The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1854-09-06
- !. o.. P.ssgas..
The Gar Nicholas.

PAEiE. luly =, l6S4-
On the 9th Of this preseat month Of
July, Annp Domini is54, the Emperor
Of Russia xas ffty-eightyesrs Of age );
IL must have been anything bot joy.
Gus birth day telebration TO him. il one
half the sccoB1ts we have from ST. Pc
.tersburg be frpe- Bata short year ago
Nicholss was described as man IN
che full visor of life; now Il is repre-
septed on all sides that his appearance
indicates decTepitnde. and that he
bears about him The marks of at least
seventy winters. Il is said Of him
that Ne is broken IN health and IN heart;
that .he Scoops as IL burdened with
years that he trembles with weakness
because be cannot take sufficient food !;
that the eagle glance of his once bright
eye has become wolfish; and that the
proud calm Of his once fine face has
gwen way 60 an expression Of anxiety
and deep trouble. In short, he looks
as though he might have been The orr
ginal Of The lines commencing.
PITY the sorOws Of a poor old man.
A mournful picture this. bat there
are too many evidences of lis fidelity
20 doubt us being strictly true.
Froia long aud interesting article
in the London Daily News. II seems
that Nieh9las was only four and a half
years old when his wretched father
came TO an untimely end ; and he is,
therefore. al least. exempt from the
horrible imputation which rested on
his elder brothers-that they knew
what was doing on the night Of the
Emperor Paups murder, and consented
to his assassination as the only means
of saving their own liberty, and even
life. The Emperor Alexander was
then a young man Of twenty.four. pro-
missing and aiIablc he did much good
in his time to the lower order Of his
subjects formed plsns,far enancipat>
ing altogether his serls. after an inter
val Of amclioratea condition aud e.
nally died Of aebroken heart, according
TO the testimony of some Of his own
countrymen,, on account Of the ingra.
titude with which his services or hi,
efforts Tor his PEOPLES welfare wer,
repaid in other words, because Iii.
mobiles would not assist him in his en-.
ydeavors to do away with sesldom.
After the peace Mhish followed the
battle Of Warlerloo, and when he wa:
twenty years old, Nicholas visited
England. Tie was then tall, stern
youth, ill-tempered and extremely lln
popular. On his return to Russia, he
explored his own country, lived fol
some 6we in each gifts principal cities
and IL was. during this perjsl that b,
appears TO have imbibed his brothers
benevolent notions in relation 10 anne,
iioiating the condition Of HE lower on,
.deIs, and conceived rhe idea Of lhei
ultimate emancipation.
In 1877 he married the prussiaI
princess, who is now nursing him il
his premature old age with exemplary
care aud kindness. In 1925 Alexan
der died suddenly at raganrog som,
said from braken heart as above
,ssipc from a fever. and some From POI,
son T; there were even ihose who init
mated that Nicholas had some hand IL
his death, and that he had already gon,
over 10 the Boyalds or serG-ownrrs
who were hostile TO Alcxandcr's libe
raj policy. he this as it NAV, he hat
not been many years on The throne be
fire all attempts to abolish seri,lom
were given up, and all idea Of regene,
rating the policy Of the empire as well
and since then he has played the par
Of the yeriest tyrant. L. is said in thi.
excuse that every hope held out BY
Alexander 70 better the condition 81
the seflshad unly led TO violence-that
when once assured that they were re.
gardcd and pitled, they began TO Gu,
their masters to pieces, or 10 flag them
ali,c-and all this is probably to al
extent tue; OYER sscl, subjects as IL
had TO deal with. he could play no 9th
,er pag; than that. of a tyrant.
But dcspotic as were his measures
,his manners seem to have improved
he no longer betrayed the irascibility
,oI temper which had caused men Ia
shun him while prince and on rising
to supreme power, he became totally
altered man. For years and years he
brldleslh his passions, and made MANY
friends by d suaxity he knew well how
10 assume. Its said that the strength
Of his will has never shown itself more
.marvelously than in the restraint which
be has kept upon his temper up to the
breaking out Of the present war; but
Of late, AMI more especially since his
re,erses before SiIisiria, and the loss
or defeat Of all his best generals, his
self-control has given way, and his
passions and manners are like those of
shic ynuth