The Portland daily press., 1865-08-28
Monday Morning, August %, 1865.
AN IMPERIAL CEREMONY In RUSSIA
The Majority of the Heir Apparent.

Lie 4AdJOr1by u bl0 h61r AppaTenJ.f
On the 1st ofAugust the Grand Duke Alex
ander Alexandrovitch of Russia attained bis
twenty-frst year, and the occasion was cele
brated as national holiday By the death di
the late Czarovitch, thisyoung man is the hci
apparent to the Russian throne. The London
Daily Nescs correspondent thus describes the
ceremony:
Hrhe municipality have caused triumphal
arches to be erected on the road leading to
the chateau where their Imperial Majesties
pass the night and an unlimited quantity of
gunpowder anil Bengal lights will be burned,
wind and weather permitting. The grand
charges of the court, the officers of the guards
and their ladies, the representatives of foreign
courts and their respective staffs, and In fact
all those who have the eatree to the Winter
Palace, are there in gala attire-the men in
their uniforms of state, the ladies of the court
in the handsome and picturesque dress of the
country. 1t is all these that / see driving to
the palace to take part in pageant of which
the official papers have published programme
q here condensed, The members Of the mper-
ia family, the high officers Of state and the di-
plonatic body assembled in the chapel of the
palace. A mass and Te DeHm having been
performed by the Archbishop, of ST., Peters
burg and Novgorod, the heir-apparent, with
right arm upliited, swore fealty to his father
and the empire; he took solemn oath that hb
would uphold and maintain the, laws of the
country, and stand by the rights of his family
to the crown and sceptre, as regulated by the
act of succession. st s7sat9
"a friend who has just returned from Wit
Messing the ceremony describes it as most inn
pressive. The heir-apparent, dressed in the
nandsome blue uniform ofthe Cossacks, whom
he commands by right Of primogeniture, READ
strong clear and unhesitating He then adj
vanced to table, beside which the crown, orb
and sceptTe of the Romanoff dynasty were de-
posited and subscribed to the oath which he
had registered before God and man. The Vice
Chancellor of the Empire, Prince Gortchakof,
advanced to receive the document from hi
imperial highness. Then followed praye;
for the Czarevitch of all the Russias, during
which every man and woman within the chap
el devoutiy knelt. ii Il irlia,f8d3
"The poor Empress, | am told, looked much
affected, and her feelings reached the climax
when her second son came to claim the felici-
tatiCns she had on similar occasion bestow
ed on her first born, so recently torn from her.
The official programme further sets forth tfia.
the Czarevitch, accompanied by the members
of the Imperial family, the diplomatic corps,
&C., proceeded from the chapel to the Hall oi
st. George, where, with one hand grasping the
colors of the Cossack troops, ne took oath that
he would ever remain faithful, with the Cos
sacks under his command, to his Majesty the
Emperor. The representatives of all the regi
ments Of the Guards were there with their col
ors to witness the oath, which done they filed
off at the command of the Grand Duke Mich
olas, general-in-chief of the Guards corps, sta
toned in the vicinity OF this capital. 1t must
have been curious and suggestive to see the
imperial crown borne from the chapel to the
hail by theman who in 1858 did SO much to-
wards placing it in jeopardy-the celebrated
Prince Menchikoff. saii'-aN aAAf * ad3
THE POPULAR CELEBRATION. sa
sFollowing, the example of every inhabitant
of st. Petersburg who could find a vehicle to
transport him, / drove out of town to the sub
urb known as the Islands, where the wealth
ier classes encamp during the hot and dusty
months of GUNNER. My astonishment was
great on observing the absence of two or three
triumphal arches which had been thrown
across the road leading to the imperial chateau
of Ela9hin, where, as l have already said, the
Emperor and Empress are now staying. The
arches had been constructed on a scale OF
much magnifcence The fireworks were to
take place at the end of the long road spanned
by the arches, and these were naturally to
have been great attractions to the holiday
making populace. Making immediate inquiry,
was informed that the triumphal arches had
been pulled down at the desire of the En-
press, which, only known yesterday morning,
was carried into effect in three or four hours
by a great number of laborers Three or four
hours sufficed to destroy the handiwork of al
most twice as many days. Not a yestige Of
the woodwork remained, and even the road
was swept clean within the appointed time.
Your readers here get good insight into the
magical effect of autocratic power, while they
cannot but sympathize with the feelings by
which its exercise was prompted. The afiiict-
ed mother saw no reason for triumph on such
an occasion; it was day of submission to the
Divine will, and her heart. refused to exult
This trait of character will commend itself to
the spmpathies of sorrowing women, but its
effect will be one of disappointment and dis
pleasure to the members of the municipality,
at whose expenses the loyal manifestation, ey-
identity encouraged and permitted by the au-
thorities, had been undertaken, The EN-
pless had apparently only been apprised OF
their intentions yesterday morning, after
considerable outlay of labor and money had
been made, but Of course these should be- of
no consideration when the feelings of moth
er demanded the sacrifice q, & si4liii
"But although there were no triumphal ar
cheS, the villas OF the islands were beautifully
illuminated. The fireworks were not very
successful as rain had fallen in the afternoon.
Tie people were out in great crowds. The
illuminations may have been distasteful to
the Emperor dilO Impress, DuL 1t was necpS-
sary to impress torcibly upon the people the
fact. altollgh the "CazIevich is dead theCzare
vich yet liyesp N
A CHARITABLE ACT
The new Czarevitch has sent the following
letter to the proper official:s
@Prince Alexander Arkadievitch: In tax
ing the most important step OF my life, vowing
devotion to my father, and in his person to
all Russia, my first thought was to mark the
day by an act ofcharity. | herewith transmit
you the sum OF six thousand rUubes, request
ing you to distribute the same among the
poorest OF the inhabitants of the country.
Shall be nappy ifit serve to dry but a few tears
or to provide bread for few needy families ;
and God viii listen to the prayers they will offer
up IN common with me for the long life OF our
Emperor Lord, and for the prosperity of the
country.
"Your well-wisher, iS44 tAIRxaNpER."
THE czAREvTTcH's STUDIES. i4k ID
A newspaper correspondent writes that the
Czareyitch is bnsily engaged in perfeeting his
education, which, accordingly to the rules
affecting the younger sons of the imuer:al fam
ily, had been chiefly a military one durino
the lifetime of his brother. The Emperor has
commanded that, in the present instance. the
studies OF the Czarevitch shall be shared Nv the
Grand Duke Vladimir, his brother next in
age. General Count Perovski, a nobeman of
great talent and high intellectual culture, has
been entrusted with the superindence of their
studies.
lft DG