The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-01
SOME VIEW o


Catherine T.. Empress Of Rus-in.
Not long ago tho Messrs. Appleton published
"The Romance Of an Empress" by X. Walls
EEwsKI. the first thoroughly truthful account
Of Catherine II. OF Russia which had been made
accessible to English and American readers.
The samc author has since produced an equally
vcracious life Of Peter the Great. and tho Same
publishers now offer us an English version OF Il
by Lady MARY LLOYD. In an octave volume OF
$50 closely printed pages. There is nothing in
Peters lifc. full as II was Of startling incidents
and strange vicissitudcs. SO astonishing as the
career Of the woman whom no eventually
caused to be crowned Empress, and who sue
ceoded him upon the Russian throne. II Is her
story, which has but one historical counterpart
in that of Justinian's Theodore. familiar to tho
readers OF Gibbon, OF which we purpose to
give an outline at this time, awaiting ourselves
OF Mr.. w~aliszowski's minute and patient re.
scarchcs. tho outcome OF which 10 presented In
an unfinchinR and impartial although scarcely
q sympathetic way. Before tracing. however.
the elevation of this favorite OF fortune from the
position OF a servant and camp follower to an
imperial palace, wo should note some OF tho
moro general comments made by the author on
tho part played by women in general In tho
career Of Peter tho Groa at. Perhaps career 10
hardly tho right word, for exceptionally large
ne was the fraction OF his time which Peter. tho
nrdcst-workc sovereign that ever lived. with
the exception Of Napoleon Bonaparte. gave 10
women. they seem to have exercised scarcely
any influence upon his statccraft nnd public
life. From the political viewpoint. women wcro
almost rs utterly ciphcrs in the Russia of
-. Potor tho Great as they were at the court
OF his singularly continent contemporary, tho
warlikc Charles XII. OF Sweden. Both of them,
in this particular. exhibited a striking con.
trast to most of the monarchs OF that day, cs.
pecially to Louis XIV. and Louis XIV. Of France.
and to Augustus, Elector Of Saxony and King
of Poland. Peter, for his part, was too busy
and too coarse to DO n lover worthy OF tho
name, or even u decent husband. He fixed the
price of tho favors BESTOWED on his soldiers in
st. Petersburg at "onc kopeck for three Kisses
and after his first interview with Catherine. the
future Empress, he enriched her with n solitary
ducat. All that Mr.. Waliszewski has been able
to discover regarding this side OF Peters
personality stamps him as O boor and a
cynical debauchce. He had no caro- for q
woman's dignity, or for his own, and he
was too ill.brcd to show the smallest regard
for propriety. Baron P6llnitz relates that.
when Peter visited MaSdeburg in l1l7, the
brother of the High Chancellor went with his
colleagues to pay his respects to the Car, and
tOunu min edHlIR vi lNo IuSSiun uuISs uHu
fondling them in the most familiar manner,
This he continued to do throughout the delivery
OF tho address. P0llnitZ also describes Peters
meeting with the Duchess Of Mecklcnburg, his
niece, Mt Berlin: The Car rushed to meet the
Princess, kissed her tenderly, and, drawing her
into an adjoining room. INDUCED in evcrybody's
presence, even in that of the Duke of Meckltn'
burg, in tho grosscst familiarities. The same
eyewitness mentions many other astounding
details In the great mans habitual intercourse
with the women at his court. When Princess
Galitzin, for instance. dincd with the Gar he
used TO make her stand up so that he might
pinch her. According to Nartof, whose evidence
Is accounted fairly trustworthy with regard
to the Cars private life, Peter was of Il very
hmorous disposition. but the fit never lasted
more than half nm hour. He would not, as q
rule. force II woman's inclination. but, as his
choice was apt to fall on servant girls. he very
seldom met with resistance. Sartof, however
recalls one rebel. a laundress; and Bruce relates
tho story OF the daughter of a foreign merchant
at Moscow. who, to escape tho sovereign's pur
suit, was Obliged to fly from her parents house
and hide herself in the forest. One of the docu
mcnts published by Prince Galitzin describe,
the Cars struggle with a gardener In Holland
who had to use his rake to drive away the mon
arch from a garden wench whose work he wa
intcrrupting. These details. repuSnant as they
are. are not the worst.