The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-03-22
RUSSIA.

vation the deposition and death Of his un.
fortunate father had been projected
though filled with horror at the fatal re.
suit, was proclaimed, amid great eIulta
ton Of hss people, and on the 34th OF
March, 1901, asceaded the throne ot all :he
Russias. IL Wa, however, ominously re
marked by a lady OF rank, nj the corona
tiVn, that the young emperor walked
preceded by the assassins of his grand.
father, followed by those of his father and
surrounded by his own"
The policy Of Russia'changed forthwith.
Alliance with England was Immediately
made. and hoetilities with France, as a
matter of course, soon followed. In the
account of the latter nation, the wars,
treaties and political relations of France
and Russia, during the remainder Of the
career of Napoleon, will be found briefly
narrated. In the splendid and over
whelming victory of Austerliz, decisive
of the fate Of Austria, the two northern
sovereigns lay completely at the mercy of
their imperial victor from the south ;
and Alexander was happy to retire. with
the remainder OF his forces, 10 his own
domnions
After the campaign of Prussia, in 1906,
when that nation, IN an incredibly short
space Of time, was defeated and conquered
by Napoleon, further and most ssnguinary
hostlities, highly disastrous TO the Gar,
occurred between France and Russia.
Alexander, seeing his forces again and
again defeated, and desirous of leisure 70
pursue his ambitious design on Turkey,
now changed his policy entirely. lie en-.
tered into strict alliance and apparently
personal friendship with the Man Of Des-
tiny" before whom every throne on the
continent, except his own, had tottered to
the ground BY the treaty of Tilsit, in
1907, all the ambitious schemes of Napo
leon were recognized by the Car, and ex
tensiye plans for conquest and partition
were agitatcd by the imperial allies. The
entire policy of France was adopted, and
with such a support, seemed secure of con
trolling, with hardly an effort, that of all
continental Europe.
Mutual jealousy, ere long, broke up
these promising projects Napoleon per
ceivcd that he had lent TOO has.y en-
couragrment to the designs Of his ally up
on Turkey and that the Russian empire
once in possession Of iootlold on the
Mediterranean, might become too prepon-
derant Tor the safety of his own posses
sious. lis refusal TO permit the spoila-
tion of the sultan, combined with the IN
popularity in Russia of the new alliance
ana the acts restricting commercial inter.
course cstranEe4 the hu sian sovereign,
and pysci itated hostiIltics Negotiation
was .or a long time carried on between
the TWO powers, each for time stunning
the responsibility of again committing
Europe To a general war.
All attempts a. a pacific arrangement.
however, proved fruitless and in the
summer of 1912, the French Emperor.
with nearly half a million OF men, set out
upon his memorable expedition 10 con
quer the vi'd7 of the Northern empire.
The sanguInary battle Of Borodino, on the
9TH of september, opened his way 20 the
ancient capital Of Russia and on the l4th,
with the army under his immediate com
mnnd reduced by fighting and hardship
10 about an hundred thousand men he en-
tered Moscow, and took up III, quarters IN
the imper.a, palace OF The Aram,iu
Tie city was deserted ezcep, by ruhans
and mcenaiaries and the memorable con
hagistlon which. during ile next fouI
days, laid is in ashes dis, ucerted all the
plans of Nap0 con and rendered retreat in
evitable; after a month passei IN vain and
fruitiess attempts at negotiation with the
Gar, who knew his advantage too well to
treat The French army, in three divisions.
commenced a retrograde movement to-
ward the frontier. The horrors of this dis-
astrous retreat, aggravated by winter
unusually early and severe, pehaps sur
pass anything recorded in the calamities
OF warfare Day after day, the unfortu-
nate sold ers of the Grand Army" accus-
toned 10 the miIder climates of Italy and
France, sank in great numbers by the
road side, or perished in bravely but vain
ly resisting the attack of the Russian
forces. At the passage of the Beresina,
effected before greatly superior force of
the enemy, such numbers perished, that,
according to the Russian official account.
thirty-six thousand bodies were counted
on the thawing of the river, in the follow
ing spring.
The downfall OF the European suprem-
acy OF France, for which these calamitous
events were the signal, almost immediate
ly succeeded aud after series of cam
paigno, dreadfuly destructive of human
hfe, TIC allied sovereigns, among them
the Gar Alexander, entered the French
capitol in triumph, and imposed upon the
nation the antiquated sway of the Bour.
bons. Some magnanimity and remem.
bmnce of former friendship induced the
Russian monarch TO effect a somewhat
cons derate arrangement i'm behalf of the
Gbdicated emperor and the sovereignty
of Elba, which was thus assigned TO
him, Afforded not long after, the means of
that memorable enterprise, which for a
bliei period placed him once more on the