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."

Of the proceedings of the Tzar, during the four months he remained
in England, very little is recorded in the few journals or other
publications of that day; the former consisting chiefly of the
_Postmaster_, the _Postman_, and the _Postboy_.

In the _Postboy_ it is stated that, on the day after his arrival,
the Tzar of Muscovy was at Kensington, to see his Majesty at dinner, as
also the court; but he was all the while _incognito._ And on the
Saturday following he was at the playhouse, to see the opera; that on
the Friday night the revels ended at the Temple, the same being
concluded by a fine masquerade, at which the Tzar of Muscovy was
present; that on the following Sunday he went in a hackney-coach to
Kensington, and returned at night to his lodgings in Norfolk-street,[7]
where he was attended by several of the King's servants.

His movements, during the rest of the month, were a journey to Woolwich
and Deptford, to see the docks and yards; then to the theatre, to see
the Rival Queens, or Alexander the Great; to St. James's, to be present
at a fine ball; and, it is further stated that he was about to remove
from Norfolk-street (York buildings) to Redriff, where a ship was
building for him; and that he was about to go to Chatham, to see a
man-of-war launched, which he was to name; and that on the 15th of
February, accompanied by the Marquess of Carmarthen, he went to
Deptford, and having spent some time on board the "Royal Transport,"
they were afterwards splendidly treated by Admiral Mitchell. These are
the principal notices concerning the Tzar Peter contained in the
_Postboy._

It is evident that London could not be very agreeable to him, on two
accounts; f