THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 /le/n/
 
 Historical Memoirs 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Emperor Alexander I 
 
 AND 
 
 The Court of Russia
 
 Historical Memoirs 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 AND 
 
 The Court of Russia 
 
 BY 
 
 MADAME LA COMTESSE DE CHOISEUL-GOUFFIER 
 
 Translated from the Original French 
 BY MARY BERENICE PATTERSON 
 
 With an Introduction and Notes 
 
 SECOND EDITION 
 
 CHICAGO 
 
 A. C. McCLURG & CO. 
 
 1901
 
 COPYRIGHT, 
 BY A. C. McCLURG & Co. 
 
 A.D. 1900.
 
 College 
 Library 
 
 OK 
 
 111 
 
 Introductory Note 
 
 TO THE AMERICAN TRANSLATION 
 
 THE Comtesse de Choiseul-Gouffier, /<? Comtesse 
 de Tisenhaus, was born at Vilna, in Russian 
 Poland, in the closing decade of the eighteenth cen- 
 tury. Her father was a wealthy landed proprietor of 
 Polish descent. Of the family history of the Com- 
 tesse de Tisenhaus we know but little apart from 
 what these pages reveal to us. Her family had been 
 intimate in the court circles of Catherine II. and 
 Paul I. ; and Alexander I., upon his accession to the 
 throne of Russia, continued to honor the Comte de 
 Tisenhaus with his friendship. However, the comte 
 shared the hope of a large number of his countrymen 
 that Napoleon would recognize the rights of Poland 
 and give it once more an independent, united national 
 existence. To this end a delegation of Polish nobles 
 waited on Napoleon at Vilna, on the twenty-eighth 
 of June, 1812. He showed them but scant courtesy, 
 and gave them no hope that he would aid in the 
 realization of their wishes. Nevertheless, the Poles 
 continued to look to Bonaparte as their only friend. 
 It is stated on undoubted authority that besides the 
 sixty thousand Poles in the French army a hundred 
 thousand implored permission to raise the standard 
 
 v
 
 Introductory Note 
 
 of independence and garrison Poland as the out' 
 post of Europe against Russian aggression. 1 Among 
 those who thus deserted the Russian emperor was 
 the Comte de Tisenhaus. In this juncture it fell to 
 the lot of the author of these Memoirs to preserve 
 the family estates from sequestration. The comtesse, 
 up to the time of her first meeting with Alexander, 
 shared her father's distrust of the czar; but after 
 meeting him, she, in common with many others, was 
 impressed with Alexander's frankness, energy, and 
 nobility of character. This impression, upon a more 
 extended and more intimate acquaintance, deepened 
 into a loyal and devoted friendship on the part of 
 the subject, which was returned by the emperor. 
 Refined and delicate sympathy, combined with a 
 singularly engaging and open mind and a respectful 
 admiration of the personal qualities of Alexander, 
 gave to the friendship of Comtesse de Tisenhaus the 
 qualities most valued by the czar. 
 
 The political intrigues between Napoleon and the 
 Poles, and especially the requirement on the part of 
 Bonaparte that Alexander should carry out the Con- 
 tinental blockade against England, from which Russia 
 was suffering grievously, caused Alexander to ter- 
 minate the peace which had existed between Russia 
 and France since the signing of the treaty of Tilsit, 
 July seventh, iSo/. 1 To this end he massed his 
 troops on the western border of Russian Poland in 
 March, 1812, and made his headquarters at Towiany. 
 Here, on April twenty-seventh, Mile, de Tisenhaus 
 
 l Russia. Morfill. 
 vi
 
 Introductory Note 
 
 first met Alexander; and the volume before us tells 
 us the story of the friendship that existed between 
 them until his death at Taganrog, December first, 
 1825. 
 
 The comtesse married the French gentleman, M. 
 de Choiseul-Gouffier, and resided thenceforth in Paris. 
 This gentleman belonged to one of the first families 
 of France. His youth had been passed in various 
 European capitals, where his father, Comte Marie- 
 Gabriel-Florens-Auguste-de- Choiseul-Gouffier, had 
 held important positions; notably that of ambas- 
 sador to Constantinople, where he had successfully 
 established the influence of France. While there 
 the comte declined the office of ambassador to the 
 Court of St. James, preferring to remain at Con- 
 stantinople. At the outbreak of the Revolution 
 he adhered to the king, and was proscribed by the 
 revolutionary government. He retired to Russia, 
 where he was a favorite with Paul I., who nomi- 
 nated him as Privy Councillor and Director of the 
 Academic des Beaux Arts, and of the Bibliotheque 
 Impe'riale. The comte returned to France in 1802, 
 and after the restoration Louis XVIII. appointed him 
 Minister of State and Peer of the Realm. Notwith- 
 standing the busy life he had lived, the comte found 
 opportunities for exercising his literary tastes, and is 
 remembered as the author of several important 
 treatises ; among others a magnificent work entitled 
 " A Picturesque Journey in Greece," elegantly illus- 
 trated, which won him an election to the Academy 
 of Inscriptions and the French Academy. 
 
 vii
 
 Introductory Note 
 
 A book, as well as a person, has a history, and it 
 is only to be regretted that the first has no means 
 of telling its story. We may imagine what obstacles 
 it encountered before it became a book and entered 
 its own world; what vicissitudes it passed through 
 in that world ; how by some it was valued, and by 
 others laid on a dark shelf to be covered by dust 
 till, perchance, a stranger greeted it and recognized 
 its value, or picked, it up only to cast it into some 
 other corner. So this volume has had its history. 
 Three years after the death of Alexander, Mme. de 
 Choiseul-Gouffier published in Paris her " Mmoires 
 Historiques sur I'Empereur Alexandre et la Cour 
 de Russie." From the date of its publication this 
 work was recognized as an authority on the life 
 of Alexander L, and as a source of reliable and val- 
 uable information on the conditions and customs 
 prevailing in Russia at the time of Napoleon's in- 
 vasion. It was also prized for its descriptions of 
 St. Petersburg and Csarzko-Selo. 
 
 It was not long until the edition was exhausted; 
 but before that time arrived historical and biograph- 
 ical writers had made copious extracts from the 
 book, and had even based their articles on the facts 
 therein contained. Among others, M. de Lamartine 
 drew from it liberally in his " Histoire de Russie." 
 M. Dumas owned his indebtedness to it in his 
 " Maitre d'Armes." Not only did students of Russia 
 and her affairs turn to the pages of the Souvenir, 
 but readers eager for every detail of information 
 about Napoleon and his ill-fated campaign welcomed 
 
 viii
 
 Introductory Note 
 
 the comtesse's contribution. After the first edition 
 had been exhausted, numerous requests came to 
 her for a new issue of the work. She tells us in 
 the preface to the new edition that when she finally 
 determined to accede to these requests she was un- 
 able to procure a copy of the first edition of the 
 book either in the Imperial libraries of France and 
 Russia, or to find one in the possession of her family. 
 As a result of its rarity the work itself has been little 
 known ; quoted and referred to it has been by many, 
 but chiefly at second-hand. This alone can account 
 for its not having been translated into English at an 
 earlier date, for it is surprisingly interesting, bright, 
 and companionable, and of unquestioned historical 
 accuracy. It gives a lively picture of the thought 
 and manner of a day separated from ours by nearly 
 a century. It tells of a nation's hopes rising to vig- 
 orous life only to be disappointed and ultimately 
 destroyed. 
 
 The translation here offered to English readers 
 has been made from the first edition as it came from 
 the author's hand. The first three chapters as now 
 published did not appear in the second edition 
 issued in 1862. The reason for this omission was 
 probably a twofold one. In the first place, the in- 
 formation they contained was not first-hand. The 
 account of the author's personal reminiscences be- 
 gins with Chapter IV., which, in the second edition, 
 is Chapter I. The second reason lay in the re- 
 monstrance of those persons who took exception 
 to the author's view that the conspirators led by 
 
 ix
 
 Introductory Note 
 
 Comte Pahlen had killed Paul I. For a consider- 
 able period of time after the sudden death of Em- 
 peror Alexander I., the nature of his father's death 
 was a matter of dispute. Emperor Paul's well- 
 known infirmity of mind, and consequent physical 
 debility, caused a party at court to affirm that 
 his death was the result of a stroke of apoplexy. 
 Defenders of this view quoted the certificate of 
 death issued by Alexander's surgeon, Dr. Wylie, 
 who embalmed the body of the deceased emperor, 
 and stated that he died from the effects of apoplexy. 
 The surgeon is further quoted as saying that, allow- 
 ing for the injuries caused by the mode of death, 
 the state of his brain rendered it highly probable 
 that he would have soon died of apoplexy. 1 At 
 this writing the unanimous opinion of historians is 
 that Emperor Paul was assassinated, and that the 
 view of the case graphically narrated by the com- 
 tesse is historically correct. 
 
 The Publishers consider it a privilege to present 
 the first translation into the English language of these 
 remarkable Memoirs, and they do so with the con- 
 fident hope that the public will welcome the lively 
 and noble picture which is here given of one who 
 did not a little to deserve the title of " Restorer of 
 the Peace of Europe." 
 
 CHICAGO, February, 1900. 
 
 1 Life and Times of Alexander I. By C. Joyneville.
 
 Publisher's Note 
 
 TO THE FIRST FRENCH EDITION 
 
 HISTORICAL memoirs have been the fashion 
 for about ten years. This has become a fixed 
 phenomenon, and a phenomenon the more remark- 
 able on account of the countless volumes which, to 
 use the expression of a modern writer, " show history 
 en dhhabille" and are generally written on the same 
 plan, woven from the same material, produced by the 
 same passions, and, one might say, formed in the 
 same mould. 
 
 The long convalescence from that delirious fever 
 called the French Revolution ; the brilliant period of 
 military glory which followed the first years of a 
 restoration which has not given all it promised, 
 such is the theme which a thousand writers of our day 
 have seen fit to amplify, almost always with talent, 
 but which they have often misrepresented without 
 scruple. These memoirs have been sought after and 
 devoured, because nearly all, with very few excep- 
 tions, were clever, and wit is a seasoning which will 
 always overcome satiety and nausea. The readers of 
 this kind of literature may well repeat from Parney : 
 
 " Nous rebrodons de vieux habits, 
 Dont 1'dtoffe est toujours la meme." 
 xi
 
 Publisher's Note 
 
 But the brilliancy of the embroidery is attractive; 
 and the publishers do not weary of selling the repe- 
 titions which the public are never tired of buying. 
 But here is the reverse, the other side of the medal, 
 which we print to-day. 
 
 The Memoirs of the Comtesse de Choiseul-Gouffier 
 are written in our language by a Polish hand. They 
 are not even our own inspirations. One feels that 
 this work is of a different stamp, that it gives other 
 opinions, reflects other manners, in a word, it has 
 quite a different physiognomy. Not that the hyper- 
 borean influence of the forests of Lithuania is felt. 
 Madame de Choiseul has known how to find at Vilna 
 that delicate touch which distinguishes the produc- 
 tions of the fair sex under all latitudes. Her pictures 
 possess no less warmth than charm of originality. 
 
 The affection perhaps we ought to say the ten- 
 derness which the author of these Memoirs avows 
 for the Emperor Alexander is carried almost to ado- 
 ration. One might believe that Madame de Choiseul 
 in painting the Russian autocrat had drawn her ad- 
 miration from the same source from which M. de Las 
 Cases drew his colors for his panegyric on Napoleon. 
 To praise men thus, even when they have been 
 crowned, doubtless savors of exaggeration; but in 
 the work which we present to the public we find 
 that praise is kept constantly subservient to the strict 
 truth. 
 
 The Emperor Alexander is kept constantly before 
 us, and by his own utterances he paints his own por- 
 trait in the Memoirs of which he is the hero. After 
 having read them one will retain an exact idea of the 
 character of this prince, whom the bold audacity of a 
 
 xii
 
 Publisher's Note 
 
 very illustrious man has placed in the very first rank 
 of modern celebrities. 
 
 This book of Madame de Choiseul-Gouffier's will 
 be read with avidity in the salons of the Faubourg 
 Saint-Germain, where one lives on old aristocratic 
 memories. Young France will, nevertheless, be satis- 
 fied with the concessions which the author has made 
 to new ideas, and especially with the romantic touch 
 happily imparted by her style. 
 
 Finally, history may gather many a fact thus far 
 unknown from these Memoirs which we publish. 
 They contain new details concerning the assassination 
 of Paul I.; the conduct of Alexander during and 
 after the conspiracy which gave him the empire ; 
 what took place during the campaign of 1812; the 
 attitude of the Congress of Vienna when it learned 
 that in the month of March, 1815, Napoleon had 
 escaped from the Island of Elba and returned to 
 France; and concerning the tragic death of Alex- 
 ander, which the author leaves covered with a 
 transparent veil. 
 
 Xlll
 
 Author's Preface 
 
 THREE years have hardly passed since that 
 event occurred which plunged Russia into 
 sorrow and mourning, and already two lives of the 
 Emperor Alexander have appeared. 
 
 Without pretending to attack the merit of those 
 works, I will take the liberty of saying that, being 
 devoted almost entirely to the description of political 
 events and of the memorable 'struggle between two 
 of the greatest powers of Europe, they have done 
 little to show the character of the monarch who played 
 so important a rdle in those events. They have given 
 only an imperfect view of Alexander, the august 
 adversary of a man who showed himself only in a 
 few respects greater than his virtuous rival. 
 
 In the first transport of grief with which I was 
 inspired by the death of my sovereign, that prince 
 whose noble and touching character I have had the 
 happiness to know and to admire, I attempted to 
 recall the virtues whose loss I deplore. But whether 
 an acute and recent sorrow excited my imagination 
 too much, or I was carried away by the grandeur of 
 the subject, I soon saw that the tone adopted in the 
 work could not be sustained by my feeble talents, and 
 would not even be suitable to the history. 
 
 XV
 
 Author's Preface 
 
 Abandoning this fruitless effort, how I wished that 
 the distinguished writer whose gifted pen alone is 
 worthy of interpreting the religion of kings would 
 undertake a subject so worthy of him ! Certain har- 
 monious accents which reached my ear gave me 
 hope that my prayers would be heard. But the voice 
 was stilled, and my desires were changed to regrets. 
 
 Still, in meditating, whether in the silence of soli- 
 tude or amid the commotion of cities and of courts, 
 upon the beautiful life of Alexander, I have felt that 
 I could render little justice to the eminent virtues of 
 that prince in supposing that great talent alone was 
 worthy of rendering homage to them and of making 
 them known to posterity. Facts speak for them- 
 selves ; and those which pertain to the fame of this 
 august personage have a charm so pathetic that a 
 grateful heart is pained in recording them. There- 
 fore I venture to flatter myself that sensitive minds 
 upon whom the cold influence of the times has not 
 exerted a blasting influence may read with interest 
 my recollections of the noble and generous qualities 
 of the sovereign who merited the love and gratitude, 
 not only of his own subjects, but of all Europe. 
 
 xvi
 
 PAGB 
 
 INTRODUCTORY NOTE TO THE AMERICAN TRANSLATION v 
 
 PUBLISHERS' NOTE TO THE FIRST FRENCH EDITION . xi 
 
 AUTHOR'S PREFACE xv 
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xxi 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 I. THE FIRST YEARS OF ALEXANDER. CON- 
 SPIRACY IN THE PALACE. DEATH OF 
 
 PAUL 1 23 
 
 II. ALEXANDER'S ASCENSION TO THE THRONE OF 
 
 RUSSIA. FIRST YEARS OF HIS REIGN . . 43 
 
 III. RETURN OF ALEXANDER TO ST. PETERSBURG 
 
 AFTER THE TREATY OF TlLSIT. THE IN- 
 TERVIEW AT ERFURT 60 
 
 IV. EVENTS OF THE CAMPAIGN OF 1812 IN RUSSIA. 
 
 SOJOURN OF ALEXANDER IN LITHUANIA. 
 
 ANECDOTES 66 
 
 V. MARBONNE. FESTIVITIES GIVEN AT VILNA 
 
 IN HONOR OF ALEXANDER. SEVERAL 
 
 EPISODES 84 
 
 yi. ENTRANCE OF THE FRENCH ARMY INTO 
 VILNA. ANECDOTES. THE SITUATION IN 
 
 LITHUANIA 96 
 
 VII. PRESENTATION OF LITHUANIAN LADIES TO 
 NAPOLEON : THE AUTHOR is ONE OF THE 
 NUMBER. CONVERSATION WITH THAT SOV- 
 EREIGN. FESTIVITIES 106 
 
 xvii
 
 Table of Contents 
 
 CHAfTM PAGE 
 
 VIII. THE EMPEROR ALEXANDER LEAVES HIS ARMY. 
 
 His RETURN TO ST. PETERSBURG . . 113 
 IX. TERRORS AT ST. PETERSBURG. THE DUKE 
 
 OF BASSANO AT VILNA. THE RETREAT 
 
 OF THE FRENCH ARMY 116 
 
 X. HORRIBLE CONDITION OF THE FRENCH PRIS- 
 ONERS OF WAR. COSSACK PLUNDERERS 
 IN A FRIENDLY COUNTRY. ANECDOTE . 126 
 XI. RETURN OF THE EMPEROR ALEXANDER TO 
 VILNA. CONVERSATIONS OF THIS PRINCE 
 WITH THE AUTHOR. FESTIVITIES . . . 131 
 XII. FESTIVAL IN HONOR OF ALEXANDER. BAR- 
 BAROUS HOMAGE DECLINED BY THE EM- 
 PEROR 143 
 
 XIII. SOLICITUDE OF ALEXANDER FOR THE FRENCH 
 
 PRISONERS. THE EMPEROR LEAVES 
 VILNA 146 
 
 XIV. PARTICULARS. VAIN HOPES OF THE POLES. 
 
 DEATH OF KOTOUSOFF. MILITARY 
 EVENTS 158 
 
 XV. INVASION OF FRANCE, ENTRANCE OF THE 
 ALLIES INTO PARIS. GENEROUS CON- 
 DUCT OF ALEXANDER 164 
 
 XVI. SINGULAR PROOFS OF CONFIDENCE GIVEN TO 
 ALEXANDER BY THE PARISIANS. VARIOUS 
 
 PARTICULARS 170 
 
 XVII. JOURNEY OF ALEXANDER TO ENGLAND AND 
 HOLLAND AFTER THE TREATY OF 1814. 
 RETURN TO ST. PETERSBURG. SOLEM- 
 NITIES 181 
 
 XVIII. THE EMPEROR REFUSES THE SURNAME OF 
 THE BLESSED. HONORS AND REWARDS 
 TO THE RUSSIAN SOLDIERS AND TO THE 
 CITIZENS. PRUDENT MEASURES . . . 188 
 XIX. CONGRESS OF VIENNA. DIPLOMATIC IN- 
 TRIGUES. AMAZEMENT CAUSED BY THE 
 RETURN OF NAPOLEON TO PARIS . . . 193 
 xviii
 
 Table of Contents 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 XX. CAMPAIGN OF 1815. SECOND INVASION OF 
 FRANCE. ALEXANDER'S MODERATION 
 
 TOWARD THE FRENCH. HE MAKES HIM- 
 SELF THEIR PROTECTOR AGAINST THE 
 CUPIDITY OF THE OTHER ALLIES . . . 201 
 
 XXI. ALEXANDER^ KING OF POLAND. FESTIVITIES 
 AT WARSAW. RETURN OF THE EMPEROR 
 TO HIS CAPITAL 206 
 
 XXII. EXPULSION OF THE JESUITS FROM THE RUS- 
 SIAN EMPIRE. EXAMPLE OF GREAT 
 SEVERITY AGAINST PILLAGE. JOURNEY 
 OF ALEXANDER TO WARSAW. FESTIV- 
 ITIES. REJOICINGS AND PARTICULARS . 220 
 
 IXI 1 1 . SOJOURN AT WARSAW. FESTIVITIES. CON- 
 
 VERSATIONS OF THE EMPEROR WITH THE 
 AUTHOR 233 
 
 XXIV. DEPARTURE OF THE AUTHOR FOR FRANCE. 
 
 ESTIMATE OF THE FRENCH. FAWNING 
 POLICY OF THE FRENCH CABINET. 
 ALEXANDER'S OPINION ON THE SITUATION 
 OF FRANCE. DIVERS PARTICULARS . . 239 
 
 XXV. NEW JOURNEY OF ALEXANDER TO VILNA. 
 CONVERSATIONS WITH THE AUTHOR. 
 POLITICAL VIEWS AND OPINIONS OF THE 
 EMPEROR. ONE WORD CONCERNING THE 
 CONGRESS OF VERONA AND THE WAR 
 WITH SPAIN 248 
 
 XXVI. ILLNESS OF THE EMPEROR. JOURNEY OF 
 THE AUTHOR TO ST. PETERSBURG. DE- 
 SCRIPTION OF THAT CAPITAL AND ITS 
 ENVIRONS 259 
 
 XXVII. PRINCELY HOSPITALITY. RENEWED INTER- 
 VIEWS WITH THE EMPEROR. ALEX- 
 ANDER'S OCCUPATIONS IN THE COUN- 
 TRY. PORTRAIT OF THE EMPRESS 
 
 ELIZABETH 267 
 
 xix
 
 Table of Contents 
 
 CHAPTER 
 XXVIII. 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 XXX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE EMPRESS-MOTHER. THE ILLUSTRIOUS 
 GODFATHER. THK EMPEROR'S DEPRES- 
 SION OF SPIRITS: ITS PRINCIPAL CAUSE. 
 SAD PRESENTIMENTS. ALEXANDER'S 
 DEPARTURE FOR SIBERIA 279 
 
 A FEW NEW DETAILS REGARDING THE 
 EMPRESS-MOTHER: HER LOVE FOR LIT- 
 ERATURE AND THE ARTS: HER INSTITU- 
 
 TIONS 292 
 
 A DESCRIPTION OF THE INUNDATION OF 
 ST. PETERSBURG. ALEXANDER'S SOLI- 
 CITUDE. JOURNEY OF THE EMPEROR 
 TO TAGANROG. His DEATH. CON- 
 CLUSION 299 
 
 INDEX 309 
 
 xx
 
 List of Illustrations 
 
 ALEXANDER I Frontispiece 
 
 EMPRESS ELIZABETH To face page 26 
 
 COUNT BENNIGSEN 56 
 
 GENERAL KOTOUSOFF 124 
 
 GRAND DUKE CONSTANTINE 246
 
 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 EMPEROR ALEXANDER I. 
 
 AND 
 
 THE COURT OF RUSSIA 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 A LEXANDER was born in 1777. His early 
 ./I. years rapidly developed in this young prince 
 the happy disposition which he had received from 
 nature. All seemed in harmony in the noble child, 
 who was destined to occupy one of the most important 
 thrones in Europe and a brilliant place in history. 
 The remarkable beauty of his person corresponded 
 with that of his mind and seemed to be an emana- 
 tion from it. The invariable sweetness of his char- 
 acter made him the object of universal adoration 
 from his tenderest infancy, and the dearest hopes 
 of that powerful empire of Russia were fixed upon 
 him. 
 
 The Empress Catherine had such a strong affection 
 for her grandson that it is said she proposed to re- 
 move her own son, the unfortunate Paul Petrowitz, 
 from the throne and to appoint Alexander as her 
 successor. At that time hereditary succession to the 
 
 23
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 throne of Russia was not the invariable rule, the 
 law of primogeniture not having been established till 
 the following reign. Moreover, nothing could daunt 
 the genius of Catherine, accustomed to see every- 
 thing bend to her will. She even wished to preside 
 alone over the prince's education. If the rare quali- 
 ties which have been seen in Alexander could leave 
 anything more to be desired, it would have been 
 that the august grandmother of the prince had re- 
 tained the right to watch over the first impressions 
 of her grandson in the midst of a court elegant 
 and polished indeed, but without morals with that 
 vigilant sagacity, that clear firmness of principle, of 
 which she has given so many proofs. 
 
 It is difficult to say what power such lessons in 
 wisdom would have had over the mind of such a 
 youth, given by that incomparable princess who 
 consecrated her life to the welfare of humanity. 
 
 However, the choice which the empress made in 
 the person of Colonel de La Harpe l as preceptor of 
 the young duke, was calculated to calm maternal 
 solicitude and satisfy the expectations of the nation. 
 The wise instructor found in the august pupil con- 
 fided to his care the jhappiest natural gifts. To 
 perfect the work of nature and to accomplish the 
 task committed to him, he endeavored to cultivate 
 and develop the amiable and charming disposition 
 of his young pupil. 
 
 Possessed of a warm and affectionate heart, Alex- 
 
 1 Frederic Cesar de La Harpe (born in the Pays de Vaud 1754, 
 died 1838). From 1790 to 1800 he was the chief or most powerful 
 director of the Helvetic Republic. In 1814 Alexander gave him the 
 rank of general in his army. He wrote several treatises on Swiss 
 politics. 
 
 24
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 ander conceived a devoted attachment for this esti- 
 mable man, who had consecrated his time and care 
 to him, and he always regarded his instructor as a 
 sure and faithful friend. 
 
 Alexander loved to learn. He had a remarkable 
 memory and quick, penetrating, and refined percep- 
 tions. In his early years he showed a taste for mili- 
 tary science, occupying himself zealously with what 
 he was pleased to call his service, following exactly 
 and observing punctiliously the strictest discipline and 
 subordination. He possessed in a high degree the 
 love of order and work. That which one could not 
 help most admiring in him was the perfect evenness 
 of his temper, a quality very rare and very valuable 
 in a sovereign, which had for its source the goodness 
 of his heart. Nothing could change the sweet ben- 
 evolence which showed itself in his face as well as in 
 his actions. 
 
 Alexander spoke several languages, especially 
 French, with elegance and fluency. His manners 
 were charming. A certain timidity was noticeable 
 in his early youth. No one ever possessed to a 
 greater degree the happy gift of gaining all hearts ;, 
 and no one, I am sure, could have seen Alexander 
 and heard him speak without saying to himself, 
 " How happy I should be to call this man my 
 friend ! " 
 
 When Alexander was scarcely more than a youth 
 the Empress Catherine, fearing for him that danger- 
 ous period of life, decided to put a curb on his pas- 
 sions by submitting him, still so young, to the sacred 
 ties of marriage, an imprudence which influenced, 
 more than is generally known, the future and in- 
 
 2 5
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 ward happiness of this prince and of his interesting 
 spouse. 
 
 According to the usage established at the Rus- 
 sian court, three young German princesses were 
 brought and submitted to the critical scrutiny of 
 Catherine, who was to choose from them a consort 
 for her grandson. The choice was determined, it 
 is said, in a very singular manner, and simple chance 
 served Catherine as happily as the clear judgment 
 of that princess could have done after a thorough 
 investigation. 
 
 Seated at a window of the imperial palace, the 
 czarina saw the young princesses arrive, who, by 
 the way, were all remarkably good-looking. Cath- 
 erine observed that the first one to leave the car- 
 riage descended with too much haste ; she augured 
 ill from such precipitation. The next caught her 
 foot in the train of her dress and almost fell. " How 
 stupid ! how awkward ! " exclaimed the empress. 
 Finally the third descended with perfect composure 
 and dignity. " That is she who will be the grand 
 duchess ! " exclaimed Catherine. 
 
 This was Elizabeth of Baden. 1 Her face confirmed 
 the empress in her first impression, and charmed the 
 young grand duke. 
 
 Very much in love with his young bride, Alex- 
 ander enjoyed in her society and cultivated mind 
 and the tenderness which she felt for him all that 
 could ameliorate the hard lot to which he was con- 
 
 1 Elizabeth Alexievna (born 1779, died 1826). Her maiden name 
 was Louisa Maria Augusta. In 1793 she became the consort of 
 Alexander. Her character is represented as having been very 
 amiable. 
 
 26
 
 KMl'KKSS RLJK
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 demned after the death of the Empress Catherine, 
 and the accession of his father to the throne. Long 
 continued mental suffering had hardened the char- 
 acter of Paul I., although he was naturally possessed 
 of a clear mind and a sensitive heart. 
 
 The fatal disposition of his mind to suspicion, and 
 the excessive irritability of his temper so long held 
 in passive submission, knew no restraint after he had 
 attained sovereign power. Time only increased his 
 unhappy passions, and in those moments when every- 
 thing was to be feared from their violence, from 
 which even his family fled, Alexander, who alone 
 knew how to oppose with respectful firmness the 
 will of the emperor, sometimes succeeded in calm- 
 ing the mind suffering from an incurable disease. 
 Devoured by that ardent and suspicious imagina- 
 tion which pictured to him constant dangers and 
 secret enemies, the unfortunate monarch was his 
 own greatest enemy, and he ended by making him- 
 self the victim of his own morbid suspicions. 
 
 Exiles increased to a frightful extent. Terror 
 reigned everywhere, at court, in the towns, in the 
 army, and even in the most remote provinces of 
 the empire. No one could flatter himself that on 
 account of the prudence of his conduct he was safe 
 from arrest. No one could count on the morrow. 
 The arrival of a courier of the cabinet in the most 
 distant part of the country caused universal terror. 
 Each one, trembling, asked himself, " Is this fatal 
 order for me?" and thought he saw the kibitka 
 ready to transport him to Siberia. 
 
 An involuntary forgetfulness of the rigorous eti- 
 quette observed at court, the neglecting to wear a 
 
 27
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 costume prescribed by the emperor, the least negli- 
 gence in military service was sufficient to bring 
 down upon one's self the displeasure of the emperor 
 and the pain of banishment; and Siberia was being 
 peopled by exiles of illustrious names. 
 
 Among the foreigners of distinction to be found 
 at St. Petersburg was Count Choiseul-Gouffier, for- 
 merly ambassador at Constantinople; and he had 
 been loaded with favors by the Emperor Paul, whose 
 generosity also knew no limit. This count suddenly 
 received an order to retire to Lithuania, to those 
 estates which he held through the munificence of 
 the emperor, and to leave St. Petersburg within 
 twenty-four hours. Not being able to explain to 
 himself the cause of his disgrace, Count Choiseul 
 sent his son to ask Pahlen, governor of St. Peters- 
 burg, for a passport. Pahlen was at the parade 
 when the messenger arrived, but returned soon. 
 Perceiving Mons. Choiseul, he pushed the servant 
 who came to take his hat and sword brusquely 
 aside, and exclaimed in an agitated voice, " My 
 dear sir, I am in despair at what has happened 
 to your family. This cannot go on ! It is time to 
 put an end to it." M. de Choiseul, although ex- 
 tremely young, was much struck by this imprudent 
 speech, and by the singular expression of Pahlen's 
 face as he allowed those remarkable words to 
 escape him. Eighteen months later, the Emperor 
 Paul was dead, was assassinated. 
 
 It would perhaps not be out of place to introduce 
 here that profound dissembler who played such an 
 important rdle in this conspiracy that it might be 
 said he was the author of it. 
 
 28
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 Count Pahlen, 1 a gentleman of Courland, entered 
 the Russian army very young, and during the reign 
 of Catherine II. reached the rank of major general. 
 He owed the place of civil governor of Riga to the 
 protection of the favorite Zouboff. The Emperor 
 Paul, some time after ascending the throne, passed 
 through Riga, was pleased with Pahlen, and ordered 
 him to come to St. Petersburg. Paul, with that precip- 
 itancy which characterized all his actions, loaded the 
 new favorite with dignities, gifts, and honors. He ap- 
 pointed him chief of his guards and governor of St. 
 Petersburg, decorated him with the highest orders of 
 the empire, and presented him with large estates in 
 Courland, his own country. 
 
 The soul of Pahlen knew too well how to forget 
 benefits received. He kept up secret relations with 
 the Zouboffs, his old protectors, and concerted with 
 them the fall of the prince who had been so generous 
 to him, and who had elevated him to so high a posi- 
 tion. The motive to such black ingratitude is found 
 in the immoral character of Pahlen : he loved pleasure 
 to excess. He was a bad officer, moreover, and suc- 
 cumbed under the weight of the military details with 
 which the emperor charged him, as well as under the 
 tedium of the minute reports he was obliged to make 
 every day concerning the private life, actions, and 
 words of the inhabitants of St. Petersburg. 
 
 Being as prudent as he was perfidious, he tried to 
 run as little risk as possible in the conspiracy, and to 
 put himself at the head of it with great circumspec- 
 
 1 Count Pierre de Pahlen (born in Livonia, 1744, died at Mittau, 
 1826), was at one time Ambassador to Stockholm, and Governor of 
 Courland. 
 
 29
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 tion ; he therefore associated in the enterprise only 
 friends upon whom he could rely with perfect confi- 
 dence. Platon Zouboff, 1 the bitterest enemy of Paul, 
 to whom that prince had had the imprudence to leave 
 the immense possessions acquired in the preceding 
 reign, seemed to Pahlen the fittest instrument to 
 employ in a plot in which the former favorite of 
 Catherine found an opportunity to satisfy his feelings 
 of personal hatred and revenge ; moreover, Zouboff 
 having been a long time in favor, had preserved 
 many of his relations with the court, and his brother 
 Valerian was always surrounded by unprincipled 
 persons ready to serve in all sorts of crimes. 
 
 Pahlen, being pretty sure of ZoubofFs readiness to 
 second his views, showed a desire to form an alliance 
 with him, and that he might be released from exile 
 to his estates, to which he had been condemned, 
 Pahlen advised him to feign a wish to marry the 
 daughter of Koutaisoff, another favorite of Paul's. 
 
 The emperor had suddenly raised this Koutaisoff, a 
 little Turkish slave, his barber, to be one of the most 
 important personages of the empire, giving him the ti- 
 tle of count, and loading him with favors. Koutaisoff 
 soon received a letter from Zouboff, asking his daugh- 
 ter in marriage. Delighted with the honor, he carried 
 this epistle to the emperor and throwing himself at his 
 feet, begged the emperor not to put any obstacle in 
 the way of his daughter's good fortune by refusing 
 Zouboff permission to return to St. Petersburg. 
 
 1 Platon Zouboff (Zubov) (born 1767, died 1822) became, in 1791, 
 a favorite of Empress Catherine II., who appointed him Grand 
 Master of the Artillery. He was the most powerful Russian subject 
 until the death of Catherine (1796), after which he was disgraced. 
 
 30
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 Paul accorded this favor without hesitation, saying 
 that this project of ZoubofFs was the only sensible 
 idea of his whole life. 
 
 Zouboff agreed perfectly with Pahlen's plans. The 
 latter first made himself sure of a part of the guards ; 
 for, unfortunately, Paul, by imposing excessive duty, 
 by painful reproaches, and by severe punishments, 
 had alienated that corps, which had seen many a de- 
 fection take place in the palace without the shedding 
 of blood. 
 
 The real purpose of the conspiracy, at least so the 
 conspirators pretended, did not go so far as to de- 
 prive the emperor of his life. It was proposed, they 
 said, to compel him to sign an act of abdication, by 
 which he should consent to resign the crown into the 
 hands of the heir, the Grand Duke Alexander, reserv- 
 ing to himself the liberty to fix his residence either 
 in the environs of St. Petersburg, or in one of the 
 provinces of the empire, or even out of Russia in 
 whatever country he should choose. 
 
 Pahlen and the other conspirators knew perfectly 
 well that to remove the ruler of a vast empire, with- 
 out assuring it of a successor, was an impossible proj- 
 ect, and not to be thought of. Knowing, on the 
 other hand, the noble character of Alexander, they 
 had little hope that he would accept the regency. 
 
 Pahlen believed that the only means to reach his 
 end was to cause a division in the imperial family, 
 between father and children, between husband and 
 wife, and to induce the emperor to subject his own 
 family to cruelty, injustice, and persecution. 
 
 At length one of the conspirators, stung by re- 
 morse or perhaps apprehensive of the consequences
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 of an enterprise so horrible, without wishing to be- 
 tray his accomplices, revealed the conspiracy by an 
 anonymous letter. Filled with the greatest alarm, 
 Paul sent immediately for Pahlen. The latter, who 
 was prepared for this interview (some say that it was 
 Pahlen himself who revealed the secret) and had his 
 answer ready, presented himself before his master 
 with the most perfect coolness, listened without show- 
 ing the slightest emotion to the violent words of 
 menace, anger, and fury which Paul poured forth, the 
 sound of which would have terrified a culprit less 
 hardened. At these words of the emperor, " A con- 
 spiracy has been formed against me, and you, the 
 governor of St. Petersburg, you are ignorant of it ! " 
 Pahlen answered, " Pardon me, sire, I am not only 
 not ignorant of it, but I am the more certain that it 
 exists as I have a part in it." At these astonishing 
 words the emperor's countenance showed anxiety, 
 doubt, and surprise. " Yes, sire," continued Pahlen, 
 with the same imperturbability, " all the members of 
 this conspiracy are known to me. I am of their 
 number, but it is to serve you, to protect your life. 
 None of those guilty ones can escape my vigilance 
 or the justice of your Imperial Majesty. These 
 madmen rush to their own ruin in meditating 
 yours." 
 
 "Who are they?" cried Paul, whose excitement 
 increased with each word of his perfidious confidant. 
 
 " Sire, prudence forbids me to name them, but 
 after that which I have had the honor to reveal to 
 your Majesty, dare I flatter myself that you will ac- 
 cord me your entire confidence and rely upon my 
 zeal to guard your safety?" 
 
 32
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 This mysterious language had only the effect of 
 exciting still more the ardent curiosity of the em- 
 peror, whose mind, misled by mistrust, presumed to 
 fix his odious suspicion on his virtuous spouse, on 
 his respectful and submissive son. " Who are they?" 
 repeated Paul, with vehemence. " Who are they? I 
 will know ! " " Sire," said Pahlen, bowing his head, 
 " reverence prevents me from revealing the illustrious 
 names " " I understand," replied Paul, in a muffled 
 voice, and as if suffocated with painful emotion. " The 
 empress " continued he, fixing his penetrating eyes 
 on Pahlen. Pahlen did not reply. "The Grand 
 Dukes Alexander and Constantine? " Pahlen an- 
 swered only by silence. The emperor was also 
 silent; but silence on his part portended a storm. 
 
 An order to arrest the heir to the throne and his 
 royal brother was the first act of the father, who be- 
 lieved himself betrayed by all whom he had held 
 most dear. "As to the Empress Marie," 1 added Paul, 
 in a menacing tone, " I will dispose of her Majesty 
 myself." The grand dukes were to be conducted to 
 the fortress of . . ., and the empress shut up in a 
 monastery. 
 
 In depriving himself thus of the surest supports of 
 the throne and of his own life, this unfortunate prince 
 delivered himself with blind confidence into the hands 
 of the traitor who was to decide his fate. " Good 
 and faithful Pahlen," he said to the latter, " I leave 
 everything to thee ; watch over thy master, I pray 
 thee." Saying these words, he opened his arms, and 
 
 1 Marie Feodorovna (born 1725, died 1828) was a princess of 
 Wiirtemberg. Her maiden name was Sophia Dorothea. In 1776 
 she married Paul. 
 
 3 33
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 Pahlen had the assurance to receive that mark of 
 affection from his confiding sovereign, whose days 
 were already numbered in the depths of his heart. 
 
 After leaving the emperor, Pahlen hastened to 
 join the other conspirators, and having assembled 
 them, he said to those of the band who were the least 
 hardened, in order to revive their fury : " The secret 
 is out. He is still ignorant, however, of the names of 
 those connected with our enterprise ; but who can tell 
 if a new traitor may not reveal to him the whole plan 
 of our undertaking? If life is dear to you, believe 
 me we must hasten to finish our work, hasten to effect 
 the deliverance of our country ! " That traitor of 
 whom he spoke was no other than himself. This 
 man, it has been proved, cherished the double proj- 
 ect of betraying either his sovereign or the accom- 
 plices of his treason, according to the chances offered 
 him. In case of some unforeseen event, and if at the 
 decisive moment fortune declared itself against the 
 conspirators, his plan was to arrest the culpable and 
 say to the emperor, " Sire, you are saved. My task 
 is accomplished ! " 
 
 After agreeing upon some measures dictated by 
 prudence, the conspirators decided upon a time to 
 accomplish their crime. 
 
 Having taken leave of them, Pahlen, armed with 
 the fatal order which the emperor had just given 
 him, went to the palace of the Grand Duke Alexan- 
 der. Being introduced immediately into the presence 
 of the young prince, he bowed profoundly, feigning 
 despondency, and informed the grand duke of the 
 decree of the emperor. " What ! " cried Alexander, 
 " his Imperial Majesty, my father, will deprive me of 
 
 34
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 my liberty ! What crime have I committed to bring 
 this punishment upon myself? " " Your Imperial 
 Highness is not ignorant of the fact," said Pahlen, bow- 
 ing again, " that here, unfortunately, one sometimes 
 incurs the chastisement without having committed the 
 offence." At these words the grand duke gave Pah- 
 len a severe look. After a few, moments of silence, 
 Alexander said : " The emperor is master of my fate ; 
 I submit to him. Show me the order." Pahlen 
 presented the order. 
 
 Hardly had Alexander glanced at the paper, when 
 he exclaimed mournfully, " And my brother too ! " 
 Pahlen, in order to make the blow as severe as possi- 
 ble, informed him what would be the fate of his inno- 
 cent mother also. "Ah! this is too much !" said 
 the grand duke, covering his face to hide from the 
 attendants the spectacle of his grief. 
 
 Pahlen then threw himself at the feet of the 
 prince. " Monseigneur," he said, " deign to listen 
 to me. It is necessary, in order to prevent a great 
 misfortune, to put an end to the frightful vagaries of 
 your august father. To-day he aims at your liberty 
 only, but who knows, in the storm of his passions, 
 which often deprive , him of his reason, where his 
 imperious and masterful will may carry him? Think 
 of the unfortunate Alexis Petrowitz ! " 1 
 
 1 Alexis Petrowitz (born 1690, died 1718) was the son of Peter 
 the Great and his first wife, Eudoxia, and is said to have been a 
 studious youth, averse to martial pursuits. In 1716 he retired to 
 Vienna and Naples for refuge from the dreadful ire of the Czar. 
 This act was treated as a crime by his father, and Alexis was induced 
 to return. After renouncing his rights to the throne he was con- 
 demned to death on a charge of meditated rebellion in 1718. He was 
 found dead in prison ten days after his sentence was pronounced. 
 
 35
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 " Pahlen, you outrage my father ! " 
 
 " Ah ! Monseigneur, it is not his heart that I ac- 
 cuse ; that is full of generosity and of the most noble 
 sentiments. But the violence of his temper excites 
 him continually. You know, as well as I, that the 
 emperor seeks the good without being able to attain 
 it. What will become of the imperial family? What 
 will be the fate of the nation, with its immense pop- 
 ulation, which heaven has destined you to govern 
 and to protect, if your father, left to his excited 
 imagination, turning from one opinion to another, 
 punishing, pardoning, recompensing without meas- 
 ure, without reflection, retain the reins of govern- 
 ment in his own hands? There is no longer time to 
 hesitate, Monseigneur. The senate, the entire empire 
 wishes to throw off this intolerable yoke, and confide 
 its destinies to you. I am here only as the faithful 
 interpreter of that wish." 
 
 " What ! " cried Alexander, retreating from Pahlen. 
 " They wish me to usurp the sovereign power, to 
 snatch the sceptre from the hands of my father? 
 Never ! I will be the victim of his errors if need be, 
 without regret ! Only save my mother ! save the 
 empress ! " 
 
 Pahlen then, with atrocious duplicity, tried to 
 make the grand duke understand how greatly the 
 universal exasperation among all classes against the 
 emperor himself was to be feared. Then he cited 
 England for example, where they were disposed to 
 confide the direction of the government to the Prince 
 of Wales, although the mental condition of George 
 III. was less alarming perhaps, in a country where 
 sovereign authority was more restrained and was 
 
 36
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 limited by laws, than in Russia where the will of the 
 monarch was absolute. 
 
 " The grand duke," continued Pahlen, " employ- 
 ing the same moderation, could, without mounting 
 the throne, take the reins of government, always 
 being ready to return them to his father as soon as 
 the health of the emperor is restored, and when he 
 has recovered that calmness necessary for the per- 
 formance of his important duties. Such are the 
 views of the senate, of the army, and of the whole 
 nation," repeated the adroit courtier. 
 
 " They shall never have my consent ! " replied 
 Alexander. " The will of my father alone can direct 
 his destiny and mine." Then, drawing a crucifix from 
 his bosom, he made Pahlen swear upon that sacred 
 object that the life of the emperor should be 
 respected and his will left free. 
 
 " Monseigneur," replied Pahlen, " three days will 
 without doubt decide the fate of your Imperial 
 Highness, that of your august mother, and of all 
 Russia." 
 
 On quitting the grand duke, Pahlen placed several 
 guards at his door with an officer. The same day, 
 the Emperor Paul, who had for a long time aban- 
 doned his family, went to pass the evening with the 
 Princess Gagarin. 1 He was melancholy and his feat- 
 ures were altered. During the conversation he let 
 fall these terrible words, which his heart without doubt 
 did not indorse, which he could never have fulfilled, 
 and which a violent passion alone could have made 
 
 1 Princess Gagarin, n&e Princess Anna Lapouchine (born 1777, 
 died 1850), at one time mistress of Paul I., was the wife of Prince 
 Paul Gavrilovitch Gagarin. 
 
 37
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 him utter : " In a few days heads shall fall which 
 have been very dear to me ! " 
 
 The Princess Gagarin, being terrified, thought it 
 her duty to warn the Grand Duke Alexander of the 
 danger. One can imagine the cruel anxieties and the 
 mental tortures which Alexander must have suffered. 
 After his interview with the grand duke, Pahlen felt 
 that there was no time to be lost to insure the success 
 of the conspiracy. Assembling the conspirators, he 
 addressed them in the language of all revolutionists, 
 ancient and modern : " Let us not hesitate to show 
 ourselves worthy of our country by declaring our- 
 selves her liberators ! " 
 
 The appointed rendezvous was at Platon Zouboff s. 
 Invoking the shade of Brutus, the conspirators stim- 
 ulated their courage by copious draughts of wine. 
 During that same evening Pahlen saw the emperor, 
 and in language adroitly prepared he persuaded him 
 that the conspiracy was at an end ; he succeeded also 
 in tranquillizing him, and in pouring the balm of con- 
 solation into the heart of the ill-fated monarch. 
 
 Finally, when night had come, the conspirators, 
 wrapped in their cloaks and almost all having their 
 brains filled with the fumes of the wine which they 
 had drunk, took their way in silence toward the 
 Palace Michaelovski. * As they crossed the garden 
 which surrounds the palace, a flock of crows roosting 
 on the trees flew up, uttering their inauspicious cries. 
 The croaking of these birds, which is considered a 
 bad omen in Russia, frightened the conspirators, and 
 they considered for a moment whether they should 
 not give up the enterprise. 
 
 Pahlen had changed the guards of the palace and 
 38
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 in their place had stationed as sentinels officers be- 
 longing to the conspirators. The entire Imperial 
 Guard was under arms in different parts of the city 
 according to his orders. One single sentinel, having 
 been overlooked, seeing the group which was ap- 
 proaching, cried, " To arms ! " and was about to rush 
 out, when he was immediately recalled by the accom- 
 plices o'f Pahlen. The conspirators, having arrived 
 without hindrance, mounted the steps of the grand 
 staircase, where reigned, as in the entire palace, a 
 melancholy silence. 
 
 It was midnight. Paul, having passed the evening 
 with the Princess Gagarin, slept peacefully, relying on 
 the trustworthiness of Pahlen. No trace was to be 
 seen of those precautions which unrestful and sus- 
 picious tyranny invents and multiplies. After trav- 
 ersing the long suite of apartments without anything 
 having arrested their steps, the conspirators were 
 about to enter the sleeping-room of the emperor. 
 Pahlen, scarcely breathing, watched the expression and 
 countenance of each conspirator, listened intently to 
 each sound, when suddenly in the chamber which 
 preceded that of the emperor, a body-guard, a 
 Pole by birth, who was on watch, wrapped in his 
 mantle, perceiving the troop at that hour of the 
 night, and suspecting evil intentions, sprang in front of 
 the conspirators. Upon their refusing to retire, he 
 drew his pistol, upon which they fell upon him and 
 threw him down. At this noise the emperor awoke. 
 Believing himself betrayed, he sprang out of bed and 
 ran to a trap-door which served as means of commun- 
 ication with the apartments on the ground-floor. By 
 some mischance, for the first time perhaps, the 
 
 39
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 spring did not respond to the pressure of the foot. 
 Where should he flee? What should he do? The 
 only door in the room except the main entrance led 
 to the apartment of the empress, but that was locked. 
 The unhappy prince, victim of his own folly, had 
 himself cut off all chance of escape. 
 
 At length the principal door opens, and Paul has 
 only time to hide himself behind a corner of the 
 chimney. The conspirators rush into the chamber. 
 Their first look is toward the emperor's bed ; it is 
 empty. Finally they discover the emperor, who, 
 believing flight impossible, calls Pahlen as his last 
 hope. But the traitor does not answer to that appeal. 
 He was not in the room ; he was watching each move- 
 ment of the conspirators from the outside. Assuming 
 a courage which perhaps did not exist in his heart, 
 Paul spoke to the conspirators. 
 
 "Paul Petrovvitz," answered the traitors, "you see 
 in us the organ of the senate and of the empire. 
 Take this paper, read it, and decide your own fate." 
 
 At these words the emperor, terribly agitated, re- 
 ceived the act of abdication presented him by Zouboff. 
 
 By the pale light of the night-lamp which flickers 
 upon the troubled features of the emperor and upon 
 the gloomy and ferocious faces of the conspirators, 
 Paul reads the fatal document, reads it again ; and as 
 accusations of tyranny, specifications of his faults, 
 expressions the most insulting and the least respect- 
 ful constantly recur to strike the eye, and still more 
 to wound the pride of the monarch, the dignity not 
 only of the sovereign but of the man in him revolts. 
 He throws the paper down. " No ! " he cries ; " rather 
 death than dishonor ! " 
 
 40
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 He seeks again to escape the fury of the assassins, 
 if not by flight, at least by a desperate defence ; he 
 seizes a weapon. Then commences a scene of horror 
 and outrage which the pen refuses to describe. . . . 
 
 The stifled cries and groans, the muffled menacing 
 sounds the voice of crime reach the ear of the 
 alarmed wife. The empress hastily rises and runs to 
 the door, but all efforts to open it are vain. Without 
 loss of time she makes the tour of the apartments, 
 and arrives trembling, despairing, on the staircase, 
 which is filled with the assassins of her husband. 
 Bennigsen, 1 who had been drawn into the plot, and 
 who alone that night had been able to preserve the 
 unalterable calmness of his demeanor, naturally very 
 gentle, Bennigsen advanced toward the empress 
 and respectfully opposed her design to enter the 
 chamber of the emperor. He showed her that she 
 would only uselessly expose her own life, and that 
 the days of Paul were ended. The empress was 
 carried fainting to her own apartment. 
 
 The emperor in fact breathed his last as Pahlen 
 entered, sword in hand, undecided still whether to 
 use it to save the life of his master, or to participate 
 in the crime. The sight of his dead benefactor really 
 made some impression upon that atrocious and per- 
 fidious soul. He was obliged to support himself 
 against a pillar, and remained there immovable for 
 some moments his sword hanging at his side and 
 
 1 Count Levin August Theophil Bennigsen (born 1745, died 1826) 
 was a celebrated commander in the Russian service. In 1788 he 
 fought against Turkey, and in 1798 against the Poles. He com- 
 manded at the battle of Eylau. In 1813 he was in command of the 
 army of the reserve and was soon after created count. 
 
 4 1
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 his face covered. The other conspirators imitated 
 his silence. Finally Bennigsen represented to them 
 the necessity of going to pay homage to the new 
 sovereign. 
 
 The tumult, noise, and disorder always attendant 
 on such a tragic event resounded even to the palace 
 of Alexander, where he reposed by the side of his 
 young wife. Struck with terror and filled with the 
 most dreadful presentiments, when he heard the 
 death of his father proclaimed he fainted. Upon 
 recovering his senses, Alexander saw the conspira- 
 tors kneeling about him, trying to justify their deed 
 by a thousand incoherent words, and attempting to 
 attribute the death of Paul to a stroke of apoplexy, 
 a natural consequence of his extreme violence. 
 
 " Monsters ! " cried Alexander, " I will not accept 
 a crown stained with the blood of my father ! " and 
 he fled and shut himself up in the most remote part 
 of the palace. 
 
 42
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 AN immense crowd of people and bodies of sol- 
 diers having assembled under the walls of the 
 palace, they called with loud cries for their new sov- 
 ereign. The conspirators, appalled and in consterna- 
 tion, did not know what to do. Finally Bennigsen 
 agreed to go to the emperor, who, not believing him 
 culpable, allowed him to come into his presence. 
 Bennigsen, throwing himself at the feet of Alexander, 
 begged him to yield to the wishes of the people, and 
 not to excite the murmurs and license of the Imperial 
 Guard by longer resistance, and by leaving in such 
 cruel anarchy this powerful empire which destiny 
 had called him to govern. 
 
 Conquered at last by the representations of Ben- 
 nigsen, and still more by the tears of his mother and 
 his wife and by the prayers of his beloved brother, 
 the Grand Duke Constantine, Alexander yielded, and 
 consented to show himself to the multitude. 
 
 Pale and exhausted, the new monarch was carried 
 almost inanimate into the presence of his soldiers, 
 where he received their oaths of allegiance, which, 
 repeated by thousands of voices, seemed to make the 
 death of his father a thousand times more tragic. 
 
 The conspirators, ignorant still of what treatment 
 they had to expect, retired to their own homes, 
 strong, if not by the approval of their own con- 
 sciences, at least by the approbation of public opinion, 
 which they believed to be entirely on their side, by 
 
 43
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 the approbation of their country, of which they called 
 themselves the liberators, and above all by that of 
 their party, which was as extensive as powerful. 
 
 Pahlen was soon condemned to exile on his estates. 
 "I expected it," he said, "and my trunks are all 
 packed in advance." The other conspirators were 
 also exiled to different provinces of the empire, and 
 in spite of the mildness of the punishment, they all 
 considered themselves persecuted heroes, victims 
 and martyrs to their patriotism. 
 
 Perhaps many will, on the contrary, be astonished 
 that Alexander did not act with greater severity 
 against the assassins of his father. It must be re- 
 membered that the penalty of death did not exist at 
 that time in Russia. Exile, confiscation of property, 
 imprisonment, and disgrace were the only punish- 
 ments known. Such a deed merited without doubt 
 a law for itself, but no such law existed. Let us 
 represent to ourselves, if possible, the situation in 
 which Alexander found himself. Ascending the 
 throne so young, he had only hopes and promises to 
 offer his people, for the restraint and dependence in 
 which his father had held him had never given him 
 an opportunity to show the public the extent of his 
 abilities, his aptitude for work, and the clearness of 
 his mind and judgment. 
 
 In the first years of his reign, Alexander could 
 only oppose with gentleness, perseverance, and con- 
 ciliation, the dangerous fermentation with which the 
 unhappy death of Paul filled the minds of the nation. 
 That death seemed to be the victory of license over 
 despotism, and was expected to lead to great con- 
 cessions of autocratic power. An aristocratic con- 
 
 44
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 stitution was already talked of, in which, without 
 doubt, the interests of the people would have little 
 weight in the balance, and in which the only endeavor 
 would be to restrain sovereign authority. Con- 
 spiracy had struck deep root, especially in the army 
 and among the Imperial Guards, and Alexander saw 
 for a long time the sword of Damocles hanging over 
 his head. Many of the conspirators, who had be- 
 haved with such atrocious barbarity, were in league 
 with some of the most important personages of the 
 empire. Moreover, it must be confessed, unfortu- 
 nately, there reigned at St. Petersburg a universal 
 satisfaction, and people spoke with an audacious 
 freedom extolling the guilty. 
 
 We are acquainted with persons still living attached 
 by sentiments of gratitude and affection to the 
 memory of the ill fated Paul I., whose frailties they 
 had at the same time to acknowledge and deplore ; 
 these persons voluntarily banished themselves from 
 society, because they could not meet certain in- 
 dividuals, and see them received with general good- 
 will, without a feeling of horror. Who had passed 
 sentence on the guilty? Who had led them to the 
 scaffold? The emperor was obliged to restrain a 
 desire for just vengeance, and to yield to the solicita- 
 tions of a few faithful servants, strangers to the con- 
 spiracy, who placed clearly before his eyes the 
 dangers which the State and the imperial family 
 would incur if they employed rigorous measures 
 against that party. 
 
 Without openly opposing the new opinions, it was 
 necessary to lead back the public mind by methods 
 of prudence and moderation into the path of duty. 
 
 45
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 This was a work requiring wisdom such as that of 
 which Alexander has given so many proofs during 
 the whole course of his glorious reign. History can 
 never reproach this prince with having shown a 
 culpable clemency toward the murderers of his father, 
 of having voluntarily left their crime unpunished. 
 We have seen princes contemporaneous with Alex- 
 ander good and pious princes constrained by 
 reasons of state, not only to admit to their presence, 
 but to honor with their confidence as minister, one of 
 the criminal promoters of the death of Louis XVI. 
 
 The accession of Alexander to the throne was 
 signalled by many acts of justice and benevolence. 
 In response to his generous voice the deserts of 
 Siberia sent back numerous exiles, eager to mingle 
 their acclamations with those of an entire people 
 filled with hope and joy. 
 
 Alexander banished from his court the excessive 
 and rigorous etiquette which had been introduced in 
 the preceding reign ; among others, the custom of 
 descending from one's carriage when one met the 
 emperor. No person had been exempted from this 
 usage either on account of age, sex, or rank. The 
 first round hat which appeared in the streets of St. 
 Petersburg is said to have created quite a sensation. 
 
 Freedom to travel outside the country was granted 
 to every one in the empire, without distinction. The 
 system of employing spies and informers was no longer 
 feared. Art and literature, being no longer in fetters, 
 hastened to render homage to their august protector. 
 Submitted to fixed rules and to wise and well-conceived 
 discipline, the army commenced finally to breathe 
 freely, although Alexander showed perhaps too much 
 
 46
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 love of minor details, and attached too much im- 
 portance to small outside matters, often imperceptible 
 to a less experienced eye than his own. But it 
 would be difficult to blame his methods, remember- 
 ing that they proceeded from a sense of order and 
 exactness, and that it is to him especially that the 
 Russian army owes its fine military bearing, and 
 that perfect discipline which has justly made it the 
 admiration of all Europe, and that it owes also to him 
 those successes of which Russia has a right to be 
 proud. 
 
 People living in the country, sure of finding in 
 their young sovereign justice and protection, were 
 happy to see him honor agriculture and interest him- 
 self in its progress, by establishing on his own estates 
 settlements of foreign workmen, whose efforts he 
 encouraged in the hope of propagating and extend- 
 ing true prosperity throughout the whole empire. 
 
 The towns found also an assured guarantee of pros- 
 perity in the love of Alexander for the arts, and in the 
 protection he gave to commerce. The young em- 
 peror gave all his attention at first to putting in order 
 the finances of the State, which the luxurious pro- 
 fusion of the Empress Catherine and the prodigal 
 generosity of Paul I. had cruelly deranged. He 
 soon reaped the fruits of his labor, by re-establishing 
 the national credit. 
 
 Such was the happy beginning of the reign of 
 Alexander. This prince accorded and assured to 
 his subjects all the liberty which they could reason- 
 ably expect; and in all his attempts 4 one recognizes 
 the wise teachings of the philosopher La Harpe. 
 Some people, filled with the new ideas of the age, 
 
 47
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 try to see in the intentions of Alexander a secret 
 tendency to advanced liberal ideas, toward which his 
 old instructor had directed the mind of the young 
 prince destined to command one day fifty millions 
 of people ; but Russia, happy and satisfied, found 
 using a clever expression of Mme. de StaeTs "a 
 perfect constitution in the character of her sover- 
 eign." Every one knows the charming reply which 
 Alexander made to that celebrated woman, a reply 
 which so well expressed his sentiments. " I shall be, 
 in any case," he said, " only a fortunate accident." 
 
 Notwithstanding his youth, his inexperience, and 
 his natural inclination to philanthropic sentiments, 
 Alexander had too much wisdom, too much depth 
 of mind, not to see that Russia was, if one may be 
 allowed to use the comparison, still too young a tree 
 to receive the graft of new institutions. He hoped 
 much from the future, from his care and persever- 
 ance, and above all from time, which alone could 
 accomplish and establish a great change in the form 
 of government ; but time, inexorable time, would not 
 tarry for him, and madmen, monsters, ungrateful 
 cowards have hastened its course Ah ! forbid the 
 thought; its bitterness mingles itself in the recital 
 of the events of these beautiful years of Alexander ! 
 
 Let us turn to the young monarch visiting the 
 different parts of his vast empire, appearing every- 
 where to his subjects as the amiable, benevolent 
 prince, the future great man, destined by Providence 
 to be the arbiter of Europe, and to overthrow that 
 colossus of power which was to weigh upon her in 
 the person of Napoleon Bonaparte. 
 
 Everywhere brilliant festivals and entertainments 
 48
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 marked the passage of the young emperor. Alex- 
 ander honored with his presence those which were 
 given at that time at Vilna, the capital of Lithuania. 
 Being then too young, I had not the happiness of 
 seeing him, but I learned even then to honor his 
 royal name. 
 
 I remember that in the programme of solemnities 
 which took place on that occasion, the municipal 
 authorities planned to have the carriage of the 
 emperor drawn into the town by men. Several 
 persons of the prince's suite who had preceded him 
 to Vilna tried to make it understood that such 
 homage was unpleasant to his Majesty ; but to no 
 effect. The town authorities did not wish to lose the 
 expense of the costumes which had been made for 
 the twenty men chosen from the burghers, who were 
 to form that singular team. These poor people ran 
 therefore with great zeal to attach themselves to the 
 carriage of the emperor at the place a little distance 
 from Vilna where the prince had just received the 
 different deputations from the town ; and starting off 
 with redoubled speed they arrived at the castle, 
 drawing, instead of the emperor, his Majesty's valet 
 and his coachman, who, gravely seated on the box, 
 drove them like real horses. Feeling a natural re- 
 pugnance to letting himself be drawn by his fellow- 
 men, the emperor had entered the carriage of one 
 of his aides-de-camp. 
 
 On leaving Vilna, Alexander crossed the river in 
 a ferry boat One of the boatmen wounded himself 
 so seriously as to cause anxiety to those who were 
 witnesses of the accident, especially to his Majesty, 
 who regarded himself in a measure as the cause of 
 4 49
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 the misfortune to the poor man. He insisted upon 
 dressing the wound with his own hands, and tore his 
 handkerchief into bandages. This scene took place 
 on the boat, and this mark of feeling in the prince 
 was immediately immortalized by the brush and 
 pencil of every artist in the country. 
 
 In going from Vilna to Grodno the emperor 
 stopped to change horses at one of my father's 
 farms. While they were harnessing the new relay, 
 Alexander, walking about among the stables which 
 were of rather remarkable architecture, noticed a large 
 coachman's-whip freshly painted and varnished. 
 
 He had the fancy of a young man to try the 
 whip. A little stable-boy who was there, not recog- 
 nizing the emperor, and probably finding his pleasant 
 and prepossessing countenance infinitely less formida- 
 ble than that of the big-moustached coachman, owner 
 of the whip, tried to take the whip from the hands of 
 Alexander, saying, " Don't touch that whip, for it 
 belongs to Mr. Theodore." The emperor, amused 
 at the boldness of the little chap, who had a waggish 
 manner and a pretty face, asked him if Mr. Theodore 
 would take a ducat for his whip. The little boy 
 undertook the negotiation and promised to remit the 
 price to the owner. The business having been con- 
 cluded, the emperor rolled up the whip handily and 
 put it in his carriage, saying it was for his favorite 
 coachman, the faithful Houchka. 
 
 The emperor, in travelling, generally had himself 
 driven, for safety, by his own coachmen. He who 
 was driving the imperial carriage at this time wished 
 to try the horses before the emperor got in. They 
 were large, strong stallions. No sooner had they 
 
 50
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 felt the reins and the Russian whip to which they 
 were not accustomed, than they began to kick and 
 rear, and would have broken the carriage in pieces if 
 the people from the stables had not run to the 
 rescue. My father's equerry having begged to be 
 allowed to have the horses driven in the Polish 
 fashion, Mr. Theodore took the reins, and the em- 
 peror was driven without accident to the next 
 relay. 
 
 The philanthropic character of the emperor seemed 
 to promise uninterrupted peace to his happy sub- 
 jects. No idea of conquest or ambition had thus 
 far entered the head of this young sovereign, to the 
 great astonishment of all who surrounded him, and 
 to that of all Europe, no doubt. That which was 
 not less remarkable was the admiration which he 
 involuntarily felt for the man whose character could 
 in no way be in sympathy with his own. But it 
 must be admitted that that prestige of glory and 
 power which then surrounded Napoleon was well 
 calculated to seduce the imagination with all the 
 fascination of the marvellous. 
 
 Alexander could not consider as a usurper the 
 extraordinary man who, having rescued France from 
 the abyss of revolution, continued still to direct her 
 destiny under the modest title of consul. Later, 
 Napoleon said that he found the crown of France 
 on the ground and took it up. He would have 
 been without doubt more just, more noble, in tak- 
 ing it up, to have restored it to the Bourbons, who 
 had not let it fall, since it had been wrested from 
 them ; but the soldier of fortune found the crown 
 and made himself emperor.
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 Alexander, wishing to hold amicable relations 
 with France, followed up the negotiations cut off in 
 the preceding reign, and sent Count Markoff to 
 Paris. The principal object of Markoff's mission 
 was to come to an understanding with the French 
 government upon the system of indemnities in favor 
 of the German princes who had been stripped or 
 robbed by the last treaty with Austria, whether by 
 means of exchange or by the secularization of the 
 goods of the ecclesiastics. It appeared also in his 
 instructions that Markoff should do all in his power 
 to establish and maintain good feeling between 
 France and England. It was thought that a war 
 between those two countries would necessarily dis- 
 turb the peace and prosperity of all Europe. Markoff 
 had been employed during the reign of Catherine 
 only in negotiations with the Turks, who were al- 
 ways the conquered, or with the Poles, who, though 
 courageous, were always obliged to yield to force. 
 He was lacking in tact and circumspection. Every- 
 thing about him was disagreeable, his tone, his man- 
 ner, and his character. He inspired the confidence 
 of neither France, England, nor Germany. When 
 England broke the treaty of Amiens and declared 
 war against France, Markoff was so sure that Lord 
 Mitford would accept the conditions of the first 
 consul that he risked and lost a considerable sum 
 of the public funds. 
 
 Finally, Bonaparte, tired of the presence of that 
 diplomatic personage, had him recalled to St. Peters- 
 burg. The Emperor Alexander showed a good 
 deal of character on this occasion ; he sent Markoff 
 the order of St. Andrew, leaving him at liberty to 
 
 52
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 return to St. Petersburg or remain in Paris. But 
 Markoff, instead of imitating the firmness of his 
 royal master, hastened his departure, saying he did 
 not dare to prolong his stay in Paris for fear of being 
 poisoned. Oubril replaced him as charge, d'affaires 
 until that disastrous event happened which destroyed 
 the harmony that had existed between the govern- 
 ments of France and Russia. The assassination of 
 the unhappy Due d'Enghien proved, even to the 
 admirers of Napoleon, of what terrible excesses 
 ambition could render him capable. All Europe 
 shuddered with horror at that deed by which the 
 most sacred rights were violated. 
 
 Sharing that just indignation, Alexander, as prince 
 of the empire, sent a note to the diet of Ratisbon to 
 demand reparation for the violation of the territory 
 of the electorate of Baden. But what reparation is 
 possible when the wrong is without remedy ? The 
 Due d'Enghien was dead. 
 
 Austria and Russia declared war against France. 
 The successes of Napoleon in that campaign are 
 too well known for me to recount them. Austria 
 remembers them only too well. The Emperor Alex 
 ander had confided the command of his troops to 
 Kotousoff ; l but he was present himself at the battle 
 
 1 Michael Laurionovitch Golenitchef Kotousoff (Kutusov) (born 
 1745, died 1813) served against the Poles and Turks, and rose to 
 be lieutenant-general in 1789. In 1793 he was ambassador to Con- 
 stantinople, and on the accession of Paul I. was charged with a 
 mission to Berlin. After the assassination of the czar he was ap- 
 pointed governor-general of St. Petersburg, and in 1805 was created 
 commander-in-chief of the first corps of the Russian army against 
 the French. He gained a victory at Diirrenstein, and soon after 
 commanded the Allied Army under the Emperor Alexander at 
 Austerlitz. In 1812, a few days before the battle of Borodino, he 
 
 53
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 of Austerlitz, lost through the non-arrival of the 
 corps of the Russian army commanded by Bennig- 
 sen, and the army of the Archduke Charles coming 
 from Italy. 
 
 It is said that at the beginning of the battle a 
 Russian colonel made prisoner by the French was 
 brought to Napoleon, who asked him where the 
 Emperor of Russia was. The Russian having satis- 
 fied the curiosity of Napoleon, the latter set him at 
 liberty, charging him to beg the emperor on his part 
 to change his position, as he was about to make a 
 grand discharge of artillery on the side where Alex- 
 ander had stationed himself. 
 
 I will not attempt to describe this battle, so glori- 
 ous for the French army. I will only say that the 
 young emperor showed great personal courage, ex- 
 posing his life in several encounters where he had 
 a horse killed under him in pushing to the midst 
 of the retreat to rally his old grenadiers, who had 
 fled, crying: "Sire, no one is in command here; 
 flee, do not expose your life ! " The emperor was 
 then obliged to quit the field of battle with the mor- 
 tification of a defeat, and with that which was still 
 more painful to his sensitive heart, of having fruit- 
 lessly shed the blood of his subjects. " You must 
 be in my place," said he one day, " you must be 
 in my place to know the responsibility of a sovereign, 
 and what I feel in thinking that I must one day give 
 account to God for the life of each one of my sol- 
 diers." These beautiful words are worthy to be 
 
 was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian army. For his 
 victories the emperor bestowed upon him the title of Prince of 
 Smolensk. 
 
 54
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 engraved on marble and on brass, and to serve as a 
 lesson to all the kings of the earth. 
 
 In passing through Prussian Poland on his return 
 to Russia, the emperor was separated from his at- 
 tendants and lost his way one winter night near the 
 little village or borough of Miendsirzecz. Learning 
 that the lands belonged to Prince Constantine Czar- 
 toryski, whom, as well as his wife the Princess Ange- 
 lique, nte Radzivil, 1 he had known very well at St. 
 Petersburg, he had himself conducted to the castle. 
 Arriving almost alone in a little sledge, the emperor 
 announced himself as an old friend of the prince, 
 and asked to see him at once. The servants at first 
 made some objections, judging from the modest 
 appearance of the equipage ; induced finally to yield, 
 in spite of themselves, to the influence of the sov- 
 ereign manner of him to whom they spoke, they 
 went to waken their master and to inform him of 
 the arrival of the unknown friend, who would not 
 tell his name. Very much surprised in his turn, 
 Prince Czartoryski rose, put on his dressing-gown, 
 and descended to the salon, where he recognized 
 the friend. The emperor would not allow them to 
 waken the princess; he took only a cup of tea, 
 accepted some linen, of which he was in need be- 
 fore he could reach his carriages, and departed at 
 once for St. Petersburg. Upon his arrival at the 
 capital of the empire, the senate saw fit to offer the 
 
 1 The Princess Radzivil, palatine of Vilna, mother of the princess 
 Czartoryski, and my aunt, a person of fine mind and graces of im- 
 agination, had made long sojourns at St. Petersburg. She was 
 equally well received by the Empress Catherine II., who overwhelmed 
 her with honors and gifts, by Paul I., and by Alexander I. 
 
 55
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 emperor the grand order of St. George : but Alex- 
 ander refused that reward of valor, saying modestly 
 that he did not at all deserve it. 
 
 After this campaign Oubril, the Russian charge" 
 d'affaires at Paris, made a treaty disadvantageous to 
 Russia, which Alexander had the firmness not to 
 ratify. In the meantime Prussia, which before had 
 refused to enter into the coalition with Austria and 
 Russia, alone and with extreme imprudence declared 
 war against France. The battle of Jena, the death of 
 the valiant prince Louis, and the taking of Berlin, 
 were among the sad results of an undertaking in 
 which without doubt there was more heroic exalta- 
 tion than real and healthy policy. The beautiful 
 Queen Louisa of Prussia, after having stimulated the 
 courage of the Prussian soldiers, was obliged to flee ; 
 and being enceinte was transported on bales of cotton 
 to the frontier of the country, to Memel, where 
 she remained, as well as the king, during the whole 
 of this disastrous campaign. So it was in Prussia, 
 and she would have suffered, perhaps, by a just retri- 
 bution from Heaven, the fate of Poland, if her noble 
 ally, the generous Alexander, had not come to her 
 rescue. 
 
 The Russian army commanded by general Bennig- 
 sen held back the impetuous French troops accus- 
 tomed to march from victory to victory. The success 
 of the battles of Pultusk and of Preussich-Eylau were 
 doubtful for the one as well as for the other army. 
 Bennigsen closed the entrance of Lithuania against 
 Napoleon. No general righting against this great 
 military genius had been able to claim such an 
 advantage. 
 
 56
 
 COUNT liE
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 A great number of French prisoners were trans- 
 ported at that time to the interior of Russia and 
 passed through Vilna. Their appearance excited 
 among the Poles a sort of patriotic effervescence, 
 which fortunately had no unhappy results, owing 
 to the moderation and prudence of the governor- 
 general and commander of Lithuania, Rymsky 
 Korsakoff. 1 
 
 Warsaw, at that epoch already occupied by the 
 French, was regarded as the nucleus of a new Poland, 
 and all the patriotic feelings, all the hopes of the 
 Poles fastened themselves upon Napoleon as the only 
 sovereign who had, not only the power, but the wish 
 to re-establish the ancient kingdom of Poland. Mis- 
 taken in the crafty character of Bonaparte, the Poles 
 believed they saw in each French soldier the instru- 
 ment of the re-establishment of their nation. As such 
 the prisoners of whom I have just spoken were re- 
 ceived throughout Lithuania, and especially at Vilna, 
 with such lively and exaggerated marks of interest 
 that it was impossible to attribute it to humanity 
 alone. They deprived themselves of clothes, linen, 
 money, everything, for them. The market-women 
 gave the French soldiers their provisions for nothing. 
 
 1 Alexander Michailovitch Rymsky Korsakoff (Korsakov) (born 
 1753, died 1840). In his youth he entered the army, taking part in 
 the campaign against France in the Low Countries. Later he served 
 with distinction under Zubov in the war against Persia. On the 
 accession of Paul I. he was named lieutenant-general and sent with 
 30,000 men to support Souvarof in Switzerland. Before he could 
 effect a union he was overwhelmingly defeated by Massena at Zurich 
 (1799). Two years later he was promoted to general of infantry, 
 and a little later was named Governor-general of Moscow. By the 
 kindness and humanity of his administration he won the respect and 
 friendship of all. 
 
 57
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 People went to visit the officers, who were always in 
 sight. On the day of their departure everybody was 
 eager to send them an abundance of provisions, and 
 a crowd assembled at the house which they occupied 
 to see them off. The inhabitants conducted them on 
 foot for several stages of the journey, and a livery- 
 stable-keeper furnished gratuitously thirty horses 
 and sledges to carry the French several miles from 
 Vilna. 
 
 The battle of Friedland in the spring of 1807 ter- 
 minated the Prussian campaign. The treaty of Tilsit, 
 in fixing the boundaries of the grand-duchy of War- 
 saw, disappointed the hopes of the Poles, without 
 succeeding, however, in extinguishing them entirely. 
 The interview between the two sovereigns took place, 
 it is said, upon a boat in the middle of the Niemen, 
 in the presence of both armies drawn up in most 
 brilliant array on opposite sides of the river. It is 
 said also that Napoleon on perceiving Alexander, 
 struck with the beauty of that prince, exclaimed, " It 
 is Apollo ! " It was at this interview that Alexander 
 for the first time gave Napoleon the title of emperor, 
 and majesty, whom until then he had not recognized 
 as the ruler of the French nation. 
 
 The boat belonged to Napoleon. After the first 
 compliments and the reciprocal presentations of the 
 Grand Duke Constantine and Murat, then Grand 
 Duke of Berg, Napoleon naturally wished to do the 
 honors of the meeting-place for the conference to 
 the Emperor of Russia. Alexander claimed that he 
 was on his own shore, Napoleon that he was on his 
 own boat. To put an end to ceremonious contro- 
 versy, Alexander said, " Very well, we will enter to- 
 
 58 '
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 gather." As the door was very narrow, the two sov- 
 ereigns were obliged to squeeze themselves together 
 to enter at the same time. It was observed that 
 they were very animated as they left the place of this 
 conference, whose results were known later. Upon 
 his return to his own shore, Napoleon, in compliment 
 to the Emperor of Russia, made the whole French 
 army cry, " Honrra /" In response to this politeness, 
 the Emperor Alexander made sign to his own to cry, 
 " Vive fEmpereur Napoleon ! " The officers who 
 knew French cried as they were ordered, but the 
 Russian soldiers responded by their accustomed cry, 
 and the two banks of the Niemen resounded with 
 " hourras" 
 
 The conference lasted a number of days, during 
 which the sovereigns visited each other reciprocally. 
 Alexander even dined several times with Napoleon, 
 who would never in his turn show the same proof of 
 confidence, saying, to justify his fear: " I am not as 
 good as you, sire, and I fear the people by whom 
 you are surrounded." Once only he had the fancy 
 to ask for tea. " You are so near China," he said to 
 the Russian emperor, " you ought to have excellent 
 tea." But when it was brought, he pretended to put 
 the cup to his lips, then put it down without having 
 tasted a drop. 
 
 When the Emperor Alexander dined at the French 
 camp with several persons of his suite, the servants 
 carried the dishes of gold and placed them on 
 Napoleon's table, passing through two lines of grena- 
 diers, who allowed no one to approach for fear they 
 might throw poison into the food. 
 
 59
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 IN acceding to the continental system which 
 Napoleon attempted to force upon Europe as 
 the only means of opposing England, that power 
 that was so proud of her impregnable position and 
 always jealous of the glory of the great captain, the 
 Emperor Alexander bought the peace of Tilsit at the 
 price of a sacrifice much more costly for his empire 
 than an unsuccessful campaign would have been. 
 Little it mattered to Napoleon if all Europe suffered, 
 so long as his hate and ambition were satisfied. 
 Tranquil in regard to Russia, which he had now placed 
 under the yoke of his policy, Bonaparte turned his 
 ambitious looks towards Spain. 
 
 The Russian emperor at this time received the King 
 and Queen of Prussia at St. Petersburg. On this 
 occasion he displayed a grandeur, magnificence, and 
 generous hospitality like that shown by Louis XIV. 
 in receiving the unfortunate James II. and his family, 
 when banished from England. Sumptuous equipages 
 and furs of great price were prepared for their Majes- 
 ties and their followers, and awaited them on the 
 frontier of the country. The King and Queen of 
 Prussia made their entry into St. Petersburg in a 
 state carriage. 
 
 Notwithstanding the intense cold, the troops were 
 under arms before five o'clock in the morning. All 
 the most illustrious and distinguished personages of 
 St. Petersburg awaited the royal travellers at court. 
 
 60
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 It is related that the Emperor Alexander, giving his 
 arm to the Queen of Prussia, encountered in one of 
 the galleries of the palace the beautiful Madame N., 1 
 'clothed in a simple gown of white crape, and with 
 no ornament on her magnificent black hair except 
 a wreath of those flowers called forget-me-nots. This 
 lady then and for a long time after occupied the 
 heart of Alexander, without any other merit in his 
 eyes than the charm of her beauty. In recalling a 
 weakness unhappily too well known, we attempt not 
 to justify it, if it can be justified, but to prove 
 that the virtues of Alexander have effaced its 
 memory. 
 
 Married so young, and naturally endowed with 
 lively passions, friendship alone was not enough to 
 fill a heart too warm and too open to the dangerous 
 impressions of love. Perhaps, also, the pride of a 
 more constant heart, wounded in its dearest affections, 
 did not permit Elizabeth to employ those means 
 which reason alone would have suggested to her, to 
 bring back the love of her husband. While she sup- 
 pressed her complaints and affected a calm and 
 serene manner, she was often surprised bathed in 
 tears, contemplating the portrait of that Alexander, so 
 lovable and so unfaithful. Ah ! to find him less 
 culpable, let us turn our regards from the sorrows of 
 
 i Madame Narishkin was the prima donna of St. Petersburg in 
 beauty, talents, and accomplishments. Her husband was the Grand 
 Huntsman of the court, and through the mother of Peter the Great 
 claimed relationship to the imperial family. Her father, a Polish 
 nobleman, claimed descent from the ancient royal family of Russia, 
 and her mother was more nearly related to the imperial house. She 
 had no influence in politics and never mixed in them. Her triumph 
 over Alexander was of short duration. 
 
 61
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 the angelic Elizabeth ! As a man, Alexander had the 
 weaknesses of men. Perfection without blemish is not 
 compatible with human nature. If Alexander did 
 not attain to it in all respects in his private life, what 
 other mortal dare hope to attain to it? But, at least, 
 no one will accuse him of having attempted to seduce 
 innocence. He always knew how to respect and 
 honor merit and virtue, and he avoided scandal. 
 He was never known to squander the revenues of the 
 State in mad profligacy, or to allow any favorite to 
 gain a dangerous influence over his mind. Finally, 
 he renounced his errors at an age when the passions 
 still preserve a fatal power, at the age when Louis 
 XIV. was under the influence of Madame de Montes- 
 pan and the beautiful Fontanges, and much younger 
 than Henri IV. when that king, so great in spite of 
 his weaknesses, disguised as a lackey ran after the 
 carriage of the charming Princess of Conde. 
 
 Not only were the King and Queen of Prussia as 
 well as their suite entertained during their stay at St. 
 Petersburg by the emperor, but they were constantly 
 made the objects of the most delicate attention and 
 royal courtesy. Sumptuous festivities were given on 
 that occasion at the winter palace, among which were 
 fire-works which cost immense sums, and a ball at* 
 which there were twenty thousand persons dressed in 
 fancy costumes. The Queen of Prussia appeared in a 
 superb Russian costume worth one hundred thousand 
 rubles, which she found on her toilet just before the 
 ball. It was thus that Alexander honored and 
 respected the royal unfortunates. 
 
 Ambition, which was the food of Napoleon's genius, 
 led him to ask of the Emperor Alexander a second in- 
 
 62
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 terview. Their meeting took place this time at Erfurt. 
 It was there, it is said, that this unscrupulous man, 
 insatiable of glory and conquests, unrolled to the 
 eyes of the wise and moderate monarch his gigantic 
 plan for the division of the world, in renewing the 
 empire of the East and of the West. If that project 
 did not succeed, its failure must be attributed to the 
 moderation of Alexander. What a formidable union 
 that would have been, with the military genius of 
 Napoleon united with the forces of Russia! The 
 infatuation of Alexander for Napoleon, the fascination 
 which he exercised, kept up by that victorious career 
 to which all yielded, was not yet dissipated. 
 
 It is said that during this conference at Erfurt, 
 Alexander was present with Napoleon at a repre- 
 sentation of CEdipus, and suddenly at this line, 
 
 " L'amitid d'un grand homme est un bienfait des dieux," 
 
 he rose and kissed Napoleon. I cannot vouch 
 for the truth of this anecdote, but I have heard 
 the Emperor Alexander say that during his stay 
 at Erfurt he had been overwhelmed with contin- 
 ual representations of tragedies, and that he attrib- 
 uted this melancholy taste to the sombre and tragic 
 character of Napoleon. 
 
 A short time after the interview at Erfurt, Napoleon, 
 having had his marriage with Josephine dissolved, 
 and desiring to strengthen and perpetuate his dy- 
 nasty on the throne by a brilliant and durable alli- 
 ance, asked of the Emperor of Russia his sister the 
 Grand Duchess Catherine 1 in marriage. Alexander 
 
 1 Catherine Paulowna (born 1788, died 1819). She was a daughter 
 of Paul I., and in 1809 married Prince George, Duke of Oldenburg, 
 
 63
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 seemed disposed to accede to these views of Napo- 
 leon, but the dowager Empress Marie and the young 
 princess herself both women of great character, and 
 who had always disapproved of the continental sys- 
 tem, which Alexander had adopted in spite of him- 
 self showed in this affair such firmness and resist- 
 ance that Alexander was forced to yield, and Napoleon, 
 for the first time since his elevation, had to submit to 
 a refusal. Here was also his first experience of the 
 inconstancy of fortune. His brilliant marriage with 
 the Archduchess Marie Louise effaced for the time 
 his sense of humiliation, and filled his heart with 
 new pride in making him believe in the stability of 
 his fortune. However, its limit was already marked 
 by Providence ; it was in the wilds of Russia, it was 
 by the light of the burning of Moscow, in the midst 
 of the snows and frosts of the North, that misfortune 
 was to seize its illustrious prey, to pour upon his own 
 head the evils which his ambition had inflicted upon 
 the world, and to make him submit to a slow and 
 cruel death upon a rock, in the midst of the ocean, 
 him who complained that he suffocated in old Europe. 
 
 Finally, the Emperor Alexander, after three years 
 of peace, uncertain as to results, determined, if not to 
 declare war against the French, at least to renounce 
 the continental system. One could scarcely flatter 
 himself that Napoleon would be tractable on this 
 important point of his policy. 
 
 It was equally impossible for Alexander to close 
 
 who died in 1812. She was married in 1816 to the Prince of Wur- 
 temberg, who became King Wilhelm I. She was a favorite sister of 
 Alexander and is said to have been endowed with noble and amiable 
 qualities. 
 
 64
 
 Emperor Alexander 1. 
 
 his eyes any longer to the sad condition to which the 
 absolute cessation of commerce had reduced the 
 empire. What limit, moreover, could any one assign 
 to this system, even more oppressive for those who 
 had undertaken it than for those against whom it 
 was directed? Had not England her colonies, her 
 ships, all the seas at her disposition? Was not her 
 policy of constantly opposing France far superior to 
 that of Napoleon, who only knew how to act with 
 bombs and cannon and with millions of men? 
 Finally, as a last resource, had she not Spain and 
 Wellington?
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 HPHE year 1812 saw the most memorable events 
 -L which history has ever recorded. 
 
 The Emperor Alexander, who since his accession 
 to the throne had only once honored Vilna with his 
 presence, announced suddenly that he chose that 
 town as his headquarters. The different corps of 
 the army from all parts of Russia were gathered 
 together at different points of Lithuania. The em- 
 peror had just terminated the conquest of Finland, 
 and his friendly relations with Marshal Bernadotte, 
 then prince royal of Sweden, reassured him against 
 any kind of dangerous diversion on the North. Ko- 
 tousoff, conqueror of Moldavia, had terminated a 
 glorious campaign in concluding a favorable treaty 
 with the Turks. 
 
 Although the secrets of the cabinet were well 
 guarded, it was easy to see that France was the 
 object of all these movements, that war was about 
 to break out ; but where would be the theatre of it ? 
 That was what no one could foresee, for no news 
 whatever from without was brought into the interior 
 of the country, not even to the headquarters. With 
 his ordinary prudence the emperor had thought that 
 his abode in Lithuania, the attraction of his presence, 
 his affability and kindness would draw to him the 
 hearts of all the Lithuanians, and would be to them a 
 certain antidote against the allurements which Napo- 
 leon seemed disposed to offer to their patriotism. 
 
 66
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 Alexander arrived at Vilna at the beginning of 
 March, 1812. It is principally with this time that 
 my recollections of this excellent prince are con- 
 nected. I beg my readers in advance to spare me 
 the reproach of vanity if, in speaking of the empe- 
 ror, I find myself obliged to speak of myself. You 
 will only see the humble lily of the fields beside the 
 stately cedar ! 
 
 My father, having to give up to his Highness the 
 Grand Duke Constantine the house which he occupied, 
 changed his quarters and sent me to a country place 
 not far from Vilna. to stay with friends. In going 
 out of the town I was struck with the misery of the 
 country people, whom privation of the absolute 
 necessities of life by the interruption of trade, the 
 bad harvests of the preceding year, and the continual 
 passage of troops and transports had entirely ruined. 
 The trades-people were obliged to furnish the maga- 
 zines of the army with provisions, and were paid in 
 promises made in very uncertain terms. The evil, as 
 is always the case, weighed most heavily on the poor. 
 The peasants lost their horses, and even their cattle. 
 This sad spectacle, I remember, put me in bad humor 
 with the emperor, as if he had been the cause of the 
 evils which are always the forerunners of war, not to 
 speak of the plagues which are the inevitable fol- 
 lowers of it. It was the time of Lent, which is ob- 
 served rigorously throughout the empire, even by the 
 emperor himself. It was not possible to celebrate 
 the presence of the emperor by brilliant entertain- 
 ments, but the emperor often accorded to certain 
 persons of the nobility of Vilna the honor of dining 
 with them. In the morning his Majesty occupied 
 
 67
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 himself with the affairs of state, received or sent off 
 couriers, was present at the parade and military ex- 
 ercises, and took long rides on horseback into the 
 country about Vilna, which he found delightful. 
 
 In a lovely retreat, made beautiful by friendship 
 and all that art could devise, my friends and I 
 learned that the emperor was about to inspect a 
 body of troops quartered at Scawle and Semogitie, 
 and that we should have the pleasure of seeing him, 
 as he must necessarily pass Towiany, a place re- 
 markable for the beauty of its castle and its Eng- 
 lish gardens, and for having several times had the 
 honor of the presence of its sovereign. Forty 
 horses were sent and kept there for his Majesty. 
 Not knowing whether the emperor would only 
 change horses or remain to dine there, Count Mori- 
 coni and his wife made preparations accordingly. 
 I acknowledge that the great stir and bustle which 
 always announces and precedes the arrival of a 
 sovereign, the news no sooner received than denied, 
 the comings and goings, the orders and counter- 
 orders, the movements of the couriers, valets de 
 chambre, lieutenants of the police, the directors of 
 the post, generals, etc., which followed each other 
 like lightning, all this was very amusing. I never 
 laughed so much, and must acknowledge that I was 
 well seconded by my young friends, and that very 
 little was sufficient to excite our mirth. 
 
 Finally, on the 2/th of April, 1812, the emperor 
 arrived at Towiany, about seven o'clock in the even- 
 ing, in an open calash. He always travelled thus, 
 in all kinds of weather by night as well as by day. 
 He was received on the steps by Count Moriconi. 
 
 68
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 On seeing this venerable old gentleman, dressed in 
 the uniform of a commander of Malta, who was 
 hardly able to stand (for he had been paralyzed 
 for several years), the emperor perceived at once 
 that he was suffering, and with an air of kindness 
 and solicitude sustained the count as they ascended 
 the steps. Seeing the mistress of the house, her 
 two nieces and myself, his Majesty excused himself 
 most politely for appearing in undress uniform, not 
 expecting to see ladies. Then giving his arm to 
 the Countess Moriconi to enter the drawing-room, 
 the emperor offered to kiss her hand. Madame de 
 Moriconi, out of respect, would not allow that mark 
 of politeness, which she had not expected, and as 
 she was very short and courtesied very low, the em- 
 peror on his side bowed almost to the ground, which 
 gave me again such a desire to laugh that I could 
 hardly restrain myself. 
 
 Madame de Moriconi then presented her two 
 nieces, Mademoiselle Grabowska, now Princess Rad- 
 zivil, 1 Mademoiselle Doroth^e Moriconi, now Countess 
 Lopacinska, and me. The emperor asked the ladies 
 to sit down, and compelled the old count to do so, 
 placing him himself in an arm-chair with touching 
 care. He remained standing, spoke of Vilna, and 
 said many polite things of the society he found 
 
 1 Radzivil was one of the oldest, wealthiest, and most influential 
 families in Poland. The family was a large one and was united in 
 its devotion to the existence of the kingdom. Charles Radzivil (died 
 1790) supported a small army out of his own purse. Michel Geron 
 Radzivil (born 1778, died 1850) was enrolled in the Polish army 
 under Kosciusko. In 1812 he fought against Russia, and after the 
 battles of Smolensk and Witepsk he was made a general of brigade 
 by Napoleon. When Paris was occupied by the Allies he returned 
 to Poland. He took an active part in the revolution of 1830. 
 
 69
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 there and the ball they had given him on the eve 
 of his departure. In answer to these compliments 
 we felt it our duty to speak of St. Petersburg ; the 
 emperor asked us if we knew it, and upon our nega- 
 tive answer, " Well, ladies," he said, " I invite you to 
 come there, and I hope it will correspond with the 
 opinion you have already formed of it." He re- 
 peated several times that he was ashamed to be in 
 such dress in the presence of ladies, and related a 
 similar thing which had happened to him on his 
 arrival near Warsaw, at Willanow, the ancient habi- 
 tation of King John Sobieski. " I arrived there 
 sound asleep," said the emperor. " What was my 
 astonishment and confusion when, on wakening, I 
 found myself surrounded by charming and beauti- 
 ful ladies, in a brightly illuminated castle filled with 
 souvenirs of King John." 
 
 The emperor complimented Madame Moriconi 
 very much upon the beauty of the castle and park, 
 upon which she asked him to look at the view from 
 the window. The spring was late that year, and at 
 the end of April there was no appearance of verdure. 
 The hour for dinner had already passed, but his 
 Majesty would only take a cup of tea, and soon, 
 learning that the carriages were ready, he begged 
 Madame Moriconi not to accompany him, and salut- 
 ing each person of the house, ranged along his 
 passage, he mounted his carriage with the grand 
 marshal of the court, Count Tolstoi. 
 
 I acknowledge that I was very much struck, at 
 first sight, with the good looks of the emperor, 
 whose charm consisted especially in the mildness 
 and expression of an open and pleasant counte- 
 
 7
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 nance. I must say also, in all simplicity, that I 
 could not imagine a sovereign in an overcoat. 
 Finally, if I may say it, I found him too amiable, 
 not imposing enough, making one forget his rank 
 too easily. I could not accustom myself to those 
 exaggerated expressions of politeness, respect, and 
 homage which he employed with ladies, which sur- 
 passed in my ideas all that is left us of the exquisite 
 gallantry of Louis XIV. 
 
 We were told by General Armfeldt, 1 at that time 
 commander in Finland, and by M. Czernischeff, aide- 
 de-camp to his Majesty, that the emperor would 
 return by Towiany. M. Czernischeff to whom 
 his journeys to Paris, and the secret messages with 
 which he had been charged gave a sort of celebrity, 
 to which he was not indifferent seemed to worship 
 the emperor, to whom he had given the surname 
 the Seduisant. Three days after the departure of 
 his Majesty a courier arrived from Scawle bringing a 
 letter from Prince Wolkonski, 2 which announced that 
 
 1 Gustav Mauritz Armfeldt (born 1759, died 1814) was a favorite 
 of Gustavus III., and just before the death of that king in 1792 was 
 appointed governor of Stockholm. In 1794 he was charged with 
 treason by the regent, who, during the absence of Armfeldt on a mis- 
 sion to Naples, procured a sentence of death against him. He was 
 restored to His former dignities by Gustavus IV. in 1799. Six years 
 later he was appointed governor-general of Finland. In 1808 he 
 commanded an army which was unsuccessful in its attempt to con- 
 quer Norway. Owing to persistent persecution by his enemies he 
 entered the Russian service in 1810, and was appointed to several 
 high offices by Alexander. 
 
 2 Prince Pierre Mikhailovitch Wolkonski (Volkonsky) (born 1776, 
 died 1852) was one of the most eminent generals in Russia, and his 
 strong moral character gave him great influence. He was appointed 
 aide-de-camp to the Grand Duke Alexander in 1797, and served with 
 distinction in the brilliant campaigns of 1805, 1812, 1813, and 1814. 
 After the peace of Tilsit, Alexander presented him to Napoleon, 
 
 7 1
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 the emperor proposed to come the next evening to 
 ask Countess Moriconi "for a cup of tea. 
 
 As the emperor was to stop at Vilkomir to be 
 present at a review, the director-general of the post 
 hinted that the countess would do well to ask his 
 Majesty to pass the night at Towiany, where he would 
 be incomparably better lodged than in a dirty little 
 country town filled with Jews. He assured her that 
 the emperor would gladly accept her invitation. 
 Countess Moriconi, an elderly woman, not liking the 
 constraint and trouble of etiquette, suffering also from 
 a neglected cold, while answering that she did not 
 deserve so much honor, gently pinched my arm to 
 show me how much she was annoyed. It was neces- 
 sary immediately to evacuate the apartments of the 
 countess, of her nieces and their maids, to put them in 
 order for the reception of the emperor. A crowd of 
 maids old and young came and went, screaming, 
 carrying, and upsetting everything; the confusion was 
 most laughable. His Majesty's valet de chambre, who 
 was filling a yellow morocco bag with hay, the ordi- 
 nary bed of Alexander, who always slept on a hard 
 bed, told us gravely that the emperor never allowed 
 people to disturb themselves for him, and finally as- 
 sured us condescendingly that everything, would do 
 very well. In the evening, as the lamps were being 
 lighted, I saw from the window a company of peasants, 
 men and women, returning from their work to their 
 humble cottages, singing their plaintive Lithuanian 
 airs. The simplicity and calmness of these good 
 
 who invited him to visit France and study the details of the organiza- 
 tion of the army. Accordingly he lived abroad in the years 1808 and 
 1809. He was Russian ambassador to the court of Charles X. 
 
 72
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 people formed a contrast to the bustle and commo- 
 tion in the castle which struck me, and I spoke of it 
 to Madame Moriconi. As we stood there chatting 
 some one came to say that the emperor had arrived. 
 The mistress of the house rushed in quite out of 
 breath ; we made her sit down a moment, then ran all 
 together to receive the emperor. 
 
 This time Alexander was in general's uniform em- 
 broidered with gold, with the scarf. It was no longer 
 " the sovereign in an overcoat." He had stopped to 
 dress at a farmhouse which belonged to the castle. 
 Remembering that Madame Moriconi had been in- 
 disposed, he asked after her health and addressed a 
 polite word to each of us. He said he had tried to 
 reach Towiany in time for dinner, but the bad roads 
 had made him late. Then Madame Moriconi made 
 bold to ask the emperor if he would not do her the 
 honor to accept her hospitality for the night. His 
 Majesty replied that he would not give her that 
 trouble, that he had his quarters at Vilkomir. Upon 
 this, new entreaties, for we saw that the refusal came 
 from delicacy. We now called Count Tolstoi to our 
 aid ; who, having learned that he was a relative of 
 Madame Moriconi (his daughter married Prince 
 Lubomirski, a nephew of that lady), immediately ap- 
 proached the emperor with that familiar tone which 
 he allowed himself with him, and said : " Sire, you will 
 have to consent to remain here, for I am to do the 
 
 1 Count Ivan Ostermann Tolstoi (born 1770, died 1857) was a 
 brilliant Russian general of artillery. In the bloody battle of 
 Ostrowna, July 25, 1812, he showed great courage and skill when 
 he was placed immediately opposite the troops of Murat and Prince 
 Eugene; and again showed marked bravery at Bautzen. His last 
 years were passed in strict retirement near Genoa. 
 
 73
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 honors as a relation." As the emperor seemed sur- 
 prised, Tolstoi hastened to explain. Then his Majesty 
 turning to Madame Moriconi said, " Madame, I am at 
 your service, but I beg you not to disturb yourself for 
 me." 
 
 We all sat in a circle. The emperor asked Madame 
 Moriconi if she had not used a remedy for her cough 
 very well known at St. Petersburg, which his physi- 
 cian would get for her, if she had n't it. Count 
 Tolstoi said he could cure a cold with jujube lozenges. 
 The emperor made some joke about his "doctoral" 
 propensities ; adding that it would not always be safe 
 to follow his advice. " What ! sire, I have given those 
 pastilles to your mother" answered Tolstoi. " The 
 dowager empress never takes anything else when she 
 has a cold." 
 
 The emperor then spoke of his tour in Lithuania, 
 of several beautiful views on the river Niemen, of 
 agriculture in general, etc. Madame Moriconi sus- 
 tained the conversation very well. The emperor 
 complimented her upon her knowledge of agriculture. 
 He asked if we were musicians ; Madame Moriconi 
 said that her niece sang. He expressed a wish to 
 hear her; everybody rose and Alexander placed him- 
 self near the piano. Mademoiselle Dorothee said to 
 him she could hardly breathe for fear. " I beg you," 
 he said, "just put the emperor aside." While she 
 sang Alexander turned the leaves for her, and when 
 the song was finished he complimented her on her 
 talent. Then turning to me he asked me if I also was 
 musical, but I hastened to say that I possessed only 
 very moderate talent. He then talked for some time 
 about music and singing, and spoke of Madame Frank, 
 
 74
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 whose method he admired and whose voice was very 
 beautiful and of great compass. He liked Romberg, 1 
 Rode, 2 Steibert, 3 and the opera " Romeo and Juliet;" 
 to the last I had the boldness to prefer " Zingarella." 
 
 His Majesty regretted that the Empress Catherine 
 had never allowed him to learn the violin, in spite of 
 the taste he had for that instrument, that princess 
 fearing with reason the loss of her grandson's time 
 which the study of music would necessitate. The 
 emperor told us also that at St. Petersburg, during 
 Lent, they have only concerts, and never balls, " our 
 rite being more severe than yours," he said. He then 
 begged Mademoiselle Doroth6e, " if it was not impos- 
 ing too much on her patience," to sing a national air. 
 
 In the meantime Prince Wolkonski arrived with 
 Mr. Wylie. 4 The emperor joked them about their 
 delay, saying that they must have travelled like snails. 
 " His Majesty can laugh at us with good grace," 
 said the prince to me ; " he takes the best horses for 
 his relays, leaving us only the poor ones." 
 
 " Do you know, Wylie," said Alexander to his 
 physician, " Tolstoi is going to infringe upon your 
 
 1 Andreas Romberg (born 1767, died 1821) was a celebrated 
 German violinist and composer. In 1815 he became director of 
 music at Gotha. He produced several sacred pieces and operas, and 
 set to music Schiller's " Song of the Bell " and other poems. 
 
 2 Pierre Rode (born 1774, died 1830). A French violinist who 
 composed concertos, which are much admired. 
 
 3 Daniel Steibelt (born 1756, died 1823) was a celebrated pianist 
 and composer for the piano. He was patronized by Frederick the 
 Great and became Imperial Chapel-Master at St. Petersburg. 
 
 4 James Wylie (born 1768, died 1854) was a Russian physician of 
 Scotch origin. He was Physician to the Emperor, Member of the 
 Privy Council, President of the Military Sanitary Commission, and 
 Member of the Academy of Surgery. He wrote several works on 
 medicine. 
 
 75
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 rights, and thinks of giving medical advice." The 
 Englishman was puzzled, not knowing anything of the 
 preceding conversation. Then followed an explana- 
 tion in a form of pleasantry, which was very lively and 
 agreeable. 
 
 While my friend sang I chatted with the new ar- 
 rivals, of whom nobody thought, every one being 
 occupied with the emperor. Approaching the piano 
 I found the conversation had turned on foreign 
 languages, of which the emperor maintained that 
 the Poles spoke the most. He added that he liked 
 Polish very much and also spoke it. I said that the 
 Grand Duke Constantine was supposed to speak it 
 perfectly, and even to write it. " Yes," replied the 
 emperor, " my brother boasts about it, but I have 
 never seen any of his writings, and he does not speak 
 it very correctly." 
 
 The question of the analogy of the Russian and 
 Polish languages was referred to, and the similarity 
 of certain words, and the emperor, smiling, made me 
 repeat some Russian words, which I did not pro- 
 nounce very well. 
 
 Soon after Alexander proposed to retire, saying 
 that he feared he was taxing us too much, and that 
 we without doubt would like to rest. Seeing that 
 no one dared to detain his Majesty, it occurred to 
 me to say, " Your Majesty, then, takes us for real 
 country people?" The good-natured prince com- 
 menced laughing, and turning to me : " No, certainly, 
 I do not think that, but I believe it is a very good 
 habit in the country to go to bed early." Then 
 Tolstoi whispered a few words in his ear about sup- 
 per. The emperor asked Madame Moriconi if she 
 
 76
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 supped, and upon her answer in the affirmative he 
 said, " I never sup, but I will conform to the usages 
 of the house." In chatting with Madame Moriconi 
 he wanted to know if she passed the winters in town 
 or in the country. She answered that formerly she 
 went to Vilna, but that present circumstances forced 
 every one to curtail expenses. "Yes," replied the 
 emperor, " and the consequences are still more to be 
 feared ! " a remark which made us think ! " That is 
 what makes me envy the good fortune of my family, 
 who live in the depths of White Russia," said Ma- 
 dame Moriconi. " Without doubt, that is farther from 
 the frontiers, but I hope still all will be arranged," 
 said his Majesty. 
 
 " God grant it," said the countess. 
 
 Supper was served, and the emperor gave his arm 
 to the mistress of the house to go to the dining-room, 
 which, as well as the table, was ornamented with 
 flowers. He refused to take the place of honor which 
 had been prepared for him, changing the whole ar- 
 rangement of the table with charming vivacity. " I 
 beg you," he said, " let me be only a man, then I 
 shall be so happy." " That is a recreation for your 
 Majesty," said Madame Moriconi the elder. He sat 
 between these two ladies and busied himself in serv- 
 ing them. Taking a glass of Hungarian wine, he 
 drank the health of his hostess, saying, " Is this not 
 called in Polish Stare wino (old wine)?" 
 
 He said he and his three companions were doing 
 justice to the supper. Pointing to Wolkonski, " See 
 what an appetite ; one would n't think he had dined, 
 to see him eat," he said. Prince Wolkonski said 
 to me, with a little temper, " And what a dinner ! 
 
 77
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 an egg and half a chicken." " Yes," added Count 
 Tolstoi, " the emperor will never have either cooks 
 or provisions in travelling. He is satisfied to eat 
 what he finds ; " and then addressing Alexander he 
 asked, " Well, sire, are you sorry to stay here, in- 
 stead of going in to our bad quarters at Vilkomir?" 
 " No, indeed," answered the emperor ; " it is a long 
 time since I passed such a delightful evening." 
 
 Some one spoke of the remarkable memory of the 
 emperor, who recalled with accuracy all the names 
 of persons and places which he had seen in his 
 different journeys in Lithuania; his Majesty said: 
 " I must have memory for the marshal and for my- 
 self, for he has none at all. When he speaks to me 
 he always says, ' Sire, you know, it is Mr. So-and-so,' 
 and then tells me the story." The marshal agreed 
 that it was true. I put him to the proof and asked 
 him about the last journey. " I do not remember," 
 he said, " but I will ask the emperor," which he 
 did. 
 
 After supper Alexander approached me and asked 
 if the marshal was going to be my physician also, 
 having chatted with me so long at table. In fact, I 
 had remarked that the emperor had observed us 
 with one of those little lorgnettes which he always 
 kept in the sleeve of his uniform, and so often lost. 
 
 I answered that it was I, on the contrary, who had 
 taxed the patience and especially the memory of the 
 marshal. " On what subject? " " Oh, on his travels, 
 and unfortunately I have always found him in fault." 
 " Oh ! it would be a miracle if any one should suc- 
 ceed in making the marshal remember anything," 
 said the emperor. 
 
 78
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 At the moment of retiring, the emperor took 
 Madame Moriconi aside and said he had a favor to 
 ask of her. We were very curious to know what it 
 was. Alexander asked that no one would disturb 
 himself or herself to be present at his departure in 
 the morning. Madame Moriconi insisted, but the 
 emperor retired bowing. We then asked Count 
 Tolstoi and Prince Wolkonski if we might not dis- 
 obey. They answered that they could not take it 
 upon themselves to authorize us to do so, but that 
 they would go and negotiate a permission from 
 the emperor. His Majesty reappeared, assuring 
 her that he would have it on his conscience if he 
 allowed Madame Moriconi, with her cold, to get up 
 so early. She insisted that it would disturb her still 
 more not to do her duty, and I added that we had 
 decided to run the risk of disobedience. Made- 
 moiselle Dorothe"e Moriconi said in her turn that 
 we would be up before the regiments at Vilkomir. 
 We all spoke together. The emperor looked from 
 one to another, smiled, made amiable motions of 
 impatience, left us, and returned again. The little 
 scene seemed to amuse him, and there was a charm 
 and liveliness in all his movements. Finally, after 
 having kissed the hand of each of us, he retired to 
 his apartment. 
 
 The next morning at six o'clock we were all assem- 
 bled in the drawing-room, our eyes fixed upon the 
 door by which his Majesty should enter. We had 
 not long to wait till the emperor appeared. He ad- 
 vanced with much grace and dignity toward the mis- 
 tress of the mansion. " Madame," he said, " I come 
 to reproach you; you have not received me as a 
 
 79
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 friend, as an old acquaintance; you have put your- 
 self out for me ; you have given up your rooms. I 
 would never have allowed it if I had known. In fact, 
 you have received me too well." He then asked 
 when we had gotten up. " About two hours ago," 
 somebody said. He shook his head. Madame 
 Moriconi said to his Majesty that the impressions of 
 the evening had banished sleep. 
 
 At the moment of departure the emperor said 
 more pleasant things to Madame Moriconi, begged 
 her to remember him, and asked if she had no com- 
 missions for Vilna. He would not have us conduct 
 him to his carriage, but as soon as he had gone out, 
 we all followed him to the steps, when he laughingly 
 hid himself behind a pillar to put on his overcoat. 
 The emperor sprang from the ground into his calash, 
 and was obliged himself to arrange a quantity of 
 packages which prevented him from sitting down ; 
 he did this good-humoredly while waiting for the 
 grand-marshal, who finally arrived, having, not with- 
 out trouble, gotten into the sleeves of his overcoat, 
 whose torn lining would not let his hands pass 
 through. This incident made us laugh after the 
 departure of his Majesty. 
 
 Alexander left a thousand rubles for the servants 
 in the house. Knowing that the priest of the parish 
 had awaited the emperor on his passage, we went 
 into the village to speak to him. This good old man 
 came to meet us, and related with much feeling that 
 the emperor, having seen him coming from the church 
 clothed in his priestly robes and carrying the cruci- 
 fix, had stopped his horses and springing to the 
 ground advanced toward him to take the cross, 
 
 So
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 which he kissed. When the curate wished to kiss 
 his hand he drew it back, and kissed the hand of the 
 priest with great respect, and departed overwhelmed 
 with blessings. This simple, touching mark of re- 
 spect for age and religion brought tears to my eyes 
 when I heard it. 
 
 Perhaps it will be thought that the pleasure of re- 
 cording these memories which are dear to me has 
 drawn me into too long and too minute details. 
 However, to make known these persons who have 
 played an important role in the world's theatre and 
 have left a name honored among men, it is not suf- 
 ficient to recall the great actions which have made 
 them illustrious ; it is necessary, so to speak, to fol- 
 low them step by step in their private life. It is 
 there that the man is found. Why does one find 
 such a great charm in the historical romances of 
 Walter Scott, who often conducts us with' admirable 
 art from room to room, from boudoir to boudoir, 
 even to the bed-chamber of the hero or heroine? It 
 is because he carries us in fancy into the presence of 
 the people whose actions he relates, and the illusion 
 is such that we seem to see and to speak with them. 
 Why is the reading of m^moires so universally enjoyed 
 and sought? It is because it admits of a thousand de- 
 tails of circumstance, which the severe tone of history 
 must reject. 
 
 The Emperor Alexander, at the time of which I 
 speak, was thirty-five years old, but he looked much 
 younger. I remember asking Count Tolstoi how the 
 health of the emperor could stand these long jour- 
 neys. " Look at him," said the count, " and you will 
 cease to wonder." 
 
 6 81
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 Notwithstanding the regularity and delicacy of his 
 features, the brightness and freshness of his com- 
 plexion, his beauty was less striking, at first sight, 
 than that air of benevolence and kindness which cap- 
 tivated all hearts and instantly inspired confidence. 
 His tall, noble, and majestic form, which often stooped 
 a little with grace, like the pose of an antique statue, 
 already threatened to become stout, but he was per- 
 fectly formed. His eyes were blue, bright and ex- 
 pressive; he was a little short-sighted. His nose 
 was straight and well shaped, his mouth small and 
 agreeable. The rounded contour of his face, as well 
 as his profile, resembled that of his august mother. 
 His forehead was somewhat bald, but this gave to 
 his whole countenance an open and serene expres- 
 sion, and his hair, of a golden blond, carefully 
 arranged as in the heads on antique cameos or 
 medallions, seemed made to receive the triple crown 
 of laurel, myrtle, and olive. He had an infinity of 
 shades of tone and manner. When he addressed 
 men of distinguished rank, it was with dignity and 
 affability at the same time ; to persons of his retinue, 
 with an air of kindness almost familiar ; to women of 
 a certain age, with deference ; and to young people, 
 with an infinite grace, a refined and attractive man- 
 ner, and a countenance full of expression. 
 
 This prince in his early youth had had his hearing 
 seriously impaired by the report of a discharge of 
 artillery, in consequence of which his left ear was 
 somewhat deaf, and he usually turned the right 
 toward the speaker to hear better. No painter, with- 
 out exception has ever been able to catch the likeness 
 of his features, especially the expression and refine- 
 
 82
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 ment of his countenance ; moreover, Alexander never 
 liked to be painted, and his portraits have generally 
 been made stealthily. 
 
 More fortunate than his brother artists, Gerard ob- 
 tained several sittings of the Emperor Alexander. In 
 his portrait of that prince, as in all his chefs-d'oeuvre, 
 he has shown great talent and a beautiful touch, but 
 still it is not Alexander. Gerard would give to this 
 pacificator of Europe, to the prince who had come 
 to restore, not to conquer the French monarchy, a 
 conquering air, a martial bearing, which did not 
 suit his features. Gerard has succeeded in making 
 only a beautiful picture. Sculpture this time, as well 
 as many others, has succeeded better than her sister, 
 painting, and we have seen a bust of Alexander, ex- 
 ecuted by an artist of Berlin, which leaves nothing to 
 be desired. Thorwaldsen has also made a bust of 
 the prince, which, it is said, is worthy of the chisel of 
 that celebrated artist.
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 IT was only a short time after the return of the 
 Emperor Alexander to Vilna, that Count Nar- 
 bonne arrived there, sent by Napoleon, it seemed, 
 less to avoid a rupture and to conciliate than to 
 throw a furtive glance over the Russian army, its 
 strength, its plans, etc. 
 
 A man of fashion and of pleasure ! ' With a bril- 
 liant and agreeable but changeable mind ; ashamed of 
 the many different parts which he had performed, 
 and of the role which he even yet played ; absolutely 
 wanting in that balance and that justice of aim which 
 are never found in a false position, Count Narbonne 
 was poorly fitted to fill a diplomatic mission. 
 
 He had commenced his career in his youth by 
 being knight of honor to the royal princesses of 
 France, who overwhelmed him with kindness, and 
 more than once came to his help ; for he was with- 
 out fortune and had a decided weakness for dissipa- 
 tion. Narbonne showed little gratitude toward these 
 princesses at the time of the Revolution. Led away 
 by Madame de Stael and others, he adopted revolu- 
 tionary ideas. As minister to Louis XVI. he took 
 measures against the foreign troops who came to 
 Louis's aid. Suspected by the revolutionary party 
 and despised at the same time by the royalists, he 
 quitted France during the Reign of Terror. After 
 having been a wanderer a number of years, he re- 
 
 84
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 turned to France at the moment when Napoleon 
 took the reins of government. 
 
 Count Narbonne, after many attempts and solici- 
 tations, obtained of Napoleon, first, the place of min- 
 ister to Munich, afterwards that of adjutant-general. 
 Napoleon had let his choice fall upon Narbonne on 
 this occasion because he was the only one, perhaps, 
 in that military court who had preserved the old 
 manners, and a manner of expressing himself which 
 rendered him worthy of being heard by a sovereign 
 so refined and polite as Alexander. However, in 
 spite of the elegant facility of his language, Nar- 
 bonne could adduce no argument in favor of his new 
 master, in the audience which the Emperor Alex- 
 ander accorded to him. That prince explained with 
 so much clearness and noble eloquence the modera- 
 tion of his conduct, his just causes of complaint, and 
 the impossibility of conciliating the propositions 
 made to him with the honor of his crown, the in- 
 terests of the empire, and his desire to avoid the 
 shedding of human blood, that Narbonne, dazzled 
 and confounded, could find no answer to this speech. 
 In passing out from his audience he said to one of 
 his acquaintances : " The emperor was so secure on 
 his own ground, his reasoning had so much force 
 and logic, that I could only intrench myself behind a 
 few trite court phrases." 
 
 Narbonne was present the same day at a grand 
 review, and dined with the emperor, who sent him a 
 valuable present of diamonds and a snuff-box orna- 
 mented with his portrait. 
 
 This envoy wishing to communicate with the Poles, 
 to whom he had letters, wanted to prolong his stay ; 
 
 85
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 hut the day after his audience the emperor sent him 
 by one of his stewards the provisions for a most lux- 
 urious journey, and immediately after, Count Cotch- 
 ubey and Count Nesselrode came to make him a 
 farewell visit, after which Narbonne felt that he 
 could no longer defer his departure; especially 
 when a courier came to announce that the horses 
 were ordered for six o'clock in the evening. The 
 profound admiration of Narbonne for Alexander, and 
 the astonishment which the bearing and strength of 
 the Russian army caused him were the only results 
 of this mission. 
 
 I had not been long at Towiany before I learned 
 that his Imperial Majesty had deigned to name as 
 ladies of honor at the court, Mademoiselle Dorothee 
 Moriconi, Mademoiselle Marie Grabowska, and my- 
 self; also two other young persons who were then at 
 Vilna : Mademoiselle Giedroyc, who was afterwards 
 lady in waiting to the Empress Josephine, and 
 Mademoiselle Wilehouska. The emperor himself sent 
 the packet to Towiany which contained the three 
 orders in diamonds with the united crests of the 
 dowager empress and the Empress Elizabeth, charg- 
 ing my father, in the most amiable manner, to pay 
 for him the debt which he said he had contracted at 
 Towiany. 
 
 My father came to take me back to Vilna. The 
 next day after my arrival I went to the chapel of 
 the emperor. It was Sunday and the assembly 
 there was numerous and brilliant. It was the first 
 time that I had been present at a grand service of 
 the Greek ritual. I found that the dress of the 
 archbishops, the wide violet robes, the long, float- 
 
 86
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 ing hair and anointed beard covering the breast, 
 the incense which perfumed the air, the golden 
 doors which opened and closed at marked inter- 
 vals, all had a kind of harmony with the majesty 
 of the Christian religion. The chant especially, 
 without any instrumental accompaniment, seemed to 
 me to have a celestial beauty and simplicity. It 
 was executed by the singers of his Majesty's chapel 
 at St. Petersburg. 
 
 The same day, my father dining at court, the 
 grand-marshal came to say : " Does your daughter 
 go out this evening? For his Majesty proposes to 
 go and see her, and has written to the empress that 
 he will make a visit to one of the maids of honor ; 
 and it may be," added Tolstoi, smiling, "that the 
 emperor has counted without his host." 
 
 My father wrote me a note in pencil to inform me 
 of the proposed visit, and sent it by a court messen- 
 ger. The emperor arrived in the evening in a dor- 
 ochka. My father received him at the foot of the 
 staircase, while I awaited him at the door of the 
 antechamber, where I expressed in a few words how 
 happy I was that his Majesty deigned to come him- 
 self to receive my most respectful thanks. The em- 
 peror said that I owed him none ; that on the contrary 
 it was for him to thank me for all those marks of 
 courtesy which I had shown him at Towiany ; finally, 
 that he had come to present me his most humble 
 respects. 
 
 I only quote these words to give an idea of the 
 chivalrous tone of this prince. Entering the draw- 
 ing-room he insisted that I should sit on the sofa, 
 while he took a chair, and put his hat on the floor. 
 
 8?
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 As my father remained standing in spite of the invi- 
 tation of his Majesty to sit, the emperor rose sud- 
 denly, saying, " Well, Count, if you do not take a 
 seat, I will remain standing also." My father was 
 forced to obey. 
 
 The emperor spoke of Towiany, and said, smiling, 
 to my father that I had accused him of taking me for 
 a countrywoman. Then with a tone of entreaty while 
 it remained only with him to command, he asked me 
 if I would not come to St. Petersburg. As I lowered 
 my eyes without responding to this proposition, by 
 which I felt a little agitated, " That is, then, impos- 
 sible? " said he, with an air of gentleness quite charm- 
 ing. " Sire," I replied at last, " I will take it as a 
 holiday some day." " In fact," continued the em- 
 peror, " it is not the time to go to St. Petersburg; 
 but I hope you will come there later, and we will do 
 the best we can to procure you all sorts of amuse- 
 ments." His Majesty praised the environs of Vilna 
 very much, and as I spoke of the beautiful country 
 houses which surround St. Petersburg, and the beauty 
 of the Neva, " Oh, yes," said the emperor, " art has 
 done all she could to conquer nature ; for St. Peters- 
 burg is situated in the midst of an uncultivated morass. 
 We will show you all that when you come. Our cli- 
 mate is horrible ! " added he. " When we have fifteen 
 fine days in a season we say that the summer has 
 been superb." The emperor said he had just bought 
 Zakret, the estate of General Bennigsen, half a league 
 from Vilna, and that he was now a citizen of the town 
 and had the right to wear its uniform. I expressed 
 my regret that his Majesty had not given preference 
 to Werki, the ancient and beautiful residence of the 
 
 88
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 Bishop of Vilna, Prince Massalski, 1 whose vast castle 
 built in the Italian style of the better period, is sit- 
 uated upon a wooded mountain and commands an 
 extensive view over the country about, including 
 Vilna which is a mile distant, and the Vilia which 
 flows at the foot of the mountain. The emperor re- 
 plied that that would have been a fancy too expen- 
 sive for him, and added by way of a jest, that my 
 father ought to make that acquisition. The Count 
 objected that he was father of a family. " So much 
 more the reason," replied his Majesty ; " you could 
 give it to your daughter, who would do the honors of 
 the castle, and that would be charming." 
 
 The conversation soon took a graver turn, and 
 politics became the subject of it. Without touching 
 upon actual circumstances, the emperor assured us 
 that he had only pacific intentions ; that he had 
 made every sacrifice to maintain peace ; that he was 
 resolved in any case not to commence hostilities ; 
 and, finally, that he had only the good of his subjects 
 at heart, and that the calamities of the times made 
 him suffer intensely. 
 
 My father said that the Lithuanians regretted that 
 these unfortunate circumstances did not allow them 
 to show all their zeal for his Majesty, and that they 
 all knew that the emperor wished to be the father of 
 his subjects. The emperor answered that he would 
 
 1 Prince Ignace Massalski (born 1729, died about 1800) was 
 descended from a long line of Russian princes. They were one of 
 the most influential families in Lithuania when the two rival houses 
 of Radzivil and Massalski contended for supremacy. He supported 
 Stanislaus for the Polish throne. In 1762 he was consecrated Bishop 
 of Vilna. His contemporaries describe him as a learned scholar, 
 erudite and gifted with a quick and lively intelligence. 
 
 89
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 endeavor to meet the confidence which they placed 
 in him. In quitting us, Alexander, with his amiably 
 extravagant politeness, asked my pardon for having 
 wearied me with politics and for having abused my 
 patience. 
 
 My friends from Towiany had also come to Vilna 
 to thank the emperor, who paid them a visit at which 
 I was present. I remember a remark of the em- 
 peror's which made a great sensation among the 
 Poles of his retinue to whom I related it, and who 
 were pleased to give it a different interpretation, 
 perhaps, from the sense which the emperor had 
 meant. Tea was brought in. The emperor took the 
 glass jug which held the cream and served the ladies. 
 When my turn came he asked if I took much. " Sire, 
 d Vanglaise" I replied. " // vaut mieux etre Polo- 
 naise," said he, with that quick wit which was natural 
 to him. 
 
 They were busy then at Vilna with preparations 
 for an entertainment which was given at Zakret, the 
 house of the emperor. A storm was ready to break 
 over our heads, and yet, in full security, no one 
 thought of anything but pleasure and of the happi- 
 ness of having the emperor there. Not only were 
 we far from foreseeing his departure, and from sus- 
 pecting that the troops of Napoleon were near the 
 Niemen, but we were even ignorant of the fact that 
 the French had crossed Germany. No kind of news 
 was allowed to arrive or be made known in Lithuania. 
 Never were political plans enveloped in so impene- 
 trable a veil ! 
 
 A long, open gallery supported by pillars was built 
 in the garden of Zakret, designed for a dancing-hall. 
 
 90
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 It was to enclose in its centre a field of flowers. An 
 architect of the government, Professor Schultz, had 
 charge of the work. 
 
 My father, happening to be at Zakret, called the 
 attention of the architect to the fact that the founda- 
 tions were not deep enough, in proportion to the 
 height of the gallery and the thickness of the col- 
 umns. Schultz acknowledged that the remark was 
 perfectly correct, but said he would remedy that 
 difficulty by joining the top of the colonnade with the 
 framework of the roof. The next day the whole 
 gallery fell with a terrible crash. Fortunately it 
 was the workmen's dinner-hour. One, however, was 
 found crushed under the ruins. 
 
 At this misfortune, lo'sing his presence of mind 
 and perhaps fearing that he might be suspected of 
 having a secret understanding with the French, too 
 little confident in the indulgence of the emperor, 
 the unhappy Schultz fled. He was pursued, but 
 nothing was found of him but his hat on the bank 
 of the river. The poor unfortunate had drowned 
 himself. Think what a horrible catastrophe would 
 have been the result of that event, if it had happened 
 two days later ! The emperor, all his military house- 
 hold, the commanding-generals of the army, a crowd 
 of persons of distinction would certainly have perished 
 in this frightful disaster. It would have been for the 
 French a campaign gained without drawing the 
 sword. 
 
 The entertainment at Zakret took place, neverthe- 
 less. I never saw one so beautiful, and never was 
 there a farewell so merry ; for except those who were 
 in the secret, no one could yet foresee that this ball
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 was to be the signal for the departure of the emperor 
 and the retreat of the Russians. 
 
 We assembled at eight o'clock in the park of 
 Zakret. The evening was beautiful, the sky a little 
 clouded, as if to shelter us from the heat of the sun. 
 The ladies, in elegant toilets and covered with flowers, 
 were seated in a circle on a square of carpets 
 spread upon the grass where the gallery was to have 
 been, the whole palace ornamented with orange-trees 
 in full bloom which perfumed the air. 
 
 A crowd of people, whom curiosity and especially 
 the desire to see the emperor had attracted from the 
 town, formed groups in the distance. The musicians 
 of the Imperial Guard played choice bits of music in 
 different parts of the grounds. The sight of this 
 brilliant assembly of beautifully dressed women and 
 the military in splendid uniforms with their diamond 
 decorations ; this company scattered over the green 
 lawn, the old trees forming masses of verdure; the 
 Vilia, which reflected in its winding course the blue 
 heavens and the colors of the setting sun; the 
 mountains, whose tops disappeared in the soft clouds, 
 all offered a scene of enchantment ; but when the 
 emperor appeared, no one saw anything but him. 
 
 His Majesty wore on that day the uniform of the 
 Semenowfski Guards with light blue facings, which 
 became him well. Having made the tour of the 
 circle of ladies, whom he obliged to remain seated in 
 his presence, even while he spoke to them, the 
 emperor chatted with several of the men of the 
 company. The ladies were invited to take refresh- 
 ments, and then it was proposed to the emperor 
 that he should open the ball on the square of carpets, 
 
 92
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 that the assembled crowd might enjoy the spectacle. 
 He consented with his accustomed good-nature, and 
 engaged for the Polonaise Madame Bennigsen, who 
 did the honors of the ball. Then he danced with 
 Madame Barclay de Tolly, and afterwards with me; 
 then we ascended to the dancing-hall which was 
 spacious and brilliantly lighted. 
 
 I will not repeat all the flattering things which his 
 Majesty said to me on this occasion, as well as to all 
 the other ladies who were present. It would take 
 too long to relate them all, for the emperor's talent 
 for gallantry, if it may be so called, was inexhaustible. 
 I think no one ever possessed, like this prince, the 
 art of giving a graceful turn to the most indifferent 
 expressions, and the rare gift of saying appropriate 
 things, which may be attributed not only to quick- 
 ness of wit, but to a rare goodness and kindness of 
 heart. Wishing to know whether I intended to return 
 to Towiany or remain with my father, he said, " If I 
 were the count, I would not let you leave me ! " 
 
 His Majesty retired during the supper, which was 
 served without formality at little tables in the open 
 air. The weather was so mild and still that the lights 
 did not go out, and the brilliant illumination of a 
 part of the park, the cascades, the river, and the 
 islands, vied with the moon and stars to make it a 
 scene of enchantment. 
 
 Who would have thought, in seeing the grace and 
 brilliancy which Alexander displayed on that evening, 
 that it was during the ball that he received the news 
 that the French had crossed the Niemen, and that 
 their advanced guards were not more than ten miles 
 from Vilna? Six months later I heard Alexander 
 
 93
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 say that he had suffered intensely in being obliged 
 to show a gaiety which he was far from feeling. 
 
 Three days after the entertainment at Zakret, the 
 emperor left Vilna to go into his headquarters at 
 Sventsiani. Hoping that the stay of his Majesty 
 would be prolonged, and not foreseeing the events 
 which awaited us, my father had prepared to give a 
 fete for Alexander. 
 
 It was at the moment of his departure that the 
 monarch made that beautiful proclamation which 
 excited universal enthusiasm in the Russian army, 
 delighted that their sovereign consented to command 
 his own soldiers. " / shall be with you" he said, 
 " and God will be against the aggressor!" These 
 words were an inspiration. What a difference between 
 the noble and religious tone of the proclamations of 
 Alexander, who always placed his confidence in the 
 justice of his cause, and above all, in the protection 
 of Heaven, and the tone of domination which per- 
 vaded the proclamations of Napoleon, who seemed 
 to recognize no divinity except that to which he had 
 chained his chariot, the goddess Fortune ! 
 
 Not only did the Russian troops evacuate Vilna, 
 but also the few Russians who had lived there for a 
 number of years hastened to depart, with their wives 
 and children and all that they possessed. All the 
 horses in the town were put in requisition in this 
 urgent necessity, except those of my father, who, 
 moreover, had not taken the precaution to hide them, 
 as did several persons, who put their horses in their 
 granaries, where the police did not think to go in 
 search of them. 
 
 There was the interval of only two days between 
 94
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 the departure of Alexander and the entry of the 
 French, but the disturbance and anxiety made them 
 seem of mortal length. Whenever the sound of a 
 horse was heard in the streets, some one ran to tell 
 some alarming news, which was almost always false. 
 Some said the French would fire upon the town, and 
 advised me to flee into the mountains, as the cannon- 
 balls would make the church-towers fall on our 
 house; others came running with pale and frightened 
 faces to announce that the Russians in retiring had 
 set fire to the town ; others, finally, asserted that they 
 had seen the Emperor Alexander running through 
 the streets, without uniform, trying to reassure the 
 inhabitants and promising not to abandon them. 
 The governor-general, Korsakofif, as he was depart- 
 ing, assured my father that there was nothing to be 
 feared. The astonishment and perplexity which the 
 expectation of such great events inspired left no 
 place in my mind for vain terrors, which, moreover, 
 are no help against danger, and only weaken the 
 courage so necessary in all the circumstances of 
 life. 
 
 95
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE night of June 15 and 16, new style, the Rus- 
 sian troops went off in good order and in a 
 silence most imposing. It was not a flight, although 
 it has been called so. At eight o'clock in the morn- 
 ing a detachment of French cavalry dashed into the 
 town, galloping to the defence of the bridge, to which 
 the Russians had set fire. Nothing can express the 
 emotion I felt on seeing Poles ! the Poles, who rode 
 with loose rein and sabres bare, waving the flags of 
 their lances and bearing my country's colors, which 
 I now saw for the first time. 
 
 I was at an open window, and they saluted me as 
 they passed. At the sight of these compatriots, my 
 heart was moved, and I felt that I too was born a 
 Pole, and was to become one again. Tears of joy and 
 enthusiasm poured down my cheeks. It was a de- 
 lightful moment, but it did not last long ! 
 
 The intoxication of joy was universal. The town 
 resounded with cries of triumph. All rushed to arms. 
 The Russians had thrown a great many in the river 
 Vilia; men of all ranks, even from the dregs of the 
 people, hastened to get them out. Ridiculously 
 armed, they ran through the streets in their working- 
 clothes, and assembled in front of the town hall, 
 throwing their hats in the air with noisy exclamations 
 of patriotism. My father, being wiser and more pru- 
 dent, was alarmed at these popular demonstrations. 
 "Fools! madmen!" he cried; "the Russians are 
 
 96
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 only a few steps distant ; who can foresee in which di- 
 rection they will march, and what will be the result of 
 events ? " I remember that three days after the entrance 
 of the French, seeing the disorder which accompanied 
 the march of that formidable army, the insubordination 
 of the troops, the improvidence of the commanders, 
 their fatalistic confidence in what they called " the 
 destiny of the emperor" (for it was always by this 
 grand expression that the French officers and the 
 admirers of Napoleon answered all objections which 
 were made them on this campaign), my father formed 
 unfavorable expectations as to the issue of the war. 
 
 Six hundred thousand men of all European na- 
 tions subject to the Napoleonic policy marched in 
 two lines, without magazines and without provisions, 
 through a country impoverished by the continental 
 system, and recently ruined by heavy requisitions. 
 A Russian general had even presented to the Emperor 
 Alexander the plan of totally devastating Lithuania, 
 removing its inhabitants, and leaving nothing but a 
 vast wilderness to the arms of Napoleon. But the 
 feelings of Alexander would not allow him to make 
 use of that measure, which if successful would be 
 violent and inhumane. They contented themselves 
 by burning all the storehouses of grain and the mills. 
 
 The French army, as they entered Vilna, had not 
 had bread for three days. All the bakers in the 
 town were immediately employed in the service of 
 the troops ; and in spite of the saying of General 
 Jomini, 1 " One never dies of famine in a besieged 
 
 1 Henri, Baron Jomini (born 1779, died 1869) was an able general 
 and writer on strategy. At an early age he entered the French army 
 and became an aide-de-camp to Ney. He presented to Napoleon on 
 7 97
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 city," want was cruelly felt by the inhabitants of Vilna, 
 especially by those who had not taken the precaution, 
 or had not the means of laying in a supply of pro- 
 visions in advance. The country through which the 
 grand army had passed had been ravaged and pil- 
 laged, and its corn had been cut green for the cavalry ; 
 it could not, therefore, supply the needs of the capital, 
 and the people dared not even expose their convoys 
 on the roads, which were infested by marauders. 
 
 Besides, the disorderly behavior of the army was 
 a consequence of the sentiments of its chief, for after 
 having crossed the Niemen, Napoleon, in an order of 
 the day, declared to his troops that they were about 
 to set foot on Russian territory. It was thus that the 
 liberator of Poland, so much desired, announced him- 
 self to the Lithuanians. In consequence of this 
 proclamation Lithuania was considered and treated as 
 a hostile country, while its inhabitants, animated by 
 
 the field of Austerlitz his " Treatise on the Grand Operations of 
 War ; " a few days after this event he was appointed Chief of the 
 Staff of Ney. For his conduct at Jena (1806) he received the title 
 of Baron, and two years later was employed in Spain. In 1811 he 
 became a general of brigade, and the following year was appointed 
 French Governor of Vilna, and later of Smolensk. He rendered 
 valuable service to the French army during the latter part of their 
 disastrous retreat from Moscow. He contributed greatly to the 
 victory of Bautzen. His promotion having been obstructed by the 
 enmity of Berthier, he quitted the French service in 1812, and entered 
 that of Russia, with the rank of lieutenant-general, and became aide- 
 de-camp to Alexander. In 1815 he accompanied the czar to Paris 
 and received the order of St. Louis from Louis XVIII. He was 
 intrusted with the completion of the military education of Nicholas, 
 who, on his accession to the throne retained him as aide-de-camp. 
 He organized the Russian military academy. In addition to the 
 above-mentioned work he was the author of a number of important 
 treatises on strategy, several of which have been translated into the 
 English language. 
 
 9 8
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 patriotic enthusiasm, flew to welcome the French. 
 They were soon to be despoiled and outraged by 
 those whom they regarded as the instrument of the 
 deliverance of their country, and compelled to aban- 
 don their homes and their property to pillage. Many 
 took refuge in the depths of the forests, carrying 
 with them that which they held the most dear, 
 the honor of their wives and daughters. 
 
 Each day brought the recital of new excesses com- 
 mitted by the French soldiers in the country. Vilna 
 seemed to have become the seat of war. Soldiers 
 bivouacked in the streets, which resounded with the 
 clash of arms, the blare of trumpets, the neighing of 
 horses, and the confusion of many languages. 
 
 When, wearied with these sights, which presented 
 themselves constantly to my view, I raised my eyes 
 to the heavens to rest them on a more tranquil scene, 
 I seemed to see, even in the clouds, armies in motion, 
 and my imagination recalled with a sort of terror 
 the visions of the Apocalypse. 
 
 In the mean time French arrogance, astonished at 
 the discouragement which had taken possession of 
 all minds, expected always all obstacles to be re- 
 moved, all difficulties to disappear. They demanded 
 soldiers, bread, and money of Lithuania. They or- 
 ganized in haste a temporary government; they 
 reawakened the national pride with sharp words. 
 " There is no patriotism among you," said the French, 
 " no energy, no vigor ; " and the Lithuanians replied, 
 to revive their drooping courage, " We shall be 
 ruined, but we will still be Poles ! " And what could 
 be more certain, since the French Mahomet did not 
 deign to guarantee their hopes and sacrifices? 
 
 99
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 Napoleon entered Vilna anxious and discontented. 
 The easiness of this victory dismayed him ; he had 
 too much judgment not to see that the retreat of the 
 Russians was not inspired by the fear of his name, 
 but covered deep designs. " I had believed that the 
 taking of Vilna would cost me twenty thousand men 
 at least," he said. 
 
 Napoleon was furious when he learned that Russia 
 had made peace with Turkey, and that he could no 
 longer hope for a favorable diversion either toward 
 the north or toward the south. The scarcity of food, 
 the disorder of the army, the mistakes made by Prince 
 Jerome, the continual losses among the cavalry, all 
 combined to make him look the sad result of this 
 campaign in the face as a thing inevitable. But the 
 fatal genius of Napoleon pushed him forward, and it 
 was thus that, from illusion to illusion, he rushed to 
 his ruin, rejecting the truth as an apparition whose 
 presence he could not endure. 
 
 At a general audience in the imperial castle, Napo- 
 leon declared in vague and obscure phrases that he 
 was come to restore Poland, that a diet was assembled 
 at Warsaw for the election of a king ; but that this 
 diet was still ignorant who should be king. Count 
 Narbonne, who was then at Vilna in Napoleon's 
 retinue, said to some one who asked him who was 
 destined for the throne of Poland that the emperor, 
 having a mania for crowns, would probably take that 
 of Poland also. I remember that one day, in a large 
 company, some of the French amused themselves by 
 having the ladies make the election. One of them 
 did not fail to let her choice fall on Napoleon himself; 
 others elected his brother Jerome, the King of Naples, 
 
 100
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 and even Marshal Davoust. 1 I was silent. "And you, 
 mademoiselle," said some one to me ; " whom do you 
 choose? " " I have not the honor to know all these 
 gentlemen," answered I, in a negligent and absent- 
 minded manner.. The ladies seemed to be struck by 
 the stupidity of my reply, but I think that he who 
 asked me that question was not altogether of their 
 opinion on that point. On another occasion a very 
 stupid remark escaped me. I had just received news 
 from the country, where my brother was. He had 
 sent me provisions and flowers, and at the same time 
 the news that the army had not passed that way. 
 Delighted with this good news, and forgetting the 
 presence of a Frenchman attached to the diplomatic 
 mission of the minister of the interior, I said to my 
 companion, who also was French, " Ah, Mademoiselle 
 T., how fortunate they are at R. They have not seen 
 one Frenchman ! " The gentleman could not help 
 
 1 Louis Nicholas Davoust (born 1770, died 1823). At the age of 
 fifteen he was appointed second lieutenant of cavalry. He served 
 brilliantly in the Armies of the Rhine under Moreau, and distin- 
 guished himself greatly at Aboukir. In 1800 he was appointed 
 general of division, and the next year Commander of the Consular 
 Guard, and in 1804 Marshal of the Empire. He took a distinguished 
 part in the victories of Ulm and Austerlirz. For a great victory he 
 won over the Prussians at Auerstadt (1806), he was rewarded with 
 the title of Duke of Auerstadt, and in 1809 he was made Prince of 
 Echmuhl for his part in a battle of that name. After Wagram he 
 was appointed military commander in Poland, where his tyrannical 
 cruelty made him detested by Poles and Germans alike. Having 
 served through the Russian campaign and been wounded at Boro- 
 dino, he established himself at Hamburg, whence the Allies in vain 
 tried to dislodge him. On Napoleon's escape from Elba he was 
 appointed Minister of War, and in three months he had the army 
 organized on its former basis. After Waterloo he took command of 
 the army at Paris, and would have offered battle to the Allies had 
 not the Provisional Government ordered him to come to terms. 
 
 IOI
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 saying, " Oh ! how you do love us here ! " A little 
 confused at my exclamation, and hoping to repair it, 
 I said, " It is not the French, it is the army." " Yes, 
 yes, I understand perfectly ; they are plunderers." 
 
 In the midst of all these evils which weighed upon 
 our unhappy country, without speaking of those which 
 menaced it, one ray of hope, one glimmer of peace, 
 came to shine upon us. It was from that angel whom 
 we almost regretted to have known, because we be- 
 lieved we should never see him again, Alexander, 
 who, wishing to try one more last and generous effort 
 to spare humanity a bloody struggle, had sent General 
 Balacheff to offer propositions of peace most advan- 
 tageous to France and to Poland. 
 
 Napoleon commenced by saying that after the 
 declaration of war he would consider each diplo- 
 matic agent as a spy. He consented, however, to 
 accord a private audience to Balacheff, received him 
 politely, and expressed his astonishment that the 
 Emperor Alexander took the trouble to command 
 his armies in person. " That is well enough for an 
 old corporal like me," he said. 
 
 He rejected all ideas of pacification, letting it be 
 understood that the Rubicon was crossed, and that 
 fortune alone should decide the result of the war. 
 As he was about to dismiss the Russian envoy, Napo- 
 leon asked him which was the best way to Moscow. 
 " There are several roads which lead thither," replied 
 Balacheff, with remarkable presence of mind, " and 
 you can even go by way of Pultaiva" * 
 
 1 Pultawa (Poltava), a city in southern Russia where, June 27, 
 1709, Peter the Great gained a decisive victory over Charles XII., 
 totally destroying his army and causing him to seek an asylum in 
 Turkey. JO2
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 An old French emigrant of a name very well 
 known, who had made several journeys to France 
 since Napoleon had come into power, and who had 
 never been presented to him, was at Vilna at the 
 time of the invasion of the French. Indebted for his 
 life and that of his family to the sovereign of Russia, 
 who had received him in his troubles with the most 
 noble generosity, this Frenchman felt a just repug- 
 nance at the idea of rendering any homage whatever 
 to the dominator of Europe, the enemy of Alexander. 
 However, forewarned by an old friend of his family 
 attached to Napoleon, that he would be called upon 
 in an imperious manner to submit to a species of ex- 
 amination from the mouth of Napoleon himself, the 
 emigrant decided to present himself. 
 
 At the hour appointed for the audience, he was 
 introduced by the lackey, who called his name with 
 a loud voice in the room where, a few days before, 
 the Emperor Alexander had received. Napoleon re- 
 ceived the emigrant with a kind smile, said that he 
 had heard of his last visit to Paris, and commenced 
 walking up and down the room with him while he 
 put the following questions : 
 
 " Have you seen the Emperor Alexander here?" 
 
 " I have had the honor to present myself to 
 him." 
 
 " Does he really govern? " 
 
 " He does a great deal of work with his ministers ; 
 all the important details of the government are placed 
 under his eyes." 
 
 " That is not what I ask. Has he really all the 
 power in his hands? Is he not influenced or con- 
 trolled by the senate? " 
 
 103
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 " The senate in Russia is scarcely more than the 
 highest judiciary body, a tribunal of final appeal. I 
 do not know that it has any means, or even any wish, 
 to struggle against sovereign authority." 
 
 "Why did the Russians retire so suddenly, and 
 why have they not been willing, here or in the en- 
 virons, to test their arms ? They had a position near 
 Vilna, which would have cost me twenty thousand 
 men." 
 
 " The rapid march of the French army, guided by 
 such able generals, has no doubt surprised the Rus- 
 sian army, who have not believed it to be their duty 
 to show resistance." 
 
 " Ah ! you are entirely mistaken ; our march has 
 not been rapid. I have been made to lose much 
 time. I have commenced this war with regret, and 
 it will cause a great loss of blood. The Emperor 
 Alexander has driven me to it by not observing the 
 conditions of the Treaty of Tilsit. The prince had 
 his mind badly directed in his early youth. He re- 
 ceived false ideas of philanthropy from his tutor, one 
 called La Harpe. Will you believe me that in our 
 conversations at Erfurt I found myself obliged to 
 oppose the opinion he had that an elective govern- 
 ment was more favorable to the happiness of a 
 people than hereditary power? To govern men, it 
 is necessary to be a god. Hereditary chance serves 
 men better than their own choice could do." 
 
 Such language in the mouth of such a man was 
 indeed surprising, if it is possible that he was at the 
 same time sincere. He continued in the same strain: 
 "The Emperor Alexander does not like etiquette; 
 he is almost always without a retinue. My brother- 
 
 104
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 in-law, the Emperor of Austria has the same manners, 
 and he has often manifested his astonishment to see 
 me surrounded by a numerous court. I have told 
 him that the French need to be impressed, even by 
 the externals of power, and that, besides, my position 
 is different." 
 
 In speaking of the Lithuanian nobility, he used 
 a coarse expression which I will not repeat here; 
 and in general he did not think much of the Poles, 
 who were sacrificing their fortunes and their lives to 
 him. He wrote from Moscow to the Duke of Bassano 1 
 that the women alone in Poland had any spirit or 
 character. In the instructions which he gave to an 
 archbishop, M. de Pradt, 2 he recommended him, above 
 all things, to look after the women of Poland, because 
 they were all there was in that country. 
 
 1 Hugues Bernard Maret, Duke of Bassano (born 1763, died 
 1839). An able French statesman and diplomatist. He studied law 
 in Paris and under the new regime he was rapidly advanced in the 
 department of Foreign Affairs. In 1793 ne was sent on missions to 
 England and Naples. From 1800 to 1811, as Secretary of State, he 
 directed the Home Department with great credit, and had a large 
 share of Bonaparte's confidence, whom he accompanied on his cam- 
 paigns. In 1811 he was appointed Minister of P^oreign Affairs and 
 received the title of Duke of Bassano. He was in Napoleon's suite 
 during the Russian campaign, and was employed by him in various 
 diplomatic missions. The Duke married his cousin, Mademoiselle 
 Lejeas, a daughter of the mayor of Dijon, who was distinguished at 
 the imperial court for her beauty and wit. 
 
 2 Abbe Dominique Dufour de Pradt (born 1759, died 1837) a 
 French diplomatist and political writer. In 1804 he became the 
 almoner of Napoleon, and the following year Bishop of Poitiers, 
 and 1808 Archbishop of Malines. In 1812 Napoleon sent him as 
 ambassador to Warsaw, hoping that he might stir up the patriotic 
 zeal of the Poles and turn it to his account. 
 
 105
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 NAPOLEON, during his stay at Vilna, exacted 
 a presentation of the ladies at the castle. 
 Suffering mentally as well as physically, I thought I 
 could excuse myself from going, but my father 
 objected on account of the position in which he 
 found himself. Some evil-minded persons had rep- 
 resented him as a partisan of the Russians, and 
 without the King of Naples he would not even have 
 been put on the list of citizens which was placed 
 under the eyes of Napoleon. Seemg that I could 
 not avoid the presentation, I declared my intention 
 of showing myself with my order. 1 
 
 My father hesitated at first, and said he must find 
 out if Mademoiselle G., the only one of my associates 
 then at Vilna, would wear hers also. I begged him 
 to do nothing of the kind. I dressed myself then 
 in haste, and in a very bad humor; for they had 
 wakened me at five o'clock in the morning, to invite 
 me, by order of the police, to present myself at court 
 before noon. These military manners displeased me 
 to the last degree, especially in comparison with the 
 graciousness and exquisite politeness of Alexander 
 and his court. Never had I put on my decoration 
 with so much pleasure, and, to speak the truth, with 
 so much pride. 
 
 1 The reader will remember the decoration in diamonds which the 
 author had received from the court of Russia. 
 
 1 06
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 I having joined several ladies of my acquaintance, 
 to go with them to the castle, they did all in their 
 power during the drive to persuade me to take off 
 my decoration, and thought they would frighten me 
 by saying that Napoleon was a terrible man, and that 
 he would certainly say something disagreeable to me. 
 As I expressed somewhat freely my way of thinking, 
 " In the name of Heaven, hush ! " they said ; " do 
 you not know that the walls have ears and will re- 
 peat to him all you have said about him? " 
 
 Nothing could make me change my resolution. I 
 answered that perhaps I should see myself forced to 
 conform to the will of him to whom all yielded, but, 
 as long as that will was unknown to me, I would act 
 as I was now doing. In fact, there would have been 
 as much cowardice as ingratitude on my part in 
 rejecting thus, in the presence of his fortunate and 
 triumphant adversary, the proofs of the kindness of 
 a sovereign so worthy to be loved, at the instant even 
 when that sovereign seemed to be persecuted by 
 fate. My heart revolted at that idea. I acknowledge 
 that I expected rudeness on the part of Napoleon, 
 and I prepared myself to answer with firmness ; but 
 I had not that satisfaction. He only addressed me, 
 as will be seen, questions to which very insignificant 
 answers could be made. All those which have been 
 attributed to me on that occasion are not exact. 
 
 When I was named to Napoleon, his attention was 
 immediately attracted by the diamond coat of arms, 
 and the blue ribbon which I wore. 
 
 " What decoration have you there? " he asked. 
 
 " The crests of their Majesties the Empresses of 
 Russia," I replied. 
 
 107
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 "You are, then, a Russian lady?" 
 " No, sire, I have not that distinction." 
 Later at a ball that was given him, perceiving 
 Mademoiselle G- beside me, Napoleon asked her, 
 being also a lady of the palace at the Russian court, 
 why she did not put on her decoration. Mademoiselle 
 G. replied that she had not thought she ought to 
 wear it in the present circumstances. " Why not?" 
 replied Napoleon ; " it is a court distinction which 
 signifies nothing; the Emperor Alexander is very 
 amiable to have given it to you. One can be a good 
 Pole, and wear the crest," added he, turning to me 
 with a pleasant smile. 
 
 Napoleon knew how to appreciate a trait of char- 
 acter, even in a woman. When it was seen that the 
 thing had turned out well I was much praised for 
 the firmness which I had shown on that occasion, but 
 I only wished that the Emperor Alexander might be 
 informed of it some day, and I saw little chance of 
 that desire being soon fulfilled. 
 
 At the same presentation, Napoleon, after having 
 spoken to several ladies, and, according to his custom, 
 asking singular questions, " Are you married ? How 
 many children have you? Are they big and fat, 
 hey? "--he addressed the whole circle and said : "The 
 Emperor Alexander is exceedingly amiable, he has 
 gained all hearts here ; are you good Poles ? " A 
 general smile served as response. 
 
 Napoleon affected to show in public sentiments of 
 esteem and friendship for the prince whose empire he 
 came to ravage. In the audience which he gave to 
 the corps of the University of Vilna, he commenced 
 by saying to the members of the academy, " You 
 
 108
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 are all papists, hey?" I forget what the answer was. 
 Then he continued : " The Emperor Alexander is a 
 good prince, a philosopher on the throne. Does he 
 protect you ? " The rector replied that the academy 
 was greatly indebted to the munificence of the 
 Emperor of Russia. 
 
 Napoleon had nothing imposing either in his face 
 or manners. I was astonished not to feel in his 
 presence that emotion which one usually cannot pre- 
 vent at the sight of a celebrated personage. All that 
 glory bought with the price of men and blood could 
 not inspire me with enthusiasm. The glory of con- 
 querors is made to shine in history, but it is goodness 
 alone which conquers the hearts of men. I had often 
 pictured to myself the face of Napoleon with a coun- 
 tenance sparkling with genius. What was my sur- 
 prise and disappointment on seeing only a little, 
 short, fat, waddling man, with sleek, plastered-down 
 hair, with good enough features but little expression 
 in his face, not even that of hardness which is found 
 in all his portraits, with the exception of that by 
 David ! On the contrary, there was something pleas- 
 ant in his smile, which showed very handsome teeth. 
 
 From a distance, I confess, his sallow, white face 
 without a tinge of color, and his antique profile took 
 on a character of severity, which disappeared as soon 
 as it was examined near. 
 
 Eight days had passed since the entrance of 
 Napoleon to Vilna. In this trouble and disaster 
 caused by an undisciplined army composed mostly 
 of a collection of foreigners, all making war in spite 
 of themselves, and detesting him who led them (for 
 it would be unjust to attribute to the French alone 
 
 109
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 the excesses committed in their name), in these 
 circumstances people had little heart for pleasures 
 and entertainments. The Duke of Bassano, however, 
 persuaded my cousin, Count P., to give a ball at his 
 house on the day of the Polish confederation. 
 
 This entertainment, honored by the presence of 
 Napoleon, was as brilliant as the circumstances and 
 the extreme poverty succeeding such devastation 
 would permit. In the midst of cries of Vive CEm- 
 pereur! the sounds of military music, the light of 
 allegoric transparencies, brilliant illuminations, and 
 the prodigality of a splendid repast, a man died of 
 hunger in the street ! A frightful contrast, but 
 worthy of the presence of the man who was to bury 
 his armies under the snows of Russia ! 
 
 As soon as the arrival of Napoleon had been an- 
 nounced at the ball, several ladies were chosen to go 
 and receive him at the foot of the stairs, and I was of 
 the number. The marshals of the empire, grand 
 dignitaries, not to mention the grand chamberlains, 
 rushed out of the hall at the name of the emperor, 
 as if an enemy awaited them on the battle-field. 
 The grand equerry, Caulincourt, presented steps 
 to his sovereign, to aid him in descending from the 
 carriage, as if the earth were not worthy to be touched 
 by his imperial foot. 
 
 Without deigning to salute the ladies who had 
 come to meet him, and turning his back on them, 
 Napoleon ascended the steps covered with silk stuffs 
 to the cries of Vive VEmpereur! cries of which his ear 
 was never weary. Far from taking offence at his 
 impoliteness, I only thought we had been foolish to 
 expose ourselves to it. 
 
 no
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 After having chatted with several ladies in the 
 ball-room, Napoleon seated himself on a kind of 
 temporary throne which they had arranged with an 
 arm-chair, a carpet, and a cushion, which latter, he 
 kicked away after trying it. Then in a commanding 
 tone, he cried, " Let the ladies be seated!" and the 
 ladies sat down and the ball was opened. 
 
 For a few minutes Napoleon looked at the dancers, 
 addressed a few words to the persons who formed his 
 court, to the marshals, and to him who gave the en- 
 tertainment ; then, rising, he made once more the 
 tour of the circle of ladies, and departed accompanied 
 by the usual acclamations, leaving the French ecstatic 
 over the amiability of their sovereign. This was 
 a characteristic to which he certainly made no 
 pretensions, and which it was difficult for him to 
 unite with the titles of grand captain, conqueror, 
 and founder of an empire. Men and women wore 
 that day the national cockade, a patriotic plaything 
 offered to the hopes of the Poles, hopes never 
 to be realized, since he who had it in his power 
 had never shown the will or the desire to gratify 
 them, and they were entirely dependent on his tor- 
 tuous policy. 
 
 Expressing my astonishment one day that the 
 ambition of Napoleon could not be satisfied with the 
 possession of one of the most beautiful thrones of 
 Europe, and that he was always making war against 
 us, and against every other nation, I was told that 
 it was not alone the thirst for conquest which guided 
 Napoleon, but the necessity of extirpating the Jaco- 
 bin party in France. The remedy was at least as 
 violent as the evil. 
 
 in
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 A few days after the ball I was riding with Madame 
 B., and several other persons, when we met Napoleon, 
 who was returning from Zakret with a brilliant and 
 numerous escort. He stopped to speak to us and 
 asked us if we liked to ride and if we were good 
 horsewomen. A few steps farther, and we came to 
 Zakret, a fortnight before so brilliant in all the 
 splendor of a festival and the presence of the most 
 amiable of sovereigns it was in ruins ! Our horses 
 mounted to the lawn where I had danced with the 
 Emperor Alexander. The orange-trees were over- 
 turned and broken; the mansion, furnished not long 
 since with the greatest elegance, was entirely de- 
 vastated ; the fine conservatories filled with exotic 
 plants had been destroyed and pillaged, not only by 
 the soldiers, but by people from the town. A sad 
 silence reigned everywhere in those places where I 
 had heard the sounds of music and the notes of joy 
 and pleasure. The birds alone made their songs 
 heard and had not deserted their groves ; the water- 
 falls were drained; in a word, Zakret had been 
 turned into a military hospital. 
 
 112
 
 Emperor Alexander L 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 HAVING given up all hope of peace, strong in 
 his own conscience, and filled with a pious 
 confidence in the help and protection of Providence, 
 Alexander quitted his headquarters at Sventsiani 
 and started for Moscow. The arrival of the emperor 
 at the former capital of the empire, his presence, his 
 speeches, and his proclamations excited universal 
 enthusiasm and a species of fervor and zeal among 
 the patriotic nobility, and the Russian people, so 
 religious and so loyal. As the emperor was dining 
 one day with the Countess Orloff, an immense crowd 
 gathered round the palace and gardens, desirous, 
 eager, to see their adored sovereign. In order to 
 satisfy that desire so natural, the countess had all the 
 gates of the garden opetied so as to give free entrance 
 to the people, who, mad with joy and love, swore in 
 the presence of Heaven to consecrate their strength, 
 their lives, and all they possessed to their emperor. 
 This oath was religiously kept, and Moscow in ashes 
 has well attested it. 
 
 How the sensitive heart of Alexander must have 
 been touched ! These spontaneous impulses on the 
 part of a people, impulses which can neither be 
 counterfeited nor provoked, are grand and sublime. 
 They can exist only among those nations whose 
 hearts are still near to nature and who are deeply 
 impressed with religious ideas ; who, accustomed to 
 see in their sovereign the representative of God 
 8 113
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 whom they adore, build their hopes of future happi- 
 ness on the sentiments of obedience and fidelity to 
 which they have consecrated themselves. What a 
 constitution is that which has for its foundation celes- 
 tial faith and recompense ! What could be substi- 
 tuted for it? It would be necessary to commence 
 by changing the primitive character of the Russian 
 nation. I repeat it, one will never encounter the 
 touching spectacle of these scenes of love and affec- 
 tion between a sovereign and his subjects among 
 frivolous and sensual nations, for a long time cor- 
 rupted by habits of luxury, idleness, effeminacy, 
 egotism, and cupidity. 
 
 The Emperor Alexander stopped only a short 
 time at Moscow. Confiding the command of his 
 armies to General Barclay de Tolly, 1 he returned to 
 St. Petersburg. This prudent prince knew how 
 useful his presence and the example of his firmness 
 would be at that capital and at the court in this for- 
 midable crisis. Napoleon had quitted Vilna, and 
 used every effort to pursue an enemy who always 
 escaped him by following a plan cleverly conceived 
 and contrived, it is said, by the prince royal of 
 Sweden. 
 
 1 Michael, Prince Barclay de Tolly (born 1755, died i8rS) was 
 a celebrated Russian field-marshal of Scotch extraction, who early 
 distinguished himself in the wars against Turkey, Sweden, and 
 Poland. He was made lieutenant-general after the battle of Eylau, 
 and in 1810 was appointed Minister of War. Two years later he 
 obtained the command of the Army of the West, but after the battle 
 of Smolensk he was superseded by Kutusov. At Borodino he 
 commanded the right wing, and by his skilful retreat contributed 
 to save the remnant of the Russian army. He subsequently held 
 the chief command at Bautzen, Culm, and Leipsic, and in 1814 was 
 created field-marshal. A short time before his death he was made 
 a Prince of the Empire. 
 
 114
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 Knowing well the military genius of Napoleon, 
 which led him to finish his campaigns rapidly by 
 decisive actions, it is stated that Bernadotte coun- 
 selled the Emperor of Russia not to risk an engage- 
 ment with the "great winner of battles" but, on the 
 contrary, to draw him by simulated retreats into the 
 depths of the deserts of Russia. 
 
 Therefore " St. Petersburg and Moscow" was the 
 watchword of the French soldier, who, always care- 
 less and light-hearted, without caring for the result 
 of the campaign, coolly asked his way, regarding the 
 one or the other of these rich cities as the aim, the 
 glorious end, of a long and painful march. It was at 
 Smolensk that, astonished at the persevering retreat 
 of the Russians, Napoleon said, " My brother Alex- 
 ander wants to make me play the role of Charles 
 XII." J Since he had the presentiment, why did he 
 not stop? But his ungovernable pride, on the con- 
 trary, made him reject the advice of the King of 
 Naples and of Prince Poniatowsky, who proposed 
 to go into winter quarters at Smolensk and to 
 march upon Volhynia and Ukraine. But Napoleon 
 was seized with that mania which is the forerunner 
 of the fall of kings, and Providence had marked the 
 limits of his prosperity. 
 
 1 Constant says, in his " Private Life of Napoleon," " At this 
 period I saw that the Emperor usually had on his night table 
 Voltaire's 'History of Charles XII."'
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 I SHALL not attempt to describe this campaign in 
 Russia, so often treated of by abler pens. The 
 march of the French army, seeming to be directed 
 toward St. Petersburg, caused a feeling of general 
 and extraordinary uneasiness in that city. Every- 
 body wished to leave and go to the interior of 
 Russia. People packed up their most precious be- 
 longings, to be ready at the shortest notice. The 
 dowager empress, a strong minded and courageous 
 woman, fearing, not for herself, but for the young 
 and tender objects of her maternal solicitude, wished 
 also to leave St. Petersburg and take with her all 
 those young persons who were being educated in 
 the numerous establishments founded and directed 
 by her benevolent care. 
 
 The Emperor Alexander naturally feared that the 
 departure of the empress would only alarm the 
 people, and said to his mother with respectful firm- 
 ness : " Madame, I have begged you as a son, and 
 now I command you as emperor, to remain." 
 
 Shutting up his cruel anxieties in the depths of 
 his own breast, he continued to show a calm and 
 serene front, and declared publicly that he would be 
 the last one to leave St. Petersburg. This prudent 
 conduct had the desired effect, and tranquillity was 
 soon restored in all classes of society. 
 
 116
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 After the departure of Napoleon from Vilna, 
 the French commenced to raise troops in Lithuania, 
 and to form regiments. One of my brothers was 
 made colonel of infantry, and my eldest brother 
 formed a company of mounted artillery at his own 
 expense. But for want of pecuniary means this 
 armament was formed slowly, and Napoleon wrote 
 from his headquarters to the Duke of Bassano : " I have 
 just received a considerable reinforcement from Lith- 
 uania. Oginiski 1 has arrived with twelve men of the 
 new guards ! " 
 
 The French who remained at Vilna with the dip- 
 lomatic corps all expected a happy and speedy con- 
 clusion of the war. I remember that the Duke of 
 Bassano, whose kindness toward my father and my- 
 self I am happy to record here, announced to me 
 one day that General Kotousoff had taken com- 
 mand of the Russian army, and he said, " Now we 
 can hope for peace soon, for Kotousoff has a talent 
 for fighting." 
 
 The Russian policy seemed to count for nothing, 
 and yet had it not also its hopes of victory? The 
 battle ofMozhaish or of the Moskowa in promising the 
 capture of Moscow was, in the eyes of all the French, 
 a certain presage of peace. Already the Duke of 
 Bassano was constantly expecting to leave for Mos- 
 
 1 Count Michel Cleophas Ocnmski (born 1765, died 1833). At 
 the time of Napoleon's invasion of Italy, Oginiski succeeded in 
 awakening his interest in Poland. While awaiting Bonaparte's ac- 
 tive interference in behalf of the kingdom he resided in Hamburg, 
 and afterwards in Berlin. After the treaty of Tilsit he was again on 
 a friendly footing with the czar, and in 1810 he was a senator and 
 Privy Councillor. The later part of his life was spent in Italy. He 
 is the author of an interesting work entitled, " Memoirs of Poland." 
 
 117
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 cow to arrange the preliminaries of peace, and the 
 young exquisites who surrounded him seemed very 
 anxious about the cold they would have to endure 
 in that latitude. Finally the news came that the 
 French had entered Moscow, and was celebrated as 
 usual by a Te Dcnm. 
 
 That evening there was a dance at the Duke of Bas- 
 sano's, and I was astonished to see a shade of gloom 
 and anxiety on the diplomat's face which nothing 
 could dissipate. Nothing was talked of but the 
 departure. The minister only waited for further 
 details, they said. These details were the burning 
 of Moscow, a terrible and perhaps unique example 
 of devoted patriotism ! 
 
 After this disaster, the French policy hid itself 
 under an impenetrable veil. We learned only that 
 Napoleon had decided to quit Moscow and return 
 across a ravaged country ; but soon all communica- 
 tion was cut off. Minsk, in Lithuania, fell again into 
 the hands of the Russians. Several detachments of 
 light cavalry, Cossacks, approached Vilna. Finally, 
 at the end of three weeks, the diplomatic corps was 
 still ignorant of the fate of the army of the new 
 Cambyses, of the grand army. And still they con- 
 tinued to dance and act comedies, for above all 
 things the French must have pleasure. 
 
 The Duchess of Reggio, wife of Marshal Oudinot, 1 
 
 1 Eugenie de Coucy, Marechale Oudinot, Duchesse de Reggio 
 (born 1780, died 1868), was a daughter of a captain in the Artois 
 regiment and a knight of St. Louis. In 1812 she married the Due 
 de Reggio. In 1815 she was appointed Mistress of the Robes to 
 the Duchesse de Berri. She survived the duke for a number of 
 years and occupied her time composing the "Memoirs of Marshal 
 Oudinot, Due de Reggio." 
 
 118
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 arrived suddenly at Vilna to nurse her husband, who 
 had been wounded in a duel. I shall never forget 
 the expression with which the marechale said, after 
 having asked me if I had brothers in service, " Your 
 troubles have only commenced ! " These words 
 were a prophecy only too true ! 
 
 One of my relatives, who had left the French troops 
 at Smolensk, gave us unheard-of details of the grand 
 army. It reminded him, he said, of the Carnival of 
 Venice, or the Toledo at Naples on Mardi-Gras ; but 
 he was regarded as a madman and a visionary. 
 
 On the 3rd of December, 1812, there was another 
 ball at the house of the governor-general, Count 
 Hogendorp, 1 to celebrate the anniversary of the acces- 
 sion of Napoleon to the throne, him who, abandon- 
 ing his army, had fled, repeating the well known 
 words, " There 's but a step from the sublime to the 
 ridiculous ! " He travelled under the name of Count 
 Caulincourt, and the French soldiers, to whom the 
 necessity to make a joke is compatible with the 
 greatest misfortunes, said, " Oni, c'est Colin qni court 
 (it is Colin who is running away)." 
 
 The passage of Napoleon near Vilna was an open 
 secret. The Duke of Bassano spoke to me of it the 
 same day, and said he had found the emperor very 
 well and very cheerful. 
 
 Napoleon breakfasted near Vilna, almost at the 
 gates, chatting and joking with the members of his 
 
 1 Count Thieny Van Hogendorp (born 1761, died 1830). A Dutch 
 general who was minister of war under King Louis in 1806, and the 
 following year ambassador to Vienna, and in 1809 to Berlin. Two 
 years later he became general of division and aide-de-camp to Napo- 
 leon, whom he followed in the Russian campaign. After the battle 
 of Waterloo he went to Brazil, where his last years were spent. 
 
 119
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 suite and with the Duke of Bassano, while the pos- 
 tilion who had driven his horses fell frozen to death. 
 But what was such an incident in the eyes of a man 
 who had seen three quarters of his army perish with 
 cold or hunger, or who in contemplating the plains 
 of Mozhaish, covered with the dead, exclaimed with 
 transport, " How beautiful is the field of battle ! " 
 The saying of Vitellius is nothing in comparison ! 
 
 We soon had a spectacle that excited pity and 
 secret terror, in the remnants of that army so trium- 
 phant and formidable six months earlier, whose rapid 
 march and destiny had been like that of a brilliant 
 meteor. During three or four days the streets of Vilna 
 were filled again with a throng of men, I cannot say 
 soldiers, since it was impossible to recognize them in 
 that character under the grotesque garments which 
 covered them. One had thrown away his helmet 
 and was muffled up in a woman's velvet hood and 
 black satin mantle, under which you could see his 
 spurs. Another had enveloped himself in the orna- 
 ments and vestments of the church, stoles, chasubles, 
 and altar-cloths all piled one upon another to keep 
 out the cold, from which nothing could really protect 
 the men. Others, more fortunate in their booty, had 
 thrown about their shoulders ladies' fur dressing- 
 gowns, with the sleeves tied about their necks. 
 Others, again, trailed woollen blankets after them, or, 
 like shades from that place from which one never 
 returns, they advanced in grave-clothes and winding- 
 sheets. These sombre liveries, these gloomy tokens 
 of death figured in that historical masquerade, the 
 expiring glory of a great conqueror. 
 
 Infantry, horse, and artillery, no longer recognizing 
 1 20
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 authority, without order, without disclipine and 
 almost without arms, their faces blackened by the 
 smoke of the bivouac, deprived by privations and 
 physical suffering of nearly every sentiment except 
 that of courage, which never deserts the Frenchman, 
 they marched in confusion, imploring help and pity. 
 My father gave shelter to a number of them, particu- 
 larly to General Jumilhac, 1 the brother-in-law of the 
 Due de Richelieu 2 and an old acquaintance of my 
 Aunt Radzivil. In this disastrous retreat, of all his 
 equipment he had kept only his horse. This poor 
 general could hardly contain himself for joy to be in 
 a well-warmed room and have sufficient covering. 
 He said to us while eating like a starving man, " Mes- 
 dames, you do not know what pleasure it is to eat 
 once more seated at a table ! " We could not help 
 smiling at his black hands, which he assured us were 
 quite clean. 
 
 M. de Jumilhac did nothing but sigh after Acadia 
 and his good princess. He constantly asked us if 
 
 1 Antoine Pierre Joseph Chapelle, Marquis de Jumilhac (born 
 1764, died 1826), entered the French army in 1777; two years later 
 he was appointed by Louis XVI. lieutenant-colonel of his guard. 
 For his bravery in the Russian campaign he received the Cross of 
 the Legion of Honor. In 1815 he was appointed commander of the 
 Order of St. Louis. 
 
 2 Armand Emmanuel Duplessis, Due de Richelieu (bom 1766, 
 died 1822) was active as an agent of the French royal family during 
 the Revolution ; entered the Russian civil service ; was governor of 
 Odessa under Alexander I. He refused to serve under Napoleon, 
 and was prime minister under Louis XVIII. He succeeded in pro- 
 curing from the Great European Powers, at the Congress of Aix-la- 
 Chapelle (1818), terms much less severe than they had required from 
 the French government in 1815. Though poor, he refused a national 
 recompense from the Chambers, and when a pension of 50,000 francs 
 was conferred on him he gave it to found a hospital at Bordeaux. 
 
 121
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 this extreme cold would last long; and as we assured 
 him in good faith that cold at 26 or 28 degrees 
 Re'aumur seldom lasted more than three days in that 
 intensity, he thanked us as" if for some veritable gift. 
 But it seemed at this time that, to protect Russia, 
 Heaven hurled all the rigours of an extraordinary 
 winter upon her enemies. 
 
 Owing to the improvidence of the heads of the 
 French government, and the demoralization of the 
 employees of the army, all the stores of provisions 
 and clothes, sent partly from France and partly fur- 
 nished on the spot, instead of being distributed among 
 the French soldiers, remained intact to the advantage 
 of the Russians. 
 
 Vilna and all Lithuania prepared lint and linen in 
 large quantities for the hospitals, but all this was sold 
 to the paper-makers, and the soldiers were bandaged 
 with wadding and hay. 
 
 I have these details from a hospital director, who, 
 more honest than his colleagues, complained bitterly 
 of these abuses, and with reason. 
 
 My father, being a member of the provisory gov- 
 ernment, was obliged to follow the French army. At 
 the moment of his departure he gave me a few words 
 of advice as to the course of conduct I was to pursue 
 to save at least a remnant of his fortune ; for all who 
 left on this occasion expected to see their property 
 confiscated. 
 
 My father said I would do well to go to St. Peters- 
 burg if the emperor did not come to Vilna, and he 
 promised to return if I should succeed in giving him 
 reassuring intelligence as to his own personal safety. 
 He departed. My brothers had left before him. I
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 had seen a great number of the ladies of my acquaint- 
 ance depart. I remained alone. It was a gloomy 
 and overwhelming moment. I remained alone, not 
 yet knowing what would be the fate of the town, 
 what Vilna had to expect from the clemency of the 
 Russians, and ignorant of the designs of the French 
 government. It was proposed to the King of Naples, 
 who commanded the remnant of the army, to defend 
 Vilna. He refused this proposition, using a compari- 
 son so indecent, in describing the position of the 
 town, that it is impossible for me to repeat it here. 
 He refused also to set fire to the arsenal and powder 
 magazines. The explosion of these two buildings 
 would have destroyed the greater part of the town. 
 
 On the day of the retaking of Vilna by the Rus- 
 sian troops, I was awakened by the sound of cannon. 
 They were knocking at the doors of the town in the 
 mountain gorge called Ponary, where such a great 
 number of the French perished. The combat was 
 neither long nor doubtful, and soon I saw the long 
 lances, the pointed caps, the shaggy mantles, and 
 the long beards of my old acquaintances, the Cos- 
 sacks. This sight filled me with joy, none the less 
 when several of them, not to lose the opportunity 
 for, or the habit of, pillage, under the pretext of 
 searching for French equipages, came to take my 
 carriage. My people, greatly alarmed, came to tell 
 me. I succeeded in intimidating the Cossacks by 
 speaking firmly, and made them all leave the house. 
 I was very well satisfied with my success ; neverthe- 
 less, I took the precaution to ask the brave General 
 Czaplic for protection. He was the first man to 
 enter Vilna. 
 
 123
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 Marshal Kotousoff entered in triumph two days 
 later and came to see me. I had known him for a 
 long time. He praised my conduct at my presenta- 
 tion to Napoleon, and said he would take care to 
 inform the emperor of it. He told me also that 
 my father had done very wrong to leave Vilna and 
 thus show his want of confidence in the generous 
 character of his Majesty. 
 
 The marshal gave a soiree for me, where he pre- 
 sented all his generals to me, saying: "This is the 
 young countess who wore her decoration a la barbe 
 (in the very beard) of Napoleon." The reports of 
 that action, so simple, so natural, were so exagger- 
 ated that it was rumored abroad that I had followed 
 my brothers to the French army; that I had been 
 seen on the route to Moscow, playing the heroine, 
 and riding a gray horse in the midst of the ranks, 
 clad in a blue amazon. Several Russian military 
 men assured me that they had been ordered to take 
 me prisoner. 
 
 The marshal seemed almost weighed down with 
 his successes and the honors which he had received 
 and the distinctions which came in from all direc- 
 tions. He had just been made Prince of Smolensk. 
 He had a decoration with the portrait of the em- 
 peror set in diamonds upon the blue cockade. The 
 grand order of St. George had been promised him. 
 Nevertheless he was unsatisfied, he said, for not 
 having been able to make himself master of the 
 person of Napoleon. I observed on his table a 
 superb ministerial portfolio of black velvet, having 
 the arms of France embroidered in gold on one 
 side, and the crest of Napoleon on the other. The
 
 OKNKRAL. KOTOUSOFTK.
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 marshal destined this portfolio for the Princess 
 Kotousoff. 
 
 A person of the company having hazarded some 
 remark about the disasters of Moscow, " What ! " 
 cried the grand marshal, " the road from Moscow 
 to Vilna is worth two Moscows ! " 
 
 125
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 LITTLE by little tranquillity was again restored 
 in the town of Vilna ; but what tranquillity ! 
 It is true that the chances of war were no more to 
 be feared, but the picture of suffering humanity was 
 constantly before our eyes. We could not stir into 
 the streets without encountering the dead bodies of 
 the French soldiers, either frozen to death or mur- 
 dered by the Jews, who had killed them to get their 
 watches, money, or any other articles which they 
 had about them. The slightest thaw showed traces 
 of blood on the pavements and even in the portes 
 cochtres of some of our houses. Jewish women and 
 even children were seen robbing the dead soldiers, 
 or if they were not quite dead, killing them by kicks 
 with their iron-bound shoes. 
 
 The bodies of these unfortunates were to be seen, 
 frozen stiff in the attitudes in which death had found 
 them, some sitting, some bent forward with their 
 faces in their hands, others leaning against a wall 
 with the fist closed in a menacing attitude. One 
 would have thought them asleep, but it was the 
 sleep of death. 
 
 In the search made by the police in the town 
 and its environs, the bodies of about forty thou- 
 sand French soldiers were found. In entering our 
 country the French had brought disorder and pil- 
 lage, in quitting it they left disease and death. A 
 contagious fever, known as hospital fever, broke 
 out and caused unheard-of ravages, destroying a, 
 
 126
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 large part of the population on the path of the 
 grand army. The hospitals of Vilna were infected, 
 and a great number of the inhabitants of the town 
 fell victims to this new scourge. And still the 
 French prisoners wandered freely about the city. 
 Nothing can ever efface from my memory these 
 walking spectres. I can see them still with wan, 
 emaciated features, and eyes of which only the 
 whites could be seen, as they sat and warmed them- 
 selves at the fires which were kindled before our 
 houses to keep away the infection. I have often 
 seen them searching in the garbage of the street 
 for something to satisfy their hunger, which was not 
 the least of their sufferings. One could apply to 
 them the line of La Fontaine, 
 
 " Us ne mouraient pas tous, mais tous dtaient frappes." 
 
 One day I was going out of a convent where my 
 aunt was abbess. They had given me a quantity of 
 cakes, gingerbread, etc. At the door I saw several 
 prisoners who asked charity, and I gave them all 
 the cakes. They fell upon them with such voracious- 
 ness that I was frightened. My companion, who could 
 not rid herself of the contents of her bag as quickly as I, 
 stood stifled, if I may use that word, in the midst of 
 the unfortunates who pressed around her, until I sent 
 my servant, who succeeded in rescuing her from their 
 hands, and she rejoined me pale and trembling. 
 
 I had taken into my house one of these poor 
 creatures, whose mental faculties had been destroyed 
 by suffering. As I asked him if he wanted anything, 
 he answered with a wan smile: " I need nothing. I 
 am a dead man." It was impossible to get any 
 
 127
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 other answer from him. I cannot tell how that 
 smile haunted me. The poor man escaped one 
 day, and no one ever knew what became of him. 
 I had a whole family of prisoners at my house after- 
 wards: a man, his wife and child. The man was 
 from Genoa and had been a shoemaker for the 
 troops; his wife was from Nice. In speaking of 
 the horrors of the hospital she said, in her soft 
 Southern accent, " Madame, you would have been 
 sorry to see it ! " The child, with his golden hair 
 and large dark eyes, reminded one of Raphael's 
 cherubs. This poor little unfortunate was not yet 
 two years old. He did not recover from his suffer- 
 ings. He died in the country, where I had sent him 
 with his parents. I kept them a long time in my house. 
 These poor people, in the midst of the snows and frosts 
 of this terrible winter, used to talk of the flowers and 
 perfumes of their own country, and of the balmy air 
 of the nights on the sea-coast at Genoa la superba. 
 
 Misfortune had destroyed in the poor prisoners 
 even the love of life and the desire to live. In their 
 abstraction they would kindle a fire on the floor in 
 the middle of a room and sitting round it would let 
 themselves be slowly consumed by the flames. It 
 was in this way that the military hospital at Zakret 
 was burned down, and similar accidents occurred 
 several times in different villages. 
 
 In contrast to this picture of misery, we saw the 
 Cossacks, enriched by pillage, selling wedges of gold 
 and silver, strings of pearls, watches, and jewels for 
 a very small price in paper money. They also con- 
 tinued to pillage in the country. I had constantly 
 to ask the marshal for safeguards for my acquaint- 
 
 123
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 ances, and he used to say to me, " You see these 
 rascals never have enough, but I will make them 
 disgorge ; " and he really did oblige the Cossacks 
 to furnish a certain number of ingots of silver for 
 the statues of the twelve apostles, at the church of 
 Saint Mary of Kazan l at St. Petersburg. The Cos- 
 sacks sold at Vilna several children of the unfor- 
 tunate French, who had left Moscow to follow the 
 grand army. These poor little creatures, passing 
 from the maternal breast to the strong arms of their 
 strange protectors, having only voice enough still 
 to cry, could not even tell the names of their parents, 
 who had perished, no doubt, in the retreat. 
 
 An Italian singer, Soprano Torquinio, whom I had 
 formerly known at Vilna where he had given sing- 
 ing lessons, was at Moscow at the time of the French 
 occupation. He sang every evening for Napoleon, 
 who always asked for the music of Paesiello. 2 He 
 
 1 Church of St. Mary of Kazan, one of the oldest churches in St. 
 Petersburg. Its interior is in the shape of a cross. It is especially 
 rich in trophies of the war with Persia and France. The baton of 
 Davoust and the keys of many fortresses are suspended against the 
 pillars of this military looking cathedral. Among the keys are those 
 of Hamburg, Leipsic, Dresden, Rheines, Breda, and Utrecht. The 
 tomb of General Kutusov is here. He lies buried on a spot where 
 he knelt in prayer before setting out to meet the enemy in 1812. 
 The ikonostas and the balustrade in front of the altar are of silver, 
 being the "zealous offering of the Don Cossacks" after the campaign 
 of 1812. The silver weighs nearly half a ton. 
 
 2 Giovanni Paesiello, or Paisiello (born 1741, died 1816), an 
 Italian composer. At the age of twenty he was a prolific composer 
 of masses, psalms, motets, etc. In 1776 he accepted an invitation 
 from Catherine II. to establish himself at St. Petersburg, where he 
 remained nine years, producing several operas and oratorios. Some 
 of his best works belong to this period, particularly // Barbiere di 
 Siviglia. Going to Vienna he produced operas for the Emperor 
 Joseph II. On his return to Naples (1785) he was appointed Royal 
 
 9 129
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 was taken prisoner by the Cossacks and brought 
 to Vilna, where he obtained his liberty. Torquinio 
 told me very curious stories about his captors. 
 Every evening when they returned to camp after a 
 pillaging expedition, the Cossacks amused them- 
 selves by dressing up like French marshals and 
 generals in the clothes which they had taken during 
 the day. Poor Torquinio and his companion Nina, 
 also a good musician, were obliged to sing to earn 
 their supper. The Cossacks, seated on the hard 
 frozen snow around a fire whose flame lighted up 
 their savage faces, dressed in the rich costumes 
 which were strikingly incongruous with those who 
 wore them, the Cossacks, I say, seemed to take 
 a never-ending delight in the harmonious language 
 and songs of the South. 
 
 A thousand such recitals formed the subjects of 
 conversation in the society of Vilna that winter. 
 How we hated the author of all these evils and suf- 
 ferings ! I remember one day at a party we were 
 inventing different kinds of torture for Napoleon. 
 When my time came I said, " I would have Napoleon 
 drowned in the tears he has caused to be shed ! " 
 
 Among these scenes of desolation, I had a trouble 
 which was entirely personal. I received no news 
 whatever from my father and brothers. I was often 
 told that they had been made prisoners, which was 
 the happiest thing in these circumstances. 
 
 Chapel Master. In 1802 he accepted an invitation by Bonaparte to 
 go to Paris ; two years later he returned to Naples. Paisiello's 
 works comprise twenty-seven grand, fifty-one buffo operas, eight in- 
 terludes, and a vast collection of cantatas, oratorios, masses, etc. 
 One authority says : " He is superior to his rivals in the suavity of 
 his melody and the charm of his expression." 
 
 130
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 A FORTNIGHT had not yet passed since the 
 -T\ return of the Russians to Vilna. I awoke one 
 morning with that sadness, that heaviness of the 
 heart which had become habitual to me. In that 
 first instant of wakening I could not tell whether I 
 was suffering from a present misfortune or only the 
 expectation of a new calamity, when suddenly some 
 one came to announce that the emperor had arrived 
 that night. " Ah," I cried, bursting into tears, " the 
 angel of deliverance has come ; we shall be saved ! " 
 
 During the morning I received a visit from the 
 good Count Tolstoi, whom I saw again with real pleas- 
 ure. He brought me the thanks of our beloved 
 sovereign. We talked a long time of the calamities 
 caused by the war, and consoled ourselves mutually 
 for the past by the hopes of a happier future. Count 
 Tolstoi was about to leave, when suddenly on the 
 stairs he remembered the real object of his visit, and 
 returning hastily, he said: "I beg ten thousand par- 
 dons, but I had forgotten to say that his Majesty 
 charged me to ask you, if he could come and see you 
 this evening, if you would allow him that pleasure." 
 I could not help laughing when he had gone, prom- 
 ising myself to tell the emperor this new trait of 
 memory in the grand marshal. 
 
 Happy to see the emperor, I felt nevertheless an 
 inexpressible anxiety in thinking of my father and 
 brothers. They had left their country to follow a
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 faction opposed to their sovereign. To be sure, they 
 had been compelled to do it, in a measure, but the 
 fact remained. What should I say to him? What 
 would he say to me? How extremely embarrassing 
 and perplexing ! But the presence of Alexander, the 
 kind expressions of that which he chose to call grati- 
 tude, and the thankfulness which I felt that he seemed 
 pleased with a slight proof of devotion on my part, 
 soon dissipated the doubts which had arisen in my 
 mind, and left me calm to enjoy in security the pleas- 
 ure of seeing him again. Finally, with that delicacy 
 of perception which he possessed in a high degree, 
 he seemed to guess my sufferings, and introduced 
 the painful subject himself with the following words : 
 
 " I owe no grudge against the Lithuanians. They 
 were obliged to yield to force. The secret of our 
 operations was unknown to them. They could not 
 foresee either the course or the tendency of events. 
 Moreover, it was but natural that they should wish to 
 recover their country. Nevertheless, the Emperor 
 Napoleon had no intention of realizing their hopes 
 in that respect, since he refused positively all the 
 propositions which I made him, through the agency 
 of Balacheff, at the beginning of the campaign. I 
 was resolved to make great sacrifices to maintain 
 peace and the liberty of commerce, without which 
 my States, owing to their geographical position, 
 could not maintain themselves. 
 
 " One real proof," continued Alexander, " that 
 Napoleon never thought of re-establishing Poland is, 
 that he would not accept the concessions that I was 
 ready to make to him. I should only have lost a 
 conquered territory. The empire would have re- 
 
 132
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 mained intact. He would not accept it, and I was 
 forced, in consequence, to follow a plan whose suc- 
 cess has been the result of our perseverance and the 
 protection of Heaven. 
 
 " We could not risk the chances of war against 
 skilful generals, against an army for twenty years 
 accustomed to conquer, and commanded by a great 
 captain whose military genius was never disappointed 
 until now. . . . Rather than relinquish this plan and 
 accept the conditions which Napoleon wished to im- 
 pose on me, I had decided to make a sacrifice, not 
 only of Moscow, but of St. Petersburg, and to retire 
 to Kazan in the depths of Russia, as far as the fron- 
 tiers of Asia, if it were necessary. I should still 
 have lost nothing of the original territories of Russia, 
 for St. Petersburg is built on Swedish territory and 
 Moscow is an old conquest. 
 
 " But," added the prince, smiling, " at all events 
 I should have reserved the possibility of returning. 
 I repeat," continued he, " I have nothing against the 
 Lithuanians ; it is we who have abandoned them, but 
 that shall not happen again." 
 
 His Majesty then told me that he had passed many 
 sad moments since his sojourn at Vilna and during 
 the six months of the campaign. 
 
 " I have suffered much, I have felt great anxiety," 
 said he. " There was much agitation among the 
 great minds at St. Petersburg, the greater number of 
 whom were not satisfied with the military operations 
 at the beginning of the campaign. Under the pre- 
 ceding reign and under that of the Empress Catherine 
 nobody troubled himself about the affairs of the State, 
 but to-day everybody must be initiated into the mys- 
 
 133
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 teries of the government. And how can I satisfy all 
 these opinions? I do not possess the happy philos- 
 ophy of Napoleon, and this unfortunate campaign 
 has cost me ten years of my life." Unfortunate and 
 yet victorious ! He was triumphant ! But his mag- 
 nanimous heart could not rejoice over his successes 
 while he saw humanity suffer. 
 
 To spare the emperor's feelings from the sight of 
 the miseries caused by this cruel war, a new road had 
 been made, which kept him off the route which the 
 armies had followed. But one could not prevent his 
 meeting some poor, wandering French soldiers. He 
 either gave them help or took them on his sledge. 
 He brought thus a sick French soldier to the castle of 
 Postawy, belonging to my father. The emperor passed 
 the night there, left money for the poor fellow, and 
 begged them to take care of him. Such was the con- 
 duct of this prince toward his enemies ; they ceased 
 to be enemies as soon as they were unfortunate. 
 
 Napoleon's conduct was very different: he aban- 
 doned, in their distress, his own soldiers, the instru- 
 ments of his fortune and glory. 
 
 The Emperor Alexander was three days in coming 
 from St. Petersburg to Vilna, travelling in an open 
 sledge, which is much worse than to pass the night in 
 camp. He said, laughing, " It has cost me the end 
 of my nose to come to Vilna ! " 
 
 Tea was served. The emperor liked tea and took 
 a great deal. Mademoiselle F., who made it, presented 
 a cup to his Majesty, who refused to take it before 
 me, saying, " Although a Northern barbarian, I know 
 what I owe to ladies." 
 
 The emperor asked me a great many questions
 
 Emperor Alexander I, 
 
 about my presentation to Napoleon. I related simply 
 what had happened on that occasion. His Majesty 
 said I had shown astonishing courage in not fearing 
 him, before whom even men trembled. I answered 
 that I was very happy to be able to give the only 
 proof of devotion which was in my power, and that I 
 had never expected to receive such a recompense as 
 the approbation of my sovereign. He asked what 
 impression Napoleon had made on me. I answered 
 that his physique had not corresponded with the 
 expectation which his genius had given me. 
 
 " That is exactly the impression he made on me," 
 said the emperor. " Did you notice his clear gray 
 eyes, which are so piercing that you can hardly bear 
 his look?" 
 
 " I found nothing at all imposing in the person of 
 Napoleon," I said ; " and I acknowledge, even, that in 
 spite of the exceeding goodness of your Majesty, I 
 feel more timidity in your presence than I felt when 
 I was presented to Napoleon, of whom I knew little 
 that was amiable, and only the total want of gracious- 
 ness in his intercourse with ladies." 
 
 "How is it possible that I should inspire fear?" 
 said the emperor. 
 
 " Yes, sire, that of displeasing you." 
 
 These words received very graceful thanks. 
 
 The emperor asked me also if I had seen the King 
 of Naples. 1 I answered that I had only seen him from 
 
 1 " It is an historical fact that the King of Naples greatly awed 
 these barbarians [i. e. Russians]. It is certain that there was a 
 touch of the theatrical in the appearance of the King of Naples 
 which fascinated their eyes. He was always very richly dressed." 
 (The Private Life of Napoleon, Memoirs of Constant.) 
 
 135
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 my window, and that he had seemed to me like a 
 theatre king, with his yellow boots and his big plumes 
 d la Henri IV. 
 
 "Yes," said the emperor, "he has adopted the 
 dress, but not the sentiments of Henri IV. I am sorry 
 you did not hear him speak. He has a Gascon 
 accent. At my first interview with Napoleon I saw 
 near him a young Turk, who was presented to me 
 under the name and title of Grand Duke of Berg, 
 brother-in-law of the emperor. Upon another occa- 
 sion he appeared in a rose-colored uniform with green 
 facings and Spanish slashings." 
 
 When I mentioned a new favor which Napoleon 
 had just accorded to his brother-in-law, his Majesty 
 said : " He is too good to him ; he ought to have him 
 shot, for it is to him he owes his ruin in having de- 
 stroyed the French cavalry." 
 
 His Majesty laughed when I told him what Na- 
 poleon had said at the presentation : " The Emperor 
 Alexander is very amiable. He has won you all here. 
 Ladies, are you good Poles ? " 
 
 While we chatted I scraped lint, and the emperor 
 said such a pleasant thing about it that I must repeat 
 it, to show the grace and delicacy of his wit even in 
 the most trifling matters. " One would almost be 
 willing to be wounded for the privilege of using the 
 lint," he said. 
 
 Speaking of certain particulars relating to Napo- 
 leon's stay at Vilna and the services which he re- 
 quired of his grand dignitaries, such as Caulincourt 
 holding the steps for him to descend from the car- 
 riage, the emperor exclaimed : " How could he thus 
 degrade the person of an ambassador? What 
 
 136
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 pleasure could he find in being thus served by his 
 chamberlains and grand equerries? Am I not better 
 waited on by my servant than by all these court carpet- 
 sweepers ? " Then he added : " Happily, we are com- 
 ing to the opinion that a place at court is an honor- 
 able career, and that those who fill it have other 
 duties, either military service or the administration 
 of the government." 
 
 The philosopher on the throne, as Napoleon called 
 him, appeared in those words, especially in his indif- 
 ference to the pomp with which sovereign power usu- 
 ally surrounds itself. Mademoiselle F. acknowledged 
 that for her part she found all that very fine. " It is a 
 vain kind of splendor which pleases you," answered 
 the emperor. Then he spoke those beautiful words 
 which I have already quoted, which, however, may be 
 repeated again : " One must be in my place to form 
 an idea of the responsibility of a sovereign, and to 
 know what I feel in thinking that I must one day 
 render an account to God for the life of each one of 
 my soldiers. No, the throne is not my vocation, and 
 if I could honorably change my condition I would do 
 it gladly." How surprising was this language at such 
 a moment, and from the lips of the prince who had 
 triumphed over his most terrible adversary, the ruler 
 of Europe. 
 
 " I am badly seconded in my views for the happi- 
 ness of my people," continued he ; " in fact, sometimes 
 I should like to break my head against the wall, on see- 
 ing myself surrounded by such egoists, who neglect 
 the good and the interests of the State, and think only 
 of their own fortune and elevation." What beautiful 
 sentiments ! What an angelic soul this prince showed,
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 in his love of peace, in his contempt for luxury and 
 ambition, and for courtiers in general. 
 
 Then he said : " Why could not all the sovereigns 
 and nations of Europe agree among themselves to live 
 like brothers, aiding each other in their need and 
 comforting each other in their adversity? Commerce 
 would become the common property of this great 
 society, whose several members would without doubt 
 differ in religious belief, but a spirit of toleration 
 would unite all churches. It matters little to the All- 
 Powerful, I believe, whether we pray to him in Latin 
 or in Greek, so long as we do our duty toward him 
 and toward our fellow-men. It is not always the 
 longest prayers which touch him most." 
 
 " Sire," I said, " I have made many long prayers 
 for you." 
 
 He seemed moved, and thanked me with his ac- 
 customed graciousness : " The prayers of a person as 
 innocent as you ought to be granted." I ventured 
 to observe that if all men followed the teachings of 
 the gospel, teachings so gentle, so well adapted to 
 each one, they could dispense with other laws, in 
 adopting the principles contained in that Book 
 divine. The emperor approved of my idea. 
 
 I could wish that all kings had been in my place, 
 to hear and remember the words of this prince and 
 to make them the rule of their conduct. 
 
 His Majesty then turned the conversation to the 
 works of the philosophers of the eighteenth century: 
 Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, D'Alembert, and others. 
 Of the first, I was acquainted only with the tragedies, 
 historical works, and the " Henriade," and I knew 
 almost nothing of the second. The emperor assured 
 
 '38
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 me that the philosophy of Rousseau was not so dan- 
 gerous to religion as the writings of Voltaire. Many 
 of the ideas of that philanthropic and eloquent writer 
 seemed to be to the taste of the prince, and to suit the 
 turn of his mind. I thought I observed also a certain 
 resemblance between the ideas of the emperor upon 
 universal peace, and the works of de Sainte-Pierre 
 on that subject. His Majesty spoke with great 
 praise of "The Genius of Christianity," a produc- 
 tion, he said, as justly celebrated as its author. He 
 referred to the philosophy of Kant, so deep and so 
 abstract that one might regard it as incomprehen- 
 sible. Perhaps Kant himself did not possess the key 
 to it. 
 
 Suddenly, in the midst of this grave conversation, 
 the emperor interrupted himself, laughing. " I have 
 employed my time well," he said, " in delivering a 
 lecture on moral philosophy to a pretty woman ! If 
 any one could hear me, I should certainly be laughed 
 at." I hastened to reply that I would endeavor to 
 profit by the lecture, and would be the better for it, 
 thanks to his Majesty's patience. " Ah, you have no 
 need of it; you are already better than we. Besides," 
 said he, " this kind of conversation is not suitable to 
 all women. There are those who must always have 
 only stories." 
 
 The conversation returned to Napoleon. Alex- 
 ander was with reason astonished at the improvi- 
 dence which had led this great warrior to risk himself 
 with six hundred thousand men, without supplies, 
 without any kind of provisions, in a devastated coun- 
 try, in the midst of the deserts of Russia. This want 
 of foresight had necessarily led to marauding and
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 insubordination in the army. Napoleon said himself 
 to persons who begged him to use severe measures 
 to prevent pillage, "What will you have me do? 
 They must live." 
 
 The emperor continued: "Napoleon thought he 
 could make the Russians revolt by offering them, in 
 divers proclamations, the allurement of liberty. He 
 was, however, impolitic to wound the religious feelings 
 of the Russian people, by letting the French soldiers 
 commit acts of impiety in churches and sacred 
 places. Seeing the objects of their worship out- 
 raged and spoiled, the Russians saw only a snare in 
 the offers made them, and instead of running to meet 
 their pretended liberators, they, ever faithful to God 
 and to their sovereign, retired to the depths of the 
 forests with their wives, children, and cattle, setting 
 fire to their own homes and never ceasing to harass 
 the hostile troops. Oh, my Barbary horse ! " ex- 
 claimed the emperor, with a sort of enthusiasm. 
 " They were worth more than we were! It is there 
 that we find once more the morals of patriarchal 
 times, a profound respect for religion, the love of 
 God, and a complete devotion to the sovereign ! " 
 
 Alexander then spoke of the service which the 
 Jews had rendered in the campaign by burning a 
 bridge to retard the march of the French. " They 
 have shown a wonderful attachment," said he. 
 
 " Yes, very wonderful," I repeated, only thinking 
 in that instant of the cruelties practised by the Jews 
 in Vilna; then, perceiving immediately that my ex- 
 clamation was a little more than naive, I corrected 
 myself and added, " Not at all, sire, if I may judge 
 from my own experience." 
 
 140
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 The emperor spoke again of the person of Napo- 
 leon, his short stature, etc. " Sire," I said, " it is very 
 seldom that a sovereign unites all these advantages." 
 
 " But that is not without example," said Mademoi- 
 selle F. 
 
 " Ah ! without doubt," replied I. 
 
 Guessing the application at once, he covered his 
 face with both hands, and laughing said, " A truce 
 to compliments, I beg of you." 
 
 The town was to give a grand ball on the mor- 
 row in honor of the emperor's birthday, but his 
 Majesty refused the homage. He said to me with 
 reference to this refusal : " I thought that in these 
 circumstances dancing or even the sound of music 
 could not be agreeable." I hastened to applaud a 
 thought so just and so right. 
 
 At the moment of quitting me his Majesty renewed 
 his kind assurances of interest and good-will. I con- 
 ducted him as far as the antechamber, where his 
 favorite coachman, Ilia, awaited him. The latter had 
 taken tea with my servants while, by my order, some 
 one attended to the emperor's horses. This man was 
 delighted with the evening he had passed, which had 
 been rather noisy ; for bursts of loud and prolonged 
 laughter could be heard as far as the drawing-room 
 where I was with the emperor, who paid no attention 
 to it. 
 
 Ilia assured my people that he made a part of the 
 friendly reception to his master, whom, he said, it 
 would not fail to please. This servant merited the 
 unlimited attachment which the emperor had for 
 him. A very touching anecdote is told of him. The 
 emperor was accustomed to go about the streets of 
 
 141
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 St. Petersburg in a dorochka, or a sledge if it was in 
 winter, drawn by one horse driven by Ilia. 
 
 One day, as he made the circuit, Ilia drove him into 
 a side street, dirty and badly built. " Why do you 
 bring me into this quarter?" asked the emperor. 
 Ilia turned back immediately. Another day he 
 drove the emperor again to the same place. His 
 Majesty, greatly surprised, said : " It is not without a 
 design that you always drive me into this street ! " 
 Ilia answered : " If your Majesty will permit, I will 
 tell him why, a little farther on." The emperor 
 consented. When they had come to a small cottage 
 Ilia stopped. " Sire," said he, " here is the house 
 belonging to the widow of my old master, of him who 
 ceded me to your Majesty." The emperor did not 
 reply, but when he had returned to the palace, he 
 sent Ilia a sum of money for his old mistress, with 
 the promise of a pension for the rest of her life. The 
 husband of this lady had lost his entire fortune, and 
 died leaving his widow in extreme poverty. 1 
 
 1 At the death of the Emperor Alexander, nothing could induce 
 Ilia to leave the body of his beloved master. He conducted it from 
 Taganrog to St. Petersburg, and every night, in spite of the intense 
 cold and his advanced age, he slept on the hearse which carried 
 that precious relic. 
 
 142
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE Emperor Alexander had a reception of the 
 gentlemen at court on his birthday. Several 
 persons of the small number of the Lithuanian nobil- 
 ity still remaining at Vilna came to see me on leaving 
 the castle. These gentlemen were struck with the 
 emperor's imposing manner and with the words with 
 which he addressed them. " Gentlemen," said the 
 prince, looking round at the company, " I must com- 
 plain of a great many Lithuanians; I am pleased with 
 very few among them ; but I like to pass the sponge 
 over the past, hoping that you will not place your- 
 selves again in the position to have recourse to my 
 indulgence." 
 
 In the morning I received an invitation to pass the 
 evening at Marshal KotousofFs. The emperor had 
 dined there, and they said vaguely that he would 
 return in the evening. I was surprised, on arriving 
 at the marshal's to find preparations for dancing, 
 musicians, and a crowd of young officers. At the 
 moment of the arrival of the emperor they threw the 
 flags lately taken from the enemy at his Majesty's 
 feet. I saw that he recoiled with a modest motion 
 from this ovation. An instant later he entered the 
 cabinet of the marshal. The latter soon returned and 
 said to me, " We have just been doing some work 
 for you." Not understanding what the marshal 
 meant, I asked an explanation. 
 
 It referred to an act of amnesty in favor of the
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 Lithuanians which the emperor had just signed; a 
 beautiful act, to signalfee the day of his birth by the 
 pardon of offences ! 
 
 When the emperor came to ask me to dance he 
 said : " You will be surprised, after what I said yester- 
 day, to find me here at a ball. But what could I do? 
 I had to give pleasure to this old fellow." It was 
 thus that the emperor designated the marshal. 
 4< This old fellow ought to be contented. The cold has 
 done him good service" He had just given the old 
 fellow the order of St. Andrew in diamonds, and a 
 magnificent sword of honor, also set in large diamonds, 
 and a wreath of laurels in emeralds, of which the 
 marshal found the stones too small, laughingly saying 
 he would have to call the emperor's attention to it. 
 
 This ball, where I saw only Russian officers, with 
 the exception of two or three Lithuanians, trans- 
 ported me in imagination to St. Petersburg; and the 
 illusion would have been complete, had it not been 
 in the room where I had seen Napoleon and the 
 French. I said to the emperor that in the space 
 of six months, without having quitted Vilna, I had 
 seen nearly all the nations of Europe, and that they 
 had produced on me the effect of a magic lantern. 
 The emperor made a very just observation, saying, 
 " Napoleon has shown himself the best ally of Russia, 
 in making his own army perish." The marshal pre- 
 sented to his Majesty a Russian lady who had followed 
 her husband to the war, and into the thickest of the 
 fight. " I do not approve of that kind of courage 
 in a woman," said the emperor when she had moved 
 away. " There is another way in which they can 
 distinguish themselves, in a manner more worthy of 
 
 144
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 themselves, and more becoming to their sex," added 
 he, giving me a pleasant look. 
 
 Every day the Emperor Alexander, followed by 
 his staff, went on foot to the parade in the square of 
 the H6tel-de-Ville nearly opposite my windows. I 
 could hear him say to the soldiers, " Zdarowa, 
 rabiata? " that is to say, " How are you, my children ? " 
 And the soldiers would reply, " We are all well, sire ; 
 and your Majesty?" 
 
 This affection between the sovereign and the army, 
 between the father and the children of his adoption, 
 and the murmur of all these manly voices was solemn 
 and touching. 
 
 As I complimented the emperor upon the good 
 condition of his troops, who had never been in want 
 during the whole campaign, he said with a sigh: 
 " They have also suffered very much. One sees here 
 only the bright side." Alexander found it unjust that 
 in France the Imperial Guards received better pay 
 than the regular infantry. 
 
 Marshal KotousofF offered to take charge of a letter 
 to my father, in which I should try to induce him to 
 return to Lithuania. He promised to send the letter 
 by a Jewish spy and courier to the army. My father 
 received it at Warsaw, which was still in the hands of 
 the French. This letter, written with great circum- 
 spection, and which had been under the eyes of the 
 emperor and of the marshal, made a great sensation 
 among the agents of the French government. They 
 thought that my father was keeping up secret intelli- 
 gence with the Russians. He was obliged to promise 
 to follow the French, and only succeeded with great 
 
 difficulty in helping the poor unfortunate Jew to escape. 
 10 145
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 r I N HE Emperor Alexander, during his six weeks' 
 A stay at Vilna, consecrated every moment that 
 he could spare from the affairs of the government 
 and military details to the relief of suffering human- 
 ity. Always accompanied by General Saint-Priest, 
 he went through the hospitals in person, with a fear- 
 lessness of contagion which made us all tremble for 
 his life. Everywhere order was re-established at his 
 word, and hope returned to the hearts of the miser- 
 able prisoners. One poor French woman, with two 
 little children, came and threw herself at the feet of 
 the emperor as he returned from the parade one day. 
 The tears of these poor unfortunates caused his own 
 to flow, and he hastened to give them help. 
 
 A soldier to whom I had given shelter related to 
 me that, seeing a young and handsome Russian 
 officer passing by, who had a " good face" he stopped 
 him to ask charity; and that the handsome young 
 man ordered him to go to the kitchen of the imperial 
 palace and to say that the brother of the grand duke 
 had sent him there that he might get something to 
 eat. " I did it," said the soldier, "just as he told me, 
 and I had a famous good chaw ! " The soldier did 
 not know, till I told him, that the brother of the grand 
 duke was no other than the emperor. 
 
 The news of the death of the Duke of Oldenburg, 
 the brother-in-law of Alexander, a victim to the 
 hospital fever, redoubled our fears for the life of the 
 
 146
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 emperor. The day before his departure, his Majesty 
 having come to pass the evening with me, I ventured 
 to tell him my fears, and to beg him to take care of a 
 life which was so precious and dear to us all. " One 
 has nothing to fear from these contagious diseases," 
 answered the emperor, " as long as one has no appre- 
 hension, if one has a healthy constitution. Unfortu- 
 nately that was not the case with my brother-in-law, 
 and he has succumbed." 
 
 I had myself experienced what the emperor said. 
 I was daily with persons attacked by the hospital 
 fever in my own house, yet I enjoyed perfect health. 
 I never felt any unpleasant consequences. I asked 
 the emperor if it was true that he had been recog- 
 nized on his visits to the hospitals. " Yes," said 
 he, " in the officers' ward, but generally they have 
 taken me for the aide-de-camp of General Saint- 
 Priest." The emperor related a story in this connec- 
 tion which touched him very much, and me equally. 
 A Spanish officer lay dying on his bed of straw. He 
 had finished dictating a letter to his comrade, when 
 General Saint-Priest, followed by the emperor, ap- 
 proached to speak to him. " Monsieur," said the 
 Spaniard, with a feeble voice, addressing Alexander, 
 whom he took for the aide-de-camp of the Russian gen- 
 eral, "have the goodness to take charge of this letter. 
 It is the last farewell which I address to my wife in 
 Spain." " I will send the letter," said the emperor. He 
 then had all the Spanish prisoners assembled, and sent 
 them at his own expense by sea to their native country. 
 
 The picture which the emperor drew of the French 
 hospital which he had visited in the university build- 
 ings made us shiver with horror and froze the blood
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 in our veins. " It was in the evening," said his 
 Majesty. " One single lamp lighted the high vaulted 
 room, in which they had heaped up the piles of 
 corpses as high as the walls. I cannot express the 
 horror I felt, when in the midst of these inanimate 
 bodies, I suddenly saw living beings. And now," 
 continued he, " nobody will follow me in my visits 
 to the hospitals. My young people, who are en- 
 chanted to go to a duel or an assault, hasten to find 
 some plausible reason for not accompanying me 
 when I go to do my duty." 
 
 In speaking of the disorder which prevailed in the 
 French administration, his Majesty said : " I wish 
 that the Emperor Napoleon could be informed to 
 what a degree he has been badly served by all those 
 who possessed his confidence." 
 
 The conversation turned naturally to the insatiable 
 ambition of the great captain, to the excesses and 
 evils which that ambition had drawn down upon 
 France and the whole of Europe. " Good heavens ! " 
 said Alexander, placing both hands on his forehead, 
 " What a brilliant career that man could still run ! 
 He could give peace to Europe. He could, and he 
 has not done it ! Now the charm is broken ! We 
 shall see which will succeed best, to make one's self 
 feared, or to make one's self loved." 
 
 What noble emulation in these words ! To make 
 one's self loved ! Yes, that was the secret of Alexan- 
 der's policy. During the whole course of his reign, 
 it was always as friend to friend that he treated with 
 the sovereigns of Europe. 
 
 Then I said, " It is not Napoleon who will have the 
 glory of bringing peace to Europe." 
 
 148
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 "What difference does it make," answered he, 
 " whether it is he or I or another who makes peace, 
 so long as it is done?" When I said I hoped it 
 would take place in the spring, " Why not this 
 winter? The sooner the better," he replied with 
 much warmth. 
 
 The emperor so desired the accomplishment of 
 this peace, the object of all his wishes and thoughts, 
 that he felt he was losing time at Vilna. " Not that 
 I am not pleased to be here," added the prince, 
 "but on account of the march of political events 
 which it is so important to hasten, to prevent Na- 
 poleon from reuniting his forces on the Vistula. We 
 have been obliged to give the troops some rest after 
 those hard marches." 
 
 The Emperor Alexander's modesty made him ab- 
 solutely suffer when any one addressed him with words 
 of eulogy, even if these were true. I told him we 
 had lately been looking into history to find a prince 
 whom we could place on a level with his Majesty. 
 He would not allow me to continue. " A truce to 
 compliments, I beg of you," he said, bowing. 
 
 I do not remember in what connection we spoke 
 again of the family of Napoleon. Mademoiselle F. 
 praised the character of Lucien Bonaparte. " No," 
 said the emperor, coldly, " I should not like to re- 
 semble him ; " then suddenly he cried with enthusiasm, 
 " but I should like to be Moreau. There, is a really 
 great man ! " Then he enumerated the merits and 
 talents of that able general. One might suppose 
 that Alexander had already chosen, in his own mind, 
 this French patriot for the execution of his political 
 and warlike designs. 
 
 1 49
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 I spoke to the emperor of a portrait of Napoleon's 
 son, then the King of Rome, which promised a strong 
 resemblance to his father. " That is very fortunate 
 for him, if we may believe all that is said in regard 
 to his birth," said the emperor. Then he continued : 
 " How much it is to be regretted that the French 
 sacrifice themselves thus for a man who despises them 
 from the bottom of his heart, at the same time 
 accomplishing such grand things through them and 
 by them. In my interview with Napoleon at Erfurt, 
 in reference to some remarks which I had made upon 
 the manner of governing that nation, he said to me : 
 'You do not know the French. They must be 
 driven, as I do it, with a rod of iron.' I recognize 
 to-day the truth of what Talleyrand then said to me, 
 that peace was necessary to France. I generally 
 mistrust all these gray-beards in politics. Being 
 influenced, besides, by the great military power of 
 the French and the talents of their chief, I believed 
 that, in talking to me in this strain, Talleyrand 
 wanted to ensnare me and to prejudice my mind. 
 To-day, results prove that the diplomat was right, 
 and that after so disastrous a campaign in Russia, 
 and the great reverses which France has just met 
 with in Spain, she must be entirely drained of men 
 and of money." 
 
 In hearing the emperor speak of Napoleon's con- 
 tempt for his compatriots, Mademoiselle F. said it 
 was a great pity that France could not be enlightened 
 as to the disasters of the war, and the lies with which 
 Napoleon had the army bulletins filled. " We have 
 had the precaution," said the emperor, " to have 
 printed intelligence thrown in on all sides of France,
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 and in all the ports, to deliver that country from the 
 blindness in which she is plunged, and in which 
 every effort is made to keep her. We know, more- 
 over, that De Malet's l conspiracy is far from being 
 suppressed, and that there are many malcontents in 
 France. We must hope that all these events will 
 unite in promoting the result desired, a solid peace 
 in Europe. After the violent blows which she has 
 received during the last thirty years, Europe has 
 great need of repose." 
 
 It would be difficult for me to say, from the differ- 
 ent ideas thrown into the conversation, whether the 
 Emperor Alexander then really desired the fall of 
 Napoleon, or even believed that fall possible ; but in 
 speaking of Napoleon ne repeated several times an 
 expression which was very remarkable, " The charm 
 is broken." Perhaps he thought only of that whose 
 influence he himself had felt. 
 
 The Emperor Alexander said that in adopting 
 revolutionary language the French had forgotten 
 their own tongue. " It is very astonishing," added 
 he, " but they no longer speak French." 
 
 The emperor had a right to be a little difficult to 
 please on that point, as he always used the choicest 
 and most elegant expressions. 
 
 1 Claude Frai^ois de Malet (born 1754, died 1812), a French general 
 and conspirator. About 1806 he was dismissed from the service and 
 went to Paris, where he plotted against Napoleon ; and for this he 
 was imprisoned from 1806 to 1812. Having formed another con- 
 spiracy, he announced at the barracks in Paris, October 24, 1812, 
 that Bonaparte had died in Russia, and that he (De Malet) had been 
 appointed Governor of Paris by the Senate. By forged orders he 
 imposed on the prefect of Paris, made Savary prisoner, and shot 
 General Hullin. At this crisis he was made a prisoner and shot after 
 a summary process.
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 I do not know where his Majesty had become ac- 
 quainted with Marshal Oudinot, the Duke of Reggio, 
 but he spoke of him as a man of intelligence, and 
 showed his satisfaction at the behavior of the mar- 
 shal at Smolensk or at Witepsk, where he persuaded 
 the inhabitants not to revolt against their rightful 
 sovereign. 
 
 Alexander, in speaking of the defects of modern 
 education, said : " Our young people think they 
 know everything when they have learned to dance 
 and to speak French. You can form no idea," he 
 added, " to what an extent the morals of our people 
 are corrupted. No one believes it possible to have a 
 real friendship, a disinterested affection, for a woman 
 who is not our mother, our wife, or our sister." 
 
 His Majesty then spoke with wisdom and sagacity 
 of the different systems adopted in Europe to sim- 
 plify the mode of instruction, among others the 
 system of Pestalozzi, which seemed too mechanical 
 and artificial to the emperor, and little adapted to 
 develop the mind. 
 
 " To smooth away the difficulties of study by dint 
 of force, they make nothing but machines out of the 
 young people," said the prince. 
 
 I do not know upon what foundations the authors 
 of the two histories of Alexander have been pleased 
 to attribute to the exalted imagination of Madame 
 Kriidener 1 the idea of the Holy Alliance and a uni- 
 
 1 Juliane de Vietinghoff, Baroness Kriidener (born 1764, died 
 1824). She was carefully educated in the house of her father, one of 
 the wealthiest proprietors in Livonia, and she was early remarkable 
 for her intelligence and for a tendency to revery and melancholy. 
 While very young she married a Russian diplomatist, Baron Kriidener, 
 whom she accompanied to Venice and afterwards to Copenhagen 
 
 152
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 versal peace, a noble project, which could only have 
 had birth in the mind of Alexander himself. 
 
 Neither at that time nor afterwards, when on sev- 
 eral occasions he conversed with me, did the emperor 
 pronounce the name of the author of Valerie, although 
 he often spoke of the celebrated literary men of past 
 times and of the present, and even of women dis- 
 tinguished for their wit and intelligence, such as 
 Madame de Stael, whose great talents he admired. 
 I was surprised that he passed in silence the name of 
 Madame de Genlis, whose pen, equally harmonious 
 and productive, has written so many useful and inter- 
 esting works on religion and morals, works which 
 will always assure to her the gratitude of all mothers. 
 
 His Majesty having deigned to ask me about my 
 family, I told him that I had heard that my brothers 
 had remained in Lithuania. 
 
 and Paris. Of a singularly naive and romantic character, she was 
 guilty of numerous indiscretions which led to a separation from her 
 husband in 1791. In 1803 sne published her romance, "Valeria." 
 Returning to Rigi she resolved to change her manner of life and 
 devote herself solely to the conversion of sinners and the consola- 
 tion of the wretched. At Paris in 1814 she held religious assemblies 
 in her house, which were frequented by the most important person- 
 ages. Her spiritual exaltation assumed the character of prevision, 
 and in a letter she foretold in vague terms the escape and return of 
 Napoleon from Elba, and his triumphant return to Paris. This letter 
 was communicated to Alexander, in whom it awakened great interest 
 toward her. She met him at Heilbronn in May, 1815, and accom- 
 panied him to Heidelberg, the headquarters of the Allies, and after 
 Waterloo, to Paris. In 1818, she returned to Russia, where the em- 
 peror continued his interest in her romantic views, but forbade her 
 to preach publicly. She formed a scheme for founding a colony in 
 the Crimea, which was to consist of her disciples. Not long after 
 her arrival at the site selected, the malady which had afflicted her 
 before her arrival caused her death. The sincerity of Mme. de 
 Kriidener in her mysticism and her apostolic labors has not been 
 questioned. 
 
 153
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 " Ah ! I am greatly pleased," said he, with an 
 accent of such sincere kindness that I was much 
 moved by it. Then he asked rn^e several questions 
 with reference to their military service and the regi- 
 ments which they had raised against his troops, with 
 a simplicity and kindness which were really charming, 
 as it showed that he could not entertain resentment. 
 I really believe I should rather have preferred to see 
 Alexander in a rage against my brothers. I should 
 have had at least the courage to defend them, while 
 his indulgence made me find them almost culpable. 
 This conversation was extremely painful to me, and 
 I could scarcely speak. 
 
 It was with the same generosity and indignation 
 that the prince rejected all derogatory reports that 
 were made to him on his arrival at Vilna, reports 
 often false and always malicious, and which, when 
 true, could only distress and irritate his sensitive 
 and generous feelings. He declared he would hear 
 nothing ; he had come to pardon. 
 
 There was, however, in the act of amnesty one 
 article which caused me great anxiety. It contained 
 a clause that at the end of March, 1813, the time 
 allowed for the return of the Lithuanians, all the 
 property of those who had not returned at that time 
 would be confiscated. 
 
 I ventured to express my fears to the emperor. 
 I said that it was possible that my letter had not 
 reached my father at Warsaw, and that he would 
 therefore not be able to enjoy the benefit of the 
 amnesty. The emperor asked me where I supposed 
 my father had gone. I said at random, " To Vienna." 
 My mother was there at that time. " Very well," 
 
 154
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 said the emperor, " give Tolstoi a letter for him, and 
 we will send it surely this time; for," he added, smil- 
 ing, " we have always had, during the entire campaign, 
 open communication with Austria. Moreover, you 
 may be quite easy; we shall not use such very rigor- 
 ous measures. They were announced to prevent 
 money from going out of the country for the sup- 
 port of hostile armies." 
 
 This assurance from the lips of his Majesty seemed 
 quite sufficient. The emperor then asked me what 
 were my own plans. I told him I was going to retire 
 to the country. He wanted to know in which direc- 
 tion the estate was situated where I intended to go, and 
 if it was on the route of the soldiers; " for," he said, 
 " my troops are not all angels either, and any of these 
 knaves in the army can commit depredations." 
 
 As he showed such kind solicitude, I said, " I fear 
 nothing, sire, since I put myself under your protec- 
 tion." His Majesty seemed pleased with my confi- 
 dence, and deigned to say that he would seek to 
 justify it, and would give orders to the governor- 
 general to look after my safety. 
 
 After a moment's silence, " I have a little favor to 
 ask of you," said the emperor. Somewhat aston- 
 ished, I raised my eyes. " It is that you will think 
 of me sometimes." 
 
 " Ah, mon Dieu! " I replied, " every instant of my 
 life ! " We were much moved. Such was the in- 
 fluence of that expansive soul, which attached so 
 much importance to the affection of all who came 
 near him. 
 
 As the emperor was about to leave, he rose, and I 
 saw him looking carefully on the floor in every
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 direction and in all the corners of the room, without 
 saying what he was looking for. I placed a candle 
 on the carpet and commenced also to search for the 
 lost article, which proved to be the little eye-glass 
 which he constantly used, and which had fallen under 
 the table. To-day I regret not having appropriated 
 it, as it had no value except that of having belonged 
 to Alexander ; it was made of plain shell and without 
 ornament. 
 
 A very amusing incident occurred that evening. 
 As the emperor arrived, he entered the drawing- 
 room preceded by a large greyhound which sprang 
 around him. Knowing little of his Majesty's senti- 
 ments toward dogs, I was surprised that he had 
 brought the greyhound, but I did not show it, and 
 soon forgot all about the presence of the dog. 
 
 It was only after the departure of the emperor 
 that I remembered that the animal had not remained 
 in the room, and I asked what had become of it. 
 My servants said that they had taken good care of it, 
 and had fed it with biscuits and milk. After making 
 every inquiry we found that the dog so feasted did 
 not belong to the emperor or even to his coachman 
 Ilia, and I never could ascertain who its master was. 
 
 I had the pleasure of seeing Alexander again at 
 the court chapel on Christmas. He left Vilna im- 
 mediately after mass, almost alone, and without 
 escort. Some one said to Kotousoff that prudence 
 seemed to require the emperor to be better attended 
 in times of war. " Oh, mon Dieu /" cried the marshal, 
 " who would have the courage to harm that angel? " 
 And yet it did happen, and one cannot think of it 
 without horror. It did happen, and it was only by 
 
 156
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 chance that it failed, and not in the midst of ene- 
 mies, not in time of war, but in peace, in his own 
 country, among his ungrateful subjects who deserved 
 the wrath and vengeance of Heaven ! 
 
 It is easy enough to remember and repeat the 
 interesting conversation of Alexander, and the noble 
 thoughts which fell from his lips; but who could 
 reproduce his expression, his accents, or his counte- 
 nance? One feels a melancholy regret in the midst 
 of the sweet illusions which delight the heart, in 
 tracing these memories, when one is forced to say to 
 one's self: "This kind and gentle being is no more; 
 nothing can bring him back to us ! " Ah ! in such 
 moments we can but lift our eyes to heaven to seek 
 his abiding-place.
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 I ARRIVED at my retreat in the country with 
 my escort of Cossacks ; a useless precaution, as 
 the roads were safe and tranquillity was established 
 everywhere. Full of confidence in the last words of 
 the emperor, I felt no anxiety during the month of 
 March. But the managers of my father's estates did 
 not share my security. They said that since I had 
 obtained no order contrary to the general sequestra- 
 tion, the government would act in conformity thereto. 
 
 My father not returning, it was necessary to take 
 new measures. I wrote to the emperor, giving the 
 worst reasons in the world for my father's prolonged 
 absence from Russia. I said that if it were necessary 
 I would go myself in search of him, and I ended by 
 begging his Majesty to exempt my father's property 
 from confiscation and sequestration. I sent this 
 letter by an old and faithful equerry to the head- 
 quarters, at Johannisberg in Prussia. My courier, 
 though not very nimble, arrived, nevertheless, with 
 all possible speed, and gave my despatch to Count 
 Tolstoi. 
 
 My messenger waited three days, during which he 
 constantly besieged the good Count Tolstoi, who, 
 every time he saw him, had him go to his room and 
 told him to have patience, and recommended him to 
 the servants of the court, so that he should not want 
 anything. Finally he was sent back with the most 
 favorable answer, to wit: a passport for me to join 
 
 158
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 my father, of which I made no use, as my request 
 had had the desired result, and an order to the 
 governor-general not to confiscate our estates. 
 
 I hastened to communicate this good news to my 
 father; but I learned soon after that he had left 
 Vienna for Dresden, to join the other members of 
 the provisional government of Lithuania. They had 
 enticed him there by flattering him with vain hopes, 
 in the firm conviction that Napoleon, in the treaty 
 which he was about to conclude at Vienna, would 
 occupy himself definitely with the case of Poland. 
 
 With a courage and a perseverance worthy of a 
 better fate, far from their country, deprived, by the 
 voluntary relinquishment of their fortunes, of all 
 means of existence, not receiving any help at all 
 from the French government, the Poles and Lithu- 
 anians decided still to follow blindly the tottering 
 fortunes of Napoleon, which, like an expiring flame, 
 still attracted and fascinated with their deceptive 
 glimmer. 
 
 Warsaw was occupied by the Russians, but the 
 result of the war was still uncertain. Marshal 
 Kotousoff was attacked by a contagious fever, and 
 his great age and the hardships he had endured 
 during the last campaign rendered all the help of 
 art and medical science useless. Marshal Kotou- 
 sofif terminated his career at Buntzlau, in Silesia. 
 
 Kotousofif had consecrated his life to the service 
 of his sovereigns. At the age of eighteen he re- 
 ceived a wound at the taking of a Turkish fort which 
 deprived him of the sight of one of his eyes. He 
 often commanded the Russian armies, gaining sev- 
 eral victories, and suffering also many reverses, but
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 he always knew how to prevent among his soldiers 
 that discouragement so fatal to armies. 
 
 The Russian soldiers vanquished at Austerlitz and 
 at Borodino never despaired of the safety of the 
 empire, and respected their old general even when 
 he was unfortunate. He was a keen and skilful 
 diplomatist, and filled the post of ambassador ex- 
 traordinary at Constantinople under the reign of the 
 Empress Catherine II. We have seen him nego- 
 tiate ably with Lauriston, in 1812, in hopes of se- 
 curing peace, which, however, were not yet to be 
 realized. He improved the opportunity of the ar- 
 mistice by collecting his enormous resources of 
 men, horses, provisions, and munitions of war. 
 
 The gratuitous offers of the different Russian 
 provinces were so considerable that I have heard 
 the marshal say that, not only was his army abun- 
 dantly supplied, but that he was obliged to stop 
 many of the convoys. 
 
 I will not dwell on the important events of the 
 German campaign, which, in spite of a few brilliant 
 feats of arms, the last favors of inconstant fortune, 
 prepared the way for the fall of the man who had 
 been the arbiter of the thrones of Europe, and who 
 was about to descend from the throne where his 
 victories and his genius had placed him. These 
 events belong to history and to politics. The pen 
 of the modern Titus Livius, the rival of Richard- 
 son and Fielding, has just recorded them with a 
 talent which crowns his literary successes, in the 
 work entitled, Vie de Napoleon, etc. 1 
 
 1 It is probable that the author refers here to M. Arnault, author 
 
 of Vie de Napoleon. 
 
 1 60
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 The Emperor Alexander distinguished himself in 
 these memorable circumstances, not only by his firm- 
 ness and his conciliating spirit, but by his personal 
 courage also. Every one knows that at that engage- 
 ment near Dresden, where the celebrated General 
 Moreau had both legs shot off, the same ball which 
 struck the French general passed so near the Em- 
 peror of Russia that it covered him with dust. In 
 one important action, General Wittgenstein sent one 
 of his aides-de-camp to the emperor to beg him to 
 retire and not to expose his life, and to say that 
 his presence deprived him entirely of the coolness 
 necessary for military operations. 
 
 Still, the political designs of Alexander were di- 
 rected solely to the peace of Europe and the inde- 
 pendence of Germany. A congress, preceded by 
 an armistice, was held at Prague. The sad result is 
 well known. The hostilities which followed cost 
 humanity rivers of blood, and caused incalculable 
 losses to France. Count Narbonne, then ambassa- 
 dor at Vienna, served the interests of his master 
 very badly there. He brought to the Austrian court 
 customs which were little befitting his age and the 
 rank he held, and which were very displeasing to 
 the gravity of the German character. Narbonne 
 could not discern the real intentions of the Austrian 
 cabinet, or the force of opinion which manifested 
 itself openly in Austria, and which finally com- 
 pelled its sovereign to declare war against France. 
 
 Soon an Austrian army advanced upon the flanks 
 
 of Napoleon's army, and rendered his position very 
 
 critical. We shall not here enter into the details of 
 
 the successes and reverses of the great soldier. At 
 
 " 161
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 the famous battle of Leipzig, where Prince Ponia- 
 towski, the last hope of the Poles, perished, one of 
 my cousins, Colonel P., was dangerously wounded 
 and made prisoner by the Prussians. His wife, a 
 very interesting and gifted woman, wrote to the 
 Emperor Alexander, asking permission to join her 
 husband at Berlin, and return with him to Lithu- 
 ania. The emperor granted her an audience, and 
 received her kindly, and when, emboldened by this 
 success, Madame P. asked that her own personal 
 fortune might be saved from sequestration, the em- 
 peror added, " And that of your husband also." 
 
 In the same manner he treated his rebel subjects 
 taken with arms in their hands. Unfortunately the 
 people were so accustomed to his magnanimous 
 character that, far from feeling gratitude and admira- 
 tion, they regarded his generosity as a duty. Such, 
 in general, is the human heart that there are few 
 men for whom gratitude is not a painful duty. 
 
 The remark of the Emperor Alexander, " We shall 
 see which will succeed best, to make one's self feared, or 
 to make one's self loved," seemed to be verified each 
 day by the confidence which the chivalrous character 
 of this prince generally inspired, and the union of the 
 German and Russian forces. 
 
 At the head of these united forces, and pursuing 
 the remnant of the French army, ready to cross the 
 Rhine, whose banks were covered with his triumphant 
 ensigns, Alexander addressed his brave troops in 
 a proclamation, of which a few passages will not 
 be found out of place here, to show the great soul of 
 the prince and the noble sentiments which governed 
 him: 
 
 162
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 " Soldiers, your valor has conducted you from the banks 
 of the Oka to the borders of the Rhine. ... In invading 
 our empire, the enemy whom we fight to-day has caused 
 great disaster; but a terrible punishment has fallen on 
 his own head. The vengeance of God has burst upon our 
 enemies. Let us not imitate them, let us forget their deeds. 
 Let us not carry hatred and vengeance into France, but a 
 hand extended in token of peace. The glory of Russia is 
 to conquer the enemy who attacks, and to treat as a brother 
 the enemy who is vanquished. Our revered faith teaches 
 us from the mouth of God to love our enemies and to do 
 good to those who hate us. Soldiers, I am convinced that, 
 by the moderation of your conduct in that hostile land 
 which we are about to enter, you will conquer as much by gen- 
 erosity of conduct as by the force of arms, and that, uniting 
 thus the valor of the soldier with the humanity of the Chris- 
 tian, you will put the seal to your great deeds, by preserving 
 the renown which you have acquired of being a brave and 
 enlightened people. I am also persuaded that your chiefs 
 will neglect no means to keep our honor spotless." 
 
 163
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 IN the mean time, Napoleon had succeeded in 
 extorting new sacrifices from France. He had 
 once more struck his foot upon the earth, and from 
 it had arisen this time, not men, but children, who 
 hardly knew how to use the weapons which were 
 put into their hands. Yet the French army, whose 
 valor was sustained by a remnant of the old troops 
 accustomed to warfare, proved by its skilful ma- 
 noeuvres the great military genius of him by whom 
 it was led. 
 
 The allied generals, not being able to maintain 
 themselves longer in a ruined country, thought at 
 one time that retreat was inevitable. At Paris, the 
 National Guard took a warlike attitude, which it will 
 not be denied might have caused the ruin of that 
 capital, if Marie Louise had displayed, in these cir- 
 cumstances, the grand character of Maria Theresa. 
 
 Alexander, far from approving the plan of the 
 allies, induced them to adopt his own, which was, to 
 march rapidly upon Paris, while a corps of the army 
 held Napoleon in check; and this was, even in the 
 opinion of the commanding-generals, a stroke of 
 true military genius, to which one must attribute the 
 happy and brilliant result of the campaign. 
 
 While Napoleon persisted in fighting the Russian 
 General Wintzingerode, 1 the Emperor Alexander ad- 
 
 1 Baron Ferdinand von Wintzingerode (born 1770, died 1818) a 
 German officer who entered the Russian army and served in the 
 
 164
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 vanced upon Paris at the head of an army whose 
 strength was so considerable that Marshal Marmont 
 did not dare to oppose him and to risk exposing, 
 in the defence of Paris, the population of that city to 
 the horrors of pillage. This capitulation, with which 
 the marshal has been reproached, and which has 
 been regarded as the work of treason by Napoleon 
 and his partisans, was inevitable. 1 
 
 Paris saw with terror upon the heights of Mont- 
 martre the immense army ready to plunge itself into 
 her bosom. Marie Louise and her son having left 
 Paris, the Parisians, who were no longer sustained by 
 any great patriotic impulse, thought only of their 
 own safety, and saw France and their country only 
 within the boundaries of Paris. Fearing just repri- 
 sals and not knowing yet the extent of the generosity 
 of Alexander's character, the greater part of the 
 inhabitants hastened to flee, and to get rid of all that 
 they possessed at ridiculously small prices. 
 
 The choicest libraries, rich galleries of pictures, 
 a thousand objects of art and vertu were exposed in 
 the shops of the dealers, who, trembling for the 
 treasures which a moment could rob them of, hast- 
 ened to put them out of sight. Anxiety and conster- 
 nation reigned in that immense city, which was still 
 ignorant of the fate which the justice or the clemency 
 of the allied sovereigns had reserved for them. The 
 
 campaigns of 1809 and 1812, and greatly distinguished himself in 
 the battles of Leipsic, Lutzen, and Saint Dizier. In 1812 he was 
 made general of cavalry by Alexander. 
 
 1 The author is mistaken here. It is not in the capitulation of 
 Paris that Napoleon and his partisans have seen a reprehensible 
 deed, but in abandoning their position at Essones, after the capitu- 
 lation of Paris. 
 
 165
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 partisans of the Bourbons alone, filled with confidence 
 in the generous character of the august confederation, 
 were filled with hope and wore publicly the white 
 cockade, as a sign of rallying for the good cause. 
 
 On the thirtieth of March, the day memorable for 
 Marshal Marmont's capitulation, the aldermen of the 
 City of Paris repaired to the headquarters of the 
 Emperor of Russia, and were admitted to an audience 
 with the prince, who addressed them in the following 
 kind words : 
 
 " It is not against France that we are making war, 
 but against the man who, calling himself our friend, 
 our ally, has betrayed us three times; who has 
 come to attack and ravage our dominions, and has 
 left there traces of his passage which time only can 
 efface. I love the French, and I recognize as enemy 
 among them only Napoleon. Paris can count on 
 my protection. Only the picked of our troops shall 
 enter within the walls of this city. 
 
 " I will return good for evil. France needs a 
 stable government which can assure her own repose 
 and that of Europe." 
 
 Delighted with their reception, the aldermen car- 
 ried back to Paris the kind and pacific words of the 
 conqueror and friend of the French. Finally, the 
 presence of Alexander succeeded in restoring con- 
 fidence. On the thirty-first of March the allied troops 
 entered Paris. Several squadrons of cavalry led 
 the march ; then Alexander advanced, accompanied 
 by the King of Prussia, followed by the Grand Duke 
 Constantine, the Prince of Schwarzenburg, 1 and a 
 
 1 Karl Philipp, Prince von Schwarzenburg (born 1775, died 1815). 
 He entered the Russian army at an early age and served against 
 
 166
 
 Emperor Alexander J. 
 
 brilliant staff. Then marched, in the finest military 
 order, a long column composed of the picked in- 
 fantry, cavalry, and artillery of the Imperial Guards. 
 
 Favored with superb weather, this brilliant cortege 
 defiled through the faubourg Saint-Martin, the Boule- 
 vard, the Place Louis XV., and stopped at the 
 Champs-filysees, greeted by the cries of " Vive 
 Alexandre ! " " Vive le roi de Prussie !" " Vivent les 
 Bourbons ! " 
 
 Alexander entered Paris as conqueror, at the head 
 of his triumphant armies ; and yet, to judge from the 
 eagerness of the people, who assembled in crowds 
 upon his route to see and admire the majestic grace 
 and the gentle and benevolent countenance of thi? 
 hero of humanity, one would have said he was a 
 beloved monarch, re-entering his own capital upon 
 his return from a fortunate and glorious campaign, 
 and receiving the homage of his subjects. 
 
 What a moment ! what a triumph ! An instant 
 of intoxication might have been pardonable in these 
 circumstances, but Alexander's heart, inaccessible to 
 pride, gave all this glory to Him from whom all glory 
 proceeds, blessing Providence for having guided his 
 footsteps. 
 
 the Turks in 1789, and through the earlier campaigns of the war of 
 the French Revolution. In 1809 he fought brilliantly at Wagram. 
 He conducted the negotiations which preceded the marriage of 
 Napoleon to Marie Louise. In 1812 he commanded the Austrian 
 detachment sent to aid Napoleon in the Russian campaign, and 
 took care not to render him very efficient assistance. He saved the 
 Prussians from absolute defeat on the first day of the battle of 
 Leipsic. After Bliicher's victory at Laon he met Napoleon at Arcis- 
 sur-Aube, March 20, 1814, and then fought a drawn battle which 
 practically brought the campaign to an end. In 1815 he was march- 
 ing to the rescue of the Prussians and English at the head of the 
 Russians and Austrians, when he heard of Waterloo. 
 
 167
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 On the day of his entry to Paris, Alexander pub- 
 lished the following proclamation: 
 
 The armies of the allied Powers have occupied the 
 capital of France. The allied sovereigns respect the 
 wishes of the French nation. They declare that if the con- 
 ditions of peace are to have the strongest guarantees the 
 ambition of Bonaparte must be curbed ; and the prospect 
 for a lasting peace will be most hopeful when, by a return 
 to a wise government, France herself offers the assurance 
 of that peace. The sovereigns proclaim, therefore, that 
 they will not treat with Napoleon Bonaparte or with any 
 member of his family ; that they respect the integrity of 
 ancient France, such as she was under the legitimate 
 kings. They can do even more, as they always profess 
 the principle that, for the welfare of Europe, France 
 must be great and strong, -and they will recognize and 
 guarantee that constitution which France shall adopt. 
 They invite the senate, therefore, to form a provisionary 
 government which shall provide for the needs of the ad- 
 ministration and prepare a constitution which will be agree- 
 able to the French people. The intentions which I have 
 just expressed are shared by the other Powers. 
 
 ALEXANDER. 
 NESSELRODE. 
 PARIS, March 31, 3 o'c. p. M. 
 
 The senate, which until recently had always been 
 passive and pliant under the despotic will of Napo- 
 leon, at last shook off the yoke that oppressed it, 
 declared Napoleon and his family dethroned, and 
 absolved the nation from the oath of allegiance. 
 The Emperor Alexander gave audience to a deputa- 
 tion from the senate. " Sire, we have been waiting 
 a long time for your Majesty," said one of the mem- 
 
 168
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 bers of the deputation. Nothing could have been 
 happier than Alexander's reply : " You owe this 
 delay only to French valor." 
 
 Alexander repeated that he was a friend of the 
 French ; that justice as well as reason demanded of 
 France that she should choose a constitution con- 
 formable to the lights of the century; that he as 
 well as the other allied sovereigns assured his pro- 
 tection to the wise and just views of the French 
 nation. 
 
 169
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 AS the combined troops entered Paris, fifteen 
 hundred men of the French army, who had 
 been made prisoners in the environs of that city, 
 waited on the boulevard till their fate, or rather their 
 destination, should be decided, when Russian officers 
 arrived in haste, crying to them : " Frenchmen, you 
 are free ! The Emperor Alexander gives you liberty 
 in the name of your king, Louis XVIII. You can 
 return to your homes." This was a very noble and 
 delicate manner of insinuating to the French nation 
 the choice which it had already pronounced without 
 doubt in the depths of its own heart, after the fall of 
 Napoleon. The French soldiers cried at once, Vive 
 le roi! and asked for the white cockade. Then ladies 
 of the highest distinction brought a white flag, upon 
 which the soldiers swore the oath of allegiance to 
 Louis XVIII. 
 
 As Alexander crossed the Place Vendome, his 
 attention was suddenly attracted by the beautiful 
 monument erected to pride, victory, and power united 
 in the person of Napoleon of that monarch so 
 dreaded, of that conqueror so haughty, who, through 
 the vicissitudes of human affairs, was signing the act 
 which was to pluck from him grandeur and supreme 
 power in a word, his abdication at the very mo- 
 ment perhaps when his successful and modest rival 
 was contemplating his pompous effigy. Addressing 
 some persons who stood near, Alexander said, smil- 
 
 170
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 ing : " If I had attained such a height, my head would 
 have been turned." 
 
 The mob, which is always ready to overthrow the 
 idols which yesterday it worshipped, having mani- 
 fested a desire to demolish the statue of Napoleon, 
 the police published an order declaring that his 
 Majesty the Emperor of Russia had taken this chef- 
 d'oeuvre under his protection, and that it should be 
 immediately replaced by the statue of Peace. He 
 forbade insulting or outraging the members of the 
 old government by any writings whatever. The mag- 
 nanimity of the Emperor Alexander forgot nothing. 
 
 It is said that when the chief of the coalition, upon 
 his entry into Paris, declared to the deputation of the 
 senate, in the name of the allied sovereigns, that they 
 did not wish to influence the French nation in the 
 choice of their sovereign, this choice, dictated by 
 admiration as well as by confidence, would have pro- 
 claimed the name of Alexander, if the natural equity 
 of his character had permitted him to accept that 
 splendid token of respect. The interest and consid- 
 eration which Alexander showed to Josephine, Napo- 
 leon's first wife, and to Prince Eugene, her son, are 
 well known. 
 
 Alexander stopped in Paris at the house of Prince 
 Talleyrand. This was a proof of confidence which 
 he believed he owed to the devotion and zeal which 
 this man had shown for the cause of the Bourbons. 
 
 Charmed by the graciousness, the intelligence, and 
 the affability of Alexander, the French believed they 
 had found their Henri IV. in this sovereign of the 
 North ; and new songs, which fashion soon made 
 national, celebrated these two august names together. 
 
 171
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 The French daily besieged the doors of Talley- 
 rand's house. They came to converse with Alex- 
 ander, not only upon the great interests of France, 
 but upon their own personal affairs, calling upon the 
 justice of this prince to settle even their family differ- 
 ences. Alexander, always accessible, smiled at these 
 remarkable proofs of confidence, and no importunity 
 could ever weary or exhaust the kindness of this 
 sovereign. 
 
 At last, Count Nesselrode, the minister of the 
 Emperor of Russia, found himself obliged to publish 
 a note, in which he declared, in the name of his sov- 
 ereign, that his Imperial Majesty, during his stay in 
 Paris, having to look after the interests of Europe, 
 could not undertake to exercise any influence over 
 the affairs of private individuals in reference to the 
 law, or to the policy of the government, and therefore 
 he asked them to apply in such circumstances to 
 the authorities of the country. 
 
 Alexander also insisted with the allied sovereigns 
 upon the most advantageous terms and conditions for 
 the enemy, whose glory and misfortunes he could 
 not help considering. He wished that Napoleon 
 might retain the title of emperor, with which he had 
 been invested, which the church had sanctioned, and 
 which all the powers of Europe (with the exception 
 of England) had recognized ; finally, that he should 
 enjoy his liberty, the sovereignty of the island of 
 Elba, and all his riches. Alexander's generosity 
 could not calculate or foresee the results and dangers 
 of such liberality. 
 
 The good order and discipline established among 
 the allied troops inspired the Parisians with such con- 
 
 172
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 fidence that the same day that the armies entered 
 Paris all the shops were opened, and among an infi- 
 nite number of curiosities, services of porcelain were 
 displayed, representing the entrance of the allied 
 sovereigns into Paris. This would lead one to sup- 
 pose that the artists, as able politicians, had foreseen 
 this event. 
 
 Military discipline was so rigorously observed in 
 the Russian army that a soldier was punished by 
 death for having stolen a loaf of bread from a baker's 
 shop, in entering Paris, though no doubt pressed by 
 hunger. The officer who surprised him in the act 
 blew his brains out on the spot. The Russian troops 
 gave also a remarkable example of orderliness on 
 that day. The Emperor Alexander was at the theatre. 
 Some one came to inform him that the Imperial 
 Guards, encamped at the Champs-Elys6es had not 
 yet received their rations, and that the soldiers were 
 beginning to complain. The emperor left his box at 
 once, sent for the French authorities, and made them 
 feel that he would not be responsible for disorders if 
 they left his soldiers in want of provisions. Immedi- 
 ately all the cabs of Paris were put into requisition to 
 carry food of every kind to the Champs-FJys6es. 
 
 Though now victorious in France, and suffering 
 from fatigue and hunger, these Russian soldiers, who 
 had seen their own country ravaged by the French, 
 had passed the entire day without committing the 
 least excess. What men ! what an army ! and how 
 great was the prince who had made of his soldiers 
 men fit to conquer the world if he would ! 
 
 The Polish troops, who had been until then in the 
 service of France and Napoleon, now desired to 
 
 173
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 re-enter the service of Alexander, in whom they 
 placed all the hopes for which these brave soldiers had 
 so long and so vainly shed their blood. The emperor 
 received their homage with satisfaction, gave them 
 his own brother for their leader, as guaranty of his 
 protection and of the promises which he made them 
 relating to, the future fate of their country. 
 
 It is a thing worthy of observation that it was the 
 Emperor of Russia who obliged the French govern- 
 ment to pay his Lithuanian subjects drawn into the 
 service of Napoleon the arrears of their military pay. 
 He gave audience to a great many of them, spoke to 
 them kindly, and permitted them to return to their 
 own homes, but would not consent to receive the 
 members of the provisional government of Lithuania, 
 saying that he had never heard of such a government 
 in his dominions. 
 
 My father, on his return from Paris, related to me 
 that the secretary of this government had composed 
 a letter which was to be signed by all the members, 
 which was a species of compact or treaty between 
 them and their sovereign. With singular inconsist- 
 ency, said my father, who declared that he would 
 never sign such a letter, and dictated another more 
 befitting the circumstances, they had ended this with 
 the ordinary formula, " very humble, very obedient, 
 very faithful subjects," etc. 
 
 The emperor permitted all these gentlemen to 
 return to Lithuania and to take possession of their 
 property. 
 
 The Emperor Alexander, in visiting all the master- 
 pieces and other interesting objects which decorate 
 and adorn Paris, lost no time in seeing that which
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 immortalizes the memory of Louis XIV., and which in 
 my opinion proves best the grandeur and truly royal, 
 benevolent, and serviceable munificence of that great 
 king. I speak of the H6tel des Invalides. It was 
 the second time that a Russian sovereign had been 
 seen there. The emperor found these old children of 
 victory deeply afflicted. The trophies of their glory, 
 the cannon taken at Jena, Austerlitz, and Wagram, 
 had just been carried away. 
 
 " Be consoled, my brave fellows," said the prince to 
 them, whose heart always vibrated to noble emotions ; 
 " I will intercede with the sovereigns, my allies, that 
 they may leave you some of your glorious souvenirs." 
 In quitting them he ordered that twelve Russian 
 cannon should be left at the Invalides. Everywhere, 
 on all occasions he showed the same nobility of 
 feeling. 
 
 The French offered to change the name of the 
 bridge of Austerlitz. " No," said the emperor, " it is 
 enough that it is known that the Emperor of Russia 
 has passed over it with his armies." 
 
 In the audience accorded to the French Institute, 
 Alexander responded to the speech of M. Lacretelle 1 
 thus : that he was always glad to do justice to the 
 progress of the French in science and art, that he 
 was far from attributing the misfortunes of France to 
 her learned men, and that he rejoiced with them that 
 they had regained their liberty of thought. " My 
 happiness," continued Alexander, " and my one de- 
 sire is to be able to be useful to the human race." 
 
 1 Pierre Louis de Lacretelle (born 1751, died 1824), a distinguished 
 French lawyer, and a successful author. He was admitted to the 
 French Academy in the place of De La Harpe about 1802. 
 
 175
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 The emperor and the King of Prussia honored the 
 Institute by their presence at one of its public sittings, 
 and listened to a eulogy on Peter the Great and one 
 on Frederic the Great, in which the president adroitly 
 mingled the praises of their august successors. His 
 Majesty afterwards entered into conversation with 
 several members of the Institute, and with M. Ville- 
 main, who did not yet belong to that illustrious body, 
 but who was already admired for his youthful and 
 brilliant talents. 
 
 The emperor received also a deputation from the 
 society for the encouragement of useful arts and 
 trades, at the head of which was M. Chaptal. He 
 thanked his Majesty for the protection which he had 
 accorded to the industries of the city on his entry 
 into Paris. The emperor responded: "M. Chaptal, 
 I desire greatly that the useful arts and trades may 
 be extended over the whole world, and I esteem 
 exceedingly all those who endeavor to bring about 
 that noble end." 
 
 It was with an enthusiasm filled with real interest, 
 much more than with a sentiment of curiosity that 
 Alexander visited all those places in Paris consecrated 
 to science, the fine arts, industries, and humanity. 
 Everywhere his presence, his affability, and his ad- 
 dresses excited astonishment mingled with admira- 
 tion, and inspired the tenderest veneration for his 
 person. 
 
 The learned men of all classes and the most distin- 
 guished men of letters could but admire that fine 
 and delicate perception, and that clear judgment 
 which shone in each response of the prince, and 
 wondered at the noble, elegant, and natural eloquence 
 
 176
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 with which the Russian sovereign expressed himself 
 in a style which was for themselves a constant study. 
 
 When Alexander visited the Mint, a medal was 
 struck off in his presence, which bore on one side 
 the first letter of, his name, A,, with this inscription 
 around it : To the restorer of peace in Europe ; on the 
 reverse, the arms of France with these words : In the 
 month of April, 1814, France joined the grand confed- 
 eration of the Powers of Europe. 
 
 The emperor also honored the institution of ficouen 
 with his presence. In passing through the apartments 
 of the Louvre and the Tuileries he paused a moment 
 in the salon called de la Paix, saying to those who 
 followed him, "What use could Napoleon find for 
 this room?" 
 
 On the day of the entry into Paris, the good Bishop 
 of Troyes, Abbot of Boulogne, was, by order of the 
 emperor, delivered from the imprisonment into which 
 the irascible pride of Napoleon had thrown him, 
 because that worthy prelate had said in his presence 
 that no menace could intimidate him. 
 
 Alexander invited the director of the institute for 
 the deaf and dumb to dine with him, the Abbe Sicard, 
 who had been previously decorated by that prince 
 with the cross of St. Vladimir, which Napoleon had 
 forbidden him to wear. 
 
 Alexander loved to acknowledge and reward merit 
 in all classes of society. To the widow of his old 
 instructor La Harpe he showed many tokens of 
 kindness ; and in a visit which he made to that lady, 
 he spoke with pleasure of the gratitude he felt for 
 the careful training of him whose loss he still 
 mourned.
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 Proud of the protection extended to them by 
 Alexander, the French artists hastened to reproduce 
 the noble features of the author of peace, and soon a 
 bust of him appeared with this inscription : 
 
 "ALEXANDRO RUSSIARUM OMNIUM IMPERATORI 
 MEMORES GALLIARUM POPULI. 
 
 Jura pater populo, diademata regibus ultor, 
 Europeae pacem, templis sua numina reddit." 
 
 Wishing to show to the Poles who were in Paris 
 the interest he felt for them, Alexander induced the 
 Princess Jablonowska to give a ball in order to bring 
 them all together in his presence. In that assembly, 
 where there were to be found many Lithuanian emi- 
 grants, Alexander displayed all the graces he pos- 
 sessed, wishing to prove by his generous conduct 
 that to love and to pardon was his motto. " The 
 happiness of the human race is my happiness," he 
 said. 
 
 Monsieur (le Comte d'Artois), or as the emperor 
 gracefully called him, " un Fran$ais de plus" had 
 already arrived in Paris, where his presence produced 
 the liveliest excitement ; and the Emperor Alexander 
 wished to give in that city a grand example of the 
 gratitude which one owes for the support and pro- 
 tection of Providence. Upon the Place Louis XV., a 
 place ever memorable in the bloody pages of the 
 history of the French revolution, a grand celebration 
 was prepared by order of Alexander ; seven priests 
 of the Greek church, assisted by the singers of the 
 imperial chapel, celebrated the divine office with all 
 
 178
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 the pomp appropriate to such a grand ceremony, 
 and before the richly decorated altar the troops 
 marched on their return from a brilliant review. An 
 immense throng assembled to witness this spectacle 
 whose novelty excited the curiosity of the Parisians. 
 As the sovereigns ascended to the altar a Te Deum 
 was sung and incense perfumed the air, and the 
 princes as well as their soldiers bent the knee to 
 receive the divine benediction and to humble them- 
 selves before Him who rules over kings. 
 
 As soon as Louis XVIII. had returned to France, 
 and to the throne of his ancestors, Alexander hastened 
 to go to him in Compiegne. He arrived without 
 retinue, accompanied only by his aide-de-camp, 
 Czernischeff. The Prince de Conde 1 received his Im- 
 perial Majesty at the top of the staircase, and con- 
 ducted him into a salon where the King of France 
 awaited him. The meeting of the two monarchs was 
 as touching as affectionate. The conversation which 
 followed was the overflowing of two noble hearts. 
 At the request of the King of France, Alexander at 
 once granted liberty to one hundred and fifty thou- 
 sand French prisoners of war in Russia. 
 
 " No matter," said Louis XVIII., " under what flag 
 they have fought ! They are unfortunate, and we 
 must regard them as our children ! " 
 
 At the entry of the king into the capital of his 
 kingdom, the sovereign allies dined at the Tutleries, 
 
 1 Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Prince de Conde (born 1736, died 
 1818). At the Restoration he returned to France, and Louis XVIII. 
 appointed him colonel-general of infantry and master of the royal 
 household. On the occasion of Alexander's visit to the king the 
 Prince de Conde was attended by his son, the Due de Bourbon, who 
 was the last of the distinguished race of the Condes. 
 
 179
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 and the king, probably in conformity with some 
 ancient rule of etiquette at the court of France, passed 
 first into the banqueting-hall. The Emperor Alex- 
 ander, a little surprised, said, smiling, to some persons 
 near him, "We barbarians of the North are more 
 polite when we are at home." 
 
 1 80
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 AFTER having guaranteed the tranquillity and 
 independence of the French people, and the 
 integrity of the boundaries of their territory, by a 
 treaty of peace more advantageous to France than 
 she had dared to expect after her reverses, the allied 
 sovereigns quitted Paris and France to go to Eng- 
 land. 
 
 Alexander and the King of Prussia embarked at 
 Boulogne, where a fleet awaited them commanded by 
 the grand admiral, the Duke of Clarence. Their rapid 
 passage was made amid the sound of salutes fired by 
 the English and Russian fleets, and an immense 
 throng of people covered the shores of England to 
 witness the landing of the two sovereigns. 
 
 The princes mounted the carriages destined for 
 them, and the people, by a spontaneous movement, to 
 which all resistance would have been useless, de- 
 tached the horses and drew the carriages as far as 
 Dover, amidst the wildest acclamations and cries of 
 " Long live the Emperor Alexander ! " " Long live 
 the King of Prussia ! " 
 
 On the morrow the two monarchs, to evade the 
 energetic demonstrations of the English people, and, 
 to use an English expression, " greatly to their dis- 
 appointment," left incognito in post-carriages. They 
 arrived without accident and without demonstra- 
 tion in London. The Emperor of Russia stopped 
 at the house occupied by her Highness the Imperial 
 
 181
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 Grand Duchess Catherine, his sister, who had pre- 
 ceded him to England. To satisfy the demands of 
 the crowd assembled, eager to see the features of 
 the restorer of peace in Europe, and of a conqueror 
 endowed with the love of humanity and greatness 
 of soul, Alexander, upon his arrival, was obliged to 
 show himself upon the balcony and to receive the 
 homage of the sons of Albion. 
 
 In the streets where the cortege of the sovereigns 
 was to pass, the roofs of the houses were removed to 
 make places for the curious. Even before the house 
 which the emperor occupied seats and platforms were 
 erected where ladies came with tickets to see the 
 Emperor Alexander on his passage to and from his 
 house. 
 
 The emperor gave audience, in his rooms of cere- 
 mony at St. James Palace, to the lord-mayor of Lon- 
 don, accompanied by the principal aldermen in grand 
 costume. 
 
 " Will you allow us," said the lord-mayor, " to show 
 your Imperial Majesty how we feel ourselves honored 
 to-day, when Great Britain has the happiness to re- 
 ceive a monarch so great by the high rank which he 
 fills, and greater still by the qualities of his heart, 
 which is noble, generous, good, and just? " 
 
 Alexander responded in English : " Receive my 
 thanks, gentlemen, for the very flattering address 
 which you have just made me. I have for a long 
 time wished to see England, and now I find myself 
 here with so much the more satisfaction since, after 
 this memorable war, Europe has gained a peace 
 which I hope will conduce to the happiness of the 
 human race. Say to your compatriots from me that 
 
 182
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 the English nation has every right to my esteem. 
 Her conduct in this last and painful struggle has ex- 
 cited my admiration, and that of the whole world. 
 During the war I have always shown myself a faith- 
 ful ally of Great Britain, and in peace I will be her 
 constant friend." 
 
 I will not undertake to describe the brilliant festivi- 
 ties for which they had been for a long time prepar- 
 ing in England : balls where there were three thousand 
 guests ; sumptuous dinners given by the city of Lon- 
 don with numerous toasts, always accompanied by 
 the beloved refrain, " God save the king," or " Rule 
 Britannia." There were spectacles and naval festi- 
 vals at Woolwich and at Portsmouth, and nothing 
 was wanting in the succession of rejoicings and cele- 
 brations. 
 
 The Emperor Alexander visited with interest the 
 environs of London as well as the public establish- 
 ments of that great city ; among others the Bank of 
 England, to which he gave particular attention, say- 
 ing that all he had observed confirmed him in the 
 opinion that England, by the extent of her commer- 
 cial relations, her enormous wealth, and the estimable 
 character of her people, was well worthy of the 
 renown which she enjoyed. 
 
 Alexander went also, with his sister the Grand 
 Duchess Catherine, to Oxford, where he visited most 
 carefully the famous university; and he, as well as 
 the King of Prussia, accepted the degree of Doctor 
 of Civil Law. This ceremony took place with great 
 pomp in the presence of a great number of spectators 
 of both sexes, the students in the black gown. The 
 prince regent, in cap and gown, having already been 
 
 183
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 promoted to the dignity of doctor, received the two 
 august candidates in the great reunion hall. The 
 orator of the university delivered an oration in Latin 
 filled with eulogies of the two monarchs ; then sev- 
 eral students declaimed pieces of poetry on the burn- 
 ing of Moscow, the fall of Napoleon, the constancy 
 and magnanimity of the allies, the wisdom of the 
 prince regent, etc., etc. 
 
 The emperor honored Blenheim with his presence, 
 and the Countess of Jersey 1 gave a magnificent ball 
 in his honor. He visited Richmond, Greenwich, 
 Chelsea, and other public places. 
 
 After a sojourn of nearly four weeks, which passed 
 like enchantment in the midst of all this magical 
 display of wealth and power, Alexander quitted 
 England for Holland, where he made a pilgrimage 
 to the house in which Peter the Great had lived at 
 Saardam. 
 
 He then joined the Empress Elizabeth at Brussels. 
 After an absence of one year and after a war ever 
 glorious and memorable, Russia was to see her 
 sovereign once more. The letter from this prince 
 to Wiazmintoff, Commander-in-chief at St. Peters- 
 burg, is an example of that spirit of modesty and 
 piety which distinguished the Emperor Alexander: 
 
 " Being informed of the preparations which are being 
 made for our reception upon our return, and having al- 
 ways felt a repugnance for that kind of homage, I consider 
 
 1 Sarah Sophia, eldest child of John, tenth Earl of Westmore- 
 land, succeeded by bequest to the immense fortune of her maternal 
 grandfather. In 1804 she married George, the fifth Earl of Jersey. 
 He was twice Lord Chamberlain to William IV., and twice Master 
 of the Horse to Queen Victoria. 
 
 184
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 it to-day more superfluous than ever. The All Powerful 
 alone has brought about the great events which have put 
 an end to a bloody war in Russia. Therefore make my 
 irrevocable will known, to stop all kinds of shows and 
 ceremonials relative to our return into our states. Send 
 orders to the governors of the provinces that they must 
 upon no pretext whatever leave the capitals of their govern- 
 ments. I hold you responsible for the execution of this 
 order." 
 
 In returning to St. Petersburg the emperor travel- 
 led rapidly through Lithuania, not stopping at Vilna. 
 I record a few anecdotes which will show that pros- 
 perity, success, and glory had not changed his ami- 
 able character. 
 
 Travelling as usu^l without retinue, or else separated 
 from them, the emperor stopped at a country church 
 to hear a mass ; when it was finished he approached 
 the priest to kiss his hand, a mark of respect which 
 is always accorded to ministers of our religion. The 
 vicar, not knowing the emperor (I have the story 
 from the emperor himself), kissed his forehead. In 
 leaving the church, which was empty, he perceived 
 only one woman, who was waiting for her carriage. 
 He bowed, asking her where she was going. She 
 answered, " to Vilkomir." It was the town where 
 his Majesty was to change horses. As the lady's 
 carriage did not arrive, the emperor proposed that 
 she should get into his chaise. Thinking that he was 
 a simple Russian officer, she consented gladly and 
 explained to the emperor that she was obliged to go 
 to Vilkomir to attend a lawsuit, which she feared she 
 would lose although her case was just; " for," added 
 she, " what justice can a poor widow without protec- 
 
 185
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 tion expect ? " She had been advised, she said, to 
 apply to the governor-general of Lithuania, but she 
 had not the honor of his acquaintance, and had no 
 means of attracting the interest of the secretary of 
 the government. 
 
 The conversation amused the emperor extremely, 
 and he hastened to offer his influence for the lady 
 with M. Korsakoff. The poor widow thanked him 
 for his kindness, but did not seem to attach much 
 importance to the offers of the services of an officer 
 of low rank. 
 
 Finally they arrived at Vilkomir. What was the 
 surprise of the followers of the emperor to see him 
 arrive seated at the side of a woman who was neither 
 young, pretty, nor in any way distinguished in her 
 appearance. But nothing could equal the confusion 
 and astonishment of the poor woman, when she saw 
 by the signs of respect which were shown to her 
 travelling companion, that she had been so long 
 with the emperor, her sovereign. The most fortu- 
 nate part of this meeting for her was that she gained 
 her suit, thanks to the influence in which, at first, she 
 had had so little confidence. 
 
 The emperor liked very much to travel incognito. 
 He often entered private houses which he found on 
 the way, chatted with the inmates, attracted their 
 confidence by his agreeable manner, asked questions, 
 and discovered by this means many abuses of power 
 which were hidden from him, and which were in- 
 jurious to the welfare of his subjects. 
 
 One day he entered in this way the house of a 
 country gentleman, a very good man, who re- 
 ceived him cordially, and who, charmed by the 
 
 186
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 friendly manner with which his guest responded to 
 his hospitality in taking the beer which he offered, 
 exclaimed : 
 
 " If all your comrades only resembled you ! Un- 
 fortunately the greater part of them, especially the 
 officers of the guards, are hard and insolent and make 
 us fear the passage of the troops through the country 
 like the plague. And now, my dear friend," he 
 said, becoming more and more friendly with each 
 glass of beer which he drank, " tell me, I beg of you, 
 your name, that I may know whom I have the honor 
 to receive under my roof." 
 
 The emperor, a little embarrassed, answered that 
 he was called an honest man. " Very well, my dear 
 honest man" replied the gentleman, embracing the 
 emperor heartily, " the blessings of Heaven be with 
 you ! " Just then several persons of the imperial 
 retinue arrived; the incognito was discovered and 
 the gentleman trembling and confused fell at the 
 feet of the emperor, who raised him kindly, and at 
 parting left a token of remembrance. 
 
 187
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 IF the modesty of Alexander led him to suppress 
 the pomp of public homage at the time of his 
 return to the capital of his empire, it could not sup- 
 press the sentiments of love and admiration which 
 his presence inspired. 
 
 What a moment was that for the heart of a mother, 
 when the Empress Marie held in her arms a son so 
 worthy of her for his virtues, so worthy for his wis- 
 dom ; this prince, the honor and glory of Russia, the 
 peacemaker of Europe ! He alone, by the influence 
 of his character, guided and inspired by religion, had 
 destroyed the works of a mighty genius, and had 
 robbed Napoleon of the glorious fruit of twenty years' 
 labor and many victories. After vain and unsuccess- 
 ful attempts to resist him, the sovereigns of Europe 
 had finally submitted to the fatal charm exerted over 
 them by him whom they regarded as the scourge of 
 God, against which there was no protection. But 
 Alexander came and said, " He is not invincible; let 
 us put our confidence in Providence." 
 
 Satisfied with having established the position of 
 Russia, and with having made known the noble char- 
 acter of the people whom he governed ; not attribut- 
 ing any of the successes to himself; showing as much 
 moderation in prosperity as he had shown steadfast- 
 ness in adversity, Alexander not only succeeded in 
 winning the admiration of the allied sovereigns, but 
 he knew how to inspire their sincere affection, and 
 
 188
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 for the rest of his life he remained their counsellor 
 and friend. 
 
 The blessing of the Almighty alone could have 
 accomplished the great deeds which Alexander had 
 directed, and the synod, the Council of State, and 
 the Senate, wished to immortalize the great events of 
 the Russian nation and the glory of their sovereign. 
 They sent, therefore, a deputation, composed of Prince 
 Kourakine, 1 privy councillor, General Tormasoff, and 
 Count Sottikoff, to offer his Imperial Majesty the sur- 
 name of the Blessed, a glorious title without doubt, 
 but one which it seemed could not wound the mod- 
 esty of the emperor, since it indicated that all the 
 great things which he had accomplished were ratified 
 by the seal of Providence. The deputation begged 
 his Majesty in the name of the State to consent to 
 their raising a monument in St. Petersburg to immor- 
 talize such glorious memories, with this inscription : 
 " To Alexander the Blessed, Emperor of all the Rus- 
 sias, magnanimous restorer of the Powers of Europe. 
 Grateful Russia" 
 
 The emperor received the deputation with his ac- 
 customed graciousness, and replied to the address 
 which they made him as follows : " In receiving the 
 petition of the Sacred Synod, the Council of State, 
 and the Senate, to raise a monument to our memory 
 in the capital of our empire, offering us the surname 
 of the Blessed, I have felt, to the depths of my heart 
 the most lively satisfaction, recognizing on the one 
 hand the blessings of Providence, and on the other 
 
 1 Prince Alexandra Kourakine (born 1752, died 1818) was a favorite 
 courtier of Paul I. and was greatly esteemed by Alexander. From 
 1808 to 1812 he was Russian ambassador to Paris. 
 
 189
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 the sentiments of the united empire. They offer me 
 a title which seems to me the more flattering as all 
 my thoughts, all the desires of my soul, all my prayers 
 are for the benediction of the Most High upon the 
 people whom he has confided to me, and that I may 
 be a blessing to my faithful subjects. 
 
 " But in desiring to attain this end, I cannot flatter 
 myself that I have attained it ; I cannot allow myself 
 to accept and bear this name, for by so doing I should 
 give my subjects an example contrary to the sen- 
 timents of moderation and to the spirit of humility 
 which I endeavor to inspire in them. Therefore, in 
 showing them my gratitude I ask the departments of 
 State to regard this thing as not having been pro- 
 posed. Elevate for me a monument in your hearts 
 like the one I bear in my heart for you ! As my 
 people bless me, so I bless them ! May Russia be 
 happy, and may the blessing of God be with her and 
 with me ! " 
 
 Alexander did not seek repose from the labors of 
 the long campaign except in untiring and constant 
 application to his duties as ruler, and in mitigating 
 the ills which his empire had undergone in conse- 
 quence of the war. Forced to quit the country once 
 more to attend the Congress of Vienna, he hastened 
 to bring to these evils the promptest and most effi- 
 cacious remedies. He commenced by ordering as- 
 semblies to be held in all parts of the empire to 
 return thanks to Providence for the safety of Russia. 
 He instituted a cross of honor for the clergy with the 
 date 1812. The army received a medal with the date 
 of its entrance to Paris. He ordered also a medal 
 with the ribbon of St. Vladimir for the Russian nobil- 
 
 190
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 ity who had distinguished themselves by so many 
 heroic sacrifices for the country, and he gave to the 
 heads of families the honor of wearing this badge of 
 distinction. The commercial class obtained also a 
 recognition of its services, a medal with the ribbon 
 of St. Anne. 
 
 His Majesty remitted all arrearages of taxes 
 throughout the whole empire, from the year 1813, 
 also all fines, expenses, and penalties accruing there- 
 from. He granted pardon to all prisoners not guilty 
 of murder or robbery. Finally, he extended his clem- 
 ency to all those who, from various motives, had 
 allowed themselves, against their natural inclinations, 
 to be led over to the side of the enemy. At the 
 same time he ordered repayment to be made to those 
 provinces of the empire which had made considerable 
 advances to the government during the war. 
 
 The emperor addressed a letter to the committee 
 for the education of the clergy, which closed with the 
 following religious sentiments : 
 
 " In confirming all that has been presented to me by 
 this commission, I think it necessary to express my opinion 
 in regard to the education of young ecclesiastics. Educa- 
 tion is, properly speaking, only the extension of enlighten- 
 ment. It ought, therefore, to seek to extend and spread 
 that light which lightens the darkness and which the dark- 
 ness has not known. The pupils should be directed to the 
 real sources of good, by those means which the Evangelist 
 has taught us with so much simplicity and wisdom in these 
 words, ' Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light. 1 The 
 spirit of Christianity is therefore, and ought to be, the 
 foundation of Christian and public instruction, particularly 
 that which concerns young men destined for the church, 
 
 191
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 since it serves to guard them from error, by submitting 
 themselves to the Divine wisdom. I am persuaded that 
 the commission, by imploring the help of the Saviour, will 
 direct all their efforts toward that end without which no 
 one can look for the real fruit of his labors." 
 
 192
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 IN passing through Poland on his way to Vienna, 
 the emperor was pleased to admit into his pres- 
 ence a deputation of Poles from Warsaw, whose chief, 
 Senator Kicki addressed his Majesty, expressing in 
 the name of his compatriots their sentiments of grati- 
 tude and devotion, as well as their unlimited confi- 
 dence in the generous protection of Alexander. The 
 emperor replied in terms flattering to the Poles. He 
 said he was going to Vienna to accomplish a great 
 work which he had undertaken in their favor. " I 
 hope," added the emperor, " that its success will 
 justify the confidence of your nation ; the happiness 
 of Poland will be my reward." 
 
 The emperor passed by Pulhawy, a chateau of the 
 princes Czartoryski, which several years previously had 
 had the honor of receiving his Majesty. The sojourn 
 of about a fortnight at that time had left ineffaceable 
 remembrances in the minds of his noble hosts, loaded 
 as they were with marks of an august friendship. 
 
 Beside the numerous family of Princess Czartory- 
 ska, 1 composed of her two sons, the Princess of Wiir- 
 
 1 Princess Isabella Fortunee Czartoryska (born 1743, died 1835) 
 was the daughter of Count Fleming of Saxony. She married the 
 Polish statesman, Prince Adam Casimir Czartoryski. Her beauty and 
 mental endowments gained her celebrity and much political influence. 
 Prince Czartoryski had joined Napoleon's invading army, and had 
 been appointed field-marshal of the Polish Diet ; he therefore thought 
 it wise not to obtrude himself on the Emperor Alexander. 
 
 Marie Czartoryska, the daughter of the preceding, was married 
 
 13 193
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 temberg, and the Countess Zamoyska, her daughters, 
 a great number of people of distinction, among others 
 my Aunt Radzivil, her son the Prince Antoine, 
 Countess Rzewuska, General Krasinski, Senator Nov- 
 osiltzoff, 1 vice-president of the council, and a new 
 deputation from Warsaw, were assembled at Pulhawy 
 to enjoy the pleasure of seeing Alexander, and of 
 offering their homage. The kindness of the emperor, 
 which made itself felt in the slightest words which he 
 spoke, and which came from a heart which neither 
 power nor prosperity could change, this kindness 
 inspired enthusiasm, gratitude, devotion, and confi- 
 dence. Alexander said to the Polish deputies, " As- 
 sure the people of Warsaw of my solicitude for them ; 
 and if I delay my arrival at Warsaw, it will only be 
 to consolidate their fortune." 
 
 At the moment of his Majesty's departure, and 
 after having received his adieux, Princess Czartory- 
 ska, her children, and the whole company preceded 
 the emperor to the boat in which he and his suite 
 were to cross the Vistula, a short distance from the 
 chateau. The emperor seemed agreeably surprised 
 by this zeal which had no other end than to enjoy 
 his presence a few moments longer, and he acknowl- 
 edged it with his accustomed grace. By an excess 
 of gallantry, in spite of the coolness of the evening 
 augmented by that of the water, the emperor would 
 not keep on his cloak in the presence of the ladies. 
 
 October 27, 1784, to Prince Louis of Wiirtemberg. When he declined 
 to fight against Russia in behalf of Poland, he lost his command in 
 the Polish army, and his wife refused to live with him. 
 
 1 Baron Nicholas de Novosiltzoff, a Russian diplomat who enjoyed 
 the favor of Emperor Alexander, and was sent by him on several 
 important missions to Germany and England. He died in 1838. 
 
 194
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 Encouraged by the amiable remarks which he ad- 
 dressed them, Princess Czartoryska, and other ladies 
 begged to be allowed to take a few feathers from 
 his plume. Apparently amused by this demand, he 
 instantly hastened to satisfy their wish. 
 
 The sovereigns of Europe having agreed to meet at 
 Vienna, either in person or through their ministers, 
 to discuss the rights and interests of the nations, the 
 question of the order of precedence was immediately 
 agitated. With his usual modesty, far from demand- 
 ing the pre-eminence which was due him, wishing on 
 the contrary to avoid all discussion capable of caus- 
 ing ill feeling, Alexander proposed that the council 
 should be admitted alphabetically, which would place 
 him far from the first place; always magnanimous 
 in council and where important interests were at 
 stake, Alexander was the amiable prince, the agree- 
 able man in all the reunions where he appeared. 
 
 His august sisters, the Grand Duchess Catherine, 
 afterwards the Queen of Wurtemberg, and the Grand 
 Duchess of Weimar were also at Vienna. It was 
 especially in their society that the etiquette of the 
 sovereign disappeared, and gave place to amiable 
 pleasantries. 
 
 There was a great resemblance between the Grand 
 Duchess Catherine and the emperor, and to make it 
 more striking Alexander conceived the idea, one 
 evening, of dressing himself in the clothes and the 
 coiffure of her Imperial Highness. 
 
 On the birthday of the Emperor of Austria, Alex- 
 ander and the King of Prussia proposed to surprise 
 him on rising in the morning, and to present him, the 
 one a superb dressing-gown of sable, the other a
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 silver basin and jug of beautiful Berlin workmanship. 
 One often met the Emperor Alexander and the King 
 of Prussia walking together in the streets of Vienna 
 in citizen's dress. 
 
 The reunion of the men most illustrious and most 
 distinguished by rank, talent, and genius whom 
 Europe possessed, was celebrated by brilliant and 
 ingenious festivities, allegorical tableaux in which the 
 most beautiful women of the court took part, operas, 
 amateur plays, balls, and tournaments. " In fine," 
 said the Prince of Ligne, 1 " nothing was wanting but 
 the funeral procession of a certain marshal of the 
 empire" 
 
 The Poles awaited with patience the result of the 
 conferences of the Congress and the fulfilment of 
 Alexander's promises. In spite of numberless obsta- 
 cles and hindrances raised by the council of Vienna 
 against the just and liberal views of Alexander, he 
 was declared King of Poland. He announced the 
 news himself in a letter written by his own hand to 
 Count Ostrowski, 2 the president of the senate. 
 
 " It is with great satisfaction that I announce to you," he 
 said, " that the fate of your country is at last decided by the 
 
 1 Prince Charles Joseph Ligne (born 1735, died 1814), an able 
 Austrian general and witty writer. He served with distinction in 
 the Seven Years' War and was made a major-general in 1765. In 
 1782 he was Ambassador to Russia, and was highly favored by 
 Catherine II. He obtained the rank of field-marshal in 1808. His 
 generous and chivalrous character rendered him the idol of his army. 
 He was the author of a number of works. Speaking of him, Mme. 
 de Stae'l said, " He was the only foreigner that became a model in 
 the French style, instead of an imitator." 
 
 2 Count Jean Antoine Ostrowski (born 1782, died 1845) was a 
 Polish patriot and statesman, who took an active part in the affairs 
 of Poland until its partition. He then removed to Paris, where the 
 last years of his life were passed. 
 
 196
 
 Emperor Alexander J. 
 
 unanimous voice of all the Powers united in this congress. 
 In accepting the title of king, I shall endeavor to satisfy the 
 wishes of the nation. The kingdom of Poland will be 
 united to the empire by the bonds of its own constitution, 
 upon which I shall endeavor to found the welfare of the 
 nation. If the great interest of universal peace has not 
 permitted the whole of Poland to remain united under the 
 same sceptre, I will at least try to soften as much as possi- 
 ble the rigor of their separation and to obtain for them 
 everywhere the peaceable enjoyment of their national 
 liberty. Before the necessary formalities permit the pub- 
 lishing of the details relating to the arrangement of the 
 affairs of Poland, I have wished that you should be the 
 first informed of them by me in substance, and I authorize 
 you to inform your compatriots of the contents of this 
 letter. 
 
 " Receive the assurance of my sincere esteem, 
 
 " ALEXANDER. 
 "VIENNA, April 30, 1815." 
 
 Nothing can give an idea of the joy with which 
 this news filled the hearts of the true Poles; but 
 in the midst of this universal rejoicing, while they 
 were awaiting the arrival of their desired monarch, 
 events occurred which changed the face of the whole 
 of Europe. General Pozzo di Borgo, 1 minister of 
 Russia in France, arrived at Vienna from Paris, an- 
 
 1 Carlo Andrea Pozzo di Borgo (born 1764, died 1842), an eminent 
 French diplomatist who in 1803 entered the service of Russia and 
 devoted himself to diplomacy, for which he was qualified by his 
 penetration and address. He regarded Napoleon as a personal 
 enemy, and contributed to his overthrow. In 1813 he took a promi- 
 nent part in the Congress of Frankfort, and composed the famous 
 declaration of the Allies. He acted as Russian Commissioner with 
 the army of the Allies in 1815, and signed the Treaty of Paris. From 
 1815 to 1835 he was Russian ambassador at Paris. 
 
 197
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 nouncing to the congress that the Bourbons were 
 more firmly seated than ever upon the throne of 
 France ; and a fortnight later, in the midst of a great 
 festival where all the divinities of Olympus and 
 Parnassus were represented, the news arrived, like 
 a clap of thunder : " Napoleon has escaped from the 
 island of Elba; Napoleon is in France! " The per- 
 son from whom I have these details, and who was 
 an eye-witness of them, Count Salmour, said there was 
 great alarm among the gods of the Empyrean and 
 among those of the earth. Alexander was so wise 
 as to retire immediately from the festival to hide his 
 feelings from the public. 
 
 The next day, when they had recovered a little 
 from the violent shock which an event of this kind 
 naturally produced, reflection came to calm this 
 sudden surprise and terror. " He is a madman ! he 
 is an adventurer ! " they said of Napoleon. Out- 
 raged by the sharp reproaches which were addressed 
 to him from all sides, on account of his ignorance of 
 affairs in France, which it had been difficult to fore- 
 see, Pozzo di Borgo out-did every one in protesta- 
 tions, and said that Napoleon would be hanged on 
 the first tree as soon as he entered France. 
 
 However, this madman, this adventurer, or rather 
 this incomprehensible being who had escaped from 
 the island of Elba upon a small brig, and had passed 
 miraculously through the midst of the English ves- 
 sels, landed in France with a handful of soldiers, and 
 twenty days later entered Paris at the head of an 
 army, declaring in his vauntful language that he 
 alone was able to re-establish peace, and that he had 
 come to restore it to Europe. 
 
 198
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 The Bourbons were dispersed; Louis XVIII. was 
 forced for a second time to quit the country and to 
 abandon the throne of his fathers to the usurper. 
 Louis XVIII. retired to Ghent; but what was to 
 become of France, and of Europe? 
 
 The well attested news of the presence of Napoleon 
 in Paris and the re-establishment of his power with- 
 out a blow having been struck, filled the councils of 
 the congress with terror and consternation. After 
 so many generous efforts, such immense sacrifices, 
 so much bloodshed, it was necessary to commence 
 again, to renew the past efforts and sacrifices as if 
 they had never been made. This idea was enough 
 to fill the hearts of the sovereign allies with discour- 
 agement and dismay. 
 
 The Emperor Alexander declared that he was 
 weary of war, and, above all, tired of exposing the 
 lives of his soldiers. Other personal and just mo- 
 tives were joined to that repugnance. Prince Talley- 
 rand had been sent by Louis XVIII. to bespeak the 
 interest of the congress in behalf of France. It is 
 difficult to discover what were the intentions of that 
 able diplomat, working in apparent concord with all 
 the Powers for the pacification of Europe, and, at the 
 same time negotiating a treaty with Austria opposed 
 to the political interests of Russia, a treaty which 
 tended to destroy that influence to which France 
 owed her deliverance. 
 
 While Talleyrand, full of confidence in his influ- 
 ence in Paris, sought to prolong his engagement, 
 he heard of the descent of Napoleon upon Paris and 
 his entrance into the capital, and was informed that 
 Alexander would no longer ignore the double-dealing 
 
 199
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 
 
 of the French royalist ministry. How should he 
 ward off this last blow? It was fatal! Talleyrand 
 was too wise, his knowledge of politics was too ex- 
 tended for him not to feel that the Emperor Alex- 
 ander alone could save France, by the immense forces 
 at his command and by his influence over the other 
 allied Powers. 
 
 Talleyrand, therefore, knowing Alexander's gener- 
 osity, built upon it his last political hopes, and the 
 hope of his own safety. He went and throwing himself 
 at the feet of that prince, assured him that, blinded 
 by patriotism, he had not been able to see the real 
 interests of France and the bands of alliance which 
 she ought to contract; then he begged the emperor 
 to pardon him and not to abandon a cause which was 
 that of all kings. 
 
 After a few moments of silence and reflection the 
 emperor replied : " The question has nothing to do 
 with me or with any personal offence which might 
 affect me, but with the safety of France." 
 
 It must be acknowledged that without the extreme 
 and indefatigable zeal which Talleyrand employed at 
 this critical time, the congress would have been dis- 
 solved without having decided anything in favor of 
 France. 
 
 With his usual magnanimity Alexander, putting 
 aside all personal resentment, and thinking only of 
 the interests of the common cause, ordered a con- 
 siderable body of troops to march under the com- 
 mand of Marshal Barclay de Tolley, not against the 
 French, but to the succor of the Bourbons against 
 the army of Napoleon. 
 
 200
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 I WILL not enter into the details of the campaign 
 of 1815, marked by such great military deeds 
 and terminated by the battle of Waterloo. The 
 Emperor of Russia did not go to Paris until after 
 the return of Louis XVIII. to the capital. Ever 
 animated by generous thoughts and a peaceable 
 spirit, Alexander showed himself in Paris under 
 the conciliating character of a mediator ready to 
 ward off the blows which the policy of the other 
 powers was disposed to deal to France. 
 
 As the ministers plenipotentiary were preparing a 
 new treaty of peace whose conditions seemed hard 
 for France, Alexander went to the camp Les Vertus 
 to inspect the troops in presence of the sovereign 
 allies and gave the order of the day : 
 
 "Treason and the perfidious designs of the enemy of 
 public peace have met you again, brave soldiers, upon 
 the same fields where you were conquerors. Thanks to 
 the Almighty your valor need not display itself again. The 
 measures employed by the allies have overthrown the 
 audacious Napoleon before you were able to take part in 
 the fray. He has been taken prisoner. But your march 
 from the Dwina and Dniester to the Seine will sufficiently 
 prove that Russia is not opposed to the peace of Europe, 
 and that in spite of the great distance you are always ready 
 to march in the cause of justice wherever the voice of your 
 country and that of your sovereign shall call you. 
 
 201
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 " In leaving you here far from your native land which is 
 so dear to you, it gives me pleasure, my dear companions in 
 arms, to show you my appreciation of the zeal and exact- 
 ness which I have found in your ranks. May the blessings 
 of the Most High accompany you to your firesides. His 
 all-powerful hand has protected you in war and will guide 
 you to your homes. Let us thank him for his goodness to 
 us and never forget his sacred laws and that his mercy has 
 assisted us because we have put our trust in him." 
 
 The inhabitants of Champagne assembled in crowds 
 in the environs of Les Vertus to see the prince whom 
 they regarded as their protector. Learning that 
 some French ladies were assembled at a farm-house 
 to see the review, the Emperor Alexander sent them 
 all sorts of refreshments. After the review was over, 
 the Emperor of Austria and the King of Prussia 
 approached Alexander to compliment him upon the 
 fine military appearance of a corps of forty thousand 
 Russians who had manoeuvred in their presence with 
 excellent precision and perfect order. The emperor, 
 still animated by the exercise which he had just had, 
 placed his hand on his sword and answered : " I can, 
 if it is necessary and if I am forced to do so, assemble 
 here in two months two hundred thousand such 
 troops." This he said, wishing to have it understood 
 that he was disposed to take up arms for France. 
 Since it was to be desired that France should regain 
 calmness and tranquillity in place of her continued 
 internal dissensions, the policy of Europe demanded, 
 in the interest of the balance of power, that France 
 should remain great and strong. 
 
 Thanks to the active intervention of Alexander, 
 France was permitted to preserve her old boundaries ; 
 
 202
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 but to satisfy the severe justice of the allied Powers, 
 she saw herself condemned to pay a large indemnity, 
 and to the support of one hundred and fifty thousand 
 foreign troops. Nations by their mistakes draw 
 upon themselves terrible responsibilities, of which 
 time alone can efface the traces. 
 
 It was against the advice of Alexander that the 
 works of art acquired through the valor of the French 
 at different times were taken away from Paris. A 
 very wise idea and one very favorable to the study 
 of art led Alexander to propose that these master- 
 pieces, instead of being dispersed to different 
 countries, should continue to ornament the beautiful 
 palace where they were united, giving to the museum 
 of the Louvre the name of Museum of Europe. The 
 Apollo of the Belvedere and the Venus de Medicis 
 would certainly have received more homage at Paris 
 than elsewhere. This proposition, however, did not 
 meet the views of the other Powers. 
 
 The Emperor Alexander felt himself compelled to 
 declare his opposition to prevent the destruction of 
 the bridges of Austerlitz and Jena. His views were 
 too broad, his mind too great for him not to see that 
 it was not alone to a monument of stone that the 
 memory of French glory was attached. But it was 
 not given to all the world to think and feel as he did. 
 
 During his sojourn in France Alexander was con- 
 stantly occupied in alleviating the misfortunes of the 
 inhabitants. He had a list made of the widows and 
 orphans of agriculturists whose homes had been 
 destroyed during the war, and all those who wished 
 to emigrate to the Crimea received from imperial 
 munificence the necessary succor and passports. 
 
 203
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 Alexander displayed such perfect confidence in 
 the French that he refused the escort which they 
 offered him, saying it was unnecessary in France, 
 and that he was in a friendly country. Some one in 
 Paris wishing to know where the Emperor of Russia 
 resided, he answered : " Upon the field of Virtue 
 (plaine des Verius}, at the hotel of Magnanimity." 
 This is not much in the style of Mademoiselle 
 Scude"ri's novels. 
 
 In the short space of one hundred days, events 
 followed each other with the rapidity of thought. 
 We saw Napoleon land in France and reascend the 
 throne ; Louis XVIII. retire to Ghent ; the combined 
 armies march, attack, and conquer Napoleon; the 
 latter flee and confide his destinies to the waves, less 
 perfidious than the English, to whom this second 
 Themistocles, this new Hannibal surrendered ; finally, 
 Louis XVIII. reassume the crown and enter his 
 capital. 
 
 The destroyer of the peace of Europe, this new 
 Prometheus who had not stolen celestial fire, but 
 who would possess the universe, Napoleon had been 
 banished to a rock in the midst of the ocean, where 
 he was to endure the torment of a devouring ambition 
 which he was not permitted to gratify. 
 
 The history of Alexander and Napoleon affords a 
 striking example of divine justice. How had Alex- 
 ander been able to triumph over that man whose 
 superior genius seemed invincible? Because God 
 was on his side, because he never gloried in his 
 success; while Napoleon, who placed all his confi- 
 dence in the strength of his arms, had twice seen his 
 formidable armies dissolve away, and his power vanish 
 
 204
 
 Empe 
 
 ror Alexander I. 
 
 like a dream. Unhappy the man who rests upon an 
 arm of flesh ! 
 
 I made this prayer at that time, for the Emperor 
 of Russia : " May the good Providence always pro- 
 tect Alexander. May God help him in battle by His 
 strength, and in his councils by His wisdom ! Deign 
 above all, O God, to preserve him from the intoxica- 
 tion of success, so fatal to princes and so prejudicial 
 to the happiness of their subjects! Deign to lend 
 him Thy light in all that he does in Thy name ! 
 Bless all his undertakings and hold his heart always 
 in Thy powerful hands ! Amen ! " 
 
 205
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 OATISFIED with having terminated this memo- 
 --J rable campaign of 1815 advantageously for the 
 happiness of Europe, and to reap as a reward for his 
 labors a long and settled peace, Alexander turned 
 gladly from the horrors of war and the cares of State, 
 and occupied himself in the affairs of his people. He 
 was expected at Warsaw to be crowned King of 
 Poland, and finally arrived there after having cele- 
 brated at Berlin the wedding of his brother the 
 Grand Duke Nicholas with the princess royal of 
 Prussia, strengthening his alliance with that power 
 by the double ties of blood and political bonds. 
 
 The Emperor Alexander arrived at Warsaw on the 
 26th of October, 1815. He made his entrance on 
 horseback, wearing the Polish uniform and the deco- 
 ration of the White Eagle. All the windows and 
 streets on his Majesty's* route were decorated with 
 flowers, draperies, and mottoes. The various depu- 
 tations met him under a triumphal arch which bore 
 this inscription : Hie ames did pater atque princeps. 
 The emperor would not accept the keys of the 
 town, which were offered him by the president of 
 the municipality, and responded thus to the speech 
 of the magistrate : " I do not accept the keys, be- 
 cause I am not come here as a conqueror, but as 
 a protector and friend who desires to see you all 
 happy. But I will accept bread and salt as the 
 
 206
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 most useful gift of God." The Poles had finally 
 found a king, a father. On the evening of that 
 memorable day the town was illuminated with alle- 
 gorical transparencies, and an innumerable crowd 
 circulated through the streets shouting the name 
 of their king, Alexander. The emperor was touched 
 by these proofs of attachment and enthusiasm, upon 
 which he had not reckoned, believing with his usual 
 modesty that the Poles preferred Napoleon. 
 
 Alexander gave the Poles a constitution, founded 
 partly on the Code of Napoleon, a senate, and the 
 right to assemble diets. He named General Zaion- 
 czek l to the first place in the kingdom, that of lieu- 
 tenant-general, and apprised him himself of his 
 nomination. The old general said to the emperor 
 that his fortune was too limited to permit him to 
 accept this position. " That is one merit the more 
 in my eyes," answered the emperor, assigning to 
 him a revenue of 200,000 florins, and conferring 
 upon him later the title of prince. 
 
 The emperor and king having admitted into his 
 presence a deputation of the departments and towns 
 of the kingdom, the palatine Malachowski expressed 
 in the name of his compatriots the feelings of love, 
 veneration, and gratitude with which they were 
 
 1 Joseph Zaionczek (Zajaczek) (born 1752, died 1826), a Polish 
 general, the descendant of a poor but noble family who by industry 
 and study rose to positions of honor and influence. After the decla- 
 ration of war against Russia by Napoleon he assisted in the raising 
 of an army of 80,000 to aid him. After the Peace of Paris, when 
 Alexander re-organized the army in Poland, he appointed Zaionczek 
 general of infantry; and when in 1815 the Czar gave Poland a new 
 constitution, Zaionczek was named viceroy of the new kingdom, 
 and the Grand Duke Constantine was given the command of the 
 army. 
 
 207
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 inspired by the noble conqueror who had given to 
 their country a new political existence. 
 
 The emperor answered : " I receive the expression 
 of the sentiments which you manifest for me with 
 deep emotion. I know that this country has borne 
 great reverses, the traces of which must be effaced. 
 To help to do this promptly, I have given orders 
 that the Russian armies retire from the country. 
 In occupying yourselves with that interesting class, 
 the cultivators of the soil, you have done that which 
 is the most agreeable to me. All that you under- 
 take in that direction will meet with my heartiest 
 approval. I shall always be ready to consider all 
 requests which are presented to me, whether by 
 individuals or departments, and will give them my 
 serious attention. My desires shall always be for 
 the prosperity of your country and the good of its 
 inhabitants." 
 
 Count Oginiski (the same who has published 
 Memoirs very favorably received by the public) 
 came to Warsaw at the head of a Lithuanian depu- 
 tation to offer their respects to the new King of 
 Poland. The emperor received him in the throne 
 room. M. Oginiski observed that during his conver- 
 sation when he compared the rapid victories of the 
 emperor with the lightning, the emperor's counte- 
 nance took on an imposing expression, and that 
 tears came into his eyes when he spoke of the 
 gratitude of the Lithuanians. Yet there are persons 
 who suspect this noble character of falseness ; and 
 Napoleon said, in speaking of Alexander, that he was 
 the most beautiful, the most refined, and the falsest of 
 the Greeks. It is not necessary to refute such calum- 
 
 208
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 nies. The entire life of Alexander is an answer to 
 them. 
 
 During the emperor's stay at Warsaw brilliant 
 entertainments were given by General Krasinski, 
 the Count Palatine Potocki, 1 and the Princess of Wiir- 
 temberg. There was also a fancy-dress ball given 
 by the town, where there was an assemblage of all 
 that taste, riches, grace, and beauty could show. 
 
 My mother, who on account of ill-health could not 
 attend these festivities, had the honor to be presented 
 to his Majesty at the house of her sister the Countess 
 Radzivil, and to thank the emperor for all the kind- 
 ness which he had shown her family. The emperor 
 authorized my mother to announce his arrival at 
 Vilna, and he deigned to speak of me with his usual 
 indulgence. The emperor stopped only one day at 
 Vilna, sleeping at Towiany. 
 
 My father formed the project of leaving as soon as 
 the ball which was to take place on the arrival of his 
 
 1 Count Stanislas-Kotska Potocki (born 1757, died 1821) organ- 
 ized the grand duchy at the time of the French invasion, and was 
 rewarded by being appointed Senator Palatine and Chief Counsel 
 of the Minister of State. He was constant in his loyalty to Alex- 
 ander; when the emperor elevated him to the dignity of Minister 
 of Public Instruction and Worship, the appointment was received 
 with universal applause, and Potocki was diligent in proving himself 
 worthy of the honor. He created the University, the Observatory, 
 the Botanical Garden, the Museum of Natural History, the different 
 schools of surgery, and many smaller institutions. In all ways he 
 showed himself the friend of learning and the protector of science. 
 In 1818 he was named President of the Senate and his discourses are 
 regarded as models of oratory. His death was considered a public 
 calamity, and his family were the recipients of testimonials from all 
 parts of the empire ; for by his singularly affectionate nature, culture, 
 and elevated character he had attached to himself all who knew 
 him. 
 
 14 209
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 Majesty was over, and going with me and several 
 other persons to Towiany. He hoped to be able to 
 speak with the emperor of different abuses which had 
 crept into the government, and of the manner in 
 which certain agents in power responded to the ideas 
 of equity and moderation of so good a monarch. 
 There were disquieting rumors at Vilna. 
 
 It was said that there had been formed at St. 
 Petersburg a party of Russians discontented with the 
 interest which the emperor took in the Poles, and all 
 he did for the kingdom of Poland. The emperor 
 himself made no allusion to this matter, as he had 
 asked the Poles at Warsaw not to compromise him 
 with his own people in their patriotic speeches. I 
 learned later at Paris, and I have it from a person 
 worthy of confidence, that in 1815 Marshal Soult 
 found papers which divulged horrible designs. The 
 marshal hastened to make them known to the Em- 
 peror Alexander, who thanked him, saying that the 
 danger was not so real as he thought. What a fatal 
 security, which it is difficult to understand ! How 
 the Emperor Alexander, with that rare sagacity 
 which distinguished him, that clearness of judgment 
 which led him with reason to desire to extinguish the 
 fires of revolution in other countries of Europe, 
 could not see the embers that smouldered in his own 
 States ! We must believe that his heart deceived his 
 judgment, and refused to believe in such monstrous 
 ingratitude on the part of his subjects. Several 
 years ago M. de C. and I were terrified by sedi- 
 tious rumors which came to our ears, and we told 
 our fears to certain agents of the government, who 
 treated them as exaggerated ideas aristocratic 
 
 210
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 chimeras. Experience has proved that our fears 
 were but too well founded. 
 
 The Emperor Alexander arrived at Vilna at night, 
 where they had made preparations in advance for a 
 ball, illuminations, etc. My father had a transpar- 
 ency placed over the door of his house representing 
 Vilna with its picturesque environs, and these words : 
 Le retour de I'Aurore nous promet des jours sereins. I 
 was notified in the morning by an aide-de-camp of 
 Prince Wolkonski, of the visit of his Majesty at one 
 o'clock in the afternoon. There was in the mean 
 time a presentation of the gentlemen at the palace. 
 The emperor on perceiving my father said, " Ah, it 
 is you, Count ! " and when my father would have 
 said something to justify himself in the eyes of his 
 Majesty, the emperor interrupted him, saying: "All 
 is forgotten, the past is forgotten." My father, who 
 had infinite tact, felt that the word forgotten meant 
 rather pardoned; my sister and I felt it also in admir- 
 ing this noble and refined character, who could pardon 
 but not forget the wrongs that had been done him. 
 My father admired and really loved the emperor; he 
 would never have been drawn into the other party 
 except by the force of circumstances; he did not 
 dare to be at my house when Alexander came there, 
 and it was my sister this time who aided me in re- 
 ceiving the emperor, whom she had had the honor of 
 knowing at the time of his Majesty's first visit to 
 Vilna. 
 
 After the first compliments, I asked his Majesty if 
 he had been satisfied with his visit at Warsaw. The 
 emperor answered that Warsaw had not quite met 
 his expectations, on account of the irregularity of its
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 buildings and the filth of its streets ; but he thought 
 that it was susceptible of embellishment. Then he 
 said some pleasant things about Polish society and 
 the Poles in general. He said : " I have not kept all 
 my promises to them ; I have done nothing for the 
 Poles, but in working for them I have had great ob- 
 stacles to overcome in the congress. The other sov- 
 ereigns were opposed as much as possible to my 
 projects in regard to Poland. However, we have 
 made the first step." 
 
 I could not accustom myself to hear the em- 
 peror speak of " the kingdom." " The kingdom," he 
 said, " has suffered greatly. One does not notice it 
 in the towns during these great festivities, but the 
 country feels the war cruelly." Alexander praised 
 the fine appearance of the Polish troops. " They will 
 have a little trouble in forgetting the old regime and 
 in learning the new, but that will come. There must 
 be subordination among the soldiers, and exact dis- 
 cipline ; for when the army reasons the State is lost. 
 It is thus that Napoleon has been the cause of his 
 own downfall, by permitting the absence of discipline 
 among his troops. 
 
 The emperor then spoke of France and the French, 
 to whom he did not spare the epithets " mean," " avari- 
 cious," " filthy," and "frivolous." " Paris," he said, " is 
 dirty, morally as well as physically." I could not 
 resist answering this attack. " Sire," I said, " I rec- 
 ogni^e one merit in the French, their knowing 
 how to appreciate the goodness of your Majesty." 
 At these words the emperor colored, then said 
 with a smile : " I confess, mademoiselle, that I have 
 but done my duty. It was frightful to see the 
 
 212
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 evils about me, the Austrians' and the Prussians' 
 fury and cupidity, which it was difficult to control. 
 They wanted to use the right of reprisal, but that 
 right has always been revolting to me, for one ought 
 never to take vengeance except by doing good for 
 evil." 
 
 With what sad pleasure I recall these words. Since 
 then I have always kept a careful journal, and my 
 readers can be assured not only of the exactness 
 of my account of events, but that there is nothing 
 altered in the emperor's expressions which are found 
 in this work. How beautiful indeed were these 
 words in the mouth of the greatest sovereign in the 
 world ! It was plain to see that the emperor spoke 
 with satisfaction, although always with modesty, of his 
 successes, and of his work during the three years of 
 his absence. He had grown much thinner in figure, 
 which gave him a very young appearance. You 
 saw no longer that charm of sensibility which the 
 misfortunes of the year 1812 had given his face, but 
 always the same grace, kindness, and affability. Still, 
 one could see a little change of manner in his inter- 
 course with men. 
 
 I asked his Majesty if it was true that he pre- 
 ferred London to Paris. " I acknowledge it," he 
 said ; " one does not see in London the beautiful edi- 
 fices which adorn Paris, but there is infinitely more 
 order, regularity, and cleanliness." He insisted very 
 strongly on the last point, making the inhabitants of 
 Petersburg observe strict cleanliness. He said he 
 feared they had grown lax on that point during his 
 absence. 
 
 The emperor spoke with admiration of the English 
 213
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 parks, and told us that nowhere was the art of gar- 
 dening so well understood as in England. As my 
 sister seemed to take a lively interest in the details 
 which the emperor gave on this subject, his Majesty 
 asked her if she had fine gardens, and expressed 
 great regret that, on account of the bad weather, he 
 was not able to visit Arcadia when he had passed the 
 night at the chateau of my Aunt Radzivil, not far 
 from Warsaw. 
 
 The frost had been very severe for several days, 
 and our apartment was cold. The emperor, who 
 noticed it, said he feared he should not be able to 
 bear the climate of St. Petersburg after having passed 
 three winters in France and England ; moreover, the 
 beautiful Parisian ladies, in the midst of their elegance 
 and luxury, nearly died of cold in their apartments. 
 The emperor expressed his regret that he could not 
 remain longer at Vilna. 
 
 The ball commenced at eight o'clock. The em- 
 peror waltzed for a long time with me and with other 
 ladies. He danced with grace and dignity. In danc- 
 ing the Polonaise with Prince VVolkonski, who then 
 replaced Count Tolstoi about his Majesty, I told him 
 of our plan to go to Towiany, a project, I added, 
 which it was not possible to carry out, as his Majesty 
 was to leave in the morning to go there himself. The 
 prince said : " Your project is charming ; you must not 
 give it up. Leave immediately after the ball ; you 
 will arrive in time, and I will retard the departure of 
 his Majesty." The emperor, who followed us in the 
 dance, would absolutely know what we were talking 
 about, and we were obliged to explain, adding that 
 we could no longer think of the project, although our 
 
 214
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 friends at Towiany, knowing our intention, had ordered 
 a relay of horses on the route; but the lightning 
 speed with which the emperor travelled would not 
 permit us to reach there in time. Thanking me with 
 the most amiable vivacity, the emperor maintained, 
 with Prince Wolkonski, that by leaving at eleven 
 o'clock in the night, putting myself in a good car- 
 riage with a good pelisse to insure me against the 
 cold, and having good horses, I could make the 
 journey from Vilna to Towiany very easily. " More- 
 over," said his Majesty, " I shall not leave so very 
 early." I repeated this conversation to my father 
 and sister, who decided that I must go to Towiany. 
 But my father, after the somewhat cold reception he 
 had had from the emperor, decided that it was best for 
 him not to go. My sister, who was just recovering from 
 an illness, could not expose herself to the great cold. 
 My aunt, Countess Corvin Kossakowska, ne'e Potocka, 
 decided to go with me, and my brother-in-law, Count 
 Gunther, would accompany us. We changed our 
 dresses and started at once. Before our departure, 
 my father charged me particularly to speak a few 
 words of justification for him and my brother to the 
 emperor. Our carriage broke down on the way. 
 Fortunately, we procured another in the neighbor- 
 hood and continued our journey to Towiany, where 
 we arrived at dawn, dying with laughter. After Vil- 
 komir, which is about four miles from Towiany, 
 they had taken us for the emperor, and had ren- 
 dered us homage in consequence, the guard present- 
 ing arms, the couriers rushing ahead to announce 
 the arrival of the monarch ; and at Towiany the whole 
 society of the town, assembled at the palace, pressed 
 
 215
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 forward to receive his Majesty. The emperor did 
 not arrive till an hour later, and smiled upon perceiv- 
 ing my aunt and me. He seemed annoyed at having 
 arrived so late, and complained that they had made 
 a summer road in winter. The fact is that, not know- 
 ing that his Majesty travelled in a sleigh, they had 
 swept the snow from the road all along the route and 
 covered it with pine branches and leaves. We knew 
 also that the emperor had been dissatisfied with the 
 parade at Vilna. As it was not known till the morn- 
 ing that he would give the order for it, the troops 
 were not ready at the hour indicated. The emperor 
 being obliged to wait on the spot, he severely repri- 
 manded General P., and afterwards the garrison. 
 
 After the usual compliments and presentations, the 
 emperor went to change his dress in his old apart- 
 ment. He soon returned and approaching my aunt 
 and me thanked us gracefully for our " amiable 
 attention," asking if we had had any accident on the 
 way, and expressing his surprise that, having travelled 
 all night in the open air, we looked so fresh and 
 untired. "As forme," he said, "my face burns like fire." 
 
 The conversation then became general, or rather 
 the emperor alone took the burden of it in the most 
 interesting manner. He spoke much of England, of 
 the magnificence of its parks, of English agriculture, 
 of the machinery newly invented, and above all of the 
 wise institutions of the country and the welfare of its 
 inhabitants. "What a happy country," said he, 
 "where the rights of each individual are respected 
 and inviolable ! " In speaking of Napoleon the 
 emperor said : " I predicted to him what has hap- 
 pened ; but he would not believe me." 
 
 216
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 The company was not the same as at the first visit 
 of his Majesty to Towiany. The old Count Moriconi 
 was dead. The Mesdemoiselles Grabowska and Mor- 
 iconi were married and gone ; but the sister of the 
 latter, the amiable Countess F61icie Plater was there 
 with her excellent and worthy mother. The emperor 
 spoke much of those who were absent by death, and 
 of those who were separated by distance. 
 
 His Majesty consented to sup with the whole com- 
 pany. In leaving the table he came to speak to me 
 of my mother, and described a pleasant little scene 
 which took place between his Majesty and her. 
 " Having made her acquaintance at your aunt's," said 
 the prince, " I wished to kiss her hand, a natural 
 homage which one offers to women ; but she refused 
 it, and I had to insist ; every time I tried to take her 
 hand she drew it away ; finally it grew too amusing ! 
 Let your aunt tell you about it, and Prince Antoine, 
 who was present. They laughed so much." 
 
 At the moment of retiring the emperor said : " I 
 must insist that the ladies will not give themselves 
 the trouble to rise early in the morning, but I fear 
 that they will not do me that favor." We answered 
 that we would endeavor to make use of every 
 moment that we were allowed to enjoy his presence. 
 Although very much fatigued by the preceding 
 night, my aunt and I must still describe to the ladies of 
 the house the ball, and the toilets of the ladies at Vilna. 
 Moreover, at six o'clock, though it was not yet light, 
 we must be dressed and in the drawing-room. The 
 emperor was not late, and asked how we had all 
 passed the night. He asked me if I had any commis- 
 sions for St. Petersburg. Instead of answering, I 
 
 217
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 asked orders of his Majesty for Vilna. The emperor 
 turning to the circle of ladies (everybody was stand- 
 ing). " Mademoiselle will not give me commissions 
 for Petersburg, and asks me for them for Vilna." I 
 do not know why these words hurt me. I had hoped 
 that his Majesty would say something to me about 
 my father. The remembrance of his former kindness 
 to him compared with his present coldness, gave me 
 the idea that my father would perhaps be displeased 
 that I had not attempted to excuse him or my brothers 
 to the emperor. 
 
 But always surrounded, I had not an opportunity 
 to speak ; moreover, what could I have said ? What 
 use would it have been to recall the past? And 
 finally, the fatigue of two nights without sleep had 
 unstrung my nerves and agitated me to such a degree 
 that I felt ill, and I went into the adjoining room to 
 recover myself. The emperor, struck by the sudden 
 change of my face, followed me to ask me if I was not 
 well. I said that the heat of the stoves had overcome 
 me, but it would soon pass, and I would return to the 
 salon with Countess Moriconi. The emperor told 
 the ladies what had made me ill, saying that the heat 
 of our houses in winter was very bad for the health. 
 He added that he had been obliged to open the 
 windows of his bedroom. I saw the kindness of the 
 emperor in all that he said, but I was at the same 
 time so troubled at the idea of having made myself 
 ridiculous in his eyes that I felt very much annoyed 
 with myself. I could not control myself; I felt suffo- 
 cated. Countess Plater, who was near me, drew me 
 out of the salon. " In the name of God," said this 
 good friend, " control yourself; think that twenty 
 
 218
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 persons have their eyes on you ! " Then she added 
 some pleasantry, and I burst out laughing. Finally I 
 succeeded in calming myself, but my eyes were red 
 from weeping, and I was very much confused at 
 having made such a scene. The emperor returned 
 to us and anxiously asked me if I was subject to such 
 attacks. I answered that I had often suffered from 
 nervous troubles. " Oh, very often ! " repeated my 
 good friend. His Majesty then said his " good-byes " 
 and we followed him into the drawing-room where he 
 begged me to remain sentinel over Countess Mori- 
 coni to prevent her from going out. But no sooner 
 had the emperor departed than the countess followed 
 him to the steps. His Majesty, already seated in his 
 sleigh, made me a sign of reproach, saying, " The 
 sentinel has not done her duty." I answered, laugh- 
 ing, that I had been obliged to give up my prisoner. 
 
 219
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 A LITTLE time after his return to St. Peters- 
 burg, the emperor made a stroke of authority 
 which caused great excitement in the capital. He 
 expelled the order of Jesuits from St. Petersburg, 
 later from Pototsch, and finally from the whole em- 
 pire, declaring that it was with justice that all the 
 sovereigns had driven that dangerous and intriguing 
 order from their States. Perhaps the Jesuits have 
 justly been reproached with too much zeal for con- 
 version, which was dangerous to the religion of the 
 country. They attracted to their sermons numbers 
 of persons of distinction, and a great many ladies of 
 the court changed their religion without the knowl- 
 edge of their families. 
 
 The Jesuits abandoned without a murmur their for- 
 tunes, their houses, and their flourishing establish- 
 ments, considering the decree which had fallen upon 
 them as sent from heaven, and bending, in appearance 
 at least, under a Divine hand. A Jesuit of the house of 
 Riga, whose establishment was venerated even by the 
 Lutherans, replied to a person who commiserated 
 him on his lot : " I shall find everywhere five feet of 
 earth, and death, toward which I hasten." 
 
 The emperor did several remarkable acts of justice 
 at this same time. He degraded General Tutchlof 
 to the rank of a common soldier because he had 
 allowed pillage in Lithuania, in the campaign of 1812. 
 He punished crime with a severity which inspired a 
 
 220
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 just fear throughout the whole empire. The emperor 
 proved, in a word, that it is possible to join to that 
 kindness and excessive sensibility with which he has 
 been reproached, both firmness and justice, qualities 
 indispensable in a sovereign. There was a manifesto 
 published in the name of the emperor about this time 
 which seems to us full of piety and noble sentiments. 
 In it Alexander speaks of godlike St. Louis, and of his 
 success, and his triumphs as never sovereign before 
 spoke, and with a moderation of which history shows 
 few examples. I remarked, however, that having 
 triumphed over Napoleon in this world he seemed to 
 wish to pursue him to the other, and arraign him 
 before the tribunal of God. 
 
 In the year 1816 I made a journey to Carlsbad, 
 with my father and one of my relatives. Upon our 
 return we stopped at Warsaw, where the emperor was 
 expected on the 3Oth of September. We lodged 
 with my mother in the most beautiful street in War- 
 saw, in a large house, but so full of people on ac- 
 count of the arrival of the emperor, that I could only 
 obtain two small rooms on the ground-floor under 
 the porte cochtre. 
 
 The emperor arrived at night and I knew it at 
 once by the movement of the soldiers rushing 
 through the streets. Nothing is more amusing than 
 to watch the scenes of the outside world from behind 
 a curtain, provided one has a taste for observation 
 and a total lack of self-consciousness. 
 
 The same day a grand parade took place in the 
 square of Saxony. I saw the emperor pass through 
 the street on horseback in the Polish uniform with 
 the blue and white plume on his cap. This was the
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 first time I had seen him wear the Polish colors. 
 The first ball took place at the viceroy's. My Aunt 
 Radzivil took me there. She had already seen his 
 Majesty, and among other things had told him of my 
 arrival. The emperor deigned to speak to my aunt 
 of me in terms which I will not write down here. 
 
 My aunt conducted me to the middle of the ball- 
 room to present me to his Majesty, who addressed 
 me saying he hoped it was not on account of my 
 health that I had visited the baths. 
 
 While dancing with me Alexander spoke of the 
 indisposition which I had had at Towiany, and asked 
 me if I had had any returns of such attacks. The 
 emperor having shown a desire to visit me, I took 
 the liberty of saying to his Majesty that I was too 
 badly lodged to have the honor of receiving him, 
 but that I would try to get my mother to help me in 
 that matter. The emperor called my attention to 
 the Polish uniform which he wore, and I said I had 
 had the pleasure already of seeing him in that dress. 
 He asked where. " When your Majesty passed 
 through the street to go to the parade." " But," he 
 said, "I looked everywhere and I did not see you." 
 
 The emperor left the ball at eleven o'clock. He 
 kept early hours, rising very early in the morning, 
 either to be present at the drilling of the soldiers 
 or to work with his ministers. The next day he 
 had a grand review of the Polish army, on the plain 
 of Povonski, which was covered with an immense 
 throng of people in carriages, on foot, and on horse- 
 back, all come to witness this brilliant military 
 spectacle. 
 
 At the arrival of his Majesty the soldiers cried 
 
 222
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 hourra, and the band struck up the favorite air of 
 "God Save the King." His Imperial Highness the 
 Grand Duke Constantine seemed enchanted to do the 
 honors of so fine and well drilled an army before his 
 august brother. At the end of the manoeuvres the 
 troops defiled in good order, the officers making 
 their war horses prance, and saluting with the point 
 of the sword in presence of his Majesty, who stood 
 cap in hand, as the army passed by. The following 
 Sunday, after the parade, the emperor was present at 
 a mass celebrated in the church of the Sacred Cross 
 for the soldiers, and there I renewed my prayers for 
 that excellent prince. 
 
 Having returned home, I had hardly changed my 
 dress when my maid suddenly cried, " There is the 
 emperor ! " I looked out and, to be sure, there was his 
 Majesty at the door of his carriage just driving into 
 the ports cochtre. A little annoyed at a visit which 
 had not been previously announced, I hoped that he 
 would go up to my mother and as I went out to assure 
 myself of this, I saw the emperor spring from his 
 carriage and come directly into the room which 
 opened into mine, laughing a little at my confusion, 
 asking pardon for his indiscretion, and saying that 
 it was his servant who had shown him where I lodged. 
 Finally, seeing that I hesitated, his Majesty gave me 
 his hand, begging me to show him the way, and 
 nolens volens I had to show him into the room where 
 still reigned the disorder of my toilet. In my em- 
 barrassment I did not know whether I ought to occupy 
 myself with the emperor or arrange the room. Vic- 
 toire, my maid, arrived with her deliberate air and 
 saved me that trouble. Alexander liked to visit ladies 
 
 223
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 thus in the morning without being announced. He 
 surprised one in a Chinese dressing-gown; another 
 putting on her bonnet awry to hide her disordered 
 hair. The wife of the viceroy got a cold from com- 
 ing too suddenly out of her bath when it was 
 announced that the emperor had come. All this 
 trouble and confusion amused the emperor exceed- 
 ingly ; for at this epoch of his life he was very fond 
 of fun. When we were seated he made a joke by 
 offering a chair to my little dog, saying that it was 
 quite right that she should be one of the company 
 also. 
 
 Then his Majesty spoke of the review, asked me 
 if I was there, and what I thought of it. Then 
 my mother, having been told that his Majesty was 
 there, hastened downstairs. I announced her, and 
 the emperor said, " Now you are going to see a repe- 
 tition of the scene I told you about." And truly, the 
 emperor going to my mother attempted to take her 
 hand and remove her glove. But my mother respect- 
 fully resisted. The emperor said, laughing: "But, 
 madame, do you think I have the pest? What is 
 there so extraordinary in kissing a lady's hand ? " 
 Then he kissed mine to give the example. But my 
 mother maintained that, in spite of the difference in 
 their ages, she could not help considering the em- 
 peror as a father. This little contest made us all 
 laugh very much. 
 
 The emperor asked me many questions about my 
 journey. I mentioned a number of persons whom 
 he had known at Vienna, among others, the Land- 
 gravine of Fiirstenberg, a woman of great intelli- 
 gence, educated in France. She was a sister of 
 
 224
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 Prince Schwarzenberg, whom Alexander called his 
 brother in arms. I told his Majesty that the land- 
 gravine never called him otherwise than Henri IV. 
 The emperor made a little face and shrugged his 
 shoulders ; I guessed why. They say that the Em- 
 peror Alexander, during his stay at Vienna was very 
 much pleased with the society of Princess Gabrielle 
 D., a niece of Prince Schwarzenberg, a person even 
 less remarkable perhaps for the charms of her face 
 than for the estimable qualities of her character. 
 
 "You go everywhere," said his Majesty. "You 
 go everywhere, and will not come to St. Petersburg. 
 I will prove mathematically that you have just made 
 a longer journey than you would to go to St. Peters- 
 burg, where you would be received with open arms." 
 The emperor spoke to my mother of my conduct 
 during the campaign of 1812, and said that he and 
 his entertained a feeling of great respect for me. 
 
 His Majesty inquired about my sister and asked 
 me what news there was from Vilna, assuring me 
 that the last time he was there it was to see me, for 
 his most direct road was by Kowno. " But let that 
 remain entre nous, I beg of you, or I should be in 
 bad repute with the Lithuanians." This idea amused 
 us. Then he continued : " I have seen nothing in 
 the foreign armies which surpasses them. It is possi- 
 ble that there are as handsome soldiers, but none so 
 imposing as the Polish troops ; and it must be true, 
 for I am very difficult to please." I could not help 
 taking up this word difficult, and said laughing that 
 the difficulty was only feigned. 
 
 " What," said his Majesty, " do you believe that I 
 am not particular, and that I do not know how to get 
 1 S 225
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 into a temper?" (A pretended ill-temper, thought 
 I.) " However, I made a grand row at Vilna, about 
 the garrison. Did they tell you about it? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, sire, I know that that scene was played 
 admirably, with incomparable gravity. I only re- 
 gretted not having been a witness." 
 
 The emperor turned to my mother and said, 
 " You see how mademoiselle laughs at me." 
 
 " Sire, that is because you have spoiled her," an- 
 swered my mother. 
 
 Then I added : " After having heard General P. 
 reprimanded for form's sake, the public knew also 
 that your Majesty took particular pains to assure the 
 poor man that a mistake would not make his long 
 and faithful service forgotten." The emperor smiled. 
 
 I said we were expecting my aunt to dinner, and 
 she would set up a loud scream when she found his 
 Majesty there. This was a habit of Madame de 
 Radzivil when anything astonished her. She did it 
 with a particular grace, which has been celebrated by 
 the Prince de Ligne in the portrait he has made of 
 her under the name of Armidowska. 
 
 " I hope she will not scream too loud," said the 
 emperor, " or I will tell how she came to me by a 
 private staircase. I was walking one evening on the 
 terrace of the chateau, when suddenly I saw a woman 
 at the windows in the apartments of the marshal of 
 the palace, who was making signs to me. I had not 
 the impudence to suppose that it was one of the 
 pretty daughters of the marshal. Finally I ap- 
 proached, and recognized your aunt. She came 
 down on the terrace, and I had her go upstairs to my 
 apartments." 
 
 226
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 As the emperor finished speaking, the door burst 
 open, and my aunt entered upon the arm of her 
 son, Prince Antoine Radzivil, followed by her niece, 
 the charming Isabelle B., making the little scream 
 which I had foretold. " How is this?" she said to the 
 emperor, " before coming to see me ! You see what 
 conduct." Then commenced some good-natured 
 badinage between the emperor and her. 
 
 " Why should I go to see you, since you come to 
 see me?" said the emperor. 
 
 " And in such a mean little room ! " said my aunt. 
 
 " But I did not come to admire the rooms," said 
 his Majesty. 
 
 Prince Antoine offered to kiss the hand of the em- 
 peror, who embraced him cordially. My cousin had 
 just arrived from Berlin, and was the bearer of com- 
 pliments for his Majesty from the King of Prussia. 
 Everybody spoke at the same time in that little 
 room ; one laughed, another screamed, and another 
 embraced. All etiquette was put aside ; one would 
 have thought it was a family reunion. Presently the 
 emperor, who was very merry, commenced to do the 
 honors by offering chairs to the ladies. We all sat 
 down. The Grand Duke Nicholas and Princess Char- 
 lotte of Prussia were spoken of. I said I had seen 
 a bust of the princess at Posen which was lovely. 
 " Yes," said the emperor, " and her character is like 
 her face." My aunt asked about the young grand- 
 dukes, whom she had known when they were children. 
 The emperor said they were very handsome, a head 
 taller than he and slender in proportion to their age. 
 My aunt then recounted her interview with the em- 
 peror on the terrace. " It would require a Tasso to 
 
 227
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 describe it," said she, in an amusingly exalted tone. 
 " He was so handsome by the light of the moon ; he 
 had the air of a Renaud, and I, was I not Armida ! " 
 She said a hundred other nonsensical things, which 
 Alexander took as compliments ; which in fact they 
 were when addressed to that prince. Finally he in- 
 terrupted her. " Please stop your poetry ; I have 
 never read any of those things they have written 
 about me. I like your prose better. Let us talk of 
 the review. How do you like my soldiers?" My 
 aunt complimented them. " Well," said the emperor, 
 maliciously, touching my hand to call my attention 
 to the expression of my aunt's face, " you ought not 
 to regret for them your Garenne (a charming country- 
 house about a league from Warsaw). 
 
 My aunt immediately exclaimed that she was not 
 the least displeased that this house which she had 
 just bought had been taken for military quarters. 
 After a few pleasantries of this kind the emperor asked 
 her: "Are you never coming to St. Petersburg 
 again? You must come and bring your niece, and I 
 will give you some little stones, as I did before." 
 These " little stones " were an obelisk of rose-colored 
 granite, on a base of porphyry, which is placed in 
 Arcadia. " Oh," said my aunt, " I would not ask any- 
 thing better than to go there with her, but they will 
 not let me go; you must send me an oukase." 
 " Very well," said the emperor, " I will send a little 
 mandate ; only come." 
 
 His Majesty then rose, saying: "There is never 
 company so good that it must not separate. I must 
 go home. My children wait dinner for me." These 
 children were the generals and colonels of the Polish 
 
 228
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 army, who had the honor of dining with the emperor 
 that day. My aunt followed him, saying she had a 
 thousand things to say to him ; and among others 
 she spoke to him of one of her protgs, for whom 
 she solicited the key of chamberlain. " For," she 
 said, in that tone which she knew so well to make 
 comic without derogating from the nobility of her 
 manners, " as long as he has n't that wonderful key, 
 he is like the fox without a tail" 
 
 We conducted the emperor to his carriage, and my 
 aunt, watching him mount, said : " Is n't he hand- 
 some, is n't he adorable, is n't he unique ! " Two 
 days later, as my aunt was dining again with my 
 mother, she received a note from M. de Novosiltzoff, 
 the minister of his Majesty at Warsaw, which said to 
 my aunt that " the angel of angels " having deigned 
 to consent to dine with him the next day, he begged 
 her to bring her niece also, as the emperor wished to 
 have the pleasure of seeing her. The tone of this 
 note, so flattering as far as it concerned me, pleased 
 as much as it surprised me : for I hardly knew M. de 
 Novosiltzoff at that time. We immediately guessed 
 the source from which this graceful attention came, 
 which was another proof of goodness and kindness 
 that I had never deserved, and for which I was grate- 
 ful, as I ought to have been. 
 
 My aunt came to take me to this dinner. M. de 
 Novosiltzoff received us with the politeness for which 
 he was distinguished, thanking my aunt for having 
 brought me. She answered for me, for I was too 
 embarrassed to make words and compliments. The 
 entire household of the emperor, the ministers, and a 
 few persons of distinction were already assembled. 
 
 229
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 There were no other ladies except the wife of the 
 viceroy, the wife of the secretary of state, and Madame 
 Sobolewoska, a very distingute woman in every re- 
 spect, and also the niece of M. de Novosiltzoff, a very 
 charming person. I immediately made the acquain- 
 tance of these two ladies and made common cause 
 with them, for all three of us, I especially, had never 
 been to a grand dinner of ceremony. Madame N. 
 said I was afraid without reason; "for," she said, 
 " when my uncle asked permission to invite ladies, 
 you were one of the first whom his Majesty named." 
 
 When the emperor was announced, M. de Novo- 
 siltzoff and his niece went out to receive him. Then 
 the emperor approached the ladies. He made his 
 excuses to Madame Sobolewoska for having disturbed 
 her by coming to see her in the morning (she was 
 dressing). Alexander spoke of her son, who, very 
 young, had just entered service, and who the emperor 
 said was very handsome. " He resembles his mother, 
 then," said I. " Oh, no, not at all," said that lady, 
 with vivacity. The emperor laughed ; then he asked 
 me if I had been to the review, and I said Morpheus 
 had prevented my going. He wanted to know also if I 
 knew the environs of Warsaw. I replied that the bad 
 weather had prevented me from exploring them, but 
 in general I preferred those of Vilna. The emperor, 
 guessing my thought, smiled and said he shared my 
 opinion in that regard. 
 
 The dinner was very grand. At table the Grand 
 Duke Constantine saluted me, but unfortunately I did 
 not see it. His Imperial Highness said to my aunt, 
 who was placed next to him, " Your niece is very 
 sparing of her bows ! " My aunt repeated to me 
 
 230
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 word for word what the prince had just said. Then I 
 made haste, laughing, to make two or three deep 
 reverences. 
 
 After leaving the table, the company was grouped 
 without order in the salon. The emperor commenced 
 talking with my aunt near the fireplace. I heard him 
 call me and I approached. He said to me: "Ask 
 your aunt to take you to see her houses. You will 
 be pleased with them. You will see what good order 
 reigns there." I thought he was speaking again of 
 Garenne, but it was of two houses at Warsaw which they 
 had taken for military quarters. The emperor said 
 laughingly that my aunt had made a gratuitous gift 
 of them to the country, and as a recompense for it he 
 and his brother would give the princess a cap and 
 riding-habit of military cloth. My aunt did not relish 
 this joke very much, but she pretended to laugh be- 
 cause she had a request to make of his Majesty. She 
 commenced by saying to M. de Novosiltzoff in Rus- 
 sian, " Tell him to do all that Madame de Radzivil 
 wants ! " The emperor said to me, " See how she 
 speaks Russian ! " " It is impossible," I said, " to 
 ask more in fewer words." The emperor repeated 
 what I had said to M. de Novosiltzoff, adding that it 
 was quite true. " Certainly," said the latter, " for if 
 your Majesty ordered it I would have to do all that 
 it may please the princess to ask." The emperor then 
 wanted to know what the request was. It concerned 
 a certain extension of land which my aunt wished to 
 get from the crown to enlarge her Arcadia. " It is 
 not my fault," said she, " that I have never been able to 
 end this business. I have bargained with three bish- 
 ops and with Davoust, who owned this domain, but 
 
 231
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 they have all haggled over the price. But you, sire, 
 I hope you will not haggle." 
 
 This expression addressed to a sovereign was so 
 perfectly ridiculous that it had its effect. The em- 
 peror assured her that he would do his best not to do 
 that. " But," said he, " of what extent is this land? " 
 " Four versts square." " What ! " exclaimed his Maj- 
 esty. " The half of it would be sufficient for the whole 
 Polish army to manoeuvre on ! And what will you 
 give me for it?" " Sire, you shall have two hundred 
 and fifty florins rent annually." The affected avidity 
 of my aunt on the one side, and the pretended avar- 
 ice of the emperor, who seemed to be afraid of being 
 cheated, on the other, were very amusing. The par- 
 ties separated without having concluded anything. 
 
 232
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 OF all the beautiful entertainments which took 
 place during the stay of the Emperor Alexan- 
 der at Warsaw, the most delightful and the best 
 arranged, I think, was that given by the senator 
 palatine, Count Stanilaus Potocki. As I was dancing 
 the Polonaise with the emperor he made many jokes 
 about an Englishman who was staying at Warsaw on his 
 way north; his Majesty said I had done wonders in mak- 
 ing him waltz in time, a thing that had never before 
 happened to an Englishman since the world began. 
 I asked his Majesty if he had been satisfied with 
 the manoeuvres ; he said yes, and asked me if they had 
 interested me. I said assuredly ; as a good Pole I 
 had much pleasure in being there, but as a good 
 Lithuanian I had suffered a feeling of pain, even of 
 envy. He understood my idea in a moment, for he 
 was gifted with remarkable perspicacity in grasping 
 the most obscure sense of a phrase ; vulgarly speak- 
 ing, he understood half a word. Pressing my hand 
 kindly he said : " Be reassured, the thing is already 
 arranged ; " and then fearing that he would be heard 
 by those who preceded or followed us in the dance, 
 Alexander spoke in my ear assuring me that we were 
 to have a similar corps of troops in Lithuania, a 
 regiment at Vilna and a regiment at Minsk ; in fact, 
 the same internal organization as in Warsaw. I as- 
 sured the emperor that he would find there the same 
 zeal, also, and that the Lithuanians would not fall 
 
 233
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 short of the Poles in anything. " You will already 
 find changes in the government of Lithuania," said 
 his Majesty. " Many of the places are already oc- 
 cupied by people of the country." 
 
 My heart was so full of what the emperor had told 
 me that I could not find words to thank him ; yet I 
 told him that the idea which he perhaps entertained 
 that his Majesty was less appreciated in Lithuania 
 than at Warsaw pained me. He hastened to reassure 
 me on that subject. A few moments later, when he 
 came to take me for a waltz, I said, laughing, that 
 his Majesty apparently wished to assure himself if it 
 was really I who had made Mr. Wentworth waltz in 
 time. The emperor answered in the same tone, that 
 he flattered himself that he could waltz as well as he, 
 and after a few turns he asked me what I thought. I 
 answered that if Mr. Wentworth knew it, he would 
 probably feel himself very much honored by such 
 emulation. I asked the emperor, in the intervals of 
 the waltz, if he intended to return by way of Vilna. 
 " No," said he, " that detour would take two days, and 
 I am obliged to return to St. Petersburg for my 
 mother's birthday ; moreover, I have seen at Warsaw 
 all that I could wish to see at Vilna." 
 
 The emperor and I then amused ourselves passing 
 in review all the beautiful women at the ball, and 
 there were many beauties at Warsaw. We remarked 
 especially Madame Zamoyska, wife of the president 
 of the senate, who was no longer in her first youth, 
 but who had so well preserved its charms that every- 
 one who saw her for the first time took her for a 
 young girl. She had the most beautiful eyes in the 
 world, and a fairy figure. 
 
 234
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 Among the beautiful women, the charming Princess 
 Maximilian Sablonowska, /<? Lubominska, was to be 
 reckoned, as fresh as a rose; Princess Dominique 
 Radzivil also, who has since married General Czerni- 
 scheff ; and the three daughters of the marshal of the 
 palace, who were called the three Graces. The 
 eldest of these, who is now Princess Lowiez, danced 
 with such perfection that when Duport came to War- 
 saw and she wished to take lessons of him, he said he 
 was able to teach her nothing more. 
 
 The day before his departure, Alexander did me 
 the honor of coming to say good-bye. With his 
 usual elegant and chivalric politeness he had asked 
 my " permission " without exactly indicating the day. 
 But I was ready at the moment of his Majesty's 
 arrival, as it was the hour when we dined. On enter- 
 ing, the emperor said he had come to thank me for 
 my " kindness " and to beg me always to consider 
 him as an old friend. Those who have not had the 
 happiness of knowing Alexander will perhaps wonder 
 at such language ; but in this prince it was the simple 
 expression of politeness and kindness. 
 
 His Majesty then said : " We are going to stay 
 here, are we not, and we can go afterwards to 
 Mamma f " When we were seated, the emperor 
 asked me if I had been to the parade. I said I had 
 not. He said it was a pity I had not tried to see it; 
 that it was very fine, and that the Austrian general, 
 Count Walmoden, who had been sent to Warsaw by 
 the Emperor Francis, could not admire enough the 
 fine troops which had been organized in so short a 
 time. " And," continued his Majesty, " though I 
 should not wish to break the good understanding 
 
 2 35
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 which exists between us, if necessity required it, I 
 think they would fight well." 
 
 The emperor asked me one question for which I 
 was not prepared, and which embarrassed me very 
 much, though I knew that it was inspired by the kind 
 interest which he had shown for me ever since I had 
 had the honor to become acquainted with him. He 
 asked me if there were no projects of marriage for 
 me. " I have spoken of this to your aunt," continued 
 his Majesty, " but she tells me you have refused all 
 the offers that have been made you. You are per- 
 fectly right in being particular ; but is there no one 
 who will be so fortunate as to suit you? I wish I 
 could see you happily settled in life as you deserve 
 to be." I did as one usually does in such circum- 
 stances; I made the stupidest answer in the world. 
 The emperor did not reply, but renewed his invitation 
 for me to come to St. Petersburg. " In case your 
 aunt should not go, could you not induce your sister 
 to make the journey?" I objected that my sister 
 had a numerous family. " Well," said his Majesty, 
 " do you suppose there is a curse on children at St. 
 Petersburg?" I laughed, and explained to him the 
 real ground of my answer, seizing this opportunity to 
 recommend my brother-in-law, Count Gunther of 
 Hildesheim to his Majesty. I said everything good 
 about him that it was possible to say, as can well be 
 believed, and solicited for him the place of vice-gov- 
 ernor either of Minsk or of Vilna. Unfortunately 
 these places were just filled ; his Majesty regretted it 
 exceedingly. He offered me as an equivalent that of 
 Grodno, but this position would not have suited my 
 brother-in-law. 
 
 236
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 Nothing could equal the attention with which 
 Alexander listened to all the demands that were 
 made upon him. He put even in his refusals such a 
 kind graciousness and so much interest that it seemed 
 that it was he whom the refusal hurt instead of the 
 person who was refused. 
 
 In speaking of the pleasure of serving his Majesty, 
 I told him I had often felt a regret that I was such a 
 useless creature. If I had been a man I could have 
 consecrated my whole life to his service, and could 
 have employed whatever talent I possessed in being 
 useful to him. " Ah ! you are wrong to call yourself 
 useless," said the prince; " virtuous conduct assures a 
 noble career to a woman. She can do so much good 
 in the world- by the influence of her example. A 
 good woman exerts a charm, so potent that one 
 breathes a better moral atmosphere in her presence, 
 while the woman who is only amiable is always repel- 
 lent to me." 
 
 His Majesty then added a few serious reflections 
 upon the benefits derived from religion, its consola- 
 tions, and the strength it gives in times of trouble and 
 misfortune. Alexander had doubtless his weaknesses, 
 like many other great men, but his heart was filled 
 with the purest moral and religious sentiments. 
 
 When the emperor rose to go I asked permission 
 to call my mother, but his Majesty said he would go 
 up to her and gave me his arm. My mother came 
 to meet the emperor, who chatted with her a few 
 minutes standing, and then made his adieux, renewing 
 his assurances of friendship and remembrance. That 
 good-bye was not for me, as I had the pleasure of 
 seeing him again at a ball at Princess Czartoryska's.
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 As the emperor danced more than usual I took the 
 liberty of saying that it was a good deal of fatigue to 
 incur at the moment of departure. " Yes," said his 
 Majesty, " especially as I rose at four o'clock this 
 morning ; but it can't be helped. I must try to keep 
 up the life of the ball." 
 
 The excellent health of the emperor, which seemed 
 to promise a long life, helped him to bear easily these 
 fatigues, and one of his aides-de-camp, Count Ojarow- 
 ski, told us that after leaving the ball he had spent 
 the rest of the night in writing, sending off couriers, 
 reading and signing memoranda, and after all this 
 hard work at the moment of his departure, he con- 
 versed with the members of his suite with the same 
 freshness of ideas and the same vivacity which he 
 ordinarily showed. It is true that he was hardly in 
 his carriage before he went to sleep, and he did not 
 waken till he was forty miles from Warsaw. 
 
 238
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 THETyear following, when my marriage was agreed 
 upon, according to the custom at the court of 
 Russia I wrote to the grand mistress, Comtesse de 
 Litta, 1 to obtain permission from their Imperial Maj- 
 esties to marry. M. de Choiseul made the same 
 request at Moscow, where the court passed the winter 
 of 1818. He was presented to the emperor, who 
 spoke with him about his approaching marriage, 
 charged him with compliments for me, and gave him 
 permission to return to France to fulfil his duties 
 there as a peer of the realm. I did not think it 
 necessary to write directly to the emperor on that 
 occasion. But the same year, Alexander being at 
 Warsaw, and having met my mother, he deigned to 
 tell her that he had offered up prayers for my happi- 
 ness and that I had his best wishes. His Majesty 
 added that he feared, not having received any direct 
 news from me, that I had been offended because he 
 had sent me his compliments by a Jew (it was the 
 same who had carried a letter from me to my father 
 in 1812). He came to Vilna in my absence. He 
 had received an order, if I gave him a letter to his 
 
 1 Comtesse de Litta, nie Engelhardt, was a niece of Prince Po- 
 temkin. She once shone as a celebrated beauty at the court of 
 Catherine II. She was first married to Count Scavrowsky, who 
 was Russian ambassador at Naples. When a widow she became 
 acquainted with Count Litta, a commander of the Order of Malta, 
 who had first won fame as admiral of the Russian fleet, and subse- 
 quently became Lord High Chamberlain of the court of Alexander. 
 
 2 39
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 Majesty, to bring it to him at Warsaw. A few 
 months later, finding that I was at Vilna, this Jew 
 came to tell me he was going to rejoin the emperor at 
 Minsk, and asked me for a letter for his Majesty. I 
 wrote in consequence that the Israelite, the bearer 
 of the gracious remembrance of my sovereign, had 
 seemed a very welcome messenger. I added that I 
 was about to leave for France, and that the remem- 
 brance of the kindness with which his Majesty had 
 honored me would follow me to that country and 
 continue there to add to my happiness. 
 
 The Jew returned soon and brought me the gra- 
 cious answer which I transcribe here. 
 
 I am very happy, madame, to be authorized to offer 
 you in writing my most sincere thanks for the charming 
 letter which I have just received from you and which has 
 given me great pleasure. My wishes for your happiness 
 are only too natural at a time like that of your marriage. 
 Allow me to repeat them again as well as for the journey 
 you are about to undertake. May Providence guide your 
 footsteps and protect you wherever you may go. Will you 
 keep a place for me in your memory and accept the hom- 
 age of respectful attachment which I owe you. 
 
 ALEXANDER. 
 
 This letter, written by his own hand, and a very 
 good hand it was, was for me in France like a talis- 
 man against the intolerant prejudices and the mali- 
 cious false reports. A short time after my arrival in 
 that country, after the first illusion was dissipated, I 
 began to recognize the truth of the picture which 
 Alexander had drawn in strong lines, which at the 
 time had seemed to me to be too highly colored. 
 
 240
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 I could not help comparing this cold egoism, this 
 icy indifference which reigns in Parisian society, the 
 artificial necessities born of frivolity, the insatiable 
 desires of cupidity, the antagonism of political 
 opinions, and the circumscribed etiquette of the 
 court with that affectionate and friendly good- 
 heartedness (to use an old-fashioned word) which 
 is so natural to the Russians and Poles. Each day 
 made the contrast more bitter to me. 
 
 Although I greatly desired to leave France, yet I 
 wished to leave it in a manner honorable to M. de 
 C. They spoke of naming him for the embassy to 
 Russia, and the choice of ambassador was subject to 
 the approval of the Emperor Alexander. M. de C., 
 having no one in the ministry of sufficient influence 
 to place his name on the list, consented that I should 
 write to the emperor and ask for that place, though 
 it was less gratifying to our amour propre than to 
 the feelings of our hearts to approach his august 
 person in this way. When my letter reached its 
 destination, M. de La Ferronays 1 had just been ap- 
 pointed ambassador to Russia, a choice which could 
 not be otherwise than universally approved. In 1820 
 I made a journey to Lithuania, and M. de C. being 
 engaged in defending himself against a very unjust 
 lawsuit, I decided to go to Warsaw where his Majesty 
 
 1 Pierre Louis Augusta Ferron, Count Ferronnays (born 1777, 
 died 1842). While Louis XVIII. was living in exile, the count was 
 interested in his cause, and in 1815 Louis gave him a peerage. In 
 1817 he was ambassador to the court of Denmark, whence he was 
 promoted to St. Petersburg. There he became a favorite with 
 Alexander and was intrusted with important diplomatic missions. 
 He was recalled in 1828 by Charles X., and at the special request of 
 the Sacred College the count was appointed ambassador to Rome. 
 16 241
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 was at that time, and ask justice and protection from 
 him. 
 
 I saw the emperor at a ball at Marshal de La 
 Diette's and as he was not aware of my arrival, on 
 seeing me he showed the most: amiable surprise, and 
 proved his continued interest by coming to see me 
 the day after, in the morning, calling my attention 
 himself to this eagerness, which filled me with the 
 deepest gratitude. I received his Majesty in my 
 mother's drawing-room, and the emperor asked me 
 if I was not occupying my old rooms on the ground- 
 floor, fearing that he had disturbed my mother. 
 Then he expressed his regret at not having been 
 able to grant the request which I had made of him 
 for M. de C. " Your letter," said the emperor, " was 
 a long time in reaching me ; I did not receive it until 
 after M. de La Ferronays had been nominated for 
 the place. Besides, upon my first visit to Paris, I 
 had already given my word to the king, who had 
 asked me if M. de La Ferronays would suit me for 
 ambassador to St. Petersburg, and when they sent 
 me a list, it was impossible not to choose from among 
 the names that it contained M. de La Ferronays, 
 whom I had known formerly during his emigration, 
 and who is a very good man." 
 
 The emperor then asked me a number of questions 
 concerning my sojourn in France, my new family 
 relations, and so forth. He asked me if I was happy, 
 and said some very pleasant things about M. de C. 
 I answered his Majesty that the antagonism of polit- 
 ical parties in France made trouble and bitterness, 
 not only in society but in families. 
 
 "What do the French want?" asked Alexander. 
 242
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 " They have everything to make a people happy ; 
 Heaven has given them a beautiful country, and a 
 climate favorable to all kinds of products. They 
 enjoy as much liberty as it is reasonably possible 
 for them to have, and, alas, they are not content!" 
 When I spoke of the liberal party " Oh, that is 
 a name they give themselves, a kind of mantle with 
 which to cover their audacious designs. There is 
 nothing less liberal in the true acceptation of the 
 word than this demagogue party in France. You 
 belong," continued the emperor, " by your marriage 
 and by your family connections to the most distin- 
 guished Parisian society. Among them all there 
 are those doubtless who think rightly, but there are 
 also firebrands which " (I guessed the idea of the 
 emperor, but I kept silence.) " I urged and conjured 
 them to act firmly in the beginning of the restoration 
 of the monarchy; but they would not believe me, 
 and they see to-day the sad results in the tragic death 
 of the Due de Berri. This event is the more deplor- 
 able as the character of the duke, which had changed 
 to his advantage, began to give great hopes." Alex- 
 ander attributed this terrible event and all the mis- 
 fortunes of France in general to the influence of 
 M. Decazes over Louis XVIII. He admired M. de 
 Richelieu very much, and hoped he would remain 
 in the ministry. The emperor spoke of Monsieur, the 
 brother of the king, now his Majesty Charles X., 
 with great esteem, saying that the character of this 
 prince had been tried in the school of adversity. 
 He praised also the courage of the Duchesse de 
 Berri, and said he awaited with impatience the 
 desired event which would tranquillize France and 
 
 243
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 all Europe. Alexander seemed disturbed, and gave 
 me to understand that he was not satisfied with the 
 last news from France. 
 
 The emperor having asked me why M. de C. had 
 not accompanied me to Warsaw, I explained the 
 annoying affair which had prevented him from doing' 
 homage at the feet of his Majesty, and I took the 
 opportunity to speak of the lawsuit. His Majesty 
 asked me to give him a few notes relating to the 
 case, assuring me that he would be my attorney with 
 pleasure. When I attempted to express my gratitude 
 for his kindness, he said that I owed him none at all, 
 and that there was no merit in rendering me justice. 
 
 I made a short memorandum of the case, but I 
 did not know how to convey it to the emperor. I 
 hoped to speak to him at the ball given at the vice- 
 roy's, but I arrived so late, on account of the crowd 
 of carriages which formed in line before the door, 
 that the emperor was retiring as I entered the ball- 
 room, and he did not see me. The next morn- 
 ing just as I was relating my disappointment to my 
 mother, a servant from the court was announced, who 
 came from his Majesty to ask news of me and to 
 inquire if I was ill, as the emperor had not seen 
 me at the ball ! What a kind attention was this, 
 dictated only by a sentiment of good-feeling. 
 
 As I proposed to stay only a few days at Warsaw, 
 his Majesty, learning that I was on the eve of my 
 departure, deigned to come and receive my respect- 
 ful adieux, saying that he had hoped that I would 
 prolong my stay at Warsaw until the term fixed for 
 his Majesty's own departure, twelve days later, when 
 he was to go to the conference of Troppan in Silesia. 
 
 244
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 I answered that I had promised M. de C. to return 
 at a fixed time, and that I always kept my word. I 
 presented my memorandum to his Majesty, who 
 commenced to read it at once, then suddenly stop- 
 ping he said, " It is not very polite to read in pres- 
 ence of ladies, I believe." I answered that on the 
 part of a sovereign it was, on the contrary, a favor, 
 as it was a proof that he really wished to understand 
 the question presented to his judgment. 
 
 After the emperor had read the notes he placed 
 the paper under his uniform, saying that he liked my 
 handwriting very much, and that I could be quite 
 tranquil, he would be my advocate. " And never 
 could a cause be placed in better hands ! " I ex- 
 claimed. "Where could one hope to find justice if 
 not in the heart of our beloved sovereign?" 
 
 My mother asked permission to read a passage 
 from a letter from her sister Madame de Radzivil, 
 who was in the country and who charged her with 
 her adorations. The emperor received this homage 
 with his usual modesty, saying that he was always 
 sensible of the kindnesses offered him. His Majesty 
 then spoke to us of the marriage of his august 
 brother Duke Constantine, which took place that 
 year. 
 
 " I had to overcome many obstacles," he said, " to 
 assure my brother's happiness, but finally he is happy 
 in the right way. I did not like his other way of 
 being happy," added the prince, with a smile. He 
 praised the character of the princess and her an- 
 gelic sweetness. 
 
 His Majesty wished to know if M. de C., aside from 
 his duties as a peer, had no other occupation, either 
 
 245
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 military or civil. I seized the opportunity to ask a 
 new favor for M. de C. Obliged to live in France, 
 and possessing nothing there; having estates in 
 Russia laden with heavy charges and with a large 
 number of relatives to maintain, he lacked the means 
 necessary not only to keep up a state suitable to 
 his rank, but to provide for the simple necessities 
 of life. After having solicited without success some 
 place in the government, he hoped to obtain one in 
 Russia through influence brought to bear upon M. 
 de Richelieu. In begging his Majesty to give me a 
 favorable word to his ambassador at Paris, I said 
 how happy I should be to feel myself under his 
 protection even in France, and to owe to him per- 
 haps all the prosperity which I might there enjoy. 
 
 Alexander answered that he should be glad to 
 contribute to it and that he was going to give me 
 a letter longer than my memory. 
 
 After the emperor had left us, my mother and I 
 talked of the goodness of " that angel " and a feeling 
 of tenderness mingled with sadness came over us 
 which I now regard as a presentiment only too 
 true. We thought that beings so good and so per- 
 fect do not remain long on the earth, because heaven 
 always hastens to reclaim those who belong there. 
 
 The same day, seeing the emperor pass rapidly 
 in an open caleche, my mother said : " Really it 
 was very foolish for us to give ourselves trouble on 
 that subject. He is young and enjoys such perfect 
 health. God will preserve him ; " and we laughed 
 at our fears. 
 
 Yet one found no longer in Alexander that frank 
 gaiety which had formerly distinguished him. He 
 
 246
 
 DUKE CONST A3VTI T* K.
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 seemed discontented with the Polish government, with 
 the business done by the diet, with the expenses, 
 which exceeded the means of the State. He seemed 
 to seek solitude. Often, without giving notice to any 
 of his retinue, he went alone to walk in the environs 
 of Warsaw and had his dinner brought there. Never- 
 theless he enjoyed good health ; his prestige in 
 Russia and in Europe remained the same always 
 preponderant. 
 
 Soon after I returned to Lithuania I received a 
 despatch from the court containing a letter for the 
 Russian ambassador at Paris, inclosing a copy for me. 
 I had the satisfaction to learn at the same time that 
 on account of an express recommendation from his 
 Majesty the lawsuit had been arrested. 
 
 247
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 WHEN I returned to France a great event was 
 agitating the public mind, which promised to 
 cause important changes in Europe and perhaps 
 bring back the times of the crusades and reawaken 
 the spirit of chivalry. I speak of the Greeks and 
 those heroic efforts which called forth not only the 
 interest of the religious world, but the enthusiasm of 
 all lovers of the beautiful, of the marvellous, and of 
 all that awakens and exalts the imagination by the 
 charm of the memories connected with that land 
 once so illustrious. 
 
 It was expected that the Emperor Alexander, as 
 the head of the Greek Church in Russia, would de- 
 clare himself the protector of his brethren in religion, 
 and that he could not resist the desire to succor the 
 Greeks, expel the Turks from Europe, and make 
 himself master of the Grecian peninsula. 
 
 I own that, without thinking of other considerations, 
 in my heart I wished for him this new glory, added 
 to all that he had already won. But the policy of 
 the sovereigns of Europe took another view of the 
 subject. In this desire and effort of the Greeks to 
 throw off the shameful yoke which weighed upon 
 them and to recover a just independence, a danger- 
 ous revolutionary spirit was seen, the same which for 
 forty years had been working to undermine the 
 thrones of Europe, and to overthrow the powers 
 established by law and by divine sanction. The 
 
 248
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 Greeks were abandoned, and the Emperor Alexander 
 was obliged to renounce all those personal advan- 
 tages, and the glory which such a noble enterprise 
 promised, that the peace of Europe and that equi- 
 librium, of which, he himself held the balance, might 
 be maintained. 
 
 France had her own reasons for anxiety. Spain, 
 her neighbor and ally, on the eve of a bloody and 
 destructive revolution, attracted the attention of 
 Europe and particularly the solicitude of the French 
 government. 
 
 In the spring of 1822 I made a journey to Vilna 
 to make arrangements with my family about my 
 fortune. The emperor came there to review an army 
 corps of sixty thousand men. He arrived on the sec- 
 ond of June, traversed the boulevard the entire length 
 of Vilna, and struck by the want of enthusiasm in the 
 inhabitants, he said afterwards to Princess Troubetz- 
 ka that they would never see him again at Vilna. 
 
 The next day, surrounded by his three august 
 brothers, he was present at a brilliant review on the 
 plains of Werki. 
 
 Learning that I was at Vilna the emperor ex- 
 pressed his pleasure, and sent to ask if he would dis- 
 turb me by coming to see me. I shall never forget 
 how my French servant (to whom I had given a 
 lesson how to receive the emperor, when his Majesty 
 inquired if I was at home) answered, " Oui, monsieur." 
 
 Alexander immediately asked me a few questions 
 about my child, asking me why I had not brought 
 him with me. I answered that I was afraid of expos- 
 ing him to the fatigue of such a long journey (he was 
 only six months old) ; and that my greatest regret 
 
 249
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 in the midst of the joy I felt in seeing my sovereign 
 again was in not being able to place my child at his 
 feet. The emperor, seeing how I was moved in 
 speaking to him, said in a tone of real feeling: 
 " Ah ! I understand the pain you felt in leaving 
 him." His Majesty deigned to remember M. de C. ; 
 I said he was obliged to be present at the sittings of 
 the Chamber of Peers and had not been able to 
 accompany me ; and I added, " I really fear your 
 Majesty is surprised to see me travel thus, always 
 alone, yet my whole desire as well as my ambition is 
 to preserve the esteem with which your Majesty has 
 honored me." Alexander assured me that neither 
 time nor absence nor distance could change the feel- 
 ings of esteem which he entertained for me. 
 
 His Majesty wished to know the obstacles which 
 had prevented the baptism of my child from taking 
 place at Paris. (He was to have been named for the 
 emperor.) I related what had taken place at that 
 time, and frankly avowed that it had been my own 
 fault. After the birth of my son I had written to the 
 Emperor Alexander to tell him that a subject had been 
 born to him in France, and to ask him, not out of 
 vanity but for the future good of my child, to stand 
 sponsor for him. The emperor, with his usual kind- 
 ness, consented to grant me this favor, sent a hand- 
 some present, and charged Count Schouvaloff, who 
 was then in Paris, to represent him in the ceremony, 
 as I had asked in my letter to his Majesty that the 
 choice might fall upon a good and true Russian, and 
 not upon the ambassador, whom I could not consider 
 as such. It is just that which caused the opposition 
 on the part of the French clergy, opposition which 
 
 250
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 would not have taken place if the person named by 
 the emperor had been of the Roman Catholic Church. 
 The emperor assured me that, since the misunder- 
 standing arose out of religious zeal, he saw no reason 
 to be offended at what had happened. 
 
 The emperor asked me what business had brought 
 me to Vilna, and if it was the lawsuit for which I had 
 given him the memorandum at Warsaw. He re- 
 membered that still after two years. In general the 
 memory of this prince was prodigious ; however, it 
 was in fault that day. " With what pleasure," said 
 he, " do I see you again in this room where I used 
 to see you ! Here is the same sofa where you used 
 to sit near the same round table." He looked around 
 for the piano it was not there. I was embarrassed, 
 for it was my father's apartment, which I was occupy- 
 ing in his absence; and it was not that one in which 
 I had received his Majesty several times, for my 
 father had changed his residence to another house. 
 I did not reply. Thus the poor princes are often 
 deceived in the smallest matters, even by those who 
 are the most devoted to them. 
 
 The emperor then touched on graver subjects. 
 He spoke with interest of the position of France and 
 approved the change of the ministry, which gave him 
 occasion to speak of M. Decazes and M. de Talley- 
 rand. He said that France owed much to M. de 
 Richelieu, for it was he who obtained, at the Congress 
 of Aix-la-Chapelle, the recall of the allied troops out 
 of France. The emperor said that his talent and 
 intelligence might have been greater, but that he was 
 an honest man full of zeal for his country, which in 
 like circumstances was rare. 
 
 251
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 The Emperor Alexander seemed to have an exag- 
 gerated idea of the ability and oratorical talent of the 
 demagogue party, as he styled the party on the left 
 in the House of Deputies. I suggested that the royal- 
 ists would not yield to them on that point At 
 each orator on the left that his Majesty named, I 
 cited one on the right; to General Foy 1 and Benjamin 
 Constant I opposed Castelbajac 2 and Labourdonnaie 
 and Dalot. I cannot say that I succeeded in con- 
 vincing Alexander, for he seemed greatly struck by 
 the influence which such talent as the opposition 
 possessed could exert in France upon the mind of 
 the nation. It was easy to see from the language of 
 the emperor that he had received disturbing reports 
 of what was happening in France. I ventured to say 
 that these troubles, incited by discontented and rest- 
 less minds, could not destroy the tranquillity of the 
 mass of the French nation, which, after all the dis- 
 turbances it had suffered, wished for nothing now so 
 much as peace and repose. 
 
 I had brought with me a work which had just ap- 
 peared, upon the revolution in Piedmont. I spoke 
 
 1 Maximilian Sebastian Foy (born 1775, died 1825). A French 
 general and orator. He was one of those republicans who opposed 
 the assumption of imperial power by Napoleon. In 1819 he was 
 elected to the Chamber of Deputies, where he immediately took his 
 place in the front rank of orators. His past life, his noble character, 
 and his persuasive manner gave him great influence, which he em- 
 ployed in favor of liberal and constitutional government. 
 
 2 Marie Barthelemy, Viscount de Castelbajac (born 1776, died 
 1868), a French politician and orator. He served some time in the 
 army under Conde". Upon the restoration of the Bourbons he was 
 elected to the Chamber of Deputies, where he was a warm partisan 
 of the interests of the aristocracy. He was elevated to the peerage 
 in 1830. 
 
 252
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 of it to his Majesty, who had already read it and 
 praised it much, and told me something which I did 
 not know, that the foundation of this political ro- 
 mance was a real adventure. 
 
 The emperor then spoke of the affairs in Spain. 
 " I see only one way to end them," he said, " that is 
 by fighting. Spain is the hot-bed of revolution, and 
 for the peace of other nations that dangerous ele- 
 ment must be suppressed and destroyed. I should like 
 to volunteer in such a cause, but how reach Spain 
 without passing through France? And would there 
 not be danger in interesting France in such a war?" 
 
 I did not venture any observation on such impor- 
 tant questions, but changing the subject I said : 
 " Lately in Paris we supposed your Majesty to be 
 already in Constantinople." 
 
 " Yes," said Alexander, smiling, " they wanted me 
 to teach that maniac some of my principles, but 
 nothing in the world shall make me go." 
 
 " Sire, your Majesty has given an example of un- 
 paralleled moderation and firmness in not allowing 
 yourself to be led by a temptation, which must have 
 been strong, to make such a fine conquest and to 
 deliver Greece from the yoke which oppresses her." 
 
 " No project for enlarging my territories enters 
 into any of my political views," said his Majesty; 
 " their extent is already so great as to excite the 
 attention and envy of the other powers of Europe. 
 I cannot, and I will not, favor the insurrection of 
 the Greeks, because that step would be contrary to 
 the system which I have adopted, and it would cer- 
 tainly destroy that peace which I have tried so hard 
 to establish, a peace so necessary to Europe. 
 
 253
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 " Moreover, in giving an ear to the voice of hu- 
 manity and that of my own heart, which calls me to 
 the help of the Greeks, I should only engage in an 
 enterprise which would augment the number of vic- 
 tims. The least step that my armies would make in 
 their favor would be the signal for a general mas- 
 sacre. You know that the Greek population is scat- 
 tered over the Peninsula of Morea, which would be 
 overrun by the Turks before the Russians could 
 reach Constantinople." 
 
 After this grave but interesting conversation the 
 emperor, changing the subject, began to make sar- 
 castic remarks about the partiality of the King of 
 France for a certain lady of his court. 1 " How 
 can Louis XVIII., at sixty-seven years of age, have 
 mistresses? " 
 
 " But sire," I said, " it is only a platonic affection." 
 
 " I do not admit even that," said he. " I am forty- 
 five, while the king is sixty-seven, and I have long 
 given up that sort of thing." 
 
 In fact for several years Alexander had led a most 
 exemplary life, and Madame N. had for a long time 
 been banished to Paris. 
 
 The emperor asked me if I had seen his soldiers 
 at the review. I answered that I had seen some 
 giants. Really, the men and horses in the army 
 appeared to me perfectly gigantic, the horses espe- 
 
 1 Zoe Victoire Talon, Countess of Cayla (born 1784, died 1852), 
 was a friend of Queen Hortense. Her husband, with whom she 
 lived unhappily and from whom she was ultimately divorced, was 
 a member of the little court of the Condes. She was young, ami- 
 able, and intelligent when she sought Louis XVTII.'s protection 
 against Count du Cayla, who was seeking to remove her children 
 from her care, and the kiug immediately became fascinated with her. 
 
 254
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 cially, which were too heavy and too large for cav- 
 alry. His Majesty asked me why in all my journeys 
 I had never come to St. Petersburg. I said that that 
 was my favorite dream, one of my castles in Spain. 
 
 "Why only a castle in Spain?" said Alexander. 
 " What do you find so extraordinary in making that 
 journey, you who travel with the rapidity of a cou- 
 rier?" (I had come from Paris to Vilna in fourteen 
 days ! ) " For you, it is like going from Vilkomir to 
 Towiany." 
 
 "Not quite, sire," I replied; "but I will do my 
 best to go there next year, and it will be the happiest 
 day of my life when I see my husband and my 
 child at your Majesty's feet." 
 
 " We cannot boast," said Alexander modestly, 
 " that St. Petersburg compares with Paris in the 
 beauty and resources of all sorts which that great 
 capital offers, but we will endeavor to give you as 
 good a reception as we can." 
 
 I showed his Majesty a portrait of my child. He 
 looked at it a long time and found him pretty. He 
 then asked me questions about my father and about 
 the marriages of my brothers ; in fine, his attentive 
 and thoughtful kindness was forgetful of nothing 
 which could be interesting to me. In taking leave, 
 Alexander deigned to renew his assurance of friend- 
 ship, and begged me always to be good and gracious 
 to him. " Be assured," added he, " that the friendship 
 which you inspire in me is pure and disinterested." 
 
 His Majesty deigned to accept a ball which was 
 given him by the marshal of the nobility at Vilna, 
 at the town hall. Every one remarked that the em- 
 peror, in spite of his calling himself an old soldier, 
 
 255
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 did not look more than thirty years old. He was 
 still remarkably handsome, and had a surprising 
 brilliancy. His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke 
 Constantine, while dancing with me, asked if it was 
 some business which had brought me to Vilna. 
 " It is doubtless some suit in the courts," said he ; 
 " you Poles do nothing else ; " which unfortunately is 
 only too true. 
 
 It was at this ball that I had the honor of seeing 
 the Grand Duke Nicholas for the first time (now the 
 emperor). I was struck by the perfect dignity and 
 elegance of his speech and manners, and I must say 
 that I found in the face of this young man some- 
 thing more imperial still than in that of the emperor 
 himself, which, however, was handsomer. 
 
 His Majesty said good-bye to me at the ball, as he 
 was to leave very early the next morning. I agreed 
 with several of my friends, Countess Lopacinska, 
 Countess Plater, and others, to meet on the boulevard 
 where he was to pass. The emperor always travelled 
 in an open caleche; he recognized us and bowed. 
 He was going then to the Congress of Verona, where 
 he had very interesting conferences with M. de 
 Montmprency and M. de Chateaubriand, both men 
 capable of understanding and appreciating this 
 prince, and who returned to Paris delighted with his 
 intelligence, his graciousness, and above all with his 
 noble way of thinking. M. de Montmorency par- 
 ticularly gave a strong proof of his devotion by re- 
 signing his place in the ministry when he saw the 
 impossibility of carrying out the plan and ideas 
 which Alexander had laid before him, and which his 
 reason had led him to approve. 
 
 256
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 The emperor on his return from Verona passed 
 again through Warsaw, where he honored my mother 
 with a visit and conversed with her a long time on 
 the merits of MM. de Montmorency and de Cha- 
 teaubriand. He charged my mother with remem- 
 brances for me. 
 
 At the Congress of Verona Alexander proposed 
 to the French government to send his army at his 
 own cost to the help of Spain, without the participa- 
 tion of France. This proposition, generous in itself, 
 caused great anxiety in France, especially in Paris. 
 A feeble and timid party, at the head of which was 
 M. de Talleyrand, whose quarters were about the 
 Faubourg Saint-Germain, were of the opinion that 
 the offer should be accepted without hesitation, and 
 that they ought to be only too glad that the Emperor 
 of Russia was willing to undertake an enterprise so 
 dangerous to France. M. de Talleyrand made a 
 speech in which he endeavored to prove that Spain 
 had once already brought disaster to France; that 
 he had at that time predicted to the government 
 the fatal results of the Peninsular war ; that he con- 
 sidered it his duty to recall them again in the 
 present circumstances. 
 
 The Due de Fitz-James, 1 one of the most dis- 
 tinguished orators in the Chamber of Peers, declaimed 
 loudly against this speech and endeavored to refute 
 it. The strongest and boldest party declared that 
 it would be an ineffaceable stain upon the honor of 
 
 1 Edouard, Duke Fitz-James (born 1776, died 1838) was the great 
 grandson of the Duke of Berwick, who was the natural son of 
 James IT. The Duke was an ardent Bourbon; he was first aide-de- 
 camp to Charles X. 
 
 17 257
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 France to allow the intervention of a foreign power 
 in the affairs of Spain, which were for France " family 
 matters." 
 
 This important question was discussed with much 
 interest and warmth in all the salons of Paris, and 
 I heard many young and beautiful women express 
 themselves on that subject with much eloquence and 
 true patriotism. Finally, Louis XVIII. decided the 
 question with his usual sagacity. He understood how 
 to reconcile French honor and that of the crown with 
 the tranquillity of France, by the noble confidence he 
 placed in the valor and fidelity of his armies, and by 
 choosing for their commander that august prince 
 who was destined to add new laurels to those which 
 had adorned his ancestors. 1 It is well known how, as 
 far as military success is concerned, the result real- 
 ized and even surpassed the hopes of the French 
 and the expectations of Europe. 
 
 1 Due d'Angouleme (born 1775, died 1844), son of Comte d'Artois, 
 afterwards Charles X. of France 
 
 258
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 THE Emperor Alexander, who had always enjoyed 
 the best of health, fell dangerously ill in the 
 winter of 1824. Family troubles and anxieties which 
 his lively sensibilities probably exaggerated, added 
 to a sudden cold, developed a violent malady which 
 alarmed the royal family and the entire capital. For 
 some time the emperor had adopted the habit of 
 retiring often, even in winter, to his favorite residence 
 Czarsko-Selo. He had his ministers come there, and 
 led a very solitary life, without any other diversion 
 than his long walks in the park, which was two or 
 three leagues in extent. One day (about the time of 
 the marriage of his Imperial Highness the Grand Duke 
 Michel) his Majesty had taken a longer walk than 
 usual. He returned to the chateau seized with a 
 chill, and had his dinner brought to his bedroom ; but 
 he could not eat anything, and very soon erysipelas 
 developed itself in the leg with frightful rapidity ; 
 then followed fever and delirium. 
 
 The emperor was transported at once in a closed 
 sleigh to St. Petersburg, where the medical faculty 
 were assembled, and fearing gangrene, which began 
 to manifest itself, they advised amputating the leg. 
 However, the active remedies used having produced 
 the desired effect, the excellent constitution of the 
 emperor soon led to a happy convalescence. The 
 first time that Alexander showed himself in the 
 streets of St. Petersburg after this illness, the people 
 
 259
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 everywhere on his route threw themselves on their 
 knees, giving touching signs of great joy, and thank- 
 ing Heaven for having preserved their father. 
 
 This same year I succeeded in carrying out the 
 plan formed so long before, of going to St. Peters- 
 burg and there offering my homage and respect 
 to my august sovereign, in that beautiful city which 
 had been his cradle and where stood his throne. 
 
 We arrived there in the first days of July, the 
 season when there is no night in those northern 
 regions. During the last stage of our journey from 
 Strelna, a chateau of the Grand Duke Constantine, 
 whose parks have an extent of three leagues, we 
 drove over a broad road between two rows of datcha, 
 or country houses, on one side looking upon the sea, 
 and on the other upon the canals or branches of 
 the Neva. These datcha are separated from each 
 other and from the road by gardens, where the white 
 birch predominates, whose pale verdure makes a 
 strong contrast with the dark green of the pines and 
 firs of the North. Vases of flowers dispersed among 
 the trees prolong the remembrance of spring to these 
 inhabitants of the North. 
 
 All these residences vary in architecture and 
 beauty. Here, in the midst of a mass of green, you 
 see a Greek temple with its beautiful peristyle and 
 noble steps; farther on there is a Chinese pavilion 
 with its pagodas and silvery tinkling bells; again, 
 you see a Swiss chalet, a modest habitation in appear- 
 ance, but under an unpretentious exterior is hidden 
 regal luxury; finally, an Italian belvedere raises its 
 elegant proportions above the trees which surround 
 it, forming a picturesque contrast to a Gothic chateau 
 
 260
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 with its battlemented towers. And everywhere in 
 gigantic hot-houses, protected from a humid or icy 
 atmosphere, fruits and flowers grow which nature has 
 adapted to other climes. 
 
 In short, a thousand objects manifest tastes as 
 varied as ingenious, and vie with one another to 
 attract the attention of the traveller. The environs 
 of Paris offer nothing, with the exception of the 
 royal palaces, to be compared to the magnificence of 
 the environs of St. Petersburg, where, moreover, all is 
 the work of art. These charming creations, born of 
 fancy and wealth, have been constructed upon a 
 sterile soil which was formerly only a vast marsh. 
 
 I was equally struck with the imposing and sym- 
 metrical beauty of St. Petersburg, whose streets are 
 very broad, planted with trees, and embellished with 
 pavements of slate. The houses, without having 
 the imposing appearance of the handsome hotels of 
 Paris, are distinguished by the elegance of the win- 
 dows, each consisting of a single pane of glass, and 
 by the freshness of their ornaments. One sees also 
 at St. Petersburg a great number of remarkable 
 edifices. 
 
 All the best society had gone for the summer to 
 their datcha. The small number of the inhabitants 
 who remained in the city, and nearly all of them in 
 the national costume, gave the capital a kind of 
 Asiatic appearance which contrasted singularly with 
 the perfectly European elegance of the buildings. 
 Very few equipages were to be seen in the long 
 broad streets or on the immense quays. A few 
 English carriages, or carriages made after English 
 models, to which were harnessed, Russian fashion, 
 
 261
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 four horses with long manes, were driven very fast 
 by bearded coachmen and little noisy postilions. 
 Very few pedestrians were to be seen upon the beau- 
 tiful broad pavements. 
 
 At night, in the twilight, which resembles neither 
 the light of the day nor that of the moon, but spreads 
 a kind of magic transparency over everything, this 
 beautiful deserted city looked like a vast panorama. 
 
 On arriving at St. Petersburg we stopped for a few 
 days at the hotel d'Angleterre, situated in Admiralty 
 Place, near the Winter Palace, the residence of his 
 Imperial Majesty. This palace is built in the ancient 
 style of French architecture. The Admiralty, nearly 
 opposite, is a superb edifice, built by the Emperor 
 Alexander ; for if Peter the Great founded St. Peters- 
 burg, it is Alexander who has beautified it. This 
 prince had a fine taste for architecture and was very 
 fond of building. 
 
 A promenade planted with several rows of linden- 
 trees extends from the imperial palace the whole 
 length of the Admiralty buildings, and upon the vast 
 space between this avenue and the Neva a hundred 
 thousand soldiers of the infantry can be reviewed. 
 The river is bordered by a quay of rose-colored 
 granite. The Neva, so majestic when calm, so terri- 
 ble in a storm, the waters of which are a deep blue, 
 is covered for a part of the year with vessels bearing 
 the colors of all the nations of the world. There are 
 also beautiful yachts darting hither and thither in 
 their rapid navigation. The Neva is at the same time 
 the ornament, the glory, the wealth, and the terror of 
 St Petersburg. 
 
 The Emperor Alexander was not at St. Petersburg 
 262
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 when I arrived there. After returning from a journey 
 which he had made through the military stations, his 
 Majesty had gone to be present at the manoeuvres, 
 some leagues from the capital, and it was not known 
 when he would return to Czarsko-S61o. My first 
 homage was therefore addressed to the statue of the 
 great founder of St. Petersburg, a statue of which 
 so many descriptions have been written that I will 
 spare the reader mine. Then I went to admire the 
 beautiful buildings on the English quay, the Acad- 
 emy, and the Bourse, an immense building where 
 all the products of the four quarters of the globe are 
 to be found. I visited the superb church of St. Mary 
 of Kazan. The exterior of this church is very admi- 
 rable, the architecture noble and imposing, and in the 
 interior one's eyes are dazzled by the quantity of gold 
 and silver which the church contains ; at this magnifi- 
 cent display one might imagine he had penetrated 
 into the temple of the sun which existed in times past 
 at Lima. 
 
 The Goscinny-Devor is a kind of Oriental Bazaar 
 where everything is to be found, from the rich shops 
 of the gold and silver smiths and the jewellers down 
 to those of the simplest artisans. I have never seen 
 even in Paris such a variety of fruits as I saw in the 
 fruit market at St. Petersburg ; there was every kind, 
 and among them enormous pineapples at five francs 
 apiece. 
 
 There are but two promenades at St. Petersburg ; 
 the first is the summer garden, remarkable for its 
 beautiful gilded gates. The second promenade is the 
 Ekaterinoslaf garden, situated a little outside the 
 town, where the people go in crowds on Sundays and 
 
 263
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 holidays. The carriages of the rich drive about in 
 the roads of this park, and here the first of May, which 
 is called the beginning of spring at St. Petersburg, is 
 celebrated. I noticed curious contrasts, which were 
 not also pleasing, in the parties gathered about the 
 games, the tea houses, and the Russian mountains. 
 The moujyk, the rich merchants of the city, clad in the 
 national costume so becoming to their tall figures, 
 wearing long beards, which gave them an imposing 
 and patriarchal air, walked gravely along accompa- 
 nied by their wives and daughters dressed in the Eu- 
 ropean fashion. There is not the least bit of taste in 
 the finery of these latter ; it is a desperate mixture of 
 Parisian gewgaws oddly thrown together without re- 
 gard to fashion or becomingness. Then there was a 
 face under a hat loaded with flowers, the Slavonic 
 face with a flat nose and yellow complexion; and 
 under a beautiful, embroidered dress a horrid pair of 
 badly made shoes. Beside these caricatures, these 
 parodies of Parisian elegance, were the nurses in the 
 patrician families, dressed in that costume which 
 makes the ugliest face beautiful, the kakochnik, a 
 gold bonnet covered with stones, very high, giving 
 height to the figure, the silk caftan which shows the 
 proportions so well, and the rich pelisse thrown over 
 the shoulders as a protection against the cold in this 
 changeable climate. This costume is rich, elegant, 
 and graceful. I think if I had the honor to be a sov- 
 ereign of Russia I should immediately adopt it, and 
 forever abandon the capricious fashions which Paris 
 imposes upon the whole world. This example would 
 be followed by the court, the town, and the empire, 
 and would be the same as a sumptuary law; for it is 
 
 264
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 acknowledged that a costume, however rich it may 
 be, which is not subject to the changes of fashion, 
 costs much less than that which requires constant 
 change. 
 
 I visited the interior of the Winter Palace. The 
 gallery of pictures contains many chefs-d'oeuvre of the 
 great masters; and had recently been greatly en- 
 riched by a beautiful collection which the Emperor 
 Alexander had acquired at Malmaison at the death 
 of the Empress Josephine. The collection of medals 
 which formerly belonged to the house of Orleans is 
 also very valuable. 
 
 I saw in the Winter Garden at the Hermitage the 
 descendants of the pigeons fed by the hand of Cath- 
 erine II. We made several expeditions outside town, 
 to Kamenoy-Ostroff, where the daughter-in-law of 
 M. de C. lived, Countess Edward de C., /<? Prin- 
 cess Galitzin, a woman distinguished alike for her 
 beauty and for her amiable and sweet character. 
 Kamenoy-Ostroff is about a league from the city. 
 To reach it you must cross the Neva on a bridge of 
 boats. The name signifies " The Isle of Stones" 
 There are numerous datcha here, all very attractive, 
 scattered about in a wood surrounded by water, and 
 separated by canals, arms of the Neva and of the little 
 river Noire. These waters form numerous islands, 
 which are united by bridges. The chateau and gar- 
 dens, which are not very extensive, are situated near 
 a branch of the Neva where the imperial yacht lies. 
 Not far off and near the river is the beautiful mansion 
 of Greek architecture belonging to M. Laval, and 
 those of M. Narishkin, Count StrogonofF, and others ; 
 it would be impossible for me to mention them all. 
 
 265
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 I can only say that the beauty of these waters and the 
 freshness of the verdure make the spot a retreat of 
 veritable enchantment during two or three months 
 of the year. 
 
 The island Krestofsky is a large public garden 
 similar to the old Jardin Beaujou in the Champs- 
 Elysees. Near it is the island Yelagine, where stands 
 the chateau belonging to the dowager empress. The 
 elegant form and the pure white of this palace, built 
 in the midst of flowering fields surrounded by water, 
 make it appear like a lily standing in the midst of 
 a mass of roses in a crystal vase. 
 
 I saw also the palace and gardens of Torride, 
 that ostentatious creation of the pompous Potemkin. 
 The ball-room, which is also a winter garden, is of 
 gigantic dimensions. They were working on decora- 
 tions and preparing for fireworks for the reception 
 of her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Marie, 
 Princess of Orange. 
 
 266
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 HAVING heard of his Majesty's return to Czar- 
 sko-Se"lo, I resolved to go there, although a 
 little discouraged by what I had heard, that he never 
 accorded an audience in the country. I was told 
 that even by writing it was difficult to reach the 
 emperor, as it was doubtful if the letter would be 
 given him. Besides the natural desire to offer hom- 
 age to my sovereign, I had a number of petitions to 
 make to him ; among others that of having my child 
 christened at last. I started off with a feeling of 
 timidity and discouragement, and if I could have 
 avoided the journey I would have done so gladly. 
 
 Czarsko-Se"lo is three leagues from St. Petersburg. 
 I stopped at an inn called the French Restaurant, 
 where I had for myself and my maids only one small, 
 badly furnished chamber. The host, greatly as- 
 tonished that I was not enchanted with my lodgings, 
 said that it was the same that the French ambassador 
 had when he came to Czarsko-Selo. I decided in 
 the evening to go and obtain some information from 
 Countess Ojarowska, wife of his Majesty's general 
 aide-de-camp, whom I had known for a long time, a 
 very obliging and amiable woman, and who was one of 
 my compatriots. 
 
 My friends lived in the park. I passed in front of 
 the palace, an immense edifice in the old French 
 style, overloaded with sculpture, gildings, and cupolas. 
 It seemed to be deserted. There were no sentinels 
 
 267
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 on duty in the court. This imperial solitude 1 inspired 
 in me melancholy reflections. " No," I said to myself, 
 " the Emperor Alexander of St. Petersburg is no 
 longer the Emperor Alexander of Towiany, of Vilna, 
 of Warsaw. So it is with princes. 
 
 " With what joy, with what ardor did I receive his 
 Majesty every time he deigned to come and see me ! 
 Here, what a difference ! Perhaps I shall not obtain 
 even so much as a glass of water in this palace, in- 
 hospitable as are all the habitations of the great. 
 Happy are those who never approach them, and 
 more happy still are those who have nothing to ask 
 of them." 
 
 Occupied with these sad thoughts, I walked slowly 
 along without being distracted even by the noise 
 of passing carriages, until I arrived at the Chinese 
 village. This is a collection of pretty houses, twenty 
 or more in number, built in the Chinese style, which 
 serve as dwellings for his Majesty's aides-de-camp. 
 Each one of these gentlemen has his house, his stable, 
 his conservatory, and his garden. In the centre of 
 this village built in the form of a star, is a pavilion 
 surrounded by poplar trees, where these gentlemen, 
 the aides-de-camp, give parties, balls, and concerts. 
 That part of the park around the village, the 
 bridges, trellises, kiosks, pagodas, etc., is all in 
 strict Chinese style, and is only a point in the im- 
 mensity of the park. 
 
 General Ojarowski and his wife received me very 
 cordially. They believed that the emperor would be 
 a number of days still at the reviews. However, 
 having sent to the palace and learning that his 
 Majesty was to pass the night there, the general 
 
 268
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 advised me to go early in the morning with his wife 
 into the park, saying that it was the only way of 
 meeting the emperor, who walked there every morn- 
 ing. The idea of pursuing the emperor over a park 
 several leagues in extent seemed strange to me ; how- 
 ever, I had to submit, in spite of the desire I had to 
 return immediately to St. Petersburg. Count O. in- 
 sisted on conducting me back to the inn. In passing 
 through an avenue I perceived in a transverse alley 
 an officer in undress uniform. (This was the dress 
 adopted by the court when in the country.) This 
 officer saluted us. I thought I recognized the em- 
 peror, but he seemed to me slenderer, and it was 
 dark in the avenues. I said nothing, but the little 
 nephew of the general cried out suddenly, " There is 
 the emperor ! " Madame O. said : " It is your fortu- 
 nate star which brings him, for he never walks in the 
 park at this hour." Then she and I retraced our 
 steps. When the emperor saw us coming towards 
 him he also advanced, and when he recognized me 
 he exclaimed in great surprise: "Is it possible that it 
 is you? How long have you been here?" Upon 
 my reply, he reproached me for not treating him as 
 a friend, in not letting him know of my arrival by 
 a word, for having made him lose a fortnight ; and he 
 used many other kind expressions, which were so 
 natural to this prince. I excused myself by saying 
 I did not wish to importune his Majesty, knowing 
 that he was at the manoeuvres. " I would have made 
 other arrangements," answered the emperor. He 
 received "the respectful homage which my mother 
 had charged me to lay at his feet, with his usual 
 kindness, inquired with interest about her health, and 
 
 269
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 asked if her rooms were still filled with pictures 
 and birds. His Majesty asked me where I lodged, 
 and said : " You must be horribly uncomfortable in 
 that inn. Let me offer you hospitality. I can 
 answer for it, you will be more comfortable than 
 down there." I accepted with the thankfulness be- 
 fitting an act of courtesy so kind and so unexpected. 
 
 His Majesty left us to have rooms prepared for me 
 and to send me a " guide." Then I returned to the inn 
 with Madame O., delighted at this unexpected meet- 
 ing, and relieved of the fear of not finding the 
 emperor so favorably disposed toward me as for- 
 merly. I found him on the contrary more gracious, 
 if possible, and full of that incomparable kindness 
 which ought to have attached all to him, but for their 
 lack of gratitude. 
 
 On returning to the inn I retired immediately, not 
 thinking that I was to be moved the same evening 
 to the palace. Hardly was I in bed when the guide 
 and a carriage arrived to fetch me. The apartment, 
 the supper, all was ready except me. The next 
 morning at 7 o'clock the emperor's first valet de 
 chambre was at my door with one of those light, ele- 
 gant carriages which were used in driving about the 
 park, to which two superb horses were harnessed. 
 I dressed in haste and started with my child. 
 
 I was driven to the Palace Alexander, so called 
 because it had been built for that prince by the 
 order of the Empress Catherine, according to the 
 design and plans of an excellent Italian architect. 
 This palace is remarkable for the elegance and har- 
 mony of its proportions. The ground-floor is gener- 
 ally occupied by the Grand Duke Nicholas and his 
 
 270
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 august spouse, but they were not there then. The 
 apartment which they had allotted to me was on the 
 next floor, at the end of a long open gallery, which 
 opened on the dining-room and served as choir for 
 the musicians at the grand dinners. From all the 
 windows I had charming views of the park and the 
 imperial chateau, which is about a hundred yards 
 from the Alexander Palace. A mass of green which 
 partly covers the edifice leaves in view the five gilt 
 cupolas of the chapel surmounted by brilliant crosses, 
 which in calm weather are reflected in a bit of 
 water clearly defined and surrounded by a verdant 
 lawn. 
 
 An elegantly served breakfast, with baskets of rare 
 fruits, was already prepared in my apartment. The 
 valet de chambre left me after asking if I had any 
 orders, and if I was satisfied with my rooms. I was 
 absolutely alone in this great palace, with the excep- 
 tion of my child and the domestics of the court, for 
 mine were still at the inn. With the help of the 
 imagination I could have thought myself in fairyland 
 in some enchanted castle. 
 
 I descended into the park and soon met Gen- 
 eral O., who was coming with his wife to see me. 
 They told me that they had seen the emperor and that 
 he had spoken of the christening, saying that he was 
 ready to satisfy my wishes in that respect, and that 
 it was only necessary to fix the day. Chatting thus 
 we approached a new building which the emperor 
 was amusing himself by having built in the park. 
 It was perfectly square and very high, called " The 
 Tower of the Equestrians" because there were 
 statues of equestrians placed in niches in the four 
 
 271
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 faces of the tower. It was to contain apartments 
 for the young Grand Duke Alexander. 
 
 His Majesty, who was watching the workmen, came 
 to meet us, and said graciously that he hoped I was 
 better lodged in my new quarters than at the inn. 
 He asked me why I had not moved the evening before, 
 assuring me that he had lost no time in sending me 
 a guide. I presented my child to the emperor, who 
 laughed heartily at the idea he had formed of him, 
 always calling him the big soldier. When I returned 
 to the palace I sent back the post-horses to St. 
 Petersburg, and wrote to M. de C., telling him of the 
 good news of his Majesty and asking him to come 
 and join me. 
 
 The emperor's valet de chambre came immediately 
 to announce the visit of his Majesty at noon, and in 
 spite of a pouring rain it took place at the hour 
 indicated. His Majesty, with all the hospitality of the 
 most amiable lord of the manor, asked me if I was sat- 
 isfied with my rooms and if they would be sufficient 
 to lodge M. de C. comfortably, adding kindly that 
 M. de C. was his old comrade in arms. Then he 
 asked me if I would prefer to be lodged in the 
 Chinese village, to be nearer Countess O. Nothing 
 but kindness could inspire such perfect and delicate 
 politeness. 
 
 Alexander then said that the court was about to 
 remove to Peterhof, and asked me if I would also go 
 there. 
 
 Having been informed by my mother of the con- 
 dition of my affairs, he kindly showed an interest in 
 them. In the short explanation which I made in 
 soliciting a loan from the imperial bank on terms 
 
 272
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 more favorable than those allowed by the law, I was 
 obliged to state that M. de C. had divided a part of 
 his property among his children, and I had the rest, 
 with the understanding that I was to pay the debts 
 which he had contracted in carrying out the last 
 wishes of his father. " That is to say that M. de C. 
 has nothing, and you have n't much," said his 
 Majesty. " That is only too true, sire," I replied. 
 The emperor assured me of his constant desire to 
 oblige me, and asked me for a memorandum of the 
 business. 
 
 In speaking to his Majesty of the impression which 
 St. Petersburg had made upon me, I praised the 
 beauty of that capital, as one may imagine. " Yes, 
 it is a beautiful city," said he, " but after all there are 
 only walls, and you will not find the society here 
 which you have left at Paris." I took the oppor- 
 tunity to repeat what I had already had the honor 
 of saying to his Majesty, that the society of Paris, 
 divided up by so many interests and differences of 
 opinion, offered little pleasure; that the demon of 
 politics had taken possession of every head in France ; 
 that from the cab driver and match vender, the one 
 on his cab and the other on his rounds, there was 
 not one individual who did not believe it to be to 
 his interest to understand, or at least to read, the daily 
 newspaper, especially the Constitutionnel ; that one 
 heard nothing in the most brilliant salons of Paris 
 but the debates of the two chambers, and the opera- 
 tions of the ministry; finally, that in this conflict of 
 feelings, prejudices, and opinions on matters of such 
 grave interest, the tone of conversation necessarily 
 and unfortunately lost that ease, that grace, that 
 18 273
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 Attic flavor which formerly distinguished France 
 from all other nations of Europe. 
 
 Before leaving me his Majesty deigned to renew 
 the strongest assurances of his interest and attach- 
 ment, begging me not to regard what he said as 
 empty words. 
 
 General O. and his amiable wife obligingly offered 
 to show us the park of Czarsko-S61o. The emperor 
 had made the greater part of it, or at least enlarged 
 and beautified it. He had it kept with a care and 
 scrupulous cleanliness which I have seen nowhere 
 else. A thousand workmen are employed every day 
 in sweeping the paths and roads, and in cutting, 
 rolling, and raking the grass, which is most beautiful. 
 A few steps from the palace, and even in the presence 
 of the emperor, you can hear the workmen laughing 
 and singing, and the happiness which they seem to 
 enjoy fills your own mind with a feeling of satisfaction. 
 
 The most remarkable buildings in the park are: 
 Windsor Castle, in small dimensions, but built after 
 the exact model of that of England, in the midst of a 
 dark forest, the theatre, and the fancy farm. The 
 last was one of the favorite resorts of the Emperor 
 Alexander, offering him interest, exercise, and rural 
 industry. This farm is ornamented with trellises and 
 a pretty pigeon-house in the French style, and con- 
 tains in its magnificent cowhouses the most beautiful 
 cattle to be found in Europe, cows from the Tyrol, 
 Switzerland, Hungary, Holland, Kalmogonod, and 
 other places, besides a fine flock of merino sheep 
 which graze in the park. 
 
 The interior of the farmhouse is Dutch ; the walls 
 are of blue faience ; the closets containing the farm 
 
 274
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 utensils have glass doors. They showed me the 
 account books, magnificently bound, in which his 
 Majesty himself kept the accounts of the produce of 
 the sheep. He was very proud of wearing a uniform 
 of cloth made from their wool. 
 
 These simple occupations, which brought the 
 emperor nearer to nature, relaxed his mind from the 
 cares of State. Not far from the farm is the house 
 of the llamas, kept by a man who brought them from 
 Asia. These animals are never allowed to run free, 
 consequently they look sad and feeble. The part of 
 the park which is designed the best is about the lake, 
 whose extent is considerable, and whose depth is 
 sufficient to bear large yachts and the model of a 
 ship. There are charming ruins on its banks after 
 designs by Robert, and the trees are artistically 
 grouped. At the end of the park there is a trium- 
 phal arch bearing this inscription in Russian and in 
 French : " To my dear companions in arms." 
 
 They showed me a kind of grotto, called Pansilippe. 
 This is a rock in the form of a vault, a caprice of 
 nature, as the ground all about is quite even and flat. 
 They were working on an antique model for a bath- 
 house for the Emperor, or rather they were demolish- 
 ing it, as it was not large enough to receive an 
 immense basin cut in a solid block of rose granite 
 large enough to swim in. 
 
 I visited next the apartments of the palace, the 
 grand gilded hall where the empress held her 
 audiences ; the apartments of the Emperor Alexander, 
 whose many rooms were both magnificent and taste- 
 ful. The walls are covered with lapis lazuli, porphyry, 
 and amber ; the floors are incrusted with mother of 
 
 275
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 pearl and precious woods. The grand open gallery 
 which communicates with the apartment of the em- 
 press, and where one has a beautiful view of the lake 
 and the ruins and the fields of flowers, is ornamented 
 with bronze busts, mostly of great men of antiquity. 
 They remind one of chapters of Plutarch ; one reads 
 them again on the foreheads of these ancient heroes. 
 
 At Czarsko-Selo the Emperor Alexander lived a 
 simple country life. He had no court and in the 
 absence of the grand marshal the emperor himself 
 kept the accounts of the household expenses. He 
 received his ministers only on certain days of the 
 week. Alexander rose generally at five o'clock, 
 made his toilet, wrote, and then went into the park, 
 where he visited his farm and the new buildings which 
 were being constructed, gave audiences to those who 
 had petitions to present, and who often followed him 
 over the whole park, which was always open, night 
 and day. The emperor always walked alone without 
 distrust, and he had sentinels only at the chateau and 
 at the Palace of Alexander. On account of his health 
 he was obliged to observe a strict regime. He dined 
 alone in his private apartments, and was accustomed 
 to retire early. At the hour of retiring the band of the 
 guards played under his windows ; they usually played 
 plaintive airs, which I could hear from my apartment. 
 
 The Empress Elizabeth, on her side, lived in strict 
 retirement. She had about her person only one 
 maid of honor, and received no presentations at 
 Czarsko-Selo. She deigned to make one exception 
 in my favor. I was so fortunate as to have an inter- 
 view with this princess, which left me truly enthusi- 
 astic about her goodness and graciousness. The 
 
 276
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 empress was then about forty-five years old. Her 
 figure was slight, well proportioned, and of middle 
 height. Her delicate complexion, which, however, had 
 suffered from the harshness of the climate, and the fine- 
 ness of her features showed still what must have been 
 her attractions in the springtime of life. There was 
 a certain languor in her language and manners, and 
 her expression was intellectual and gentle ; her smile 
 was sad and her voice sweet, in a word, there was 
 something angelic about her as of a creature not 
 made for this world. I shall never forget her cordial 
 reception, and the kind things which she deigned to 
 say about the manner in which she had come to know 
 about me in 1812. She spoke to me about my 
 humble writings, saying she had read them with 
 pleasure, and that she was glad I had chosen histori- 
 cal subjects from a nation in which she took a most 
 lively interest. I answered that such flattering ap- 
 probation made me very proud, since I had never 
 dared hope for her august approval, or even that my 
 poor productions should be placed before her. Her 
 Majesty then asked me if I had begun another work, 
 and what was the subject of it. I explained the plot 
 of Nain Politique, which I had just commenced ; her 
 Majesty approved of the plan, and said it offered a 
 double historical interest for France and for Poland, 
 besides describing an epoch which was little known. 
 
 Elizabeth spoke of Walter Scott's novels, which she 
 admired with that keenness of perception and clear- 
 ness of judgment which shone in all she said. This 
 eminently learned princess devoted nearly all her 
 time to French and Russian literature. She ques- 
 tioned me about my travels in France and Germany. 
 
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 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 I spoke of the picturesque parts of Germany, espe- 
 cially the banks of the Rhine, where among the 
 beauties of nature were to be found so many ancient 
 monuments, Roman structures, Gothic castles, ruins 
 of the feudal times "souvenirs of all times,"added 
 the empress, in her gentle manner. These words said 
 more than my whole recital, and I showed by my 
 looks that I understood to what she alluded. 
 
 It was impossible to see the Empress Elizabeth 
 even once without feeling for her a respectful attrac- 
 tion ; and I said this to her maid of honor, with tears 
 in my eyes, adding: "How happy she deserved to 
 be ! I dare not say more." 
 
 My Aunt Radzivil, who was honored with many 
 marks of kindness by the Empress Elizabeth, gave 
 her the surname The Serene. This word character- 
 ized that princess perfectly. It showed itself even in 
 the letters which she wrote to my aunt. 
 
 The empress never went out in the park till toward 
 evening, and then on horseback. There I often saw 
 her riding through the dark avenues, accompanied 
 only by her maid of honor and a groom. There 
 always seemed to be a shade of melancholy about 
 this princess. It was said she avoided walking in the 
 park in the morning for fear of annoying the emperor, 
 but ought she to have had that fear? What a differ- 
 ence would it have made in the happiness of both, if 
 they had been able to understand each other ! They 
 seemed to have been made the one for the other ; the 
 same goodness, the same gentleness and intellectual 
 power. Yet there seemed to have been one point on 
 which their hearts could not meet. Why is it that 
 death alone has reunited such perfect souls? 
 
 278
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 I HAD the honor also to be presented to the 
 august mother of Alexander, that princess whose 
 virtues are the example and the glory of her family. 
 The day that I was presented at Pawlowsky, her sum- 
 mer residence, I followed his Majesty and the court 
 of the empress-mother, which was always numerous 
 and brilliant, to a pavilion called The Roses, where 
 dinner was served. After dinner her Majesty de- 
 scended into the garden arid cut roses with the Eng- 
 lish scissors designed for that purpose, distributing 
 them among the ladies. She gave me two, which I 
 have preserved as a souvenir of the day, and of the 
 kindness of this princess. 
 
 The majestic height and the beautiful proportions 
 of the empress and her imposing carriage strike the 
 eye at first sight, and inspire a respect accompanied 
 by a kind of timidity. But the kindness which shows 
 itself in every feature restores confidence and fills 
 each heart with a respectful attachment for this 
 sovereign. 
 
 The festivities at Peterhof were not to take place 
 that year on account of the departure of her Imperial 
 Highness the Grand Duchess Alexandra, who was 
 about to embark, to return by sea to Prussia. Still, 
 great crowds of people arrived to see the fountains 
 play, which are very fine. We were lodged at Peter- 
 hof in the rooms of the Austrian ambassador, in the 
 
 279
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 Palace of Alexander, situated in a park, where the 
 foreign ministers are usually lodged when they are 
 admitted to court festivities. 
 
 As at Czarsko-Selo, our table, equipage, etc., were 
 furnished from the court. The servants, very good 
 people who adored their august master, worked by 
 the quarter and changed every week. As what was 
 left over was a perquisite to them, they were very 
 eager to have us eat. They served us tea, chocolate, 
 coffee, and all sorts of cakes in the morning; soon 
 afterwards a second breakfast ; dinner at three o'clock, 
 all kinds of ices at dessert and the choicest of wines ; 
 tea in the evening, and later supper whether we wanted 
 it or not. Moreover, in the intervals between these 
 meals they would come to ask us if we were not 
 hungry. 
 
 On St. Peter's day the imperial family met at the 
 chateau. It was there that I saw the Grand Duchess 
 Nicholas for the first time, and I was struck by the 
 elegance of her form and the beauty of her tall 
 figure. Surrounded by her ladies in waiting, whom 
 she surpassed by a head, you would have said it was 
 Calypso in the midst of her nymphs. 
 
 I had the honor to be presented to this princess, 
 and to the Grand Duchess Michel, who deigned to 
 address a few words to me. The empress-mother 
 received also that day. She asked me how I liked 
 Peterhof. This place has a singularly imposing 
 beauty. The palace, built in the old style, is neither 
 large nor handsome, but from the balcony of the 
 audience hall there is a magnificent view of the 
 gardens, and through the interlacing jets of water, 
 resplendent with the sun's rays or with the brill- 
 
 280
 
 Emp 
 
 iancy of illumination, one can see the sea covered 
 with vessels coming from or going to Cronstadt. 
 
 They show in the park a favorite pavilion of Peter 
 the Great, where he had a little kitchen with all the 
 Dutch utensils. ,They show to the curious, the 
 dressing-gown and the night-cap of Peter the Great, 
 and even the slippers of Catherine. Opposite the 
 pavilion is a pond, and the old golden carps which 
 Peter the Great used to feed still come at the sound 
 of a bell to get what is thrown to them. Peterhof 
 has a great paper manufactory where they make 
 vellum, and an establishment for cutting the fine 
 stones which are brought from Siberia, such as 
 amethyst, topaz, and malachite. 
 
 M. de C. obtained a special audience of the em- 
 peror at Peterhof, and a kind reception, which filled 
 him with admiration for that prince. At the moment 
 of dismissing M. de C. the emperor said : " I am 
 sorry to be obliged to leave you, but I am going to 
 accompany my sister-in-law to Oranienbaum, where 
 she embarks to-day for Prussia ; " and he asked if he 
 had seen the vessel destined to carry her Imperial 
 Highness. Knowing that his Majesty, as an act of 
 kindness to the Grand Duchess, had had the vessel 
 supplied with every comfort and luxury, M. de C., 
 who had been to see it with me, praised the arrange- 
 ments to his Majesty, who, fearing the consequences 
 of the long sea voyage, replied : " I have done all 
 that I could to make the voyage less painful, but I 
 cannot prevent seasickness." 
 
 This vessel, which had just come from the dock- 
 yard, carried forty-five guns and eight hundred men. 
 The apartments of her Imperial Highness consisted 
 
 281
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 of seven rooms and a chapel, and were furnished 
 and hung with green silk. A tent was to be set up 
 on deck, where the band was to play. In a word 
 nothing was neglected which could contribute to the 
 pleasure of a sea voyage. The captain, who had 
 already made a voyage round the world, told us he 
 would rather do it again twice than undertake this 
 commission, very honorable without doubt, but the 
 responsibility of which he dreaded. 
 
 The court remained only a week at Peterhof. The 
 empress-mother went to the castle of Yelagine and 
 the emperor to St. Petersburg. There I received 
 a note from his Majesty, who wrote to arrange with 
 me the day for the christening. " Do not trouble 
 yourself about me," he wrote. " I am not a novice 
 in this kind of thing." 
 
 The baptismal ceremony was a little longer than 
 is customary, as the abbot, M. Lockman, the com- 
 mander of the chapel of Malta, thought it necessary 
 to read the service in Latin and in French ; he added 
 a very good exhortation, addressed to the godfather, 
 the father, and the mother, to persuade them to bring 
 up the child in the principles of religion, in order to 
 preserve in him the gifts which he had just received 
 by the rite of baptism. The emperor looked at me 
 and smiled at the moments critical for the child, who, 
 however, bore the trials of salt and water very well, 
 as the rich dress of the abbot and his deacon, the 
 ornaments of the altar, and the lights were a happy 
 diversion. 
 
 After the immersion the emperor himself dried the 
 long curls of the neophyte and addressed a few words 
 of thanks to the abbot, M. Lockman. Then observ- 
 
 282
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 ing that M. de C. had retired immediately after the 
 ceremony, Alexander rose and went to fetch him, 
 saying he was surprised that M. de C. had not 
 remained ; and having brought him back to the salon, 
 he made him sit down in his presence. 
 
 The conversation soon turned to politics. His 
 Majesty deprecated the change of ministry in France, 
 attributing it in a great measure to the influence of a 
 certain lady. He showed regret at the retirement of 
 M. de Chateaubriand, and made some sharp observa- 
 tions on the petty and commercial views of Mr. 
 Canning, of whom he did n't think much. 
 
 His Majesty was so kind as to ask us to come and 
 take our abode at Czarsko-Se"lo again before his 
 departure for Siberia. " And may I not have the 
 pleasure of finding you here on my return," he said, 
 "and of seeing you this winter at St. Petersburg?" 
 In showing our full appreciation of such a kind and 
 gracious invitation, we were obliged to answer that 
 M. de C.'s affairs, and especially his duty, called him 
 back to France. 
 
 The emperor spoke of the malady of Louis XVIII., 
 a malady sufficiently grave to cause anxiety for the 
 life of the king. " I hope," said Alexander, " that in 
 any case a change of reign will not bring trouble into 
 France, and that Monsieur, who is loved, will know 
 how to use the necessary firmness." 
 
 I showed the emperor a ring that my mother had 
 sent me. It had the head of Alexander engraved on 
 a turquoise, and I said it was the most acceptable 
 present she could have made me. The emperor 
 thanked me and said he was greatly indebted to my 
 mother, since the ring would serve to keep his mem- 
 
 283
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 ory alive, and he begged me to remember him to my 
 mother. 
 
 When his Majesty got into his carriage again the 
 crowd of people who filled the streets sent up those 
 joyous hurrahs which the presence of their dearly 
 loved sovereign always called forth. The emperor 
 was about to undertake a two months' journey of 
 seven thousand versts to visit the Ural mountains, 
 where a rich gold mine had been discovered. That 
 part of the empire was unknown to his Majesty, who 
 proposed to travel over all his States to judge for 
 himself of the welfare of his subjects and of the means 
 of encouraging national industry, and to promote 
 commerce by building new roads and channels of 
 communication. 
 
 The day of the emperor's departure I had gone 
 early into the park to look at the Tower of the 
 Equestrians. Soon I saw the emperor arrive from 
 the other side. I hastened to take my portfolio and 
 make my retreat, but his Majesty, having seen me, 
 followed me across the wood, saying that I ran so 
 fast he could hardly overtake me. I excused myself 
 for having disturbed him. The emperor asked me 
 to guess what time he had gotten up that morning. 
 " At four o'clock," said I. " No, at half-past three," 
 said he. " I am overwhelmed with work," continued 
 he. " Every year at this time I make a journey in 
 the empire. Ah well ! Every year ! Yet, as if they 
 expected to see me no more, everybody will make 
 haste to finish his business with me." What a strange 
 presentiment ! One year later at the same season 
 Alexander made another journey and he was seen 
 no more. 
 
 284
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 I asked the emperor, knowing that the wound in 
 his leg was open again, if his health did not suffer 
 from such long journeys. " No," he said, " the season 
 is favorable for travelling in those countries, where 
 there is no rain at this time of the year and only 
 slight frosts at night." 
 
 Then the emperor said that my business relating 
 to the loan was settled, and expressed his regret that 
 he could not fulfil my other request. M. de C.'s 
 eldest son had been in the service of Russia since his 
 most tender youth, or rather since his childhood, and 
 wished to obtain the place of aide-de-camp to his 
 Majesty, and had begged me to ask for it for him. I 
 had it very much at heart to succeed in this affair, not 
 knowing how difficult it was, and I neglected nothing 
 that could be done to bring about the desired result. 
 
 His Majesty said : " I must answer you frankly, as 
 to a person whom I love and respect; it is impossible 
 for me to give this young man, who has never seen 
 one day of military duty, a position which is regarded 
 as the reward of long and active service." 
 
 I insisted on the eleven years which my step-son 
 had served. 
 
 " Eleven years ! " replied Alexander. " What is 
 that? There are many distinguished soldiers in 
 Poland who have served twenty years, and what 
 service ! Men who have been much in war and who 
 have been wounded apply for this place. I cannot, 
 then, without injustice, give it to this young man. 
 Put yourself in my place as doing them this wrong." 
 
 I begged his Majesty to put himself for an instant 
 in mine, and to pardon me if I had made an importu- 
 nate demand. 
 
 285
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 " Nothing can be importunate on your part," he 
 replied, and left me, promising me a visit at noon. 
 
 When he came he renewed his excuses for having 
 refused me the favor in question. I seized the oppor- 
 tunity to beg him to remember the young man on 
 some other occasion, speaking of his zeal in his Ma- 
 jesty's service. The emperor asked me several ques- 
 tions on the subject which proved his real interest. 
 
 Alexander then made me some compliments about 
 my writings. I told him of the little literary war 
 which I had waged for him a few years before, over 
 a worthless work entitled " The Recollections of a 
 French Prisoner." The story seemed to amuse him. 
 
 When Alexander was speaking of his journey, I 
 said that to make the tour through all his provinces 
 as far as Kamskatka would take more than a year, 
 and that the other day M. de C. and I had amused 
 ourselves by making his Majesty take possession of 
 China to round out his empire. " Oh ! my empire 
 is already too round, and your idea is very impolitic," 
 said his Majesty. " Russia is already only too large ; 
 the great distances between the governments make 
 communication too slow; consequently governmental 
 action is often delayed and disturbed." 
 
 The emperor then spoke of the revolution which 
 had just broken out in Portugal. I permitted myself 
 to suggest that it was difficult not to attribute this 
 movement to English policy. The emperor did not 
 reply, but he nodded his head approvingly. 
 
 During the conversation, my child, who was play- 
 ing in the gallery, came every minute to open the 
 door of the salon, and then ran away as soon as I 
 called him. The emperor said the little chap was 
 
 286
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 anxious to see him out of the house, that he might 
 play alone with his mamma. I went to fetch him, 
 and put him on the table near his Majesty, who 
 kissed him and advised me to let him develop 
 naturally and never to try to constrain his natural 
 disposition. Poor prince ! how he loved children, 
 and how happy he would have been if he could 
 have kept his own ! The Empress Elizabeth had 
 two daughters, who died in their infancy. 
 
 I expressed my gratitude to the emperor for the 
 kindnesses which their Imperial Majesties had shown 
 me, and I acknowledged in them a new proof of his 
 great indulgence in my favor. 
 
 " You owe nothing except to yourself," replied his 
 Majesty. " The empresses were already advanta- 
 geously acquainted with you before they saw you." 
 
 I had an enormous pineapple on my table, which 
 the emperor had sent me, who every day sent baskets 
 of fruit to the ladies of his acquaintance at Czarsko- 
 Selo. In speaking of the hot-houses and of the 
 especial taste of the dowager empress for flowers, I 
 said that her Majesty also cultivated young plants 
 that were even more interesting than the beautiful 
 flowers of her gardens. Alexander understood me 
 and replied that the establishments for the young 
 which had been founded by the empress had greatly 
 corrected the morals and had done an enormous 
 amount of good among all classes of the society of 
 St. Petersburg. The emperor adored his mother, 
 and he had a most tender affection for all the 
 members of the imperial family, especially for his 
 brothers, always trying to anticipate their slightest 
 wishes. He was adored by them also. 
 
 287
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 His Majesty left me to go and dine at Pawlowsky 
 with the empress-mother. In making his adieux he 
 said : " So you are going back to France ; when can 
 we hope to see you again ? You see that the journey 
 to St. Petersburg is nothing." 
 
 I answered, knowing that his Majesty proposed to 
 come to Warsaw the following year, that I would do 
 my best to come thither also and to have the honor 
 to do him homage. He seemed satisfied, for this 
 prince did not like to be separated from those people 
 in whom he was interested. This reminds me of 
 something he had said to me a few days before: 
 " People always think when I go away that they will 
 never see me again." 
 
 When I would have kissed his hand, at the moment 
 when he offered to take mine, he withdrew it quickly, 
 saying that we were old friends enough to kiss 
 each other. I followed the emperor as far as the 
 gallery, expressing the wishes which I would never 
 cease to form for his happiness. At the word " hap- 
 piness," and as if he did not believe in it, he made a 
 motion whose sad expression struck my heart, and 
 which I shall never forget. He was gone, and I was 
 never to see him again ! 
 
 I am certain, and many other people have made 
 the same observation, that Alexander entertained 
 the darkest presentiments for a long time before 
 his death. It appears that he was particularly op- 
 pressed with them before that last fatal journey to 
 Taganrog. It is said that he could not control his 
 feelings on receiving the adieux of his family and the 
 court; in leaving St. Petersburg h6 had the carriage 
 stop, and he turned to look once more on that 
 
 288
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 superb city. The melancholy expression of his 
 countenance seemed to address a sad and last fare- 
 well to that place which had seen his birth. 
 
 M. de C. and I attributed this sadness to a recent 
 grief which his Majesty had suffered; he had just 
 lost his daughter, a daughter whom he had never 
 recognized and who bore the name of her mother. 
 This interesting young person was attacked by some 
 lung trouble and was brought from Paris to St. 
 Petersburg against the advice of the physicians, but 
 putting faith in certain magnetic charlatans who pre- 
 dicted long life, health, and marriage. Already dy- 
 ing she was betrothed to Count C., who magnetized 
 her according to the orders of the clairvoyants at 
 Paris ; and when the magnificent trousseau ordered in 
 Paris arrived (it cost 400,000 francs) this interesting 
 child was dead. The ornaments for the burial and 
 the funeral crown of the virgin replaced the bridal 
 veil and the brilliant jewels which had been des- 
 tined for days of festivity. 
 
 The emperor learned of this cruel event while at 
 the parade. His face in an instant became deathly 
 pale, but he had the courage not to interrupt the 
 drill, and only let these words escape him : " I have 
 received the punishment for my sins." 
 
 And who consoled Alexander in this trouble? 
 Who wiped away his tears? It was an angel; it was 
 Elizabeth. Unhappy at having lost her own children, 
 she loved this young girl, and when, in her childhood 
 she met her by chance, she pressed the child to her 
 breast, and sadly sought in her childish features a 
 resemblance to him she loved. 
 
 The emperor often went alone to the grave of his 
 19 289
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 daughter, and had a monument raised to her memory 
 in the church of Saint Sergius at St. Petersburg. 
 
 On the eve of his Majesty's departure General 
 Houvaroff brought me a beautiful diamond agraffe 
 from his august master. I said that, the emperor 
 having certainly forgotten that he had already made 
 me a present on the occasion of the christening, I 
 thought I ought not to accept this ; but the general 
 said that my refusal would displease the emperor. So 
 I dared not refuse. 
 
 That day, before leaving Czarsko-S61o I obtained my 
 farewell audience with the Empress Elizabeth. This 
 princess received me with her accustomed gentleness 
 and grace. She knew how to combine the dignity of 
 a sovereign and the refinement of a gifted woman in 
 her conversation. She spoke of the journey of the 
 emperor, saying, " I hope travelling will do the em- 
 peror good." This interview was not so long as the 
 preceding one, as the empress was to receive the 
 ministers and Alexander's retinue. 
 
 " I trust," said she, " that business or family affairs 
 will soon bring you back to this country; " and she 
 deigned to add that she regretted to have me go. 
 When Elizabeth rose I begged her to drive me from 
 her presence, not having the courage to go myself. 
 I told her that the respectful attachment which I felt 
 for her was a heritage which my Aunt Radzivil had left 
 me, and which I should preserve all my life. Eliza- 
 beth expressed her sorrow at the loss of my aunt. 
 " She was good, so charming ! " she said. Her Maj- 
 esty would not allow me to kiss her hand, although I 
 said I did it from attachment as much as out of re- 
 spect. She bade me kiss her cheek. 
 
 290
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 I did not expect to see her again, but in the morn- 
 ing, an hour after the departure of the emperor, who 
 had left Czarsko-Selo at 6 o'clock, as I was walking 
 in the park with M. de C., we saw in the grand avenue 
 a lady very lightly dressed in spite of the coolness of 
 the morning, with a veil thrown over her head. She 
 was accompanied by a woman whom we did not 
 recognize. M. de C. said, " It is the Empress Eliza- 
 beth ! " 
 
 " What an idea ! " I answered. " You know that 
 she never walks in the park at this hour." 
 
 I had hardly said these words when the lady com- 
 ing toward us raised her veil, and I recognized the 
 empress. She addressed us in a few friendly words, 
 saying to M. de C. that she was charmed with having 
 the opportunity to say good-bye to him, and expressed 
 a kind regret that we could not prolong our stay at 
 Czarsko-Selo. 
 
 In speaking of the departure of the emperor she 
 said: "The weather to-day is at least endurable; 
 yesterday the whole day it was too depressing." It 
 was thought that the Empress Elizabeth had no 
 longer any affection for Alexander. As for me I am 
 persuaded to the contrary. Some words which es- 
 caped her, the sound of her voice when she spoke of 
 him, proved to me that I was not deceived. Then the 
 death of Elizabeth has proved that she had not ceased 
 to love him, since she could not survive him, and her 
 one hope and desire was to rejoin him whom she 
 mourned. 
 
 291
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 THIS last walk in the park at Czarsko-Selo was 
 filled with sadness. Although the air was soft, 
 the sky was overcast. This beautiful place which I 
 never hoped to see again, seemed to have taken on 
 a melancholy aspect since the departure of the em- 
 peror. The signs of approaching autumn are always 
 sad. Taking up a dead leaf which had just fallen, I 
 recalled these lines of Delille : 
 
 " De moment en moment la feuille sur la terre 
 Interrompt en tombant le reveur solitaire." 
 
 I have always kept that leaf in my book of souvenirs. 
 I was recalling with feelings of deepest gratitude the 
 many proofs of interest and kindness which the Em- 
 peror Alexander had shown me during the twelve 
 years that I had known him. As he had said, neither 
 time nor absence had changed his feelings. This 
 good and great prince, who owed me nothing, to 
 whom I was nothing, had made me taste the sweetness 
 of his friendship. Invoking upon him all the bless- 
 ings of heaven, I said to myself: "This angel, who 
 knows so well how to sympathize in the sorrows of 
 others (for there was never a family in affliction in 
 St. Petersburg where he did not appear with words of 
 peace, consolation, and piety), this angel who made 
 the happiness of all around him, is not happy him- 
 self. He was a father and cannot mourn for his 
 daughter ! his daughter, the one hope of his old 
 
 292
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 age, still remote, but which will overtake him one 
 day." I was far from foreseeing that his career 
 would be so short and that the end was so near, but 
 I was involuntarily troubled by the sadness of his last 
 farewell. 
 
 The day of our departure from Czarsko-S61o, hav- 
 ing asked the empress-mother for a farewell audi- 
 ence, she commanded me with M. de C. to dinner at 
 Pawlowsky. A few minutes before assembling at her 
 Majesty's, I went to visit Princess Lieven, who had 
 brought up the entire imperial family, whom she 
 adored, and of whom we conversed all the time we 
 were together. I dare say our hearts were entirely 
 in unison at that time. 
 
 I followed the princess to the drawing-room, and 
 soon, in the circle where I was placed, her Majesty 
 addressed me with words of kind reproach, saying it 
 was very wrong of me to go away so soon. At din- 
 ner, the empress complained of the weather, saying: 
 " What an opinion Madame de Choiseul will have of 
 our climate ! " If I had been near enough I would 
 have taken the liberty of saying that, seeing the pro- 
 fusion of beautiful fruits and flowers that decorated 
 the table, it was difficult not to imagine one's self under 
 the softest of skies. 
 
 In leaving the table, her Majesty called M. de C. 
 and me to her, and made us admire, through a large 
 window of one pane of glass, a charming view of the 
 park, which was laid out with great taste, and a cas- 
 cade falling over artificial rocks, ornamented with 
 ruins. The water which falls from the height of these 
 rocks soon loses itself in a clear lake surrounded by 
 a beautiful lawn, with groups of trees here and there, 
 
 2 93
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 between which vistas have been left showing the 
 church and the villages. 
 
 The empress said to M. de C. : " Your father was 
 very fond of this room and this view; he used to 
 come here very often in the time of his late Majesty, 
 the Emperor Paul." She pronounced these last 
 words in a sorrowful tone, repeating them twice. 
 This worthy princess preserved a pious and tender 
 remembrance of her unfortunate husband. Every 
 year, on the anniversary of his death, she shut herself 
 in the monument where the ashes of this monarch are 
 preserved, there to pray and offer to God the sacrifice 
 of her tears. 
 
 Her Majesty then took the arm of Madame de 
 Lieven, 1 and followed by the whole court passed into 
 the library, which was in a newly constructed gallery, 
 perfectly lighted and containing glass bookcases 
 filled with the most beautiful editions. Upon a long 
 mahogany table were a number of boxes and cases 
 containing drawings. I noticed under the windows 
 in glass-covered tables a collection of engraved stones, 
 and knowing that her Majesty possessed the talent, so 
 rare in her sex, of engraving on stone, I had a great 
 desire (but I had not the courage) to ask if among the 
 antique chefs-d'oeuvre there were no modern ones. 
 
 1 Dorothea, Princess Lieven, a Russian lady of German extrac- 
 tion, celebrated for her diplomatic talents. She was born in Riga, 
 and she died in Paris, Jan. 27, 1857. Her father, Christoph von 
 Bendendorff, was of humble extraction ; but his daughter received 
 a brilliant education, and at an early age married Christoph Lieven, 
 who was successively ambassador to Prussia, ambassador to London, 
 and governor of the Czarowitz. She acquired great influence by her 
 eminent social qualities and remarkable aptitude for public affairs. 
 After 1837 she resided in Paris, where her salon was frequented by 
 many diplomatists and statesmen. 
 
 294
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 The empress said that she was always pleased to 
 show her library, which had just been fitted up. She 
 told M. de C. that he would find there a work of his 
 father's, the Voyage pittoresque en Grhe, and then 
 suddenly addressing me, and to my great confusion, 
 she said that my two novels were there too, and that 
 she was awaiting the third, which she had been told 
 was commenced. I tried to excuse myself, but her 
 Majesty insisted, laughing with me at the distin- 
 guished honor which she said she accorded to my 
 humble efforts. 
 
 Her Majesty then made us admire a superb collec- 
 tion of engravings of all kinds and some lithographs 
 from Wurtemberg so beautiful and well done that 
 the empress made me acknowledge their superiority 
 over the same process done in Paris. She showed 
 us also English engravings colored with a finish and 
 softness which approached the perfection of minia- 
 ture painting. When the empress was about to retire 
 to her private apartments, as we were making our 
 most humble adieux, her Majesty said kindly that 
 she trusted we would carry away an agreeable 
 remembrance of Pawlowsky. I asked her Majesty to 
 give me permission to visit the monuments of her 
 beneficence at St. Petersburg. She deigned to con- 
 sent and promised to have orders sent that I should 
 be received at St. Catherine's and at the monastery 
 
 The activity of this princess in employing her time 
 is truly admirable. Except the hours which she 
 devotes to the fine arts she is constantly busy in 
 directing her benevolent institutions and in keeping 
 herself informed of everything that concerns them. 
 
 2 95
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 Baroness Adalberg, the chief directress of the con- 
 vent, who possesses the entire confidence of her 
 Majesty, being ill, the empress went immediately to 
 the convent and replaced her in all her duties until 
 she recovered. 
 
 I commenced by visiting the institute for the 
 daughters of the nobility at St Catherine's. The 
 young girls, dressed elegantly but simply, some in 
 brown, others in green, were in their classes, the 
 masters and mistresses in their places; they were 
 questioned in turn in history, geography, the ele- 
 ments of physics, rhetoric, and philosophy. I was 
 very much amused on hearing a little girl of ten 
 talk about Aristotle, and of the sublime. The method 
 adopted to teach these young people to exercise 
 their memories seemed to me to be excellent. All 
 the examinations passed off marvellously. The use- 
 ful occupations for women were not neglected. 
 They showed me very beautiful needle-work done by 
 the pupils. The dormitories and recreation rooms 
 were scrupulously white and clean. I was present at 
 the dinner, which was preceded by a prayer chanted 
 by these pure young voices, giving thanks to God 
 for his gifts. 
 
 The convent of is much larger than that of 
 
 St. Catherine. The number of pupils, who are both 
 from noble and burgher families, rises as high as 
 four hundred and sixty. Baroness Adalberg, al- 
 though unwell, was so kind as to receive me and 
 have the establishment shown me by an under- 
 directress. I was too late to hear the examinations, 
 but I had a glance at the classes. I passed through 
 a corridor which serves as a promenade in winter. 
 
 296
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 It is a thousand steps long and is waxed. The 
 buildings are handsome and well kept. From the 
 windows there is a view of the Neva and the Summer 
 Palace. 
 
 While I was visiting the dormitories and the re- 
 creation halls the pupils assembled in the dining- 
 room. I was greatly struck by the sight of over four 
 hundred young girls, all dressed alike, standing at the 
 tables arranged in the form of a horseshoe in one 
 immense vaulted hall. After grace all were seated, 
 each class presided over by a mistress. 
 
 Some of the dinner was brought me on a tray to 
 taste. It consisted of a very good soup, small pas- 
 ties, beef, and vegetables. As I passed along the 
 tables the young ladies rose politely; I begged the 
 directress to prevent them, but as I was leaving they 
 all rose again and made a curtsey. I returned to 
 Madam Adalberg to express my admiration, and she 
 promised to carry my homage to her Majesty. 
 
 These young people adore the empress as a pro- 
 tecting deity. Her arrival is always a holiday at the 
 convent. They throw themselves before her Majesty 
 and press around her like children about their mother ; 
 and so she is, occupying herself with all that can give 
 them happiness in this world and in the next. I re- 
 gretted very much not having time to visit another 
 institution founded by the empress-mother for the 
 poor daughters of soldiers. They learn there read- 
 ing, writing, arithmetic, and the different employ- 
 ments of their sex, and when their education is 
 finished means are given them to establish them- 
 selves in some occupation, or to marry, or they go 
 out to service. 
 
 297
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 An endowment for the foundation of a hospital 
 for invalid soldiers would be worthy of the grandeur 
 and munificence of the sovereign of Russia, and of 
 the military glory of so powerful an empire ; unfor- 
 tunately, the funds necessary for such an establish- 
 ment have not yet been raised. 
 
 298
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 TWO months had passed since I left St. Peters- 
 burg. Alexander had returned to his capital, 
 satisfied with his journey and happy to find himself 
 again in the bosom of his family. At this time that 
 great disaster, the inundation at St. Petersburg, oc- 
 curred. The waters of the Neva, driven back by the 
 waves of the sea and a strong wind, broke from their 
 bed with such violence that in an instant a part of 
 the city was inundated, before any one could prevent 
 or arrest the overflow, or even hear, in the midst of 
 the hurricane and the noise of the waters, the cannon 
 which was fired from the fortress to warn the inhabi- 
 tants to be on their guard. 
 
 People were surprised in the midst of their occu- 
 pations by an enemy which they were unable to re- 
 sist; the laborer at his work, the merchant in his 
 shop, and the sentinel at his post; a number of 
 persons driving about the town on business became 
 victims of the tempestuous flood. The first stories of 
 the houses were submerged and in a few hours the 
 water rose in some parts of the town to the height 
 of seventeen feet. The court quarter, by its nearness 
 to the river, was the most exposed, and the imperial 
 yacht was ready to receive the emperor, who with 
 the royal family had taken refuge in the most ele- 
 vated part of the palace, where he was forced to con- 
 
 299
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 template the disasters of his people, whom he would 
 have been willing to save at the expense of his own 
 life. 
 
 Row-boats traversed the streets of the city and 
 picked up many unfortunates who were being 
 drowned in trying to reach their homes. A senti- 
 nel was carried in his sentry-box by the current as 
 far as the Winter Palace. Seeing his sovereign at 
 the window, the poor soldier, who even at the ap- 
 proach of death could not be made to forget military 
 discipline, presented arms. They succeeded in rescu- 
 ing him. A funeral cross was transported by the 
 force of the waters from a cemetery on the other side 
 of the river and deposited opposite the palace. This 
 was regarded by some as a fatal omen. 
 
 As soon as the flood had abated, the emperor has- 
 tened to visit the places devastated by the inundation, 
 and to provide for the most pressing needs of the 
 people, whose distress was extreme at first. Salt 
 sold for twenty-five francs a pound. The wise meas- 
 ures of the emperor, whose sympathies were not 
 confined to the tears which the sight of this terrible 
 disaster had drawn from him, soon restored order 
 and tranquillity and effaced every trace of a mis- 
 fortune as unexpected as it was terrible. 
 
 I returned to France that same year before the 
 coronation of Charles X. There I received letters 
 from my mother telling me that Warsaw was again 
 rejoicing in the presence of her sovereign. Alex- 
 ander was so good as to go to see her, who thanked 
 him for all the kindnesses which he had lavished 
 upon me during my stay at St. Petersburg. The 
 
 300
 
 Emperor Alexander I 
 
 emperor kindly inquired if my health had not suf- 
 fered from the climate. He spoke to her also of her 
 grandson, and said that the child was pretty, and that 
 he had behaved very well during the christening. 
 
 My mother took the opportunity to give his 
 Majesty one of my letters to read, in which I related 
 a very good answer of the child. Some one having 
 asked him on his return to France, "Your godfather 
 is very handsome, isn't he?" "And good," an- 
 swered the child without hesitation. The emperor 
 said he was too old to be handsome and the child's 
 word was much better. 
 
 In speaking to my mother of the Princess of 
 Lowitch, the emperor said : " She is an angel, and has 
 a character which one seldom finds. My brother is 
 very fortunate." On the birthday of his Imperial 
 Highness the Grand Duke Constantine, the emperor 
 gave the princess the grand order of St. Catherine. 
 He invested her in it himself and begged her to sur- 
 prise her august spouse in that decoration. On the 
 princess's birthday he presented her with a magnif- 
 icent necklace of pearls. 
 
 The emperor's health seemed as perfect as in his 
 best years on this last journey to Warsaw, that is to 
 say, in the month of June, 1825. He had never 
 shown himself so gracious to the Poles. He seemed 
 to want to outdo himself in kindness. He was satis- 
 fied with everything he saw, the improvements of the 
 town, the works undertaken by the government, and 
 was astonished that with so little money they had 
 established several manufactures, made a public 
 road, etc. He praised, thanked, distributed bene- 
 
 301
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 fits, accorded favors, and inquired into the needs of 
 every one. 
 
 In passing through Lithuania the emperor stopped 
 at Towiany, where he showed marked kindness to the 
 Princess Constantine R. and her husband, who had 
 become proprietors of that estate at the death of 
 their aunt, whose loss the emperor seemed to feel 
 very sensibly. He was also so kind as to remember 
 having seen me at Towiany. 
 
 The health of the Empress Elizabeth, which had 
 for some time been delicate, decided that fatal jour- 
 ney to Taganrog. It is difficult to understand how 
 and why the physicians judged the climate of that 
 town, situated on the sea-coast and exposed in winter 
 to very cold winds, favorable for a disease of the 
 lungs. Redoubling his solicitude for a life which 
 seemed to grow dear when it was menaced, the 
 emperor accompanied his august spouse to Tagan- 
 rog, and there, at the very extremity of their empire, 
 inexorable death waited to strike with one blow its 
 two august victims. 
 
 Alexander, being reassured by a temporary ameli- 
 oration in the health of the empress, undertook a 
 journey to Palus-Meotides. Attacked by deep mel- 
 ancholy, he spoke often of returning to Taganrog, 
 whose situation had pleased him. He refused the 
 treatment of his English physician Wylie, complain- 
 ing only of frightful nervousness. Alas, it was the 
 end ! He died for not having punished his rebel- 
 lious and ungrateful subjects whose horrible designs 
 he knew. While all about him reposed upon the 
 
 faith in a fictitious tranquillity, ignoring the dangers 
 
 302
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 that menaced Russia and their sovereign, he suc- 
 cumbed under the weight of that terrible mystery, in 
 the excess of his pain and the violence of his anguish 
 letting only these words escape him : " Oh, the un- 
 grateful monsters ; I wished only their welfare ! " 
 After his death a search was made among the 
 papers of the emperor, and there the plot was dis- 
 covered. 
 
 It was too late. The blow had been dealt. The 
 perfidy of the conspirators and their mad ingratitude 
 had served them better, perhaps, than their parri- 
 cidal dagger would have done. The rage of the 
 assassins was disappointed. He was no more ! 
 Glory, honor, power, grace, amiability, angelic good- 
 ness, death, merciless death had consumed them 
 all, had destroyed all ! 
 
 Alexander left life without a regret. Could he 
 love it any longer? His last words after attending 
 to the duties of religion with a resignation inspired by 
 true piety and a pure conscience his last words, in 
 asking to see the heaven which seemed already open- 
 ing for him, show the calmness of his last moments. 
 " What a beautiful day ! " said he when they had 
 raised the window blinds. Yes, without doubt it was 
 a beautiful day, as it was to bring him eternal happi- 
 ness and immortal glory. But it was terrible for 
 those who were condemned to survive him, for the 
 unfortunate and unhappy Elizabeth, whose only hope, 
 after having received the last sigh, the last look of 
 her husband, was to follow him to the tomb and re- 
 join him in heaven. She wrote : " Our angel is in 
 heaven, and I I vegetate still a little longer on the 
 
 303
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 earth ; but I have the hope to be soon reunited to 
 him." 
 
 This was heart-rending news for a mother, and only 
 religious faith can help one to bear with fortitude 
 such a loss and such a grief. The first letter of the 
 Empress Elizabeth had been so reassuring, the poor 
 mother, filled with confidence and joy, had gone on 
 foot to church to offer thanks to the All-Powerful, who 
 seemed at last to lend an ear to the petitions of fifty 
 millions of people, who in their prayers had asked 
 Him to give them back their sovereign, their father. 
 All St. Petersburg, wild with joy at the arrival of the 
 courier who brought the glad message, and retaining 
 by heart each touching word of the beloved empress's 
 letter, went in crowds to the churches. The Tc Deum 
 was not finished when the Grand Duke Nicholas re- 
 ceived the last and fatal news. 
 
 He returned, to the church, where every one was 
 struck by the sudden change in his countenance. 
 Not wishing or not being able to strike his mother's 
 heart with such a terrible blow, he thought that relig- 
 ion alone could soften its sharpness. Immediately 
 the priest advanced toward the empress, bearing in 
 trembling hands the crucifix covered with a black 
 veil. By the slow and solemn step and by the univer- 
 sal sign of grief, the unhappy mother knew what was 
 in reserve for her, and like the divine Mother she fell 
 at the foot of the cross. 
 
 What a heart-rending scene ! The interior of the 
 superb church of Kazan, glittering with gold and 
 lights, the priest at the altar in his rich robes, whose 
 every feature expressed a grief too deep for words ; 
 
 34
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 that tender mother, showing in her countenance the 
 sudden change from joy to sorrow; the Grand Duke 
 Nicholas divided between the feelings which over- 
 whelmed him and his anxiety for his beloved mother; 
 the groups of assistants whose faces expressed a mix- 
 ture of doubt, hope, and fear ; the mysterious light of 
 the chapel blending with the melancholy brilliancy of 
 the candles and lamps ; all this joyous service changed 
 to a mournful sacrifice ; what a subject for another 
 Raphael! What material from which to create a 
 masterpiece ! 
 
 Europe learned at the same time of the illness and 
 death of that generous prince who had given her 
 peace and repose. There was mourning in every 
 land. The nations were moved in learning that their 
 friend and liberator was no more ; the courts put on 
 true mourning. The Emperor of Austria, on hearing 
 of the death of Alexander, his faithful ally, exclaimed 
 in an emotion of deep grief which honored himself as 
 much as him whose loss he deplored, " Alas, I have 
 lost my best friend ! " Touching words in the mouth 
 of a sovereign, and expressive of deep sorrow. 
 
 At the Russian embassy in Paris they were prepar- 
 ing for a festival in honor of the emperor's birth- 
 day. It was changed to funeral honors. I will not 
 attempt to describe what I felt at this overwhelming 
 event. There are griefs which only religion can 
 calm or assuage. I heard of it without preparation, 
 by a letter which was sent me from Paris to the 
 country, where we were staying. 
 
 I had no sooner glanced at the letter than I gave a 
 loud cry. M. de C., much astonished, asked me what 
 20 35
 
 Historical Memoirs of the 
 
 it was. Sobbing I told him, saying that it could not be 
 true. He ran to the newspaper, which he had not yet 
 opened, and came back with tears in his eyes. It 
 was no longer possible to doubt our misfortune. 
 Even my child felt it. M. de C-, placing his hand on 
 the head of his son, said, " Poor child, he does not 
 yet know what he has lost ! " My Alexander, lifting 
 his head sadly, said, " I have lost my godfather." 
 
 Each day confirmed the heart-rending news by more 
 sinister details, details which filled the soul with indig- 
 nation and horror. The opinion generally admitted, 
 that that beautiful life had not been cut short by other 
 hands than those of Providence, was my first conso- 
 lation. Still I was constantly obliged to hear these 
 sad words : " The Emperor Alexander died at Tag- 
 anrog" and to see them written everywhere. They 
 pursued me night and day: but my heart, my im- 
 agination, everything in me refused even this evi- 
 dence, and I saw him as I had seen him the last time, 
 in all his goodness and gentleness. Instead of avoid- 
 ing these sad details which the newspapers offered 
 daily, I read them eagerly. I delighted in this 
 universal mourning, in these heart-rending regrets 
 which found an echo in my own heart. I loved to 
 see my sadness shared by the inhabitants of Cham- 
 pagne which Alexander had entered as conqueror. 
 There was not one poor wine-grower in the environs 
 of Epernay or Les Vertus, who did not exclaim when 
 he heard of the death of Alexander, " Ah ! what a 
 misfortune ! He saved France ! " A peasant said 
 to me one day, " Alas ! madame, he was as good as 
 he was handsome ! " 
 
 306
 
 Emperor Alexander I. 
 
 Russia and Poland were filled with grief and cov- 
 ered with mourning. Woe be to those who did not 
 carry it in their hearts, and eternal shame be upon 
 those who dared deny the fidelity which they had 
 sworn to Alexander ! 
 
 But we will turn from these dark thoughts, and 
 behold rather how the august heirs of the virtues and 
 power of Alexander give a unique example to the 
 world. Brothers have been seen, sword in hand, 
 fighting over the bloody heritage of their father ; but 
 in the noble contest between Constantine and Nicho- 
 las one sees only disinterestedness, greatness of soul, 
 and generosity. It is well known that, regarding 
 herself as an obstacle to the great destinies of her 
 august husband, the Princess Lowitch threw herself 
 at Constantine's feet and implored him to forget that 
 she had ever existed, and to fulfil the destiny that 
 awaited him by accepting the crown to which his 
 birth entitled him. But Constantine was guided by 
 his love for her, and the word he had given a dearly 
 loved and venerated brother. 
 
 Notwithstanding his virtuous resistance, Nicholas 
 ascended this desolate throne, where such difficult 
 emergencies were reserved for his wisdom. God has 
 supported him in the midst of many difficulties ; may 
 He sustain him always. If the Emperor Alexander 
 has merited the surname of the Good, let us hope 
 that his august follower, in imitation of that prince of 
 immortal memory, in making his name and power 
 respected, in preferring the love of his subjects to 
 vainglory and renown, may receive one day from his 
 contemporaries and from posterity the surname of 
 
 37
 
 Memoirs of Alexander I. 
 
 the Irreproachable, a beautiful title, which not only 
 few sovereigns, but few men in private life have ever 
 been able to merit. 
 
 I have endeavored in this modest sketch to paint 
 Alexander from life. I shall be only too happy if 
 those who had the good fortune to know him, to 
 approach him, to love him, and to be devoted to 
 him, here recognize a few traits of this grand and 
 beautiful model, so worthy of a better pen and greater 
 talent. 
 
 308
 
 I ndex 
 
 A. 
 
 ABDICATION, Pahlen proposes Paul's, 
 31; Napoleon's, 172,204. 
 
 Adalberg, Baroness, 296. 
 
 Admiralty, The, St. Petersburg, 262. 
 
 Agriculture, fostered by Alexander, 
 47, 274. 
 
 Alexander I., Emperor of Russia; 
 friendship for the author, vi; sacri- 
 fices Russian interests by Treaty of 
 Tilsit, vi, 60 ; kept constantly be- 
 fore us, xii; in front rank of celeb- 
 rities, xiii ; conduct of, at time of 
 assassination of Paul, xiii, 31 ; tragic 
 death veiled by the author, xiii; im- 
 perfect view of, xv ; birth of, 23 ; 
 La Harpe tutor of, 24 ; loved to 
 study, 25 ; solicitude of Catherine II. 
 for, 25 ; love for his bride, 26 ; in- 
 fluence over Paul, 27 ; besought by 
 Pahlen to accept regency, 34-37 ; 
 warned by Princess Gazarin, 38 ; 
 horror at the deed of the conspira- 
 tors, 44 ; trying position at first as 
 czar, 43 ; acts of justice mark acces- 
 sion to the throne, 46 ; love of mili- 
 tary details, 47 ; reply to Mme. de 
 Stael, 48 ; genius of, and destiny of, 
 48 ; example of the sympathy of, 
 49; first visit to Vilna, 49; his cus- 
 toms when travelling, 50 ; war made 
 not for conquest, 51 ; sends Markoff 
 to Paris, 52; demands reparation 
 for murder of D'Enghien, 53 ; ap- 
 points Kotousoff to command of 
 troops, 53 ; arrival at Czartory ski's, 
 55 ; declines order of St. George, 56 ; 
 refuses to ratify treaty made by 
 Oubril, 56; befriends Queen Louisa, 
 56 ; interview with Bonaparte 58 ; 
 receives King and Queen of Prussia 
 
 39 
 
 at his Court, 60-62 ; Mme. Narish- 
 kin and, 61 ; Napoleon seeks a 
 second interview with, 62, 63 ; re- 
 nounces the Continental System, 
 64 ; second visit to Vilna, 66 ; termi- 
 nates conquest of Finland, 66 ; daily 
 routine of, 68; visits Count Mori- 
 coni, 68 ; gallantry of, 71, 73 ; arrival 
 at Towiany, 73 ; praises attainments 
 of the Poles, 76; departure from 
 Towiany, 80; reverence for holy 
 things, 82 ; personal description of, 
 82; portrait of, by Gerard, 83, 138; 
 bust of, by Thorwaldsen, 83; re- 
 ceives Count Narbonne, 84; ap- 
 points the author lady of honor, 86; 
 calls on the author at Vilna, 87 ; 
 purchases Zakret, 88 ; comments on 
 European affairs, 89 ; remark of, 
 misinterpreted by the Poles, 90 ; at 
 ball at Zakret, 92; learns that the 
 French had crossed the Niemen, 
 94; leaves Vilna, 94; rejects pro- 
 posal to devastate Lithuania, 97 ; 
 sends Balacheff to Napoleon, 102; 
 criticism of, by Napoleon, 104; cor- 
 dial reception at Warsaw, 113; en- 
 trusts command of the army to De 
 Tolly, 114; goes to St, Peters- 
 burg, 114; tactics of, criticised by 
 Napoleon, 115; forbids imperial 
 family to leave the Capital, 116; 
 returns to Vilna, 131 ; exonerates the 
 Lithuanians, 132, 143; outlines his 
 war policy, 133; criticises Napo- 
 leon's treatment of his courtiers, 
 136; appreciation of Voltaire, 139; 
 astonishment at rashness of French 
 invasion, 139; fidelity of Ilia to, 
 142 ; decorates Kotousoff, 144; visits 
 hospitals at Vilna, 146 ; anxious to
 
 Index 
 
 hasten end of the war, 149; praises 
 character of Moreau, 149 ; Talley- 
 rand and, at Erfurt, 150; commends 
 conduct of Oudinot, 152; mentions 
 defects in modern education, 152; 
 Madame Kriidener and, 152; re- 
 jects all reports derogatory to his 
 subjects, 154; protects the estate of 
 the author's father, 159; conduct 
 of, in the German campaign, 161 ; 
 proclamation to his troops on enter- 
 ing France, 163 ; induces the allies 
 to march upon Paris, 164; receives 
 the aldermen of Paris, 166 ; enters 
 Paris, 1 66; receives a deputation 
 from the French Senate, 168 ; 
 gives assurances of his friendship 
 for France, 169 ; declares the French 
 soldiers free, 1 70 ; friendship for Jo- 
 sephine, 171 ; the guest of Talley- 
 rand, 171 ; insists with the allies on 
 favorable terms for Napoleon, 172 ; 
 compels France to pay Lithuanian 
 soldiers, 174; grants an audience to 
 the French Institute, 174; visits 
 the Hotel des Invalides, 175; re- 
 sponds to address by Chaptal, 176; 
 receives a medal, 177; visits the 
 Institution of ^couen, 177; honors 
 the memory of La Harpe, 177; bust 
 of, made by French artists, 178; 
 visits Louis XVIII. , 179; visits 
 England, 181 ; honored by Oxford, 
 183; visits Blenheim, 184; visits 
 Saardam, 184; joins the empress, 
 184; letter to Wiazmintoff, 184; 
 incidents of his journey homewards, 
 185 ; declines title of Blessed, 189 ; 
 takes steps to advance the welfare 
 of Russia, 190; journey to Vienna, 
 193 ; declared King of Poland, 196; 
 letter to Ostrowski, 196 ; aware of 
 Talleyrand's duplicity, 199 ; reluc- 
 tant to again go to war for France, 
 200 ; delays his return to Paris, 201 ; 
 addresses his troops, 201 ; welcomed 
 by the inhabitants of Champagne, 
 202; advice ignored and works of 
 art dispersed, 203 ; encourages emi- 
 gration to the Crimea, 203 ; crowned 
 King of Poland, 206; gives Poland 
 
 a new Constitution, 207 ; festivities 
 at Warsaw, 209; arrives at Vilna, 
 211 ; difficulties placed in his way 
 at Vienna, 212; compares Paris 
 and London, 213; arrives at Tow- 
 iany, 215; prediction concerning 
 Napoleon, 216; his acts of disci- 
 pline, 220 ; returns to Warsaw, 221 ; 
 commends the Polish army, 235; 
 solicitude for the author's future, 
 236; virtuous conduct assures a 
 noble career, 237 ; habits of indus- 
 try of, 238; consents to the author's 
 marriage, 239 ; letter of congratula- 
 tion to the author, 240; opinion of 
 the liberal party in France, 243; 
 writes a letter in the author's be- 
 half, 247; fails to champion Greece, 
 249; lack of enthusiasm for, at 
 Vilna, 249; calls on the author, 
 249-256; discusses French politics, 
 251 ; retains his youthful appearance, 
 255; attends the Congress of Ve- 
 rona, 256 ; falls dangerously ill, 259 ; 
 returns to Czarsko-Selo, 263 ; greets 
 the author, 269; insists on being 
 her host, 270; agricultural tastes 
 of, 274 ; habit of life at Czarsko- 
 Se'lo, 276 ; is godfather to the 
 author's son, 282 ; solicitude for the 
 health of Louis XVIII., 283 ; starts 
 for the Ural Mountains, 284 ; death 
 of his daughter, 289 ; silent suffer- 
 ings of, 292 ; returns to St. Peters- 
 burg, 299; again visits Warsaw, 
 300 ; satisfaction with Poland, 301 ; 
 death at Taganrog, 302; grief of 
 the Emperor of Austria at the 
 death of, 305 ; author's tribute to, 
 306 ; popularity of, in France, 
 306. 
 
 Alexander, Palace of, 270. 
 
 Alexandra, Grand Duchess, 279. 
 
 Alexis Petrowitz, foot-note on, 35. 
 
 Anecdotes : Empress Catherine and 
 the German princes, 26 ; M. Choi- 
 seul and Pahlen, 28; Paul and 
 Pahlen, 32 ; Mme. de Stael and 
 Alexander, 48 ; burghers of Vilna 
 and Alexander, 49 ; Mr. Theodore 
 and Alexander, 50, 51; Alexander 
 
 310
 
 Index 
 
 at Austerlitz, 54; Alexander at 
 Czartoryski's, 55 ; Alexander and 
 Napoleon, 58 ; Alexander at Willa- 
 now, 70; Tolstoi and Alexander, 
 74 ; Napoleon and Caulincourt, 119; 
 Alexander and Ilia, 142 ; Alexander 
 and the Spanish prisoners, 147 ; 
 Alexander and a soldier, 148 ; Alex- 
 ander and a petitioner, 185-187 ; 
 Alexander and Mme. de Radzivil, 
 226, 231. 
 
 Angouleme, Due d', foot-note on, 
 258. 
 
 Arnault, literary genius of, 160. 
 
 Armfeldt, Gustav M., Commander of 
 Finland, 71. 
 
 Armidowska, name given Mme. de 
 Radzivil, 226. 
 
 Army, Austrian at Dresden, 161. 
 
 Army, French, victorious at Jena, 
 56 ; held in check by Bennigsen, 56 ; 
 occupies Warsaw, 57; crosses the 
 Niemen, 94 ; enters Vilna, 96 ; com- 
 position of, 97 ; behavior of, 98, 
 109; apparent destination of, 116. 
 recruits from Lithuania, 117; dis- 
 order of, on retreat, 120; suffering 
 of, 122, 126 ; declared to be free, 
 170; absence of discipline in, 212. 
 
 Army, Russian, alienated by Paul, 27; 
 hails Alexander as czar, 43 ; con- 
 spiracy had stronghold in, 45 ; im- 
 proved spirit of, 46; owes its fine 
 bearing to Alexander, 47; under 
 Bennigsen checks French advance, 
 56 ; assembles in Lithuania, 66 ; 
 evacuates Vilna, 94, 96 ; retakes 
 Vilna, 123; occupies Warsaw, 159; 
 vigorous discipline in the, 173; 
 assemble at Les Vertus, 201. 
 
 Art and literature render homage to 
 Alexander, 46. 
 
 Artois, Count of, see Charles X. 
 
 Austerlitz, lost by non-arrival of Ben- 
 nigsen, 54. 
 
 Austria, declares war against France, 
 53 ; Talleyrand makes treaty with, 
 199. 
 
 Austria, Emperor of, criticised by Na- 
 poleon, 105; birthday of, 195; con- 
 gratulates Alexander on Russian 
 
 army, 202; grief at death of Alex- 
 ander, 305. 
 
 B. 
 
 BADEN, violation of territory of, 53. 
 
 Balacheff, General, sent by Alexander 
 to Napoleon, 102, 132. 
 
 Barthelemy, Marie, foot-note on, 252. 
 
 Bassano, Duke of, see Maret. 
 
 Beauharnais, Eugene de, Alexander's 
 interest in, 171. 
 
 Bennigsen, Count Levin, respectfully 
 opposes Empress Marie, 41; urges 
 homage be paid to Alexander, 42 ; 
 prevails on Alexander to ascend the 
 throne, 43 ; responsibility for loss 
 of Austerlitz, 54 ; checks the French 
 advance, 56; sells Zakret to the 
 emperor, 88. 
 
 Bennigsen, Mme., 93. 
 
 Berlin, captured by the French, 56 ; 
 Nicholas's wedding at, 206. 
 
 Bernadotte, Marshal, friendly rela- 
 tions with Alexander, 66 ; advises 
 Alexander not to give Napoleon 
 battle, 114. 
 
 Bern, Due de, tragic death of, 243. 
 
 Berri, Duchesse de, courage of, 243. 
 
 Blenheim, visited by Alexander, 184. 
 
 Bonaparte, Prince Je'rome, suggested 
 for King of Poland, 100; mistakes 
 made by, harass Napoleon, 100. 
 
 Bonaparte, Lucien, 149. 
 
 Borgo, Carlo di, foot-note on, 197. 
 
 Bourbons, Napoleon's duty to the, 51 ; 
 dispersed by Napoleon, 199 ; Alex- 
 ander marches to the relief of, 200. 
 
 C. 
 
 CAMBYSES, Napoleon compared to, 
 118. 
 
 Castelbajac, Viscount de, see Bar- 
 thelemy. 
 
 Catherine II., Alexander's affection 
 for, 23 ; strong will of, 24 ; solici- 
 tude for Alexander, 25 ; Zouboff a 
 favorite of, 30; effects of prodigal 
 generosity of, 47 ; sends Markoff to 
 Turkey, 52; lack of interest in pub- 
 lic affairs during reign of, 133. 
 
 3 11
 
 Index 
 
 Catherine, Grand Duchess, asked in 
 marriage by Napoleon, 63; visits 
 London, 182; visits Oxford, 183; 
 visits Vienna, 195. 
 
 Caulincourt, serves Napoleon, no; 
 returns with Napoleon to Paris, 119; 
 attentions demanded by Napoleon of, 
 
 136. 
 
 Cayla, Countess of, favorite of Louis 
 XVIII., 254. 
 
 Champagne, inhabitants of, welcome 
 Alexander, 202 ; grief for the death 
 of, 306. 
 
 Chapelle, Antoine, foot-note on, 121. 
 
 Chaptal, M., delivers address to Alex- 
 ander, 176. 
 
 Charles, Archduke, absence of army 
 of, at Austerlitz, 53. 
 
 Charles X. arrives in Paris, 1 78 ; es- 
 teemed by Alexander, 243. 
 
 Charles XII., Napoleon refers to, 115. 
 
 Chateaubriand, M. de; his appreciation 
 of Alexander, 256; retirement of, 
 281. 
 
 Choiseul-Gouffier, Comte, sketch of 
 the life of, vii; banished from St. 
 Petersburg, 28 ; Empress Marie's 
 remembrance of, 294, 295. 
 
 Choiseul-Gouffier, M. de, marriage 
 with the author, vii ; interview with 
 Pahlen, 28 ; asks imperial consent 
 to his marriage, 239 ; detained in 
 France by his duties, 250; visits St 
 Petersburg, 260; obtains an audi- 
 ence with Alexander, 281. 
 
 Choiseul-Gouffier, Comtesse, early life 
 of, v ; meets the czar, vi, 69 ; mar- 
 riage of, vii ; history of her book, viii, 
 ix ; a Polish author, xii ; compared 
 to M. de La Cases, xii; book of, 
 popular, xiii ; grief at death of 
 Alexander, xv, 305 ; personal recol- 
 lections of Alexander begin, 67; 
 offended with him, 67 ; reason for 
 writing her memoirs, 81 ; descrip- 
 tion of the emperor, 82 ; appointed 
 lady of honor, 86 ; attends a grand 
 service of the Greek Church, 86 : 
 receives a message from Tolstoi, 
 87; receives the emperor at Vilna, 
 87, 131-142, 147-156, 211-214, 
 
 312 
 
 249; courtesies to the author at 
 Zakret, 93 ; distressed by the French, 
 99; dislike of the French army, 
 101; presented to Napoleon, 107; 
 describes Napoleon's appearance, 
 I0 9 '35 meets him near Zakret, 
 112; remains in Vilna after family 
 join the French army, 123 ; applies 
 to Czaplic for protection, 123 ; con- 
 duct of, praised, 124 ; rumored flight 
 of, 124 ; experiences with the French 
 refugees, 127; hatred of Napoleon, 
 130 ; joy at arrival of Alexander, 131 ; 
 attends ball at Kotousoff's, 143; 
 sends letter by him to her father, 145 ; 
 threatened confiscation of estates of, 
 150; intrusts letter to her father to 
 Tolstoi, 155 ; appeals to Alexander 
 to protect her estates, 155 ; departs 
 for the country, 1 58 ; receives order 
 from Alexander protecting estates, 
 159; prayer offered in Alexander's 
 behalf, 205 ; anxiety for his safety, 
 210 ; begins her journal, 213 ; goes to 
 Towiany, 215 ; indisposition of, 
 218; visits Warsaw, 221, 242; in- 
 terview with Alexander, 222, 223- 
 228 ; guest of M. de Novosiltzoff, 
 230 ; meets Alexander at Potocki's 
 233 ; receives him, 235 ; solicits a 
 place for Gunther, 236 ; marriage 
 of, decided upon, 239 ; receives a 
 letter of congratulation from Alex- 
 ander, 240 ; desires an official posi- 
 tion for her husband, 241 ; asks 
 emperor's aid, 246 ; hopes for 
 Greece, 248 ; arrangements for bap- 
 tism of her son, 250 ; rapid journey 
 from Paris to Vilna, 255 ; visits St. 
 Petersburg, 260; goes to Czarsko- 
 S61o, 267 ; sad reflections of, 268 ; 
 unexpected meeting with Alexander, 
 269 ; accepts his hospitality, 270 ; 
 presents her son to him, 272 ; 
 opinion of Parisian society, 273 ; 
 meets Empress Elizabeth, 277; 
 meets the Empress Marie, 279; 
 description of imperial yacht, 281 ; 
 baptism of her son, 282 ; accounts 
 for emperor's sadness, 289; fare- 
 well audience with Empress Eliza-
 
 Index 
 
 beth, 290; parting gift from Alex- 
 ander, 290 ; accidental meeting with 
 the Empress, 291 ; sympathy for 
 Alexander, 292 ; farewell audience 
 with Empress Marie, 293 ; visits her 
 benevolent institutions, 296, 297 ; 
 returns to Paris, 300 ;, tribute to 
 Alexander, 306, 307. 
 
 Clarence, Duke of, 181. 
 
 Commerce protected by Alexander, 47. 
 
 Cond6, Princesse de, and Henri IV., 
 62. 
 
 Conde, Prince de, foot-note on, 179. 
 
 Congress of Vienna, attitude on learn- 
 ing of Napoleon's escape from Elba, 
 xiii ; sessions of, 195. 
 
 Congress of Verona, 256. 
 
 Conspiracy, against Paul, 29-41 ; 
 revealed by anonymous letter, 32 ; 
 success of, 41 ; against Alexander, 
 210, 302, 303. 
 
 Conspirators, fear Alexander's wrath, 
 43; exiled to the provinces, 44. 
 
 Constant, Benjamin, 252. 
 
 Constant, " Private Life of Napo- 
 leon," quoted, 115, 135. 
 
 Constantine, Grand Duke, suspicion 
 of Paul against, 33 ; urges Alex- 
 ander to become emperor, 42 ; pre- 
 sented to Napoleon, 58 ; occupies 
 Comte Tisenhaus's house, 67; en- 
 ters Paris, 166 ; at Warsaw, 223 ; 
 marriage of, 245 ; at Vilna, 256 ; 
 country residence of, 260 ; Alex- 
 ander decorates his wife, 301 ; de- 
 clines the succession. 307. 
 
 Constitutionnel, influence of the, 273. 
 
 Continental system, enforced by Na- 
 poleon, 60; renounced by Alexan- 
 der, 64 ; effects on Russia, 65. 
 
 Convent of , 296. 
 
 Cossacks, approach Vilna, 118; enter 
 Vilna, 123 ; pillagings of, 128 ; com- 
 pelled to disgorge, 129. 
 
 Cotchubey, Count, 86. 
 
 Coucy, Eug6nie de, foot-note on, 
 118. 
 
 Country residences, near St. Peters- 
 burg, beauty of, 260. 
 
 Czaplic, General, first Russian to re- 
 enter Vilna, 123. 
 
 Czarsko-SeUo, Alexander's illness at, 
 259 ; author arrives at, 267 ; de- 
 scription of park of, 274. 
 
 Czartoryska, Princess Isabella, foot- 
 note on, 193. 
 
 Czartoryski, Prince Constantine, 55. 
 
 Czernischeff, M., aide-de-camp to 
 Alexander, 71; visits Louis XVI 11. 
 with him, 179. 
 
 D. 
 
 D'ALEMBERT, 138. 
 
 datcha, 260, 261. 
 
 David, portrait of Napoleon by, 109. 
 
 Davoust, Louis, foot-note on, 101. 
 
 Decazes, M., influence on Louis 
 
 XVIII., 243. 
 Declaration of war by Austria and 
 
 Russia against France, 53. 
 Delitte, quoted, 292. 
 De Stael, Mme, see Stael,Mme. de. 
 Diderot, 138. 
 
 Dumas, M., quotes this work, viii. 
 Duplessis, Armand, note on, 121 ; 
 
 Alexander's appreciation of, 251. 
 
 E. 
 
 EDUCATION, defects of modern, 152. 
 
 Ekaterinoslaf Garden, 263. 
 
 Elba, Island of, escape of Napoleon 
 from, xiii, 198 ; his banishment to, 
 172. 
 
 Elizabeth of Baden chosen to be Grand 
 Duchess, 26; suffers from Alex- 
 ander's infidelity, 61 ; meets him at 
 Brussels, 184 ; life at Czarsko-Se'lo, 
 276, 278; author's interview with, 
 277 ; opinion of Walter Scott's 
 novels, 277 ; kindness to the Emper- 
 or's daughter, 289; author's fare- 
 well audience with, 290 ; affection 
 for Alexander, 291 ; goes to Tagan- 
 rog, 302 ; grief at Alexander's 
 death, 303. 
 
 Emigrant, Napoleon's interview with 
 a French, 103. 
 
 Enghien, Due d', murder of, 53. 
 
 England, Alexander sends Markoff 
 to maintain friendly relations with, 
 52 ; broke treaty of Amiens, 52 ; 
 
 313
 
 Index 
 
 Napoleon enforces the Continental 
 System against, 60; not dependent 
 upon European commerce for pros- 
 perity, 65 ; welcomes the sovereign 
 allies, 1 81 ; policy of, toward Portu- 
 gal, 286. 
 
 English carriages in Russia, 261. 
 
 Equestrians, Tower of the, 271 ; au- 
 thor visits, 284. 
 
 Erfurt, Napoleon and Alexander at, 
 63. 6 4i 150- 
 
 Eugene, Prince, see Beauharnais. 
 
 Europe, admiration of, for Russian 
 army, 475 danger of war to pros- 
 perity of, 52, 151 ; shocked by 
 D'Enghien's murder, 53. 
 
 Exiles, increased number of, 27. 
 
 F. 
 
 FERRONNAYS, COUNT ; foot-note on, 
 241 ; appointed ambassador to Rus- 
 sia, 242. 
 
 Finances (Russian), put in order by 
 Alexander, 47. 
 
 Finland, conquest of, by Alexander, 66. 
 
 Fitz-James, Due de, foot-note on, 257. 
 
 Fontanges, Mile, de, and Louis XIV., 
 62. 
 
 Foy, Maximilian, foot-note on, 252. 
 
 France, young France satisfied with 
 author's concessions xiii ; rescued 
 from revolution by Napoleon, 5 1 ; 
 Alexander's desire to maintain 
 friendly relations with, 52 ; allies' ef- 
 forts to correct false reports in, 150 ; 
 misinformed by Napoleon's bulle- 
 tins, 151; boundaries of, unchanged, 
 202; Alexander speaks of, 212; 
 anxiety in, for Spain, 249 : Due de 
 Richelieu's services in behalf of, 
 251 ; anxiety in, by Alexander's 
 attitude to Spain, 257. 
 
 Frank, Mme. 74. 
 
 French revolution, long convalescence 
 from, xi. 
 
 French prisoners, transportation of, 
 57 ; ravaged by the Jews, 126. 
 
 French secrecy regarding their mili- 
 tary preparations, 66; policy in re- 
 gard to, 118. 
 
 French artists honor Alexander, 1 78. 
 
 French at Vilna celebrate entrance into 
 Moscow, 118; hail Alexander as 
 their Henri IV., 171. 
 
 French language, spoken with ele- 
 gance by Alexander, 25, 149; for- 
 gotten by the French, 149. 
 
 French honor protected by Louis 
 XVIII., 258. 
 
 Friedland, battle of, 58. 
 
 G. 
 
 GAGARIN, Princess, Paul's friendship 
 for, 37 ; warns Alexander, 38. 
 
 Genlis, Mme. de, 153. 
 
 Genoa, la suferba, 128. 
 
 George III., regency for, 36. 
 
 GeYard, portrait of Alexander by, 83. 
 
 German princesses brought to St. 
 Petersburg, 26. 
 
 Germany, Markoff fails in, 52. 
 
 Ghent, Louis XVIII. retires to, 199. 
 
 Giedroyc, Mile., appointed lady of 
 honor, 86. 
 
 Goscinny-Devor, description of, 263. 
 
 Grabowska, Mile., presented to Alex- 
 ander, 69 ; appointed lady of honor, 
 86. 
 
 Greek, in defence, hopes for, 248. 
 
 Grodno, 50. 
 
 H. 
 
 HARPE, Colonel La, see La Harpe. 
 
 Henri IV., and the Princesse de 
 Cond6, 62 ; dress of, adopted by 
 Murat, 136 ; Alexander compared 
 to, 225. 
 
 Henriade, 138. 
 
 Historical Memoirs, history of these, 
 viii ; popularity of, xi ; " show his- 
 tory en deshabille " xi ; interest in, 
 compared to novels by Scott, 81. 
 
 Hogendorp, Count, foot-note on, 119. 
 
 H6tel des Invalides, visited by Alex- 
 ander. 275. 
 
 Houchka, gift for, 50. 
 
 I. 
 
 ILIA, Alexander's favorite coachman, 
 141.
 
 Index 
 
 J- 
 
 JABLONOWSKA, Princess, gives a 
 ball for Alexander, 178. 
 
 Jacobin party in France, in. 
 
 James II., reception by Louis XIV., 
 60. 
 
 Jena, battle of, 56. 
 
 Jer6me, Prince, see Bonaparte, Prince 
 Je>6me. 
 
 Jersey, Countess of, foot-note on, 
 184. 
 
 Jesuits, expelled by Alexander's or- 
 der, 220. 
 
 Jews, ravage the French soldiers, 126; 
 conduct of, commended by Alex- 
 ander, 140. 
 
 Jomini, Baron Henri, foot-note on, 97. 
 
 Josephine, Napoleon divorces, 63 ; 
 Mile. Giedroyc, lady in waiting to, 
 86; befriended by Alexander, 171. 
 
 Jumilhac, General, see Chapelle. 
 
 K. 
 
 KAMENEY-OSTROFF, 265. 
 
 Kant, philosophy of, 139. 
 
 Kazan, St. Mary of, 129; author de- 
 scribes, 263 ; service at, for Alex- 
 ander's health, 304. 
 
 Kicki, Senator, welcomes Alexander 
 to Warsaw, 193. 
 
 Korsakoff, Rymsky, 57; reassures 
 Comte Tisenhaus, 95. 
 
 Kotousoff, Michael L. G., appointed 
 to command of Russian troops, 53 ; 
 concludes treaty with Turks, 66 ; 
 appointed to command against Na- 
 poleon, 117; enters Vilna, 124; 
 made Prince of Smolensk, 124 ; 
 gives ball to Alexander, 143 ; deco- 
 rated by him, 144; forwards au- 
 thor's letter to her father, 145 ; 
 depreciates possibility of attacks on 
 person of Alexander, 156 ; sketch 
 of life of, 159. 
 
 Kourakin, Prince, 189. 
 
 Koutaisoff, favorite of Paul, 30. 
 
 Krestofsky, island of, 266. 
 
 Kriidener, Baroness, foot-note on, 
 152. 
 
 L. 
 
 LACRETELLE, Pierre de, foot-note on, 
 
 175- 
 
 La Fontaine, quoted, 127. 
 
 La Harpe, Colonel, preceptor to Alex- 
 ander, 24 ; influence on the policy of 
 Alexander, 47 ; criticism of, by Na- 
 poleon, 104 ; memory honored by 
 Alexander, 177. 
 
 Lamartine, quotes this work, viii. 
 
 Las Cases, M. de, compared with the 
 author, xii. 
 
 Lauriston, Kotousoff 's negotiations 
 with, 1 60. 
 
 Leipzig, battle of, 162. 
 
 Lievin, Princess, 293 ; foot-note on, 
 294. 
 
 Ligne, Prince Charles, foot-note on, 
 196; name given Mme. de Radzivil 
 by, 226. 
 
 Lithuania, influence of, on the author, 
 xii ; estates of Choiseul-Gouffier 
 in, 28 ; entrance of the French 
 army into, checked by Bennigsen, 
 58 ; recruits from, join French army, 
 117. 
 
 Lithuanians ignorant of Napoleon's 
 approach, 90; despoiled by his 
 army, 99 ; reproved by the French, 
 99; forgiven by Alexander, 143; 
 continue to trust the French, 159; 
 return to the service of Alexander, 
 1 73 ; he insists that France pay for 
 their services. 174. 
 
 Litta, Comtesse de, foot-note on, 239. 
 
 Lockman, M., baptizes the author's 
 son, 282. 
 
 London, welcomes Alexander, 181 ; 
 his preference for, 213. 
 
 Lopacinska, Countess, see Moriconi, 
 Dorothe'e. 
 
 Louis XIV., hospitality to James II., 
 60; friendship for Montespan and 
 Fontanges, 62 ; gallantry of, com- 
 pared with Alexander's, 71. 
 
 Louis XVI., rewards for promoters 
 of the death of, 46; disloyalty of 
 Narbonne to, 84. 
 
 Louis XVIII., declared to be king 
 170 ; returns to France, 179 ; re- 
 
 315
 
 Index 
 
 tires to Ghent, 199; sends Talley- 
 rand to Vienna, 199; influence of 
 Decazes over, 243; friendship for 
 Countess of Cayla, 254 ; sends 
 army to Spain, 259; malady of, 
 283. 
 
 Louis, Prince of Prussia, killed in 
 battle of Jena, 56. 
 
 Louisa, Queen of Prussia, flight from 
 Berlin, 56; received at St. Peters- 
 burg by Alexander, 60. 
 
 Lowiez, Princess, 235. 
 
 Lowitch, Princess, Alexander praises, 
 300 ; urges Constantine to succeed 
 Alexander, 307. 
 
 M. 
 
 MALET, Claude de, conspiracy of, 
 151. 
 
 Malta, Commander of, Count Mori- 
 coni, 69. 
 
 Maret, Hugues, foot-note on, 105 ; per- 
 suades Count P. to give a ball to 
 Napoleon, no; speaks of recruits 
 from Lithuania, 117 ; expected a 
 speedy peace, 117; calls on Napo- 
 leon, 119. 
 
 Marie Feodorovna, Empress, foot-note 
 on, 33; aroused by attack on Paul, 
 41 ; urges Alexander to succeed 
 his father, 43 ; refuses to accede to 
 Napoleon's views for Catherine, 64; 
 commanded by Alexander to remain 
 at St. Petersburg, 116; author meets, 
 279 ; influence of institutions founded 
 by, 287; receives the author, 293; 
 literary and artistic interests of, 295 ; 
 learns of Alexander's death, 304. 
 
 Marie Louise, Archduchess, marriage 
 to Napoleon, 64; lack of courage of, 
 164; compared to Maria Theresa, 
 164; flight from Paris, 165. 
 
 Maria Theresa, 164. 
 
 Markoff, Count, mission to France, 52. 
 
 Marmont, Marshal, capitulation before 
 Paris, 165. 
 
 Massalski, Prince Ignace, foot-note on, 
 
 Memel, Queen Louisa's flight to, 56. 
 Memoirs of the author, written in 
 
 French by a Pole, xii; unique 
 quality of, xii; source for facts 
 hitherto unknown, xiii. 
 
 Michaelovski, Palace of, conspirators 
 resort to, 38. 
 
 Michel, Grand Duke, Marriage of, 259. 
 
 Michel, Grand Duchess, author pre- 
 sented to, 280. 
 
 Miendsirzecz, Alexander's arrival at, 
 
 55- 
 
 Minsk, captured by Russians, 118. 
 
 Mitford, Lord, policy of, as viewed by 
 Markoff, 52. 
 
 Montespan, Mme. de, and Louis 
 XIV., 62. 
 
 Montmorency, M. de, attachment for 
 Alexander, 256. 
 
 Moreau, character of, admired by 
 Alexander, 149 ; shot near Dresden, 
 161. 
 
 Moriconi, Count, receives Alexander, 
 68. 
 
 Moriconi, Countess, 69; proposed 
 visit of Alexander to, 72. 
 
 Moriconi, Mme. de, presents author 
 to Alexander, 69. 
 
 Moriconi, Dorothe'e, presented to 
 Alexander, 69; appointed lady of 
 honor, 86 ; mention of, 256. 
 
 Moscow, obstacle to Napoleon's am- 
 bition, 64 ; Alexander arrives at, 113; 
 capture of, promised peace, 117; 
 French at Vilna celebrate entrance 
 to, 118; Napoleon's habits at, 129, 
 130. 
 
 Moskowa, battle of, 117. 
 
 Mozhaish, battle of, 117, Napoleon's 
 remark after battle of, 120. 
 
 Murat, Joachim, presented to Alex- 
 ander, 58; Napoleon rejects advice 
 of, 115; proposed as commander of 
 French army on retreat, 123; im- 
 pression made by, 135. 
 
 N. 
 
 NAPLES, King of, see Murat. 
 
 Naples, Mardi-Gras at, 119. 
 
 Napoleon, Poles' reliance upon, v, 57; 
 policy towards England, vi, 60 ; Las 
 Cases' panegyric on, xii ; escape from 
 
 316
 
 Index 
 
 Elba, xiii, 198; influence of pres- 
 tige of, on Alexander, 5 1 ; asks 
 Markoff's recall, 52; responsibility 
 for murder of D'Enghien, 53 ; suc- 
 cesses in war against Austria and 
 Russia, 53; concern for personal 
 safety of Alexander at Austerlitz, 
 54 ; held in check by Bennigsen, 
 56; interview with Alexander, 58; 
 turns his eyes toward Spain, 60; 
 meets Alexander at Erfurt, 63 ; 
 asks Grand Duchess Catherine in 
 marriage, 63 ; divorces Josephine, 
 63; marriage with Marie Louise, 
 64 ; his policy inferior to Eng- 
 land's, 65 ; sends Narbonne to 
 Alexander, 84; near the Niemen, 
 90; order of the day after crossing, 
 it, 98; furious because of Turkey's 
 treaty with Russia, 100; guarded 
 promises to the Poles, 100 : consents 
 to receive Balacheff, 102; interviews 
 a French emigrant, 103; condemns 
 La Harpe for Alexander's ideas, 104; 
 criticism of Poles, 105; presenta- 
 tion of ladies of Vilna to, 106; 
 questions the author, 107; rudeness 
 to member of University of Vilna 
 108; at the ball at Vilna, no; quits 
 Vilna, 114; decision to leave Mos- 
 cow made public, 118; compared to 
 Cambyses, 118; passes near Vilna, 
 119; entertainments at Moscow 
 for, 129; charged with trifling with 
 Polish hopes, 132; badly served 
 by his aids, 148; son of, 150; attack 
 of the Austrians renders his position 
 critical, 161 ; extorts new sacrifices 
 from France, 164; persists in fight- 
 ing, 164; abdication of, 170; cause 
 of, championed by Alexander, 172; 
 banished to Elba, 172 ; re-enters 
 Paris, 198; not a disciplinarian, 212. 
 
 Napoleon, Code of, basis of Poland's 
 constitution, 207. 
 
 Narbonne, Count, calls on Alexander 
 at Vilna, 84 ; Alexander frustrates 
 plan of, to communicate with Poles, 
 85 ; admiration of, for Alexander, 
 86 ; opinion of possible King of Po- 
 land, i oo ; lack of tact at Vienna, 1 6 1 . 
 
 Narishkin, Madame, foot-note on, 61 ; 
 death of daughter of, 289. 
 
 National Credit (Russian), re-estab- 
 lished by Alexander, 47. 
 
 National Guard, at Paris, attitude of, 
 164. 
 
 Nesselrode, Count, farewell visit to 
 Narbonne, 86. 
 
 Neva, author's impression of, 262; 
 flood of, 299. 
 
 Nicholas, Grand Duke, marriage of, 
 206; learns of Alexander's death, 
 304 ; prevailed upon to ascend the 
 throne, 307; author's desire for, 
 
 37- 
 
 Nicholas, Grand Duchess, author 
 presented to, 280. 
 
 Niemen, beautiful views of the, 74 ; 
 approach of, by Napoleon, 90. 
 
 Novosiltzoff, Baron N. de, foot-note 
 on 194. 
 
 Novosiltzoff, M. de, and Alexander, 
 227. 
 
 O. 
 
 CEoiPUS, quoted, 63. 
 
 Oginiski, Michel, foot-note on, 117; 
 received by Alexander, 208. 
 
 Ojarowski, General, aide-de-camp of 
 Alexander's, 268. 
 
 Oldenburg, Duke of, death of, 146. 
 
 Orloff, Countess, entertains Alex- 
 ander, 113. 
 
 Ostrowski, Count Jean, note on, 196. 
 
 Oubril, replaces Markoff at Paris, 53; 
 makes a treaty disadvantageous to 
 Russia, 56. 
 
 Oudinot, Marshal, conduct at Smo- 
 lensk commended, 152. 
 
 P. 
 
 PAESIELLO, Giovanni, 129, 
 
 Pahlen, Pierre de, opinion of his re- 
 sponsibility for Paul's death, x ; 
 interview with M. Choiseul, 28; 
 foot-note on, 29 ; Paul favors, 29 ; 
 bad character of, 29; plots downfall 
 of Paul, 29-41 ; reassures Paul, 32, 
 warns the conspirators', 34 ; inter- 
 views Alexander, 34-37 ; changes 
 guards at the palace, 38 ; entrance 
 
 317
 
 Index 
 
 at time of Paul's death, 41 ; con- 
 demned to exile, 44. 
 
 Palus-M6otides, Alexander visits, 302. 
 
 Pansilippe, grotto of, 275. 
 
 Paris, attitude of National Guard of, 
 164; Alexander induces allies to 
 march upon, 164; inhabitants of, 
 flee before allies, 165; aldermen of, 
 wait upon Alexander, 166; allies 
 enter, 166; excitement in, caused 
 by the armies, 167 ; allied sover- 
 eigns quit, 181 ; Napoleon returns 
 to, 198 ; suburbs of, inferior to St. 
 Petersburg's, 260. 
 
 Parisian society compared with Rus- 
 sian, 241. 
 
 Parney, quoted, xi. 
 
 Paul I., certificate of death of, x; as- 
 sassination of, xiii, 28 ; proposed 
 removal from the throne, 23 ; effects 
 of mental suffering on, 27 ; banishes 
 Choiseul-Gouffier, 28; alienates the 
 army, 31 ; proposed abdication of, 
 31 ; sends for Pahlen, 32 ; suspi- 
 cion against the royal family, 33; 
 friendship for Princess Gagarin, 37 ; 
 reposes confidence in Pahlen, 39 ; 
 refuses to abdicate, 40; death of, 
 41 ; effect of his death on the na- 
 tion, 44; attitude of his friends after 
 his assassination, 45; finances de- 
 ranged by, 47. 
 
 Pawlowsky, Palace of, 279. 
 
 Pestalozzi, system of instruction of, 
 152. 
 
 Peter the Great, pavilion of, 279. 
 
 Place Vendome protected by Alexan- 
 der, 171. 
 
 Plater, Countess Felicie, receives Alex- 
 ander at Towiany, 217; at Vilna, 
 256. 
 
 Poland, Napoleon trifles with hopes 
 of, v, 132 ; threatened retribution 
 for the fate of, 56; hopes for the 
 re-establishment of, 57; last hopes 
 of, perish at Leipzig, 162 ; Alex- 
 ander declared King of, 196 ; army 
 of, commended by him, 212; mourn- 
 ing for him in, 307. 
 
 Pole, a, threatens to shoot the con- 
 spirators, 39. 
 
 318 
 
 Poles, excited by appearance of French 
 prisoners, 57 ; hopes of, disap- 
 pointed by Treaty of Tilsit, 58 ; con- 
 tinue to favor Napoleon, 66, 159; 
 Narbonne unable to communicate 
 with, 85 ; enthusiasm of, at Napo- 
 leon's entering Vilna, 96 ; welcome 
 Alexander to Moscow, 113; desire 
 to return to Alexander's service, 
 173; anxiously await decision of 
 Congress of Vienna, 196 ; joy of, 
 at election of Alexander king, 197 ; 
 welcome him, 207. 
 
 Poniatowsky, Prince, Napoleon rejects 
 advice of, 115. 
 
 Portugal, revolution in, 286. 
 
 Postawy, Alexander brings refugee to, 
 
 134- 
 
 Potocki, Count, foot-note on, 209 ; en- 
 tertainment for Alexander, 233. 
 
 Poverty of Lithuania, 67. 
 
 Pradt, Abb6, instructions of Napoleon 
 to, 105. 
 
 Prague, Congress at, 161. 
 
 Preussisch-Eylau, battle of, 56. 
 
 Prince of Wales, regent for George 
 III., 36. 
 
 Proclamations : Alexander's, on evac- 
 uating Vilna, 94 ; to his army on 
 entering France, 163 ; on entering 
 Paris, 168 ; to the clergy, 191 ; to 
 his army at Les Vertus, 201. 
 
 Prussia, declines to join Austria and 
 Russia, 56. 
 
 Prussia, King of, enters Paris, 166; 
 attends French Institute, 176 ; visits 
 England, 181 ; honored by Oxford, 
 183; at Vienna, 195; congratulates 
 Alexander on his army, 202. 
 
 Prussian soldiers encouraged by Queen 
 Louisa, 56. 
 
 Pulhawy visited by Alexander, 193. 
 
 Pultawa, 1 02. 
 
 Pultusk, battle of, 56. 
 
 R. 
 
 RADZIVIL, Princess, Alexander's 
 friendship for, 55, 194 ; Armidaw- 
 ska, name given to, 226 ; Empress 
 Elizabeth's friendship for, 278. 
 
 Radzivil, Princess Dominique, 235.
 
 .Index 
 
 Radzivil, Princess, nee Grabowska, 
 see Grabowska. 
 
 Ratisbon, Diet of, Alexander demands 
 reparation for murder of D'Enghien 
 in note to, 53. 
 
 Regency, proposed by Pahlen, 34-37. 
 
 Reggio, Duchesse de, see Coucy. 
 
 Reign of Terror, Narbonne quits 
 France during, 84. 
 
 Religion, united Alexander and his 
 subjects, 113. 
 
 Restoration, brilliant period of, xi. 
 
 Revolution, French, see French Revo- 
 lution. 
 
 Richelieu, Due de, see Duplessis. 
 
 Rode, Pierre, foot-note on, 75. 
 
 Romberg, Andreas, foot-note on, 75. 
 
 Rome, King of, 150. 
 
 Rousseau, philosophy of, contrasted 
 with Voltaire's, 139. 
 
 Russia, mourning for death of Alex- 
 ander in, xv, 307 ; hopes fixed on 
 him, 23 ; hereditary succession to 
 the throne of, 24 ; absence of death 
 penalty in, 44 ; proud of her army, 
 47 ; not alarmed by Alexander's 
 liberal ideas, 48 ; murder of D'En- 
 ghien destroys harmony of, with 
 France, 53 ; Austria and, declare 
 war against France, 53 ; sufferings 
 of, by enforcement of Continental 
 System, 60 ; Napoleon suggests 
 union of his army with army of, 63 ; 
 Talleyrand negotiates treaty with 
 Austria adverse to, 199 ; mourns the 
 death of Alexander, 307. 
 
 Russian, court usages, 26 ; penalty 
 for their neglect, 27 ; rigorous eti- 
 quette relaxed, 46 ; policy seemed 
 worthless, 117; costumes of Rus- 
 sians, 264. 
 
 S. 
 
 SAARDAM, Alexander visits, 184. 
 Sablonowska, Princess, 235. 
 St. Andrew, Order of, bestowed by 
 
 Alexander on Markoff, 52 ; on Ko- 
 
 tousoff, 144. 
 St. Anne, Order of, for commercial 
 
 classes, 191. 
 St. Catherine, Order of, bestowed by 
 
 Alexander on Grand Duchess Con- 
 stantine, 301. 
 
 St. Catherine's, institutions of, 296. 
 
 St. George, Order of, declined by Alex- 
 ander, 56. 
 
 St. Petersburg, distinguished foreign- 
 ers at, 28 ; satisfaction in, at death 
 of Paul, 45 ; welcome King and 
 Queen of Prussia to, 60 ; Alexander 
 returns to, from Moscow, 114; 
 " Moscow and," watchword of 
 French, 114; citizens of, desert at 
 rumored approach of Napoleon, 1 16 ; 
 not built on territory originally Rus- 
 sian, 133; party of discontent at, 
 210; Alexander returns to, from 
 Czarsko-Slo, 259; author's impres- 
 sion of, 261 ; Alexander's last view 
 of, 288. 
 
 Saint-Priest, visits hospitals, 146. 
 
 Sainte-Pierre, writings of, 139. 
 
 St. Sergius, Church of, monument to 
 Alexander's daughter in, 290. 
 
 St. Vladimir, Order of, for Russian 
 nobility, 190. 
 
 Scawle, Alexander inspects troops at, 
 68. 
 
 Schultz, death of, 91. 
 
 Schwarzenburg, Prince von, fool-note 
 on, i 66. 
 
 Scott, Sir Walter; reasons for inter- 
 est in romances by, 81 ; the Em- 
 press Elizabeth's appreciation of, 
 277. 
 
 Seduisant, name given Alexander, 71. 
 
 Semogitie, Alexander inspects troops 
 at, 68. 
 
 Senate (French), deputation from, 
 visits Alexander, 168. 
 
 Senate (Russian), votes Order of St. 
 George to Alexander, 56. 
 
 Siberia, peopled with exiles by Paul, 
 28 ; exiles returned from, 46. 
 
 Sicard, Abb6, visits Alexander, 177. 
 
 Smolensk ; Napoleon advised to win- 
 ter at, 115 ; French at, suggest car- 
 nival at Venice, 119. 
 
 Sobieski, King John, ancient palace 
 of, 70. 
 
 Sobolewoska, Mme., 230. 
 
 Sottikoff, Prince, 189. 
 
 319
 
 Index 
 
 Soult, Marshal, discovers treasonable 
 designs, 210. 
 
 Spain, object of Napoleon's designs, 
 60 ; Wellington in, 65 ; on the eve 
 of a revolution, 249. 
 
 Stael, Mme. de, characterization of 
 Alexander, 48 ; influence over Nar- 
 bonne, 84 ; talents of, admired by 
 Alexander, 153. 
 
 Steibelt, Daniel, foot-note on, 75. 
 
 Sventsiani, Russian army headquar- 
 ters at, 94; Alexander quits, for 
 Moscow, 113. 
 
 T. 
 
 TAGANROG, Alexander's death at, 
 142, 302 ; he departs for, 302. 
 
 Talleyrand, Prince, at Erfurt, 150 ; 
 Alexander the guest of, 171 ; nego- 
 tiates a secret treaty with Austria, 
 199 ; entreats Alexander to aid 
 France, 200; defends his Spanish 
 policy, 257. 
 
 Thorwaldsen, bust of Alexander by, 
 
 S3- 
 
 Tilsit, Treaty of, vi, 58. 
 
 Tisenhaus, Mile., see Choiseul-Gouf- 
 fier, Comtesse. 
 
 Tisenhaus, Comte, retreats with 
 French army, vi, 122; gives up his 
 house to Constantine, 67 ; assists 
 author to receive Alexander, 88 ; re- 
 grets Polish enthusiasm for French, 
 96 ; kindness of Duke of Bassano 
 toward, 117; shelters the French, 
 121 ; continued absence from Poland, 
 158; describes letter of Poles in 
 Paris to Alexander, 174; receives 
 him at Vilna, 21 1 . 
 
 Tolly, General Barclay de, given com- 
 mand of Russian army by Alexander, 
 114 ; ordered to march to aid Bour- 
 bons, 200. 
 
 Tolly, Mme. Barclay de, 93. 
 
 Tolstoi, Count, grand-marshal, 70 ; 
 poor memory of, 78 ; announces 
 Alexander's return to Vilna, 131 ; 
 at Vilna, 214. 
 
 Tormasoff, General, 189. 
 
 Torquinio, experiences of, with Na- 
 poleon, 129, 130. 
 
 Torride, gardens of, 266. 
 
 Towiany, Alexander arrives at, vi, 
 68, 73 ; last visit to, 302. 
 
 Treaty, of Tilsit, vi, 58; Alexander 
 declines to ratify, made by Oubril 
 with France, 56 ; Kotousoff makes, 
 with Turkey, 66; Talleyrand nego- 
 tiates secret, with Austria, 199. 
 
 Troubetzka, Princess, 249. 
 
 Troyes, Bishop of, released by Alex- 
 ander, 177. 
 
 Tuileries, sovereign allies visit, 179. 
 
 Turks, Markoff's mission to the, 52 ; 
 make treaty with Russia, 66 ; Greek 
 antagonism to, 248. 
 
 U. 
 
 UKRAINE, campaign into, suggested 
 to Napoleon, 115. 
 
 V. 
 
 VENICE, carnival at, 119. 
 
 Verona, Congress of, 256. 
 
 Vienna, Congress of, 195. 
 
 Vilkomir, Alexander holds a review 
 at, 72. 
 
 Villemain, 176. 
 
 Vilna ; the author trained at, xii ; 
 Alexander's first visit to, 49 ; French 
 prisoners pass through, 57; the au- 
 thor moves from, 67; Narbonne 
 arrives at, 84 ; Alexander praises 
 surroundings of, 88 ; evacuated by 
 Russian troops, 94, 96 ; French 
 army enters, 96; resembles seat of 
 war, 99; Napoleon quits, 114; 
 French at, expect prompt end of 
 war, 117; they celebrate entrance 
 of Moscow, 1 18 ; Duchesse de Reg- 
 gio arrives at, 119; disorder of 
 French army retreating through, 
 120 ; Kotousoff enters, 124 ; tran- 
 quillity restored at, 126; Alexander 
 visits hospitals at, 146; troops to 
 be garrisoned at, 233 ; lack of en- 
 thusiasm for Alexander at, 249 ; 
 nobility of, give a ball for him, 256. 
 
 Vitellius, 1 20. 
 
 Volhynia, campaign into, suggested 
 to Napoleon, 115. 
 
 320
 
 Index 
 
 Voltaire, quoted, 115; philosophy of, 
 contrasted with Rousseau's, 139. 
 
 W. 
 
 WALMODEN, Count, at Warsaw, 235. 
 
 Warsaw, occupied by the .French, 57; 
 diet assembled at, to select a king, 
 100 ; visited by Alexander, 193, 209, 
 221, 300. 
 
 Warsaw, Grand Duchy of, boundaries 
 of, fixed by Treaty of Tilsit, 58. 
 
 Waterloo, battle of, 201. 
 
 Weimar, Grand Duchess of, 195. 
 
 Wellington, Duke of, in Spain, 65. 
 
 Wentworth, Mr., 234. 
 
 Werki, estate of Prince Massalski at, 
 89 ; Alexander holds a review at, 
 249. 
 
 Wiazmintoff, letter from Alexander to, 
 184. 
 
 Wilehouska, Mile., appointed lady of 
 honor, 86. 
 
 Willanow, King John Sobieski's habi- 
 tation at, 70. 
 
 Winter Palace, at St. Petersburg, 262, 
 265. 
 
 Wintzingerode, General, foot-note on, 
 162. 
 
 Wittgenstein, General, solicitude for 
 Alexander, 161. 
 
 Wolkonski, Prince, foot-note on, 71; 
 chaffed by Alexander, 77; accom- 
 panies him to Vilna, 211. 
 
 WUrtemberg, Princess of, foot-note on, 
 194. 
 
 Wylie, James, certificate of, at death 
 of Paul, x; foot-note on, 75; Alex- 
 ander declines to be treated by, 302. 
 
 Z. 
 
 ZAIONCZEK, Joseph, foot-note on, 207. 
 Zakret, purchased by Alexander, 88; 
 
 accident at, 91 ; turned into a French 
 
 military hospital, 112, 128. 
 Zamoyska, Madame, 234. 
 Zouboff, Platon ; enemy of Paul's, 30; 
 
 agrees with Pahlen's plans, 31; 
 
 presents act of abdication to Paul, 40. 
 
 321
 
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