“ the peace lately concluded with its greateft enemy. And,
“ laftly, the domeftick regulations, which are the bafis o f
“ the country’s welfare, have been totally overturned,
“ For thefe caufes, overcome by the imminent dangers
“ with which our faithful fubjedts were threatened,.
“ and feeing how fincere and exprefs their defires were on
“ this head ; we, putting our trull in the Almighty and his
“ divine juftice, have afcended the imperial throne ° f A ll
“ the Ruflias ; and have received , a folemn oath, o f fidelity
“ from all our faithful fubjedts.
“ Peteriburgh, June 2,8, O. S. 176 2 .”
All the adherents o f .the emperor were arrefted ; amon-gft
the reft prince George o f Holftein, who had come to Peterf-
burgh on the 26th, under pretence o f making preparations
for the emperor’s departure ; but, in reality, to
watch the oppofite party. It was he who had given orders
to arreft Paffec ; and, by thus alarming the infurgents, had
been the innocent caufe o f haftening the revolution, which,
put a period to the reign of Peter III. -Not the leâft oppo-
fition was made from any quarter to the proceedings of the
emprefs ; and, notwithstanding the ftreets ,of Peteriburgh
were filled with foldiers, who are generally tumultuous and
ungovernable in fuch dreadful periods, yet the greateft order
and difcipline was preferved, and no injury was offered to
any individuals *.
* Several E n g liih merchants had quitted | péared in' confufion.- H e had' fca r c e jy fi-
th e ir houfes b e fo r e 'th e y w ere ap prized o f . nifhed. th e fe w o rds , w h en ab ou t 300 h o r fe -
th e ré vo lu tion\ b u t th e y fou n d no difficulty men, w ith drawn' dwords in th e ir hands,.,
in returning through the foldiers polled in g a llo p ed acrof« the b r id g e . A p r ie ft tra>-
different pa rts o f th e tow n . O n e g en tleman v e r fm g th e bridge, at th e fame time in a
in p a rt icu la r informed me, th a t h e w en t ca r r iag e ,; the two En g liihmen flood b y th e 7
ab ou t f ix in th e morning to the C u itom - fide o f it . Some o f the gua rds, as th e y pafled
froufe, and was furprifed to find no one b y the p r ie fl, waved th eir fwords o v e r th eir
th e r e . A f te r fla yiug.lbme time, h e returned he ads , c r y in g out a t the fame time, ff A l l
h om e ; and , in his w a y o yer the brid ge o f ‘ ‘ goes w e ll— viv a t C a th a r in e I I . ” An d .
thje N e v a , he met a frien d , who aifted him this w a s the fir fi intelligence thefe mer -
w h a t w w the matter,, fo r every th in g ap - chants received o f the revolution*
At
R E V O L U T I O N o f m d c c lx i i.
At fix in the evening the emprefs, habited like a man in chap.
the uniform o f the guards, with a branch o f oak in her hat, «— .— i
a drawn fword in' her hand, and mounted upon a grey fteed,
marched towards Peterhof, accompanied by the princefs
B ’A ihkof, the Hetman Rofomouiki, the Orlofs, and her
principal adherents, at the head o f 10,000 troops. She
had fcarcely advanced three miles, when prince Galitzin,
vice-chancellor, approached her with a letter from the emperor
; but, being prevailed upon to join her party, he took
the oath o f allegiance. At Crafnoe Capac, a fmall village
about eight miles from the capital, the prime-minifter, count
Voronzof, made his appearance: “ I come, madam,” faid
he, “ from the emperor, my mafter, to know your majefty’s
“ intentions.” Some of the by-ftanders, informing him that
the emprefs had afcended the throne, and that he was now
addrelling himfelf to his fovereign, concluded by proffering
the oath o f allegiance; but, as fie nobly refufed to defert his-
mafter, his fword was taken from him-, and he was fent a
prifoner to Peteriburgh, ineffectually lamenting the fate o f
his unhappy fovereign.
At Crafnoe Capac there was only one miferable hovel,
into which the emprefs entered, and employed herfelf for
fome time in tearing and burning a large quantity of papers.
She then flung herfelf in her clothes upon an ordinary bed,,
flept about an hour and an half, and was on horfeback
by break o f day. She proceeded about four miles further,,
to the convent o f St. Serge at Stfelna, into which fhe retired!
while the troops encamped around. About eight o’clock
general Ifmahilof arrived at Strelna with.a meffage from tha
emperor, whole iituation was now become truly critical.
Rut it is. neceffary to lay before our reader the train of circumftances*