Russia in 1839 -Empire of the Czar: A Journey Through Eternal Russia

create oblivion of the past, is that anything connected with it should be preserved. The names ought to be destroyed, as well as the Avails. It was not sufficient to demolish the fortress, they should have also razed the palace, which is only a quarter of a league distant. Whoever visits Oranienbaum inquires with anxiety for the vestiges of the prison where Peter III. was compelled to sign his voluntary abdication, which became also his death-warrant, —for, the sacrifice once obtained, it was necessary to prevent his revoking it.

The following is the account of the assassination of this prince at Ropseha, taken from M. de Rulhière's " History of Poland."

" The soldiers were astonished at their own deed. They could not conceive by what wicked enchantment they could have been induced to dethrone the grandson of Peter the Great, in order to place his crown upon a German. The greater number, without object or idea of their own, had been led on by others; and. each, after the pleasure of disposing of a crown had vanished, felt only remorse. The seamen, who had not been associated in the insurrection, publicly accused the guards in the taverns of having sold their emperor for beer. Pity, which excuses even the greatest criminals, began to plead in all hearts. One evening a troop of soldiers attached to the empress created much disturbance under a vague fear that their ' mother ' was in danger. She had to be roused up in order that they might see her. On the following night a new and more dangerous disturbance took place. So long as the life of the emperor left a pretext for disquietude, it was thought that there would be no tranquillity.