DASHROV, Princess EKATERINA R0MANOVA, daughter of count Vorontsov, was b. 1744, and from her earliest youth received a careful training, especially in classics. She was an intimate friend of the empress Catharine II., and one of the heads of the con spiracy formed against Peter III.. the success of which secured the throne to Catharine. Her conduct in this dangerous affair was, in truth, quite Amazonian; she rode forth in uniform at the head of a part of the troops whom she had instigated against Peter; but soon afterwards quarreled with Catharine, because the latter would not gratify her desire to be made col. of the imperial grenadiers. She now removed from the court, obtained permission to travel. and visited Germany, England, France, and Italy, where she made the acquaintance of many learned men (among others, Garrick, Dr. Blair, and Dr. Robertson, with the last of whom she wished to place her son for the purpose of being educated), and in 17S2, returned to St. Petersburg. The empress and she were
reconciled to each other, and the princess was appointed director of the St. Petersburg academy of arts and sciences; and in 1783, president of the Russian academy, estab lished at her own suggestion in imitation of the French Acaddmie., On the death of Catharine in 1796, she was deprived of her offices, and ordered by Paul III. to retire to her estates at Novgorod. She died at Moscow, 4th Jan., 1810. Besides several comedies and occasional magazine-papers, the princess D. was mainly instrumental in inducing the Russian academy to draw up a dictionary of the Russian language. This work was completed in twelve years. The princess herself assigned the various letters of the alphabet to different scholars, took three herself, and superintended the execution of the whole. Her very interesting memoirs were published by Mrs. W. Bradford (2 vols., Loud. 1840).