412 



Monthly Review of Literature, 



[April, 



turned round to the expecting crowd. The com- 

 manding officer who had behaved so harshly, 

 though of a good family, and a prince in rank, was 

 »£ty severely reprunanded ; while the brave warrior, 

 whom he had unjustly persecuted, was reinstated in 

 his former post, and, besides, had a considerable 

 present from his Emperor. 



The ensuing anecdote has in point of 

 taste no parallel in history with wliich we 

 are acquainted. The nearest story in taste 

 is one told by ililian, and is nearly as fol- 

 lows : — Artaxerxes IMnemon was travelling 

 attended by his court, and unexpectedly ap- 

 peared near a Persian traveller called Siiiwtes, 

 who was far from home, and wholly unpro- 

 vided with gifts, which, according to the 

 custom of the east, should be presented to 

 his king. Respect for the laws, and love 

 for his king, filled him with anxiety : he 

 however hastened to the river Cyrus, 

 filled tiie hollow made by his hands with 

 water, and thus addressed the king : " Ar- 

 taxerxes, reign for ever ! that thou mayest 

 not pass by ungifted, I pay my duty with 

 sucli materials, and hi such a manner, as my 

 case admits : I pay my duty with water 

 from the Cyrus. Should your majesty 

 deign to approach my dwelling, 1 hope to 

 offer the best and ricliest gifts in my posses- 

 sion." Artaxerxes, filled with delight, an- 

 swered Sinaetes thus : " I accept your gift 

 with pleasure ; I prize it more than the 

 most splendid offerings : first, because 

 water is, in itself, the most excellent of all 

 things ; and then because this water bears 

 the name of Cyius." The monarch or- 

 dered his attendants to receive the water in 

 a golden cup ; sent Sinffites a robe of honom- 

 and a thousand darics, and ordered his 

 messenger to say, " The king commands 

 thee from this cup to recreate thine own 

 soul, as thou didst recreate his, nor didst 

 suffer him to pass ungifted and unlionoured, 

 but honouredst him as place luid time per- 

 mitted." 



Nothing in point of refinement can exceed 

 that tale. The following equals it, an^ is 

 more impressive, because the subject if of 

 greater importance. 



No one ever understood better than he did, how 

 to confer a favour in a graceful manner, and to 

 double the value of a gift, by the manner in which 

 Jt was bestowed. 



When he announced to the brave Kutusoff his 

 ele\'ation to the rank of Prince of Sraolensko, for 

 his services during the campaign of 1812, against 

 the French, he sent with his letter a most valuable 

 jewel, taken from the Imperial Crown, as a tri\jute 

 to the valour of a man by whom it had been so ably 

 defended. He directed the vacancy thus occasioned 

 to be filled up with a small goU plate, on which was 

 inscribed the name of Kutusoff ! 



The following will convey some idea, not 

 only of the increasing importance of Odessa, 

 but also of the activity pervading the Rus- 

 sian empire ; and may lead us to reflect to 

 what the power might have risen, under so 

 diligent and capable a ruler as Alexander. 



" Odessa continued to improve rapidly, and had 

 (Iiexdy above two thousand stone housei, and about 



fifteen thousand inhabitants, and on the 7th of June, 

 four hundred merchantmen were in the roads. In 

 the Baltic a beginning was made to form a spacious 

 harbour near Reval, calculated to contain thirty 

 ships of the line. Large sums were employed oh 

 the foundation of schools in all parts of the empire, 

 and wealthy subjects followed the example of the 

 government. The number of military schools was 

 fixed to ten, in which three thousand young noble- 

 men were to be educated for officers. They were 

 divided into fifteen companies, of two hundred each. 

 The new imiversity of Charkow was opened on the 

 2'.Uh of Jan\iary, and a revenue of 130,000 rubles 

 assigned to it." 



Mr. Lloyd, in his account of the invasion 



of Russia by Napoleon, does not enter into 

 the details of the miserable destruction of 

 Napoleon's army, but itgives afine andrapid 

 accoiuit of the preparations of a great king- 

 dom, of tl;e enthusiasm of whole nations, of 

 the patriotic disinterestedness of individuals, 

 and at the same time pourtrays the leading 

 characteristics of the Russian people. The 

 conduct of the Emperor surpasses all pi'aise, 

 whether we consider his prudential mea- 

 sures, his firmness in the choice of ministers 

 and chieftains, his moderation and pacific 

 inclination, and lastly liis inugnanimity and 

 valour. Napoleon entered Russia uttering 

 the following nonsense : " Fatality hurries 

 on the Russians — let the destinies be ac- 

 complished." 



Belshazzar could not have made a more 

 empty and impious vaunt. Alexander, on 

 hearing that his invader had reached Smo- 

 lensk, is related to have thus spoken. The 

 reader may compare the two speeches. 



It was at this interview with the Crown Prince 

 that the news of the entrance of the French into 

 Smolensk arrived, on receiving which Alexander 

 pledged himself, never to sign a treaty of peace with 

 Napoleon while he was on Russian ground. " Should 

 St. Petersburg be taken," said he, " I will retire into 

 Siberia. I will then resume our ancient customs, 

 and like our long-bearded ancestors, will return 

 anew, to conquer the empire." — " This resolution," 

 exclaimed the Crown Prince, " will liberate Eu- 

 rope." 



The following is a sensible remark on the 

 biuning of Moscow : — 



Whatever may have been the origin of the con- 

 flagr:ition, it destroyed all the splendid expectations 

 which had been founded on the possession of Moscow ; 

 it filled the French and their adherents with dismay, 

 nor did. they ever after recover from the shock. 

 What could induce Napoleon to remain six weeks 

 in a place, which, as he himself afterwards declared, 

 had now neither political nor military importance, 

 has never been explained, nor, as far as I know, at- 

 tempted to be so. His conduct, in this respect, 

 seemed so extraordinary, that it was even pretended 

 the shock had affected his understanding. 



The weakest known trait in the public 

 character of Alexander was his admiration 

 and declared friendsliii)for Napoleon. That 

 Napoleon had the power of winning the 

 affections of men no one can doubt ; neither 

 can there be a doubt of its being the French 

 Emperor's interest to win Alexander. It 

 is said, that gratitude excited in Alexander 

 those feelings whicli injured Europe, and 



