spread his dominions, resolved to extend his ideas,
and improve his judgment by travelling; and that he might be the
less restricted by forms, or interrupted by officious curiosity, he
determined to travel in disguise. He was extremely ambitious of becoming
a maritime power, and in particular of maintaining a fleet in the
Black-sea; and his immediate aim was to learn the principles of
ship-building. He appointed an embassy for Holland, to regulate some
points of commerce with the states-general. Having intrusted the care
of his dominions to persons in whom he could confide, he now disguised
himself, and travelled as one of their retinue. He first disclosed
himself to the elector of Brandenburgh in Prussia, and afterwards to
king William, with whom he conferred in private at Utrecht. He engaged
himself as a common labourer with a ship-carpenter in Holland, whom
he served for some months with wonderful patience and assiduity. He
afterwards visited England, where he amused himself chiefly with the
same kind of occupation. From thence he set out for Vienna, where
receiving advices from his dominions, that his sister was concerned
in managing intrigues against his government, he returned suddenly to
Moscow, and found the machinations of the conspirators were already
baffled by the vigilance and fidelity of the foreigners to whom he had
left the care of the administration. His savage nature, however, broke
out upon this occasion; he ordered some hundreds to be hanged all round
his capital; and a good number were beheaded, he himself with his own
hands performing the office of executioner.

CONGRESS AT RYSWICK.

The negotiations at Ryswick proceeded very slowly for some time. The
Imperial minister demanded, that Franco should make restitution of all
the places and dominions she had wrested from the empire since the peace
of Munster, whether by force of arms or pretence of right. The Spaniards
claimed all they could demand by virtue of the peace of Nimeguen and the
treaty of the Pyrenees. The French affirmed, that if the preliminaries
offered by Callieres were accepted, these propositions could not be
taken into consideration. The Imperialists persisted in demanding a
circumstantial answer, article by article. The Spaniards insisted upon
the same manner of proceeding, and called upon the mediator and Dutch
ministers to support their pretensions. The plenipotentiaries of France
declared, they would not admit any demand or