4 
558 
Ini exacting attention to the performance 
of military duties, Suwarrow is very ftrict 
and exact; every negleét he reprehends 
with feverity, and fmallerfaults, efpecially 
thofe relative*to drefs, with bitter fatire. 
“When young officers, efpecially fine young 
gentlemen irom the capital, wait upon 
him on being appointed to ferve in the 
army under his command, he often plays 
them fome very droll tricks, if they hap- 
en to be dreffed and decorated in an un- 
foldier-like manner. _ On their entrance 
he begins to call out aloud; feems fright- 
ened,creeps into a corner,or under thetable; 
and exclaims : ‘‘For the love of God! 
take that ftrange apparition out of my 
fight.”’ One of his officers then conducts 
the terrified young Adonis into another 
apartment, explains the affair to him, de- 
ftroys the beauifli trimnefs of his figure, 
fubmits his nicely-drefled hair to the bar- 
barous hands of a regimental frifeur, and 
then dreffes him in a coat of the true mili- 
tary cut. When thus equipped he returns 
to pay his refpects to the general, Suwarrow 
is courteoulnefs itfelf, converfes in a 
friendly manner with the ftranger, without 
taking any notice of the preceding ludicrous 
{cene, or at moit only faying with a half 
-ferious half comical air, that he had 
a little before been almoft frightened to 
death by a f{pectre. 
His orders are génerally given with 
great concifenefs ; at Praga nothing fur- 
ther than: * Storm and take the batteries 
and cut down all who refift. You will 
eafily conceive, that fuch orders mutt pro- 
duce dreadful effe&ts from the common 
foldiers and in regiments where perhaps 
the ftricteft difcipline is not obferved, Su- 
warrow’s real fingularities are many, and 
undoubtedly many more are fictitioufly at- 
tributed to him. He has feldom any 
equipage, and performs all his fhort jour- 
nies on Coflack horfes. In general he 
vifits the different pofts accompanied only 
by a few Coffacks, and with the greatett 
rapidity. » ‘* Day, bratez, day!” he calls 
to the Coffack behind him, when they 
proceed too flowly; and the Ceflack 
mut then pufh the horfe quicker torward 
with his pointed flice. From early youth 
he has almoft always been fickly, and it 
is only by firiét attention to regimen that 
he has been‘able to preferve his vigour to 
fo advanced an age. The cold bath is his 
principal remedy : and he ufually has the 
water poured over him by pails-full, 
often juft at the fide of the river whence it 
is drawn by his attendants. ‘This cere- 
mony is frequently performed on a march, 
while the troops are pafling by. When 
Anecdote of Suwarrow. NN 
[July 1, 
Prince Coburg, after the battle in which 
they conjointly defeated the Grand-Vizier, 
went to vifit Suwarrow, he found him, as 
I have been affured, ftanding in this plight 
at a little difiance from the camp, warm- 
ing himfelf ata guard fire. ‘¢ I fhall have 
immediately the honour. to wait on Your 
Serene Highnefs,”’ faid the little-naked 
mannikin to the Prince ? * in pafling the 
river IL got wet through and through.” 
And fo the grenadiers and Coffacks affilted 
him to drefs himfelf. When in camp, he 
always, even in the coldeft weather, lies 
down after this bath on tome frefh firaw, 
covers himfelf with his cloak, and thus 
repofes four or five minutes, before he puts 
on his cloaths again. 
Before the laft decifive attack on 
Ifmail was his’ fingular humour the 
moft ftrikingly manitefted. I have often 
fhaken my head on hearing this anecdote ; 
but it has been repeatedly told me by ieveral 
officers, who hd an opportunity of know- 
ing the truth, and who were not addicted 
to romancing: The evening preceding 
the attack, Suwarrow faid: ‘* Early to 
morrow morning I hall rife an hour before 
day-break, dreis and wath myfelf, fay 
my prayers, and then I fhall crow like a 
cock ; at hearing which, ftorm the place 
according to the difpofitions made for 
that purpofe.”” And he did rife an hour 
before day-break, drefled and wathed 
-himfelf, prayed, and crowed like a eock,— 
and the foldiers, according to order, at- 
tacked and took the fort by ftorm. Cre- 
dat Fudeus Apella’ you will exclaim : fo 
thought I too; but my authors were not 
common anecdote-hunters, nor dol be- 
long to that credulous fraternity. 
Suwarrow is very religious, at leaf 
fo he appears to be: he is ferupuloufly 
obfervant of all ceremonies, and enforces 
the ftrict obfervance of them throughout 
his army: he gives himfelf no concern 
however about the individual conviction of 
others. In Warfaw, a captain had a- 
bridged the prayer, which according to 
order he was obliged to repeat at the guard- 
houfe in the evening after the tattoo, that 
he migit the quicker get away. The field- 
marfhal had accidentally heard him and= 
noticed the omiffion ; he flew to the guard~ 
houfe, and terribly reprehended the poor 
delinquent. ** Thou unconicionable, a- 
bominable, God-forfaken man, ({aid he) 5 
thou wouldft cheat Heaven, thou wouldit no 
doubt likewife cheat me and the empre(s ! 
What doeft thou here? I hall dimifs 
thee !”” 
When at Warfaw he received his field- . 
marfhall’s commiffion-fer before that es 
Ki 
