Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1853-08-25
Russian Tyranny.
A RIDING SCHOOL SCENE,

hiuiNS SCHOOL SCENE.
The strange being. glimpse Of whose char
scfer may be gained from the following scene.
was The rightful heir TO the throne of Russia A.
the accession Of Nicholas. The Russian gov.
eminent stands at the head Of these govssn
ments which Prof Bowen Repie,o says makes
people SO happy.
Let us shift the scene to Strelna, to enable the
reader to understand what is about to follow
Every one trenbied. The Grand Duke Con-
stan'ne Pauiouitch, (the son Of PauD the elder
brother of the Emperor Nicholas, in whose favor
he had resigned the throne, had got up, as the
nursery maids expressed it, "wth the wrong foot
foremost"
Already those keen observers to whom his
humor had become so terrible a study had bruit-
I'd abroad that his brow looked lowering; and
the intelligence ran from mouth 10 mouth, as
men speak of signs fearful and protentous.
That wrath, which in private life would have
been ridiculed, power rendered momentousy
awful; and it was compa- ed to the tightening,
of which none knew how it was knded, or on
whom it would alight.
| II is true that he was not in his vice.royaIty
of Poland, and that consequently those exposed
to bis uncertain temper formed here but por
ton of the troops, The inspection of which he
bad undertaken.
But amongst those lucky wights whom it
concerned, from the general aide-de-camp down
to the private, this untoward predispositlon occa-
stoned an uneasiness which wus distinctly vsi-
Bile on their conntenances for, under these cir
cnmstsDces. they all well knew how the grand
duke would quarrel with the setting on of
his uniform and dnom him TO the severest pun
ishment, and his officer to degradation, for M.-
There was no averting the i'll effect of his an
ger by the minutest ateni ion to their duties and
appearance, for his wrath would wreak Itself on
some one and they were therefore in the posi-
tion Of those village school boys, who are hlr.
ried into school by the tyranncal master, who
lies in wait to strike The last unfortunate. They
we're sure thai some one must suffer- and there
iote we're only anxious personally to avoid his
dlspleasure, which, from !her trepidation. they
frequently incurred.
On the snhject of the minutie and rigor of
military costume. and discipline, and drill, the
whole of the Romanoff faulty have long suffer-
ed under what the French, with all their love
Of the pompt and circumstance OF war. have
designated, the "manla Of corporasm." Al
exander was about as deeply imbued with it as
any specimen Of the martlnet to be met with in
western Europe but in him it wns scarcely per
ceptible in comparison with his fathe Paul and
his brolheis Nicholas and Michael. whilst in
Constantine il assumed The form of one Of those
nseni,ies which call for the siraighl jacket.
The scene was the riding school of his place
of Stre,la. The Grand Duke Constantine-un.
like his brothers and father, and indeed unlike
all Russians, excepting the Cossacks "a very
b i'd horseman, was about to inspect the riding
of some of the cadets and privates.
Now it happened that, a few weeks before, on
turning a corner, he had come across all officer
who was wearing Ills cooked hat with the point
forward instead f broadwIsp, according TO The
regulation he degraded him from the lieuten.
ancy, and made him common soldier on the
spot but his temper being ruffied by this Incl
dent, he searched the pockets OF the next half
dozen cadets whom he met IN quest of kid
gloves and, making them open their COATS, he
at length pitched upon an unucky youth, who
had perpetrated the offense of venturng to wear
shirt many degrees finer than the regulations
allowed. 1t caused him to strip it off IN the
open street, and also doomed him to the ranks,
sod der like in their appearance bore an un-
blemished character, and we're considered as
good riders in their regiments. he determined TO
transfer them to model regiment at Warsaw.
as both happened to be from the Polish frontier
and on this account they were amongst the
officers and cadets who were to display their
horsemanship before him.
Let the reader imagine the riding school echo
ing to the steT toran roar Of the grand dukes
angry voice, and is dependents all trembling,
because the unfavorabe augury OF bis counte"
nance that morning had been terribly verified,
and he had rot only been scattering his punish
men,s with savage profusion, but there was
little reason 10 believe the distribution of them
over, the most difficult portion of the exhibition
being yet before them.
Several of the 'ders we're looking anxious at
,he eaping bar, and counting the number Of
holes at which il was placed with trepldation,
when the grand duke, to their discontinue
caused it to be raised several pegs higher.
Now" said the grand duke to one Of his
aids.de. camp 81 think thai will do-go and try
it,"
Monseiyneur!" replied the oolooel aid de-
camp, in an accen, of involuntary duplication.
sit is rather high"
"What! dog roared Consta ntine--and the
aid. de-ca,np, dreaeing more the wrath Of The
prince than the barrier, at once spurred his
horse at it; but, in The first place, it was too
high for bis horse to rise to, in the next, he was
too nervous to lh him, 30 that the animal turned
short round. The grand duke jumped in an in
stant on his charger. which soldier held be
side him, and, leaping backwards and forward
over the bar, he came up to the colonel aud spa,
tull in his face.
"There!" he roared, Is it too high9 Go tc
1.-THE barracks, hound-a months arrest !"