favourites either of the court or of the nation, yet both acquired momentary popularity and favour. The first steps of Paul appeared to be modelled, but improved, on thofe of Peter. The liberation of Kolchiutko and other prifoners brought to public recollection the recal of Biren, Munich, and Leftocq, with this difference, that Peter III. did not difgrace thofe acts of clemency or juftice, by ridiculous violences, or odions and groundlefs perfecutions. Both iffued ukafes extremely favourable to the nobility, but from motives effentially different, and little to the honour of the fon. The father granted to the Ruffian gentry those natural rights which every man ought to enjoy while the object of the fon was merely to revive thofe distinctions which in the prefent day are become obfolete and ridiculous.* In the conduct which he has obferved towards the clergy, Paul, however, has thewn himfelt a fuperior politici an: instead of infulting the priests, and obliging them to have their beards, he has bellowed the orders of the empire on the bithops, to put them on a footing with the nobility, and flattered the populace and the priesthood by founding churches from divine infpiration. From all which it follows, that Peter had a founder mind and a better heart, but that he was imprudent; and that Paul has more fubtlety and prejudices, and that he is a hypocrite. In his military operations, however, his grand policy appears to have failed him, becaufe here he was hurried away by his ruling paffion. The quick and total change of difcipline he has introduced in his armies has created him nearly as many enemies as there are officers *Paul has now taken it into his head to create an heraldic nobility in Ruffia! For. merly this gothic inflitution was unknown there. The tzar Fedor even ordered the patents, of which fome families would have availed themselves, to be burned. Have the Ruffians but now reached the twelfth century? They were the only nation in Europe, who, in their rapid progrefs to civilization, bounded over this folly. A foldier in the guards having ftoo! fentry at a door of the fummer palace (an old wooden houfe in which Elizabeth refided), went to his captain, pretending he had a feeret to communicate. He informed nim, that while he was on duty, he faw a light in the aninhabited apartments of the palace, and prefently fome perfon knocked at the door at which he stood, and called him by name. He had the courage to look through the chinks in the door, and there beheld St. Michael. The faint ordered him to go to the em peror, and tell him that he must build him a church on that spot. In confequence, the foldier Fegged him to speak to the emperor, or he must take the liberty to do it himself, in obedience to his miflion. The officer treated the vifionary as a medman, and fent him about his bufinefs; he, however, mentioned the adventure to the major, who thought proper to relate it to Paul. The foldier was called, and ordered to rep at the account of his vition. The emperor told him, that St. Michael fhould be obeyed, for he had already been infpired with the defign of building him a church, and had even the plan prep red. On this he fent for a model of a church, which he had ready in his closet. Does not this found like a legend? yet this farce took place at the court of Ruffia in the month of December, 1796, and the author was, in part, a witnefs to it. The palace is pulling down, and a church and a new palace are begun, dedicated to monfeigneur Michael-Gofodi pomilsï (1)—The miracles unravelled, when it is known that a coufin of the foldier was one of Paul's valers-de-chambres; and that the foldier, by way of recompen e, was promoted to the fame poft. We may expect foon to fee him counfellor of state (1) The ufual exclamation which the Ruffians make, croffing themfelves at the fame time, when they fee any thing extraordinary. It is one of the burdens of the litanies, Lord have mercy." and and foldiers. The preference he gives to the old Germans in his fervice may prove as fatal to him as it did to his father. In the diftruft and fufpicions which incefiantly haunt him, his inferiority to his father is also apparent. One of the first acts of Peter III. was to abolish the political inquifition, eftablished by Elizabeth; whereas Paul has profecuted no fcheme with greater alacrity than that of eftabbing a fftem of fpies, and devifing means for the encouragement of informers. The blind confidence of the father was his ruin, but it flowed from a humanity of difpofition always refpectable. The diftruft of the fon may not fave him: it is the offspring of a timorous mind, which by its fufpicions is more apt to provoke than to elude treason. From the conformity of character obfervable, in fo many particulars, between these two princes, we might be led to conclude that the catastrophe of the one will be that of the other but this feems at prefest not at all probable; for ftriking as the refemblance is between Peter and Paul, the perfons who compofe their courts, and the circumftances of the times, are no lefs firikingly different. Portraits of the Grand Dukes Alexander and Confiantine. From the fame. that fatal to Paul, but that the youth and natural good difpofition of his eldeft fon defeated it; who by the purity of his morals and his perfonal qualities infpires a high degree of admiration. That ideal character which enchants us in Telemachus is almost realifed in him however, though his mother may have the domeftic virtues of a Penelope, he is very far from having had a Uly fles for his father, or a Mentor for his tutor. He may be reproached, too, with the fame defects which Fenelon has allowed in his imaginary pupil ;* but these are, perhaps, not fo much failings as the abfence of certain qualities not yet developed in him, or which have been ftifled in his heart by the miferable companions that have been affigned him. He inherits from Catharine an elevation of fentiment and an unalterable equality of temper; a mind just and penetrating and an uncommon difcretion; but a referve and circumfpection unfuitable to his age, and which might be taken for dif fimulation, did it not evidently proceed rather from the delicate fituation in which he was placed between his father and grandmother, than from his heart, which is naturally frank and ingenuous. He inherits his mother's ftature and beauty, as well as her mildnefs and benevolence: while in none of his features does he refemble his father, and he muft certainly dread him more than love him. Paul, conjecturing the intentions of Catharine in favour of WE have already fervented by this fun, has always behaved coldly tharine was death from executing another defign, which would have proved more towards him; fince he difcovers in him no refemblance of character, "With a generous and well-difpofed heart, he appeared neither obliging nor fenfible to friendship, nor liberal nor graterul for the pains taken on his account: neither was he prompt to a knowledge merit," &c. Telemachus, book xvi. and no conformity of taste with himfelf: for Alexander appears to do what his father requires of him, from a principle of filial duty rather than compliance with his own inclinations. His humanity has acquired him the hearts of the foldiers, his good fenfe the admiration of the officers: he is the conftant mediator between the autocrat and thofe unhappy perfons who, by fome trifling neglect, may have provoked imperial wrath and vengeance. This pupil of L'Harpe requires not the dignity of grandduke of Ruffia to infpire fentiments of love and intereft; nature has richly endowed him with the moft amiable qualities, and his character of heir to the greateft empire in the world cannot render them indifferent to humanity. Heaven, perhaps, may have destined him to render thirty millions of people more free than they are at prefent, and more worthy of being fo. His character, however, though amiable, is paffive. He wants the courage and confidence to difcover the man of merit, always modeft and. unobtrufive; and it is to be feared, that the most importunate and impudent, who are generally the moft ignorant and vicious, will find leaft difficulty in procuring accefs to him. Yielding too eafily to the impalfes of others, he does not fufficiently confult his own heart and understanding. He appears to have loft his relifh for inftruction, on lofing his mafters, and efpecially colonel L'Harpe, his firft preceptor, to whom he owes all the knowledge he has acquired. A premature mar riage may have contributed to diminifh his energy; and it is probable that, notwithstanding his good qua lities, he will become in time the dupe of his courtiers, and even of his valets. From this account of his charac- . ter, it cannot be fuppofed that he will ever undertake of himself the odious project with which Catharine wifhed to infpire him. However, during the laft illness of the emprefs, and for feveral days after her death, he was detained about the perfon of his father with fuch marks of tendernefs as feemed to betray fymptoms of diftruft. Scarcely was he allowed an hour in the day to vifit his young duchefs. The emperor furrounded him with officers on whom he thought he could rely, and removed from their places all thofe who were not his creatures and spies: he took from him his own regiment to give him another, and appointed him military governor of Petersburg, naming at the fame time, for his affiftant or guardian, the ferocious Araktfcheief. The revenue of the young prince, which hitherto had not exceeded thirty thoufand rubles* (30007.) was increased to two-hundred thoufand (20,0007.); and his father, by employing him in many trifling concerns, which detained him about his perfon nearly the whole day long, was manifeftly defirous of watching over him himfelf. It is impoflible not to praise the emperor for having thus brought The great, the generous Catharine, whofe magnificence aftonifhed the univerfe, and who gave rubles by millions to her favourites, left her fon and grandfons in want of neceffaries. Thirty thoufand rubles in paper for a grand-duke of all the Ruffias! equal to fixty thousand livres French money (2500l.) Sometimes they were given in gold or filver: but they who had the management of the revenues of the young princes, took care to play the ufurer, so that in their hands they were diminished nearly half. Ff VOL. XLIII. about about by means fo mild and natural, the object of his unjuft fufpicions; and we are pleased with thefe marks of affection for his children, after being fifteen years without having the refolution to flew them the least 'proof of his regard.* The vulgar, who in general judge from the most deceitful appearances, perceiving in the grand-duke Alexander a referve and circumfpection of conduct, which they miffook for pride, were at first charmed with his younger brother Conftantine. This prince does not poffefs the advantage of fo agreeable and prepofLeffing a perfon as his brother; grimace ferves him for wit, and buffoonery procures him popularity. He exhibits more than one trait of refemblance to the unhappy tzarovitch Alexius, especially in his averfion to the fciences, and the rudeness of his manners. He poffefled, however, the germs of a found heart and understanding, which his fitft mafters neglected to cultivate, and which colonel L'Harpe attempted in vain to improve, by extirpating the weeds that checked their growth. It will be happy for Conftantine, when he arrives at an, age of more difcretion, fhould he revive and cul tivate them himself. In other refpects, he is a fon worthy of his father: the fame eccentricities, the fame paffions, the fame feverity, and the fame turbu lence. He will never poffefs the information which his father has acquired, nor his capacity, though he promifes in time to equal, and even to furpals him, in the art of manoeuvring a dozen automatons. Can it be believed, that a prince of feventeen, lively and vigorous, would, on the morning after his marriage to a young and beautiful woman, leave his bride at five o'clock to manœuvre, by dint of blows, in the court of his palace, a couple of foldiers, who were placed there as centinels? Yet fuch was the conduct of the grand-duke Constantine. I know not whether this military mania announces a good general, but fure I am that it is a proof of a very bad husband.† * I am informed that the grand duke Alexander has just been placed by Paul in the office of Befborodko, as Frederick the Great was by his father in the office of a minister, to perform the functions of a fimple clerk: Whether it be to procure him inftruction, or to humble and punish him, the young prince will be one day the better for it. + Some time before his marriage, he had a detachment of foldiers given him for his amufement. After having tormented these poor wretches for fome months, he went fo far as to cane the major who commanded them. The major had the courage to complain to count Soltikof, and the favourite related the story to the emprefs. She ordered her grandfon under arreft, and took from him his foldiers, who were not returned to him till after his marriage. Many other stories might be told of this young prince, but it would be only repeating the vulgar tricks of a boy without education. His grandmother perceived it too late to remedy it. In his childhood he bit and struck his masters; now he ftrikes the officers at their exercise, and knocks out the teeth of the poor foldiers. The king of Sweden being with all the court at a ball given by Samoïlof, he faid to him, "De you know in whofe houfe you are?-That of the greatest w His grandmother put him under arrest. in Petersburg." NATURAL NATURAL HISTORY. Account of the Discovery of Silver, in Herland Copper-Mine; by the Rev. Malachy Hitchins. From the Phitofophical Tranfactions. ERLAND-mine is fituated in the parish of Gwinear, about feven miles N. E. of St. Michael's Mount, on the fouthern coaft of Cornwall; and two miles and a half from the mouth of the river Hayle, on the northern coast of the fame county: it is contiguous to Prince George mine. It commences in a valley on the weft, and paffes through a hill, which is first of fteep and then of moderate afcent, for upwards of half a mile eastward; when the principal copper lodes, which follow this direction, meet with a large cross lode, by which, and by other cross courfes and flookans, which interfect them in their farther progrefs, they are repeatedly heaved, and fo dif ordered by thefe heaves, in their form and pofition, and fo changed by them, in respect to their compofition, as hardly to be recognized. The ftrata of the diftrict in which this takes place, confift of the common metalliferous fort of argillaceous flate, called killas. The copper lodes of this diftrict are remarkable for the shortness of their continuity; for, whereas other ledes may be traced to an indefinite extent in the fame line of direction, thefe, on the contrary, are observed to taper away gradually, and terminate, to all appearance, at a short distance, completely and irrecover ably. This mine was worked about twenty years ago, when it was funk to the depth of one hundred fathoms from the furface. It was again fet to work about eight years fince; has now four fire-engines and two fteamwhims on it; and is funk to a depth of one hundred and fifty-five fathoms below the furface, or, as the miners call it, from grafs. It is in this latter period of its hiftory, that a difcovery has been made of a confiderable quantity of filver ore, in a particular part of the mine, the fingularity of which difcovery, in this country, has much excited the curiofity of the public. For, although the numerous veins of lead in Cornwall are richly im pregnated with filver, and occafion ally yield fmall quantities of filver ore, and even specimens of native filver, yet, hitherto, no inftance had been known of their yielding this precious metal in such abundance; nor had any circumftances, in the natural hiftory of the mineral veins of this country, borne any analogy to those which accompanied the prefent difcovery. Ff2 Thefe |