Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1856-10-04


charmed his mother and feared his father, nee
essar'iy ieli and awakened n others sympaihies
and aniipathies. lie veneraied his uncle Mich
ael, forgetting his roughness on account Of his
kindness. He cherished his three sisters. but
leaned with less affection towards the grave
Maria than towards the gentle Alexandra and
the ideal Olga. Alexder experienced two.
fold sentiment towards his aunt Helena, who.
Of all the persons of the imperial family, was
most ayerse to the simple cusiums Of The do
nestle hearth, and needed splendor and display
even in her mos, private circles. II on one side
she seduced the young prince by the graces oi
her mind, on the other she crushed him under
the weight Of her Superiority.
As to the three brothers, the grand dukes
Nicholas and Michael were too young 10 exef-
else any appreciable Influence over him. No,
so the grand duke Constantine. This prince
manifested from childhood frmness Of soul
which often passed into rudeness. The Tartar
revived in him, and he took his name, Consiau-
tine. 10 earnest musing on Constantnople lie
studied and spoke Turkish the glory Of Rus
sla exalted his brain. In making other con-
quests, he studied the history Of those which
had already been made. lie was often snrpris-
ed lying upon map and tracing lines, and
when asked what he was about, ~ am regulai-
leg the DIVISION" he said ~ am marking
what must come 10 my brother and what must
come to me-" Sincerely orthodox, he idenii-
fed himself with the old Russian party, whose
ambitions lie had imbibed He even went so
FAR as to curse the law Of primoeeni,ure. which
fixes the succession TO the throne upon the first
born, pretending that he would not submit to
il.
One day the two brothers and some OF their
young companions we're playing in an apart
ment Of the winter palace. Their play was
the scene Of the death Of Paul l. Alexander.
attached, was thrown down Constantine press
ed on his chest and, aided by his accomplices,
passed noose around his neck, making believe
TO strangle him. "Mercy! mercy" cried
Alexander, whose voice reached the ears Of the
car. Nicholas sprung from his cabinet and
stood in CONSERVATION before this game Of the
princes; he reprimanded the others, but he
punished Alexander, observing to him that the
cry Of 'mercy" was unworthy of car.
We may easily imagine what an influence
the character Of Constantine exercised over his
elder brother. Il is true that, with time, this
e6ervescence Of the Young grand duke was sub
dued but as we may readily understand, the
character which it announced has none the less
still preserved lis virtual identity.
When Alexander had attained his sixteenth
year, which according to the fundamental laws
Of the empire is the age of majority, in which,
"a l.air fa tbs anI L.
member Of the imperial family. he bad to take
the oath Of obedience and fidelity to the reign
ing czar, his life became more and more iroub-
led from the ncessant activity which his new
position required of him. Alexander was first
aid -de-camp TO his father he commanded in
person the regiment oflancers Of the guard, and
added to these titles that OF Hetman Of the Cos
sacks. which no prince in person before him
had borne. He lived altogether like a soldier
in campaign. Sleeping on a hard bed, he rose
before day in the morning to pass into his study
room. He studied slrateges and tactics. Az
other hours special masters came to teach him
administration and political economy. All the
time not devoted TO his arduous duties, he pass
ed on horseback beside his father. His meals
were short, his promenade rapid, his pre-occu-
patton too urgent TO allow Of his relaxing the
tension Of his mind in worldly amusements.
Such life Of tasks and maneuvres would
naturally very soon fatigue so calm tempera-
ment, and the Emperor himself perceiving this,
became uneasy about il. lie sent the Grand
Duke to travel in Germany. where he might
shake oil his melancholy. Il was in these trav-
els that he made the acquaintance Of his future
wife, the Princess Maximilienne Wilhenina
Augusta, daughter Of Louis H., Grand Duke
of Hesse, whom he married on the 2sth Of A pril
1871. Of simple and pensive beauty. she at
uacied by kindred vein Of melancholy, the
heart Of Alexander, who, from this epoch, has
been cured Of his sadness.
The numerous different journeys of the i'm
perial family in 1850 have not been forgotten.
From observations too numerous to be mention
ed here, it appeared that the Car Nicholas al
ready at that time proceeded slowly with his
preparations for war
While the Emperor, ailer having iraversed
the interior ofhis empire, from Moscow to Ken,
surrounded al Warsaw by all his family, and
by the most ilusrioos princes and ministers Of
Germany, employed his sojoum there in pom
pous displays, and while the Grand Duke Con-
stantine trayersed, at tho head of his squadron
the different coasts of the Baltic and the Gulf
of Finland, the Grand Duke Alexander, nu-
merously escorted, journeyed towards the Cau-
casus, visiting Cherson, Nicolaie0'and Sebas,o-
pol. This journey, though unattended by in
cidents special importance, is sufficiently sig
nifcani, in connection with events which have
since taken place in the region of his travels.
At this time the Grand Duke Alexander had
in addition to the functions already mentioned,
become a member Of the Council Of the empire,
superior chief Of the military schools, curator
in chief of the military hospital of Thesme, com
mander-n-chiefo several other regiments, pro-
prieior of Two foreign regiments, &c. But of
all these dignities, none seemed 10 him to have
been more agreeable Than that OF Chancellor Of
the University of Finland, which title, by the
way, he had borne since his eighth year. Dur
ing his minority the affairs Of the university fol-
lowed the direction which The Car Nicholas
had given them; but arriving at his majority,
and ualarutandtnr tha tDnax,,noa or a.. ~.