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V

W O N D E R F U L D E V E L O P M E N T

O F

P e t e * tl|e G f r e k t > f e t f V o j e d t y ,

A S O U T L I N E D I N

H i s L a s t W i l l a n d T e s t a m e n t

M E R I C N I N V E N T I O N

A S A N

A I D T O R U S S I A 'S G R A S P

O N A S I A T I C T E R R I T O R Y

B Y W . G A N N O N .

N E W Y O R K :

T H E M A R I T I M E R E P O R T E R P U B L I S H I N G C O . ,

1 5 W H I T E H A L L S T R E E T .

1 8 8 9 .



W O N D E R F U L D E V E L O P M E N T

O F

f ^ t e * t l i e G frekt'jS ? e t f V o j e d t ^ ,

A C C O R D I N G T O

H i s L a s t W i l l a n d T e s t a m e n t .

B

M E R I C N I N V E N T I O N

A S A N

A ID T O RU S S IA 'S GRA S P

• O N A S I A T I C T E R R I T O R Y

f i i i i i i i i i a a a i i i i i i m i i

B Y W . G A N N O N .

N E W Y O R K :

T H E M A R I T I M E R E P O R T E R P U B L I S H I N G C O . ,

1 5 W H I T E H A L L S T R E E T .

1 8 8 9 .



PROGRESSIVE RUSSIA

\

O N T H E

to Cor^tkr\ti:qople

A N A M E R I C A N I N V E N T O R T H E A L L Y O F T H E M U S C O V I T E .

Peter the Great m ay justly be credited with having been the greatest civili-

zer of his race. T o him is due the credit of nationalizing his country and in-

augu rating vast industries, through the medium of the Ship. So fa r in ad -

vance of his time was he that his startling innovations and wonderful discount-

ing of the arts of diplom acy must have enda ngere d his head had he not been

fortunate enough to have been born a despot.

Peter's last will and testame nt outlined the po licy to be pursued by his

successors, looking to the aggrandizement of Russia, and startling though its

terms are in their selfishn ess, they are so thoroug hly diplomatic that his suc-

ces sor s hav e religiously lived up to their full mean ing.

And so it comes to pass that the ever-advancing and constantly-tighten-

ing grasp of Russia on adjacent territory is alarming the Governments of the

Old W orld and ma y, indeed, in the near future, somew hat concern ourselve s.

The Canadian Government is now urging Great Britain to erect defences on

th e Pac ific Co ast, fo r the reason that R us sia , in pursuance of her peculiar

policy, is enlarging her works and arsenal at Vladivostock, opposite British



Columbia ; and the initiative has already been taken by Gr eat Britain in the

erection of batteries in the neighborhood of Esquimault.

As early as last May the St. Petersburgh correspondent of the New York

Tribune contributed the follow ing report of the pro gres s of the G ran d Tr un k

Railway through Central Southern Siberia to the Pacific Ocean and China:

S I G N S O F R U S S I A N P R O G R E S S.

The completion of the Tran s-Casp ian Ra ilwa y to Samarcand marks

another stage in the Ru ssian occupation of As ia. Tha t city was the objective

point of the earlier cam paign s from Orenburg and the sea of Ar al,

wh ich ended in the conquest of Khiva and Kokan and the establishment of

Ta sh ke nd as the military headquarters, with railway connections northward.

Bokhara was reduced to the condition of a protected province and Samarcand

was virtually converted into a Russian centre of trade on th e border of China.

An interval of twelve years has elapsed, during which Samarcand, already

within easy reach from Tashkend, has been gradually approached from the

Cap sian Sea. Th e Trans-C aspian Ra ilwa y is now in operation from Mic-

hailovsk to Samarcand, a distance of 885 miles, by way of Askabad, Merv and

Bok har a. Th is narro w-g uage system, built at a cost of $21,000 ,000, gives

R us sia control of the com merce of Tu rke stan and comp letes the circuit of

conquest on the borders of China, Afg han istan and Persia. In future military

operations in Central Asia this railway, with the northern line running from

Tashkend, will be a most useful base of transportation and supplies. Mean-

while, it binds together a straggling series of conquests separated by broad

rea ch es of desert. It is already rumored in St. Petersburg that the Czar in-

tends to visit during the summer the great Empire in Central Asia which the

valor of his soldiers and the skill of his engineers have created. A n imperial

journey to Merv, Bokhara and Sama rcan d will illustrate th e wonderful pro-

g r e s s made by the Russians during th e last twenty year s in over runn ing

A s i a .

The Russian engineer who has completed the Trans-Caspian system is

%

•now to unde rtake a new and colossal und ertaking . T hi s is the trunk line

•through Central and Southern Siberia to the Pacific Ocean. Sur veys hav e

already .been made for a railway from Tomsk to Irkutsk, and this line when



5

f inished is to be extended to Vladivo stock, on the coast. A s the T ra n s-C as -

pian now makes a close approach to Western China, the Siberian will com-

plete the circuit of the Celestial Em pi re on its northern bo rder. If the co n-

sent of the Chinese Govern m ent can be obtained, branches will be built from

Irkutsk to Pekin, Sh ang hai, and other centres of population. W ithin five

years it is expected that this gigan tic enterprise will be accomp lished and St .

Petersb urgh brough t into direct comm unication with Vladiv ostock . T h e

journ ey from the capital to the Pac ific can then be m ade in a for tn igh t; an d

if Chinese m arkets can be opened to Ru ssia n traders, a marvelou s change in

the conditions of Asian commerce and intercourse will be effected.

A n d only a few week s ago the sam e journal printed the followin g, as a

sequel to the above :

The announcement that Russia 's Central Asia rai lroad system is to be

grea tly extended wa s to be expecte d. A t present it reaches to Sam arka nd

and already more than pays working expenses. Ev ery branch or further ex -

tension of the m ain line will, of course , add ma terially to its traffic and its

profits. It is now proposed co build a branch from the main line at Cha rd -

jui, on the Oxus, to C ham iab, and also to continue the main line o nw ard

from Sam arcan d to Tash ken d. Th e latter would cross the Ja xa rte s ; and

thus the road wou ld giv e direct co mm unication with both the grea t rive rs

that flow into the A ra l Sea , just at the head of navigation on them, a nd

wo uld connect the com merce of the A ra l with that of the Casp ian. Ju st b e-

yond Tashkend begins a series of steppes adjoining those of Siberia, whither

Ru ssi an colonists are flocking. T he road thus promises to be of equal

^ p or ta n ce to commerce and to mi l itary s trategy .

T H E F I R S T S T E P .

T h e occupation of As ia, so long determined on by Ru ssia , wa s a pr ob -

lem most difficult of solution. M any years were spent in devising wa ys an d

me ans to nav igate the Ar al S ea— the first thought being to transport m ach in-

ery and material for the construction of steamers over the mountains— a pro-

ject which was at length abandoned as impracticable.



6

Bu t a solution wa s at hand. In the year i860 a novel system for the

construction of vessels w as introduced in G reat Britain by an Am eric an ,

through whose efforts a Company was formed and an extensive factory estab-

lished at L iverpoo l. Th is Co m pan y, on proof of the value of its system of

construction, secured a contract with the British Go vernm ent to construct a

num ber of steamers for the Ea st India Comp any,of Ben gal— M oorsh edab a.

A s an eviden ce of the financial solidity of this com pan y, and the cla ss

of m en wh o invested their capital in that concern, it ma y be mentioned that

Sir Cha rles M anb y, the great En glis h civil engineer, w as President, wh ile

such men as Sir R ob ert Stephen son, President of the Institution of Civil

En gin eer s, and Jo hn Ham ilton, also well-know n as an eminent engineer,

we re mem bers and stockholders. T h e entire capital and mem bership of the

Company belonged in London—Liverpool s imply being selected as a factory

site.

T h e steam ers under course of construction by this Com pan y were

15 0 and 200 feet long, built on the new system of

C O R R U G A T E D G A L V A N I Z E D I R O N ,

three-sixtee nth s of an inch in thickn ess. B y this syste m the we ight of hull

of a vessel was reduced one-ihird and the draft reduced in proportion, while

the strength w as increased two -fold by mea ns of the corrugation s covering

the entire outer surfa ce of the hu ll, which corruga tions take the place of

frames

or

timbers

, thus incre asing the interior cap acity of a boat of giv en

dr aft while vastly increasing her strength. T he g reat utility and superior

qualities of this mode of construction was fully demonstrated by the building

of several supply boats for the British Na vy , as well as military wa gon s fo r

the A rm y, and other constructions on the s am e principle for miscellaneous

purposes. Th e steamers built by this com pany were so constructed that they

could be

D I S J O I N T E D A N D T R A N S P O R T E D I N S E C T IO N S ,

being so arranged that they could be set up and taken apart with the utmost

celerity, and without the aid of more than passable shipbuilding or mech ani-



7

cal kno wledg e. Th is unique and valuab le sy stem of ship construction was

invented by Jo sep h Fran cis, an Am eric an born, an d justly celebrated as

founder of the United States Life-Saving Service, for which, at a late day, he

received the

«

T H A N K S O F C O N G R E S S A N D I S T O R E C E I V E A G O L D M E D A L .

Information of this system of construction reached Russia after its value

had been proved by the Ame rican, En glish, French , Austrian and German

Go vernm ents, and M r. Fra nc is wa s invited to visit that country, where he

was received by the Emperor.

In i860, Adm iral Bout ako ff , of the Imperial Russian N avy , wa s ordered

by the Em pe ror to proc eed to Liverp ool and exam ine the system of con-

struction , with a view to its applicability to service on the A ra l Se a,

in A sia , and report as to its utility. Fr om documents placed in possession of

the writer, he is enabled to present a copy of the Admiral's Report, as follows:

LIVERPOOL, 15th November, i860.

HONORED SIR : I hav e sent to the Scientific Com mittee of the

Marine Ministry, with my reports of the 15th and 17th of October, for pub-

lication in a ma rine jou rnal, a short article co ncerning the corrugated iron

steam ers. In addition to information therein contained, I would state that it

is my conviction that for our rivers, which are from year to year getting more

shallow, there cannot be built a more suitable steam er than the abov e. In

the discharge of my duty, I communicate to you the result of the trials which

have been made at the Liverpool factory.

T h e corrugation of sheets of iron is effected , as may be known to you,

•crosswise and not lengthwise, and the sheets of the hull are riveted together

by lapping one upon the other, corrugation upon corrugation, and a double

row of rivets put in.

It w as im portant to ascertain tlje relative strength of the riveted la p to

a whole sheet before proceeding with the construction of the steamers. For

that purpose we placed upon two blocks a riveted sheet a a (as marked in

the diagram accompanying this), three feet ten inches in length by two feet

six inches wide and three-sixteenths of an inch thick. W e then began by



8

laying on it, directly over the line of the rivets, zinc slabs,

b b,

each weighing

thirty-one pounds English.

T h e sheet broke at one row of rivets afte r having placed upon it 188

slabs , or 160 poods of fourteen pounds each (nearly three tons); aft er this

test a wh ole sheet of the safn e me asure wa s placed upon the block s, and it

bent after 199 slabs or 170 poods, (over three tons) had been placed upon it.

Fin ally we took a plain sheet of iron the sam e m easu re, not corru-

gate d, and it bent and fell from the blocks afte r ten slab s had been placed

upon it. I believe that such results settle the question in re ga rd to th e

local strength w hich corrugation impa rts to iron and its ad apta tion in the

construction of vessels.

With sincere regard,

( S i g n e d . ) A L E X A N D E R B O U T A K O F F .

T o A D M I R A L A R K A S S .

T E S T O F C O R R U G A T E D I R O N L A P M A D E I N L I V E R P O O L B Y

A D M I R A L B O U T A K O F F , R . I . N .

On a call from the Ru ssi an Go vernm ent, the inventor submitted photo-

graphs and drawings of the steamers constructed by the Liverpool Co m pan y,

addressed, according to instructions, to the Grand Duke Constantine.

A ft er som e little necessary corresponden ce, shorn of all diplom atic red

tape, a contract w as entered into be tween the Imp erial Gove rnm ent and



M r. Fra ncis , for the construction of a fleet of light-draft steam ers, to be

pushed to completion rapidly as possible. T he result wa s that, ere the yea r

1862 had passed, steamers, fully engined, and ready for service, were erected

at the Liverpool factory, and taken apart again for shipment. Th ese vessels

were 150 to 200 feet in length, built on similar lines to vessels already con-

structed by the Com pany. W hen the steamers had been put together,

tested and ag ain set up at the fac tor y, they were boxed for shipment, in sec-

tions, both hulls, floating dock and machinery, when they were ready for

T H E S TR A N G E S T R O U T E E V E R T R A V E R S E D B Y S H I P .

From Liverpool they went first to St. Petersburgh —thence to Moscow—

on to Nijni Novgorod— across the Vo lga— ove r the Ural Mountains—to the

A ra l Sea , in As ia— wh ere they were at length unboxed, the sections once

again put together and, lo, a

P R O U D F L O T I L L A G R A C E D T H E A R A L ,

upreared as if by m agic hand s. T hi s w as the initiative in Russia 's grandest

Dre am of Em pire. Th ese vessels had crossed the Ar al barrier, and swoop-

ed dow n like things of life on the insulated sea, the inha bitan ts of whose

shores fondly dream ed they dwe lt secure in Na ture 's fastness. Impossi-

ble would it have been to transport vess els in their entirety over the rugged

heights, and deadly imp racticable wo uld it have been to attempt their

construction on the A ra l seab oard , in full view of an alert and suspicious

people.

Here it may be well to introduce three letters, the originals of which are

in possession of the writer, and which are fully corroborative of the prec ed-

ing statements.

To His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Constantine :

I beg leave to present to Yo ur Imperial Highn ess lithograp hs of the

two corrugated galvanized iron steamers, built at Liverpool for the Syr

Dariah River, under the supervision of Captain A. Bo utako ff, of the R ussian

Imperial Navy.



IO

Th e two steamers, together w ith one b arge and a li ft ing dock , are

finished, re ady for shipm ent. Cap tain Bou takoff le ft Liverp ool M arch

25 (13th).

Your Imperial Highness ' humble servant,

(S ign ed .) J O S E P H F R A N C I S .

M A R I N E M I N I S T R Y OF T H E S H I P B U I L D I N G D E P ' T , )

March 3 1 , 18 6 1— N o. 18 9 . *

To M r. Joseph Francis :

Th e letter which you addressed to His Imp erial Hig hness the Gra nd

Du ke, Gen eral Adm iral , on the 25th M arch, with which you presented to H is

Imperial High ness two draw ings of corrugated iron steamers, has been sent

to this committee, with a resolution from the Ministry of Marine, stating that

His Im perial Hig hess desired his thanks to you. Th e com mittee has the

honor to inform you thereof.

M a n a g e r , B E L L A R M S K Y . T H E P F E S I D E N T .

(S ig ne d.) M a j o r- G e ne r al C H E R N O F S K Y .

(Letter from Admiral Boutakoff to Mr. Francis .)

F O R T N O . I , S Y R D A R I A H , J u l y 2 1 8 6 2 .

DEAR MR. FRANCIS—

The ne w stea m ers of m y flotilla, built at yo ur

w ork s at Liverp ool, are not yet launch ed, but I hope to accom plish it in

ab ou t a mon th. Th e boilers, on accou nt of the gre at difficulty of transp ort-

ing them across the De sert, will not arrive be fore the mid dle of A ug us t, so

that I shall not have sufficient time to employ the new steamers this year,

but will giv e them a trial upon the Sy r D aria h. T h e parts of the pontoo n

dock will be here abou t the end of Aug us t, giving us time to put them to-

gether next winter.

' With a hearty shake hands, and my sincere sympathies with your

northern countrymen, of whose victories I congratulate you,

I remain, yours most truly,

(S ign ed .) A . B O U T A K O F F .

On the launching of the steamers, the Em pe ror congratulated M r.

Fra nc is on the succ ess of the invention by which the first ob stacle that



I I

barred the w ay to the conqu est of a vas t territory w as remo ved, opening an

avenue to increased Empire.

A fte r the survey of the Ar al, only rendered possible by the con-

that sea, and the long-deferred conquest of that section of Asia was, to all in-

tents and purposes, accomplished.

In order to still further emph asize his gratitude, the E m pe ror caused

Mr. Francis to be created a Knight of the Royal Order of Saint -Stanislaus,

one of the richest de coration s in the g ift of royalty. Fo llo w ing is a copy

of the parchment:

W e , by the grace of God, Alexa nde r the.Second, Em peror and Autocrat of

all the Ru ssian s, Cz ar of Poland , Grand Du ke of Finlan d, etc.,

etc., etc.

•*' To

Joseph Francis, Citizen of the U nited States of North Am erica:

The Ministry of Marine having testified to your particular services, we

ha ve graciously been pleased to nom inate you a Kn igh t of our Imp erial and

R o ya l O rder of Saint Sta nislaus by an U ka z of 7th Nov em ber, i860, given to

ou r Ch apte r of Ord ers, to the end that they do sign and seal this Diplom a in

witness thereof, and forward to you the insignia of the Order.

ST. PETERSBURG,

this 10th day of No vem ber, 1S60.

No. 5,756.

Shortly after the securing of his patents in Russia Mr. Francis disposed

of a portion of his corrugated system patent to Baro n Rum in, Chamber-

lain to the Emperor, covering Moscow and the Rivers Volga and Don.

A fte r the contract was drawn, a request was made on the part of the

Ba ron to include the Ca spia n Se a, and to which no objection was made, as

little value was placed on the Caspian at that time, on accou nt of its shallo w

water and isolated position, no one supposing that a

struction of these vessels, fortificatio ns were constructed on the shores of

[ S E A L . ]

The Vice-President,

Lieut.-General,

Grand Ma ster of C eremonies,

Member,

C O U N T B O R C H .

L ' E C E S U J S E C E T Z .

R H I T R O V O .

K u ,

U Y E Y

5

E Y U I V E L .



II

R A I L W A Y W O U L D E V E R C RO SS T H E J A X A R T E S

and join both the great rivers that flow into the Aral Sea, connecting com-

merce with the A ra l and Casp ian, as well as Ch ina, and so onw ard to the

Pacific Coast.

A facto r}' w as eventually established by Baro n R um in, on the Ba nk s of

the Vo lga , fo r the construction of steamers, and practical wo rkm en we re

sent to this factory from the establishm ent of M r. Fra nci s, at Green point,

Brooklyn, New York.

Th is brief account of R us sia 's strugg le for suprem acy am ong the

fam ily of nations, so intima tely interw oven w ith the history of one of

Am eric a's foremo st inventors in the life-savin g field, is another instance o^

the Prov iden ce tha t rules the destinies of the wo rld, through the lives of

unassuming and patient workers.

Fro m experiment c am e invention. T h e Li fe- C ar , in this instance the

outcome of extended experiment on the part of Jo sep h Fra nc is, proved the

value of the corrugating system, the fame of which, within a few years, spread

all over the wo rld. T h e Li fe- Ca r, the first con struction under the cor rug a-

ted system, was m erely the germ of the widespread uses to which the system

wa s and is applicable, as has been show n. Steam ships, f loating docks, pontoon

bridges, military wagons and railway cars are only a few among the many con-

structions to which the Francis system of corrugated iron was applied by him

and those to who m he sold the right to ma nufac ture. T h e Li fe- Ca r, then,

w as the sug gestio n that led to the construction of the portab le, stron g, light-

dra ft ship, which proved the most pow erful implement, in Ru ssi a's han ds, of

wo rkin g out the vastest s ch em e of emp ire ever conce ived in the brain of man*

M r. Fra nc is, succe ssful in all his inventions, has been honored beyo nd

most m en by foreign potentates, and now is about to receive wha t he

holds to be the crown ing honor, the bestow al of the gold med al aw arde d

him by two Co ng resses, with the double thanks of this ch osen bo dy of

representatives of the people.



1 3

- A / P T D e r i c i i L x : .

A V IL L O F P E T E R T H E G R E A T , F A T H E R O F R U S S I A N S H IP -

B U I L D I N G .

T h e followin g is an authentic copy of the W ill of Peter the Grea t, the

first Em per or of Ru ssia . Th is will is the supreme foundation and law of

Ru ssian politics, since his time, and wa s confidentially deposited in the hand s

of the A b b e de Berv is, Minister of Foreig n A ffa irs , in 175 7, and also in those

of Lou is X V . A copy is also to be fou nd in the diplomatic archives of

France, from which this translation is derived :

T H E W I L L .

P R E L I M I N A R Y C O N S I D E R A T I O N S .

In the name of the most Ho ly and Indivisible Trin ity, we, Peter, the

Firs t Em pe ror and Au tocr at of all the R us sia s, etc., to all our descend ants

and successors to the throne and govern m ent of the Ru ssia n nation :

God , from whom we derive our existence, and to whom we owe our

crown , havin g constantly enlightened us by His spirit, and sustained us by

His D ivine help, allow us to look on the Ru ssia n people as called upon here-

afte r to hold sw ay over Eu rop e. M y reason for thus thinking is, that the

Eu rop ean nations have mostly reached a state of old age, bordering upon

imbecility, or they are rap idly appro achin g it : naturally, then, they will be

easily and indubitably conquered by a people strong in youth and vi g o r

espec ially wh en this latter shall ha ve attained its full strength and po we r.

I look on the futur e invasion of the Ea ste rn and W estern countries b y the

North as a periodical mo vem ent ordained by Providenc e, who , in a like

man ner, regenera ted the Ru ssia n nation by barb arian invasion. Th ese emi j

gratio ns of men from the North are as the reflux of the Nile, which , at cer-

tain periods comes to fertilize the impoverished lands of Egypt by its deposit.

I found Russia as a rivulet, I leave it a river : my successors will make of it a

large sea, destined to fertilize the imp overished lands of Eu ro pe , and its

wa ters w ill overflo w, in spite of imposing d am s erected by wea k h ands, if ou

descen dants only kno w how to direct its course. Th is is the reason I leave

them the follow ing instructions. I give those countries to their watc hfuln ess

an d care, as Mo ses ga ve the Ta ble s of the L aw to the Jew ish p eople.



1 4

I .

Keep the Russian nation in a STATE OF CONTINUAL WAR : so as to

hav e the soldier alw ays under arm s, and read y for action, excepting when

the finances of the S tate will not allow it. Ke ep up the fo rc es ; choose the

best mom ents for attack. By 'th ese mean s you w ill be read y for wa r even

in time of peace . Th is is for the interest of the futu re agg rand izem ent o^

Russ ia .

II.

En de avo r by every possible means to bring in from the neighboring

civilized countries of Europe officers in times of war, and learned men in times

of pe ac e; thus givin g the Ru ssia n people the adv an ges enjoyed b y other

Countries, without allowing them to lose any of their own self-respect.

I I I .

On ever) ' occasion take a part in the affa irs an d quarrels of E u ro p e;

above all, in those of Germany, which country, being the nearest, more im-

mediately concerns us.

IV.

Divid e P oland, exciting civil discord ther e; w in over the nobility by

bribery, corrupt the diets, so as to hav e influenc e on the election of K in gs ,

get partisans into office, protect them, bring to sojourn there Muscovite

troops, until such time as they can be perm ane ntly established there. If th e

neighboring pow ers start difficulties, appe ase them for a time by parceling

out the country, until you can retake in detail all that has been ceded.

V .

Ta ke as much as you can from Swe den, and cause yourself to be at-

tacked by her, so as to have a pretext for subdu ing her. T o accomplish this,

sever Denmark from Sweden, and Sweden from Denm ark, carefully keeping

up their rivalries.

V I .

Alw ays choose, as wives for the Rus s i an princes, German princesses, so

as to increase fam ily alliance s, to dra w mutu al interests closer, and , by pro-

pagating our principles in Germany, to enlist her in our cause.



1 5

V I I .

En glan d— requ iring us for her navy , and she being the only power that

can aid in the developm ent of ours, seek a com m ercial alliance with her, in

preference to any other. Ex ch an ge our wood, and the productions of our

land for her gold, and establish between her merchan ts, her sailors and ours

a continual intercourse ; this will aid in perfecting the Russian fleet for navi-

gation and commerce.

V I I I .

Extend your possessions toward the North, along the Baltic, and toward

the South by the Black Sea.

I X .

Ap pro ach as near as possible to Co nstantinop le and its outskirts. He

wh o shall reign there will be the true sovereign of the wc rld. Consequen tly,

be continually at war— som etime s with the T ur ks , sometimes with Persia.

Est ab lish dock yard s on the Black Sea, get entire possession of it by degrees,

also of the Baltic S e a ; this being necessary to the accomplishment of the

plan. Ha sten the decline of P er sia ; penetrate to the Persian G u lf ; re-es-

tablish, if possible, the ancient com merce of the Lev ant through Syria , and

ma ke your w ay to the Indies— they are the emporium of the world . Once

there, you can do without the gold of E ng lan d.

X .

Seek , and carefully keep up an alliance with Au stria ; acquiesce, appar-

ently, in her ideas of dom inating over Ge rm any , at' the same time clandes-

tinely exciting a gainst her the jealou sy of the neighboring provinces. E n -

dea vor that the aid of R u ss ia should be called for, by one and the other, so

that by exercising a kind of g uardian ship over the country, you prepare a

way for governing hereafter .

X I .

Give the House of Austria an interest, for joining in banishing the

Turks from Europe; defraud her of her share of the booty, at the conquest

of Con stantinople, either by raisin g a w ar for her with the ancient states of

Europe, or by giving her a portion, which you will take back at a future

period.



i 6

X I I .

Attach to yourselves, and assemb le around you, all the united Gre eks, as

also the disunited or schismatics, who are scattered either in Hungary,

Turkey , or the south of P olan d. M ak e yo urse lves their centres, their chief

support, and lay the foundation for universal suprem acy, by establishing a

kind of royalty or sacerdotal government; the Slavonic Greeks will be so

many friends that you will have scattered amongst your enemies.

X I I I .

Sw eden severed, Persia and Tu rkey conquered, Poland subjug ated, our

armies united, the Black and Baltic Seas guarded by our vessels, you must

make propositions separately and discreetly— first to the Court of Versa illes,

then to that of Vienna, to share with them the Empire of the Universe.

If one of them accept—and it canno t be otherw ise, so a s you flatter

their pride and ambition—make use of it to crush the other— then crush, in

its turn, the surviving one, by engaging with it in a death-struggle ; the issue

of which cannot be doubtful, Ru ssia possessing already all the East and a

great part of Eu rop e.

X I V .

If— which is not likely—both refuse th e propositions of Russia, y ou must

manage to raise quarrels for them, and make them exhaust one another ; then

profiting by a decisive moment, R u s s i a will bring down her assembled troops

o n G e r m a n y ; at the same time, two considerable fleets will set out—the one

from the Sea of Az ov, the other from the port of A rcha nge l— loaded with

Asiatic hordes, under the convoy of the armed fleets from the Black Sea and

the Baltic ; advancing by the Me diterranean and the Atlan tic Ocean, they

will invade. France on one side, whilst G erm an y will already have been in-

vaded on the other. Th ese countries co nquered, the rest of Eu rop e w ill

easily pass under the yoke, without striking a single blow.

X V .

T h u s Europe can, and ought, to be subdued.

P E T E R I . ,

A U T O C R A T OF A L L TH E R U S S I A S .

Lest the reader of this

WILL

m ay form an opinion an tagonistic to its

author, it may be w

r

ell to state that wh ile Peter the Gr eat w as a De spo t he

was also a Patriot—and while a Tyran t he wa s yet a Hum anitarian. Th is

man, who could icily comm and death by the knout was the sam e man who

yielded up his ow n life in rescuing a sailor who had fallen overbo ard in the

ice-laden waters of the Nev a. A nd Peter w as, above and beyond all ,

a Statesman, an Inventor, a finished Mechanic and Progenerator of the

Russ ian Li fe-Saving Se iv ice .

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