Catharine began now to turn her attention towards France, and had promised to send troops to join the coalition against that country, when, on the 17th of Novernbor 1796, she died of an spoplectie fit, after a reign of thirty-five years. She was succeeded by her son Paul I.
In the internal administration of her vast empire Catherine effected much real and more seeming good. She reformed the judicial system, which was in a most confused state; organised proper courts, and gave better salaries to the judges, in order, as she publicly told them, that they might be placed above temptation. She to a certain extent ameliorated the condition of the serfs or peasants. She encouraged instruction, established schools in all the provinces, schools for teachers after the model of those of Germany, and numerous special or higher schools for the military and naval services, for the mining establish ment, for the study of medicine and surgery, for oriental languages, &c. She also sought to promote communication and commerce between the various countries subject to her sway and with foreign states. She has been called the great regenerator of Russia after Peter I., and she worked under more favourable circumstances. She
began several canals, among others the one called Severe Jekaterinski, which uniting the Volga to the Mahn, effects thus a communication between the Caspian and the White Sea. She founded numerous towns, docks, arsenals, banks, and manufactories. She employed several learned men, among others Pallas, Falk, Omelin, Blumayer, Billings, and Edwards, to explore the interior and the remotest parts of her empire. Her peculiar patronage of the arts and literature, and the favour she showed to D'Alembert, Diderot, Euler, &o., are well known. Her correspondence with Voltaire has been published, and forma half a volume in the collected edition of Voltaire's works. She compiled also a 'Bibliotheque d'Histoire at de Morale' for the instruction of her grand-children Alexander and Constantiue. But the most remark able of her works is her 'Itistructions to the Commissioners appointed to frame a new Code of Laws for the Russian Empire,' which were translated into Euglish by M. Tatischeff, London, 4to, 1768. For details concerning her administration, see Tooke's 'History of the Reign of Catharine 1I.;' Count Segues '116moires,' and Rulhiere's posthumous works.