The Press.
London, England, 1858-05-29 00:00:00

THE PRESS,

of the chief sovereigns are on the whole impar-
tially drawn, and Mr. Fowler is an adept in cram-
ming together a vast amount of anecdote. The
licentious parts of Catherine ll.'s character are
difficult to describe, and yet cannot be passed over
entirely. Mr. Fowler has managed that portion
of his narrative with adroitness, not omitting
what is necessary for truth, and yet not offending
against delicacy. But, on the whole, he exag-
gerates the greatness of the Empress when he
says:--

Catherine is dead, bnt her fame survives, and she
must be placed in the first rank of those who, by their
genius, their talent, and especially their success, have
attracted the admiration of mankind. Her sex gave •
bold relief to the great qualities which she displayed on
the throne, and places her, above all comparison, as the
greatest fetnale sovereign in the pages of history.

She was not so great as our Elizabeth. The
manner in which the British Queen played her
part between the contending factions that sur-
rounded her while young exhibited matchless
discretion, and she never abased herself in the
manner of Catherine. The influence of Queen
Elizabeth, also, in deciding the fate of the Re-
formation (humanly speaking), was of enormous
importance, and has left world-wide effects. The
career of a Luther almost required that, sooner
or later, there should be a great ruler of Eliza-
bethan character; and it is far easier to imagine
Elizabeth doing all that was great in Catherine's
career than the Russian Empress ruling so ad-
vanced a country as England with Elizabeth's
marvellous prudence and unfaltering energy.
The dark side of the picture of Catherine is de-
scribed in strong colours by Mr. Fowler:—

We shall now pass from the splendours of the sovereign
to the vices of the woman, which forms the most dis-
agreeable province of the historian, but they must not
be omitted, since the private life of Catherine was so
notorious to all the world ; nor can we forget the terrible
usurpation by which she attained the pinnacle of her
grei tness ; and, seemingly, never was (rime No triumphant.
But she fell from her high estate into a Milesian abyss
of crime, when she seemed to glory in her shame, and the
interior of her Court presented a scene of dissipation
revolting to manners as well as t morality. The increase
of her years destroyed many of her great qualities, and she
becsme suspicious, timid, and narrow•minded. She was
obstinately attached to her own opinion, and tenacious
to a degree of her power; her prejudices were very strong,
and, when once fixed, were immoveable; she became
jealous and capricious at lest, which made her service
difficult. contrasting strongly with what it had formerly
been, when she was the most easy and pleasing mistress
to serve.

Catherine wee the first female sovereign in Europe who
dared public opinion, by installing her lover in distinct
posts, with peculiar privileges and emoluments; she was
deeply imbued with the libertinism of the French school,
nor scorned to conceal it. The office of favourite or
Inver bad now became a regular "appanage" of the
Court—his title was " aide-de-camp general," that so he
might accompany the Empress every where, wilhoot
offence to propriety. He hail apartments in the palace,
with a aplet.did allowance for his table and his toilette of
100,000 roubles per month.
At his installation, he received a magnificent present of
100,000 roubles, to buy over his attachment to the
Empress, whom he was obliged to accompany everywhere,
nor could he go out of the palace without asking her
consent, or dare to talk to any woman beside herself.
She looked to hi for the support of her throne, and to
assist her in carrying out her despotic power, both
despising, and, at the same time, scorning public decency.
The appointment of favourite was no more offensive at
the Russian Court than was that of a general in the army
where nrofligacy was so patronized and eocmiraged as to
put to the blush even 010 of the ancient French regime.
The moral turpitude of Russia during this reign am
perhaps unguent-11 by any country, although its pro-
sperity, both home and foreign, was never more con-
spicuous.

It is a great stain on Catherine that to such "moral
turpitude " she should have so largely contributed.
The subject is a repulsive one to comment upon,
but we cannot ever be sufficiently thankful for
the example of the Court of George 111. during
the licentious eighteenth century, when France
had a Louis Quinze and Russia had a Catherine.
It is here stated
Such was the proflikacy of the Enssian Court during the
reign of Catherine, from the example set by the sovereign,
that it became a machinery of intrigue, where the females
would often make the first advances. Fn,m the coarse
licentiousness of Catherine's life, the corruption eaten led
tilt-ion:bout the empire, since nothing escaped the n-tice
and imitation of the people. When the sovereign is c,,,,
sidered to be the fountain of hoin.ur and the arbi;ei
lice, the immoralities of the Governmt nt must It,. It
the g.verned, and may be claimed almost as their el, ime.
That her Court was grand, brilliant, dazzling,
cannot be denied. The following is a striking
picture, and contrasts with the repulsiveness of
other portions of the subject

The Court of Catherine may be derma to hue excelled
segaillosec• asT other in Fawns, Ana it combined

Asiatic pomp with European luxury. On grand occasions
and more particulatly on festivals, the processions were
most splendid. She was surrounded by numerous per.
sons, whose rich and sparkling clothes, covered with a
profusion of precious stones, gave an effect of brilliancy
which must have been seen to be rightly imagined. Her
Court was attended by all the female beauty, by young per.
sons of talent, by greyheailed commanders and able poll.
ticians, and with a crowd of high nobility, who, hy their
affability and polished manners, rendered their society
extremely agreeable. On the great ceremonial days, the
Empress would (line in public, where she made a brilliant
appearance, with ber diamond crown of immense value,
and decorated with the ribbons of St. Andrew and St.
George over one shoulder. She likewise wore the collars
of St. Alexander Nevsky, St. Catherine, and St. Viodemir,
with stars, one above the other, on her breast, as grand
mistress of these 'orders; and her Majesty would give
grand festivities during the winter by having masquerades
at the palace, to which persons of all ranks might come.
More than eight thousand tickets were sometimes issuei,
and such was the vast space to receive them, that no incom
venience from pressure was lelt in the twenty magnificent
halls, splendidly illuminated, which were open to receive
the guests ; Vie middle one was appropriated to the
where tea and refieshments were served ; there
were likewise csril-tables, to which all persons might sit
down without ceremony.