The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 927: Chapter 29 Cultural Counsellor in Russia_2

”At first, I wasn’t actually interested in Russia, but later I accidentally came across a novel in an old bookstore, which told the story of a Russian noble named Khoroshevsky.

This 17th-century nobleman was reported to the government for not following the Eastern Orthodox way, hoarding Latin books, privately calling the Tsar a tyrant, and he even complained that Moscow was full of ignorant people with no one to talk to. He requested to live in Lithuania, but was denied, and ultimately exiled to a remote northern monastery for the rest of his life.

It was from here that I began to develop an interest in Russian culture. I discovered that before the 18th century, this country hardly had any decent novels or plays. But starting from the 18th century, their literary works suddenly sprouted up like moss after the rain. This phenomenon caught my attention, and after poring over historical records, I finally understood the reason.”

”Oh?” asked the Earl of Dalhousie: ”Why is that?”

Arthur chuckled with his wine glass and said: ”The surge of literary works is due to two prerequisites: first, there needs to be a group with some level of education to engage in creation, and secondly, this group must have enough leisure time. For Russia, most of the people were illiterate, and the educated group was generally the nobility.

But before 1762, Russian nobles had to serve for the monarch for at least 25 years, either fighting in wars or undergoing military training. However, after 1762, with the proclamation of the ’Liberty of the Nobility’, many nobles were able to retire early. These individuals had both knowledge and money, as well as time, so naturally, some of them would turn to literary creation.

Moreover, even those who didn’t write books naturally became part of the reading public. From a commercial perspective, it can also be explained that with a market for reading, there naturally was an environment for creation. Additionally, when Catherine II ascended to the throne, she began to encourage nationals to write and read books to counter Montesquieu’s assertion that ’Russia only has lords and slaves, with no middle class’.

She founded Russia’s first journal ”Saturn” and even personally contributed to it, labeling it a satire magazine. With the Empress leading the way, Russia soon experienced a wave of satirical literature. Although the quality of these articles was quite poor at the beginning, over time, good works gradually began to emerge.

At that time, there was a noble named Novikov who also launched a publication called ”The Hive”, where he openly expressed his disinterest in joining the military or politics and serving the government. He also criticized most Russian nobles as being hedonistic, show-offs, indifferent to the sufferings of the poor, morally corrupt, fame-seeking, obsequious, ignorant, and disdainful of knowledge.

He practically insulted everyone, and perhaps not feeling satisfied, he even indirectly attacked Catherine II herself later. The Empress initially did not take these attacks seriously, but after repeated attacks, she eventually became angry.

However, unlike the reigning Tsars of the 17th century who would directly exile such dissenters to cold and desolate places, she picked up the pen and engaged in a debate with Novikov in ”Saturn”. She candidly stated that the issues Novikov mentioned were not unique to Russia, but were weaknesses of human nature, and that Novikov himself was ineffectual, merely a raving critic.”

The audience present could not help but chuckle at this.

The Earl of Dalhousie took a sip of wine with a smile, seemingly recalling his early years in Parliament, verbally sparring with others and secretly cursing the late King George IV for his incompetence.

Dalhousie asked: ”Then how did Novikov respond?”

Arthur replied with a smile: ”Novikov’s response was quite clever. He didn’t want to back down, but couldn’t directly insult the sovereign, so he indirectly questioned the Empress’s proficiency in Russian.”

Arthur’s words prompted everyone present to burst into laughter.

Everyone knew that although Catherine II was the Empress of Russia, she was a German girl before marrying into Russia, a princess from the Prussian Anhalt royal family.

Moreover, unlike her husband Peter III, who was a mental Deutsch, Catherine II herself was quite sensitive about being called German, preferring to emphasize her identity as a Russian wife.

Dalhousie further asked: ”After saying such things, didn’t anything happen to Novikov?”

Arthur gently shook his head and said: ”No, when I read that part, I even felt that the Russian upper echelons of that period seemed to be more lenient than Britain. Not only did Novikov not face any retaliation, but he was later appreciated by the Empress and awarded a Russian writer’s stipend. Back then in Britain, as you know, many ended up in prison for criticizing George III.”

The Earl of Dalhousie shrugged: ”At least not now; I’ve been fighting for many years exactly for this.”

Arthur smiled and replied: ”You are right, Britain started off on the wrong foot but gradually improved. Unfortunately, the Russians have gone the opposite way. Towards the end of Catherine’s reign, the French Revolution suddenly arrived. The fear of revolution soon outweighed the desire for progress in her heart. During that time, Britain tightened press censorship and restricted publishing freedom, while the situation in Russia was evidently worse. They outright banned many satirical publications and exiled numerous prominent figures.

As I mentioned earlier, Russians have an innate sense of sanctity towards military service, so during the Napoleonic Wars, these measures did not show significant negative effects due to the factors of foreign warfare. However, once the Napoleonic Wars ended, the negative consequences of such actions quickly erupted like a volcanic eruption.

Those nobles exiled during the war went to France or the German and Italian regions occupied by France, where they were exposed to many new things. Being older than me, you must understand how impactful the ideas of the Great Revolution period in France were to Britain. These ideas impacted Russian literati even more.

So, after the war ended, these literati also gradually returned home, not only seeking progress on paper but also wanting to put it into action. It was for this reason they seized the period shortly after Alexander II died and Tsar Nicholas I ascended, initiating the December Party Uprising. In my view, this is the cause and effect of the whole matter.”

Having heard Arthur’s exposition, the Earl of Dalhousie looked Arthur up and down with eyes full of love and appreciation.

He stood up, patting Arthur’s shoulder: ”Arthur, I never knew you had such an understanding of Russia. Had I known about your level of knowledge earlier, I would have nominated you to come with me to serve in Russia. You should have been my secretary.”

Arthur was taken aback: ”Your Excellency, to go to Russia with you?”

Bonning, who was standing beside, coughed lightly and bent down to whisper in Arthur’s ear: ”You probably don’t know, our previous Ambassador to Russia stayed for several months without even seeing the Tsar.”

Arthur frowned upon hearing this: ”You mean Sir Canning’s brother?”

Bonning nodded slightly: ”He used to frequently express some unfriendly remarks about Russia at home. Consequently, after taking office, the Tsar found out about it, so Tsar Nicholas I has been unwilling to meet him. The Foreign Office had to consider appointing a new ambassador because of this; last year, when the Earl of Dalhousie visited Russia, he got along quite well with the Tsar, so Viscount Palmeston wants to nominate him as the new Ambassador to Russia.”

The Earl of Dalhousie smiled and winked at Arthur: ”Arthur, what do you think? Haven’t you been complaining about your dissatisfaction with the job in Hanover? I also think that the position of Second-class Secretary is indeed too low for you. How about this, after you complete the tasks entrusted to you by His Majesty the King, come to Saint Petersburg and be my secretary. I can’t promise other positions, but I believe I can definitely decide on a position like the Cultural Counsellor to Russia.”