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RICE UNIVERSITY STUDIES
strong squadron of naval vessels” (W, III, 173). In his observa-
tions on the battle, he believes that the victory of the English was
not so complete. “If,” he says, “the Russian and Swedish fleet
had been able to arrive at the same time, the daring exploit of
the Triton Nelson could indeed have gone wrong” (W, III, 184).
We find throughout that Seume’s sympathies are for the under-
dog, here for the Danish people whose fleet was destroyed by
Nelson in the surprise attack of the Baltic campaign.
Other Englishmen active in public life who are mentioned by
name in Seume’s writings are “Pitt” (William Pitt, the younger,
1759-1806; W, IV, 87), “Pitt, Lord Chatam” (sic; actually William
Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, 1708-1778; W, VII, 362, fn. 18), and
“Wilberforce” (William Wilberforce, 1759-1833; W, VII, 133 and
354, fn. 6). In jest Seume writes of a man active in still another
field, “The miraculous bed of Doctor Graham in London. . .” (W,
IV, 87). He is referring here to James Graham (1745-1794), the
quack doctor, enthusiast, and lunatic, who became famous for his
earth-baths, the Temple of Health, and particularly his celestial
bed. He promised relief from sterility to those who slept on it. It
was an astounding structure made for him by Denton, a skillful
mechanic. During the year 1780 he was lampooned by George
Colman (1732-1794) in the play Genius of Nonsense. There ap-
pears to have been a connection between Dr. Graham and Emma
Hamilton in the early eighties.
Finally, Seume tells two anecdotes concerning Englishmen in
Russia, both in his essay on the life and character of Catherine II
(Leipzig, 1797), which show again how Seume gave credence to
the traditional view of the British. He writes of the first: “An
Englishman came with British tempo from London to St. Peters-
burg simply to view the splendid stone balustrade along the Neva,
of which his compatriots had told him so much. He came, got off,
viewed it, walked a few paces up and down, got again into the
coach and returned, as did another of his eccentric fellow country-
men who journeyed to Egypt, measured the Pyramid and went
back home” (W, V, 222). The second anecdote concerns a British
officer who had served with the Russian navy. He reached St.
Petersburg with the report of a victory won by the Russians.
After he had informed the Czarina of the news, he still stood be-
fore her, even after she had dismissed him. When she inquired
what else he wished, he asked to look at her face through his
binoculars, since he would resign shortly and wanted to tell his
countrymen that he had seen the queen, whom he had served. The