New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-05-27
Manners of Nicholas of Russia.

The Hon. G. NJ Dallas, late Vice President
of the United States, and Minister to Russia,
gives the following "reminiscences of the Car
Nicholas:
No admitted merit-no length of service-no
elevation Of rank, can avert the blow with
which he is ever ready to strike the culpable or
disloyal To maintain the discipline of his
| troops, he is in the habit Of suddenly visiting
| their stations without warning, and proceeding
at once to their inspection-when wee to the
| officer or private then detected in fault! He
has been known on the instant Of discovering
| remissness or inattention, to tear off, with his
own hands, the epaulettes and decorative
badges of a veteran and favorite officer. There
reyels in his temperament what may be called
dash Of romance, which, set off by q form of
great elegance and muscular strength, gives to
| his actions grace, vivacity and interest When
representing the Imperial Chief, his details of
| grandeur and magnifcence may be truly and
orientally gorgeous his audiences, banquets
| and festivals as imposing and dramatic as those
in the Arabian Nights-yet often from them he
| breaks abruptly away - travels Through his
kingdom, unknown and unobserved gaining,
perhaps, admission to the palace of some neigh
boring sovereign, under q fictitious name or as
mendicant by the wayside, claims the charity
| OF his Empress-or, it may be, as an awkward
lubbering captain Of a small craft on the Baltic
and, while supposed to be thus roaming over
the Empire, alarms his ministers by suddenly
presenting himself among them.
| A few years ago, an American frigate, alike
celebrated for the beauty Of her propos tons, the
soiidity of her form and quckness of sailing, en-
| tered the harbor of Gronatadt Her arrival was
at once communicated to Nicholas, and, before
her anchor was fairly down, one of his richly
ornamented steamers was observed approaching
across the wide bay. The steamer stopped at
about one hundred yards distance from the
frigate, and a dazzling group of officers were
seen to enter barge, the course of which was
| Immediately directed towards the ship. Acting
as cocksWain to this barge, and seated at the
stern, appeared q conspicuous figure, with q
small white cap encireled by red band, at
tired in single breasted dark green frock coat,
the attire corresponding with the individual $
subordinate capacity, and presenting q singular
contrast to the epaulettes and other fnery of
those under whose orders he seemed stationed.
| Always prepared to receive such visitors, our
naval commander met them at the gangway and
gave them cordial welcome Among them was
the Vice. Chancellor OF the Empire, the Minister
of Marine, and a number of admirals and gem
eral officers, who went aft in the cabin of the
commodore, while their cocksWain, as if con-
scious that he must look out for himself, walked
"forward' and mingled carelessly with the
common sailors, As he examined the battery
and scrutinized the buiwarks, asking now and
| then some questions, the hardy tars, trained to
discern the air and tone of real authority, in
stinetively touched their tarpaulin hats, and
winking knowingly to each other, whispered
their conviction thatit &C was the old boy, him
SELF z - -
This suspicion circulated with. rapidity
throughout the frigate, but no one deemed it
deoorous, by the slightest word or look, to init
mate its existence to him who thought himself,
as he wished to be, absolutely unrecognized.
After inspecting this proud specimen Of our
naval architecture and armament, the splendid
cavalcade re entered their barge And now ar
rived the moment when the Commodore was to
decide whether he should give the ordinary
salute of twenty one guns, or twice that num-
ber, constituting an imperial salute. The sus-
pected cockswain was then observed, alone, and
leaning on the wheel of the steamer, rs the man
of-wars heavy cannon thundered from her
ports. He remained silent and stationary until
at the sound of the twenty second gun-he
started with surprise; gathered his officers
around him--and after he had explained to
them that the " cute Yankees had seen through
his disguise, he issued his orders for the resump-
tion of his true character, signals were imme-
diately noticed to be exchanged with the sur
rounding forts, and ten or twelve Russian ships
in the harbor The star. spangled banner was
gracefully playing across the bows Of the Amer
ican ship, while every other armed vessel COM
menced firing answering salutes.
4 When these ceased, the flag of the Union
slowly descended, .and Nicholas proclaimed his
real presence by hoisting in its stead the stan-
dard of his house-the dark double headed
eagle, on yellow ground--whose appearance,
as if by magic, awoke the cannon both on thu
shore and the bay, producing the deafening roal
of 1000 guns The self-confdence which leads
to these eccentric movements characterizes tn
department of the sovereign every where and a
all times. Our tancies are apt to imagine hin
always moving in state, and hedging himsel
around with guards and attendants, with all til
show and pomp Of the appurtenances of tyran
ny. Such is not the case. Why, the elected
citizen, the King of France, with powers ex
pressly defined and restricted, feels safe onl.
within his palace walls, or surrounded by hi;
soldiers, whilet Nicholas, the unrestricted ant
irresponsible despot, maintains, in all his inter
course with his people, the freedom and care
lessness of unimportant privacy He IS seen q
! all hours-in 3 small single horse slelgh-ln al
open carriage-on horseback or on foot, unac
eompauied and undistinguished except by thos
, familiar with his general personal appearance
or physognomy Strangers often, unaware of hi
= presence, pass him without respect.
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