Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-07-04

elapsed when Peter, standing at the
window, espied his disgraced favorite
coolly driving a cart past the very
gates of the palace Foreseeing some
new jest, he fastened down, and asked
with pretended roughness, How dare
you disobey me, when forbade you to
show yourself on Russian ground ?"
~ haven't disobeyed you," answered
Balakiref, coolly; "Pm not on Russian
ground now p
mot on Russian ground ?"
"No; this CARLOAD of earth that I'm
sitting on is Swedish soil. dug it up
in Finland only the other dayr'
Peter, who had doubtless begun al
ready to regret the loss of his jester,
laughed at the evasion, and restored
him to favor. Some Russian writer's en-
bellished this story Ia German version
of which figures in the adventures of
Tyll EulenspiegeD with the addition
that Peter, on hearing the excuse, an
swered, off Finland beSwedish soil now,
itshall be Russian before Tonga threat
which he was not slow to fulfill.
The stories told of Marshal Suvorofr
are of different order, and display,
better than whole pages of description,
the wonderful way in which he con,
trived to adapt himself to the rude
spirits with whom he had to deal, with
out losing one jot of his authority.
What Napoleon was to the French
army, Suvorof was to that of Russia
now testing with soldier, and now re-
buking General; one day sharing a
ration of black bread beside a bivouac
fire, and the next speaking as an equal
to princes and potentates. In fact, the
two great sponsors of Russian wit form
most picturesque contrast. Balakireff
has very much the character of spaniel
in lions cage-admiring even, while
hooking his formidable patron-behav-
ing toward him with halfwaggish,
half-affectionate acknowledgements
ly offending, perpetually forgiven. Su-
voroff comes before us as an uncrowned
king, one whose authority needed no
symbol; an autocrat Of Natures max
ing, full of a rough, hearty familiarity,
that was in no danger of breeding
contempt, and surrounded by men who
enjoyed the bonhomie, while they dread
ed the displeasure of the little, pug
nosed, grimy man, who was in their
eyes the incarnation of earthly power
and grandeur.
1t must be owned, however, that in
his own peculiar vein of pleasantly, the
old Marshal more than once met his
match. One of his favorite Jokes was
to confuse man by asking him unex-
pectedly, "How many stars are there
in the'sk ~
On one occasion he put this question
to one of his sentries on bitter Jan
uary night, such as only Russia can
produce. The soldier, not whit dis
turbed, answered coolly, Wait little.
and I'll tell you," and he deliberately
began to count, zone, two, three" etc.
In this way he went gravely on to a
hNndred, at which point Suvoroff, who
was already half frozen, thought it high
time to ride off, not, however, without
inquiring the name of his ready reck-
oner. The next day the latter found
himself promoted, and the story (which
Suvoroff told with great glee to his
staff speedily made its way through
the whole army.
On another occasion one of his Gen
erals of division sent his sergeant with
dispatches, at the same time recon-
mending the bearer to Suvoroff's notice.
The Marshal, as usual, proceeded to
test him by a series of whimsical ques-
tons, but the catechuman was equal to
the occasion. "How far is it to the
moon ?" asked Suvoroff.
1.-Two of your excellencys forced
marches" answered the sergeant.
"If your men began to give way in
battle, what would you do p
sd tell them that just behind the
enemy's line there was wagon-load of
corn brandy"
Suppose you were blockaded, and
had no provisions left, how would you
supply yourself?"
"From the enemyr'
"How many fish are there in the
sea ?"
" As many as have not been caught"
And so the examination went on, till
Suvorof, finding his new acquaintance
armed at all points, at length asked
him, as final poser, " What is the diff.
ference between your colonel and my
self?"
| "The difference is this replied the
soldier, cody; "my colonel cannot
make me captain, but your excellen-
cy has only to say the word p
Suvoroff, struck by his shrewdness,
| kept his eye upon the man, and in nc
long time after actually gave him the
specified promotion.
Suvorof always affected the utmost
brevity both in speaking and writing
the terseness of his dispatches being
almost unrivalled. The correspondence
with Prince Potemkin, relative to the
assault of Ismail, is unique in military
history. Potemkin, copying the brew
ty of his General, wrote to him thus
Marshal, you will take Ismail within
three days, at whatever cost-Potem
kim" The day after the letter arrived
Suvoroff carried the town by storm
with the loss of fifteen thousand mel
to himself, and thirty eight Thousand
to the enemy-summing up the fearful
tragedy in one doggrel couplet, which
literally translated, runs as follows:
Praise to God. and praise to thee
| Ismaips ta'en, and there be. }"
The anecdotes of the great Marshall
eccentricities- habit of wandering O
about the camp in disguise, his whin
IL n