The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-06-11 00:00:00

"UNEASY LIES THE HEAD THAT
WEARS A CROWN."

The Berlin Correspondent of The Times writes :—A Russian
friend sends me the following striking picture of the state
of imprisonment into which recent events have thrown the
Czar:—

"The Emperor still broods in sullen retirement in
his castle of Gatchina. His Majesty has paid only two
or three fugitive visits to the capital during the last
month. On the last occasion he was to attend the
funeral cortege of the late Prince Oldenburg to the
railway station. His Majesty's place was duly
marked out in the official programme, but no two
people who saw the procession agree as to whether he
was behind the bier or not, and the newspapers all
contradicted each other as to the Czar's presence. The
most probable version seems to be that he awaited
the late Prince's remains at the railway station.
"There is no relaxation in the vigilance exercised at
Gatchina. A short time ago two of the young Grand
Dukes, cousins of the Emperor, were stopped in the
grounds by a Cossack, who threatened to spear them
if they advanced. A friend, who has occasion to visit
the castle to see an official, tells me that as soon as
he left the railway station and took the direction
towards the palace, he felt conscious that the eyes of the
police were foll3wing him, but it was only when he was
about to cross the bridge over the castle moat that he
was actually stopped. Here the police officials were all
officers. They ascertained his business and escorted
him to the service gate of the palace, the only one
which is allowed to be approached. He at once found
himself in the police-office, surrounded by officers.
His passport was taken, and his description, the time
of day, and business were all duly noted in a book,
which the chief of police is supposed to examine every
day. An officer was then sent to inform the official
inquired for, while my friend was kept by the police.
On the officer returning with a message that the
official could be seen, my friend was escorted by a
police officer down the long corridors to the room of
the person he wished to see. All the way Cosssck
sentinels, with drawn swords, were tramping up and
down.

"It can readily be imagined that no official of the
palace, however hi4h he may be placed, is particularly
overjoyed at present by the visits of his friends. My
acquaintance Wl4 therefore exhorted for the love of
heaven to confin2 his conversation to the merest com-
monplaces and riot to stay too long. When he got
to the train on his return journey he felt heartily
glad and fortur ate, though he could not shake off the
sensation that the police were still at his bask..
Looking out of the windows of the corridor into the
courtyards, of which there are four within the castle
walls, he saw innumerable stacks of piled muskets,
denoting the vesence of a large force of infantry,
and on the ope • place in front of the palace were
picketed the horses of about a squadron of cavalry.

"Persons whose business calls them daily to the
palace and who are well known are rigorously
searched. For example, a priest employed in the
service of the Imperial chapel was lately subjected to
such a close inspection that even his cigarettes were
not overlooked. A Cossack officer is staticm. d at each
of the doors of the sleeping apartments ot the Em-
peror, the Empress, and the Heir Apparent during
the night. The last-named complains continually of
the restraint put upon his movements since his
father's accession to the throne. He is not allowed to
go out riding in the park, which particularly annoys
him. None of the officers or Court officials are
allowed to be away from the palace more than two
or three hours at a time, and all are obliged to be in
before nine in the evening.
"The Court will soon remove to Peterhoff, which
has a small port at the mouth of the Neva. Here four
lightships will be anchored, and no other vessels will
be allowed to go near. The two yachts, Slavianka
and Czarevna, will always be in readiness to convey
the Emperor to and from St. Petersburg, accompanied
on either side by a torpedo boat, manned with four
marines."