book f orbid us to venerate the memory o f a princefs, who, with
'— y^~> fuch little regard to her own fex, could iffue thofe barbarous
commands.
But let us lament the inconfiftency of human nature
and, in confidering the character o f Elizabeth, let us not deny
that her heart, perhaps naturally benevolent, was occasionally
corrupted by power, and fteeled with fufpicion; and that
although mercy might predominate whenever it did not im
terfere with her paffions and prejudices, yet ihe by no means
deferves the appellation of humane, the moft noble * attribute
of a fovereign, when it interpofes to temper and mitigate
the feverity of juftice. Elizabeth died in 1 7 61, in the
twenty-firft year of her reign, and in the 53d of her a^e i
ihe expired in December, the fame month in which ihe was
born, and in which ihe acceded to the throne..
In the fortrefs is afmall arienal, which, among other military
ftores, contains fome antient cannon, caft in the middle
of the fixteenth century under the reign of Ivan Vaffilie-
vitch II. and which I was furprized. to find, of fuch good
workmanihip. I had occafion to mention in- a former chapter,.
that the art of calling cannon was introduced into Ruffia.
under Ivan Valfilievitch I. by Ariftotle of Bologna.. Ivan 1L
did not fail to imitate the example of his grandfather, in procuring,
by mean S'of foreign artifts,the beft artillery i and it is,
to this precaution that both thefe monarchs were chiefly indebted
for their fuccefies in. war, and for the conqueft of fe -
veral provinces, vvhich. they annexed to. their hereditary dominions.
* I was informed from, undoubted au— creriy-in order the'executioner to knoot to 1
thonty, that it was impoffible to obtain death thofe delinquents who n ere found
Elizabeth’ s content for the execution o f guilty o f the moft atrocidus cfime'si ‘ i t is
a ' felon who had t x c a committed the a pity that ihe did not referve her, huina--
moft horrid fpecies o f premeditated murder, nity, Which in this inftance was cruelty to
and that.the mailer o f the pohcc.uied ie- her. people, for more reipcdtable objects.
• 3 In
3 « E r f S bU!iding ° f the fortrefs is M m i n t - The c h a p .
g d and filver 1S fent from the mines o f Siberia, and the, V‘
feparation is performed in its Who!«: pTOefs from the f„ladbtoirnagto Jry. R We fuarvevegd
mg Among the filver we obferved a large quantity of Dutch
dollars, which were melting down in ®ggl ¡ggggg roubJe, Pete r ing fflver for the n w
IWiflRHRIatprefoit half f h d Dutch dollars:
at prefent half the duties are foil difcharged in that money by
foreign merchants, excepting the Englifo, w h0 are ex
emptedby treaty. Butasthegoldandfilverobtained from the
mines o f Siberia, with the addition o f the dollars, are bv nomeans
fufficient for the money in circulation ; a confider-
' 2 5 S f f l j E * « “ » • " > « * « annually iSirijE
The coinage, in its prefent debafed ftate, muft be very adp
o f iS fo S 1 m tbe.S° ld. there is fo much alloy, that a
p ofito f 48 per cent, is gamed, and in the filver of 37 *
This ftate of the Ruffian money renders ufelefs the prohibi-'
f f iy lT u eXPOrtlng if’ and iS Pr° d u a iv c ° fo n e mifchievous
effedt that ,t promotes the contraband introdufoon o f f i
“ df0rC1Sn C0UntrieS’ P P > con^derable W
Among the remarkable objeas in the mint, the machine
for Stamping the coin deferves to be mentioned becaufe it
was invented by her prefent majefty, and is efteemed a very
ingenious and Ample piece of mechanifm.
Within the fortrefs is a four-oared boat, which is fecured
with great veneration, in a brick building, conftruaed for
puipofe, and preferved as a memorial to future ages of
c. X . w h e r e | h | ifra-v“ ac6.’ wa^'fofo'“ r e i£ n S U id down) ™ I
« # o f 1 ' / i S B W in which great e x a f t d l ^
Hie difference o f the-prefent money,from ’ p’ ?S4— ^55-