Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1854-09-01
The Eseane Of the Czar.

79It will be recoected that in the foreign summary
by the Atlantic it briefly stated that the Emperor
Nicholas and Archduke Constantine narrowly escap-
ed capture by an English steamer. The London
Times of August s. gives the following account of IL
"a man gets up in the morning on his own pre-
Misses but little knows where he may sleep at
night The Car of All the Russas has lately been
within ace of offering in his own person pract-
cal confirmation of this we'll known saying. What
would the British public have thought-what would
Europe have thought-what would the King of
Prussia in his cups have hought-what would Omar
Pasha in his feZ cap have thought-what would the
allied troops have thought-and finally, what would
the Three per Cents have thought, If, about this time
the CZaf of all the Russias the Archduke Constan-
tine and the Archduchess, and the Russian Admiral
in command at Cronstadt, had been sent home by
Sir Charles Napier in the small steamer which had
captured them improbable as the tale may appear
impossible the catastrophe- was fairly upon the
cards within the last few weeks. The facts are
these A short while back, while the allied fleets
were lying before Cronstadt, an English yacht be-
longing to Lords Litchfeld and Euston, with Lord
Clarence Paget board ventured somewhat too near
the guns of the place. Suddenly putt of steam was
seen the Russian side, and small Russian steam
er put out to sea- with the evident intention of cut
ting off the English Yacht On board of that
were the Gar Nicholas, his son the Archduke Con-
stantine, the Archduchess his wife and the Russian
Admiral, who all went forth enjoy the satisfaction
of an easy triumph over the poor little yacht She
is, in point of fact stated have been in the most
imminent danger of capture.
The Gar, however, destined to be foiled in his
anticipated little triumph, he has already been
foiled in his hopes OF many great An English
war steamer, seeing the danger to which the yacht
was exposed, advanced with all speed to her relief
Shortly she obtained such position that the English
yacht was safe and the only question that remained
for discussion between the two small war
steamers the under English and the other I'M
der Russian colors. Could the English but have
known the valuable freight which that steamer con-
tained-coud the captain but have known that by
capturing her. sending her 10 the bottom, peace
would have been restored TO Europe, and probably a
million of human lives first ard last, be saved,
have no doubt that he would have carried one the
other of the alternatives into effect, though his
destruction, that of his ship and of every soul
on board of her had been the inevitable consequence.
AS it was, he nothing before him but little
trumpery steamer-he had carried his purpose OF
relieving the English yacht into effect-and remem
bered ORDERS which certainly had been issued to the
effect that no English ship upon the mere heroic
impulse of her commander, should be thrust into the
lions mouth. We have no doubt that this so,
and that when the English captain gave orders for
putting the head of his steamer round, he did with
the feeling that he had very satisfactorily discharged
the duty with which he had been entrusted. Little
did he suppose, at the moment, that he had LOST
probably the greatest opportunity for obtaining per
sonal distinction which had been thrown in the
way of single man. The English nation venerates
the of Lord Nelson for the sake of certain little
affairs in which he was engaged off Cape St. Vim
cent, at the Nile, at Copenhagen at Trafalgar, and
elsewhere; but not all these wonderful important
and heroic Achievements combined would have had
! such an important influence the history of the
world the capture of that little Russian ship. Il
given to the captain of small steamer to change
4 the face of Europe in ten minutes well employed
but in pure innocence he missed the chance.