1802.) Cruel Punifhment inflitted on Mr. Seider, by Paul I. 
and ordered me to follow the latter, to 
whom he, at the fame time, delivered all 
the things that had been taken from me 
in the citadel. My heart beat impetu- 
oully with joy :—God be praifed! thought 
I; thou art now going to hear thy liberty 
announced to thee, now wilt thou quick- 
ly fly into the arms of thy wife, and be 
for ever re-united with her and thy beloved 
child.—Ah, how deceitful is hope: alas! 
the moft dreadful hour of my life was ap- 
proaching. I again went on board the 
boat, but proceeded only a little way on 
the Neva. When I landed, I found a 
kibitka waiting for'me. The meffenger 
defired me to place myfelf in it, and feated 
himfelf at my fide. In about ten minutes 
the kibitka fiopped before a large build- 
ing. My companion ordered me to alight. 
He led me up a flight of ftairs. Here a 
gentleman came out to me from an ad. 
joining apartment, and afked me, with an 
air of anxiety, whether I had brought my 
clerical drefs withme. I anfwered: It 
is in my trunk.” He then faid: “ Here 
is a cloak and band; be fo good as to put 
iton.”’ He affifted me, and in doing this 
he vifibly trembled. Here I firft began 
to forebode fomething dreadful: a cold. 
fhudder pervaded all my limbs, and I 
trembled exceffively. The gentleman 
conducted me into a large apartment, 
where feveral perfons were feated at detks, 
and writing. ‘*You are here!’’ faid one of 
them, and then went into an adjoining apart- 
ment, and in a few minutes beckoned 
to me to follow him. I found feveral 
gentlemen fitting at a largetable. Two 
of them, who were at the upper end of the 
table, were decorated with the infignia of 
the orders of knighthood; and at the lower 
end fat two clergymen. A herald ftept 
into the middle of the rooms and read a 
writing, the contents of which were near- 
ly as follows: ** Whereas Paftor Seider, 
of Randen, had been denounced to his 
Imperial Majeity by the Book-licencer of 
Riga, for having’ prohibited books in his 
pofifion ; his Majefty was pleafed to or- 
der the Attorney General to caufe the 
faid Paftor Seider and his library to be 
brought to Peterfburg: and as it ap- 
pears from the litt, that he actually had 
‘in his poffeffion prohibited and dangerous 
books, he is confidered as a tran{greffor 
of the law, and is, by command of his 
Majetty, condemned to corporal punifh- 
_ ment, namely, to receive twenty ftroke 
- with the Knute, and afterwards to be ba- 
nified to Nertfchinfk, and there kept to 
hard labour. But as, agcording to the 
. 
‘ hibitha. 
| 359 
ftatutes of the church, no clergyman can 
receive corporal punifhment, he fhall firft 
be depofed from his office; and the Rev. 
Mr. Reinbold is hereby ordered to deprive 
him of his facerdotal dignity.”’ Mr. 
Reinbold then rofe up, and, turning to- 
wards me, faid: ‘* By command of his 
Imperial Majefty, I depofe you from your 
office.”” I ftaggered almoft fenfelefs to- 
wards the wall, exclaiming: ‘* Almighty 
God! is this juftice? I am innocent. 
Shall I not be allowed to fay any thing in 
my own defenceand juftification? Which 
are the prohibited books I had in my pof- 
feffion?’’ In vain: I received no an{wer: 
but the gentleman who had introduced 
me, faid: ‘It is the will of the Emperor 
—It is the willof the Emperor!” ‘He: 
then made a fign to one of the attendants, 
who immediately tore off my cloak and 
band. I again exclaimed, ‘‘ I am inno- 
cent !”* But they pufhed me out of the 
room, and dragged me to the vefti- 
bule, where I was feized by two offie 
cers of juftice, who threw me down 
upon a bench, behind which was a pillar. 
To this they bound my hands, bent 
backwards fo tightly with a ropeas almoft. 
to ftop the circulation of the blood. 
Then they put fetters on both my legs.— 
«© God of Juftice (exclaimed I) thou 
knoweft that I am innocent ; I have com- 
mitted no crime! I have tranfgrefled no 
law! Whocan have advifed my juft and 
gracious Sovereign to pafs fo cruel a fen- 
tence upon me?’ The above-mentioned 
gentleman again came out, and faid— 
‘¢ Do not cry out fo: you will now be 
conduéted to the Miltary Governor's, 
where you will hear the final decifion. 
Perhaps you may ftill obtain pardon.’’ 
The officers of juftice then untied the 
rope with which I was bound to the pil- 
lar. Of the articles belonging to me, 
which the gentleman had received from 
the courier, he returned to me only my 
pocket-book, and the money contained in 
it; the accounts, receipts, and other 
papers were miffing. The courier led me 
down the ftairs to the kibitka. Heavens!” 
I was in fetters! How galling toa man 
confcious of his innocence and integrity! 
My feryant, a good, honeft, kind-hearted, 
Efthonian, was ftanding at the fide of the | 
When he faw me coming he 
wept aloud. They now feparated him | 
from me, and I do not know what after- 
wards became of him. The courier drove 
with me to a Military Governor’s, Count . 
von derPahlen. I hoped to fee the Count 
himf{elf; but an officer, who fpoke to me’ 
XX 2 in 
