaviour, and urged every thing he 
 could that might tend to console us. 
 
33 
 
 In all probability I shall never see him 
 again, but should the narrative of my 
 sorrowful adventures, which I am now 
 writing, be one day published, let him 
 read therein the gratitude of a heart 
 deeply affected with a sense of his kind- 
 ness, and which will ever continue to 
 cherish his name and his image, 
 J- We got into our carriage, and hence- 
 forth had the exhibition of a Cossack, 
 armed with his sabre and pistols, seated 
 directly before us. My children were much 
 amused at this, but my wife shed tears, 
 and as for myself, I continued to preserve 
 my usual composure of mind. I even 
 tried to calm her, by affecting a gaiety 
 of disposition. The sight of the Cossack, 
 had it not been for his arms, had nothing 
 formidable in it. He was a tall well- 
 built man, very civil and very officious ; 
 every time we got out of the carriage he 
 politely took off his cap. 
 vol. i. c 
 
34 
 
 Seated in a kibick* behind was a cap-' 
 tain, a Pole by birth, whose name I do 
 not recollect. He spoke a little German, 
 had been, during the revolution, aid-de- 
 camp to General Mirbach, and since that 
 time in close confinement at Mittau for 
 a whole year. He had I know not what 
 employment in the custom-house, and 
 he appeared to be as ill calculated for 
 this disagreeable commission as the wor- 
 thy Sellin himself. We were during 
 the journey upon a very civil footing 
 together. He was not of the least in- 
 convenience to me, and I should have 
 intirely forgotten that he was present, 
 had not my purse obliged me, in this ex- 
 pensive part of Courland,^ to recollect 
 him ; the expence of post-horses and pro- 
 visions being entirely at my charge. 
 
 The distance from Polangen to Mittau 
 
 su£4a — i — -*_ 1 ; , — «?» — . — \ * ...» 
 
 * A- Russian cart. 
 
> 6 
 
 is computed at thirty-six German miles. 
 We were three days upon the road, and 
 all the time kept up our spirits tolerably 
 well. 
 
 My wife, indeed, seemed to be quite 
 recovered : we had nothing further to 
 apprehend than a delay at Mittau, which 
 would however prove disagreeable, on 
 account of the. high price of provisions 
 there, and because we had already in- 
 formed our friends in Livonia of the 
 day we expected to arrive. In fact, 
 what had we to fear r I had already 
 been in the service of Russia, and was 
 provided w^ith a testimonial that I had 
 acquitted myself with probity and ho- 
 nour. I had been for three years, with 
 the Emperor's leave, in the service of 
 Austria : and as dramatic writer to that 
 court had fulfilled every duty incum- 
 bent on a good subject. On leaving 
 Vienna I had returned to the duchy of 
 
3& 
 
 Weimar, without passing through any 
 country at war either with Austria or 
 Russia ; what then could I have to 
 dread ? It seemed highly probable that all 
 suspicion was confined to my papers ; 
 and what did these harmless papers con- 
 tain ? This the reader will now see, and 
 he may from thence judge how little 
 cause I had to be alarmed. 
 
 The papers contained the following 
 articles : 
 
 A certificate of the government pf R-e- 
 vel, of my services during fifteen years. 
 
 The copy of an . ukas of the senate, 
 which granted my resignation with ad- 
 vancement. 
 
 The order of the court of Vienna rela- 
 tive to my resignation as manager of the 
 theatre, and the continuance of my office 
 as dramatic writer to the court, with a 
 salary of one thousand florins a year. 
 
37 
 
 A certificate from the theatre. 
 
 A letter written by Count Colloredo, 
 minister to the Emperor of Germany, 
 on the subject of an omission in the 
 above mentioned order, in which no 
 specification had been inserted relative 
 to the continuance of my salary for life. 
 On that article I had enquired whether, 
 in case I should live to grow old and 
 become unable to write for the theatre, 
 I should receive a pension ; and the an- 
 swer was to my satisfaction. 
 
 A note from count Saurau, the Em- 
 peror of Germany's superintendant of 
 the secret police, with another from 
 M. de Schilling, aulic counsellor and 
 member of the college. When I quitted 
 Vienna, not satisfied with the honour- 
 ablet estimony I had obtained relative to 
 the administration of my office, I con- 
 ceived it would be prudent, in the pre- 
 sent circumstances, to obtain an instru-- 
 
merit certifying further, that during my 
 residence in that capital I had conducted 
 myself as became a good citizen, and 
 that I had never given any cause for 
 suspicion relative to my political opini- 
 ons. With this view I had made appli- 
 cation to Count de Saurau, intimating 
 that although such a precaution might 
 appear to be extraordinary, yet it was no 
 less true that we lived in an extraordinary 
 age. He had the goodness to make me 
 easy on that head by furnishing me with 
 the note and letter in question, and he 
 closed the interview by assuring me, 
 that should the least doubt arise relative 
 to my way of thinking, justice should 
 certainly be done me. 
 
 A leave of absence from the theatre 
 of Vienna, limited to the term of four 
 months, for my journey to Russia, with, 
 a clause requiring my return to Germa- 
 ny in the month of October, stating that 
 
39 
 
 the business in which I had embarked 
 would not admit of my remaining any 
 longer at so great a distance. 
 
 M. de Krudener's letter which has 
 been already mentioned. 
 
 A sealed letter, from the reigning 
 Dutchess of Weimar to the grand 
 Dutchess Elizabeth. 
 
 A letter and a book from M. Ber- 
 tuch, counsellor of legation at Weimar 
 for M. Storch, aulic counsellor at Pe- 
 tersburg. 
 
 A letter and a book from M. Botti- 
 ger, counsellor of the upper Consistory 
 at Weimar for — * I forgot the direction. 
 
 Two bonds for 10000 roubles. 
 
 A draft of thirty-two ducats for some 
 manuscripts, payable at Dantzig in Au- 
 gust. 
 
 Four short copies of verses in honour 
 
 * For Mr. Kohlor, aulic counsellor at Petersburg. 
 
40 
 
 of my wife's birth-day, which happened 
 the day after my arrest: After having 
 passed over the sandy plains of Prussia 
 for several days together along the banks 
 of the Curisch . Haff, and having been 
 obliged to wait a whole day for horses 
 at Neiden, I stole away from my family 
 at the latter place to a sandy hillock, 
 where, seated under a pine-tree, I wrote 
 some lines for my children and myself, 
 which w r e were to present to their mo- 
 ther, on the subject of that happy day, 
 which however did not prove so happy 
 as we had reason to expect. The stanza 
 made for myself shews, that I already en- 
 tertained a gloomy presentiment of the 
 destiny that awaited me, 
 
 <c Would heav'n, propitious to my pray'r, 
 " In thy dear converse let me share 
 " That best of bliss, domestic peace, 
 " Till life and all its wishes cease, — 
 " I'd fondly call thy distant home 
 a My future prison and my tomb 1'* 
 
4i 
 
 From these lines it is likewise evident* 
 that my most painful apprehension was 
 already that of not being able to leave 
 Livonia, which, on account of the inter- 
 ruption of literary intercourse, might 
 have turned out greatly to my preju- 
 dice. 
 
 A Swiss song, copied in pencil with 
 my own hand ; a kind of rondeau on 
 the tree of liberty which had been cut 
 down. I need only cite the last lines, 
 in which, like the foregoing, the tree 
 itself is addressed. 
 
 " And may at last thy useful timber be 
 " A gibbet for the whole directory !"* 
 
 Remarks on the extraordinary posts 
 of Prussia. 
 
 * The good natured reader will spare the trans- 
 lator the task of versifying the rest of this trash, 
 which is however inserted at full length in a note 
 
 in the original manuscript, 
 
42 
 
 A collection of receipts obtained from 
 a chemist at Konigsberg. 
 
 Several loose sheets containing plans 
 of dramatic compositions, sketches of 
 poems, and such things, but nothing 
 that related in any respect to politics. 
 
 A couple of sheets of letter press, be- 
 ing part of an almanack with which M. 
 Rhode of Berlin charged me for IvL 
 Gerber, the secretary, at Revel ; a mat- 
 ter of no consequence whatever. 
 
 The beginning of an Opera. 
 
 A journal of the state of my health for 
 some years past. 
 
 The Gotha almanack for every coun- 
 try, in which I had written some re- 
 marks on my travels. 
 
 A sealcut in stone, inclosed in a let- 
 ter from one of my friends, who had 
 given it me for the purpose of having it 
 engraved. The seal was nothing more 
 than a coat of arms which had been lately 
 
43 
 
 sent from the herald's office of Peters- 
 burg, consequently not at all liable to 
 suspicion. 
 
 A Weimar almanack interleaved* 
 I had imitated the idea of Franklin's, 
 which, if I am not mistaken, had been 
 published in the Berlin journal. This 
 great man had scrupulously examined, 
 and made a kind of table of ail his fail- 
 ings, with a firm resolution by degrees 
 to amend them. Devoting every even- 
 ing to this plan of self-examination, he 
 became wiser and better, till at length 
 he acquired an entire control over 
 his passions. At whatever distance I 
 remained from my model, I had at least 
 endeavoured to execute his wise and 
 good intentions, and i can declare with 
 truth, that the expedient was attend- 
 ed with considerable success. I can 
 even recommend this method from my 
 own experience to every man who has 
 
44 
 
 his moral improvement at heart. He 
 will insensibly feel a kind of terror on 
 examining his almanack; he will dread 
 to find the leaves too full of self-re* 
 proaches, and often, very often will 
 check the passion ready to obtain the 
 mastery over him, on the recollection 
 that at night it will be necessary to put 
 down the particulars faithfully on the 
 paper. 
 
 All my dramatic pieces, not yet pub- 
 lished ; Octavia, Bayard, Jane of Mont- 
 faucon, Gustavus Vasa, The Prudent 
 Woman in the Forest, The Desire^ to 
 Shine, The Preceptors (a translation 
 of my wife's) The Abbe de PEpee, The 
 Reward of Virtue, The two Klingsbergs, 
 The Prisoner, The New Century, the 
 Devil's Villa. Not a scene in any of 
 these pieces could render me liable to 
 the smallest suspicion on the score of 
 politics or morality. I brought them 
 
45 
 
 with me to sell them to the theatre at 
 Riga, as I had done on former occasions \ 
 some of them had been translated at 
 Weimar by the Chevalier du Veau, and I 
 intended to have offered those versions 
 to the manager of the French play-house 
 at Petersburg;h. 
 
 Lastly, a large folio volume, the de- 
 pository of all my concerns, my letters, 
 and my little secrets for five years past. 
 Of this book I must beg leave to speak 
 a little at large, as it is alone sufficient 
 to assert my innocence. He who has 
 turned over the leaves of it, knows me 
 perhaps better than I know myself. All 
 my civil relations, all I wrote, thought 
 or acted ; all my projects are inserted 
 therein; it contains as follows : — 
 
 ;An account of my expences and in- 
 come ; the latter always noted with pro, 
 with quare, with quid, and with quandc. 
 
 A journal kept at Vienna relative to 
 
46 
 
 the theatre, and some further particulars 
 of trifling import. 
 
 An annual list of all the letters I had 
 written or received, specifying to whom, 
 and from whom, with their respective 
 dates. The rough copy of letters of 
 consequence. 
 
 In this and the preceding article may 
 be seen in an instant what persons I had 
 corresponded with for five years past, 
 as well as the subject of each letter, and 
 I am convinced that not one suspected 
 name will be found therein, nor a line 
 of equivocal acceptation. 
 
 A journal of remarkable, though petty 
 occurrences, which entirely related to 
 my domestic way of life : the birth of a 
 child, or the first cutting of its teeth ; 
 the planting of a linden on my wife's 
 birth-day ; a sickness in the family, a 
 day spent in an agreeable spot, the visit 
 of a friend ; — things of such nature 
 
47- 
 
 formed the whole contents of the journal*, 
 which, however destitute of merit it 
 may seem in the eye of another, proves 
 at least beyond all dispute, that I felt no- 
 small delight in passing my time at 
 home, and in the bosom of my family. 
 
 Notes relative to my garden at Frie< 
 denthal, of what I had myself sown, 
 planted, and gathered therein. 
 
 A catalogue of my literary labours 
 during each successive year. 
 
 Projects of literary undertakings : — 
 these two last articles prove in the most 
 convincing manner, that I never med- 
 dled in politics, nor ever had any inch* 
 nation to do so. 
 
 A list of the books I had read to my 
 wife, with some other particulars of no 
 importance. 
 
 I would ask the reader, if a book of 
 this nature, belonging to an unknown 
 person, were to fall into his hands, and 
 
48 
 
 be perused by him, what idea he would 
 entertain of the writer ? 
 
 Although I had no reason to think 
 this journal would have fallen into the 
 hands of strangers during my life-time, 
 yet, as the event has turned out other- 
 wise, I conceive I have a right to appeal 
 to its contents. Any one who is ac- 
 quainted with the human heart will con- 
 fess, that he who keeps such a register 
 cannot be thought either a bad or a 
 dangerous man. 
 
 Such were my papers, as far as my me- 
 mory allows me to recollect them. If I 
 have forgotten any, they were most as- 
 suredly of no great importance ; they 
 could not have had any influence on my 
 fate, nor at all affected the opinion which 
 might be entertained of my principles. 
 The reader may therefore see the reasons 
 which I had to be at ease, not only on ac- 
 
49 
 
 count of my innocence itself, but the 
 proof of that innocence, which to the 
 most superficial observer was evident, 
 without any exertions on my part to 
 further my justification. 
 
 Had I wished to escape, nothing would 
 have been more easy during the route 
 from Polangen to Mittau. The second 
 night we passed at the post-house; I 
 rose early and walked out into the yard ; 
 and as my officer lay in a distant room, 
 and my Cossack was asleep in the anti- 
 chamber, between my two servants, 
 nothing could have hindered me from 
 hiring a peasant's horse and instantly 
 making towards the frontiers, to which 
 I was still so near. But I was far from 
 entertaining any such design. 
 
 On the 26th of April, old style, we 
 
 arrived at Mittau at two o*dock in the 
 
 morning ; we alighted at the same inn, 
 
 and occupied the same apartment as on 
 
 vol. 1. d 
 
5<> 
 
 our last visit, but experienced very 
 different sensations. We took a few 
 hours rest ; and even here the Captain 
 slept in a distant room, and I was left 
 without any guard. 
 
 After a short and not very sound 
 sleep, I put on my clothes and hastened 
 with my guard to pay my respects to 
 3VL de Drieser, the Governor of Mit- 
 tau. I had known this worthy man at 
 Petersburg, he had always treated me 
 with distinction, and I was happy that 
 he was the person charged with the 
 examination of my conduct. Much 
 elated with what I imagined was about 
 to take place. I entered his hotel with 
 confidence. I had promised my wife 
 to send her information of what passed: 
 it would be, as we thought, the business 
 of a quarter of an hour. Alas ! to what 
 illusions is the man exposed who depends 
 on innocence alone ! 
 
ft 
 
 When I entered the first anti-cham- 
 ber, the Governor's servants observed 
 that I could not appear before their mas- 
 ter in a frock and turned down collar* 
 However when I represented to them 
 that I was a stranger, and unable to 
 change my dress, as my other clothes 
 were sealed up in my trunks, the keys 
 of which were not in my possession, 
 they made no further objection* 
 
 We waited a considerable time in the 
 second anti-chamber, and I had full lei^ 
 sure to contemplate the singular tapes- 
 try with which the room was hung. 
 The furniture consisted of a few chairs 
 and a sofa, but the wails were covered 
 with subjects which it might be supposed 
 had been placed there intentionally. A 
 wolf, I observed, w r as tearing a deer ; a 
 hawk pouncing upon a leveret : a bear 
 hunting its prey ; and a fox caught in a 
 trap.-JJut what struck me the most was 
 
52 
 
 a large picture, inscribed with words 
 of the following import : "<Man tames 
 " the lion and the tyger ; he puts a bridle 
 " into the mouth of the most unruly 
 " horse, but he cannot bridle his own 
 " tongue. " All this was represented in 
 a way which was very common in for- 
 mer times, partly by words and partly 
 by figures. Instead of the word man, 
 the representation of a man was intro- 
 duced ; a horse was drawn where the 
 name of a horse was wanted ; instead 
 of writing the word tongue, a large one 
 was depicted, to which a bridle was 
 fastened. It must be allowed that these 
 pictures were not very exhilarating ; 
 and my mind became impressed with 
 ideas very unlike those with which it 
 had at first been occupied. 
 
 My officer was summoned into the 
 Governor's presence, and I remained 
 alone. Jn a few minutes they both made 
 
' 55 
 
 their appearance. The Governor receiv- 
 ed me with evident embarrassment ; he 
 however complaisantly mentioned our 
 former acquaintance, and said, he had 
 read my works, which though some- 
 times written in a very sarcaftic strain, 
 had nevertheless afforded him great 
 pieafure. 
 
 But this was not a subject which now 
 interefted me. I assured him I consi- 
 dered myself extremely fortunate in be- 
 ing able to assert my innocence before 
 him, and begged him to examine my 
 papers with as much expedition as pos- 
 sible. 
 
 " That examination, (he replied) does 
 " not concern me. I have orders mere- 
 " ly to forward' them to Peterfburg, 
 " and you are to accompany them with- 
 " out delay." 
 
 At first I was distressed at this answer; 
 but soon recovering myself, I observed, 
 
54 
 
 that having never lived separately from 
 my wife, I hoped she would be allowed 
 to go with me. At first I thought he 
 would have acquiesced in my desire, 
 but upon s6me remark made to him by 
 a secretary, he gave me a positive de- 
 jiial. I then told him, I could not an-, 
 swer that ray wife would not come and 
 solicit his consent herself upon her 
 knees. " Spare me such a scene," re- 
 plied he, " I am likewise a hufband and 
 tc a father ; I feel all the distress of your 
 " situation, but I am not able to remedy 
 5* it. I must execute my orders in the 
 " most exa£i manner : set off for Peters- 
 burg, justify your conduct there, 
 and in a fortnight you may embrace 
 your family again. Your wife shall 
 remain here ; make yourself easy, 
 every thing fhall be done for hef that 
 humanity and my own good wifhes 
 can suggest." 
 
55 
 
 On saying this he conducted me to 
 his chamber, and left me for a moment, 
 to give orders which unfortunately con- 
 cerned me too fatally. 
 
 There was a young lady of a sweet 
 and interesting countenance in the room, 
 who appeared to be the Governor's 
 daughter. She was employed at her 
 needle. On my entrance she saluted me 
 kindly, did not speak, but sometimes 
 raised her eyes from her work and fixed 
 them upon me. I thought I could per- 
 ceive more compassion than curiosity in 
 these soft looks, and I frequently heard 
 a sigh escape her. It will easily be con- 
 ceived that the interest she took in my 
 situation, did not contribute to allay 
 my apprehensions. The Governor soon 
 returned. " Things are no longer in 
 " Russia as they used to be," said he ; 
 " justice is now administered in the 
 
 most scrupulous manner." 
 
 t< 
 
56 
 
 " I have great reason then to be easy," 
 replied I. He expressed much surprise 
 that I had voluntarily returned, and 
 above all, that I had brought my family 
 with me. Indeed a man who travels with 
 bad designs, does not take with him his 
 wife, three children, an elderly gover- 
 ness, and two servants : I, therefore, 
 who did so, must have been conscious 
 of my own innocence, and easy in the 
 confidence I reposed in the safe con- 
 duel granted by his Majesty. 
 
 A person in the uniform of the civil 
 administration of Peterfburg was now 
 introduced. " Here," said the Governor, 
 " is the Aulic Counsellor Schstschekati- 
 " chin, who will accompany you on 
 " your journey ; make yourself perfect- 
 " ly easy, (Sir, you are in good hands." 
 
 " Does he underftand German or 
 " French ?" 
 
 " Neither the one nor the other." 
 
57 
 
 " I am sorry for that/ 5 said I, " for 
 " I have forgotten my Russian." 
 
 The Governor then presented me to 
 him, and I explained myself in his na- 
 tive tongue as well as I was able, mak- 
 ing use of gesticulation when at a loss 
 for words. I took M. Schstschekatichin 
 by the hand, and pressing it closely, 
 craved his benevolence, w T hich was an- 
 swered by a friendly grimace. 
 /Before I proceed, it will be neces- 
 sary to sketch the portrait of this 
 man. Aulic Counsellor Schstschekati- 
 chin, (may I be allowed to write this 
 barbarous name here for th£ laft time, 
 and to call him henceforth merely by 
 his title ?) the Counsellor, I say, was 
 a very swarthy man, almost black, 
 about forty years of age, having very 
 much the look of a satyr. Whenever 
 he would assume an affable mien, two 
 oblique wrinkles divided his face to the 
 
5* 
 
 very corner of his eyes, and imparted 
 to his whole countenance the expression 
 of disdain. From the stiffness of his car- 
 riage, it was evident that he had been in 
 the army, and from certain deficiencies 
 of common decorum, that he was an un- 
 educated man, and had never frequented 
 good company. For instance, he rarely 
 made use of a pocket handkerchief ; he 
 drank out of the bottle, though a glass 
 stood before him, and commited many 
 other acts of similar indecency. To 
 the grossest ignorance he joined every 
 outward sign of excessive devotion. He 
 liad not the least idea of the causes of 
 the common phenomena of nature j and 
 such a stranger was he to literature, that 
 the names of Homer, Cicero, Voltaire, 
 Shakespeare, or Kant, had never reached 
 his ear. He had no desire to learn any 
 thing * but by way of amends he could 
 ijiake the sign of the cross upon his fore- 
 
55 
 
 head and breast with uncommon dex- 
 terity. Every time he awoke, every 
 time he espied a church at a distance, 
 the point of a steeple, or the image of a 
 saint ; every time he ate or drank ? 
 (which was very often) every time it 
 thundered or when we passed by a 
 church-yard, my Counsellor took off 
 his hat and crossed himself in every 
 direction^ He did not, however, treat 
 all churches alike ; if they were con- 
 structed of wood, he paid them but lit- 
 tle attention ; but if they were built of 
 ftone, his respect considerably increased, 
 and it became much more profound at 
 the sight of a town with large domes 
 and lofty steeples. This was, perhaps, to 
 express his thanks to God that he had 
 been enabled to brine: his victim so far 
 on his way. I do not, however, recollect 
 that I ever saw him pray, either with his 
 lips or eyes, but of signs of the cross. 
 
6o 
 
 lie was extremely lavifh Though he 
 had very little reason for it, yet he en- 
 tertained a very high opinion of himself. 
 He would never listen to any kind of 
 explanation, nor admit any sort of 
 reasoning, let the subjeft of conversa- 
 tion be ever so important. He always 
 persisted in his own opinion, ornament- 
 ing his countenance at the same time 
 with the two deep wrinkles already men* 
 tioned. If a man may be called bene- 
 ficent for throwing farthings, right or 
 wrong, out of the window, our Coun- 
 sellor was of that description. No beg- 
 gar solicited in vain ; and although he 
 perceived his purse to grow lighter, that 
 was no reason with him for withhold- 
 ing his bounty. From the hurry he was 
 always in to get rid of his small coin, it 
 appeared that he considered this alms- 
 giving in detail as a moft sacred duty. 
 Not unfrequently would he throw a 
 
6i 
 
 copek* out of the carriage, after we had 
 passed a beggar ; and it was indifferent 
 to him whether the poor wretch had 
 any eyes or not ; whether he was maim- 
 ed or lame, able or unable to see and 
 pick up the money. He was devoid of 
 all moral feeling ; innocence and guilt 
 were the same to him, I fliall unfor- 
 tunately have but too many occasions 
 to finish his picture ; at present this 
 sketch must suffice. 
 
 Such w r as the worthy man into whose 
 hands I was intrusted. I must confess, 
 that at first I was much astonished that 
 so benevolent a character as M. de 
 Drieser should have made choice of 
 this Counsellor, but I can have no- 
 thing more to say on that head, as I 
 have learnt that the Emperor himself, 
 when he wrote to the Minister to grant 
 
 * A Ruffian coin about the value of a halfpenny. 
 
62 
 
 me a passport to enter unmolested into 
 Russia, had at the same time given or- 
 ders, that a Counsellor of the court and 
 a Courier from the senate, should be dis- 
 patched to meet and take me into cus- 
 tody. As it was the end of January 
 when I had requested the passport, and 
 as I did not set off, as I have already 
 stated, before the ioth of April follow- 
 ing, my Counsellor had been waiting 
 for me from the end of March till my 
 arrival, which was nearly seven weeks. 
 He often complained to me of the mo- 
 ney he had spent and the ennui he had 
 felt during this period- The first part 
 of his complaint I was< ready enough to 
 credit, but how is it possible that a man 
 like him should be liable to ennui? I 
 thought, and I still think, that fools, 
 for one reason, are as free from that 
 malady, as wise men are for another* 
 
 -Having been informed that he was sent 
 
6 3 
 
 by the Emperor, I have nothing more 
 to say, but that, doubtless, he was not 
 known to his Majesty; for that monarch 
 was a well-informed man, and had he 
 been aware what sort of person the 
 Counsellor was, he would, on more than 
 one account, have selected another. 
 
 " Endeavour to accommodate your- 
 self with a convenient carriage," said the 
 Governor, " for you must set off imme- 
 diately." I begged a respite till the next 
 day, not having closed my eyes for three 
 nights, and having besides been one 
 month on the road, and in fact so much 
 agitated for the last three days, that .1 
 stood in need of twenty-four hours rest ; 
 but my prayer was not to be granted. 
 The Governor asked me to dine with 
 him; but this invitation I declined, on 
 which I was accompanied to the inn by 
 one of his secretaries. This young man, 
 whose name was Weitbrecht, in spite of 
 
6 4 
 
 the forbidding coldness of his counte- 
 nance, seemed to partake in my distress. 
 He condoled with me, and assured me 
 that the Governor, with the best inch- 
 nations in the world, could not have 
 done more for me: " For," said he, 
 shrugging up his shoulders, " we are at 
 present nothing more than machines." 
 I was struck with this expression, which 
 I afterwards heard repeatedly from 
 others, and I have since thought that 
 those who made use of it, did but little 
 justice to the Emperor. In fact, how 
 is it possible to conceive, that a man 
 could wish to be served by mere ma- 
 chines ? What confidence could he have 
 in a creature that degraded himself so 
 far as to become one? 
 £. I returned to my chamber, where my 
 dear wife had been passing a painful 
 hour; she flew to meet me, and the 
 utmost disquietude was visible in her 
 
65 
 
 countenance* I strove to calm her, and 
 with all the discretion I was master 
 of, hinted that I must go to Petersburg, 
 and without her. This information I 
 communicated with all the consolations 
 and hopes of a favourable iffue, which 
 in that trying moment I was able to 
 offer. The Secretary added, that the 
 business would scarcely take up a fort- 
 night. Our attempts to console the un- 
 happy woman were of no avail; she 
 strove to suppress her emotions, and 
 threw herself on the bed in the most 
 violent agony of mind. She determined 
 at all events to follow me, and leave our 
 children here ; to bear me company at 
 least as far as my house at Friedenthal, 
 thirty German miles from Petersburg ; 
 this favour however was refused her. 
 It will appear in the sequel, that such 
 measures were of necessity adopted, as 
 no report relative to her had yet been 
 
 VOL I. K 
 
66 
 
 made at Petersburg, no order had been 
 received to molest her person. 
 
 It was expedient, I find, to make en- 
 quiry, whether a free-woman, and of 
 noble birth, could be allowed- to- return 
 home to visit her relations, and during 
 the time necessary for the arrival of 
 an answer (about . a fortnight) she was 
 thus to remain : in & place where she had 
 no acquaintance, at an dnn remarkable 
 for its extravagant charges, torn .-from 
 her husband, and herself a solitary prey 
 to grief. It was not, however, doubted 
 but that the answer would allowher to 
 proceed wherever she, pleased. 
 
 Ah, why have. I yet to finish the pic- 
 ture of the heart-rending scene which 
 preceded my departure! My disconso- 
 late wife had sunk from my arms upon 
 her bed, when she fell -into a state of 
 [insensibility. My daughter Emma, a 
 v child of five years old,; came every -mo- 
 
6/ 
 
 ment, and threw her little arms around 
 .my neck; my second, ignorant of what 
 was going forward, began to cry, solely 
 because her mother no longer noticed 
 her; (my youngest, an infant of eleven 
 months, smiled unconcerned in the arms 
 of its nurse, a happy stranger to the 
 horrors of the scene. My servants ran 
 confusedly about the room, and knew 
 not what they were doing; all was em- 
 barrassment and dismav. 
 
 The Counsellor arrived, the Courier 
 placed himself in a corner, the Secretary 
 ordered the seals which had been put 
 on my baggage to be broken, and every 
 thing it contained was examined with 
 great care. As for myself, though ab- 
 sorbed in the horrors of my situation, I 
 now and then broke out into violent ex- 
 clamations, arising from the heavy op- 
 pression under which I laboured. Paying 
 but little attention to what was 2:01112; on. 
 
68 
 
 I 'threw myself by the side of my wife ; 
 I pressed her in my arms, strove to con- 
 sole her, bade her be calm, and have 
 proper confidence in the justice of the 
 Emperor, and in my innocence — " We 
 have," continued I, w enjoyed many 
 happy moments together, let us bear 
 with courage a moment of affliction; 
 it will be of short duration ; the Gover- 
 nor tells me, that having once justified 
 myself (which will take place in a fort* 
 night) I shall again be restored to my 
 family. Shew me, my dearest life, that 
 you are not a woman of ordinary stamp; 
 tears are unavailing j courage and reso- 
 lution alone can serve us : Move hea- 
 ven and earth, if you will, to save your 
 husband — such is the part, my love, 
 you have to act, a part that well be- 
 comes a tender and faithful wife." 
 
 I mentioned to my wife some people 
 at Petersburg to whom she might write ; 
 
69 
 
 and not being allowed to inform my 
 mother of what had befallen me, I 
 begged she would take that task upon 
 herself, and impart the melancholy news 
 with all suitable preparation, though 
 Mr. Weitbrecht had already undertaken 
 the same office.* 
 
 :l My affectionate discourse was not lost 
 upon her;, she grew calm, arose, saluted 
 the Counsellor, gave him her hand, and 
 begged him, with tears in her eyes, to 
 take care of my health upon the way ; 
 for (he had been told neither of my ser- 
 vants would be allowed to attend me. 
 O that a thousand witnesses had beheld 
 that charming: woman in this agonizing; 
 moment 1 What grace in her entreaties ! 
 What loveliness in her sorrow ! Preci- 
 ous tears ! Ye would have softened the 
 most flinty heart ! — the Counsellor only 
 
 * He never performed his promise. 
 
7 o 
 
 smiled. . His nasal wrinkles played their 
 accustomed part, and he promised her 
 to pay due attention to what flie re- 
 quested. The Secretary then asked me 
 if I had much gold about me. I had 
 a hundred Frederic d'ors, about fifty 
 ducats, and two hundred dollars in 
 silver. He urged me to change this 
 money for Russian notes. This ap- 
 peared a very extraordinary measure, 
 for I did not want that sum to carry me 
 to Petersburg, and when arrived there, 
 I should find friends ; besides, I expected 
 to go to Friedenthal, where, should I 
 want any, I had money at command. My 
 wife, on the contrary, had no resource 
 where fhe was obliged to remain, and I 
 therefore wished to leave the whole 
 with her. The Secretary, however, still 
 urged me in so extraordinary a manner 
 to follow his advice, that I at laft yielded 
 in part. He had even the goodness to 
 
7 1 
 
 take upon himself the trouble of trans- 
 acting this business, and he changed my 
 gold at a very fair price, considering the 1 
 urgency of my situation. 
 / Not being able to take any of our 
 trunks with us, I made use of an old- 
 portmanteau belonging to one of my 
 servants, in which my wife's chamber- 
 maid packed a change of linen sufil- 
 cient for several weeks. With the same 
 earnestness which the Secretary had 
 used to engage me to change my mo- 
 ney, the Courie/now recommended the 
 maid to add Considerably to the stock*. 
 She thought' this quite superfluous, and ■ 
 paid inattention to his advice* Un- 
 able to succeed in this point, he urged 
 me to take a bed with me ; I was equally 
 deaf to his entreaties ; he then desisted, 
 and shrugged up his shoulders to ex-- 
 press his pity- 
 When I now coolly reflect on these 
 
7* 
 
 various circumstances, I am unable to 
 conceive how it happened, that not the 
 slightest suspicion arose in my mind that 
 I was doomed to take a longer journey. 
 I was in fact so bewildered with my si- 
 tuation, that I had no longer any clear 
 conception of things. As for the money, 
 I imagined it might so happen that I 
 should not see my friends at Petersburg, 
 but with regard to the advice about the 
 linen, I could not comprehend what it 
 could mean, my distracted thoughts be- 
 ing wholly engrossed by my wife and 
 my dear children. I was incessantly 
 running from one to the other ; I took 
 them all successively in my arms, I con- 
 soled, I caressed them; I mingled jny 
 tears with theirs. 
 
 The Courier's eyes were wet; the 
 scene before him had touched his heart. 
 I cast a friendly look at him, which he 
 returned in like manner. " Are you 
 
73 
 
 married ? said L— He made a sign in the 
 afErmative — and I have three children 
 — then you understand me." He sigh- 
 ed and shook his head. As this man 
 has had so much influence on my fate,* 
 I beg leave to draw his portrait. 
 
 Alexander Schulkins was about thirty 
 years of age ; a man without the least 
 ray of cultivation, a sort of brute, but 
 of a good kind. He had a Calmnck 
 countenance, a round face, a turned-up 
 nose, high cheek-bones, black hair, large 
 chest and shoulders . On his left side 
 he wore the escutcheon of a senate- 
 courier, and round his waist was strap- 
 ped a pocket to hold dispatches. His 
 great delight was eating and drinking; 
 he was not very choice in his food ; he 
 ate and drank every thing that came in 
 
 his way j and from the manner in which 
 
 — — — . , 1 — -, 
 
 * I have been mistaken in that point. 
 
74 
 
 he acquitted himself, it was evident that 
 this was his principal business. When 
 he took his soup, he threw his head 
 back, introduced the spoon up to the 
 handle into his mouth, and in this man- 
 ner poured the contents down his throat, 
 without allowing his palate to taste of 
 it. During this time he looked towards- 
 the ceiling, and compressed his short 
 forehead into a thousand little horizon- 
 tal wrinkles, which set every hair in his 
 head in- motion. In like manner he de- 
 voured his meat ; not chewing, but 
 merely swallowing it down.. Whenever 
 I left a bone on my plate, he would in- 
 stantly lay hold of it and. gnaw it. like a, 
 dog. A glass of brandy must have been 
 uncommonly large, if he did not dis- 
 patch it at one single draught, and al- 
 ways in the manner his food went down, 
 which, as I have already observed, was 
 directly into his throat. He could drink 
 
75 
 
 a great quantity of spirits without being 
 at all intoxicated, and all mixtures were 
 alike to him ; tea, coffee, brandy and 
 punch ; upon all of which, taken in the 
 space of a quarter of an hour, I have 
 seen him throw down two chopins of 
 quass.* In short, he could eat and drink, 
 and sleep at will, and at all hours of the 
 day or night. I may add, that the Aulic 
 Counsellor was his equal in the exercise 
 of these fine talents, and was but little 
 inferior to him in his taste for ftrong 
 liquors. 
 
 But rude as he was, Alexander Schul- 
 kins had the advantage of the other in a 
 moral point of view. He often betrayed 
 a sensibility of disposition which excited 
 the moft violent emotions ; not durable, 
 
 * An acid drink not unlike small beer, but of a 
 more nourishing quality. It is made by pouring 
 hot water upon a quantity of barley, and J eft to 
 foment in the heat of a stove. 
 
7 6 
 
 indeed, but very sudden. He had some 
 little knowledge, but the Counsellor had 
 none at all. I recollect one day, that 
 seeing a cuckoo, he observed, that that 
 bird always laid its eggs in the nest of 
 another, and left the owner the care of 
 hatching them. The Counsellor becran 
 to laugh ; when Alexander asked me if 
 the circumftance was not true ? I replied 
 it was ; when the Counsellor called forth 
 his nasal wrinkles, and cast a look of 
 pity on us both. What I have to say 
 further relative to Alexander will be 
 seen in the sequel. I shall only add, in 
 order to make his office better known 
 to the reader, that the Senate of Peters- 
 burg has eighty such men at command, 
 ready to carry orders to the most dis- 
 tant parts of the world. They are, I 
 believe, subaltern officers ; their dress 
 resembles that of a postman, except the 
 badge, which, though somewhat like 
 
77 
 
 that of the latter, bqars a different in* 
 scription. 
 
 ^-Let us now return to my sufferings. 
 A carriage was to be bought ; several 
 were exposed in the yard. This purchase 
 was a great favour, though my own 
 money was to pay for it. Commonly, 
 when people are arrested, they are 
 thrown, without any regard to age or 
 rank, into a kibick, or some other vehicle 
 still more inconvenient, and hurried on 
 through all kinds of weather. I cannot 
 deny but that in general I was treated 
 with some kind of indulgence ; but for 
 this no thanks are due to my Counsellor; 
 I owe it to superior orders, for my hard- 
 hearted keeper was utterly in capable of de- 
 viating a single step from the line of con- 
 duct that had been marked out for him. 
 Persuaded that I was going no farther 
 than Petersburg, I purchased a half- 
 covered carriage, in other respe&s very 
 
78 
 
 convenient ; not heavy, and hung upon 
 springs, but fit only for a short journey, 
 for this I paid five hundred rpubles. 
 
 My wife, who observed that I was 
 treated with indulgence, became more 
 composed. She asked the Counsellor if 
 I might be allowed to write to her on 
 my route, and was answered, both by 
 him and the Secretary, in the aflirma- 
 tive. 
 
 At length, towards the hour of seven, 
 every thing being ready, I bade adieu to 
 my afflicted family. How did my heart 
 beat at this cruel moment ! My hands 
 trembled, my knees tottered, my eye- 
 sight failed me j even at the present day 
 I cannot recollect this separation without 
 painful emotions. The reader will al- 
 low me to pause in this melancholy nar- 
 rative. Neither my wife nor myself could 
 weep ; the source of our tears were dried 
 up, and our hearts were wrung with in- 
 
79 
 
 expressible anguifli. I kissed my chil- 
 dren, I blessed them ; their mother 
 threw her arms about my neck, and 
 fainted as flie received my embrace. 
 
 The Secretary, who hitherto appeared 
 •unconcerned, and had had recourse to 
 common-place motives of consolation, 
 could no longer refrain from shedding 
 tears. Ah! if the kind-hearted Empe- 
 ror (for such I know him to be) had 
 been present, with what promptitude 
 •would he have put an end to this scene 
 of affliction. 
 
 My wife, who could no longer return 
 my caresses, continued to moan in a low 
 and inarticulate voice ; her eyes were 
 closed : I imprinted a kiss on her lips, 
 as if it were the last, and immediately 
 tore myself away. My servants led me 
 to the carriage and took leave of me, 
 deeply afflicted. A crowd of spectators, 
 assembled under the gate-way, had been 
 
8o 
 
 dispersed, and the carriage was drawn 
 up there to avoid notice. I mounted with 
 trembling steps, and was instantly dri* 
 ven away. 
 
 Thus was an unoffending man torn 
 from his family ; a peaceful citizen ar- 
 rested, furnished as he was with an Im- 
 perial passport, and without knowing 
 why. No — it is impossible that the Em- 
 peror, the humane Emperor (for such 
 in truth he is) could be at all privy to 
 this transaction. It was not his order — • 
 Some perfidious wretch, unknown to 
 him, has certainly abused his name. It 
 is now the ninth week since I have been 
 able to learn whether my wife and chil- 
 dren are alive or dead ; my destiny 
 perhaps is fixed, and I fhall hear of them 
 no more ! — My wife, from whom, dur- 
 ing so many years, I have never been 
 separated but twice, and that but for a 
 week or two ; my dear wife and I are 
 
8 1 
 
 now torn asunder, perhaps for ever !— 
 We are passing these tedious and mourn- 
 ful days almost without hope. O God ! 
 will she survive this ? Has she -survived 
 it? 
 
 It is but a year ago, and I still recollect 
 it with sorrow, that I went to drink 
 the waters of Pyrmont. My wife had 
 juft borne me a boy ; and she was not 
 sufficiently recovered to accompany me. 
 It was my intention to stay there three 
 weeks, the shortest time specified for' 
 taking the wafers with effect. Ten davs 
 however had scarcely elapsed ere her 
 absence became insupportable, and I im- 
 mediately haftened back to her. Yet 
 now nine weeks are elapsed since I saw 
 her : wild knows if in nine years, nay, 
 If ever, I shall see her again. One ray 
 of hope still gleams before me. I feel 
 some feeble consolation; If I am "deluded- 
 
 VOL, I. f 
 
Si 
 
 my despair will be equal to my misery, 
 I can however meet death. 
 
 Vixi, et quern dederat cursum fortuna, per agi. 
 
 The man who has studied himself, 
 who is at all acquainted with the human 
 heart, will believe me when I declare, 
 that in proportion as the carriage drove 
 on, I found my spirits rise, and my 
 heart recover its force. I began to look 
 into the future. What did it present ? 
 New enquiries — the examination of my 
 papers, my conduct, my peaceable way 
 of life. I had to deal with a just mo- 
 narch who would not condemn me un- 
 heard. What then could happen to me ? 
 Some slight inconveniences, the natural 
 consequence of my imperfect knowledge 
 of the Russian language ; but, thought 
 I to myself, I {hall have an interpreter : 
 I may for a while be deprived of a few 
 comforts, and must alter my usual ha- 
 bitudes a little. These things are un- 
 
§3 
 
 pleasant ; but surely, they are not very 
 great misfortunes. And, though I may 
 be visited by the return of a chronic dis- 
 order, which has tormented me for 
 twelve years past, yet there are good 
 physicians at Petersburg; why then 
 should I think myself unhappy ? It is no 
 doubt a disagreeable incident, but then it 
 is only momentary. I am about to visit 
 friends I was voluntarily seeking ; some 
 extra expence will be incurred ; but that 
 is merely the sacrifice of a little money, 
 the least painful of all sacrifices. I was 
 befides fully persuaded that the Gover- 
 nor of Mittau would take the greatest 
 care of my family. He had promised me 
 that every thing fhouid be done for them 
 that humanity and his own good wishes 
 could suggest.* 
 
 * It will hereatfer appear, that my hopes un- 
 happily were not realized. 
 
8 4 
 
 Riga is not more than seven short 
 German miles from Mittau, yet we did 
 not arrive there till midnight. It was 
 dark when we approached the banks of 
 the Duna, which laves the w T alls of that 
 hospitable city, and as the floating bridge 
 had not been restored on account of the 
 great floods, we were obliged to crofs 
 the river in a common boat, which con- 
 siderably retarded our journey. 
 
 "When we arrived at the gate, our Cou- 
 rier alighted and .went into the guard- 
 house, where he staid a considerable 
 time ; but : this circumstance gave me no 
 concern. At length he appeared, and or- 
 dered that we fhoukl drive to the pofl- 
 house, not through the city, properly 
 so called, but in a circuitous manner, 
 through several long andxrooked streets. 
 We were delayed but a short time ; 
 fresh horses were quickly put to the 
 carriage, and we proceeded. 
 
8 5 
 
 I must here remark that the post-or- 
 der (podsroschnej allowed three horses 
 in the name of the 'Emperor, and that 
 the post-masters frequently put four. 
 The fourth horse was sometimes paid 
 for, and sometimes not. In the first case, 
 they had the post-order in their favour, 
 and the extra horse was at my exnence. 
 j£ We left Riga about two o'clock in 
 the morning. The air was extremely 
 cold, exhausted nature called for re- 
 pose, and letting down the windows I 
 fell asleep. At the next post I awoke ; 
 I merely observed it was day -light, and 
 again closed my eyes. 
 ^ What language can describe my aston- 
 ifhment and terror, when on awaking 
 a short time after, I perceived that the 
 route had been changed. With difliculty 
 was I so much master of myself as to 
 suppress a scream of horror, just ready 
 to escape me. A kind of instinct how- 
 ever prompted me to remain silent. I 
 
86 
 
 am unable to describe what passed in 
 my mind : Whither are they taking me? 
 Where are my papers to be examined ? 
 Who is to examine them ? In a word, 
 what are they going to do with me ? — 
 All these queries rushed upon my mind 
 at once; they distracted my brain, but 
 remained totally unsolved. Could I 
 indeed conceive it possible that I was 
 to be thus dragged to the world's end, 
 without having been either heard or ex- 
 amined ? 
 
 Being arrived at the post-house, I asked 
 for somecoffee, more with a view of gain- 
 ing time than from a want of refresh- 
 ment. While it was preparing I walked 
 about the room in much agitation of 
 mind ; the Counsellor stood near the 
 carriage conversing with the postmaster ; 
 the Courier kept looking at him from 
 the window, till he was sure he was not 
 observed by him : then addressing me, 
 according to the Russian custom, " Fe- 
 
8 7 
 " dor Carlovitsch," said he, " we are 
 " not going to Petersburg, we are go- 
 " ing much farther." * Where?" faid 
 I, in a broken voice. " To Tobolsk, my 
 " dear Sir." " To Tobolsk !"— At this 
 word my knees shook under me, and a 
 tremor seized my whole frame. " Canyou 
 u read Russian ?" added he (still keeping 
 his eyes on the Counsellor) : " A little," 
 replied I. " Look at the post-order :" 
 I read, '" By command of his Imperial Ma- 
 " jesty, &c. from Mittau to Tobolsk, Au- 
 " lie Counsellor Schstschekatichin, and a 
 " person with him, accompanied by a Se- 
 u nate-courier, on affairs relative to the 
 " Crown, &c" Let the reader, if he is 
 able, imagine my sensations at this dread- 
 ful discovery. I was completely thun- 
 derstruck. 
 
 "?■ I would have told you this at Mit- 
 tau," faid the Courier ; " but we were 
 " too closely observed ; I have been ex- 
 
8S 
 
 " trernely sorry for you from that very 
 " moment. I have a wife, and I have 
 " children too j I well know . . . ." I 
 thanked him ; and he begged me to be 
 careful not to let it be perceived that he 
 had intrusted me with this secret ; for, 
 said he, the Counsellor is a severe un- 
 feeling man. 
 
 The Counsellor now entered the room ; 
 fortunately he was no better versed in 
 the science of physiognomy, than in the 
 natural history of the cuckoo, or he 
 would not have overlooked the paleness 
 of my cheeks, and the convulsive tremor 
 of my whole body. He swallowed a 
 glass of brandy without perceiving any 
 thing extraordinary in me. The coffee 
 came in, and as it may naturally be sup- 
 posed I did not taste it. I pretended to 
 be indisposed, and Heaven knows I was 
 not a little so ! I paid for the coffee, the 
 Counsellor drank it, and we continued 
 
8 9 
 
 our journey. The roughness of the road 
 brought me to my senses, and then it 
 was that the Idea of making my escape 
 for the first time came into my head. I 
 am banished to Siberia, said I to myself, 
 without having been heard, without any 
 legal process, without sentence, by the 
 mere force of tyranny, without even be- 
 ing informed why I am sent thither. 
 
 The whole business is incomprehen- 
 sible : either the Emperor is an entire 
 stranger to it, or I am the victim of in- 
 famous imposture. My papers, then, are 
 not the cause of my arrest, or they would 
 have undergone an examination before I 
 could have been condemned to so heavy 
 a punishment. Some enormous crime 
 has been laid to my charge ; false in- 
 formation has been lodged against me, 
 and the calumniator, in order to screen 
 himself from detection, has caused me 
 to be exiled unheard; to be buried alive in 
 
9° 
 
 Siberia : In Siberia ! — Ah how shall I ever 
 be able to justify myself there ? Will my 
 complaints reach the shores of the Bal- 
 tic ? And should they indeed find their 
 way thither, on what shall I ground my 
 justification, when I am even ignorant of 
 what I am accused ? Let me then make 
 my escape ! This idea took deep root in 
 my mind, and soon became a fixed re- 
 solution. 
 
 J On the brow of a hill on the banks of 
 
 ^ the Duna, and near the post-house, 
 
 stands an ancient castle, w r hich belonged 
 
 to a Livonian Prince, who, after having 
 
 for a while defended himself against a 
 
 - host of Christians, received baptism 
 with all his subjects. The picturesque 
 appearance of the ruins inspired me with 
 the idea of seeking a shelter among them, 
 even at the hazard of perishing with 
 hunger. With this idea was combined 
 a favourable recollection. I remembered 
 
9 l 
 
 that the estate, which was called Koken- 
 husen, belonged to a Baron de Lowen- 
 stern, with whom I had become ac- 
 quainted in Saxony. He had the repu- 
 tation of being a worthy man, I knew 
 him to be so, and in case of need, it oc- 
 curred to me that I might surrender 
 myself up to him. 
 
 We were now arrived at the post- 
 house y the master and his family seem- 
 ed fo be good sort of people. While 
 the Counsellor was at a little distance, 
 and the horses were changing, I in- 
 quired, in German, " to whom this 
 estate belonged ? — To Baron de Lowen- 
 stern, was the reply. — Where does he 
 
 live ? Just below — pointing to his 
 
 house, at a small distance. — Is he at 
 home ? — No, he is now fourteen verstes 
 off, at Stockmannshof, with his brother- 
 in-law. — And his family likewise ? (I 
 knew his lady, one of the best women 
 
9 2 
 
 in the world, and his children, who were 
 worthy of such parents.) — Yes, replied 
 they. — Is Stockmannshof in our way? 
 — -You will pass through it. — Is Dopart 
 far off?; — Six German miles." It was 
 not possible to make further enquiries ; 
 the horses were put to, and we hurried 
 away. 
 
 «^An accident happened on the road 
 which afforded me no small satisfaction. 
 One of our horses became restive, and 
 suddenly ftood still. The postillion used 
 every effort to make him move, without 
 effect ; in ipite of hollowing and beat- 
 ing, the animal remained immoveable. 
 My companions now began to swear, 
 and bestowed on the whole Livonian 
 nation the grossest abuse. Every expe- 
 dient being at length exhausted, our 
 Courier gave vent to his ill-humour in 
 beating the postillion. The latter dis- 
 mounted, and declared he would not go 
 
93 
 
 on if he was to be treated in that .man- 
 ner. This declaration was very natural., 
 but it threw the Counsellor into a violent 
 rage \ he alighted, and making up to the 
 first tree, cut oft a thick branch, and seiz- 
 ing the postillion by the throaty threw 
 him on the ground, and began to beat him 
 without mercv. He then ordered him 
 to take the reins again, if he did not 
 wish for a repetition of the discipline 
 which he. had just received* But while 
 he was getting into the carriage, and the 
 Courier was engaged in helping him up, 
 the postillion, who .had a very good pair 
 of legs, was quickly at a hundred paces 
 from us. In vain the Courier strove to 
 overtake him ; the man had already 
 .gained too much ground, and his pur- 
 suer was obliged to return. We were 
 now left on the high road, with a restive 
 .horse, and without a driver. In this 
 sad perplexity, what was to be done.? 
 
94 
 
 To return seemed best, and we immedi- 
 ately set about doing so ; but we moved 
 on at a slow rate, for the Courier, who 
 had taken the reins, did not know how 
 to drive. He kept going from right to 
 left, and from left to right, and this cost 
 the Livonian nation, who had nothing 
 to do in the business, another volley of 
 cursefe and infamous exclamations. 
 
 When I say curses, I am not quite cor- 
 rect ; I should not use the plural num- 
 ber ; the Russians have but one curse, 
 which, it must be allowed, is worth all 
 the rest. ^They wish, for instance, that 
 the mother of the man against whom 
 they are enraged, may have the devil for 
 her paramour ;|and they express this in 
 a manner so explicit, that those who are 
 . averse to doubtful meanings, must be 
 perfectly satisfied with it. I do not exag- 
 gerate when I declare, that, during this 
 single day, our people had recourse to 
 
95 
 
 this vile ribaldry more than a thousand 
 tim^si The expression is indeed as com- 
 mon among the ill-bred Russians, as 
 damning a thing is in the mouth of an 
 Englishman, or as the word Monsieur 
 was, in former times, in that of a French- 
 man. 
 
 On our return to Kokenhusen, the 
 Counsellor made many bitter complaints 
 against the postillion, without saying a 
 word about the beating which he had 
 given him. " You must have used him 
 ill," said the post-master, " for he is a 
 steady lad." The fact was positively de- 
 nied ; the post-master looked at me, and 
 I answered in favour of the injured post- 
 boy by an inclination of my head. 
 
 It is well known, that in a coarse 
 mind the consciousness of having been 
 in the wrong creates emotions of anger. 
 Our Counsellor finding himself in this 
 position, poured forth a volley of the 
 
o.6 
 
 ■most indecent abuse, which he accom- 
 panied, with threats. But as the post- 
 master had no legal remedy, except that 
 of making his complaint in the usual 
 way, without being able to retard the 
 departure of the Courier, he gave us a 
 fresh horse ; but a fresh postillion was 
 not so easily to be found. This cir- 
 cumstance took up a considerable time, 
 which, as far as it concerned me, was by 
 no means disagreeable. 
 
 During all this time I remained alone 
 in the carriage. The post-master's bro- 
 ther came up to me, and in a manner 
 that seemed very particular, said, " Your 
 " name, Sir, is not inserted in the body 
 " of the post-order •" I was quite at a 
 loss what answer to make. I have since 
 indeed learnt, that the name not being 
 inserted therein, the post-master was 
 not obliged to furnish horses. Had I 
 known this sooner, I should have urged 
 
97 
 
 him to have availed himself of his right. 
 What could our Counsellor have done ? 
 He must have waited here till he could 
 have provided himself w ith horses from 
 Riga. The Governor of Riga being to- 
 tally ignorant of this, would have writ- 
 ten to Mittau, which must have taken 
 up considerable time ; and in this in- 
 stance at least, much advantage might 
 have been gained by procrastination. I 
 should by this means have had time to 
 prepare for my flight ; but in the state 
 of ignorance in which I now remained, 
 I was unable to avail myself of this de- 
 sirable expedient ; and accordingly after 
 dinner, we set out m the usual mam: 
 
 During the whole journey, I continued 
 to take a mental survey of the country, 
 and particularly in the neighbourhood 
 of Stockmannshof. The Buna ran on 
 my right, and on my left I remarked a 
 chain of hills covered with wood. At 
 
 vol l G 
 
9 8 
 
 six o'clock we arrived at the frontier 
 post.* 
 
 In a little time, said I to myself, my 
 destiny will be fixed. Beyond Livonia 
 I shall find no friends, no acquaintance, 
 not a soul that can speak the same lan- 
 guage as myself : now then is the time 
 to make my escape. With this view I 
 declared, though it was far from being 
 late, that I was unable to go on any far- 
 ther, and that I must absolutely stop 
 to obtain a little rest. This displeased 
 our Counsellor ; he would fain have 
 persuaded me to continue the journey ; 
 he however thought fit to stop, and this 
 complaisance must certainly be attribut- 
 ed to his orders, which enjoined him 
 not to weary me to death. 
 
 * The frontiers of Livonia, and the province of 
 
 Witpsk, 
 
99 
 
 / It was accordingly arranged that we 
 should pass the night at this place. The 
 post-house had a very miserable appear- 
 ance, the room we were in being full of 
 hogs and poultry, and in other respects 
 extremely disgusting. I urged with great 
 vehemence our going farther to an inn 
 which I had perceived, and which being 
 built of stone, promised to afford better 
 accommodations ; but the truth was, 
 that the post-house was ill-adapted for 
 the execution of my project. 
 
 This inn, to which we drove, was 
 kept by an Israelite, and belonged to the 
 village of Stockmannshof. It stood on 
 the high road, which alone feparated it 
 from the Duna. At a few paces from 
 hence the woody hiI3s p in which I had 
 placed all my hopes, began to rise. The 
 Courier set about preparing supper. He 
 boasted of his culinary talents, and had 
 killed a fowl, of which he promised to 
 
100 
 
 make an excellent mess of broth. I ap- 
 peared to be much delighted at these 
 preparations, and in the mean time 
 strolled about the door with the Coun- 
 sellor. I examined the banks of the ri- 
 ver, and the rafts of timber which were 
 floating down the stream. I took a 
 silent survey of the country, returned 
 to my chamber and examined the win- 
 dow, which w r as fastened only by a slight 
 string. I observed with delight that it 
 favoured my purpose, and that it 
 might be opened and shut without any 
 noise. 
 
 The Counsellor accidentally left some 
 writing paper on the table : I had the 
 precaution to conceal a fheet of it, in 
 the notion that it might hereafter prove 
 extremely useful to me. 
 
 At nine o'clock the Courier brought 
 in supper, which consisted of a strong 
 soup, a smoke-dried sausage, and some 
 
lOI 
 
 Dantzic spirits. The two last articles 
 my wife's chamber-maid had put into 
 the carriage without my knowledge. 
 
 In order to compliment the talents 
 of the cook, I tasted a few spoon- 
 fuls of soup, and I even assumed a 
 gaiety of behaviour that was far from 
 appearing unnatural. The mind, in the 
 present instance, was however more obe- 
 dient than the body, for in spite of all 
 my attempts, I could not swallow a mor- 
 sel, and I pretended extreme lassitude 
 in excuse for my want of appeite. 
 
 I now rose from table to retire to rest. 
 My companion would have persuaded 
 me to occupy the bed, the only one in 
 the house ; but as it stood in a distant 
 corner of the room, I observed that as 
 it seemed very dirty, I preferred some 
 clean hay, which I caused to be laid 
 on the ground not far from the win- 
 
102 
 
 dow. My night-gown was spread over 
 this ; I wrapped myself up in my cloke, 
 and was about to throw myself down, 
 dressed as I was, upon this rustic bed, 
 when the Courier came to me to pull 
 oft my boots. Fortunately he placed 
 them near me, I laid myself down and 
 apparently fell asleep. 
 
 My fellow-travellers remained at the 
 table till they had nothing more to eat 
 or drink, and then went to rest. The 
 Counsellor stretched himself upon a 
 bench which was separated from me 
 only by the table. ; Above it was the 
 window through which I hoped to es- 
 cape. The Courier slept in the carriage, 
 which stood close to the same window. 
 
 It was now nearly eleven o'clock ; the 
 night was dark, though the moon was 
 at the full. The Counsellor was fast 
 asleep. This was the favourable mo- 
 
io 3 
 
 ment j but unluckily our Jews were 
 celebrating the eve of their Sabbath in 
 the most noisy manner. They kept 
 continually running through the cham- 
 ber ; at one time came the host, at ano- 
 ther his wife, and then the children. This 
 unpleasant noise often roused the Coun- 
 sellor from his slumbers, and made him 
 rave and swear most angrily. I joined 
 my prayers to his imprecations ; but all 
 in vain ! for these orgies continued till 
 two o'clock in the morning, at which 
 hour the Israelites retired to rest, and all 
 became quiet. 
 
 Availing myself of the profound si* 
 lence which now reigned throughout 
 the whole house, I entered upon my 
 enterprize. In the first place I crawled 
 on my knees, and gently untied the 
 string of the window ; this I happily 
 effected without the least noise or diili- 
 culty. I heard the Courier Miore, and 
 
2 04 
 
 tvas enchanted at the sound. I then be- 
 gan to feel for my boots, and taking 
 hold of them, together with my cloke, 
 I got upon the table in the most cau- 
 tious manner, scarcely allowing myself 
 to breathe, and always pausing when I 
 heard the Counsellor stir. Thus far all 
 went on perfectly well ; but I now met 
 with great embarrassment. The window 
 was high, my foot could not reach the 
 ground, nor was there any thing against 
 the wall on which I might have step- 
 peel. 
 
 What was to be done ? Should I drop 
 down at once ? This could not be ac- 
 complished without having two hands 
 to hang by, and my left hand was full. 
 To have thrown my things into the 
 street would have made some noise, and 
 if the Counsellor should awake before 
 I could follow them, all my projects 
 e at an end. This was, * howe- 
 
io 5 
 
 ver, my only resource, and I had no 
 time to lose. I first let down my cloke 
 very softly ; it served to receive my 
 boots, which instantly followed, without 
 any noise or accident. It was now my 
 turn to descend. I hung upon my el- 
 bows, one of my feet touched the car- 
 riage, and the other the ground, and 
 thus I cleared my way. 
 
 Having effefted my escape, it was ne- 
 cessary to provide against immediate 
 discovery. The Courier continued snor- 
 ing in a manner that promised a long sleep, 
 but the cold that would come in at the 
 window might awaken the Counsellor, 
 who would instantly discover my flight. 
 To prevent such an accident, I drew the 
 window as closely as I was able, and 
 then turning the corner of the house, I 
 put on my cloke and boots. 
 
 I first wandered thro' a swampy mea- 
 dow, which lay behind the inn, but 1 
 
io6 
 
 boon got into the high road. My plan 
 was to hasten to Kokenhusen, and throw 
 myself upon the post-master's mercy. 
 The hope I placed in this man and his 
 family, was partly founded on their 
 physiognomy, and partly on the unplea- 
 sant affair of the preceding day, which 
 I thought they would he inclined to re- 
 sent : and I w^as also of opinion, that 
 they might not be insensible to the 
 charms of a large sum of money, which 
 would have been much at their service 
 for their assistance. 
 
 Should the man be disinclined to har- 
 bour me in his house, or should he not 
 have room for me, I then intended to 
 have concealed ,myself among the ruins of 
 Kokenhusen, and to make an agreement 
 with him to supply me with food. I also 
 intended, through his means, to inform 
 Baron de Lowenstern of my flight, 
 who would send such information to 
 
my wife, and she would make known 
 my situation to my friends, In short 
 I had formed a plan which appeared 
 very practicable ; but I have reasons for 
 not entering into further detail at pre- 
 sent.* 
 
 A single circumstance completely frus- 
 trated my plan : It was necessary that I 
 fliould arrive during the night at Koken- 
 husen, to avoid being overtaken by the 
 Counsellor, and the Jews' Sabbath had 
 too much retarded my operations. It 
 was full three o'clock, and five hours 
 were hardly sufficient for so long a walk. 
 It might happen that the Counsellor 
 would get up early and overtake me ; 
 and besides, I dreaded appearing by 
 day -light at Kokenhusen, where it was 
 very natural to suppose inquiry would 
 
 * These reasons no longer influence me, and I 
 set in another part of this nar- 
 rative. 
 
io8 
 
 speedily be made, not only by my com- 
 panions, but by others, inconsequence 
 of the general alarm they would spread. 
 I therefore determined to proceed as 
 long as I was favoured by the night, 
 and to conceal myself in the woods the 
 moment day began to appear. 
 
 Every thing being thus considered and 
 arranged, I followed the highway, still 
 walking through the adjacent meadows 
 whenever I found a path near the road. 
 At length I perceived by the light of 
 the moon, a house which the day be- 
 fore I had taken for a military pavilion. 
 In Livonia we often meet with such 
 buildings; they serve to lodge the of- 
 ficers whose regiments are stationed in 
 the environs ; and when the guests are 
 gone, the houses are shut up. I had ob- 
 served the preceding day, that the doors 
 and window-shutters were closed, that 
 
109 
 
 the ceritry-box was empty 5 and I con- 
 cluded it was not inhabited. 
 
 Under this conviction, as it lav at 
 some distance from the high road, I re- 
 solved to pass by it. 
 
 " Who 2:oes there ? M cried a centineL 
 A question so unexpected startled me ; 
 but I had the pr-since of mind to make 
 the usual reply. 
 
 " What road are vou taking ; 
 
 " Whither are you going :*' " To Stcck- 
 mannshof." — " But the road lies there,"' 
 u I did not perceive it." 
 > I was going on. but " Halt !" " Hi: 
 u friend/' said I ; " I am coining from 
 " Stockmannshof : I have been paying 
 'va visit to a Jew girl yonder ; let me 
 M get back snugly, and take no notice of 
 i; having seen me at all." To this request 
 I added the offer of some money. 1 
 man murmured aiittle.but let me pass on. 
 
 This accident rendered me timid ; 
 
no 
 
 feared others of the same kind, and 
 kept entirely along the high road. Had 
 I been observed here, at least there would 
 have been nothing extraordinary in it, 
 and besides I found it was better walk- 
 ing than through the meadows. 
 I Another adventure now befel me. 
 After having travelled a few verstes, I 
 heard the alarm beat at a considerable 
 distance behind me. This custom re- 
 quires some explanation. 
 
 In the Russian villages, and other 
 places very remote from towns, a plank 
 is suspended between twopieces of wood, 
 Whenever the servants are to be called 
 to their meals or their work ; or when 
 the hour of the day is to be made known, 
 this board is struck with a heavy mallet, 
 and the sound is heard at a very great 
 distance. I was much alarmed. It is 
 very early, said I to myself ; the ser- 
 vants are no where accustomed to break- 
 
Ill 
 
 fast so soon ; it cannot be the hour that 
 is struck, for this is not the manner of 
 doing it, the strokes fall too fast. Alas ! 
 I perceive whit it is : The Counsellor 
 has discovered my escape ; he has alarm- 
 ed the mn, or spoken with the centinel, 
 who has certainly betrayed me ; he is 
 therefore pursuing me, and raising the 
 country in his progress. * 
 
 The noise at last becoming very sus- 
 picious, I was induced to quit the pub- 
 lic road, and immediately rushed into 
 a close copse. From time to time I fell 
 into a glade, which I hastily ran across, 
 and again took shelter among the trees. 
 The wood now began to grow thicker. 
 I saw a hill before me, which seemed 
 to promise a favourable retreat, and 
 I made towards it by the nearest way, 
 
 * Whether my conjectures were right, I have 
 not since learnt having never spoken of this affair. 
 
112 
 
 which led me over some marfhy ground, 
 and the farther I proceeded, the more 
 I became entangled in the swamps. 
 Being up to my knees in very stiff 
 clay, I . began to reflect on what was 
 to be done, and feeling myself quite 
 worn out with fatigue, I remained mo- 
 tionless in the midst of the bog. Day- 
 light was near at hand ; but of what use 
 would it be to me? The underwood was 
 thick ; I was surrounded by young pine 
 trees 5 and I could not see ten steps before 
 me. Whatfhould I do ? Return? No: 
 death itself appeared less dreadful than 
 the necessity of being driven to that re- 
 solution. At length I recovered a lit-' 
 tie from my fatigue, and exerting all 
 my strength, after an hour's painful 
 walk, arrived at the hill. This hill, 
 however, did not afford what it pro- 
 mised at a distance: I quitted it, and con- 
 tinued to make the best use of my legs. 
 
IJ 3 
 
 Rambling from hill to hill, I found seve- 
 ral paths which led to some ill-cultivated 
 grounds in the woods. These I endea- 
 voured to avoid \vitli extreme caution, 
 but I often fell into them, and was con- 
 sequently led so much astray, that at 
 night I should not have been able to have 
 regained the high road, had I not been 
 guided by the sound of the waters of the 
 Duna, which seemed always to be within 
 hearing. In fine, after all these windings, 
 after having rejected twenty different 
 spots as improper to remain in, I ob- 
 served a clump of firs extremely thick 
 and gloomy. In the midst of this grove 
 two lofty birch trees rose from the same 
 stem, and joined in a friendly manner 
 their spreading branches : they reminded 
 me of my tender union at home, and 
 afforded me a happy presage. I gave the 
 preference to this spot, half persuaded 
 that under the shelter of these trees no 
 harm could happen to me* 
 
 VOL.- 1. h 
 
U4 
 
 It was then only seven o'clock, and I 
 could not think of quitting my retreat 
 before ten : I therefore had time enough 
 to arrange the plan of my future pro- 
 ceedings. I began to scrape the dirt from 
 my boots, and should have dried myself 
 completely, had the weather been warmer 
 and the spot less damp. I wrapped my- 
 self up in my cloke, and sat down at 
 the foot of the birch trees. The sur- 
 rounding firs formed a thick inclosure, 
 beyond which, at the distance of thirty 
 steps, was a swampy fence-wood, termi- 
 nated by a bare and barren hill. I could 
 perceive through the branches every 
 thing that passed over the hill or through 
 the copse ; and on my right hand and 
 left, as well as behind me, the w r oods 
 bounded the horizon. 
 
 Stockmannshof, said I to myself,, is 
 
 not far distant : It is the residence of 
 
 his Majesty's Chamberlain, M. de Beyer, 
 
 • the father of Madame de Lowenstern ; 
 
IJ 5 
 
 I have heard him well spoken of ; he is 
 a man of a noble turn of mind, and 
 most assuredly his daughter must like- 
 wise possess many excellent qualities, 
 having been educated by such parents, 
 and having had the advantage of their 
 excellent example always before her. I 
 was perfuaded at that time that I might 
 safely depend on him ; but I soon after 
 entertained a very different opinion. — 
 His seat, continued I, is near the high 
 road ; the Counsellor, perhaps, may 
 have been there, and given orders to 
 every one in the village to detain me. 
 Kow should I be able to speak to M. de 
 Beyer without making my way through 
 his whole train of lacqueys, who might 
 have heard of my flight, and would pre- 
 vent the kind assistance of their master ; 
 who being a man above the temptation 
 of any reward, would be solely actuated 
 by his own feelings in affording me as- 
 
n6 
 
 sistahee : My first plan, thought I, is 
 therefore preferable ; I will go to Ko- 
 kenhusen ; should the Counsellor have 
 got the start of me, and spread the alarm 
 there, the people I am going to will only 
 laugh at his perplexities, and assist me 
 for the sake of satisfying their own re- 
 venge. Should he even give then) mo- 
 ney, I will double the sum ; it is well, 
 however, to take this day to consider 
 all possible contingencies. 
 
 After thus counselling with myself, I 
 drew the sheet of paper from my pocket 
 and cut it into several slips ; then taking 
 out my pencil, I began to write with 
 wet fingers, a billet to M. de Beyer, one 
 to Baron de Lowenstern, a third to my 
 wife, with some other notes of no con- 
 sequence. While I was thus employed 
 a storm arose : I was well aware, that 
 during its continuance it was dangerous 
 to remain under the trees : I felt no in- 
 
clination, however, to leave this shelter, 
 and even wished the thunderbolt to fall 
 on my head, I have always considered 
 this kind of death as the most desirable, 
 and I should now have received as a bles- 
 sing the stroke that would so easily have 
 terminated all my misfortunes : But I 
 wished for dissolution in vain ; the storm 
 exhausted itself in a violent shower of 
 hail, which quickly changed into rain, 
 and I was drenched from head to foot* 
 ./This shower, however disagreeable in 
 itself, was in another point of view ex- 
 tremely favourable. I had suffered thirst 
 to such a degree, that my tongue was 
 parched : The trees now glistened with 
 large drops of water ; I applied my lips 
 to every fir apple I could reach, and at 
 this moment I felt the whole force of 
 that picture contained in the Gofpel, of 
 the rich man in torments., begging in 
 
 J DO O 
 
 vain for a drop of water to cool his 
 
n8 
 
 parched tongue ! When I had exhausted 
 all that were at hand, I went further in 
 quest of others ; but I was constantly 
 under the necessity of proceeding cau- 
 tiously, lest in snatching too eagerly at 
 the tempting bough, the drops of rain 
 should fall on the ground before I could 
 reach them. By degrees I grew more 
 dexterous ; but an uninvited guest soon 
 came to rob me of my frugal beverage :• 
 the meridian sun evaporated every drop* 
 I heard a carriage pass along a road 
 which I conceived to be the highway. 
 I imagined it to be my own, which the 
 Counsellor might have taken in order 
 to pursue me at his ease. This was the 
 only sound made by a human being that 
 had yet disturbed my solitude. At noon, 
 however, it was disturbed in a manner 
 that filled me with inexpressible terror. 
 I observed a peasant on horseback, trot- 
 ting in various directions across the plain. 
 
ii9 
 
 He traversed the meadows, rode up the 
 hill, gallopped down again, surveyed the 
 bushes and rode in among them. At 
 last, seeming not to know which way to 
 take, he made directly towards my hid- 
 ing-place. Happily the friendly clump 
 that afforded me a refuge, concealed me; 
 the man turned off, and I saw him no 
 more. I had already remarked that no 
 road ran near this spot, and I naturally 
 concluded the peasant to be . one who 
 was sent in search of me. 
 
 Half an hour afterwards, a cart ap- 
 peared on the same spot, and merely 
 crossed it : In both cases I laid myself 
 flat on the ground. 
 
 I I perceived in the afternoon that the 
 forest which laid behind me did not ex- 
 tend so far as 1 had at first thought, and 
 I observed several carriages pass near 
 me in front. I likewise heard three or 
 four peasant girls singing-, and playing 
 
/ 
 
 I2G 
 
 together at no great distance : they did 
 not seem to be of the number of the 
 peasants sent out in quest of me, whence 
 I supposed it was the road to some vil- 
 lage that lay in the neighbourhood. 
 
 About five o'clock I experienced an 
 alarm which greatly surpassed all that I 
 had hitherto felt. I heard the cry of a 
 pack of hounds, and the voice of the 
 huntsman who was leading them on. — 
 The story of Joseph Pignata, who after 
 his escape from the prison of the Inqui- 
 sition was hunted by blood-hounds, 
 rushed into my mind. I knew, indeed, 
 that in Lavonia it was not the custom to 
 hunt men ; but the animal that was pur- 
 sued might take towards the spot where 
 I was concealed, and the dogs in follow- 
 ing the scent, would of course penetrate 
 my retreat ; and it is well known to 
 ^very sportsman, that when they come 
 within view of a human creature, they 
 
121 
 
 alter their cry. In such a predicament, 
 I must unavoidably be discovered by the 
 huntsman. At one time they were with- 
 in two hundred paces of my hiding- 
 place. In this perplexity I wrapped my- 
 self closely up in my cloke, and yielded 
 entirely to chance. The hunt by degrees 
 took another direction, and the dogs 
 soon ran out of sight in pursuit of their 
 game. 
 
 I am not at present able to say with 
 certainty, whether this was merely a 
 common hunt, or a pack of hounds led 
 out in pursuit of me ; but I have reason 
 to believe that I was actually the object 
 of their chase, the hunting season being 
 over. On the other hand, it is well 
 known that the shepherds dogs follow 
 the scent in the spring, and make great 
 havock among the game. 
 
 In addition to the terrors arising* from 
 real dangers, I had likewise to contend 
 
122 
 
 with the idle illusions of the fancy. At 
 one time I imagined an old stump of a 
 tree in the fence-wood to be a man ; and 
 as the day declined I grew still more 
 subject to these deceptive apprehensions. 
 At another time I thought I perceived 
 a sportsman before me with a green hat 
 and jacket, and that he was taking aim at 
 me. I observed his fowling piece, mark- 
 ed the turn of his countenance, which 
 seemed to be very agreeable and full of 
 kindness. I was so far deceived as to 
 take off my cloke, and make signs to 
 convince him of his error in having 
 taken me for a deer. 
 
 Had I remained much longer in the 
 wood, I certainly should have experi- 
 enced a derangement of intellect, which 
 perhaps would have terminated in real 
 madness. My brain seemed on fire ; my 
 ears rang, and sparkles danced before 
 my eyes ; my feet were numbed, my 
 
hands were in the same condition, iny 
 whole frame shivered, and my pulse was 
 irregular. 
 
 I felt myself ill, very ill. — Shall I say 
 what now supported me ? My wife, my 
 angelic wife. The dear name of my 
 Amelia, invoked in a feeble tone, roused 
 the last remains of my strength, and 
 called forth my drooping courage. But 
 this talisman operated only upon the 
 mind ; exhausted nature called for other 
 sustenance. 
 
 / It was now Saturday-evening. At 
 the post-house on the other side Mit- 
 tau, I had taken a slice of bread and but- 
 ter with a dish of coffee ; the next day 
 a biscuit ; on Friday three spoonfuls of 
 soup ; besides this, I had not tasted a 
 single morsel, and the drops of water 
 were all I had swallowed the whole of 
 the present day. I was aware that unless 
 I obtained food I she . die in 
 
124 
 
 the woods or on the highway. \ What 
 a useless thing is money ! I had more 
 than seven hundred roubles about me, 
 yet I was unable to procure a morsel of 
 bread<Nor was this all ; sleep had long 
 been a stranger to my eyes ; for the 
 short slumber that stole upon me in the 
 carriage could not be called repose. 
 
 When it grew darker, a woodcock 
 flew over my head.. Its hoarse and brawl- 
 ing cry renewed the sensations of my 
 pastimes in happier days. It had been 
 a favourite sport with me when I re- 
 sided in Livonia, to pass the fine even- 
 ings in the spring in pursuit of this bird 
 of passage, which, it is well known, is 
 very scarce in Germany. At the recollec- 
 tion of this spot, a thousand other ideas 
 arose in my mind with tormenting of- 
 ficiousness. I sent a heavy sigh after the 
 bird : it was its hour of quitting the 
 wood, and it warned me likewise to 
 leave it. 
 
I2 5 
 
 Being desirous to take a short rout in 
 order to regain the highway, I travers- 
 ed one of those roads which are made 
 in- forests for the purpose of drawing 
 away the fallen timber. Just as I arrived 
 there some boors were driving their 
 empty carts along at full trot. Not being 
 able to make my retreat, I had instantly 
 recourse to my usual expedient. I lay flat 
 on the ground, trusting myself wholly 
 to chance. The thicket where I was con- 
 cealed was very bare ; I had neverthe- 
 less the good fortune not to be perceived. 
 Scarcely were they gone, when I conti- 
 nued my route in the direction I had at 
 first taken. I quickly observed, how- 
 ever, that instead of coming to the end 
 of the wood, I was travelling farther in- 
 to it, and the noise which I had taken 
 for the waters of the Duna, was nothing 
 but the effect of the wind upon the trees, 
 which was heard everywhere round. — 
 
126 
 
 What was now to be done ? Return to 
 the marshes ? Could I return in the dark? 
 Hunger, thirst, cold and fatigue would 
 have reduced me to my last gasp, and 
 my body left to the mercy of the wolves, 
 would become their prey* I then de- 
 termined to seek for the cart-road I had 
 observed, and although the task was 
 extremely difficult, in a quarter of an 
 hour I discovered it. 
 
 I walked fast along this road, but I be- 
 gan to think that it led me too much on 
 one side. Of this I was certain, when 
 coming into the highway, I read on the 
 finger-post * that I was still within three 
 verstes of the spot where I had left my 
 travelling companions. 
 
 I had yet nearly three German miles 
 
 * All over Russia posts are erected, which from 
 verste to verste indicate the distance of the adja- 
 cent towns. 
 
.127 
 
 to walk before I could reach Kokenhu- 
 sen ; a dreadful distance for a man in 
 my situation. I first approached the 
 Duna, and scooped some water in the 
 brim of my hat to slake the burning 
 thirst under which I laboured, and I 
 quickly felt the bad effects of this in a 
 violent fit of the cholic. My throat 
 likewise was so much parched and swel- 
 led, that I could scarcely swallow. Hop- 
 ing, however, that exercise would miti- 
 gate my pain, I began to proceed for- 
 wards, though the road was still fre- 
 quented by passengers. At one time I 
 was obliged to slip suddenly behind a 
 hedge to screen myself from an unlucky 
 rencounter ; at another to take a circui- 
 tous way to avoid a noisy public house. 
 Sometimes a watch-dog would bark at a 
 distance, and I was under the necessity 
 of evading his pursuit as quicki > as pos- 
 sible j for should he not be satisfied with 
 
128 
 
 merely barking or howling at me, I had 
 nothing to defend myself with, except 
 a small pair of scissars. At length I 
 thought to avoid all these accidents by 
 stealing along the banks of the Duna, 
 but I found the river full of rafts, with 
 fires burning and men walking back- 
 wards and forwards upon them. It was 
 then expedient to change my course, 
 sometimes following the river, at others 
 crossing the underwood, or regaining 
 the high road, as occasion served. It 
 was by straggling along in this manner 
 that I at last arrived at Stockmannshof, 
 at eleven o'clock at night. 
 
 The castle inhabited bv Chamberlain 
 de Beyer is situated on a hill ; a garden 
 rising in terraces extends to the public 
 road, and is terminated by an iron gate. 
 
 I observed several lights still burning 
 in the castle, but they began gradually 
 to disappear, and shortly none were vi- 
 
129 
 
 sible, except in the lower story. I put 
 my finger upon the latch of the gate and 
 found it was not locked. I then began 
 to reflect on what was to be done. I 
 could not reach Kokenhusen, for I al- 
 ready staggered like a man in liquor, 
 and was too much exhausted to walk 
 any further. My colic too still conti- 
 nued to torment me, and my throat be- 
 came more parched than ever. I entered 
 the garden therefore, determined to pro- 
 ceed to the house : a figure in white stood 
 at some little distance before me. How 
 fortunate, said I to myself, should this 
 prove to be a female ! Women are com- 
 passionate creatures ; ever ready to pity 
 and sooth distress of every description : 
 I will approach her. I proceeded, and 
 discovered that it was merely a statue 
 of Neptune placed in the centre of a small 
 pond. 
 
 VOL. I. I 
 
13* 
 
 I was now as much embarrassed as 
 ever, and the reflections I had made in 
 the wood came again into my mind ; I 
 hastily left this spot and continued my 
 route. My mind supported my body 
 for a considerable time ; but having pro- 
 ceeded about half a verste, the wants of 
 the latter prevailed. Worn out with 
 hunger, fatigue and pain, I sunk down 
 upon the sand, a victim of the most 
 gloomy despair, I am compelled to con- 
 fess, that at this moment the idea of 
 suicide, for the first time in my life, 
 suggested itself, and if, instead of the 
 small pair of scissars, I had then pos- 
 sesed a dagger I commonly travel with, 
 I should certainly haveusedit to put an 
 end to my existence. Happily, however, 
 I had left it at Mittau with my -wife ; 
 for as I imagined that I was only going 
 to Petersburg, I did not like to have it 
 about me. This weapon, which I only 
 
131 
 
 carried for the purpose of defence, in 
 case of being attacked by a malicious 
 dog, in any of my accustomed walks 
 might have had a suspicious appearance 
 there. It was out of precaution, there- 
 fore, that I left it with my wife, and I 
 shall ever bless that act of prudence : 
 " For a wise man," says Seneca, " ought 
 " not to hasten the day of his death, 
 " however strongly he may be impel- 
 " led : he should retire, and not run 
 " away." 
 
 How often does our fate depend on 
 trifles ! If I had taken the bread which 
 lay on the table with me, the morning 
 of my escape from the inn, that alone 
 would have supported nature, and I 
 could have persevered in my plan. I 
 had now only two expedients to adopt ; 
 either to remain at Stockmannshof, or 
 return to the woods and remain there 
 till next evening. The latter seemed by 
 
! 3 2 
 
 no means adviseable, as my strength 
 could not hold out during another day 
 without nourishment. I determined, 
 therefore, upon going back to the castle, 
 and accordingly, after resting myself a 
 little, I returned to the garden gate. 
 / The lights in the lower story remained 
 as before. I crossed the garden and came 
 to a second gate, which opened to a pas- 
 sage between the house and the terraces. 
 I passed through it, for it was unlocked, 
 and I found myself within three paces of 
 the steps of the castle. I ascended them, 
 a light shone through the window, and 
 I perceived three young chambermaids 
 making their beds. I stretched forth 
 my hand several times to tap at the win- 
 dow, and as often drew it back ; but 
 overcome by the urgency of my situa- 
 tion, I at length knocked* 
 
 One of the young women came out 
 with a light in her hand, and asked me 
 
m 
 
 what I wanted. I intreated her in i 
 hoarse voice to give me a morsel of 
 bread. She looked at me with great 
 surprize ; she was a handsome girl, and 
 her countenance bespoke much goodness 
 of heart ; but my visage, and indeed 
 my whole appearance caused her to pause 
 a little at my request. " It is too late/' 
 said she, " our master is gone to bed, 
 " and so are the servants." " Pity me, 
 " my lovely girl," I rejoined, " I have 
 " eat nothing the whole day ; for hea- 
 " ven's sake pity me." " My God !" 
 said she, " in the forest, and during 
 " such weather ! How happened this ?" 
 She still kept looking at me from head 
 to foot, and drew back a little. I gues- 
 sed her thoughts : " Do not be afraid, 
 " my dear pretty young woman ; I am 
 " no thief, nor even a common beggar ; 
 " (I then shewed her my purse, and my 
 " gold watch-chain.) I have money 
 
*34 
 
 " enough, but my case is much to be 
 " pitied. My dear girl, I beg you'll tell 
 " me, if I can speak a word with the 
 " chamberlain." 
 
 " The chamberlain is asleep." 
 
 " Where is M. de Lowenstern ?" 
 
 " He is at Kokenhusen, and returns 
 " to-morrow." 
 
 " And Madame de Lowenstern and 
 " the children r" 
 
 u They are above." 
 
 " And Mademoiselle de Plater ?" 
 
 " She is with them." 
 
 This Mademoiselle de Plater was a 
 young and very amiable person, a friend 
 of the family, whom I had seen in Sax- 
 ony. " Cannot you awake her ?" 
 
 " I dare not." 
 
 As I pressed her with great earnest* 
 ness, she at length advised me to go to 
 the Secretary's apartment, and wait 
 there till morning. During this conver- 
 
*35 
 
 sation, I had drawn her by degrees into 
 her own room, and the urgency of my 
 situation having overcome all thought of 
 ceremony, I firmly declared that I would 
 not stir from thence, but was determin- 
 ed to throw myself upon the sofa before 
 me. This declaration embarrassed the 
 young woman very much. 
 
 Heaven knows how this scene would 
 have ended, had not the Chamberlain 
 and his lady, who slept near at hand, 
 been aw r akened bv the noise which we 
 made. Madame de Bayer rung for her 
 maid ; I gave her the billet I had scrawl- 
 ed in the wood, and entreated her to 
 deliver it to her master, and then, trem- 
 bling with anxiety for the result, I threw 
 myself on the sofa. 
 
 The girl returned ; she requested me 
 
 ' to wait a little ; that I should soon have 
 
 some refreshment, and that her master 
 
 was himself coming to me. 1 then re- 
 
i 3 6 
 
 maincd a few moments alone ; moments 
 not to be measured by the common 
 mode of calculating time ! 
 
 The Chamberlain arrived : He was a 
 man advanced in years, and kindness 
 was imprinted on his countenance. He 
 appeared to be under some embarrass- 
 ment ; but at this moment how great 
 w r as my own. I spoke with hesitation, 
 and expressed myself in the most inco- 
 herent manner ; but my note had given 
 him sufficient information. He begged 
 I would make myself perfectly easy, that 
 I would first think about taking some 
 nourishment, and that he would then 
 see what could be done for me. Ma- 
 dame de Bayer now appeared. I recog- 
 nized the features of her amiable daugh- 
 ter, and took courage. I related in a 
 few words my extraordinary adven- 
 tures. She appeared affected, but I could 
 still perceive, that neither she nor the 
 
! 
 
 l 37 
 
 Chamberlain were satisfied that I was 
 perfectly innocent. And how, indeed, 
 could intelligent people like them, ha- 
 bituated to the regular order of the laws, 
 believe that such official proceedings 
 could have taken place without very se- 
 rious reasons ? 
 
 In the mean time several dishes were 
 set before me. After a slight refreshment 
 I touched upon the essential object of my 
 visit, and solicited protection and suc- 
 cour. I begged the Chamberlain would 
 conceal me at one of his country seats. 
 At this proposal I could perceive that 
 M. de Bayer struggled with his feelings, 
 and that the contest was about to ter- 
 minate in my favour. Hope already 
 sparkled in the eyes of his lady, when a 
 man entered the room, of whom, even 
 at this moment, I cannot think without 
 an involuntary emotion of aversion and 
 disgust. 
 
i 3 8 
 
 " Sir, 5 ' said the Chamberlain, " you 
 here see a good friend of mine, M. Pros- 
 tenius,* of Riga." We saluted each 
 other : he pretended to have seen me 
 before ; but I had not the least recollec- 
 tion of his person. He was a weil-look- 
 ing man, of a pleasing and insinuating 
 countenance, and his deportment was 
 extremely polite. He was one of that 
 description of people, who can say un- 
 gracious and even rude things with the 
 same tone of voice, and with as much 
 ease as usually accompany the commu- 
 nication of the most agreeable intelli- 
 gence. From him I learnt, that the 
 Counsellor had been at the castle, that 
 he had dined there, had betrayed great 
 uneasiness of mind, alarmed the whole 
 village, and had dispatched people to 
 pursue me ; and that, after taking these 
 
 * That was not his name, as I have since learnt ; 
 but why name him at all ? 
 
*59 
 
 measures, he had set off for Riga, at 
 which place he probably still remained. 
 M. Prostenius took upon himself to 
 assert, that my plan was impracticable, 
 even before he had heard the whole of 
 it ; adding, that it would expose them 
 all to danger, and that it was impossible 
 to serve me. " But you have gained 
 time," continued he, " by your flight ; 
 you will be conducted to Riga ; the Go- 
 vernor, who is a stranger to the business, 
 must report your conduct ; and before 
 any answer can arrive, some changes 
 may take place." I replied, " that from 
 the manner in which I had been already 
 treated, I could not expect any thing in 
 my favour." The Chamberlain, who 
 had been prevented from speaking by M. 
 Prostenius, and whose opinions the lat- 
 ter had in a great measure influenced, 
 now told me, by way of consolation, that 
 I might write from hence to the Empe- 
 
140 
 
 ror. " May I," exclaimed I. — " Cer- 
 tainly ; and I will send the letter through 
 the hands of General de Rehbinder, who 
 at this moment is commandant at Peters- 
 burg/' 
 
 I thanked him for all his goodness. 
 The amiable Prostenius would fain have 
 made a reply for him; he remained 
 however silent. 
 
 M. Prostenius was now pleased to 
 ask me, " Why I feared a journey to 
 Tobolsk ?"■ 
 
 I eyed him, and smiled : " Why do I 
 fear it?" — " Yes:" said he, " many wor- 
 thy people are sent thither. You will 
 never be in want of good company." — 
 " My company. Sir, is my family." 
 
 " In what manner are you taken 
 there ? — I have a Senate-courier and an 
 Aulic-counselior with me." 
 
 And no guards — no soldiers ?" 
 
 S 1 
 
 u 
 
 " No; no guards." 
 
141 
 
 cc Well, then, what can be more ho- 
 nourable ?" And as he did not per- 
 ceive that I was at all elated with these 
 marks of honour, he added : " Come, 
 come, Sir, you must submit with a good 
 grace ; you are a philosopher/' 
 
 " I am a husband and a father " said I. 
 The little man then simpered : a tear 
 glistened in the eye of Madame de Bayer. 
 The Chamberlain observed that the hour 
 was very late : " Retire to rest," said 
 he, " and gain strength to set off to- 
 morrow for Riga." 
 
 I know not why this expected jour- 
 ney to Riga gave me no pain. Was it 
 because it brought, me nearer to my 
 wife and children ? For, in fact, it was 
 the same thing whether I fell into the 
 hands of the Counsellor at Riga, or any 
 where else. 
 
 " In the common" continued the Cham- 
 berlain, " you will find a bed ; go and 
 
142 
 
 take some rest. 55 In this country they 
 give that name to a pavilion detached 
 from the house, which is occupied by the 
 preceptor, the secretary, and others of 
 that class ; and it is likewise furnished 
 wkh beds for the reception of strangers. 
 
 As I was leaving the castle to go to 
 the common, five or six peasants suddenly 
 appeared, and accompanied me thither. 
 I imagined mere curiosity had brought 
 them together, not conceiving that the 
 influence of M. Prostenius could have 
 induced a worthy gentleman to have 
 converted an apartment, hitherto sacred 
 to hospitality., into a state prison. 
 
 On entering the room I found several 
 people in bed, some of whom were 
 asleep. I took no notice of them ; but 
 I observed the people on the outside 
 were closing the shutters. This, as I 
 supposed, was a common custom ; but, 
 as I do not like to be thus enclosed when 
 
H3 
 
 I sleep, I begged that they might be left 
 open. My request was not listened to : 
 perhaps they were determined that I 
 should not make a second escape. 
 
 Shall I here declare my sentiments ? 
 I affirm, upon my honour, that no idea 
 of another flight entered my head. I 
 likewise declare, in the same solemn 
 manner, that had I been in M. de Bayer's 
 place, and, like him, performing the du- 
 ties of a good subject, I should not have 
 carried my precautions so far. Admit- 
 ting that the Counsellor could have re- 
 ferred to superior orders, which obliged 
 every one to secure my person w 7 herever 
 I should be found, (which I doubt hav- 
 ing been the case,* as he had only a post- 
 billet about him, in which my name was 
 not inserted) it would have been suffi- 
 cient to have placed two centinels upon 
 
 * He had shewn a sufficient authority. 
 
144 
 
 me ; one at the door, and another at 
 the window. Had I even succeeded in 
 eluding or bribing my guards, M. de 
 Bayer would not have been any way re- 
 sponsible ; he could not have been re- 
 quired to be provided with chains and 
 bolts for the purpose of securing state 
 prisoners. Ah ! Prostenius, Prostenins ! 
 most assuredly this was thy work ; 
 thou wouldst fain have made #ny cham- 
 ber as gloomy as was thy merciless 
 heart. The extreme fatigue under which 
 I laboured soon threw me into a slum- 
 ber, which, though broken, lasted at in- 
 tervals till five o'clock. 
 
 When I awoke, my first care was to 
 write to the Emperor. I dressed myself 
 and sat down to a table, on which I 
 found all that was necessary for that 
 purpose, and I penned, with great rapi- 
 dity, what my heart, my innocence, and 
 my indignation dictated. Breakfast was 
 
*45 
 
 brought in ; my fellow-lodgers had al- 
 ready risen unobserved by me. Hav- 
 ing finished my letter to the Emperor, I 
 wrote another to Count de Pahlen, the 
 Emperor's favourite, a third to Count de 
 Cobenzel, and a fourth to my dear wife. 
 I had begun a fifth, when the gentle M. 
 Prostenius came into the room, and in a 
 soft tone of voice informed me, that 
 the measures suggested the preceding 
 night could not be put in practice, as 
 .the Counsellor himself had just made 
 his appearance at the castle. 
 / " I am then to be given up," said I. 
 * He answered with a shrug of his shoul- 
 ders, " What can be done ? Even the 
 letter to the Emperor cannot now be 
 sent to General de Rehbinder ; when 
 M. de Bayer shall have reflected on this, 
 he will be convinced it is impracticable. — 
 " He promised me without solicitation, 
 and repeated that promise several times.* 
 
 VOL. J. K 
 
146 
 
 " He would bring himself into trouble; 
 and therefore that letter must be sent to 
 the Governor of Riga." 
 
 " And the others !" 
 
 " That to your lady must likewise 
 pass through his hands. As to the rest, 
 I would advise you to leave them where 
 they are." On saying this, he took up 
 the letters I had written to the Emperor 
 and my wife. What became of them I 
 am still unable to say. I suppose they 
 have been delivered ; but such is the ser- 
 vile fear which now takes possession of 
 the heart of every man in office, that I 
 should not be at all surprised to find they 
 were suppressed.* Perhaps their sup- 
 pression may prove a fortunate circum- 
 stance ; and the hard-hearted M. Pros- 
 tenius may have done me a service. 
 
 * It will be seen in the sequel in what a noble 
 teianner the Governor of Riga acted on this occasion. 
 
The letter to the Emperor was written 
 with too much vehemence. I insisted 
 much on my rights; on the imperial 
 passport; and on my innocence. The 
 perusal of it must have r 
 Emperor dissatisfied with himself, and 
 all his displeasure would have fallen 
 upon me. Besides, he would have heard 
 of my escape, which he must have con- 
 sidered as rebellion against his com- 
 mands, and as an act highly deserving 
 of punishment. Fart of my letter ran 
 thus : 
 
 " The Governor of Courland inform - 
 " ed me, in the name of your Majesty, 
 " that I was going to Petersburg, yet I 
 u discovered that a certain person was 
 " conducting me to Siberia : I did not 
 " know this person, and he shewed me 
 " no order on the part of your Majesty* 
 " Which of the two am I to believe I 
 " the Governor or this man ?" 
 
148 
 
 In a word, the affair was intricate and 
 obscure, and my application could cer- 
 tainly have produced no good effect ; it 
 would rather have exasperated the Em- 
 peror, and I have more than once wish- 
 ed that I had never written the letter. 
 It was the same with regard to the lines 
 I intended for my wife : I had described 
 my situation in the woods, and had 
 spoken of my situation as a thing which 
 I considered would last for life. This 
 imprudent letter might have been of 
 fatal consequence to her, had she re- 
 ceived it without due preparation. Once 
 more I thank the spruce little man ; he 
 has perhaps, without knowing it, been 
 the means of preserving the dearest ob- 
 ject I have in the wiioie wo^ld. 
 
 My letters to Count de* Fahlen and 
 Count de Cobenzel remained in my pos- 
 session. 
 
 Soon after I found myself alone for a 
 
149 \ 
 
 moment with a young man who had 
 slept in the same room with me, and in 
 whose countenance I could read benevo- 
 lence and compassion. " If, (said I to 
 him, " you have a feeling heart, send oft 
 these letters." He hesitated, and ap- 
 peared somewhat alarmed. " They are 
 open," continued I; " peruse their harm- 
 less contents, and seal them yourself." 
 This he promised to do as soon as the 
 present tumult should be subsided. Has 
 he kept his word ? I know not. Have 
 my letters produced any effect ? Of that 
 too I am ignorant, having heard nothing 
 on the subject.* 
 
 A youth of about eighteen or twenty 
 years of age now came into the room, 
 and I took him for young De Lowen- 
 stern. He hastily removed all the writ- 
 
 * These circumstances will be cleared up in the 
 Sequel. 
 
150 
 
 ing implements, as he said, the Coun- 
 sellor was that instant approaching the* 
 room. He politely asked me if I stood 
 in need of anything for my journey; 
 and I availed myself of his obliging offer 
 so for as to request a little cream of tar- 
 tar* I now beheld my charming com- 
 panions again! The Counsellor** saluted 
 me with his accustomed wrinkles, but 
 did not utter a single word of reproach. 
 I told him, in the best manner I could, 
 that he must pardon my conduct, as I 
 had naturally been inclined to believe the 
 Governor of Courland rather than him. 
 He appeared satisfied with my apologies, 
 and threw all the blame on the ill-timed 
 humanity of the former. I saw him 
 distribute a hundred roubles among the 
 peasants who had mounted guard over 
 me, and I took that opportunity to 
 observe, that if he imagined those 
 boors had taken me, he was much mis- 
 
*5* 
 
 taken, for that I had come and surren- 
 dered myself here of my own accord. 
 He did not condescend to make me any 
 answer, but, heaving a deep sigh, con- 
 tinued to distribute the roubles. He 
 then went out to hasten the preparation 
 for our departure, upon which the young 
 woman who admitted me into the castle 
 the preceding night, came into the room, 
 and, advancing in a timid manner, whis- 
 pered one of the persons present ; and 
 when all had retired, she took the ad- 
 vantage of their absence to present me 
 with a small linen purse, to which some 
 pieces of tape were sewed. " This con- 
 tains a hundred roubles, (said she) which 
 my mistress has sent you, Sir;* you will 
 stand in need of them, for I know vour 
 money will immediately be taken from 
 you : fasten it quickly about your waist." 
 She then turned awav. 
 
 I then believed it came from Madame de Bayer. 
 
*5 2 
 
 I did not rightly understand her 
 meaning: however I concealed the purse 
 as I had been directed ; and scarcely had 
 I done so, when the Counsellor came 
 into the room. 
 
 Noble woman, whom my misfortunes 
 had thus affected ! I still preserve this 
 purse unviolated; it is a sweet remem- 
 brancer of your humanity! Whenever 
 I look at it, tears rush into my eyes. 
 With a mingled sensation of pleasure 
 and pain, I recollect, that in the most 
 afflicting moment of. my life, a feeling 
 heart participated in my sorrow. Ex- 
 treme indeed must be the distress that 
 compels me to open this sacred purse. 
 I have several times been reduced to 
 great want since I received it, have de-* 
 nied myself many things that would 
 have been of much use to me, because 
 I never could prevail on myself to touch 
 this hallowed store : it is a relic, the be- 
 
*53 
 
 iiediction of a good woman accompanies 
 it, and I do not renounce the hope of 
 one day being able to return it into her 
 hands, which I will bathe with tears of 
 gratitude. 
 
 The moment of separation being ar- 
 rived, young De Lowe j stern brought 
 me some cream of tartar., a bed-gown 
 lined with fur, a clo :h mantle with large 
 sleeves, two cotton night-caps, a pair of 
 boots, and several other things. I em- 
 braced him, and requested him to in* 
 form my wife of my situation. He so- 
 lemnly promised me to do so, and the 
 tears which ran down his cheek are my 
 vouchers that he has kept his word. He 
 then, with all that keen sensibility, all 
 that candour which characterizes the 
 early stage of life, and with ail the il- 
 lusive confidence .vhichit inspires, took 
 the Counsellor by the hand, and intreat- 
 ed him to take care of my health, and 
 
*54 
 
 to overlook my fault. The Counsellor 
 replied with the same cold politeness 
 which he had before shewn to my wife. 
 The chambermaid stood at the window 
 and wept. Prostenius had finished his 
 task, and was no longer visible, at least 
 I did not observe him ; nor did I again 
 see either the master or mistress of 
 the house. We repaired to an open cart 
 which stood before the inn, for my car- 
 riage had been left at the post-house. I 
 was put into the cart, with all my things, 
 exposed to the observation of the mul- 
 titude, and to the pity of a few. The 
 Counsellor placed himself at my side, 
 the Courier behind me, and in an hour 
 after we alighted at the inn where we 
 had slept. 
 
 Thus terminated the unfortunate at- 
 tempt to make my escape, which certain- 
 ly was far from being a blameable mea- 
 sure, in whatever point of view it may 
 
1 - - 
 
 be considered. While I imagined I wash 
 travelling to Petersburg, to undergo an 
 examination there, it was a duty I owed 
 myself to submit, and had I in such case 
 attempted to escape, my innocence would 
 have been justly suspected. The existing 
 state of affairs justified the Emperor in 
 employing all possible means of precau- 
 tion to prevent civil disorders, and I re- 
 spect the rights of Sovereign s^ As soon, 
 however, as I was convinced that neither 
 papers nor innocence were to be taken 
 into consideration, but on the contrary, 
 that the most severe treatment would 
 precede any examination, what law, hu- 
 man or divine, required that I should 
 remain a prisoner ? 
 
 The corpulent mistress of the post- 
 house felt great delight at seeing me re- 
 taken : she told the Counsellor that she 
 expected every moment a band of sol- 
 diers she had sent for from a neighbour- 
 
i 5 6 
 
 ing barrack, and advised him, in future, 
 to be provided with guards wherever 
 we passed the night. One of the horses 
 that had been employed in the pursuit of 
 me, being almost dead through fatigue, 
 she immediately perceived it, and, vent- 
 ing her ill-humour upon me, loaded 
 me with the grossest abuse. At ano- 
 ther time I might have been offended 
 at this, but it was now of no more con- 
 sequence than the sting of a gnat to a 
 man just taken off the rack. J answered 
 her with a sneering smile, which threw 
 her into a still greater passion, and I 
 really believe that when she had ex- 
 hausted all her abusive epithets, she 
 would have gratified her anger by beat- 
 ing me, had not the Counsellor inter- 
 posed. This noise, however, drew many 
 people to the spot, and at least thirty 
 gaping boors filled the roon: with their 
 nauseous odouxv The Counsellor drove 
 
*57 
 
 them all out, and desired the mistress of 
 the house to leave him alone with me. 
 I was rather confounded, though no 
 longer alarmed, yet I soon began to feel 
 that resolution, which despair is apt to 
 inspire. 
 
 When we were alone, the Counsellor 
 politely said to me: "You must not 
 take it amiss, Sir, that I shall now have 
 recourse to more severe measures. " The 
 idea of fetters instantly came into my 
 head ; and, growing quite wild with an- 
 guish, I laid hold of my scissars, with 
 the design of putting an end to my life : 
 but he quickly explained. I had, as has 
 been already mentioned, a little box 
 stored with several useful things ; he 
 requested the key of this box, in order 
 to deposit in it the money I had about 
 me, promising, at the same time, to sup- 
 ply me out of it as often as I should have 
 occasion. 
 
i 5 8 
 
 Finding this was all he required, I sub- 
 mitted without saying a word. I had 
 been already accustomed to turn my 
 pockets inside out ; and whatever they 
 now contained, keys, money, scissars, 
 pencils, scraps of paper, and even my 
 watch, I delivered up, with a very good 
 grace. The Counsellor himself conde- 
 scended to search my pockets with his 
 own hands, to see if I had really given 
 every thing up, and he then locked the 
 box. 
 
 The open carriage was changed for 
 my own, and we immediately departed. 
 I shall not attempt to describe the state 
 of my mind as we drove along. Let it 
 suffice to observe, that I could neither 
 eat nor sleep, and if I did not entirely 
 lose my senses, it is solely attributable 
 to the jolting of the vehicle. Every time 
 we stopped to change horses, my head 
 grew giddy j I was anxious to get on 
 
again, and delighted when we came to 
 a hard or uneven road, or a paved cause- 
 way. During the first two days of the 
 route, I did not utter half a dozen words. 
 Whenever any thing was offered to me, 
 " No !" was my answer. With wild and 
 fixed eyes I looked at the country before 
 me, without seeing it. Wind or rain, 
 heat or cold 5 were alike unfelt by me, 
 and I was driven to such a state of dis- 
 traction, that I could no longer get in 
 and out of the carriage without assist- 
 ance. If by chance I met with a looking- 
 glass, the sight of my haggard counte- 
 nance made me start backwards.* 
 
 * I must here relate an anecdote. At the 
 first dinner-hour after my having been retaken, we 
 arrived at a small town, the name of which I do 
 not remember, but I only know it belonged to a 
 certain Staroste de Korf, who inhabited an antique 
 castle there. Though we did not change horses, 
 yet we stopped in the castle-yard, He came down 
 
i6o 
 
 The Counsellor seemed to be concern- 
 ed at my situation. With him, however, 
 it was no affair of compassion, but only 
 the apprehension of not being able to 
 execute his honourable commission to 
 
 and pressed the Counsellor to stay and do him the 
 favour to dine with him, ordered the Courier to be 
 taken good care of, but said not a word to me, nor 
 sent me any thing to eat or drink. He had taken 
 care, however, that I should be well guarded, for 
 he had ordered the gates to be shut, and a crowd 
 of people to be stationed round my carnage, who 
 kept staring me in the face, and sneering at my 
 situation. In this manner I remained the object 
 of their impertinence for a whole hour. Afterwards 
 the Staroste re-conducted his well- replenished guests 
 to the carriage. In spite of ail this w T ant of decency 
 with regard to me, the extreme thirst I suffered 
 mastered my stubborn heart; I asked for some- 
 thing to drink, and a glass of beer was brought me. 
 I relate this anecdote merely because I have since 
 heard at Ri°:a that M. de Korf had boasted of hav- 
 ing entertained me at his table, and of having treat- 
 ed me in general with the most polite attention. 
 
i6i 
 
 its full extent, which probably would 
 have been considered as a crime. He 
 exerted himself to pacify me ; both he 
 and the Courier represented Tobolsk as 
 the finest city in the universe, and the 
 manner of living there as very gay and 
 agreeable. The strongest recommenda- 
 tion of Tobolsk, in the opinion of the 
 Courier, was the goodness and low price 
 of provisions of all kinds. u What fish l" 
 said he " what fish ! for ten kopeks you 
 may buy the finest esierlets, for which 
 the dainty people of Petersburg would 
 be glad to pay ten roubles ; and the ce- 
 ierinoS) what ceierinos! Meat, bread, bran- 
 dy, all to be had in the greatest plenty ? 3 
 To this the Counsellor added some par- 
 ticular which to me were far more in- 
 teresting. m The moment you arrive 
 there," said he, " you will be free, per- 
 fectly free; you may run about, you 
 may go where you please ; you may 
 
 VOL. I. L 
 
l62 
 
 hunt, shoot, ramble over the country, 
 and make, your own acquaintances. You 
 will be allowed to write to the Emperor, 
 to your lady, to your friends ; you 
 may .have servants, and whatever will 
 afford you pleasure : in a word, you 
 ltiay live according to your fancy. At 
 Tobolsk, too, there are balls, masque- 
 rades, and a good play-house." At the 
 word play-house I smiled in spite of my- 
 self. I only asked him, if he could en- 
 gage that my correspondence^ would not 
 be stopped. He gave me his word it 
 would not, and this assertion revived 
 my hopes. But, said I to myself, the 
 Emperor, who sends me to Tobolsk, 
 might likewise chuse to send me to Ir- 
 kutzk, which lies three thousand verstes 
 beyond it. Endeavouring to guess at 
 the real motives of my arrest, I had re- 
 collected that ten years ago, while I was 
 printing Count Benjow T sky, the late Em- 
 
163 
 
 press wrote to Revel, to the Governor 
 of that place, and charged him to ask 
 me, without mentioning that it was her 
 Majesty's order, what view I had had in 
 writing that play. I naturally replied, 
 that the history of Count Benjowsky 
 had struck me as a fit subject for the 
 drama; and that it had even been adopt- 
 ed before I attempted it by M. Vulpius. 
 Nothing more was said on the subject ; 
 that great Princess, as it may easily be 
 imagined, thought no more of the mat- 
 ter. 
 
 The Emperor, thought I, offended at 
 the subject of this piece, is perhaps de- 
 termined to inflict the same kind of pu- 
 nishment on me as I have described in 
 the case of the exile : should it be so, I 
 shall be sent to Kamtschatka, which lies 
 six thousand verstes from Irkutzk. 
 
 The Counsellor swore by all the saints 
 that he would allow- himself to be called 
 
164 
 
 the greatest rogue in the universe, if he 
 was taking me to any other place than 
 Tobolsk. " But," said I, " how do you 
 know this ? Your orders are sealed up ; 
 are you acquainted with their contents?" 
 He gave me to understand that they had 
 been transcribed by himself; " besides," 
 added he, " such a journey would not 
 be divided into two parts : had you been 
 destined for Irkutzk, I should have re- 
 ceived orders to have taken you there, 
 as I have formerly received in the case 
 of several exiles ; but my order and my 
 post-billet mention no other place than 
 Tobolsk. You may make yourself per- 
 fectly easy on that head. You may well 
 suppose that it would ill become the dig- 
 nity of the Emperor to parcel out his or- 
 ders for the purpose of tormenting pri- 
 soners, and procuring them new suffer- 
 ings." The reader will hereafter see 
 what confidence I ought to have placed 
 in the Counsellor. 
 
i6 5 
 
 But what calmed my mind more than 
 the hopes of remaining at Tobolsk, was 
 an incident the Counsellor now related. 
 " A year ago, 55 said he, " I was conduct- 
 ing a woman this way; we had already 
 arrived near Casan, when a courier over- 
 took us, and presented ma with an or- 
 der directing me to return with her im- 
 mediately. Her case had been re-exa- 
 mined, and other information had been 
 received, by which she was found to have 
 been innocent. 55 Scarcely had the Coun- 
 sellor related this anecdote, than I began 
 to apply the adventure of the woman to 
 my own situation. 
 
 " I, then, as well as she, 55 said I, c: may 
 be found innocent. 55 
 
 " Of that, 55 replied he, " there can be 
 no doubt. 55 
 
 u And what did the woman say? 
 What became of her r 55 
 
 " She was very happy, as you may 
 
i66 
 
 well think; she gave me her gold 
 watch." 
 
 This event struck my imagination very 
 forcibly, and I cannot describe with what 
 magic it impressed my whole soul. I 
 had incessantly the image of this woman 
 before my eyes, joining her hands toge- 
 ther, and lifting them up to heaven, 
 shedding tears of joy, and eagerly tak- 
 ing her watch from her side ; I followed 
 her carriage as it was returning back, 
 felt what she must feel as she approach- 
 ed her home ; I saw her discover her 
 mansion, observed her children looking 
 out at the window ; saw her then drive 
 up to the door, throw herself out of the 
 carriage, and faint with delight in their 
 arms. Yes, this coarse-minded man had, 
 without being aware of it, found out the 
 true remedy for my affliction ; it was 
 the balm that was best adapted to heal 
 the deep wounds of my soul. 
 
i6; 
 
 From the time I received this cheering 
 information, 1 was every moment ex- 
 pecting the arrival of a courier. As 
 soon as I heard the bells* sound behind 
 us, my heart began to flutter in the most 
 violent manner. My papers, thought 
 I, have been examined, and I am found 
 innocent : an order has been instantly 
 issued, a courier on horseback has been 
 dispatched after me, and he will render 
 me the most happy of men. But I for- 
 got, or strove to forget, that my papers 
 were not taken at all into consideration 
 in this affair. I still recurred to the idea 
 of the kind courier pushing on his horse 
 to overtake me ; I calculated how many 
 days my papers must be on the road, 
 how long a time their examination 
 w r ould require, and I could have wished 
 
 * In Russia the post-horses wear bells about 
 their necks. 
 
168 
 
 to have slackened our pace, that the 
 courier might the sooner overtake us. 
 
 Three days had passed since we left 
 the castle of Stockmannshof, and I now 
 strove to eat for the first time. Our 
 people had devoured the Bologna sausage, 
 and drunk all the Dantzic brandy ; they 
 had even swallowed the bread, the but- 
 ter, and the cold meat which M. de 
 Bayer had ordered to be put into the 
 carriage. I wished for some wine and 
 coffee j we were not able to procure 
 either the one or the other, and I had 
 nothing to eat but some eggs. The 
 nights were very cold, and the day not 
 warm 9 on account of a piercing wind 
 that was continually blowing. I was 
 desirous to lay the cloke at my feet, 
 which had been lately given me ; but 
 the Courier had taken possession of it, 
 and likewise had put on my boots. I 
 forbore, however, to claim any of these 
 
i6g 
 
 things* as hiy companions made use of 
 what belonged to me without the least 
 ceremony ; and when they had once ap- 
 propriated it, they considered it as a law- 
 ful prize. This conduct extended even 
 to my purse : on the least thing being 
 purchased for me, or any repairs being 
 made to the carriage, I produced a note 
 of twenty-five roubles ; it was changed, 
 and it was not common to return me 
 the overplus ; or if I ever obtained any 
 thing back, it was only a part. The 
 Counsellor at last grew short of money, 
 and borrowed of me without ceremony. 
 Taking it once into my head to refuse 
 him, his whole manner of behaviour be- 
 came so much altered, that I was forced 
 at length to yield. VI paid every ex- 
 pence on the road, and though I had 
 taken nothing but bread, milk, and eggs, 
 and sometimes a little roast veal, this 
 'journey cost me upwards of four hun- 
 

 170 
 
 dred roubles, without reckoning the car- 
 riage. I paid for every thing ; these 
 fellows bought brandy with my money, 
 and never gave any thing to the poor 
 peasants in return for the provisions 
 which they furnished us : an extortion 
 of which these wretched people dared 
 not even complain. 
 
 Here I cannot refrain from praising 
 that hospitality which prevails among 
 the Russian peasantry, and which is still 
 more remarkable the further we advance 
 into the country. They are all anxious 
 to receive strangers, and consider it a 
 very great honour done them. They 
 set before their guests every thing they 
 have, and are extremely delighted to see 
 them relish the repast. I shall never 
 forget the uneasiness of a female villager 
 on seeing us approach, because she had 
 no refreshments at hand. She ran about 
 the cottage, and exclaimed, with tears 
 
I 7 I 
 
 in her eyes : '* Here are three good little 
 guests, and I have nothing to set before 
 them :■? the words, good little guests, 
 made me smiled The peasants never de- 
 mand any money in return for their 
 hospitality ; they refuse to be paid for 
 bread, quass, and such things ; and for 
 their poultry, cream, and eggs, they are 
 always satisfied with whatever price is 
 offered for them. As they never re- 
 ceive any thing but curses from the sol- 
 diers and couriers who call on them^ 
 they take care not to acknowledge that 
 they have any provisions in the house : 
 1 1 am however convinced, that a traveller 
 would always find plenty when he ac- 
 costs the Russian peasant in a civil man- 
 ner. } Whenever we wanted any thing 
 out of the common way, I undertook 
 the business alone, and promising to pay 
 for what we ordered, we were supplied 
 with every thing we desired j but the 
 
172 
 
 manner in which soldiers and couriers 
 usually act is extremely tyrannical. 
 Where is the desatnick (an officer some- 
 what like the mayor or bailiff in Ger- 
 many) ? — The desatnick presents himself 
 with all humility.—" We want such and 
 such things. 5 '—He makes excuses, and 
 declares he has none of them. The de- 
 predators swear in a horrid manner, and 
 threaten to beat him : he then sets out 
 in quest of provisions, and if he finds 
 any, brings them ; but as he is not to 
 , be paid for them, he procures the worst 
 that are to be had. Were it not for this 
 deeply-rooted abuse, travelling in Rus- 
 sia woutd be very agreeable ; for these 
 good and hospitable peasants, who are 
 so easily won over, are every whereto 
 be met with. X A thing of no value, a 
 mere trifle, a piece of sugar given to 
 their children, makes them instantly 
 your friends. In this way I acted during 
 
*7$ 
 
 the whole journey 5 and I had all the mo- 
 thers on my side. I gave the preference 
 to children about the size of two of my 
 own daughters. Often,' very often, the 
 tears came into my eyes : " You have 
 certainly children at home, the women 
 would say to me." — " Six," replied I, 
 with a heavy heart, " and the youngest 
 not a year old." Then I was sure to 
 read that compassion in their eyes, which 
 is so easily understood. I would then 
 get into my carriage, and they would 
 bless me. 
 
 1 But let me wave these digressions and 
 "return to my own story. On the second 
 night great precautions were taken to 
 prevent the possibility of an escape : 
 guards were stationed in the house, the 
 window-shutters were fastened, and my 
 bed placed near the Counsellor's. The 
 Courier slept on the floor, so that I must 
 have passed over his body had I endea- 
 voured to get away. 
 
My beard was much grown ; I wish- 
 ed to shave myself, but this was not al- 
 lowed, and a barber was sent for. In 
 vain I urged, that for a long time past I 
 had been accustomed to perform this 
 operation with my own hands, and that 
 if I had any intention to destroy myself, 
 I was at liberty to plunge headlong into 
 the first river I came to. All this rea- 
 soning was without effect : the Coun- 
 sellor, however, took advantage of what 
 I had said concerning rivers, and when- 
 ever we came to one, he placed himself 
 between me and the water as a means 
 of securing my person. Silly man ! the 
 power of thy Emperor does not extend 
 so far. We enter into this world by 
 one road only, but there are a thousand 
 that lead out of it, and no human au- 
 thority can hinder me from breaking my 
 fetters whenever I desire. I recollect 
 reading in Raynal, that the negroes fre- 
 
m 
 
 quently choke themselves with their 
 tongues, which they thrust into their 
 throats. Heaven be praised, I shall not 
 do this ! A germ of hope still exists in 
 my breast ; it may be checked a little, 
 but still it may revive again, and produce 
 such fruits as shall make me cherish my 
 existence ! 
 
 We now arrived at Polosk, the only 
 considerable town we had met with since 
 we had passed Riga. Here we merely 
 changed horses ; but while this was be- 
 ing done, the Counsellor went on with 
 his task of writing down the report of 
 his expedition. At every town he did 
 the same, and that induced me to keep 
 on good terms with him, and behave to 
 him as civilly as I possibly could. I was 
 well convinced he would not" insert a 
 word of my elopement : the fear of 
 losing his noble confidential employment 
 of escorting prisoners to Siberia, and of 
 
176 
 
 Wng deprive^! of the pleasant spectacle 
 of their separation from their family 
 and friends, and the agreeable sounds 
 of their lamentations, prevented him 
 from relating that : but it was possible 
 he would have written dojvn some little 
 details which might have proved injuri- 
 ous to me ; and yet, in spite of all my 
 complaisance, who knows if he has not 
 done this ? I could see, from the man- 
 ner he set about this trifling task, that 
 he was no adept at his pen. It cost 
 him much time to get through a few 
 lines, and it was a ludicrous sight to ob- 
 serve with what solemnity he would be- 
 gin two or three times to scrawl over a 
 piece of paper. Our Counsellor, there- 
 fore, was fit only for the calling he exer- 
 cised* that of dragging condemned peo- 
 ple to punishment : and in this he ac- 
 quitted him self with much dexterity and 
 intelligence, the fruit of the long expe- 
 
«77 
 
 Hence he had had in this kind of service. 
 He had not indeed always filled the of- 
 fice in so distinguished a manner as in 
 the present case. Hitherto he had been 
 nothing more than a mere officer in the 
 service of the senate. He was promoted 
 to a civil employment, and honoured 
 with the title of Aulic counsellor in con- 
 sequence of this Siberian expedition, 
 to which he had been appointed as my 
 conductor. I know not why it was 
 judged necessary to appoint an escort 
 invested with such a title. "Was it done 
 in order to avoid all appearance of sol- 
 diers and guards ? Whatever was the 
 motive, it is equally vain to guess at it : 
 it is however certain, that he performed 
 this duty in his capacity of Aulic coun- 
 sellor, and he seemed not a little vain of 
 the title. 
 
 The title, no doubt, very much in- 
 creased the consideration with which I 
 
 VOL. I, M 
 
i 7 8 
 
 was treated on the way. I was com- 
 monly taken for a person of great con- 
 sequence, being thus escorted by an 
 Aulic counsellor, while men of rank, 
 and even general officers, had no other 
 escort than a dragoon, and no other car- 
 riage than a kibitk : this flattering dis- 
 tinction, therefore, was of considerable 
 importance to me during the whole 
 journey. 
 
 On the road between Polosk and Smo- 
 lensk, I was again attacked by violent 
 fits of the colic ; and these were accom- 
 panied by involuntary tremors, convul- 
 sions in all nly limbs, and heats, in my 
 head and stomach, which threatened to 
 produce speedy suffocation ; these heats 
 declared themselves by tension of the 
 forehead, sparks of fire in the eyes, and 
 a buzzing in the ears. My pulse varied 
 every moment ; I lost my appetite and 
 could not sleep ; I dreamed even when 
 
i; 9 
 
 awake, and phantoms were continually 
 dancing before my eyes. All my ideas 
 were incoherent and obscure : I was al- 
 most insensible to every thing rpund 
 me ; the remembrance of my wife and 
 my children began to lose its charm, 
 and the prospect of death its terrors. 
 
 I had no other medicine at hand than 
 some neutralized salts, and the cream of 
 tartar which had been given me at 
 Stockmannshof. The priscriptions which 
 I had collected for a considerable time 
 past, and which I had obtained from 
 some of the most celebrated physicians 
 in Germany, such as Zimmermann, 
 Selle, Marcard, Gail, Hufeland, &c. were 
 sealed up with the rest of my papers ; 
 I had in vain petitioned to have them 
 restored to me ; they had been perhaps 
 taken for cyphered letters belonging to 
 some secret correspondence. I was 
 therefore without succour, and estperi- 
 
enced a sort of pleasure in the idea of 
 arriving at Smolens! tere I expected 
 to procure some relief. In fact. I owed 
 my preservation to those soft rays of 
 hope which had already begun to gleam 
 upon me. 
 
 / We arrived very late. The Counsel- 
 lor, who had now an antipathy to inns, 
 had ordered the postilion to drive to 
 the post-house ; but there was no room 
 for us ; and, as I positively declared I 
 would go no farther, he was obliged 
 to drive to an inn. That to which we 
 drove appeared to be a decent house : 
 the host received us with lights in his 
 hand, and conducted us up a large stair- 
 case into a spacious anti-chamber. I 
 imagined, from appearances, that we 
 had found a comfortable asylum, but 
 when I saw our destined apartment, 
 how was I disappointed ! It was a lofty 
 garret, the floor of which was ready to 
 
1*1 
 
 give way under our feet, and the panes 
 of glass in the window were broken, 
 and all the furniture of the room was an 
 old bedstead ; there was not a single 
 chair, much less a looking-glass ; and 
 the walls fluttered with old ragged ta- 
 pestry. 
 
 fl looked round, and but too well 
 aware it was in vain to make any com- 
 plaint, I asked for a little hay to fill up 
 the empty bedstead ; and, as soon as it 
 was brought, threw myself upon it with- 
 out utterin?: a word. The wind that 
 came in through the broken panes 
 blew directly upon me. I had no other 
 covering but the bed-gown and cloak 
 which had been given me ; and the cold 
 and the vermin banished repose. 
 
 Day-light began to appear , and I found 
 myself in a violent fever; my eyes were 
 swelled and inflamed. I waited with 
 impatience till the Counsellor awaked. 
 
J82 
 
 in order to entreat him to procure me a 
 physician ; but the hard-hearted wretch 
 refused my request. He was of opinion , 
 he said, that repose would be of more 
 service to me than any thing else, and 
 added, that we should halt for a day 
 where we now were. The Courier, 
 who had but one specific cure for the 
 ills both of the body and soul, wisely re- 
 commended me to eat and drink as 
 much as I could. 
 
 This cruel preceding stung me to the 
 quick. I punished my executioner, 
 however , with contemptuous silence, and 
 I refused to remain there. I declared, 
 that if I must die, I would rather die: 
 in the fields, and I immediately quitted 
 my miserable couch. 
 
 Having expressed a wish for a glass of 
 Rhenish as we came along, the Counsellor 
 now bought me a bottle ; it cost two 
 roubles, and was so bad, that it was ab- 
 
A 
 
 '83 
 
 solutely thrown away, as my worthy 
 companions drank no wine ; brandy 
 alone suited their palates. 
 
 Between Smolensk and Moscow, my 
 indisposition considerably increased. A 
 general torpor pervaded my limbs ; I 
 scarcely felt myself alive, and grew blind 
 to every thing that surrounded me. To 
 have any idea of my condition at that 
 time, the reader must conceive himself 
 in the situation of a man, who having 
 awaked in the midst of darkness, with- 
 out any recollection of the place in 
 which he was, would fain grope out 
 his way, and yet has not the power to 
 move. From time to time the image 
 of my wife seemed to break thrcv 
 this gloom, but only for a moment : it 
 was not like a flash of light, but resem- 
 bled a soft ray, which reached and pene- 
 trated my eyes ; and my eyes alone par- 
 ticipated in its lustre. 
 
184 
 
 When the Counsellor saw that my 
 condition became dangerous, he began 
 to shew some regard to it. He pro- 
 mised that when we arrived at Moscow, 
 a physician should attend me. This 
 promise made but little impression upon 
 my mind ; and during the height of my 
 raging fever, if the idea of my wife 
 and family had not been ever present to 
 my imagination, I should gladly have 
 thrown myself into the arms of death, 
 with all that eagerness with which we 
 embrace a friend, who has been long and 
 ardently expected. | "We arrived at Mos- 
 cow the 7th of May old style, and were 
 driven through a thousand dirty and 
 pestiferous streets, to the lodgings of 
 Major Maximoff, the comrade and very 
 intimate friend of our Counsellor. The 
 Major inhabited a miserable hut, con- 
 sisting of two small rooms, which his 
 Ensign shared with him. The unex- 
 
1 85 . 
 
 pected arrival of three persons rendered 
 the dwelling still more inconvenient ; 
 the Major ? however, did the honours of 
 his house with a good grace, and strove 
 by every means in his power to render 
 my situation tolerable/ He gave me some 
 soup, and a dish of coffee, and compelled 
 me to accept his own bed, which, though 
 hard, proved a great comfort to me. 
 
 The Counsellor, imagining that I had 
 fallen asleep, began to inform his dear 
 comrade of the happy change in his for- 
 tune. I felt a real pleasure to hear this 
 friend of his lament his being employed 
 in such kind of business. Our Coun- 
 sellor only smiled, and exhibited his two 
 deep wrinkles : he cared indeed but 
 little for what people said ; and rising 
 from his seat, walked to the stove tp 
 evaporate, through the pores of his skin, 
 the little portion of sentiment which na- 
 ture had bestowed on him. A physician . 
 
i86 
 
 had been promised me, but I waited for 
 him in vain, for in fact he was not to 
 come at all. When I requested my exe- 
 cutioner to make good his promise, he 
 replied, shrugging up his shoulders, that 
 it was contrary to his orders to allow 
 me any medical assistance. 
 
 u You are instructed then to let me 
 
 - 
 
 die ?" " Ah, you will not die, Sir." I 
 remained silent. With Heaven's good 
 help, said I to myself, before I die, I will 
 make my will, and take leave of my wife. 
 This idea took strong hold of my mind, 
 yet this favour was likewise denied me. 
 It was necessary to procure a public of- 
 ficer to authenticate such an act, and how 
 could I expect to be indulged with a no- 
 tary, when a physician had been denied 
 me ? I cut short this difficulty, by beg- 
 ging I might be allowed a minister : can 
 it be conceived that this too was refused 
 me ? It was in vain I represented to our 
 
i8; 
 
 Counsellor, that besides the welfare of 
 my soul, it must naturally be supposed, 
 that as a father of a family I had affairs 
 to set in order ; that the right of making 
 bequests was refused to none ; that the 
 Emperor had no design to punish either 
 my wife or my children ; all these rea- 
 sons were of no avail, I was unable to 
 move him. 
 
 " But, for God's sake," continued I, 
 " let me write a few wends to my wife ; 
 you shall read them yourself ; you have 
 already promised her this, and to me you 
 have repeated that promise a hundred 
 times." He considered a little, and at 
 last consented. 
 
 I wrote four or five lines only, and re- 
 frained from all observations on my un- 
 happy situation. I advised her to arm her- 
 self with resolution, to take proper carecf 
 her health, for the sake of her children, 
 who were thus deprived of their father. 
 
i88 
 
 I translated my letter to the Counsellor, 
 sealed it in his presence, and gave it into 
 his hands ; and he begged the Major to 
 have it sent to the post-office. This task 
 being performed, I grew more com- 
 posed ; but I was soon after told by the 
 Courier, that my letter had been thrown 
 into the fire. I shuddered when I heard 
 this. I had indeed always thought meanly 
 of the Counsellor, but stung with indig- 
 nation at this act of treachery, he now 
 became odious to me, and I vowed for 
 him eternal hatred and contempt. 
 
 Yet in spite of his vigilance and all 
 the eyes that surrounded me, I found 
 means to write a second letter. I shall 
 not relate what these means were ; I 
 should perhaps injure the kind person 
 w r ho furnished me with them : May 
 God reward him !*i The next evening 
 
 * My wife did not receive the letter. Alexander 
 Schulkins, in whom 5 notwithstanding his foolery, I 
 
189 
 
 'we left Moscow. The weather was very 
 fine ; and crossing the city, we passed 
 near the public walk, a hirch-tree alley, 
 which resembles the Linden at Berlin. 
 Here the beau monde resort : it was now 
 filled with' equipages, handsome well- 
 dressed ladies, and fine gentlemen, not 
 one of whom observed the poor Author, 
 who perhaps that very evening was to 
 contribute to their amusement. How 
 do the happy and the unfortunate cross 
 each other in this world ? How unusual 
 is it for one among; them to concern 
 himself about the situation of another, 
 while every one, engrossed by his own 
 concerns, stumbles indiscriminately on 
 the bramble or the iiower. Though the 
 
 could always discover the sentiments of a well- 
 meaning man, not easily bribed, Alexander Schul- 
 Jdns, I say, who swore by t\cry saint he would for- 
 ward this letter, did not perform what he had pro- 
 mised. 
 
190 
 
 sight of this promenade did not excite 
 very agreeable sensations in my mind, it 
 diverted its attention in some degree 
 from the misery of its condition, 
 
 I know not whether I should ascribe the 
 recovery of my health to the spring, to 
 my perfect resignation, or my total relin- 
 quishment of hope, since to cease to hope 
 is to procure repose. I had, however, no 
 sooner quitted Moscow than I perceived 
 I began to gain strength. I also regained 
 my fortitude, and often, by way of con- 
 solation, I reflected on the cases of seve- 
 ral unfortunate persons, whose ills re- 
 sembled mine. I thought of Napper 
 Tandy, of the exiles at Cayenne ; but 
 the former had taken an active part in 
 the troubles of his country ; the others, 
 more unhappy perhaps than myself, had 
 been concerned in the administration of 
 a disjointed state ; they were innocent, 
 it is true, but they had been punished 
 
I 9 I 
 
 for the avowal of sentiments openly ex- 
 pressed ; but what opinions had I avow- 
 ed ? In a word, if their torments have 
 surpassed mine, my innocence, at least, 
 was more self-evident than theirs. 
 ) Nothing, alas ! can be more torment- 
 ing than the condition of the man who, 
 every time he looks into himself, finds 
 the consciousness of his own misery as- 
 sailing him like the serpents of Lacoon, 
 in every possible direction, and tortur- 
 ing him under a thousand various shapes. 
 Such was my case, isolated as I was in 
 my carriage, without a human creature 
 near me to offer comfort, to advise me, 
 or to listen to my complaints ; with no 
 object to divert my attention, but the 
 discordant song of Alexander Schiilkins, 
 and the heavy sallies of my execrable 
 Counsellor, whose jokes were all alike, 
 and every moment repeated* If the 
 Courier fell asleep, he would tickle his 
 
192 
 
 nose with the tassel of his cane till he 
 had awaked him, and he would then 
 rub him between the shoulders with the 
 head of it. When we came to a high 
 mountain, he w r ould exclaim : Moladinka 
 gora ! (the little young mountain). And 
 was it but a moderate one, he would cry : 
 Wot star-acha ! (see the old mountain). 
 A man must, like myself, have fre- 
 quented good company, to have any 
 idea of the horrid disgust I continually 
 felt in the society of these animals. The 
 Counsellor has often repeated to me that 
 he had five hundred souls in his posses- 
 sion ;* but I can safely aver he does not 
 carry the half of one about him. The 
 only good quality the man had, was in- 
 trepidity in the hour of danger. He 
 would even tempt the danger he could 
 
 * This is the expression used by the Russians 
 when they are speaking of the peasants. 
 
*93 
 
 have avoided: he never, for. instance, 
 would allow the carriage wheels to be 
 locked in descending the steepest moun- 
 tains. One day our horses took fright 
 coming down a hill, at the foot of which 
 Was a brook; over -the brook was a 
 bridge ; but from the direction the 
 horses had taken, it was evident that 
 h€y could not reach it/ The wheels 
 were within two paces of the brink ; 
 the Counsellor, without hesitation, im- 
 mediately leaped out ; his foot slipped, 
 and he fell down the « declivity ; not- 
 withstanding this, he was able to sus- 
 tain with his hands the weight of the 
 carriage, which was on the point of turn- 
 ing over ; the postilion then drove on, 
 and it was bv this fool-hardy manoeuvre 
 that we escaped being thrown into the 
 brook. 
 
 He often gave us proof of similar in • 
 trepidity, particularly when we had ri- 
 
 vol. i. n 
 
194 
 
 vers to cross, which are very dangerous 
 in Russia, and remarkably so in the 
 spring, when the melting of the snows 
 suddenly transforms a brook into a deep 
 stream. The method of ferrying over 
 them is also ill contrived and dangerous. 
 Two boats fastened together by osier 
 twigs, and covered with planks, confti- 
 tute the only conveyance for all sorts of 
 carriages. Two rowers tugging on the 
 same side of this flyinfs^bridge, force it 
 
 * O O J 
 
 on, while a pilot at the other end steers 
 its course. In this manner the most dif- 
 ficult ferries axe crossed* During the 
 passage the boats are generally filled with 
 water. Frequently a mere raft, con- 
 structed in the slightest manner, forms 
 the ferry boat, so that the passenger is 
 sure to be' drenched to the skin. These 
 sort of fiat-bottomed boats are fastened 
 fay a rope, and Leld till the current grows 
 rapid, when they are let loose, and kept 
 
*95 ■ 
 
 as much as possible In a diagonal direc- 
 tion. 
 
 We 'had to pass the river Sura, near 
 the little town of Wasilkoi. When \vc 
 arrived at the banks of it, the wind was 
 extremely boisterous, and this small 
 stream, which, during the summer 
 months, is almost dry, was now so 
 swoln, that the country, for a German 
 mile round it, was flooded, and even the 
 tops of the loftiest trees were below the 
 water. We waited a considerable time 
 before we could venture upon this pas- 
 sage. The boat was on the opposite 
 side, and more than two hours had 
 passed before we were observed : at last 
 it came to our assistance. We had 
 judged from its slow motion, when 
 empty, though furnished with an extra 
 number of oars, that with our incum- 
 brance it would proceed still more slow- 
 ly. The boatmen assured us, the mo- 
 
196 
 
 merit they arrived, the passage would be 
 attended with much danger, and that it 
 was absolutely necessary to wait till the 
 wind abated. The Counsellor did not 
 attend to their advice, but determined, 
 at ail events, to embark without loss of 
 time. I coincided with him, for I braved 
 fortune, and defied its power to render 
 my situation more lamentable than it 
 already was. The men, however, re- 
 fused to take us: it was necessary to 
 shew them our orders ■; they then made 
 the sign of the cross, and prayed God 
 to be their helper. 
 
 At first we proceeded extremely well, 
 as we were under the shelter of a neck 
 of land, which completely shielded us 
 from the tempest : but when we gained 
 the middle of the river, we began to be 
 much incommoded. The wind blew 
 with such violence, and drove us along 
 with such rapidity, that, in spite of the 
 
*97 
 
 efforts of the boatmen, we could no 
 longer weather the storm. We then 
 drove towards a bush, which appeared 
 to be of no very considerable size, and as 
 v/e approached it, the affrighted rowers 
 strained every nerve to avoid getting 
 foul of it. They uttered several loud 
 exclamations, but I could not under- 
 stand what they said. Well, &aid I to 
 myself, we can but run aground, and as 
 we are so near the town, we shall soon 
 be relieved. Their fears, however, were 
 not ill founded, as I soon perceived, 
 when on drawing nigh the supposed 
 bush, I found it was nothing less than 
 the top of a clump of trees, whose roots 
 lay deeper under water than our longest 
 pole could reach. We now got en- 
 tangled among their branches, and were 
 in danger of being destroyed. The cords; 
 of the raft seemed incapable of resisting 
 such violent and repeated shocks* The 
 
198 
 
 two boats on which it was placed, were 
 on the point of breaking asunder, in 
 which case the carriage and horses must 
 have floated down the stream. But this 
 was not the greatest danger that threat- 
 ened us ; one of the boats was lifted up 
 by the top of a tree, and the other, which 
 sunk in proportion, was filling with wa- 
 ter very fast. The declivity of the raft 
 became so considerable, that our horses 
 with difficulty kept their footing, and 
 began to be very unruly. We were our- 
 selves obliged to hold fast by the wheels 
 of the carriage, and were all but too sen- 
 sible that this perilous situation must 
 soon yield to something still worse. 
 
 The Counsellor himself w^as at length 
 convinced of the danger into which his 
 rashness had plunged us : he grew pale 
 and uneasy; then laying hold of a pole 
 with a hook, he grappled the bough of 
 a tree ; the Courier did the same, and 
 
i 9 9 
 
 the boatmen, abandoning both helm and 
 oars, followed their example. I remain- 
 ed the only inactive person on board, 
 and sat wrapped up in my cloke in the 
 carriage, perfectly resigned, and awaited 
 the worst that could befal me with tran- 
 quillity. 
 
 The Counsellor's manoeuvre saved the 
 raft from falling to pieces, and at length 
 we got clear of the bushes ; but were 
 after all unable to make the shore,, 
 and our boatmen being quite worn out 
 with fatigue, we returned to our former 
 station. Fortunately a light barge soon 
 came to our assistance ; this being fast- 
 ened to the raft, our people again set to 
 work, with the addition of four fresh 
 hands, and we soon arrived safe on the 
 opposite shore. 
 
 Were I disposed to jest, I might say 
 with Tamino,* that in going to Siberia, 
 
 * A character in the Enchanted Flute. 
 
200 
 
 I had been obliged to pass through fire 
 and water before I had been initiated in 
 the dark mysteries of the country. One 
 night we saw a large forest in flames, 
 At a distance the spectacle produced a 
 grand efFect, but when I found we were 
 to pass through it, this new kind of 
 danger made me shudder. Some burn- 
 ing pines which had fallen one against 
 the other 5 actually formed an arch of 
 fire in the very middle of the road, 
 while others threatened to fall upon our 
 heads. We frequently observed trees 
 burnt eight or ten feet at bottom, sup- 
 ported by the mere thickness of their 
 bark, their tops and branches as yet un- 
 touched by the flames. We came at 
 length to a fir-tree on fire from top to 
 bottom, which was overturned across 
 the road. At first we hesitated what fo 
 do, as it was equally dangerous to pro- 
 ceed or to turn back. It was at length 
 
201 
 
 determined to proceed ; the postilion 
 whipped the horses, and drove them 
 over the lowest part of the tree* This 
 agreeable passage was at least a thousand 
 paces in length. 
 
 There is nothing more common in 
 travelling through Russia, than to meet 
 with these fires. I had before seen se- 
 veral, but not so near at hand. The 
 natives appear delighted at such acci- 
 dents : the country is so encumbered 
 with forests, that they take no means 
 whatever to extinguish such conflaera- 
 tions. 
 
 We proceeded through WoJodimer, 
 and Nichnei Novogorod. The reader 
 will not expect any description of these 
 cities. The sensations with which I was 
 oppressed precluded all observation of 
 these places, which, however, many tra- 
 vellers have already described, and of 
 which I could relate nothing new. 
 
202 
 
 One morning as we were about to de- 
 part from a village where we had slept 
 the preceding night, we heard the bells 
 of some post-horses that were on the 
 road coming to Moscow. This agree- 
 able sound, which I had in my ears ever 
 since I left that city, excited a sudden 
 sensation in my mind, and my heart 
 beat violently. " A courier !" cried a 
 peasant, " a courier !" I instantly ran 
 out. The sound drew nearer ; it was 
 in truth a courier, but not a courier 
 dispatched to announce my recal. An 
 unfortunate old man, dressed in a bed- 
 gown and night-cap, with fetters on his 
 legs, now made his appearance, seated in 
 a wretched kibitk. This prisoner was 
 a lieutenant-colonel of Rasan, a man in 
 good circumstances, and, like myse\f, a 
 husband and a father ; he had bben 
 dragged out of his bed in the middle of 
 the night, and, like me, torn from his 
 
203 
 
 ailiicted family, and destined also to the 
 same spot where I was travelling. A 
 cuarrel which he had had with the sx> 
 vernor was the cause of his misfortune* 
 The irons with which he was leaded had 
 swelled his legs exceedingly ; he had no 
 change of linen, no clothes, and, in short, 
 was in the most deplorable condition 
 that can be imagined. 
 
 He was escorted by a police officer, 
 belonoino; to the town of Rasan. This 
 man, who was a Greek by birth, and 
 who spoke Italian very fluently, appear- 
 ed to be very civil and well-disposed, 
 and to do, ail in his power to alleviate 
 the misfortune of his prisoner. He even 
 went so far as to take off his chains, 
 which our Counsellor would have been 
 glad to have fastened on me. His good 
 humour had pleased my odious guard 
 to such a degree, that he allowed me to 
 chat with him, though our conversation 
 
204 
 
 might naturally enough have displeased 
 him, as it was carried on in Italian, a 
 language of which he had not the least 
 knowledge. I was delighted with this 
 meeting : the man was well informed, 
 and after three lonely weeks, to find a 
 human creature with whom I could con- 
 verse, was an inexpressible pleasure to 
 me. 
 
 From this moment we generally tra- 
 velled in company, and though we sepa- 
 rated from time to time, we soon met 
 again. The Colonel seemed to he a 
 quiet good-natured man, and to bear 
 his misfortune with great dignity of 
 mind. In comparing our different cases, 
 the consideration of his calamity was 
 well calculated to reconcile me in a cer- 
 tain degree to my own. In his escort 
 he was more fortunate than me ; but in 
 other respects his condition was worse 
 than mine, as he was in total want of 
 
ft«J 
 
 -every thing, not having had time to take 
 any money with him. 
 
 This unfortunate gentleman,be:ng con- 
 tinually in sight, afforded me a spectacle 
 that mitigated my own affliction. It re- 
 vived my sinking resolution, and I en- 
 deavoured to imitate his firmness of 
 mind, I was furnished with tea, and 
 Ave often drank it together. He would 
 .smile as a token of gratitude : we wished 
 much to relate our mutual sorrows, but 
 that consolation was denied us. 
 
 I cannot refrain from noticing a na- 
 tural phenomenon which I saw on the 
 road. It was a man one hundred and 
 thirty years old. His eldest sc i, who 
 was eighty, appeared not more than 
 fifty. He has a numerous progeny, — 
 When we arrived at his dwelling, we 
 found him lying on a couch, with 
 nothing but a hard matrass under 
 him. Excepting his sight, which was 
 
2o5 
 
 grown very weak, he had all his facul- 
 ties unimpaired. He still continued to 
 go into the woods in quest of bark to 
 make his shoes ; and I was much struck 
 to observe that his hands were neither 
 wrinkled nor thin, as is commonly the 
 case with old people. As soon as he saw 
 us he arose, dressed himself, and offered 
 me his bed. I was affected by this act 
 of hospitality. That a man, almost a cen- 
 tury older than myself, should offer me 
 his bed, and sleep himself on the ground, 
 was indeed a very singular act of kind- 
 ness ! I felt peculiar delight in gazing on 
 the old man, and left him with much 
 regret. I should have been s;!ad to have 
 asked him many questions relative to his 
 manner of Jiving, which doubtless was 
 a principal cause of his attaining such an 
 extreme old age, but our stay was too 
 short, and indeed I was not sufficiently 
 master of the Russian language. » All that 
 
20/ 
 
 I was able to learn on this subject wa^ 
 that he had married late in life, and had 
 never been addicted to the use of strong; 
 liquors. 
 
 / At the last post before Casan, we met 
 with General Mertens, whom I had for- 
 merly known* This officer, who was a 
 German by birth, had lately been nomi- 
 nated Vice-eovernor of Perm. We met 
 on the banks of the Wolga, and as the 
 environs were under water as far as the 
 eye could reach, wc made a long passage 
 together. I rejoiced at this meeting ; I 
 had not spoken German for the last 
 three weeks : We talked of the good old 
 times, and he listened to the story of 
 my misfortunes with great attention. — 
 The Counsellor, who formerly had ferv- 
 ed under him, could not, from respect 
 to the General, interrupt our conversa- 
 tion. I learnt many occurrences that 
 had taken place, few of which were of 
 
208 
 
 sa agreeable nature. He was himself 
 much out of humour with fortune. He 
 was a Major-GeneTal of considerable 
 -standing, and had been invested with a 
 civil employment, without having soli- 
 cited or desired it, and sent to Perm, 
 two thousand verstes from Petersburg, 
 where he had left his family. The oilice 
 of Vice-Governor of that town was ra- 
 ther a degradation than an advancement. 
 I shall conclude his story by observing, 
 that Fortune, who had seemed to frown 
 on him, in making him Vice-Governor 
 of Perm, w r here in fact he was nothing 
 better than an exile, had since smiled on 
 him ; for when he arrived at that place, 
 he received a commission w T hich named 
 him to the Government of Tw r er, a city- 
 situated not far from Moscow, and 
 which holds a distinguished rank among 
 the Russian Provinces. He arrived at 
 the seat of his government by a very 
 
2C9 
 
 singular road, having made his way per 
 aspera ad astra. Ah ! Why did not the 
 Emperor act in the same manner to- 
 wards me : Had he only ordered me to 
 be conducted to Petersburg through Si- 
 beria, I would erase from the tablet of 
 my memory every circumstance of this 
 narrative. 
 
 We arrived in the evening at Casan, 
 avoiding the inns as usual. It was late, 
 and I saw but little of this remarkable 
 city. Here the Counsellor had friends, 
 as in all other parts, very useful friends, 
 with whom he could lodo;e without ex- 
 pence. We alighted in the Tartar sub- 
 urbs, three verstes from the city, at the 
 house of Lieut. Justifey Temofectsch, a 
 man about fifty years of age, and one 
 of the best creatures in the world* He 
 was married but had no children : he 
 seemed flattered by the friendship of the 
 Counsellor, and wished for no greater 
 
 vol. i. o 
 
2IO 
 
 honour than his high protection. It was 
 easy to perceive that he was not in very 
 afHuent circumstances, nevertheless both 
 he and his wife received us with so much 
 kindness, and offered us every thing 
 they had to offer in so cordial a manner, 
 that I never shall forget their hospitality. 
 Had my appetite been much greater than 
 it was, they would have been so much 
 the more happy. It was however far 
 from being moderate, as all the post- 
 houses we had stopped at, on the other 
 side of Casan^iwere mere pig-sties. The 
 Tschermists and the Wotiaks who keep 
 them are all dirty and beastly people, 
 scarcely acquainted with the laws of hos- 
 pitality $ not even a chair is to be found 
 in their houses. 
 
 Notwithstanding the keenness of my 
 appetite, had I been even Sancho him- 
 self, I could never have swallowed every 
 thing my good host of Casan placed be- 
 
2M 
 
 fore me. Early in the morning was served 
 coffee, with bread and butter ; an hour 
 after pirogue (a kind of meat pie) with 
 brandy ; two hours later, moi e brandy, 
 with soused fish, sausages, and such 
 things. Afterwards came in dinner, con- 
 sisting of four very largre dishes ; then at 
 three o'clock coffee and biscuits ; at five 
 tea, with several kinds of pastry, and at 
 nighty after ail this feasting, came a plen- 
 tiful supper. Heavens ! how cry two 
 •companions laboured ; they had certain- 
 ly stomachs which contained a store- 
 house against a time of scarcity ! In 
 addition to this good eating and drink- 
 ing, I was accommodated with a good 
 bed, and for the first night of my jour- 
 ney slept soundly : I might even say, 
 that the halt would have refreshed me 
 very much, had not the great num- 
 ber of taracans* interrupted the en- 
 
 * Blatta oxientalis : thev are called in Germany 
 \\ akes. 
 
212 
 
 joyment of it. It is difficult to form an 
 idea of the prodigious quantities of these 
 insects that infested every room. I had 
 never seen so many together, even in 
 the most wretched hut. They kept run- 
 ning by thousands over the walls and 
 ceiling ; and whenever a candle ap- 
 peared, these thousands were converted 
 into millions. A piece of bread left on 
 the table would be instantly covered 
 with them j and when the inhabitants 
 take their meals, they always sit at a dis- 
 tance from the walls. When in bed, 
 however, though I slept with the cur- 
 tains open, not one of them molested me. 
 0: We remained two days at Casan, or 
 rather in the Tartar suburb* Here by 
 stealth I wrote with a pencil another 
 note to my wife, but I know not whe- 
 ther she received it, I then began to 
 commit to paper the substance of a me- 
 morial to the Emperor, and as all writ- 
 
2 13 
 
 ing for this purpose was positively for- 
 bidden me, I was obliged to observe the 
 strictest precaution in my proceedings. 
 At first I only ventured to scribble with 
 a pencil. I had one about me which I 
 had bought at Moscow, on the pretext 
 of noting down the posts. I had like- 
 wise two dictionaries to assist me in the 
 attainment of the Russian language, and 
 on the margin of these books I made 
 my memorandums. For this purpose 
 I availed myself of every solitary mo- 
 ment ; these were. often of short* du- 
 ration indeed ; but the repairs of the 
 carriage obliging the Counsellor to go 
 more than once to the blacksmith's, I 
 had then several hours at my command. 
 In these dictionaries I registered many 
 circumstances without awakening the 
 least suspicion. At Casan, indeed, I 
 remained much in bed, concealed by cur- 
 tains which still admitted sufficient light 
 
214 
 
 to enable me to proceed with my task* 
 In this manner I wrote without inter- 
 ruption, as my companions imagining 
 rest to be extremely necessary to my 
 health, were very willing that I should 
 take k. I began to consider this work 
 as an indespensible measure ; in the first 
 place, because I had no reliance on the 
 Counsellor's declarations that I should 
 be allowed to write ?.i Tobolsk ; and in 
 the second, I had an opportunity of 
 sending these sketches to my wife, who 
 would arrange them in proper order, 
 and forward them to their destina- 
 tion. 
 
 The rest of my time I passed in a very 
 dull manner at Casan. I commonly sat 
 at the window which looked into the 
 court-yard, where my carriage stood to 
 remind me of the misery I had suffered 
 in it for three lon^c weeks. 
 I A handsome Tartar woman, who 
 
- l 5 
 
 lodged In the room over me, furnished 
 me however with some amusement ; not 
 that I was struck either with her beauty 
 or her youth, but she afforded a picture 
 of the Tartar manners, which was quite 
 a novel subject to inc. When a female 
 of that nation sees a stranger, she is ob- 
 liged by custom to run from him, or to 
 hide her face. This woman had some busi- 
 ness to transact in a small warehouse ex- 
 actly opposite to my window. The sight 
 of me embarrassed her extremely, and 
 she remained undecided whether to stay 
 or go ; but observing that I kept my 
 ground, she took her resolution, and 
 covering herself with a linen cloth she 
 had at hand, ventured across the yard. 
 At other times she had only her arms 
 to screen her face from my view ; but 
 having always something to carry in her 
 hands, this expedient proved very in- 
 convenient to her 3 . and by way of re- 
 
2l6 
 
 medy she would lift up the corner of the 
 handkerchief she had about her neck, 
 and convert it into a veil. This was 
 robbing Peter to pay Paul, for it left her 
 bosom bare : Again, endeavouring to 
 hide one part, she exposed the other ; 
 and whenever any thing fell out of her 
 hand, she would stoop down to recover 
 it, and then both face and neck were ex- 
 posed. I should scarcely have conceived 
 it possible, that so much bashfulness and 
 so much coquetry could be united ; and 
 1 confess that at any other time, I should 
 have enjoyed this little intrigue much 
 longer. 
 An incident of a very different nature, 
 * however, occurred just as we were tak- 
 ing leave of this place : Alexander Scliui- 
 kins, who was looking out of the win- 
 dow, exclaimed, u A Senate-courier !" 
 and instantly hallooed out to him, " who* 
 are you looking for ?" 
 
217 
 
 1 u For you," was the reply. This an- 
 swer threw me into great agitation of 
 mind ; my knees shook, and I was inca- 
 pable of seeing any thing around me. 
 A courier from the senate 1 said I to 
 myself. What can he want ? Surely his 
 errand concerns me! Alas, no ! — Two 
 Senators were travelling to Siberia to 
 inspect the government. The Courier 
 who attended them, hearing of our ar- 
 rival, had come to see Alexander Schul- 
 kins, his old comrade. Never in my life 
 did I experience so painful an illusion. 
 It was lon^ before I could recover either 
 my senses or the use of my limbs. From 
 this moment I gave up all hopes of being 
 overtaken by a courier, and in the same 
 proportion that I had hitherto wished 
 to defer my departure, I now eagerly 
 desired to accelerate it. I became anxious 
 to know my fate, in order to inform my 
 
21 8 
 
 wife of it, afid without loss of time to* 
 present my memorial to the Emperor. 
 
 We left Casan the 17th of May, old 
 style, and though the season was agree- 
 ably warm, we still found great quanti- 
 ties of snow in the woods,. The distance 
 from Casan, to Perm is nearly six hun- 
 dred verstes : the route runs all the way 
 through forests, in which we often tra- 
 velled four German miles together with- 
 out seeing a single village.. The road 
 is wide and pretty level ; it is, how- 
 ever, frequently intersected by swamps* 
 and being repaired with faggots, the 
 traveller is almost jolted to death. 
 
 We met several companies of robbers, 
 chained in couples, who were marching 
 on foot to the mines, of Nertschinsk ;*■ 
 among them I observed several women. 
 - - - 
 
 * These companies are often six months on their 
 way. 
 
219 
 
 They were escorted by the peasantry o£ 
 the neighbourhood : as they passed, they 
 asked our charity. Alas! though rid- 
 ing in a carriage, I was certainly more 
 unfortunate than they were. Sufferings 
 are to be measured by the mind. The 
 sight of these wretches, the gloominess 
 of the forest, the recitals of the horrid 
 murders committed in these deserts, not 
 a little conspired to aggravate my me- 
 lancholy: but, OGod of consolation, thou 
 aidest the unhappy when overwhelmed 
 with sorrows, and sendest hope to com- 
 fort them ! Yes, even in this forest , that 
 benign star began to shine. upon me. It 
 shone indeed at a distance, but it shed a 
 beam that penetrated the dark gloom 
 that hung over my soul. It gradually 
 dispersed, and my heart, while I am 
 penning this passage, still feels its encou- 
 raging glow. I cannot now mention 
 whence this sudden alteration - arose j 
 
220 
 
 perhaps I may never avow it.* Should 
 I ever be able to do so, it must be after 
 having realised this pleasing hope. Let 
 me only add, that it was founded upon 
 my wife's affection ; the basis indeed 
 was a solid one : yes, if she still lived, 
 her love was my guarantee that she 
 would fly to my assistance. 
 
 We arrived at Perm without any ac- 
 cident ; it is an unpleasant town, and 
 our Counsellor had not a single acquaint- 
 ance in it. We lodged at a clock-maker's 
 who kept a sort of an inn. His name 
 was Rosenburg ; he w r as born at Riga, 
 and had formerly been in the service of 
 Prince Biron. We were here accommo- 
 dated with every thing that we want- 
 ed ; and I now began to perceive my 
 
 * My hopes originated in the plan of an escape 
 which I had formed and expected to execute with 
 the assistance of my wife* This will be explained 
 
 in the sequel. 
 
221 
 
 Counsellor grew less mistrustful of me. 
 He frequently left me quite alone; 
 and the box in which my money was 
 kept lay near me unlocked on the table. 
 I availed myself of a moment that seem- 
 ed so favourable to my design, and took 
 out a hundred roubles. This idea of 
 robbing my own store occurred to me 
 as a kind of presentiment that it was 
 soon going to be attacked for the last 
 time. Our Counsellor, on his return, 
 asked me for some more money, and I 
 refused him without any ceremony. He 
 then grew so much out of humour that 
 I determined to open the box before 
 him. " See, 5 ' said I, " here are only 
 one hundred and ten roubles. What a 
 small sum, in my present situation, in 
 a strange country, and in want of abso- 
 lute necessaries ! This is all I have to 
 subsist on till I can procure a supply from 
 a family at five hundred German miles 
 
222 
 
 -distance. Here are, however, fifty rou- 
 bles ; if you are not satisfied with these, 
 do your worst ; but I know how to find 
 redress." He appeared to be struck 
 with these last words, and, becoming 
 more complaisant, took the fifty roubles, 
 and ceased to torment me; His prin- 
 ciples, it seems, were quite opposite to 
 those of seamen, who are rough and 
 boisterous at the beginning of the voy- 
 age, but grow kind and friendly towards 
 the end of it ; whereas the nearer we 
 drew to our destination, the more un- 
 civil our Counsellor became. Doubtless 
 nothing but the fear of my elopement 
 had induced him to assume a decency of 
 manners, and now that he no longer 
 entertained any apprehensions on that 
 head, he began to think there was no 
 longer any necessity for restraint upon 
 Iiis behaviour. 
 
 We were on the point of setting cut 
 
nil 
 
 from I know not what post, at about 
 eight o'clock in the evening, when a 
 dark storm burst over us, and it began 
 to thunder. I intreated the Counsellor, 
 in the most pressing maimer, to defer 
 our departure till the storm had abated; 
 but he positively refused. I represented 
 the dangers we had to dread from such 
 tempestuous weather, that our horses 
 had iron about them, that the carriage 
 contained much of that metal, and that 
 such conductors alone were sufficient to 
 attract the lightnmg. He tok! me with 
 a sneer that all that was an idle story. 
 I added, that prudent travellers gene- 
 rally got out of their carriages, and 
 chose some open spot to remain in, 
 when overtaken by thunder-storms. 
 But my Counsellor still sneered at me, 
 •and asked me how I could owe credit 
 to such trash. Irritated not only at his 
 W3jit of complaisance, but likewise at 
 
liis ignorance, which certainly ought 
 not to have vexed me at all, I threw 
 myself into the carriage. "Why should 
 I dread death ? said I to myself. Only 
 creatures like this man should fear it ; 
 for what has he to expect beyond the 
 grave ? 
 
 We continued our route, and the claps' 
 of thunder grew more loud and frequent. 
 We passed over a heath which on one 
 side the road was in a blaze. This kind 
 of conflagration is different from that of 
 a wood. The flame crawls along: in a 
 serpentine direction, at one time quick, 
 at another slow. Sometimes it darts 
 upwards, but never continues long in 
 that direction; sometimes it lurks con- 
 cealed and concentrated, till it finds fresh 
 fuel to feed upon. 
 
 Although this fire was by no means' 
 dangerous, yet the spectacle altogether 
 was exceedingly terrible. Here the 
 
— 5 
 
 Barnes of the heath and under-wood 
 crackled ; there the lightning flashed, 
 and the heavens were all on fire. Such 
 were the combined horrors of the route 
 for several verstes together, when at 
 length we came to a wood of fir and 
 birch of small extent. Having cleared 
 the wood, we found the country all under 
 water, A bridge of boats lay on the 
 bank for the purpose of ferrying over 
 to a village on the other side, but it -. 
 unattended and empty. The i; don 
 
 extended so far. ! at a m 
 
 distance from . where the 
 
 boatmen were now re^alino; themseb 
 
 called !qb ;se men, but re- 
 
 mained a considerable time before 
 could be heard : at last a man crossed 
 over to us in a small boat. Though the 
 raft had but one rope, and the water wc 
 had to cross was stagnant, yet I was of 
 opinion that a single boatman was iQ* 
 vol. i* p 
 
226 
 
 sufficient for the purpose of fejrying us 
 over : but the Counsellor was determin- 
 ed to try the experiment, and accord- 
 ingly ordered the man to bring the raft 
 to the bank. The boatman replied that 
 he could not do so on account of the 
 shallows, as it would drive the raft 
 aground, which, with our additional 
 weight, could not be got off again ; but 
 the man added, that we had five good 
 horses which were well able to draw us 
 to the raft. We therefore proceeded, 
 the wheels sunk in stiff clay ; four horses 
 reached the raft, but the fifth, endea- 
 vouring to do the same, slipped back, 
 and remained with his hind parts deep 
 in the water, and at last floundered on 
 one side ; nor could any means induce 
 him to get upon his legs again. In the 
 mean time the other horses kept pulling 
 on. My companions had jumped out 
 of the carriage; I remained in it,,se- 
 
227 
 
 cretly delighted at what had happened. 
 At length observing that the slight rope 
 which fastened the raft was likely to be 
 broken by the struggles of the horses, 
 I thought it would be imprudent not to 
 follow their example, and I accordingly 
 stepped into the water, and climbed on 
 board the raft. The Counsellor took 
 the whip, and mounted the driver's seat; 
 the postilion held the horses by the 
 reins, the courier beat them forwards 
 with the bough of a tree, the boatmen 
 laid hold of the rope, and I remained 
 with my arms folded, and my feet wet, 
 exposed to a most violent shower of 
 rain. In the midst of all this bustle, a 
 thunder-bolt fell upo v n a birch-tree. The 
 report was terrible. \ They all let fall 
 their arms, and only raised them again 
 to make a thousand signs of the cross 
 upon their breasts and foreheads. Gos- 
 podin poniilu was repeated incessantly. 
 
228 
 
 The Counsellor was confounded, and 
 the Courier upbraided him with not 
 having listened to his advice. I smiled, 
 but did not utter a word. 
 
 The distance from Perm to Tobolsk 
 is computed to be nine hundred verstes, 
 but the road and the country are far 
 superior to those between Casan and 
 Perm. Instead of those gloomy forests 
 of pine, we. now saw young woods of 
 birch intermixed wdth extensive and fer- 
 tile fields, in. a high state of cultivation, 
 and opulent villages, either Russian or 
 Tartar, situated at no great distance 
 from each other. The countenances of 
 the peasants appear so contented and 
 cheerful on Sundays and holidays, that 
 the traveller can scarcely persuade him- 
 self lie is really in Siberia. In these vil- 
 lages the houses are much cleaner than in 
 those of the other Russians. The inns 
 have each two rooms ; the common 
 
229 
 
 one, called the 'isba 9 and the other tie 
 gornhza. These chambers have win- 
 dows glazed with transparent pebble ; 
 there are tables covered with decent ta- 
 pestry, and a variety of fine images 
 are placed in every corner. They are 
 furnished also with manv household 
 utensils, which we had not seen in any 
 of the peasants' houses for a consider- 
 able distance ; such as glasses, cups and 
 saucers, &c. Ilikewise remarked more 
 hospitality among the people of these 
 parts than even among the Russians, 
 whose language, I should observe, bears 
 no resemblance to theirs. 
 
 On working-days the country seems 
 to be thinly inhabited ; one may travel 
 for hours together without meeting a 
 single man, and yet these apparently de- 
 sert lands are so extremely fertile, that 
 they appear as if they were cultiv 
 
230 
 
 magic. Every holiday the young girls, 
 clad in white and red, or in blue, reaort 
 to the village green, and entertain them- 
 selves with singing and dancing. The 
 young men have their own amusements; 
 parties of them were less frequently seen 
 than of the other sex, and were less nu- 
 merous, which must be attributed to the 
 late levies, which had considerably dimi- 
 nished their number in these parts. I 
 did not observe the indiscriminate mix- 
 ture of the sexes in any of their sports. 
 T saw a great number of children, most 
 of whom were, however,- born in the 
 reign of Catharine. 
 
 j. The peasants in general cherish a ten- 
 der remembrance of the late Empress : 
 they call i her matuschka (little mother.) 
 On the contrary, they seldom speak of 
 her son, the present Emperor, and when 
 they do it is with great reserve^ 
 
23 « 
 
 / In all the government of Perm, JSka- 
 terinabur * is the only town of impor- 
 tance. Here the Counsellor discovered 
 my writings, which threw him into a 
 violent rage. Had I not prevented him, 
 he would have torn my books. " I shall 
 let the Governor see these," said he. 
 " You may if you please," replied I ; 
 they contain nothing more than the 
 draught of a memorial which I intend 
 to present to the Emperor ; and I began 
 the task with so much the more confi- 
 dence, as you had assured me, in the 
 most positive terms, this indulgence 
 would be granted me." " That," replied 
 he, " will depend on the last instruc- 
 tions sent to the Governor." " What," 
 said I, " then you are not certain, after 
 all your oaths, that I am to remain at 
 Tobolsk! And yet you assured me, on 
 
 * Celebrated for the mines in its neighbourhood, 
 
the word and honour of a man, that 
 that city was to be the end of my jour- 
 ney!" 
 
 He appeared to be confounded, and 
 assured me a^ain that he was not the 
 bearer of any order that implied my 
 being sent further than Tobolsk. Here 
 he paused : my reproaches doubtless 
 made him forget what else he had to 
 say ; at least he said no more* He had, 
 however, renewed my anxiety ; my fate 
 still appeared to be undecided. 
 
 Tiumen was the first town we came 
 to on the frontiers of Siberia. We 
 passed through a forest about forty 
 verstes short of this place, in which the 
 direction-posts indicate that the traveller 
 is already in the jurisdiction of Tobolsk. 
 The Counsellor was inhuman enough 
 to point to these posts, and to explain 
 the intention of them. I made no reply 
 though my heart was bursting with 'aft- 
 
J<///e2;i?,.V<>/,. 
 
 (2J>7?t/j#t*H2,?i& Qazce 
 
 €>71<7/M< 
 
*33 
 
 guish. Alas ! was it not enough to be 
 a prey to all the ills that a quick sense 
 of feeling created within me ? Was it 
 necessary that this executioner should 
 resort to outward objects to increase 
 my sufferings ? I was now actually in 
 Siberia ; and a circumstance occurred 
 at the first post, not at all calculated to 
 assuage the agony of mind I had suf- 
 fered at the sight of the direction-posts. 
 I shall relate the anecdote, which in- 
 flicted torments upon my heart never 
 to be forgotten. 
 
 We stopped to change horses at a 
 village, and as I was sitting at the door 
 of *a cottage, breaking fome bread into a 
 bowl of milk, an old man of sixty, 
 whose hair and beard were white as 
 snowj threw himself on the ground, 
 and enquired with extreme earnestness 
 if we had brought him any letters from 
 Revel. I fixed my eyes steadfastly uson 
 
234 
 
 kim ; I doubted whether I had rightly 
 understood him, upon which a woman, 
 who was standing by, whispered me ; 
 — " this man has lost his senses : he 
 starts from his bed every time he hears 
 of the arrival of a stranger, and always 
 asks the same question. " " Give me a 
 piece of paper," continued she, " and I 
 will pacify him ; otherwise you will 
 have much trouble with him, for he 
 will persist in staying here, and tire you 
 with his lamentations." She then pre- 
 tended to read a letter to him, begin- 
 ning with these words—" My dear hus- 
 " band, I am in perfect health, as like? 
 " wise are all our children. Make your- 
 " self easy, we shall soon be with you." 
 The old man appeared to listen w r ith 
 extreme delight ; he smiled and stroked 
 his beard ; then taking the paper in his 
 hand he pressed it to his bosom. He 
 now related very rationally that he had 
 
*35 
 
 formerly been a soldier, and had served 
 on board the Revel fleet, at Cronstadt y 
 and at other places ; he added that he 
 was an invalid, that he had just left his 
 wife, and that she was now with her 
 children at Revel. The woman told us 
 that he had left them thirty years ago y 
 the poor man vehemently contradicted 
 her, and then seated himself on the end 
 of the bench, where my two gentlemen 
 were amusing themselves in their old 
 way, and of whom he appeared to take 
 no notice, Aftet this, he uttered some 
 words which I could not well hear, then 
 cried out aloud ; " My dearest, where 
 art thou at this moment ; art thou at Re* 
 vel, at Riga, or at Petersburg ? — These 
 words were so applicable to my own si- 
 tuation, that I had scarcely strength 
 enough to rise from my seat, and retire 
 to conceal my tears. This good old 
 man, thought I, exhibits a picture of 
 
what ere long I may be. Deprived of 
 reason, I may perhaps one day loiter 
 about the road, and ask the passengers 
 if they had any letters from ReveL 
 Even now I may exclaim, like him, "My 
 dearest, where art thou at this moment?* 
 Art thou at Petersburg, at Riga, or at 
 Revel ?"' Never, O never, did I experi- 
 ence such a painful moment ! The image 
 of the old man is for ever engraven on 
 my memory ; it is present to me when 
 I a\Vake ; it haunts me in my dreams, 
 and is eternally before me. 
 
 The carriage was ready before I hack 
 well recovered myself ; my companions, 
 who saw mt lay asidfe the bowl of milk, 
 could not conceive what ailed me, nor 
 did I acquaint them with the state of 
 my feelings, which would only have in- 
 curred their ridicule. I almost blush to 
 relate, that on leaving the poor lunatic 
 I made him a small present. The man, 
 
m 
 
 ^who for the long space of thirty-five 
 years had never lost sight of his family, 
 was a being of no common stamp ; nor 
 could the sufferings of his heart be re- 
 lieved by money; he received what I 
 rave him with perfect indifference, and 
 Vwithout thanks. I felt the blood rise 
 ' into my cheeks, and I covered my face 
 as I left him. Such was my entrance 
 into Siberia, The Irtisch and the Tobol 
 had deluged the country for some miles 
 round; we were therefore obliged to 
 leave our carriage, and to embark with 
 our baggage on board a slight barge. 
 The day was warm, and the boat sailed 
 very fast. My companions began to 
 snore, and left me at full leisure to re- 
 flect on the uncertainty of my destina- 
 tion. 
 
 Three hours after this Tobolsk ap- 
 peared at a short distance. The city is 
 built on the banks of the Irtisch ; its 
 
steeples produce a grand effect, and that 
 part of the town, which is called the ci- 
 tadel, where the Governor's palace forms 
 a prominent object, was particularly 
 striking ; on a nearer view, however, 
 it appeared partly in ruins, having for- 
 merly suffered by fire* It was now 
 that I had an opportunity of fully as- 
 certaining the difference between the 
 coarse but kind disposition of Alexander 
 Schulkins and the unfeeling apathy of 
 the Counsellor. When the latter awoke 
 he gave a loose to the most indecent 
 exultations of delight, and laughed im- 
 moderately without the least regard to 
 that delicacy, which respect for the un- 
 fortunate so naturally inspires* He ap- 
 peared like an executioner, who, the 
 moment he has taken away the life of 
 a fellow-creature, assumes a look of 
 satisfaction, and applauds his own dex- 
 terity. The Courier, on the contrary, 
 
239 
 
 was silent and dejected, at seeing me so 
 near a place where my destiny was to be 
 .decided ; he gazed on me by stealth from 
 time to time, with looks of sorrow and 
 compassion. 
 
 We entered the town by water : the 
 lower parts were overflown, the streets 
 were full of boats, in which the inhabi- 
 tants were carrying on the necessary bu- 
 siness of the day. 
 
 On the tenth of May in the afternoon, 
 we landed. near the great market place.* 
 We procured a kibick, and instantly re- 
 paired to the -Governor's house. When 
 We arrived at the door, the Counsellor 
 entered and left me in the carriage. 
 This was a painful quarter of an hour 
 indeed ! The servants stared at me, and 
 whispered one another \ all this gave me 
 
 * Called the basar, the name this .part of the 
 town bears all over Asia. 
 
'240 
 
 i 
 
 great uneasiness. At last the Counsellor 
 returned, and beckoned me to follow 
 him. He then led me through the gar- 
 den to a summer -house, where the Go- 
 vernor had! been taking an afternoon's 
 nap. I asked my conductor if I was to 
 renpiin here ; and he answered me dryly; 
 " Iifdeed, Sir, I cannot say/ 5 — The sum- 
 mer-house was opeu ; I with a firm step 
 entered alone ; the Counsellor remained 
 without. The Governor M. de Kus- 
 chelef, who had been represented to me 
 as a very humane man, by the people at 
 Perm, seemed about forty years old ; 
 his person v?as noble, and his counte- 
 nance foil of intelligence. His first words 
 were these : Pariez-vous Francois, Mon- 
 sieur ? The question drove me almost 
 frantic with delight, so happy was I to 
 be at length able to explain myself. Oui 9 
 Stammered I, with great eagerness. 
 He then begged me to be seated, 
 
241 
 
 f Your name is familiar to me, it is the 
 name of an author." 
 
 " Alas, Sir ! I am myself that author." 
 " How !" cried be, ** can that be pos- 
 sible ? What has occasioned you to be 
 brought here r" " I imagined your Ex- 
 cellency would have informed me of 
 that." "I inform you! I am utterly 
 ignorant of it. See what the order 
 states : you are President de Kotzebue of 
 Revel, and you are consigned to my cus- 
 tody." (He shewed me the paper, which 
 contained only five or six line-;.) " I 
 do not come from Revel," said I, * ; but 
 from the frontiers of Prussia/' ** Per* 
 haps you had not permission to enter 
 Russia r" * I had a passport in due form, 
 signed by the Emperor, and expedited 
 by his order ; but this passport has not 
 been respected : on the contrary, I have 
 been torn from the arms of my family, 
 in order, as I was told, to be conveyed 
 
 VOL. I. Q^ 
 
242 
 
 to Petersburg, and without any further 
 explanation, I havebeen dragged hither." 
 
 The Governor was about to speak, 
 but he suddenly checked himself. " Do 
 you know nothing more than this ?" at 
 length continued he ; " do you suspect 
 any thing which might have been laid to 
 your charge ?" "I have not the least 
 suspicion of any thing whatever," re- 
 plied I ; " may I perish, Sir, if I can 
 form any conjecture. Your Excellency 
 may easily imagine I have been racking 
 my brains, during the whole journey, to 
 discover what' could have occasioned this 
 proceeding : but I am unable even to 
 guess at the cause." 
 
 The Governor, after a short pause, 
 continued : " I have read such of your 
 works as have been translated into the 
 Russian language, and I am extremely 
 happy to be acquainted with you ; for 
 vour own sake, however, I could have 
 
4C 
 
 ^43 
 
 wished not to have been introduced to 
 you here*" 
 
 It is a great consolation/' replied I, 
 to meet with a man of your worth; and 
 I flatter myself I shall be able at least to 
 remain in this neighbourhood." " Much 
 as I should gain by your socciety," an- 
 swered he, " I am unable to grant your 
 request." I grew quite alarmed. " I 
 must not hope then to stay here," cried 
 I, in the bitterness of my heart ; " mi- 
 serable indeed must that man be, who 
 considers the privilege of remaining 
 Tobolsk an indulgence ! Must I drag en 
 my wretched existence on a spot still 
 more remote ?" 
 
 " Every thing in my power shall be 
 done to alleviate the severity of your si- 
 tuation, but my orders require me to as- 
 sign you a place of retirement within the 
 limits of my government, and Tobolsk 
 is expressly excluded. I need not ob- 
 
244 
 
 serve that I cannot act against my in- 
 structions : make choice of any town, 
 except Tiumen, which, on account of its 
 contiguity to the high road, cannot be 
 allotted you," 
 
 " I am an utter stranger to Siberia, 
 and resign myself with confidence to 
 your Excellency's goodness ; but, were 
 it possible, I am desirous of being at no 
 great distance from this spot i" 
 
 He immediately named Tschim, as 
 the nearest town, which is situate within 
 three hundred and forty verstes, or fifty 
 German miles, from Tobolsk; " but, con- 
 tinued he, I would advise you to prefer 
 Kurgan,* a hundred verstes farther off, 
 but situated in a milder climate. Kur- 
 gan, said he with a smile, is the Italy of 
 Siberia. You will even find wild cher- 
 
 * It is written in this manner, but pronounced 
 
245 
 
 ries there ; but what is of more impor- 
 tance, the state of society there is very 
 agreeable." 
 
 " I am at present so exhausted^ that I 
 wish, if it could be allowed me, to remain 
 here a few weeks at least, to recover my 
 strength ?" The Governor paused ; alter 
 a short reflection — " Yes," replied he, 
 with great goodness, " that may be 
 done, and I will obtain you the assistance 
 of a physician." Another request la- 
 boured in my mind : " May I write to 
 the Emperor r" said I, in a stammering 
 voice. " Certainly." " And to my 
 wife ?" " Yes ; but that can only be 
 done under cover to the Crown Advo- 
 cate, who will take care to forward the 
 letter, if it contains nothing suspicious." 
 
 I felt myself still more consoled : he 
 gave orders that a good lodging should 
 be provided for me in the town, and I 
 took my leave of him, as did the Coun- 
 
246 
 
 sellor, who, I could observe, had been 
 treated with very little consideration. 
 
 * 4 Are you to remain here ?" said the 
 Counsellor, after we had left the Go- 
 vernor's palace. " No," replied I coldly; 
 but I soon after related the whole inter- 
 view to the good-hearted Schlilkins. 
 The Counsellor told me that the Gover- 
 nor had asked him if I was related to an 
 author of my name, but that he did not 
 understand what he meant. I could not 
 forbear smiling at the man's stupidity : 
 nothing indeed could be more ludicrous 
 than his surprise to find so many people 
 at Tobolsk acquainted with me, and to 
 observe the respect and attention that 
 was paid to me there. His friends, Maxi- 
 moff of Moscow, and Justifei Timo- 
 feitsch of Casan, had said nothing con- 
 cerning me ; and to speak frankly, I was 
 myself surprised to discover how- well I 
 was known, and to meet such- kind- 
 
247 
 hearted people in those remote and sa-, 
 
 vage regions, 
 
 /The police soon pointed out the lodg- 
 ing commonly occupied by people of 
 distinction who are banished to Siberia. 
 It consisted of two rooms ; it belonged 
 to an inhabitant of the place ; and as this 
 man was compelled to furnish the rooms 
 without receiving any retribution, he 
 had not been at all solicitous to fit them 
 up in a capital style. The windows were 
 broken, the walls naked, or hung with 
 ragged old-fashioned tapestry, and the 
 chambers swarmed with insects. Under 
 the windows was a stagnant pond ex- 
 haling putrid vapours. This is an exact 
 picture of the apartments, but they were 
 far from appearing contemptible in the 
 eyes of a man, who a few minutes be- 
 fore had dreaded being consigned to a 
 dark dungeon. It was indeed but too 
 natural to expect every thing that was 
 
dreadful j having been dragged in this 
 extraordinary manner into Siberia, I had 
 no security that a prison did not await 
 me there ; or even the discipline of the 
 knout, had my persecutors thought fit to 
 administer it ! From this time I was re- 
 lieved from the torments of uncertainty ; 
 my fate seemed to be decided. I had ar- 
 rived at the very acme of misery, and I 
 began calmly to contemplate the whole 
 extent of my misfortune. 
 
 By means of a little civility on my 
 part, which appeared to strike my host 
 as a novelty, and which was nothing 
 more with me than a virtue of habit, I 
 soon prevailed on him to accommodate 
 me with a table and two wooden stools. 
 It would have been vain to have asked 
 for a bedstead ; but I had almost for- 
 gotten the use of one, and it was no 
 new thing to me to spread my cloke on 
 the ground, with an old silk surtout, 
 
549 
 
 which has often served as a covering for 
 my youngest child. I know not how it 
 happened that the maid put this coat 
 into the carriage, but I am exceedingly 
 obliged to her care ; for the sight of it 
 renewed sensations of a very endearing 
 nature ! To these coverings I added a 
 mattress which I purchased in the town. 
 Here, said I, throwing myself upon it, 
 here is my death-bed ! 
 
 An hour after this an officer of the 
 police made his appearance to take for- 
 mal possession of my person. He re- 
 ceived me from the hands of the Coun- 
 sellor, with whom, heaven be praised, 
 I had thenceforth nothing more to do ! 
 This officer, whose name was Katatinski, 
 was a man of a most agreeable figure : 
 he was attended by a single subaltern. 
 " I shall call every day," said he, " but 
 merely for the sake of form, to pay you 
 a visit, and to know how you are ; for 
 
250 
 
 I must make a daily report concerning 
 you. This man, indeed, (alluding to the 
 subaltern) must remain continually about 
 you, but less as a guard than as a person 
 ready to serve you. 
 
 The Counsellor, happy to have done 
 with me, told me on going away, that 
 he should immediately introduce a friend 
 of his to me, whom he had brought 
 into Siberia the preceding summer, and 
 of whom he had already spoken in very 
 flattering terms on the road ; but as his 
 praise was no recommendation with me, 
 I had no desire to make this new ac- 
 quaintance. My surprize was however 
 the more agreeable, when he introduced 
 M. Kiniakoff, one of the best informed 
 young men I had ever met with. He 
 accosted me in French, assured me he 
 had repeatedly read my works, and said 
 many handsome things to me on that 
 subject. He offered me his services, la- 
 
2 5* 
 
 mented that I had experienced the same 
 misfortune that had befallen him, and 
 particularly that I had travelled in such 
 bad company ; with such a miscreant ! 
 That was the flattering appellation with 
 which he honoured the Counsellor. 
 
 " But this man calls himself your 
 friend/ 5 
 
 " Heaven preserve me from such a 
 friend ! You must think I wished to 
 keep on good terms with him, and this 
 I still continue to do." 
 
 Kiniakoff, the son of a man of rank 
 of the town of Simbiesk,* had been sent 
 to Siberia, with two of his brothers, 
 and some other officers, for having lam- 
 pooned the Emperor. He alone had the 
 good fortune to remain at Tobolsk ; 
 two others of them had Irkutzk for 
 
 *A place situated two hundred verstes to the 
 south of Casan, in a very temperate climate. 
 
1$! 
 
 their prison ; his youngest brother was 
 loaded with fetters, and closely confined 
 in a small fortress four thousand verstes 
 from Tobolsk ; another in the dreadful 
 Beresow, a place equalling in horrors all 
 that can be imagined of the infernal 
 regions. 
 
 I derived no small consolation from 
 meeting with a man who appeared en- 
 dowed with noble sentiments, and with 
 whom, from the first quarter of an hour 
 after our meeting, I felt myself as fami- 
 liar as if he had been an old acquaintance. 
 He promised me books ; what luxury ! 
 From him I learnt that the Emperor 
 had proscribed all foreign literature 
 throughout his dominions, and that my 
 pieces were frequently acted at To- 
 bolsk, in an indifferent manner indeed, 
 but with great applause ; he likewise 
 was pleased to add, that my arrival here 
 was more talked of than that of half a 
 
-53 
 
 dozen generals in chief would have been. 
 He even offered me, with the Governor's 
 leave, his house and his table. We con- 
 versed together more than an hour, and 
 parted highly satisfied with each other, 
 Among other, visitors, Baron de Som- 
 maruga, a Lieutenant Colonel in the 
 Austrian service, and knight of the or- 
 der of Maria Theresa, did me the favour 
 to call on me. He had fought a duel in 
 consequence of a love affair, while he 
 was at Riga, and his rival, a man of 
 more interest than himself, had procured 
 his exile, without leaping any advantage 
 from it ; for the young lady, a girl of 
 eighteen, whom Sommaruga had mar- 
 ried, soon after left her relations, and 
 flew to Tobolsk to share the misfortunes 
 of her husband. She undertook this 
 long journey without knowing a word 
 of the Russian language, and under the 
 sole escort of a common Courier. . Hear- 
 
254 
 
 ing at Moscow that her husband lay ill 
 at Twer, she instantly flew to him, and 
 after that accompanied him to Tobolsk, 
 where I have often witnessed her un- 
 shaken attachment. V She has evinced 
 great kindness towards me. Not know- 
 ing how to cook victuals, I frequently 
 made my meal upon a slice of dry bread. 
 From this lady, however, I have more 
 than once received a portion of her soup 
 and roast meat. 
 
 I also saw here Count de Soltikow, 
 a man advanced in years, and in affluent 
 circumstances, who had been exiled for 
 usurious practices. He kept a good 
 house here, and was a very agreeable 
 companion: through his means I was 
 furnished with newspapers. 
 
 Three tradesmen from Moscow, two 
 Frenchmen and a German, increased the 
 number of unfortunate exiles at this 
 place, having been concerned in smug- 
 
Sin- 
 gling transactions to the amount of not 
 more than two hundred roubles. The 
 latter, whose name is Becker, is a very 
 worthy and friendly man. Kis wife 
 has just left him in order to solicit his 
 recal, and if she should not succeed, she 
 intends to return here with her chil- 
 dren* I embraced the hopes that this 
 opportunity would likewise enable my 
 own family to join me here. 
 
 I also received the visits of four Poles, 
 who had been sent into exile for impru- 
 dencies of a political nature. They were 
 ♦poor, though of noble birth, and re- 
 ceived each an allowance from the State 
 of twenty copecks, or about ten French 
 sols a day. In a word, my chamber was 
 crouded with guests, a circumstance ex- 
 tremely inconvenient to me ; and I felt 
 relieved when the approach of night 
 enabled me to retire to my bed, and to 
 the indulgence of my own reflections 
 
256 
 
 In the course of the night a remark- 
 able circumstance took place, the expla- 
 nation of which I must leave to my good 
 friends Doctors Gall and Hufeland. I 
 had fallen asleep ; towards twelve o'clock 
 I awoke, and fancied myself on board a 
 ship. I not only felt the rocking mo- 
 tion of the vessel, but heard the flapping 
 of the sails, and the noise and bustle of 
 the crew. As l lay on the floor, I could 
 see no objects through the window, ex- 
 cept the sky, and this circumstance add- 
 ed to the force of the illusion. I was 
 sensible it was such, and endeavoured tq 
 overcome it. I felt myself, as it were, 
 furnished with two separate minds, the 
 one confirmed what I fancied, the other 
 convinced me that it was all imaginary. 
 I staggered about the room, though I 
 saw the Counsellor, and every thing 
 that surrounded me the evening before, 
 remaining absolutely in the same place. 
 
*57 
 
 I went to the window; the wooden 
 houses in the streets I thought were ships, 
 and in every direction I perceived the 
 open sea. Whither am I going ? seemed 
 to say one mind. Now r here, replied the 
 other ; you are still in your own apart- 
 ment. This singular sensation, which I 
 cannot well describe, continued for half 
 an hour ; by degrees it became less pow- 
 erful, and at length entirely quitted me, 
 A violent palpitation of the heart, and a 
 quick convulsive pulse succeeded. Yet 
 I was not feverish, nor did I feel any 
 head-each. y'My own opinion and con- 
 viction is, that the whole must have been 
 the commencement of a species of insa- 
 nity. 
 
 * ..-" I was visited by Aulic Counsellor Pa~ 
 terson, Surgeon -Major of the town, who 
 was born at Revel. He ascribed this 
 strange delirium to the fatigues I had 
 undergone, both of body and mind* 1 
 
 VOL. I. R 
 
258 
 
 This explanation, however, appeared 
 unsatisfactory to me, though it was per- 
 haps the best that could be given* I had 
 soon reason to entertain a very favour- 
 able opinion of this worthy person : he 
 was a countryman of my wife's, and he 
 quickly gained my confidence by the 
 noble frankness of his behaviour. From 
 my first arrival here, he gave me daily 
 proof of his humanity, which even ac- 
 companied me to my desert ; for it is 
 to him that I am indebted for many 
 things of the first necessity, which, at 
 Kurgan, where I was compelled to be 
 my own physician, were of invaluable 
 service to me. He also took all possible 
 pains with the Governor in order to pro- 
 cure me the privilege of remaining at 
 Tobolsk, and if he was not successful, it 
 was merely because the order that came 
 with me did not state whether Tobolsk 
 or the Government of Tobolsk was to 
 
*59 
 
 be the place of my exile. In the latter 
 case, the spot not being positively spe- 
 cified, the Governor determines as he 
 thinks fit. All my new friends were of 
 opinion that the order being vague, the 
 Governor had it in his power to retain 
 me at Tobolsk ; but according to eti- 
 quette, he could not assign to me the 
 place where he himself resides. If ever 
 he loses sight of this rule, it is in the 
 case of obscure exiles, and where there 
 is good reason to suppose that no en- 
 quiry would be made concerning them. 
 But unfortunately this was not my case, 
 my arrest having been attended with 
 such singular circumstances, that it ap- 
 peared an affair of no small importance. 
 The Governor naturally concluded that 
 he should be liable to those secret infor- 
 mations which are now so common : 
 in short his whole conduct convinced 
 me that he was unable to grant me this 
 
266 
 
 indulgence, notwithstanding the strong 
 plea of health which M. Peterson did 
 not fail to urge. I however received 
 hopes of obtaining permission to return 
 to Tobolsk whenever my health required 
 it. 
 
 As soon as I began to be free from the 
 interruptions of visits, I set about my 
 Memorial to the Emperor, and as I had 
 already sketched the outline, the task was 
 not difficult. It contained eighteen ar- 
 ticles, and it is a duty I owe to my re- 
 putation, as well as to my wife and chil- 
 dren, to insert an extract in this place, 
 that my innocence and the whole tenor 
 of my conduct may be exhibited in the 
 strongest light. It includes a short sketch 
 of my life, both public and private, upon 
 which so many falsehoods, or at least so 
 many ambiguous stories have been uni- 
 versally propagated. 
 
26l 
 
 Memorial in behalf of the unfortunate 
 Kotzebue, with corroborating Deem 
 ?nents contained in the Papers which have 
 been taken from him. Translated fr 
 
 the original French.* 
 
 ARTICLE I. 
 
 KOTZEBUE, a native of Weimar, son to 
 the late Counsellor of Legation, Kotzebue. 
 was called to Petersburg at the age of eighteen, 
 at the instance of Count de Gorz, a friend of 
 his father's, then Envoy from the Court of 
 Berlin. He was appointed Secretary to M. 
 de Bawr, Engineer- General, whom he served 
 with probity in many affairs of importance, 
 and with whom he continued till the decease 
 of the General. 
 
 Proof. — The General recommended him in 
 his will to the late Empress, and that Prin- 
 cess, by virtue of an immenoi-ukaserf named 
 
 * A part of this was drawn up at Kurgan ; its sequel, 
 and the subsequent contents o'f this book, I did not compose 
 till a later period. 
 
 t A special ukase 3 that is, one signed by the Empress's 
 * <n hand. 
 
262 
 
 him a titular Counsellor, and ordered him to 
 be employed in the Administration of Revel, 
 at that time newly organized. 
 
 ARTICLE II. 
 
 Kotzebue acted in the capacity of Assessor 
 in the Court of Appeals in Revel, in 1183, and 
 exercised that office during two years to the 
 satisfaction of the superior Judges. 
 
 Proof, — Count Browne, the Governor-Ge- 
 neral, recommended him to the vacant place 
 of President of the Magistracy, a station which 
 confers the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, and 
 the Senate thereupon appointed him in 1735. 
 
 ARTICLE III. 
 
 Kotzebue filled this office for ten successive 
 years, without incurring the least reproach. 
 
 First Proof. — When Kotzebue, at the end 
 of ten years, was obliged to ask his dismission 
 on account of the impaired state of his health, 
 he received it with advanced rank. The ukase 
 to this effect is among his sealed-up papers. 
 
 Second Proof. — A certificate was signed by 
 the Governor of Revel, relative to the irre- 
 proachable manner in which he executed the 
 
263 
 
 duties of his office. The original instrument 
 is among the papers which are sealed up. 
 
 ARTICLE IV. 
 
 Kotzebue retired to the country in 1795, 
 and built a small villa called Friedenthal, at 
 the distance offorty-eightverstesfrom Narva, 
 a spot on which he resided till the end of the 
 year 1797, in the midst of his family, and in 
 the service of the muses. He was then in- 
 vited to Vienna, as Manager of the Court 
 Theatre ; the terms being very advantageous, 
 he left his villa, and considered the sacrifice 
 he made as an offering due to his children. 
 He had asked and obtained the Monarch's 
 consent. 
 
 Proof. — The passport which the Governor 
 of Revel delivered to him in virtue of superior 
 orders. 
 
 ARTICLE V. 
 
 Kotzebue resided at Vienna, but still retain- 
 ed his Livonian villa, hoping one day to re- 
 turn thither. He acquitted himself in all his 
 duties with zeal and probity. 
 
 Proof. — The flattering certificate of the 
 theatrical Directory. The original is among 
 the seized papers. 
 
264 
 
 ARTICLE VI. 
 
 The Emperor Francis II. was well satisfied 
 with his service and conduct. 
 
 Proof, — He granted him his dismission, 
 which on several accounts he had solicited, 
 but retained him in his service as dramatic 
 writer to the Court Theatre, with a pension 
 for life of one thousand florins a year, with 
 leave to expend the same wherever he should 
 please. The original decree, together with a 
 letter written by Count Colloredo, make a 
 part of the papers under sequestration. 
 
 AP.TiCLE VII. 
 
 Kotzebue, not satisfied with the above ht>v 
 nourable certificate, as it regarded only his 
 dramatic services, thought it incumbent on 
 •him to procure a testimony of his conduct, as 
 the subject of a monarchical State, before he 
 left Vienna. For this purpose, he applied to 
 Count de Saurau, Minister of the Secret Po- 
 lice, and obtained from him the most satisfac- 
 tory answer. 
 
 Proof. — The Minister's original note, toge- 
 ther with an official letter from Aulic Coun- 
 sellor Schilling* are both among his seized 
 papers. 
 
265 
 
 ARTICLE VIII. 
 
 Kotzebue left Vienna, and went to reside 
 at Weimar, in order to be near his mother. 
 He purchased a house and garden in the neigh- 
 bourhood, at which he resided twelve months, 
 known and esteemed at the Ducal Court, 
 which he had often the honour to frequent. 
 
 Proof. — A letter from the reigning Duchess 
 of Weimar to the Grand Duchess Elizabeth, 
 which may be found among his papers. He ap- 
 peals besides to the testimony of the reigning 
 Duke, and to that of the Duchess Dowager* 
 
 ARTICLE IX. 
 
 Kotzebue, as well to gratify the wishes of 
 his wife as to embrace his two sons, who have 
 the honour to be educated in the Cadet-corps 
 at Petersburg, resolved to undertake a journey 
 to Russia : His d-uty as dramatic writer to the 
 Emperor of Germany obliged him to apply 
 for a passport, which was accordingly granted. 
 
 Proof. — The original instrument is among 
 ' his papers ; and it shews at the same time that 
 he was bona fide in the service of his Imperial 
 and Royal Majesty. 
 
266 
 
 ARTICLE X. 
 
 Kotzebue applied for a passport to his Ma- 
 jesty the Emperor of Russia, and obtained it. 
 [Here the writer entered into all the neces- 
 sary details.] 
 
 Proof. — The original Ielter from Baron de 
 Kriidener* 
 
 ARTICLE XI. 
 
 Kotzebue commenced his journey, and was 
 arrested on the frontiers of Prussia. This un- 
 expected blow alarmed him : he however con- 
 soled himself with the notion, that a prudent 
 precaution, under the circumstances of the 
 times, might have occasioned this measure. 
 Fully relying on his own innocence, he con- 
 soled his family and proceded to Mittau. 
 
 Proof. — He appeals to the testimony of the 
 officer who escorted him thither. 
 
 ARTICLE XII. 
 
 At Mittau he was informed that he must be 
 conducted to Petersburg, To this order he 
 submitted with a good grace ; but he soon dis- 
 covered that his guards were dragging him to 
 Siberia. He then demanded, in an agony of 
 despair, what crime he had committed, his 
 
267 
 
 conscience being pure of all crime towards 
 God and his Sovereign. 
 
 ARTICLE XIII. 
 
 But may it not be possible that, like many 
 others, he might have been an avowed parti- 
 san of the Revolutionary System. — No. 
 
 First Proof. — Two of his sons are in the 
 Cadet-corps at Petersburg ; a third is in the 
 Cadet-engineers at Vienna. These are so 
 many hostages of his loyalty, which he has 
 voluntarily delivered up. 
 
 Second Proof. — The bulk of his estate, with 
 the addition of that settled on his wife, is in 
 Russia, and he has never attempted to dispose 
 of it. 
 
 Third Proof — Had he been a man of re- 
 volutionary principles, it is natural to con- 
 clude that he would have left Vienna to have 
 visited France : he remained, however, conti- 
 nually at Weimar, at which place he received 
 his pension from Vienna. 
 
 Fourth Proof. — In the year 1790, he was 
 one of the first to satirize the horrid outrages 
 of the Revolutionists, in a Comedy entitled 
 The Club of Female Jacobins. In 1792, he 
 
268 
 
 wrote a treatise on nobility, which, although 
 it may boast of nothing interesting, except 
 the subject, at least exhibits the sentiments 
 of the writer on that subject.* 
 
 Fifth Proof. — It is more than a year ago, 
 that, in a work entitled, On my Residence at 
 Vienna, he declared publicly that he preferred 
 the monarchical system of government to any 
 other ; and that, unless he should become a 
 knave or a madman, he never would adopt 
 the system of the present day, An author, 
 
 * A drowning man is glad to snatch at a straw. 
 I am better aware than any one can be that this 
 book is good for nothing ; and I am sorry I ven- 
 tured upon the task of writing it. I yielded in this 
 instance to the ^particular intreaties of a man of the 
 first consequence, who is much in favour of the 
 Sovereign.' My situation at that time compelled 
 me to undertake a subject which I had never, or at 
 least very lately, considered with any degree of 
 attention. If the world knew the motives which 
 often induce an author to take up the pen, the 
 judgment it passes upon their works would be 
 more charitable than it commonly is. 
 
269 
 
 well known throughout Europe, would cer- 
 tainly not have published such sentiments in 
 evidence against himself, if he had intended 
 ever to have renounced them. 
 
 Sixth Proof. — In 1795 he presented to the 
 Empress a plan for the establishment of an 
 University at Dopart, and among other mo- 
 tives which he alledged in favour of its esta- 
 blishment, the following may be found : 
 namely, that the young men would be in less 
 danger of imbibing principles of a seditious 
 nature. 
 
 ARTICLE XIV. 
 
 Has Kotzebue had any connections with 
 suspected persons ? — No. 
 
 Proof. — Let the book which is to be found 
 among his papers be referred to ; it contains 
 copies of all his letters of importance. 
 
 ARTICLE XV. 
 
 Can it be surmised that his income arose 
 from an impure source ? He who surmises this, 
 is exceedingly mistaken. 
 
 Proof. — The aboye-mentioned book, in 
 which his receipts are particularized. 
 
2JO 
 AkTICLE XVI. 
 
 He has written, perhaps, on political sub- 
 jects ? — No. 
 
 Proof. — In the aforesaid book may be seen 
 the catalogue of his literary labours, 
 
 AR.TICLE XVII. 
 
 Can it be supposed that he does not enter- 
 tain all due respect for the Emperor ? — The 
 contrary is positively the case, 
 
 Proof. — In the year 1796, he converted a 
 generous trait of that Monarch's conduct into 
 a drama, under the title of "The Emperor's 
 Head Coachman. This work, perhaps, is be- 
 neath its subject, but still it manifests the sen- 
 timents of the author. 
 
 ARTICLE XVIII. 
 
 Is Kotzebue an immoral man ? And ought 
 lie not to be banished from society ? — No. 
 
 First Proof. — On the perusal of the journal 
 of his occupations, and of all his actions, 
 (which are contained in the same book) what 
 does the reader find ? That he planted a tree 
 on his wife's birth-day ; that he gave a fete 
 thampetre on the cutting of a child's first tooth. 
 
271 
 
 It will there be found, that he uniformly 
 placed his happiness in the endearments of 
 domestic life. 
 
 Second Proof. — His almanac, after the 
 plan of Franklin, for the purpose of moral 
 improvement, is a proof of his sincere love 
 of virtue. From the tenor of his confessions, 
 it will be seen at first view, that they were 
 made only for himself, and that he never 
 could have imagined they would have fallen, 
 during his life-time, into the hands of stran- 
 gers. They may represent him as a weak, 
 but not as a wicked man : People who know 
 him will bear witness that he is an affection- 
 ate husband and a good father ; qualities sure- 
 ly very foreign to immorality. 
 
 In a word, Kotzebue has proved that his 
 public conduct, during twenty years, is ac- 
 knowledged to have been irreproachable ; he 
 has proved that he has never manifested prin- 
 ciples subversive of good order ; that his con- 
 nections have been unexceptionable ; that he 
 never h<<s written on the subject of politics ; 
 that he has ever entertained due sentiments of 
 respect for the person of the Emperor j that 
 
2J2 
 
 his happiness has invariably rested in the bo- 
 som of his family, and that he has been a 
 lover of peace and virtue. By what involun- 
 tary fault then has he had the misfortune to 
 incur your Majesty's displeasure ? Of this he 
 is totally ignorant. He has in vain endea- 
 voured to conjecture the cause ; unless it be 
 that some malevolent person, some secret 
 enemy, has perhaps detached separate pas- 
 sages from his writings, and exhibited them 
 in an unfavourable point of view. If this pre- 
 sumption be well-founded, he confines the, 
 whole of his petition to one single favour, that 
 of being allowed an opportunity of explana- 
 tion. 
 
 Your Majesty must be aware that nothing, 
 can be written to which malevolent interpre- 
 tations may not attribute evil designs. Kotze- 
 bue may have been mistaken ; it is the fate 
 of every man, He may, like others, have in- 
 troduced a word without due reflection, or 
 given to a phrase a doubtful turn ; but he 
 sweats before the throne of the monarch, be- 
 fore that of the Eternal, that he has always 
 strenuously endeavoured to tread in the paths. 
 
»73 
 
 of virtue. If he has unknowingly swerved from 
 them, he has been severely punished, and the 
 paternal hand which has inflicted the blow 
 will surely raise up the penitent who bewails 
 his fault. May your Majesty, who possesses 
 a feeling heart, contemplate for a moment 
 the horror of your petitionees situation. His 
 wife far advanced in her pregnancy, perhaps 
 dying of a broken heart ; for her the world 
 has no longer any happiness in store ; her 
 children will soon fall into indigence ; her 
 husband's reputation, his honour being tar- 
 nished, who will not conclude that he had 
 been guilty of some crime ? After an illness 
 of twelve months duration, he Unds himself 
 deprived of every thing, condemned to a dread- 
 ful climate, where sorrow and inevitable sick- 
 ness will soon put an end to his existence. A 
 beloved husband, the father of six children, 
 abandoned by the world, must expire far from 
 the sight of his family ! A severe doom for 
 an innocent man ! No, Paul the Just still lives ; 
 he will restore honour, and life and tranquillity 
 to his unhappy petitioner ; he will restore him 
 to his afflicted family !" 
 vol. i. s 
 
274 
 
 Such is the substailce of the Memorial 
 which I intended to present to the Em- 
 peror. Just as I had concluded it, the 
 Counsellor happened to come into my 
 room, and told me that he was going 
 to the Governor. I commissioned him 
 to inquire at what hour his Excellency 
 would favour me with an audience. He 
 soon returned with the following an- 
 swer, which astonished the bearer ex- 
 ceedingly : That from five in the morn- 
 ing till eleven at night the Governor was 
 at my service. My companion could 
 not possibly conceive w^hy such civility 
 was shewn to me, an exile, while he him- 
 self, though an Aulic Counsellor, was 
 treated with neglect. 
 
 What expression shall I employ to ex- 
 hibit to the eyes of the world the ge- 
 nerosity of the beneficent Governor! 
 It is impossible to express either the 
 value of his considerate goodness to me, 
 
*7$ 
 
 or the grateful feelings which such libe- 
 ral and humane conduct excited in my 
 breast. How differently might he have 
 exercised his power! He might have 
 sent me to Beresow, upon the shores of 
 the Frozen Sea, where, in the warmest 
 months of summer, the earth, for more 
 than a foot beneath its surface, is* al- 
 ways frozen ; yet he chose for the place 
 of my residence the mildest climate, 
 and for my fellow inhabitants, the most 
 sociable people in all his government. 
 During my stay at Tobolsk, he might 
 have consigned me to sorrow, to want, 
 to solitude ; instead of which, he in* 
 vited me every day to his table, and 
 loaded me with kindness, in the face 
 of two senators,* sent thither to in- 
 
 * These two senators were M. de LewaschorF, 
 and M. de Lapuchin, whose generous conduct to 
 me is fox ever imprinted on my heart. 
 
zy6 
 
 spect his government, and make report 
 of his conduct. He permitted me like- 
 wife to choose a servant who might be 
 acquainted with some language in which 
 I could explain myself. The choice in- 
 deed was soon made ; the only man in 
 Tobolsk qualified, being an Italian, o£ 
 the name of Rossi, (commonly called 
 Russ) who had resided there for twenty 
 years. Having served on board the 
 fleet at Cherson, he had been concerned 
 in a plot, with several of his comrades, 
 to murder the captain, and deliver the 
 vessel into the hands of the Turks. The 
 conspiracy was happily discovered, and 
 my conspirator sent, by order of Prince 
 Potemkin, into Siberia. He was inrol- 
 led among the peasantry, and paid the 
 accustomed tax ; but received permis- 
 sion to come to town and earn his bread 
 in what way he pleased, and he generally 
 contrived to gain a good livelihood. This 
 
jnan was indeed incredibly expert : At 
 one time he would make sausages, at ano- 
 ther shoes ; he would act in the capa- 
 city of a servant to travellers, play the 
 pimp, or attend his employers through 
 the whole extent of the government. 
 He had an artful countenance, with a 
 keen eye ; in short he seemed fit for any 
 thing. The Governor warned me of 
 his being an accomplished sharper, and 
 having cheated all his masters. What 
 was to be done ? He could speak French 
 as well as Russian ; he knew the whole 
 country, and had been every where ; he 
 could make bread p.nd dress victuals ; 
 he was just what I wanted, and I hired 
 him for three roubles and a half per 
 month, and his board. The Governor 
 extended his kindness so far as to allow 
 me to keep him in my service at Kur- 
 gan, a favour of such moment, that had 
 it been known at Petersburg, he might 
 
278 
 
 in consequence have forfeited his post. 
 It is true, that the name of Rossi not 
 having been inserted in the passport, 
 the Governor was able in some measure 
 to connive at the circumstance. When 
 we were on our journey, the fellow 
 knew every village we passed through, 
 and insinuated himself every where in 
 the most happy manner. 
 
 END OF vox. I. 
 
 T. Gillet, Printer, -Salifbury Square, 
 
-v. Vol. 2. 
 
 r> 
 
 / n//,' /,v a -/J aAA///* !////;//;>/ 
 
THE 
 MOST REMARKABLE YEAR 
 
 OF 
 
 THE LIFE 
 
 of 
 
 AUGUSTUS VON KOTZEBUE; 
 
 w 
 
 CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF 
 
 HIS EXILE INTO SIBERIA, 
 
 AND OF 
 
 The other extraordinary Events which happened to him 
 IN RUSSIA. 
 
 WRITTEN BY HIMSELF 
 
 lNSLATEP FROM THE GERMAN, BY 
 
 THE REV. BENJAMIN BERESFORD, 
 
 English Lecturer to the Queen of Prussia. 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 
 vol. ir. 
 
 Eonfcm : 
 
 PRINTED FOR RICHARD PHILLIPS, 
 
 No. 71, St. PauPs Church- vaid. 
 
 By T. Gillet, Salisbury-$qi:are. 
 
 1802* 
 
TkE 
 
 MOST REMARKABLE YEAR 
 
 OF MY LIFE, 
 
 DURING the early part of my resi- 
 dence at Tobolsk, I confess I en- 
 joyed unbounded liberty. I visited and 
 received visits, when, and as often as I 
 pleased. I was seldom without friends 
 when at home, and I often visited my 
 friend KiniakofF. He lived in a very 
 agreeable style, and had a collection of 
 choice books, among which were most 
 of the best French authors. I had also 
 the privilege of walking about the streets, 
 and even beyond the gates, at my plea- 
 sure. 
 
But all this indulgence was suddenly 
 ^withdrawn. One morning the Governor 
 sent for me, and in the kindest manner 
 expressed his uneasiness on my account. 
 " Your arrival/' said he, " has attracted 
 much notice here, and it becomes still 
 more generally the topic of conversa- 
 tion ; I cannot therefore consider you as 
 a person of no consequence, and I must 
 be the more circumspect as your Coun- 
 sellor does not yet think of departing ; 
 I fear, indeed, he stays to be a spy upon 
 your conduct. The senators too may be 
 displeased that you are treated with so 
 much indulgence. It appears necessary, 
 for our mutual interest, that you should 
 live under a little more restraint ; I beg 
 therefore 'this generous man could com- 
 mand, and yet he begged) that you will 
 receive no visits, except those of your 
 physician ; nor visit any house except his 
 
and mine : at every hour of the day my 
 door will be open to you." I mtreated 
 him to make an exception with reap ect to 
 Kiniakoff. He shrugged up his shoulders, 
 acknowledged the merit of that voun^ 
 man, and said, Ci that he was himself fond 
 of his company, and was convinced of his 
 innocence ; yet," continued he, " he is 
 looked upon with suspicion, and that is 
 sufficient to injure you." I thanked him 
 for the goodness he had evinced, in thus 
 explaining his motives, and without say- 
 ing another word, yielded to his argu- 
 ments. 
 
 Hitherto I had no other guard than a 
 subaltern officer, named Iwanowksch, 
 a good old man, but very stupid. 
 remained in the anti-chamber, where he 
 was almost always asleep. A younger 
 -man was now added to mv guard ; he 
 gave me, however, no more trouble 
 
6 
 
 than the other had done : both of them 
 waited on me, boiled my water, and 
 went to market for me ; but they were 
 very assiduous in keeping off every visU 
 tor, except the physician, and when I 
 went out, one of them attended me. It , 
 was easily perceived that they were or- 
 dered to examine closely into my con- 
 duct ; however, excepting paying visits, 
 I could walk out whenever I pleased, 
 both within and without the city, en- 
 tirely unmolested. 
 
 By means of my Italian knave I was 
 enabled to correspond with my good 
 friend ; we often met under the arcades 
 in the great square ; and while the by- 
 standers would imagine we were both 
 employed in looking at the various 
 articles placed there for sale, we took the 
 opportunity of exchanging a few words. 
 
 We were indeed under no fear of be- 
 
7 
 
 ing betrayed : the unfortunate exile is 
 sure of the public compassion. Several 
 tradesmen, the first time I went to them, 
 whispered in my ear : " Do you want to 
 send a letter ? give it me, and I will take 
 care to forward it." This trouble they 
 take upon themselves without the least 
 interested motive, without even receiv- 
 ing the smallest recompence. The name 
 which they give the exiles seems to have 
 been dictated by the tei|derest senti- 
 ments of compassion, and a full con- 
 viction cf their innocence — they call 
 them unfortunates (neschtschastii). Who 
 is that man ? they have asked ; an un- 
 fortunate, would be the answer ! and I 
 never heard them call an exile by any 
 other name, much less by any humili- 
 ating, denomination implying guilt. 
 
 Foreigners have been led to entertain 
 such erroneous, or at least imperfect 
 
8 
 
 ideas of what it called being exiled to 
 Siberia, that I think it necessary to 
 throw some light upon that subject. 
 \./>Xhe exiles are divided into several 
 classes very different from each other : 
 The first class is composed of male- 
 factors legally convicted of the most 
 atrocious crimes, and whose sentences 
 have been confirmed by the senate. 
 These criminals are doomed to work in 
 /the mines of Nertschinsk ; whither they 
 atie conducted in chains and on foot. 
 Their sufferings are worse than death, 
 as they have commonly undergone the 
 chastisement of the knout, and have had 
 their nostrils slit. 
 
 The second class 4 comprises that de- 
 scription of criminals, who, though less 
 guilty than the first, have been juridi- 
 cally condemned to banishment. These 
 ,are enrolled among the peasantry, of 
 
9 
 
 bondmen ; their names are changed to 
 those of the boors among whom they 
 are settled, and they are emnloved as cui- 
 tivators of the soil. We met with many 
 of this description with s^lit .nostrils : 
 these criminals, however, have it in their 
 power, if they are at all diligent, to gain 
 something for themselves, and thereby 
 render their condition more tolerable. 
 
 The third class consists of such as the 
 law has actually condemned, but sen- 
 tenced only to banishment, without the 
 addition of any infamous and oppressive 
 punishment. If they are of noble birth, 
 they do not lose their rank. They are 
 allowed to live without molestation on 
 the spot assigned to them, and they are 
 permitted to receive their usual incomes ; 
 or in case they have none, the crown 
 furnishes them with twenty or thirty 
 copecks a day, or more. 
 
10 
 
 The fourth and last class includes 
 those who, without any legal process, are 
 exiled in an arbitrary manner at the 
 mere pleasure of the Sovereign, They 
 are generally confounded with the third 
 class. These may write to their families 
 or to the Emperor, but the letters are 
 , first perused by the Governor, and after- 
 wards forwarded through his means. 
 Sometimes exiles of this class are con- 
 fined in fortresses and kept in chains. 
 Instances of this sort were however very 
 rare, and under the mild and merciful 
 reign of Alexander I. this class has en- 
 tirely disappeared. 
 
 I know not to which of the two last 
 classes my fellow traveller, the Lieute- 
 nant-Colonel from Rasan, belongs. His 
 destiny, however, seems to be very se- 
 vere ; for although, on his arrival at To- 
 bolsk, the Governor gave him hopes that 
 
II 
 
 he would be allowed to take up his resi- 
 dence in that city 5 and although encou- 
 raged by these insinuations, he had be- 
 gun to make arrangements, and to fur- 
 nish himself with clothes and several 
 other necessaries, he received an order 
 two days after to proceed instantly to 
 Irkutzk. Two hours only were allowed 
 him to prepare for his departure, and 
 he has not been since heard of. 
 
 He was scarcely permuted to get back 
 his clothes in their half-finished state 
 from the taylor. The Governor, doubt- 
 less, had received very particular orders, 
 in this instance, or he would have acted 
 more according to the suggestions of his 
 well-known humanity. 
 
 Assisted by the kindness of a few 
 friends, and some compassionate and 
 obliging tradesmen of the place, I had 
 been able to send off ten different letters 
 
I? 
 
 to my wife,* the contents of which I 
 shall notice hereafter. The hours which 
 were devoted to her were the only ones 
 that afforded one drop of comfort to 
 mingle in my cup of sorrow ; yet to 
 my great surprise, I still preserved my 
 health, and I determined to divert my 
 grief in the best manner I could. 
 
 The Counsellor, after the first two or 
 three days of my residence at Tobolsk, 
 had quitted my lodgings to live with a 
 friend. I felt quite happy on his de- 
 parture, as it enabled me to devote my- 
 self without interruption to my own 
 thoughts. I employed the greater part 
 of the mornings in perusing the story of 
 my misfortunes. Instead of common 
 ink I made use of Indian, which is good 
 and in great plenty in this country. To- 
 wards noon I usually walked out, or 
 
 . . Most of these letters were duly received* 
 
*3 
 
 climbed the rocks that surround the 
 City, and h the totfrents have worn 
 
 into a variety of picturesque forms. 
 From them I surveyed the immense ex- 
 panse of w:.ter that d^vr:ed its environ?, 
 and the thick fore- tdh -kirted the 
 
 horizon on every side. ye too 
 
 caught every sail that glided along, and 
 my imagination peopled the hark v 
 my family. I c almost every day 
 
 with the Got^iilor, sometiu kh Au- 
 
 lic Counsellor ) on, and rarely at 
 
 home. I never quoted the company of 
 M. de Kuscheieft v x feeling some 
 
 alleviation of lily gttef: his delicacy and 
 sensibility found many an avenue to my 
 heart, and enliveited me vith ho: ■:. 
 
 He was hfrnsetf SFat ; Vom heir. y^y. 
 
 Often, when seated besrefe d< th other in 
 his summer-; K\ e r ast c > over 
 
 the vast expanse of waters, and contain- 
 
14 
 
 plated the immense forests beyond them. 
 One day, giving free utterance to his 
 feelings, he said to me, stretching forth 
 his hand, " Do you see those forests ? 
 they extend eleven hundred verstes to- 
 wards the shores of the Frozen Sea. The 
 foot of man has not yet trodden them j 
 they are solely inhabited by wild beasts. 
 My government contains more square 
 miles than Germany, France, and Tur- 
 key in Europe, put together ; yet, what 
 advantage does it afford me ? Scarcely a 
 day passes without producing some new 
 spectacle of misery, either solitary or 
 otherwise, with which I cannot, must 
 not, condole, while the distresses of the 
 sufferers rend my heart. A heavy re- 
 sponsibility lies upon me ; a mere acci- 
 dent, which no human prudence or 
 power could either foresee or avert, a 
 secret information, would be sufficient 
 
1 S 
 
 to deprive me of my employment, my 
 honour, and my liberty ! And what in- 
 demnity have I for all this ? A desert 
 country, a severe climate, and continual 
 intercourse with suffering and unhappy 
 fellow-creatures !" 
 
 He has long been desirous of his dis- 
 mission, but has not yet ventured to 
 ask for it. May he never do it ? What 
 will become of the wretched exiles, when 
 he who was their brother and their 
 friend, shall be no longer with them ? 
 For all his sacrifices may he find ample 
 recompense in the approbation of his 
 own heart! When this man shall one 
 day present himself before the tribunal 
 of God, surrounded by all the innocent 
 or unfortunate people whose sufferings 
 he has mitigated, with whose tears, when 
 he could not wipe them away, he has so 
 often mingled his own ; and when all of 
 them shall lift up their voices to bless 
 
feim,— what higher felicity than this can 
 heaven itself bestow ? 
 
 Towards the evening I commonly 
 took a turn in the town, or to the great 
 square. The city is large ; most of tfie 
 streets are broad and straight ; and the 
 houses chiefly constructed of wood; 
 those built of stone are commodious and 
 in the modern taste. The churches, 
 which are very numerous, are all heavily 
 designed. The streets are paved, or ra- 
 ther planked with thick timber, which 
 is far cleaner and much more agreeable 
 than pebbles. The town is traversed 
 length-ways by navigable canals, over 
 which are bridges, kept in good repair. 
 The market-piace {the basar) is very 
 spacious, where, besides provisions and 
 things of the first necessity, a great quan- 
 tity of Chinese and European goods are 
 exposed to sale. These articles are ex« 
 tremely dear, but the price of all kinds 
 
1? 
 
 ' 
 
 of provisions is very moderate. This 
 
 r^ 
 
 square is crowded incessantly with peo- 
 ple of all nations, particularly Russians 
 and Tartars, Kirgists and Calmucks. 
 The fish market afforded a very novel 
 spectacle to me. Great quantities of dif- 
 ferent kinds of fish, which I had hitherto 
 known merely by description, were ex- 
 posed, both dead and alive, in tubs and 
 barges, for sale. Esterlets {aapenser rut- 
 kenus) sold for a mere trifle. The huso. 
 or royal fish, (aapenser huso) the si/urc. 
 (silurus giants) &c. with caviar of every 
 colour, were equally reasonable. Had it 
 not been for the disagreeable smells in 
 this market, I should often have loitered 
 there. 
 
 . Curiosity sometimes led me to the 
 play-house. The building is spacious, 
 and fitted up with a row of boxes. The 
 greater number of these boxes belong to 
 particular people, and every proprietor 
 
 VOL. II. b 
 
i8 
 
 having a right to ornament his own box 
 in what manner he pleases, the variety 
 of decorations was very striking. The 
 balustrade was covered in many places 
 with rich silks of very fanciful colours. 
 At the back of the boxes were girandole 
 mirrors. The whole, it is true, had an 
 Asiatic appearance ; but, at first sight, it 
 did not fail to produce a good effect. 
 The orchestra was execrable. /The com- 
 pany of performers was made up of 
 exiles.". Arhong the number of these 
 was the wife of my worthy Rossi, a na- 
 tive of Revel, who, having been trans- 
 ported to Siberia for some crime, found 
 a suitable husband in the person of my 
 valet. She now plays the parts of mo- 
 thers and matrons on the boards of the 
 national theatre of Tobolsk. The deco- 
 rations, the dresses, the acting, the sing- 
 ing, were all below criticism. One even- 
 ing when I was present, they acted the 
 
.19 
 
 Dober Saldat (the Good Soldier). I for- 
 get the name of the other piece I saw ; 
 but neither of the times I was there was 
 I able to stay more than a quarter of an 
 hour. The admittance to the best places 
 costs no more than thirty copecks, or 
 nearly fifteen French sols. 
 
 Misanthropy and Repentance, the Na- 
 tural Son, and some othcT of my pieces, 
 had been represented with much ap- 
 plause. They were getting up the Vir- 
 gin of the Sun, but the dresses and dc- 
 corations demanding an expence beyond 
 the manager's revenues, they had deter- 
 mined to supply the deficiency by mak- 
 ing a collection among the principal in- 
 habitants of the place. 
 $ There is likewise a club at Tobolsk (I 
 believe they call it the Casins), kept by 
 an Italian, whose nostrils are slit. He 
 had been guilty of murder, and having 
 sturdily undergone the discipline of the 
 
knout, he gained his livelihood in this 
 manner, I never entered this house. 
 
 During my stay here, a ball and a 
 masquerade had been twice given in ho- 
 nour of the two deputies from the se- 
 nate. I was invited to both in due form ; 
 but being unwilling to make a shew of 
 myself and my misfortunes, I did not 
 accept the invitations, and can therefore 
 say nothing of the fair sex of Tobolsk. 
 Except the excellent family of Aulic 
 Counsellor Pat'erson, and the beautiful 
 and amiable daughter of Colonel Kra- 
 mer, I scarcely saw a woman of condi- 
 tion in the place. 
 
 I should have walked about the en- 
 ' virons of the town more frequently than 
 I did, if the insupportable heat during 
 day-time, and the gnats, still more into- 
 lerable, at night, had not hindered me 
 from taking that recreation. Not a day 
 passed in which Reaumer's thermometer 
 
21 
 
 was not from 26 to 28 degrees, We 
 had regularly five or six hurricanes every 
 four-and-twenty hours, which proceed- 
 ing from all points of the compass, seem- 
 ed like, a war of win ds."\ There were 
 tremendous showers of rain, which, how- 
 ever, very little if at all refreshed the 
 air. x Notwithstanding all this heat, na- 
 ture is very sparing in her gifts here ; 
 and I did not see a single fruit-bearing 
 tree. Y The Governor's garden, indeed, 
 which is certainly the finest in all the 
 country, exhibited some in painting, 
 against the plank walls that form its en- 
 closure. In fact the earden contained 
 scarcely any thing* but the black aJ 
 (rhamnus frangula) ; the Siberian pea- 
 tree (robihia cardgonaj ; and the birch 
 [betula alba). This last tree is very com- 
 mon all over the country, but it is slen- 
 der and dwarfish. At a distance, a stran- 
 ger would take a grove of old birch 
 
22 
 
 trees for a cluster of young European 
 plants. The alder is the favourite tree 
 with the inhabitants of Tobolsk ; they 
 plant it in the streets before their houses; 
 they prefer it on account of its sweet- 
 scented blossom, and seem satisfied with 
 it for want of something better. There , 
 were likewise a few green and red goose- 
 berry bushes in the Governor's garden, 
 with various kinds of cabbages, and a 
 few cucumber plants in flower. X Some 
 apple-trees are also to be found in the 
 neighbourhood of Tiumen, which bear 
 fruit about the size of walnuts. 
 
 If the inhabitants of this country are 
 little indebted to nature for fruits, she 
 has abundantly compensated for that de- 
 fect in the article of grain. The Siberian 
 buck- wheat (polygonum iartaricuni), so 
 well known in Europe, reproduces itself 
 without any kind of culture, and re- 
 quires no other labour than that of reap- 
 
ing it. Every sort of grain grows in as- 
 tonishing abundance. The grass too is 
 thick and succulent : -the soil is in gene- 
 ral of a dark colour, loose, and requires 
 no manure.; The peasants, too indolent 
 to carry away by degrees the dung of 
 their cow-houses and stables, are often 
 thrown into a very singtilat kind of em- 
 
 rassmentT My friend Paterson has 
 assured me, that frequently having oc- 
 casion to travel about the country as a 
 ian, he one day came to a village, 
 the inhabitants of which were employed 
 in pulling down their houses in order to 
 rebuild them on another spot ; as it was 
 more difticult to remove the enormous 
 dunghills which surrounded the houses, 
 than the houses themselves, 
 
 i the same decree that the heat is in- 
 supportable in summer, so is the cold 
 during winter ; and the thermometer 
 
 en falls to forty degrees below the 
 
2 4 
 
 cypher. M. Paterson mentioned an ex- 
 periment which he makes every year : 
 he freezes quicksilver, which he carves 
 into small figures with a pen-knife, and 
 sends them in snow to the Governor. 
 <qf"This severe climate is however con- 
 ducive to health. My physician knew 
 of only two prevalent diseases : the one 
 a disease too common in most parts of 
 the world ; the other a catarrhal fever, 
 to which the inhabitants are liable on 
 account of the sudden changes in the 
 temperature of the air ; yet, by proper 
 attention, particularly at night-fall, a 
 man may attain to a healthy old age in 
 Siberia. 
 
 The evenings I employed in reading. 
 My friends Paterson and Kiniakoff had 
 furnished me with some good authors ; 
 and in this country I valued them far 
 above their worth. 
 
 I still flattered myself with the hopes 
 
*5 
 
 of -being allowed to remain at Tobolsk. 
 Tire Governor not having mentioned 
 my removal, my friend conjectured that 
 he only waited for the departure of the 
 two Senators and the Counsellor, to 
 grant me a formal permission to stay. 
 The Senators indeed set off for Irkutzk, 
 but the Counsellor still remained. I 
 have since learned that his stay was 
 merely occasioned by a want of money, 
 and that he had been waiting* the deter- 
 mination of a tradesman of Tobolsk, 
 whom he had offered to take with him 
 free of post expences, on condition that 
 he would defray the rest. However na- 
 tural the solution of this enigma may 
 appear, it was difficult to divine it at that 
 time ; and it is not to be wondered at 
 that both the Governor and myself 
 should have taken him for a spy. 
 
 The fourteen days, which had been 
 granted me, had now nearly expired. I 
 
26 
 
 waited on the Governor one Sunday 
 morning to pay him my respects ; as 
 the exiles of the third and fourth classes 
 keep up a custom of presenting them- 
 selves before him on that day in regi- 
 mentals, but without swords. The Go- 
 vernor drew me on one side, and in- 
 formed me that it was necessary I should 
 prepare for leaving Tobolsk on the mor- 
 row, as he could not, for reasons already 
 known to me, allow me to remain there 
 any longer. I was much dejected on 
 hearing this, but submitted with a good 
 grace, contenting myself with entreating 
 him to indulge me with a delay of two 
 days, for the purpose of procuring se- 
 veral things I stood in need of, and 
 which were not to be obtained at Kur- 
 gan ; and to dispose of my carriage (for 
 which I had no further occasion), in or- 
 der to recruit my exhausted purse. The 
 Governor granted my request in the 
 
** 
 
 2 7- 
 
 most obliging manner, and I instantly 
 began my preparations, that I might run 
 no risk of trespassing on his goodness. 
 
 The most opulent tradesman in the 
 town, whose name I forget, had offered 
 me a few days before a hundred and fifty 
 roubles for my carriage, which, as the 
 reader has seen, had cost me more than 
 three times that sum ; and I had of 
 course refused to part with it at such a 
 price. Being now, however, obliged 
 to dispose of it, I would have willingly 
 struck a bargain with him on his for- 
 mer terms, but he had the effrontery to 
 bid me twenty-five roubles less. I was 
 obliged to take that sum, and this trans- 
 action did not vex me so much as it 
 shocked the worthy Governor, who ex- 
 pressed his indignation in the strongest 
 terms, and seriously recommended me 
 to turn the anecdote into a little farce, 
 which he promised, if I would give it 
 
28 
 
 him in French, he would himself trans- 
 late, and have it brought on the stage at 
 Tobolsk. Alas ! I was but ill disposed 
 to write plays. 
 
 I purchased sugar, tea, coffee, paper, 
 pens, and such articles, but what I most 
 lamented was the want of books ; for 
 how could the winter be passed in Sibe- 
 ria without reading ? The good Coun- 
 sellor Paterson furnished me with such 
 as he possessed, but his library was 
 chiefly composed of medical works, and 
 a few volumes of voyages and travels, 
 which I had read. I was however able 
 to give my friend Kiniakoff notice of my 
 approaching departure and my want of 
 books : he wrote me word that at mid- 
 night, while the guard was asleep, I 
 might expect him at my window. He 
 came ; and for three successive nights 
 he brought me some of the choicest 
 volumes of his collection ; and among 
 
2 9 
 
 others the works of Seneca, which after- 
 wards proved a great source of consola- 
 tion to me. 
 
 I wrote to my wife and to about a 
 dozen generous friends, resident in Rus- 
 sia and Germany. All these letters I en* 
 closed in one parcel, directed to my old 
 and trusty friend Graumaun, a merchant 
 at Petersburg, and consigned it to the 
 care of Alexander Schulkins, with a pro- 
 mise that he should receive fifty roubles 
 at the hands of my friend on its delivery. 
 This seemed to me the best manner of 
 securing the due delivery of it, and the 
 event has shewn that I judged rightly. 
 
 Every thing being ready for my de- 
 parture, I waited on the Governor, and 
 having learnt that a subaltern was to 
 accompany me to Kurgan, I requested 
 him to allow honest Iwanowitcsh, not- 
 withstanding his advanced age, to be 
 the man. M. de Kuscheleff, who re- 
 
3° 
 
 fused me nothing in his power, granted 
 me this favour. To this he added others* 
 He furnished me with letters of recom- 
 mendation to the principal people of Kur- 
 gan, presented me with a chest of fine 
 tea, which was highly acceptable to me, 
 and promised to send me every week the 
 Frankfort Journal, which he took in re- 
 gularly. He kept his word ; and, as 1 
 have since learned, risked much by his 
 complaisance. 
 
 My kibick, an old worn-out cart, 
 which, however, cost me thirty roubles, 
 was now loaded. I took a cold and for- 
 mal leave of the Counsellor, whose de- 
 parture was to take place the day after 
 mine, and which gave me so much the 
 more pleasure, as he was to be the bearer 
 of my memorial to the Emperor. He 
 went away by no means satisfied with 
 the Governor, who did not once invite 
 him to his table, 
 
3 1 
 
 It was on the 13th of June, at twa 
 o'clock in the afternoon, that I walked 
 with great reluctance to the banks of 
 the Tobol, my kibick being already on 
 board. On my way thither, a singular 
 adventure took place./ 1 was accosted by 
 a well-dressed Russian woman, and load- 
 ed with compliments on my plays. These 
 compliments appeared to me to be ill- 
 timed, and, after making her a slight 
 bow, I was passing on. She stopped me, 
 however, and announced herself as one 
 of the company of the town comedians, 
 and informed me that she was studying 
 the part of the High Priestess in the Vir- 
 gin of the Sun ; but being ignorant of 
 the proper dress of such a character, she 
 begged I would describe it to her. At 
 any other time I should have laughed at 
 her, but my departure having thrown 
 me into an ill-humour, I Was quite 
 angry, and told her with a frown that a 
 
3* 
 man banished into Siberia could have no 
 inclination to trouble his head about 
 Peruvian dresses ; and begging her to 
 chuse a robe according to her own taste, 
 I left her in an abrupt manner. 
 
 The common road to Kurgan lies 
 through a small town called Juluterski, 
 the distance is little more than four hun- 
 dred and twenty verstes, but the inunda- 
 tions of the Tobol obliged us to fall back 
 at Tiumen, which lies on the frontiers, 
 and from thence we proceeded south- 
 wards. At Tiumen I passed the night, 
 at the house of a notary, who entertain- 
 ed us with unaffected hospitality. Who- 
 ever had told me three weeks before, 
 that I should so soon revisit this town, 
 would have been considered by me as 
 an angel of deliverance : but now I be- 
 held it again, and my liberty appeared 
 still further off than ever ! On this jour- 
 ney I paid the established ukase-price at 
 
33 ' 
 
 each stage, which was no more than one 
 copeck a verste for two horses, which 
 just amounted to six French sols the 
 German mile. 
 
 At a few posts from Tiumen I ob- 
 served, in a marshy forest, a^ phenome- 
 non in botany, which I have mentioned 
 since my return to several learned natu- 
 ralists, none of w T hom had ever heard of 
 it before* * On a spot about six hundred 
 paces- over, appeared an innumerable 
 quantity of red flowers, and on the top 
 of each there seemed to lie a large flake 
 of snow. ^ Their appearance struck me, 
 and, alighting from the carriage, I ga- 
 thered several of the flowers, which I 
 shall now endeavour to describe* f On a 
 stalk of about five inches in height, the 
 leaves of which, as well as I can remem- 
 ber, resemble those of the lily of the val- 
 ley, hung a kind of purse, not unlike a 
 work-bag, of about an inch and a half 
 
 vol. iu c 
 
34 
 
 square , with tendrils dangling from the 
 upper end, as it were, for the purpose 
 of tying it up/ ; This bag, which both 
 within and without was of a fine deep 
 purple- colour, was furnished with a leaf 
 in the form of a heart, proportioned to 
 the other parts of the flower, the top of 
 which was as white as snow, and the bot- 
 tom of the same colour as the bag;. This 
 leaf opened and shut with ease, and serv- 
 ed in some sort as a lid. I am unable to 
 express how beautiful this flower (which, 
 I must observe, {had no smell) appeared 
 to the eye. I fear I have not been able 
 to describe it with any degree of precise- 
 ness, being but a novice in the science of 
 botany ; I can, however, positively as- 
 sert, that it would prove a very beauti- 
 ful ornament to any garden. The great 
 quantity of them which I saw, induced 
 me to believe it was a common flower 
 in Siberia, and I therefore neglected ta 
 
3S 
 
 take any of them with me. I have re- 
 gretted this a thousand times since, for 
 I looked in vain for the flower 'oh my 
 return, and I could find no one that was 
 acquainted with it.* 
 
 / At the distance of a day's journey 
 from Kurgan, we passed the night at 
 the house of a priest, where we were 
 accommodated with a well-furnished 
 chamber, and good beds, and were 
 treated in the most hospitable manner ; 
 and where, to my great astonishment, 
 no payment was required from us the 
 
 * M. Paterson, to whom I gave a description of 
 this flower, on my return from Kurgan, was e?c- 
 tremely desirous to procure some roots of it, and 
 he intended to transplant them the following sum- 
 mer, should he be able to discover where they 
 grew. Having been obliged to make a very irre- 
 gular tour on account of the floods, it is very pro- 
 bable that I may have thus made a discovery in bo- 
 tany. 
 
36 
 
 next morning. I learnt that the village 
 in common was at the expence of keep- 
 ing up this hospitable establishment, 
 merely for the convenience of travellers. 
 Could the virtue and duty of hospitality 
 be carried further than this ? Not a pea- 
 sant made his appearance at our depar- 
 ture even to receive our thanks. 
 
 At four in the afternoon we came in 
 sight of Kurgan. A single steeple raises 
 its head above a group of mean-looking 
 buildings. The town is situated on an 
 elevated bank of the Tobol : it is sur- 
 rounded with a naked and barren heath, 
 which, spreads itself on all sides, for se- 
 veral verstes, to the foot of some rising 
 woodlands j it is intersected by a great 
 number of lakes, choked up with reeds* 
 The rainy weather by no means render- 
 ed the landscape more inviting. The 
 name of Kurgan, which signifies a grave ^ 
 I had long considered as a bad omenc 
 
37 
 
 With tears in my eyes, and despair at 
 my heart, I found myself arrived at the 
 termination of my past, and the begin- 
 ning of my future miseries ; and as the 
 floods obliged us to approach the town 
 by a circuitous route, I had ample lei- 
 sure to contemplate the grave which 
 was about to receive its living victim. 
 
 In the midst of a cluster of wooden 
 cottages, of one story high, a single 
 house, built of stone, and not in a bad 
 style, now rose before me, and appeared 
 like a palace in comparison with the 
 others. I enquired the name of its 
 owner, and I learnt it belonged to a cer* 
 tain M. de Rosen, formerly vice-gover- 
 nor of Perm, who had an estate in this 
 country. 
 
 The capricious taste of this man, which 
 had induced him to take up his abode 
 in this corner of the world, did not 
 tempt me to covet his acquaintance. Kls 
 
38 
 
 name, however, was German, and I ven- 
 tured to hope he was descended from a 
 German family. The name had been 
 long dear to my heart. It reminded 
 me of a sincere and faithful friend, the 
 old Baron de Rosen, and of his incom- 
 parable lady, w r hom I revered like a se- 
 cond mother : a generous pair, who had 
 often soothed the vexations of my life, 
 and whose name, at that moment, was 
 sufficient to inspire consolation and de- 
 light, even at an immeasurable distance. 
 After many turnings and windings, 
 we came to a kind of flying-bridge, a 
 mere raft, fastened at each end to the 
 opposite shores of the Tobol, and ex- 
 posed to all the violence of the waves. 
 Every carriage that drove upon it caused 
 it to sink considerably, and the greatest 
 care was necessary to keep the emergent 
 part in sight, without which the boat- 
 men who stood on that part which was 
 
39 
 
 under water, would have had no guide 
 to direct them in crossing; the ferry. 
 
 Kurgan has two spacious streets, lying 
 parallel to each other. We alighted at 
 the house in which the common court 
 of justice is held : my subaltern entered, 
 and quickly returned with the account 
 of the gorbdnitschie'} or the head of the 
 police,beingfrom home, and that thePre- 
 sident of the district acted in his place. 
 We then drove to him, and arriving at 
 his door, I was announced, and in a few 
 minutes invited to walk in. 
 
 I was introduced to an old man whose 
 countenance was extremelv ensarind:, 
 but who imagined it was necessarv to 
 assume a serious and important air on 
 this occasion. He saluted me coldly, 
 put on his spectacles, opened every paper 
 which concerned me, and read them 
 with great composure one after the 
 other, without paying the least atteri- 
 
4° 
 
 tion to me. 1 thought it would be as 
 well to give him a hint how I wished 
 to be treated, both at the present time 
 and in future, and taking a chair, I sat 
 myself down. He east- a side glance at 
 me, and seemed much surprised, but 
 continued to read on without uttering 
 a single word* 
 
 In an adjoining chamber I noticed a 
 curious group of persons, consisting of 
 several grown-up children, a handsome 
 woman, (the President's second wife) 
 his mother, who was almost blind, and 
 a middle aged man, in a Polish dres§. 
 They all fixed their eyes on me in si- 
 lence, and not a word was spoken till 
 the reading of the papers was concluded. 
 Probably the Governor had recommend- 
 ed me to the President, or rather his 
 own heart spoke in my behalf, as he 
 thfen turned to me, and with a smiling 
 countenance gave me his hand, and 
 
41 
 
 welcomed me to his house. He. present- 
 ed me to his family, and to the Pole, 
 whom he congratulated on having fpund 
 a companion in misfortune, and whom 
 he also recommended to my friendship. 
 I embraced him with commiseration, and 
 we both felt that the similarity of our 
 destinies would soon make us brothers 
 and friends* 
 
 The President of the common tribu- 
 nal of the province, and at the same 
 time first magistrate of Kurgan, was 
 named De Gravi. His father, a Sw r edish 
 officer, who had been taken prisoner at 
 the battle of Pultava, had been sent into 
 Siberia with many of his fellow-soldiers. 
 He married a native of the country, and 
 died in exile. His son served in the 
 Russian army, fought during the seven 
 years war, returned afterwards to the 
 place of his birth, and having changed a 
 military for a civil employment, lived 
 
42 
 
 satisfied and happy on a moderate in- 
 come; at least he always appeared cheer- 
 ful and content. He had lately been 
 named Aulic Counsellor, and though not 
 foolishly vain, he seemed not a little flat- 
 tered by the title. 
 
 After the first compliments were over, 
 he began to think about providing me 
 with a lodging, which, according to the 
 Governor's order, was to be one of the 
 best that could be found. Such lodg- 
 ing, however, being of the number of 
 those the Crown disposes of, and which 
 the proprietor of the town is obliged to 
 furnish gratis on the arrival of an exile, 
 it is natural enough that every inhabi- 
 tant does all he can to avoid this dis- 
 agreeable tax, and that he whose lot it is 
 to submit to it, accommodates the un- 
 bidden guest with the worst room in 
 the house. 
 
 M. de Gravi, who had been a long 
 
43 
 
 time considering this matter, at last 
 named for my host a kind of adjutant, 
 a little hump-backed man. He then in- 
 vited me to supper, but I begged he 
 would excuse me, as I stood in great 
 need of rest, and wished likewise to ar- 
 range my affairs at my new lodgings. 
 ^ "I accompanied my guide, who led me 
 to a small low-built house, where I was 
 nearly breaking my head in going in at 
 the door. This beginning promised but 
 paltry accommodation, and the rooms 
 I was shewn into were still less inviting. 
 They were nothing better than mere 
 holes in which a man could hardly stand 
 upright ; the walls were naked, there 
 was no bed, nor any other furniture 
 than a table and two wooden stools ; 
 the windows were patched with paper. 
 I sighed from the bottom of my heart ; 
 the mistress of the house returned my 
 sigh in a most cordial manner, and with 
 
44 
 
 silent ill-humour set about clearing the 
 place of some linen 5 a few broken uten- 
 sils, and some old clothes, which she had 
 been accustomed to keep there, 
 
 I grew, however, in some degree re- 
 conciled to the lodging, and began to 
 make my little arrangements as well as 
 I was able. Scarcely had I been an hour 
 in the house, when the worthy De Gravi 
 sent me a ham, two loaves of bread, 
 some eggs, fresh butter, and other pro- 
 visions, out of which my dextrous Rossi 
 prepared an excellent supper, rather in- 
 deed for himself than for me. After 
 this I endeavoured to invoke the power 
 of sleep for the first time at Kurgan, but 
 the distress of mind under which I la- 
 boured, and the myriads of insects that 
 tormented me, did not allow me to close 
 my eyes. 
 
 The next day, rather early in the 
 morning, I received the visits of the 
 
45 
 
 principal" people of the town. These I 
 shall name in succession, to give the 
 reader an idea of what is termed s>;ood 
 company at Kurgan. 
 J* Stephen QsipQwitsch Mammejef was ka~> 
 fitan is.prawttiky or intendant of the pro- 
 vince, as far as relates to the police, the 
 repairs, of bridges and public roads, the 
 collection of tolls, &c. He likewise heard 
 and decided all differences arising among 
 the peasantry. He was a clever, jovial 
 man, very civil, and in easy circum- 
 stances. Some traits of luxury even were 
 to be found in his house, but luxury 
 not always accompanied by good taste. 
 I remember, for instance, to have re- 
 marked in one of the rooms several small 
 tables and tea-boards, ornamented with 
 some good copies of engravings, exe- 
 cuted and varnished over at the manu- 
 factory of Ekaterinahourg. These pkces 
 of furniture were very expensive ; but, 
 
4 6 
 
 instead of their being used either as ta- 
 bles or tea-boards, they were hung 
 against the wall like so many pictures, 
 and the feet which belonged to the for- 
 mer were placed in different parts of the 
 room as mere ornaments. 
 
 Juda Nikitisch, a sedately or assessor 
 of the common tribunal, the brother to 
 a female friend of the Governor's, who 
 had given me a letter of recommenda- 
 tion to him, was a very shallow and in- 
 significant personage. 
 
 Another sedately still more insignifi- 
 cant than the former. 
 
 The secretary of the tribunal, a good 
 sort of a man, who had no very humble 
 notions of his own capacity. He was 
 the only inhabitant of Kurgan that took 
 in the Moscow Gazette* 
 
 A very ignorant surgeon* 
 
 Such was the narrow circle, exclusive 
 of the absent master of the police, in 
 
47 
 
 which I was to pass the gloomy remnant 
 of my days. 
 
 The most interesting man in all the 
 place was certainly the Polish gentleman 
 of whom I have already spoken, whose 
 name was Iwan Si He posse 
 
 3D estate situated upon the new Russian- 
 Prussian frontiers, and had neither taken 
 arms nor had any concern directly or 
 indirectly in the revolution of Poland. 
 A friend of his who kept up a corre- 
 spondence with some of the new Prus- 
 sian subjects, imagined he might receive 
 his letters with more certainty by hav- 
 ing them addressed to Sokoloff, and 
 without informing him of the matter, 
 pointed out that way of communication 
 to his correspondents. The first letter 
 was intercepted. Sokoloff, who was a 
 perfect stranger to the whole transac- 
 tion, was at dinner in the neighbour- 
 hood,, with his friend General WidU 
 
4 8 
 
 hurski, when he was arrested with se- 
 veral others both innocent and guilty. 
 They were a long time confined as state 
 prisoners 5 in a fortress of which I forget 
 .the name. The business was reported at 
 Petersburg, and they all obtained their 
 pardon on condition of being transport- 
 ed into Siberia for life* 
 
 SokoloiT and his companions were 
 thrown into kibicks, and conducted to 
 the place of their destination. The road 
 lay within a few verstes of his estate : In 
 vain he petitioned to be permitted to bid 
 farewell to his family, to take a little 
 linen and some clothes with him ; no 
 attention was paid to his entreaties. In 
 the same kibick he was dragged on to 
 Tobolsk. At that place he was separated 
 from his friends, and sent to Kurgan, 
 where he has led a most melancholy life 
 for three years past, without having re- 
 ceived the least intelligence of his wife 
 and six children. 
 
49 
 
 Not being allowed more than about 
 fifteen French sols a day by the crown, 
 he is obliged to forego every conveni- 
 ence and comfort of life, in order to pro- 
 vide himself with necessaries; During the 
 winter he has been shut up in the same 
 hole with a landlord who was never so- 
 ber, and a landlady who was always: out 
 of humour, surrounded with dogs and 
 cats, poultry and hogs. In the summer, 
 for the sake of being alone, he has lived 
 in a cow-house, where I have often vi- 
 sited him* A bare bedstead, a small 
 table, a chair, a bason and a crucifix, 
 comprise the catalogue of all his furni- 
 ture, and all his wealth. 
 
 Notwithstanding the galling misery 
 * that oppresses him, he refuses every pre- 
 sent that is offered him, lives upon milk, 
 bread and quass, and appears always de- 
 cently dressed. He is beloved by every 
 one in the town, and the only name by 
 
 VOL. II. D 
 
5° 
 
 which he is called is iranuschkaJ* /He is 
 particularly well received by M. de Gra- 
 vi, as he unites to uncommon goodness 
 of heart, the manners of polished so- 
 ciety, and is able to preserve under the 
 pressure gf adversity an equanimity of 
 mind, which I have often admired, and 
 sometimes envied, being myself unable 
 to attain it& It was only when he was 
 alone with me, after having repeated 
 twenty times over the history of our 
 misfortunes, told each other the names 
 of our favourite children, and concluded 
 by naming every one of them, that the 
 tears would start into his eyes, and a 
 deep melancholy take possession of him. 
 Unhappily for me, he did not speak 
 French, nor even Latin, a circumstance 
 very unusual among the natives of Po- 
 land. We often found it difficult to un- 
 
 r- — ' ; '■ 
 
 * 'This word signifies a man full of goodness and 
 condescension, and a lover of children. 
 
5* 
 
 derstand each other, for, although he 
 spoke Russian much better than I did r 
 he had only learnt it at Kurgan, and his 
 Polish accent often rendered it uninteL- 
 iigible to me j but our hearts were the 
 better acquainted on this very account* 
 In the bosom of misfortune two stran- 
 gers felt themselves more intimately 
 united than any other connection could 
 have made them ; had we been born 
 twins, the union could not have been 
 closer. 
 
 "With a single trait I shall finish the 
 character of this extraordinary man. 
 He has been so scrupulously honourable 
 as to reject every offer that has been 
 made him to convey letters to his fa- 
 mily, solely because he had promised go- 
 vernment never to avail himself of any 
 indirect means whatever to carry on a 
 correspondence with any of his relations, 
 that indulgence having been strictly pro- 
 hibited him. 
 
5* 
 
 I now return to my own history. Not 
 one of those who came to see me on the 
 day after my arrival, came empty-hand- 
 ed : every one brought me something 
 either to eat or to drink, and I was at 
 a loss for room to store their presents. 
 M. de Gravi came in person to know 
 how I liked my new lodging; I con- 
 fessed it did not please me at all. He 
 immediately offered to accompany me 
 over the whole town in quest of such as 
 he was able to dispose of : I accepted his 
 offer with gratitude, and we passed a 
 great part of the day in examining se- 
 veral houses, but most of them were 
 found to be still worse, and very few 
 better than that of which I had taken 
 possession-; 4here was every where such 
 want of rooms, that had 1 changed, my 
 servant must have slept in the same 
 chamber with myself — a circumstance I 
 could not have supported* 
 
S3 
 
 At length I requested M. de Gravi to 
 allow me to look out for myself, being 
 desirous to try if money, the master- 
 key to every door, would not procure 
 me an abode where I miojht find better 
 accommodations. He freely gave me 
 leave, observing at the same time that I 
 should find nothing to my liking. I 
 chiefly relied on my intelligent Rossi*, 
 Who, in the course of twenty-four hours, 
 was well acquainted with the town, and 
 had perhaps already over-reached some 
 of its unsuspecting inhabitants. He be- 
 gan to make enquiries, and soon return- 
 ed with information, that I might be- 
 come sole master of a small new house, 
 if I chose to make a sacrifice of the sum 
 of fifteen roubles a month. ? The owner 
 was a tradesman, who, allured by the 
 love of gain, would willingly give up 
 Ms whole habitation, and confine him- 
 self to a small apartment behind it, 
 
54 
 
 I went immediately to the man and 
 took a survey of the house, which I 
 found so convenient and well furnished, 
 considering the place we were in, that 
 it much surpassed my expectations. It 
 consisted of one large room, another of 
 less size, together with a warm and spa- 
 cious kitchen, and* a kind of lumber- 
 room, which the Russians call kladavau 
 The partitions, indeed, were ^>nly naked 
 boards, but the landlord had ornament- 
 ed them with coloured prints, and pic- 
 tures painted in oil; these were exe- 
 cuted badly enough, as it may be ima- 
 gined, but thus furnished an agreeable 
 illusion, which made me in some sense 
 forget where I was* Among them, for 
 instance, were several of the productions 
 of Nuremburg, a female inhabitant of 
 Augsburg, a Leipsic lass, a vender of 
 cracknels of Vienna, all with German 
 inscriptions. The mere sight of a do- 
 
55 
 
 zen lines written in my own language,* 
 rendered me so happy, that I could not 
 summon sufficient resolution to give up 
 these interesting remembrancers. There 
 were besides these, some bad copies of 
 Lady Hamilton's attitudes, and the Her- 
 culaneum paintings, landscapes, &c. The 
 portraits in oil were done in Russia, and 
 represented the Czars ; that is to say, 
 the painter having daubed the canvass 
 with some long-bearded figures, had de- 
 corated them with a Czar's cap, and 
 put an imperial globe in their hands, 
 and written under them the name of 
 Alexci Michailowisch) or some such im- 
 perial appellation. 
 
 The furniture consisted of two wood- 
 en benches with backs to them, which, 
 were dignified with the name of sofas, 
 because a cushion, covered with printed 
 cotton, had been placed on them ; there 
 were also some tables and chairs. There 
 
5 6 
 
 was, besides, a cupboard stored wkfi 
 china, but locked up, and sacred to the 
 exclusive use of the landlady* The win- 
 dows opened into the street ; behind the 
 house there was a spacious yard, which 
 extended to the banks of the Tobol, and 
 opened upon a very agreeable walk. The 
 apartment my landlord occupied was en- 
 tirely separated from mine. All these 
 considerations united, tempted me to 
 dose with the extravagant terms that 
 were demanded, which would have been 
 a considerable price even at Petersburg, 
 and which ill accorded with the low state 
 of my finances. I agreed to take pos- 
 session the same day. 
 
 An obstacle I did not at all expect, at 
 first counteraded my plan. My good 
 friend De Gravi would not consent to 
 see me lavish away so much money. 
 He continually repeated — What a sum 
 for a town like Kurgan! A price quite 
 
57 
 
 unheard of. 1 He even sent for the land- 
 lord, and treated him so roughly, that 
 the latter was on the point of breaking 
 off the agreement. He repeated to 
 me twenty times a Russian proverb; 
 Bereghi denje na tschorni den ; lay by your 
 money for a dark day ! He had even 
 some thoughts of informing the Gover- 
 nor of the transaction ; because, as he 
 observed, his duty required him to watch 
 over me ; and in short, I had great 
 trouble to convince him that I was able 
 to bear the expence ; and that at all 
 times it had been a maxim with me to 
 prefer a good lodging to a good table. 
 At length he yielded, but not before my 
 landlord promised him to furnish me 
 with fire- wood and quass for the same 
 price, and I then took possession of my 
 rooms ; every time, however, that I met 
 him afterwards, I had to support his la- 
 mentations at the extravagant price of 
 my lodging. 
 
58 
 
 It is true, had the remittances I hoped 
 to receive from Livonia failed me ; had 
 all my wife's letters to me been inter- 
 cepted ; had my wife not ventured to 
 join me, or not been allowed to do it, I 
 should, at the end of six months, have 
 been very much embarrassed, as the 
 Crown had not allowed me a copeck. 
 I had, however, money for the present, 
 and hope for the future, and nothing 
 could induce me to refrain from a tem- 
 porary mitigation of my ills. Living 
 also was so cheap at Kurgan, my wants 
 were so few, and the opportunities of 
 falling into extraordinary expences so 
 rare, that I calculated my money was in 
 fact sufficient, with good economy, to 
 supply me for a whole year ; and that in 
 the space of a year many a change might 
 take place ! 
 
 I shall mention the price of several 
 kinds of provisions, observing at the 
 same time, that my honest servant sel- 
 
59 
 
 dom fa' led to cheat me out of one half 
 of the iums I entrusted to him. V Bread 
 cost at the rate of four French sols for a 
 loaf of six pounds weight ; beef sold 
 for a sol and a half a pound ; a fowl 
 a sol and a half; butter from three to 
 fovr sols a pound ; a couple of heath- 
 cocks at most, four sols ; hares without 
 their skins were to be had for nothing, 
 as the Russians never eat them ; a dish 
 of fish two sols ; a cord of wood a livre. 
 The most confirmed drinker could not 
 swallow more than half a sol of quass 
 a day. I once took an opportunity of 
 asking M. de Gravi, in the presence of 
 the Kapitan Isprawnik, what the expence 
 of keeping a pair of horses would amount 
 to. He replied, thirty roubles a year 
 ■would be sufficient. " What do you 
 say! thirty roubles?" cried the other, 
 interrupting him, " I will undertake 
 to keep them, and in excellent condition 
 too, for twenty-five !" 
 
6a 
 
 From the above statement, it appears 
 what a trifle is sufficient to procure the 
 necessaries of life at Kurgan ; but the 
 misfortune is, that they are not always 
 to be purchased. There is neither baker 
 mor butcher in the whole town : once a 
 week, on Sunday afternoon, a kind of 
 market is kept, in which the inhabitants 
 must provide themselves with bread and 
 meat for the whole week* It often hap- 
 pens too, that this market is without a 
 supply of meat. 
 
 Other articles, particularly articles of 
 luxury, are, on the contrary, exorbi- 
 tantly dear. A quart of French brandy 
 costs two roubles and a half; sugar a 
 rouble a pound j coffee a rouble and a 
 half, or upwards ; half a dozen packs of 
 ugly cards seven roubles ; a quire of 
 Dutch paper about three roubles. 
 
 These, however, are articles a man 
 
 1 may do without, and I found, at the 
 
 end of the first week, thajt I had hardly 
 
Si 
 
 spent two roubles, including washings 
 candles, and other trifling things. It is 
 .true my table was as frugal as I was 
 able to make it* The delicacies which, 
 appeared on it consisted of bread, and 
 flour (with which M. de Gravi took 
 care to supply me twice a week, and 
 which is a scarce article at Kurgan), and 
 in excellent fresh butter. Of the latter 
 I never eat better in any part of the 
 world : its good quality arises from the 
 rich pasturages in the neighbourhood, 
 where the cattle graze at will. In addi- 
 tion to my bread and butter, I had some- 
 times a fowl stewed with rice, or a pi* 
 igeon, or a duck, which I had shot my- 
 self ; and my desert was nothing more 
 than a draught of quass- I arose every 
 day from table satisfied, but never with a 
 full stomach ; and I have reason to be- 
 lieve it is to that circumstance I am in- 
 debted for the uninterrupted state of 
 
6z 
 
 good health which I latterly enjoyed at 
 Kurgan. 
 
 My way of living in general was as 
 / follows : I rose at six, and studied the 
 Russian language for an hour - r as not a 
 soul in the town spoke any other, it 
 was absolutely necessary to recover that 
 knowledge which I had lost through dis- 
 use. I then took rny breakfast, and sat 
 down for some hours to the history o£ 
 my misfortunes. After this task, which 
 at length became pleasant to me, I usu*- 
 ally walked on the banks of the Tobol 
 in my bed-gown and slippers. I had 
 masked out the extent of two verstes, 
 which was my daily exercise, and, as I. 
 have already observed, I could go there 
 through the- yard-door unobserved.. At 
 my return I usually read Seneca ; I 
 then took my plain dinner, after which 
 I indulged myself with an hour/s nap, 
 and when I awoke, took up Pallas or 
 
6 3 
 
 Gmelin, till Sokoloff called on me to 
 take the diversion of shooting* On our 
 return he generally drank tea with me, 
 (over which we repeated the story of ouxH 
 misfortunes^ imparted to each other our 
 hopes, or combatted each other's fears. 
 After his departure I again read Seneca, 
 and eat a slice of bread and butter for 
 my supper ; I then played alone at grande 
 -patience* and went to bed more or less 
 sorrowful (I am almost ashamed to own 
 it), as the game had proved more or less 
 successful. 
 
 Whoever has undergone a series of 
 misfortunes, must certainly have expe- 
 rienced that the mind is never more 
 prone to superstition than when under 
 the immediate controul of grief. What 
 would be considered as a mere nothing 
 under other circumstances, acquires im- 
 
 * A kind of fortune-telling game at cards. 
 
 
6 4 
 
 portance during the hour of affliction. 
 A mere straw will then attract our no- 
 tice, and notwithstanding the firm per- 
 suasion that this straw is not able to 
 bear a fly, yet we would fain lay hold of 
 it, and are unhappy if we miss it. I 
 must confess, that scarcely an evening 
 passed at Kurgan, in which I did not 
 put the question to myself, as I was 
 playing at patience, whether I should see 
 my family again or not. When the 
 game succeeded (I should do wrong to 
 say it filled me with hope and delight) 
 but it always gave me pleasure, and when 
 the game was not successful (I should 
 be equally blameable to say, that it in- 
 creased my affliction or despair), but it 
 never failed to give me some uneasiness. 
 Smile, reader ; you have my permission. 
 Ridicule me, ye happy mortals, whose 
 bark has ever glided down a clear smooth 
 stream, whose banks are enamelled with 
 
flowers : ridicule the wretch who, as he 
 clings to the wreck of his vessel, is tossed 
 by the waves on the wide ocean, and 
 eagerly endeavours to grasp the most 
 slender weed, 
 ^/ In this manner my time passed away* 
 I suffered no kind of restraint, and no 
 one overlooked my conduct. My sub- 
 altern, Iwanowitsch, had returned to To- 
 bolsk the day after my arrival, and it 
 was not judged necessary to put another 
 in his place, as had been done in the case 
 of Sokoloff on his first arrival here. All 
 kind of superintendance would have 
 been needless precaution : our field sports 
 indeed drew us sometimes several verstes 
 from the town j but whither could we 
 have fled ? Kurgan had formerly been 
 considered as as the frontier of the Kir- 
 gists j but for many years this frontier 
 had been removed backward more than 
 sixty verstes, and a fort erected to cover it. 
 
 VOL. II, E 
 
66 
 
 And, had the borders still extended to 
 the neighbourhood of Kurgan, it could 
 not have facilitated the escape of people 
 totally unprepared for such an enter- 
 prize, ill acquainted with the Russian 
 language, and wholly ignorant of the 
 Kirgish- Even, in any case, the idea 
 of flight would be the last resort of 
 despair: for the inhabitants of Kurgan 
 still remember, with horror, the time in 
 which they could not venture out of the 
 town, without the risk of being carried 
 off by the Kirgists, who were then ever 
 on the watch. V The captive was tied to 
 the tail of a horse, and obliged to follow 
 the rider, who rode off at full gallop ! 
 The latter cared but little for the cries 
 and groans of the wretch he was drag- 
 ging along : when he came home he ex- 
 amined whether he was alive or dead ; 
 in the first case, he made him his slave, 
 or, what was more common, sold him to 
 
6; 
 
 the Buchanans, who transported him 
 heaven knows where/g We had reason, 
 therefore, to be happy in this enjoyment 
 of the sports of the field, free from the 
 dread of these monsters ! 
 j. The diversion of shooting was ex- 
 tremely agreeable to me, though we were 
 but ill provided for it. We possessed 
 nothing more than two miserable guns, 
 which generally missed fire four or five 
 times before they went off. The whole 
 town did not afford a pointer, nor even 
 a spaniel to fetch our game out of the 
 water. The neighbourhood being full 
 of lakes and marshes, our principal sport 
 consisted in shooting woodcocks and 
 wild ducks ; we were therefore obliged 
 to perform the office of a spaniel our- 
 selves, and wade up to our middle in 
 water to look for our prey. My Polish 
 friend was much more expert in this fa- 
 tiguing exercise than I was. He would 
 
68 
 
 plunge into the deepest waters, and wade 
 about for half an hour together, firing 
 among the reeds, or looking for those 
 birds which I had shot from the banks. 
 He was equal to the best spaniel in every 
 respect but his nose j and indeed a dog 
 was not very necessary to us, on account 
 of the great abundance of game, t Never 
 had I seen in Europe so many rooks in 
 One flight, as I saw wild ducks of an 
 hundred different sorts, in flocks in this 
 Country. Some were very small ; some 
 had round, others fiat beaks ; some long^ 
 and others short ones. There were some 
 with short legs, others with long, and 
 of grey or brown colours, or of black, 
 with yellow beaks. Sometimes, though 
 rarely, we met with the great Persian 
 duck, of a rose colour, with black beak, 
 and a tuft an its head. Every time we 
 shot at this bird, it screamed in a most 
 
6g 
 
 lamentable manner, even when we had 
 missed our aim. 
 
 The species of woodcocks were like- 
 wise equally numerous and various. 
 Some we saw of about the size of a pi- 
 geon, of a brown yellow colour, with 
 long legs and a frill of feathers round 
 their necks. They build their nests 
 among the reeds, and they always fly 
 about the fowler, and make a singular 
 noise ; we seldom shot at them, as their 
 flesh has a disagreeable taste. Twice I 
 discovered some birds as white as snow, 
 and of the size of a goose, with tbng 
 legs and beaks, which were both times 
 seeking their food on the border of a 
 lake ; but they were so wild, that they 
 flew away when we advanced within 
 two hundred paces of them. I never 
 was able to learn their names. 
 
 Besides ducks and woodcocks, we 
 found wild pigeons in abundance, and 
 
blackbirds, flying in such immense 
 flocks, that wherever they alighted on 
 a tuft of trees, they covered it intirely. 
 Their flesh was delicious, but our small 
 stock of powder obliged us to be very 
 sparing of our shots. 
 
 My Pole informed me, that in the end 
 of autumn all sorts of game multiplied 
 prodigiously ; and that hares and heath- 
 cocks were to be found every where. 
 He assured me likewise, and I had heard 
 the same at Tobolsk, that the turkey, 
 called in Russia drachwa, w r as sometimes 
 to be met with here. Bears were un- 
 known in the neighbourhood of Kur- 
 gan, and wolves were not common, as 
 those animals seldom haunt flat coun- 
 tries. The sable is scarce in those parts, 
 but the ermine is found in great plenty. 
 The goss-hawk, both great and small, 
 filled the air, and so little did they avoid 
 the abodes of man, that they were often 
 
shot from the very windows of the town. 
 Having been always fond of the sports 
 of the field, the permission given me to 
 shoot proved one of my most agreeable 
 pastimes. The country itself likewise 
 contributed much to my amusement. 
 Wherever I walked, the most beautiful 
 flowers sprang up under my feet. I fre- 
 quently remarked the fine fpiraa jilipen- 
 dula^ and often met with whole tracts of 
 land intirely covered with sweet-scented 
 herbs, particularly the southern-wood, 
 ( artemisia arbrotanv.m.) . Multitudes of 
 horned cattle and horses, without anv 
 one to watch them, grazed at w T i31 on 
 every side ; and the weather, during the 
 whole time of my residence here, had 
 been remarkably serene.^ While the in- 
 habitants of Livonia were complaining of 
 cold and wet, in Asia the summer was 
 both dry and warm^Most days, indeed,, 
 we were visited by storms, but they wese 
 
72 
 
 quickly over, and refreshed the atmos- 
 phere, without rendering it cold, 
 r^ Another of my recreations was, the ex- 
 ercise of long and frequent walks which 
 I took on the banks of the Tobol. Several 
 parts of this river were resorted to by the 
 girls of Kurgan, for the purpose of wash- 
 ing linen, or of bathing, These baths af- 
 forded them a most agreeable gymnastic 
 exercise, and contributed greatly to their 
 health. They swam over the stream with- 
 out the least difficulty, and lay on the wa- 
 ter without any apparent effort, and in 
 this manner floated down the current on 
 their backs. They often gambolled to- 
 gether, pursued one another in the wa- 
 ter, and tumbled one over the other 
 with incredible dexterity. They indeed 
 carried their sports so far as to alarm an 
 Inexperienced spectator, who must every 
 moment have concluded, that some of 
 them would sink and be lost. Every 
 
73 
 
 thing, I must observe, was carried on 
 with the utmost decency ; their heads 
 alone were above the water, and one 
 might have doubted of their sex, had 
 not their motions sometimes displayed 
 a glimpse of their bosoms ; a circum- 
 stance which, however, seemed totally 
 disregarded by themselves. Whenever 
 they were desirous of ending their sport 
 and coming out of the water, they pro- 
 ceeded in a very modest manner. They 
 desired the lookers-on to retire, and if 
 any person, more curious or mischie- 
 vous than the rest, refused to withdraw, 
 the women on the banks would form a 
 close circle round the first girl that came 
 out, and each of them would hurry on 
 a part of her cloaths, so that in an instant 
 she would appear in a very modest dress. 
 Thes^ young girls seemed in general 
 to be all in good humour, laughing 
 and playing tricks. The Kapitan Ispraw- 
 
\ 
 
 74 
 
 nik, a great admirer of the sex, came 
 frequently of an evening to my rooms, 
 about the time when the beauties of 
 Kurgan were accustomed to fetch water 
 from the Tobol, and would sit with me 
 at the window to see them pass by.\ He 
 would name them to me one after the 
 other, boast of favours he had received 
 from many of them ; and the half-fa- 
 miliar, half-bashful manner in which 
 they saluted him, seemed but too well 
 to confirm what he had said. 
 
 The frequent visits of the inhabitants 
 of Kurgan became at length very trou- 
 blesome to me, though I could not but 
 be sensible of their good intentions. A 
 notary, who lived opposite to me, hav- 
 ing sometimes seen me smoke at the 
 window, and who was himself a great 
 smoker, informed me he would come 
 over and take his pipe with me every 
 .morning, byway of keeping me com- 
 
75 
 
 pany. It was with the greatest difficulty 
 that I could prevail on him to give up 
 his scheme, for neither he, nor any one 
 at Kurgan, could conceive it possible 
 that a man should wish to be always 
 alone and fond of solitude. They knew 
 not that, with the image of a beloved 
 wife in my heart, and Seneca in my 
 hand, I could never be without com- 
 pany. 
 
 I I owe much, I owe every thing to Se- 
 neca ; and I believe that during eighteen 
 centuries, there has not lived a man in 
 the world who has blessed and revered 
 his memory so much as myself! Often 
 when despair had plunged its poniard in 
 my heart, I stretched out my arms to 
 this friend, who every day administered 
 the balm of patience and fortitude to 
 my wounds. The similarity of our fates 
 rendered him still more dear to me. He 
 was an exile, he was innocent ; he passed 
 
y6 
 
 eight melancholy years among the bar- 
 ren rocks of Corsica. The description 
 he gives of his situation accords with 
 my own* He complains of an unplea- 
 sant climate, of the savage manners and 
 uncouth language of the inhabitants. 
 All this was applicable to my own case ; 
 but that which above all transported me, 
 was the eloquent and energetic reason- 
 ing against the fear of death, contained 
 in several fine passages of his works. I 
 collected these with care, and rendered 
 them familiar to my mind and my heart. 
 I carried them always about me, as Fre- 
 deric the Great carried the friendly poi- 
 son, to which he intended to apply, had 
 all his hopes have failed him. 
 
 I cannot better paint the situation of 
 my mind, nor furnish the unhappy, in- 
 to whose hands these sheets may fail, 
 with more efficacious consolation, than 
 •by transcribing some of those sentences 
 
77 
 
 ■which frequent repetition has imprinted, 
 not on my memory alone. 
 
 p* 
 
 C V Can the least of evils be deemed a 
 
 great one ? Is the task of despising death 
 so difficult to learn ? Do we not see it 
 practised every day on the most unim- 
 portant 6ccasions, even the paltry love 
 of gain ? — A slave, in order to escape 
 from his master's fury, will throw 
 himself headlong from the top of a 
 house ! A fugitive fearful of being taken, 
 will stab himself : Shall not courage then 
 produce as great effects as fear ?" 
 
 " The loss of life is the only one which 
 cannot be lamented when it is too late." 
 
 " Thou fallest into the hands of an 
 •enemy ; he drags thee, — whither ? To 
 that very goal to which thou hast been 
 travelling ever since thou wert born." 
 
 " Long life is the wish of all men ; 
 they are but little solicitous that it 
 
7* 
 
 should be a wise and good one : yet it is 
 in our power to embellish life with vn> 
 tue, and we are unable to prolong it." 
 
 " Death is the threshold of the house 
 of rest, and thou tremblest to set thy 
 foot thereon/' 
 
 " We are grown up children, who fear 
 death as infants do their nearest relation 
 in a mask. What relative is nearer akin 
 to us than death ? Boldly tear off his 
 mask ; take from him his axe ; deprive 
 him of his attendants, the physicians, 
 the priests and the mourners, and what 
 then remains ? Nothing but death." 
 
 " Be not terrified at the sound of la- 
 mentations and groans! These arise from 
 pain, and not from death. Every man 
 who has suffered the gout, every ema- 
 ciated libertine, every woman in child- 
 bed, has supported pain. The more vi- 
 olent the pain, the shorter its duration." 
 
 "T shall die — -that is, I shall cease to 
 
79 
 
 feel pain ; my fetters will be broken ; I 
 shall cease to lament my wife and my 
 children ; I shall no longer be a slave, 
 even to death." 
 
 " Death frees thee from all ills, even 
 from the fears itself inspires." 
 
 " Are we not dying daily ? The child 
 grows and improves in stature, but his 
 life decreases. We divide with death 
 every one of our days. It is not in swal- 
 lowing the last drop that we empty the 
 cup of life : to die is only to accomplish 
 life." 
 
 "/AH thy life long learn how to die, 
 though thou wilt be able to cake use of 
 what thou hast learnt but one single 
 time. Learn to die ; it is unlearning to 
 be a slave." 
 
 "(Neither children nor madmen fear 
 death. How humiliating to reason, not 
 to be able to furnish what insanity can 
 procure F J 
 
So 
 
 %g To die is to become again what we 
 once were. Is the flame less happy when 
 it is extinguished, than it was before it 
 was kindled ? Are we not kindled and 
 extinguished by the breath of nature ? 
 It is an error to say death only follows 
 life ; it precedes it likewise. To have 
 terminated, and not to have begun ex- 
 istence, must be the same." 
 
 " Death is either the end of our jour- 
 ney, or a point of repose, where we 
 change our garments. In the latter case 
 we shall be gainers, for our clothes in- 
 cumber us on all sides. But if it be the 
 end of our journey, it were not worth 
 while to have set out. We shall, how- 
 ever, fall asleep, excessively fatigued, 
 and shall not be disturbed by dreams." 
 
 " Life is merely a coasting voyage : 
 Childhood, youth and manhood are pas- 
 sed by with rapidity, as towns and vil- 
 lages float before the eyes of the naviga- 
 
8i 
 
 tor : At length we perceive the port ; 
 and, fools that we are, we take it for a 
 shoal." 
 
 " Captivity is a hard lot : but who 
 compels thee to live a slave ? A thousand 
 ways lead to liberty, ways that are short 
 and easy of access : thanks to the Gods 
 who constrain no man to live against 
 his will. 
 
 c ,*/Not a long life, but a pleasant one 
 constitutes the happiness of our exist- 
 ence ; for which reason the wise man 
 does not live as long as he may, but as 
 long as he likes. If misfortune oppress 
 him, he throws off the burthen. To 
 him it is absolutely indifferent whether 
 he waits the arrival of death, or goes 
 out to meet it : Whether he empties his 
 cup drop by drop, or at a single draught." 
 
 " Telesphorus, the Rhodian, was a 
 mere coward : Being shut up in a cage r 
 
 VOL. II. f 
 
82 
 
 by the tyrant into whose hands he had 
 fallen, and fed like a wild beast, -he said, 
 " As long as I am alive, I may hope." 
 -What ? Shall a man presume to ransom 
 his life at such a price? Thou tellest me 
 that Fortune may do every thing for the 
 man that still lives, and I answer, that 
 she can do nothing against. the man who 
 knows how to die." 
 
 ■•" How often are we bled to cure a 
 head? ache ; and thou hesitatest to open 
 a vein to terminate a miserable life \" 
 
 " Among the apostles of virtue there 
 are some who deem suicide a crime ; as 
 there are dogs which bark at you when 
 you approach the gate of liberty. The 
 Creator has been more compassionate : 
 One road alone leads into life j a thou-* 
 sand lead out of it." 
 
 ■■" I am allowed to chuse the house in 
 which I should like to dwell, the vessel 
 an board of which I should like to sail ; 
 
§3 
 
 and shall I not x:huse the kind of death 
 which must conduct me beyond the 
 grave?" 
 
 u A long life Is not the worst of 
 things: for this reason death ought to 
 be obedient to our will. To others we 
 are accountable for our life ; to ourselves 
 alone for our death/ 5 
 
 I shall not take upon myself to deny 
 •that among the foregoing sentences, there 
 are feveral which on a close examina- 
 tion would prove to be mere tinsel of 
 Avords; but who can be displeased at me, 
 •that, situated as I was, I felt averse to 
 enter into a closer investigation of their 
 reasoning before I adopted them ? I con- 
 sidered my last hope as having failed 
 me. At the expiration of a few months, 
 I saw my dear wife worn out with grief, 
 sinking into her grave j and OhuljanU 
 
8 4 
 
 Wj* still more cruel than death, stre- 
 nuously preventing her coming to join 
 me. I considered that my money would 
 leave me with the summer, and that I 
 should then be obliged to work as a day 
 labourer in a temperature of thirty-six 
 degrees of cold, to earn a morsel of 
 bread and a draught of quass. This me- 
 lancholy prospect I had constantly be- 
 fore my eyes, and what resource had I 
 but death? 
 
 My resolution was maturely weighed, 
 and my plan formed and determined 
 upon. In case, however, that my wife 
 should have come to me, Ihad planned 
 the last, the only means of effecting my 
 escape. My hopes were founded on the 
 feasibility of traversing the interior part 
 of Russia, from one end to the other, 
 
 * Crown Advocate to Paul I. 
 
85 
 
 without being seen. I formed the fol- 
 lowing scheme : 
 
 I intended to have made a partition in 
 my large room, and in one of the out- 
 ward corners to have placed a great 
 clothes press. After such preparations, 
 I should have lived two months with my 
 family, to all appearance easy and con- 
 tented : After that time I intended to 
 affect a progressive decay of health, and 
 at last a derangement of mind. This 
 deception should have continued for an- 
 other two months. I should then have 
 placed my furred cloak and cap, some 
 dark evening, upon the bank of the To- 
 bol, near the spot where the ice is bro- 
 ken for the purpose of drawing water. 
 This being done, I should have returned 
 quietly home and hidden myself in the 
 clothes-press, which should be so con- 
 trived as to admit air. 
 
 Having succeeded thus far, my wife 
 
86 
 
 would have spread an alarm; search 
 would have been made after me ; my 
 clothes would have been found, and 
 every one would have concluded that I 
 had thrown myself -into the river : a 
 letter in my own hand-writing would 
 have announced my design of putting 
 an end to my existence ; my wife w r ould 
 then have appeared the victim- of de- 
 spair ; she would have kept her bed the 
 whole day, and at night, would have 
 tarnished me with sustenance. Report 
 would have been made of this accident 
 at Tobolsk, and from thence to Peters- 
 burg, where it would have been thrown 
 aside, and I should have been forgotten- 
 Some time after this my wife was ta have 
 appeared to recover ; she was then to 
 ask for a passport to Livonia, which, in 
 the common course of things, would not 
 have been refused her. She would then 
 have procured a large sledge-kibick, in 
 
. §7 
 
 tvhich a man may lie at full length, and 
 which, indeed, would have been the only 
 carriage in which such an enterprize 
 could have been executed. I should have 
 filled up the hollow part of the vehicle, 
 and have been covered with pillows and 
 baggage. My wife would have occupied 
 the seat, and have admitted air when- 
 ever necessary ; and unless my strength 
 had failed mc on the road, I should most 
 certainly have arrived, without the least 
 obstacle, before my own door at Frie- 
 denthal ; for, as I have already observed, 
 no one is examined in the interior parts 
 of Russia, and a man may travel from 
 Pokngen to Tschukotshoi-Noss, without 
 being; once asked what he has in his car- 
 riage. 
 
 The most difficult point would have 
 been to give an appearance of authenti- 
 city to the story of my death, which 
 would have been so much the more 
 
88 
 
 easily established, as the inhabitants of 
 Kurgan were a simple, unsuspicious 
 people, utterly incapable of following the 
 thread of a plan so artfully contrived and 
 executed. 
 
 Being arrived at Friedenthal, I should 
 have found it easy enough to conceal 
 myself for some time from every eye. I 
 had, besides, more than one friend in 
 Estonia on whom I could depend as con- 
 fidentially as I could on my wife, Knor- 
 ring or Huek would have conveyed me 
 in the same manner as far as Revel. 
 The generous Frederic de Ungern-Stern- 
 berg would have removed me to his es- 
 tate at Hapsal, and from thence to the 
 Isle of Dagoe, where I should have em- 
 barked for Sweden in a fishing-boat, 
 which, with a fair wind would have 
 made the passage in twelve hours. Every 
 thing, I must repeat, depended on my 
 being able to bear the fatigue of such a 
 
8 9 
 
 journey ; for in every other respect, 
 having the happiness to possess a wife so 
 singularly excellent, and friends so de- 
 voted to my service, the plan was very 
 practicable. 
 
 The project of escape I had formed in 
 Livonia, and of which I may now speak 
 without reserve, was similar to this. I 
 designed to have made the Duna the 
 scene of my pretended death, and to 
 have hidden myself in the ruins of Ko- 
 kenhusen. M. de Lowenstern would 
 have ordered a search to be made for 
 me. Every enquiry having been made 
 to no purpose, a certificate of my death 
 would have been dispatched to the Coun- 
 sellor ; I should have been forgotten at 
 Petersburg, and the affair being over, 
 some of my friends might have con- 
 veyed me away in the manner already 
 pointed out. 
 
 My project at Kurgan, however, ap- 
 
9d 
 
 peared more practicable than that at the 
 other place. It would naturally be sup- 
 posed that a body sunk under the ice 
 could not be found again ; whereas 
 an unsuccessful search in the Duna, 
 which was not frozen, might have given 
 rise to suspicion. Besides, it was no un- 
 common thing in Livonia for an unfor- 
 tunate man to put an end to his suffer- 
 ings. 
 
 The advice of my friend Kiniakoff was, 
 that I should join one of the caravans, 
 under a good disguise, on its return to 
 China. He himself would have endea- 
 voured to escape in that manner, had he 
 not been apprehensive of embittering 
 the fate of his two brothers. I should 
 have found such an enterprise impracti- 
 cable : I was a foreigner, and the success 
 of this scheme depended on being a native 
 of Russia, or, at least, on knowing the 
 language well enough to pass for a car- 
 
9i 
 
 rier of that nation. I adhered therefore 
 to my former, plan, and I desired my 
 wife, in an indirect manner, to bring 
 every thing with her that could aid its 
 success, and at the end of every letter, I 
 hinted at what I intended to do, by these 
 words : " If you come here you will be 
 more to me than Lodoiska was to her 
 Louvet." 
 
 Even at Kurgan I met with a man, 
 who kindly and voluntarily offered to 
 transmit a letter to my wife, and who 
 has conveyed several to her in a more 
 expeditious manner than they would 
 have reached her the common way. If 
 I do not name this friend, the reason may 
 be easily imagined. Before God my 
 heart has named him more than a thou- 
 sand times ! 
 
 I pity those gloomy philosophers, who 
 ascribe to human nature an innate and 
 original depravity. My misfortunes have 
 
confirmed me in the opinion that man 
 may put confidence in man. How few 
 hard-hearted and insensible beings are to 
 be met with in my narrative ! How few 
 that resemble the unfeeling Counsellor, 
 or the coxccmical Prostenius ! I have al- 
 ways thought, and I am convinced of 
 the fact, that if a man be unfortunate, 
 he will every where find friends : the 
 arms, the hearts of men will open at his 
 approach, in the most dreary wilderness, 
 in the most remote corner of the uni- 
 verse ! 
 
 ^The good inhabitants of Kurgan are 
 certainly of this description. I was in- 
 vited to all their little feasts ; every one 
 would fain divide his pittance, and share 
 his pleasures with me. On my arrival 
 among them they did know me as an 
 author : but a paragraph which was In- 
 serted in the Moscow Gazette, relative 
 to the brilliant success of my pieces on 
 
93 
 
 ' the English stage, informed them of my 
 literary existence, and served to increase 
 that esteem which they had already 
 evinced for me. The good nature with 
 which they endeavoured to divert me, 
 and the kind intention they had in draw- 
 ing me into their little circles, have some- 
 times proved troublesome to me ; for, 
 on one hand, my mind was ill adapted 
 to any intercourse with mankind, and 
 on the other, their company had but 
 few charms for an European like myself, 
 spoiled by the habits of polished society* 
 The following may serve as a sketch 
 
 f of the state of society at this place. The 
 Assessor, Judas Nikitisch, celebrated the 
 festival of his patron Saint, which, it 
 must be observed, in Russia is a more 
 important festival than a birth-day. He 
 came to me early in the morning;, and 
 invited me to his house, where, he said, 
 I should meet all the principal people of 
 
94 
 
 the place. I went, and on my arrival 
 was stunned by the noise of five men, 
 whom they called singers. These men, 
 turning their backs to the company, 
 apply their right hands to their mouths 
 to improve the sound of their voices, 
 and make as loud a noise as possible in 
 one corner of the room. This was the 
 salutation given to every guest on his 
 entering the house. An immense table 
 groaned under the weight of twenty 
 dishes 5 but I could see neither plates nor 
 chairs for the accommodation of the 
 company. The whole had the appear- 
 ance of a breakfast, which the Russians 
 often p;ive under the name of a sacuschka. 
 The principal dishes were pirogues, not 
 made of meat, as is usual, but of diffe- 
 rent kinds of fish, it being the season of 
 lent. There were besides several dishes 
 of soused fish, and pastry of many sorts. 
 The master of the house carried a 
 
95 
 
 liuge brandy bottle in his hand, eager to 
 serve his guests, who frequently drank 
 to his health, and, to my great surprise*, 
 without shewing any signs of intoxica- 
 tion. There was no wine, and indeed 
 I had drank none in Siberia, except at 
 Tobolsk, at the Governor's table : it w T as 
 a Russian wine, palatable enough, which, 
 if I mistake not, had been procured from 
 the Crimea. Instead of wine our host 
 presented us with mead; another rarity, 
 and much esteemed here, as there are 
 no bees in Siberia. Every guest, except 
 -myself, however, preferred brandy to 
 this mead. 
 
 I expected every moment that another 
 door would be thrown open, and that 
 the company would sit down to table ; 
 but I expected in vain. The guests took 
 their hats one after the other, and went 
 away ; and I felt it necessary to follow 
 their example. 
 
9 6 
 
 "Is the entertainment over?" said I 
 to M. de Gravi, who stood near me. 
 
 " No," replied he; " the company 
 are going home to take their naps, and 
 at five o'clock they will be here again.' ' 
 
 I returned at the appointed hour. The 
 scene was then changed ; the great table 
 still occupied the centre of the room, but 
 in the place of pirogues, fish and brandy, 
 
 it was covered with cakes, raisins, al- 
 monds, and a quantity of Chinese sweet- 
 meats, several of which w r ere of an ex- 
 quisite flavour, and among which I re- 
 marked a dry conserve of apples cut 
 into slices. 
 
 The mistress of the house, a young 
 and charming woman, now made her 
 appearance, and with her the ladies and 
 daughters of the guests, iji their old-fa- 
 shioned dresses. Tea and French bran- 
 dy were handed to the company, with 
 punch, into which the glukwa berry 
 
97 
 
 {yatciriium okycoccos) was squeezed instead 
 of lemons. Card tables were then set, 
 and the guests played at Boston* as 
 long as the brandy allowed them to 
 distinguish the colour of the cards. At 
 supper-time every person retired as they 
 had done at noon, and -the entertain- 
 ment closed. 
 
 It will be easily imagined that it re- 
 quired no small effort on my part to 
 partake of such recreations. Happy was 
 I when I could return to rny own cham- 
 ber to breathe in freedom, or take my 
 gun on my shoulder, and walk out with 
 my worthy Sokolofif. 
 r Thus my days passed on at Kurgan, 
 my health continued invariably good, 
 which had not been the cas? for many 
 years before, and this contributed in a 
 considerable degree to the serenity of 
 
 * A Russian gam% 
 >L, II, G 
 
98 
 
 my mind. I indulged the fondest hopes: 
 the idea of my family assembled round 
 me was always present to my mind, and 
 thus re-united, I was convinced we could 
 not be unhappy even at Kurgan. Such 
 was my firm persuasion, and I knew my 
 wife would think the same. 
 
 Nor was this my sole and last hope. 
 I had presented a Memorial to the Em- 
 peror ; to an Emperor who would not 
 blush to make reparation for the impe- 
 tuosity of the moment, into which he 
 had been surprised by calumny or sus- 
 picion ; to an Emperor who, being him- 
 self a father, would allow the voice of 
 nature to reach his heart through all the 
 obstacles that his court-advocate Obul- 
 janinow could throw between him and 
 me. With what sincerity did I wish 
 my Counsellor a good journey ! How 
 many times have I calculated the weeks, 
 &he days that would be necessary for his 
 
99 
 
 arrival at Petersburgh ! The days ana 
 the weeks after that which must elapse 
 before the decision of my fate could 
 reach me, whether on the banks of the 
 Neva or those of the Tobol ! Towards 
 the end of August, if every thing agreed 
 with my calculations, I expected to re- 
 ceive my final sentence. Thank Hea- 
 ven i I had in this instance erroneously- 
 calculated — 
 
 The hand that leads us thro' life's dreary road, 
 Aids the lorn wretch to bear his gralling load : 
 And tho' fond hope, bereft of ail its pow'r, 
 Has scarce a gleam to cheer the darken 'd hour, 
 Still may one thought the erring mind employ, 
 That one short moment brings unlook'd-for joy I 
 
 It was now the ;th of July : the morn- 
 ing was fine, and I was engaged in my 
 usual maimer, in drawing up the story 
 of my misfortunes, when, at about ten 
 o'clock, M. de Gravi came in, and, after 
 a few words of ordinary chat, took up 
 
ICO 
 
 a pack ol cards, as he most commonly 
 did, to play at the game of grande pa- 
 tience^ which he often carried so far as 
 to put my patience to a severe trial. 
 I was sometimes whole hours a witness 
 to his pastime, for the good man could 
 not conceive it possible that any one's 
 time at Kurgan was valuable, and parti- 
 cularly an exile's. He continued to play 
 till eleven o'clock : during this time I 
 walked up and down the room in ill- 
 humoured silence, without taking any 
 notice of the game, except once, when 
 he asked me with what view he should 
 turn up the cards. * c Consult the oracle," 
 said I, peevishly, " whether I am to see 
 my family shortly." The deal proved 
 fortunate, and he was highly delighted 
 that they were soon to be with me. 
 
 At length he recollected he had busi- 
 ness to dispatch, and took his leave* 
 
 I continued my task. In the middle 
 
101 
 
 of a period my servant interrupted me 
 by saying — " Well, Sir, we have some 
 
 more news/ 5 
 
 I paid little attention to him, conclud- 
 ing he was going to entertain me with 
 some new love affair ; (for he had had 
 twenty, and some of no common sort, 
 since we had resided here) and without 
 taking my pen from the paper, I turned 
 myself half round to ask him what the 
 news was. 
 
 " This very moment a dragoon is ar- 
 rived to take you away," said he. Struck 
 with terror, I started from my chair, 
 and looked him full in the face without 
 being able to utter a single word. 
 
 " Yes, yes," continued he, " we shall 
 perhaps set off this very day for To- 
 bolsk." 
 
 " How ?" was all I was able to say. 
 
 Instead of answering me, he brought 
 a man to me who had seen the dragoon. 
 
102 
 
 had heard him speak of his commission, 
 had accompanied him to M. de Gravi's, 
 and from thence had ran to my lodging 
 to be the first bearer of the news, but 
 who was totally ignorant of the dis- 
 patches that were brought. 
 
 What had I to expect ? My liberty ? 
 Alas, no ! For in such case, why was I 
 to be taken back to Tobolsk ? The near- 
 est road lay through Ekatarinabourg, 
 and why make a circuitous journey of 
 live hundred verstes ? Besides, the an- 
 swer to mv Memorial could not arrive 
 for a considerable time to come. I had 
 therefore nothing; better before me than 
 the horrid prospect of being transported 
 from Tobolsk further up the country, 
 perhaps to Kamtschatka. I remained a 
 considerable time in great perturbation 
 of mind, till, rousing myself from a 
 painful train of thought, I took the 
 quire of paper on which I had been writ- 
 
IG 3 
 
 ing, together with all the bank notes I 
 had left, and concealed the whole under 
 my waistcoat, I waited for more than 
 ten minutes in the most painful state of 
 suspence, for the arrival of my sentence. 
 These ten minutes are to be numbered 
 among the most dreadful of my life. At 
 last I perceived from my window M. de 
 Gravi , accompanied by a crowd of people, 
 turning the corner of the street, and in 
 the midst of them I discerned a dragoon, 
 with a plume that covered his hat. They 
 were too far off for me to observe the 
 expression of their countenances \ and 
 I remained more dead than alive, wak- 
 ing to know my fate, 
 
 I walked with trembling steps about 
 the room, and again drawing near the 
 window, I could distinguish the features 
 of M. de Gravi, which seemed to be 
 very composed. A ray of hope now 
 gleamed upon me, yet heaviness still 
 pressed upon my heart. 
 
104 
 
 The people were now in the yard j 
 M. de Gravi looked up at my window, 
 perceived me there, and saluted me in a 
 gay and friendly manner. I felt my 
 heart grow lighter ; I attempted to go 
 out to meet him, but was unable : I re- 
 mained quite motionless, and fixed my 
 eyes upon the door of the chamber : it 
 opened ; I endeavoured to speak, but 
 continued speechless. 
 
 Prosdawlaja, wui swobodni—" I con- 
 gratulate you, you are free!" — As he 
 uttered these words, the good De Gravi 
 threw himself into my arms, and shed 
 tears of joy. I saw nothing, heard no- 
 thing ; felt only the tears of De Gravi, 
 which wet my cheek, while my own 
 eyes remained dry. The cry of prosdaiv- 
 llija was repeated by all around me ; 
 every one strove to be first to embrace 
 me, and my servant too pressed me to 
 his heart. I permitted all these proceed- 
 ings, still looking at them with silent 
 
*°5 
 stupor : I could neither thank them, nor 
 utter a word. 
 
 The dragoon then delivered me a let** 
 ter from the Governor. I had strength 
 enough to open it, and I read the follow-, 
 ing lines, which were written in French* 
 
 " Sir, 
 
 " Rejoice, but moderate your 
 transports ; the state of your health 
 requires it. My prediction is accom- 
 plished. I have the satisfaction to in- 
 form you that our gracious Emperor 
 " desires your return. Command every 
 " thing of which you may be in want ; 
 "and it shall be procured you. Orders 
 4C are already given for your accommo- 
 " dation. Hasten and receive the con- 
 " gratulations of 
 
 ! " Your very humble Servant, 
 
 " De Kuscheleff." 
 July jtfh. 
 
io6 
 
 Every word of the letter sunk deep 
 into my heart. The Governor sent me 
 at the same time a bundle of newspapers, 
 and a short congratulatory note from M. 
 Becker, who by chance had been present 
 when the dragoon was sent off, and who 
 offered me his house, in the most pres- 
 sing manner, on my return to Tobolsk. 
 
 M. de Gravi read to me the order 
 which he had received. The substance 
 of it was that I should be furnished with 
 with whatever I might want, even with 
 money, and that I should be sent off 
 immediately. 
 
 I had not yet recovered my speech, 
 but a flood of tears relieved me. I wept, 
 and the greater part of the spectators 
 wept with me. 
 
 Suddenly Sokoloff came in and fell 
 upon my neck, pressed me in his arms, 
 and shed many bitter tears. " I am 
 again," said he, much affected, " alone 
 
107 
 
 and forsaken, but what does it signify ? 
 God knows, I rejoice sincerely in your 
 deliverance." 
 
 All the principal people of the town 
 crowded about me ; the room could 
 scarcely hold them. Every one was ea- 
 ger to testify his joy, and to compliment 
 ' me on this occasion. The worthy De 
 Gravi, who naturally imagined such a 
 crowd would at the present moment 
 prove troublesome to me, dispersed them 
 by degrees, and proposed my going to 
 dine at his house. I could neither eat 
 nor drink. " When do you think of 
 setting off?" said he. " In two hours," 
 I replied. " What shall you want ?" — 
 " Horses." — He smiled and left me. 
 
 I was now alone — I shall not attempt 
 to describe the state of my mind. For 
 several hours I could neither stand nor 
 sit still. I walked backwards and for- 
 ward without intermission, and mea- 
 
ioS 
 
 sured the room in every direction. I 
 had scarcely any ideas, I had merely sen- 
 sations, confused images which rapidly 
 succeeded each other, without leaving 
 any distinct traces on my mind. I still 
 saw my wife and my children fluttering 
 before my eyes as in a mist. I felt my 
 head grow giddy, and my whole frame 
 was strangely affected ; I endeavoured 
 to think in a connected manner, to re- 
 flect, to read the newspapers, which was 
 a favourite occupation with me; but all 
 was in vain, my tears from time to time 
 gushed out afresh, and all I was able to* 
 say was confined to this single exclama- 
 tion ; O God ! O God ! 
 
 As soon as my mind became more 
 tranquil, I found that my cup of joy was 
 not without a mixture of regret. The 
 stranger to whom, in the first transports 
 of delight, I had made a present very in- 
 consistent with my means, informed me 
 
2 09 
 
 >ng other things, that a senate cou* 
 rier had arrived from Petersburg, to 
 conduct me thither : but, that having 
 orders only to go to Tobolsk, he had re- 
 fused to stir beyond that place ; on ac- 
 count of which, it had not been in the 
 Governor's power to spare me this cir- 
 cuitous route. This point, indeed, was 
 sufficiently cleared up, but the dragoon 
 could not solve a second question of 
 much more importance to me, which 
 was, Whether the courier had brought 
 any letters from my family, or at least 
 any account of them ? Of this the dra- 
 goon was quite Ignorant ; and it seemed 
 but too probabL, in my mind, that the 
 cornier had no such letters or accounts 
 to bring me, since the well-known hu- 
 manity of the Governor would certain- 
 ly have induced him to mention the cir- 
 cumstance in his letter. He well knew 
 how much I was attached to my wife ; 
 
no 
 
 he had witnessed the tears I had shed 
 for her, and in sympathy often mingled 
 his own with mine. As therefore he 
 mentioned not a word of her in his 
 note, I dreaded that he had something 
 very shocking to conceal from me. 
 
 Thus ingenious was I in tormenting 
 myself ; but happily the preparations for 
 the journey in some degree diverted my 
 attention. I was as impatient as a child : 
 all my things were crammed in haste 
 into my portmanteau, and thrown into 
 a kibick. I hastily acquitted myself of 
 my last duty at Kurgan, and took leave 
 of all my good friends. It will be sup- 
 posed I did not stay many minutes in 
 one house. I remained longer with my 
 excellent friend Be Gravi, and he ex- 
 acted a sacrifice from me on leaving 
 him, which gave me no small pain, but 
 which I could not refuse, as he solicited 
 me in the most pressing manner. 
 
Ill 
 
 The 7th of July was a solemn festival, 
 the true meaning of which I was never 
 able to discover. It chiefly consisted in 
 transporting the image of the Saint of a 
 neighbouring village into the town. The 
 Saint of the town was carried in pro- 
 cession to meet it, received it with! po- 
 liteness, and bore it company to its 
 own temple ; honoured it with certain 
 prayers and hymns, and accompanied 
 it back in the evening. All the inhabi- 
 tants of the place escorted their Saint on 
 this little excursion, singing psalms as 
 they marched along. The worthy De 
 Gravi thought it his duty to be at the 
 head of this procession, and it was at this 
 ceremony that I was compelled to be 
 present. He assured me it would not 
 last half an hour, and I accompanied 
 him. 
 
 Borne by six pretty country girls, and 
 attended by a priest with a long beard. 
 
112 
 
 the Saint of the village met us in the 
 skirts of the town. Every one sung 
 and made the sign of the cross. The 
 images of the two Saints politely ex. 
 changed salutations. We returned with 
 them to the town ; the stranger Saint 
 w r ent to the house of its host, and I 
 flew to mine to make my last prepara- 
 tions. 
 
 I found my good friend Sokoloff 
 there, whose heart was much oppressed 
 on account of our separation. The night 
 before we had both observed, that the 
 liberty of the one would render the cap- 
 tivity of the other doubly painful. The 
 following day the circumstance was to 
 take place ! I made him a present of my 
 gun, my shooting apparatus, all my 
 powder and shot, and every thing else 
 that I could spare. He accepted them 
 without saying a word, and I could read 
 in his moistened eye, that he had much 
 
"3 
 
 rather have had my company than my 
 presents. I pressed him to write to his 
 family, and promised to transmit his 
 letters safe into their hands. His con- 
 science, however, which was scrupulous 
 to excess, would not permit him to em- 
 brace my offer. He was determined in 
 no respect to disobey the severe orders 
 he had received, and deemed it merito- 
 rious rather to fuffer every thing than 
 incur the imputation of a single fault. 
 
 The idea that this excellent man would 
 have been far less unhappy at Kur- 
 gan, had he never found a fellow-suf- 
 ferer in me, embittered the moment 
 of joy which I had experienced on re- 
 gaining my liberty. In fact, I had been 
 the cause of his having resumed his for- 
 mer habits of society and friendship, 
 and having again tasted some of the 
 enjoyments of life. He could always 
 pour forth his complaints to me ; my 
 
 vol. u, n 
 
ear and my heart were ever open to 
 him, and my sudden departure plunged 
 him once more into his former solitude! 
 It had been my intention to have taken 
 him out of his melancholy dwelling, and 
 have lodged him with me during the win- 
 ter, had not my departure condemned 
 him again to his garret. I embraced 
 him and shed many tears ; he wept also 
 and left the room, I did not see him 
 any more, for when the greater part of 
 the inhabitants of the town were assem- 
 bled in the yard at the moment of my 
 departure, Simon SokolofF was not of 
 the number. 
 
 I was obliged to wait an hour for the 
 horses. Never in my life did I feel my- 
 self so much upon thorns. I was hardly 
 capable of acknowledging the marks of 
 kindness which the Kurganians lavished 
 upon me. Gne had made me some 
 punch ; another loaded my kibick with 
 
MS 
 
 provisions ; a third presented me with 
 a pot of cucumbers.* I must have walk- 
 ed on foot by the side of my carriage, 
 had I accepted' all their presents. May 
 the benediction of heaven fall on these 
 good people ! I shall see them no more, 
 but I bear in my heart a tender and 
 grateful remembrance of their hosni- 
 tality. 
 
 The horses at length arrived. I was 
 embraced by the whole circle, and put in- 
 to the kibick. Good old De Gravi got in 
 with me, determined, as he said, to accom- 
 pany me out of the gates. Benedictions 
 and prayers were showered upon me at 
 parting, and I was lost in a transport of 
 delight. After proceeding about two 
 verstes on my journey, De Gravi stopped 
 
 * At Kurgan cucumbers are considered as a great 
 delicacy ; they are cultivated as melons are in Ger- 
 many, and are served to the guests, as part of the 
 desert, cut into small slices, 
 
n6 
 
 the postilion, fell upon my neck, em- 
 braced me and wept ; pressed my hand, 
 and alighted from the carriage ; left me, 
 returned again, shook me once more by 
 the hand, sobbed, bid me farewell, and 
 departed. I raised myself in the kibick, 
 kept my eyes a long while upon him, 
 and contemplated with emotion the spot 
 of my exile ; and then, having cast be- 
 hind me the painful dream of my mis- 
 fortunes, I bid the driver make the best 
 of his way. 
 
 I was not obliged to go so far round 
 as Tiumen ; the water had in a great 
 degree subsided; and being provided 
 with a gauze fence to keep off the gnats, 
 I was enabled to go on during the whole 
 night, which, without such precaution, 
 had been impracticable at this season of 
 the year. The gnats of this country re- 
 semble those of Europe, except that they 
 are of a yellow colour^ and are still more 
 venemous. 
 
Towards evening I fell asleep, and af- 
 ter ar-~easy slumber, I awoke to new en- 
 joyment. I was a full minute before I 
 could well recollect what had so lately 
 happened to me; but this minute, during 
 which the idea of my liberty gradually 
 unfolded itself in my mind, was a celes- 
 tial one. 
 
 f In the afternoon we passed through a 
 little town called Jaluterski. It con- 
 tained a great number of exiles, among 
 whom was Prince Simbirski, formerly 
 Commander in Chief of the Russian 
 
 - r 
 
 army, who had been sentenced to banish- 
 ment on account of mal-practices in the 
 delivery of a cloth contract, of which he 
 in fact had not been himself guilty, 
 though charged with conniving at the 
 guilt of others. It is scarcely to be ima- 
 gined that he deserved so heavy a punish- 
 ment, and stili less easy to believe that 
 it could have been inflicted in so cruel a 
 
n8 
 
 manner. \ He was loaded with irons, and 
 dragged into exile with a guide three 
 times as cruel as mine, and obliged, in 
 spite of the bad state of his health, and 
 the incumbrance of his fetters, to give 
 up, almost continually, his place in the 
 kibick to his guide, and to walk. There 
 was no sort of ill-treatment, no kind of 
 humiliating outrage, but what he had 
 experienced at the hands of his execu- 
 tioner.* 
 
 A scene of happiness nevertheless 
 • awaited him on the inhospitable banks 
 of the Tobol, which I have often envied 
 him, and which must have considerably 
 alleviated his misfortunes. On his way 
 from Tobolsk toward Jaluterski, the 
 place of h,is destination, having been 
 obliged, as I had been, to measure back 
 
 * He was afterwards found to be innocent of the 
 charges exhibited against him, and he has been since 
 • Oist.it ted in all his honours and dignities. 
 
II 9 
 
 the high-road for some hundred verstes, 
 he saw, at the very moment in which 
 he was leaving the Tobol and striking 
 up the country ; he saw, I say, a raft on 
 the other side of the river begin to move, 
 with several persons and their baggage 
 on board. Let the reader judge of his 
 joy, when he recognized by degrees his 
 wife and his children ! He uttered a loud 
 shriek, and it was echoed from the raft; 
 it was the dear and well-known voice of 
 his family. Their arms were extended 
 towards him : he rushed into the water, 
 met the raft, and sprung into it. -Hea- 
 vens ! What a moment! Some peasants, 
 who were spectators of this scene, re- 
 lated it to me. They had felt as they 
 ought on this occasion, and' they yet 
 speak of it with emotion. 
 
 When I passed through the town, 
 Prince Simberski was ill ; he was sur- 
 rounded, however, by his family, and . 
 
120 
 
 was the object of their most tender so- 
 licitude. 
 
 I never saw finer pastures than in this 
 country. Any one has liberty to mow 
 them, and yet the greater part remains 
 unmowed, in consequence of the thin 
 population, and scarcity of cattle. 
 
 I must not pass over in silence a phe- 
 nomenon which I met with in a village 
 near Jaiuterski. It was a male idiot, 
 about eighteen years old, who walked on 
 all-fours : he might be cited in behalf of 
 the hypothesis, that man originally walk- 
 ed in that manner. He not only trotted 
 very fast whenever he chose, but at the 
 same time held his head in a vertical po- 
 sition as other men do. The muscles of 
 his neck must certainly have given way, 
 and become accustomed to this direction. 
 He seldom stood erect, and never walked 
 in that attitude, but often squatted upon 
 his i«£« in the manner of a bear. 
 
121 
 
 Between Jaluterski and Tobolsk, we 
 drove through several villages inhabit- 
 ed by Tartars. This nation does not 
 appear to me to merit the contempt with 
 which the Russians, their conquerors, 
 choose to treat them. An accident 
 which befel me in one of these villages, 
 gave me an opportunity of learning 
 some particulars. 
 
 One evening, near sun-set, the axle- 
 tree of my carriage broke down, when 
 two or three Tartars immediately ran to 
 my assistance. One of them was a sort 
 of carpenter. I stopped before his door, 
 and learning that the repairs wc aid take 
 up three hours, I desired my servant to 
 make some tea. The inside of the Tartar 
 houses being very dirty, I preferred pass- 
 ing the evening, which was exceedingly 
 fine, before the door ; and having pro- 
 cured a table and a chair, I began to 
 open my travelling trunk to take out 
 
its 
 
 what was necessary to make my tea. 
 Curiosity had drav/n all the inhabitants 
 of the village about me, who seemed to 
 be totally ignorant of the use of utensils 
 of luxury. An old silk bed-gown, that 
 my wife had often wished me to throw 
 aside, attracted their attention and ad- 
 miration to such a degree, that every 
 one of them was desirous to handle it. 
 
 But what delighted them to ecstacy 
 "was the looking-glass that lined the lid 
 of my travelling box. They sat cower- 
 ing in groups before it, laughed aloud 
 at the sight of their own faces, and ex- 
 plained to one another, by droll gesticula- 
 tions, their astonishment at seeing before 
 them the country that lay behind them. 
 I took the glass from the lid, and pre- 
 sented it to the carpenter's wife, who at 
 first cast a look by stealth upon it, then 
 by degrees grew more familiar with it, 
 and at last admired herself with no small 
 
1*3 
 
 satisfaction, for she was very pretty. It 
 appeared to me that the female Tartar 
 peasants were not so scrupulous a,s thq 
 women of Casan in hiding their faces j 
 at least all I saw here were without veils. 
 
 Tea being ready, I lighted my pipe*, 
 and sat myself down upon a pile of tim- 
 ber which stood just opposite my car- 
 penter's house. It was a picturesque noc- 
 turnal scene. A score of Tartars were 
 seated about me, upon the riide steps 
 formed by the beams of timber ; at my 
 feet a little fire was kindled, at which 
 the carpenter was working ; and across 
 the way, close to the house, stood seve- 
 ral women, girls, and children, who werQ 
 too bashful to approach nearer. 
 
 By degrees a very singular conversa- 
 
 * Lest the Printer should be ixtnocently accused 
 of a blunder, the Translator begs to inform his 
 countrymen, that the Germans frequently take a 
 pipe with their tea and coffee. 
 
124 
 
 tion took place between me and the sur- 
 rounding group. The moment they had 
 discovered I was not a Russian, they 
 took courage; I gained their confidence; 
 ,they overwhelmed me with inquiries: 
 Who was I? Where was I going? What 
 countryman was 1 ? How did people live 
 in my country ? The crowd and myself 
 were alike ill versed in the Russian 
 tongue, and we had infinite trouble to 
 understand each other. Having told 
 them I was a Saxon, they conversed for 
 some time in the Tartar language to- 
 gether, and then asked me if Saxony 
 was not situated upon the Caspian Sea. I 
 knew not how to give them an idea of 
 the geographical position of that country. 
 They were ignorant of all Germany, ex- 
 cept Prussia, and of that they had but 
 very confused ideas. They had never 
 heard of the name of France, of its re- 
 volution, nor its wars* Happy people ! 
 
"5 
 
 
 ' A young woman, whom the looking, 
 glass had attracted so much, having in 
 ean while drawn nearer to us to 
 profit by the conversation I took an op- 
 portunity of asking Her if polygamy was 
 common among them \ and it appeared, 
 that in ail the village there were but two 
 men who had more than one wife, and 
 my carpenter was one of these. I was 
 asked if I did not think it very agree- 
 able to have several helpmates and se- 
 veral companions. Each by-stander 
 strove to prove the advantages of poly- 
 gamy. " When a man's wife grows 
 old/ 5 said one of them, u she is asso- 
 ciated with a younger woman." " When 
 the old one is sad," added another, " the 
 young one may smile and be merry." 
 
 " Very well," said I, " but does this 
 arrangement please your females ?" On 
 saying this, I cast my eyes upon my 
 pretty hostess. The by-standers explain* 
 
126 
 
 ed what I said, as she scarcely under- 
 stood a word of Russian, and when she 
 had comprehended the question, she 
 shook her he?.d, as if she would say, 
 " you are right to doubt it." After this 
 she turned her eyes in a timid manner 
 towards the door of her own house, 
 where a woman of about forty, and 
 of a crabbed look, probably her compa- 
 nion, was sitting. My eyes followed 
 her's, and I was convinced that I had dis- 
 covered a family secret. 
 O* I had evidently gained the good will 
 'of this young woman, by the part I had 
 taken in favour of her sex, for she soon 
 after brought a pot filled with eggs^ 
 though I had not' asked for any thing 
 of the kind, which having placed upon, 
 the fire that was burning before me, she 
 squatted down in such a manner that the 
 flames reddened her countenance in a 
 high degree : having boiled the eggs, 
 
127 
 
 she presented them to me upon a wooden 
 dish. 
 
 I had never before had an opportunity 
 of being convinced of the inveterate 
 hatred which the Tartars bear the Rus- 
 sians. My dragoon had fallen asleep ; 
 my servant and myself were strangers, 
 and they could venture to explain them- 
 selves with freedom, which they soon 
 began to do without the least reserve. 
 
 As far as I have been able to observe 
 the Tartar nation, I have found them 
 frank, ambitious, quick in perception^ 
 of strong feelings, and much addicted 
 to revenge. The men are in general tall, 
 stout, and hardy. With such faculties 
 and dispositions, it is impossible that the 
 conduct of the Russians towards them 
 should produce any other effects than 
 hatred. The Tartars are considered as 
 the reprobate descendants of certain 
 Finlandish colonies. The name of Tar- 
 
128 
 
 tar in this part of the world is an ex- 
 pression as injurious as that of Tsuchon* 
 which is bestowed on the wretched in- 
 habitants of the north of the Baltic. 
 They are used in the most cruel and ig- 
 nominious manner* When any acci- 
 dent happens to a Russian on the road, 
 he claims, as the bounden duty of a slave, 
 the assistance of the first Tartar he 
 meets, without condescending either to 
 pay or thank him for his service. They 
 even ridicule his prophet during the 
 very time the man is at work for them, 
 and while they themselves remain idle 
 lookers-on. I have been present at a 
 scene of this kind, in which Alexander 
 Schulkins behaved with great in decency 5 
 and I could observe, that when he began 
 to speak prophanely of the prophet, the 
 
 * The true name of the Finlanders, but which is 
 now degenerated into a term of reproach. 
 
129 
 
 Tartar grew pale with anger, and was 
 scarcely able to restrain his indignation. 
 
 I afforded this injured people some 
 consolation, by informing them, that 
 several of their mirzas were treated 
 with great respect at Petersburg. I 
 named Berschawin in particular, a man. 
 equally celebrated as a poet and a states- 
 man ; advising them at the same time 
 to make application to him whenever 
 they stood in need of redress. 
 
 If my conversation seemed to afford 
 them much delight, their frank and un- 
 reserved behaviour gave me no les plea- 
 sure, except that they pressed too closely 
 about me. 
 
 As soon as the carriage was repaired, 
 \ prepared to depart. The carpenter re- 
 ceived a trifle for his labour, but refused 
 to take any thing for his hospitality ; 
 and though this accident was far from 
 being agreeable, as it impeded my jour- 
 
 VOL. II. i 
 
i 3 c 
 
 ney, yet I cannot help congratulating 
 myself on having employed the period 
 of the delay in a very satisfactory man- 
 ner, 
 
 I continued my journey without any 
 farther accident, and arrived on the 9th 
 of July, early in the morning, at the 
 last post before Tobolsk. The spring 
 Hoods had not long subsided, and I was 
 obliged to travel the last four German 
 miles, as I had formerly done, in a mi- 
 serable bark. But the weather was fine, 
 and my mind was as serene as the at- 
 mosphere. I saw the same objects with 
 far different sensations, and my soul re- 
 sembled the smooth surface over which 
 we were gently gliding. 
 
 At ten o'clock I arrived at Tobolsk. 
 M. Becker, as I have already said, had 
 offered me his house, but I waved going 
 there immediately, being uncertain whe- 
 ther such a step might be agreeable to 
 
*3* 
 
 the Governor, who was obliged above 
 all other men to observe every measure 
 of prudence and circumspection. 
 
 Under this impression, I preferred 
 going directly to my former quarters,, 
 where I was received with open arms 
 by the master of the house, and shewn 
 into the apartment which I had before 
 occupied, and in which another unfor- 
 tunate exile had lodged since I left it. 
 1 announced mv arrival to the Gover- 
 nor by means of the dragoon, and as 
 soon as I had changed my dress I fol- 
 lowed him. 
 
 The courier who had been dispatched 
 to me, and whose name was Carpow, 
 lodged in the same house with us. 
 was, however, from home, and I was 
 still obliged to reserve all the anxious- 
 questions I had to ask relative to my fa- 
 mily in my own bosom. I flew to the 
 Governor, and found him. as before, in 
 
*3 2 
 
 liis garden. He pressed me to his heart, 
 and his eyes sparkled with sincere de- 
 light. , 
 
 My first enquiry was respecting those 
 who belonged to me, Alas ! he was un- 
 able to afford me the least information; 
 he however strove to console me by 
 every argument in his power. He shew- 
 ed me the ukase which related to me, 
 and which contained only a few lines, 
 written in the Court Advocate's hand, 
 enjoining him, " to set the within-named 
 c; Kotzebue, committed to his keeping, 
 " immediately at liberty ; to send him 
 K to Petersburg, and to furnish him, at 
 " the expence of the Crown, with what- 
 " ever was necessary or agreeable to 
 " him." The Courier was also directed 
 to defray all the expences of the journey. 
 
 In consequence of this order, the Go- 
 vernor asked me what sum of money 
 would be sufficient for me, I had still 
 
m 
 
 some hundred roubles in my possession, 
 and I should not have accepted any as- 
 sistance, had I not apprehended that my 
 refusal of the Emperor's generous offers 
 might be construed into pride or dis- 
 dain. On the other hand, I was fearful 
 of asking too much, and it was as neces- 
 cessary to avoid the imputation of pre- 
 sumption as that of haughtiness. I men- 
 tioned my scruples to the Governor ; 
 and requested him to assist me with his 
 advice. He was of opinion that by tak- 
 ing three hundred roubles I should ob- 
 serve a proper medium. I fixed upon 
 that sum, and had then no other wish 
 than to proceed on my journey within 
 two hours. In vain did the Governor 
 s me to stay a few days at To- 
 bolsk ; 1 answered with some degree of 
 impatience, that I considered every hour 
 which did not convey me nearer to my 
 wife as a robbery committed upon her, 
 
*34 
 
 He acquiesced in this reasoning, and 
 turning with apparent emotion towards 
 a lady that sat near him, he explained 
 to her, in the Russian language, what I 
 had just said. He promised to give, or- 
 ders to hasten my departure, and even 
 offered to compel the man who had so 
 shamefully cheated me in the purchase 
 of my carriage to return it to me for the 
 same sum which he had paid for it. I 
 thanked him for his kindness, but pre- 
 ferred rather to pursue the journey in 
 an inconvenient kibick than be liable to 
 stop every moment on the road to re- 
 pair the carriage. 
 
 I did not, however, depart so speedily 
 as I had hoped. The payment of the 
 three hundred roubles, which I would 
 gladly have renounced, required many 
 formalities. The Governor was obliged 
 to write to the city-chamber, the mem- 
 bers of which attended on public busi- 
 
ness only in the forenoon ; it was too 
 late that day, and I was under the neces-, 
 sity of passing that night at Tobolsk. 
 
 I dined with the Governor, and went 
 afterwards to see my good friends Ki- 
 niakoff, Becker, and the excellent Pater- 
 son, who all received me with expres- 
 sions of the sincerest friendship. On 
 my return home I found my Courier, 
 but he was unable to give me any infor- 
 mation relative to my family. His pri- 
 vate instructions, which he gave me to 
 read, proved indeed that the Emperor 
 was perfectly convinced of my inno- 
 cence, since he was charged to take the 
 greatest care of me on the route, and to 
 treat me wscikie udowolst-icre^ that is to 
 say, to do every thing that could con- 
 tribute to my satisfaction. 
 
 For this purpose, indeed, a bad choice 
 had been made in the person of the Cou- 
 rier, M, Carpow was one of the most 
 
i 3 6 
 
 ill-bred and slovenly young men in the* 
 world, extremely fond of his ease, and 
 as lazy as a spoiled lap-dog ; never giv- 
 ing himself the least trouble about any 
 thing. It was a matter of indifference 
 to him whether we travelled fast or 
 slow : he did not even possess the talent 
 so common to people of his condition, 
 of hurrying the post-masters and drivers 
 by assuming an air of importance, and 
 bestowing threats and curses upon them. 
 He was a mere log ; and his invincible 
 apathy has often put my patience to the 
 severest trial. In other respects he was a 
 good sort of a fellow j he had been for- 
 merly an apothecary's apprentice,and per- 
 haps was well enough calculated for his 
 post at the mortar. He was much vexed 
 at not being able to stay and indulge 
 himself a few days longer at Tobolsk. 
 It was likewise rather difficult to satisfy 
 him in respect to money : when. I gave 
 
*37 
 
 him a hundred roubles on our first in- 
 terview, it seemed the sum did not equal 
 his expectations. 
 
 During the whole evening my room 
 was crowded with people, who came to 
 congratulate me, some of whom were 
 known, and others quite unknown to 
 me. The Governor himself honoured 
 me with a visit, and the whole town 
 vied in paying me the same compliment. 
 
 This night was the first I had passed 
 in Siberia in pleasant and uninterrupted 
 repose. I rose early next morning, in 
 the hope of being able to set oft by nine 
 o'clock, for which purpose I had already 
 encased a boat : but unfortunately I 
 was obliged to wait till the evening, be- 
 fore the petty business of the three hun- 
 dred roubles was decreed, signed, and 
 concluded ! I ought perhaps to consider 
 this delay as a most fortunate circum- 
 stance, as during the whole day there 
 
fe£| 
 
 were several storms, which might have 
 overset the boat. I derived also another 
 advantage from this delay. I had con- 
 sented, out of mere complaisance, to 
 take the son of a German taylor to Pe- 
 tersburg in the capacity of a servant. 
 His friends had concealed from me that 
 he was subject to sickness and fits, and 
 I should have had a very troublesome 
 travelling companion in the poor youth, 
 had not my further detention given me 
 an opportunity of discovering his infir- 
 mity. 
 
 It was, however, much against my 
 will that I dined and supped once more 
 with my friends at Tobolsk. Towards 
 evening every thing w r as ready, when 
 the wind and rain still compelled me to 
 defer my departure for some hours. I 
 fixed it for three the next morning, and 
 threw myself upon my bed without tak- 
 ing off my clothes. 
 
*39 
 
 I was the first person awake in the 
 house, or, to express myself with more 
 accuracy, I did not close my eyes. At 
 day-break I caused my lazy companion 
 to be roused from his slumbers. The 
 tempest was rather increased than dimi- 
 nished, yet I resolved to wait no lor.. 
 At four o'clock we were on the 
 of the Irtisch, and I saw with i 
 that my carriage was aire:. a board 
 the agitated vessel. ;; Will 
 be dangerou- 
 
 extras o,*' replied he (ne 
 
 apasnoj. This expres 
 alarming, yet incl >a got 
 
 of fear, and in spite of a": 
 Id urge, I told the fa 
 cee 
 
 abcxamf 
 to the river. He ap 
 dug le&ye ; 
 
 . feigned, most pi 
 
 :r 
 
140 
 
 the loss of his opportunities to pilfer me : 
 for although I gave him a considerable 
 gratuity, besides paying him the wages 
 due to him, I discovered, on opening my 
 portmanteau, that he had divided with 
 me the few things which I possessed. I 
 say divided*, for he had left me exactly 
 one half of every thing : he had even 
 cut the sheet which I carried with me 
 in half. May he enjoy soft and pleasant 
 slumbers upon it ; and no doubt but he 
 may, for what is called conscience was far 
 from being the foible of this fellow. 
 
 At length we put oft', and the joy with 
 which I beheld the water that rippled 
 between me and the shore cannot be 
 described. My eyes were fixed upon the 
 town as it receded from my view ; 
 upon the mass of buildings which gra- 
 dually disappeared ; and I should have 
 continued to enjoy this charming scene;, 
 at once so affecting and so pleasing, had 
 
141 
 
 not the increasing violence of the tem- 
 pest, the motion of the bark, and the 
 cries of the pilot and boatmen, aroused 
 me from my reverie. 
 
 As long as we steered over the de- 
 luged fields, as long as we coasted the 
 forests, we went on pleasantly enough ; 
 but when we were obliged to venture 
 out at sea, (the reader will pardon the 
 expression) or cross the sinuosities of the 
 Irtisch and the Tobol, the danger became 
 imminent. The waves rolled over the 
 boat every moment, and we were obliged 
 to scoop out the water with our hats, or 
 in any manner w r e could. No one could 
 stand upright without being in danger 
 of falling overboard, and at the moment 
 when we endeavoured to cross the To- 
 bol in the teeth of the wind, our bark 
 was on the point of foundering. The 
 day before, such an accident had actually 
 happened. It was only by crowding all 
 
142 
 
 together on the elevated side of the ves- 
 sel, that we could have preserved an 
 equilibrium, and thus have saved our- 
 selves from instant death. 
 
 We likewise met with shallows, where 
 the grass that grew in the meadows over 
 which we passed appeared above water - T 
 here we often ran aground.. It was then 
 necessary for the rowers to wade half- 
 way up their bodies in water to push 
 the barge afloat again, which often re- 
 quired much time and labour. 
 
 At length, after toiling for more than 
 seven hours, we happily arrived on the 
 opposite shore, and from this moment 
 all our fatigues on water were at an end* 
 as every one of the other rivers which 
 had so much incommoded me on my 
 way to Siberia, had now sunk into their 
 usual channels. The gloomy Sura, the 
 beautiful Kama, the majestic Wolga, the 
 rapid Wiatka, had all subsided, as if 
 
143 
 
 they had been averse to interrupt my re* 
 turn. 
 
 A new danger, however , threatened 
 me a little before my arrival at Tiumen. 
 I felt myself exceedingly indisposed. I 
 was ignorant of the cause of this malady, 
 the symptoms of which were quite new 
 to me. My whole frame underwent 
 such violent agitations, that I could no 
 longer bear the motion of the carriage, 
 even at a moderate rate. I had unfor- 
 tunately no remedy at. hand, except a 
 little lemonade powder. My good friend 
 Paterson had offered me some medicines 
 when I was at Tobolsk, but as I had no 
 idea that so happy a journey could be 
 attended with sickness, I had refused 
 them; indeed had I taken them, I should 
 not have known what to have used, as 
 I was ignorant of the cause of my illness. 
 There was no remedy then but patience; 
 and the tormenting idea of being so near 
 
144 
 
 the end of my journey, and yet to die 
 before I had embraced my family, \\ f as 
 ill calculated to inspire patience. 
 
 I was conveyed slowly on as far as 
 Tiumen, where we arrived in the after- 
 noon. My Courier advised me to remain 
 here till I grew better, but I was averse 
 to all delay ; and the best assistance I 
 could have procured at Tiumen would 
 perhaps have been an ignorant surgeon, 
 as there was no physician in the place. 
 I preferred, therefore, at all events, to 
 continue my route. Am I not, thought 
 I to myself, on the frontiers of Siberia ? 
 At least I will pass beyond the limits of 
 my exile before I die. 
 
 We proceeded, but my pains increased 
 to such a degree, that at the next post I 
 was unable to bear the least motion of 
 the carriage, and was obliged to pass the 
 night in a miserable village. It was al- 
 ready evening: I caused a bed to be 
 
**45 
 
 made in my kibick in the best manner 
 it could be done, and endeavoured to 
 sleep. I was, however, unable to close 
 my eye-lids ; my illness was now at its 
 crisis : it was long and violent, but my 
 constitution triumphed at length, and 
 to this struggle I am perhaps indebted 
 for that health which I enjoyed all last 
 winter, during which I was in better 
 health than I had experienced for the 
 twelve preceding years. 
 
 The next morning I was able, though 
 extremely weak, to continue my jour- 
 ney, and at ten o'clock I again saw the 
 direction-post in the forest that indi- 
 cated the boundaries df Tobolsk, and 
 which I had before beheld with such 
 heart-felt grief. 
 
 On my former journey I had been al- 
 lowed to purchase at Moscow a few 
 bottles of Burgundy to strengthen my 
 stomadi. I paid at the rate of four 
 
 VOL. II. k 
 
146 
 
 roubles a bottle. The state of my 
 iinances not permitting me to indulge 
 in extravagance, I had only purchased 
 three bottles : two were emptied on my 
 arrival at, Tobolsk; the third accompa- 
 nied me to Kurgan.: I had preserved it 
 as a treasure, and destined it for the 
 celebration of the day of my wife's ar- 
 rival. I now drew the cork, in the face 
 of this post, with the assistance of a cork- 
 screw my dear mother had given me 
 last new-year's-day, and which Inow 
 used for the first time. I drank several 
 glasses. I shed tears of joy. I made the 
 courier and the driver drink with me, 
 and then broke the empty bottle against 
 the post;; after which, with a light heart, 
 and as if I had nothing more to fear, I 
 gaily cried, " Drive on postilion/' 
 
 As my health continued to mend, I 
 recovered my accustomed flow of spirits, 
 and quickened the progress .of my jour- 
 
147 
 
 ney. I had, however, two difficulties to 
 combat with : the first arose from the 
 bad condition of my kibick ; it was old 
 when I bought it, and had carried me, 
 including the journey, to and from Kur- 
 gan, more than four hundred leagues. 
 It grew more and more out of order 
 every hour, and at length began to crack 
 in .the most 'alarming manner, I had 
 been obliged to stop a dozen times to 
 have it repaired, and I was aware the 
 moment was not far off in which I 
 should be left in -the middle of the high- 
 way. I determined, therefore, to dis- 
 pose of it at the next stage, and to make 
 use of the post kibicks, notwithstanding 
 they are the most incommodious of all 
 vehicles. They are in fact mere carts t 
 generally without any covering, and so 
 short, that the traveller cannot lie in 
 them at full length. They are changed 
 at every stage, which, besides the trouble 
 
148 
 
 of loading and unloading the baggage, 
 exposes the traveller to the inconve- 
 nience of quitting his bed in the coldest 
 night, and in all weathers. Scarcely per- 
 haps has he, by covering himself up to 
 the chin with the bed clothes, be^an to 
 feel warmth j when the kibick stops, and 
 he is compelled to quit it for another. 
 
 My Courier made all these representa- 
 tions to me : aware how much he should 
 suffer by this plan, he of course employ- 
 ed all his rhetoric to dissuade me from 
 adopting it. I had, however, calculated 
 that we must lose a day or more in case 
 the kibick broke down on the road ; I 
 had considered the possibility of my dear 
 wife being ill, perhaps dangerously ill ; 
 that my arrival might contribute to her 
 recovery ; and that an hour's delay might 
 possibly render my arrival too late to 
 save her life. These considerations tri- 
 umphed over every difficulty, and de- 
 
14$ 
 
 termined my conduct. At the next 
 stage I enquired who was the poorest 
 man in the village ; to him I made a . 
 present of my old kibick, and in this 
 manner removed the first obstacle. It 
 was far more difficult to overcome the 
 second ; for what steps could be taken to 
 give activity to my lazy automaton of a 
 Courier ? Every expedient had hitherto 
 proved of no avail ; presents, threats, 
 ridicule and reproaches were all in vain ; 
 his indolence was invincible : he was 
 perpetually yawning, and crying out 
 that we had time to spare. It was surely 
 as a punishment for my sins that this 
 most dilatory, most stupid of all cou- 
 riers was selected. 
 
 In the midst of all the distress which 
 I felt on this occasion, an angel of deli- 
 verance appeared in the person of Was- 
 sill Sukin, whom the Emperor had dis- 
 patched with all possible speed from hi- 
 
*5f 
 anti-chamber to restore to liberty a mer- 
 chant whom Prince Potemkin had ba- 
 nished to Siberia eight years ago. The 
 Courier, who had arrived at Tobolsk be- 
 fore I left that place, had waited for the 
 prisoner there, who had been exiled, if 
 I am not mistaken, to Pelim, a thousand 
 verstes farther up the country. They 
 could not J ve set out till some days, 
 after my departure. The Merchant ar- 
 rived at Tobolsk with his legs swelled 
 and full of sores, but in spite of the shat- 
 tered state of his health, impatience fur- 
 nished him with wings. He set off, and,, 
 thanks to the laziness of my friend Car- 
 pow r , he overtook us in the neighbour- 
 hood of Ekatarinabourg. 
 
 Prom this moment we proceeded with 
 rapidity. Wassili Sukin was a spirited, 
 active young man ; he looked after the 
 relays of horses himself, and either kind 
 or rigid, as circumstances required, knew 
 
how to handle the whip* and to spur on 
 both man and horse. Carpow, thus 
 finding himself relieved from all kind 
 of trouble, had nothing more to do 
 than follow Sukin. Even in this, how- 
 ever, he failed,- and we always arrived a 
 quarter of an hour later at each stage. 
 However, we found our hcrses always 
 ready, and were never de ined a mo- 
 ment, Had it not been for the service 
 &ukin rendered me, I should not have 
 arrived at Petersburg so soon as I did 
 bv ten days. 
 
 I must add one word more on the 
 subject of the merchant who accom- 
 panied me. He had been podrlidschlck 
 to the Crown (a contractor for provisions 
 and buildings) ; he had acquired great 
 wealth, had a house at Petersburg, and 
 another at Moscow. Being exasperated 
 at some unnecessary delays, and a va- 
 riety of frauds that had been practised 
 
*5* 
 
 upon him by Prince Potemkin, he one 
 day uttered some inconsiderate expres- 
 sions in the anti-chamber of that favou- 
 rite, and was instantly sent into banish- 
 ment, and deprived of every thing he 
 had, even to his very cloak. At Pelim, 
 in the very heart of Siberia, he became 
 what is called forgotten, and earned his 
 bread bv working as a common labourer. 
 He had even, according to hispwn ac- 
 count, been announced as dead, in a 
 formal report delivered to Government. 
 This gentleman was ignorant by whom, 
 or in what manner the Emperor had been 
 informed of his innocence, and of his 
 being still alive. When sent into banish- 
 ment he had not been allowed to see his 
 wife or his children, and since that time 
 he had not heard any thing concerning 
 them or his property. Let the reader 
 imagine with what ardour he burned to 
 see his family again. Although he was 
 
*53 
 
 old and feeble, and obliged at every 
 stage to have his wounds dressed, he 
 never during the whole journey deferred 
 the moment of our departure, but would 
 even have travelled faster. 
 
 On the 15th of July we arrived at 
 Ekatarinabourcr, where we rested. I 
 purchased some fine Siberian stones at 
 the polishing manufactory, where ihey 
 are sold very cheap. These I intended 
 to present to my daughters for neck- 
 laces, which from them might pass to 
 my latest posterity, in memory of the 
 most unhappy event of their father's 
 life. 
 
 As we were proceeding on our jour- 
 ney, after quitting Ekatarinabourg, and 
 were passing through an ill-paved town 
 called Kungun, I very narrowly escaped 
 being killed, in the following manner : 
 We were driving very swiftly down a 
 hill, when the axle-tree snapped, and the 
 
*I4 
 
 kibick was overturned. My head touch- 
 ed; the pavement, and as the horses con- 
 tinued galloping, I was dragged over the 
 stones, in the most imminent danger of 
 being dashed to pieces.. My hat pre- 
 served me in the first instance-— but I 
 soon lost it, and must certainly have- 
 perished, had not some peasants, whom 
 a fair had drawn to the town, stopped 
 the horses. I received a severe, contu- 
 sion ; the postilion suffered still more, 
 and bled very much ; while the passive 
 Capow, who was sitting with his legs 
 dangling over the side of the kibick,. 
 was gently pitched into the mire. 
 
 On the 1 8th we arrived at Perm, 
 where I lodged with the honest clock- 
 maker, Rosen burg, and peaceably rested 
 my w r eary limbs upon the self-same sofa, 
 on which two months before I lay agi- 
 tated with despair. 
 
 From Perm to Casan nothing parti- 
 
*55 
 
 cular occurred, and the good spirits I 
 enjoyed were only damped by the sight 
 of the exiles we continually met w r ith 
 on the road.* Some of them, like my- 
 self were in their own carriages, others 
 in open kibicks ; and a far greater num* 
 ber, chained together in couples, tra- 
 velled on foot, and were escorted by 
 parties of armed peasants, who were re- 
 lieved from village to village. Some of 
 them had forked pieces of wood fastened 
 about their necks, the handle of which 
 huno* over their breasts and fell down 
 
 o 
 
 to their knees. In these handles were 
 two holes, through which their hands, 
 had been thrust by force. The spectacle 
 was truly shocking — all those who walk- 
 ed on foot asked our charity, and with 
 what pleasure did I relieve them ! I, who 
 was returning from my captivity ! I, 
 who was flying to the arms of my fa- 
 mily. 
 
i 5 6 
 
 I likewise met several companies of 
 emigrants destined to people the new- 
 city which was building bf the Empe- 
 ror's orders on the confines of China. 
 The men and women walked on foot ; 
 the children were perched upon the 
 waggons, among bales and boxes, dogs 
 and poultry. Their countenances did 
 not express either hope or satisfaction. 
 
 On the 22 d of July, at noon, I en- 
 tered 1 the city of Casan, and lodged in 
 a very handsome house, designed for 
 purposes of public festivity, the mistress 
 of which was extremely attentive and 
 Obliging. I did not neglect paying a 
 visit to the hospitable Justifei Timo- 
 feitsch, whose house was so infested 
 with taracans, to thank him once more 
 for his former kindness. 
 
 I was induced to spend the rest of the 
 day at Casan, as a relation of my wife 
 was married and settled there, with 
 
whom I wished to spjea&fc* as I knew she 
 corresponded witk her friends in Esto* 
 ma, and I flattered myself with the hope 
 of learning some tidings from home S 
 I trembled as I entered the house ; she 
 received me with open arms ; but alas! 
 had not a word of consolation for me, 
 being totally unacquainted with the state 
 of my family. One of her brothers, in- 
 deed, had just written to her, and men^ 
 tioned that Baroness Bellingshausen, my 
 wife's sister, w r as preparing for a journey 
 to Germany ; but of my wife, not a 
 word was said ! If this brother of her's 
 had been aware what pain his silence 
 occasioned me, he certainly would not 
 have carried his dread of the Govern- 
 ment to such an excess ; he would have 
 inserted a few lines, however insignifi- 
 cant in the eye of a stranger, and with- 
 out making any mention of my, name, 
 at that moment so odious, would simply 
 
i 5 8 
 
 have observed, " Our cousin is here or 
 there ; is in good health, lives in such 
 or such a manner/' I could indeed 
 draw this consoling inference from his 
 letter, that she was not dead ; for sure- 
 ly, .said I, he would at least have ven- 
 tured to have stated such an event as 
 that. 
 
 On my arrival at Casan I enjoyed a 
 very agreeable surprise. Every one, 
 whether -known or unknown, Germans, 
 French and Russians, crowded to see 
 me, and expressed, in a thousand ways, 
 the good-will they bore me. They had 
 heard two months before that I had 
 passed through the town, and had given 
 themselves much trouble to find me out, 
 but in vain ; for my amiable Counsellor 
 had taken effectual measures to prevent 
 my being known. 
 
 , Casan is a large and populous city, 
 well built, and has a lively appearance/ 
 
The custom-house is not inferior to that 
 of Petersburg, or Moscow, in the size of 
 its structure, or the extensiveness of its 
 busings. The antique fortress of the 
 Khans of Tartary, which was demolished 
 by I wan Wassilewitsch, rises above the 
 heights of an adjacent rock, and forms 
 a grand and picturesque spectacle. The 
 building is very extensive ; part of its 
 ruins has been lately restored, and is 
 now inhabited by the commander of the 
 town. 
 
 The strangers resident at Casan are 
 sociable, and their manner of life very 
 agreeable. Were I obliged to live in the 
 interior part of Russia, this would be 
 the spot which I should prefer. 
 
 On leaving Casan I was accompanied 
 by half a dozen droschkas* and other 
 
 * A kind of small carriage, composed of a mere 
 bench, sometimes stuhed, and mounted upon four 
 xv-heels. 
 
t6<3 
 
 carriages, as far as the banks of the Wol- 
 ga, which, on my first passage over it, 
 reached to the very walls of the city, 
 but now flowed in its regular bed seven 
 verstes farther on. At Casan I purchased 
 a kibick to continue my journey with 
 more convenience. 
 
 Having crossed the Wolga, Carpow 
 shewed me the spot where he had met 
 my Counsellor and Schulkins, whom he 
 very much astonished by the news of 
 my recal. The Counsellor particularly 
 regretted his not having foreseen the fa- 
 vourable turn that my affairs had taken. 
 This regret did not arise from a very 
 pure source. 
 
 Between Casan and Novogorod, I saw 
 at different times, and on both sides of 
 the road, a group of armed men, seated 
 round a great fire, the meaning of which 
 my curiosity at last induced me to en- 
 quire into. The information I received 
 
i6i 
 
 was not of the most agreeable nature : 
 They were parties of peasants under 
 guard to cover the road, which was 
 much infested by robbers, whom the fair 
 of Makariow* had drawn in bands to 
 this neighbourhood. Hitherto I had ob- 
 served nothing suspicious on the way, 
 a traveller, however, who meets the mail 
 for the first time in this country, natu- 
 rally concludes that the roads are very 
 dangerous, which in fact they are, TIk*. 
 kibick, in which the Courier rides with 
 the mail, is always accompanied by four 
 or fiye peasants armed with guns and 
 swords, who are hardly able to keep up 
 with it. This precaution, however, has 
 only lately taken place, in consequence 
 of an order of Paul I. which makes every 
 Governor responsible for the mail within 
 
 * Bnsching, the Geographer, mistakes in mak- 
 ing Makariovv a mere convent, and not a town. 
 VOL. II. L 
 
1&2 
 
 the precincts of his jurisdiction. It is 
 therefore natural that the Governors, 
 especially of thinly-inhabited countries, 
 , should provide against danger, This or- 
 der, however, appears to me to be very 
 severe; since, in a country where im- 
 mense forests afford the robbers an im- 
 pervious retreat, no human power is ablfc 
 to prevent their depredations. 
 
 On approaching Nischnei Novogorod, 
 piy eyes were regaled with the sight of 
 two objects which I had not for a long 
 time met with. These were cherry-trees 
 and bee-hives. It is well-known, though 
 not accounted for, that there are neither 
 bees nor cherries to be found in Siberia ; 
 and that all fruit-bearing trees are un- 
 known, or rarely to be found. The joy 
 I felt at the sight of my old acquaint- 
 ances was transporting. " L am now in 
 Europe," I cried exultingly, " I am now 
 near mv native home !" 
 
tig 
 
 At Nischnei, I would fain have dined 
 in the European manner, but could find 
 nothing but a miserable Russian hut, 
 without any tiling to eat ; nor was there 
 a better inn in the whole place. Return- 
 ing, after this fruitless search, to the 
 door of the post-house, I began to make 
 preparation for eating my bread and 
 cheese in my kibick, while Sukin was 
 gone into the house to hasten the arrival 
 of fresh horses. Through him it was 
 discovered who I was, and immediately 
 a servant came from the mistress of the 
 house to invite me in the most polite 
 manner to dine with her. My long 
 beard, uncombed hair, and my torn 
 night gown, were sufficient apologies for 
 excusing myself, but they were not ad- 
 mitted as such. The servant was sent 
 back to inform'me I should dine alone in 
 a private room and be incommoded by 
 no one. 
 
1 6-4 
 
 I could not long resist such polite ill- 
 treaties, and having been ill-suppliqd with 
 food for several days past, I was tempted 
 to accept the, invitation. I came down 
 from the kibick, and entered the house 
 very much resembling poor Tom in 
 eKing.Lear. I was shewn into an elegant 
 room, in -which. I found a table prepared, 
 and where I was left to myself for seve- 
 raL minutes. A young and handsome 
 woman, the mistress of .the house, ex- 
 ceedingly well dressed, then made her 
 appearance, and addressed me in Ger- 
 man, and asmbed the .rudeness she had 
 been guilty of to her desire >of being ac- 
 quain ted with me. 
 
 Although a great admirer of the fair 
 sex, I must confess this unexpected in- 
 troduction threw me into the greatest 
 embarrassment. I considered myself as 
 Diogenes before Aspasia : all her affa- 
 bility could not relieve me from the 
 
false shame that had wholly taken pos- 
 session of me. Every time I cast my 
 eyes upon my old night-gown, or took a 
 peep in the looking-glass, I felt myself 
 shrink into nothing. My perplexity was 
 increased when I observed that the room 
 was filling apace with men and women of 
 the first consequence, both Germans and 
 Russians,, who ail accosted; me in the 
 politest manner, while I alone sat eating, 
 like a King of France or Spain dining 
 ■in state. At one time the spectators in- 
 terested my feelings, by expressions of 
 the most affectionate concern which 
 they took in my welfare ; and at ano- 
 ther put me quite out of countenance 
 by the extravagant praises they bestow- 
 ed upon me. Nor was this all; the 
 scene was not ended till the first vo- 
 lume of my dramatic works had been 
 sent for, in order to compare the portrait 
 with the long-bearded original* 
 
i66 
 
 Although my appetite and my vanity 
 had been sufficiently pampered, I must 
 confess, it was not till I had returned to 
 my kibick, that I was able to relish the 
 gratification of the last hour. Then it 
 was (and why should I deny it ?) that 
 the reflection on this singular scene on 
 the confines of Asia, and in an uncivi- 
 lized country, touched and flattered my 
 heart. To have found at Nischnei-No- 
 vogorod admirers of my muse, who 
 were anxious to serve, to console, to 
 honour me, because they recognized in 
 Kie an old acquaintance, who had long 
 since gained their esteem, was a singular 
 kind of triumph ! And I prefer this re- 
 compense to all the adulation of the 
 public prints, since at the present day 
 their praises of living authors is rarely 
 pure or disinterested* 
 
 I was again threatened with new perils 
 on the road from Nischnei to Moscow,, 
 
i6j 
 
 and from which I escaped through, my 
 own vigilance. I had passed four nights 
 without having slept, when towards even- 
 ing, as it began to rain, I resolved to 
 remain in a village till day-break. I or- 
 dered the horses to be ready at four 
 o'clock in the morning, and desired that 
 I might be called at that hour. I was 
 called accordingly, when locking to- 
 wards the window, it appeared as if the 
 day had begun to dawn, and I hurried 
 into my kibick. Wasili Sukin and his 
 merchant set out before me, and I fol- 
 lowed them closely. They had a young 
 tad for their driver, and mine was a 
 man with a black beard and a savage 
 countenance. 
 
 I soon perceived that the light which 
 I had taken for break of day was no- 
 thing else than that of the moon. I 
 took out my watch, and found it was 
 only one o'clock. This surprised me 
 
1 63 
 
 exceedingly : The Russian postilions, 
 like all others, I knew had rather rise 
 too late than too early ; and I was at a 
 loss to account for my having been cal- 
 led three hours before my time. I re- 
 solved not to fall asleep on the road, and 
 having nothing to fear, while the two 
 carriages kept together, I ordered my 
 driver not to loiter behind, which he 
 often attempted, under various pretences, 
 to do. 
 
 My indolent Carpow, according to cus- 
 tom, was soon fast asleep, yet, as 1 was 
 not fully persuaded that my suspicions 
 were well-grounded, I was unwilling to 
 awaken him. The postilion often turned 
 his head round, and eyed us one after 
 the other. I looked him, however, full 
 in the face every time he cast his eye to- 
 wards me, as much as to say- — I am still 
 awake. At length I determined to try 
 what he would do in case he thought I 
 
i6g 
 
 had fallen asleep, that I might take" my 
 measures accordingly. I closed my eyes 
 therefore, but peeped from time to time, 
 whenever the motions of the postilion 
 excited my suspicion. This precaution 
 seemed the more necessary after I had 
 observed that he carried a long knife, in 
 a sheath, by his side. I had caught a 
 glimpse of this formidable weapon as he 
 was getting down from his seat to fasten 
 a cord that had given way in the harness. 
 Both I and the Courier were unarmed, 
 and two backward stabs, which he might 
 have given us without getting off his 
 box, would easily have dispatched us 
 had we been asleep. 
 
 Scarcely had I begun to play my part, 
 and appeared to be fast asleep, when he 
 turned towards me and looked at me for 
 some time, in a very steadfast manner. 
 Hitherto intimidated by my threats and 
 
170 
 
 maledictions, he had followed the other 
 kibick rather closely; but from this mo- 
 ment he began to slacken his pace. The 
 better to be convinced of his bad inten- 
 tentions, I suffered the first carriage to 
 advance a little before ours ; but the 
 postilion had soon occasion to stop to 
 repair his harness, an accident that com- 
 monly happens every quarter of an houi? 
 on the road. My driver likewise alighted 
 on pretence of fastening a belt. It began 
 to grow light however, and I could 
 plainly see that the belt had not been 
 loose ; and that the fellow appeared to be 
 busy in adjusting it, the better to ob- 
 serve whether I was asleep or not. 
 
 As soon as he thought himself safe, he 
 called out to the young lad in a low voice, 
 and said several words which I did not 
 understand : I judged by the answer of 
 the latter, that he had asked what the 
 
t 7 l 
 
 two travellers were doing, for the boy 
 replied by the single word spit^ " they 
 are both asleep." 
 
 They now began a conversation in a 
 kind of whisper, which lasted a consi- 
 derable time, and during which, it will 
 not be supposed, I was at all at my ease* 
 This conversation I soon thought fit to 
 interrupt, by a volley of maledictions, 
 and calling the postilion a scoundrel to 
 his face. He protested that he was in- 
 nocent of any bad design ; but I main- 
 tained, in a firm manner, that I had over- 
 heard all their discourse, and at the same 
 time took care to speak of the impor- 
 tance of the dispatches I had with me, 
 and threatened to shoot him with a pis- 
 tol, though I had not one in my posses- 
 sion.- I likewise roused my Courier, and 
 told him what had passed ; and leaping 
 out of my kibick, I hastened to awaken 
 the merchant and Sukin. We were all 
 
1/2 
 
 on our legs in a moment, and my Voice,, 
 which echoed in the forest, seemed to 
 acquire new strength. We all joined in 
 the most violent reproaches ; the posti- 
 lion mounted his seat, grumbled, and 
 drove on without looking either on one 
 side or the other. 
 
 At the distance of a verste from the 
 spot where this happened, we perceived 
 two men in* the middle of the road^ who 
 appeared to be waiting for us ; for I had; 
 remarked, some time before we came up 
 to them, that they were standing still. 
 The moment the postilion saw them, he 
 began to make a noise with his horses,: 
 as if he wished to signify to these men 
 that we were not asleep. We drove 
 very fast by these fellows, who stared 
 at us very attentively, but durst not 
 venture to attack us, and we arrived in 
 safety at the next stage. 
 
 I am fully convinced that a scheme had 
 
m 
 
 been formed to assassinate, or, at leasts 
 to rob us. This project was chiefly di- 
 rected against me, and the affair explains 
 itself naturally enough. The merchant 
 travelled in an open kibick:; it was easy 
 to discover what he had with him when 
 his baggage was handed from one car- 
 riage to another, and it afforded nothing 
 worth the trouble of stealings while, on 
 the contrary, it might be supposed that 
 my covered kibick contained hidden 
 treasures. I had likewise opened my 
 travelling box the evening before, in 
 which a silver coffee-pot, and other plate, 
 might have been noticed. Nor was it 
 necessary to be a deep physiognomist to 
 perceive that Carpow was a stupid fel- 
 low that might easily be dispatched. The 
 plan, according to all appearance, was to 
 let Sukin and the merchant gain ground 
 upon us ; we should then have lagged 
 behind to the spot where the two fellows 
 
/ 
 
 *74 
 
 were posted to way-lay us : there we 
 should have been robbed, perhaps mur- 
 dered, and the postilion in either case 
 could have maintained that he was in- 
 nocent of all connivance. What still 
 further confirms me in my conjecture is, 
 that the postilion, at the beginning of 
 the stage, was always complaining that 
 he could not make his horses move ; 
 and afterwards, when his scheme was 
 defeated, and he had no interest in re- 
 tarding them, they went on with more 
 spirit than those which the young lad 
 drove. 
 
 On the 28th of July, having at length 
 escaped all the dangers of a long journey 
 of so many dreary, solitary miles, I be- 
 held the immense city of Moscow rising 
 majestically before me. 
 
 I stopped a while on an eminence to 
 enjoy the fine scene it afforded, but soon 
 hastened within its walls, full of the 
 
i75 
 
 pleasing hope of hearing at last some ao 
 count of my family ; and after having 
 driven through a number of streets, I 
 alighted at an hotel which belonged ta 
 a good old French woman, whom M. 
 Becker had recommended to me. After 
 a few hours necessary repose, 'of which I 
 stood in great need, and which I had 
 hardly patience to take ; and after hav- 
 ing cleaned myself, and with the assis- 
 tance of the comb and razor, recovered 
 the appearance of a human creature, I 
 waited on M. Francis Courtener, a 
 bookseller, of whom M. Becker had 
 spoken in the highest terms of appro* 
 bation. I found him just as he had been 
 described to me, and he received me 
 with the most cordial hospitality. 
 
 My first question was, whether he could 
 give me any information of my wife. He 
 remembered to have heard, in a vague 
 maimer, that the Emperor had sent for 
 
i;6 
 
 ker to Petersburg, and had received her 
 in the most gracious manner. I inter- 
 rupted him to enquire whence he had 
 the account, but he could not recollect 
 it. 
 
 I accompanied him on a vist to M. 
 Karamshi, an entertaining writer, known 
 even in Germany by his " Letters of a 
 Russian Traveller/' He received me in 
 a very friendly manner, and informed 
 me that he had likewise heard the above- 
 mentioned rumour : he knew not how- 
 ever from what source it had arisen, 
 but both he and M. Courtener promised 
 that they would endeavour to trace it 
 out. 
 
 The reader may imagine what pleasure 
 I felt in the society of authors and book- 
 sellers, after having passed four months 
 almost wholly destitute of literary food ! 
 M. Karamsin's cabinet too, was furnished 
 with engravings of the principal authors 
 
m 
 
 of Germany ; and I could speak to him 
 of Wieland, of Schiller, of Herder, and 
 Gothe, and of my dear native country, 
 to which he seemed to be very partial. 
 
 I passed this and the following day at 
 Moscow, and amused myself in examin- 
 ing the curiosities of the place. My 
 hopes of hearing farther particulars re- 
 lative to my fumily proved fruitless, and 
 I quickly considered the story of her ar- 
 rival at Petersburg, as an unfounded re- 
 port. 
 
 I should have been glad to have paid 
 a visit to General Mertcns, to have re- 
 called to memory the melancholy mo- 
 ments we passed together on the Wolga, 
 but he was making a tour through his 
 government. 
 
 At Wischnei Wolotschok, which lay 
 no more than four hundred and thirty- 
 two verstes from Petersburg, I deter- 
 mined to separate from my worthy 
 
 VOL. II. M 
 
t 
 
 178 
 
 WassiliSukin, who hitherto had accom- 
 panied me out of mere complaisance, on 
 account of the laziness of my Courier, 
 and to suffer him to go forwards, that 
 in case my wife should really be at Pe- 
 tersburg, he might inform her of my 
 speedy arrival, I gave him a note for 
 her, in which I begged her to meet me 
 at the first stage- I gave him, at the 
 same time, the address of my old and 
 faithful friend Graumann,* from whom 
 he might learn if she was at Petersburg, 
 and where she lodged. 
 
 He set off, accompanied xvith my best 
 wishes, and I calculated that he would 
 arrive at the capital twenty-four hours 
 Before me. It seemed that the mark of 
 confidence which I had just given Sukin, 
 roused the ambition of my slow and 
 
 An intimacy of twenty-four years has produced 
 iteration in our reciprocal sentiments. 
 
m 
 
 heavy companion, for he now became 
 much more alert and attentive than usual. 
 We passed through the city of Novogo- 
 rod, famous for the Hansiatic alliance, 
 without making any stay, and at every 
 sta°;e we came to, we learnt that Sukbi 
 had set off but a few hours before. 
 
 At the last stao;e but one he had left 
 his passport, without which he could 
 not have ventured to enter Petersburg- 
 He waited our arrival, at the last post* 
 under great apprehension .; fortunately, 
 "however, we had taken care of his pa- 
 pers, which we gave him. It was now 
 about four in the afternoon, and I step- 
 ped into my kibick, for the last time, 
 with a palpitating heart. 
 
 At Zarskoxelo, a country palace of the 
 
 Emperor's, we were stopped three or 
 
 ..four times by' the piquet-guard, whose 
 
 tedious examinations cost me many a 
 
 sigh. But my patience was now put to 
 
i8o 
 
 a severer test : A number of troops hav- 
 ing received orders to march on this 
 day to Gatschina, the Emperor's favo- 
 rite residence, to be reviewed there, I 
 met, within a dozen verstes of Peters- 
 burg, six regiments on their march, with 
 their ammunition waggons, forges, &c. 
 through w r hich it was impossible to 
 make my way. I had a long hour to 
 wait, during which my impatience be- 
 came intolerably painful. 
 
 Nor w r as this all ; I had very nearly 
 fallen into serious trouble. The Grand 
 Duke Alexander was on horseback at 
 the head of the troops. I did not know 
 him, and even had I 'been acquainted 
 with his person, I was ignorant of the 
 order that required every person to get 
 out of his carriage when any of the 
 Imperial family passed by. My indo- 
 lent Courier seemed to know as little 
 ::s myself, and we remained in out* 
 
iSi 
 
 places. I should infallibly have been ar- 
 rested and carried to the police prison, 
 if the gracious Prince, who, notwith- 
 standing he looked us full in the face, 
 had not shewn himself superior to no- 
 ticing our involuntary neglect. 
 
 At nine in the evening we arrived at 
 the barriers of the capital, where we un- 
 derwent, as we did soon after at the 
 gate, a long and troublesome examina- 
 tion. A Cossack on horseback accom- 
 panied us from thence to the comman- 
 der, who lodged in the Imperial palace. 
 The two Couriers alighted and went in, 
 w 7 hile I remained on this well-known 
 spot, in the most tormenting state of 
 anxiety and distress. 
 
 A quarter of an hour passed in this 
 manner, after which we were taken to 
 Count Pahlen, the military Governor 
 of the city. He was from home, and we 
 jiad'to travel still farther. I was ex- 
 
1 8z 
 
 tremcly desirous, late as it was, to be 
 set down at my friend Graumann's, but 
 the Couriers had received strict orders 
 to deliver us up to the Court-advocate, 
 and we were driven to his house. He 
 was at Gatschina, and his deputy in the 
 department of secret dispatches, M. Fuchs, 
 Counsellor of State, lived at a great dis- 
 tance from thence. What was to be 
 clone ? The Couriers left the merchant 
 and myself in the open street under the 
 guard of the Court-advocate's servants, 
 who had crowded to the door out of 
 mere curiosity ; and hastened to IVL 
 Fuchs 5 lodgings. 
 
 I remained full half an hour leaning 
 over the parapet wall of the Moika, con- 
 templating its peaceful current, while 
 my heart was torn by a thousand differ- 
 ent emotions. At length the Couriers 
 returned, and M. Fuchs came soon after 
 them. He spoke to me with great po- 
 
183- 
 
 liteness, and provided me with a small 
 chamber at his office for that night. To 
 the request I had made of being allowed 
 to be driven to my friend Craumann's, 
 he replied^ that although I was no lon- 
 ger absolutely a state-prisoner, it was 
 his immediate duty to make his report 
 at Gatschina, for the purpose of obtain- 
 ing final orders ; and that he would in- 
 stantly send oft an express- The answer 
 could not arrive before the next day ; 
 and he begged I would accept of such 
 accommodations as he could procure for 
 me that night. 
 
 I enquired after my wife, but he was 
 unable to give me any account of her ; 
 the dream of hope, therefore, which had 
 accompanied me in so agreeable a man- 
 ner, from Moscow to Petersburg, was 
 now at an end. 
 
 1 likewise asked him, why I had bee;, 
 exiled? All the information he* coul.I 
 
1 84 
 
 give me on this subject was, that every- 
 thing had been done by the special order 
 of the Emperor, who, he added, had 
 enquired a few days since whether I was 
 returned. He assured me all" my papers 
 were in the hands of the Court-advo- 
 cate, and would be faithfully restored 
 to me. He then took his leave, and re- 
 tired to hasten the departure of his 
 Courier, 
 
 The night passed away in a very me- 
 lancholy manner, and I was unable to 
 close my eyes. I felt myself more de- 
 luded than ever, as my desire of seeing 
 my family had never been so strong, 
 nor my expectations so well founded. 
 To the vexation of this disappointment 
 was added the gloomy impressions aris- 
 ing from the chamber in which I lay. 
 It was a low and narrow room, into 
 which both innocent and guilty were 
 Indiscriminately thrown, as soon as they 
 
i8 5 
 
 fell into the power of the Secret Inqui- 
 sition, Excepting a bed, a table, a .bed- 
 stead and a chair, nothing but the four 
 wails was to be seen. The bedstead 
 swarmed with vermin, v which prevented 
 even an attempt to sleep. With what 
 delight did I behold the break of day ! 
 With what impatience did I await the 
 return of the Courier, who was to bring 
 me liberty, and enable me to fly to my 
 friend Graumann ! 
 
 At about eight o'clock M. Fuchs cal- 
 led upon me again. He had not received 
 any answ r er from Gatschina ; but how 
 great were my transports, when he in- 
 formed me that my wife was in Peters- 
 burg. It was the sensation of a palsied 
 man restored in a moment to the use of 
 ' his limbs by an electric stroke. I was 
 frantic with delight: tears of joy started 
 from my eyes. •" Where is she?" was 
 all my answer. He could not tell me 5 
 
m 
 
 nor was he able to release me from the 
 restraint I still lay under ; but he in- 
 formed me I was at full liberty to send 
 for any person I wished to see. 
 
 I immediately dispatched Sukin in 
 quest of M. Graumann ; he quickly came 
 back and informed me of the transports 
 of my worthy friend, who had made 
 hiKi a handsome present, and sent me 
 the following: billet : 
 
 " Your wife and your children are 
 well, and lodge not far from me. Be- 
 fore you see them, call on me, that I 
 may prepare Madame de Kotzebue for 
 this meeting ; sudden joy may prove 
 fatal to her." 
 
 Sukin returned to inform him, that 
 I was not yet allowed to go out, but 
 that I might receive any one where I 
 was ; and I conjured him by the friend- 
 ship that had subsisted between us, to 
 let me see my family as soon as possible* 
 
i8; 
 
 He came. I shall not speak of our 
 mutual joy ; the scene was the first step 
 only that led me to my domestic para- 
 dise. He told me my wife was in good 
 health, though still weak, in conse- 
 quence of a miscarriage my misfortune 
 had occasioned. He convinced me of 
 the necessity of preparing her by slow 
 degrees for my reception, notwithstand- 
 ing she had expected me for some time 
 past. I saw the propriety of his advice, 
 and yielded. , 
 
 Before he came to me he had been 
 with her. His chearful countenance ap- 
 pearing to her a good omen, she had 
 received him with these words, " You 
 have certainly some news from my hus- 
 band !" He replied he had, and that I 
 was not far off. Upon this he shewed 
 her the note I had written him from 
 Wischnei Wolotschok, in which I had 
 begged her to meet me at the first stage. 
 
1 88 
 
 Wassilt Sukin had given my note, tho 9 
 now of no use, into his hands, with that 
 I had written from the secret expedition 
 office, and my friend had been able to 
 convert it to a good purpose. My im- 
 patient wife, quite wild at seeing my 
 note, immediately sent to order post- 
 horses, and determined to set off in an 
 instant. She requested Graumann to 
 hasten to the military Governor of the 
 city to procure a passport, without 
 which no one, at that time, was al- 
 lowed to go beyond the gates. This he 
 was obliged to promise, in order to ap- 
 pease her ; and under pretence of going 
 fo the Governor, he left her and re- 
 paired to me. 
 
 He found me equally restless and im- 
 patient. I blessed and condemned his 
 prudence at the same moment, and he 
 now left me with the promise of bring- 
 
189 
 
 ing my wife to me as soon as he thought 
 it could be done without danger. 
 
 As he entered her room, she cried 
 out, " Where is the passport ?" " You 
 have no occasion for one/' he replied. 
 " He is arrived I" said she, and then 
 fiiiiiffher arms about his neck. 
 
 In vain he attempted to reason with 
 her : he was obliged to conduct her to 
 me that very moment in his coach, and 
 ah he could obtain from her was, t 
 she would stay some minutes in the car- 
 riage, while he gave me information of 
 her arrival. 
 
 I was conversing with M. Fuchs, when 
 Graumann, with the countenance of an 
 angel, burst into the room : u Your 
 wife is here," said he. I could not con- 
 tain myself, but uttered aloud cry of joy. 
 M. Fuchs had the delicacv to retire, to 
 avoid disturbing the first moments of cur 
 re-union. Graumann was cone to con- 
 
190 
 
 duct her to me. I stood trembling at th6 
 window, which was just over the gate- 
 way : I saw my wife enter ; I staggered 
 towards the door ; she rushed in, and 
 fainted in my arms. 
 
 Who can attempt the description of 
 such a scene ! I pity the man who can- 
 not enter into my feelings on this occa- 
 sion. Yes, there are moments in life 
 which counterbalance years, that com- 
 pen-sate for a series of years of misery ! 
 I would not at this moment have relin- 
 quished for the world the remembrance 
 of what I had suffered : the enjoyment 
 of this one moment over balanced it all. 
 
 With the assistance of my friend, I 
 had placed my wife on the only chair 
 the room' afforded. Kneeling down and 
 hiding my face in her lap, I wept such 
 tears as I had never wept before, and 
 waited till her senses should return. She 
 -recovered, and hanging affectionately 
 
i 9 1 
 
 over me, mingled her tears with mine. 
 My friend walked silently about the 
 room ; he was much affected ; he was 
 not an /Indifferent spectator of this af- 
 fecting scene ; he shared in the trans- 
 ports of it. Generous man ! This hour 
 has recompensed thee for all thou hast 
 done for me and mine : Thou hast en- 
 joyed a scene which is not often repre- 
 sented on the great stage of the world, 
 and thou felt that thy disinterested 
 friendship had contributed to prepare it. 
 After the first transports of delight 
 had in some degree subsided, after we had 
 recovered our speech, what questions 
 v;e had to ask ! What answers ! What 
 broken recitals and narrations ! How 
 often did we interrupt each other, and 
 smile and kiss off' the tear that bedewed 
 our cheeks ! It seemed as if our graves 
 3iad been opened, as if we were rising 
 from the earth, and had become two 
 
192 
 
 celestial substances, enjoying a new 
 union in a better world, and casting a 
 last look upon the sufferings we had un- 
 dergone in our terrestrial careen 
 
 My dear wife then related what had 
 happened to her from the moment of 
 our separation. She mentioned her re- 
 covery from her first swoon, the death- 
 like silence that surrounded her, and 
 which was only interrupted by the sobs 
 of our eldest daughter, who was -seated 
 on the ground in the corner of the 
 room, and weeping in silence. 
 
 In vain had I flattered myself, under 
 my affliction, that the Governor of Cour- 
 land and his family would have taken 
 pity on them : neglected by them and 
 the world, she only found compassion 
 and consolation in a quarter where she 
 had no right to expect it ; at the inn 
 at which we had alighted. The land- 
 lord and his wife (the name of these 
 
*93 
 
 worthy people is Rader) treated her with 
 humanity and delicacy, and afforded the 
 finest example of disinterested feelings, 
 even in a condition of life in which their 
 absence would have been excuseable. — 
 Obliged by misfortune and our separa- 
 tion, as much as by reason and neces- 
 sity, to observe the strictest ceconomy, 
 my wife intended to deny the children 
 their accustomed dainties, but Madame 
 Rader supplied them by stealth, and 
 likewise placed jellies and other delica- 
 cies of the kind upon the table of their 
 sick mother, without making any extra 
 charge in the bill. 
 
 General d'Essen,* to whom we are 
 
 * The same wha commanded in Holland, after 
 the unfortunate battle in which General Herman 
 was taken prisoner, and who was soon after dis- 
 missed from the service, because hated the wit- 
 
 jness of his exploits. • 
 
 VOL. II. N 
 
194 
 
 lelated, came regularly twice a day to 
 see my wife, without caring for the dan- 
 ger to which he was exposed, although 
 he himself had already been so much the 
 Object of calumny. He did all he could 
 to console and divert his kinswoman. — 
 May God reward him for it ! 
 
 M. de Wachter, Counsellor of the 
 Regency, and his lady, whose acquaint- 
 ance we had first made at Reval, and 
 "with whom we had been but slightly 
 connected, proved on this occasion, that 
 misfortune strengthens the bonds of 
 friendship. 
 
 With what pleasure! with what gra- 
 titude do I here mention the small num- 
 ber of generous-minded people, who as- 
 sisted my wife, as much as was in their 
 power, to support the burthen that 
 bowed her to the earth. 
 
 M. de Weitbecht, the Secretary, had 
 one single time the goodness to pay a 
 
195 
 
 visit to my wife, and to be- angry that 
 she wept* " Do not weep, Madame," 
 he cried, over and over again ; " of what 
 use are your tears ?" She insisted on see* 
 ing the Governor. " The Governor," 
 replied he, " has as great an aversion as 
 myself to see people cry." " Ah," re- 
 plied my wife, " if he is determined not 
 to see the unhappy, let him resign his 
 office." 
 
 At last she obtained an audience. $& 
 de Driesen received her in his morning 
 gown, with his pipe in his mouth, and 
 said a thousand pretty unmeaning things 
 to her, but never asked her to sit down. 
 He made excuses for Madame de Drie- 
 sen, who, he said, was not able to re- 
 ceive her, on account of her pregnancy ; 
 as if that circumstance would not allow 
 her to be seen by an unfortunate sufferer 
 of her own sex. After some moments 
 of vague conversation, during which 
 
196 
 
 he concealed every thing that related to 
 my situation ; he put an end to the visit, 
 conducted my wife to the door, and 
 from that, time took no further notice 
 of her* She continued to expect my re- 
 turn from Petersburg every moment ; at 
 the rumbling of every carriage that pas- 
 sed by, she would run to the window* 
 Every letter which she wrote was in- 
 spected by the Governor, and she was 
 forbidden to mention a word relative to 
 my misfortune or her own situation. 
 Not one of these letters were transmit- 
 ted to the persons for whom they were 
 intended ; but all of them were tran- 
 scribed and the copies seat .to Petersburg. 
 A single letter happily reached my friend 
 Graumann, the worthy Rader having 
 put it into the post-office with his own 
 hands. 
 
 Thank heaven, I can now, without 
 the least danger, submit to the public 
 
i97 
 
 eye every incident, and every trait of 
 character connected with my history. 
 
 At length, after fifteen days of an- 
 xious expectation, my wife obtained the 
 Emperor's leave to retire to Estonia, to 
 one of her relations. She left Mittau, and 
 arrived at Riga, where she was obliged 
 to make some stay on account of her 
 health. The master of the hotel de Pe- 
 tersburg, M. Langwitz, was imprudent 
 enough to reply, when asked by her, it 
 I had lodged there in my way through 
 Riga ; " O no ! they took him directly 
 to Tobolsk."— What must have been 
 her horror ! She had not, till then, en- 
 tertained the slightest idea of my ba~ 
 nifhment ! She, however, soon began, 
 to discredit the account, and my friend, 
 Eckhardt, Counsellor of the Regency, 
 with the assistance of some other hu- 
 mane people, at last succeeded, in some 
 degree^ in tranquillizing her mind, 
 
19$ 
 
 I snatch this opportunity of naming, 
 at the head of these compassionate and 
 worthy persons, M. de Richter, Gover- 
 nor of Riga. He instantly visited my 
 wife, and treated her in the rnoft deli- 
 cate and generous manner ; and by the 
 contrast made her doubly sensible of the 
 hardlhips she had undergone at Mittau* 
 The only thing he refused her was, the 
 information where I was; he assured 
 her, however, that I was neither {hut 
 up in the fortress of Riga, nor in the 
 neighbourhood ; and that he had receiv- 
 ed a very satisfactory account respecting 
 my existence and my health. 
 
 I must mention also, with gratitude, 
 two other persons, whom the ties of 
 blood, and the feelings of humanity, 
 equally attached to my unhappy wife; 
 and these are Count and Countess Siev- 
 ers de Wenden. This generous pair flew 
 to their relation, and treated her with 
 
'99 
 
 the most delicate attentions. Let them 
 not, on reading these lines, mistake 
 them for the measure of my gratitude* 
 but assure themselves, that it can only 
 be equalled in extent and force by their 
 own noble sentiments. 
 
 Though my wife was consoled by the 
 kind interest which the Governor of 
 Riga, and the whole -town-, took in my 
 extraordinary affair; though she was 
 comforted by the tender and brotherly 
 attentions of my friend Eckhardt, who 
 softened the anguish of her most painful 
 hours ; and-though she was treated with 
 as much skill as disinterestedness by Dr: 
 Stoffregen, there were nevertheless mo* 
 ments in which the weight of her afflic- 
 tion threatened her destruction. Our 
 little ones would frequently play before 
 the door; the passengers would stop 
 and enquire to whom they belonged, and 
 after having learnt this, would often 
 
2CO 
 
 shed tears as they left them, and exclaim, 
 " Poor children !" — This was so often 
 repeated, that one day they ran in to 
 their mother, and asked her why they 
 were always called poor children ? Ano- 
 ther time one of them, of her own ac- 
 cord, asked her mother to let her be 
 fettered and sent to her father, to bear 
 him company. It may easily be ima- 
 gined what effect these scenes had upon 
 a mind so distracted and a constitution 
 so shaken, as were those of my poor 
 wife* 
 
 As soon as fhe had, in some degree, 
 recruited her health, she continued her 
 journey, and passing through Dopart, 
 arrived at our favourite FriedenthaL 
 The most painful sensations were re- 
 newed in her mind, the moment she 
 beheld, from an adjacent hill, the spot 
 where we had passed together so many 
 years of uninterrupted felicity. She 
 
201 
 
 had not resolution enough to take up 
 her abode in our beloved habitation, in 
 which every apartment, every piece of 
 furniture, would have brought to her 
 recollection her unfortunate husband ; 
 she chose rather to alight at the house 
 of M.-Koch, the minister of the parifh, 
 and as worthy an ecclesiastic as- ever 
 preached the Gospel of Truth* His 
 wife, of French origin, having been Ma- 
 dame deKotzebue's instructress, has the 
 merit of being the first who enriched 
 her mind with knowledge, and her heart 
 with sentiment. She is not inferior to 
 her husband in education, mind, or ta- 
 lents. They became acquainted first in 
 the paternal mansion of my wife, where 
 he was tutor and she was governess. 
 They soon became attached to each 
 other, and at last were married. M. 
 Koch is likewise my old college friend, 
 so that our families have always conti- 
 
202 
 
 nued upon the most friendly and affec- 
 tionate terms. My dear good wife was 
 received by this respectable couple, as a 
 daughter would have been by her father 
 and mother. They consoled her, they be- 
 stowed upon her the most unremitting 
 attentions, and the most cordial caresses, 
 
 Officious people were not wanting, 
 who advised this worthy man to with- 
 draw his protection from my wife, to 
 avoid danger to himself; to these coun- 
 sellors, however, he replied with great 
 firmness, that were he certain to be sent 
 to Siberia for his conduct, hew r ould still 
 persist in it. 
 
 May 'heaven bless this excellent family, 
 who in a distant corner of the world 
 exercise their benevolence, without 
 pomp or ostentation; and who unite 
 the simplicity and integrity of rural man- 
 ners with the culture and politeness 
 of Courts! — May heaven, I say, bless 
 
2C3 
 
 them! and should, sooner cr later, the 
 caprice of fortune frown on any of their 
 children or descendants, let these lines 
 serve for me and my posterity, as a sa- 
 cred and valid promissory note of hand 
 at their service. I declare in the face of 
 all Europe, that as long as my children 
 shall continue to respect my memory, 
 and value my blessing, every member 
 of this worthy family shall find my 
 house and my heart open to them, as 
 well as the houses and the hearts of my 
 descendants. 
 
 Here, in the circle of her respectable 
 friends, my wife at last received the 
 letter which I had written to her from 
 Stockmanshof, and which had under* 
 gone many strange adventures before it 
 came to her hands. The young man to 
 whom I had entrusted it, with the other 
 two, appears to have wanted resolution 
 or address to forward them according 
 
204 
 
 to their direction. M. de Bayer, or per- 
 haps the cautious M. Prostenius, proba- 
 bably sent them to the Governor of Ri- 
 ga, who must have forwarded them to 
 the Court Advocate of Petersburg. The 
 letter to Count Cobenzel, had been in- 
 stantly suppressed ; and such was then 
 the gloomy state of the political hori- 
 zon, that I consider the precaution as 
 prudent and necessary. The Court Ad- 
 vocate shewed these letters to the Empe- 
 ror, who was angry at my having called 
 Count de Pahlen his favourite, and 
 that I had applied to him in that capaci- 
 ty for his protection. It was one of the 
 singularities of this Prince, not to suffer 
 it. to be said that he had any favourite, 
 nor allow any one to boast of having 
 an influence over him. It may likewise 
 be supposed that the Court Advocate, 
 the declared enemy of the Count, did 
 not fail, on the present occasion, to do 
 
205 
 
 Kim all *he injury in his power, and to 
 represent the matter to the Emperor in 
 the most odious point of view. In 
 short, the Emperor, though he saw 
 Count Pahlen every day, caused my let- 
 ter to be transmitted to him through the 
 Court Advocate. He did not, however, 
 speak a word to him on the subject, 
 and looked cool on him for a long time. 
 The Count has since given me to under- 
 stand, that I had very nearly been the 
 cause of his disgrace. 
 
 As to the letter to Madame Kotzebue, 
 although it would have been more deli- 
 cate to have suppressed it, as it had been 
 written in a moment of despair, the Em- 
 peror gave orders that it should be for- 
 warded according to its address, and de- 
 livered on having a receipt for it. It was 
 therefore sent to the Governor of Esto- 
 nia, who^ in his turn, dispatched it to Ba- 
 
206 
 
 ron de Rosen, the provincial Judge * of 
 the circle of Wesenburg, who at laft deli- 
 vered it to my wife, and took from her 
 a receipt subscribed by her trembling 
 hand. 
 
 This fatal letter produced, as I had 
 but too well foreseen, the most dread- 
 ful effects. My wife, reduced to the 
 laft extremity of grief, fell into labour 
 and miscarried: her recovery was long 
 doubtful, and more than once she was 
 on the brink of the grave. Had it not 
 been for the tender assiduity, the inex- 
 pressible attentions of the Koch family, 
 I, with six helpless orphans, should at 
 this moment be deploring her loss ; and 
 what Emperor, what empire, could in- 
 demnify me for such a calamity? 
 
 * The Judges and provincial Counfellors of Li- 
 vonia and Estonia superintend the police of the 
 country. 
 
so; 
 
 She recovered. — As soon as she had 
 gained a little strength, she accepted the 
 invitation of my intimate friend Knor- 
 ring, at Reval, and went thither to con- 
 cert with her relations and friends, not 
 on what she intended to do, for she had 
 already resolved to follow me into Sibe- 
 ria ; but how she should put that inten- 
 tion into execution, and previously to 
 arrange with them our pecuniary affairs. 
 
 Many of our former friends at Reval 
 behaved in a very equivocal manner on 
 my wife's arrival among them. I pass 
 over their names in silence, to do juftice 
 to my real friends, De Knorring and 
 his lady, Huek, and many others, who 
 gave themselves up without the least 
 scruple or fear, to the impulses of their 
 own hearts. In vain did several timid- 
 minded persons advise De Knorring to 
 shut his doors against my unhappy wife; 
 He remained firm; his friendship \va- 
 
208 
 
 vered not, though he has since acknow- 
 ledged to me, that he expected to be in* 
 volved in some unpleasant dilemma, 
 and even to be obliged to take a journey 
 to Petersburg to clear up his conduct. 
 
 My wife had now but one idea which 
 engrossed her attention — her journey to 
 Siberia. Whatever could be urged to 
 dissuade her from it was of no avail; 
 she was not to be moved; and even 
 when she was given to hope that my 
 exile would not be of long duration, 
 and the step consequently useless, she 
 replied with warmth, that if it only con- 
 tributed to soften my afflictions for a 
 few days, it would more than repay 
 her trouble! Her chambermaid, Cathe- 
 rine Tengmaun, (she deserves to have 
 her name mentioned, it is an homage 
 of gratitude) offered to accompany her, 
 although she would have left behind a 
 mother seventy years of age. " I have 
 
2o9 
 
 partaken, " said she, " in your prospe- 
 rity, and it is but just I should share 
 your misfortunes. " My wife intended 
 to bring our youngest girl with her, and 
 to leave the other children at Reval. 
 She had engaged to pay a considerable 
 sum to a man whom she could trust, to 
 escort her on the journey, and her de- 
 parture was fixed for the ist of July. 
 
 Such was the state of things on the 
 i 7th of June, when my wife, having pas- 
 sed the morning under great dejection 
 of mind, aftor dinner retired to her 
 chamber, and threw herself on the bed. 
 M. de Knorring was enjoying the fresh 
 air at the balconv, from whence he saw 
 a Courier galloping along the avenue, 
 who passed by, made enquiries, return- 
 ed, held his dispatches over his head, 
 and alighting from his horse, darted 
 'into the hail* Mv friend flew to meet 
 
 vol. ::. o 
 
21C 
 
 him, half-hoping and half-afraid, and 
 his family began to tremble for Knorring 
 himself. 
 
 4C Good news !" exclaimed the Cou- 
 rier with a shout of joy, holding in his 
 hand a letter from Count de Pahlcn to 
 my w 7 ife. Knorring would have taken 
 the letter, but the Courier begged to de- 
 liver it into her own hands. The family, 
 though wild with delight, had never- 
 theless recourse to every necessary precau- 
 tion. On the one hand, they were averse 
 to disturb my wife ; on the other, they 
 were impatient to communicate the hap- 
 py tidings. Their friend, however, was 
 not asleep ; she perceived the door to be 
 a little a jar, and several faces peeping ia 
 to see if she was awake, and upon every 
 face she observed an impression of satis- 
 faction, which they had not worn for 
 some time past. " What is the matter r" 
 said she, raising herself up a little. , 
 
21.1 
 
 "Nothing at all," replied they ; " we 
 only came to see if you were asleep." 
 
 " No, no, you have some good news 
 to. tell me; I see it on your counte- 
 
 nances. 5 ' 
 
 « 
 
 Well,, we have : we bring you good 
 news from your husband ; a Courier 
 from-Count Pahlen waits for you below.'* 
 She sprung to the door, and in a mo- 
 ment was in the. hall. She seized the let- 
 ter, tore it open, and with eyes half- 
 blinded with tears, read. as follows : 
 
 V Madam,, 
 " His Majesty, the Emperor, conde- 
 scends to permit you to come to Peters- 
 burg, and to reside therewith your hus- 
 band: I. hasten with the most sincere 
 satisfaction to inform you of this special 
 favour on the part of our most gracious 
 Sovereign, that you may set off as soon 
 as you think proper. An. express has 
 been sent to your husband, in order, that 
 
fcvs 
 
 lie may be at Petersburg on your ar- 
 rival, or soon after you. I shall with plea- 
 sure take upon myself to provide you 
 with a suitable lodging* 
 
 " Accept, Madam, the assurance of 
 my sincere joy at this event, and the 
 perfect esteem with which 1 have the ho- 
 nour to be your devoted humble ser- 
 vant, Be Pahlen." 
 
 Petersburg * 15 Ju?ic 9 1 800. 
 
 The accounts w r hich my friends gave 
 me of the effect which this letter pro- 
 duced on my wife, affected me extreme- 
 ly. Her joy had the appearance of mad- 
 ness : She, who had scarcely strength 
 enough to move from one chair to ano- 
 ther, leaped about the room like a fawn, 
 and was unable to stand still. For a long 
 "time she kept running here and there, 
 looking for a thousand things that she 
 thought she wanted, and laughed and 
 wept in the same moment. She gave 
 
the Courier all the money which she had 
 in her possession. She would instantly 
 have prepared for the journey, wished 
 to set out the next day, and declared 
 that she should consider every one as 
 her enemy who counteracted her inten- 
 tions; 
 
 Fortunately her physician. Doctor 
 Bluhm, was not fearful of incurring her 
 displeasure : he was able to make her 
 feel that her high spirits were not symp- 
 toms of strength, and she consented to 
 wait a few days longer.. 
 
 In the meanwhile a messenger from 
 the Governor of Reval, who lived in. 
 the country, arrived; The Court-advo- 
 cate had communicated the same infor- 
 mation to him, with instruc lions to fur- 
 nish Madame de Kotzebue with every 
 thing necessary for her journey, and to 
 make a report of the amount. Me like- 
 wise mentioned that the military Co 
 
ci4 
 
 vernor of Petersburg had received orders 
 to provide a suitable lodging for my 
 wife and me. 
 
 Madame de Kotzebue felt herself un- 
 der the same embarrassment, relative to 
 the Emperor's offer to bear the expence 
 of the journey, which I had suffered some 
 weeks -after at Tobolsk. Unwilling to 
 ask much, at the same time fearful of 
 incurring the imputation of arrogance, 
 should she accept nothing, she con- 
 sulted her friends, and confined herself 
 to the mere travelling expences to Pe- 
 tersburg, which were immediately paid 
 her. 
 
 The manner in which the greater 
 number of the inhabitants of Reval 
 acted on this occasion is entitled to my 
 warmest gratitude. In half an hour the 
 news had spread over the whole city. It 
 was repeated in the streets : people were 
 stopped in their carriages to be informed 
 
w 5 
 
 of it, and they, in their turn, stopped 
 every acquaintance they met to impart 
 it to them. u Have you heard the 
 news ?" cried one, when he saw a friend 
 at a distance* " Yes, I have heard it," 
 was the common reply. It was not my 
 friends alone that exulted ; every heart 
 partook in the general satisfaction of the 
 day, and the good town of Reval proved 
 itself to be peopled with benevolent be- 
 
 K:£S. 
 
 On the fourth day my wife was able 
 to undertake her journey : she travelled 
 the whole hundred leagues from Reval 
 to Petersburg without stopping to sleep, 
 in the hope of finding me there ; a hope 
 ..which, in fact, Count de Fahlen's letter 
 had encouraged. The good wishes of 
 the Count could alone have suggested 
 such an idea, for the Courier who had 
 been dispatched to Siberia, not having 
 set off before the 15th of June, it was 
 
2lO 
 
 impossible that I could arrive at Peters- 
 burg in less than seven weeks from that 
 time ; and even to effect this, it was ne- 
 cessary to travel, as in fact I did, faster 
 than the mail ; my wife therefore arrived 
 long before me, and went to an hotel, 
 as the lodging intended for us was not 
 yet fitted up j not] was it indeed ever 
 compleated, owing to an excess of deli- 
 cacy on her part, which prevented her 
 from taking any steps about it, 
 
 I should not mention this circum- 
 stance, if it had not furnished me with 
 a new occasion of discovering the noble 
 conduct of my friend Graumaun. Be- 
 ing aware that the expences of an ho- 
 tel, for a large family, were heavier than 
 my wife, in her present situation, could 
 well bear, he hired apartments in the 
 most secret manner, fitted up the rooms 
 in the best style, and one day begged 
 Madame de Kotzebue to accompany him 
 
217 
 
 to them. How great was her sbrprize* 
 when on entering she found herself in an 
 elegant and commodious set of well-fur- 
 nished apartments ; a kitchen provided 
 with every culinary utensil ; linen, chi- 
 na, cupboards stored with sugar, tea y 
 coffee, wax candles, &c. in great abun- 
 dance ; even silver plate was not forgot- 
 ten ; so that she felt herself suddenly 
 transported into a new establishment, 
 without being able to learn from the ge- 
 nerous man, whose magic wand had 
 created it, what sum he had consecrated 
 to this act of friendship ! 
 
 Such was the account I received from 
 Madame de Kotzebue, and the hours 
 gayly danced around me and the dear 
 companion of my life, who had just been 
 restored to my arms. The walls which 
 inclosed us, those walls which had echoed 
 to the 'plaints of so many unfortunate 
 people, now resounded with expressions 
 
2\$ 
 
 >ef the purest rapture, the tenderest love, 
 and the most grateful friendship. 
 
 Nothing indeed was wanting to ren- 
 der this scene of happiness compleat, but 
 the presence of my children. Their mo- 
 ther hastened to fetch them ; they had 
 waited for this moment with the most 
 impetuous eagerness : they arrived ; J 
 saw them get out of the carriage ; i 
 iieard their little footsteps upon the 
 staircase-; I felt them hang round my 
 neck — A man must be a father to con- 
 ceive what I felt. 
 
 It was noon, and later than noon, 
 without *our having perceived it. The 
 ^express had not returned from Gatschi- 
 ;na, and I had not noticed the delay, for 
 .had I not in my little chamber, or, as 
 it really was, my prison, all that my 
 heart desired. 
 
 An event, which took place towards 
 4the evening, excited in us the tenderest 
 
-2* 9 
 
 amotions, and even added to our joy >— 
 The Russian merchant, the companion 
 of my journey, had cherished hopes of 
 obtaining, on his arrival at Moscow, 
 some account of his wife and daughter ; 
 with this design he had called on one of 
 his relations there, and returned over- 
 "whelmed with grief and despair. " I 
 wafis so joyful," said he, with the most 
 affecting simplicity, "but God has turn- 
 ed my joy into sorrow ; my wife and 
 my daughter are dead ! From that mo- 
 ment he mentioned the subject no more, 
 and during the rest of the journey he 
 scarcely uttered a word. I often saw 
 him weeping in his kibick, till the tears 
 trickled -down his grey beard. On our 
 arrival at Petersburg he lodged in the 
 same room with me. When my wife 
 came, he was seated in a corner of the 
 room, lost in silent affliction, and wit- 
 nessed our felicity without uttering a 
 
syllable, while the deepest sorrow was 
 imprinted on his countenance. 
 
 Towards evening his Courier, Sukin, 
 suddenly entered the room ; " Iwan 
 SeinenQwilsch" cried he, " your wife and 
 daughter are alive, and here they are 1" 
 The old man awoke as from a dream* 
 and starting: from his* seat he staggered 
 to the door, and his wife and child 
 rushed into his arms. This was an affect- 
 ing repetition of the scene we had our- 
 selves just been acting; and what tended 
 to increase the interest of the meeting,. 
 was the lono; duration of their absence. 
 He had been torn from his wife when 
 she was in the prime of youth and beau- 
 ty : he found her less blooming, but she 
 was still in good health. His daughter, 
 who was only eight years old when he 
 left her, was now a. fine girl of sixteen.. 
 He could scarcely believe his eyes, or 
 giye credit to his own happiness : He 
 
221 
 
 took the candle, from time to time, and 
 examined her in every point of view : 
 his features brightened up, and the tears 
 stole apace down his cheeks. An inar- 
 ticulate sound of joy and furprise w r as all 
 he was able to utter. 
 
 Thus passed away the day, and night 
 now approaching, I ventured to ask M. 
 Fuchs to allow me to go to my own 
 lodgings, on the promise of returning 
 the next morning. He had the good- 
 ness to grant my request, and made 
 himself responsible for this permission. 
 With a heart overflowing: with delimit 
 and gratitude, I now entered the abode 
 which love and friendship had vied to- 
 gether in preparing, and my faithful 
 servants received me with transports of 
 
 joy- 
 Scarcely had I been an hour at home, 
 
 when a note from M. Fuchs came to in- 
 form me the order was arrived from 
 
Mr* 
 
 Gatschina, and that I was at liberty :• E 
 then retired to rest ; and it was now, 
 for the first time for four months past* 
 that I freely enjoyed that blessing. 
 
 The next morning I waited on Count 
 de Pahlen, agreeably to my duty : But 
 duty alone did not lead me to his house,, 
 he was intitledto my gratitude ;, for in 
 the, midst of his innumerable avocations 
 he had found time to announce my en- 
 largement, not only to Madame de Kot- 
 zebue, but likewise m the most oblig- 
 ing terms to. my aged mother. The 
 great crowd with which he was always 
 surrounded,, prevented me from saying 
 any thing beyond what the formality 
 of custom prescribed, and, to which he 
 replied likewise in the same style.. 
 
 On the 13th of August I received.the 
 copy of an ukase, by which the Emperor 
 bestowed on me, free of service, the 
 estate of Worrokull, situated in Livo- 
 
iiia, and belonging to the Crown. This 
 estate, which contains four hundred 
 souls, and brings me in four thousand 
 roubles a year upon lease, together with 
 a commodious mansion-house, and ad- 
 vantages of various kinds, was a gift 
 truly Imperial, and affords the most un- 
 equivocal proof of my innocence* 
 
 I could have wished, the sooner to 
 forget the whole dream of my misfor- 
 tunes, to have returned to Germany j 
 but my friends advised me, for very 
 good reasons, not to ask the Emperor's 
 permission. I followed their counsel, 
 as they knew the Monarch better than 
 I, and contented myself with just hint- 
 ing in my letter of thanks, that I was 
 on the point of retiring into the coun- 
 try, the better to enjoy his Majesty's gra- 
 cious benefaction. 
 
 My letter produced an effect which I 
 bad not expected. On the very next 
 
2 $4 
 
 morning I received the following note 
 from M. Briskorn, the Emperor's se- 
 cretary. 
 
 * c On beginning to read your letter 
 to his Imperial Majesty, I had the pics- 
 sure to hear him order Hie to draw up 
 an ukase which appoints you manager 
 of the company of German comedians, 
 with the title of Aulic Counsellor, toge- 
 ther with a salary of twelve hundred 
 roubles. When I came to the passage 
 in which you speak of your design to 
 retire into the country, his Majesty 
 deigned to order me to propose your ac- 
 ceptance of the above-mentioned place. 
 I therefore acquit myself of this duty ; 
 and, begging you to inform me, as 
 soon as possible, whether it be your 
 intention to accept the offer of our 
 most gracious Monarch, I remain, Sir, 
 with particular consideration, &c. &c. 
 
 Briskorn." 
 
22 5 
 
 u P. S. In quality of manager you will 
 act under the immediate orders of Count 
 Narisckin, grand marshal of the court." 
 
 My embarrassment on the receipt of 
 this letter was equal to my terror. I 
 was again to undertake the manage- 
 ment of a play-house — I, who at Vienna-, 
 notwithstanding the singular kindness 
 of Baron Braun, had refused longer to 
 continue in so thankless an employment, 
 and who had so often vowed to my 
 wife, and to myself, to tread no more 
 a path of thorns, deceitfully strewed 
 with roses — I, who knew by Sorrowful 
 experience, that the best performers 
 are often the most immoral and untrace- 
 able of men ; that a single word of dis- 
 approbation renders the actor to whom 
 we venture to whisper it our most im- 
 placable enemy, though he had asked 
 our judgment with apparent frankness 
 and modesty — I, who knew that the 
 
 vol. II. p 
 
226 
 
 greater part of dramatic performers, 
 even anions the most distinguished, love 
 not the art but the artiJ; that they are 
 delighted with a piece composed of sce- 
 nic caricatures and grotesque figures, 
 provided their own dear persons appear 
 with eclat therein — but where is my pain- 
 ful experience of twenty years now carry- 
 ing me ? I intreat the reader's pardon 
 for this digression, and beg he will just 
 allow r me to parody the words of Shake- 
 spear; 
 
 <c Vanity, thy name's a playc 
 
 r I 
 
 With such a disposition, together 
 with sad experience collected from so 
 many theatres, I was now to put myself 
 at the head of a Company which one 
 Mire had collected from several strolling 
 parties, fcnd improved by the addition 
 of a few good actors brought from Ger- 
 man v; but which, after all, was far 
 
**1 
 
 from being complete. Hitherto a So- 
 ciety of Merchants had supported the 
 Company by subscription , but it was 
 now in a very embarrassed situation, 
 and upon the point of breaking up. 
 The Emperor, on the representation of 
 Count de Pahlen, determined to take 
 them into his own service; unfortu- 
 nately the circumstance of my return 
 coincided with the plan, and his Majes- 
 ty naturally enough wished to charge 
 me with the management of it. Doubt- 
 there was much goodness on his 
 
 o 
 
 part, and a wish to oblige me in this 
 business, which further induced me not 
 to refuse the favour which he conceived 
 he was offering me. 
 
 I endeavoured, however, in my an- 
 swer, with all the art I was master of, 
 to extricate myself from this unplea- 
 sant affair; and displayed, in colours 
 equally strong, my boundless gratitude. 
 
228 
 
 and invincible aversion to such an of- 
 fice. But all was in vain; instead of 
 an answer came the copy of three 
 ukases; the Jlrst of which, addressed 
 to the Grand-Marshal of the Court, 
 appointed rne manager of the German 
 Theatre; the second named me Aulic 
 Counsellor; and the third secured my 
 salary on the Emperor's privy purse. 
 To this salary, which otherwise might 
 appear but small, was added eighteen 
 hundred roubles, charged on the trea- 
 sury of the theatre, for the expence of 
 a carriage; and I was besides allowed 
 fire and candles, with a large and com- 
 modious lodging. As to the pecuniary 
 part of the business, the Emperor had 
 done all, and more than I could have 
 hoped from him; and, in that respect, 
 my gratitude was extreme. I had, in- 
 cluding the produce of my estate, an 
 annual income of at least nine thou- 
 
229 
 
 sand roubles, besides the receipts of the 
 second representation of my new pieces, 
 which added a few thousand roubles more 
 to my revenue.* But what occasion had 
 I for this additional fortune? Can re- 
 pose, tranquillity, or health, be pur- 
 chased with gold? Did I not possess 
 at Weimar, at Jena, a dwelling le 
 splendid indeed, bur more chea:fv 
 an income less considerable, but yet suf- 
 ficient for every purpose of happiness? 
 Though I lived there under a Prince 
 less powerful, yet did I not live free 
 from every apprehension of danger? In 
 fine, (and what alone is worth all the 
 rest) had I not a good and tender mo- 
 ther there? a mother to whom I owed 
 
 * I lately read in the Gazette fir die ekgante 
 Welt) that I had sixteen benefit nights durin ■ my 
 residence at Petersburg. The truth is that i bad 
 no more than six, which produced me afcotit three 
 thousand roubles. 
 
230 
 
 the culture of my mind; and who was 
 waiting for my return With the most 
 ardent impatience, and whom it was 
 my duty to aid to bear the encreasin<r 
 burden of ao*e? 
 
 At the same time, I received from 
 the Secret Inquisition, all the papers 
 which had been taken from me on the 
 frontiers: not a sheet was wanting; and 
 I shall here mention a very remarkable 
 circumstance attending them. 
 
 From the first moment of my arrest 
 to the end of my exile, I had thought 
 there was not a passage to be found 
 among all my papers, that could in 
 any respect authorize the Government 
 to act as it had done towards me, 
 yet there was one single llne^ which, had 
 it come to the knowledge of the Empe- 
 ror, would have perhaps aggravated my 
 captivity, and certainly prolonged it. 
 This line was in the journal I had kept 
 
23t 
 
 at Vienna. I had been on my arrival, 
 and before I was known there, suspect- 
 ed of Jacobinism. Soon after my new 
 vocation, I mentioned my fears on this 
 head to Baron de Braun. " Make your* 
 self easv " said he, " if you are con- 
 scious of your innocence; the Emperor 
 is just, and condemns no one without 
 the most strict and impartial examina- 
 tion." On inserting these words, I ad- 
 ded the following reflection: — " I am 
 now at ease, I have gained much : the 
 
 £ p seldom thinks it %vorth his 
 
 while to examine affairs" 
 
 This unfortunate remark, these words 
 which in truth were harsh and offensiw, 
 had intirely escaped my memory; and 
 how great was my tremor, when on 
 turning over my papers they • caught 
 my eye! but, at the same time, how 
 great w r as my joy, and w T hat were the 
 emotions I felt, on observing that some 
 
232 
 
 generous hand had blotted the line with 
 so much care, that it was not without 
 great difficulty I could at first gue&s at 
 the tenor of it! Here then is a proof 
 that under all the terror which the Se- 
 cret Inquisition in general created, the 
 members of whom it was composed 
 merely obeyed the severe orders enjoined 
 them ; and whenever they had an op- 
 portunity, yielded to the better feelings 
 of their own hearts. This eulogy, in 
 particular, is justly due to M. Makaroff, 
 Counsellor of State, whose tears have 
 often mingled with those of the unfor- 
 tunate j and whose heart has often bled 
 when he has been obliged to deliver them 
 up into the hands of their executioners* 
 I know not whether it was this gentle- 
 man, or M. Fuchs, or a third person, 
 that was charged with the examination 
 of my papers; having in vain endeavour- 
 ed to obtain any information respect- 
 
2 33 
 
 ing it, although I have done every thing 
 in my power to discover it. I muft 
 therefore satisfy myself with declaring 
 my gratitude to my unknown benefac- 
 tor in the face of the world, and before 
 the throne of heaven. How fortunate 
 to have fallen into such hands! This sin- 
 gle line might have ruined me for ever ! 
 
 I likewise observed several trifling 
 passages among my papers w T hich had 
 been underlined with a pencil, but none 
 of them could have done me any injury; 
 they consisted only in satirical remarks, 
 anecdotes, incidents I wished to remem- 
 ber; and to which I had added some re- 
 flections. 
 
 My Gustavus Vasa was returned me 
 in a cover, with orders not to make 
 any use of it. A single passage had 
 condemned this unfortunate piece. 
 
 f * Whene'er a Monarch's voice commands a crime, 
 A thousand arms are rais'd to strike the blow." 
 
^34 
 
 I flatter myself that the reader will 
 be anxious to learn towhat circumstance 
 I am indebted for my liberty. He al- 
 ready knows it could not have been in 
 consequence of the memorial transmit- 
 ted from Tobolsk, as the Courier who 
 brought the ukase which enlarged me, 
 met the bearer of my memorial near 
 Casan. I shall therefore relate all the in- 
 formation which I have been able to 
 collect on that subject. 
 
 I was assured, that the inhuman 
 Court Advocate suffered my papers to 
 lie in a corner of his office for the space 
 of a whole month, without paying the 
 least regard to the situation of the un- 
 happy man who, in consequence of such 
 neglect, was pining in exile. The Em- 
 peror himself at length enquired into 
 the contents of my papers, and the 
 proofs which they afforded of my inno- 
 cence, was doubtless one -cause of his 
 
2 35 
 
 Majesty's change of disposition towards 
 me ; yet I doubt whether my innocence 
 -alone would have effected mv deliver- 
 ance: for in general it is much easier 
 for the rulers of the earth to persevere 
 in the injustice they have once commit- 
 ted, than to acknowledge and repair it* 
 The Emperor Paul, and some other So- 
 vereigns, are however honourable ex- 
 ceptions from this charge. My good 
 fortune gave birth to another circum- 
 stance, which could never have happen- 
 ed more a propos. 
 
 I have already spoken of a little piece, 
 intitled The Emperor's Head Coachman? 
 which I had written with a kind of en- 
 thusiasm, some years ago, to celebrate 
 a generous action of Paul I. without 
 dreaming it would ever have any influ- 
 ence on my own welfare. This piece 
 had just been translated into the Russian 
 language, by a young man of the name 
 
2 3 6 
 
 of Krasnobohhi ; who, being desirous, of 
 dedicating it to thlt Emperor himself, 
 had applied to several persons of conse- 
 quence, who dissuaded him from his in- 
 tention, or at all events advised the 
 omission of the name of Kotzebue in the 
 titie-maee, since that odious name was 
 sufficient to ruin, every thing. The Rus- 
 sian and German playhouses had long 
 since discontinued the insertion of my 
 name in the bills of such of my pieces 
 as were represented. 
 „ The honest vouth was above having 
 recourse to plagiary. " The piece is 
 his/' said he, " I am but his translator : 
 I will not deck myself in borrowed 
 plumes ; and I shall let his name remain 
 at the head of the work." Finding, 
 however, insurmountable difficulties in 
 having his translation presented in this 
 form to the Emperor, he determined to 
 transmit it by the post. 
 
' -c7 
 
 The reception of this piece made a 
 singular impression on the mind of the 
 monarch : he perused it, and it afFected 
 and pleased him. He ordered a valu- 
 able ring to be given to the translator, 
 and at the same time forbad the print- 
 ing of the manuscript. Some hours after 
 this, he asked for it again, re-perused 
 it, declared that he would allow it to be 
 printed, on condition of certain passages 
 being omitted ; and among others, which 
 is hardly credible, the following one : My 
 Emperor saluted me : he salutes ail worthy 
 people. In the course or the day he 
 asked for the piece a third time, read it 
 over, and then allowed it to be printed 
 without any alterations at all. , At the 
 same time he declared : he had done me 
 wrong ; that he owed me reparation^ and 
 that he thought it incumbent on him to make 
 me a present equal to that conferred on his 
 
* 3 3 
 
 father's coachman.* That very moment 
 lie dispatched the Courier to Siberia. 
 
 Soon after this my memorial arrived : 
 the Emperor, notwithstanding its length, 
 read it twice over from beginning to end, 
 and being affected at its contents, he 
 gave instant orders to the Governor of 
 Estonia to look out fpr some valuable 
 estate belonging to the Crown, and si- 
 tuated in the neighbourhood of Fried- 
 enthal. He was not satisfied with mere- 
 ly making me the present, he would also 
 confer it in a manner likely to prove the 
 most agreeable to me ; and the order 
 did as much credit to his head as to his 
 heart. In all the neighbourhood of 
 Friedenthal there was not another 
 estate of so much value as that intended 
 for me. 
 
 Such is the substance of all the infor* 
 
 f. Twenty-thousand roubles. 
 
 
■*39 
 
 luation I have been able to procure rela- 
 tive to my restoration to liberty. Of 
 my arrest and exile I am far from being 
 even so well informed, and I doubt whe- 
 ther the hand of time itself will be able 
 to withdraw the veil of mystery which 
 hangs over that event. 
 
 Notwithstanding all these acts of be- 
 nevolence on the part of the Monarch, 
 terror had laid such fast hold on my 
 mind, that I could never see a Senate 
 Courier or Chasseur pass by me, with- 
 out experiencing the most violent tre- 
 pidation ; nor did I ever set out for 
 Gatschina, without providing myself 
 with a considerable sum of money, and 
 holding myself in readiness for a second 
 journey to Siberia. 
 
 On the 9th of October I received, for 
 the first time, an order to repair to 
 Gatschina. It was scarcely day-break 
 when. I set off: the express had been 
 
sent in the night, and I trembled as I 
 took leave of my wife. From the haste 
 with which this order was communi- 
 cated, it was natural to imagine that 
 something of the utmost importance 
 had given birth to it. On my arri- 
 val, I was simply informed of the Em- 
 peror's orders, that I must be very par- 
 ticular in the choice of my dramatic 
 subjects, and in the omission of all sus- 
 picious passages. lie had, it seems, the 
 day before, talked of the necessity of 
 establishing a Censorship, and had in- 
 tended me to fill that office. It was easy 
 to foresee, that sooner or later this 
 task would prove a shoal upon which 
 my frail bark, so recently saved from 
 destruction, would finally be w r recked. 
 I urged the propriety of appointing 
 fome other person to that office, alledg- 
 ing that an author could not be the im- 
 partial censor of his own works ; that 
 
241 
 
 self-love would render him blind, and 
 that, without knowing it, he would 
 often act contrary to the wiil of his 
 Sovereign. In short, I endeavoured 
 strenuously to evade this intention of 
 the Emperor, and at length I succeeded ; 
 my scruples were even applauded by the 
 Monarch, and he was pleased to appoint 
 Aulic Counsellor Adelung to that office, 
 a learned man, whose " Monuments 
 of German Poetry," collected with both 
 care and diligence, have rendered him 
 celebrated and esteemed in Germany. 
 
 It is difficult to form an idea of the 
 scrupulousness which M. Adelung and 
 myself were obliged to exert in the exe- 
 cution of this painful office ; it will be 
 sufficient to name a few instances, to 
 shew how often I must have been over- 
 whelmed with disgust, and what aver- 
 sion I must have entertained for the vo- 
 cation which had been imposed upon me* 
 
 VOL. II. Q 
 
242 
 
 The word Republic was not allowed 
 to be pronounced in my play of Octavia ; 
 nor did Antony dare to say, 
 
 " Die, like a Roman, fr 
 
 ee 
 
 > > 
 
 In the Epigram it was necessary to 
 change the word Emperor of Japan into 
 Master of that island. It was likewise 
 necessary to strike out the dangerous as- 
 sertions, that Caviar came from Russia, 
 and that Russia was a distant country.— 
 The Counsellor of the Chamber was- not 
 allowxd to think himself a good patriot, 
 in having refused to marry a foreigner ; 
 neither was it allowed to be said, that a 
 valet could be an insolent fellow. "We 
 struck out the passage which observes, 
 that his Highness is neither blind ' ?ivr sick ; 
 the Princess was not permitted to have 
 a greyhound, nor the Counsellor to 
 tickle the dog behind its ears ; neither 
 were the pages allowed to muffle up the 
 Counsellor. 
 
243 
 • In The Two Klingsbergs, the Russian 
 Prince, of whom Madame Wanschel 
 speaks cursorily, was transformed into 
 a great foreign nobleman ; and instead of 
 a Polish cap, this same Madame Wan- 
 schel was made to wear an Hungarian 
 one. The word fortress was changed to 
 prison ; courtier was changed to flatterer, 
 (which by the by is not very flatter- 
 ing to courtiers) and instead of my uncle 
 the minister, was inserted my all-power. 
 ful^ uncle. The exclamation of young 
 Klingsberg, after having seen his aunt 
 and Amelia,—,-/ last they will be prin- 
 cesses' appeared offensive, and was there- 
 fore struck out. 
 
 Intht-AbbedePEpee, citizens were not 
 allowed to live at Toulouse. Franval 
 durst not say, woe to my native country ; 
 but woe to my country, because an ukase 
 had positively forbidden the Russians to 
 have a native country. The Abbe de 
 
*44 
 
 PEpee, who,' as it is known, arrives 
 from Paris, was not allowed to come 
 from thence ; nor durst he make any 
 mention of the Lyceum in that city, nor 
 of France. 
 
 The physical knowledge of Buff on ; the 
 science of cT Alembert ; the sensibility of 
 Roujfeau ; the wit of Voltaire, were all 
 most unmercifully effaced by a single 
 stroke of the pen. 
 
 In the piece intitled The Secretary, the 
 part of the conjuror was struck out. 
 
 These instances, which I have quoted 
 at random, in order to avoid entering 
 too much into detail, are sufficient to 
 give an idea of the extreme severity 
 which the Censor, in spite of himself, 
 was obliged to exert in the execution 
 of his office. Ho\tf often have I been 
 amused formerly at the stupidity of the 
 Censor at Riga, who, for instance, in 
 my play intitled TheliecGnciliation^cS^ccd 
 
245 
 
 the following words, which are put into 
 the mouth of the shoemaker ; / will go 
 to Russia, where, they say, it is colder than 
 it is here ; (he felt himself consuming 
 with the flames of hopeless love) and 
 substituted these in their stead ; / will 
 go to Russia, where -none but good people are 
 to be found. I little thought in those 
 times, that one day fear would do the 
 same thing at Petersburg which stupi- 
 dity, in the person of the conceited Mr. 
 Tumanski, had done at Riga. 
 
 If however the Emperor had cast his 
 eyes upon many of the passages which 
 were changed, and had asked the cause 
 of such alterations, he would, I must 
 confess, have thrown us into no small 
 embarrassment. I shall mention two 
 passages for instance, from Octavia : It 
 is there said, 
 
 " And to a cook, who chancM to bit his taste, 
 
 " He'd give a house he could not call his own, 
 
 1 1 
 
246 
 
 " What !" the Emperor might have 
 said, " have I done any thing of the 
 kind ? and if I have not, why do yoti 
 consider the passage as offensive ?" 
 
 Again, 
 
 •*' And Charmion knows, and Marion knows it too, 
 -* That Antony doth many a master own." 
 
 " What !" might the Emperor have 
 said, " do you think I am governed by 
 chambermaids and favourites? and if 
 you do not think so, why have you 
 struck out this historical trait ?" 
 
 From these examples, and a thousand 
 more that might be produced, it may 
 be seen how dangerous is the business 
 of a Censor to the man who exercises 
 it, and how embarrassing to the author 
 upon whom it is exercised. M. Ade- 
 lung, with the best disposition in the 
 world, could not render this task less 
 disgusting either to me or -to himself. 
 
247 
 
 Besides this constraint, a thousand 
 other unpleasant circumstances contri- 
 buted to disgust me with my situation, 
 I do not here speak of the eternal quar- 
 rels of the performers ; their reluctance, 
 their boundless self-love ; they are every 
 where the same. A more powerful ob- 
 stacle, which impeded the advancement 
 of the German theatre, was the jealousy 
 of the French company, or rather the jea- 
 lousy of Madame Chevalier, who was at 
 their head, or, in other words, who was 
 the soul of them. Not that this lady was 
 apprehensive that the German drama 
 would eclipse the talents of the French 
 comedians ; she was too well aware of 
 the mediocrity of our company, and 
 the predeliction of Russians for every 
 thing that is Gallic, to be at all alarmed 
 with such idle fears ; but she was deter- 
 mined to allow no one besides herself to 
 amuse the Emperor. She had aire 
 
248 
 
 effected the annihilation of the Italian 
 and Russian comedians of the theatres 
 of Gatschina and the Hermitage, and 
 she rarely condescended to allow the 
 French tragic Muse to make her appear- 
 ance in the. person of Madame de Val- 
 ville. It was indeed possible that the 
 German comedians, merely from novel- 
 ty, might excite the attention and gain 
 the approbation of the Monarch, in 
 which case Madame Chevalier would 
 have appeared less frequently on the stage 
 before him ; a circumstance of which 
 she not at all approving, determined to 
 prevent. 
 
 Four times the Emperor had com- 
 manded a German play; four times I 
 was ordered to hold myself in readi- 
 ness ; and four times Madame Cheva- 
 lier found means to prevent its repre* 
 sentation. f 
 
 Being pretty well acquaintQd with the 
 
249 
 
 Emperor's taste, and having been ex- 
 pressly commanded by his Majesty to 
 bring forward one of my own pieces, I 
 had chosen The Reconciliation for the first 
 night, and The Bachelors of Iffland for 
 the second. It is necessary that the 
 
 
 
 play which the Emperor honours with 
 his presence should be short, and not 
 take up more time than an hour and a 
 half; or, at most, an hour and three 
 quarters in the representation. I had 
 therefore taken upon myself the dis- 
 agreeable task of curtailing these two 
 pieces ; but I had been labouring in vain. 
 Madame Chevalier was able to prove, 
 on this occasion, that the race of pretty 
 scornful Sultanas (mentioned by Mar- 
 montel) was not extinct. 
 
 What could I do? I could have ad- 
 dressed the Emperor in person, and ob- 
 tained an order that would have render- 
 ed all contradiction vain ; I was, how- 
 
*5° 
 
 ever, too well acquainted with the Court, 
 and was therefore determined to submit 
 with a good grace to that which I could 
 not remedy. 
 
 In all other respects, in every personal 
 consideration, Madame Chevalier con- 
 ducted herself perfectly well towards 
 me ; desirous, perhaps, of indemnifying 
 me by this method for the troubles she 
 had brought upon the company, and 
 their manager. I was indulged with the 
 special and uncommon favour of hav- 
 ing free aceess to her house and table. 
 She did me the honour too to play the 
 part of Gurli in my Indians in England, 
 which a certain Marquis de Castelnau, 
 had the barbarous goodness to meta- 
 morphose into a comic opera; and into 
 which the able Sarti, Master of the Cha- 
 pel, infused a little life and colour, by 
 his excellent composition of the music. 
 She carried the confidence she had in 
 
25 1 
 
 my talents so far, as to request me to 
 write a French comic opera according 
 to my own fancy, and circumstances 
 obliged me to set seriously about the 
 task. 
 
 All this politeness, which, at best, 
 could Only affect me individually, did 
 not render my public situation the more 
 agreeable ; and I was firmly determined 
 to solicit my discharge on the first fa- 
 vourable opportunity. 
 
 In justification of this resolution , I must 
 describe with a strong, but true pen- 
 cil, my own situation and the state of 
 my mind. Alas! I shared in common 
 with almost every inhabitant of Peters- 
 burg the alarms and disquietudes of the 
 times. A set of wicked men, having 
 abused the confidence of a Monarch, 
 whose heart was prone to gentleness and 
 benevolence, were always talking to him 
 of phantoms which had no existence. 
 
252 
 
 and the existence of which they them* 
 selves did not believe ; and at length in- 
 troduced, and established the system of 
 terror. Every night I went to bed full of 
 the most gloomy apprehensions. I started 
 from my rest in the wildest surprise at 
 the least noise, or whenever a carriage 
 stopped in the street. My first care 
 every morning was to anticipate all the 
 possible disasters of the day, with a 
 view of avoiding them. When I went 
 out my eyes were constantly looking for 
 the Emperor, to be able to alight from 
 my carriage in due time. I watched with 
 ceaseless attention over the whole econo- 
 my of my dress, the choice of the colours, 
 the cut and fashion of the garment. I 
 found myself under the necessity of 
 paying my court to women of doubtful 
 reputation, and men of shallow under* 
 standing. I had the insolence of an 
 ignorant ballet-master (the husband of 
 
*S3 
 
 Madame Chevalier) to combat with,— 
 On the" representation of every new 
 piece I tremblingly expected that the 
 Police, ever on the watch, or the Secret 
 Inquisition, would discover some pas- 
 sage to be either specious or offensive. 
 'Every time my wife took an airing with 
 the children, and staid a few moments 
 later than usual, I was fearful of hear- 
 ing that she had not got out of the car- 
 riage quickly enough on meeting the 
 Emperor, and had been dragged to the 
 common prison, as had lately happened 
 to the wife of Demuth the innkeeper. 
 I could rarely disburden my heart of its 
 vexations to a friend; for, as the pro- 
 verb says, u walls had ears, and one 
 brother could not trust another/' Nor 
 could I fill up these disastrous hours with 
 reading, for every book was prohibited. 
 I was even obliged to forego the use of 
 the pen; for I could not venture to 
 
^54 
 
 commit my thoughts to paper which 
 might be seized and taken from me per- 
 haps the next hour. Every time my busi- 
 ness obliged me to walk near the palace I 
 risked injuring my health; because at 
 every season of the year, and in all kinds 
 of weather, a man was compelled to 
 keep his head uncovered on approach- 
 ing or leaving that muss of stones. — 
 The most harmless walk became a tor- 
 ment, for one was almost sure to meet 
 some unhappy wretch on his way to 
 prison, and often to the knout. 
 
 I call the whole town of Petersburg to 
 witness if the colourings of this picture 
 are too dark ! — O if the monarch had 
 known all this ! what redress might not 
 have been expected, for certainly he had 
 the good of his subjects at heart ! 
 
 How great was my terror, when in the 
 very midst of these continual alarms, 
 on the 1 6th day of December, at eight 
 
*55 
 
 o'clock in the morning, Count Palilen 
 -sent me an order to hasten to him im- 
 mediately. Although he had chosen a 
 young man of easy and polite manners, 
 and with whom I was acquainted, for 
 the messenger; and although lie had 
 been expressly enjoined to assure me I 
 had nothing to fear, and ought not 
 therefore to be alarmed at the summons, 
 the mere sight of him drove back the 
 blood to my heart; and my wife was 
 so much terrified on the occasion that 
 she became serioufiy indisposed. 
 
 On my arrival, Count de Pahlen told 
 me that the Emperor had determined 
 to send a challenge to ail the Sovereigns 
 of Europe and their Ministers ; and that 
 his Majesty had made choice of me to 
 drawup the form of the challenge, which 
 was to be inserted in the newspapers. 
 He added, that Baron Thugut in parti- 
 cular must be mentioned with ridicule; 
 
256 
 
 arid that Generals de Kutuscoff and de 
 Pahlen were to be named as seconds to 
 his Majesty. The article of seconds, it 
 •may be observed, had been communi- 
 cated but half an hour before in a note 
 written with a pencil, and which still 
 lay on the Count's table. This singular 
 challenge was to be ready in an hour, 
 and I was ordered to present it in per- 
 son to the Emperor. 
 
 I obeyed ; and in less than an hour re- 
 turned with the challenge which I had 
 drawn up. The Count, who knew the 
 Emperor's intentions better than myself, 
 did not think it satirical enough. He 
 made me sit down at his desk, and I 
 •composed a second, which pleased him 
 better. We both went to the palace ; 
 and I was now, for the first time in my 
 life, to be presented to a man, who, on 
 account of his severity and beneficence, 
 the terror and the joy which he had 
 
*$7 
 
 caused me, and the aversion and grati- 
 tude with which by turns he had in- 
 spired -me, was become a most important 
 personage in my eyes. I had not de- 
 sired this honour, and had much doubt- 
 ed of ever receiving it; for the sight of 
 me could not fail to excite sentiments 
 of regret and self-reproach in his Impe- 
 rial Majesty. 
 
 We waited a long time in the anti- 
 chamber. The Emperor was gone out 
 on horseback; he returned late; the 
 Count went in to him with my paper, 
 and staid some time; at length he re- 
 turned much out of humour, and spoke 
 these words to me as he passed by:— 
 " Come to me at two o'clock; the chal- 
 lenge is not yet strong enough." 
 
 I went home, fully persuaded that it 
 was not in this manner I was likely to 
 gain the good graces of the Sovereign ; 
 and scarcely had I been half an hour in 
 
 vol, II. & 
 
*58 
 
 ■the house, when a running footman of 
 the Count's came to me quite out of 
 breath, to inform me I must repair that 
 instant to the Emperor. — I obeyed. 
 
 The moment I entered the cabinet, in 
 which were only himself and Count de 
 f allien, he rose from his seat, and walk- 
 ing two or three paces towards me, said 
 in a manner peculiarly graceful and with 
 his body inclined; — " M. de Kotzebue 
 I must in the first place be reconciled to 
 you/' 
 
 I was much struck at a reception I 
 had such little reason to expect. Princes 
 carry in their hand a magic wand cal- 
 led clemency, which renders them all- 
 powerful : — every resentment was ba- 
 nished from my breast the moment 
 the Emperor pronounced these words. 
 Agreeably to etiquette, I was going to 
 kneel and kiss his hand; he lifted me 
 up however in the kindest manner, kfe~ 
 
sed me on the forehead, and in very 
 ^ood German said: 
 
 " You know the world too well to 
 •be a stranger to the political events of 
 the day, and you must know likewise 
 in what manner I have figured in them* 
 I have often acted like a fool,*" added 
 he with a laugh, " and it is but just 1 
 should be punished; with this view there- 
 fore I have imposed a chastisement on 
 myself I wish," continued he, holding 
 a paper in his hand, " that this should 
 be inserted in the Hamburgh; Gazette, as 
 well as in some other public prints." 
 
 He then took me under the arm, in 
 a confidential manner, and leading me 
 to the window, read the paper to me, 
 which was written with his own hand 
 in French ;f it was as follows : 
 
 * His own expression. 
 
 f The following is the original French, pointed* 
 
 exactly as his Majesty wrote it : 
 
 ■ On 
 
i6o 
 
 u 
 
 We hear from Petersburg, that the 
 Emperor of Russia, finding that the 
 powers of Europe cannot agree among 
 themselves, and being desirous to put 
 an end to a war which has desolated it 
 for eleven years past, intends to point 
 out a spot, to which he will invite 
 all the other Sovereigns to repair and 
 fight in- single combat ; bringing with 
 
 " On apprend de Petersbourg, que TEmpereur 
 de Russie voyant que les puissances de l'Europe 
 ne pouvoit s'accorder entr* elle, et voulant mettre 
 £n a une guerre qui ladesoloit depuis onze ans, vou- 
 loit proposer un lieu ou il inviteroit tous les autres 
 Souverains de se rendre et y combat tre en champ 
 clos, ayant avec^ux pour ecuyer juge de Camp et 
 Heros d'armes leurs ministres les plus -eclaires et 
 ks generaux les plus habiles tels que MM. Thugot, 
 Pitt, Bernstorff, lui meme se proposant de prendre 
 avec lui les generaux C. de Pahlen et Kutosof ; on 
 ne sQait si on doit y ajouter fois, toute fois la chose 
 Be paroit pas destituee de fondement, en portant 
 J'empreJnte de ce dont il a souvent ete taxe." 
 
i6i 
 
 them, as seconds and 'squires, their most 
 enlightened ministers, and their most 
 able generals, such as Mefirs. Thugut, 
 Pitt, Bernstorff, &c. and that the Empe- 
 ror himself proposes being attended by 
 generals Count de Pahlen and Kutosof : 
 We know not if this report be worthy 
 of credit j however, the thing appear^ 
 not to be destitute of some foundation, 
 and bears strong marks of "what he has 
 been often taxed with." 
 
 At the last period he laughed m 
 heartily ; and, courtier-like, I laughed 
 too. 
 
 , " What do you laugh at?" said he, 
 twice in one breath, and very rapidly, 
 still continuing to laustfi himself. 
 
 " That your Majesty is so well-in- 
 formed of things." 
 
 " Here," resumed he, putting the 
 paper into my hands, " translate this 
 
 ft 
 
a6i 
 
 into German ; keep the original, and 
 bring me a copy." 
 
 I took my leave, and set about my 
 task. The last word, taxed with, embar- 
 rassed me much. Had I chosen the Ger- 
 man word, which signifies accused, the 
 expression, I thought, might appear too 
 strong, and give the Emperor offence. 
 After mature reflection I went indirectly 
 to work, and T <vrote, what he has been 
 oft C7i judged, capable of. 
 
 At two o'clock I returned to the cas- 
 tle. Count Kutaissow announced me ? 
 I was immediately introduced, and I 
 found the Emperor alone. 
 
 " Sit down," said he, in a very af- 
 fable manner : not obeying him at first, 
 from motives of mere respect, he added, 
 in a severer tone, " Sit down, I say."— 
 I took a chair, and sat opposite to him 
 at his table. 
 
 He took the original French and said,, 
 
 « 
 

 263 
 
 ? Read your translation to me:"* I 
 read slowly, and eyed him occasionally 
 over the paper as I proceeded. He 
 laughed when 1 came to the words, single 
 combat, and he gave a nod of approba- 
 tion, from time to time, till I came to 
 the last word. 
 
 Judged capable of/ 99 — resumed he, 
 
 no, that is not the word ; you must 
 say taxed withy I took the liberty of 
 observing to him, that the word tax, in 
 German, signified to estimate the value 
 of goods, and not of an action. " That 
 is very well," replied he, " but judged 
 capable, does not express the French 
 word taxc" 
 
 I then ventured to ask in alow voice, 
 " if I might be allowed to employ the 
 word accused" 
 
 * It appeared word for word in No. 9. of the 
 Hamburgh Gazelle of the 1 6th of January, i8qi 5 
 dated from Petersburg, the 30th Dec. 18co. 
 
264 
 
 " Very well, that is the word ; —ac- 
 cused, accused :" — -he repeated it three 
 or four times, and I changed the expres- 
 sion agreeably to his order. He thanked 
 me very cordially for my trouble, and 
 dismissed me, equally touched and de- 
 lighted with the manner in w r hich he 
 had received me. All who have nearly 
 approached him will bear witness, that 
 he knew how to be extremely engaging, 
 and that in such moments he was quite 
 irresistible. 
 
 I did not feel it incumbent on me to 
 omit the smallest circumstance relative 
 to a fact which has made so much noise 
 in the world. The challenge appeared 
 two days after in the Court Gazette, to 
 the great astonishment of the whole 
 town. The President of the Academy 
 of Sciences, who had received the ma- 
 nuscript in order to have it inserted, 
 could not believe his own eyes* He 
 
26$ 
 
 went in person to Count de Pahlen, to 
 be assured there was no foul play in the 
 business. At Moscow, the Gazette in 
 which it appeared was stopped by or- 
 der of the Police, as it could not be 
 imagined there, that the Monarch wish- 
 ed to make the article public. The same 
 thing took place at Riga. 
 
 The Emperor, on his part, could hard- 
 ly wait till the paragraph was printed ; 
 and such was his impatience, that he 
 made enquiries about it several times ia 
 the interval. 
 
 The next day he made me a present 
 of a snuff-box set with brilliants, of the 
 value of about two thousand roubles.* I 
 do not believe that a translation of twen- 
 ty lines was ever better paid for. 
 
 * The editor of the Gazette /#> die elegante Welt, 
 asserted it was worth four thousand. He was mis- 
 taken. 
 
266 
 
 The Emperor soon after told the Em* 
 press, that he had become acquainted 
 with me. " He is now/' said he, " one 
 of my best subjects/ ' I have this anec- 
 dote from one who was present ; but I 
 am ignorant why his Majesty thought 
 me a better subject then, than I was be- 
 fore my journey to Siberia. 
 
 There are persons who blamed me for 
 not availing myself of these opportuni- 
 ties of soliciting new favours. It is true 
 his Imperial Majesty seemed to expect 
 this, and his kind and affable deport- 
 ment appeared net a little to encourage 
 such views ; but I always felt an under 
 scribable reluctance on these occasions ; 
 and whatever I might have lost by this 
 diffidence will never cost me a single 
 regret. 
 
 On the other hand, I had gained the 
 inestimable blessings of tranquility, to 
 which my heart had been so long a stran* 
 
a6j 
 
 ger; for having now spoken with the Em- 
 peror, and seen and discovered the no- 
 bleness and benevolence of his disposi- 
 tion, the greater part of my alarms sub* 
 sided. I now admired him more than 
 I had hitherto feared him, being per- 
 suaded, as I still am, that a decent free- 
 dom, a frank and open manner, with- 
 out meanness, without servility, was, of 
 all kinds of behaviour, the most agree- 
 able to him* All that was necessary, 
 was to give way to his little singulari- 
 ties, which w r as far from being a diffi- 
 cult task ; for admitting there was no- 
 greatness on his part in exacting the ri- 
 gorous observance of certain trifles, it 
 must likewise be allowed, there was less 
 in submitting with repugnance to those 
 formalities, as they did not absolutely 
 disturb the happiness of society. 
 
 From this moment I received a thou* 
 sand little marks of good-will at the 
 
268 
 
 hands of his Majesty. I never met him* 
 in the street but he stopped to con- 
 verse with me. His conduct towards 
 rne never changed to the day of his 
 death; he continued to shew himself to 
 be benevolent, affable, and noble. Why 
 should I be ashamed to confess that my 
 eyes are bathed in tears, while gratitude 
 strews these flowers upon his grave ? 
 
 In the month of January he ordered 
 Misanthropy and Repentance to be acted 
 by the French Company at the Hermit- 
 age. It is well known that except the 
 officers o£ the guards, none but the four 
 first classes have access to the interior cir- 
 cle of the court. The Emperor however 
 condescended to make an exception in 
 favour of the author of the piece, and 
 invited me to the representation; and 
 from that moment I was admitted every 
 time a play was acted at the Hermitage. 
 
 It w r ill readily be believed that my 
 
269 
 
 heart beat violently at the representa- 
 tion of Misanthropy and Repentance. To 
 the perfect acting of Madame de Vai- 
 ville, I am principally indebted for the 
 visible emotion which the piece excited 
 in the Emperor. Aufresne, a man turn- 
 ed of seventy, whose talents have been 
 known and applauded in Germany, act- 
 ed the part of the old man. His Ma- 
 jesty sat just over the orchestra, and I 
 observed, that during the whole repre- 
 sentation he had a centinel on duty be- 
 hind his chair, dressed in the Maltese 
 regimentals. 
 
 About this time the Emperor wished 
 to have The Creation of Haydn per- 
 formed in French, and asked me to 
 translate it into that language. To have 
 any idea of this work, a man must be 
 thoroughly acquainted with the difficulty 
 of adapting words to music already com- 
 posed, What rendered this task still 
 
:-more irksome, was the extreme exact 
 hess, not to say tedious minuteness of 
 good oldSarti; who being employed to 
 accommodate my words with the music, 
 was eternally talking to me of long and 
 s-hort syllables ; while it is w r ell known 
 that the French , tongue cannot be said 
 to have either long ones or short ones. 
 The work however was almost com- 
 rpleted, and was intended for the Easter 
 holidays, but the Empeor did not live 
 so long. 
 
 J ' If notwithstanding all the distinguish- 
 ed kindness of the Court-Marshal, whose 
 noble conduct I shall ever remember 
 with gratitude, a thousand little plagues 
 had not contributed to disgust me witli 
 the management of the playhouse, I may 
 with truth reckon this among the most 
 happy periods of my life ; for I had 
 formed round me a circle of select and 
 amiable friends; their number indeed 
 
•was small, but their merit amply sup- 
 plied, that deficiency. Among these 
 I may name Aulic Counsellor Siorch^ 
 known in Germany as an excellent 
 writer, and well known to me for the 
 goodness of his heart and the generosity 
 of his sentiments; the worthy Con .^sel- 
 ler of State Suthof and his lady were 
 of the number, as wel as the £ tsellor 
 *of State Welzien, a most modest man^ 
 and endowed with original comic hii* 
 mour. We had established among our- 
 selves a little well regulated circle^ v/her,e 
 I have passed hours, the remembrance 
 of which will be long attended with the 
 most agreeable sensations.; and I am 
 sure that on their parts, the friends I 
 have named will often think of me* 
 
 ■£ND OF VQL* II- 
 
 GXLLETT, S*U&ur$' -Square, 
 
THE 
 MOST REMARKABLE YEAR 
 
 IN 
 
 THE LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 AUGUSTUS VON KOTZEBUE; 
 
 h 
 
 CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF 
 
 HIS EXILE INTO SIBERIA, 
 
 AND OF 
 
 The other extraordinary Events which happened //» him 
 IN RUSSIA, 
 
 WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN, BY 
 
 JTHE REV. BENJAMIN BERESFORLX 
 
 English Lecturer to the Queen of Prussia, 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES 
 VOI, III. 
 
 HonDrm : 
 
 PRINTED FOR RICHARD PHILLIPS. 
 No. 71, St. Paul's Church-yard. 
 
 By T. Gillet, Salisbury-square. 
 
THE. 
 
 MOST REMARKABLE YEAR 
 OF MY LIFE, 
 
 ,V T this period I found myself sud* 
 JlT\ denly emancipated from the trou* 
 blesome business of the theatre, and in 
 the most agreeable manner. The Empe- 
 ror had just finished his famous palace of 
 Michailoff. Enamoured with this fairy 
 castle, which rose out of the earth as it 
 were by magic, and which had cost be- 
 tween fifteen and eighteen millions of 
 rubles, he preferred it to all his other 
 habitations, and left, among the rest, his 
 Winter, Palace as it is called, an healthy 
 and commodious building, to shut him- 
 self up among damp walls, down which 
 the water still continued to trickle; His 
 Physcians were ordered to examine at 
 several different times the state of this 
 
new edifice, and each time they warned 
 him of the danger he would incur by 
 residing in it. But perceiving they were 
 continually sent to repeat their exami- 
 nation, in order to w r eary them into a 
 more favourable judgment, they at last 
 surrendered up their sincerity* 
 
 The Emperor took up his abode in 
 this mephitic mansion in the depth of 
 winter, and was highly delighted with 
 it* He felt much pleasure in conducting 
 his guests over the whole edifice, and in 
 shewing them the various treasures which 
 he had procured at a vast expence from 
 Paris and Rome. The extravagant praises 
 which were of course lavished upon 
 mere trifles, and the exclamation a thou- 
 sand times repeated that " all was divine, 
 unique!" at length possessed him with 
 the idea of having drawn up a detailed 
 description of this eighth wonder of the 
 world. He charged me with this task 
 
5 
 
 in the most flattering manner. More 
 than once he was pleased to tell me that he 
 expected to see something extraordinary 
 produced by my pen, and threw me into 
 great embarrassment by the high ex- 
 pectation he had formed relative to my 
 work. He lent me The Description of 
 Berlin and Potsdam, written by Nicolai, 
 from his own library ; at the same time 
 expressing* a wish that my description 
 might be stilt more c/cf ailed thin Nicolai's. 
 I complied immediately with the Mo- 
 narch's j orders. — I observed however 
 that I was deficient in many branches 
 of knowledge necessary to produce this 
 work ; that I knew not how to describe, 
 in proper terms, the several beauties of 
 architecture, sculpture, and painting; 
 that 1 presumed therefore to request that 
 I might be allowed the assistance of 
 able men in these different departments* 
 The request was instantly granted. I 
 
proposed for antiquities the Aulic Coun- 
 sellor Kohler^ keeper of the cabinet of cu- 
 riosities at the Hermitage, a man equally 
 able and obliging. For architecture 
 I named Brenna the Roman; and for 
 painting the two brothers Kugelkhen, 
 whose admirable talents and amiable 
 manners are generally known. 
 
 His Majesty with great. goodness con- 
 sented to every thing I proposed ; and 
 gave orders, that I should have access to 
 every part of the palace at all hours. 
 The Grand Marshal, as captain of the 
 palace, made the tour with me the first 
 time, and I then set about my task. 
 
 I spent the greater part of every day 
 in this edifice : I was there in the morn- 
 ing, the afternoon, and often late in the 
 evening. T frequently met the Emperor 
 as I was busied in noting down my 
 observations. He always stopped, and 
 spake to me in a very friendly manner ; 
 
7 
 
 and often exhorted me to describe no- 
 thing superficially, hut to enter into the 
 most complete detail. 
 
 I availed myself of this opportunity to 
 request my discharge from the manager- 
 ship of the theatre, and presented my pe- 
 tition in writing to Count de Narischkin 
 the 8th of February. The Count made 
 many flattering objections ; but per- 
 ceiving that I persisted in my solici- 
 tations, he postponed the matter to a 
 future day. In a short time however 
 I renewed my solicitation, nor did I 
 cease my importunity till I clearly dis- 
 covered the inefficacy of my applica- 
 tions. I then petitioned for some allevi- 
 ation of the burthen imposed upon me ; 
 aliedging that my attendance at Michai- 
 loff did not allow me sufficient time to 
 superintend the affairs of the theatre; 
 and that if my discharge should be de- 
 nied, I had no expedient left but to ask 
 
8 
 
 for a colleague. This last request was 
 granted; and the choice of the col- 
 league was left to myself. In this man- 
 ner I obtained, in the person of one of 
 my friends, an assistant, with a salary of 
 fifteen hundred rubles and a yearly be- 
 nefit; and upon him I was thus enabled 
 to throw a great part of that load of 
 troubles inseparable from a situation of 
 that nature. 
 
 I must take this opportunity of re- 
 futing an absurd paragraph which has 
 crept into the gazette/i/r de elegante Welt. 
 It asserts, in the first place, that I wearied 
 $ut the actors in making them study their 
 parts. I apprehend that the man who 
 furnished this article is himself some 
 idle player, constantly imperfect in his 
 part, since I never allowed less than 
 a fortnight for the most trivial charac- 
 ters. In the same place he asserts, that 
 'my pieces alone were -represented, A 
 
most ridiculous reproach! The greater 
 part of the new pieces in fact were 
 mine, because it was not possible to ob- 
 tain others. All Europe knows that 
 no manuscript was suffered to pass the 
 frontiers; that all books, even the bible, 
 were proscribed. How then could I 
 procure new plays ? I had only The Re- 
 memkrances of IfSand, and The Incognito 
 of Ziegler, and two or three more which 
 Mire had left in the stock of the the- 
 atre. These I had given, and others J 
 could mi give. I appeal to the testimony 
 of Iffland himself, who will declare that 
 I had written to him to send me some 
 of his new pieces, closely transcribed in 
 the form of letters. Even this was a 
 dangerous expedient; and since 1 ob- 
 tained nothing in this manner, I could 
 only give old stock pieces ; for I was 
 nearly at the end of my own. Such an 
 attack is really scandalous, since the 
 
■IO 
 
 writer, if he actually wrote from Peters- 
 burg, must have been fully convinced of 
 the injustice of the charge. 
 
 » What he has further written against 
 me has been already refuted, or shall 
 be in the sequel. The reader, I trust, 
 will pardon this digression on a subject 
 in which my honour is so materially 
 concerned. 
 
 The description of the palace was 
 nearly completed when the Emperor 
 died. As the greater part of the va- 
 luable articles which it contained were 
 soon after removed ; and as the build- 
 ing itself, as well as the whole arrange- 
 ment of it, throws considerable light 
 upon the taste, and even the character 
 of that Prince, I shall gratify the wishes 
 of several of my friends, and I trust 
 indulge the curiosity of many of my 
 readers, by the insertion of an abridg- 
 ment of a long and painful work* 
 
1 1 
 
 A Short Description of the- Imperial Pala-ce 
 of Michdilojf. 
 
 This edifice stands at the confluence of 
 the Mo'ika and the Fontanka, and occu- 
 pies the ground on which the summer pa- 
 lace of Peter the Great had been erected. 
 The Empress Elizabeth caused many al- 
 terations to be made therein : being built 
 of wood however it soon fell into decay; 
 and a Phoenix has risen from its ashes. * 
 The garden street terminates with a 
 portal. Eight doric columns of red mar- 
 ble, the produce of the country, support 
 > anumber of trophies, and three gates 
 open between four pillars of granite. The 
 Emperor's cypher (interwoven with the 
 Maltese cross) with eagles, crowns, and 
 garlands, in gilt bronze, ornament the 
 gates and paiiisades. The middle gate 
 
 is never opened except for the Imperial 
 
 - t — ■ — — ■ — •-• 
 
 * For a description of the Mo'ika, theFontanka, 
 the summer palace, &c« see Storch's Picture of Pe- 
 tersburg. 
 

 12 
 
 family. These gates lead to a triple 
 row of linden and birch trees, three 
 hundred feet long, planted in the 
 reign of the Empress Anne. This alley 
 is bounded on the left by the exercise 
 room, an immense edifice of an oblong 
 square, which is never warm during 
 winter, although furnished with twenty 
 four huge stoves. On the right the 
 walk is bordered by the stable walls : it 
 is terminated by two pavilions intended 
 for the lodgings of the officers of the 
 Imperial household. 
 
 A drawbridge leads over a canal 
 thirty feet wide, faced with free stone, 
 to the grand area before the palace,, 
 which is three hundred and thirty feet 
 long, and sixty feet wide. In the mid- 
 dle stands a colossal equestrian statue 
 in bronze of Peter the Great, upon a 
 marble pedestal, raised upon four steps. 
 The horse seems in motion ; the rider is 
 
*3 
 
 dressed in a Roman habit, and crowned 
 with a laurel wreath. An Italian of 
 the name of Martelli cast this statue in 
 the year 1744, in the reign of Elizabeth; 
 and it had lain forgotten under a shed 
 crer since. The esteem the great grand- 
 son entertained for his ancestor drew 
 it out of its obscurity. On the pedestal 
 is the following inscription : 
 
 Prodaedu Pravnuch** 
 On the right and left sides of this 
 pedestal are two bass-reliefs in bronze, 
 representing the battle of Pultava, and 
 the taking of Schlusselburg. 
 
 We now come to the front of 
 the palace. Each side of this edifice 
 measures two hundred and ninety 
 four feet, independent of the salient 
 angles. The building is surrounded on 
 all sides by canals, which are supplied 
 
 1 
 
 * The great grandson to his great grandfather. 
 
u 
 
 by the Fontanka: they are ornamented 
 with quays of granite, over which are 
 thrown five drawbridges. The founda- 
 tions of the palace are nine feet deep, 
 and composed of large piles driven close 
 to each other, and cased with strong 
 pieces of timber. 
 
 - The subterraneous part, and the first 
 story, are built with blocks of granite, 
 and the two other stories with brick, in- 
 crusted in part with, marble. The rest 
 is covered with a reddish stucco, which 
 colour tradition ascribes to a trait of 
 chivalrous gallantry. A lady of the court 
 having one day appeared in gloves of 
 that hue, it is positively said that the 
 Emperor sent one of them as a pattern 
 to the plaisterer. It must be confessed, 
 however, that such a colour suited a 
 pair of gloves much better than the walls 
 of a palace. Many of the inhabitants of 
 Petersburg seized that opportunity of 
 
*5 
 
 flattering the Emperor, and daubed 
 their houses with this colour. Madame 
 Chevalier carried this species of flattery 
 still farther ; she made choice of the co- 
 lour for the part of Iphigenia. „ 
 
 The reader may form some idea of the 
 impression with which a stranger must 
 be struck on approaching this edifice. 
 It is a monstrous mass of red stone, 
 environed with ditches and drawbridges, 
 and encumbered with twenty pieces of 
 large brass cannon, many of the various 
 ornaments of which are directly con- 
 trary to the common rules of art. The 
 two large obelisks of grey marble, for 
 instance, at the entrance of the principal 
 front, reach to the top of the edifice 
 and support the Emperor's cypher in 
 bronze, with trophies of white marble; 
 and near them are the two statues, Diana 
 and tfce Belvedere Apollo, which being 
 placed in small niches, produce a mean 
 
i6 
 
 effect, merely on account of their situa- 
 tion : above these is a colonade of the 
 doric order, sustaining a rustic portal ; 
 a frontispiece of Parian marble, the 
 work of the two Stagis, likewise catches 
 the eye, presenting History under the 
 figure of Fame, as she appears on Tra- 
 jan's column: on the attic two goddesses 
 of glory support the Imperial arms, and 
 on the roof, which is over-laid with green 
 varnish, appear struggling groups of sta- 
 tues, representing Cybeles crowned with 
 towers and bearing on their shields, the 
 arms of the Russian provinces. Upon 
 the frieze, which is composed of por- 
 phyry of the country, we read the fol- 
 lowing words . 
 
 DOMTJ TVOJEMU PODOVAJET 
 SVATUNA GOSPODNA v'DOLGOTU DNEI.* 
 
 * Holiness becometh thine house for e^er. Psalm 
 xciii, terse 5. 
 
n 
 
 And lastly, above the gate, upon a 
 ground of black marble, we behold this 
 inscription j 
 
 VOSKRESENSKIJA.* 
 
 Such is the grotesque assemblage of 
 objects which excites the stranger's sur- 
 prize, each of which, if taken separate- 
 ly, would display many beauties; but 
 which, grouped as they are, produce an 
 •effect disgusting to true taste. The ar- 
 chitect, whose name is Brenna^ ascribes 
 the whole composition to the Emperor 
 himself, who, according to his account, 
 even sketched the designs j but some 
 people doubt this assertion. 
 
 The church starts out in the form of 
 an oval from the second front. It is in- 
 crusted with grey Siberian marble, and 
 ^decorated with bass-reliefs, representing 
 the four Evangelists, with a cornice 
 of cherubs, together with two statues 
 
 * The Sabbath gate. 
 VOL, III. £ 
 
iS 
 
 standing in niches, the one of Religion, 
 :md the other of Faith.* On the attic 
 ire two statues of St. Peter and St. Paul 
 on each side of a cross. A gilt tower 
 finishes the dome of the church ; the 
 cupola is hung with four chandeliers^ 
 which, as well as the dome itself, and 
 the cross, are of gilded bronze. 
 
 Over a door, not far from the church, 
 we read this word, inscribed on a black 
 jnarble ground : 
 
 ROSCHESTWENSKIJA.f 
 
 I endeavoured in vain to discover the 
 Monarch's intention in the choice he 
 had made of the two last inscriptions. 
 A man of high consequence, however, 
 advised me to leave them untranslated 
 in my description. 
 
 * These two beautiful statues, by Conrad ini, 
 -.vere brought hither from the summer-gardens, and 
 ate more fully described in Storch's Picture of Pe- 
 tersburg, p. 431. 
 -f The gate of the Resurrection* 
 
i 9 
 
 The third front overlooks the summer- 
 garden : a circular stair-case, containing 
 twenty -six steps of Serdopol granite, 
 leads to a large hail, supported by ten 
 doric pillars of red marble. The floor 
 is white ; on each side axe two Egyptian 
 statues of bardiglio de Carrara^ a hard 
 stone, resembling in colour a basalt. The 
 landing-place of the stair-case is graced 
 on each side with six doric columns of 
 red marble, over which rises an attic, 
 surrounded by a balustrade, which serves 
 as a belvedere.. To these ornaments are 
 likewise added the statues of Prudence 
 and Strength, which stand in two niches. 
 In the cupola of an adjacent pavilion, is 
 the palace clock ; and when the Em- 
 peror is here, the Imperial flag is hoisted 
 on a small tower, which ibrms a part of 
 the pavilion. 
 
 Having thus surveyed the exterior of 
 ;the palace, we shall enter it on the side 
 
of the grand front; and the Sabbath- 
 xioor will lead us under a peristyle, which 
 forms an oblong square. On each side 
 the coach-way, which divides the peris- 
 tyle, rises a colonade containing twenty- 
 four doric pillars : each pillar is compos- 
 ed of a single block of granite; the bases 
 and capitals of which are of Raskol 
 marble. In the midst of the colonade 
 are placed the copies of the Medicean and 
 Borghcsian vases,* in white marble, and 
 on cne side stand two colossal statues 
 in niches, the one, representing Hercules 
 with his club, and the other, Alexander 
 the Great. 
 
 After having traversed the peristyle. 
 -we come to the interior area of the 
 palace, an octagon of one hundred and 
 ninety-eight feet diameter, and which 
 
 * Brought from the Tauridan palace, where 
 they were placed by prince Poteoikin, and are .of 
 
 exquisite workmanship. 
 
21 " 
 
 lies six feet higher than the circumjacent 
 level. The Imperial Family and Aoibas-* 
 sadors are alone permitted to drive 
 through this court. 
 
 It would be impossible to count how 
 often the Emperor's cypher is repeated 
 within and without this edifice; in the 
 interior court the piers of the windows 
 and all the adjacent parts are filled with 
 it. In this area,- in -eight -niches, stand 
 as many statues of wretched workman- 
 ship ; they are intended to represent 
 Strength, Plenty, Victory, Glory, toe. 
 but they are miserably executed, and 
 furnish new proof of the disgusting con- 
 trast of the luxury and want of taste 
 
 4 
 
 which prevail through the whole palace, 
 Four large flights of steps, and two of 
 less dimensions, lead from the area to 
 the inside of the palace, and are termi- 
 nated by large glass doors; but without 
 passing through the court we enter on 
 
22 
 
 the left side of the peristyle into aii 
 eval room, where thirty soldiers and one 
 efficer of the regiment of life-guards re- 
 main always upon duty. This party is 
 continually relieved by another of the 
 same regiment, while- the rest of the 
 palace is guarded by soldiers of several 
 different regiments. The spot where 
 these thirty men mount guard has been 
 very judiciously chosen ; the hall they, 
 occupy extending on one side to the ex- 
 tremity of the peristyle, and on the other 
 to the state stair-case ; no one could ap- 
 proach the Emperor without passing 
 dose to the guard-house. The granite 
 steps of this stair-case rise between two 
 balustrades of gray Siberian marble, in- 
 termixed^ with pilasters of polished 
 bronze. The walls are incrusted with 
 various kinds of marble, and the com- 
 partments were intended to be painted 
 in fresco. On the landing place stood 
 
2 3 
 
 a fine xropy in white marble of the Capi- 
 toline Cleopatra; on each side were seen 
 the statues of Prudence and Justice in 
 niches. At the top of the staircase two 
 grenadiers stand always upon guard. 
 
 I. have led the reader as far as the 
 grand mahogany doors, the pannels of 
 which are richly ornamented with shields 
 and arms, and Gorgons' heads finely 
 worked in bronze. The door on the 
 right opens into the state apartments of 
 the Emperor. 
 
 From an oval anti-chamber, in which 
 we behold with pleasure the bust of Gus^ 
 tavus Adolphus, and with pity an- al- 
 legorical ceiling painted by a Russian 
 dauber of the name of Smuglevitsch, we 
 pass into a spacious room plaistered with 
 spotted yellow, stucco. For the sake of 
 brevity, I shall mention only the prin- 
 •cipal ornaments of each chamber. In 
 this room were six historical picture % 
 
24 
 
 sixteen feet in height and twelve irr 
 width. The subjects are as follows: 
 The battle ofPultava, by Schebujsff, a fine 
 composition, full of force and expression, 
 in which Peter the Great and General 
 Bchermetoff are the principal figures. 
 The faking of Casan, by the Czar Ivan 
 Vasilevitsch, painted by Ogrurnof] a well- 
 grouped piece. The Coronation of Michael 
 Fedorowiisch Romanow, Grandfather to 
 Peter the Great, a good picture, the 
 work of 0-.grumqff> who deserves to be 
 ranked among the best historical painters 
 of his time. \ The Union of the Russian 
 and Turkish Fleets r and their common 
 passage through the Dardanelles, by Pret- 
 schetnikoff^ an indifferent representation 
 of a memorable event, though not defi- 
 cient in aerial perspective. The Victory of 
 Prince Demetrius Ivanovitsch Donsky over 
 the Tartars of the Don in the Plains of 
 Kulikoff, and The Baptism of the great 
 
Duke of "Vladimir i painted by an English-- 
 man of the name of* Atkinson, whose 
 pencil has a bold and striking effect r , 
 though he is far from being faultless with 
 regard to his outlines.! . 
 
 I shall now introduce the reader into 
 the throne-chamber, which is seventy 
 feet long and thirty wide*- It was per- 
 fectly well fitted up, and the sight of it 
 created respect and confidence. I shall 
 not speak of the hangings of green velvet 
 embroidered with gold, nor of the mag- 
 nificent furniture, nor the colossal stove, 
 twenty-six feet in height, and almost co- 
 vered with bronze. The throne was 
 covered -with red velvet richly worked 
 in gold. On the back were displayed 
 
 * Mr. John Atkinson, a young artist of great 
 talents. He was brought up under his father-in- 
 law, Mr. James Walker, and finished his studies 
 at the Academy of Arts. 
 
 t The Emperor's funeral decorations have sine? 
 -been erected" in this room, 
 
i6 
 
 the arms of Russia, surrounded with 
 those of the kingdoms of Kasan and As* 
 trakhan, of Siberia and Great Russia. In 
 various niches, directly opposite to the 
 throne, and over the doors, were filled 
 with antique busts of Julius Cxsar, An- 
 toninus Pius^ Lucius Verus, and others. 
 Above these. appeared colossal statues of 
 Justice, Peace, Victory, and Glory; and 
 round the chambers were displayed the 
 arms of all the provinces subject to the 
 Russian sceptre, seventy-six in number, 
 emblematically representing the different 
 inhabitants of this vast empire. It must 
 be confessed^ that these decorations, 
 which were invented by the Monarch 
 himself, could not have been better 
 chosen, and they manifested, whatever 
 the world may choose to say, the noble 
 and chivalrous spirit that animated his 
 breast. 
 
 Among the superb furniture of this* 
 chamber, a looking-glass, the largest hi 
 
2 7 
 
 the palace, is worthy of notice. It is o£ 
 one single plate, nearly twelve feet in 
 height and seven wide. There are like- 
 wise three magnificent tables worthy the 
 admiration of the curious, one of verde. 
 anticOj and the others of oriental ^green- 
 porphyry. Each of these is upwards of 
 six feet long and two feet wide ; they 
 are supported by brass and bronze co-. 
 lumns four feet high. A vast sconce of 
 bronze hung from the ceiling, which is. 
 decorated with two allegorical paintings, 
 very indifferently executed, by Varelianu 
 The banner of the Order of Malta was- 
 introduced, into both these pictures. 
 
 From the throne-chamber we. pass, 
 into the Arabesque gallery, through a 
 door placed between two beautiful doric 
 pillars of oriental porphyry, which were 
 purchased at Rome. On the cornice 
 stood the busts of Marcus Aurelius, with 
 several large vases of red Siberian por~ 
 
28 
 
 pKyry. Five niches were filled with as 
 many statues, copied in Italy from an- 
 tiques, and representing the Venus de 
 Medici, Antinous Germanicus, the Apollo 
 of Florence, and the Venus Callipygia. 
 The architecture of this gallery is in the 
 style of the famous chamber of Raphael 
 at the Vatican, and like that wholly or- 
 namented with arabesques in different 
 colours, by Pietro Scoti 9 the figures were 
 painted by Vighi ; the work, however, 
 remains unfinished. 
 
 From this room we pass through a 
 large glass door into the laocoon gallery, 
 so called from the celebrated group of 
 that name, copied at Rome from the 
 original, composed of one single block 
 of marble without spot or vein, and 
 transported to Petersburg without the 
 least accident. 
 
 The walls are decorated with four 
 superb Gobelins hangings, twelve feet 
 
$9 
 
 square, representing Saint Peter fishing 
 —Jesus driving the buyers and sellers out 
 <fihe temple — -The Resurrection of Lazarus , 
 and Mary Magdalene anointing the feet of 
 -our Savwur. Two groups taken from 
 ancient fable form a strange contrast 
 with the above scriptural subject : these 
 are copies by Pacetti, from the celebrated 
 
 • Canova of Diana and Endymion, and Cu- 
 pid and Psyche. At one glance the eye 
 catches the figure of Jesus Christ and 
 that of the perpetual sleeper. 
 
 Over the doors are two pictures by 
 D alter a of Rome, in wax colours; the 
 
 * subjects are Ulysses finding Penelope •, and 
 Hector taking leave of Ayidromache. They 
 are already damaged by the dampness 
 of their position; the latter is almost 
 
 -cracked in two. 
 
 \ shall not speak of the valuable tables 
 
 *0§ breccia and oriental alabaster, the 
 chairs of velvet, the various bronzes, all 
 executed at Paris, &c. Lshall only men- 
 
3<> 
 
 tion some of the innumerable clocks that 
 were to be seen all over the palace. In 
 this room there was one, in whict the 
 four Seasons were represented in bronze 
 in a car drawn by lions, and conducted 
 bv one of the Genii, The wheel served 
 
 
 
 as a dial-plate. The observer, by looking 
 upwards, would soon dissipate all the 
 eSect this curious piece of tnechanism 
 might have produced on his mind, by 
 the sight of pictures which disfigure the 
 deling; that in the middle, representing 
 the Choice of Hercules , is the least objec- 
 tionable of the three; on the right is Cou- 
 rage accompanied by Merit? on the left 
 y ust ice and Peace embracing each other? 
 these are all painted by Sniuglevitsch, an 
 abortive son of the Muses and Graces. It 
 must be observed, however, that the 
 Emperor himself had furnished the sub- 
 jects of this cieling ; he it was who asso- 
 ciated justice and peace, courage and 
 .merit together. It had been well had lie 
 
committed the execution of these de- 
 rmis to a. moveable hand. But such 
 was Bis general conduct. The source of 
 Jiis actions was always pure and benevo- 
 lent, but the agents of his intentions 
 were frequently corrupt. 
 
 Two life-guard subalterns stood cen- 
 tinel, with spontoons in their hands, at 
 the entrance of an oval apartment, in 
 which sixteen Corinthian columns of 
 stucco supported an attic, the ceiling of 
 which rested upon as many caryatides, 
 executed by Alban'u Five allegorical bas- 
 reliefs, that set all explanation at defi- 
 ance, filled -up the -intervals. The furni- 
 ture of this room was of flame-coloured 
 -velvet, worked on silver, which produc- 
 ed a fine effect. 
 
 The ceiling painted by Vighi, and of 
 -a different description from those just 
 ^mentioned, represents the Gods in Olym- 
 pus. Jupiter seems to be absorbed in a 
 
3 2 
 
 fiood of glory, and the whole composi- 
 tion bespeaks the hand of a distinguish- 
 ed artist. 
 
 Near this apartment is the Marble Hall, 
 the guard-house of the Knights of Malta, 
 which ^measures ninety feet in length, 
 thirty in breadth, and near forty-two in 
 height. The architecture is composed 
 of two different orders ; the walls are 
 divided, as high as the attic, into vast 
 compartments, decorated with breccia 
 corolina de Geneva, and black Porto- Ve- 
 nese marble. The long and flat sconces 
 of polished bronze, which are fixed at 
 proper distances in the wails, produced 
 a good effect upon the black ground. 
 At one end of the wall is an orchestra of 
 white marble, surrounded by a balustrade 
 of polished bronze, on which w r ere rang- 
 ed ten large vase chandeliers. The ceil- 
 ing was naked, a Parnassus was then 
 painting at Rome to cover-.it> 
 
33 
 
 A large niche, formed and sttppdrtecl 
 by two superb Ionic columns of Siberian 
 marble, divided the hall into two equal 
 parts. A chimney-piece of white' marble, 
 sustained by four termes, and incrusted 
 with lapis lazuli and agate, is construct- 
 ed in this niche. Two other chimnies 
 are built on each side, in similar niches, 
 and afford fine specimens of gipolino an- 
 tics, a rare marble, resembling green pe- 
 trified wood. The niches were adorned 
 with statues, copied at Rome from the 
 antique, representing Bacchus, Mercury, 
 Flora, and Venus. I pass over the clocks, 
 sconces, vases, small statues, and all the 
 curious ornaments in bronze, which 
 contributed to the decoration of the 
 apartment. 
 
 At one end of this hall is a grand 
 niche formed by two large Ionic co- 
 lumns, and containing a door -way. 
 
 vol. in. c 
 
<14 
 
 through which we pass irito the circular 
 throne-chamber. 
 
 Sixteen Atlases of colossal size sustain 
 the dome; The walls are hung with red 
 velvet embroidered with gold, and de- 
 corated with gilt carvings. The win- 
 dows are concealed by curtains of the 
 same stuff except one, which is compos- 
 ed of a single pane of glass, and framed 
 in solid silver. The throne differs in 
 no respect from that already described, 
 • except in the number of steps, the 
 former being composed of eight, and 
 this of only three. One sconce of nine, 
 and eight others of seven feet in height, 
 ornamented this apartment j they were 
 all of massy silver, highly polished,work- 
 ed in one piece, and were purchased ^t 
 the manufactory of the ingenious M. 
 Buch, Counsellor of State in the king- 
 dom of Denmark. The ceiling, which 
 
S3 
 
 painted in camain and gold, intermix- 
 ed with arabesques, was executed by 
 Carlo Scott. 
 
 Some time before his death, the Em- 
 peror had ordered several alterations to 
 be made in this room. The red velvet 
 hangings were to have been stripped off, 
 to give place to others of yellow velvet, 
 finely embroidered in silver. In the. 
 corners were to have been placed large 
 roses of massy silver, with medallions 
 and wreaths of laurel. of the same metal* 
 The two tables, the stands, the clocks, 
 &c. were likewise to have been of silver, 
 and- the court goldsmiths had already 
 been furnished with fourteen hundred 
 pounds w r eight of that metal for this 
 purpose. 
 
 T From this room a door opens into the 
 inner apartments of the Empress. The 
 first chamber was hung with tapestry of 
 sky-blue ground, upon which were re* 
 

 -36 
 
 presented various views of the Castle of 
 Pavlofsky. At the bottom of the 
 rdom is a niche sustained by two superb 
 Doric columns of porphyry, before 
 which is phced the group of Apollo and 
 .Daphne^ copied in 'Carrara marble from 
 Bernini. Vases, clocks, tables of por- 
 phyry, agate, oriental alabaster, rosso an- 
 iko? and bronze were ornamentally scat- 
 tered over the chamber. Paintings in 
 wax -colours by Balkra adorned the 
 door-tops-; and the ceiling, as well as 
 most of the others in the palace; was 
 painted in fresco by CadenaccL 
 
 Two doors formed of mahogany, rose- 
 wood, and cedar, embossed with gilt 
 carvings, and encrusted with white 
 marble, lapis lazuli, and malachite, lead 
 us into & cabinet as much overcharged 
 with ornaments as the doors themselves, 
 and with which the eye quickly grows 
 distracted* and fatigued. The walk are 
 
37 
 
 of grey Siberian marble, with compart- 
 ments of lapis-lazuli, &c. and a wainscot 
 of giallo and nero antico; the cornice lapis 
 lazuli with lions heads in bronze; the cor- 
 nice is topped with bass reliefs raised upon 
 a polished golden ground. The divans 
 or sofas, the stools, and the curtains were 
 cloth of gold : a niche was formed by 
 two Corinthian columns of fine oriental 
 alabaster of entire pieces ; the pedestals 
 encrusted with verde antico and lapis-la- 
 zuli ; there was likewise a group in white 
 marble, representing Castor and Pollux, 
 the work of Albaginiy and in two small 
 niches the Tragic and the Comic Muses* 
 The chimney-piece was of verde antico , 
 malaehite, and bronze ; besides these 
 were tables, vases, and small statues in 
 agate, bronze, &c. together with a quan- 
 tity of fine china painted with arabesques 
 in the manner of Raphael. All these 
 and many otter articles which I have not 
 
3* 
 
 named, were crouded into 3, closet of 
 twelve feet square. 
 
 The closet opens into the - state bed- 
 room, which is more plainly, and there- 
 fore more agreeably furnished. This 
 chamber is very spacious. The walls are 
 of stucco, covered with festoons painted 
 upon a polished gold ground. 
 
 The bed, which is richly carved and 
 gilt, is surrounded by a balustrade of 
 massy silver of four hundred and ninety 
 pounds weight. Over the bed is a sky- 
 blue velvet canopy, suspended by six 
 silver strings. The cornice is supported 
 by Corinthian columns, and painted in 
 arabesque, upon a polished gold ground. 
 The interstices of the columns are fur- 
 nished with divans of blue velvet, and 
 vast looking-glasses, composed of single 
 plates. The chimney is of white Carrara 
 marble, with a cornice ornamented with 
 lapis-lazuli, and Florentine Mosaic work 
 
39 
 
 of "amethyst' and other fine stones* re^ 
 presenting various kinds of fruit in the> 
 most natural manner. An allegorical 
 ceiling, indifferently painted by Valerhiij 
 seemed to be very difficult to unravel. 
 
 The chamber next to the state bed- 
 room was fitted up in a plain style, and 
 has served at one time for an eatings 
 and at another for a concert room. Be- 
 sides two chimney-pieces and some por- 
 phyry vases, the room affords nothing 
 remarkable, It interested me however 
 exceedingly, as it was the play-room of 
 the young Grand Dukes. I have many 
 times found them here ; they are two 
 lively spirited princes, and extremely af- 
 fable and polite to ail ranks of people* 
 The tenderness of the Empress mother,- 
 whose soul is wrapped up in her chil- 
 dren, had provided against accidents by 
 having caused pillows to be piled against 1 . 
 
4o 
 
 tEe glass doors which open upon the 
 balcony, to the height of four feet. 
 
 Leaving this apartment on the left, 
 and the common apartments of the Em- 
 press on the right, we pass through a 
 room of no grand appearance into her 
 Majesty's throne-chamber. The throne 
 itself resembles that of the Emperor,, 
 except that it is less, and only stands on 
 a single step. A grand niche sustained 
 by two colossal caryatides, contains a 
 iine chimney piece of white marble, re- 
 presenting the nine Muses. The splen- 
 dour of the furniture may be compared 
 with that of the other chambers. I shall 
 only mention a beautiful clock, repre- 
 senting Phoebus in his car drawn by 
 two horses, and performing his diurnal- 
 course. The dial-plate is fixed in the 
 wheel of the car, the whole is highly 
 finished, and exhibits a master-piece of 
 
41 
 
 art. The ceiling, painted by Metienleiter* 
 represents the judgment of Paris, and is 
 not ill. done. Of the same description are 
 the pictures by Bessonoff, a scholar of the 
 Academy of Arts at Petersburg, which 
 are placed over the doors,- and represent 
 Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture. 
 On one side of the throne-chamber is 
 the gallery of Raphael,so called from four, 
 magnificent pieces of tapestry, which 
 almost cover a wall of seventy-two feet 
 in length. These are copies of four well- 
 known pictures by Raphael in the Va- 
 tican. Constaiitine haranguing his troops 
 on the day he gave battle to Maxentius. 
 Heliodorus driven out of the temple, the 
 famous School of Athens, and the no less 
 famous Par?iassus, in which Apollo plays 
 on a modern violin. I refer the reader 
 to M. Ramdohr's able description q£ 
 these pictures, before even the copies of 
 which I have passed many an hour in 
 
42 
 
 silent admiration. A large ceiling-piece, 
 and two small ones, painted by Met* 
 tenleiter, deserve attention ; that in the 
 middle represents the temple of Mi-. 
 nerva, upon the steps of which the libe- 
 ral arts are grouped ; the Greek that 
 represents architecture is a portrait of 
 Brenna ; and M-ettenleiier has depicted 
 himself in the allegorical figure that per- 
 sonates painting. The subjects of the 
 two small ceilings are Prometheus ani- 
 mating man*) and Idleness and Industry* 
 This gallery is adorned likewise with 
 fine bronzes, marble chimney-pieces, &c« 
 
 The gallery leads to an oblong saloon, 
 in which are a very fine antique statue 
 of Bacchus , and a modern statue, per- 
 haps as fine, of Diana, executed by Hou* 
 don. The whole room is filled with busts, 
 bass-reliefs, sarcophagi, antique vases, 
 &c. of very different degrees of merit* 
 
 This saloon lies contiguous to the 
 
43 
 
 guard-hall, where a detachment of horse 
 always remained on duty. The room 
 merely exhibits four Ionic columns, and 
 a ceiling-piece by Smuglevitsch, in which 
 Curtius leaps into the gulf in a very 
 aukward manner. 
 
 We are now upon the grand stair- 
 case again, after having gone through 
 the state chambers of the Emperor and 
 Empress, to the right and to the left. 
 On the 8th of November, 1800, his 
 f Imperial Maj eft y celebrated the inaugu- 
 ration of the palace with the greatest 
 pomp. He dined for the first time in 
 this edifice, and gave a grand masked 
 ball to the public, during which all the 
 apartments which I have described were 
 thrown open, and lighted up with seve- 
 ral thousand wax candles. 
 
 The reader will doubtless be curious 
 to, be acquainted with the rooms which 
 the Emperor and Empress commonlv 
 
44 
 
 inhabited. From Raphael's gallery a 
 door opened into the apartments of 
 the monarch : an anti-chamber plainly 
 painted, had no other ornament than 
 seven pictures by Charles Vanloo, repre- 
 senting the legends of Saint Gregory, 
 
 The second room, inlaid with white 
 and stripes of gold, was decorated with 
 fine landscapes, and several views of the 
 palace itself. The ceiling had a very 
 striking effect ; it was painted by Tiepolo r 
 and represented Mark Antony and 
 Cleopatra dissolving the pearl in vinegar. 
 The ignorance of the painted has com- 
 mitted several ridiculous faults agaihst 
 costume. 
 
 In the third apartment the walls are 
 almost entirely covered by six land- 
 scapes, painted by Martinoff, which ex- 
 hibit views of the palaces of Gatschina 
 and Pavlofsky. Six elegant mahogany 
 cases, upon which are fixed twenty beau- 
 
45 
 
 tiful vases of porphyry, oriental alabas- 
 ter, &c. contain the Emperor's private 
 library. This room was the post of his 
 Majesty's body hussar. A back door 
 leads from hence into a kitchen which 
 supplies the table of the monarch, and 
 in which he had designedly established 
 i a German cook, who always dressed his 
 victuals. He had lately fitted up a si*- 
 milar kitchen near his own apartments 
 at the winter palace. Where is the man, 
 who with all these precautions, (perhaps 
 very necessary ones) could envy the 
 ^condition of the most powerful monarch 
 ;upon earth ? 
 
 Another private dcor opens into a. 
 ••small room intended for the body- 
 iiussars, and which, communicating 
 with a winding stair-case, since become 
 very celebrated, leads into the court, 
 through a door guarded by a single csb- 
 sdnel. 
 
< From the library we pass knroedf- 
 ately into the Emperor's bed-chamber, in 
 which likewise he chiefly remained dur- 
 ing the day, and in which he died. 
 The room is very large, being, if I mis- 
 take not, between thirty and forty feet 
 square* The walls are wainscotted in 
 white* and were hung with a great 
 number of landscapes, the greater part 
 by Vernet, some, by Woitvermann^. and 
 Vender :Meulen+ In the middle of the 
 chamber, behind a screen^ stood a small 
 camp^ bed without curtains* Over the 
 feed was an angel, (not a guardian one) 
 by Gutdo Reni. In one corner hung th-g 
 portrait of an ancient knight banneret, 
 painted by Jean le Duc r which the Em* 
 peror greatly valued. 
 
 A bad picture of Frederick II. on 
 horseback, and a well-known plaister- 
 figure of that -monarch, placed in a cor- 
 ner upon a marble pedestal, formed a 
 
m 
 
 Grange contrast with these magnificent 
 pictures. 
 
 The Emperor's writing table was re- 
 ' markable in more than one respect. It 
 was fixed upon four ivory pillars of the 
 Ionic order, with bronze bases, and ca- 
 pitals. An ivory edge of fine work- 
 manship, ornamented with small vases 
 of the same, was fixed to it. Two chan- 
 deliers with ivory branches inserted in 
 blocks of amber, displayed four paste 
 medallions, in the manner of Leberecht, 
 representing the Emperor, the Empress, 
 the two Grand Dukes and the Grand 
 Duchess Elizabeth. The table and the 
 candlesticks were the work of the Em- 
 press ; that princess, who patronizes the 
 arts and cultivates them with success, 
 turned the ivory with her own hands 
 and formed the pastes. 
 
 On one of the walls hung pictures 
 
Tepresenting all the different regimentals 
 of the Russian army, 
 
 A report has been a thousand times 
 repeated, that the Emperor had a trap- 
 « door in his bed-room, together with se- 
 veral private doors : I am, however, 
 ^ enabled to declare and maintain the fal- 
 sity of such assertion* The magnificent 
 carpet that covered the floor rendered 
 the very existence of such a door im- 
 possible ; neither did the stove stand 
 upon feet, and consequently there was 
 410 hollow place under it, as has been 
 likewise pretended. There were indeed 
 two concealed doors in the room, but 
 <one of them led to a corner that served 
 for a well-known use, and the other 
 ;shut up a recess in which the swords of 
 ?such officers as were under arrest were 
 deposited. The folding doors between 
 the Emperor's chamber and the apart- 
 
49 
 
 ments of the Empress remained shut 
 and bolted on both sides. 
 
 The passage from the bed-chamber to 
 the library was furnished with double 
 doors, and on account of the great thick- 
 ness of the walls, there was space enough 
 between them for the construction of 
 two private ones ; in fact there were 
 two : that on the right, shut up a dark 
 closet where the imperial colours were 
 kept; and that on the left opened upon 
 a back stair-case which led to the Em- 
 peror's apartments on the ground floor. 
 
 Contiguous to this stair-case we enter 
 a large wainscotted chamber, in one of 
 the walls of which was fixed an old 
 clock, made at Dresden by Dinglinger, 
 in 1714. Three silver hands point out 
 the hour, the temperature of the air, 
 and the direction of the wind. This 
 clock had formerly stood in the garden 
 of Peter the Great. 
 
 VOL. III. D 
 
5° 
 
 From hence we step into a circular 
 closet in which stood two Italian statues, 
 a Vesta, and a woman sacrificing : be- 
 sides these was a statue of Apollo, which 
 was wrought at the Academy of Arts 
 at Petersburg; and likewise a collec- 
 tion of fine v&ses of Seve-porcelaine, and 
 a valuable table of rossa antico. 
 
 The next room, which is likewise 
 wainscotted, contained an embroidered 
 portrait of Peter the Great, of exquisite 
 workmanship, several fine vases of Seve- 
 manufactory, and some of the height of 
 a man, made at the manufactory of Pe- 
 tersburg. 
 
 The last room, and in which the Em- 
 peror usually transacted business, was 
 wainscotted with walnut tree, and bor- 
 dered with varnished carved festoons. 
 The compartments were ornamented 
 with pagan divinities surrounded with 
 garlands, on which various kinds of 
 
birds were perched. The general effect 
 of this room was soft and agreeable ; 
 the furniture was superb, particularly a 
 chest of drawers, the work of the fa* 
 mous Rontgen, of Neuwied. A little 
 monument that stood on a table, bear- 
 ing this inscription — Mary, the 21 April, 
 1791*, was probably the work of the 
 Empress. A breakfast service of porcelain 
 of the Petersburg manufactory, w r hich 
 stood in this room, and on which were 
 painted several views of the palace of 
 Michailoff; afforded new proof of the 
 Prince's predilection for this work of 
 his own creation. 
 
 j The way to the Empress's apartments 
 lay through the concert-room already 
 described. A chamber of a gay and ele- 
 gant appearance communicated with a 
 state-room, the walls of which were 
 
 * The birth-day of Catherine II. 
 
5 2 
 
 of grey Siberian marble, the compart- 
 ments of lapis-lazuli and porphyry, the 
 borders of variegated marble richly 
 ornamented with gilded bronze. An- 
 tique busts were placed at proper dis- 
 tances round the walls, upon porphyry 
 grounds; the pannels were of breccia. 
 The chimney-piece was supported by 
 alabaster columns ; the frieze was of 
 njjerde antico, &c. The furniture was 
 suitably splendid : the sconce, which I 
 was of the finest crystal, cost twenty H 
 thousand rubles. 
 
 The Empress's dressing and working 
 room lay contiguous to this state cham- 
 ber. It was wainscotted, and the book- 
 cases and chests of drawers were of the 
 most beautiful mahogany. A golden 
 toilet caught the attention in a less for- 
 cible degree than four fine original pic- 
 tures in the same room, one of which 
 was painted by Marie Gerard^ the other 
 
. 53 
 three by Greuze. (.One of the latter re- 
 presents a young girl being scolded by 
 her mother for gfivins: herself so much 
 up to love affairs as to suffer her bird to 
 die for want of food.) Diderot gives a 
 ample description of this picture in his 
 treatise on painting. A writing-table 
 stood in the middle of the room, and 
 bore marks of the noble and frequent 
 use that had been made of it. The Em- 
 press, as I have been told, lately slept 
 in this chamber on account of its being; 
 perfectly dry. 
 
 The last room is a boudoir or round 
 closet, resplendent with magnificence. 
 The walls were hunsj with light blue 
 velvet richly embroidered with gold 
 stripes; and every part of the chamber 
 displayed the finest specimens of art, 
 either in bronze, or in lapis-lazuli and 
 other valuable stones. I was particu- 
 larly struck with a large red porphyry 
 
54 
 
 vase standing upon a pedestal of the 
 same, intermixed with malachite; the 
 whole was five feet in, height. The 
 iloor was covered with a splendid 
 French .carpet. 
 
 This closet, which is situated in a 
 corner of the palace, behind the bed- 
 rooms of the Emperor and the Empress, 
 connected those two apartments toge- 
 ther by a single wall, but of such thick- 
 ness, that we are not surprised her Ma- 
 jesty was ignorant ofythe death of her 
 husband for some time after the event. 
 
 Besides the Emperor and Empress, 
 the Grand Duke, his consort, and a lady 
 of honour, no one lodged on this story. 
 In the chamber of the Grand Duchess 
 Anne I remarked a time-piece which 
 was inscribed with the following words: 
 {Love reduced to reason^ The god appears 
 in fetters, and Reason holds the end of 
 the chain. In the presence of such a 
 
beautiful and amiable princess, the pu- 
 nishment, however, did not seem at all 
 severe. In her husband's apaitment I 
 saw a codv of the Borghesian herma- 
 phrodite, and one of the Venus coming 
 out of the bath in the Florentine gal- 
 lery. 
 
 On the ground floor, there is no* 
 thin a: remarkable besides an unfinished 
 theatre and the church. In the latter, 
 the choir is supported by fourteen Ionic 
 columns of Serdepol granite. The 
 grand altar, which is of an octagonal 
 form, is constructed of black and 
 white marble. Three doors lead to it ; 
 that in the middle is of massy silver, in, 
 open work, and ornamented with six 
 medallions, painted on copper, by Pro- 
 fessor Giovenco. Over the door are 
 silver rays of glory ; and the whole 
 altar is incrusted with lapis-lazuii and 
 bronze. The altar-piece represents the 
 
5* 
 
 last supper, and was painted by Akimoff\ 
 one of the professors of the academy. 
 On either side the middle door stands 
 a magnificent Corinthian column of 
 porphyry, with a bronze base and capi- 
 tal; the pedestal is incrusted with lapis- 
 lazuli. Silver lamps are hung before 
 various images, and in the middle of 
 them appears a golden one set with 
 brilliants. The further end of the edi- 
 fice is terminated by a large picture, 
 alas ! by S?nug!evitsch, representing the 
 archangel Michael, the patron of the 
 church, hurling the devils headlong into 
 the dark abyss. The decorous artist, 
 who was obliged to paint this group 
 naked, has hafl recourse to a singular 
 expedient in order to avoid giving the 
 least offence to modesty, p Every devil, 
 as if by accident, covers either with his 
 hands or feet such parts of the adjacent 
 figures as the painter thought fit * to 
 
57 
 
 conceal ; which, in fact, rather trans- 
 gresses against than preserves decency. 
 The ceiling . of the cupola was painted 
 by Carlo Scott ^ and, happily for the ar- 
 tist, his work is almost defaced by the 
 dampness of the situation. A gallery, 
 containing four separate pews, was 
 erected on each side of the altar for the 
 use of the imperial family. 
 
 The rest of the ground-floor was oc- 
 cupied by the Grand Duke Alexander 
 and his consort, the young Grand 
 Duke Nicolas Pavlovitsch, Princess Ga- 
 garin, Count Narischkin, and Count 
 KoteitzofF, the Emperor's favourite. I 
 shall confine myself to the description 
 of the Grand Duke's apartments, which, 
 though less magnificent, were, in my 
 opinion, more agreeable than those on 
 the first story. At the same time, I 
 cannot but remember with gratitude 
 the polite and engaging behaviour of 
 
5 3 
 
 every one about that prince's person* 
 The goodness of the master had warmed 
 the hearts of all his attendants, and 
 every one of them spoke with enthu- 
 siasm of the noble pair they had the 
 honour to serve. 
 
 The dressing-room of the Grand 
 Duchess Elizabeth, now reigning Em- 
 press, was hung with rich Lyonese silk. 
 Two fine Ionic columns of red and 
 white Olonetz marble ornamented a 
 ijiche, and sustained an entablature de- 
 corated with &frtiqye busts. On each 
 side this recess stood a statue of Carrara 
 marble ; the one representing a woman 
 under affliction supporting her head 
 with her hands ; the other, a young 
 girl playing with a dove. 
 
 In the same room I remarked a table 
 which was inlaid with " different speci- 
 mens of the marbles of the country, 
 and a clock representing Bacchus sit- 
 
59 
 
 ting astride a tun, on the head of whkk 
 the dial-plate was fixed. 
 
 Contiguous to this chamber was a 
 beautiful closet hung with looking- 
 glasses. A recess, supported by two 
 columns of French marble, contained 
 the divan*, which, together with the 
 rest of the furniture, was of uncut rose- 
 coloured velvet, and had the appear- 
 ance of being covered ever with fine 
 lace. It is not easy to describe the 
 pleasing effect of the whole closet and 
 its furniture. A desk filled with books 
 and a piano-forte made by Longman 
 and Broderip shewed that more than 
 one muse had taken up her residence 
 here. 
 
 The bed-chamber was singularly strik- 
 ing. The compartments of the walls 
 
 * A kind of sola formed of mat trasses piled 
 ^one upon another. 
 
6o 
 
 were half hung with purple velvet and 
 half with gold Stuff; they were con- 
 nected together in a serpentine manner, 
 and ran horizontally round the room. 
 The bed was fitted up in the same style. 
 The apartment contained several bronze 
 and marble statues, and the whole had 
 a magnificent effect without at all dis- 
 tracting or fatiguing the eye. . (TI ie s P ot 
 was, however, uninhabitable on account 
 of its excessive dampness, and the Arch- 
 Duchess had suffered considerably dur- 
 ing the time she had occupied it. The 
 wax-coloured paintings over the doors 
 are entirely defaced. 
 
 This bed-chamber opened into the 
 saloon of antiques, which contained 
 about fifty statues, several busts, sarco- 
 phagi, and other ancient monuments* 
 I shall only mention the principal. 
 
 i. A fine colossal bust of Juno, two 
 feet five inches high, placed upon a sar- 
 
6i 
 
 tophagus ornamented with three bass* 
 reliefs, and containing an inscription. 
 The first represents the figure of a wo- 
 man with a floating robe, holding some- 
 thing in her hands, which are lifted up. 
 Two masks lie at her feet. The same 
 subject is repeated on the other side. 
 The third bass-relief represents Bacchus 
 crowned with bunches of grapes, with 
 the mystic basket, in which a dos; is 
 seated, placed near him : on the other 
 side appears a serpent. The inscription 
 runs thus : 
 
 p. SCANTIUS PI. 
 
 OLIMPUS 
 
 FECIT. SIBI. V. A. LXX SINE CRIMINE. 
 
 VIT^S ET S'CANTI45 ABELE CONLIBERT. 
 
 OPTIMA JEDE3E. BENE MER1TJE *. 
 
 * This may be read as follows : Publius Scant ivs 
 Pius OJimpvs fecit siii> volventi annum lxx sine cri- 
 mine vifte, ci Scant ia: Aurelia coiAibcrtte optima dc se 
 bene merits* 
 
62 
 
 $* A fine bust of a young Apollo 
 with flowing locks. 
 
 3. A very fine Silenus about three 
 feet high, holding in one hand a cup, 
 and in the other bunches of grapes. 
 
 4. A triangular altar with bass-reliefs, 
 one of which in particular is remark- 
 able. It reprefents a man wearing a 
 pointed crown. In one hand he holds 
 a sword, in the other a human head* 
 The other two represent a satyr with a 
 cock and a basket of fruit, and a fe- 
 male bacchanalian. 
 
 5; A sarcophagus with goats heads 
 and garlands of fruit, with two dead 
 children lying upon a protuberant part. 
 A swan is likewise represented on the 
 point of taking its flight* The inscrip- 
 tion is as follows : 
 
63 
 
 D. iM. 
 M. MUTIUS. Me L. AURILIUS 
 V AGITATOR. 
 FAC. CARAMANTINIC. 
 
 VIXIT ANN. XXXV. 
 AGITAVIT ANN, XII.* 
 
 6. A round pedestal, which probably- 
 supported a funeral urn. It is encircled 
 with a very prominent bass-relief finely 
 executed, and in high preservation. 
 The subject is a wild-boar hunt. On 
 one side is seen the animal, and at his 
 feet a dying man ; behind him are two 
 hunters in mantles : on the other side 
 appear a naked youth in a helmet, and 
 a dog near him j and behind him the 
 figures of two men. Aulic Counsellor 
 
 * It may be read in this manner: Diis Manwus. 
 Marcus Muilus Marci Liltrius Aurdhts, Agitator 
 lis Garamanthide, visit annes xxxv. agilavit 
 anftoi xn. 
 
64 
 
 Kohler takes the latter for Castor and 
 Pollux ; or the whole for an allusion to 
 the dead person, which seems the more 
 natural of the two. The young man 
 perhaps is represented, on one side, 
 gaily setting out with two of his friends 
 to the chase, and on the other, over- 
 thrown and killed by a wild boar. The 
 inscription, which begins with these 
 words d. m. corneli . . . has been mis- 
 laid among my papers : all I recollect is, 
 that it contained no reference to a hunt. 
 
 7. A very fine bust of Achilles, w r hich 
 was procured from Greece ; it is three 
 feet high, and wrought in Parian 
 marble. 
 
 8. A Bacchus three feet two inches 
 in height, of exquisite workmanship. 
 In one hand he holds a bunch of grapes, 
 in the other a cup. His shoulders are 
 covered with a goat skin and crowned 
 with ivy. Upon the cippus, which 
 
6 5 
 
 stands in the stead of a pedestal, we 
 read the following words : 
 
 D. B|r 
 
 AN 'VI 5 TIJIi. 
 TERSIPIDI. 
 
 v. a. xx d. v; 
 
 antistia. apate. 
 
 soror. gemella. 
 
 fecit pientissim^e. 
 
 9. A muse in meditation leaning 
 against a rock. This figure is three feet 
 nine inches high: the drapery is ex- 
 ceedingly well executed. 
 
 10. A fine torso of Hercules, three 
 feet two inches Ions;. 
 
 n. A double bust of the Indian 
 bearded Apollo and Ariadne. 
 
 1 2. A graceful bust of Marcus Au- 
 relius. 
 
 Such are the pieces which particularly 
 interest the antiquarian* 
 
 VOL, III, E 
 
66 
 
 The amateur of painting will also 
 find ample gratification in this saloon, 
 and will be peculiarly struck with eight 
 large landscapes by Cbedrin, containing 
 views of Pawlowsky, Gatschina, and 
 Peterhoff ; and likewise with two ceil- 
 ings painted by J. P. Scotij which repre- 
 sent Cephalus and Procris, and Venus 
 rising from the sea. 
 
 The apartments of the Grand Duke 
 (the present Emperor) were small, and 
 less remarkable for the sumptuousness 
 of their furniture, than for some origi- 
 nal pictures of great value. Of these I 
 shall only mention Achilles discovered 
 by Ulysses among the women, the work 
 N of Angelica Kauffmann ; a woman weep- 
 ing over a dead body, with an angel 
 at her side pointing to heaven, by 
 Carlo Maratti ; a Juno and a Diana, by 
 Pcrca. ' 
 
 iese apartments are contiguous to a 
 
67 
 
 fine bath, which Count Narischkin had 
 fitted up with much taste for the Grand 
 Duchess. The walls and ceiling are 
 hung with muslin upon a rose-coloured 
 ground, and the floor was overspread 
 with white cloth. There was a foun- 
 tain that played on turning a cock. A 
 canopy was suspended over the bath, 
 from whence sweet-scented waters dis- 
 tilled at the pleasure of the bather. 
 Other pipes introduced warm water* 
 One of the walls was covered with a 
 vast lookimr-^lass, and in the shade of 
 a recess, a Turkish sofa invited to re- 
 pose. 
 
 This pretty cabinet communicated 
 with a vapour-bath* I know not, how- 
 ever, if the beautiful and delicate Grand 
 Duchefs (a German by birth) was accus- 
 tomed to this Russian usage ; for my 
 own part, I think these kind of stoves 
 detestable things, and I could never pre- 
 
68 
 
 vail on myself to pass over the threshold 
 of any of them. 
 
 Besides his lodging rooms, the Grand 
 Duke had several state apartments, and a 
 superb hall divided in two by an arcade 
 supported by Ionic columns of white 
 marble: the hall was decorated with 
 several valuable original pictures, among 
 which was one painted by Reubens, re- 
 presenting a fawn embraced by a female 
 bacchanalian. At one end of the apart- 
 ment, a second arcade is constructed 
 upon four Ionic columns, between 
 which stood two magnificent statues of 
 a fawn and a bacchanalian, by Cava- 
 ceppi. 
 
 Through this hall we arrive at the 
 throne or audience chamber of the 
 Grand Duke, the walls of which were 
 hung with purple velvet embroidered 
 with silver. The prince gave his au- 
 diences under a canopy, but not seated, 
 
6 9 
 
 and the carpet on which he stood 
 was not raised above the level of the 
 floor. 
 
 The second story of the palace was 
 inhabited by the Grand Duchesses Mary 
 and Catherine, with the Countefs de 
 Liewen their governess. Their apart- 
 ments were less superb than those which 
 have been described, but were neverthe- 
 less extremely elegant. 
 & In the area stood another guard- 
 ' house, containing a company of the 
 body guards. The report that the 
 number of such guards about the palace 
 was small, is destitute of all foundation, 
 though it was generally believed, and 
 has been every where propagated. The 
 back parts of the edifice form a mere 
 labyrinth of dark staircases and gloomy 
 corridors, in which lamps are continu- 
 ally burning day and night. For two 
 or three weeks, I stood in need of a 
 
7 o 
 
 guide to lead me through these intri- 
 cate turnings and windings. 
 
 Nothing could have been more detri- 
 nental to health than a residence in 
 1 this palace. In every part, the destruc- 
 tive effects of humidity were to be ob- 
 served ; and even in the apartment 
 which contained the £reat historical 
 pictures, I have seen ice an inch thick 
 in each corner, from the roof to the 
 floor, notwithstanding the. continual 
 fires that were kept up in the two chim- 
 neys. The wainscotting of the Empe- 
 ror and Empress's apartments had in 
 some degree counteracted the bad effects 
 of cold and moisture; but all who oc- 
 cupied the other rooms of the palace 
 were materially affected in their health. 
 The palace was likewise extremely in- 
 convenient to all who had business to 
 transact therein. It was continually ne- 
 cessary to run across the peristyle, along 
 

 7 1 
 
 corridors exposed to the air, or over 
 the open court. Few even of the higher 
 orders were allowed to alight at the 
 grand staircase : almost every person was 
 obliged to stop at a low door, and wan- 
 der up and down the back staircases, till 
 they found the place they were in quest of. 
 /""The Emperor, however, was so cap- 
 tivated with this production of his own 
 fancy, that the most delicate censure 
 irritated as much as the coarsest pane- 
 gyric pleased him. One day he met an 
 elderly lady on the staircase: — " These 
 stairs," said she, " have been represent- 
 ed to me as inconvenient ; but I find 
 they are extremely pleasant." His Ma- 
 jesty was so delighted with this praise, 
 that he kissed the old lady. All the 
 courtiers knew how to turn this dispo- 
 sition to their own advantage. Their 
 praises never ceased; and I am well in- 
 formed, that when every expression of 
 
7* 
 
 praise, exclamation, and admiration, were 
 exhausted, some have fallen upon their 
 knees before the bronze statues, and 
 worshipped them in silent extacy. 
 
 Had I obeyed the repeated injunctions 
 of the Emperor to omit no trifle in my 
 description, I should have filled a large 
 volume, and have wearied both the 
 reader and myself. Some weeks before 
 his death, I presented his Majesty with 
 a specimen of my labours; of which he 
 was pleased to express his satisfaction. 
 
 There are many palaces in the world 
 that contain a greater number of scarce 
 and valuable articles, but not one which 
 has been erected, furnished, and inhabit- 
 ed within so short a period as that of 
 •Michailoff, which was completed in less 
 than four years. A magnificent service of 
 gold, and another of china, ornamented 
 with views of the palace, were not 
 finished. 
 
s 
 
 73 
 
 * A few weeks after the Emperor's* 
 death, all the valuable articles that were 
 moveable, were removed from this pa- 
 lace, and placed in others, to preserve 
 them from the effects of humidity. At 
 present it is uninhabited, and resembles 
 a mausoleum. 
 
 On the i ith of March, at one o'clock, 
 and consequently about twelve hours 
 before his death, I saw the Emperor 
 Paul for the last time. I met him on 
 the state staircase close to the statue of 
 Cleopatra. He stopped, as usual, and 
 spoke to me. The subject of our con- 
 versation was the statue before us. He 
 called it a fine copy; examined the dif- 
 ferent kinds of marble that composed 
 the pedestal, and asked me the names of 
 -them: then touching upon the history 
 
74 
 
 of the Egyptian Queen, he expressed 
 his admiration of her heroic death. He 
 seemed by a smile to approve of a re- 
 mark I made, that she would not have 
 destroyed herself had Augustus yielded 
 to the force of her charms. He then 
 asked me if my description of the pa- 
 lace was in much forwardness. I replied, 
 that it was almost finished; and he 
 left me after having observed, with 
 great condescension, that he was happy 
 to hear it. 
 
 My eyes followed him as he ascended 
 the steps : when he arrived at the top, 
 he turned towards the place where I -was 
 standing; neither of us then entertained 
 the least suspicion that we had seen each 
 other for the last time. This interview 
 made a strong impression upon my 
 mind, and I have more than once since 
 the Emperor's death, indulged a me- 
 lancholy contemplation of the statue of 
 Cleopatra. * 
 
is. 
 
 On the 1 2th of March, early in the 
 morning, the accession of the young 
 Emperor to the throne was announced. 
 By eight o'clock the principal nobility 
 had already paid him their homage in 
 the chapel of the Winter Palace. The 
 people gave themselves up to joy, and 
 to the free indulgence of those hopes, 
 which the well known merits of the 
 young Monarch so naturally inspired. 
 
 The first measures adopted by Alex- 
 ander, his proclamation, the first orders 
 he issued, all tended to encourage and 
 confirm the confidence with which his 
 subjects beheld him ascend the throne 
 of his forefathers. He solemnly pro- 
 mised to tread in the steps of Cathe- 
 rine II. of glorious memory; he allowed 
 every one to dress according to his' own 
 fancy; exonerated the inhabitants of the 
 capital from the troublesome duty of 
 alighting from their carriages at theap- 
 
7 6 
 
 proach of any of the Imperial "family $ 
 dismissed the Court- Advocate, who was 
 universally and justly detested; sup- 
 pressed the Secret Inquisition, that had 
 become the scourge of the country; re<- 
 stored to the Senate its former autho- 
 rity y and set at liberty the state prison- 
 ers in the fortress. -f What a spectacle to 
 see these unfortunate people released 
 from captivity, mute with surprise at 
 their delivery, taking their happiness 
 for a dream, and with trembling steps 
 seeking their respective homes ! 
 
 I saw an old Colonel of the Cossacks 
 and his son brought from the fortress to 
 Count de Pahlen's apartments. The 
 story of this generous youth is extreme- 
 ly interesting. His father had been drag- 
 ged, for I know not what offence, from 
 Tscherkask to Petersburg, and there 
 closely imprisoned. Soon afterwards 
 his son arrived, a handsome and brave 
 
77 
 
 young man, who had obtained in the 
 refen of Catherine II. the cross of St. 
 George, and that of Wolodimer. For 
 a. long while he exerted himself to pro- 
 cure his father's enlargement by solici- 
 tations and petitions; but perceiving no 
 hopes of success, he requested, as a par- 
 ticular favour, to be allowed to share 
 his captivity and misfortunes. This 
 •was in part granted him.; he was com- 
 mitted a prisoner to the fortress ; but 
 was not permitted to see his father,; 
 nor was the unfortunate old man even 
 informed that his son was so near him. 
 
 r- 
 
 On a sudden the prison bolts were 
 drawn, *the doors were opened, his son 
 rushed into his arms; and he not only 
 learnt that he was at liberty, but at the 
 same time was informed of the noble sa- 
 crifice which filial piety had offered. He 
 alone can decide which information gave 
 Irim most delight. I saw him several 
 
7§ 
 
 mornings together in Count de Pahlen's 
 audience chamber ; he still wore his long 
 \ beard, reaching down to his waist. \He 
 J commonly sat in the recess of a win- 
 I dow, with down-cast eyes, and with- 
 out paying the kast attention to the 
 bustle of the surrounding scene.X His 
 son, whose noble countenance shone 
 more resplendent from the conscious* 
 ness of his own heroism, than did his 
 breast decorated by the two orders 
 which he wore, walked about the room 
 and conversed with his acquaintances. 
 
 The audience-chamber was indeed a 
 /rich field of observation to a looker-on 
 at all conversant with the human heart ; 
 and though I had no particular business 
 there, I continued to pass several hours 
 on the spot every morning; nor did I 
 ever leave the groups that surrounded 
 me, without having added to my stock 
 or this species of knowledge. By way 
 
79 
 
 of contrast to the affecting scene I have 
 just related, I shall give the reader an 
 anecdote of a livelier cast: It happened, 
 I think, the day after the Emperor's 
 death. The room was extremely full; 
 there were probably some hundreds pre- 
 sent: I was warming myself at a stove, 
 when suddenly there was a OTeat mur- 
 mur, and the company, one after ano- 
 ther, ail rushed to the windows, and 
 kept looking into the street as if some- • 
 thing very wonderful had happened. 
 Curiosity, at length, drew me from the 
 stove; it was with difficulty I could 
 share* the interesting spectacle. At 
 length I got through the crowd, and 
 what was the mighty affair ? Why truly 
 the jirst round hat that had passed by^ 
 This round hat appeared to make more 
 : impression upon the minds of the com- 
 pany, than even the liberation of the 
 ate prisoners had done: nothing was 
 
8o 
 
 io be seen but chearful laughing coun- 
 tenances. Such creatures are men ! 
 
 I have ion ^wished to inform the read- 
 er, that the first days of the reign of Alex* 
 ander the Clement, afforded me the most 
 delicious enjoyments. In the course of 
 <this narrative, I have often been drawn 
 into many heart-rending recollections. I 
 now come to one that overwhelms me 
 with delight* The Senate, by com- 
 mand of the young Monarch, printed 
 and distributed three separate lists of the 
 names of the exiles recalled from Sibe- 
 ria. No sooner had 1 heard of this, 
 than I dispatched my servant to pro- 
 cure a copy. My eye ran over it in 
 haste, till dimmed with tears of joy, it 
 •fell upon the name of Sokoloff. Yes! 
 he obtained his liberty.; and, at the 
 moment in which I am writing this, is 
 restored to his wife and children! May 
 he, like me, have found them all well ! 
 
u 
 
 and of his long and painful dream, may 
 nothing remain but the recollection of 
 the companion of his misfortune, and 
 the sentiment of friendship which united 
 us under our common afflictions. 
 
 M. de KiniakofF and his brothers, M. 
 Beecher of Moscow, and many more 
 of my acquaintances, were included in 
 the same list. The most remarkable 
 
 case of all was that of IvL S , a 
 
 clergyman. He had fallen into the in- 
 fernal snares of M. Tumanski,* the atro- 
 cious Censor of Riga. Although M. 
 
 S : probably intends to publish his 
 
 story, I think myself warranted to re- 
 
 * The reader must not confound his name with 
 that of a distant relation of his, M. Tumanski, 
 Counsellor of State, and head of the censorship 
 at Petersburg, a person who never caused any one 
 to be unhappy, and who has the reputation of be- 
 ing a well informed polite man* 
 
 \ OJ , III* F 
 
82 
 
 late it to the reader, as I have the par- 
 ticulars from very good authority. 
 
 M. S- , minister of a parish in 
 
 the neighbourhood of Dopart, had col- 
 lected a small library for the use of his 
 fiock. Tumanski having been made 
 Counsellor of the Province, and being 
 desirous of giving proofs of his vigilance 
 
 ^nd zeal, applied to M. S for a 
 
 catalogue of his books. The pastor, in- 
 timidated by the complexion of the times, re- 
 plied, that he had discontinued the read- 
 ing society, and such was in fact his in- 
 tention, it was, however, necessary to 
 collect the various books that were in 
 circulation, which, within a few, he had 
 been able to effect. Among that num- 
 ber was a small volume written by Au- 
 gustus Lafontaine, and entitled The Pow- 
 wer of Love. Not recollecting to whom 
 he had lent the book, and still unwil- 
 ling to lose it, he had recourse to the 
 
85 
 
 usual way of advertisement, and Insert- 
 ed in the Dopart Gazette a request, that 
 the person who had this volume in his 
 possession, which made part of the cir- 
 culating library, would have * the good- 
 ness to return it. 
 
 The advertisement unhappily fell into 
 the hands of M. Tumanski. It is, how- 
 ever, confidently asserted, that the in- 
 tentions of that wretch were less inimi- 
 cal to M. S , than to M. de Nagei, 
 
 the worthy Governor of Livonia, to 
 whom he bore a secret enmity, on ac- 
 count of some pretended offence. He 
 reported the business to his friend 
 and patron, Obuljaninoff, with the ad- 
 dition of many aggravating circum- 
 stances. The latter communicated it to 
 the Emperor, with further aggrava- 
 tions. In a word, the clergyman was 
 accused of having continued his circu- 
 lating library in spite of the warning 
 
8 4 
 
 given by the Censor; and of endeavour- 
 ing to propagate dangerous principles 
 among his readers, by furnishing them 
 with prohibited Jacobinical books, while 
 in fact no catalogue of forbidden books 
 at all existed. This conduct was re- 
 presented to the Prince in such a false 
 and odious point of view, that he gave 
 orders that the minister should be im- 
 mediately arrested and brought to Pe- 
 tersburg ; M. Tumanski having previ- 
 ously surrounded his house with a de- 
 tachment of soldiers, and caused all his 
 books to be publicly burned. 
 
 When Tumanski set out to execute 
 his agreeable commission, the whole 
 city of Riga interceded in behalf of. this 
 unfortunate family, and conjured him 
 to do every thing in his power to save 
 them from ruin. He promised this ; 
 but, as it maybewell supposed, took care 
 not to keep his word. In the dead of 
 
85 
 
 the night, the troops under the com* 
 mand of the noble Censor beset the 
 parsonage-house, while the peaceful in- 
 habitants were fast asleep. What must 
 their surprise have been on waking? 
 every avenue was stopped up, an inven- 
 tory was instantly taken of the good 
 man's papers, and seals put upon them ; 
 all the books, the bible not excepted, were 
 piled in a heap and committed to the 
 flames. The unhappy minister himself 
 was hurried into a kibick, and conducted 
 by an officer of the police to Petersburg. 
 Towards day-break, when he had re- 
 covered a little from his first astonish- 
 ment, he requested his guard to allow 
 him to write a few lines to his wife. 
 The perfidious man pretended to yield 
 to his entreaties, and even undertook 
 to put the letter into the post-office ; he 
 detained it, however, and on his arrival 
 in the capital, delivered it into the hands 
 
86 
 
 of the Court-Advocate, The letter con- 
 tained, besides some very natural com- 
 plaints, a request, that his wife would 
 quiet the. minds of his parishioners till his 
 return ; from which it was inferred, that 
 he had already incited the peasants to re- 
 volt, and that they only waited the re- 
 turn of their ringleader to rise up in 
 arms. Others say, he had requested 
 his wife to burn some letters of a friend 
 of his, with whom he had formerly 
 corresponded, and which contained some 
 .remarks upon the French revolution j 
 and that a chasseur had really been sent 
 to arrest this friend, who, very happily 
 for himself, had been dead several years. 
 Whatever it might have been, the 
 whole matter was represented in such 
 black colours by the Court- Advocate, 
 that the Prince instantly ordered the 
 tribunal to condemn M. S to cor- 
 poral punishment, and afterwards to 
 
87 
 
 be sent to the mines of Siberia, The 
 judges were under no small embarrass- 
 ment in consequence of this injunction. 
 The sentence, which in the natural or- 
 der of things ought to result from ex- 
 amination and evidence, was prescribed 
 to them before-hand, and they felt 
 themselves reduced to the situation of 
 executive agents. The President ven- 
 tured to remonstrate to the Court-Advo- 
 cate on this point, who coldly replied, 
 that the Judges might incur what ha- 
 zard they pleased ; but that for his part, 
 he knew the will of the Emperor. 
 
 The unfortunate minister, then in 
 the fortress, was one morning ordered 
 instantly to put on his robes, and ac- 
 company M. de Marakoff to the public 
 tribunal, in order to hear his sentence 
 pronounced. 
 
 Full of hope, and the more so, as he 
 had been directed to appear in his s.Kcr 
 
S8 
 
 dotal habit, lie set out to meet his fate* 
 When he arrived in court he was placed 
 with his back against the wall, and the 
 Secretary began to read his sentence. 
 When the Secretary came to these words, 
 
 The minister S shall be deprived 
 
 of his benefice, stripped of his gown 
 and .band, receive twenty strokes of the 
 knout, and be sent in irons to the mines 
 of Nertschinsk, to work there for life," 
 the unhappy man seemed lost in despair; 
 and after a convulsive motion of the 
 head, he fell flat upon the ground. 
 Proper assistance being afforded him, 
 he recovered the use of his senses, and 
 falling upon his knees, he implored the 
 ]udg;es to condescend to hear him. 
 
 " This is not the place," replied 
 the Court-Advocate. " Where then?" 
 cried the wretched man, in a resolute 
 tone of voice, " Where? there! above ', 
 in heaven I" 
 
8g 
 
 He was now dragged to the common 
 prison. All Petersburg took an interest 
 in his fate; every one interceded in his 
 behalf; even the Russian clergy, to their 
 great honour, among the rest. Count 
 de Palilen won the hearts of the public 
 by his generous exertions to save him. 
 But every effort was in vain! Obuljani- 
 noff had laid too fast hold on his victim* 
 
 S was led to the place where the 
 
 punishment of the knout is administer- 
 ed ; and when he had proceeded half- 
 way there, he was ordered back to re- 
 ceive the sacrament at the hands of M. 
 Reinbolt. After this he set out again 
 to the place of torment. 
 
 Already were his hands tied to the 
 
 / posts, already were his shoulders bared 
 
 to undergo the horrid punishment, 
 
 when an officer arrived, and having 
 
 whispered a word in the executioner's 
 
 r, the latter respectfully replied, sluschu, 
 
(I understand you) and then brandished 
 the knout twenty different times over 
 the prisoner, without touching his body, 
 very adroitly applying every stroke upon 
 his clothes only. Hence it is manifest, 
 that some humane personage, who had 
 not been able to screen this innocent 
 man from ignominy, had at least ex- 
 erted his authority so far as to prevent 
 his. suffering the horrid torture to which 
 he had been condemned. 
 
 M. S— was led back to prison. 
 
 Count de Pahlen, under various pre- 
 tences, retarded his departure for the 
 mines; and had several sharp alterca- 
 tions with the Court- Advocate on the 
 subject. The Emperor, however, stre- 
 nously insisting that the sentence should 
 be duly executed, the Count was at 
 length obliged to give way, and the un- 
 fortunate M. S— dragged his fetters, 
 
 step by step, as far as Nertschinsk. His 
 
9 1 
 
 wife, who was determined to share his 
 fate, could not obtain permission to ac- 
 company him. 
 
 This unfortunate man is now free. 
 When I left Petersburg he was daily ex- 
 pected there ; and doubtless the young 
 Emperor will restore him to honour 
 and fortune. 
 
 /--Some days after the death of Paul I. 
 rince S-aboff gave a splendid tavern- 
 dinner to a hundred of his friends, at 
 twenty-five rubles a-head, exclusive of 
 wine. The company drank between 
 thirty and forty dozen of champaign, at 
 five rubles a bottle. I should not have 
 mentioned this princely feast, but for the 
 purpose of recording a princely act. In 
 the height of their jollity, the company 
 recollected the case of the unhappy M. 
 S , and immediately opened a sub- 
 scription in Iiis favour, which, it is said, 
 produced him ten thousand rubles. 
 
02 
 
 It is the opinion of many lawyers, 
 that the order intimated to the court 
 of justice, to inflict corporal punish- 
 ment on M. S , did not oblige the 
 
 judges to condem him to the knout, the 
 most severe of all punishments. 
 
 The reader will not be displeased to 
 learn, that M. Tumanski, who had been 
 for so many years the scourge of Riga, 
 has ended his career in the most wretch- 
 ed manner. Enraged at the contempt 
 with which he \vas generally treated, he 
 at last meditated the ruin of the whole 
 town ; and with that view denounced 
 the inhabitants to the Emperor as ar- 
 rant Jacobins, sending a long list of 
 names, among which were those of the 
 principal people, and men in office, with 
 the venerable Governor M. de Nagel at 
 their head. - 
 .^The upright and clear-sighted Mo- 
 narch having read this libel, declared, 
 
93 . 
 
 with too much benevolence perhaps, 
 that Tumanski was out of his senses, 
 and immediately dismissed him from 
 his employment^ On my return through 
 Riga, in the month of June last, he was 
 living there, poor and despised, on the 
 bounty of the very inhabitants whom 
 he had devoted to ruin. In this man- 
 ner has leaden-heeled Justice, * as the 
 poet calls her, overtaken the guilty, and 
 condemned him to condign punishment ; 
 a punishment indeed much too gentle, 
 w r hen compared with the innumerable 
 afflictions which his administration had 
 brought upon so many unfortunate 
 people. 
 
 Madame Chevalier and her husband, 
 who had figured, though in another 
 way, in the late reign, likewise experi- 
 enced the clemency of the young Mo- 
 narch, who contented himself with mere- 
 ly sending them out of the country. M. 
 
94 
 
 Chevalier, who had acted a part no less 
 public than dishonourable, and who has 
 since endeavoured, through the medium 
 of the French newspapers, to persuade 
 the world of his innocence, challenges 
 a sciutiny of his conduct, and without 
 touching on his private life, I shall en- 
 deavour to shew in what manner he and 
 his wife conducted themselves to the 
 world. 
 
 Madame Chevalier was bom at Lyons ; 
 her father, who was a dancing-master, 
 died youngs and left his family in indi- 
 gent circumstances. M. Chevalier be- 
 -came acquainted with her in this situa- 
 tion, and married her. Ke is himself 
 one of the most arrogant of men, and 
 the worst ballet-master that ever exist- 
 ed, although he has often boasted of 
 having danced a pas de cinq at the 
 Opera-house, with Vestris, Gardel, &c. 
 One day, as he was relating this gasco- 
 
95 
 
 hade, a man of wit who had known 
 him at Paris, where he was engaged as 
 a mere figurante, observed aloud ; " I 
 think M. Chevalier very modest; he 
 speaks of a pas de cinq only, whereas I 
 .have seen him dance a pas ae seize"- — 
 I know not if he was in fact a figurante ; 
 some say he was second .ballet-muster at 
 the Italian theatre ; this, however, is of 
 •no .consequence. But I can affirm with 
 great truth, that his ballets have ever 
 appeared. to me to be the most wretched 
 I have ever seen. He always strove to 
 hide the penury of his genius by the in- 
 troduction of grand marches, and the 
 : splendid decorations which Gonzaza, a 
 very .eminent artist, afforded him ; as 
 well as with the assistance of the most 
 superb dresses. His ballets were ex- 
 tremely expensive, though they were 
 seldom repeated more than twice. He 
 was likewise indulged with the privi- 
 
g6 
 
 lege, that none of his decorations, noi 
 any article of his wardrobe, should ever 
 be used except in his own ballets. The 
 German company has often felt the in- 
 convenience of this privilege ; for when- 
 ever we had occasion for a foreign dress, 
 and sent for it to the keeper of the 
 wardrobe, the answer constantly re- 
 turned us was, that the dresses belonged 
 to 3VL Chevalier. I must^ however, con- 
 fess, that the hatred the French theatre 
 bore the German one, has often sug- 
 gested this pretext in order to cover a 
 refusal. One Sunday, I remember, I 
 found myself under the necessity of 
 changing the piece I intended to have 
 given (which was Octavia) for another, 
 a little before the curtain drew up, be- 
 cause I could not obtain a few miserable 
 dresses for the Roman soldiers, although 
 my request had been backed by a note 
 from the great Marshal of the Court, 
 
97 
 
 I mention this as one of the thousand 
 unpleasant circumstances which I had 
 to encounter in the management of the 
 theatre. 
 
 I now return to M. Chevalier. It is 
 well known that he left Hamburg, and 
 arrived, with his wife, at Petersburg, 
 where, by means of her personal charms, 
 
 ffor she is very handsome, she soon ac- 
 quired connections of the most distin- 
 guished kind. To these connections her 
 husband owed his office of assessor, and 
 the victory he gained over old Le Picfr 
 a ballet-master of distinguished merit. 
 r-sHad he remained satisfied with this 
 
 Advantage, had he continued to reign 
 within his own sphere, and had not 
 made such display of his foolish self-love, 
 the public would have been content 
 with laughing at him, and I should not 
 have mentioned his name. In spite of his 
 protestations of innocence and probity ? 
 
 VOL. III. G 
 
9 8 
 
 it is clearly proved, that he has bartered 
 his real or pretended influence for im- 
 mense sums of money. I am acquainted 
 with several instances of this sort. I am 
 averse to expose any person, but in case 
 of necessity i I can prove what I advance ; 
 and I think it incumbent on me to make 
 such declaration, lest I should be sup- 
 posed to have attacked the reputation 
 of an honest man wantonly, or merely 
 upon report. 
 
 j* The most shocking transaction of this 
 "kind, and which is notorious all over 
 Petersburg, is the very one M. Cheva- 
 lier asserts, in the Journal de Paris, to be 
 a mere fabrication. The fact is, that he 
 has had art enough to take advantage 
 of an accessary incident which had been 
 erroneously stated, in order to break 
 out into a general complaint of calumny 
 and injustice. I am not now speaking 
 of a divorce y respecting which, M. Che- 
 
99 
 
 Valier may, if he pleases, call heaven and 
 earth to attest his innocence, but of a 
 fraudulent and atrocious act, and there- 
 fore the particulars shall be related. 
 
 Madame de • — , of one of the first 
 
 families in the Russian empire, bequeath- 
 her fortune, which consisted of thirteen 
 thousand peasants, to the amiable Count 
 de R — . She had taken care to make 
 previous arrangements with her hus- 
 band's family, and consequently dispos- 
 ed of her dowry only. Catherine had 
 confirmed the will ; notwithstanding 
 which, its validity was contested in the 
 reign of Paul I, and annulled by an or- 
 der of the Cabinet. 
 
 M. , upon the strength of this 
 
 case, was desirous of attaining similar 
 ends, and for which purpose he availed 
 himself of the assistance of a PieJmon- 
 tese (an honest man, and known as 
 such), whose name I do not recollect. 
 
and commissioned him to make appli- 
 cation to M. Chevalier. A ne^ociation 
 was entered upon accordingly, and a 
 magnificent necklace was promised to 
 Madame Chevalier, and a sum of money 
 to her husband, which is said to be so 
 great, that for fear of committing a mis- 
 take, I shall not mention it. The neck- 
 lace was deposited by way of earnest, 
 and likewise one-half the stipulated sum. 
 The affair was proposed to the Emperor, 
 ■who, considering it unjust, set his face 
 against it, and refused his consent. The 
 ill success of the application was indus- 
 triously concealed from the Piedemon- 
 tese ; however, he at last obt? v ined in- 
 formation of it, and having demanded 
 the restitution of the presents, he was 
 answered with sarcasms, and menaced 
 with mischief. 
 
 Driven quite to desperation, he ap- 
 plied to Madame de Bonvel, a French 
 
lOi 
 
 lady, whose mysterious appearance at 
 Petersburg was an enigma to every one, 
 and who, having gained the protection 
 of several great people, was tolerated by 
 the Emperor, not only in the capital, 
 but even at Gatschina. She was taken, 
 with probability enough, for an agent 
 of the French Government. 
 
 This woman instantly espoused the 
 cause of the Piedemontese, and related 
 his story to Count Rostopschen, minis- 
 ter of state, who being at that time at 
 enmity with Madame Chevalier^s friend^ 
 laid the whole transaction before the 
 Emperor, Some say his Majesty was 
 informed of the affair by an intercepted 
 letter ; however that may be, it is cer- 
 tain the Emperor received the informa- 
 tion through Count Rostopschen. 
 
 The Monarch, who was naturally 
 just 5 was thrown into a violent passion, 
 and threatened to make a terrible ex- 
 
IC2 
 
 ample of the Chevalier. The only step 
 they had now to take, was to deny the 
 fact. " Is it our fault," said they, " if 
 offers of money are made us ? It is 
 enough that we never received any." At 
 the same time they loudly demanded 
 that the calumniator should suffer ex- 
 emplary punishment. The wretched 
 Piedmontese was arrested by 1 order of 
 the expeditious Court-advocate, and, all 
 of a sudden, he was discovered to be a 
 violent jacobin, though he had been 
 hitherto well known as a zealous royalist. 
 He received the knout, had his nostrils 
 split, and was sent to the mines of Si- 
 beria. This anecdote I have received 
 from an impartial person of strict vera* 
 city, who had it from the first source. 
 All Petersburg is well acquainted with 
 the atrocious arts with which the jus- 
 tice of the Monarch had been in so 
 monstrous a manner surprised and im- 
 
posed upon. I may possibly be mistaken 
 in some trifling particulars, but the 
 story itself is strictly true. Let M. Che- 
 valier explain^ if he can, how he has 
 been able, since that time, to enjoy one 
 hour of undisturbed repose ! 
 
 The luxury he displayed in his house 
 was disgusting in the highest degree. 
 His rooms vied in splendour with those 
 of the palace of MichaeloIF. One of them 
 was hung with rose-colour silk, cover- 
 ed with fine flowered muslin, and seem- 
 ed to be the very temple of voluptuous- 
 ness. The family had a salary of more 
 than thirteen thousand rubles, includ- 
 ing Monsieur Augustus, the lady's bro- 
 ther, a very indifferent dancer. Besides 
 this salary, the brother and sister had 
 benefit nights, which produced upwards 
 of twenty thousand rubles ; for every 
 one was eager to recommend them- 
 selves to this powerful family. I have 
 
104 
 
 known tradesmen who have sent twen- 
 ty-five rubles for seats, the usual price 
 of which was one ruble and a half, and 
 to whom their money had been returned 
 with the most scornful disdain. — Every 
 person who was already well received 
 at Court, every one who wished to con- 
 tinue so, made sacrifices on these occa- 
 sions frequently beyond their means, 
 fully persuaded, that the idols to whom, 
 they thus bowed, might one day reim- 
 burse them, and that a sum which did 
 not answer their expectations never 
 escaped either their notice or their ven- 
 
 geance. 
 
 Madame Chevalier, indeed, had no 
 occasion to use solicitations to- fill the 
 theatre on her benefit night. Her house 
 was beset for places in the first boxes, 
 and every one shewed their attachment 
 by paying for them in coin. But Mon- 
 sieur Augustus was often obliged to 
 
»5;: 
 
 take measures, of which no man of ho- 
 nour could avail himself. He wrote 
 notes, or rather (as he could not write, 
 a circumstance I learnt from bcular de- 
 monstration) had them written, to the 
 rich and great, to force tickets u'poa 
 them. 
 
 f; By such and a thousand other well- 
 known practices, the family of the Che- 
 valiers, it may be easily supposed^ 
 amassed great wealth. Lest I should be 
 accused of exaggeration, I shall not ven- 
 ture to mention the value of the lady*s 
 jewels, nor the sums which her husband 
 had, at different times, sent out of the 
 country. M. L**o, the banker, who 
 transacted his business, can give further 
 information on this head ; and, in fact, 
 the whole tow r n expected to see him 
 compelled to make such declaration be- 
 fore the lady could have obtained per- 
 mission to quit the country. The law 
 
io6 
 
 obliges foreigners to pay the Crown one- 
 tenth part of the property they take out 
 of the country, whatever the amount 
 may be ; and in the present case the de- , 
 falcation might perhaps have amounted 
 to some hundred thousand rubles. 
 The generosity and clemency of the 
 young Monarch, however, overlooked 
 this circumstance, It is likewise well 
 known that he ordered Count de PahX 
 len to inform Madame Chevalier, in a! 
 very polite letter, that she had leave to I 
 depart; and she took care not to stay 
 to hear the intimation repeated. 
 ^ The late Emperor, a few weeks be- 
 fore this event, had charged M. Cheva- 
 lier with the honourable commission of 
 engaging a party of comedians at Paris. 
 For this purpose he had received up- 
 wards of twenty thousand rubles in 
 money, and bills of exchange for as 
 much more. During his whole journey, 
 
toy 
 
 he rendered himself remarkable by his 
 insolence and rudeness ; and the post- 
 masters at the different stages still re- 
 member his insolent behaviour : the 
 newspapers also recorded, that M. Che- 
 valier, Counsellor of the College, and 
 Knight of the Order of Malta, passed 
 through such and such a town, &c. &c. 
 I know not, indeed, whether he had the 
 effrontery to assume these titles, but it 
 would not have been at all unlike him* 
 It is owing to her husband, perhaps, 
 that Madame Chevalier has acquired the 
 reputation of being avaricious, which so 
 ill accords with the softness and ame- 
 nity of her personal appearance. Of 
 her avarice many instances are never- 
 theless reported. The most shocking 
 of all of them is the manner in which 
 she has lately treated her aged mother, 
 who lives at Lyons in the greatest indi- 
 gence. The poor helpless woman wrote 
 
I0§ 
 
 several letters to her in order to solicit 
 relief, but she could never obtain any 
 answer. At last, a stranger arrived at 
 Petersburg, who, having been eye-wit- 
 ness to her distress, had promised to re- 
 present her situation to her daughter^ 
 | He called several times on Madame Che- 
 valier, but was never admitted to her 
 presence^. Being, however, in no want 
 of her interest, he grew impatient, and 
 at last sent the ladv word that he had 
 
 4 
 
 a message to deliver from her mother, 
 and that if she wished to be informed 
 of it, she must have the goodness to 
 send some one to him. She sent — but 
 whom ?— a servant ! The stranger, pro- 
 voked and ashamed at this unworthy 
 conduct, refused to explain himself to a 
 valet. Monsieur Augustus was then 
 dispatched as Plenipotentiary from his 
 sister. The stranger drew the most af- 
 fecting picture of his mother's distress,, 
 
log 
 
 and Madame Chevalier sent him t%w\ 
 hundred rubles^ in bank notes ^ which he 
 was, at his discretion, to supply her 
 parent with. Two hundred rubles ! 
 The fiftieth part of what she has often 
 received for a single box at her benefit ! 
 Madame Chevalier, who with a word 
 could have caused her aged mother to 
 have been brought in triumph to Peters- 
 burg, and supported there in ease and 
 abundance ; who reckoned her fortune 
 by hundred thousands of rubles, sent 
 her indigent parent two hundred rubles. 
 For the sake of this ladyi I sincerely 
 hope she may be able to refute this 
 anecdote ; but hitherto, I am sorry to 
 say, I have not had the least reason to 
 doubt its truth, 
 
 Madame Chevalier has been hand- 
 some, and may still be considered so, 
 though she is more than thirty, and is 
 grown rather en bon point. She is a 
 
 • 
 
no 
 
 
 charming singer, and as an actress pecu- 
 liarly happy in artless and comic parts. 
 Her smiling looks captivate the audi- 
 ence the moment she appears on the 
 stage, and secures their approbation of 
 her performance. She has sometimes 
 ventured to appear in tragedy; but, in 
 my opinion, she is in that line below 
 mediocrity* In the part of Iphigenia, 
 in which she so much delighted the Em- 
 peror, the actress was never, for one 
 single moment, forgotten in the daugh- 
 ter of Agamemnon ; it was still Ma- 
 dame Chevalier that figured on the 
 boards; though, according to a copy of 
 verses which were handed about Peters- 
 burg, Racine w r as placed at her feet; 
 and the Muses and the Graces, in com- 
 parison with her, were represented as 
 mere barrow-women. 
 jj< How superior to this lady is Madame 
 de Valville, the first tragic actress on the 
 
II* 
 
 Petersburg stage! Her person is agree- 
 able, her declamation and action per- 
 fect. Nor is she a great actress only; 
 she is likewise an amiable and virtuous 
 woman; and the dignity with which 
 she endured the many insults to which 
 she was continually exposed, entitles her 
 to the highest veneration. She is at the 
 same time, the most tender of mothers, 
 the best of wives, and the sincerest of 
 friends. I entreat her pardon for this 
 eiogium, and beg she will impute it to 
 a zeal, which at this moment triumphs 
 over the fear of raising a blush on her 
 cheek ; on that cheek which has not yet 
 forgot to blush i 
 
 Madame Chevalier was roused from 
 her splendid dream, in a manner not 
 the most agreeable to her. Two officers 
 entered her house in the dead of the 
 night, and insisted on speaking with 
 her immediately. The saucy chamber- 
 
112 
 
 maid, who had been long accustomed 
 to see her mistress treated like a god- 
 dess, and to consider herself as a person 
 of some importance, would fain have 
 dismissed them with rudeness. The of- 
 ficers, however, despising her threats 
 and outcries, rushed into Madame Che- 
 valier's room, and appeared without 
 any ceremony at her bedside. She start- 
 ed from her slumbers, and assured them 
 her husband was at Paris ! " It is not 
 for him. Madam, we are looking," was 
 their reply. Having learnt, in a few 
 words, the events which had taken 
 place, she was obliged to rise that very 
 moment, and to listen to some railleries, 
 not of the most delicate nature. 
 
 I shall not enlarge upon the business 
 of these officers, their visit was short, 
 nor w^as Monsieur Ausristus at all dis- 
 turbed by them. What the lady felt 
 during the rest of the night, and her 
 
IX 3 
 
 alarming prospect of the future, have 
 perhaps, in some degree, avenged the 
 multitude whom she had made unhap- 
 py, and the innocent whom she had 
 ruined. Yet, in fact, she had nothing 
 to dread. The delicacy of the youn^r 
 
 4 J O 
 
 Monarch generously-spared her. To con- 
 siderations of a respectable nature she 
 was indebted for that, which she could 
 neither have ventured to hope, or to 
 solicit: she was allowed to leave Peters- 
 burg without any kind of molestation. 
 I saw her at Koningsberg and at Berlin, 
 more brilliant and more lively than 
 ever; and no' sensations except those of 
 mhul 9 appeared to give her the least un- 
 easiness. 
 
 I dout not but that Monsieur Cheva- 
 lier, with his accustomed impudence, will 
 ^venture to deny the facts I have stated, 
 the greater part of which relate chiefly 
 to himself. He may endeavour to bring 
 
 VOJL. III. H 
 
M4 
 
 my veracity and impartiality into ques- 
 tion ; but I here solemnly declare, that I 
 have personally no subject of complaint 
 either against him or his wife, and that 
 \ pnly partake of the general indignation 
 q£ the public, I further declare, that I 
 Cpyld have brought forward four times 
 a? many instances as I have given, had 
 I been inclined to give ear to common 
 report 5 and that I have designedly made 
 choice of such as have been communis 
 cated to me by eye-witnesses of unex- 
 ceptionable veracity. I have dispassion- 
 ately administered thepunishment of that 
 notoriety, which sooner or later brands 
 £he- forehead of the successful miscreant* 
 Bat enough has already been said on 
 the subject of these people. 
 
 The death of the Emperor again 
 tipeped to me a happy prospect of re- 
 turning to my own country; and as 
 soon as I could venture to call the at- 
 
f ention of the young Monarch from the 
 important concerns of the empire, to a 
 subject of such small moment as my 
 own private affairs, I took an opportu- 
 nity of soliciting my discharge* On 
 the 30th of March I presented a memo* 
 rial to that effect, to Prince Suboff, the 
 Emperor's Adjutant General. The 2d 
 of April I received, through his hands, 
 the flattering answer, that his Majesty 
 wished me to continue in his service. 
 Such distinguished goodness must na- 
 turally have rendered the resolution of 
 persisting in my resignation extremely- 
 painful to me. Impressed with the 
 wannest gratitude, I therefore declared,, 
 that I should be happy to remain in the 
 service of a Prince so justly beloved ; 
 but that I was no longer able to sut>er < 
 intend the German playhouse in its pre- 
 sent situation ; that if it pleased the Em- 
 peror to allow some reforms to take 
 
i*6 
 
 place, to render it really, and not nomi- 
 nally a court-theatre, and placed in every 
 respect upon a level with the French 
 company, I would with pleasure exert 
 all my efforts to render it worthy of his 
 Majesty's approbation. 
 
 I received an order in consequence 
 to draw up a memorial, in which I 
 was directed to point out the means of 
 reforming the German theatre. I in- 
 stantly obeyed, and my plan, which it 
 has pleased an ignorant and malevolent 
 correspondent of the Hamburgh Gazette 
 to call gigantic, was nevertheless calcu- 
 lated according; to the rules of the 
 strictest economy. 
 
 While the French theatre cost up- 
 wards of one hundred thousand rubles 
 a year in salaries only, I undertook to 
 support a company, that should rival it 
 in every respect, for sixty thousand. It 
 seems that the author of this paragraph 
 
ii 7 
 
 is no friend to the Germans, or he 
 would not have termed gigantic a sum 
 I had asked for the whole support of 
 the playhouse, which amounted but to 
 little more than one half of the mere 
 salaries of the other theatre. 
 
 The Emperor commissioned the Court 
 Marshal to examine my plan, and the 
 latter approved of it. 
 
 " What will the German theatre cost 
 according to this estimate ?" said the 
 Emperor. 
 
 " Sixty thousand rubles a year/ ' 
 
 " And what has it hitherto cost?" 
 
 u Nothing." 
 
 This answer must naturally have as- 
 tonished the Emperor. It was just 
 however in one point of view. By dint 
 of zeal, intense application, and unre- 
 mitting efforts, I had made the winter 
 receipts amount to thirty-two thousand 
 rubles; and with this money I had been 
 
nS 
 
 'able to defray every contingent cxpence: 
 but the Marshal did not recollect, that 
 during seven weeks of Lent the house 
 would produce nothing, and during the 
 summer months not much; that the 
 theatre besides stood in need of great 
 repairs and improvements. The .Mo- 
 narch himself could not be expected to 
 enter into such particulars; and the 
 more so, as the memorial did not spe- 
 cify any. It is therefore not at all sur- 
 prising that he should have considered 
 -the sum too great. 
 
 I was too well acquainted with the 
 disposition of the court in general to- 
 wards the German theatre, and of 
 course prepared (in case the Emperor 
 should disapprove my plan) to reiterate 
 my former request. My discharge at 
 length was granted me in the most gra- 
 cious terms, and I obtained at the same 
 time the rank of Counsellor of the 
 College. 
 
n 9 
 
 I am fully convinced that the Court 
 cannot keep up the German theatre, 
 even in its present imperfect establish- 
 ment* without disbursing: thirty-seven 
 "thousand rubles annually** Had it 
 
 4 
 
 been observed to the Emperor at the 
 time, that the improvements alone 
 would have cost twenty-three thousand 
 rubles* I have reason to believe, that 
 his answer would have been diHerent 
 from what it was; especially as the 
 young Empress is a great admirer of the 
 German drama:" but the word nothing 
 could not well have produced any other 
 effect. 
 
 Such are the circumstances of mv 
 
 4 
 
 discharge, respecting which the author 
 of a paragraph in the Hamburgh Gazette 
 had the goodness to observe, that it 
 
 *I am not uninformed§ that Monsieur Mire, and a 
 person of the name of Casazzi, have undertaken the 
 business at a much lower Fate, but jinisxQrm&t epusd 
 
1 20 
 
 was not very clear, whether it was 
 asked for or received. At Petersburg 
 the matter was clear enough ; but un- 
 happily there are men in the world who 
 are induced by envy to believe the con- 
 trary to what every one knows. 
 
 In speaking of the pension that was 
 granted me, the same correspondent ob- 
 serves with equal malignity, and with a 
 design to render the distinction less 
 honourable to me, that I solicited it. 
 He knew not that the Emperor Paul 
 had secured the salary on his own privy- 
 purse; and that pensions of that nature 
 are frequently, and even commonly, 
 continued after the resignation of the 
 receiver; and that without having as- 
 sailed the young Monarch with solicita- 
 tions and entreaties, the favour • was 
 granted me on my mere request. I am 
 too proud of this mark of kindness and 
 benevolence in the young Emperor, and 
 
121 
 
 too jealous of the reputation of an un- 
 assuming man, not to have placed the 
 matter in its true point of view, even 
 at the risk of fatiguing the patience of 
 my readers. 
 
 On the 29th of April, I left Peters- 
 burg with my family, full of gratitude 
 to the deceased Monarch, and to the 
 reigning Emperor. We passed some 
 weeks at Jesse, with M. Koch and his 
 excellent family ; from whence, accom- 
 panied by their best wishes, w r e pro- 
 ceeded to Wolmarshof, the country seat 
 of Baron de Lowenstern, who had sent 
 us the most cordial invitation * 
 
 My heart palpitated violently as I ap- 
 proached this abode of sincerity and 
 truth : at length I beheld the accom- 
 plishment of the most ardent of my 
 wishes : I was on the point of meeting 
 a lady again, who, in the most terrible 
 moment of my life, had sent me every 
 
Ml 
 
 succour in her power. With what im- 
 patience did I long to press her hand to 
 my lips and to my heart ! I was also to 
 meet the young man who had shed 
 tears on my account, and who had 
 strove to soften my afflictions with the 
 tenderness of a brother. The first per- 
 son- 1 saw on getting out of the carriage 
 was IvL de Beyer. What varied emo* 
 lions seized me as he approached ! After 
 him appeared Madame de Lowenstern. 
 I was unable to utter a single word ; my 
 tears eloquently interpreted the feelings 
 of my heart. I looked round for her 
 worthy son, he flew to my embrace;, 
 and I pressed him with fraternal affec- 
 tion. How sweet is the remembrance 
 of past evils in the circle of sympathize 
 ing friendship ! 
 
 I here obtained some explanations of 
 that part of my history, in which these 
 worthy persons were concerned. The 
 
123 
 
 letters I had written at Stockmannshof 
 had been all forwarded by M. de Beyer 
 to the Governor of Riga, except that 
 intended for Count Cobenzel, which 
 could not but have proved prejudicial 
 to me. M. de Richter had dispatched 
 them without the least scruple to the 
 Emperor, who at first was much irri- 
 tated at my escape, and replied to the 
 Governor, that he must instantly sum- 
 mon M. de Beyer to Riga, and severely 
 reprimand him for having suffered a 
 state-prisoner to write letters in his 
 house. This reprimand, which implied 
 no small elogium of M. de Beyer's 
 heart, was accordingly given, but it may 
 be easily imagined how much the well 
 known humanity of M. de Richter 
 must have tended to soften the severity 
 of it. 
 
 I learnt besides, that my Counsellor 
 had communicated his instructions to 
 
124 
 
 M. de Beyer, and that consequently he 
 would have incurred great danger if he 
 had espoused my cause more warmly 
 than he did. M. de Beyer attempted 
 to justify the cold and prudent M. Pro- 
 stenius, and it is no fault of mine if my 
 my own heart invalidated all his argu- 
 ments. 
 
 The whole family had considered the 
 Counsellor as a civil, kind-hearted man, 
 and had placed great confidence in him. 
 This mistake was very excusable in peo- 
 ple of their excellent disposition ; for 
 never had I seen, in any instance what- 
 ever, so much cruelty united with so 
 much dissimulation. He had waited on 
 my wife, on his arrival at Petersburg, 
 after having heard of my approaching 
 deliverance, to give her joy. He told 
 her that we were very intimate friends^ 
 and had lived together like two brothers 
 during the whole journey. He even 
 
125 
 
 paid me a visit, when he had heard in 
 what a distinguished manner I had 
 been treated by the Emperor, and mean- 
 ly attempted to insinuate himself into 
 my favour. I could not, however, bear 
 the sight of him : he at length observed 
 this, and discontinued his visits. 
 
 After having spent a few days very 
 agreeably at Wolmarshof, we set off for 
 Riga, where we were expected by our 
 faithful friends. I had not the pleasure 
 of finding the worthy Governor there ; 
 he was unfortunately ill in the country, 
 but I found my kind friend Eckardt, 
 and the learned Doctor Stoffregen, to 
 whom I expressed all my gratitude. We 
 accompanied the latter to his villa, a 
 terrestrial paradise, at Graffenheyde, 
 and we separated in a few days, bestow- 
 ing on each other reciprocal benedictions 
 and prayers. 
 
 Among other things, I learnt at Riga, 
 
that a letter which my wife had written 
 to the Duchess of Weimar, had been 
 sent to Petersburg by the master of the 
 Post-office, and had been read by the 
 Emperor ; that his Majesty had imme- 
 diately returned it, with orders to have 
 it sealed up again, and forwarded to its 
 destination. Our friends augured some- 
 thing good from this incident j it is in- 
 deed certain, that the letter (a copy of 
 which I possess) could not have failed to 
 make a salutary impression on the kind 
 heart of the Monarch. I therefore, per- 
 haps, owe my deliverance, in some mea- 
 sure, to the very person, to whom of 
 ail others, I would most willingly owe 
 it — to my own wife. 
 . At_Mittau the Governor of Courland 
 was no longer to be found ; he had 
 heen dismissed from his post. M. Sel- 
 len of Polangen, had likewise been dis- 
 charged ; I did not see him, but I found 
 
127 
 
 the Lieutenant who had accompanied 
 us to Mittau, and whose name is De 
 Bogeslawski. He received me as an old 
 friend, and compelled us to breakfast 
 with him. On this spot, how did I run 
 over the early scene of my misfortunes I 
 How beneficent is nature, in causing the 
 remembrance of past ills to produce an 
 enjoyment equal to, and perhaps greater 
 than that of past pleasures ! I enquired 
 after the honest Cossack, who had ac- 
 companied us on the coach-box : I wish- 
 ed fo make him a present, but he was 
 not in the way. 
 
 When we felt the carriage drive off— 
 when we passed the guard-house — when 
 the barrier was let down behind us — 
 and when, a little further on, we beheld 
 the Prussian eagle ; — why should I blush 
 to confess, that I burst into a flood of 
 tears, that my wife also wept, and that 
 we sunk into each other's arms ? Not 
 
123 
 
 that we had waited for this moment to 
 give full scope to our feelings—No ; the 
 name of Alexander is every honest man's 
 sufficient guarantee for his personal free- 
 dom ; but it was a confused mixture of 
 emotions, as powerful an inexplicable, 
 that called forth these delicious tears. 
 The view of the theatre of my misfor- 
 tunes ; the recapitulation of ail the scenes 
 through which I had struggled : the 
 -agony,, which a year before I had suf- 
 fered on the same road ; the contrast of 
 sensations; the happy and unforeseen 
 change of circumstances ; my gratitude 
 to God, who had restored all that was 
 dear to me ; the delight at waking from 
 my long and frightful dream ;— -all these 
 considerations agitated every feeling of 
 ; riiy heart, and forced the tears into my 
 eyes. Thus impressed, I saluted the 
 happy dominions of Frederic William 
 IIL The moment I set my foot upon his 
 
129 
 
 frontiers, I considered myself as in my 
 native country. 
 
 At Konigsberg I found Count Kutais- 
 soff, the favourite and confidential friend 
 of the late Emperor. If any one could 
 have given me information concerning 
 the cause of my arrest, it was certainly ' 
 he. I had long known him, but our 
 acquaintance was during a period in 
 which it would have been improper to 
 have asked him any questions relating 
 immediately to myself. But what I had 
 not ventured to do at Petersburg could 
 be done without any scruple here : I 
 therefore hinted to him my wishes to 
 be acquainted with the Emperor's rea- 
 sons for having treated me with so 
 much severity ; and he replied, with the 
 most unsuspicious frankness, " that his 
 Majesty had acted from no particular 
 motive, but that I had given him um- 
 brage as an author. However," added 
 
m 
 
 he r " you have seen with what readi* 
 ness, and with what pleasure he cor- 
 rected his error : he liked you ; he has 
 given you proofs of it ; and had he 
 lived, you would have received more." 
 
 Peace then to the ashes of a man, 
 whose faults may be ascribed, in a great 
 measure, to the nature of his edu- 
 cation, to the extraordinary events 
 that distinguished the- period of his 
 reign, and to the characters of the people 
 who surrounded him ! a man, who 
 might often have been mistaken with- 
 regard to the means he employed to do 
 good, but whose invariable aim was to 
 be good and just ; who scattered innu- 
 merable benefits around him, yet saw- 
 nothing but noxious plants spring up, 
 whose blossoms pleased his eye, while 
 their poisonous vapour tarnished and 
 destroyed him ! 
 
 I shall conclude with the insertion of 
 
some French verses, which were circu- 
 lated in Petersburg some days after the 
 Emperor's death. I am unacquainted 
 with the author, but his picture bears the 
 stamp of truth.. 
 
 On le connut trop peu, lui ne connut personnc ; 
 Actii, toujours presse, bouillant, imperieux, 
 Aimable, seduisant, meme sans la couronne, 
 Voulantgouverneur seul, tout avoir, tout faire mieux, 
 II fit boucoup -d'irigrats — et mourut malheureux ! 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 An Examination of a Work entitled " &- 
 cret Memoirs of the Court of Russia" 
 
 I HAVE read the " Memoirs of the 
 Court of Russia:" the book has 
 made much noise in the world; more 
 indeed than it merits. It has been, 
 and is perhap3 still, believed that the 
 author drew his materials from authen- 
 tic sources ; it is therefore worth while 
 to examine this work in detail. He has 
 treated both the great and insignificant 
 with such rancour, and attacked the 
 honour and the virtue of the monarch 
 and the nation with so much audacity, 
 that I conceive I shall deserve the thanks 
 of the Public by stripping off his mask, 
 and openly contradicting him on several 
 points^ respecting which I have better 
 
fnformation than he could ever have 
 obtained. 
 
 If, in imitation of himself, I were to 
 derive mv authorities from table-talk 
 
 4 
 
 and the gossip of antichambers, it 
 would be an easy task to refute every 
 page of his book : being, however, 
 averse to assume airs of importance, I 
 repeat, that I shall only touch upon 
 what my own conviction enables me to 
 refute. If the Secret Memoirs should ever 
 find their way into Russia, there will be 
 no want of persons, still better inform- 
 ed than myself, to expose the falser- 
 hoods which they contain. 
 
 The author pretends, in his preface^ 
 to have held heaven knows what im- 
 portant post at Court ; and the editor 
 adds, that he had lived in the closest in- 
 timacy with people of rank and influ- 
 ence at Petersburg/ Now, as it is the 
 duty of every historian or compiler o£ 
 
*3* 
 
 memoirs, who makes any pretension to 
 public confidence, to shew how he has 
 been able to come at the truth of what 
 he asserts; let us say a few words con- 
 cerning the author himself. 
 
 Monsieur de M * * H the younger, is a 
 native of Switzerland % The history 
 of the early part of his life is here out 
 of the question. He was received at 
 the house of General Soltikoff, by 
 whose interest he obtained the office 
 of inspector of the stables of the Grand 
 Duke Alexander, the present Emperor. 
 The Grand Duke probably was familiar 
 with him ; but I do not see how his 
 post could have procured him his iritis 
 
 * It is for the sake of his respectable brother 
 that I do not give his name complete. He has, 
 however, saved the reader the trouble of guessing 
 it, for he has made himself so well known every 
 where, that it seems he is not at all solicitous to 
 'remain in obscurity. 
 
*35 
 
 mate cannexions with the principal peopte 
 of rank and influence in the empire. 
 
 He had made verses, and in his own 
 circle may have been considered as a 
 man acquainted with the fashionable 
 world ; but he may be assured, that 
 there are many great people and men 
 of influence at Petersburg, who are to 
 this moment ignorant of his existence. 
 Let the reader judge from hence, if he 
 •could have always spoken the truth. 
 
 But, supposing we grant him this 
 point, it is very certain it has not al- 
 ways been his intention to speak it. He 
 himself, however, has been frank enough 
 to confess, that nothing less than the 
 most justifiable resentment forces him 
 to speak out. What can be exnected 
 from a writer, whose resentment speaks 
 for him, and who is not ashamed, to 
 add, that it is the proper business of in- 
 xlignation to reveal what criminal gra- 
 
!J6 
 
 titude might induce him to conceal. It 
 is his indignation alone then, that breaks 
 out through the whole book, and which 
 is of so violent a nature, that he is 
 forced to consider gratitude as criminal 
 when it does not allow him to disburden 
 himself, of every thing that w r eighs upon 
 his heart. What can be expected from 
 a writer who has faith in criminal grati- 
 tude ? 
 
 And what is it, in fact, that has irri- 
 tated him to such a degree ? He has 
 been ill treated, I will allow ; and I am 
 inclined. to believe that he was innocent. 
 Certain suspicions, some unmeaning 
 words, something said in favour of the 
 French troops, had induced the toa 
 hasty Emperor to banish M. de M # * * 
 and his brother out of his dominions ; 
 but his Majesty didnthis without any 
 degradation of their honour : he did not 
 seize their fortunes, nor refuse to allow 
 
*37 
 
 their families to accompany them. They 
 had fallen into disgrace, and that was 
 all: the Emperor had withdrawn his 
 confidence, and would have them no 
 .longer in his service ; — nothing more. 
 It will be said, that this was enough, 
 and that their case was very severe. I 
 allow it, but not sufficiently so to jus- 
 tify the transformation of gratitude into 
 a thing that depends on circumstances. 
 Had M. de M * * * been satisfied with 
 asserting his innocence in a calm and 
 satisfactory manner, every impartial 
 reader would have applauded him. But 
 this mass of scandalous anecdotes, his 
 evident solicitude to collect every thing 
 that could render the Russian Court ei- 
 ther atrocious or ridiculous, shew 
 clearly, that the Eemperor Paul did 
 not act imprudently in removing a pe- 
 tulant observer, who examined every 
 thing that came in his way with a jaun* 
 
i 3 8 
 
 diced eye. M. de M # # * '$ own book 
 is, in my opinion, the best justification 
 of the Emperor's conduct towards the 
 author. Let him undertake, in the 
 boasted French republic, to write the 
 scandalous chronicle of the French court 
 of the present day^ and I am persuaded 
 that he would think himself well off if 
 he escaped transportation to Cayenne. 
 
 He says, I have written only what I 
 have seen, heard, or experienced myself. 
 This is very singular. I find nothing 
 throughout the whole book but things 
 which were heard vf? and of which I ? 
 too, with a thousand others, have heard, 
 though in a difFerent manner. If it were 
 sufficient merely to give *ar to things, 
 to enable a man to write memoirs for 
 posterity, the historic muse may erect 
 a temple in every antichamber ! If JVL 
 de M * t 9:- would have us believe what 
 lie has neither seen, nor felt, nor expe* 
 
*39 
 
 rlenced, but only heard, he ought to 
 name his authorities; in default of 
 which, he will allow us to place no more 
 confidence in an inspe&or of the stables 
 of the. Grand Duke, than in any other 
 subaltern officer of the Russian Court. 
 
 In the preface, (page 4) he calls the 
 Emperor a revengeful tyrant. Paul was 
 not in the least addicted to revenge. 
 In the first emotions of anger, he might 
 have often committed injuries ; but to 
 rancour and vengeance Lis heart was a 
 stranger. I could name instances of 
 persons, by whom, whether right or 
 wrong, he conceived himself to be of- 
 fended, and whom he punished at one 
 moment, and at the next raised to the 
 first dignities in the state. It is, how- 
 ever, needless to bring forward these 
 examples, as they are already gene- 
 orally known. Had the Emperor been re- 
 
i4o 
 
 vengeful, and consequently rancorous. 
 (For these passions never operate sepa- 
 rately) the annals of history would pro- 
 bably have held out one horrid attempt 
 the less to posterity. M. de M * * * 
 boasts of his courage and frankness^ in ut- 
 tering the words revengeful tyrant ; but 
 where is the honest man who does not 
 consider, that he calls by too soft a 
 name the wickedness he allows himself 
 to commit ? 
 
 One cannot help smiling at reading 
 (page 5) that M. de M * # * feels and 
 experiences that he is followed where- 
 ever he goes. The Emperor, in fact, 
 made no farther mention of him after 
 his departure, nor even thought more 
 about him. It is still more disgusting 
 to hear him soon after impudently as^ 
 sert, that he lias exercised great modera- 
 tion in drawing up his memoirs. I 
 should be glad to know how it were 
 
141 
 
 ^possible to cram a greater quantity of 
 horrid matter into the compass of two 
 volumes. 
 
 He confesses frankly enough that his 
 bad memory has been his only source^ 
 as he had committed all his materials to 
 the flames. It is indeed requiring a 
 little too much of the Teader to expect 
 him to confide in the bad memory of an 
 inspector of the Grand Duke's stables, 
 for an account of all kinds of state and 
 family secrets. 
 
 M. de M * * * gives no quarter to the 
 poor German authors. He calls them all 
 pckihanks^ without supporting the epi-. 
 thet by a single case in point. Ah! 
 M. de M * # *, were I to publish some 
 of your poetry, who would deserve the 
 name of pickthank better than your- 
 self? 
 
 M. de M * * * endeavours to repre- 
 sent every Russian subject as an abject 
 
142 
 
 slave ; he even pretends that the nation* 
 by a kind of apotheosis, has changed 
 the name of Catherine to Jecatherine, 
 which, according to him signifies Arch- 
 Catherine. A curious interpretation truly. 
 Jecatherine is merely a name, and as little 
 signifies Arehcatherine as agurke (which 
 in Livonia is used for gurke, a cucum- 
 ber) signifies arch cucumber. 
 
 In page 48, M. de M * * * has the 
 assurance to assert that the Emperor is 
 the tyrant both of the empire and his fa- 
 mily \ and that he proscribes the dearest 
 and most laudable feelings of nature. 
 A more abominable falsehood than this 
 was never uttered, I should fill a whole 
 volume, were I to bring forward all the 
 domestic incidents in which the Empe- 
 ror Paul approved himself to be a tender 
 husband and a good father; and I am only 
 acquainted with the smaller part of that 
 number* I do not pretend that he has 
 
*43 
 
 not often fallen into violent r though 
 short, fits of anger, with his family y 
 which have sometimes been attended 
 with very serious consequences ; but 
 he is not on that account the less sus- 
 ceptible of the most tender feelings o£ 
 nature. 
 
 It is unusual, for instance., to consult 
 the inclinations of a Princess in the dis- 
 posal of her hand ; yet I know from the 
 best authority, that the Emperor always 
 left to his daughters the free choice o£ 
 their husbands : in such cases, consult- 
 ing the paternal feelings of his heart, 
 rather than listening to motives of po- 
 litical interest, he entered into no pro- 
 mises with regard to an alliance, but on 
 the express condition of its receiving 
 his daughter's full approbation. I should 
 be glad to be informed of many other 
 Courts in which a like custom pre- 
 vails I 
 
144 
 
 When the deceased Grand Duchess 
 Alexandrina took her leave of him, 
 with what inexpressible tenderness did 
 he fold her in his arms ? How many- 
 tears did he shed upon the occasion ? 
 She was seated in her coach, when he 
 again came down into the Court, and 
 opening the carriage door, bestowed his 
 blessing, in a broken voice, upon his 
 darling child. Is this the conduct of a 
 man who proscribes the common feelings 
 of nature? 
 
 I could add many other instances, but 
 I do not think, like M. de M***, that it 
 is proper to print every thing I have 
 been told. I shall, however, bring for- 
 ward a case in direct contradiction to 
 his senseless assertion, since it affords at 
 the same time an example of the love 
 and tenderness which the Emperor bore 
 his family to the last moment of his 
 life 
 
J 45 
 
 On the nth of March, at five or 
 six in the afternoon, a few hours be- 
 fore his death, when M. V , an 
 
 Aulic-Counsellor, who had been sent for 
 by the Empress on business, was wait- 
 ing her Majesty's orders in the anti- 
 chamber, he observed, through a half- 
 open door, the Emperor go to her. He 
 appeared in very good humour, and 
 said to her on entering the room, " My 
 angel, I have brought you something 
 that will give you pleasure." " As 
 every favour does," replied the Empress, 
 fcC which you confer." The Emperor 
 then took a pair of stockings out of his 
 pocket, which had been embroidered 
 by the noble young ladies belonging to 
 the institution, under the immediate 
 patronage of her Imperial Majesty. Af- 
 ter shewing this attention to his con- 
 sort, he turned to his youngest children, 
 who were playing about him, took them 
 VOL. itu k 
 
146 ; 
 
 in his arms, danced with them about 
 the room, and, in a word, acted in every 
 respect as the most affectionate father of 
 a family would have done. M. V*** 
 was deeply affected at this scene; it re- 
 quires no comment, since it is to per- 
 sons of feeling hearts alone that I ad- 
 dress myself. 
 
 At page 795 M. de M ## * makes a 
 violent attack upon the principal nobi- 
 lity of the empire, during the last years 
 of the reign of Catherine II. He says 
 " they were without knowledge, with- 
 out views, without elevation of mind, 
 and utterly devoid of probity." He 
 wall not allow them even that vain ho- 
 nour, which, with respect to fidelity, 
 stands in the same stead as hypocrisy 
 does with regard to virtue. He charges 
 them with " being as imperious as ba- 
 shaws, as oppressive as tax-gatherers, as 
 .dishonest as lackeys, and .as mercenary 
 
H7 
 
 ,as stage-waitingMiiaids;" in a Word,, lie 
 ig not ashamed to call them, c *the rabble 
 ef the empire" 
 
 Let such a picture (which the most 
 virulent passion alone could have bfcen 
 capable of sketching, and the most un- 
 bridled extravagance have finished! be 
 placed beside the portrait of a Repnin, 
 a man equally great in the cabinet and 
 the field 5 of incorruptible integrity, and 
 of the most generous liberality of sen- 
 timent: — of a Romanzo, a great general, 
 Avho has bequeathed his virtues to his 
 children : — of a Bcsborodki* who, though 
 a man of pleasure, had the best of in- 
 tellects, and was the most indefatigable 
 of statesmen: — -of a Wasilew^ the trea- 
 surer of the empire, who without flat- 
 tery might be compared with the great 
 Colbert himself for talents and probity : 
 of a SoItikoff\ a Markojf\ &c. and the 
 indignant reader would then be tempted 
 
148 
 
 to bestow on what M. de M** # is pkas- 
 ed to to term courage and frankness ^ 
 epithets of a far different signification* 
 And when he has the audacity to add, 
 U that the nobility have pensioned their 
 servants, their buffoons, their secreta- 
 ries, and even the tutors of their chil- 
 dren, out of the public treasure, of 
 wfeich they had the management;" the 
 assertion is of so dishonourable and so 
 calumnious a nature, that the man who 
 has committed it at random to paper, 
 unsupported by any kind of proof, de- 
 serves to be arraigned as a criminal at 
 the bar of justice. 
 
 I request the reader further to remark 
 how often M. de M**%. under the in- 
 fluence of passion, contradicts his own 
 assertions. He gives the name of rabble 
 to the great people in the reign of Ca- 
 therine IL and yet makes it criminal in 
 her successor to have dismissed them on 
 
149 
 
 his accession to the crown: and after 
 allowing, that those by whom the Em- 
 peror Paul was surrounded, were peo- 
 ple of less moral depravity than the 
 discarded courtiers, he is nevertheless 
 continually turning them into ridicule, 
 and calling them upstarts. 
 
 At page 82, he repeats the hacknied 
 assertion^ " that Russia cannot boast of 
 having any laws, but that it is merely 
 governed by ukases or prescripts/' It 
 must be confessed that the legislative 
 commission established by Catherine,, 
 had not done all that might have beer* 
 expected from it ; many more improve- 
 ments, however, were made in the reign 
 of that immortal woman than M. de 
 M** # seems to have been aware of* 
 Her incomparable Instructions for the go- 
 merriment of the Russian empire ; her In- 
 structions for the towns ; for the nobility ; 
 for the trades, &c. are not mere pre- 
 
*5o 
 
 scripts, but form altogether a complete 
 code of laws. During the space of ten 
 years,' I was myself in the habits of 
 judging a multitude of suits by these 
 laws, and I was seldom driven to the 
 necessity of having recourse to a foreign 
 code. 
 
 This is not the place to examine whc- 
 the plan of the Empress to introduce a 
 an uniform code of laws into her vast 
 empire, was not rather a pious wish., 
 than a measure at ail possible. It would* 
 doubtless be a desirable thing to abolish 
 that confusion, which cannot fail to re- 
 sult from the great number of customs' 
 and privileges which are continually at 
 variance with each other. The tribunal, 
 for instance, where I had the honour to 
 preside, was a court of appeal from the 
 inferior provincial tribunals, and all the 
 litigious causes of Reval, Hapsal, Weis- 
 senstein,and Bakischport, were decided. 
 
i 5 r 
 
 tKere. But X was obliged to judge a 
 Reval suit by the laws of Lubec, an 
 Hapsal suit by the laws of Sweden, and 
 a Baltischport one by those of Russia, 
 &c. circumstances which rendered the 
 administration of justice extremly com- 
 plicated and troublesome. 
 
 M. de M* ## (page 92) carries his 
 love of paradox so far as to maintain, 
 that the Empress Catherine, the friend 
 and the favorite of the muses, did not 
 patronise the arts and sciences, but 
 merely purchased libraries - and collec- 
 tions of pictures from motives of osten- 
 tation, and sent medals to German au- 
 thors who dedicated their works to her. 
 Such silly assertions are not worth re- 
 futing; they ought to be treated with a 
 smile of contempt. 
 
 It is ridiculous enough to hear, in 
 what a self-sufficient manner M. de 
 M** # decides on all the literary pro- 
 
*5 2 
 
 ductions that appeared during the thir- 
 ty-two years of the reign of Catherine* 
 " Except a few works on Natural His- 
 tory/ 3 says he, u no book worthy of 
 being known elsewhere, has honoured 
 the Russian press/ 5 He was doubtless 
 unacquainted with the greater number, 
 and knew only the title pages of some 
 of the others. Eider ^ for instance, has 
 escaped his notice. On the other hand, 
 he relates wonderful things of intire 
 libraries i that had been discovered among 
 the ruins on the banks of the Irtisch. 
 
 M. dteM*** (page no) says, " that 
 the Germans at Petersburg are all artU 
 %ans, principally talhrs and shoemakers" 
 The inspector of the stabks might as 
 well have added saddlers^ who likewise 
 are chiefly of that country. In this view 
 he would not have comprised one half 
 of the Germans who inhabit the city, 
 the number of which exceeds thirty 
 
153 
 
 thousand. Almost every merchant, and 
 a great number of the people in office are 
 Germans. M. de M*** also mistakes 
 when he pretends, " that more victuals 
 are consumed in the German houses 
 than in others, and that the guests are 
 overwhelmed with ceremonies and com- 
 pliments/ 5 It is true indeed, that the 
 plain Germans have no idea of the cou~ 
 rage and frankness in which Mr.de IM* # * 
 so eminently excels. 
 
 The circumstances which he states 
 (page 117) of the colonels being the 
 despots of their respective regiments, 
 and of every thing relating to the eco- 
 nomy of them passing through their 
 hands, are not without foundation; 
 but he should have added, " that these. 
 abuses were reformed on the accession 
 of the Emperor Paul to the throne." 
 
 M. de M # * # (page 131) charges 
 the author of the Description of Peters- 
 
burg with unpardonable negligence, in 
 having confounded his important per- 
 son as a man of letters with that of his 
 brother. " Can anyone, after this," 
 says he, " depend on descriptions?" And 
 why not? Is it of any consequence to 
 the reader, to know the author of a few 
 trifling verses? If the more interesting 
 accounts are exact, he will readily over- 
 look matters of such small import. Be- 
 sides M. de M* # * ought to be happy 
 whenever he is confounded with his 
 worthy brother. That unassuming re- 
 spectable man lives on his estate near 
 Erlangen, and has not been a little a- 
 larmed at the publication of the Secret 
 Memoirs. Some people, not having 
 known him personally, have taken him 
 for the author of the book ; but he has 
 often explained himself to his friends 
 on the subject, in a very earnest and 
 serious manner. 
 
i5S 
 
 At page 132, Mr* de M[*** "unjust- 
 ly upbraids the Emperor with having 
 left the most useful of his mother's 
 public undertakings in an unfinished 
 state, and with having erected nothing 
 but barracks and exercise-houses. M. 
 de M** * anions; these works mentions 
 the quays and canals, and forgets that 
 the Emperor had entirely banked-up the 
 Mo'ika with free-stone. He has his rea- 
 sons, perhaps, for not mentioning the 
 hospital for the reception of military or- 
 phans, wMch owes its very existence to 
 that Monarch; and in which upwards 
 of eight hundred children of both sexes 
 are boarded and instructed, and placed 
 in suitable conditions when they have 
 attained a certain age. This institution 
 is directed by the respectable Colonel 
 de Weismarn and his lady, who, has 1 
 have several times observed with great 
 delight, is beloved by the children as 4 
 
i 5 6 
 
 mother. The Emperor, frequently vi- 
 sited this asvlum ; it was one of his most 
 favourite walks. He took the most 
 tender interest in its w r elfare ; laid aside 
 his crown on entering the mansion, and 
 appeared only as the father of the 
 children ; and never did he leave the 
 spot unaccompanied with the benedic- 
 tions of the innocent objects of his care* 
 M. de M ## * ouo;ht not to have beea 
 silent on matters of this- nature; but 
 perhaps his correspondents gave him no 
 account of them, having enough to do 
 to furnish him with the tattle of -anti- 
 chambers. 
 
 If we were unacquainted with the 
 reasons which induced M. de M*** to 
 spare the memory of Prince Poternkin, 
 we should be surprised at the slight 
 manner in which he touches upon the 
 subject of that famous man. The in- 
 sulting contempt he always entertained 
 
157 
 
 for his fellow- creatures , whom he only- 
 considered as the instruments of his own 
 grandeur, is but too generally known. 
 Never did the Emperor Paul venture to 
 go half the lengths in the indulgence of 
 his caprices as that favourite had gone. 
 Few people can be strangers to the anec- 
 dote respecting the honest Moscovite 
 merchant, whom he ordered to be taken 
 up by the police and sent to Petersburg, 
 for having suffered a lady to see his long 
 beard. The unfortunate man arrived 
 attjhe capital, and Potemkin, having for- 
 gotten his beard, suffered him to lan- 
 guish six months in confinement. At 
 length the satrap deigned to pay some 
 attention to this famous beard : the 
 merchant was sent back to Moscow, in 
 a ruined state of health, and found that 
 his wife had died with grief, and that 
 his affairs were ruined. The Emperor 
 Paul has committed acts of violence 
 
*5* 
 
 froin mere hastiness of temper, but ne- 
 ver to gratify his caprice ; and what- 
 ever he did, he always imagined that 
 he was doing an act of justice. 
 
 No one, except M/de M***, has felt 
 that the death of Potemkin had made 
 an immense -void in the empire. The story 
 of the Empress having fainted away 
 three times successively on hearing the 
 news of his death, seems very impro- 
 bable : at least there are well informed 
 people, who pretend that his power 
 having attained to a prodigious height, 
 and grown superior to all kind of con- 
 trol, had become very troublesome, to 
 Catherine, and that after his death she 
 acknowledged herself to be a much freer 
 . assent than before. 
 
 -M. de Lanskoy, it seems, has found 
 singular favour with our author. He 
 styles him the lover of the arts, and the 
 iriend of talentSo In truth 3 he was the 
 
W9 
 
 most ignorant man about the Court* 
 and the Empress always blushed for him 
 •whenever he began to speak, 
 
 M. deM** # (page 164) observes, that 
 Paul was more a Russian than his mo- 
 ther, and that he always maintained 
 that a Count or Prince of the holy 
 -Greek empire, was preferable to one of 
 the holy Roman empire. It is not my 
 business to decide whether the mother 
 or the son was in the right; I am, how- 
 ever, of opinion, that it becomes an 
 Emperor of Russia to confer, with his 
 own hands, the dignities with which he 
 wishes to see his subjects decorated.. 
 
 At page 157, the author speaks in a 
 ; contemptuous manner of General Pistor, 
 i one of the most worthy Germans that 
 ever served in the Russian army. He 
 -calls him a Russian .satellite : A little 
 farther on, he sneers at the barbarous 
 ■-names of Kretschetnikojf 'and Cachcwske* 
 
lib 
 
 ** Heavens! what names! 55 says he, 
 <c and the men who bear them, are still 
 more uncouth !" He forgets, however, 
 that the name of his hero Kosciusko is 
 not more harmonious. 
 
 At page 173, M. de M # * # speaks of 
 a statue that the Duke de Feuillade 
 erected at his own expence, to his mas- 
 ter Louis XIV. and he adds, " that Po- 
 temkin had done nothing for Catherine 
 that could be compared with the French- 
 man's gallantry. All the actions of that 
 favourite were, indeed, tainted with 
 hypocrisy and cruelty : when the Em- 
 press travelled to the Tauride, Potem- 
 kin, supposing she might expect to see, 
 as she went along, the towns and 
 flourishing villages of which he had so 
 often spoke to her, had ordered repre- 
 sentations, in painting, of the fronts of 
 the houses composing such towns and 
 villages, to be erected on each side the 
 
road. To a cursory observer the effect 
 must have been very fine ; and in order 
 to enliven the landscape, it was neces- 
 sary to summon all the peasants for 
 twenty leagues round the country with 
 their flocks, and to post them near these 
 decorations. As the Empress went 
 along, she beheld the meadows covered 
 with sheep and horned cattle, attended 
 by well clothed shepherds. She was 
 struck with the showy painted houses, 
 and imagined she saw the towns which 
 existed in the calendar,* and which she 
 found swarming with inhabitants. This 
 gallantry was not in fact so durable as 
 that of the Duke de la Feuillade, but it 
 was at least more artfully fancied. 
 
 * The Petersburg calendar, in the reign of Ca- 
 therine, contained a list of all the cities either exist- 
 ing or planned in the Russian empire, with theii 
 respective situations and distance from the capital, 
 
 VOL, UL L 
 
 **fc 
 
162 
 
 The author (page 224) endeavours to 
 degrade one of the best institutions of 
 the Emperor, or at least to lessen its 
 merit : I mean the permission which all 
 his subjects had to direct their letters and 
 petitions immediately to himself. M. de 
 M ## * tells us, there was a kind of 
 office upon the palace stair-case, where 
 every one might deliver letters, but he 
 adds, "that Paul finding, contrary to 
 his expectation, more petitions than de- 
 nunciations, grew tired of noticing 
 them, and that every thing soon fell 
 into its former chaos ; that the secreta- 
 ries employed to examine the letters be- 
 came as heretofore the arbitrators of 
 the unfortunate people who had had re- 
 course to their master." 
 
 It is my duty to refute this accusa- 
 tion. From the moment of the Em- 
 peror's accession to the throne, to the 
 ] i3t day of his life, every one of his 
 
163 
 
 subjects were allowed to make applica- 
 tion to him in writing, and they were 
 sure of receiving a categorical answer in 
 the course of a few days. The secreta- 
 ries were in no respect the arbitrators 
 of the petitioner's fate. The man who 
 had dared to make a false extract would 
 certainly not have escaped punishment : 
 the Emperor frequently demanded a 
 sight of the original, and ordered it to 
 be read to him. An instance of this had 
 taken place in my own case, and it was 
 nothing more than a mere letter of 
 thanks that I had written. The secre- 
 taries had always the letters in their pos- 
 session, nor could they venture, under 
 the inspection of so severe a master, to 
 make unfair extracts, being never sure 
 that the Emperor might not suddenly 
 require a sight of the original, to sa- 
 tisfy himself as to the faithfulness of the 
 report. 
 
164 
 
 It is true, that the reporter had con- 
 siderable influence, and that the success 
 of the petition often depended on the 
 manner in which it was represented* 
 But was the Monarch to blame for this ? 
 It is natural that he should have confi- 
 dence in the people he had chofen, and 
 he could not employ more efficacious 
 means to render them faithful, than by- 
 inspecting their proceedings occasionally 
 and unawares. The Emperor could not 
 possibly have read every petition he re- 
 ceived ' f and in support of this affertion, 
 I am enabled to relate an anecdote re- 
 lative to the early part of the present 
 Emperor's reign ; who, as well as his 
 father, allows every one to write to him, 
 and even to present their letters in per- 
 son ; and may the choicest blessings of 
 heaven reward him for this indulgence ! 
 Whenever he went from the palace to 
 the parade, he had to pass through a 
 
16*5 
 
 triple row of suppliants, who held their 
 petitions in their hands. The number 
 of petitioners increasing, and the Em- 
 peror being unwilling to abolish the pri- 
 vilege, he usually sent out his adjutants 
 some minutes before him to collect these 
 papers. I have been several times pre- 
 sent at their return to the anti-chamber; 
 they were usually three in number, and 
 each of them had a handkerchief filled 
 with petitions in one hand, and his hat 
 full in the other- " O God!" cried the 
 Emperor one day, .with a smile, when. 
 lie saw them return thus loaded ; and 
 the exclamation was by no means im- 
 proper, for there were upwards of three 
 hundred letters in the hats and handker- 
 chiefs- Every day produced as many ; 
 and supposing that the Emperor had de- 
 voted two minutes to the perusal of each 
 letter, he must have read ten hours a day ! 
 Among these I do not include the num- 
 
1 66 
 
 bers of letters which came by post, and 
 which were sent to the Secretary of 
 State. The Emperor, thus occupied, 
 would have had no time for the most 
 urgent concerns of life, much less for 
 the great business of the empire* 
 Every thing must have given way to 
 the caprice of the petitioners, who often 
 mkde the most absurd requests. A wo- 
 man one dav wrote to inform him she 
 had lost a cow, and to beg another in 
 its place. 
 
 The practice introduced by the Em- 
 peror Paul of inserting the refusals in 
 the public Gazette was certainly a very 
 harsh measure ; but it might always^ 
 have been evaded by personal application 
 to the Secretary of State, who had the 
 answers ready for the perusal of the re- 
 spective petitioners. The Minister was, 
 in fact, prevented, by the multiplicity of 
 his avocations, from expediting written 
 
167 
 
 answers to every letter that was received 
 at his office. 
 
 . M. deM*** (page 223) tells us, that 
 dishonesty is inherent in the Russian 
 Government, and connected with the 
 national character, which is deficient in 
 morals, probity,. and public spirit. Hap- 
 pily, while he was penning this horrid 
 description, his conscience seems to have 
 stung him a little,, and obliged him to 
 add the following note, which he pre- 
 cedes by an emphatical exclamation. 
 " Alas!" says he, " I little thought while 
 I was writing these lines, to find the 
 same infamous practices triumph in a 
 republican Government, and in a rege- 
 nerated country." If, therefore, he is 
 convinced that neither national cha- 
 racter nor want of public spirit are the 
 real sources of corruption and rapine in 
 populous cities, but that such disorders 
 arise merely from luxury and ambition, 
 
i.68 
 
 why did he not cancel his unjust asser- 
 tion ? His book would certainly have 
 contained sufficient invective against 
 the Russian nation without this charge. 
 Page 238, M. de M*** describes, 
 simply from report, the prison of the 
 unhappy Prince Iwan, at Schlusselburg. 
 He calls it a dungeon, the windows of 
 which, he says, were stopped up with 
 planks, and scarcely afforded a glimpse 
 of light. I myself visited this prison in 
 the year 17S2, when I accompanied Ge- 
 neral Bawr down the canal of Schlussel- 
 burg to its outlet in the lake of Ludoga. 
 I found it, indeed, gloomy enough, but 
 not to the degree M. de MB*** repre- 
 sents it ; I saw the chamber in which 
 the Prince was confined ; it was lofty 
 and spacious, and sufficiently light. The 
 iky, however, could not be seen from 
 the chamber, on account of the great 
 htmht of the walls that inclosed the 
 
169 
 
 court in which it was situated ; but the 
 Commander assured us that the Prince 
 had permission to walk out into the 
 area. 
 
 I shall pass over several anecdotes 
 which M.de M* ## scatters over his hook, 
 to shew his own importance and the ex- 
 tent of his connexions. At one time, 
 it is such a one, at another, this or that 
 person, who had patronized and pro- 
 vided for him. Supposing all this to be 
 true, of wfiat use is the display of so 
 much vanity ? what are those people to 
 us, in whose favour he condescends to 
 act the part of a German pickthank? and 
 what concern have we with the flatter- 
 ing letters he had written to kept wo- 
 men to obtain a few hundred rubles, 
 or a paltry place ? The author ought to 
 feel, that in relating such trifles, he- 
 weakens the impression he would fain 
 make on his readers, by the display of his 
 grand principles cf liberty. 
 
1 7° 
 
 With all possible self-love, the writer 
 is ever laying hold of opportunities of 
 speaking of himself. At page 249, we 
 are obliged to hear him recite a pick- 
 thank business in verse, in which the 
 honour paid to the memory of Catherine 
 forms a singular contrast with the hor- 
 rid things he relates of her in his Secret 
 Memoirs. In these verses he speaks thus 
 of that Princess u 
 
 *' The north's fierce eagle cowers on the ground ; 
 ** Its bright liar beams no more, &c. >> 
 
 And at page 67, in the second volume, 
 he calls this very star an old fury. 
 
 At page 265, and a little further on,, 
 the reader is allowed to recover himself 
 a little from the effects of the multitude 
 of caricatures with which he had been 
 long pestered. We here find a descrip- 
 tion equally beautiful and just of the per- 
 son and character of the Empress-mo- 
 
I 7 I 
 
 ther* But this pleasure is of short du>- 
 ration, and as if M. de M*** were ut^ 
 terly averse to say a handsome thing of 
 any one, he adds, in a note, ■" that it 
 must be acknowledged her good qualir 
 ties are not a- little obscured by vanity." 
 
 Those who know that this Princess- 
 has been the great benefactress of the 
 author, must shudder to observe the 
 franknefs and courage with which he had 
 been able to stifle and suppress his crimu 
 nal gratitude. 
 
 At page 271, he judges equally erro- 
 neously of the reigning Emperor ; and 
 if there were no other proof that the 
 author was never in any situation about 
 the Grand Duke, which could enable 
 him to judge of the. worth of that 
 Prince, this alone would be sufficient. 
 He thus expresses himself: " Alexander 
 is of a happy but passive disposition ; 
 he possesses neither resolution nor con- 
 
r/2 
 
 fidence sufficient to look out for men of 
 merit, who are always modest and re- 
 served. 
 
 One single day of his reign has been 
 sufficient to refute this silly assertion. 
 The choice he has made of the upright 
 Beklescheffio? Court-advocate ; of Count' 
 Panin 9 Prince Kourakin, of Trosehinskij. 
 for Ministers ; of Wasilieff'ior Treasurer, 
 &c. proves with what a penetrating eye 
 the youthful monarch can distinguish 
 real merit, and with what laudable ea- 
 gerness he exercised his judgment. I 
 shall not copy the ridiculous predictions 
 of M. de -M***, they do not merit re- 
 futation. 
 
 M. de M*** has done Count Nicolas 
 SoltikofF the honour to say nothing 
 about him. He is satisfied with having, 
 named him, and with putting four rows 
 of points after his titles. It k probable 
 that his sublime genius could not. iff 
 
I73 
 
 the present instance, intireiy triumph 
 -over the sentiments of criminal gratis 
 tude. 
 
 M. de M * * # (P a g e 3°S) accuses the 
 Emperor of having treated the old regi- 
 ment of guards with too much con- 
 tempt. " The severest thing/ 5 adds he, 
 " this Prince could say to those officers 
 with whom he was dissatisfied, was, 
 that they were only fit to ser^t; hi the 
 ^guards" Supposing this anecdote to be 
 true, the Emperor was far from wrong. 
 The officers of the guards, during the 
 Teign of Catherine, were effeminate in 
 their manners and their dress ; they 
 drove about the streets in whiskeys and 
 four, we*e great men at the theatres, 
 gamed deeply, and kept opera girls. I 
 speak from my own observation. The 
 guards at this period were very favour- 
 able to the advancement of young men 
 <){ family and fortune. Any man wh@ 
 
i74 
 
 had connections at Court, could procure 
 his son to be enrolled in a regiment 
 while he was an infant in his cradle; and 
 his promotion took place as regularly as 
 in real service. My eldest son, though 
 a child, was appointed corporal of the 
 guards, then fotcrier^ and afterwards en- 
 sign, without ever having been at Pe- 
 tersburg, or seen the regiment to which 
 he belonged. €n this footing he would 
 have advanced with four thousand of 
 his little comrades, had not Paul, on his 
 accession to the throne, suddenly dis- 
 missed every officer of the guards who 
 was not capable of service. This regu- 
 lation gave me some pain at the time, 
 yet I could not but feel that it was per- 
 fectly just. 
 
 M. de M ## * (page 312,) relates the 
 story of the advancement of Count de 
 Rostopschin, who was a considerable time 
 minister of foreign affairs, and in hieh 
 
favour at Court. I shall take this op- 
 portunity of adding the history of his 
 disgrace ; I have it from the best autho- 
 rity, and it reflects great honour en the 
 Emperor. 
 
 It is well known that Count dePanin, 
 a man of great integrity, had fallen a 
 sacrifice to the dexterous jealousy of that 
 Minister, and that the Emperor had exil- 
 ed him to one of his country seats near 
 Moscow. Some time afterwards, a gen- 
 tleman belonging to the office of foreign 
 affairs, whose name I forget, made a 
 tour through that neighbourhood, and 
 having written a friendly letter to M. 
 de Murawieff, of Petersburg, he men- 
 tioned among other things that he had 
 visited Cincinnati's at his farm. He like- 
 wise added the names of some relations 
 he had been with, and entered into some 
 family particulars of a very harmless 
 nature. This letter fell into the hands 
 
176 
 
 *o'F Count de Rostopschin, who consi- 
 dered, or rather affected to consider it, 
 as having a suspicious tendency. He 
 laid it before the Emperor, and endea- 
 voured to persuade his Majesty that 
 Count de Panin was the writer, and had 
 made use of another name to serve his 
 own purposes ; that Cincinnatus meant 
 Prince Repnin, and the names of the pre- 
 tended relations signified the friends. 
 and partizans of that Prince, 
 
 The Emperor had a great opinion of 
 the discernment of his minister, and 
 sent orders to Count de SoltikofF, the 
 Governor of Moscow, to reprimand 
 Count de Panin on the subject of this 
 ktter. The Count declared he had not 
 written at all to Petersburg. The Em- 
 peror, blinded by prejudice, took his 
 denial for mere obstinacy, and became 
 extremely irritated against him. He 
 sent the original letter to Moscow, in 
 
i77 
 
 order to convict the supposed writer of 
 falsehood, and at the same time com- 
 manded him to remove to another of 
 his estates two hundred versts farther 
 off. 
 
 During these transactions the reai 
 writer of the letter, who happened to be 
 still in the neighbourhood of Moscow. 
 was informed of the whole business. 
 He had the highest esteem for Count 
 de Panin, who had formerly been his 
 benefactor, and he w r as prompted by ho- 
 nour and gratitude to do every thing 
 in his power to exculpate him. He was 
 much alarmed at the mischief iri which 
 he had unconsciously involved hinju 
 and he immediately set off for the capi- 
 tal and explained the whole affair to 
 Count Kutaissoff, referred to his own 
 hand-writing, and confessed he meant 
 by Cincinnatus, Count de Panin ; that 
 he had not called him so to disguise his 
 
 VOL.. III. M 
 
i 7 S 
 
 true name, but on account of the strik- 
 ing similarity which he conceived to 
 exist between the character of the Count 
 and of that worthy Roman. Report of 
 this deposition was instantly made to 
 the Emperor, and at the same time an 
 account arrived from Moscow, stating 
 that the letter was not the hand-writing 
 of Count de Panin. His Majesty seemed 
 much hurt on the occasion, and ex- 
 claimed with noble warmth,: " He is a 
 monster, and would make me the in- 
 strument of his secret vengeance ! I 
 must rid myself of him." Count de 
 Rostopschin was accordingly dismissed 
 from his service. 
 
 At page 315, the author pours out a 
 torrent of abuse and invective against 
 Baron -de Nicolai, President of the Aca- 
 demy and Counsellor of State, a gentle- 
 ,man well known in Germany for his 
 excellent poetical productions, adored 
 
by his inferiors as a father, esteemed by 
 his friends for "his integrity and huma- 
 nity, and respected by all who knew 
 him for his talents and genius. He h:.s 
 doubtless had the misfortune of being 
 blind to the ereat merit of our author, 
 or perhaps he may have considered some 
 of his verses to have been *a little insipid; 
 otherwise the writer of the Memoirs 
 would not surely have said, that a man 
 so generally respected as M. de Nicolai 
 is, had received a few hundred souls 
 (peasants belonging to an estate>£o finish 
 the corruption of his own, and that he 
 •was the tyrant of his village, &c. That 
 M. de Nicolai had complained that his 
 boors in Finland produced him scarcely 
 any revenue, signified neither more nor 
 less than if the proprietor of an estate ia 
 Germany should lament that it pro- 
 duced him but a trifle. A man must 
 ■be possessed of a very malignant fn 
 
i8o 
 
 ness indeed to attack the reputation of 
 a person of M. de Nicolai's worth, upon 
 such vague grounds. But whose repu- 
 tation is sacred in the eyes of M. de 
 M***? What he likewise hints respect- 
 ing the haughty reserve of M. de Nico- 
 lai, is equally false ; I never observed 
 the least symptom of it. It is possible, 
 that he thought it necessary to be on 
 his guard with M. de M***, and the 
 event has proved that he was in the 
 right. 
 
 M. de M*** adds, that the German 
 scribblers treated M. de Nicolai as a 
 Maecenas. I foresee he will include me 
 in the number, but this gives me no 
 concern. I shall only add, that I have 
 not the happiness to be particularly 
 known to M. de Nicolai, and I consider 
 that on the present occasion I am doing 
 honour to my pen in making it subser- 
 vient, without the least personal mo- 
 
i8i 
 
 lives, to the elogiurn of virtue and ta- 
 lents* 
 
 At page 326, the author seems desi- 
 rous of persuading his readers that he 
 had succeeded the estimable La Harpe. 
 He is always solicitous to join his name 
 with that of some celebrated man, as 
 the wren seats itself on the back of the 
 eagle to approach nearer to the sun. 
 La Harpe and M***, says he, who were 
 .about the young Prince. The expres- 
 sion was artfully chosen ; the reader 
 may naturally conclude they had filled 
 the same post. He afterwards adds, 
 that the old tutor of Paul was likelv to 
 experience the fate of Seneca arid Burr- 
 hus. Of what use can such falsities be ? 
 It is ^11 known that old Aepinus is out 
 of his mind, and that he receives a con- 
 siderable pension. 
 
 M. de M # * # (page 340) says, that the 
 Emperor, through a refinement of ven- 
 
geance, forbad Mad. Huss to accom- 
 pany M. dc Markoff in his exile, while 
 it is notorious that this lady left the- 
 stage, and immediately joined the dis- 
 graced minister, with whom she has re* 
 mained ever since. 
 
 I now come to two passages which 
 oblige me to go back and copy a few 
 periods from the author's preface. " I 
 siKiil not imitate those writers," says he, 
 " who, under pretence of furnishing me- 
 moirs and anecdotes of the countries 
 through which they have travelled, ran- 
 sack the private concerns of individuals, 
 and expose family secrets. To asperse the 
 characters of the inhabitants of a country isr 
 but a bad way of acknowledging the hospi~ 
 iality we have received from them. -* 
 
 HereM. deM*** has pronounced sen- 
 tence against himself. Not content with 
 having slandered, in the most shameful 
 manner, the inhabitants of Russia aijd 
 
§3 
 
 their national character, he exposes fa- 
 mily secrets, relates disgraceful anecdotes 
 of Count Romanzo and his children 5 
 and would have his benefactor, Count 
 Soltikoff, send his wife * * *. I am 
 ashamed to copy his indecent language. 
 What judgment, therefore, shall we 
 form of a man who ostentatiously dis- 
 plays, in his preface, principles of ho- 
 nour and delicacy, and violate m in 
 so flagrant a manner in every page of 
 his hook. 
 
 » I now ccme to the end of his first vo- 
 lume, after having experienced no small 
 degree of trouble and disgust, during 
 the perusal of it, and I am very averse 
 to go on with a task that must cr 
 me still more. If I lived in Russia I 
 should remain silent, not only to avoid 
 all suspicion of being influenced by im- 
 proper notions, but because it would be 
 absolutely superfluous to refute cflflin- 
 
184 
 
 nies in a country where they are gene- 
 rally known to be such. As I live, how- 
 ever, in a distant nation, where I find, 
 to my great astonishment, the false- 
 hoods and calumnies of M. de M*** 
 have met with some belief, I therefore 
 consider it as a duty, which the love of 
 truth and the feelings of gratitude im- 
 pose upon me, to continue my refuta- 
 tion. 
 
 I shall say nothing of his ridiculous 
 predictions at the beginning of the se- 
 cond volume, by which he endeavours 
 to excite the Russians to revolt, in imi- 
 tation of the French. Time has shewn 
 that M. de M***, though a great com- 
 piler of anecdotes, is but a sorry politi- 
 cian. We see with indignation, what 
 pains he has taken to stir up the prin- 
 cipal nobility against their lawful Sove* 
 reign. Fortunately for Russia, M. de- 
 M*#* is not a man whose machina- 
 
»5 
 
 lions are likely to do mischief ; and the 
 great families whose names he has so 
 unwarrantably made use of, treat him 
 with deserved contempt. 
 
 In a note at page 26, M.de M*** 
 says, that in Livonia children are some- 
 times taken from the breasts of their 
 mothers, to make way for puppies which 
 have lost theirs. A shocking accusation! 
 I have been long and well acquainted 
 with Livonia and Estonia, yet I never 
 heard of. any such practices - 7 and bad 
 must be the heart of a man, who could 
 advance such a charge without proof. 
 Let M. deM*f? name the place where 
 this has ever happened. He who has 
 $eem> heard, experienced, and felt, every 
 thing which he has recorded, ought, 
 doubtless, to name the monstrous actors 
 of such scenes, or the reader will be apt 
 to take the story for one of the many 
 fables that are crowded into his work. 
 
1 8.6 
 
 M, de M*** (page 82) declares, « that 
 theft is the prevailing vice in Russia. I 
 doubt/' adds he, ** if any people upon 
 earth are more naturally inclined to pil- 
 fer the property of one another than the 
 Russians; from the first minister and 
 general of an army, down to the lackey, 
 or common soldier, all steal, and pilfer, 
 and cheat. A stranger, 55 continues he, 
 " who travels with a Russian, of what- 
 ever rank the latter may be, will learn 
 to his cost not to leave any thing on 
 his dressing-table or desk/'* However 
 atrocious this accusation may be in it- 
 self, it becomes still more so on accoufri 
 
 * The moment after I had written this. I read 
 the following piece of intelligence in the C/rf du 
 Cabinet : " Plunder and robbery are so common in 
 France, that many people consider themselres un- 
 fortunate, merely for want of opportunities of com- 
 mitting such crimes." Shall we form from hence 
 a general opinion of the French ? 
 
m 7 
 
 of the reason which the writer allege? 
 for this propensity ► " Why am the 
 Russians," &ays he, " greater thieves 
 than other half-civilized nations ? It is 
 owing to the immorality of the Greek re- 
 ligion" This is arrant nonsense! Every 
 one knows, that the French were never 
 more notoriously guilty of robbery and 
 knavery of every kind, than at the very 
 time in which they were paying homage 
 to the Goddess of Reason, and over- 
 throwing every other altar ; conse- 
 quently M. dcs M*** must maintain r 
 according to his way of arguing, that 
 such enormities were owing to the im- 
 morality of reason He endeavours to 
 support his assertion by the examples 
 of several nations subject to the Russian 
 empire,- which are not of the Greek 
 communion. He is, however, much 
 mistaken ; the Livonians and Estonians, 
 whom he names among others, are as 
 
m 
 
 much addicted to theft and drunkenness 
 as the Russians ; and the Tocheranists 
 and Tunguoes, among whom I myself 
 have been, have by no means a better 
 reputation. 
 
 In general M. de M # ** suffers him- 
 self to be drawn into the strangest para- 
 doxes and most palpable contradictions. 
 In support of this charge I shall mention 
 the singular motive to which he ascribes 
 the source of Russian hospitality.-— 
 46 Their possessions/ 5 says he, "are so 
 insecure, that they live, as it were, but 
 from day to day, and therefore willing- 
 ly dispense their precarious pittances-'/ 
 Never since Russia has been a country 
 have such motives of hospitality pre- 
 vailed. To this I may add, the disdain- 
 ful and ludicrous manner in which he 
 speaks of the Russian soldiers : " they 
 are brave/' says he, " out of cowardice." 
 One would imagine M. de M #t * had 
 
189 
 
 belonged to M. Schieget's school, so ri- 
 diculous is his extravagance, and so ex- 
 travagant his ridicule. 
 
 At page 113, it is the Russan ladies' 
 turn to be ill treated, in order that nei- 
 ther sex nor condition may find any 
 quarter with him. M. de M*** names 
 three or four husbands, who, according 
 to the family anecdotes he has heard, 
 are ruled by their wives, and he con- 
 cludes from thence, that petticoat-go- 
 vernment prevails all over the empire. 
 A man, who on every occasion names 
 the French as models of perfection, 
 should refrain from touching upon that 
 point, as there is no country in Europe 
 in which females have had, and still 
 have, so much influence as in France. 
 His anecdotes besides are not authentic. 
 Where he asserts, that Count Puschkin, 
 who commanded in Finland, dared not 
 make a movement without having dis- 
 
190 
 
 patched a courier to his lady for advice," 
 I should be inclined to consider it as 
 mere pleasantry, if he did not support 
 b it by the most serious assertions* It is 
 likewise not true, that Madame de Mer- 
 lin commanded the regiment of Tobolsk 
 at Narva, as no Colonel of that name 
 had ever been at the head of it. It had 
 been for some time commanded by a 
 Russian of the name of Merlin : the 
 ■officers were chiefly Germans and 
 French, and I never knew any of them 
 mean enough to make their reports to 
 Madame Merlin at her toilet. 
 I At page 1 2 1 , he observes, " I am not 
 the first who has remarked, that in 
 Russia the women are in general more 
 barbarous and wicked than the men, in 
 as much as they are still more ignorant 
 and superstitious than they. They sel- 
 dom travel, learn scarcely any thing, 
 and never use their needle. They rarely 
 
m 
 
 ever read, and 'are still seldomer etn- 
 ployed in domestic concerns." 
 
 I know not whether M. de M*** has 
 seen more good company in Russia than 
 I have ; but I can with great truth assert, 
 I have every where found just the con- 
 trary of what he is pleased to advance. 
 The ladies of Petersburg are not indeed 
 free from the failings which are in ge- 
 neral ascribed to those of all great cities, 
 but they possess virtues for which we 
 may look in vain in many other capi- 
 tals. 
 
 The horrid things M. de M* # * re- 
 lates of Princess K— ky, prove nothing. 
 Let the author read Hem's Annals of the 
 Government of Prussia, and he will find 
 the story of a woman still more execra- 
 ble, who tortured her own daughter to 
 death : it would, however, be silly to 
 conclude from thence, that the Prussian 
 -women are cruel. It is besides remark- 
 
able enough, that M. de M*** should 
 conceal the name of this fury, and treat 
 her in other respects with such apparent 
 favour. Throughout his book he does 
 not scruple to name at full length 
 whatever worthy or distinguished per- 
 son he wishes to defame, and this abo- 
 minable woman is spared. His sympa- 
 thy perhaps suggested this indulgence. 
 He is also equally kind to another lady 
 of the Court, who had shut up her hair- 
 dresser for three years together in a 
 dark cage. Why does not the author, 
 who names every one else, tell 'the world 
 who this monster is? Why has she 
 escaped his indignation any more than 
 the worthy Baron de Nicolai, and a 
 hundred others, who never shut up 
 people in cages ? 
 
 I beo; leave to doubt the existence of 
 the horrible Club Physique \ said to have 
 htzvi discovered at Moscow* The re- 
 
m 
 
 port indeed reached me, as it did M. de 
 M # *,but I have no better proofs of the 
 truth of it than he has. Besides, if such 
 club did exist, it is not more imperious 
 to the reputation of the Russian women, 
 than the associations of the same kind, 
 which formerly administered their poi- 
 son in Paris, and perhaps still do, are to 
 the French woman in general. 
 
 At page 135, M. de M** # says, " it 
 is not in Russia we must look for women 
 like the Julia of Rousseau, as the laud 
 of slavery is not the scene of the tender 
 and elevated passions. Yet he discovers 
 in that very country much sensibility, 
 unci much interesting melancholy.** — 
 What contradictions! 
 
 At page 136, he says, " the Russian 
 women rarely possess any of the domestic 
 "virtues. Those virtues are indeed un- 
 common in great cities. If M. de M**^ 
 had seen more of Russia than what he 
 
 VOL. III. N 
 
194 
 
 could have seen at Petersburg, he would 
 perhaps have held a different language, 
 I say perhaps, for it is probable he would 
 have surveyed every object with a jaun- 
 diced eye. 
 
 While the author treats the Russian 
 ladies with such severity, he reserves all 
 his panygericfor the class of preceptors, 
 who, according to his account, have 
 eminently contributed to civilize the 
 country. I recollect to have heard that 
 M. de -M** # began his career in that 
 line, and this accounts for his partiality. 
 The Germans, as one might have fore- 
 seen, are made to serve as shades to the 
 picture, and he takes care .to ridicule 
 their pedagogical erudition. 
 
 One of the most flagrant falsities in 
 his book, is the assertion he has made* 
 u that there are no public schools in the 
 provinces of Livonia, Estonia, and Cour- 
 iand/' The academy of nobles at Re- 
 
*95 
 
 val, the excellent public seminary or thar 
 town, the academy of Ris;a, and manv 
 other establishments of this kind in the 
 same place, are so generally and so ad- 
 vantageously known, that we cannot 
 tax the writer with ignorance, but must 
 ascribe his assertions to more odious 
 motives. The schools of these pro- 
 vinces are, in some respects, preferable 
 to those in Germany; and it is well 
 known, that the young Livonians, Es- 
 tonians and Courlanders, who finish 
 their education at German universities, 
 are generally remarkable for elegant 
 erudition. 
 
 At page 211, the author relates his 
 own history* and with singular modes- 
 ty he declares, that he rendered himself 
 dear to his friends by the gentleness of 
 his manners, and gained their esteem 
 by his wit and good sense. He quotes, 
 with much complacency, a kind of apo* 
 
196 
 
 logy, which appeared in the name of his 
 relations and friends in M. d'Archen- 
 holtz's Minerva, and which censured 
 the< too hasty conduct of the Emperor 
 towards him. Of this piece he gives a 
 literal translation in his memoirs. I am 
 sorry, however, to be forced to con- 
 vince him of his error; the author of 
 this apology is no other person than 
 myself. Among all his boasted rela- 
 tions not a soul stood forward in his 
 behalf. I thought to have done him 
 some service by publishing the paper. 
 M. d'Archenholtz himself can confirm 
 this fact, to whom I sent at the same 
 time another piece, entitled, On the Ad- 
 ministration of Justice in Russia, in the 
 German Provinces, but without affixing 
 any name. At that period I believed 
 M. de M*** to have been entirely in- 
 nocent. I should have been far from 
 espousing his cause, had I known what 
 
x 97 
 
 he has since given us to understand, 
 (page 233) that he was concerned in 
 certain political plans : I conceived him 
 to be innocent of the charge, as his in- 
 terest and influence were very low, 
 and the pretended Bhiladehhic Society 
 signified nothing at all. His pertness, 
 however, shews that the Emperor Paul 
 acted wisely in sending him out of his 
 dominions. It is not true, that the 
 Emperor sequestrated the fortune of 
 the two Madames de M* **. The elder 
 brother conveyed his fortune out of the 
 country, and if the younger did not 
 do so also, it was because he had a law- 
 suit at Petersburg, which enabled his 
 adversary to claim and to obtain se- 
 curity. 
 
 At the close of these remarks I shall 
 insert one of the most offensive passages 
 in the memoirs relative to the slavery 
 of the peasants, and to which I shall 
 
19S 
 
 freely add some observations of my 
 own. Heaven be praised ! the moment 
 is now arrived in which it is not dan- 
 gerous to speak, and in which likewise, 
 a hiiit properly applied, may be attend- 
 ed with very salutary effects* 
 
 " The lower ranks of people in Rus- 
 sia," says M. de M***, " are averse 
 to industry, because they never labour 
 for themselves, and have in fact no 
 idea of property. They are without 
 country, laws, religion, morality, or 
 honour ; addicted to theft, to rapine, 
 to knavery ; and, on the other hand, 
 they are hospitable, serviceable, lively, 
 trusty, and courageous." (What con- 
 tradictions ! what incompatible contra- 
 dictions !) "In order that a few thousand 
 men should have wheaten bread, thirty 
 millions of slaves must eat grass and 
 gnaw the bark of trees, like beavers, 
 which animals, in point of ^intelligence 
 
*99 
 
 are much their superiors. Should these 
 wretched people have laid up a pittance, 
 their masters take it from them, and 
 render their captivity still more abject. 
 Men with grey heads and patriarchal 
 beards, prostrate themselves on the 
 ground, and suffer themselves to be 
 flogged 'like children.* There are some 
 masters who have even forced the son to 
 scourge his own father. If the peasant 
 is taken for a soldier, his lord has a right 
 to give his wife to another ; and if he 
 has any children, they are so disposed 
 of that he is certain never to see them 
 again ." 
 
 It would be superfluous to refute all 
 these horrid assertions. Every atrocity 
 which might perhaps have been com- 
 mitted one single time, is carefully col- 
 lected byM.de M* ## ,and transformed 
 into a national custom or a fundamental 
 law. Exaggerations only tend to make 
 
•2C.O 
 
 bad worse, and counteract the good 
 which might result from cool and im- 
 partial discussion. 
 
 For my own part, I have always found 
 in my different journies through Russia, 
 that the peasants are laborious and ac- 
 tive, that they love their country, have 
 distinct notions of right and wrong, are 
 in general in easy circumstances, and 
 that their habitations are clean and neat, 
 their disposition gay, and that content- 
 ment is marked upon their countenances. 
 They are not unacquainted with the na- 
 ture of property and possessions ; they 
 are sensible that when they have saved a 
 little sum, they can offer it to their mas- 
 ter, and thereby obtain his leave to exer- 
 cise their industry from the extremities 
 of the empire to the metropolis. They 
 know, and they have seen, that a hun- 
 dred thousand of their comrades have 
 obtained these benefits, and they them- 
 
?0I 
 
 selves aspire to the same advantages, 
 Their principal traffic consists in fish, 
 wood, and vegetables, and their labour 
 is employed in brick-making, tiling, ma- 
 sonry, carpenters' work, &c. In a word, 
 the gloomy picture M. de.M**-f draws 
 is, at most, applicable to the peasantry 
 of Livonia and Estonia, and not at all to 
 those of the empire at large. 
 
 I shall not deny, that the author is in 
 a great degree right respecting these two 
 provinces. I shall confine my remarks 
 to Estonia, being better acquainted with 
 it than with Livonia. There, I must 
 confess, the peasant has neither property 
 nor the prospect of possessing any. He 
 is a slave in every sense of the word, and 
 a negro in Jamaica has no cause to envy 
 his lot. 
 
 Far be it from me to insinuate that all 
 the nobles of Estonia are tvrants : there 
 are many among them who respect the 
 laws of humanity, and the following, I 
 
102 
 
 iiave the pleasure to observe, from my 
 own knowledge, come under that de- 
 scription : Meff. de Toll of Elz, d 'Essen of 
 Erras, Wilkinson of Chudleigh, d'Ungern- 
 St ember g of Linden, de Schilling of Or- 
 sena, de Krusentern of Jerlap, de May- 
 endorf of Sallentack, de Rosen of Rac* 
 kamois, de Rebinder of Kurtena, de Klu- 
 gen of Schwarzen, de Klugen of Loden- 
 see, de Rennekampf of Koch, . &c. &c. I 
 could considerably augment the list, but 
 k would be useless while a part only of 
 the rest are unlike them. A peasant may 
 have the good fortune to live twenty or 
 thirty years under a kind. master ; twelve 
 months after, perhaps, the estate is soldi 
 The new landlord, eager to make the 
 most of his purchase, may remove whole 
 villages into the marshes, and take pos- 
 session himself of the cultivated ground. 
 He will probably make contracts with 
 Government for brandy, and by that 
 means ruin all his peasants. He may 
 
20J. 
 
 likewise grub up new land, build houses ;• 
 in a word, destroy in the space of two 
 or three years the prosperity and hap- 
 piness that had been the growth of 
 twenty. 
 
 I call upon the whole province to re- 
 fute me, if they are able. What I am 
 asserting is unfortunately too true ; I 
 have seen it. I have been a sad witness 
 to such practices for the space of fifteen 
 years. But notwithstanding this, I am 
 far from exclaiming, like M. de M**% 
 that the condition of the peasantry can 
 never be bettered, except by tedious and 
 painful measures. I am of a different 
 opinion : I agree with him, that such 
 reform must be gradually brought about. 
 The best, and indeed the majority of the 
 Russian nobility have made overtures in 
 several diets, tending to such purpose, 
 which were equally wise and humane y 
 ind the time, I trust, is not far distant,* 
 
204 
 
 in which the complaints of the peasants 
 will be heard and their wrongs re- 
 dressed* 
 
 I shall venture to propose four easy 
 methods, which., without doing any real 
 injury to either party, would secure a 
 kind of property to the bondman, and 
 restrain the despotism of his lord ; and 
 I must at the same time declare, that 
 more than what I have to offer could 
 not with safety be done for the peasant 
 in the present order of things. 
 
 First. No peasant should be transport- 
 ed from one habitation to another. 
 
 At present, as I have already observ- 
 ed, the barbarous custom of removing 
 the boor from the spot which he and 
 his ancestors had cultivated, unhappily 
 prevails. He has occupied a house, and 
 had a little garden, perhaps, which he 
 considered as his own property, On a 
 sudden he receives an order to demolish 
 
205 
 
 liis house, abandon his cultured ground, 
 and to remove with his family into a 
 forest, or perhaps into the middle of a 
 -moor, to grub up new land, which the 
 moment it becomes productive is again 
 taken from him. In the mean while, 
 his Lord sows and reaps the field which 
 the poor peasant had been compelled to 
 quit. 
 
 Hence the labourer being never cer- 
 tain of enjoying the fruits of his toil, is 
 generally idle, and provides only from 
 day to day. The most flourishing vil- 
 lages that have been transplanted in this 
 manner, have, in a very short space of 
 time, exhibited the most deplorable pic- 
 tures of misery. 
 
 The Estonian nobles will reply to this, 
 that a good landlord will make no such 
 changes. I allow this, yet must add, 
 that he ought not to have it in his power 
 to make than. But it will be said, that 
 
2o6 
 
 4 good master will not make a bad use 
 of that right ; yet it may be still observ- 
 ed that he cannot answer for his heirs 
 and successors, and that there is no rea- 
 son why a duty, which every honest 
 man considers as a law, fliould not in 
 fact become one. 
 
 Secondly, Let the soccage - labour, 
 which hitherto has depended on the ar- 
 bitrary will of the landlord, be in future 
 regulated by fixed rules. 
 
 There is indeed a book in every lord- 
 ship, in which the sum total of the soc- 
 cage- work is inserted; but this labour is 
 doubled during seed-time and manuring, 
 and also during harvest, which, in other 
 words, is during the whole summer ; 
 for a landlord who prefers his own in- 
 terest, knows how to regulate the 
 above-mentioned periods, so that scarce- 
 ly any interval appears. The landlord 
 has likewise another expedient at com* 
 
mand, which enables him to elude the 
 written ordinances. He has the right 
 of imposing certain days of labour, in-* 
 dependent of the soccage-days, on which 
 the peasant, with his whole family male 
 ■and female, must assist him. The pea- 
 sant too is obliged to repair in person 
 at every call of his Lord, to build for 
 him, carry his produce to market, distil 
 brandy, and, in short, to perform offices 
 not at all comprized under the name of 
 agriculture. The number of these ex- 
 tra-days is quite unlimited, and the pea- 
 sant's own labour in the mean while is 
 interrupted, his field remains untiiled, 
 his affairs are neglected, and it often 
 happens that the snow covers his little 
 crop before he is able to get it into his 
 •barn. In fine, the book contains no 
 certain rules for soecage-work of any 
 kind, as every new possessor is not 
 obliged to abide by the stipulations sane- 
 
2o8 
 
 tloned by his predecessor : he makes 
 new regulations, which he forms agree- 
 ably to his own will. 
 
 Thirdly, There should be no public- 
 houses in the villages. 
 
 All the Estonian nobles complain of 
 the drunkenness of the peasantry, and 
 of their total want of morals. They 
 universally agree that the principal cause 
 of this evil must be ascribed to the pub- 
 lic-houses, and that the villages in which 
 there are none, are remarkable for the 
 good order and easy circumstances of 
 the inhabitants. Yet in spite of this 
 conviction, the little profits they gain 
 by the establishment of such houses, 
 prevent them from abolishing so mani- 
 fest an abuse. They have public-houses 
 by the hundred along the high roads, 
 yet they cannot come to a resolution to 
 give up those in the by-villages, though 
 they would eventually be gainers. 
 
209 
 
 The inconvenience of public-houses 
 in villages has been so generally acknow- 
 ledged, that at a late Diet a motion was 
 made to abolish them ; but the result 
 of the discussion was, that it was found 
 the article, of brandy must be raised a 
 few copecks a gallon, in order to indem- 
 nify the distillers for its diminished con- 
 sumption — a remedy which was thought 
 worse than the evil itself ! 
 
 Fourthly, The landlords should not 
 be allowed to make more brandy than 
 they can distil from rye of their own 
 growth. 
 
 The speculations which are made in 
 spirituous liquors, independently of the 
 bad consequences which fall on the pea- 
 sant, often ruin his Lord. He com- 
 monly makes a contract with Govern- 
 ment for six years, in which he under- 
 takes to furnish brandy at a stipulated 
 price, which, at the time the business 
 
 vol, in. o 
 
begins, seems to promise much gaift. 
 Should a year of scarcity intervene, the 
 markets rise, and he is obliged to buy 
 grain at any rate ; for the moment he 
 fails in his engagements, the Crown lays 
 his estates under sequestration, and pur- 
 chases brandy at his cost, to supply the 
 necessary consumption. Thus is the land- 
 holder liable to sink in one single year 
 the gains of the other five ; nor does it 
 always happen that his profits are suffi- 
 cient to make his losses good. I know 
 not a single noble who has grown rich, 
 but many who have been ruined, by 
 such speculations. 
 
 The nobles of Estonia will observe in 
 reply, that they should have no manure 
 for their grounds unless they fattened 
 oxen, and that they could not fatten 
 oxen without the assistance of their dis- 
 tilleries. Let them be allowed then to 
 distil, provided their own crops supply 
 
Iti 
 
 the corn ; but let them give more atten- 
 tion to the breed of sheep, and less to 
 that of horned cattle, and they will 
 never be in want of manure. They 
 may still reply, that the cattle sent lean 
 from Petersburg to be fattened, pro- 
 duced them ready money (twenty ru- 
 bles and upwards a-head) whereas in the 
 other case, they would be incumbered 
 with the milk of their flocks. It ap- 
 pears to me, that if they were to make 
 butter and cheese, after the example of 
 the Dutch, the Swedes, theHolsteiners, 
 &c. they might find a quick sale at 
 Petersburg, where the inhabitants are 
 chiefly supplied from Holstein. 
 
 A second objection which these no* 
 bles may make is, that the landholders 
 at a great distance from Petersburg, 
 being inconveniently situated for bran- 
 dy-contracts, would not know what to 
 do with their grain if they did not sell 
 
212 
 
 it to such as lived nearer the metropo- 
 lis, who had contracts, and whose 
 estates did not produce grain sufficient 
 to fulfil them. Were they not to dis- 
 pose of their corn in this manner, the 
 markets, they will tell us, would be 
 overstocked and agriculture in general 
 much injured. This objection, how- 
 ever, is more specious than solid ; for 
 where grain is scarce, it bears a high 
 price, and where it is had in plenty, 
 exportation is always allowed, and Swe- 
 den, England, Germany, and other 
 countries, are eager enough to pur- 
 ' chase it. 
 
 These hints contain all that is neces- 
 sary to be said on the subject, and I am 
 fully convinced, that if the nobles of 
 Estonia would agree among themselves 
 to adopt the measures I have recom- 
 mended, they would soon feel the salu- 
 tary effects of them. Two hundred 
 
2i3 
 
 thousand slaves would obtain a species 
 of property, and transfer it to their 
 children after them. They would grow 
 active and laborious ; moral sentiments 
 would begin to influence their minds as 
 soon as they should feel themselves no 
 longer the victims to a more arbitrary 
 despotism than that which the Emperor 
 himself chuses to exert. They would 
 no longer perish for want, were their 
 soccage-labour properly regulated, as 
 they would then have sufficient leisure 
 for the tillage of their own fields. They 
 would learn to love their lords, and 
 their lords would Jiave confidence in 
 them ; and at length be no longer con- 
 sidered by all Europe, as a class of petty 
 tyrants and oppressors. After ten or 
 twenty years adoption of such measures, 
 they may venture to proceed further in 
 favour of their boors, and at last raise 
 them to a degree of moral improvement 
 
2/4 
 
 which would not only repay their care 
 in an interested point of view, but gra- 
 tify the noblest feeling the mind is ca- 
 pable of enjoying ; a consciousness of 
 having fulfilled the sacred duties of hu- 
 manity, and of deserving the multiplied 
 benedictions that, will fall upon theitf 
 head ! 
 
 The Estonian nobility are far from 
 being insensible to such elevated kind 
 of recompense : they have hitherto 
 merely wanted resolution to adopt what 
 they felt it their duty to do ; but the 
 reign of Alexander will act as a power- 
 ful stimulus to such benevolent propen* 
 sities, and much happiness may be yet 
 in store for their peasantry ! 
 
 I cannot better close my work than 
 with the extract of a letter which the 
 present Emperor lately wrote to a no- 
 bleman who had solicited the hereditary 
 possession of an estate. 
 
" The Russian peasants are in generSt 
 j? no better than slaves, and I need not 
 " enlarge upon the degradation and 
 4C wretchedness of such a condition. I 
 u have made a vow not to augment the 
 " number of them, and have therefore 
 46 adopted the resolution of never trans- 
 cc ferring them away as property to any 
 u man. The estate shall be granted to 
 44 you and your heirs at a long lease and 
 44 quit-rent, which will prove equally 
 44 advantageous to you ; and the only 
 " difference will be, that the peasants 
 " cannot be sold or alienated like brute 
 46 beasts. Such are my reasons, and I 
 44 am persuaded they will meet with 
 44 your approbation." 
 
 Glory and honour to this humane 
 and compassionate Monarch! He will 
 want neither brass nor marble to perpe- 
 
2l6 
 
 JlPtiate his memory! The sentiments 
 which the above short extract contains, 
 will secure immortality to his name in 
 the bosom of every worthy man ! 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 CON- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 VOL, I. 
 
 Introduction— Letter of the Ruf 
 
 Jian Envoy to the Author — Journey from 
 Weimar to Berlin — Advice of the Ruffian 
 Envoy — Laft advice of an old man at 
 Zanow, a town in Pomerania — Arrival on 
 the frontiers of Ruffia — Art eft — Depar- 
 ture for Mutate under the efcort of an 
 Officer and a Coffack — Account of the Pa- 
 pers feized — Arrival at Mittau — Incidents 
 in the Governor of Courland's houfe — Por- 
 trait of Aulic Counsellor Sch/fchekatichin — 
 Order to depart for Peterjburg, and pre- 
 parations — Portrait of Alexander Schul- 
 kinSy courier of the fenate — Cruel fepara- 
 
218 CONTENTS. 
 
 lion of the Author from his. wife and chil- 
 dren — Difcovery that Siberia is the objeff 
 of his journey — Reflation to maize his ef- 
 cape, and preparations for the fame — His 
 efcape in the night — Retreat in the forefls 
 of Livonia- — Hopes of finding an afylum at 
 Stochnannshf — Incidents in that caftle — 
 M. Proflenius, his conduct and character — 
 Second arreft — Generofity of Madame de 
 Lowenflern and family — Departure from. 
 Stockmannshof — Meafures of precaution 
 taken with regard to the Author — Remark- 
 able hofpitaUty of M. de Korf— Confla- 
 tions of the Courfellor and Courier — Hopes 
 —Pecuniary extortions — HofpitaUty of the 
 Ruffian peafantry — Meafures of prudence 
 taken againft the defpair of exiles — Polozk 
 — Report of the Counfellor Smolenfk — Ba?*~ 
 
 harous procedure Mofcow Shameful 
 
 fraud — Intrepidity, the only virtue of the 
 Counfellor— Danger of perifliing in the Sura 
 mar Waftlfkoe — Companion in mis for time 
 
CONTENTS. 2t\§< 
 
 —A man of one hundred and thirty years 
 of age — General Mertens — Cafan — Hojpi- 
 tality the Author finds there — Collection of 
 materials to compofe a memorial to the Em- 
 peror — Young Tartar woman — Lafi hopes 
 cruelly fruflr cited — Journey through the fo- 
 refls of Perm — Perm — A form — Siberian 
 
 pea [ants Eka terinabourg — Difcovery of 
 
 fecret writings Frontiers of Tobolfk — 
 
 The poor old lunatic — Arrival at Tobolfk 
 — Firfl interview with the Governor— 
 Lodgings at Tobolfk — The Author deli- 
 vered over to a police officer — M. de Ki- 
 
 niakoff- — Baron Sommaruga Admirable 
 
 conduEi of his lady Count Soltikoff — 
 
 Becker the merchant— Phenomenon — Conn- 
 fellor Paterfon — Subflance of a memorial to 
 the Emperor — Generoftty of mind of the 
 Governor — Permiffion to take afervant — - 
 The Italian Rufs or RoJJi. 
 
220 CONTENTS* 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 Liberty fuddenly circumfcribed — CompaJ- 
 fion of the tradefmen of Toboljk — Defcrip- 
 tion of different clajfes of exiles and their 
 treatment — Fate of Lieutenant -Colonel de 
 Rilfan — The Author s way of living at 
 Toboljk — Unpleafant Jituation of the Go- 
 vernor — Dejcription of Toboljk — The Jijli- 
 market — The playhouje — The cajino — Pro - 
 duce of the foil — Order to quit Toboljk — 
 The Author Jells his carriage — AJhameful 
 advantage taken— Preparations for a jour- 
 ney — The High PrieJleJs oj the Sun — Jour- 
 ney to Kurgan — Defcription of that town — 
 The reception which the Jirjl magijlrate 
 gave the Author — Story and portrait of 
 M. de Gravi — Iwan Sokoloff the Pole — 
 Firjt lodgings — Portraits of fame of the 
 principal inhabitants of the town — The 
 Jlory of the Pole — New lodgings, with a 
 
CONTENTS. . 221 
 
 defcription of them — Price of prcvijions — \ 
 Frugal table— The way of living andfuper- 
 jlition of the Author — The neighbouring 
 Kir gifts— The chafe— Walks on the banks of 
 the Tobol — Women and girls of Kurgan — - 
 Seneca — ProjeEl of an efcape — Defcription 
 of a feftival — The Author isfet at liberty 
 — Kind interejl ttiken by the inhabitants of 
 Kurgan in his welfare — Religious feftival 
 — Sokolgjf takes leave of him- — Departure 
 from Kurgan — Prince Simbi?ftki — An idiot 
 that went on all fours — Scene in a Tartar 
 village — Arrival at Toboljk — Generoftty 
 of the Emperor Paul L — Carpow the 
 
 courier—- lioguery of Rojft Departure 
 
 from Toboljk — The frontiers of Siberia — 
 The Author s impatience — The indolence 
 of his courier — Wajftli Sukin — The baniftied 
 merchant— Danger at Kungar — Exiles and 
 Emigrants — Cafan — Refidence in that city 
 —Highway robbers — Precautions tofecure 
 the mail — Nifchnei JSovogorod — Hojpita- 
 
223 CONTENTS. 
 
 lity — Scheme to rob the Author— Mo/cow 
 ——Francis Court ener the bookfeller—Ka- 
 
 ramjtn, a man of letters Wifchnei — - 
 
 Wolotfchok Arrival at Petersburg 
 
 Reception — Firjl flight — The Author hears 
 of his family — The hiftory of what had hap- 
 pened to Madame de Kotzebue — Condudl 
 of the Governor of Courland-*~The%vorthy 
 innholder Rader — —General d'Ejfen--— 
 JVdchteryCounfellor of the regency— Weit- 
 hrecht ihe\fecretary — Riga — Governor de 
 Richter— Count Sievers — Diftrejfmg quef- 
 tions of the children — Madame de Kotzebms 
 departure for Friedenthal — M. Koch and 
 Ms family — Reception of a letter, and its 
 €vil confequences — M. de Knorring a?id 
 his lady — Catherine Tengman— Good news 
 — Count de Pahlens letter — Attentmis of 
 theEmferor — The inhabitants of Reval—~ 
 Journey to Peter/burg — Noble and delicate 
 attentions on the part of Graumann the 
 mierchant- — »Ajfe£ling fcen&~»— Count de 
 
CONTENTS. 223 
 
 Tahlen — The Emperor gives the Author 
 an efiate in Livonia — Letter from the 
 privy -counfelhr Brifkorn*—The Author is 
 appointed manager of the German coiirt 
 theatre — His papers are refiored- — Nobh 
 affiion of an unknown per/on — Guftavm 
 Vafa — Caufes of the Author s enlargement 
 — Severe cenfure of dramatic pieces — The 
 French theatre —Madame Chevalier— Me-> 
 lancholy pi£lure — Singular idea of the Em~ 
 peror—Firji interviezv of the Author with 
 him> and the Emperor s great affability — * 
 Mifanthropy and Repentance afled at the 
 Hermitage — Haydn s Creation tranflated 
 into French — Circle of friends — The ma* 
 uagement of the theatre rendered lefs bur- 
 den/owe to the Author. 
 
224 CONTENTS. 
 
 VOL. iit 
 
 The Emperor employs the Author to write. 
 u defcription of the palace of Michailoff— 
 Laft interview with the Emperor — Alex- 
 ander afcends the throne — His clemency — 
 His firji edi£is — Affeding hijlory of a Co- 
 lonel of the Coffacks — Round hats — Exiles 
 recalled from Siberia — Enlargement of So- 
 koloff- — History of the unfortunate farifli 
 
 minifter S*** Monfieur and Madame 
 
 Chevalier — Madame Valville — The An* 
 
 thor folicils his resignation Departure 
 
 from Peterjburg- — -Jure — Wolmanshof — 
 
 Riga — -Pol an gen Konigsherq — -Review 
 
 of ' M. M***'s fecret memoirs of the Court 
 of RuJJia — Of the Author and his book — 
 Pretended rancour of Paul L — Jekathe- 
 rine — The Emperor calumniated as a fa- 
 ther and hujhand — The great people of 
 the empire — The laws of Rujfia—A Pa- 
 
 6G9 V 
 
€GNTEttfS~. 225 
 
 
 radox-~-The Emprefs Catherine did not 
 protect the fciences — Germans at Peters- 
 burg — Colonels of Rujfuin regiments — Va- 
 nity of the author of the memoirs — Falfi 
 charges againjt Paul Military orphan 
 houfe — Prince Potemkin—*Lanfkoy Ruf- 
 fian princes — General Pi/lor — New gaU 
 lantry of Pote??ikin—The Emperor Paul L 
 received and anfwered all letters — Theim- 
 poffibility of reading them all himfelf — The 
 Ruffians in office calumniated*— The prifon 
 of prince Iwan at Schluffelbourg — Vanity 
 and quackery of M. dt M***—Por traits 
 of the reigning Emperor and Emprefs — 
 Count Nicolas Soltikqff-—The regiments of 
 
 guards-*~Baron Nicolai Refinement of 
 
 vengeance imputed to Paul — Comparifons 
 of families— Seditious pra&ices of M. de 
 M***—*Calumnious anecdotes relative to 
 Livonia — -Of the pronenefs of the Ruffians 
 to theft — Their hofptality and courage af- 
 perfed by M. de M***— Ruffian women 
 
 VOL. Ill* p 
 
226 CONTENTS. 
 
 — -Tutors — Falfe qffertions that there are 
 no fchools in Livonia, Eftonia, and Cour- 
 land — Causes of the author of the memoirs 
 hanijkment — Slavery of the Ruffian pea- 
 jarits-^Philanthropc views and propofak 
 for bettering their condition— Humane dif- 
 pofition and declarations of J he reigning 
 ■Empewr. 
 
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