Litchfield enquirer., 1871-06-08
TEE CHAIR OF THE RUsEIAS.

s;IaS az5lf lfosereien of half Europe, lord of one- etllifd Of Asia ruler of one seyenteenth of aAho 9nrfaee0f the world, and irresponsible 2 cmastet of eighty millions Of people, the z Uzar of af the Russias knows no equal upon earth. His power extends over the oonsciences of his subjects as well as over r theirI lives and liberties. As head of the 6chufch he yields moral despotism as great !. .as his material power, and neither lords nor 5comp6nA press nor people, hold one rein nfhak can check his course in any career 1t ,5may NplezseI him to pursue. Only the T knowledge of his mortality can curb his . will; and the rude experiences of his pre- --decessors, remind their successors that even czars can die.
 .zsT The time has not long gone by when the Russian emperor was held to be England's s best ally and the Russian emperor her warmest friend Of all the princes who CAocked to England in 1914, when the great Bonaparte had at length been forced to succnmb, to the power of the Allies, none vas go popular as the stalwart Nicholas. then only lad of eighteen, but already tall beyond his fellows, handsome and hngly m all his ways. For forty long years he retained his popularity and sealed hy his personal Influence the almost un- VkOAO4 4A40uOSu1U tUAt u6O 6uUSl6tCO V0@ tween England and Russia for nearly three centuries. Yet is was so. The man whom England thought her best ally threw to the winds ell the ties that friendly relations long fOstered had created, and dared her to strike for right and honor.
 Alexander Nicolaivitch was born on the 20th of April, 1918, at time when his fa- ther was simply grand-duke, having no apparent chance of succeeding to the throne. He was carefully educated by his mother. Alexandra Feodorowna, sister of the King of Prussia, and by his first tutor General M@rder, German Protestant. By his father he was trained in soldierly habits and martial exercises. and he had for the finisher of his education the assist. ance of somewhat extraordinary precep- tor for a prince, the famous Russian poet, Joukowski. In 1884. at the age of sixteen, he was considered to have attained his ma iority, and was entrusted with high com mand Tn the army. As chief aid.de-camp to his father, it was part of his duty to conduct those splendid reviews in which Russian imperialism delights; and in this career he passed some years.
 From the time of his marriage, which took place on the 28th of April, l841, one day before his twenty.third birtb-day, un. till the day of his accession on the 2d of March, 1855, he passed his days very quiet ly, occupying himself chiefly with the care of the military schools of the empire. In 1850 he undertook journey through the Orimea, the Caucasus, and Circassia, in company with Prince Worontzoff, and gained much popularity in the places he visited.
 It is not too much to say that ali Europe hailed his succession to the throne with de- hghts as it was well-known that certain ad- ministratIve reforms, long desired in Rus Hias would be immediately undertaken. It must be acknowledged that public expec. tation was in no way disappointed. Alex. ander had seen with his own eyes in his travels the corruption that disgraced his fuHctionaries. and his first decress made short work of many of their opportunities of extortion. A large aud liberal system system of education was promulgated, the universities were freed from certain absurd restrictions imposed by Nicholas. aud the supremacy of the military in civil affairs rigofously suppressed. This was the task of his first year of power. In his second he set himself at work to try and pacify Poland, and by decree of the 27th o1 May, 1850, he allowed the exiles of 1880 te return to their country. But as he did not restore their confscated property they were not very grateful, and Alexander found. as people always do find, that half. measures of justice do little to conciliate the wronged and defrauded. Being half 6 Prussian, however, he was not likely te
 part with any territory he had once go hold of, no matter how vilely 1t had beer
 acquired. and so he intimated his intention to stick to Poland, and afterwards many o
 his eonciliatory decrees concerning Una
 country were withdrawn.