The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1872-09-21
PETER THE GREAT,
His Predictions for the English Due to
his Early Associations.

his Early Associations.
The Russian correspondent of the
London AtheRGum mentions the fol-
lowing singular fact in history i'll one
of his recent letters
GA curious point in Russian history
has just come to light, thanks to the
researches of Mr.. 2. MalnikOf. 1t has
been found that both Peter the Great
and his mother, Natilia NAryshkin,
were brought up among English people,
to whom the Naryshlins were allied by
marriage. In the time OF Ivan the
Terrible, a certain Hamilton came from
Scotland and entered the Russian ser
vice. His descendants, who later took
the name Of KhOmutOtf, were constant
ly in the military service, and lived at
Moscow, in what was called the Ger
man suburb. Marriages between these
foreigners aud Russians We're very rare
and any one of the great families would
have thought it great mesatti0ncc to
be connected with foreigners and her
etics. Still, the great Matveief, the
trusted adviser of the great Alexis, mar
ried lady named Miss Hamilton, who
took the Russian religion, and with it
the name of AvdOtia GrigOTiovna. In
Matveiet's regiment was a young officer,
FedOr Naryshkin, who fell i'll love with
and married the niece OF Matyelefs
wife, and the daughter Of Peter Hamil-
ton. She also embraced orthodoxy, and
was known as AVdOtia PetrOvna. Neith-
er Matyeief nor Naryshkin belonged to
the old distinguished families, and it
was therefore easier to break over the
rules, and to live in the foreign style !;
for the two HamiltOns brought Il new
life, and hitherto unknown freedom
of manners, into the homes Of their hus-
bands. Natalia KirillOvna Naryshkin,
the daughter Of FedOr's brother, lived
as member of the family of the rich
and notable Matyeief, her great uncle
by marriage for it was the custom to
collect the lesser members Of the fami-
" into the great houses. Her great
beauty, her fine voice, herOpen manners,
and the shreds of European education
which she had acquired, no doubt en-
abled her to captivate the Car Alexis,
who frequented Matveiefs house, and
to whom all novelties were pleasant.
"There was, however, no sudden
love and speedy marriage, as has been
commonly supposed but the Car, i'll
selecting another wife, confOrmed to
the old custom of inspecting Il number
of young girls who were proposed for
the honor. At these inspections, six
young girls (for the palace rooms, were
not large enough to hold mOre) lay i'll
tending to sleep, with their nearest
friends and relatives about them. The
Car passed slowly along, and surveyed
and meditated on their beauties, and
his physicians made q medical eXami-
nation of them. When the choice was
finally made, the lucky damsel was Civ
en- the title of CZarevna and Grand
Duchess, and changed her name. CZaI
Alexis inspected seventy maidens OH
nineteen different occasions, from the
18th Of December. 1853, to the 28th OF
April, 1910, including those of the high
est birth and family. Natalia was i'll
spected on the 18th of February, 1870
but was not finally married to the Cza1
until the ID of February, 1911. 1t was
doubtless delayed through domestic
Quarrels in the palace. She was the
last Czarevna who had to undergo such
an inspection before her marriage
She had four ladies of honor at hel
court, two of whom were the two Ham
iltOns, the wives of Matveief and
Naryshkin, and the young Peter
doubtless heard many a tale il
his bOyhood from his annts and
mothero of the pleasures and amusements
of the German suburb, which tirst
turned his thoughts in that direction.
I" At the death of Alexis the enemies
of the Naryshkins surrounded the new
Car. Matyeief and his family were
sent into exile, and Avdotia Naryshkin
whose husband died about this time
was confined ON an estate near Alatyr
After having various quarrels with he1
guards, she suddenly disappeared twt
years later with her mother and chill
dren, and it was afterwards ascertainei
that she had gone to a deserted hermi
tage in q lonely place among. the woods
and was living there under the name o
the prophecies, Deborah. Fruitles
| efforts were made to recapture her, an(
she continued her lonely life till Peter
still q boy of ten, assembled the throne
in 1889, and the same day issued an or
der for her recall. What a fate for al
English girl Her niece, the daughte
| of her brother William, was the famou
FrauIein Hamilton, the mistress of Orlofl
who was executed thirty years later
| by order of Peter, for child-murder.