Saint Petersburg

‘…Notwithstanding the personal friendship betwixt the emperors Alexander and Napoleon – notwithstanding their engagements entered at  Tilsit, and so recently revived at Erfurt, it seems to have been impossible to engage Russia heartily as an ally of Napoleon, in a war which had the destruction or absolute humiliation of Austria.  The court of St. Petersburg had, it is true, lost no time in securing the advantages which had been stipulated for Russia in the conference alluded to…’

Quoting again today, from Scott’s “Life of Napoleon”.   St. Petersburg was founded this day, May 27^th, in 1703, by Tsar Peter the Great.