Retrospect of French Literatwre—Miscellanies. 
his wife, as well as books for his daugh- 
ter. The long dismal evenings wefe de- 
dicated to the instruction of. Elizabeth, 
and while, seated between her pareuts, 
she frequently read to. them passages of 
history. Springer arrested her attention 
in regard to those incidents. which were 
caleulated to elevate her mind, while 
Phedra dwelt on all the tender sentiments 
that could solten it. The one exhibited 
to her all the charms of glory and of he- 
roism, the other pointed out the deli- 
ciousness of pious sentiments and mo- 
dest goodness. Her father inculcated all 
that was grand and sublime in virtue; her 
mother all that was amiable and con- 
svlatory in it: the first taught her how it 
ought to be revered; the. second, how it 
ought to be cherished. From this con- 
currence of cares resulted a character re- 
plete with courage and sensibility, which, 
by uniting the extraordinary energy of 
Springer with the angelical softness of 
Phedra, rendered, her noble, lofty, and 
full of honour, while she was, at the 
same time, tender, beneficent, and de- 
vout, ; } 
“ Educated amidst these savage fo- 
rests from four years of age, the young 
Elizabeth was unacquainted with any 
other country, and she there beheld and 
enjoyed those beauties which nature has 
scattered about, even in the most sterile 
countnes, as well, as those pleasures 
which innocent minds chery where 
enjoy. 
‘She at. times amused herself by as- 
cending the rocks that surrounded the 
lake, to obtain possession of the eggs of 
the hawk and the white vulture, which 
constructed their nests there during the 
summer. She often caught the wood- 
pigeons with her nets, and kept them in 
an aviary 5 she fished for carp, which with 
their shining scales, spread in shoals over 
each other, appeared at once to traverse 
and wradiate the waters. 
« Never, during the whole of her happy 
childhood, did it once enter her mind, that 
there could be a lot more fortunate than 
her own. Her health was fortified by 
the open air, her growth promoted Ly ex- 
ercise, and on her countenance, where 
peace and innocence reposed, some new 
grace was daily unfolded, Thus, far 
distant from the world, and mankind, 
the young virgin. increased in beauty, 
under the eyes of her parents, like the 
flower of the, desert, which never dis- 
closes itself but in the presence of the 
sun, while its colours are no less lively, 
although it.can only be contemplated by. 
i 4 
675 
that luminary, to which it is indebted for 
its life.” 
But the happiness of this fair heroine 
was not fated to be of long duration. As 
she grew up, the settled melancholy on 
the face of her father, as well as the tears’ 
ot her kind and tender mother, 
frequentiy witnessed to escape her, no- 
tice. Elizabeth possessed too’ much sen- 
sibility not to. be affected; but she could 
not obtain a complete disclosure of the 
cause of their grief. Without any sor- 
rows, strictly speaking, of her own, she 
now, in her turn, became unhappy; she 
accordingly relinquished all those inno~ 
cent pleasures that had afforded so much 
consolation; her birds and her flowers 
were forgotten, and she was constantly 
absorbed in meditation. 
The idea of the deliverance of her pa- 
rents, and their return to the world, nagy 
occupied her mind, both day and night $ 
but she concealed it from them,’ and 
mused upon it in silent sorrow. ‘This 
romantic young woman had conceived 
the idea of acting the part of a deliverer, 
and was not in the least intimidated by 
the deserts that were to be passed, the 
dangers that were to be experienced, and, 
what was still more affecting than either, 
the sorrows attendant on a’separation, 
“ Yes!” exclaims she, ‘4 1) must bes 
gone! I must snateh myself from the 
arms of my fond parents, travel on foot 
to St. Petersburgh, and there solicit the 
pardon of my father!’ 
“« Such was the bold design,” continues 
Madaine Cottin, “ which “she had con- 
ceived; such was the rash enterprise 
with which this young» maiden was 
not, in the’ least,” terrified —It was in 
vain that great obstacles at times pre- 
sented themselves to, her eyes-—the force 
of her inclination; the’ courage of her 
heart; togetber with her unshaken confi- 
dence in God, reassured and whispered 
her, that she should finally triumph over 
them all.” 
To almost any other female, such a 
design would have appeared impracti- 
eable; but a gleam of hope was excited 
in Elizabeth’s bosom, by an adventure 
that might have appeared to a less ro- 
mantic person, to have been utterly in- 
adequate to the fulfilment of her wishes, 
It is necessary to infonm the reader, 
that her father had, been, rescued some 
time before from the most. imminent pe- 
ril, while in chace of a bear, by the son 
of M, de Smoloft, governor of Tobolsk, 
who, at a very critical moment, had 
rushed to his assistance. - ’'rom that ea, 
ro 
were too 
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