The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-09-20 00:00:00

THE WRR 'ING OF THE ENF'ER ORS.

The Emperor and Empress of Russia, accompanied
by their whole suite, arrived at Skiernievice at seven
o'clock on Sunday evening, and were received at the
railway station by the Grand Duchess Maria Paulovna
and the authorities. The wife of Baron Medem,
civil governor of Warsaw, handed a bouquet to the
Empress, and a deputation of peasants presented
bread and salt to their Majesties. A choir of boys
sang the National Anthem. On the arrival of the
Emperor and Empress at the Castle, dinner was
served for the Imperial party.
The train conveying the Emperor of Austria and his
suite arrived at the private station in the park of
Skiernievice punctually at two o'cloc;: on Monday
afternoon. As the train entered the station the band
played the Austrian national hymn. The Emperor
Francis Joseph, on alighting from the Imperial
saloon, embraced the Grand Dukes Vladimir and
Nicholas and the Cesarewitch, after which the Czar
presented his Majesty to the Grand Duchesses present.
The Emperor then walked down the platform, and
inspected the guard of honour. His Majesty then
presented the officers of his suite to the Czar,
after which the latter presented his suite to the
Emperor Francis Joseph, who then gave his arm to the
Czarina and conducted her Majesty to the carriage
which the Imperial party entered, and drove imme-
diately to the palace. The meeting of the two
Emperors was most cordial. The Emperor Francis
Joseph wore the uniform of a Russian general,
while the Czar was dressed in that of a general of
the Austrian Army. The Russian Grand Dukes and
the Cesarewitch also wore Austrian uniforms with
Austrian orders and decorations. Count Wigginstein
was sent by the Czar to meet the Emperor on the
Austrian frontier. The Emperor's suite included
Count Kalnoky, Baron Mondel, Baron Freiss and
Count Rosenberg. The Emperor of Germany
arrived at four o'clock, and was met by the Czar
and Czarina and the Grand Dukes, as on the arrival
of the Emperor of Austria. His Majesty on alighting
from the train first embmced the Czar three times
and then the Czarina, the Cesarewitch, and the Grand
Dukes. He then embraced the Emperor Francis
Joseph, and giving his arm to the Czarina conducted
her Majesty to the carriage and drove to the Palace.
The Emperor William was met on the Russian fron-
tier by Count Schouvaloff. His Majesty's suite com-
prised Prince Bismarck, Counts Herbert and William
Bismarck, Baron Schweinitz, Consul General at War-
saw, and Count Leyndorff. A grand banquet was
given at the Palace on Monday night, at which the
three Emperors were present.

The hamlet of Skiernievice is situate a few miles
south-west of Warsaw, at the junction of the two lines
of railway from Thorn to Warsaw and from Cracow I
to Wandw. The Russian frontier station of Granica, I
on the latter railway, is that were the Austrian
Emperor was received by the representatives of the
Czar, Prince Wittgenstein, and one of his aide-de-
camps, Count Benkendorf. The decoration of this
station probably gave rise to the supposition that the
meeting of the Emperors would take place there, or
somewhere near it. Neither the Emperor of Germany,
nor the Emperor of Austria touched at Warsaw,
Skiernievice being south of it. The hamlet is a ,
fairly large one, but has no points of interest.
The castle of Skiernievice itself is a modest two-
storied building, but surrounded by a splendid
park. The guarding of the castle during
the stay of the Emperors is entrusted to a naval
officer, Prince Tcherbatoff, still very young, but ch..
cumspect, and at the same time amiable, and fully
alive to the importance of his charge. Every imagin-
able measure of precaution has been taken to prevent
inconvenient or even dangerous intruders from enter-
ing the castle or the park. Prince Tcherbatoff had
absolute authority given him, and no one is able to
approach without his permission. Even holders of
the highest offices are unable to penetrate the living
wall of guardians without a pass signed by Prince
Tcherbatoff himself. The very pretty castle of
Skiernievice is not designed to receive three such
distinguished potentates as met there on Monday.
The Emperor Alexander naturally had given up the
best rooms to his guests, contenting himself with
a single room on the left of the ground floor.
To the rear of the Emperor's room are several
smaller rooms, occupied by the attendants of the
Empress. From these a spiral staircase leads to the
upper storey, to the room occupied by the Empress,
so that the Emperor has to pass through a servant's
room if he wishes to meet his consort. Behind these
rooms on the ground floor is the buffet, from which
access is gained, also by a spiral staircase, to the
dining-room above. On the ground floor to the right
are four rooms inhabited by the Emperor of Austria.
The "best " rooms proper are on the first floor. The
four rooms on the right, consequently over those
occupied by the Austrian Emperor, have been placed
at the disposal of the Emperor William. There are
to the left, besides the Empress's room, the
reception and " social " rooms, and in the rear the
dining-room. Besides the Empress and the three
Emperors, only the heir apparent, Grand,
Duke Nicholas, resides in the castle, whilst
the brother of the Emperor Alexander, the Grand
Duke Wladimir, and his consort, the Grand Duchess
Marie, have taken up their abode at a cottage in the
park. At some distance from the castle there is a
pretty large one-storied building with two wings, the
left of which has a second storey, and in which the
most eminent personages in the suite of the three
Emperors have been located. The rooms in the right
wing are occupied by the military suite of the German
Emperor, General von Albedyll, the head of the
military cabinet, and Genel als Count von Lehndorff
and Anton Prince Radzivrill. The principal rooms in
the front are tenanted by M. de Giers, the Russian
Foreign Minister, and his cabinet, whilst the left wing
has been assigned to Count Kalnoky, the Austrian
Minister of Foreign Affairs. Above Count Kalnoky's
rooms are those of Prince Bismarck and his son. For
the other persons in the suite of the three monarchs
suitable provision has been made in other buildings in
the park.

On Tuesday morning, at 11 o'clock, the three Em-
perors held a parade of the two first battalions of the
Russian regiments of Francis Joseph and William I.
in the garden in front of the château. There was not
sufficient room for the regiments in full strength.
The two Imperial guests, like their Imperial host,
were in the Russian uniforms of their respective regi-
ments--a dark green tunic with yellow facings and a
black sheepskin cap. The weather, as it has remained
for several weeks past, was beautifully fine and very
hot.. The townspeople crowded round the entrances
to the park at an early hour, and photographers
fixed their apparatus to take views of the scene. The
troops marched in and took, up position in two double
lines, the regiment of the German Emperor on the
right of the lawn facing the entrance to the Manrion,
and that of the Austrian Emperor on the left. The
members of the three Imperial suites, Ministers and
diplomatists, congregated around the portico of the
mansion while the colours were brought out and
saluted, and the Czar and Austrian Emperor
conversed on the balcony above. When the colour-
bearers had taken up position General Gourko gave
the word of command, and the troops on either side
presented arms. The three Emperors walked
slowly out abreast, the Emperor William in the
middle, and proceeded first down the left line of
soldiers who claim his Austrian Majesty as their
titular chief, accompanied by the sounds of the
Austrian Anthem, and followed by the members of
the three suites. In the same way they passed up the
right line, the Emperor William's battalion, the
German Emperor this time being next to the troops,
the Austrian in the centre, and the Czar on the out-
side. The men shouted their long-drawn-out hurrahs,
and the two Imperial guests frequently saluted.
The Empress and her ladies remained sheltered
from the scorching sun under the portico. The
two battalions then moved round from the left,
and marched past the mansion, each Emperor,
in line with the first rank, leading his battalion.
First went the Austrian and then the German Em-
peror, after which the Czar and the Emperor Francis
Joseph both saluted the venerable Kaiser William,
who looked remarkably well, and marched with
a quick and wonderously vigorous step for
his age. The suite during the march past were
grouped on the right of the portico, with Prince
Bismarck in a cuirassier uniform, and Count Kalnoky
in a blue Austrian uniform.