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 and despairing pictures of Sir James Harris, the British representative, when he had to manœuvre with Catherine, with Panin and Potemkin. In a dispatch of July 1780–a critical year for Britain–Harris states that Prince Potemkin, the favourite of the Empress, assured him that at certain moments she seemed to be determined to join Britain; but she was restrained by the prospect of bringing on herself the sarcasms of the French and of Frederick of Prussia, and especially by the dread of losing by ill-success the reputation she had won. In these circumstances the 'enervating language' of Count Panin, her Minister for Foreign Affairs, was more agreeable to her than the advice of Potemkin. Still, in this matter of fostering the League of Neutrality against the interests of Britain, she began to feel, according to the declaration of her favourite, that she had been influenced too far by the Minister: she really regretted her action as ill-considered, and yet her pride would not allow her to recant. 'When things go smoothly', said Potemkin, 'my influence is small; but when she meets with rubs she always wants me, and then my influence