was obliged by it to refcind their own act, and repeal certain laws, thought too advantageous to them, which had been enacted, from interefted motives, by certain perfons in high ftation. "Nor do they feem to be perfectly fafe from a like reverfe at this very time. The measure of their mifdoings has been filled, till it overflows the brim; and the fame general voice, which then deprived them of a legal fettlement in the country, may again be raised fo loudly, as to drive them entirely out of it. It is a maxim in philofophy, that what has been may be." ART. V. Letters from a Lady, who refided fome Years in Russia, to her Friend in England. With Hiftorical Notes. 12mo. 3s. Dodfley. These Letters, bearing date during the interval of about ten years, viz. from 1729 to 1739, appear to be genuine, and to have been written by a Lady, who was wife to a gentleman, who refided in a public character at the Court of Ruffia. Of the entertainment, they afford, our readers may form an adequate idea from the following extracts. LETTER II. Dear Madam, Mofcow, April, 1730. "According to your commands, without preface, I fhall give you fome account of my journey from Petersburgh to this place. We fet out on the 5th of March in fledges; they are like a cradle, made of wood, and covered with leather. You lie down on a bed dressed and covered with furs: they hold but one perfon, which makes it very difagreeable, as you have no body to speak to. We travelled night and day, and arrived here on the 9th. You will fay, I fkip over the journey very faft; but what fhall I fay? Our accommodation was one little fmoaky room, where we ftopped to change horses, and eat what we brought with us: the people were civil to the utmost of their power, but one really fees human nature fo debafed, and the poor wretches fo low and poor, that they feem to have only the figures of human creatures. Except at thefe cots, which are placed at proper distances for change of horfes, you feem to pafs through an uninhabited country, with not a town or houfe to be feen, but only thick woods, which, as they were covered with fnow, was a pretty romantic fcene, and I often fancied the fnow on ftumps and fhrubs formed all forts of figures; I faw bears, wolves, nay beaus among the branches, of the trees, and often wifhed for you there, as you might have found a frozen lover of whom you need not have been afraid. I fhould beg pardon for faying we came through no town, for we paffed through Novogrod * and Tweer. The first famous for the monastery of St. Anthony †, who, as they tell you, came from Padua on a millftone, and brought treafure enough to build this monaftery. The town is mean, though large; the houfes all of wood, low, and little; Gred, or Gorod, in the Ruffian language fignifies city.” the the outside of the monaftery is far from fine; the infide I did not fee. Tweer is a pretty clean town, situated on the fide of a hill, on the bank of the Volga; the buildings are of wood, and very neat. I have not yet feen enough of this city where I now am, to give any descrip tion of it. The emperor is rarely feen, has no drawing-room, and feems fond of nothing but hunting. His great favourite, prince Dolghorucki, keeps him employed in this fport, for fear of being fupplanted. Since this young monarch loft his only fifter †, about fix months ago (who had an uncommon understanding) he is entirely. governed by this young nobleman, who has, I hear, nothing confpicuous but his title. I have been vifited by feveral of Mr. W's old acquaintance, one of whom was a courtier in your hero's time. She is a fenfible woman, and entertains me with many of his private adventures. The following one I will relate, though long, as, I think, it fhews he was not fo favage as fome have reprefented him. He had a violent paffion for an officer's daughter, named Munce, and ufed more affiduous means to gain her than monarchs are generally. forced to; at laft fhe yielded, and became his public miftrefs, and for many years he loved her with a fondness rarely found. One fatal day he went to fee a caftle he had built in the fea, attended by his own and the foreign minifters. At their return, the Polish minister, by fome accident, fell over the draw-bridge, and was drowned, notwithstanding all endeavours to fave him. The emperor crdered all the papers in his pockets to be taken out, and fealed up, before all the company. On fearching his pockets, a picture dropped, which the emperor took up, and, judge his furprife, when he found it was the portrait of the lady. In a fudden gust of paffion he tore open fome of the papers, and found feveral letters from her written to the deceased in the tendereft ftyle. He left the company that inftant, came alone to the apartment of my informant, and ordered her to fend for the lady thither. When the entered, he locked the door on them three, and asked her how fhe came to write to fuch a perfon? She denied fhe had; he then produced the picture and letters, and when he told her of his death, the burst into tears, while he reproached her with ingratitude in fucl. a ftorm of pafiion, that my author expected to fee her murdered; but on a fudden, he alfo melted into tears, and faid, he forgave her, fince he fo feverely felt how impoffible it was to conquer inclination; "for," he added," notwithstanding 06 you have returned my fondnefs with falfhood, I find I cannot hate you, though I do myself for the meannefs of fpirit I am guilty of; Peter II. who fucceeded the emprefs Catherine in the year 1727, being them but twelve years old. He was grandfon of Peter the Great, being the fon of the czarowitz Alexis, who died in prifon, after having received fentence of death for a confpiracy against his father, in 1718. During the minority of Peter II. his predeceffor Catherine had appointed prince Menzikoff (the favourite of Peter the Great) generaliffimo by land and fea, and had prevailed on the regency to agree to a marriage between one of his daughters and the young czar Peter. But this emperor, refolving to punish the prince for the injuries he had done his father, and being heartily feconded in this defign by the lords of his court, Menzikoff himself unwarily lending them arms against him by his rapines, extortions, and even perfonal infolence to the czar, he was thereupon difgraced, and banished, and his im menfe eftate confifcated 4 Princefs Nathalia, * but "but it would be quite despicable in me to continue to live with "you; therefore be gone, while I can keep my paffion within the "bounds of humanity. You fhall never want, but I will never fee "you more." He kept his word, and foon after married her to one who had an employment at a distance, and was always kind to them in point of fortune." LETTER III. Dear Madam, Mofcow, November 4, 1730. Your laft letter is kind and cruel. You fay a great many obliging things, give an account of many of my friends, but forbid me to fay any thing of them, or ask any questions, but directly answer the enquiries you make. This is very tyrannical, but I must obey. As to your first question, what converfation I have? it is hard to answer. I daily converfe with people of high rank. The Polish minifter's lady has an affembly every night, where all the people of fashion meet; but to my great mortification, the greatest part meet to play, though no body is preffed to it. As I ftill am amazed how rational minds can fall into this trifling yet dangerous amufement, I need not tell you, I am a fpectator, and moralife on human weakness, as, you know, Mifs Bell used to tell me. For fome time paft I have met with a young lady who does not play, whether from the fame ftupid mind that I have, or from her heart being filled with a fofter paffion, I will not determine. She has foftnefs, good-nature, good-fenfe, and politenefs, inclosed in a pretty person of eighteen. She is fifter to the favourite prince Dolghorucki. The German ambaffador's brother is her beloved object; all things are agreed upon, and they only wait fome forms neceffary in his country, to be (I hope) happy. She feems very fond of marrying out of her own country, fhews great civility to foreigners, and a strong love to him, and he to her. At this affembly you go away when you will, and no body asks you a queftion; there is a fupper for thofe that will ftay, and, I fancy, one might find agreeable converfation, if cards were not known in Ruffia. Your next queftion about their religion I can fay but little of, as I fpeak very little of the language. It feems to confift in outward form and much fuperftition. I have feen a chriftening and a wedding; the child was dipped three times in a tub of water; the goflips had every one a wax candle in their hands; after the child had been dipped, the priest (who, by the way, was very drunk) put on the fhirt, and then exorcifed it, and at the end of every sentence, he and the goffips fpit, to fhew they triumphed over the devil. The weddings was of one of my fervants; the match was proposed to the girl's parents, and they approving of it, came in form to ask my confent; when that was obtained, the man fent her a prefent, confifting of a comb, fome paint, and patches; then he was admitted to fee her for the first time; they gave each other a ring, and a promise of marriage, and the wedding was appointed for that day fe'ennight. From that time to the day of wedding, the girls of her acquaintance took turns to be with her night and day, continually finging fongs to bemoan her lofs out of their fociety: when the day came, they took a formal leave of her with many tears; and the man's relations came to fetch her, and her fortune, which was a bed and bedding, a table, D 3 and and a picture of her patron faint. My own maid was admitted to go with her, which was a great favour, for none of the women's friends are permitted to go with them. As to the reft, I must refer you to the Bible, to fatisfy your curiofity, and that I may not hinder you from fo good a study, I'll take my leave. LETTER IV. Dear Madam, Mofcow, Dec. 20, 1730. You are not like to be quit of my impertinence, though you have fo long let me languish in vain for a line from you. Since my last, here has been a furptifing alteration. The young monarch (at his favourite's inftigation, as is fuppofed) has declared his refolution of marrying the pretty princess Dolghorucki mentioned in my last. What a cruel difappointment to two people whofe whole hearts were engaged! but this is a country where there is no refufal to be made. Two days ago was the ceremony of his declaring it publickly, or, as they call it, being promifed. She was brought the day before to a nobleman's houfe near the palace, where he is to stay till she is married. Every perfon of fashion was invited, and the company were placed on benches in a large room, the officers of the crown and natives of dillinction on one fide, and the foreign ministers and foreigners of fashion on the other. At the upper end of the room was a canopy, with two armed chairs under it, and an altar before them, on which lay a Bible. A great number of the clergy were placed on each fide of the altar; when every body was placed, the emperor came into the room, and talked to fome people a few minutes; he was brought from the houfe where the lodged in one of bis coaches, with her mother and fifter in the coach with her; her brother, as lord high chamberlain, went in a coach before, and a great train of the emperor's coaches followed. Her brother handed her to the door of the room, where her imperial lover received her, handed her to one of the chairs, and feated himself in the other. The pretty victim (for fo I think her) was dreffed in a stiffened bodied gown of filver tiffue; her hair curled, and four treffes, with a great many jewels, and a little coronet at the top of her head; her train was very long, and not fupported; her looks were compofed, but very melancholy and pale. After they had fat fome time, they rofe and went to the altar, where he declared he took her as his wife; he then gave her his ring, and the gave him another, and he tied his picture on her right writ: then they kiffed the Bible, the archbishop of Novogorod made a short prayer, and the emperor faluted her. When they were feated again, he named the officers and ladies of her court, and defired they would then go into waiting. They came to kifs her hand; the lover held her right hand in his, and gave it to every one as they came up, for all the company paid that compliment; at laft, to the furprife of every body, came the unhappy forfaken fwain before, the had fat all the time with her eyes fixed on the floor, but now the farted, fnatched her hand out of the emperor's, and gave it the other to kifs, having, at that inftant, ten thoufand different paflions painted in her face. The young monarch blushed, but a crowd of others came to pay their devoirs, and the friends of the gentleman got him out, put him into a fledge, and got him out : of of town as fast as poffible. The thing was rafh and imprudent to the laft degree, and, I dare fay, a furprise to her. The young monarch began the ball with her, which foon ended, to her great relief, as I judge, for all her compofure was gone after this rafh action, and the had nothing but fear and distraction in her looks. After the ball was ended, she was conducted back to the fame house, but she now went in the emperor's body-coach, with the imperial crown on the top, and alone, attended by guards. But you will blame me for giving no defcription of the emperor, He is very tall, and large-made, for his age, being but juft turned of fifteen; he is fair, but much tanned with hunting, has good features, but a down look, and though he is young and handfome, has nothing attractive nor agreeable, He was dreffed in a light-coloured cloth, trimmed with filver. Thus this lady is now looked on as an emprefs, and yet, I fancy, if one could fee her heart, all her grandeur does not eafe the pains of a difap. pointed paffion; and indeed it must be a mean foul that can quit love, or friendship, for dominion. LETTER V. Dear Madam, Mofcow, Feb. 1730-1. "The anxiety you have been under for me is very kind, and I fhould fooner have relieved you, had the poft been allowed to pafs. I fend this by a meffenger that is difpatched by a minifter, as not knowing how one by the poft may fare; though now all things feem in the old channel. When I wrote laft, all the world (that is, our world) were preparing for the great wedding; this went on, fixed for the nineteenth of January. On the fixth of January is always a great ceremony, which they call "bleffing the waters," in imitation of our Saviour's being baptifed by St. John. It is customary for the fove-reign to be prefent at the head of the troops, who are drawn out on the ice, that day. The poor, pretty emprefs elect was to be feen that day in public, She went by my houfe with guards, and a train, as pompous as can be imagined. She was by herfelf in an open fledge, dreffed as the was at the ceremony of her being contracted; and (according to the gallantry of this country) the emperor stood behind her fledge. It was the coldeft day I ever felt, and I dreaded going to court to dinner, where every body was invited and affembled to receive the young fovereigns on their return. They were upon the ice among the troops four hours. As foon as they got into the room, the emperor complained of the head-ach; this was at first taken to proceed from cold; but on repeated complaints, his physician was called, who faid he must go to bed, for he was very ill. This broke up all the company. The prince's had all the day a melancholy compofure, which had no alteration on this accident; and he took leave of her acquaintance, as fhe met them, with a ferious affability (if I may fo exprefs it.) The next day the fmall-pox appeared on the emperor, and on the nineteenth, the day appointed for his marriage, about three in the morning, he died." Of the melancholy hiftory of Eudoxia Fœderowna, Peter the Great's first wife, our letter-writer gives the following concife abftra&t. |