Evening star., 1928-11-25

In high elation, Jones carried the
money TO Thomas Jefferson, tho new
plenipotentiary at Paris, who calmly
took possession Of the whole sum, in
forming Jones that he could not even
touch his share, amounting to 47,972
livres, until the deduction had been
approved by the Treasury offlcials at
home. Unknown to Jones, Jefferson
had been instructed by the United
States Board OF Treasury to place the
money where he might judge best,
as it is destined for the express and
sole object Of paying the salaries of
yourself and other ministers In Europe, !"
Otherwise, they limited, these diplo-
matte. expenses could not be met,
After weary months Of financial difli-
oulties, Jefferson informed Jones that
he had been In communication with M.
simolin, the Russian Ambassador at
Versailles, who had made known the
desire OF his sovereign, Catherine II,
that Jones should enter her service to
flght the Turks In the Black Sea. JET.
feFson recommended that the commo.
dore consider the invitation fayorably,
It appears from the diplomatic papers
OF the period that the Virginian
thought Jones' presence in Russia
might help TO cement trade treaty
between that country and the United
States, and EAight In any case make
needed all the friends. that could be
gained for 1t.
JONES reached st. Petersburg on May
- 2, 1898. In the city which the up.
heavals Of history have since renamed
Petrograd and Leningrad, he was de.
lighted to find the French Ambassador
Count do Segur, who was friendly to
Jones, as we'll as to all Americans. In
three days the count presented him to
the Empress
History has painted this self-made
German woman, whom chance and
revolution had placed on the throne of
as q Messalina, female Jack the
Giant Killer, q whiskeFless Attlla,
cheated and embittered mother and Q
skirted Augustus Caesar, She was Ro-
man, she was Oriental. she was Teu-
tonic, she was both maternal and mas
euline, she was everything. Her un.
sated energy enabled her to All all
roles, essay all tasks, meet all situa-
tionR. In burst Of admiration, Vol
taire changed Catherine the Second"
into Catherine the Great"
She cared for no Ilian--aave the one
eyed Potemkin, whom she had picked
out OF the streets as an obscure cavalry
subaltern and with whom she alter
mated In ruling Russia. Potenlkln was
her hairy lover, her prince charming,
fraetious child who would not wash
behind his ears, her grand opera basSo.
BY turns he bossed her and kowtoWed
to her, he yelled at her and kissed
her hand, he ignored her and called her
hahyish and insinuating names, he
puzzled her and frightened her. She
knew him, she loved him, and she was
afraid Of him.
Catherine could be a fish.cold despot,
she could also be gracious and dazzling
She proceeded to dazzle John Paul
Jones 1t was easy she was q woman,
monarch, the mistress of an efful-
gent court. He was not proof against
any one Of these, let alone the COM
hined trio,
For q fortnight he was feastad, pet
hands of fiattery, The most preten-
tious mobiles, the most seasoned Veter-
ans of war and diplomacy called on him
and treated him as en- equal and a
savior. His cool Scotch head began to
swim. His Caledonian caution melted
in the warm, scented currents of
Tsarskoe -6elee, 'Je me laissai seduire
IT let myself be seduced," he con-
fessed so much so that he forgot the
stipulations he had intended TO make
against dividing the Black Sea com"
mand with the Prince OF Nassau-siegen.
"
WHEN Admiral Jones. as he was now
w called, started for Kherson,, over
1000 miles distant, he drove night and
dav. with his customary disregard for
his body, until he tired of the vehicle
and resorted to relays Of horses. He
had hecome used to horseback riding
in Virginia. and he now pushed ahead
at the rate OF 90 miles every ~ hours.
He stopped for rest only at Moscow,
Tula, Khursk and EkaterinoSlav. At
the last place he faced Potemkin for
the first time in an ofiic!al interview
potemkin pushed aside his usual late
breakfast OF smoked goose, washed down
with wine, to receive the celebrated
Scotoh-Amerlcan
10 read of the performances Of this
fantastic CyclopS Is to realize the essen
who stalk through the pages of Tolstoi,
Gogol, DostoieVski and Chekhov. Po-
tefnkin was not only Q creature OF his
period; he was Russia itselt-barharou
unholy Russia Of the eighteenth century
He was part loafer, part actor. part
genius and part obscene priest. He was
at one moment man OF assumed learn
ing and an affahle eourtier; at another
he received mobiles and bishops In his
ehirt.tail. with his hairy legs bare. He