into peace, thought Majesty's Ministry):--and unwearied Hanbury,
cunning eloquence on his lips, and money in both hands, tries
again, and ever again, for many months. And in the way of making
ropes from sand, it must be owned there never was such twisting and
untwisting, as that appointed Hanbury. Who in fact broke his heart
by it;--and died mad, by his own hand, before long. [Hanbury's
"Life" (in Works, vol. iii.) gives sad
account.] Poor soul, after all!--Here are some Russian Notices from
him (and he has many curious, not pertinent here), which are still
worth gleaning.

PETERSBURG, 2d OCTOBER, 1755. ... "The health of the Empress
[Czarina Elizabeth, CATIN DU NORD, age now forty-five] is bad.
She is affected with spitting of blood, shortness of breath,
constant coughing, swelled legs and water on the chest; yet she
danced a minuet with me," lucky Hanbury. "There is great
fermentation at Court. Peter [Grand-Duke Peter] does not conceal
his enmity to the Schuwalofs [paramours of CATIN, old and new];
Catherine [Grand-Duchess, who at length has an Heir, unbeautiful
Czar Paul that will be, and "miscarriages" not a few] is on good
terms with Bestuchef" (corruptiblest brute of a Chancellor ever
known, friend to England by England's giving him 10,000 pounds, and
the like trifles, pretty frequently; Friedrich's enemy, chiefly
from defect of that operation)--she is "on good terms with
Bestuchef. I think it my duty to inform the King [great George, who
will draw his prognostics from it] of my observations upon her;
which I can the better do, as I often have conversations with her
for hours together, as at supper my rank places me always next to
her," twice-lucky Hanbury.