ROMANTIC STORIES OF FAMOUS FAMILIES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 112, 2 May 1908, Page 4

ROMANTIC STORIES OF FAMOUS FAMILIES

A CUIWVs MAI!VKLIiiI s niSli , FKu.u AIUKCI' I'm I.I; L V TO KMI'KUOIIS THKUN'K There i~ scarcely a chapter in the secret history ol the toiirt which does not iiitroduce to u* some character more remarkable almunt than any you will find in the whole range of ttction; and ttf them all there is scarcely one more remarkable than Greg ory l'oteinkin, one of the many favourites „f Catherine 11., whom a woman's infa liation rai-eil from obscurity to the in powerful and ilaz/ling any man not born to the purple ever ai tail: d. \ lien Potemkiu lir>t came under the notice of thi- amorous Kmprcss lie was a f'. .i-lieiiteiLiut in one of her reginu • i Guards, a mere lad. without birth, means, or the least physical attraction. His proper role in life seemed to be that of a clown and mimic; ami ii was in this character that Catherine lir.-t summoned liiiu to her presence to wliile away an idle hour. His lir-t imitation made the ladie- and oliiciali- gasp with horror, tor it wa> a grotcsipi,. presentment of the Kmpres* herself; but. so far from lteing oiri-mleil at the young man's daring ami impudence, Catherine 1 was convul>ed with laughter and -en! the mimic away loaded with presents. Here was something ncuv, il.iriiig. unconventional, to tickle lbr .Majesty's jaded palate, which was Mirfeited wi'li flattery anil adulation. She must -■' C more of this odd character, who had the impertinence to mock her to her face; and nothing would sati-fy lier short of installing Potemkin in her palace as chamberlain and giving him i very high place indeed in her favour. She" showered honours on him, intoxicated him with her smiles; and when he lost an eye in defending her fair name his conquest wus complete. Sin fell frankly, unabashedly in lov e with . him.

And never did a man so phyawally unattractive make such a conquest j for I'otemkin was probably tlie ugliest man in all Russia. Of giant stature, lie w described as "dreudtill and repulsive in appearance." He had 10-t one of his eyes, and the other squinted horribly. "His thin body wriggled as he walked and his knees knocked together. Disdainful oi appearances save on great occasions, he seldom took the trouble lo wash himself or to comb his matted hair. <""> while in thought he bit his nails and scratched his head." Such was the inestimable creature who so strangely won the heart of the middle-aged woman who was Autocrat of All the Russia*. ami with whom lie. in turn, almost fell hopelessly in love. She called him her '* soul," iier *' king," her "inestimable treasure"; while lie wrote to her the most iwswionate verses ever penned by a love-sick swum. "When first 1 lieheld. Thee my thoughis were only of thee," ran one of his amorous poems. " Thv «»lorinii* eyes made me captive, yet I trembled In breathe my l«ve. \e eniel ginls. why iliil ye doner her with mh-Ii witclwry, or wlii ,|j,| ye exalt her Ix'.voml my reach'; Why ilid ye destine me to love her. and only licr. whoee sacred name will never |>a-s my lips, whose charming image will never quit mv heart?" The courtiers scolfed at him—dubbed him "Cyclops" and "The Blind Heggar ' —behind bis liaek. lint what eared he? The Empress was his very slave. Everv day increased her infatuation for her one-eyed lover j -lie gave him palaces and vast estates, showered millions ol roubles on him, and made him il count. One liv one all the chief offices of State fell til ilini, until, within a few months of emerging from obscurity, he was the richest and most powerful man in. all Russia.

" Lying in his bed, clad only in a shirt and a dressing-gown, bare-legged, un-it-ashed, and unkempt," he received AmUissadors, condescended to accept regal gifts and orders from foreign kings, appointed and dismissed the highest ollii.T- in the army and Cabinet, and patrunised even the heir to the throne himself. What wonder that, as lie was already an Enqieror in power, lie aspired to be Emperor ill name and fact? The opportunity for this crowning and crucial cast of the die came when C-ith-erine set out 011 a pilgrimage to the (monastery of Troitza to atone for her shortcomings by a few weeks' fasting and pietv. IVteiiikin accompanied lier. and clH'-e this time of chastening for the grand coup which was to make him Czar—to replace the role of lover by iii.it I'f husband. Casting aside his brilliant uniform he attired hiniselt as a monk, chanted psalms In-fore day dawued, and was singing vcsiiers uhen the mm .-et. One day when lie considered the time wa e ril* he presented himself beside the Empress, his tall, gaunt ligure worn from fasts, lie tit with remorse, and clad in the garb of a monk, and announced to lier MajiMv that lie had decided to abandon the p,»mps and vanities of life, and to seek jieace and happiness in the cloister. To his dismay Catherine, instead of imploring him to reconsider his decision and offering him her hand, approved of his project, assured him that he was acting wisely in seeking the salvation of his e oul. Three weeks later she was amazed to see the penitent monk, in his finest feathers, stalk into the room where she was playing cards with her ladies and coolly take a seat at her table. looking on the surprised Emprc-s lie stretched forth one hand and cut the cards, showing her that which he had turned up. "You were always lucky," was her only comment, as she began to deal. And thus, with scarcely a word spoken, Poteinkin restored himself to his old l«»ition of power. As a lover he had. it is true, lost his place, for Catherine, s heart was fickleness itself; but while her favourites came and went, like her dresses, Potemkin remained to his last day the most powerful mail in Russia ami the most esteemed by the Emprens. Ami it was not only over Oathcrine that he ruled, but over the whole of her Empire. It was he who, among many other triumphs of diplomacy and arms, annexed the Crimea, and for this service was made Prince and Governor of the Touria and 11 rand Admiral of the F.uxine, and was presented with a magnificent marbl,, palace which the Empress had specially built for him in St. Petersburg. It was Potemkin who -tage-managed Catlicriiw s triumphal progress through Russia to the Crimea to sec this new addition to her kingdom llie most „-plendid Royal progress in history, on which roubles were lavished. Part of thi- long journey of i,WIO kilometre- -he made in an enormous aiul sumptuous sleigh drawn by thirty 'lii.r-C-. and part with an e-cort of eighty _hips and :I.oo<l soldiers. At every stop-ning-placc a house had been specially iniift anil regally '-quipped for her rc(•cnfioii. and everywhere along her route iier eve- were feasted with theatrical

trl.lcaus- picture-<|ue villages, prairies I .-m-ered with Jwrp ami gwats. dancing I maiden-- ami jiipinp shepherds-all arI ranged in her honour by I'otenikin. I He him-eit travelled in a style even I more splendid, for his suite, we learn. ' " included »«00 ,-ervants, a corps de ballet, I 2(HI musician-. a crowd of sycophants. • ami i -craglio ot ladic-, cliiclly comJ of the wives of his marshal* and ■ colonel-.'' "» hi* return from tlii- ex--4» ditioii li'' »il- received with a ' aiid -plemloiir -lu-li a- no l'.ni"|"'mi 1 illil eiiii.ll. <.itherinc pre- ! -,'iited him with IIMIJXH) roubles. a uni- ! r'orni blazing with diamond-, and a pa- ; 1,,., fi.rni-lieil at a co-t oi Wtl.Otm roeble-- j'le-cntr.. p'lml a- they were, j which were but paltry to this spoilt ' 1 hild of fortune. ' ili- palace- were titted wilii the co-,-I treasures of painting, sculpture, i iind furnishing- brought from all paitI ~f !l>.- .11 rtli. while hir. jewel- were um- ' livi'leil throughout the world. His ! favourite pastime was to pile these ' icMiitlcs- gem- in heaps cm ; 1 t iUte :ind arrange tln-m in tantastie dcI ,i"ii--j>r he would tlieni in Ha miliar. ! olourcd cataracts from one hand ! to the other. laughing with childish ilei ij„ht over the many "littering lov-. 1 obe ,|av he grew rilddeiily weary "I his I jewel, and sold them, only to purchase ! item b:ck a few days later at double j the prire lie liad meived to r them ! \n,| vet, although almost (.mothered ' W jth riches, fawned on by the Empres-. : surrounded by worshipping women and ' thitviiiw <rmrtif*rs th<* hero and i«V» of a nation. Potemkin was probably the 11,C.t wreehed man in Russia. aiul_wonld -it for hours moodily biting hi* nails and rcfu-ing to *peak a word to the crowd I of who surrounded him. j To Catherine, his benefactress, hi. re-, •pained loyal and grateful to the last.. Vv»r wfp. a tjueen more -plcndidlv fe-- [ than -he by her ex lover shortly be- j fore his death —a fete the story ot j V !,: ■!, r cid- like .1 chapter from the j •• Arabian Nijit-." with its prodigal di--j „f vealtli. of gold and jewel*: it- | ti .n-ind- of and mo-h-ian-. ac-i/-i- and dancer-, a nicr,, handful of ..-i.oi!! wore dre--c- that bad co*t l-n million- of rouble-: it- ban«|Uet-table- I glittering with ph l1 *! itt! u'ynad

crystal-lustres anil mirrors. So touched was the Empress by this regal ami reckless (U'votiun that on parting from IV teiukiti she could liol speak lor tin' emotion that choked her. They never met again. A few days later I'otemkin left tlu' capital oil a journev to -lan*}' to attend a Peace Congress. lie Has attacked liy fever. 11l spile of hi* doctor,, he insisted on keeping hu window- wide open;*" lie poured eau-de-Cologne over his head in i|iiuntities and breaktasted on Hamburg ham. raw turnip*, salted goose, and luing beef, washed down with enormoii.- ipiantitles of wines and liqueurs.*' As tic fever r-liowTd 110 sign of abnting under such treatment, he insisted on leaving .lassy, ill u* he was. Hut before he had covered three leagues of the journey he was seized with a violent lit 01 coughing. during which he expired in the arms of Kis favoiirite niece, the Countess Ikanika. When news of his death reached ln-r Catherine was incobvlde. For weeks she kept her. room., weeping and refining t" lie comforted. "Jlmv can I replace sub a man;" she wrote to Grimm. "A •""•!' and terrible blow lias struck me; nr. pupil, my friend. aJinost my idol. I'riii. e l'oteinkin of the T.unia is deed." And thus, in grief and leai's, clo-r- eite e. the most -ingular romance- >.l a « >- nun's infatuation and .a dram ; ali.' rise to the pinnacle of power ate! riches which you will fin.l anywher I lie story ol humanity.