In a few days after the birth of the child, fever set in, and the

princess sank so rapidly under it that her life was soon despaired of.

When she found that she was about to die, she asked that the Czar might

be sent for to come and see her. Peter was sick at this time, and

almost confined to his bed; but still--let it be remembered to his

honor--he would not refuse this request. A bed, or litter, was placed

for him on a sort of truck, and in this manner he was conveyed to the

palace where the princess was lying. She thanked him very earnestly

for coming to see her, and then begged to commit her children, and the

servants who had come with her from her native land, and who had

remained faithful to her through all her trials, to his protection and

care. She kissed her children, and took leave of them in the most

affecting manner, and then placed them in the arms of the Czar. The

Czar received them very kindly. He then bade the mother farewell, and

went away, taking the children with him.

All this time, the room in which the princess was lying, the

antechamber, and all the approaches to the apartment, were filled with

the servants and friends of the princess, who mourned her unhappy fate

so deeply that they were unable to control their grief. They kneeled

or lay prostrate on the ground, and offered unceasing petitions to

heaven to save the life of their mistress, mingling their prayers with

tears, and sobs, and bitter lamentations.

The physicians endeavored to persuade the princess to take some

medicines which they had brought, but she threw the phials away behind

the bed, begging the physicians not to torment her any more, but to let

her die in peace, as she had no wish to live.

She lingered after this a few days, spending most of her time in

prayer, and then died.

At the time of her death the princess was not much over twenty years of

age. Her sad and sorrowful fate shows us once more what unfortunately

we too often see exemplified, that something besides high worldly

position in a husband is necessary to enable the bride to look forward

with any degree of confidence to her prospects of happiness when

receiving the congratulations of her friends on her wedding-day.

The death of his wife produced no good effect upon the mind of Alexis.

At the funeral, the Czar his father addressed him in a very stern and

severe manner in respect to his evil ways, and declared to him

positively that, if he did not at once reform and thenceforth lead a

life more in conformity with his position and his obligations, he would

cut him off from the inheritance to the crown, even if it should be

necessary, on that account, to call in some stranger to be his heir.

The communication which the Czar made to his son on this occasion was

in writing, and the terms in which it was expressed were very severe.

It commenced by reciting at length the long and fruitless efforts which

the Czar had made to awaken something like an honorable ambition in the

mind of his son, and to lead him to reform his habits, and concluded,

substantially, as follows:

"How often have I reproached you with the obstinacy of your temper and

the perverseness of your disposition! How often, even, have I

corrected you for them! And now, for how many years have I desisted

from speaking any longer of them! But all has been to no purpose. My

reproofs have been fruitless. I have only lost my time and beaten the

air. You do not so much as strive to grow better, and all your

satisfaction seems to consist in laziness and inactivity.

"Having, therefore, considered all these things, and fully reflected

upon them, as I see I have not been able to engage you by any motives

to do as you ought, I have come to the conclusion to lay before you, in

writing, this my last determination, resolving, however, to wait still

a little longer before I come to a final execution of my purpose, in

order to give you one more trial to see whether you will amend or no.