The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-04-16 00:00:00

SWEARING ALLEGIANCE TO THE
CZAR.

In compliance with a notification issued from the
Russian Embassy, a number of Russian subjects
resident in London assembled on Sunday at the
Russian Chapel, Welbeck-street, London, to take
the oath of fidelity and allegiance to the new Czar.
_

The ceremonial was preceded by the ordinary re-
ligious service, the chief celebrant being the Rev.
Eugene Smiruoff, assisted by his Deacon and three at-
tendant singers. Among the conglegaticn were the
Russian Ambassador, Prince Lobanoff, attended) by
his Chancellor, Mr. Davidoff, and accompanied by
Prince Dolgourouki and Prince Woronzoff, who had
the honour of being entrusted with the autograph
letter to Queen Victoria from the Czar, announcing
his Majesty's accession to the Throne of Russia,
under the title of Alexander 111. These personages
were all in private attire ; and there were also pre-
sent, on the ladies' si‘le of the chapel, dressed in
mourning, the Countess Van Bylandt, wife of the
N etherlawds Minister.

At the conclusion of the service the greater portion
of the congregation dispersed, the assistant clergymen
unro'oed, and the candles were extinguished. Then 911
a table fixed in front of the steps leading to the Taber-
nacle were placed a Crucifix and an open volume of
the Gospel. From here the Rev. Eugene Smiruoff
read aloud the oath of allegiance, and his words
were repeated by some thirty young men and
two' children, who, as they spoke, held their
right hand, with forefinger and thumb joined,
above their heads. This part of the ceremony being
concluded, those who had so pledged themselves pro-
ceeded, one after another, to kiss the Crucifix and
Gospel which lay upon the table, and crossing over to
the other side of the chapel ranged themselves there
in line. They then in succession appended their
names to the form of oath, which was printed in
Slavonic or old Russian, and so the ceremony, which
was of brief duration, came to an end.

THE PARLIAMENTARY PROSPECT.
It has seldom happened, the Standard remarks,
that the portion of the session preceding the Easter
vacation has been .as crowded with exciting matters
as in the present Year, and still less seldom has so
much display of energy and so much actual toil been
followed by such scanty results, either in the form of
present achievement or future promise. It cannot be
said that the political situation bears witness to the
skill with which Mr. Gladstone has used the power of
his great majority. Public business has progressed
neither swiftly nor smoothly, and difficulties appear to
be thickening ahead. Among the political measures of
the first order of importance announced in the Speech
from the Throne, not one has yet made any considerable
advance towards maturity. The Irish Land Bill tas
been introduced; so have the Corrupt—Practices Bill
and the Bankruptcy Bill; and the Secretary for War
has laid his proposals for army re-organisation before
the House of Commons. But none or these has yet
been thoroughly discussed in principle or examined in
details. In point of fact, it is scarcely too much to say
that at the present time the position of Parliament
with respect to the principal legislative measures of the
year does not differ materially from the position in
which the House of Commons usually stands a week or
ten days after the openirur of the ses4on, when two or
three of the leading Mini .- rial Bills have been brought
in. But morally the H(i.--,! is new in a different state
from that which is wont to prevail during the first two
or three weeks of a session. Weary and worried after
over three months of continuous Parliamentary labours,
they will be haunted all through the Vacation by the
dismal spectre of the Land Bill, which is a stiff task
enough to be mastered even by the most indefatigable
students of Parliamentary lore. Yet members of Par-
liament will hardly dare to neglect this heavy piece
of work, which touches so many interests—and not
Irish interests only—and, which calls for some sort of
recognition in the most sluggish of Constituencies."

In accordance with one of the last wishes expressed
by Thomas Carlyle, a tree has been planted at Iladdington
on the site of the house in which John Knox was born, and
within view of the churchyard where Mrs. Carlyle lies buried.