Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-11-29

The Paris Constitutional, Of the 18th ult.,
has a very curious letter upon Russian affairs.
The aim of the letter, which is u very lengthy
one, is to prove that the Gear is at this moment
by no means ayerse from the idea Of making
proposition Of peace TO the allied powers; and
1t is apropos to this that the writer of the let
ter gives some details of the interior of the
Court of Russia. The present Empress Marie,
the Cars wife, is represented as strongly in
clined toward a line of conduct that may lead
10 peace, and as urging her husband toward
MS point increasingly. 1t is said that her in
huence has caused his journey to the Crimea,
and that her object in making him undertake
this journey was, that he should, with his own
eyes, see the wornout state of his troops, the
discomfort OF the populations, he dangers, in
short, that surround the long-protracted con-
t~inuance of the war. The Empress's influence
is represented as serving to counterbalance
that of the Grand Duke Constantine, and to
maintain in Office, against every chance Of dis
grace, the man whom she thinks the safest
counsellor of the House of Romanoff (for the
reason that he is SO disliked by the ~fanatical
Moscow party the Arch Chancellor Count Mes
selrode. Since the fall Of Sebastopol, it is
said that the Empress's power over her hus.
bands mind has been growing daily; and to
show how she can compass what she has once
resolved to do, a little anecdote of her is told !:
The Czarewitch Alexander married for love
and not for any political consideration, espous-
ing one Of the ~loveliest but poorest aA,d least
important of German princesses, the daughter
of the Grand Duke of Hesse of Darmstadt.
For many reasons the Gear was ll-disposed to-
ward the marriage, but his son would hear of
no other, and the father ended by yielding.
The Princess Marie, of Darmstadt, left her
fathers most dull and impoverished court, and
a home where she had tasted but few Joys of
any kind, for the most splendid Of northern
capitals where the second place was to be hers.
Her own interior was a happy one, but be-
tween her father-in-law and herself there
reigned, for the first few months, small affec-
ton. He took little or no notice Of her, and
she made no apparent efforts to win his favor !;
above all, made no obsequious advances to-
ward him. When the day Of st. Nicholas
came, the Cars fete day, the reigning Elm
press and princesses were much astonished to
find that alone, Of all the family, the Czarewna,
as the wife Of the heir apparent is styled, took
no part in the various little works that each
member of it made a point Of getting ready
in order to present them to its chief. No re-
mark, however, was made on either side, and
the day came.
The presents were given and accepted, and
when all was over the Grand Duchess Marie
rose from her place, advanced toward the Gear
and sinking before him on one knee, with an
air of great reverence repeated the long Credo
Of the Greek Church, from the first word to the
last, in Russian, and with the purest pronuncia-
ton. The Gar, comprehending instantane-
ously what a force of will and application had
been required to render possible this feat, 1.-THE
Princess having been ignorant Of a single Rus
sian word but a few months before, rapturous.
ly embraced his daughterin-law, and from that
hour really, and not fguratively, STOCK her to
his heart" Now this story, told by the Consti-
f%utionael, u doubtedly does show, on the part
of the Czarine a ~tenacity of purpose that, right
ly used, may be of no little consequence in her
present position and in that of her husband. 1t
is never without interest to know the charac-
tiers Of those whose destinies can upon them
for good orfor evil, to play a part in the great
drama of politics, and therefore this insight in
10 the relative positions Of the Gear Alexander
and his consort may be worth having.
From her father, the late Grand Duke Louis,
the Empress OF Russia can scarcely have got
anything save the problematic virtue yclept
good nature his ~failings were those which
could be inherited by no woman, and were
nearly all comprised in n great love of beerl
but from her mother il is to be hoped she may
have inherited much for a more distinguished
woman has been rarely placed at the head of
a State, whether great or. small. The Grand
Duchess Of Darmstadt was a woman Of clear
judgment, liberal opinions, sound sense, large
heart, and the finest tact. Ifher daughter (who
was brought up by her more like an English
woman than a Germany has succeeded to half
her sterling excellence, and has over her hus.
band half the influence that is reported, we
may hope for a modification in the obstinate
spirit Of Russian policy, and the country her
husband governs may look forward to reforms
that will put it more upon n level with the ma
lions around il.