past: the law has no retroactive effect, the caprice of a despot has.
'cThe personage whom Peter wished to associate with the new brother of the empress was the highest noble in Moscow, and after the Czar, the greatest individual in the empire, his name was Prince Romodanowski. Peter notified him through liis first minister that he was to attend the ceremony in order to walk by the emperor's side — an honour which he would share with the brother of the empress.'
'
'
'
' This answer reported to the Czar provoked
'fYou shall attend!' was the mandate of the tyrant ;
'
108
RUSSIAN AUTOCRACY.
before and after the execution of my child, never to do that which can disgrace the blood of Romodanowski.''
' The Czar, I say it in his praise, yielded ; but to revenge himself on the independent spirit of the Muscovite aristocracy, he built St. Petersburg.
'Nicholas,' added prince К, 'would not
have acted thus ; he would have sent the boyard and his son to the mines, and have declared by an ukase,
Be this as it гпау, the pi*ide of the ]VIuscovite гюЫе gives a perfect idea of that singular combmation of which the acuial state of Russian society is the result. A monstrous compound of the petty i`efineinents of Byzantium, and the ferocity of the desei`t horde, a striiggle between the etiqiiette of the Lower Empire, and the savage virtiies of Asia, have produced the mighty state which Europe now beholds, and the mfluence of which she will pi`obably feel hei`eafter, without being able to understand its operation.
We have just seen an instance of arbitrary power outbraved and humiliated by the aristoci`acy.
This fact, and many others, justify me in maintaining that it is an aristo«`acy which constitutes the gi`eatest check огг the despotism of агг individual, — on an autoci*acy ; the вогг! of aristocracy is pi`ide, the spirit of demo«`acy is envy. We will now see how easily an aiitocrat гпау be deceived.
This morning we passed Revel. The sight of that place, which has not long been Russian territory,
CORPSE OF PRINCE DE CROI.109
recalled to our memories the proud name of Charles XII., and the battle of Narva. In this battle was killed a Frenchman, the Prince de Croi, who fought under the king of Sweden. His body was carried to Revel, where he could not be buried, because during the campaign he had contracted debts in the province, and had left nothing to pay them. According to an ancient custom of the land, his body was placed in the church of Revel until his heirs should satisfy his creditors. This corpse is still in the same church where it was laid more than one hundred years ago. The amount of the original debt has become so greatly augmented by interest, and by the daily charge made for the keeping of the corpse, that there are few fortunes which would now suffice to acquit it.
In passing through Revel about twenty years since the Emperor Alexander visited the church, and was so shocked with the hideous spectacle presented by the corpse, that he commanded its immediate interment. On the morrow the Emperor departed, and the body of the Prince de Croi was duly carried to the eemetry. The day after it was brought back to the church, and placed in its former position. If there is not justice in Russia, there are, it would appear, customs more powerful even than the sovereign will.
What most amused me during this too short passage was to find myself constantly obliged, in obedience to my instinctive notions of equity, to justify
Russia against Prince К's observations. This
won me the good will of all the Russians who heard our conversation. The sincerity of the opinions which
110RUSSIAN SENSITIVENESS.
the amiable Prince pronounces on his country, at least proves to me that in Russia there are some who may speak their mind.
When I remarked this to him, he replied, that he was not a Russian !! Singular assertion ! However, Russian or stranger, he says what he thinks. He ha? filled the most important political posts, spent two fortunes, worn out the favour of several sovereigns, and is полу old, and infirm, but especially protected by a member of the imperial family, who loves wit too well to fear it. Besides, in order to escape Siberia, he pretends that he is writing memoirs, and that he has deposited the finished volumes in France. The Emperor dreads publicity as much as Russsia dreads the Emperor.
I am mueh struck by the extreme susceptibility of
the Russians as regards the judgment which strangers
may form respecting them. The impression which
their country may make on the minds of travellers
occupies their thoughts incessantly. 'What would be
said of the Germans, the English, and the French if
they indulged themselves in such puerility ? If the
satires of Prince Кarc disagreeable to his coun
trymen, it is not so much because their own sentiments
are wounded, as on account of the influence these
satires may have ггроп me, who am become an im
portant person in their eyes since they have heard
that I write my travels.
' Do not allow yourself to be prejudiced against Russia by this unpatriotic Russian; do not write under the influence of his statements; it is from a wish to display his French wit at our expense that he thus speaks, but in reality he has no such opinion.'
RUSSIAN SENSITIVENESS.Ill
This is the kind of language that is addressed to me, privately, ten times a day. It appears to me as though the Russians would be content to become even yet worse and more barbarous than they are, provided they were
