The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-13 00:00:00

THE LAST DAYS AND HOURS OF

NICROLAS.

The following account of the Emperor of Russia's last
days and hours and minutes may be interesting- to your
readers ; it will be evident, however, from its perusal
th at it proceeds from a Russian or philo-Russian source.
I It is dated St. Petersburg, March 3 :
As it now turns out, his Majesty had been for some
time violently affected with firippe. About the 18th of
February his body physician, Dr. Mona, begged for per-
mission to call in other physicians. The Emperor took
this very lightly, and turned it off with a joke, but con-
sented that the body-physician, Dr. Earell, should be
also consulted. The Emperor became worse by degrees
from want of sleep and increased cough, with plentiful
expectoration, so that the physicians, on the 22d, begged
his Majesty would keep his room.
The Emperor would not hear a word of it ; on
which one of the physicians said to him—" No
medical man in the whole army would allow any
soldier as unwell as your Majesty is to leave the hospi-
tal, for be would be sure that his patient would soon
come in again worse." The Emperor answered, " You
have done your duty, gentlemen, and I thank you, and
now I will do mine ;" and on this he got into his sledge
in rather cold weather, and drove to the Exercising
House to see some men of the Infantry of the Guard,
that were about to march into Lithuania to make up the
complement of the regiments there.
At this inspection, which was the last occasion of the
Emperor's being seen in public, he was evidently very
unwell, coughed violently, expectorated excessively, and
said as he went away, " 1 am in a perfect bath (of per-
spiration)," although it was anything but warm in the
Exercising House. The Emperor then drove to Prince
Dolgorouki, the Minister of War, who was ill, cautioned
him not to go out too soon, and then returned to the
Winter Palace. In the evening he was present at the
prayers for the first week of Lent, stayed some time with
the Empress, but complained of being cold, and kept
his cloak on in the room.
From that evening the Emperor did not quit his
little study. It was there, on 23d February, that he
received his }lnge' Adjutant Colonel von Tettenborn,
and despatched him to Sebastopol ; all the while lying
on the sofa and covered up with his cloak. After that
his Majesty transferred all business into the hands of
the Grand Duke Alexander.
The days from the 24th to 27th February passed over
without one's learning anything further on inquiry than
that " the Emperor does not leave his bed, as he is
somewhat feverish ; the cough is getting less and less
hard," &c.
During the whole time he was ill the Emperor lay
only on his camp bed, i.e., on a casing of Russia leather
filled with hay, a bolster of the same kind, and with a
blanket and his cloak over him.
It was not till February 28 that his state was looked
on as decidedly serious. On that night he became rapidly
worse. The physicians apprehended a paralysis of the
lungs. On the evening of March 1 they despaired of his
recovery.

The Empress and the Crown Prince begged him, at
the request of the physicians, to take the sacrament.
It was not till then that the Emperor seems to have
recognised the real danger of his state ; but hardly any
shock is stated to have been noticeable in him.

In the night, from the Ist to the 2d inst., Dr. Mandt
communicated to the Emperor that he was dangerously
ill, and that more particularly his lungs were violently
affected, and gave great ground for apprehension. The
Emperor answered very calmly, " And so you think
that I an liable to a paralysis of the lungs ! " To
which Dr. Mandt answered, " Such a result is very pos-
sible."

On this the Emperor very calmly and collectedly took
the sacrament, took leave of the Empress, their child-
ren and grandchildren, kissed each, and blessed each
one, with a firm voice, and then retained only the Em-
press and the Crown Prince with him.
This was about 4 o'clock in the morning.

The Emperor said subsequently- to the Empress, "Do
go now and take a little rest, I beg of you." She
answered, " Let me remain with you ; I would I could
depart with you, if it were only possible." To this the
Emperor replied, "No ; you must remain here on earth.
Take care of your health, so that you may be the centre
of the whole family. Go now ; I will send for you
when the moment approaches." The Empress could
not do otherwise than obey this distinct expression of
the Emperor's will, and left the room.
The Emperor then sent fur Graf Orloff, Graf
Adlerberg, and Prince Dolgorouki, thanked them for
their fidelity, and bade them farewell. Subsequently
the Emperor Lad all the servants immediately about
hi n sent in: thanked them fur their services, blessed
them, and took leave of them ; on which occasion
he is said to have been himself very much affected.
Last of all the Knmmerfrau von Rohrbeck was sent
for. The Emperor thanked her for the fidelity she had
always shcwn the Empress, fur the care with which she
bad always tended her in sickness, begged her never to
gait the Empress, and ended with, `• A,id remember me
kindly at Peterhof, that I'm so fond of." The Emperor
pre.sed Dr. Karen's baud, and said to him, "It is no
fault of yours."
Whilst, the Emperor's father confessor was speaking
with him he took the Empress's hand and put it into the
priest's, as if he would confide the Empress to the eccle-
,iastic.

After this the Emperor lost his speech for a while,
during which time he was engaged in prayer, and crossed
hlinself repeatedly, He sutmequntly regained his voice,
aid spoke fr)m time to time up to his decease, which took
place without a struggle in the presence of the whole
. _

family, March 2, at ten minutes past noon.
Almost the last articulate words that the Emperor
spoke were, " Dittes h Fritz (King of Prussia) de rester
tonjours le memo pour la Russie, et de ne pas oublier
les paroles de papa" (the late King of Prussia).
At first the face of the corpse was very much sunk
and fallen in. But, in the evening, the fine features
had become more imposing tban ever from their repose
and regularity.
Up to the present time the Empress has borne this
unexpected blow with wonderful strength. Yesterday
evening she passed an hour alone with the corpse.
The consternation which overcame every one at the
suddenness of this fearful blow is now giving place to
the feelings of pain and grief.