CATHARINE II. 



Cthifine con-.tfmation. Peter was for the present secure from 



thrir power, and the first step of thrir design was 



*^ Y ^" ' frustrated. But all was not lost. They were only 



driven to h,vtrn their measures, and they di-tcrmined, 

 that very night, before the C/.ar eoulti In- informed 

 of their proceedings, or take any steps for preventing 

 n, to carry Catharine to Petmburgfoj and pro- 

 claim her sovereign of all the Russias. 



Catharine, under pretence of leaving the apart- 

 ments of the palace free for the approaching festival, 

 hut in reality with a view of facilitating her escape 

 to Sweden should her plot fail, had retired to a re- 

 mote summer-house, called Montplaisir, situated at 

 the extremity of the garden on the shore of the gulf. 

 Here she hnd concerted with her associates the mea- 

 sures which were to be pursued, and remained in 

 quiet expectation of the result. But about two 

 o'clock in the morning, she was aroused from a pro- 

 found sleep by the unexpected entrance of a soldier, 

 who delivered a note from the Princess Dashkof, and 

 said, " your majesty has not a moment to lose, get 

 ready to follow me." Catharine was at first thun- 

 derstruck, but immediately recollecting herself, and 

 summoning all her resolution, she disguised her dress 

 so as to elude the observation of the sentinels about 

 the palace, and with her attendant Ivanovna hastened 

 to the carriage, which Alexius Orlof, one of the 

 conspirators, had ready at the garden gate. They 

 set off at full speed, and after some interruption, ar- 

 rived safe at Petersburgh by seven in the morning. 

 A small band of soldiers hailed her arrival with joy- 

 ful acclamation ; and swore to die in her defence. 

 Others soon followed their example, and in a few 

 hours, the whole city was in motion. The troops 

 declared their allegiance on a crucifix ; and in the 

 midst of a vast concourse of spectators, Catharine 

 was crowned, in the church of Kasan, by the Arch- 

 bishop of Novgorod, who proclaimed her sovereign 

 of all the Russias, and declared Paul Petrovitch her 

 successor in the empire. The Te Deum which follow- 

 ed was accompanied by the shouts of the multitude ; 

 and when Catharine returned to the palace, crowds 

 of the inhabitants flocked thither to take the oath of 

 fidelity, among whom were many of the principal 

 nobility, who cheerfully joined their homage to that 

 of the multitude. 



Thus was a most important revolution effected 

 without bloodshed ; and before the evening, Catharine 

 saw herself in possession of a well fortified capital, a 

 devoted populace, and 15,000 chosen troops. But 

 of the consequences of this revolution ; the de- 

 thronement and murder of Peter III. ; the assassina- 

 tion of the unfortunate Ivan ; and those wise and vi- 

 gorous measures, by which she supported her usur- 

 pation, extended the boundaries of her empire, and 

 raised it to its highest glory, we must refer for a 

 particular account to the article RUSSIA. Instead, 

 therefore, of anticipating here what will be more pro- 

 perly introduced under that head, we shall only ob- 

 serve, that her policy, in almost every instance, was 

 dictated by a spirit of ambition and vanity, which 

 often led her to promote or to sacrifice the happi- 

 ness and interest of her subjects according as it suit- 

 ed her own views of aggrandisement. The object of 

 all her public conduct 'vas the advancement of her 

 own fame. To this end her attention and exertions 

 were continually directed. She affected to imitate 





and rival the moit illustrioui deeds of former mo- Catharine 

 narclis, and was incessantly engaged in measures " 



might attract the reverence and admiral; ~""~ 



wot!*!. She laboured, like Fred.-rick of Primi*. 



r her capital the seat of i and tin- 



sciences ; she encouraged commerce and manufac- 

 tures ; reformed abuses in the state ; and cherished, 

 to the end of her life, the favourite ;md mighty ; 

 jcct of expelling the Turk* from Europe, and of 

 reigning in the ancient capital of the eastern empire. 

 But notwithstanding all her exertions for promo- 

 ting the welfare of her people, the system of favourit- 

 ism, by which her government was administered, 

 often proved most destructive to thrir happiness. 

 This system had been followed by the former em- 

 press, and was strengthened by the nature of Catha- 

 rine's situation. She had usurped a throne, and her 

 accomplices aspired to become her equals. From 

 these some of her principal favourites were chosen ; 

 but others were merely fortunate adventurers, chiefly 

 distinguished for their beauty and accomplishments. 

 Of the former, the chief was Gregory Orlof, a man 

 of rough expression and brutal manners ; and among 

 the latter, was Potemkin, whose splendid talents, 

 elegant manners, and military exploits, are still re- 

 membered in Russia with enthusiasm. Whoever en- 

 joyed the protection of the reigning favourite, could 

 exercise the most undisguised tyranny and injustice. 

 Every dependent was a petty despot, who could 

 trample upon his inferiors, and violate the laws with 

 impunity ; and thus her administration, which, with- 

 in the immediate circle of her own influence, was 

 mild and temperate, was at a distance arbitrary and 

 oppressive. 



Catharine, from the commencement of her reign, 

 was almost constantly engaged with schemes of fo- 

 reign aggrandisement ; and during a long and pros- 

 perous life, she annexed to her dominions, by her 

 arms or by intrigue, the Crimea, the Kuban, and 

 part of the frontiers of Turkey; Courland, and Se- 

 migallia ; and nearly one half of Poland, besides im- 

 mense tracts of country in northern Asia, She had 

 also penetrated into Persia, and taken Derbent ; and 

 by her treaty with Great Britain and Austria iu 

 1795, called the " triple alliance," she looked with 

 confidence to the conquest of Constantinople. But 

 she was stopt in her ambitious career by a fit of apo- 

 plexy, which carried her off on the 10th of Novem- 

 ber 1796. On the morning of the preceding day 

 she was in good spirits, and having taken her coffee, 

 had retired to her closet : but remaining longer than 

 usual, her attendants were alarmed, and upon enter- 

 ing her apartment, found her lying speechless on 

 the floor ! Dr Rogerson her physician, being imme- 

 diately called, ordered her to be bled, which gave 

 her some relief, but she lingered only until the fol- 

 lowing evening, when she expired in the 66th year 

 of her age, and the 35th of her reign. Her remains 

 were laid in state by the side of those of her untor- 

 tunate husband, and a true love knot, which reached 

 from one coffin to the other, bore this inscription in 

 Russ characters, " Divided iu life united in death." 

 They were then deposited in the same tomb, in the 

 church of St Alexander Nefsky. 



Catharine was of a middle stature, rather inclined 

 to corpulency, and well proportioned ; but her erect 

 walk and dignity of demeanour gave her a tall ap- 



