changed the manners, the habits, the laws of the people, and very face of the country.”  How different is this course of activity to the usual luxurious lives of the sovereigns of civilized countries:  how ill assort Peter’s “savage” notions with the accomplished ease and personal elegance of a succeeding autocrat:  how wide is the contrast between Peter’s ship-building education, and the youth of a prince passed amidst court corruptionists—­or pilotage over the boundless ocean, and launching gilded pleasure-boats upon an unruffled lake; personally watching the welfare of his subjects, or slinking into retirement, and leaving their interests to the intrigues of party.  Yet, such are a few of the opposite characteristics—­the every-day occupations—­of the great Tzar of Russia, and of the kingships of the last and present centuries.

The events of the life of Peter may be well known in detail to the reader of the history of modern Europe.  Yet they must be gathered from many volumes; while in the above little book we have them brought in amusing and sufficiently copious narrative, within 350 pages.  We have here the Tzar’s war with Sweden—­Narva, Pultowa, and the Pruth; but the incidents that will prove most interesting to the Family readers are the domestic habits—­the unkingly life of Peter; and above all, his visit to England—­how he drank deeply of pepper and brandy, lodged in Buckingham-street, Strand; spoiled Mr. Evelyn’s holly hedge at Sayes; and peeped from the roof of the House of Lords at the King upon his throne.  We shall therefore endeavour to abridge a few of these entertaining anecdotic details from the chapter devoted to the Tzar’s stay in England.]

Two ships of war and a yacht, under the orders of Admiral Mitchell, were despatched to Helvoetsluys to bring over the Tzar, who, with his suite, consisting of Menzikoff and some others, whose names are not mentioned, embarked at that port on the 18th of January, 1698, and on the 21st reached London.  Here no secret was attempted to be made of his rank, but he requested to be treated only as a private gentleman; and it is remarkable enough that, though he paid frequent visits to the King, and attended his court, his name never once appears in the only official paper which then, as indeed now, was and is in existence, the London Gazette.  Lord Shrewsbury, at this time, was Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; but as the Tzar came not in any public character, he appears to have been placed under the especial charge of the Marquess Carmarthen, who was made lord president of the Council in the following year.  Between this nobleman and Peter a very considerable intimacy took place, which was uninterrupted during the Tzar’s abode in England.  A large house was hired for him and his suite at the bottom of York-buildings where, it is stated in a private letter, the Marquess and he used to spend their evenings together frequently in drinking “hot pepper and brandy.”  The great failing of Peter, indeed, was his love of strong liquors.  We find in one of the papers of the day, that he took a particular fancy to the nectar ambrosia, “the new cordial so called, which the author, or compounder of it, presented him with, and that his Majesty sent for more of it.”