Chapter 43: Petersburg News Delayed, Nelson's Death on the Island
Chapter 43: Petersburg News Delayed, Nelson's Death on the Island
The spring of 1798 was about to pass, and Solovyov's family now had a younger sister.
When it came time to name the child, the old baron was at a loss. No one could understand how he was so stumped by the sea of Russian names. Even if he closed his eyes and used a dart, he should have made up his mind.
Not to mention that Solovyov has a new cousin, Veniamin, today, it is really unexpected that naming is so difficult.
Another reason is that it is true that one wants to name the child by oneself, but sometimes one also has to look at the church and the day the child is born, such as the memorial day of certain Christian martyrs, or around Easter. In this case, more children may be named "Praskovia", which comes from the ancient Greek word "παρασκευ", especially before Easter.
But it doesn't really matter if they choose a simpler name. The old baron has no idea, and his young wife wants to give her the name based on her eldest cousin's maiden name. Moreover, there is a problem with the couple's different beliefs, and when it comes to baptism, the priest may really make the decision.
Fortunately, Solovyov's residence was in St. Petersburg, and his family had enough money to hire a doctor and a midwife to come and deliver the baby.
Moreover, after receiving the news, the eldest brother was quickly called back.
However, if he followed his idea and named his second sister, there was no need to name her according to the memorial day of martyrs and patron saints because of their different beliefs. There were already several possible dates for the name "Praskovya", and there was more than one martyr.
Moreover, it is unlikely that a young officer who always keeps books like "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" on his bookshelf would completely follow the church's teachings.
Besides, there are some Luos all over Russia, but it is hard to say which Luo they are.
Of course, there is another point. Most girls will get married in the future, and there is no need to worry about the patronymic of their children. The in-laws should just not give their sons random names.
It’s just because his old father has his own ideas outside and is always like this when he comes home, which makes Solovyov helpless.
"Yulia, go get the dictionary. I have figured out how to name my sister, but it has to be something formal."
Then he wrote Полина. His stepmother wanted to be named Rose, but because her husband insisted on his son coming back before making a decision, it took a lot of time.
"As for the meaning, the name Paulina comes from a French name. It may be pronounced with one less а, but it is the female transliteration of the name Paul. Our emperor's name is Paul Petrovich."
"Mishchenka, you are the one who makes the decision."
"Dad, you are the head of the family, and you have to take care of the business. I can't do that."
In this way, it is a tribute to the Tsar. If it is a tribute to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, it would be much simpler and Solovyov would not have to look up the dictionary to explain the etymology in a serious manner.
Just change a letter or apply it.
The reason is that the old baron has a big problem, which is that it is difficult to choose a name.
Moreover, among Russian men, there are not only those who beat their wives, but also those who are afraid of their wives. I don’t know which law of physics this applies to.
Although she was a French noble lady, Solovyov's stepmother Amy was not from Paris, let alone from the provinces. She came from the West Indies and was somewhat wild, so she made her husband obedient. Then, when the tutor was away, she would play with her stepdaughter, who was not much older than her.
To outsiders, this house looks quite strange.
"When your sister is older, please let me hold her in my arms."
"Yes, she is only this small. Yulia, you and your brother, everyone, started out as little things like this and grew up slowly."
Then the baroness looked at her stepson and asked the same questions that had often appeared in her past letters.
"Misha, don't you have a girl you like yet? If you do, I'll go take a good look at her after a few days."
They gave up on the question of addressing each other, but to be honest, it can be seen that such a stepmother really cares about the matter.
With Solovyov's status, he could be promoted to major at least before the age of 25, which means he could almost lead a battalion, or work hard to become the chief major of a regiment, or serve as the acting commander of a regiment. It can be said that he has a bright future and is rich, so he is a potential stock.
Then, this guy was still unwilling to talk more about the issue of finding a wife. He could sense that a war was about to break out.
"At this time, if you hear any news in Petersburg, don't believe it too much except the final confirmed reports from abroad."
At least she didn't have to learn a foreign language to speak at home. It had been a long time since she came to Sevastopol as Miss de Rivery and met the old baron at General Ushakov's residence. She had been learning Russian and trying to adapt to the place.
Maybe for her, although the upper class in Russia all spoke French, she fell in love with an old country gentleman who had retired and returned to his hometown, and spent more time living in the countryside. It was because her stepson was in St. Petersburg that they finally decided to come here from their hometown in Ryazan.
If she knew that this boy had the eyes and courage to do something evil, but didn't dare to have the intention to do it, she wouldn't know how to laugh.
Anyway, in Paris, this was no big deal. If it were when Cardinal Richelieu was still the prime minister, maybe the queen of Louis XIII would have found a lover.
But the household affairs of this little stepmother urging her to get married were indeed quite interesting, and fortunately the Baroness spent most of her time at home when she came to Petersburg for the second time, and when the child could be handed over to a nanny after a while, she would start her activities.
At the same time, General Bonaparte's army was in Marseilles and Toulon, and 4 combat troops and the main ships of the French Mediterranean and Levantine Fleet were ready for an expedition.
And there is always a delay in the arrival of news in St. Petersburg.
During this period, Solovyov could not ask for leave from the regiment commander, because the old commander could only speak Russian, and the officers from abroad were present, and if they did not speak Russian well, they had to bring an interpreter. So he spent more time in the barracks, but he had a single room in an officer's dormitory above the pharmacy, and he began to prepare for the translation work there.
First of all, let me give you the preface. Those who went to Kyakhta last year to buy books have finally traveled back and forth to Siberia and brought the goods back. When they arrived in Irkutsk, they had to first exchange their money for physical goods, trade them in Kyakhta and the trading city, and then return to Irkutsk, and then it was their return journey.
Now, the book is on his desk, but his time is limited, and he only has a complete set of several famous classics. The content is very complete, but there are many stories in it that actually need to be revised.
After all, according to the Jiajing edition, which was in the transition stage to Mao's comments, the contents of many books were really poor.
As for publishing the serialized contents of this book, he considered publishing it in a newspaper affiliated with the Petersburg News, but this was still a bit difficult to do.
Moreover, he will go to war again soon.
So he went to 17 Nevsky Prospekt first, where Count and Countess Stroganov were there, and they warmly welcomed Solovyov.
"You have come to us, Misha, on account of literature and art, and not on any other subject."
"Indeed, Count, you know, my book has finally arrived. But I have to note that in order to understand the historical background, a lot of annotations are needed, otherwise it will be difficult for readers to understand."
"Then you can make preparations early and get the background information ready. But if the legion is mobilized, it may not be so easy."
"What have you heard recently at court?"
"Lord Huisworth of England has returned, and he is trying to influence the emperor through diplomats. But based on what he has done before, it is unlikely that the emperor will agree to the British demands."
"Compared to this, we are more concerned about the palace. Thank you very much as the 'doctor'. Your Highness is in good health. It seems that those recuperation methods have worked." The Countess interrupted at this time and brought the topic back from diplomacy to the palace.
"The donkeys near Petersburg may be in trouble, but we need to give birth to more donkeys, otherwise there won't be enough."
"Yes, many estates are now raising donkeys, and they are imported from the Turks."
When talking about Türkiye, one can think of donkeys, Egypt and Avanti. After all, the story of Avanti first appeared here, and then went eastward to spread along the Silk Road.
At this moment, what Bonaparte was doing was much more important than using donkey skin to make donkey-hide gelatin. It was not the Countess's fault. She was more involved in social occasions and her focus was on the court. In the future, when she was awarded the title of court lady, she gave this qualification to her mother and obtained approval.
"The next time Türkiye goes to war with the Turks, I'm afraid they will restrict the donkey skin trade with us."
The Count and Countess also laughed when they heard this joke. It was true that Türkiye was facing enormous pressure from Russia. If they relied on themselves, they would be completely suppressed. They could only rely on the power of countries outside the region.
The British needed someone to curb Russia's expansion to the south, while the French needed someone to contain Russia's power and prevent them from focusing their attention on the west.
During the reign of the Empress, Russia's main national policy was still pro-male. Her goal had always been the grand "Greek Plan", but her time was really limited, and the revolution that broke out in France caused the monarchies on the European continent to turn their attention to opposing the French Republic.
Out of vigilance against the Directory after the French Republic, Russia has actually always maintained military forces targeting its western border and the Danube direction. The goals of the various monarchies are still the same.
Just when Solovyov went to No. 17 Nevsky Avenue for discussion, Nelson's fleet had reached the waters near Sardinia and Corsica, but he was really unlucky. He encountered a storm on the sea near Bonaparte's hometown. Many warships were seriously damaged and he could only find ways to repair them on the spot. As a result, he missed the French vanguard fleet. As for the subsequent transport ships, because of Nelson's fleet deployment problems, they were all let go.
At this time, Paris and Madrid may know the above problems the fastest. On the contrary, because the ships in London have to pass through Gibraltar before reporting to the country, the news is delayed compared to the straight-line distance.
But no matter what happened, it was extremely slow when it reached St. Petersburg, especially since Tsar Paul was visiting towns and villages and meeting with people from all walks of life from local gentry to serfs in Kostroma. The speed of getting news was even slower.
Of course, because of the British’s own previous outrageous actions, the Russian government is not very enthusiastic about interfering in European affairs.
Paul did not intend to move unless the French actions harmed Russia's interests.
At the same time, another problem is that if the British also harm Russia's interests, Paul will also take necessary measures.
If it were just Britain and France that wanted to make trouble in North Africa, Tsar Paul himself would not intend to intervene, as it had nothing to do with Russia in terms of interests.
There is one thing that has been put on the agenda, the marriage between Archduchess Alexandra and Archduke Joseph of Austria. This is something the Queen has been paying more attention to recently. The Austrian side has now put this matter on the agenda, and both sides are discussing the specific details.
Due to the Swedish king's successive stupidities, in order to avoid causing diplomatic turmoil, the Austrian side made a written guarantee during the marriage, stating that Grand Duchess Alexandra could maintain her Orthodox faith, keep the establishment of relevant entourage, and bring her personal entourage from St. Petersburg.
Archduke Joseph is the Viceroy of Hungary, so after they get married, they will reside in Budapest. As for other specific details, they are currently being discussed.
With such a marriage, when Harburg really chooses to go to war with France, Russia will have to make some statement no matter what.
Solovyov knew the eldest princess' temper. She was a very nice person and liked to write poetry. However, if she married into the Habsburg Empire, the most likely thing to happen there would be bloody battles between the nobles and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. It was really not a good place to be. What's more, the failure of the previous marriage with Sweden had actually led to a decline in the level of this marriage with the Habsburg Empire.
But there are two points that can be confirmed. First, before the formal marriage, Archduke Joseph himself will come to St. Petersburg in person to marry, and he has to give enough face. Another point is that the quality of single archdukes of marriageable age in Austria is not very high, and the heir to the throne Ferdinand is a seriously ill patient who can have epilepsy twenty times a day. Archduke Joseph does have an adopted brother, who is the famous Archduke Karl in the future. However, he is in the barracks like Archduke Constantine, and getting a wife now will only affect the speed at which he draws his sword.
So that’s what this marriage is all about, and Paul himself was still quite worried.
(End of this chapter)