The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1874-02-06
what BE Thinks of m.

~" SOHAOS " luO lTOQG an
other noble author, the Grand Duke
Alexis, who has been publishing an
account of his travels around the
world in considerable more than
Jules Verne's eighty DAYS. A news
paper correspondent, who has seen
the advance sheets of the book saws
Of it
This is certainly a very curious
work. To judge from what | have
seen of it-whether his Imneriai
Highness wrote ithimself, or wbetb.
er an able pen did it for him-the
book is intensely interesting. The
Duke says. the reception at New
York almost stupified him. Up TO
the last moment he had not Thought
that SO brilliant an ovation would be
rendered in Republican America to
the son of monarch. He was very
weak when he landed in New York
and during his progress up Broad,
way frequently felt like fainting
But everybody was so kind to him
that he tried hard to look pleased,
as he was in his heart of hearts
Broadway, he says, in his opinion. is
the finest thoroughfare in the world
because everything there-houses
shops and the people-looks not
monotonous, but gay, lively and
bright,
What amused him, perhaps more
than anything else, was that the
bands, upon catching sight of him,
struck up not the regular Russian
anthem, but the so-called "Dirge of
st. Catherine" which is PLAYED in
Russia only at the funeral of a
member of the Imperial family The
cheers of the people were more deaf
ening than any he had heard in Eu-
rope, from which he playfully con-
cludes thatlung diseases cannot be
very prevalent in the New World.
As to the soldiers, the variety of
uniforms struck him as extremely
odd. He says he saw, peacefully
side by side, helmeted Prussians and
''kepied" Frenchmen, red coated
Englishmen, and Irish troops bear
ing the banner of the Green Isle.
The Grand Duke cannot praise
too highly American hotels. Ameri-
can fare, he thinks, however, is too.
rich. There is at their tables" he
exclaims, naiVely, ''always too much
Of a good thing. I asked for the
peculiar dishes of America, and at
the hotel they could not give me
any. Their cooks were Italian and
French. Their landlord shrugged
his shoulders when l asked him
about it., Out West, however, nv
desire was at once gratifed. dined
one day on pork and beans, a very
palatable dish, which would certainly
bear transplanting to Russia"
American manners, the Grand
Duke thinks, are a little awkward
and augural, put decidedly pleasant
On account of every ones frankness.
He tells number of curious anec
1Otes on his experiences with the
aborigines. In Washington he was
told that the Irish servant girls at
5he residence of III. Catacazy were
lying to see him. He put on a cap
and an old travelling coat, and went
down into the kitchen
among them. He was not recog-
lized by the Biddies, and chatted
With them half an hour. He found
'ut that not one of them had anv
dea where Russia was situated, and
Ine of them even asked him if the
Jzar always wore a crown on his
lead, adding that she knew the
queen of England always did.
Equally amusing is the account of
lis reception at Omaha, in Nebras-
ia, where member of the Legisla-
ion congratulated him on the sue
,ess of his father in the war with |
france. Another legislator wanted |
o { know if it was always cold in
russia.
These funny episodes in the West
!oWeVer, were amply made up for by
he extreme kindness and considera-
ion with which the army officers
here treated the Grand Duke. For
General Custer and his subordinate
ficers the Grand Duke has words of
he Warmest gratitude. General
listers photograph is published in
be volume, which is most sumptu-
usly printed and profusely illus
rated. Only a few copies of the
ook will be issued.