Monthly Review of Literature, 



[JAN. 



thrashing their wives. Catherine wished to 

 put an end to this practice, and could not ven- 

 ture to forbid it absolutely. To avoid offend- 

 ing the aristocracy, and at the same time to 

 ensure her object, she ingeniously contrived 

 a decree, by which it was ordered, that no man 

 should beat his wife till after ten o'clock, at 

 which hour she well knew the nobles were all 

 in bed, as they generally supped between six 

 and seven, and retired about nine. This ad- 

 mirable contrivance, says the writer, produced 

 all the effect that could be wished, and led to 

 a salutary improvement of manners in Russia. 

 From Russia the author goes to the Court 

 of Denmark, and the whole story of Matilda, 

 our late king's sister, is gone over again. The 

 melancholy fate of the princess is attributed 

 exclusively to the malignity of Juliana, the 

 queen dowager. Through her instigation it 

 was, that jealousy was excited between her 

 son and Matilda, for the purpose of separating 

 them, and securing her own authority. Brandt 

 was implicated solely to cut off his evidence 

 against herself. On the execution of Struensee 

 and Brandt, and the exile of Matilda, Chris- 

 tian being now in a state of insanity Juliana 

 seized the reins, and held them till her grand- 

 son compelled her to resign them. For a 

 time papers were sent for signature, to the 

 poor king, till one day he wrote Christian VII. 

 by the grace of God, king of Denmark, &c. 

 in company with Juliana Maria and others, 

 by the grace of the devil. 



The Court of Sweden opens a fine field for 

 the indulgence of the writer's propensities. 

 In her mind, the illegitimacy of G-ustavus IV. 

 is indisputable. Gustavus III. having, against 

 his inclination, married a Danish princess, 

 refused to see her after the ceremony, and the 

 young bride not choosing this is the lady's 

 language to adopt the suggestion of Louis 

 XV. who, on receiving from his sister, the 

 Duchess of Parma, a complaint that her hus- 

 band had acted in a similar respectful man- 

 ner, told her highness, that a prudent princess 

 could never stand in need of an heir. 



Ulrica, therefore, perfectly aware of the exacti- 

 tude of her daughter's (Sophia Albci tina) religious 

 observance of the sacred command increase and 

 multiply prevailed on the princess no longer to 

 destine the fruits of her labours to her brother's 

 army, but to set aside the next comer as a future 

 candidate for his throne. This advice she urged 

 the rather, perceiving the lady abbess (Sophia 

 Albertina) to be then in a promising way ; and, to 

 insure success, she persuaded her daughter in law, 

 to affect a virtue which she had not, and counter- 

 feit both the appearance and the conceits of preg- 

 nancy, &c. All went on precisely as might be 

 wished. The important fact of the duchess being 

 enceinte, was hailed by the rejoicing populace 

 with every demonstration of satisfaction, &c. 

 Meanwhile the " real Simon Pure" lived in com- 

 plete retirement, tot.illy secluded from the prying 

 eye of impertinent curiosity. Among the gentle- 

 men whom Sophia had occasionally honoured with 

 her favourable notice was one of African origin. 

 It may be thought strange by some that the prin- 

 cess should have exhibited this specimen of had 



taste, and still stranger that she should not have 

 been aware that the result of such a liaison could 

 not possibly answer the end proposed by the queen. 

 She might probably have placed some small con- 

 fidence in what blind chance might effect. Cer- 

 tain, at any rate, it is, that while the anticipate ve 

 fetes and prayers were goingjon, while the queen- 

 mother was lauding her two obedient children, 

 and while the tick lady was assiduously fainting 

 in public places, as becomes ladies in her sup- 

 posed condition, an event occurred of a nature to 

 overthrow all the plans of the conspirators the 

 Princess Sophia was rather prematurely brought 

 to bed of a black child a complete woolly-headed 

 monster. What was to be done? This, as was 

 plain, could never be attempted to be palmed upon 

 the Swedish nation, however passive and comply- 

 ingand in a fit of absolute despair, the enraged 

 mother, who had calculated on giving birth to a 

 future monarch, is said to have got rid both of the 

 object of her own shame, and her mother's disap- 

 pointment, by consigning the unlocked for intruder 

 to the flames. 



This is too absurd and too horrible for be- 

 lief we quote it to shew the tone of the wri- 

 ter, and how little worthy of credit she appears 

 to be. But she has another story the object 

 of which is to make us believe that Gustavus 

 himself conducted to his wife's chamber, Count 

 de Munck, who was the real father of his suc- 

 cessor, Gustavus IV. 



A long account follows, of the career of 

 Count Erval Fersan the Swedish ambassa- 

 dor at Paris, in 1792, who procured the pass- 

 ports for the royal family, on their flight. 

 The Count escaped from Paris with difficulty, 

 and returned to Sweden, where he was made 

 governor of Upsal. In the usurpation of the 

 Duke of Sudermania he acquiesced for a time, 

 till the usurper excluded the son of Gustavus 

 IV. from the succession, and named the 

 Prince of Augustenberg, his son-in law. 

 Against this appointment Fersan remonstra- 

 ted, and being repulsed, summoned his friends 

 and made an attempt to replace Gustavus. 

 In this attempt he perished and in the skir- 

 mish Prince Augustenberg also was killed. 

 This event gave rise to the nomination of 

 Bernadotte, which, as well as the expulsion 

 of Gustavus, the writer attributes to the in- 

 trigues of Bonaparte. The evidence, notwith- 

 standing, that Bonaparte was hostile to Ber- 

 nadotte's wishes, is, we believe, good. 



The Court of Prussia comes next but 

 filthy stories not being quite so numerous, the 

 accounts are comparatively short. A tale is 

 told of a page displeasing Frederick, and being 

 consequently dispatched to the guard-house 

 with a sealed note, containing an order to 

 give the bearer twenty -five lashes. The boy, 

 suspecting all was not right, gave the note to 

 one of the king's rich jew bankers, going that 

 way, who received the infliction in his stead, 

 and was compelled by the serjeant to give a 

 receipt for the same, in the register. " You 

 must give us a receipt," says the serjeant, 

 " for what yon have taken, which I must re- 

 gister in a book we keep for the purpose, and 

 send the original to-morrow, to his majesty, 



