The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-08
Question Settled in Book Printed
for Private Circulation by
Narichkine Family.
BY la MARaUIsE DE FoNTENoY.


THE Narichkino family one OF tho
most illustrious houses OF tho
a Russian aristooracy-though un-
titled-has just had printed for pri-
vate circulation the letters and cor
respondencc of that Natalie Narichkine
who died ut Tsarkoe-Selo in 1883. and
who was the eldest daughter of Gen
eral Count Theodore Rostoptchine.
Governor of Moscow. at the time OF Its
capture by the French, under EN-
pcror Napoleon, a little over hun
Lred years ago.
Tho letters and extracts from diaries,
contained In the book, constitute a
most remarkable contribution to his
tory For they at length determine,
beyond all possible doubt, the ques-
ton OF the responsibility for the burn
ing OF Moscow.
There has always been n controversy
as to whether the coniiagration was
due 20 carelcssncss or TO design on
the part OF tho Russians, or whether
ii had heen ordered by Napoleon him
self for the purpose OF impresslng the
Russian people with sense of his
might.
The book just printed settles for all
time the controversy For In its pages
Natalie NarichiSine describes. hour by
hour. the Hateful night o. the 18th of
September, 1872, when Moscow was
set on fire. how the confIagration was
ordered by her. father, General Count
Rostoptchine. how his principal agents
in tho affair were his own son, Sereius.
who was his chief secretary. the pre-
feet of police, broker, and n trusted
retainer of tho count. of the name of
Voronenko.
IL was Noronenko and his assistants
who actually put the torch to the vari-
Gus buildings granaries, warehouses
and palaces. which all burst into
flames in different parts OF the city
at the same moment. Noronenko was
killed during the night oy the French,
and so. too. were his chief assistants.
Those who managed to escape the
French persisted of want and disease
and from the cpidemics which broke
out after the departure of the grand
army.
The widows and children Of the men
were hunted up some time later by
General Count Rostoptchine, who spent
considerable sums OF money In relicv-
ing their restitution. Natalie Narich-
kline. indeed. gives In fac smile writ
ten order of her father, on the steward
of his property at Moscow. dated 1919,
directing him to pay sum of 5000
roubles to the widow OF Voronenko
Neither the Emperor nor the Russian
government ever did anything for the
family OF Noroncnko, and Of those
others who had helped him to set the
city OF Moscow on lire. The general,
In letter to his daughter, admits that
the Emperor, Alexander l., always de-
clincd to talk about tho burning Of
Moscow to him. He gave 1t neither
his appreciation nor yet his disap-
prevail. He maintained an absolute
silence on the subject to the general
and to every one else. as if anxious
that ii should DO forgotten
1t was, however, bitterly condemned
by the generals wife, Countess Theo-
dorc Rostoptchine Indeed, so strong
~ did she feel about the matter, that
1t became the cause OF her separation
from her husband and from her chill
drcn-the latter siding with their
father-and ere many weeks had
passed, she had left Russia forever,
creating n gulf between her family
and herself by abandoning the Russian
Church, and becoming n convert to
Roman Catholicism.
The general himself never regretted
what he had done. and extolled
Voronenko and those others who mad
lost their lives in setting Moscow
aname. rs patriots whose names de-
served TO be recorded in gold On the
pages OF Russian history. For no
rightly held that by setting the city
on fire. and. especially by putting the
torch to tie great metropolitan gran
aries and warehouses where the sup
plies for the winter had been accumu
lated, the continued sojourn of tho
French army in Moscow mad been rem
dered impossible separated as 1t was
so many hundreds of miles from it's
base of supplies
1t was the burning OF Moscow, and
especially OF it's granaries. that forced
Napoleon TO abandon his project of
remaining with his army at Moscow
during the winter. and to undertake
without delay that disastrous retreat
which constituted the first and most
crushing blow to his prestigo and his
power. For II was tho retreat of tho
grand army which was Tho Inaugural
ton OF his downfall and the rcspon-
sibility thereof belongs to General
Count Theodore Rostoptchine. to whose
granddaughter, Countess Lydia Ros-
toptchine am indebted for a COPY Of
tho book.
Who is DR.. Stonaborough? lIe is tho
purchaser of tho villa and also tho
Chateau Toskann, Which belonged to
the long missing Archduke John of
Austria and to his mother, tho lato
Grand Duchess Maria Antonio OF Tus-
cany Dr.. scarborough is described
in tho announcement Of tho purchase
as tho weli-known American multi
millionaire" But cannot find his
name In any OF tho standard works OF