The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1855-05-26
The Ton,b Of car Nicholas.

a correspondent of the oston Transcript,
writing from st. Pctcrsbu re-. under date of
the 18th Of April, gives the following inter-
esting account Of "a visit to the tomb of the
Emperor Nicholas:
''Thc most interesting Church in st Peters
burg is that dedicated to St. Peter and Paul,
otherwise called the Fortress Church., as it
stands within the citidcl of the city. Its
slender sfire, precisely resembling that of the
Admiralty, rises far above all others, to the
height of three hundred and forty feet, and
its gilded surface shines dazzinely in the sun.
1t isSseid that twelve thousand ducats have
alrcad been expended in the gliding of this
spire!#But within the Fortress Church rests
tho remains of all the Cars since Potter the
Great. !. No. European monarch rests so unos-
tentioqay and no others are buried within
the WANTS of a fortress. 10 each Emperor
there is erected merely a sarcophagus with
frequently his initial letters engraved upon 1t.
pail or cloth of gold embroidered with the
double headed eagle. Upon the Grand Duke
Constantinc's tomb lie the keys Of some
Polish fortrcsscs, while Alexander's bears
small military medal, with his portrait.
Each tomb is surrounded bya neat iron rail-
ing. and the part of the nave devoted to the
tombs is again separated from the body of the
church. AS visited the church during Lent
the cloth of gold was concealed in every case
by faded black covering. Begimring with
Peter the Great, passed by all the Cars in
chronological order. Here lay the grcat
Catherine, and, sleeping quietly by her side,
her husband, Peter H., to whom she in her
lifetime refused this place. Around one of
the sarcophagi | saw dense crowd, and APP
preaching it. found it that of Nicholas. The
cloth was new. and no dust had settled upon
the ermine border His initial letter was en-
broldered IN anaranth, and a candle burns
day and night upon the tomb. The little
relic that was placed upon his breast while he
lay In state III the Palace, lies upon the mid
die OF the sarcophaguS. tits surrounded by
a wreath of immortals Every one who APP
preached the spot seemed touched with real
sorrow, and all spoke in whispers around the
grave OF the great man. AS | stood there
watching tho crowd, the gates were suddenly
thrown open and an old general in full uniform
entered and approached the tomb Taking
off his helmet he held it before his face. and,
kneeling, seemed for few moments to be en-
gagged in earnest prayer. The helmet shook
in his hand as with emotion. Finally rising,
he kissed the relic that had lain upon his
masters breast, and then crossing the aisle.
kissed Alcxandcr's tomb in the same way.
He had served under both Emperors, and this,
his daily tribute to their memories was most
touching. lie is the commander of the fort
ross of st. Petersburg. and one of the last
acts in the public life of Nicholas was to
thank him for his public services. The Gar
sent him the imperial portrait enriched with
diamonds.
Upon the walls and around the pillars Of the
Fortress Church, hang trophies taken from
the Turks, Pcrsians and French. In this way
the Russians have decorated all their church,
es, and there is hardly nation but what is
represented in st. Petersburg or Moscow
The English, believe, are the only cxcep-
tons: but who can tell how long they may
continue so! Above three hundred Persian
suns and Turkish cIesccnts here bow before
the cross of the Christians.
From the church we went to the house of
Peter the Great, just without the walls of the
fortress, and upon the same island. This
was the nucleus of the present city, and could
Peter rise from his grave to see the work of
his successors, his ambition would be more
than satisfied. The cottage is divided into
three apartments. The inner one was his |
sleeping room; the one adjoining, his chapel,
in which are still preserved the pictures
Which, He WoTaHlpPeu' 1He tnlTu TooIn WAS |
his reception room, and it is filled with rich |
offerings which are contained in show cases |
ranged around the room. 1t consequently |
looks more like a jewellers shop than any
thing else. On one side Of the house is shown
the boat made by Peters own hands-also
the sails prepared by himself The whole
cottage was rapidly going to decay, but Alex
ander caused it to be covered by casting of
brick, so that it is now no longer exposed to
the weather. Amsterdam was evidently Pc
ter's model of a commercial city, and his first
care in commencing his capital, was to inter-
sect its proposed site by canals. His success
sors, however, not being so Dutch in their
tastes, caused many of these canals to be
I'D up, and gardens to be planted in their
stead. Tho Basillus Island, therefore, has
many delightful gardens instead of closely
ranged masses of brick walls"