The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-09-12 00:00:00

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TITLE OF TVE EMPEROR °REUSShi.
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It is a fact not generally known that the title of Em-
peror was conferred upon Peter the Great by the English
Government. In his " Journal from the year 1698 to the
conclusion of the peace of Neuttailt," printed at St. Peters-
burgh, from the manuscripts corrected by his own hand.
we have the following account of site transaction, which
obtained for hiM the Imperial title, and &hie!' also occa-
sioned an Act of Parliament to be pa.lien for the protection
of Foreign Ambassadors and their servitnts from arrests for
debt:--

At that lime (1710) Mr. Whitworth, afterwards Lord
1V II ITWO TH, envoy extraordimay from •,Queett • Anne to
the Russian Court, received the title of Ambassador Ex-
traordinary, and on the sth of January he had a public
audience, at which, b!, order of the Queen his mistress,
he employed the title of Eater/toe in peaking to his Ma-
jesty ; .at td in the letter which the ambassador delivered
from the Queen, the same tine was found, instead if the an-
cient one or CzAit. The cause of this embassy was to ex-
cuse the affront which had been offered to the Russian am-
'
bassadoriNl. MATH sow, in niigland, as having been oc-
casioned by a popular'coMmotion in favour of a merchant.
The fact is as follows :—When, in 1708, this ambassador
'was directed by his court to quit London, and proceed to
Holland, he gave notice to his eveditors to make their se-
veral demands, which he immediately discharged; except-
ing a certain intricate and exorbitant account of goods
which were charged several hundred pounds sterling abOve
their worth. This he referred to some of his people, di-
recting them to examine the goods, and estimate their true
value. The rnerehant, hbwever, not considering M. Ma-
' theow as an ambassador, but treating him as a private gen-
tleinan, and without waiting for the result of the exami-
nation, or the consequent answer, caused him to be arrested
in his coach, in the midst of the city, and carried to prison.
Some hours after, when thefoxeign ministers were informed
of this jransaction, they made complaints to the Court,
treating this attack as a common outrage, irk which they
were all concerned. The ambSssailor was consequently
soon released, and complained highly of this treatment to
the Queen; but without waiting for her answer, or even for
an audience of leave, lie set out for Holland, agreeable to
his former instructions,
Besides the apologies made by the Queen, in the
letter written by her Majesty, the ambassador added others
in the speech which he made in the presence of all the
foreign ministers, and of a very numerous audience; de-
claring, at the same time, that he made these excuses by
her Majesty's command, and that they ought to be con-
sidered as if pronounced by herself.
Afkr this audience, the English ambassador had
severs. 'conferences with the Russian ministers, at which
the difference in question was terminated to the satibfac-
, tion'of both parties; and instead of the discord which hail
nearly arisen between the two Courts, the ancient friend-
ship and harmony were fully re-established.
It will be observed, that several particulars relating to
this transaction, which have been mentioned by English
writers, are not noticed in the foregoing statement; but it
agrees very nearly with the narative published by Mr.
Whitworth, in! a Account of Russia."