Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-04-20
Catherine H., Of Russia.

In the year 1852 Catherine became
empress. Around her were gathered
the chief conspirators, men coarse, i'll
educated, and risen from the lowest
ranks of the people, in whose society
she complained that she could find no
pleasure, yet to whose aid she was in
debted for all she was. Her subjects
were discontented and rebellious. She
visited Moscow, the ancient seat of the
Cars; but her life was threatened,
and she hastily returned to st. Peters
burg. Even there she found herself
surrounded by Iconspiracies against
her power and her person. If the
European Monarchs looked coldly up
on the parvenu empress who now
welded the uncertain, sceptre, which
she was believed to have won by
barbarous and dreadful crime; and,
from her dangerous eminence, Gath
crime beheld herself surrounded by a
thousand terrors which might have ap-
palled any nature less resolute than
her own.
Danger, however, seemed only to
draw out her wonderful genius for
command, and her fierce, unhallowed
ambition guided her to a course Of
policy that made her the most potent
monarch of her time. She crushed
discomfort at home with unparalleled
vigor. The ancient nobility Of Rus
sia, who hated and despised the Ger
man usurper and her low born court
iers, at length became her willing
slaves. The countless Iegions of bish-
ops and monks, whom she had offend
ed and treated with ignominy when
they had ceased to be useful to her,
hid themselves, overawed and help
less, in their cells. Her splendid vic
tories and conquests won for her a
popularity among her subjects such as
none Of her predecessors but Peter
the Great had possessed. Abroad,
the mOnarchs of Europe were soon
overmastered by her simperious will.
Frederick the Great cOurted her Ia
vor. Joseph IL, of Austria, became a
willinginstrumentin accomplishing her
most unscrupulous designs. George
Ill, of England, sank into her ally.
And dissOlute Louis XIV. vainly strove
by feeble diplomacy to check the
stately progress Of the new Semiramis.
Catherine became the master intellect
of Europe.
Of all her vast designs, that upon
which her chief energies were expend-
ed was to make Russia acknowledged
as one of the civilized nations of the
time. AS Philip of Macedon had la
bored with fierce, untiring zeal to
make his native kingdom Greek, Sc
Catherine lived to make Russia Euro.
pean. She was resolved to he receiv.
ed as peer into that assemblage of
crowned heads whose naughty caste
was still inclined to look down upoI
the barbarous empire which the great
Peter bad brought into notice; and
she prepared to take an equal place
among the Hapsburgs, the Bourbons
and the GuelphS.
If she had not been an empress
Catherine might have won a highc
glory as an author. Her love for let
ters was intense and lasting. Sh,
sought the correspondence and tn,
friendship of almost every eminent lit
erary man of the day; she wrote tt
Voltaire in terms of sincere admira
ton, and strovc in vain to allure hin
to st. Petersburg. With Diderot sht
was more successful, and the philoso
pher condescended to give a portion
Of his time to visit to the faithful
empress. Their conversations wer,
2 long and philosophical; and Didero
, seems to have found a far more agree
, able friend in Catherine than the sal
castle Voltaire in his admirer an
: prosecutor, Frederick. Catherine wa
always protuse in her liberality to lit
! erary men. She purchased Diderot'
! library for a considerable sum, in or
! der to provide dowery for his daugh
: ter, allowed him to retain the use ol
: it for life, and settled upon him a pen
p sion as her librarian. She wished t
+ induce the historian Robertson, b.
+ munifcent offers, to write an accouE
of her reign. Her court was fillet
J.. with men of intelligence and learning
q of science and art. Every form OF
mental excellence found in her
G friend; she established academies o
r. societies of learning and science, an,
lavished her revenues in seeking t
! awaken her people. Poets, musicians
! philosophers, actors,a and artists spranI
+ up under her careful patronage; AM
she succeeded at last, in making 81
+ Petersburg illustrious as one of tn
intellectual centres OF Europe.-Ea
e gene Laurence, IN Harper's Magazine
0 A fellow in Ohio, who wasn't use