BENYOWSKY. 
$>read and a pitcher of water; but, on the 2ad of Novem¬ 
ber 1769, he at length, in hopes of procuring his dif- 
-charge, was induced to iign a paper, promifing for ever 
to quit the dominions of her Imperial majedy, and oblig¬ 
ing himfelf upon pain of death not to enter them again on 
any pretext whatever. 
The count having figned the engagement, indead of be¬ 
ing let at liberty, as he expended, was recondudted to his 
prifon, and there confined till the 4th of December, when, 
about two hours after midnight, an officer with ieven f'ol- 
diers came to him; and, giving orders that they ffiould 
take off his chains, and clothe him with a iheep-lkin gar¬ 
ment, he was conducted into the court of the prifon, 
thrown upon a Hedge to which two horfes were harneffed, 
and immediately driven away with the greated fwiftnefs. 
The darknefs of the night prevented the count from dif- 
cerning the objects around him ; but the continual noife 
of bells, which refounded from a variety of places, in¬ 
duced him to fuppofe that he was followed by feveral 
fledges condmided for the purpofe of palling the frozen 
plains over which he was now dellined to go. On the ap¬ 
proach of day-light he perceived that major Wynblath, 
Vailili Panow, Hippolitus Steplianovv, Afaph Baturin, 
Ivan Sopronow, and feveral other prifoners, were the 
companions of his misfortunes ; and after fullering, from 
the unexampled brutality of their condudlor, a feries of 
hardffiips, equally difficult and painful to relate, in palling 
through Tobolzk the capital of Siberia, the city of Tara, 
the town and river of Tom Iky, the villages.of Jakutzk 
and Judoma, they embarked in the harbour of Ochoczk, 
on the 26th of October 1770, and arrived at Kamfchatka 
on the 3d of December following. The enfuing day they 
were condudted before Mr. Nilow the governor ; and the 
following orders and regulations which were made will af¬ 
ford fome faint idea of the treatment which unfortunate 
exiles meet with, in this dreary, diliant, and inhofpitable, 
region of the globe, id, That they ffiould be fet at li¬ 
berty on the following day, and provided with fubddence 
for three days, after which they mud depend upon them- 
felves for their maintenance. 2dly, That each perfon ffiould 
receive from the chancery a nuifquet and a lance, with one 
pound of powder, four pounds of lead, a hatchet, feveral 
knives and other indruments, and carpenter’s tools, with 
which they might build cabins in any fituations they chofe, 
within one league of the town ; but that they ffiould be 
bound to pay in furs, during the fird year, each one hun¬ 
dred roubles, in return for thefe advantages. 3dly, That 
every one mud work at the corvee, one day in the week, 
for the fervice of government, and not abfent themfelves 
from their huts for twenty-four hours without the gover¬ 
nor’s pernfiffion. 4-thly, That each exile diould bring to 
the chancery fix fables fkins, fifty rabbits (kins, two foxes 
fkins, and twenty-four ermines, every year, sthly, That 
no exile could poffefs property; and that the foldiers of 
the garrrifon may enter their huts and carry away whatever 
they pleafe. 6thly, That if an exile diould be fo raffi, 
upon any provocation, to ftrike a citizen or foldier, lie ffiall 
be darved to death. 7thly, That their lives being grant¬ 
ed to them for no other.purpofe than to implore mercy of 
God, and the remiffion of their fins, they could be em¬ 
ployed only in the meaned works to gain their daily fub- 
fidence. Under thefe regulations the exiles fettled the 
places of their habitations, built miferable huts to flielter 
themfelves from the inclemency of the weather, formed 
themfelves into a congrefs ; and after chooling the count 
>de Benyowfky their chief or captain, in order to rivet their 
union, they fwore with great folemnity mutual frienddiip 
and eternal fidelity, Among the number of unhappy 
\vretches who had long groaned under the miferies of ba-- 
niffiment, was a Mr. Crudiew, who had acquired conli- 
derable afeendancy over his fcllow-fufferers; and to obtain 
the particular confidence and edeern of this man was the 
-fird obje£l of the count’s attention ; in which, with the 
talent he fo Angularly pofleded of agitating and impelling 
-the minds of others, it is almuft unnecelfary to la tliat he 
Vol. II. Mo. no. 
897 
foon fucceeded. The pains and perils incident to the fitu- 
ation to which thefe men were reduced, were borne for 
fome timein murmuring fufferance, until the accidental find- 
ing an old copy of Anion’s Voyage infpired them with an 
idea of making an efcape from Kamfchatka to the Marian 
ifiands; and the count, Mr. Panow, Baturin, Steplianovv, 
Solmanow, majors Wynblath, Crudiew, and one Wafili, 
an old and faithful fervant of the count’s, who had fol¬ 
lowed his mader into exile, formed a confederacy for this 
purpofe. While thefe tranfadlions were fecretly pading, 
the fame of count Benyowlky’s rank and abilities reached 
the ear of the governor ; and, as he fpoke feveral lan¬ 
guages, he was after fome time admitted' familiarly into 
the houfe of the governor, and at length appointed to fu- 
perintend the education of his fon and his three daughters. 
“One day,” fays the count, “ while I was exercifing rriy 
office of language-mader, the younged of the three daugh¬ 
ters, whole name was Aphanafia, who was (Ixteen years 
of age, propofed many quedions concerning my thoughts 
in my prefent fituation, which convinced me that her fa¬ 
ther had given them fome information concerning my birth 
and misfortunes. I therefore gave them an account of my 
adventures, at~which my fcholars appeared to be highly 
affected, but the younged wept very much. She was a 
beautiful girl, and her fenfibility created much emotion 
in my mind : but, alas, 1 was an exile!” The merits of 
the count however foon furmounted the difadvantagos of 
his fituation in the generous mind of Mifs Nilow ; and the 
increafing intimacy and confidence which he daily gained 
in the family, joined to the advantages of a fine perfon 
and mod infinuating addrefs, foon converted the feelings 
of admiration into the flame of love ; and on the nth pf 
January 1771, madame Nilow the mother confented that 
her daughter ffiould do the honours of an entertainment 
then in contemplation, and be publicly declared his future 
fpoufe. But the count, though he had cultivated and ob¬ 
tained the additions of his fair pupil, had aided more from 
policy than paffion, and, intending to ufe her intered ra¬ 
ther as a means of ededluating the meditated efcape of 
himfelf and his companions, than as any ferious object of 
matrimonial union, contrived to fufpend the nuptials, by 
perfuading the governor to make an excurfion from Kam f- 
chatka to the neighbouring iflands, under pretence of ef- 
tabliffiinga new colony. During thefe tranfaidions the 
exiles were fecretly at work; and, in order to conceal their 
defign from all fufpicion, Mr. Crudiew and Mr. Panow 
were on the 30th of March deputed to wait on the gover¬ 
nor, to requed that he would pleafe to receive the title of 
proteElor of the new colony; upon which orders were given 
to prepare every thing that might be necelfary for the ex¬ 
ecution of the projeid. At this crifis, however, aninter- 
courfe took place between one of the infurgents and the 
governor’s fervant-maid, whereby the whole plot was dif- 
covered. In confequence of this, the governor determined 
to put the count in irons; and at five o’clock in the even¬ 
ing of the 26th of April 1771, a corporal, with four gre¬ 
nadiers, doppedat the count’s door, demanding admittance 
in the name of the ernprefs, and ordered him to follow the 
guard to the fort. The count propofed to the corporal, 
that he diould enter alone and drink a glafs of wine ; but 
on his being admitted the door was indantly Unit upon 
him, and four pidols clapped to his bread ; by the terror 
of which he was made to difclofe every thing that was 
tranfadling at the fort, and at length obliged to call the 
four grenadiers feparately into the houfe, under pretence 
of drinking, when they were all five bound together, and 
depoiited fafely in the cellar. 
This meafure was, of courfe, the fignal of refinance, 
and the count, mardialling his alTociates, who had fecretly 
furniffied themfelves with arms and ammunition by the 
treachery of the ftore-keepers, iffued forth from the houfe 
to oppofe, with greater advantage, another detachment 
that had been fent to arred him. After levelling feveral 
foldiers to the ground, the count, by the mi ('management 
of their commander, feized their cannon, turned them 
toT with 
