CHAPTER II.

Peter the Great, (Czar of Russia.) NOTE.

BUT the pursuit of knowledge is not necessarily confined to the study of books; and, therefore, although we pass over many other names that might be here introduced, we must not omit that of a sovereign, who distinguished himself by his ardor in this pursuit, in a variety of ways, and was, in all respects, one of the most extraordinary men that ever lived, the Czar PETER I., of Russia. Peter was born in 1672, and at ten years of age, found himself in nominal possession of the throne; although, for some time, all the actual power of the state remained in the hands of his sister, the princess Sophia, who was about five years older than himself.

But his

boyhood was scarcely expired, when he gave proof of the energy of his character by ridding himself of this domination; and in 1689, the princess was already removed from the government, and immured in a monastery. From this moment, the young czar, now absolute in reality, as well as in name, directed his whole efforts to the most extraordinary enterprise in which a sovereign ever engaged; being nothing less than to change entirely the most settled habits and prejudices of his subjects, and not so much to reform them, as to transform them, almost by main force, from barbarians into a civilized people. For the Russians at this time, (not more than a century and a half ago,) were, in truth, little better than a nation of savages. Nay, Peter, himself, was born and reared a savage; and to his last days, the passions and propensities of his original condition remained strong in his nature. It speaks the more for his wonderful genius, that, throughout his whole history, he forces us to feel that we are reading the adventures of the chief of a barbarous country, struggling to civilize himself as well as his people.

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And, undoubtedly, we do not follow his progress with the less interest, on that account. Nothing, in fact, in his proceedings or his character so much engages our curiosity, as to watch the astonishment with which his own ignorance was struck, on the first view of those arts of civilized life, which he was so anxious to introduce among his less ambitious, but hardly more ignorant, subjects. It is exactly the case of a strong-minded and enterprising leader of some tribe of wild Americans or South Sea islanders, setting out to see, with his own eyes, the wonders of those distant lands, of which his white visiters have told him, and, after all, viewing the scenes, which civilization presents to him, with an intoxication of surprise, which shows how imperfectly even his excited fancy had anticipated their actual nature. But, however he was at first struck with what he beheld, Peter did not continue long lost in mere amazement. The story which is told, of the occasion which awakened him to the ambition of creating a Russian navy, is very illustrative of his character. While looking about, one day, among some old stores and other neglected effects, he chanced to cast his eye upon the hulk of a small English sloop, with its sailing tackle, lying among the rest of the lumber, and fast going to decay. This vessel had been imported, many years before, by his father, Alexis Michelovitch, also a prince of distinguished talents, and who had nourished many schemes for the regeneration of his country; but it had long been forgotten, by every body, as well as the object which it was designed to promote. No sooner, however, was it observed by Peter, than it fixed his attention; he made inquiries of some of the foreigners by whom he was surrounded, as to the use of the mast and sails, even the general purposes of which he did not know; and the explanations which he received, made him look on the old hulk with new interest. It immediately became, in his imagination, the germ of a magnificent national marine; and he could take no rest till he had made arrangements for having it repaired and set afloat. With some difficulty, the Dutch pilot was found out, whom Alexis had procured, at the same time with

the sloop, to teach his subjects the method of managing it; the man, like the vessel, of which he was to have the charge, had long been forgotten by all the world. Once more, however, brought out of his obscurity, he soon refitted the sloop; and the Czar was gratified, beyond measure, by at length beholding it, with its mast replaced, and its sails in order, moving on its proper element. Delighted, as he was, he went himself on board, and was not long, before he became a sufficiently expert seaman, to take the place of his Dutch pilot. For several years after this, his chief attention was given to maritime affairs; although his first ships were all of foreign construction, and it was a considerable time before any issued from his own docks. From so small a beginning as has been described, Russia has since become one of the greatest naval powers in the world.*

But the most extraordinary of the plans which Peter adopted, in order to obtain an acquaintance with the arts of civilized life, was that, which he put in execution in 1697, when he set out, in the suite of his own ambassador, to visit the other countries of Europe. On this occasion, passing through Prussia, he directed his course to Holland, and at last arrived in the city of Amsterdam. His embassy was here received, by the government of

* The most detailed account we have met with, of the story told in the text, is one preserved among the MSS. of Sir Hans Sloane, in the British Museum, (No. 3, 168.) It appears to have been written shortly after the death of Peter the Great, and by a person who was either a native of Russia, or had resided in that country. According to this authority, the incident took place in the flax-yard at Ishmaeloff, an old seat of the royal family, near Moscow. The writer gives us also an account of a great naval show, at which he was himself present, in honor of this celebrated vessel, which took place, by the emperor's command, at St. Petersburg, on the 12th of August, 1723. On this occasion, the sloop, or ship's boat, as it is here called, having been repaired and beautified, was received by about 200 yachts, and, having advanced to the harbor, attended by that numerous convoy, was then saluted by a general volley from the twenty-two men-of-war, which might be considered as forming its progeny. The emperor, of course, was present, and the day was altogether one of the greatest festivals that had been known in Petersburg. "A few days after," it is added, "the boat was brought to Petersburg, and laid up in the castle, where she is to be taken the greatest care of."

the United Provinces, with all manner of honor and distinction; but he himself refused to be recognised in any other character than as a private individual. The first days of his visit were spent in perambulating the different streets of the city, the various wonders of which were probably never viewed by any eye with more astonishment and gratification than they excited in this illustrious stranger. The whole scene was nearly as new to him, and as much beyond any thing by which he had ever before been surrounded, as if he had come from another world. The different arts and trades which he saw exercised, and the productions of which met him, wherever he turned, in such surprising profusion, were all attentively examined. But what especially attracted his attention, was, the great East India dock-yard in the village of Saardam, (situated a few miles from Amsterdam,) which was then the principal establishment of this description in Holland. Here, he actually took the singular resolution of entering himself as a working carpenter; and, accordingly, giving in to the superintendent the simple name of Peter Michaelof, he took his place among the other workmen, and became, in all respects, one of them, even wearing the same dress, eating the same sort of food, and inhabiting equally humble lodgings. The hut in which he lived, is still shown at Saardam. When he first made his appearance in the dock-yard, nobody knew who he was, and he of course attracted no notice: but, even after his true quality was discovered, he would suffer none of the observances usual to persons of his rank to be paid to him, repelling every attempt of the kind, with evident displeasure. And in this way of life, he passed several months; during which time, he bore a considerable part in the

* That is, Peter the grandson of Michael, according to the manner of forming the surname in Russia among the lower orders. His majesty's proper designation was Peter Alexovitch, or the son of Alexis. Of, or ow, as it is pronounced, and often written, seems to be the same with the Celtic O, still used as a prefix to proper names in Ireland, and the Scottish oe or oy, which generally signifies a grandchild, but, in some districts, a nephew, having been applied originally, in all probability, to any near descendant, direct or collateral. Vitch, again, is the Nor man, or old French, Fitz, now Fils, a son.

building of a vessel, which, when completed, was named the St. Peter, and was purchased by the royal person, whose hands had thus helped to put its timbers together. While thus employed, however, the Czar did not neglect his duties and appropriate occupations as a sovereign. After the labors of the day were over, his evenings were generally employed either in writing despatches to the ministers whom he had left in charge of affairs at home; or in holding consultations with his ambassador regarding the negotiation pending with the Dutch government, in which he took the most anxious interest, as having for its object, the procuring of a supply of vessels and seamen from that power, to aid his favorite scheme of forming a navy for Russia. In this application, however, he was unsuccessful.

On leaving Holland, Peter proceeded to England, in a vessel sent to convey him by the government; but on his arrival in London, he insisted upon still being treated only as a private individual. Here he spent his time, at first, as he had done in Holland, examining the many interesting objects that every where met his view. Among other places, he went to see the Tower, where he was much delighted with the Armory, and the coining of money in the Mint. He was taken also to see the two houses of Parliament, when sitting; and he appeared twice or thrice at the play, but did not seem to have much relish for that species of amusement. He was very fond, however, of visiting the churches; and was so anxious to learn the mode of worship observed by the different denominations of dissenters, that he attended several of their chapels. On one occasion he was present at a Quaker's meeting. He paid one visit to Oxford, to see the University; and another to Portsmouth, where he was greatly entertained by a mock seafight that was exhibited to him. On this occasion, he declared that he considered an English admiral a happier man than a Czar of Muscovy. He also applied himself, with zeal and diligence, to learn whatever he deemed useful, without regarding the humble nature of any of the handicrafts, in which he wished to become a * Mottley's Life of Peter the Great.