book fnn, who had threatened to overturn all his plans of re-
IV i f , formation, and to deftroy, in a moment, that vail fabrick of
glory and power which he had employed many years in
erecting. The monarch who could himfelf attend the infliiiion
of torture, who had occafionally performed the office
o f executioner, and Who bad even ordered the firft partner.
of his bed to befcourged, would not require any incitement
to command the execution of that fon, whom he had
publickly treated with the .moil inhuman ferocity.
The following note, written with Peter’s own hand to
count Romanzof, who, in conjunction with count Tolftoi,
brought the unfortunate Alexèy from .Naples, will ferve. to
difplay the inflexible fpirit of that monarch, who forgot the
feelings of a father ¡in his anxiety for the publick good.
“ i grant you the ranks o f major-general' and lieutenant-
“ general, and the eilates of Alexander Kikin and Kuril
•“ Matufldn -, in coniideration o f the lignai fervice which
o you have juil conferred, not only upon me, but, what is
*“ more, upon your country, in bringing back him, who by
« birth is my fon, and, by his actions, the enemy of his fa-
“ ther and of his country
The wife of Alexèy, Charlotte Chriftina Sophia, whofe
fate has already been briefly related, was daughter of Louis
Rhodolph of Brunfwick-Blankenburgh, and lifter of Elizabeth
Chriftina, confort of the emprefs Charles VI. She
was born on the 2.9th of Auguft, 1694, efpoufed, on the
23 th of October, 1 7 1 1, at Torgau, the tzarovitch Alexèy,
* Two o f Alexey’ s unfortunate adhe- f This note, which has not yet appeared
.rents, who, with many others, were exe- in print, was communicated to me by a
jcuted upon this occafion. Ruffian nobleman, who' favoured me with
a tranilation from the original.
and
and in July of the enfuing year made her entrance into Pe-
teriburgh *« 1— I— 1
Although this amiable princefs feems to have been the
choice of Alexey, who faw her at her father’s court, yet he
•always treated her with the utmoft negleit; and gave up his
whole time and attention to his favourite miftrefs Euphro-
fyne, a Findlandiih girl of the loweft extrailion. It does
riot, indeed, appear, that the prince treated her in that inhuman
manner as is reported by fome writers, namely, that
he frequently ftruck her ; for even i f he had been iuffici-
ently brutal as to have been inclined to fuch a conduit, be
would haye been reftrained by his apprehenlions of his father,
who, as well as Catharine, always exprefled the ftrongeft
compalflon for her wretched lituation, and (howed her con-
ftant proofs of his affeition and regard. Her hulband’s unconquerable
antipathy feems to have been chiefly derived
from his fnfpicions that ffie lodged complaints againft him
to the emperor, who frequently and roughly expoftulated
with him on this inftance of his.ill-conduit. Unfortunately
her domeilick uneafinefs was increafed by Juliana princefs
of Eaft-Friefsland, who- accompanied her into Ruffia, to
whom ffie ufed to unbofom her grief and anxiety, and who
imprudently fanned the flame inftead of endeavouring to
quench it.
The fruits of this ill-aflorted union were Natalia, who
was horn at Peteriburgh in 17x4, and died at Mofcoyv"
in 1728; and a prince, afterwards the emperor Peter IL
svho was brought into the world on the 23d of Oitober,
I 7 I 5-
■* This account o f the princefs is chiefly “ chen Kronprinceffin.” ' in’Buf. Hiil. Msg?
taken from Muller’s “ Von der Princeffin X V . p . 2,34.*.
“ von Wolfenbuettel als ver Malilten- ruffif-
A