Morning journal and courier., 1882-03-20
The Rise Of a Potelnktn.

From Temple Bar.l
 It was the day on which Catherine, placing herself at the head of 2,OOO soldiers of the Ismailoffsky Guards and adding to her many infdelities the crime of rebellion had march ed to the church of Kansan and forced the Archbishop of Novgorod to crown her Em- press of all the Russias. This took place at
 7 o'clock in the morning. At noon of the same day, Catherine, in the flush of her youth and beauty-for the favored mortals who beheld her seem to have carried away in their imaginations a vision of grace and loveliness that never left them; and even old and cold chroniclers effioresce into the Ian guage of the lover when they venture to speak of the charm of her presence-at noon
 Catherine again appeared before her enthu- siastic subjects dressed in the uniform of an
 officer of the guards, her long beautiful chestnut hair spread out as a sail on the air as she rode through the streets, sitting as- tride her white horse, to the ground where she was to review her troops before march ing against her husband. There was one article of adornment wanting to complete her
 military attire she had no plume in her hat A young officer rode up, and, pointing out the omission, offered his own. It was accepted with that grace and brightness which Catherine in her early years possessed above measure, and of which even the cor pulence and clumsiness of her physique in
 
 temkin' horse, it is said, accustomed to form into squadron, consistently refused to respond to it's rider's efforts to retire from the imperial party. Her Majesty smiled on his confusion and helplessness entered into onversation with him, asked him about his family and soon after appointed him to he post of Gentleman of the Bedchambar, with an annual pension of 2,O00 rubles Of 6 daring ambition, gifted with artful and i,,cir m tile in devices to accomplish the ends his in telligence had set before him, he resolved to oust Gregory Orloff from the seat in the En- p1 ess' affections which he had obtained while she was yet Grand Duchess. The brothers Orloff had furnished the brain and nerve of the revolution, so that Catherine, besides being linked to the elder of them by the ties of love or lust was bound to him by gratitude, and though she silently resented his imperiousness, yet she lacked at this period of her career the courage to risk rupture with the man and husbands murder CT whose boldness had placed her on the throne. At the private evening parties of the palace, where Catherine laid aside the sovereign and became the simple, refined lady, banishing the formalities of courts and substituting the freedom of home life, Po- temkin was frequent guest. He imagined that he saw in Catherine's movements evil dence of desire to finger near him and to select him from among the company for special marks of friendliness and a sweeter smile. He began to assume the airs the sight, and the abstraction of an unconfessed lover, thereby provoking the enmity and dis like of Prince Orloff, who resolved to punish him for his audacity while he still wore the mask of cordiality. An opportunity soon of fered which, though it humbled Potemkin, invested him with new interest in the eyes of the Empress. A little friendly banter passed between the pro husband iz1 posse and the one i11 esse The chaff grew bittertr and more personal, till Potemkin forgot the re spect due to his superior in rank, who chas- tised him for his insolence and destroyed the sight of one of his eyes. This revealed to Catherine Potemkin's love for her. She saw in him one who suffered for her sake, and her feelings were tenderly affected toward him. The young mans devices to make Catherine capitulate to him would have done credit to an experienced actor. He moved about the. palace 8 blighted being. His natural gayety forsook him; he was seldom seen to smile, and when he did the smile was heartrending. Every sentence he uttered wound up with sigh. Able to endure the agony of unrequited love no longer, he fled the court, and caused it to be rumored abroad that he was about to shut himself up in convent Catherine made inquiries about his absence, and learned that his un- fortunate passion had driven him to despair, and that he had fled to where he could not see the object of it in the hope that he might soon conquer it. "I never thought" said she. "that he would take it so much to heart. I thought I had given him all the hope and encouragement I could" This speech was l duly reported to the would be monk; he re- doubled his distress actually entered 8 con- vent and put on clerical attire, declaring his ! intention to take holy orders and think of l the earth and her daughters no more. Every fibre of emotion in Catherines nature was ! moved she dispatched the Countess Bruce to invite Potemkin back to court, and, with { out positively promising too much, to in- yet be crowned. Potemkin quickly threw | off the cowl, and in a few days found himself installed as the Czarina's official husband, with pocket allowance of 12,O00 rubles, which he found on the first day of each I month lying on his dressing table.