enough): beyond all things, let Hanbury do his best in Russia!

Hanbury, cheerfully confident, provides himself with the
requisites, store of bribe-money as the chief;--at Warsaw withal,
he picks up one Poniatowski (airy sentimental coxcomb, rather of
dissolute habits, handsomest and windiest of young Polacks):
"Good for a Lover to the Grand-Duchess, this one!" thinks Hanbury.
Which proved true, and had its uses for Hanbury;--Grand-Duchess and
Grand-Duke (Catherine and Peter, whom we saw wedded twelve years
ago, Heirs-Apparent of this Russian Chaos) being an abstrusely
situated pair of Spouses; well capable of something political, in
private ways, in such a scene of affairs; and Catherine, who is an
extremely clever creature, being out of a lover just now. A fine
scene for the Diplomatist, this Russia at present. Nowhere in the
world can you do so much with bribery; quite a standing item, and
financial necessary-of-life to Officials of the highest rank there,
as Hanbury well knows. [His Letters (in Raumer), PASSIM.] That of
Poniatowski proved, otherwise too, a notable stroke of Hanbury's;
and shot the poor Polish Coxcomb aloft into tragic altitudes, on
the sudden, as we all know!

Hanbury's immense dexterities, and incessant labors at Petersburg,
shall lie hidden in the slop-pails: it is enough to say, his
guineas, his dexterities and auxiliary Poniatowskis did prevail;
and he triumphantly signed his Treaty (Petersburg, 30th September)
"Subsidy-Treaty for 55,000 men, 15,000 of them cavalry," not to
speak of "40 to 50 galleys" and the like; "to attack whomsoever
Britannic Majesty bids: annual cost a mere 500,OOO pounds while on
service; 100,000 pounds while waiting." [In Adelung, italic> vii. 609.] And, what is more, and what our readers are to