The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-06-14
NEK BOOKS.

self With Preface by HEREIN Translated i from ON hf he
by Lucas Bro
How NJ. Herzen became possessed of the
Secret Memoirs of Catharine H., he very discreety
omts to inform us. Suffice it to say that he
pledges his word for their entire authenticity; and
the efforts which have since been made by the
Russian Government to suppress their publication,
certainly give an appearance of truth to his state
ment. The history of the Memoirs as narrated
by NJ. Herzen himself, is briefly as follows: Some
hours after the death of the Empress Catharine
her son, the Emperor Paul, ordered the Count Ros-
topchin to put the seals upon all her papers, Among
them was manuscript, in the handwriting of
Catharne herself, enclosed in an envelope and adj
dressed "To His Imperial Highness, the Cesarewitch
"and Grand Duke Paul, my beloved son." This
manuscript, says NJ. Herzen, the Emperor Paul kept
great secret, and never entrusted to anv one but
his FRIEND the Prince Alexander Kourakine, who
took copy of it. After the death of Paul Alexan-
der TOurgenef and the Prince Michael Woronzoff
obtained copies from the transcript of Kourakine.
The late Emperor Nicholas hearing of this, ordered
the Secret Police to seize all the copies-and had
the original sealed with the great seal of State and
deposited among the Imperial archives During
the Crimean war, those archives were transferred
for safety to Moscow, and in 1885, the present En-
| peror had the manuscript brought to him to read.
Since that PERIOD several copies have made their ap
pearance and have circulated in Moscow and at ST
Petersburg. 1t is from one of these that NJ Herzen
processes to have made the present publication,
which first saw the light, we believe, in London,
some year or so ago. perusal of the Memoirs is
necessary in order to discover the reason WHY thew
have been guarded from the public eve with such
jealous, but, as it would appear, frutless care by
the Russian Government. They disclose the fact
that the present reigning family of Russia
not only does not belong to the House of
komanof, but noteven to that of Holstein Gottorp.
We have here Catharine's own confession that
the father of the Emperor Paul, was the Young
noble, Serge Soltikof.
Apart from their political value, these Memoirs
possess great interest as picture of social and
domestic life within the walls of the Winter
Palace, at ST. Petersburg, in the middle of
the eighteenth century, and as a portrait
of the great Empress herself, drawn by her own
hand The autobiography begins in the year l744,
the year OF Catharine's arrival in Russia and ends
abruptly about the close of 1859. 1t is said that
there were some detached notes in the same en-
velope with the original manuscript, which might
have served material for its continuation These
it is asserted the Emperor Paul threw into the fire
Catharine, or as she was then called, Sophia-Au-
gusta-Frederica, Princess of Anhat-Z erbst- Bern
burg, was thirteen years old when, the 9th of
February, l744, she arrived, with her. mother, at
Moscow. Ten days after her arrival she caught
cold, and was not able to appear in public again
until the 2lst of April, her birth day. That she had
learned something, well suffered, during the
interval, may be inferred from the following con-
fession:
81 had accustomed myself during nv illness to
lie with my. eyes closed. l was supposed to be
asleep, and then the Countess RoumianZoff and the
ladies who were with her, spoke their minds freely
and thus learned great many things"
On the 2lst of August she was married. But
before the ceremony, she thus writes about the
Grand Duke, her hushand-and herself. Who can
say that the education of the young girl of four
teen years was not progressing rapidly?
"Now the Grand Duke had about as much dis
erection as cannon ball. and when his mind was
full of anything he could not rest until he had un
burdened it to the persons he was in the habit of
talking with, never for moment considering to /
whom it was he spoke Consequently he used to
tell me all these things with the utmost frankness,
the first time he saw me afterwards. He always
fanced that every one was of his opinion and that
nothing could be more reasonable than all this. |
took good care not to speak of these things to anv
one; but they made me reflect very seriously upon
carefully the confidence of the Grand Duke in Or
der that he might at least consider me as person
OF whom he felt sure, and to whom he could confide
thing without the least inconvenience to him
sell; and in this succeeded for long time Be-
SIDES, treated every one in the best way could,
and studied how to gain the friendship, or at least
to lessen the enmity of those whom in any way
suspected OF being badly disposed to me. showed
no leaning to any side nor medded with anything;
always maintained serene air, treated every one |
with great attention, afabliy and politeness, and
as was naturally very gay, saw with pleasure |
that rom day to day advanced in the general es |
TEEN, and was looked upon an interesting child |
and one by no means wanting in mind | Showed
great respect for my mother, boundless obedience
for the Grand Duke; and sought with the most
anxious care to gain the friendship of the public"
The first lesson which Catharine learned in Rus.
STA was assimilation. The first present she recei-
we'd was rouge-potk Yet Catharine writes
truly when she says that at that time she
was sqooked upon as an interesting child!"-