The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-01-14

went to Egypt. Lscedsmon. and Crete. hut with
a curiosity when will. venture TO think. be
better founded and better rewarded"
As TO the financial problem which confronted
Catherine nj the outset Of her reign. this may
well have seemed to her insoluble. Everything
that could be taxed was taxed. even to the long
boards of the Mouiks, yet the treasury was
empty and owed 1TOOO.OO OF roubles In un-
paid bonds; OF the 100. 100000 OF coined rou-
bles supposed to he in circulation. 10000. 600
had been taken abroad the army stationed In
Prussia had been without pay for the past
eight months; almost nll the branches Of COM
merce were monopol2ed by private indivldu-
ais: the excise revenue was farmed out; a
small loan had been refused by Holland in
short, there was no confidence and no credit
anywhere. Catherine began by trying TO pal
late this intolerable state OF things. putting
the resources Of her private purse at the dis
position OF the state. Then she undertook q
complete reorganization OF the fiscal system
and, although at tho outset the revenue still
remained very low. being not more than
l1OO0.OO0 roubles, II gradually increased
until, in 1Ip0. 1t amounted to 10000 900.
Even this greatly expanded income. how
ever. was unequal TO the demands
made upon It by the Empresss i'm
provements n. home and her enter
prises abroad. The deficiency was made good
between 1863 and 1906 by the issue OF paper
money. In twenty-seven years Catherine put
forth 13LT00OoO roubles worth in paper.
Adding upward OF 1870. 900 COO roubes for the
proceeds OF loans contracted during the same
period. we arrive at a total OF more than 267.-
100000 roubles or more than a milliarl Of
francs raised on the public credit. If one asks
what Russia gained in return for the enor-
nous sums spent by Catherine. her biographer
would point TO the great territorial acq uisltions
made during her reign on the western and
southern boundaries Of the empire.
More than any sovereign OF her time or per-
haps OF m odern times. Catherine IL. loved lit
erature. and It was but natural that contem-
porary men OF letters should regard her with
Kindness seeing that she evinced for them a
sympathy far more genuine. generous. and
delicate than that professed by Frederick the
Great. An example or two will sulce. Her
purchase Of Diderots library is well known.
Diderot asked IL. 900 francs for his collection.
The Empress offered him 10000 on condition
that the great writer should remain in pos
session to the time OF his death. Diderot thus
became, without leaving Paris. the custodian
OF his own library for Catherine the Great. for
which service he was to have u pension OF
] 200 francs year. The pension was
TO begin in 1865. but a twelvemonth
passed. and 1t had not been paid. This was
tho common lot Of pen sloners not only in Rus
sla. but elsewhere. Whom the fact came to
knowledge she wrote to Diderot
that she did not wish the negligence OF an
official to cause any disturbance to her Gbrdrp
and for this reason she would send to NJ.
70 ttva Ava in n,IN ho
amount destined 20 the maintenance and In
crease OF her books. and at the expiration OF
that period she would take further meas
ures." A bill OF exchange for $4,000 francs
accompanied the letter. One can mag
Inc the transports OF enthusiasm in the phil
osophio camp Later on the library OF Vol
taire Joined that OF Diderot in the Hermitage
collection. IL was Grimm who after the death
OF the patriarch OF Ferney arranged with Nine.
Denis for the new acquisition. The conditions
were a certain sum-" at the discretion OF tho
Empress. and q statue OF Noltaire which she
would place in one OF the rooms OF her palace.
Nine. Denis relied on the generosity OF Cath
crime. who was resolved as Grimm expressed
Il. to ayenge the ashes OF the greatest OF phi
osophers from the insults that he had received
In his own country" The great mans
particularly his grand nephew. pro-
fested against the transaction. which,
rs they held. iniringed upon their
rights and upon those OF France One OF them
sven attempted to procure an official nterven-
lion. But tho Empress held TO her bargain
voltaire's books now form 4 part OF tho i'm
perial library. to which they havs been re-
moved from tho palace OF the Hermitage. A
special room is assigned to them. In the mid
die stands a statue OF Voltaire by Houdon, a
replica from the hand OF the master OF tho one
IN the foyer Of the Coincide FRANCHISE ut Paris. |
There are about 1000 volumes. tho greater
part half bound In red morocco. and every vol
ime containing annots;lons in NoltRlrs's |
handwriting.
We come lastly TO m aspect OF Cathsrine's |
private life which cannot be wholly over-
ooked. and to which the author OF this book
ievotes a chapter. There Is a mass OF legends
n regard to the love affairs of Catherine. but
most OF them prove upon sharp scrutiny to
nave but little foundation in fact. There were
40 orgies at her court. On the contrary by
comparison with that OF her predecessor. it was
orderly. dscorous. almost austere. Amours