The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-04 00:00:00

RUSSIAN CORONATION FETES.

MOSCOW, SEPT 23.
THE DINNER TO THE PEOPLE AND "THE ACCIDENT."
The rain utterly destroyed the effect of the very
curious and almost grand spectacle of the dinner given
by the Emperor to 200,000 people, though it must be
admitted that, so far as the spectators were concerned,
they would have deprived them of the pleasure of seeing
so many mouths filled at once had they acted on a fine
day as they did last Saturday. It was not the police
chief, but a stupid artisan, who caused the fatal and pre-
mature onslaught npon the victuals. The Czar was much
displeased when he heard of the mistake but he displayed
that command over his feelings for which he is remark-
able, and in which he presents a contrast to his late
father, and very sensibly remarked that as it was done
it could not be helped.
The reason assigned to me for this extraordinary
contretemps by a Russian officer of rank was as fol.
lows :—lt all arose out of a "signal"--that never-failing
source of disaster, and error, and confusion. It appears
that the laissea oiler was to have been given to the
people by the hoisting of a white flag on the flagstaff of
the pavilion occupied by the Emperor, and that this was
to have been done by the order of his Majesty, to let
the multitude know they might fall on the feast in his
presence, The luckless chef do police, on whom so much
reprobation has already fallen, took it into his unhappy
head to experiment with the feelings, passions, organs,
and emotions of about half a million of people ; he
wanted to see if the flag halyards were " all right," and
to that end he very wisely gave the order to haul away,
and up went the white flag and the double-headed
black eagle thereupon fluttering aloft to the top of the
pole. Now, it is likely that the *AV was quite prepared for
its not going up, but it is certain he was utterly unprepared
for the contingency of its elevation. The flag, the cyno-
sure of hundreds of thousands of hungry eyes, had not well
flown clear out from the staff ere, with a growl of de-
light, and with a simultaneous spring like that of some
hungry monster, the myriads rushed on the tables, and
in the twinkling of an eye sheep, sausages, hams, bread,
beef, fowls, fruit—ay, even the platters, dishes, plates,
trees, tubs, wooden spoons, and some of the very tables
themselves, were swallowed in that mighty maw, and
had disappeared for ever. The flag was seen by all the
world, but few indeed beheld the unhappy police master,
who in unspeakable affright and consternation ordered
the people to stop, shouted to his emissaries, sent orders
to distant Cossacks, and had the flag jerked down again
in all haste. The mischief was done—the feast was
gone. As well might the Cossacks hope to keep out
the tide with their lances as strive to break the
human flood which raged round the remnants of the
banquet. These remnants were only bits of wood,
fragments of traa.., and pieces of the stands
on which the sheep bad been impaled and from
which sausages and fowls had depended. The waters
dammed up so long were irresistible when the dam had
once given way. The immense mass of human beings
who, restrained by their feelings of loyalty and obedi-
ence to the Emperor, and by the fear of the lance of the
Cossack, had tranquilly waited through hours of rain
and storm for the sluices to be opened, had burst forth,
and "all the King's horses and all the King's men could
not get them back again," or undo the work they had
performed with such prodigious celerity. One could
form some notion of the way in which the pyramids were
built by seeing the way in which 5,000 sheep and many
tons' weight of meat and bread and massive tables and
woodwork were all gobbled up, secreted, or carried off
by this " little dinner party." It is true we did not
see it, for the programme fixed it for 12.30, and the
proceeding took place before 10 o'clock, and there was
nothing to gaze at of all we had come to see.
The "people's" dinner cost 350,000 silver roubles.

THE EAL BASQUE AT THE KREXLIN.

The bal masque for the people took place on Thursday
night at the Palace of the Kremlin. About 20,000 per.
sons were present. That is a literal fact, but it must
not be supposed that because it was called bal masque
in French, or maskerad in Russian, that there was either
dancing or masques. It was a dense and silent mob,
of all ages and conditions, within five of the largest
salons in the world. The alls of St. George, St. Vla-
diinir, and St. Andrew, and the Salle Alexandre were
brilliantly illuminated ; in the last alone there were
more than 2,000 wax lights burning, in richly gilt can-
delabra, and the other halls were illuminated with a
similar profuseness and splendour. It was not yet 9
o'clock when we entered the palace by one of the private
doors, and, passing, through long galleries, cor-
ridors, passages, conservatories, filled with pictures,
statuary, plants, and flowers, and lined with
a magnificent valitaille and detachments of the Che-
valier Guard and of the Grenadiers of the Court, de•
bouched into the space in front of the thrones,. which
was reserved for the diplomatic circle, the Ministers of
State, the officers of rank, and strangers invited to at
tend. A barrier about three feet was thrown across the
hall, at the distance of seven or eight yards from the
foot of the thrones, which were just the same as we saw
them on the day of the coronation, and outside this bar-
rier there was a dense mass of human beings, whose
heads and faces tapered away in long perspective to the
end of the hall, and were again visible through the arch
in the hall below, till they were at last lost in the haze.
Merchants' wives and daughters, the families of the in-
ferior employjs, those of the lower order of nobility, the
shopkeepers, the stall-owners, the servants, the mujiks,
the very droschky drivers were all there, packed as close
as they could be, all looking towards the thrones, or
trying in vain to get a glimpse at the reserved paral-
lelogram, in which a very brilliant crowd of gentle-
men and ladies, in full uniform, were already awaiting
the arrival of the Emperor. Lord and Lady (-1--
vilte, ct Wodehouse, M. de Morny,
Rnal a host of generals blazing with .rders, chatioguirsbal
-.ere In this magic square, which
was kept In order by the Chatnho,-1.1.. of the Court, all
in their magnificent State uniforms. The negroes of the
Court brought round from time to time trays of ices.
A splendid supper for 1,500 guests was served.
THE BALL OP THE NOBLESSE.
The ball of the noblesse of Moscow also took place in
their splendid mansion on Thursday night, and was at-
tended by 3,000 persons of the best families in Russia.
Although each government has its own nobility, to
Moscow belongs the privilege of calling that of its
government the Nobility of Russia, as they belong
to the oldeib races and to the old:capital .f the osuntrys
The whole of the fine building in which the ball took
place was fitted up with great taste and richness.
The exterior was brilliantly illuminated with coloured
oil lamps, and threw a rich light on the mass
of people assembled in the square and on the
helmets of the mounted Gendarmerie who kept the way
clear. The entrance was guarded by a detachment of
' Grenadiers of the Guard, and the large double staircase
leading to the ball-room was lined with rare plants and
flowers. The Marshal of the Nobility and Countess
Zacrefsky, the wife of the Governor of Moscow, received
the company. In the ante-chamber of the first salon a
guard of honour of the Paulovski Regiment—they of
the rotroussez noses and moustaches—were stationed.
The saloons, which are adorned by portraits of the Em-
press Catherine, of the late Czar, and of many of the
Imperial family, and of the great nobility, are sufficiently
spacious and handsome ; but the sallo de dense is one of
the finest apartments I have ever seen—all white marble,
exceedingly lofty, chaste, and well proportioned. At one
extremity the thrones were placed, under a dais, for the
Emperor and Empress, and a reserved place was kept
apart for the Ambassadors and their wives, and for the
Imperial family. The Emperor was dressed in the uni-
form of tho Cossacks of the Guard, a scarlet tunic with
silver lace, and a shako with a straight stiff plume or
long tuft. I never can describe ladies' dresses, and all
I can say is that the Empress looked exceedingly well,
and wore resplendent jewels, and that the Grand Duchess
Constantine was charming, graceful, and beautiful, as
she ever appears, whether attired a la Russe or decked
in the newest fashion, set off by the finest diamonds and
emeralds, such as she was to-night. A lase() gallery, at
a considerable elevation, runs along the ball-room,
from which the spectators can see what passes below,
and it was filled by ladies and gentlemen in full dress,
or by the dancers, who in vain sought refuge there
from the heat. The scene was very magnificent, the
number and variety of uniforms, diplomatic dresses,
and the national costumes of Tartars, Greeks, Min.
grelians, Circassians, Turks, Daghestanlis, Tcbeskes,
Georgians, and those of the Boy ards and Boyardesses,
in the habits of former times, producing the effect of a
very magnificent fancy ball. I must modify very consi-
derably the opinion insinuated some time ago respecting
the paucity of pretty women in Moscow, for there were
present last night a large number of very attractive and
elegant persons, who amply redeemed the character of
the Russian type, and displayed great charms of face and
figure. Waltz, mazurka, polonnaise, and national dances
succeeded each other rapidly till supper time, and were,
I dare say, resumed afterwards with increased vigour.
Lord and Lady Granville and the Marchioness of Staf-
ford, Lord Wodehouse, M. de Morny, and most of the
foreign Ministers and attaches, were present. To day
there is to be a grande chase, and the weather promises
to let all the world enjoy it.