Our Notes & References

Inscribed by the translator to the future Napoleon III, who was elected the President of the French Second Republic the following year: “à Son Altesse, Le Prince Napoleon L. Bonaparte temoignage d’estime et d’amitié de la part de D. Forbes Campbell Londres 20 Avril ’47”.

This is the first edition in English of these reminiscences of the German Baron vom Stein (1757–1831) and the Italian Count Pozzo di Borgo (1764–1842), both of whom had served in Russia under Alexander I, and their connections to Napoleon I.

The work was written by Count Ouvaroff (1786-1855), a Russian classical scholar best remembered as an influential imperial statesman under Nicholas I of Russia, and author of various essays. Published originally in French in 1846, “a few copies were printed at St. Petersburg for the distribution among the literary and political friends of the author. Ten of these copies were sent to Paris, where, through the indiscretion of some person, detached portions appeared in the French newspapers, and to complete the indelicacy of the proceeding, the name of the author was divulged” (Preface). D. Forbes Campbell published this English translation just a year after the original.

Rare: WorldCat locates only 2 copies outside Europe, at Trinity College, CT and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Bibliography

Cat. Russica O-659.