The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1845-10-31

purb and the most curious of all dis.
plays, never was there an occasion
more fitted for its indulgence. Al
the armories of Europe, and of Asia
seemed to have been searched fol
the arms and ornaments of this as.
sembly. The Kremlin had given up
its barbaric shield and caps Of
bronze; the platc-mail of the Crusa-
der; the goldinlaid morions and cut
rasscs of France; the silver chain
mail of the Circassian; the steel
corslet of the German chivalry ; and
a whole host OF the various and rich
equipments of the Greek, the Hun
garian, the Moresco, and the Turk
omen made the Winter palade a
blaze Of knighthood.
Yet, to me, after the first excite
ment, the whole conveyed a deep
impression of melancholy. 1t ire
sistibly reminded me of the last GER
emonial of dead sovcreigns, the
"Chapclle Ardente." Even the cur
tains which fell round the throne.
Iringed with jewels ar they were, to
me looked funeral. The immense
golden candclabras were to me the
lights round bier. | almost mag
med that ! could see the sword and
sceptre laid across the coffin, and all
of the lords of Empire that remain
ed, corpse within.
was reused from my reluctant
revcric by the approach of a group
ofmasks, who came dancing towards
the recess where had retired, wea-
ried with the general noise, and the
exhaustion of the fete. One of the
easements opened into the famous
Conservatory; and | was enjoying
the scents Of the thousand flowers
and shrubs of, perhaps, the finest
collection in the world. But, in the
shade, the group had evidently over
looked me for they began to speak
ofmatters which they could not have
designed for a strangers car. The
conduct Of the Gar, the wrongs Of
Russia, and the "ncccssity of COMING
to decision" were the topics
Suddenly, as if to avert suspicion
one of the group struck up popu
lar air on the little three-strinpe,
guitar which throws the Russia,
crowd into such eXtacies: and the,
began dance, accompanying it witt
a murmuring chorus, which soor
convinced me of the dangerou.
neighborhood into which | had ral
len. The words became well know,
afterwards. No language excel tn,
Russian in energy; but / must civ,
them in the weakness of a transla.
ton.
The Ncva may rush
To It's fountain againI
Tie bill of bird
] Lake Ladoga may drain;
The blast from the pole
May be held in a chain:
Bot the cry of a Nation
| Was never in vain.
When the bones Of our chiefs
Fed the wolf and the kite;
When the spurs Of our squalrons
Are bloody with bright
When the Black Eagles banner
j torn from It's height;
Then, dark hearted dreamer
Beware of the night!
hear in the darkness
| The tread of the hnd;
They stop no, for iron
They stop not for gold;
Dut the sword has an edge
And the Scarf Las fold
Proud master oi millions
Thy tale has been told!
Now the chambers are hush'd,
And the strangers are gune,
And the sire Is no sire,
And the son Is no son.
And the mightCst of Earth
i Sleeps forever alone,
The worm for his brother,
The clay for his home!
My conviction was complete
when in the whirl of the dance,
small roll of paper dropped from tn
robe of one of the maSkcrs, and fcI
at my feet. In taking it up to re
turn it to him, saw that it was
list of names, and, at the head,
name which, from private informa
ton, | knew to be involved in dar
political purposes. The though
flashed across me, in connectio
with the chorus which | had jus
heard, that the paper was Of to
much Importance to be suffered t
leave my possession.-The life c
the sovereign might be involved
The group, who had been evident
startled by my sudden appearance
, among them, now surrounded me
and the loser Of the paper inSiste
; on its surrender. The violence {
= his demand only confirmed my reso
: luton. He grew more agitated still
: and the group seized me. laid IN
hands upon my sword. This meas
, urc stopped them for the moment
l But in the next, / saw knife bran
+ dished in the air, and felt myse
= wounded in the arm. Ny attem,