Peter The Great And Orloff

Harper's Magazine. Peter the Great is a ínany-sided figuro, and sucb a huge one that to view hiui from all points woiild involve the making of a very considerable circuit. It would be easy to show that he was a coarsc sensualist, and he had undoubtedly many of the tastes of a more barbarían. He drank to excess, and delighted in such practical okes as serving up live rats and niiee in a dish piecovered over with the usual paste. When he was in England, bis favorito exercise consisted in charging with a wheelbarrow a trimly-eut quick-sct hedge, which had at oue time formcd the joy of its garden-loving proprietor. He not only sentenccd to death, but apparently hirnself killed the disafteeted son whom he had throwninto prison, and who perished there. If 30U inquire in the museum of the Hermitage at Petersburg who carvec those wooden figures, who turned those ivory ornamenta, who made that paii of boots, who built the boat, tlie answci is always, "The Tsar Peter." Inquire further who reformed the oíd Salvóme alphabet by introdnctng into it the the symbols of sounds peculiar to the Russian lauguage; who altered the con stitution of the Ilussian Church so as to raake the Tsar of Kussia. in lieu of the Patriarch of Constantiuople, its head who ostablished i'actories in Russia who forced the Russian nobles, willinj or unwilling, to accept the duties o state service, under pain of losing tlieii privileges; who formed the Russian army; who created the Russiau navy who built St. Petersburg-"the window,' as somo one has said, "f rom which Kus sia looks out pon Europe;" who firs led Russian levies with success aarains trained Europeau troops; who anToug theTsars was the iirst to get hinisel formally recognized by Europe as "Emperor;" who among the Tsars and Emporers commenced tha unceasing 'var againt Turkey, which beginning with a defeat, a capitulatiou and the nearest approaeh totne person al surrender of the Tsar, has at lengtl brought Russia up to and beyoml tlitHalkans, and placed her, but for the political attitude of other powers anc llie stategical positiou of Austria, within easy reach of Constantinople, wh with Russian ships iirst navigated Uk Caspian; who with Russian troops lirsi made war upon Persia; who sent oul the fir.st Russian expedition againsí Khiva with iastructions to its chief to dispatch from Khiva military, naval, and commercial agents "disguised as traders" to India? In every case, the Tsar Pet8i Whother Peter was what is oalled "good" need scareely to eonsidered, and certainly cannot be decided. Exhorted on his death-bed to repen t oi some very bad actions which ke liad undoubtedly committed, ho said thai God would judge him, not by isolaleil deeds, but by the general tenor of his life. He was far moro rcmarkablo for energy in every possible direction tban for piety or any sort of moral quality. He did not, however, like killing the wrong man; ani1 whcn he was decapitating with his own hand tho rebellious strelitzcrs, or "archers," who, detestinc his innovations from the West, had durinr bis absence from Russia, risen in insurrcotion against him, lio hesitated to strike one bold young soldier who advanced gayly towards the block. oxolaiming : " Make room herc!" and kicking ou either sido the fallen heads which stopped his way. "This man will bo of use to me," thought Peter. He spoke a few words to him, pardonod him, and gave him a commission in one of the regiments that lie was forming. The forgiven ono j)rovcd worthy of his pardon. His name was Orlofl', and bis descendents have often siiown the same reckless ilaring which, as exhibited by the foundcr of the faniily, mado so strikinj; an impression on the mimi of Peter. The Russian system of governmenl has been described as "ilespotism tempered wlth assassination," and the Orlofl's. as if ruindful of their ancestor in his mutinous days, have not always ranged tliemselves on the side of despotism. But, on the whole, thoy have served the Russian ffovernmentfaitliful ly and unserupulously: now bnrningthe Turkish Heet in the bay of Ttüiesme. hrough ftgenoy of nowly invente1 firo-ships, taken into action by Enjrlish captains; now, tlie more surely to betray her, professing the most ardent añeotion for the unfortunato Princesa Tarakanoff, who vas to bo delivered by her pretended lover into the hands of lier enemy the Empresa Catharlae; now, underihe Emperrar Paul, starting, at the hettd of a forcé of Cossacks and horse-artillery, on an expedition to Khiva, with Britásh India as final objeetivc. The Jersey mosquito, like charitv,