Litchfield enquirer., 1868-08-27

snoe Celo, the emperor, on horseback, pre- sented his troops to the empress, seated Tn her carriage. Suddenly appeared on the drill ground a cariole drawn by one horse, and out of which stepped field .jague'', (courier of the palace,) charged with two autographic letters from the King of Prus- sia to the Emperor and Empress. As the Empress was the more easily approached he handed her the first letter, and ran to- ward the emperor to present the second. But some steps from him he paused, turns pale, and bursts into tears. The letter is | lost.
 Trembling from head to foot, he traces his steps to try and find it, but the soldiers the aides-de-camp, the horses, have already trodden it in the dust, and the precious envelope cannot be found.
 What ais that animal?' asked the en- peror, of one of his aides-de-camp.
 I do not know, sire
 Well, go and ask him and bring me his reply
 The aid-de-camp spurred his horse, and from the lips of the poor field jaguer he learned than aa autograph letter from the King of Prussia to the Emperor of Russia had been lost. He brought the Czar the information.
 The face of Nicholas clouded instantly; his expression was gloomy and severe.
 Take charge of this man yourself, and without allowing him to communicate with any one, conduct him immediately to Sibe- ria. Let him not be harshly treated, but let him never again appear in Europe | The aid-de-camp, as well as the unhappy field jaguer. were both to set out, without even changing their boots, for this journey of two thousand leagues. The aide-de- camp returned eight months afterward, and was recompensed by promotion from the emperor, but the poor courier was doubtless dying or dead in the neighborhood of Tobolsk, such faults as his having escaped an amnesty. Such instances q witnessed the one am about to relate,) were not rare in the life of Nicholas. One morning in the spring, when freshet of the Neva had rendered its crossing extremely perilous, the empe- TOT, on looking from the window of his Winter Palace. saw large crowd watching, in evident stupefaction a man directing himself, by leaps from one piece of ice to another. toward the opposite shore.
 He called his attendant aide-de-camp.
 Look at that fool, said he, What cour- age! Run and see what motive he has for exposing his life.'
 The aide-de-camp learned the particu- lars and returned.
 Sire he is peasant who has bet he would cross the Neva for twenty-five rou- bles, and is trying to gain the reward T Give him twenty-five lashes,' replied Nicholas; a man who risks his life in this miserable way would be capable of any thing for money.
 ], ORIGIN OF THE GREAT NICHOLAS RAILROAD.
 To desperate caprice of the same kind is due the construction of the railroad from St. Peterburgh to Moscow, called the Nicholas railroad. The emperor had in his court certain general, Kleinmichel, dis agreeable person, exceedingly unpopular, and of equivocal fidelity, but who pleased by his reticence and promptness in execu- ting orders. When the road was decided upon by counsel of ministers, and its erection considered urgent, map of Rus sia was brought to the Czar, who was ask e ed to look over the course designated by
 erendtf different engineers and give his pref
 tooE +ho Nicholas, without saying word.
 Woscnw to 1,n. = aarked a straight line from
 supplied englneers e' '-'~@ ON~N This is the line of he railroad But, they all cried, sl.ross;h,o yor, , majesty will find no one to ~ s,dartske sncI ,, work. It would be to hide t1sasnras in . desert.' o' HI No one undertake 1t when I cot..n.nd It to be done!' said Nicholas. We s,aI
 see' 'al And signalling to Kleinmichel from z ) corner: 1 line?' } Yes, sire.'
 This is new railroad I propose con- structing in my empire' Sire, 1t IS magnificent
 You think SO? Will you charge your self, then, With the execution of my or 7 ders?'
 With the greatest pleasure, sire, if your majesty orders 1t. But the funds, the ) funds?'
 Don't be troubled about them. Ask for all the money you want. And turning to the engineers: ? You see, said Nicholas to them, I can get along without you. l will build my own railroad
 And the construction of this road lasted ten years. 1t did not deviate an inch from the line marked out by the imperial finger and leaving on one side, at about 8 dis tance of ten leagues, the villages of Nov gorod, Twer, and host of others equally rich and important, it traversed, in the midst of marshes and woods, nothing but immense solitudes; seven hundred and six kilometers of iron rail cost Russia four hundred million francs-a little more than half 8 million kilometre-of which the devoted Kleinmichel, but that as matter of course, took good share. Nicholas was right, however, in saying that nothing could resist him.
 1 BOLDNESS OF THE POET POUCHKINE.
 In few instances the Czar tolerated a !. degree of frankness in the speech of those around him. Menschikof who command ed at Sebastopol, was always privileged character. Sometimes, but rarely, others approached the emperor familiarly. The celebrated poet, Pouchkine, for example, dared to express himself in his presence with frankness which, even in occidental Europe, and in constitutional state, would pass for audacity. In the palace of the Hermitage, where they were walking to- gether, the emperor had led the poet into gallery of pictures that contained the portraits of the Romanoffs, from Michel Fedoroyich to the last reigning sovereign, and had ordered him to improvise some verses on each.
 Pouchine obeyed; but coming to the portrait of Nicholas he was silent. l Well. Pouchkine,' said the emperor,