New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-04-20

her resignation reached Prince Menzikoff q gen.
eral OF the Russian army. and inspired him with
des re to see her. Struck with her rare bea,f-
ty, the Prince purchased her from the soldier to
whose share she had fallen, and placed her un-
der the care of his sister She received all the
respect due to the dignity Of her conduct, and
each day heis beauty developed in her new and
fortunate position
Snort time only had passed away after the
entrance Of Catherine into this noble family,
when Peter the Great paid visit to the Prince
catherine, bearing plate some dried fruits,
which she served to these illustrious personages
gith charming modesty and grace, passed be-
fore the Emperor, who, in his turn, was struck
With her beauty. The powerful monarch, dis
turbed ny this gentle apparition, returned the
next day to the house Of the Prince, asked to see
the beautiful slave, addressed several questions
to her. and was surprised or rather delighted to
find her intelligence even more perfect than the
charms Of her person. Motives Of political in
ierest had compelled Peter, while young, to q
marriage in which there was no sympathy the
sight of Catherine inspired him with resolution
to marry this time according to his taste and in
clinations. He Immediately wished to know the
history Of the beautiful Livonian, who was not
yet eighteen. Peter followed with lively in
| terest, through all the phases of her obscure
and sorrowfu1 existence, the unfortunate and
| perfect young girl whom he found to have been
| great and noble every where and under all cir
cumstances. The lowness Of extraction Of Cath
crime was not, for such man as Peter, any OBJ
| stacle to his project Their marriage was
celebrated without pomp or display; and the
Prince declared to his court, who were more or
| less persuaded of it, that virtue was the surest
| guide to the steps of throne. sa
| Behold, then, Catherine is emerged from q
cottage with earthen walls and roof Of straw, to
| become Empress Of the greatest empire in the
world She Vhn tpso rfu
poor and solitary. is now surrounded by thous-
| ands OF courtiers who find their hopes in her
| eyes, and their happiness in her smile. She
who was formerly deprived Of the most simple
! food for her morning or evening repast, had now
but to express wish, to shed abundance over
| whole nations.
She always retained the great qualities which
| hhd raised her to the throne, and while the ex-
traordinary Prince. who was her husband, la
bored to ciyilize the masculine part Of this inn
| nense empire, Catherine, on her side, applied
| herself to soften the manners of her own sex.
She had much to do, in the state in which the
manners and minds Of the Russian people were
At this period. This may be imagined by the
| pllowlng curious extract from regulations made
by Catherine on the establishment of mixed as
ieInblles, that is to say, re- Unions of men and
women, who before, in Russia, never met in COM
pany, after the example of the Orientals The
| women were reduced to the condition Of slaves ;
| Catherine wished to make them free, like those
Of the rest of Europe. =
She commenced by changing the national cos
| tunes, for which she substituted English fash
ions. Instead of furs, she introduced taffety and
lamask; the coibMres, called con1ettes and COM
modes, took the place Of the caps of saiIe. But
changes more important followed these of cos
tume. The women ceased to be shut up in sep
| 4rate partments; they were admitted into com
pany reciprocally, paid visits and their presence
became indispensable to all entertainments
The laws promulgated by Catherine to obtain
these results, being imposed a people then
savage. are now a curious monument which can
lot be read without.a smile, so entirely do they
eontound our simple notions of social life Blu,
| Tor the Russians, under Peter First, these laws
were well adapted to their rude manner of liv.
| ng, and their object was less to render them
polished, than to bring them together for thei1
own pleasure.
l. The person at whose house an assembly il
to be held will announce it by a writing On hi
door. or by circulating some other public adver
| tlsement, addressed to persons of both sexes.
II. The assembly will not open before foul
or five o'clock in the afternoon, and will not con-
tinue later than ten in the evening
Ill The master Of the house where the as.
semby is held, will not be obliged either to 20 tt
meet his guests, or to re-conduct them to thu
door, or to keep their company in the apartments
But, exempt from these duties, he has others t.
fulfil; for example, to provide them with chairs
candles, liquors, and all other things oonyenien
or agreeable, which the company may call for
He is also obliged to furnish them with cards
{ dice, and other conveniences for play.
~. There will be no fixed hour to come
. the assembly or to leave it; for those who desr
e it, it will be sufficient to appear there moment
and then to withdraw immediately
r V. Every one is at liberty to sit, or walk o
play, as he pleases. No one may prevent an
other from doing whatever he pleases, unde
penalty of ofemptying the great eagle, (this was
bowl containing pint, filled with brandy)
vi. Persons of distinction, mobiles, superie
| officers, merchants and tradesmen, master me
chanics, especially carpenters, have liberty t,
come to the assemblies with their wives ant
children.
; VII A separate place will be assigned to tn,
, domestics, excepting those belonging to til
/ house, in order to avoid incumbrance, and t,
leave the place free for society.
III VIII. No woman, under any pretence what
ever, may get intoxicated; as for the men, the,
e may get intoxicated, but never before min
o'clock
L IN, The ladies who play at pledges and a
e questions and answers, will abstain from al
/ quarrels, from all disputes and no man vii
:, attempt to embrace a woman by force, or t
strike her in the midst of an assembly, unde
S penalty of being excluded from them in future
Such were the singular regulations made b,
e Catherine for the assemblies of both sexes, 70
e which We are indebted to her This historical
document proves that the Russians were, a thi
period, indeed sayages, and that to ciyiliz
them, two such geniuses as Peter the Great an
Catherine were needed.
| ri