Back in August of the previous year, Catherine notified Gosiea about her proposed trip to the south, during which she hoped to meet him - but she did it inappropriately, and not even politely enough, as a postscript to the letter, by the way. Gosie, scandalized by such a strange form of invitation, decided to “make the Zerbst princess, transformed into Catherine, feel that the emperor should not be disposed of with such neglect and inattention,” and sent his answer to her also as a postscript to the letter. Then, having ripped up Fhat, he changed his tone and showered Catherine with expressions of his delight, his admiration that he would see her again. He will come to Rossyo, not as an emperor, but as a simple nobleman, coming only to repeat to Catherine a thousand times how much he respects her. He counts the days and hours until this date. His heart even beats when he hears the name Kherson. Catherine, for her part, did not remain in debt, she also counted the days and minutes, and congratulated herself that such an experienced expert and impartial judge would finally see her empire.
MEETING TWO MONARCHES.
Catherine was in her galley when news came “about the entry of the famous traveler Count Falkenstein into the Russian borders.” The famous traveler went straight to Kherson, inspected the buildings there, the new town, shipyards and shops, and the next day he went to Catherine. It was necessary to quickly receive the guest, but the obstacles and delays on the way multiplied “for reasons of strong stubbornness, the galleys and other vessels that made up the flotilla could not continue their voyage.” The empress, having learned about the emperor’s escape from Kherson, “moved to the shore, and in carriages, with a small retinue, went to meet him.” They met at a lonely Cossack farm
Catherine, in a letter to Grimm, described this meeting: "In May, I learned on my galley that Count Falkenstein was galloping at full speed towards me. Immediately I went ashore to gallop towards him on my part. And so we both galloped so well that we met in the middle of the field, nose to nose. The first word he said to me: "Now all the politicians confused, no one can see our date.” He was with his envoy (Count Kobenzel), and I was with Prince de Ligne, Red Kaftan and Countess Branitskaya. The Majesties got into one carriage and rode 30 miles to Kaydaki.
"While we were scouring the field, we were counting - one of us (axis III) on my obed, and the other on the lunch of Prince Potemkin, who, preparing for the founding of a new city (Ekaterinoslav), fasted in order to gain time, and although we found him returning from his expedition, there was no obed. However, need is inventive: the prince Shotemkin himself decided to turn into a cook, Prince Nassausy into a cook, the great General Branicki into a cake maker, and since the coronation of both majesties, they have never been so honored and so poorly treated;
The next day, in the presence of both monarchs, the long-prepared celebration took place. "On May 9,” says Segur, “we settled in tents, 8 versts from Kaydak, on the site where the Empress wanted to build Ekaterinoslav. In the royal tent, a prayer service was served, and the sovereigns laid the foundation stone for the cathedral of the new city in an extremely beautiful area. It was to be built at a height from which the wriggling Lenfpr is visible, with its hairy islands...
Count Falkenstein was not very pleased with the order that reigned in the Empress's fleet. He wrote to Field Marshal Lassi: "It is difficult to express the reigning disorder in this journey. Landing on the shore was difficult and lengthy. There are more things and people on the ship, and there are carriages and horses. One rushes forward, others have to flounder. Traveling on sushi$ is accompanied by unimaginable disorder; some of the crews are still on the ships; everyone takes a wagon, a large carriage, and drags their luggage into it. Across these boundless plains, 6 or 8 carriages in a row rush headlong, and although they do only
Ekaterinoslav.
4 hauls a day, crews break down, dishes, mattresses and luggage are lost in these steppes, and then all this is not enough. There is a lot of widow, but most of it is disgusting, cold, hard. Finally, if it were not for the kindness of the Empress and several people, especially foreigners, whose company is tolerant, I would have been punished for real.”