Jan. 1771. Prince Henri has been to Sweden; is seen at Petersburg in Masquerade (on or about Newyear's Day 1771); and does get Home, with Results that are important. gone Prince Henri, as we noticed, was not of this Second King-and-Kaiser Interview; Henri had in the opposite direction,-to Sweden, on a visit to his Sister Ulrique,--off for West and North, just in the same days while the King was leaving Potsdam for Silesia and his other errand in the South-east parts. Henri got to Drottingholm, his Sister's country Palace near Stockholm, by the end of August;' and was there with Queen Ulrique and Husband during these Neustadt manœuvres. A changed Queen Ulrique, since he last saw her 'beautiful as Love,' whirling off in the dead of night for those remote Countries and destinies.33 She is now fifty, or on the edge of it, her old man sixty,-old man dies within few months. They have had many chagrins, especially she, as the prouder, has had, from their contumacious People,-contumacious Senators at least (strong always both in pocket-money French or Russian, and in tendency to insolence and folly),-who once, I remem ber, demanded sight and count of the Crown-Jewels from Queen Ulrique: "There, voilà, there are they!" said the proud Queen; "view them, count them,—lock them up: never more will I wear one of them!" But she has pretty Sons grown to manhood, one pretty Daughter, a patient good old Husband; and Time, in Sweden too, brings its roses; and life is life, in spite of contumacious bribed Senators and doggeries that do rather abound. Henri stayed with her six or seven 33 Suprà, iii. 738. Jan. 1771. weeks; leaves Sweden, middle of October 1770,-not by the straight course homewards: "No, verily, and well knew why!" shrieks the indignant Polish world on us ever since. It is not true that Friedrich had schemed to send Henri round by Petersburg. On the contrary, it was the Czarina, on ground of old acquaintanceship, who invited him, and asked his Brother's leave to do it. And if Poland got its fate from the circumstance, it was by accident, and by the fact that Poland's fate was dropripe, ready to fall by a touch.-Before going farther, here is ocular view of the shrill-minded, serious and ingenious Henri, little conscious of being so fateful a man: Prince Henri in white Domino. 'Prince Henri of Prussia,' says Richardson, the useful Eye-witness cited already, 'is one of the most celebrated Generals of the present age. So great ' are his military talents, that his Brother, who is not apt to pay 'compliments, says of him,-that, in commanding an army, he was never known to commit a fault. This, however, is but a 'negtive kind of praise. He' (the King) reserves to himself 'the glory of superior genius, which, though capable of brilliant ' achivements, is yet liable to unwary mistakes; and allows him 'no oher than the praise of correctness. "o judge of Prince Henri by his appearance, I should form no lgh estimate of his abilities. But the Scythian Ambassa6 dorsjudged in the same manner of Alexander the Great. He 'is uder the middle size; very thin; he walks firmly enough, 'or rcher struts, as if he wanted to walk firmly; and has little dignty in his air or gesture. He is dark-complexioned; and he 'wea; his hair, which is remarkably thick, clubbed, and dressed 'witha high toupee. His forehead is high; his eyes large and 'blue with a little squint; and when he smiles, his upper lip is 'draw up a little in the middle. His look expresses sagacity ' and bservation, but nothing very amiable; and his manner is grav and stiff rather than affable. He was dressed, when I 'firstaw him, in a light-blue frock, with silver frogs; and wore Jan. 1771. a red waistcoat and blue breeches. He is not very popular ' among the Russians; and accordingly their wits are disposed to 6 amuse themselves with his appearance, and particularly with his toupee. They say he resembles Samson; that all his strength lies in his hair; and that, conscious of this, and recollecting the 'fate of the son of Manoah, he suffers not the nigh approaches ' of any deceitful Delilah. They say he is like the Comet, which, ' about fifteen months ago, appeared so formidable in the Russian hemisphere; and which, exhibiting a small watery body, but a 'most enormous train, dismayed the Northern and Eastern Potentates with "fear of change." 'I saw him a few nights ago' (on or about Newyear's Day 1771; come back to us, from his Tour to Moscow, three weeks before, and nothing but galas ever since) at a Masquerade in the Palace, said to be the most magnificent thing a the 'kind ever seen at the Russian Court. Fourteen large ooms and galleries were opened for the accommodation of the 'masks; and I was informed that there were present sveral 'thousand people. A great part of the company wore doninos, 'or capuchin dresses; though, besides these, some fancif1 appearances afforded a good deal of amusement. A very tal Cos'sack appeared completely arrayed in the "hauberk's tristed 'mail." He was indeed very grim and martial. Persas in 'emblematical dresses, representing Apollo and the Seasos, ad'dressed the Empress in speeches suited to their characters The 'Empress herself, at the time I saw her Majesty, wore a Gecian 'habit; though I was afterwards told that she varied he dress 'two or three times during the masquerade. Prince Hari of 'Prussia wore a white domino. Several persons appearedn the 'dresses of different nations,-Chinese, Turks, Persian, and Armenians. The most humorous and fantastical figurevas a 'Frenchman, who, with wonderful nimbleness and dextery, re'presented an overgrown but very beautiful Parrot. Hechat'tered with a great deal of spirit; and his shoulders, coverd with green feathers, performed admirably the part of wing: He 'drew the attention of the Empress; a ring was form; he was quite happy; fluttered his plumage; made fine speches in Russ, French, and tolerable English; the ladies we exceedingly diverted; everybody laughed except Prince [enri, 6 Jan. 1771. 'who stood beside the Empress, and was so grave and so solemn, 'that he would have performed his part most admirably in the shape of an owl. The Parrot observed him; was determined 'to have revenge; and having said as many good things as he 'could to her Majesty, he was hopping away; but just as he was going out of the circle, seeming to recollect himself, he 6 stopped, looked over his shoulder at the formal Prince, and quite in the parrot tone and French accent, he addressed him most emphatically with "Henri! Henri! Henri !" and then 'diving into the crowd, disappeared. His Royal Highness was 'disconcerted; he was forced to smile in his own defence, and 'the company were not a little amused. 6 6 'At midnight, a spacious hall, of a circular form, capable of containing a vast number of people, and illuminated in the most magnificent manner, was suddenly opened. Twelve tables 6 were placed in alcoves around the sides of the room, where the Empress, Prince Henri, and a hundred and fifty of the chief nobility and foreign ministers sat down to supper. The rest of 'the company went up, by stairs on the outside of the room, into 'the lofty galleries placed all around on the inside. Such a row ' of masked visages, many of them with grotesque features and 'bushy beards, nodding from the side of the wall, appeared very 'ludicrous to those below. The entertainment was enlivened 'with a concert of music; and at different intervals persons in ' various habits entered the hall, and exhibited Cossack, Chinese, 'Polish, Swedish, and Tartar dances. The whole was so gor'geous, and at the same time so fantastic, that I could not help 'thinking myself present at some of the magnificent festivals 'described in the old-fashioned romances: "The marshal'd feast Served up in hall with sewers and seneschals." 'The rest of the company, on returning to the rooms adjoining, 'found prepared for them also a sumptuous banquet. The 'masquerade began at 6 in the evening, and continued till 5 'next morning. "Besides the masquerade, and other festivities, in honour of, ' and to divert Prince Henri, we had lately a most magnificent 'show of fireworks. They were exhibited in a wide space before Jan. 1771. 'the Winter Palace; and, in truth, "beggared description." They displayed, by a variety of emblematical figures, the reduc❝tion of Moldavia, Wallachia, Bessarabia, and the various conquests and victories achieved since the commencement of the 'present War. The various colours, the bright green, and the snowy white, exhibited in these fireworks, were truly astonish'ing. For the space of twenty minutes, a tree, adorned with the 'loveliest and most verdant foliage, seemed to be waving as with a gentle breeze. It was entirely of fire; and during the whole of this stupendous scene, an arch of fire, by the continued 'throwing of rockets and fireballs in one direction, formed as it 'were a suitable canopy. 'On this occasion a prodigious multitude of people was as'sembled; and the Empress, it was surmised, seemed uneasy. She ' was afraid, it was apprehended, lest any accident, like what hap'pened at Paris at the marriage of the Dauphin, should befal her 'beloved people. I hope I have amused you; and ever am’—3⁄4 The masquerades and galas in honour of Prince Henri, from a grandiose Hostess, who had played with him in childhood, were many; but it is not with these that we have to do. One day, the Czarina, talking to him of the Austrian procedures at Zips, said with pique, "It seems, in Poland you have only to stoop, and pick แ up what you like of it. If the Court of Vienna have "the notion to dismember that Kingdom, its neighbours "will have right to do as much."35 This is supposed, in all Books, to be the punctum saliens, or first mention, of the astonishing Partition, which was settled, agreed upon, within about a year hence, and has made so much noise ever since. And in effect it was so; the idea rising practically in that high head was the real beginning. But this was not the first head it had been in; far 34 W. Richardson, Anecdotes of the Russian Empire, pp. 325-331: 'Petersburg, 4th January 1771.' 35 Rulhière, iv. 210; Trois Démembremens, i. 142; above all, Henri himself, in Euvres de Frédéric, xxvi. 345, 'Petersburg, 8th January 1771.' |