He M-as born at Prague, of humble parents, and married early in life, having obtained an appointment as assistant scene-painter at a theatre. He was ^^Tetchedly poor, occupying only one room with his whole family, whose common couch was generally composed of a few trusses of straw. At a subsequent period of his life, when his son was settled at Moscow as a man of fortune, the old clergyman would often tell of the shifts to which he had been obliged to have recourse, to obtain a crust of bread and a few rags of clothes for that very son. He afterwards obtained an appointment as scene-painter at Brussels ; but, during the French revolution, he was denounce'd as an Austrian, and forced to quit the country. The little money he had, he then invested in a pacotille of perfumery, and embarked for St. Petersburg. In the Russian capital he established a little shop of cosmetics, and through the interest of some of his customers, obtained an engagement at the theatre. With the usual rapidity with which dexterous foreigners get on in this country, he rose to the office of inspector of the imperial theatre, and was in a fair way to fortune, when the theatre under his inspection was unfortunately burnt down. As it is a Russian principle, that an inspector must be answerable with his purse and person for any misfortune that may happen to any tiling confided to him, and as the master of police chanced to be a very severe man, our poor inspector was already thinking of making up his bundle for a trip to Siberia. He was agreeably disappointed. None of the blame was laid on him, and a new theatre was ordered to be built immediately. Nevertheless, he began to think that a fancy warehouse at Moscow might brins: in more than he could earn as theatrical manager at St. Petersburg, so he started for the ancient capital, where, with his savings on the banks of the Neva, he soon stocked a shop with toys and millinery wares.
The burning of Moscow in 1812 ruined him again, but in a fortnight afterwards laid the foundation of his fortune. Bankrupt as he was, a little ready money remained in his hands, and this he employed by buying up the Russian bank-notes from the French soldiers. This was a profitable trade, in which his capital could be rapidly turned ; and some siiccessful speculations in which he afterwards engaged, soon made him a very wealthy man.
He now began to take an active part in matters of a more pudlic character. He became president of the freemasons' lodge at Moscow, and instituted an association to alleviate the condition of those who Avere banished to Siberia. These occupations afforded him an opportunity for the display of his eloquence, a gift, the existence of which he had not perhaps himself been conscious of ; and such was the dehglit he took in the exercise of his newly-discovered powers, that at tlie age of fifty he determined to look out for a situation as preacher. He prepared liimself for his new office with great diligence, and having passed his examination before the Consistory, he was shortly afterwards appointed to the Lutheran church at Kharkoff, where he devoted himself for the rest of his life, with great zeal, to the spiritual interests of his congregation. His salary he gave to the poor, and moreover, he built a school and parsonage at his own expense. His career had been a vaiiegated one. He had seen life under every variety of form, and had learned, by personal expenence, to judge correctly of the sufferings of poverty. In society he Avas cheerful and gentle ; in the pulpit his zeal sometimes bordered on intemperance. So zealous indeed was he, that even sickness could not keep him from his church on a Sunday. More than once he quitted his bed to ascend the pulpit, and at the conclusion of the service had to be carried home again to his bed. Yet he never prepared a sermon, but trusted always to the inspiration of the moment. Indeed, he would sometimes say, that his flock was composed of sucli fluctuatiug materials, that he never knew beforehand how liis congregation would be made up, and he held It to be the duty of a clergyman to suit his sermon as much as possible to the auditoiy he had to address.
His death was as easy as his life had been marked with activity and zeal. He was sitting one Sunday at his writing-table, where he had just concluded a letter to his son with these words: " So much, my dear boy, for to-day ; I shall write to you again next post, if I should not die before then.' He rose from his seat to proceed to his church, but turned suddenly to his daughter and said, ' Child, I must stay at home. My strength fails me. The hand of the angel of death is upon me." A physician was immediately sent for, the daughter was fervent in her prayers, but before night the good man breathed his last, with perfect resignation, and full of confidence in his God.