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Subject Area: Political Theory
Subject Area: Law

Dumont in Petersburg. - Jeremy Bentham, The Works of Jeremy Bentham, vol. 10 (Memoirs Part I and Correspondence) [1843]

Edition used:

The Works of Jeremy Bentham, published under the Superintendence of his Executor, John Bowring (Edinburgh: William Tait, 1838-1843). 11 vols. Vol. 10.

Part of: The Works of Jeremy Bentham, 11 vols.

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Dumont in Petersburg.

Dumont went to Petersburg in 1803. From the curious memoranda which he sent to Bentham, I make a few extracts. The date is October, 1802. The memoranda are partly English and partly French.

“Czarskozelo, formerly gilt, but now all gone—all stolen—gilt over-thick: the Jews offered 100,000 rubles for the gold left—in imitation of Nero’s Palace—interior Asiatic luxury—a chambre garnie d’ambre—everything in amber—lined with amber in squares—ranged in regular order—another in opaque glass—large columns of glass supporting the ceiling round—a cabinet—beautiful Flemish tables—a bridge upon the antique plan—a large piece of water appears to change its form according to the position of the spectator—the effect produced on account of two islands—beautiful islands—German colonists prosperous—prices quadrupled at Peters:—Pavlovsky residence of Paul—Legumes fallen in price—Chouxfleurs fallen in price—German colonists depress prices—Pavlovsky upon an eminence—ground trenched about—not so large as Czarskozelo—elevation, 60 feet. Storch’s work in 10 vols: 2 vols. in French. He obtained of Paul permission to procure all the documents he required—Answers to Catherine’s questions, 20 vols. in folio—Russ. population, 40,000,000—Crown peasants pay four rubles, et sont quittes de tout—Peasants registered—Paul gave freedom to peasants: they said they belonged to the empire and not to the emperor—this they understood—they were bayonetted and knouted—they acquired fortunes, and by this means lost them—Paul gave peasants to la derniere canaille—Paul gave peasants, sometimes to all the valets, sometimes to the secretaires—Paul gave D. of W. an equivalent instead of peasants.

“Academie of Sciences, best built buildings in Petersburg—Cherries eight rubles per 100—Mujiks present at the Academy of Sciences—Presentation to the Empresse—Dr Rogerson, there—Great Duchess of Mecklenburg.

“Madam Demidoff—great with Paul—disgraced—afterwards great with Empress—Paul had a daughter, par une blanchisseuse—Mademoiselle D. put to take care of her.

“Imperatrice much louée—she hid herself two days in the palace—suffered great inquietudes under Paul—1000 rubles spent by Russ. Marchands at their entertainments—French principally artists—Foreigners have no idea of permanently settling at Petersburg.

“Ministres adjoints no power—Divisions of departments ill-arranged—beaucoup de questions de competence—everything passes through the hands of the Minister of the Interior.

“Speranski profited by Dum: Principes—eulogizes it—d’une utilité prompte—tenth part of Petersburg in edifices publiques—police divided into ten parties—spies numerous; among them a Swede et deux Suisses—churches filled with saints of burlesque appearance—Russ docile—attached à la maison Imperiale—conspirations always commence among the nobles.

“Speranski ne croyait pas à la possibilité d’etablir la Politique en Russie. Point de bon traducteur en langue Russe—tutors expensive—two rubles per lesson—autres, five or seven. No chemists in Peters: Garnerin ascension drew few people. A. was presented to the Emp: and Empress, to let off. Madame G. fille publique de Paris—la femme qui aura le courage de monter au ciel sera, &c.—Madame G. talked familiarly with the Emp: and Empr—(Bons mots de Constantin.) Thirty thousand at a masquerade—four horses for a day thirty rubles during the masq:—do not cost so much for a month, in ordinary times. Conversation on a projected journal—Mercure de Frankfort—le meilleur modèle—Karamsin’s Journal—three to four thousand subscribers—40,000,000 habitans par dernier census—Princesse de Georgia brought à Peters: pour avoir assassiné un officier.—Ac. des Sci. much neglected—no professor pour montrer—point d’eleve.—T., professor at Dorpat, brought to the emperor un collier garni de fer—formerly in use, but not now.

“Bee: Secretary to Paoli—honest—amassed no money—neglected at present—employed under Speranski. M. Duval gave Recque the book—he said the best book he ever read—a puffer of it—bookseller at Peters:—got the book very early—six weeks after it was published.—Punishment of a Marchand Extranger employed in a characteristic punishment pour quelque friponnerie.

“Cronstadt une ville immense, with about 15,000 inhabitants—no carriages—passport lost.—Russian measure of value—number of peasants—Le revenu de l’etat est 100 millions—paper money about 200 millions. Produce of Custom-houses eight or nine millions—saving under Alexander, of Depenses du Cabinet, six hundred millions rubles. Paul gave 800,000 peasants, which had been affranchised.

“Corps of cadets costs 235 thousand rubles.

“Corps of noble young ladies costs 200 thousand rubles.

“Corps of pages costs 150 thousand rubles.

“I have heard that the Jesuit Grouber, then established at Moghilev, and the remarkable men of his order, had contributed to the defeat of the ambassador, Lord St H. On the first news of the project, he wrote to the Empress Catherine, that he had relations with the Jesuits of Pekin, and that if her Majesty had orders to give, he would communicate them to that country. His services were accepted, and he directed his colleagues to employ all their influence to counteract the English, and to represent them as ambitious people, always preparing, by conquests, to establish commercial comptoirs.

“The Empress has erected villages into towns, which confers freedom on the population. Paul reconstituted them again into villages; he did this with more than a hundred, and they became, in consequence, slaves of the Crown.

“Nothing easier than to obtain 18 per cent. for money on land. This is a resource for foreigners; but they cannot become proprietors; and so it must be, because what is sold is not lands but men.”

Dumont writes to Romilly from Petersburg, on 10th June, a letter from which a translated extract follows:—