COXe’s TRAVELS IN RUSSIA.

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empire, to his friendfhip for the King of Pruffia, which however their defires for peacewould have made them not only put up with, but approve.

Several other little circumftances greatly exaggerated, and artfully reprefented andimproved, contributed to the fall of this unhappy Prince, who had many excellentqualities, and who never did a violent or cruel action in the courfe of his fhort reign;but who, from an abhorrence of bufmefs, owing to a bad education, and the unhappychoice of favourites, who encouraged him in it, let every thing run into confufion, andby a miftaken notion he had conceived of having fecured the affeftions of the nation,by the great favours he had fo nobly bellowed upon them after his firft mounting thethrone, fell into an indolence and fecurity that proved fatal to him. To conclude, notonly 1, but feveral perfons of fenfe and difcernment, thought they could perceive,latterly, in this Prince, a confiderable* change from what he was for fome months afterhis acceftion, and the perpetual hurry in which he lived, and the flattery he met withfrom the vile people about him, had in fame meafure affedted his underflanding. : Imull own, that I had no apprehenfion that this revolution could happen fo foon; butI was always of opinion, that, if he left his dominions, he ran a riik of never returningto them ; and for that reafon I made ufe of every means I could think of to divert himfrom that expedition, fometimes by reprefenting the danger to others, who had thehonour'to approach his perfon, and a title to offer him their advice ; whether they didtheir duty in this point, particularly Prince George, I cannot fay, but if they did, theevent has fhewn that it was all to no purpofe.

July 2-13. Laft night, about 10 o’clock, I received a meffage from the mailer ofthe ceremonies, defiring me to be at court this morning at eleven ; and having gonethither accordingly found great numbers of people, and among!! the reft, my brethrenthe foreign minifters, and we were foon after carried into the Emprefs’s apartments,and prefented to her by the chancellor : in kifling Her Imperial Majefty’s hand, I tookthe opportunity of wifhing her a happy reign, and of making her a proper complimentin the King’s name, which was kindly received, and returned in very handfome terms,and, upon the whole, my reception was very good.

I could obferve the countenances of fome of my brethren eonfiderably changed forthe better, particularly thofe of the Danilh envoy, and of the imperial ambaffador;a-propos to the laft orders have already been Tent to the Count Czernichef, forthwithto leave the Pruffian army, and return into Ruflia'; at the fame time, orders werelikewife difpatched to General Panin, to go and take the command of General Roman-zow’s army, and bring it back likewife into Ruflia ; all this gives fome people the no-tion, that this court may have entertained fome thoughts of keeping the whole, or fomepart of that country, notwithftandingthe'late peace.

There was likewife a good deal of difference to be obferved in the faces of the cour-tiers, fome for the better, fome for the worfe-; thofe who feeined to make the moftImportant figure, were the Hetman, Monf. Panin, and that gentleman Monf. Orlow,■who is mentioned in the former part of this letter ; he is made knight of St. Alexander,and chamberlain. Amongft the ladies, the Princefs of Dafhkow was diftinguilhed bythe order of St. Catharine, the Emprefe having given her the ribband fhe wore herfelfbefore fhe put on the Blue. Her father and filter are under confinement in Count Ro-moinzow’s houfe. It is faid that the Emperor, in making his terms, defired only three•things, his own life, and grace for his favourite lady, and for his Adjutant BrigadierGodowitz, who is likewife under arreft. There have been feveral promotions made,particularly of new fenators, in which number the vice-chancellor is ; but I refer myfelf.to my next, in which I fhall tranfmit the moftexadt lift I fhall be able to procure.

Prince