CONTENTS.
| Introduction | [ix-xxviii] | |
| [Part I.] DIARY OF LIEUTENANT KONSOV. | ||
| CHAP. | PAGE | |
| I. | Tempest-tossed | [1] |
| II. | My Imprisonment | [6] |
| III. | Important News | [13] |
| IV. | I see the Princess | [21] |
| V. | My Interview with the Princess | [27] |
| VI. | The Princess asks Me to assist Her | [33] |
| VII. | I convey a Letter | [41] |
| VIII. | I deliver a Letter | [50] |
| IX. | We will befriend Her | [60] |
| X. | Is the Count a Traitor? | [66] |
| XI. | The Departure from Rome | [82] |
| XII. | The Princess seeks My Advice | [89] |
| XIII. | The “Marriage” | [96] |
| XIV. | Treachery | [104] |
| XV. | Remorse | [109] |
| XVI. | The Bottle cast into the Sea | [114] |
| [Part II.] RAVELIN ALEXEEF. | ||
| XVII. | Ekaterina at Moscow | [125] |
| XVIII. | The Princess at St. Petersburg | [129] |
| XIX. | The Historiographer Miller | [137] |
| XX. | Miller’s Reply | [144] |
| XXI. | Orloff and the Princess | [152] |
| XXII. | Orloff’s Interview with the Princess | [159] |
| XXIII. | Orloff at Moscow | [168] |
| XXIV. | The Princess writes to the Empress | [177] |
| XXV. | Father Peter Andréef | [183] |
| XXVI. | The Visitors’ Quest | [188] |
| XXVII. | A late Visitor | [196] |
| XVIII. | Baptism | [202] |
| XXIX. | Confession and Absolution | [208] |
| XXX. | “What if the Captive be Innocent?” | [213] |
| XXXI. | Release | [218] |
| XXXII. | “A Rose and a Myrtle” | [227] |
| XXIII. | Pavel Petrovitch and the Enchanter | [237] |
| XXXIV. | A Myrtle Leaf | [243] |
| XXXV. | Fifteen Years After | [249] |
INTRODUCTION.
Gregory Petrovitch Danilevski was born at Danilovki, an estate in the government of Kharkov, on April 14th, 1829. He died last winter at St. Petersburg, on December 6th. His childhood over—it was spent partly on the estate of his grandfather, near Dontsov, partly on the estate of Petrovski—he became a student first of the Muscovite Institute for the nobility, afterwards of the University of St. Petersburg, leaving the latter, in 1850, as graduate in jurisprudence. In 1848, during his studentship, he was presented with a silver medal at the meeting of the Philological Institute for his composition on Poushkin and Kriloff.
From 1850 to 1857 he served in the ministry of public instruction, at first under Noroff, afterwards under Prince Viazimski. During this period he visited Finland and the Crimea, and worked, by commission from the Archæological Society, on the archives of the monasteries of the governments of Kharkov, Koursk, and Poltava, and, at the suggestion of the historian Oustrialoff, wrote a description of the famous battlefield of the last-named place. In 1856, at the instance of the Imperial admiral, Constantine Nicolaievitch, he was sent to the south of Russia to write a description of the Sea of Azov, the Dnieper, and the Don. In the following year he resigned his official appointment. Thereafter, for twelve years, he lived at Petrovski, his own favourite estate in Kharkov, from time to time, however, paying visits to Poland, White Russia, Volhynie, and Podolia, and sailing down the Volga, Don, and Dnieper. Made in 1859 deputy of the committee of Kharkov for improving the condition of the peasantry, he was instructed four years later, by Golovinin, the minister of public instruction, to inspect and to report on the condition of 200 national schools in the government of Kharkov. During the first three years of the establishment of the rural police courts he served by election. Despatched to St. Petersburg in 1868 as a deputy by the government of Kharkov, he had the honour of being presented to the emperor. From 1867 to 1870 he held the post of honorary justice of the peace. Finally, in 1869, on the institution of the official organ, “The Government Herald,” he was appointed senior assistant to the chief editor. This post he occupied eleven years.
His historical novels have created quite a sensation in Russia by reason of their originality, their fascination, and their truthfulness to history and to nature. Among the more celebrated of his numerous works, besides the novel of which a translation is here presented, are “Merovitch” and “Freedom.” As Danilevski has, hitherto, been unknown in England, some remarks on his writings will be of interest.
With regard to the sad history contained in this book, it is evident that the author had exceptional information on the subject of his narrative, for he is not over-careful to conceal his opinion of the strong probability of the Princess Tarakanova’s claims being legitimate as well as bonâ-fide, and of Orloff’s real character being greatly different from the popular estimate of it as expressed in the lines under the count’s portrait. It is not known how the remarkable diary which constitutes Part I. of this work came into Danilevski’s hands; but there is ground for the conjecture that it came to him, with other papers, from his grandmother. A curious fact, too, is the circumstance that Danilevski’s governess was a lady of the name of Pchelkina. However this may be, my husband, Colonel de Génie de Mouchanoff, was informed by Danilevski himself that the diary as published is almost word for word as written by Konsov, and that the details concerning the subsequent history of the captive were obtained by him from authentic official documents.