"An impartial obferver who saw the emprefs in 1772 and 1773, defcribes her in the following manner: "She is of that flature which is neceffarily requifite to perfect elegance of form in a lady. She has fine large blue eyes; her eyebrows and hair are of a brownish colour; her mouth is well-proportioned, the chin round, the nofe rather long; the forehead regular and open, her hands and arms round and white, her complexion not entirely clear, and her fhape rather plump than meagre; her neck and bofom high, and the bears her head with peculiar grace and dignity. She lays on, as is univerfally the custom with the fair fex in Ruffia, a pretty strong rouge. She has adopted the ufual habit of the Ruffian ladies as the model of her drefs, which, by fome flight alterations in it, he has fo improved, that it is not only very becoming, but may very properly be deemed an elegant mode of attire. She never puts on rich clothes except on folemn feftivals; when her head and corfet are entirely fet with brilliants; in grand proceffions the wears a crown of diamonds and precious tones. Her gait is majestic; in the whole of her form and manner there is fomething fo dignified and noble, that if the were to be feen, without ornament or any outward marks of diftinction, among a great number of ladies of rank, the would be immediately esteemed the chief. There is withal, in the features of her face and in her looks, an uncommon degree of authority and command. more of livelinefs than gravity. beneficent; outwardly devout. - In her character there is "Her ordinary method of life, in which he has almoft always perfevered, was, at that time, this: about fix o'clock in the morning the emprefs ufually rifes. Frequently, and even in the depth of winter (nay, in the latter years of her life almost commonly) earlier. She ufes, without calling any one, to prepare her own breakfast, and in general she is not fond of being much waited on, and accordingly difpenfes with all attendance on her perfon as much as poffible. The bufinefs of her toilet lafts not long; during which the figns commiffions, orders, and papers of various purport On days when the council does not meet in her apartments, the is bufied alone in the cabinet from eight till eleven in the forenoon; the then usually goes to chapel, where the fervice continues till twelve. From this time till one, fome of the mi nifters nifters of the feveral departments have access to her. After the table is removed, to which the fits down at latett at about half after one, fhe goes to work again for an hour or two, according as bufinefs may require; fhe then walks, rides on horfehack, or goes out in a coach or fledge; and at fix her majesty appears at the play-house, where the performances are alternately in French and Ruffian. If the empress takes her fupper in public (which happens extremely feldom) it never continues later than half after ten; at other times fhe retires at ten. "The only court-day in the whole week, holidays excepted, is Sunday. On this day, in the morning, as the emprefs paffes from chapel to her apartments, the gives the ambassadors and foreigners of rank who have been once prefented, her hand to kifs; likewife fuch perfons as have any petition to prefent, or defire to return thanks for bounties received, are prefented on this day to the emprefs, and kifs her hand, dropping on one knee.-The court begins not till fix o'clock in the evening. At the fame time a ball or concert is ufually given the emprefs never dances, but fits down immediately to cards, having previously told the chamberlain in waiting whom the will have of her party. In autumn 1772, it was commonly the Austrian and Pruffian minifters, and of her own ministers count Razumoffsky, prince Gallitzin, and the two counts Chernicheff. The empress plays at piquet, or fome other game at which she is not obliged to be constantly filent. A femicircle is formed round her card-table, which the ladies begin on the left hand, and the privy-counsellors close on the right. When the empress has finished her game, The gets up and talks indifcriminately with the ladies, generals, and minifters that form the circle. At about ten o'clock, and often earlier, the breaks up her party, and then retires unobserved through a fide-door. What has been here mentioned, relates only to the winter months, when the court is at St. Petersburg. While the empress is at Tzarskofelo there is no court held except on extraordinary feftivals. "Of civil proceffes, criminal and confiftorial causes, the emprefs allows nothing to be referred to her in the hours of the forenoon allotted to confer with the minifter. Yet no perfon can be condemned to death without previous information delivered 10 her: this punishment is almost always commuted or mitigated. But all matters relating to the army, the navy, the finances, to foreign affairs, the taxes, and public buildings, must be reported to her by the chiefs of the feveral departments.-Every one knows that the empress is made acquainted with whatever concerns the adminiftration of government, and acts from herself in all ftate affairs.-As the never interferes in private matters and the family concerns of her household, the has always time enough for business of a pub lic nature; efpecially as the regularly and uniformly apportions the hours of her day to the accurate interchange of writing, converfation, exercise, and company. In conftitution fhe is healthy and robust; her mind is tranquil, cheerful, and always difpofed to business." That we might not be accufed of prejudice against this fingular heroine, we will conclude with an account of her conduct, which fhews great wisdom, and with which the liberal reader will be pleased. "The spirit of toleration that animated the whole of Catharine's adminiftration, was a very remarkable and most singular phænomenon in a defpotic government. Notwithstanding all oppofition, the Emprefs was true to the refolution the formed at the commencement of her reign; and, from that moment to the day of her death, not one inftance occurred of a human being fuffering, in any respect whatever, on account of his religious opinions. Not only the conquered provinces were protected in the free exercise of their religion, but Lutherans, Calvinifts, Moravian brethren, Papifts, Mahomedans, heathens, and people of all countries and perfuafions might afpire to any poft under government, and hold any civil or military employment or dignity, if they were but worthy, or deemed worthy of it. The intolerant of more polished na tions might go to the provinces of Efthonia, Livonia, Finland, and Ruffia, to take leffons of moderation and Christian forbearance. But at Petersburg the general and peculiar feature in the public character is toleration; a virtue which, in fome fenfe, has long fince taken root in the nation at large, but in the refidence, from the confluence of fuch numbers of people of various perfuafions, and the most diverfified fyftems of faith,. of the most diffimilar manners, customs, opinions, and prejudices, has acquired fo general and extenfive a fway, that cer tainly it is not easy to find a spot of earth upon the globe, where, in this respect, a man may more quietly país his days than at St. Petersburg. It is to be understood, moreover, that the word "toleration" is not here confined to that narrow meaning in which it is usually taken in fpeaking of an extorted and commanded forbearance in matters of religion, or of the permiffion for the weaker party to exist by a stated law. The idea here connected with the term includes a voluntary and univerfally diffufed forbearance, in every place, and to wards every perfon, his manner of thinking and acting. It therefore comprehends not only religious, but also political and focial toleration, and is remarkable, not as the characteristic of the form of government, but as entirely that of the public *. "That religious toleration prevails in Ruffia appears plainly hence, that the great and extenfive liberties which the tolerated fects of religion enjoyed under Catharine's protection, no where, either among the populace or the higher claffes, never, even among the clergy, excited the fmalleft difcontent or rivalfhip. Prelates of the Greek church lived with the religious teachers of other confeffions of faith in the most friendly and familiar intercourfe, and invited them to their tables and converfet; Ruffian popes, when not in function themselves, occafionally frequented the worship of the protestants, profecuted their ftudies in Holland, England, and Germany, where they fometimes attended theological lectures. One inftance even occurred of a refpectable Ruffian clergyman giving his daughter to be educated by a Lutheran preacher. Among the laity of the Greek fect of religion, this compatibility naturally pro *Storch, Gemælde von Petersburg, vol. ii. p. 504. The writer of this note recollects with particular pleafure the agreeable hours he has paffed at the monastery of St. Alexander Nefsky, with that excellent and amiable metropo→ litan and archimandrite Gabriel archbishop of St. Petersburg and Novgorod, alfo with Plato archbishop of Mofco, Euge nius bishop of Pultava, Shezronchevitch, the catholic archbishop of Mohilef, Pamphilief her majesty's confeffor, and numbers of the parochial clergy. Nor can he ever forget the hofpitable reception and entertainment he received, on a journey, in the depth of winter, from the bishop of Kargapl, at his monaftery on the banks of the Svir. ceeds farther. They appear not only as invited witnesses and fponfors on folemn occafions, but often, in the churches of the foreigners, readily contribute to the fupport of their churches and schools, put their children to be educated by foreigners, and intermarry with them without hesitation, to whatever communion they may belong. In focial intercourse never was any trace of religious party fpirit difcernible. Conversations in regard to differences in religion were feldom heard; debates on fubjects of that nature, never. Examples of this amiable virtue would have turned to the difgrace of foreigners, had they not ftrove to follow them. But alfo among thefe a mutual toleration and indulgence prevailed, fuch as is but rarely feen even in the most enlightened countries. Clergymen of all religions lived in the greatest harmony, for the most part on an intimate footing. For feveral years the reformed and Lutheran preachers held weekly meetings, in order to confer on matters of religion, and the exercise of their duties, and to keep up their union by familiar converfe*. This laudable circle was alfo vifited at times by fome of the Catholic and Ruffian clergy. Not many years ago, when the place of preacher to the German reformed congregation was vacant, the librarian of the academy of fciences +, who was a Lutheran, and not in orders, for a long time delivered difcourfes from the pulpit; and the English chaplain, on fimilar occafions, has often exhorted the French Calvinist congregation on the festivals of the church. It was not unusual for Lutheran preachers to adminifter the communion to the reformed, and preachers of the latter perfuafion have delivered funeral fermons in Lutheran churches. Nay, it once happened that a Lutheran preacher was fponfor to a Catholic child: as he might eafily, fince the Catholic priest omitted those questions to which the other, according to the system of his church could not anfwer in the affirmative. Foreigners of *Alternately at each other's houfe. They confifted of Mr. Martin Luther Wolff, M. Lampe, M. Grott, M. Reinbott, M. Krokius, M. Reynhold, and the English chaplain. + M. Buffe, editor of the Peterburgifche Journal, and other works. Properly fpeaking, it was on the day after these festivals; otherwile it would have been impoffible. all |