The Memoirs of Catherine the Great (33 page)

Sometime before leaving Oranienbaum, we saw the Prince and Princess Golitsyna arrive, accompanied by Monsieur Betskoi. They were going abroad for their health, especially Betskoi, who needed distraction from the profound grief he still felt over the death of the Princess of Hessen-Hamburg, née Princess Trubetskaia, mother of Princess Golitsyna, who had been born from the first marriage of the Princess of Hessen with the Hospodar of Walachia, Prince Kantemir.
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As Princess Golitsyna and Betskoi were old acquaintances, I tried to receive them at Oranienbaum as best I could, and after we walked around quite a while, Princess Golitsyna and I got into a cabriolet, which I drove myself, and we went for a ride in the environs of Oranienbaum. Along the way, Princess Golitsyna, who was quite odd and very narrow-minded, began to make remarks by which she gave me to understand that she believed that I had a grudge against her. I told her that I had none and did not know what this grudge could be about, never having argued with her over anything. At this, she said she was worried that Count Poniatowski had lowered her in my esteem. I almost fell off my seat at these words and replied to her that she was absolutely imagining this and that he was not even in a position to discredit her with me, since he had left a long while ago and I knew him only by sight and as a stranger. I did not know where she got this idea. Back at my house, I called for Lev Naryshkin and recounted this conversation, which to me seemed as stupid as it was impertinent and indiscreet. He replied that the previous winter Princess Golitsyna had moved heaven and earth to woo Count Poniatowski, that out of politeness and so as not to slight her, he had been somewhat attentive toward her. She had made all sorts of advances toward him, and as one might imagine, he had not responded much because she was old, ugly, stupid, foolish, and almost crazy. Seeing that he barely responded to her ardor, she had apparently formed a suspicion that he was still with Lev and his sister-in-law and at their house.

During Princess Golitsyna’s short stay at Oranienbaum, I had a terrible quarrel with the Grand Duke about my maids of honor. I remarked that they were always either confidantes or mistresses of the Grand Duke and that on numerous occasions they had neglected their duty as well as the regard and respect they owed me. One afternoon I went to their apartment and reproached them for their conduct, reminded them of their duty and what they owed me, and said that if they continued, I would complain to the Empress. A few were alarmed, others were angered, and others cried. But as soon as I had left, they could not wait to repeat to the Grand Duke what had just occurred in their room. His Imperial Highness became furious and immediately ran to my apartment. As he entered he began by saying that I had become impossible to live with, that every day I was becoming prouder and haughtier, that I was asking for respect and regard from the maids of honor and was spoiling their life, that they cried rivers all day long, that they were well-born girls whom I treated like servants and that if I complained about them to the Empress, he would complain about me, my pride, my arrogance, my cruelty, and God knows what else he said to me. I listened not without irritation myself, and replied that he could say all he liked about me, that if the affair were to be brought before Madame his aunt, she would easily judge it most reasonable to dismiss the girls who misbehaved, who by their gossip put her nephew and niece on bad terms, and that assuredly Her Imperial Majesty, to reestablish peace and union between him and me, and to avoid hearing repeatedly about our disagreements, could make no other decision but that one, and that she would do this without fail. At this he softened his tone and, because he was very suspicious, imagined that I knew more of the Empress’s intentions regarding these girls than I let on, and that they truly could be dismissed over this matter. He said, “Tell me then, do you know something about this? Are people talking about it?” I replied to him that if the matter came to the point of being brought before the Empress, I did not doubt that she would dispose of it in a very decisive manner. He began to pace around the room, reflecting on this, and calmed down, then left sulking only a little more than usual. That same evening I recounted word for word to those maids who seemed the most sensible to me the scene that their imprudent tattling had earned me, which put them on their guard against taking things to such an extreme that they might become the victims.

During the autumn we returned to the city. A short while later, Sir Williams returned to England on leave.
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He had failed to achieve his objective in Russia. The day following his audience with the Empress, he had proposed a treaty of alliance between Russia and England. Count Bestuzhev had the permission and the power to conclude this treaty, and indeed, the treaty was signed by the Grand Chancellor and the Ambassador, who was overjoyed with his success. The following day, Count Bestuzhev informed him in a note of Russia’s participation in the agreement signed at Versailles between France and Austria.
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This was a great blow to the English Ambassador, who had been outwitted and deceived in this affair by the Grand Chancellor, or so it seemed. But at the time, Count Bestuzhev himself was no longer able to do as he pleased. His enemies began to gain the upper hand over him, and they intrigued, or rather others intrigued around them, to draw them into the Franco-Austrian faction, which they were very inclined to join. The Shuvalovs and above all Ivan Ivanovich fervently loved France and everything that came from there, and were supported by Vice Chancellor Count Vorontsov. For this service, Louis XV had furnished the mansion that Vorontsov had just built in Petersburg with old furniture that had begun to bore the Marquise de Pompadour, his mistress, and that she had therefore sold at a profit to the King, her lover. Aside from profit, the Vice Chancellor had another motive, which was to discredit his rival Count Bestuzhev and seize his position. As for Peter Shuvalov, he was planning to establish a monopoly in Russian tobacco and sell it in France. Toward the end of the year, Count Poniatowski returned to Petersburg as a minister of the King of Poland.
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1757

Holstein intrigues; Catherine alerts Elizabeth to bad influences
around Peter; Catherine lectures him on proper governance of
Holstein and future duties in Russia; Peter’s lies and tall tales;
Lev Naryshkin’s arranged marriage into Razumovsky family
to thwart Shuvalovs; Russian successes against Prussia;
Catherine’s talk with Elizabeth about Peter; Elizabeth’s
illness creates turmoil at court and the front

During that winter at the beginning of 1757, we led the same life as the previous winter, same concerts, same balls, same cliques. Soon after our return to the city, where I observed things more closely, I noticed that Monsieur Brockdorff was gaining influence over the Grand Duke’s mind with his intrigues. He was aided in this by a rather large number of Holstein officers, whom he had encouraged His Imperial Highness to keep in Petersburg that winter. The group of at least twenty were continually with and around the Grand Duke, without counting a couple of Holstein soldiers, who served in his room as errand boys and chamber valets, and were used as flunkies. Basically, all these men served as so many spies for master Brockdorff and company. I awaited a favorable moment that winter to speak seriously to the Grand Duke and tell him sincerely what I thought of those around him and of the intrigues I observed. One such moment presented itself and I did not miss it. One day the Grand Duke himself came into my apartment to tell me that he was being told it was absolutely necessary for him to send a secret order to Holstein to arrest a man named d’Elendsheim, who by both his office and his merit was one of the country’s most important people. Of bourgeois origins, he had achieved his position through study and skill. I asked what the grievances were that he had against this man and what he had done that would lead the Grand Duke to arrest him. He replied, “You see, they say that they suspect him of embezzlement.” I asked who his accusers were. He clearly believed himself fully justified and said, “Oh, there are no accusers, because everyone in the country fears and obeys him, and for this reason I must have him arrested, and after that, I am assured that there will be more than enough accusers.” I shuddered at what he said and retorted, “But if one acts in this manner, there will be no more innocent people in the world. All it takes is one jealous person to spread publicly whatever vague rumor pleases him, at which they will arrest whomever they want, saying that the accusers and the crimes will appear later. It is like the song ‘Barbarie, mon ami.’ You are being advised to act without regard either for your glory or your justice. Will you permit me to ask who is giving you such bad advice?” My Grand Duke was a bit sheepish at my question and said, “You always want to know more than the others.” Then I responded that I was not speaking to seem clever but because I hated injustice and did not believe that he would in any way commit one willingly. He began to pace around the room, then left more irritated than sullen. A short while later he returned and said, “Come to my apartment. Brockdorff will speak with you about the d’Elendsheim affair and you will see and be persuaded that I have to have him arrested.” I replied to him, “Very well, I will follow you and listen to what he says, since you wish it.” I did indeed find Monsieur Brockdorff in the room of the Grand Duke, who said to him, “Speak to the Grand Duchess.” Monsieur Brockdorff, somewhat taken aback, bowed to the Grand Duke and said, “Since Your Imperial Highness orders me, I will speak about it to Madame the Grand Duchess. . . .” Here he paused and then said, “This is an affair that must be treated with great secrecy and prudence. . . .” I listened. “The entire country of Holstein is full of rumors about d’Elendsheim’s embezzlement and misappropriations. It is true that there are no accusers, because he is feared, but when he is arrested, then there will be as many as one could want.” I asked him for the details about this embezzlement and misappropriation, and I learned that there could not be embezzlement since he did not have the Grand Duke’s money in hand, but that as the head of the justice department, he was thought to be embezzling, because after every trial, one of the litigants complained of injustice and said that the other party had won only because of a handsome payoff to the judges. But despite all the eloquence and knowledge Monsieur Brockdorff displayed, he did not persuade me. I continued to maintain to Monsieur Brockdorff in the Grand Duke’s presence that they were trying to lead His Imperial Highness to commit a gross injustice by persuading him to expedite an arrest warrant for a man against whom there existed neither a formal complaint nor an accusation. I said to Brockdorff that by this logic the Grand Duke could have him locked up at any moment, that the crimes and accusations would come later, and that as concerned affairs of justice it was not difficult to understand why those who lost their cases always claimed that they had been wronged. I added that the Grand Duke more than anyone should be on his guard against such proceedings, because experience had already taught him, at his expense, what the persecution and hatred of factions could produce, since it had been two years at most since the Grand Duke, after my intercession, had released Monsieur de Holmer. This man had been kept in prison six or eight years to make him confess about his dealings during the Grand Duke’s tutelage and during the administration of his guardian, the Royal Prince of Sweden, to whom M. de Holmer had been devoted and whom he had followed to Sweden, from where he had not been able to return until after the Grand Duke signed and dispatched a formal approval of, and general pardon for, everything that had been done during his minority. Despite this, the Grand Duke had been persuaded to have Monsieur de Holmer arrested and to name a commission to investigate what had been done during the Prince of Sweden’s administration. This commission, after at first acting with great energy and opening its doors wide to informers, nevertheless had found no informers and fallen into inactivity for lack of evidence. Meanwhile, however, Monsieur de Holmer languished in a narrow prison cell, which neither his wife, children, friends, nor relatives were permitted to visit. Finally the whole country cried out against the blatant injustice and tyranny displayed in this affair. It would not even have ended quickly had I not advised the Grand Duke to cut the Gordian knot by dispatching an order to release Monsieur de Holmer and abolish a commission that had, moreover, rather drained the coffers, which were quite empty in the Grand Duke’s hereditary domain. But I cited this striking example in vain. I think the Grand Duke listened to me while musing on something else, and Monsieur Brockdorff, hardened by his cruel heart, very narrow-minded and stubborn as a mule, let me go on, having no more arguments for me. When I had left, he told the Grand Duke that all I had said sprang from no other source than my desire to dominate and that I disapproved of all measures I had not recommended, that I understood nothing of political affairs, that women always wanted to meddle in everything, that they spoiled all they touched, and that above all decisive actions were beyond their ken. In the end, he said and did what was needed to prevail over my advice, and the Grand Duke, persuaded by him, had the order for Monsieur d’Elendsheim’s arrest drawn up, signed, and sent off. A certain Zeitz, the Grand Duke’s secretary, an intimate of Pechlin and a son-in-law of the midwife who had served me, informed me of this. In general, the Pechlin faction did not approve of this violent and uncalled-for measure, with which Monsieur Brockdorff made them and the entire land of Holstein tremble.

As soon as I learned that Brockdorff ’s machinations had prevailed in such an unjust cause over me and all that I had argued to the Grand Duke, I firmly resolved to make Monsieur Brockdorff feel the brunt of my indignation. I said to Zeitz and I had it reported to Pechlin that from this moment I regarded Brockdorff as a plague that we must avoid and remove from the Grand Duke’s presence if possible. I myself would go to any lengths to see this through. Indeed, I made a point of showing on every occasion, both public and private, the disgust and horror that this man’s conduct had inspired in me. There was no kind of ridicule to which he was not subjected, and when the occasion presented itself, I left no one unaware of what I thought of him. Lev Naryshkin and other young people of our court assisted me in this. When Monsieur Brockdorff passed through the room, everyone cried out after him,
which was his epithet,
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since this bird was the most hideous known, and Monsieur Brockdorff was as hideous on the outside as on the inside. He was tall, with a long neck and a thick, flat head. He had red hair and wore a wig of brass wire. His eyes were small, set back in his head and almost without lids or brows. The corners of his mouth drooped toward his chin, which always gave him a miserable, nasty look. As for his inner qualities, I refer to what I have already said. But I will also add that he was so full of vice that he took money from whoever wanted to give it to him. To keep his august master from ever reprimanding him for his misappropriations, he persuaded the Grand Duke, who he knew was always in need of money, to do the same. He acquired as much money as he could for him by selling Holstein orders and titles to whoever wanted to pay for them, or by having the Grand Duke make appeals, or by promoting all kinds of deals in the different regions of the empire and in the senate. These deals were often unjust and sometimes even onerous for the empire, such as the monopolies and other grants that otherwise would never have passed because they broke Peter I’s laws. In addition, Monsieur Brockdorff immersed the Grand Duke more than ever in drink and villainy, having surrounded him with a pack of fortune hunters and people drawn from the guard corps and taverns of both Germany and Petersburg, who had no morals, and did nothing but drink, eat, smoke, and speak coarsely about nonsense. Seeing that despite all I said and did against Monsieur Brockdorff to weaken his standing he maintained himself in the Grand Duke’s favor and was more in favor than ever, I resolved to tell Count Alexander Shuvalov what I thought about him, adding that I regarded this man as one of the most dangerous creatures one could possibly place with a young Prince, heir to a great empire, and that in good conscience I found myself obliged to speak to him in confidence so that he could warn the Empress or take such measures as he saw fit. He asked if he might quote me. I said yes, and that if the Empress asked me herself, I would not mince words but say what I knew and saw. Count Alexander Shuvalov twitched his eye, listening to me very seriously, but he was not a man to act without the advice of his brother Peter and cousin Ivan. For quite a while he did not contact me. Then he let me know that the Empress might want to speak with me.

Meanwhile, one fine morning I saw the Grand Duke skip into my room and his secretary Zeitz run after him with a paper in his hand. The Grand Duke said to me, “Take a look at this devil of a man. I drank too much yesterday. I am still completely hung over today, and here he is bringing me a sheet of paper and it is only the accounts register that he wants me to finish. He even follows me into your room.” Zeitz said to me, “Everything I have here is only a simple matter of yes or no. It will only take fifteen minutes.” I said, “But let us see now, perhaps you will finish sooner than you think.” Zeitz began to read, and as he spoke, I myself said yes or no. This pleased the Grand Duke, and Zeitz said to him, “You see, my lord, if you consented twice a week to do this, your affairs would not come to a halt. These are only trifles, but they must be taken care of, and the Grand Duchess has finished this with six yes’s and as many no’s, more or less.” From that day on, His Imperial Highness decided to send Zeitz to me every time that he had yes’s or no’s to ask about. After some time, I told him to give me a signed order concerning what I could or could not decide without his permission, which he did. Only Pechlin, Zeitz, the Grand Duke, and I knew of this arrangement, which delighted Pechlin and Zeitz. When it came to signing, the Grand Duke signed according to what I had decided. The d’Elendsheim affair remained under Brockdorff ’s supervision. But as d’Elendsheim had been arrested, Monsieur Brockdorff was in no rush to conclude the affair, because this was more or less what he had wanted, that is, to distance this man from governmental affairs and to show those in Holstein his standing with his master.

I chose a day on which I found the occasion, or moment, favorable to tell the Grand Duke that though he found the affairs of Holstein so boring to manage and regarded them as a burden, nevertheless they were only a small sample of what he would one day have to manage when the Russian empire passed to him. I thought that he ought to envisage that moment as a much greater weight. He again repeated what he had said to me many times. He felt that he had not been born for Russia, that he did not suit the Russians nor the Russians him, and that he was convinced that he would die in Russia. On this subject I too told him what I had told him many times before, to wit, that he must not give in to this fatalistic idea, but do his best to make himself loved by every Russian and ask the Empress to put him in a position where he could learn about the Empire’s affairs. I even urged him to request a place in the conferences that served as the Empress’s council.
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He did speak about this to the Shuvalovs, who urged the Empress to admit him to this conference every time she herself attended. This was the same as saying he would not be admitted, because she went with him two or three times and then neither of them went anymore.