The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-01-20

After passing glimpse Of her future hGs-
band az AN unruly boy Of twelve, already
given to tippli1g, We are taken at once to
The court Of the Czarina Elizabeth 10 the
! tain Of the youthful fancee Of this promising
/ leir to the throne Of Russia. How, thrown
thus into the heart Of strange country, aud
into the very focus Of court iltrigue--with
only q foolish, avaricious, cold hearted
mother al her side during the frat months ;
with husband -expectant entirely Indifferent
whether she became his wife or retlrned to
Lcr own country, and under the perpetual
surveillance OF an exacting, suspicious mon.
arch, only soliciious about the succession to
the throne, and alternating between ceremO
NAL devotion ard gross private debauchery-
the young girl, not fifteen, managed to make
herself respected in the highest quarter,
feared in tie next, and beloved by ali classes
beneath, Is tod b. her in these memoirs
with iranlness and vrarsemJiaHcs which
are ldom met with
she do.9 not attempt to CLOS over her
nisdeeds or dis5inuation. ShameEac dness
could never have been availiug however,
she may have occasionally used il u, con.
yenent mask. Size tells Us plainly that she
c'uag to Russia from the stage OF her per.
sonal ascendeucy. She never preteads any
grain Of affection for her husband, AID for
this her apology is tolcrably sufficient one
She cool.y gives Is to understand that the
father Of her first chd-;le Gar Paul
was Sugigs SoltikoH, ard of her daughter
another young courlicr, Leo Naricakine
.ln.nn Ia tn. l.. /
the yrtuous Czarina Elizabeth, and she i'm
proTed upon the HAT 50 far r. to add ano-
ther lover On her own account Count POM.
atoysky. She tells "a how she gattercd and
di:semblcA w,'h the Czarina and how she
stole the affections Of the future subjects OF
her weak, worthless husbaui. From tue
time when, Immediately after her arrival in
Russia, she lay, during her recoYggy fom
dangerous Illness, with her eyes clio cd, couG-
terieitng gnconsciou. ness, 90 as I, listen TO
the private conversation Of the court ladies'
down to the crisis between her husband aud
herself with which the volume closes, 10
which she counteriets dangerous illness
in order to arrest the sympathy ard fears Of
the Czarina, it Is one and the same charae-
ter that we see dol.ucatCd to MS, touch by
touch--seIfpossessed- -watcbfal--. cautious
yet resolute--- unscrupu'ous--enterprising;
at the same time gay, good. humored, and iull
Of what she herself calls "sensibiLte,' but
which English society would probably rem
der by the term "sensuality"
OF delicacy there ia no trace, bu, tie in.
delicacy is taken 20 much Us matter OF
course that it scarcely ever becomes disa-
greeably obtrusiye. The MINOR characters
oi the ploI--as all the rest mist b. called in
comparison with Catherine hersef-are
touched off with similar point, though not
always with the same unreserve. The pic
ture ia complete Of .tbe drunken imbocile--
Peter Ill playing with his dolls and wood
en- soldiers, and drilling fomraacs bis
private Wallets, and Afterwards his obnoxious
Holstsiners growing more conscious OF his
wites TALENTS aud more afraid Of her every
day yet daily insulting her by making mis-
trcsses Of all her maids-of honor, and by pro
voking her disgust and cooicmpt ot the En-
press by his drunken folly.
There is some reserve in the account OF
the CZariua Elizabeth, as il some fellow
sympathy with crowned heads restrained the
pen Of the Imperial satrist but the hints
are significant, and the malicious record Of
the s,ereotyped rclercnce cf the Czsvina 10
the dlys Of the Empress Ann i, worthy Of
The best Of our carcaturists. The smalIn,ss
In Themselves and the greatness 10 their con.
sequences Of the bed chamber and official
iutrigues are done fun justice to, aud the
uncertain boundaries be wen broad farce
ard deep trrgedy were sever more thor
oughly demonstrated. Religion ucvor up
pears except as 4 ceremonial, and the con
''S-I0nll is tue most convenient and effective
nhanrclot political intrigue or court scandal.