The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-04-18 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OP THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

Sin,—l regret troubling you; but as journalists give
their readers to understand that their chief aim is invari-
ably to guide public opinion in the proper direction, and,
if erroneously formed, to- correct it, in matters commercial
as well as political, I offer no further apology for this in-
trusion. In the recent trial for libel, Shrivall versus
MTlellan, many of my friends, and especially those at a
distance, take for granted that I have been one of the
parties in the transaction. I have frequently experienced,
and I still continue to experience, much unnecessary annoy-
ance on meeting many of my friends, and as no one can
more highly appreciate the approbation of friends, or set
a higher estimate on the good opinion of the public than
I do, you will do me a lasting favour if you will kindly
allow me to state distinctly in your widely circulated
paper, for the information- of my friends, acquaintances,
and the public, that I had nothing whatever to do with
the said trial. The truth of this assertion may readily be
seen by comparing my name, as subscribed, with that of
the party connected with the trial, his name being David
M'Clellan.—l remain, yours respectfully,
JAS. MACLENNAN.
Emporium for Foreign and British Shawls
and Mantles, 44, Bold-street.

THE WILL OF PETER THE GREAT.

MENTION has been lately made of the will of Peter the
Great, but we believe that no copy of it is to be found in
any book of general access. The following translation,
has been made from a German work, entitled Geschiekte•
Peters des Grossen. Von- Eduard Pelz, Leipsic. It is
there stated to have been transmitted by the Chevalier

aon,-Flenh Ambassador at the Court of St. Peters-
burg, to the French King- in the year 1757, and to have-
been made public shortly afterwards.
Various opinions have been expressed as to its authenti-
city and genuineness, which, at this period of time, it is
difficult to clear up. Independently, however, of its
authenticity, there is much intrinsic interest in the docu-
ment, as embodying principles of action which have been
notoriously followed by Russia during the last 100 years,
with such modifications as time and circumstances and

the variations of European equilibrium have rendered
necessary. The 13th rule is especially worthy of attention
at the present moment.
" THE WILL OF PETER TUE GREAT.
"In the name of the holy and invisible Trinity, we,
Peter, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias, &e., to
all our successors on the throne and in the government of
the Russian nation ;

Forasmuch as the great God, who is the Author and
Giver of our life and crown, hath constantly illumined us
with His light, and upheld us with his support," &c.
Here Peter sets out in detail that, according to his

view, which he takes to be also that of Providence, he
regards the Russian nation as destined hereafter to
exercise supreme dominion over Europe. He basses his
opinion on the fact that the European nations have for
the most part fallen into a condition of decrepitude not
far removed from collapse, whence he considers that they

may easily be subjugated by a new and youthful race, as
soon as the latter shall have attained its full vigour.
The Russian monarch looks upon the coming influx of
the northerns into the east and west as a periodical move-
ment, which forms part of the scheme of Providence,
which, in like manner, by the invasions of the barbarians,
effected the regeneration of the Roman world. He corn-

pares these migrations of the Polar nations to the inunda-
tions of the Nile, which at certain seasons fertilizes the
arid soil of Egypt. He adds that Russia, which he found
a brook, and should leave a river, must, under his succes-
sors, grow to a mighty sea, destined to fertilise worn-out
Europe, and that its waves would advance over all
obstacles if his successors were only capable of guiding the
stream. On this account he leaves behind him for their
use the following rules, which he recommends to their
attention and constant study, even as Moses consigned his
tables of the law to the Jewish people :
1 " RULES.

"1. The Russian nation must be constantly on a war
footing to keep the soldiers warlike and in good condition.
No rest must be allowed except for the purpose of
relieving the state finances, recruiting the army, or biding
the favourable moment for attack. By these means peace
is made subservient to war, and war to peace, in the
interest of the aggrandisement and increasing prosperity
of Russia. _

2. Every possible means must be used to invite from
the most cultivated European States commanders in war
and philosophers in peace, to enable the Russian nation to
participate in the advantages of other countries without
losing any of its own.
" 3. No opportunity must be lost of taking part in the
affairs and disputes of Europe, especially in those of Ger-
many, which, from its vicinity, is of the most direct interest
to us.

"4. Poland must be divided by keeping up constant

jealousies and confusions there. the authorities must be
gained over with money, and the assemblies corrupted so
as to influence the election of the kings. We must get
up a party of our own there, send Russian troops into the
country, and let them sojourn there so long that they may
ultimately find some pretext for remaining there for ever.
Should the neighbouring states make difficulties, we must
appease them for the moment by allowing them a share
of the territory until we can safely resume what we have
thus given away.
"5. We must take away as much territory as possible
from Sweden, and contrive that they shall attack us first,
so as to give us a pretext for their subjugation. With this
object in view, we must keep Sweden in opposition to
Denmark, and Denmark to Sweden, and sedulously foster
their mutual jealousies.
"6. The consorts of the Russian princes must always
be chosen from among the German princesses, in order to
multiply our family alliances with the Germans, and so
unite our interests with theirs ; and thus, by consolidating
our influence in Germany, to cause it to attach itself
spontaneously to our policy.
"7. We must be careful to keep up our commercial
alliance with England, for she is the power which has
most need of our products for her navy, and at the same
time may be of the greatest service to us in the develop-
ment of our own. We must export wood and other
articles in exchange for her gold, and establish permanent
connexions between her merchants and seamen and our
own.
"8. We must keep steadily extending our frontiers-
_ .

northward along the Baltic, and southward along the
shores of the Black Sea.
"9. We must progress as much as possible in the direc-
tion of Constantinople and India. He who can once get
possession of these places is the real ruler of the world.
With this view, we must provoke constant quarrels at one
time with Turkey and at another with Persia. We must
establish wharfs and docks in the Euxine, and by degrees
make ourselves masters of that sea as well as of the Baltic,
which is a doubly important element in the success of our
• plan. We must hasten the downfall of Persia, push on
into the Persian Gulf ; if possible re-establish the ancient
commercial intercourse with the Levant through Syria,
and force our way into the Indies, which are the store-
houses of the world. Once there, we can dispense with
English gold.
"10. Moreover, we must take pains to establish and
maintain an intimate union with Austriandizea, apparently
countenancing her schemes for future aggr
Germany, and all the while secretly rousing the jealousy of
the minor States against her. In this way we must bring
it to pass that one or the other party shall seek aid from
Russia ; and thus we shall exercise a sort of protectorate
over the country which will pave the way for future an,
premacy.
"11, We must make the House of Austria interested
in the expulsion of the Turks from Europe, and we must
I neutralize its jealousy at the capture of Constantinople
I either by preoccupying it with a war with the old European

States, or be allowing it a share of the spoil, which we can
afterwards resume at our leisure.
"12. We must collect round our house, as round a
centre, all the detached sections of Greeks, which are
scattered abroad in Hungary, Turkey, and South Poland.
We must make them look to us for support, and then, by
establishing beforehand a.sort of ecclesiastical supremacy,
we shall pave the way for universal sovereignty.
" 13. When Sweden is ours, Persia vanquished, Poland
subjugated, Turkey conquered—when our armies are
united, and the Euxine and the Baltic are in the possession
of our ships, then we must make separate and secret over-
tures first to the Court of Versailles, and then to that of
Vienna, to share with them the dominion of the world. It
either of them accepts our propositions, which is certain
to happen if their ambition and self-interest are properly
worked upon, we must make use of this one to annihilate
the other ; this done, we have only to destroy the remain-
ing one by finding a pretext for a quarrel, the issue of
which cannot be doubtful, as Russia will then be already
in the absolute possession of the Fast and of the best part
of Europe.
"14. Should the improbable case happen of both reject-
ing the propositions of Russia—then our policy will be to
set one against the other, and make them tear each other
to pieces. Russia must then watch for and seize the
favourable moment, and pour her already assembled hosts
into Germany, while two immense fleets, laden with
Asiatic hordes and convoyed by the armed squadrons of
the Euxine and the Baltic, set sail simultaneously from
the sea of Azoff and the harbour of Archangel. Sweep-
ing along the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, they will
overrun France on the one side, while Germany is over-
powered on the other. When these countries are fully
conquered, the rest of Europe must fall easily and without
a struggle under our yoke. Thus Europe can and must
be subjugated."—Times.