Abstract
The students’ journey via Riga, Mitau, Königsberg and Danzig to Leipzig took over four months, from September, 1766, to February, 1767, which meant that the Russian students were traveling through most of the winter.1 The rigors of the journey took the life of one of the students, Rimskii-Korsakov, who died in Danzig and was later replaced by Dmitri Olsuf’ev, son of a state secretary. Bokum’s harsh discipline and contemptuous neglect of his charges’ basic needs added to the sufferings of the students. Their misery was later to drive them to acts of rebellion, resulting in their arrest. The desperate students even made plans for escape to America.
There are very few people who are really fit to travel; it is only good for those who are strong enough in themselves to listen to the voice of error without being deceived, to see the example of vice without being seduced by it. Travelling accelerates the progress of nature, and completes the man for good or for evil.
Rousseau, Emile.
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References
According to the Leipzig city chronicle, the Russian students arrived February 11, 1767. Cited in Makogonenko, op. cit., 31. Prince A. M. Belosel’skii, the Russian Minister Plenipotentiary in Dresden, informed Nikita I. Panin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, on February 10 that he received news from Leipzig of the Russians’ arrival. Arkhiv vneshnei politiki Rossii, f. Snosheniia Rossii s Saksoniei, 1767, d. 99, 1.7; cited in Startsev, Universitetskie gody Radishcheva, 8n. 1.
N. A. Radishchev, op. cit., 574–5. In 1769, after repeated requests by Bokum, the stipend was increased to a thousand rubles per year. This meant an annual expenditure of fifteen thousand rubles for the students and staff. Sb. I. R. I. O., t. 97, cited in Miakovskii, op. cit., 18.
Sb. I. R. I. O., t. I (1872), 115–116. Startsev attributes the original idea to send the pages to Leipzig to the younger of the Orlov brothers, Vladimir Grigor’evich, who returned in 1765 after three years in Leipzig University. He was thereupon made Director of the Academy of Sciences. This supposition is plausible, but no source is cited. Startsev, op. cit., 24.
Miakovskii, op. cit., 16.
Vogel, J. “Die Universität. Professoren und Studenten,” Goethes Leipziger Studentenjahre (Leipzig, 1923,) 51.
M. I. Sukhomlinov, Istoriia Rossiiskoi Akademii, vyp. VI, 10, 13. At the time the pages came, only one Russian was already enrolled — “Ivanowitz Petrus Bojaslowskoiensis, Russus.” He apparently had no connection with the official mission of Radishchev and his friends. He was probably studying at his own expense.
Ts. G. A. D. A., Gos. arkhiv, t. XVIII, d. 62, 1.48, cited in Startsev, op. cit., 32.
Peter Hoffmann, “Russische Studenten in Leipzig, 1767–1771,” in Eduard Winter zu seinem 60. Geburtstag (Berlin, 1956), 337–348.
For a criticism of this work and of Startsev’s together with suggestions for further archival research, see M. A. Arzumanova, “Universitetskie gody Radishcheva” in Vosemnadtsatyi Vek. Sbornik 4 (Moscow, Leningrad, 1959), 433–449.
Among the new arrivals were Osip Kozodavlev, Sergei Olsuf’ev (Dmitri Olsuf’ev’s brother), Count Matiuskin, Volkov and Mel’gunov. Miakovskii estimates the total of students and staff reached thirty. Op. cit., 18.
Sb. I. R. I. O., t. X (1872), 112; 115, 122, 128, 123n.-124.
“Zhitie Th. M. Ushakova,” V. V. Kallash, ed., Poln. sobr. soch. A. N. Radishcheva (Moscow, 1907), I, 100.
Kallash, I, 110–114, 115.
Startsev, op. cit., 103–105. Startsev has translated the letter from the original French into Russian. His book contains on pages 103–169 twenty-six documents taken from archives in Russia and Saxony which confirm in extensive detail the version of events given by Radishchev and by the extracts from documents given in Sb. I. R. I. O., X, (1872). I have used Startsev’s documents for the correspondence by students and authorities on the “revolts” against Bokum. The text at this point reads: “en lui donnant un soufflet poshchochinu.” The repetition in Russian is obviously meant to remove any doubt as to how Nasakin was insulted.
“Ushakov’s letter is not worth an answer if he is, as I almost do not doubt, the author of the Leipzig confusion.” Letter from Sibirsk, 6 June (O.S.) 1767. Ts. G. A. D. A., f. 5, d. 94, 1. no. Cited in Startsev, op. cit., 136. See also Sb. I. R. I. O. t. X (1872), 209.
Startsev, op. cit., 111–112.
Ibid., 113.
Kallash, I, 101–4.
Startsev, op. cit., 116–8.
Rescript of Catherine, May 19/30, 1767, to N. I. Panin, cited in Startsev, op. cit., 130–131.
Russkii arkhiv, t. I (M., 1863), 201.
Startsev, op. cit., 73.
Bokum’s report to Belosel’skii of June 27, 1767. Startsev, op. cit., 137–9.
“Zhitie Th. M. Ushakova,” Kallash I, 107.
Startsev, op. cit., 138–9.
“Zhitie,” Kallash, I, 117–8.
Witzmann’s translation of Antonio Genovesi’s Lezioni di Commercio into German was the first foreign translation of this work. See Franco Venturi, “Le Lezioni di Commercio di Antonio Genovesi” in Rivista Storia Italiana, Anno LXXII, fasc. III (1960), 522–525.
Extracts from the protocols of the investigation, translated into Russian from the original French and taken from the archives of Russian relations with Saxony (Arkhiv Vneshnoi Politiki Rossii) are given by Startsev, op. cit., 155–9. He has given the documents of Radishchev’s testimony and Ushakov’s and other students in the trial in “Volnenie russkikh Studentov v Leiptsige 1767 godu,” Publichnaja Biblioteka im. V. I. Lenina Moskovskii otdel rukopisei, Zapiski otdela rukopisei Fasc. 18 (Moscow, 1956), 230–327.
“Zhitie,” Kallash, I, 118.
“Acta Einige wider gewisse allhier studirende junge Russische Edelleute gerügte Ungebührnisse samt was dem anhängig betr[iffet],” in Startsev, op. cit., 151–3.
Startsev, op. cit., 149–50.
Startsev, op. cit., 159–166.
“Zhitie,” Kallash, I, 118.
Letter of Belosel’skii to Vice-Chancellor A. M. Golitsyn, 18 January, 1771. A. V. P. R., cited in Startsev, op. cit., 81.
Ts. G. A. D. A., f. 17, d. 62, 1. 174. Letter of 25 January, 1771. Cited in Startesev. op. cit., 81–82.
Ibid. 1. 145 Olsuf’ev’s letter to Bokum, 21 December, 1770; and 1. 163, Olsuf’ev’s letter to Belosel’skii, 25 January, 1771.
Extracts from this report, taken from the Ts. G. A. D. A., f. 17, d. 62, 11. 461–477 are given in Barskov’s “A. N. Radishchev. Zhizn’ i lichnost,’“ Materialy k izucheniju “Puteshestvija”. . . (M.-L., 1935), 76–7. See also Startsev, op. cit., 86–8.
Ts. G. A. D. A., f. 17, d. 62, ll. 190–192, Monk Paul’s letter to Belosel’skii, 9/20 February, 1771. Cited in Startsev, op. cit., 88.
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© 1964 Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, Netherlands
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McConnell, A. (1964). Leipzig University I. In: A Russian Philosophe Alexander Radishchev 1749–1802. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-3375-1_2
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