, 1873-08-03
THE RUSSIANS At HOME.

sisrANr sEonKrAnT OF TIE NAVY. From Tho Jour
IN! a,st1 Notes Of ]. r. IounAr. Esitod BY JonN D.
pp. IA. 1873.
Mr. Tox's mission to Russia, Of which tlia vol
umc is rather fulsomo Anabasig, waa altogether
unique. It waB we'll calculated to develop tho
most profuHo display Of Russian hospltaity, and
It ia ohot1y on tha account that tue Narrative ia
valuable. Tho occasion Of tho miBBion
WAS the narrow cBcapo Of tho Emperor
Of Russia from doath at tho handB Of an as-
aassin on tho 10th Of April, 1866. His roHc,1o
was tho result Of moro nccdont. A former
Borf, natnod OBsip Ivanovitch Komissarolr, Ind
just recovered from illnoss and was making hia
way to return thanks in littlo chapel oHtab-
lislcd in log.houso that Petor the uroat had
built Tor his own uso. Flo had to croHa bridge
over the Nova to an island on which the chapel
WAS situated. but, arriving at tho river's bank,
ho found tho bridge displaced. It vas this cir
oumstance that induced him to turn in tho diroc-
ton OF tue Summer Carbon whore ho found
d crowd Of people waiting for tho
Emperor to pass. A Kon1Haaroff had
nevor soon his 1ibcrator, ). ho pressed
forward, following closely q large man who waB
forcing his way to the front. Whom Ills Majesty
appeared, the nun whom Konlissaroff had fol-
lowed drew pistol and aimed it Mt tho Emperor.
KomisBaroff promptly realized tho intention and,
by striking the follows urn, caused tho woapon
to bo discharged in tho Dir. The would-be US
sassin was then quickly seized by tho people
about him, who woullhavo torn him to plocoB had
not tho Emperor interfered personally and told
them to lot him alone. uo proved to bo mem-
bor Of the Nihilists, secret body Of
social disorganizers in Iussia that still
has an existence with tho purpose Of
overturning tho Government and insti~
tuting now ordor Of things politically and 30
| cially. The assassination Of the Emperor at
| this timo WAS to have beou tho signal for gen-
| oral uprising. Tho man who attempted it Was
hahgod, and Komissaroif, who ayortod it, waB
enriched md enloblcd. The Empcrors Escape
brought out congratulations from all parts of
| tho world. Among tho most hoarty was that of
the American Government. formally expressed
| in resolution Of Congress. It waB decided to
| forward this resolution to Russia by q special
| onvoy III national veHsel and Mr.. g. Y. Fox,
| tllon Assistant Secretary of the Navy, WIS &C.
| locted for the service. Additional intoroat at
| tache1 to the mission because 1t waB dcciiod
that Mr. Fox Rhould croBH the ocean in monitor.
| Tho Aliantonomal, @ tWo~turrot monitor, WAS So
looted, md, accompanied by tho Augusta, q
! wooden man-of~war, it mado tho pasaago success-
fully, despite many 1niagivingH in certain quar-
| tors, with but thirty-ono inches aboyo wntor on
| tho hull. Tho testimony Of Mr.. Fox ill., tlat llo
noyor had 30 comfortable an ocean voyage as in
this submarine easement. The vessel was found
| to he unusually steady III rough Boa and tho
accommodations, artificial ventilation, md light
| overhead, made it moro desirable than naval
yesHels TINT 1oat on the wator instead Of plow
| ing along underneath it. The monitor
naturally attracted groat attention ut oil
| tho English, Fronch and Northern ports Which
wero visited Oh tho way to Russia, and an adj
| miral Of tho British navy, after carefully look-
ing it over through his telescope, said that he
wouldn't care to cross tho Atlantic "in that
thing" Nevertheless, tho "choose-box on o
raft brought the mission safely to Cronstadt,
where it was conducted into port by loet Of
Russian ships.
| RUSSIA AND THE UNITED STATES.
There WAS something moro in this Amori-
can mission to Russia than tho uHual
formal congratulation on the Emperor'a
Escape. It was tho expression Of d
sympathy that has long existed botwoon grcat
nation in tho Old World and tho great nation Of
the New World Though the one is an
absolute monarchy, and tho other d
popular Republic, this bond OF sympathy
ia not necessarily anomalous. Tile very COLI
trastB botwoon tho two GovernmonsB, which arc
found Ill geographical remotonoHs and In radical
distinctionB OF people, cuAtoms and Institutions,
arc calculated to promote M exceptional inter
national harmony, while tho common aim OF
pence. progross, and emancipation which char
ncterizos both nations loads both Nussia md
| America to work out their doBtinioa with mutual
morai support. There is nothing unnatural in
extending tho congratulations Of n Republic to
IN Emperor who achieved tho great work Of lib
Grating twenty millions OF Horfs peacefully WHOM
it cost RopublcBix years Of war, riyors Of
blood, and thousands OF millions Of dollars to
do the samo work. II no regard tho starting
point Of the proaent Emperor OF Russia, ho must
DO credited with tho accomplishment of reforms
as radical as any that orr Republican form Of
government has evor achieved Besides eman-
cipating tho serfs, ho las abolished flo use OF
tile knout; lo haa oslablished local SELF
government, and serfa have takon on
municipal responsibilities without tho ter
riblo corruption that has attended, Bimila1
change III the Southern Statos OF America lC
has assured his people OF tho right OF trial by
Jury aud thus caught up tho spirit Of the Magua
Charta aud ho has conferred creator liberty
Of tho prosa than III to DO found to-day in 1lo.
publican Franco. All those reforms Aayo been
attained peacefully in nation Of eighty milllons
Of pcoplo, comprising haf OF a1l Europe aud the
whole Of Northern Asia. It would havo bean
something moro than national disaster il suci
ruler lad been assaBHinatod In tho namo OF lib.
orty; md tho Unitod Statos did vol to ut.
tcst In tho most pronounced way that tho
interests OF progress aud good goyoEnmout
woro aorvol In his preservation. Mr. Fox I
mission WIS prompted by gratitude as woll nj
sympathy. In tho Hcyorost trla! that tho Anlori
can Republic haA ovnr Ind, RuAHia stood firmly
ns our friend. Whom Napoleon III. proposed tt
Russia, iu 1861, All intervention In tho American
civil war, In tho interests OF tho Rebellion, allt
Will. tho purpose Of diBrnpting the American
Union, Bho stornly rejected tho overture, ait
took occanion to give our Goyornn,ent tangible
evidence OF ita goodwill and moral support. 4
HuBsian tioet waa Hont over to our ooastH
and Prince QortehakoR cont q spoelal dis