Star.
London, England, 1826-01-19 00:00:00

exceptions to the rule of primogeniture have ees so
numerous in practice, that' there may be great reason to
doubt whether the rule itself holds any very great-
ascendancy, on 'the minds of the Magnates of • the
Empire, who are alone the depositories of the very lit-
tle political power which exists in Russia, independent
of that which may be delegated by the person actually
exercising the sovereignty. Nay, the reigning Dynasty
themselves are totally unconnected, by the ties of blood,
with the ancient Czars of Muscovy, as will appear by
the following brief abstract.
Ivara BamowiTzthe Great, who died in 1584, mar-
ried ANASTATIA, daughter of GEORGE RObIANOFF, a
Noble of high rank. To him succeeded his son FEODOR,
the last sovereign of the race of Ruatc, the descendants
of whom had reigned for 700 years. After FEODOR'S
death, in 1597; a succession of U.urpers appeared, and
disappeared, until at length, in 1615, the Noblei con-
ferred the Sovereignty on MICHAEL ROMANOFP, grand-
son of the brother of the above ANASTATIA, who died
in 1645, and from whom the present Imperial Family
are descended. He was succeeded by his son ALEXIUS,
who died in 1676, having been twice married. By his
first wife he had) besides several daughters, his eldest
son FRC/DOR, who succeeded to the throne, and reigned
six years, and a second son, Iva% By his second wife
he had a son, who afterwards became renowned as
PETER the Great. But, on the death of Feonon,
being deemed incapable, was, after the Empire had
for some time been governed by their sister, SOPHIA,
in the joint names of himself and Pam, finally de-
posed, and PATER assumed the sole sway in 1689, and
was the first who held the title of Emperor and Auto-
crat. IVAN deceased in 1696, leaving three daughters,
the eldest of whom was CATHERINE, Duchess of Meck-
lenburg, who died in 1733, having had a daughter,
ANNE, Duchess of Brunswick, who died in 1744, and
by her a grandson, IVAN, who afterwards became Em-
peror, but was deposed in 1740. The second daughter
of Ivex was ANNE, Duchess of Courland, who died in

1740, having subsequently become Empress ; and the
third daughter was PRESCOVIA, who died in 1731.
PETER the GREAT, by his first Empress, ATTOICESA,
whop► he married in 1692, and who died in 1737, had
a son, ALextua, who died in 1718, leaving a sou, after-
wards PETER IL and a daughter, NATALIA, who died
in 1728. Having separated from his first Empress, and
married CATHERINE AutlowNA, the widow of a Swe-
dish Officer, he had by her two daughters, ANN and
ELIZABETH, besides five other children, who all died in
youth. ANN married the Duke of HOLSTEIN GOTTORP,
and died in 1728, having had a son, afterwards PETER

the THIRD, who married the famous CATHRRINR, Prin-
cess of Anhaltzerbest, afterwards EMPRESS, and grand-
mother of the present Imperial Family. ELIZABETH
was unmarried, but became Emrazaa, and died in 1762.
PETER the GREAT died in 1725, but, notwithstand-

ing the claims of his elder brother's three daughters,
and the claims of the son and daughter of his only son,
Auratru—notwithstaading also the claims of his own
two daughters, ANN and ELIZABETH, he..bequeathed
the Thre De to his second Empress, CATHERINE, who
quietly succeeded, and reigned to the great satisfaction
of the nation;Though only for two years. She was suc-
ceeded, however, in 1727, not by her own children,
but by PETER the Second, son of Armius, who died in
1730 ; and then, by the voice of the Senate and Nobles,
the succession passed for a time altogether from the
family of PETER the GREAT to that of his brother

'Yam, but not to the eldest sister, CATHERINE, Duchess
of Mecklenburgh, but to her younger sister ANN,
Duchess of Courland, who was proclaimed EMPRESS,
and died in 1740, as before stated. By her will she
appointed as her successor, not her niece, ANN, Duchess
of Brunswick, daughter of her elder sister just men-
tioned, but the son of that niece, IvAN IV. this young
Prince, and his father and mother were, however, im-
mediately sent into exile, by another faction of the
Nobles, who were desirous that the succession should
revert back to the daughters of PETER the GREAT by
his s i'e CATHERINE. IvAN was deposed, and shut up
in the Castle of Schlusselberg, where he was mur-
dered, in 1764, not without suspicion of the connivance
of the great CATHERINE, then E►teasris. On reverting
to the line of PETER the GREAT, it is remarkable that
the Nobles again passed by the son of the eldest
daughter, ANN, Duchess of Holstein Gottorp, in
favour of the younger daughter ELIZABETH, who was
proclaimed Empiess in 1741, and died. in 1762. She
had, however, settled the succession on that Prince in
1712, on his first embracing the Greek faith ; and he
was soon after married to the ambitious CATHERINE
of Anhalt, as befote stated. This remarkable woman,
within six months after his succession, hurled him from
the throne, which she herself ascended, in 1762, on the
murder of her unfortunate husband, without any pre-
tence of right whatsoever, other than her power to
make good her daring attempt. At her death, in 1796,
her only son, the Emperor PAUL, succeeded. Having
met the same fate as his unhappy father, he was suc-
ceeded, in 1801, by ALEXANDER, his eldest son, whose
next brother, CONSTANTINE, has now renounced the sucl
cession in favour of his younger brother NICHOLAS.

The Irish Catholic Association commenced its four.
teen days' Session on Monday last, in the Catholic
Rooms, Burgh-quay, Dublin. As usual, there was a
good deal of speaking, and sum• little sparring among
the Members, though it did not, we confess, betray
anything like a " fiend-I;ke spirit," which Mr. SHIEL
acknowledges to have arisen among them.
The meeting on Monday was nit very numerously

attended, except the galleries, which were filled by the-
Ladies, who, no doubt, wished to let how far the It is'.
Lords of the creation surpass their own sex in loqua