night and day in an open sledge. About midway I was again seized with a
violent toothache. Notwithstanding this, the Grand Duke would not
consent to close the sledge: scarcely would he allow me to draw the
curtain a little, so as to shelter me from a cold and damp wind, blowing
right into my face. At last we reached Zarskoe-Selo, where the Empress
had already arrived, having passed us on the road, according to her
usual custom. As soon as I stepped out of the sledge I entered the
apartment destined for us, and sent for her Majesty's physician
Boërhave, the nephew of the celebrated Boërhave, requesting him to have
the tooth which had tormented me so much for the last four or five
months extracted. He consented with great reluctance, and only because I
absolutely insisted on it. At last he sent for Gyon, my surgeon: I sat
on the ground, Boërhave on one side, Tchoglokoff on the other, and Gyon
drew the tooth; but the moment he did so, my eyes, nose, and mouth
became fountains, whence poured out--from my mouth, blood, from my eyes
and nose water. Boërhave, who was a man of clear and sound judgment,
instantly exclaimed, "Clumsy!" and calling for the tooth, he added, "I
feared it would be so, and that was why I did not wish it to be drawn."
Gyon, in extracting the tooth, had carried away with it a portion of the
lower jaw, to which it was attached. At this moment the Empress came to
the door of my room, and I was afterwards told that she was moved even
to tears. I was put to bed, and suffered a great deal during four weeks,
even in the city, whither we went next day, notwithstanding all this,
and still in open sleighs. I did not leave my room till the middle of
January, 1750, for the lower part of my cheek still bore in blue and
yellow stains, the impression of the five fingers of M. Gyon. On
new-year's day this year wishing to have my hair dressed, I noticed that
the young man who was to do it, a Kalmuck whom I had trained for this
purpose, was excessively red, and his eyes very piercing. I asked what
was the matter, and learned that he had a very bad headache and great
heat. I sent him away, desiring him to go to bed, for indeed he was not
fit to do anything. He retired, and in the evening I was informed that
the small-pox had broken out upon him. I escaped with nothing worse than
the fright which this gave me, for I did not catch the disease, although
he had combed my hair.
The Empress remained at Zarskoe-Selo during a considerable portion of
the Carnival. Petersburg was nearly deserted, for most of its residents
lived there from necessity rather than choice. While the court was at
Moscow, and also when on its return to St. Petersburg, all the courtiers
were eager to obtain leave of absence for a year, six months, or even a
few weeks. The officials, such as senators, and others, did the same;
and when they were afraid of not succeeding, then came the illnesses,
real or feigned, of husbands, wives, fathers, brothers, mothers,
sisters, or children; or lawsuits, or other business which it was
indispensable to settle. In a word, it sometimes took six months, or
even more, before the court and the city became what they were
previously to one of these absences; and when the court was away, the
grass grew in the streets of St. Petersburg, for there were scarcely any
carriages in the city. In such a state of things, at the present moment,
there was not much company to be expected, especially by us who were so
much shut up. M. Tchoglokoff thought to amuse us during this time, or
rather to amuse himself and his wife, by inviting us to play at cards
with him in the apartments which he occupied at court, and which
consisted of four or five rather small rooms. He also invited there the
ladies and gentlemen in waiting, and the Princess of Courland, daughter
of Duke Ernest John Biren, the ancient favourite of the Empress Anne.
The Empress Elizabeth had recalled this Duke from Siberia, whither he
had been exiled under the regency of the Princess Anne. There, the Duke
was living with his wife, his sons, and his daughter. This daughter was
neither handsome nor pretty, nor well made, for she was humpbacked, and
rather small; but she had fine eyes, much intelligence, and a singular
talent for intrigue. Her parents were not very fond of her; she
pretended, indeed, that they constantly ill-treated her. One day she
fled from home, and took refuge with the wife of the Waiwode of
Yaroslav, Madame Pouchkine. This woman, delighted to have an opportunity
of giving herself importance at court, took her to Moscow, addressed
herself to Madame Schouvaloff, and the flight of the Princess of
Courland from her father's house was represented as the result of the
ill-treatment she had received from her parents, in consequence of her
having expressed a desire to embrace the religion of the Greek church.
In fact, the first thing she did at court was to make her profession of
faith. The Empress stood godmother for her, after which she received an
appointment among the maids of honour. M. Tchoglokoff made it a point to
show her attention, because her elder brother had laid the foundation of
his fortune, by taking him from the corps of cadets, where he was
receiving his education, removing him into the horse-guards, and keeping
him about himself as a messenger. The Princess of Courland thus brought
into our society, and playing daily for hours at trisset with the Grand
Duke, Tchoglokoff, and myself, conducted herself at first with great
discretion. She was insinuating, and her intelligence made one forget
what was disagreeable in her figure, especially when seated. She adapted
her conversation to the character of her auditors, speaking to each in
the manner most likely to be agreeable. Every one looked upon her as an
interesting orphan, and a person not likely to be in any one's way. In
the eyes of the Grand Duke she had another merit, and no slight one
either--she was a sort of foreign Princess, and, what was more, a
German; he therefore always spoke to her in German, and this gave her a
charm in his eyes. He began to pay her as much attention as he was
capable of doing. When she dined alone, he sent her wine, as well as
favourite dishes from his table, and when he got hold of some new
grenadier's cap or shoulder-belt, he sent them to her to look at. The
Princess of Courland, who at that time might be about four or five and
twenty, was not the only acquisition made by the court at Moscow. The
Empress had then taken the two Countesses Voronzoff, nieces of the
Vice-Chancellor, and daughters of Count Roman Voronzoff, his younger
brother. Mary, the elder, might be about fourteen; she was placed among
the Empress' maids of honour. The younger sister, Elizabeth, was only
eleven; she was given to me. She was a very ugly child, of an olive
complexion, and excessively slovenly. Towards the end of the Carnival,
her Majesty returned to town, and in the first week of Lent we began to
prepare for our duty. On the Wednesday evening I was to take a bath at
the house of Madame Tchoglokoff, but on Tuesday evening she came to my
room, and told the Grand Duke, who was with me, that it was her
Majesty's pleasure that he also should take a bath. Now the baths, and
all other Russian customs and habits, were not simply disagreeable to
the Duke, he had a mortal hatred for them. He therefore unceremoniously
declared that he would do nothing of the kind. She, who was equally
obstinate, and had no kind of reserve or ceremony in her speech, told
him that this was an act of disobedience to her Imperial Majesty. He
maintained that he ought not to be required to do what was repugnant to
his nature; that he knew that the bath, in which he had never been, was
unsuitable to his constitution; that he did not want to die; that life
was the thing he held most dear, and that her Majesty should never
compel him to go into the bath. Madame Tchoglokoff replied that her
Majesty would know how to punish his disobedience. At this he became
angry, and exclaimed, passionately, "I should like to see what she can
do; I am not a child." Madame Tchoglokoff threatened that the Empress
would send him to the Fortress. At this he cried bitterly; and they went
on answering each other in the most outrageous terms that passion could
dictate; in fact, they both acted as if they had not between them a
grain of common sense. At last, Madame Tchoglokoff departed, saying that
she would report the conversation to her Imperial Majesty word for word.
I know not what she did in the matter, but she returned presently with
an entirely different theme, for she came to inform us that her Imperial
Majesty was very angry that we had no children, and wished to know which
of us was in fault; that she would therefore send a midwife to me, and a
physician to the Grand Duke. To this she added various other outrageous
remarks--remarks which had neither head nor tail, and concluded by
saying that her Majesty had dispensed with our going to our duty this
week, because the Grand Duke said the bath was injurious to his health.
I must state that during these two conversations I never once opened my
lips; in the first place, because they both spoke with such vehemence
that I could find no chance of putting in a word; secondly, because I
saw that both of them were utterly unreasonable. I do not know what view
the Empress took of the matter, but, at all events, nothing more was
said on either topic.
About mid-Lent, her Majesty went to Gostilitza, to the residence of
Count Razoumowsky, to celebrate his feast, and we were sent, together
with her maids of honour and our ordinary suite, to Zarskoe-Selo. The
weather was wonderfully mild, even warm, so that, on the 17th of March,
instead of there being snow on the road, there was dust. Having
established ourselves at Zarskoe-Selo, the Grand Duke and Tchoglokoff
recommenced their hunting; I and the ladies walked or drove out as long
as we could, and in the evening we all played at various small games.
Here the Grand Duke manifested a decided partiality for the Princess of
Courland, especially when he had been drinking in the evening--a thing
which happened every day. He was always at her side, and spoke to no one
but her. At last this thing went on in the most glaring manner, before
my eyes, and before every one, so that my vanity and self-love began to
be shocked at finding myself slighted for the sake of a little, deformed
creature like this. One evening, on rising from table, Madame Vladislava
said to me that every one was disgusted to see this little hunchback
preferred to me. "It cannot be helped," I said, as the tears started to
my eyes. I went to bed; scarcely was I asleep when the Grand Duke also
came to bed. As he was tipsy, and knew not what he was doing, he spoke
to me for the purpose of expatiating on the eminent qualities of his
favourite. To check his garrulity as soon as possible, I pretended to be
fast asleep. He spoke still louder in order to wake me, but finding that
I still slept, he gave me two or three rather hard blows in the side
with his fist; then, growling at the heaviness of my slumbers, he turned
on his side and dropped asleep himself. I wept long and bitterly that
night, as well on account of the matter itself, and the blows he had
given me, as on that of my general situation, which was in all respects
as disagreeable as it was wearisome. In the morning, the Duke seemed
ashamed of what he had done; he did not speak of it, and I acted as if I
had not felt anything. Two days afterwards we returned to town. The last
week of Lent we recommenced our preparations for going to our duty.
Nothing more was said to the Duke about the bath.
Another occurrence took place this week which perplexed him a little.
While in his room he was nearly always in constant movement of one sort
or other. One afternoon he was exercising himself in cracking an immense
coachman's whip, which he had had made for him. He whipped about right
and left, and made his valets jump from one corner to another, fearing
to come in for a chance slash. At last he somehow contrived to give
himself a severe blow on the cheek. The mark extended all along the left
side of his face, and the blow was severe enough to make the blood
start. He was very much disturbed, fearing that he should not be able to
go out even by Easter; that the Empress should again forbid him to
communicate, as his face was bloody; and that when she came to learn the
cause of the accident, he should get some disagreeable reprimand for his
whipping amusements. He instantly ran to consult me, as he always did
in such emergencies. Seeing him enter with his cheek all bloody, I
exclaimed, "Good heavens! what has happened to you?" He told me. Having
thought a little, I said, "Well, perhaps I can manage the matter for
you; but, first of all, go to your room, and try if possible to prevent
your cheek from being seen by any one. I will come to you as soon as I
have got what I want, and I trust we shall so manage that no one will be
the wiser." He went off, and I recollected a preparation which had
served me some years before in a similar predicament. I had a fall in
the garden at Peterhoff, and took the skin off my face so that it bled;
my surgeon Gyon gave me some white lead in the form of pomade, and I
covered the wound with it, and went out as usual, without any one having
perceived that I had scratched myself. I now sent for this pomade, and
having received it, I went to the Grand Duke, and dressed his face so
well, that he could not detect anything himself by looking in the glass.
On the Thursday we received the communion, in company with the Empress,
in the great church of the court, and then returned to our places. The
light fell on the Grand Duke's cheek. Tchoglokoff approached for some
purpose or other, and looking at the Duke, said, "Wipe your cheek, there
is some pomatum on it." Instantly, as if in jest, I said to the Grand
Duke, "And I, who am your wife, forbid your doing it." The Grand Duke,
turning to Tchoglokoff, said, "See how these women treat us; we dare not
even wipe our faces, if they do not like it." Tchoglokoff laughed,
saying, "Well, this is indeed a woman's caprice!" The matter rested
there, and the Duke felt grateful to me as well for the pomade which had
spared him unpleasant results, as for my presence of mind, which had
prevented all suspicion even in the case of M. Tchoglokoff.
As I had to be up before daylight on Easter morning, I went to bed about
five o'clock in the afternoon of Holy Saturday, intending to sleep till
the time arrived for dressing. Scarcely had I got into bed when the Duke
came running in in a violent hurry, telling me to make haste and get up
to eat some fresh oysters, which had just been brought to him from
Holstein. This was a great and double treat for him; first, because he
was fond of oysters, and, secondly, because they came from Holstein, his
native country, for which he had a great love, though he did not govern
it any the better for that; for he both did, and was made to do,
terrible things in it, as will be seen in the sequel. Not to get up
would have been to disoblige him, and risk a serious quarrel; I
therefore rose, dressed myself, and went to his apartments, though I was
very much fatigued by the devotional exercises of the Holy Week. When I
reached his room, I found the oysters served. Having eaten a dozen of
them, I was allowed to return to bed, while he continued his repast.
Indeed, he was all the better pleased by my not eating too many, as
there were more left for himself, for he was excessively greedy in the
matter of oysters. At midnight I got up, and dressed myself for the
matins and mass of Easter Sunday; but I could not remain till the end of
the service, for I was seized with a violent cholic. I never remember
having had such severe pains. I returned to my room with no one but the
Princess Gagarine, all my people being in church. She assisted me to
undress and get into bed, and sent for the doctors. I took medicine, and
kept my bed during the first two days of the festival.
It was a little before this time that Count Bernis, Ambassador from the
Court of Vienna, Count Lynar, the Envoy of Denmark, and General Arnheim,
Envoy of Saxony, arrived in Russia. The latter brought with him his
wife, who was by birth of the family of Hoim. Count Bernis was a native
of Piedmont; he was intellectual, amiable, gay, and well educated, and
of such a disposition that, although more than fifty years of age, young
people preferred his society to that of persons of their own age. He was
generally loved and esteemed, and I have a thousand times said, that if
he, or some one like him, had been placed with the Grand Duke, the most
beneficial results would have followed, for the Duke as well as myself
had a very great regard and affection for him. In fact, the Duke said
himself, that with such a man near, a person would be ashamed of doing
anything wrong or foolish--an excellent remark, which I have never
forgotten. Count Bernis had with him, as attaché, Count Hamilton, a
Knight of Malta. One day, when I made inquiries of this gentleman about
the health of the Ambassador Count Bernis, who was indisposed, it
occurred to me to say that I had the highest opinion of Count Bathyani,
whom the Empress-Queen had just named tutor to her two elder sons, the
Archdukes Joseph and Charles, since she had preferred him for this
office to Count Bernis. In the year 1780, when I had my first interview
with the Emperor Joseph II. at Mohilev, his Imperial Majesty told me
that he was aware I had made this remark. I replied that he must have
learnt this from Count Hamilton, who had been placed with him on his
return from Russia. He then said that I had surmised correctly in the
case of Count Bathyani; for Count Bernis, whom he had not known, had
left the reputation of being better suited to the office than his old
tutor.
Count Lynar, the Envoy of the King of Denmark, had been sent to Russia
to treat of the exchange of Holstein, which belonged to the Grand Duke,
for the country of Oldenburg. He was, according to report, a person of
much information, and of no less capacity. His appearance was that of a
most complete fop. He was tall and well made, his hair fair with a tinge
of red, and his complexion as delicately white as a woman's. It was said
that he took such care of his skin, that he never went to bed without
covering his face and hands with pomade, and also that he wore gloves
and a mask at night. He boasted of having eighteen children, and
pretended that he had always put the nurses of those children in the
condition of continuing their vocation. This white Count wore the white
order of Denmark, and dressed in the lightest colours; such as sky-blue,
apricot, lilac, flesh colour, &c., although such light shades were, at
that time, rarely worn by men. The High Chancellor, Count Bestoujeff,
and his wife, treated him with the most marked favour. He was received
at their house as one of the family, and greatly fêted. This, however,
did not shelter him from ridicule. There was also another point against
him, viz., that it was not forgotten that his brother had been more than
well-received by the Princess Anne, whose regency had been disapproved
of. The Count had hardly arrived when he announced the object of his
mission, which was, to negotiate an exchange of the duchy of Holstein
for the territory of Oldenburg. The High Chancellor sent for M. Pechlin,
minister of the Grand Duke for his duchy of Holstein, and told him the
purport of Count Lynar's mission. M. Pechlin made his report to the
Grand Duke. The Duke was passionately attached to his country of
Holstein. From the period of our stay in Moscow, it had been represented
to her Imperial Majesty as insolvent. He had asked her for money for it,
and she had given him a little, but it had never reached Holstein; it
went to pay the clamorous debts of his Imperial Highness in Russia. M.
Pechlin represented the affairs of Holstein, as far as pecuniary
considerations were concerned, as desperate. This was easy for him to
do, as the Grand Duke depended upon him for the administration, and gave
the matter but little or no attention himself; so that, on one occasion,
Pechlin, quite out of patience, said to him, in slow and measured
accents, "My Lord, it depends on a sovereign to give his attention to
the government of his country, or not to do so. If he does not attend to
it, the country governs itself, but it governs itself badly." This
Pechlin was a very short, fat man, wearing an immense wig, but he was
not deficient either in acquirements or capacity. This heavy and short
body enclosed a subtle and shrewd spirit; he was accused, however, of
not being over-delicate in his choice of means. The High Chancellor had
great confidence in him; indeed, he was one of the persons most in his
confidence. M. Pechlin represented to the Duke that to listen was not to
negotiate, and that negotiation, also, was a very different thing from
acceptance, and that he would always have it in his power to break off
the negotiation when he thought proper. At last, step by step, they got
him to consent that M. Pechlin should listen to the propositions of the
Danish minister, and thus the negotiation was opened. The Grand Duke was
distressed, and spoke to me on the subject. I, who had been brought up
in the ancient hatred of the house of Holstein against Denmark, and had
constantly heard it averred that the projects of Count Bestoujeff were
all directed against the interests of the Grand Duke and myself, I, of
course, could not hear of this project without impatience and anxiety. I
opposed it to the Grand Duke as much as I could. No one, however, except
himself, ever mentioned the subject to me, and to him the utmost secrecy
had been recommended, especially in regard to women. I believe this
caution had more reference to me than to any one else, but they were
deceived in their expectations; for the Duke was always eager to tell me
everything about it. The more the negotiations advanced, the more did
they endeavour to present the matter in an agreeable aspect to him. I
often found him delighted at the prospect of what he should have, but
then came revulsions of bitter regret for what he was going to lose.
When they saw him hesitating, they relaxed the conferences, and only
renewed them when they had invented some new bait for making him see
things in a favourable light.
In the beginning of the spring we moved to the Summer Garden, and
occupied the little house built by Peter I, the apartments of which are
on a level with the garden. The stone quay, and the bridge of the
Fontanka, had not then been built. In this house I had one of the most
painful annoyances which I experienced during the entire reign of the
Empress Elizabeth. One morning I was informed that the Empress had
removed from my service my old valet de chambre, Timothy Yevreinoff. The
pretext for this removal was, that Yevreinoff had had a quarrel, in a
wardrobe chamber, with a man who used to bring us in coffee. Of this
quarrel the Grand Duke had been in part a witness, having gone into the
room while they were arguing, and heard a portion of their mutual abuse.
The antagonist of Yevreinoff complained to M. Tchoglokoff, saying that
Yevreinoff, without regard to the presence of the Grand Duke, had used
most abusive language to him. M. Tchoglokoff immediately made his report
to the Empress, who ordered both of them to be dismissed from the court,
and Yevreinoff was sent off to Kasan, where he was subsequently made
master of police. The truth of the matter was, that both men were very
much attached to us, especially Yevreinoff, and this was but a pretext
for depriving me of him. He had charge of everything belonging to me.
The Empress ordered that a man named Skourine, whom he had taken in as
an assistant, should take his place. In this person I had, at the time,
no confidence.