Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-03-19
NUMBER lO5.
From the New York Herald.
The Late Emperor Nicholas.

Nicholas Paulovtch, the son of Paul the First
| and Maria Fevd0rowna, was the fifteenth soyer-
eign Of the Romanof dynasty, If the imperial his
torians are to be believed. In reality he was the
eighth sovereign OF the Holstein-G -Gotorp dynasty,
the Romanof race having become extinct with
Peter Ill The IIolsteins are of German descent
their name Is even difficult of pronunciation TO
Russian lips Nicholas, aware that the Mnsoovite
pride would feel but little fattered to owe the sa-
cred person OF their sovereign TO the detesed race of
Nemetz, lGermans) always carefully suppressed
ms real iamiiy name. The courtiers maintained
IN spite OF all proof to the contrary that the blood
flowing In the veins Of the Gar was Russian 10 tho
| last drop. S
Nicholas was twenty nine years of are when lie
came to the throne. Born the year Of Catharine,a
death, ll796,) he had been educated under tho
eye OF his excellent mother, the Empress Marie.
nom whom ne had derived sound religious instruc-
tion and high moral principle Childhood had
yelled from him the awful tragedy which closed
his fathers life, and the great wars which termina
ted with the burning of the Kremln. Warned bv
the example of his brothers. his marriage had been
delayed until he attained his majority, when he
was united to Louisa Charlotte, daughter of Fred
| crick William LII, OF Prussia, lady whose amiablc
character and fond affection have never been cues
toned. From the period of his marriage till his
accession he had, like all members of the reyaI
family, devoted himself to military studies. He
| lived retired, and spent most of his time in the
barracks 1t does not appear that he derived
much frut from his perseverance. He never was
good general, and frequently displayed such want
OF skill as to expose him to the ridcule of his Off
GERS. II we are to believe the works Of some of
his countrymen, he nearly contrved to Illustrate
| tho success OF his own army in 1928 by hjs III
judged interference and injudcious mannuyres.
The very day OF his accession, the most formid-
able revolt that Russia had known since the days
OF Michael komanoif, broke out in the capital. Ii
lie ut, r,S.tL 1. a
which 1t was marked a couple OF thousand officers
and men OF intellect composed its entire force and
their plans were wofully defective. But Il differed
rom all former instructions in its principle There
had been family quarrels for power court intrigues
outbursts OF characterization among the soldery-
TINS was the first direct blow struck for popular
| rights. The aim of Ryleief in the north and Pes
tel in the south, was to supersede the autocracy Of
| the Czars by constitutional monarchy. They
wanted freedom for themselves and their fellow
| countrymen; and though they foresaw that tho
struggle might involve the death of the Car. this
they regarded as mere incidental consequence
and not the main object of their movement They
would have accepted even Constantine. had he oil
fercd them constitutional guarantees for their nat
urai rights. An insurection on this ground was
a new and startling event for Russia
On the 10th OF December the oath was to be adj
minlstcred to the regiments. Instead of swearing
several abandoned their barracks, and marched 10
inc great square In St. Petersburg, on which the
statue OF Peter the Great rests, shouting. Hurrah
for Constantine They might as well have shouted
Hurrrah for the Popel SO far as their purpose
went--but all insurgents must have rallyiup cry.
Conhding his son to loyal Finnish regiment Mich
oias took the command Of few trusty battalions
and advanced against the rebels He tried again
and again TO divert them from their purpose. INIT
falling resorted at last at nightfa 10 the Anal ex
pedicnt OF the grape They were incapable of re-
slsting, and in an hour after the first cannon shot
the streets were cleared and the rebellion was =
quehed. Ryleief and several other leaders were
taken, together with Pestel, whose movements IN
the south we're anticipated. These two eminent
men-the one a stern republican of the old Roman
school, whose soul knew no swerving from the di-
rect line OF principle and who thought of nothing
but freeing his country the other a chivalrous
young officer, full Of nobility eloquence and fire.
W., were n5ed, with three Others on the borders of
roeos brnL aUS ,h .hs drop had fallen, three of the
heavily into the grave already dug A. tha;. s ,e
Cursed country" exclaimed Ryleief awbero ,o nen
Dsaf6airna Df SIC neither conspre were
to the scaf6ld and the gray dawn saw their bodies
stffened in death. Several other conspirators were
sent 10 Siberia
An ominous beginning for reign Il has af
forded Nicholas an opportunity for the display Of
personal courage other qualities were now re-
quired Of him Like Alexander's, his early reign
promised great things. He gained popularity by
assocating freely with his Subjects and interesting
himself in their welfare. He cut down the ex.
penses OF the court and thus relieved the taxpay-
ers. He undertook TO reform every department Of
the government, and displayed untirisg activity In
the public business.
BY the conspiracy Of the 2eth December the
Emperor had been made aware Of the corruption
which had reached all classes the burcaux
full of fraud theft and every kind of ilcgality.
Justice was rendered unjustly, and law was con-
stantly elnded He resolved TO be the Justinian Of
his empire.
Speranski was directed 10 prepare an official col
lection Of the Russian laws The archyes-mili-
tary civil, and synodal-the ukascs Of the impe-
| rial cabinet and the judgments Of the different
branches Of the administration, were put together.
| All these materials formed a general collection
(SoJrdssie ZdkoRU) consisting of thirty-nine thou
sand nine hundred acts. IL is not without interest
to remark that in this enormous number, thirty
thousand nine hundred and twenty Of these acts
| we're anterior TO the accession Of Nicholas; five
| thousand and seventy-thrce were promulgated be-
| tween 1925 and 1882 The Gar ID is seen, alone
| produced more laws than several deliberate as
semblies lie himself presided at the compilation
of the acts which VIC have just spoken OF, and
which IL was Of course necessary TO make agreo IN
/ all their details.
/ Already forty-fye quarto volumes Of the Svod,
| or Russian Digest have been published, and regu-
late the decisions Of the Russian tribunals
During long period Nicholas passed all his
nights and days in experimenting these srduous
labors and in bringing them to satisfactory result,
In spite Of the dumb resistance Of the burcaucras.
His frame soon showed signs ofthe exccN6ye lator
he imposed on himself; his wife constH plead
ed with him for some relaxation from toIA4 where
he could detect corruption he punished i severely.
Thus for a year or two he did well.
i Soon, however he struck upon the rock on
which his brother had foundered. Unsuitable am
bition traditional thirst for conquest, hurried him
into wars. The taxes rose again. Discomfort re-
yived Secret societies were formed. Insurrec-
tions broke out in various provinces. Then Poland,
crushed under the iron heel Of Constantine, made a
feeble effort to rear its head. The club Of Nicholas
battered IL TO the earth. EHectualy TO prevent
future complaints, whole provinces were depopu-
| lated
The vengeance Of Nicholas was pitiless. Every
one remembers the horrible treatment to which
the insurgents we're subjected. Poland was incor.
N A wsnWa nNN