1821,] 



unwise politicians, the Eiiglisli minis- 

 ters, have incurred, and might have 

 escaped, bad they not used so dishonour- 

 ably that respectable officer, Sir Robert 

 "Wilson. I am giving a just statement 

 of the opinions of all that 1 iiave taken 

 the pains to consult; and can record it 

 ■with truth, that his dismissal was consi- 

 dered an infiingement on the privileges 

 of military society ; and that in that 

 transaction more attention was paid to 

 the true spite of a party spirit, merely 

 l)olitical, than to the authority of the 

 laws, which alone should have given it 

 birth ; and, farther, that it was trampling 

 down the very essence of justice, — that 

 it was attacking tlw English constitu- 

 tion in front, — striking at the founda- 

 tions, — attempting to turn the opera- 

 tion of principles fixed in the centre of 

 it against itself. What was it but 

 to all niankind marking, branding, or 

 distinguishing, the military genius ainl 

 character as adapted to a race of men 

 the most abject in the eyes of virtuous 

 citizens, — that of vile mercenaries? 



I submitted in silence to the loss of 

 my military rank and property ; and 

 malevolence itself, however unsuflerably 

 strained, could find no fault with my 

 conduct. 1 frequently was accustomed 

 to go to Villeiranche, where my mother 

 was born, and where I possessed the 

 Dioiety of a house that I wished to dis- 

 pose of; to supply, by some means of 

 industry, the loss of my half-pay. It 

 was easy, however, to throw me into 



Unpublished Lellcrs of Catherine II, 3 j 5 



JRumjauzow began his military career 

 during tlie seven-years' war ; and pos- 

 sessed the eonlidenue of the successive 

 sovereigns of Russia, Elizabeth Pe- 

 trowna and Peter III. On the acces- 

 sion of Catherine, however, Rumjanzow, 

 who had been destined to the commanU 

 of the army against the Danes, was 

 removed lor a tune; and, imagining that 

 he had fallen into disgrace, he requested 

 permission to retire Irom the army. But 

 Catherine could not afford losing so 

 valuable an ollieer, whose merit her 

 quick eye had already taught her to 

 appreciate. She Iheretore on thisouca- 

 sion wrote the following letter to 

 him: — 



Mr. General Rninjanzow ; I have re- 

 ceived your letter, in winch you request 

 yoiir dismissal. I have considered that I 

 must necessarily come to an understanding 

 with you, and open to yon my thoughts, of 

 wliich you seem to be entirely ignorant. 

 Yuu judge of me by the old practice, by 

 wliieli personality ever superseded the 

 qualities and the merit of every individual- 

 and iinagme that your preceding favours 

 will now be a reproach to you, and » 

 means tor your enemies to s;rengthen 

 themselves against you. But permit me 

 to tell you, that yuu know rae but little. 

 Come here, if your health permits it; you 

 will be received with all the distiuetiou 

 due to your rank and the services you 

 have rendered to your country. But do 

 not imagine that 1 wish to keep you, by 

 this letter, m the service against your in- 

 elinatiou : 1 am tar from having such a 

 thought. Not only every general of long 



the Provost's Court, under some pretext service, but every Russian nobleman, may 

 of caballing: ; and a determination was dispose at his pleasure of his service and 



taken to arrest me, not atTrevoux, but 

 at A'^illefranche. 



(To be continued.) 



For the Monthly Magazine. 



UNPUBLISHED LETTERS of tlie EMPRESS 



CATHERINE II. between the YEARS 



17G3 and 17G8. 

 rB'^HESE letters, the greater part of 

 M. which are from the pen of this 

 celebrated woman, were addressed to 

 Count Rumjanzow, during the most 

 eventful [jerjod of her reign. They 

 display, more than any other do- 

 cument that has come to our know- 

 ledge, lur real policy and designs. 

 Like Queen Elizabeth, she knew 

 how to select the ablest men for 

 the execution of her great purposes: 

 and like her, — jierliaps in a still greater 

 degree, — she understood the secret of 

 captivating their minds and hearts, in 

 onler to make them as pliable as she 

 could wisli^ 



reliiemeiit ; and, far from wishing to cur- 

 tail this prerogative, 1 shall take every op- 

 portunity to slrengihen it. But this I 

 write only that we may understand each 

 other, and you may clearly see my inten- 

 tion. VV hen, at the Inne that another was 

 sent in your place, eircuuistances seemed 

 ill confu-ion, (and indeed were so,) which 

 perhaps induced you to suspect tiiat I en- 

 tertained mistrust towards you, it must Iw 

 ascribed to those circumstauces, which are 

 now past, and of which not a trace has 

 remained in my mind. Therefore, in ex- 

 pectation of another letter from you, in 

 wliicli you will tull us, whether yon wish 

 to fulfil the ardent desire of your whole 

 family to see you, or whether you adhere 

 to the subject of your former letter, I 

 shdll lemain, in either case, unchangeably 

 your well-atfected Catherine. 



Moscow ; Jmi. 13, 1763. 



Autograph. 

 Mr. General K. — From your letter of 

 the Jlst of January, I see that you hope 

 soon to return here. Seeing your inten- 



tida 



