CATHERINE II THE GREAT: (1762-1796) Empress of Russia 1762-96, Catherine the Great. An excellent and very attractive L.S., `Ekaterina´, in Cyrillic, two pages, 4to, Saint Petersburg, 20th October 1791, to Mikhailo Vasilievich, in Cyrillic. An excellent document signed, the Empress referring to the refurbishing of the Black Sea Fleet in case the Turks do not agree with the upcoming peace treaty, and mentioning the late Field-Marshal Potemkin who died only a week before the present letter was written. Catherine the Great states in part `In addition to our three commands that had already been given to you on the occasion of entrusting you with the responsibility for the future command and judgements of our Army previously led by the late General Field-Marshal Prince of Tauris, Potemkin, and of the Black Sea Fleet, we consider it necessary for you to do the following: first, to disarm the Black Sea Fleet and do your utmost to speed its repair and get it ready for the spring, storing the provisions and other necessities well in advance, in case of the failure of our negotiations with the Turks and their obstinacy in signing a peace agreement…´ Despite the peace treaty negotiations, the Empress distrusts the Turks, and gives additional orders, further saying `Second, to urgently build ships and other vessels, that we started or planned to be built under the command of the late Field-Marshal, informing us in every detail about the success of what is being built and where…´ VG Catherine II refers in the present letter to peace treaty negotiations, which will end up with the Treaty of Jassy, signed by the Russian and by the Ottoman Empire on 9th January 1792, only two months after the present letter was signed. Jassy was a city in Moldavia. This peace treaty put an end to the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-92 and confirmed Russia´s dominance in the Black Sea. The treaty was signed by Grand Vizier Koca Yusuf Pasha and by Prince Bezborodko who had succeeded Prince Potemkin as the head of the Russian delegation. Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tavricheski (1739-1791) Russian Nobleman, Military Leader, Prince of the Russian Empire and favourite of Catherine the Great. Potemkin took part in the coup which deposed Tsar Peter III in 1762, giving the power to the tsar´s wife Catherine II. Potemkin became her lover and adviser and the most powerful man in Russia. The present letter is signed only one week after Grigory Potemkin passed away.