THE WILL OF PETER THE GREAT.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2510, 22 January 1877, Page 2

THE WILL OF PETER THE GREAT.

(FBOM THB IRISHMAN)

A correspondent writes :—I have just come across a document that you will, I think, find somewhat interesting.. For, though it has been published before, very few of the present generation of Irishmen have seen it. The last time it was published Europe was convulsed in a terrible war (the Crimean), and Chambers' Journal was the only periodical that I know of that gave it insertion. For obvious reasons Englishmen do not like to see it largely circulated, particularly so as within the last two years Russia has taken the advice of Peter the Great in a most striking manner, by having daringly and defiantly, in the very face and in spite of England herself, violated the Black Sea Treaty, and torn it to pieces. .

" The Will of Peteb the Great.

" PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS.

"In the name of the Most Holy aud indivisable Trinity, we, Peter the First, Emperor and Autocrat of all theßussias, &c, to all tbe descendants and successors to the throne aud government of the Russian nation:—

" God, from whom we derive our existence, and to whom we owe oar crown, having constantly enlightened us by His Spirit, and sustained us by His divine help, allows me to look upon the Eussian people as called upon hereafter to hold swat ovjek Eubope ! My reason for thus thinking is, that the European nations have, mostly reached a state of old age, bordering on imbecility, or they are are rapidly approaching it: naturally, then, they will be easily and indubitably conquered by a people strong in youth and vigor, especially when this latter shall have attained its full strength and power. * I look on the future invasion of the eastern and western countries by the north as a periodical movement, ordained by Providence, who in like manner heoenebated the Roman nation by barbarian invasions. These emigrations of men from the North are as* the reflux of the JSile, which, at certain periods, comes to fertilise the impoverished lands of Egypt by its deposit. I found Russia as a bivclet, I leave it a biver ; my;, successors will make it a large sea, destined to fertilise the impoverished lands of Europe, and its waters will overflow, inspite of opposing dams, erected by weak '• hands, if our descendants only know how to direct its course. This is the reason I leave them the following instructions. I give these countries to their watchfulness and care, as Moses gave the Tables of the Law to the Jewish people. "I. Keep the Eussian nation iv a state oi? continual WAX, so as to have the soldiers always under arms, and ready for action, excepting when the finances of the State will not allow of it. Keep up the forces ; choose the best moments for attack. By these means you will be ready for war even in the time of peace. This is for the interest of the future aggrandisement of Russia. "11. Endeavour, by every possible means, to bring in, from the neighbouring civilised countries of Europe, officers in times of war, and learned men in times of peace, thus giving the Russian people the advantages enjoyed by other countries, without allowing them to lose any of their own self-respect.

"111. On every occasion take a part in affairs and quarrels of Europe ; above all, in those of Germany, which country being the nearest, more immediately concerns us.

" IV. ..Divide Poland, by exciting civil discord tkere ; win over the nobility by bribery;" coeedpx the diets, so as to hare influence in the election of kings; get partizans into office—protect them; bring to sojourn there the Muscovite troops, \mtil such time as they can be permanently established there. If the neighboring powers start difficulties, appease them, for a time, by parcelling out the country, vjhtil you can betake ijj PUTAIL AH TtfAT JUS PJBEN Ceded.

"V. Take as much as you can fb'om Sweben ; and cause yourselves to be attacked by her, so as to have a pbeTEXT FOB SUBDUING HEE. To accomplish this sever Denmark from Sweden, and Sweden from Denmark, carefully keeping up their rivalries. " VI. Always choose as wives for the Eussian princes, German princesses, so as to increase family alliances, to draw mutual interests closer, and by pbopagatj ng oub principles in Germany, to enlist her in our cause.

"VII. England requiring us for her navy, and she being the only power that can aid in the development of'ours, seek a commercial alliance with her, in preference to any other. Exchange our wood and the productions of our land for her gold,- and establish ..between her merchants, her sailors, and ours, a continual intercourse: this will aid in perfecting the Eussian fleet for navigation and commerce.

" VIIT. Extend your possessions towards the north, along the Baltic; and towaeds the south by the black Sea. •

" IX. Approach as neab as possible to Constantinople and its outskirts. He who shall reign there will be the true ■sovereign of the world. Consequently, be continually at war—sometimes with the Turks, sometimes with Persia. Establish dockyards on the Black Sea;'; g&t^ entire possession of it by degrees, also of the Baltic Sea; this being necessaby to THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE PLAN. Hasten the decline of Persia; penetrate to the Persian Gulf; re-establish, if possible, the ancient commerce of the Levant, through Syria, and make youb way to the Indies—r-they are the emporium of the world. Once there, you can do without the gold of England. "X. Seek and carefully keep up an alliance with Austria; acquiesce, apparently, in her ideas of dominating over Germany ; at the same time clandestinely exciting against her the jealousy of the neighboring provinces. Endeavor that the aid of .Russia should be; called for by one or the other, so that by exercising a kind of guardianship over the country, you prepare a way for governing hereaiter.

" XI. Give the House of Austria an. interest for joining in banishing the Turks from Europe; defraud her of her share of the booty, at the conquest of Constantinople, either by raising a war for her with the ancient States of Europe, or by giving her a portion.which you will take back at a future period. " XII. Attach to yourselves, and assemble around you, all the united Greeks, as also the disunited or schismatics which are scattered either in Hungary, Turkey, or the south- of Poland. Make yourself their centre, their chief support, and lay the foundation for universal supremacy by establishing a kind of royalty or sacerdotal Government; the Slavonic Greeks will be so many friends that you will have scattered amongst your enemies. ■■' ;■.-.....-

" XIII. Sweden Severed, Persia and Turkey conquered, Poland subjected, our armies re-united, the Black and Baltic Seas guarded by our vessels, you must make propositions separately and discreetly— first to the Court of Versailles, then to that of Vienna, to share with them the empire of the universe.

"If one of them accept—and it cannot be otherwise, *so as you flatter their pride, and ambition—make use of it to crush the other; then crustuJt; its turn, the surviving one, by engsEjfqjg it in a deathstruggle, the issue of which cannot be doubtful, Russia possessing already all the east and a great part of Europe! "XIV. If—which is not likely—both refuse the PiioposraoNS of Russia, you must manage to raise quarrels for them, and make them exhaust one another; then profiting by a decisive moment, Russia will bring down heir assembled troops on Germany; at the . same time, two considerable fleets will set out — the one from the Sea of Azov, the other from the port of Archangel—loaded with Asiatic hordes, under the convoy of the armed fleets from the Black and the Baltic. Advancing by the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean, they will invade -France on the one side, whilst Germany will already have been invaded on the other. These countries conquered, the rest of Europe will easily pass under the yoke, without striking a single blow. "XV. Thus Europe can and ought to be subdued.

" Pete a 1., " Autocrat of all the Russias."