The Sun. — 1840-04-14 (London, England)

LONDON, TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 1840.  LITERATURE.  MEMOIRS OP THE PRINCESS DASCHKAW 2 YOLS• • Colburn, London, 1840. The Princess Daschkaw, a Russian lady of ancient descent, and of a bold and intriguing spirit, who figured about the middle of the' last century, is now only remembered for the part she took in that remarkable revolution which precipitated 'Peter the Third from the throne of Russia, and elevated instead his wife, Catherine the Second. This revolution, which took place in the year 1762, was brought about chiefly by the adroit management of the Princess Daschkaw, who contrived to win over all the troops in St. Petersburgh, the higher orders of the clergy, and most of the great officers of state. In this autobiographical narrative, the Princess tells us that the change was one absolutely necessary to the best interests'of the country ; and she is right in her assertion, for a monarch more unfit to reign than Peter the Third—more dissipated and extravagant in his habits, more regardless of his people's welfare, and more tyrannical in liis nature—never yet ascended a throne. In the volumes before us, we have many curious anecdotes of him ; but the circumstances attending his murder, which occurred a few weeks after his deposition, are very briefly glanced at, the Princess contenting herself with just declaringher conviction that Catherine was in no way Privy to it. Now this assertion we wholly disbelieve, for it is not to be imagined for an instaat that the Empress's favourites, the Orloffs, would have dared to venture on such an extreme step as putting her husband to death, without having previously assured themselves of her acquiescence in th 3 step. But the Princess Daschkaw is not very scrupulous, whenever Catherine is the subject of her comments. She professes to hare held her throughout life in the highest reverence and admir:tion, notwithstanding her shameless incontinence, her reckless ambition, her profuse extravagance, and her atrocious foreign wars, which were invariably undertaken without the slightest regard to justice, or the law of nations. We therefore place little or no reliance on the estimate formed of Catherine the Second's character in these volumes, except indeed as regards her intellect, which it is scarcely possible, for even such a zealous partizan as the Princess, to overrate. But though, as a work of authority, we hold these Memoirs very cheap, it is but fair to state that they relate many anecdotes which we doubt not are authentic, and some of which are of an exceedingly diverting character. We subjoin two, relating to the Emperor Peter, and the Empress Anne, of Russia : " It is well known that, during the reign of Peter the First, it was the custom of that tyrant to punish those Nobles who offended him, by an imperial order that they should become fools; from which moment the unfortunate victim, however endowed with intellect, instantly became the laughing-stock of the whole Court; he had the privilege of saying everything he chose, at the peril, however, of being kicked or horsewhipped, without daring) to offer any sort of retaliation ; everything he did was ridiculed, his complaints treated as jests, and his sarcasms sneered at and commented on, as marvellous proofs of understanding in a fool. The Empress Anne surpassed this abominable cruelty, but sometimes mingled in her practices so much of oddity, that it was impossible not to be entertained. Once she decreed that a certain Prince should become a hen, to punish him for some trifling misdemeanour; and for this purpose she ordered a large basket, stuffed with straw, and hollowed into a nest, with a quantity of eggs inside, to be placed conspicuously in one of the principal rooms at Court. The Prince was condemned, on pain of death, to sit upon this nest, and render himself to the last degree ridiculous by imitating the cackling of a hen."