pirits. Talked much of the King
of Prussia. Showed me a signet-ring on his finger, with Friedrich's
Portrait in it; ring was handed round the table." [Hordt, ii. 118, 124,
129.] This is a signet-ring famous at Court in these months. One day
Peter had lost it (mislaid somewhere), and got into furious explosion
till it was found for him again. [Hermann, v. 258.] Let us now hear
Busching, our Geographical Friend, for a moment:--

HERR PASTOR BUSCHING DOES THE HOMAGING FOR SELF AND PEOPLE.... "In most
Countries, it is Official or Military People that administer the Oath of
Homage, on a change of Sovereigns. But in Petersburg, among the German
population, it is the Pastors of their respective Churches. At the
accession of Peter III., I, for the first time [being still a young
hand rather than an old], took the Oath from several thousands in my
Church,"--and handed it over, with my own, in the proper quarter.

"As to the Congratulatory Addresses, the new Czar received the
Congratulations of all classes, and also of the Pastors of the Foreign
Churches, in the following manner. He came walking slowly through
a suite of rooms, in each of which a body of Congratulators were
assembled. Court-officials preceded, State-officials followed him. Then
came the Czarina, attended in a similar way. And always on entering a
new room they received a new Congratulation from the spokesman of the
party there. The spokesman of us Protestant Pastors was my colleague,
Senior Trefurt; but the General-in-Chief and Head-of-Police, Baron von
Korf [Hordt's friend, known to us above, German, we perceive, by creed
and name], thinking it was I that had to make the speech, and intending
to present me at the same time to the Czar, motioned to me from his
place behind the Czar to advance. But I did not push forward; thinking
it inopportune and of no importance to me."--"Neither did I share the
great expectations which Baron von Korf and everybody entertained of
this new reign. All people now promised themselves better times, without
reflecting [as they should have done!] that the better men necessary
to produce these were nowhere forthcoming!" [Busching's _Beitrage,_ vi.
("Author's own Biography") 462 et seq.]

For the first two or three months, Peter was the idol of all the world:
such generosities and magnanimities; Such zeal and diligence, one
magnanimous improvement following another! He had at once abolished
Torture in his Law-Courts: resolved to have