You know, all of this combined with the fact I just finished l listening to a BBC radio dramatisation of all Smiley novels makes me imagine Whitworth as a John le Carré character who has to deal with Moscow St. Petersburg Central...

I can also see the groundworks being laid for the much later big British/Russian bust-up in the Crimea. Also I agree with you on the "past" ridiculousness. But in general, this sounds like an interesting look at yet another aspect of the era, and Whitworth could certainly hold his own among the other envoys of the 18th century in terms of will power and much put upon-ness.