b o o k i v a n • but the governor refufed to admit them into the
«--yl—»prince’s apartment, on account o f the ftridtnefs o f his orders,
until Ñariíkin told him, that the emperor himfelf was prefent.
Peter for a fhort time remained concealed, while his
nobles and attendants con verfed with I van; but he foon joined
the company, drank a difh o f coffee, and entered into dif-
cóürfé with the prince.
I endeavoured to collect fome intelligence o f what paffed
at this' conference; 1 but 'the information I rqceiygd, even :
from 'periods of good authority, was extrerpely various and
contradictory. ; Inftead, therefore, o f retailing uncertain and
difcordant anecdotes, I fhall fubmit to the reader the following
tratfflatioh from Bufching’s account of this inter view,
which tmuft be deemed autbenffok, becaufe hp receiye.d: it
from general Korf, who was prefent during the whole time,
4“ In March, 176 2 , Peter III. defirous pf feeing Ivan, fat
“ off early in the morning for Sehluffelburgh, accompanied
“ by baron Korf, count Alexander ISjariikin, and count.
Volkof. He travelled with poft-horfes, and kept his inte.n-
“ tion fo fecret, that it was noon before his uncle, prince
“ George o f Holftein was made acquainted; with his. depar-
“ turé. Peter affumed the character o f an officer ; and,
“ having ihowed the governor o f Schluffelburgh an order
“ for admiffion, previoufly ligned by himfelf, went, with
“ his attendants, to the apartment o f prince Ivan, which he.
“ found a wretched place, and provided with the meaneft
“ furniture. His clothes were clean and in good condition,
“ but extremely coarfe ; and he appeared remarkably neat in
“ his perfon, as well as in his linen. He had the appearance
“ o f an ideot, and fpoke in a confuted manner. One mo-
“ ment he affirmed that he was the emperqr Ivan ; and the
“ next, that the foul of that emperor, who was .no longer
S' “ alive,
“ -alive, had migrated into his body. Upon being, aiked what chap.
“ induced him to imagine that he'was an emperor, he re-.—
“ -plied,. ‘ that he had learnt it from his parents and the
‘ “ foldiers who’gdarded him.’ Being,queffioned whether he
“ recolledted his parents, he- anfwered in the affirmative ;
“ and then bitterly lamented, that the emprefsElizabeth had
“ always kept them, as well as himfelf, ;in a wretched ftate ; .
“ adding, he well remembered that, ffe.and-they. were for-
“ merly under the care o f an officer, wfiq w.as the only, per-
“ fon that had ever ihowed them any tendernefs or huma-
“ nity : general Korf infiantly demanding, .whether he flill
“ fhould know this, offieer, ‘ I coidd not. recolleft him at
“ prefent,’ anfwered Ivan, as it is fo long ago fince I faw
him, and I was then a child ; . but his name I have not for-
gotten, it is Korf.’ The general was greatly .affeQed. Ivan.
“ had heard of the great-duke* and his..wife,: :and, as he
“ repeatedly faid that he hoped^again to be-emperor, he was
‘ “ aiked in what manner he wjould then behave to them, • ‘ I
“ would have them both executed,’, returned the, prince.
“ Peter was much fhocked : he determined, however+, to
“ -order the conftruftipg o f a fmall houfe in the fprtrefs for ,
“ the unhappy prifon.er, and propofed to treat him in a
“ more humane manner;. Prince George o f Holftein even
“ * advifed Peter to reftore the-prince to his; liberty, to fend
“ him into Germany, together -with- his father, Anthony
Ulrick, and the reft, o f his family, and to allow them
* N am e ly ; P e te r and C a th a r in e . .• : fian c e , th a t Ivan.-was removed to R e xh o lra
+ -W e m a y c o l le S A om thele expreffions,. th e b e g in n in g o f J u n e ; this removal was
th a t E u fch ing fuppofed the hoofe with in th e . perhaps, ocCa honed b y th e delign wh ich the
fm a ll.fo r tre is to-have been co n ilru fled fo r , em p ero r had fo rm e d o f confining th e em .- .
Iv an , and not fo r th e emprefs ; b u t he was - p refs in the fo r t re fs o f S ch lu ffe lb u rgh .
pro b ab ly unacquainted tvith the circuna-
“ a