C A T H A R I N E. 
inffruflion to the confidant ; who, in the abfence of the 
emprefs unformed him that he had the honour of pleaf- 
ing. On the next day, he received a vifit from the court- 
phyfician, v\ h.o came to exam ne the ftate of Iris health ; 
and the fame evening lie accompanied her majefty to the 
hermitage, and took, poffellion of the apartment that was 
prepared for hint. It was on making choice .o.f Potemkin, 
that thefe formalities began : (inci which, they were con- 
fian.tly obferved. When a favourite had ceafcd to pleafe, 
there was alio a particular manner of depriving him of his 
place : lie received orders to travel. From that time he 
was forlrdden the tight.of the emprefs: but he was hire 
of finding at his lodging a recompence worthy of the high 
mind of Catharine. The two mod celebrated of thefe 
favourites were count Gregory Or!off, and prince Potem¬ 
kin ; the former was a coarfe and vulgar man, of fur priz¬ 
ing mufc.ular flrength and brutal manners : the other 
(hone with fiome fplendor, and his memory (It 11 .enjoys in 
Ruffia that Port of fame which is attached to couqueds and 
military exploits, The titles and dignities with which 
Catharine ratiier loaded than decorated this favourite, 
were as follows: “ Knght of the principal orders of 
Pruflia, of Sweden, of Poland, and of all the orders of 
Ruflia ; field-ma.rlhal, commander in chief of all the Ruf¬ 
fian armies ; chief general of the cavalry; high-admiral 
of the fleets of the Black Sea, of the fea of Azoff, and of 
the Calpian ; fenator, and prefident of the college of war; 
governor-general of Ekatarinoflauf, and of Taurida ; ad- 
j.utant-general, and affual chamberlain of the emprefs ; ; 
mfpedlor-general of the armies ; colonel of the Prcbagen- 
fkoy guards j chef-du-corps of the hor/e-guards ; colonel 
of the regiment of cuiraffiers of that name, of the dra¬ 
goons of Peterfburgh, and the grenadiers of Ekatarinof- 
iauf; chief of all the workshops of arms and founderies 
.of cannon ; grand hetman of the Coffacks, See.” A date- 
ment flill more curious is that of the fums of money, whiclt 
the lovers of Catharine received from tier during her reign: 
The five brothers Orloff received in lands, 
palaces, jewels, plate, and money 
Vilfenlkv, two months in favour 
Vafiilfchikoff, tw enty-two months in favour 
Piince Potemkin, a fortune eftimated at 
Zavgdotisky, eighteen montlis favourite 
Zoritch, one year 
Korzakoff, fixteen months 
Lanlko’i, about four years 
Yermolauf, fixteen months 
Montonoff, twenty-fix months 
^*lato Zouboff, in place at the death of the 
emprefs - 
Valerian ZoubofF, his brother 
Farther, an annual fum of 250,000 rubles, 
for the expences of the favourite, which, 
for a term of 34 years, make? 
Rubles. 
17,000,000 
300,000 
1,110,000 
50,000,000 
1,380,000 
1,420,000 
920,000 
3,260,000 
550,000 
880,000 
2,700,000 
.800,000 
8,500,000 
Sum total 88,8 20,000 
It was not only in money, jewels, and lands, that they 
received their rewards; but to each eftate were attached 
thoufands of boors, or peafants, and their families. It is 
generally computed that of thefe were given : 
To the family of Orloff 
45,000 
To yaffil fchikoff T 
7,000 
To Zavadoffsky 
- 9,800 
To Korzakoff 
- 4,000 
To Yermolauf 
- 3,oeo 
68,000 boors. 
This fiatemeut does not include thofe given to Potem¬ 
kin, to Lanlko'i, nor to Zouboff, the three favourites whom 
Catharine loved the belt, and to w hom fhe gave the molt. 
She was,in many cafes blinded and duped by thefe,fa¬ 
vourites, notwithftandiog Ihe always kept the power in 
her own hands. In no refpedt was her majelty more de¬ 
ceived by her favourites, than in the tricks which, thro’ 
their connivance, were played by fubdantial lhopkeepers, 
to the injury of the lower data of people. To keep the 
necefiaries of life at a moderate price was one of the things 
that the emprefs had m.oft at heart. lit regard to that 
body of her (objects, (lie particularly (hewed fentiments 
truly maternal ; and it is well known that (lie never en¬ 
quired fo frequently and fo earneftly concerning any of 
the particulars of her domeflic government, as about the 
price of provilions. Accordingly, the accounts that were 
brought were always highly-fatisfaftory, and (he was con¬ 
vinced of no one tlfmg in the world more titan that the 
common people were contented and happy in regard to 
thefe matters. She had no reafon to doubt the truth and 
fin,eerily of die accounts which die received, as her fa¬ 
vourites took .care to prevent any information to the con¬ 
trary from reaching her ears. This opinion was the more 
confirmed by tire cheerful licentioufnefs in which the vul¬ 
gar clafs indulged on all 1 its public feftivals which (fie 
gave. What was (he to conclude from all that (lie-law 
and heard, but that they fared very well, and that, at lea(t, 
they fuffered no oppreffions of this nature ? Befides, in the 
final! ciicle to which the ainufements of her focial hours 
were confined, no (object was more frequently difeuffed 
than the happinefs of even the lowed of her people. ' Of 
thefe converlations, and the delight received by the em¬ 
prefs from the fond conceit in which (lie was encouraged, 
her grandchildren the young grand-dukes and grand-du- 
cheffes, whom fhe tenderly loved, were more than once 
the witneffes, and would have opened the deluded fpve- 
re.ign’s eyes on this lubjeft, if the favourite had not been 
too powerful for them. 
The grand-duke Condantine, fecond fon of the prefent 
emperor Paul Petrovitch, a fine fpirited lad of about fix- 
teen or feventeen at that time, took it into his head to 
enquire into the truth of thefe boafted alfertions. With¬ 
out attendants, quite alone, wrapped up in a great-coat, 
lie ljrolled into the common market, and at one of the 
bread-ftalls took up a little loaf: “ How much ?” “Five 
copeeks, (two-pence halfpenny of our money).” Aflonifhed 
at this palpable proof of the impofition that was continu¬ 
ally put on his grandmother, he refblved to convince her 
pf it : for which purpofe he contrived the following plan. 
With his little miferable loaf in his pocket, he went im¬ 
mediately to the emprefs. “ Grandmother,” faid he, with 
that familiarity which die always encouraged,' “ I feel 
hungry.” “ It is thine own fault, Condantine, if thou 
art hungry long together. What wilt thou have to eat r” 
The grand-duke faid he could like fome common Rufs 
bread. The emprefs fmiled at his droll conceit : but, as 
lie inlided on it, die was curious to fee how lie would re- 
lidi this coarle fare. It was therefore ordered; and, as 
the lacquey that bought it had picked out the bed, it 
looked very well. Catharine afked the price ; to which 
the man, a creature of the favourite, aniwered, two co- 
peeks : which was the price of it in the time of Peter the 
Great, when all providons was incomparably cheaper. 
Catharine’s countenance brightened ; die faw that the loaf, 
for that price, was good and large, and expreffed her joy 
at the comfort which it mud be to the common people. 
The young grand-duke, manifedly convinced how his 
grandmother was deceived, bit off the bread with great 
feeming diflike, and dievved in his face the figns of vexa¬ 
tion. The emjjrefs, obfervingit, thought that his palate, 
ufed to nicer things, did not readily take to this coarfe 
food, and therefore, vvitli a fnnle, a(ked him what was 
the matter? “ I am quite angry, grandmother,” faid the 
prince, “ that the fellow at the (hop has cheated me, and 
you mud punidi him. I have nothing more to fay, than 
that I have beenjud now to the market, and bought juft 
fuch a loaf. Here, fee!” pulling it out of his pocket, 
“ it cod me jive copeeks, and is much vvorfe and (inaller 
than that which cod only two copeeks.” The emprefs 
was much amazed at hearing this, and was about to make 
the lacquey fenfible of her difpjreafure, when the favourite, 
who happened to be near, ftepped up and turned the whole 
matter into a joke, by faying, “ The fellow at the fiiop 
certainly 
