+1802.J 
Soon after its appearance, the peafants in 
many places in Germany clubbed as much 
money together as was neceflary to pro-, 
cure it from fome neighbouring bookteller, 
and the book became the common pro- 
perty of the whole village ; for at prefent 
a tafte for reading is fo generally diffuied 
in Germany, that circulating libraries and 
book-clubs may be founs even in {mall 
villages, Nor is the great popularity of 
thefe Memoirs at ali furprinng: no one 
cai perufe them without being greatly af. 
fected ; and whoever has the happinefs of 
being perfonally acquainted with the au- 
thor, cannot entertain any doubt of the 
credibility of every thing he relates.— 
The original MS. of the narrative, writ- 
ten whilit he was yet in Siberia, is ftill in 
M. Korzebue’s own poflelion, and from 
an examination of it, it clearly appears 
that in the book itfelf he has given to the 
public a faithful unaltered copy of his 
journal. M. Kotzebue has carefully pre- 
ferved all the articles of drefs, furniture, 
utenfils, &c. which he ufed on his journey 
to. Tobo!fk, and during his fix weeks 
abode at Kurgan, and intends to deco- 
rate therewith aimall cabinet, in which 
Jikewife allhis papers written during that 
period of his exile, are to be depofited, as in 
_a kind of fanétuary. Thetruth of many 
of the anecdotes related by M. Kotzebue, 
has fince been confirmed by letters from: 
Peterfburg and Livonia; and, in fome 
inftances, fmall errors arifing from mifap- 
prehenfion, or the fudden ebullition of 
paffion, have been pointed out and reéti- 
fied... Thus, for in{ftance, many perfons 
of refpeétability take the part of M. Prol- 
tenius, againft whom M. Kotzebue vents 
forth his indignation for having diffuaded 
M. von Beyer, of Stockmanshot, from af- 
fifting him inhis flight ; becaufe he could 
not have given any other advice confiftent. 
with his defire to prevent his friend from 
precipitating himfelf with headlong rafh- 
nes into difgrace, and all the evils to be 
expected from the refentment of fo irri- 
table a monarch as the capricious Paul of 
Rufha.—The expedition with which the 
bovk was printed in Berlin, hindered M. 
Sander, the publifher, from having more 
prints engraved for it than one for every 
title page. It deferves to he noticed that 
Tury, of Berlin, who drew and engraved 
thele two plates, conceived fo correct an 
idea of the aulic-countellor Schtfchekali- 
chin, merely from Kotzebue’s defcription 
of him, that, in the plate to the firtt vo- 
Jume, where he is reprefented fanding be- 
hind the old man on his knees, he has 
drawn a friking likenefs of bis counte- 
nance, with his charafteriflic daugh of 
Particulars concerning Kotzebue, 
133 
malignancy. This refemblance was ob- 
ferved by Kotzebue himfelf, whofe tefti- 
mony will undoubtedly be admitted to be 
here wnobjectionable, as ‘the features of 
his former conduétor muft have remained 
indelibly impreffed on his memory. But, 
in order to gratify thoie who wifhed to 
have more plates to this favourite work, 
M. Richter, print-feller in Leipzig, has 
pudlithed four interefting f{cenes from the 
Memoirs, drawn and engraved by M, 
Geifler, of Leipzig, who refided many 
yearsin Ruffia, and executed the coloured 
plates to Pallas’s ‘* Journey through the 
Southern Provinces of the Ruffian Em- 
pire.”’—Kotzebue’s Memoirs have been 
tranflated into moft of the languages of 
Europe. An Englifn tranflation, by the 
Rev. Mr. Beresford, was publifhed in 
London fome months ago, as our readers 
already know: and nearly at the fame 
time there appeared tranflations into the 
Danifh, Dutch, Italian, and French lan- 
guages. M. Chevalier, whofe wife, lately 
-fo highly honoured, now lives at Berlin 
en terms of great intimacy with Baron 
Krudener, the Rufian ambaflador, is faid 
to be greatly incenfed againft Kotzebue, 
who, towards the end ot the fecond vo- 
lume, has lafhed with defervei feverity his 
upltart pride and rapacious cupidity. .M. 
Chevalier is now in Paris, where he has 
been often‘heard ‘to threaten, that, when- 
ever he fhoulé meet with Kotzebue he 
would fhoot him.—Many of the readers 
of M. Kotzebue’s work are particularly 
pleafed with his defcription of the palace 
of Michaelowitz. M. Kohler, keeper of 
the imperial cabinet of antiqwes at Peterf- 
burg, has fent the following more correct 
information relative to the beautiful table 
mentioned in that defeription. ¢*It is orna- 
mented with glafs paltes in imitation of Sar- 
donyx Cameos, portraits of the individu- 
als of the imperial family, which were en- 
graved on gems by the Enyprefs Dowager, 
and the originals of which are inthe imperial 
colle€tion of gems, No. a, is a portrait of 
the late Emperor Paul ; No. 2, the pre- 
fent Emperor; No. 3, the Emperor and 
Prince Conftantine on one gem, capita 
jugata;, No. 4, the prefent Emprels of 
Ruifia; No. 5, is a palte ex camée, a 
portrait of the Emprefs Dowager, after a 
model in wax: by M. Leberecht. Thefe 
cameos are repeated feveral times on the 
chandeliers and ornaments of the table, 
which, as likewife the table itfelf, were 
turned and finifhed with great fkill by the 
hand of the Emprefs herfelf. Magnifi- 
cence and tafte are feldom found fo inti- 
mately blended .together as in this clegant 
piece of furniture. . 
ORIGINAL 
