Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-02-13
What Alexis Thinks OF Ms-The
Russian Grand Dukes Book
spBa q YappicA


The St. Petersburg correspondent Of tn
Baltimore 'sGazette" has been advanced
sheets of the first volume of the Crane
Duke Alexis account Of his voyage arount
the world. This first volume is exclusive
/ ly devoted to description of the Crane
Dukes adventures in the United States
The above correspondent writes as follows
about it
'sThis is certainly very curious work
To Judge from what I have read of it
whether his Imperial Highness wrote il
| himself, or whether an able pen did it fol
him-the book is intensely interesting
The Grand Duke says his reception il
New York almost stupefed him. Up tt
the last moment he had no thought that sc
| brilliant a reception would be rendered il
| Republican America to the son OF mon
arch. He WAS very weak when he landed
in New York, and during his progress VI
Broadway 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-look not monoton-
Gus, 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 so-called 'Dlrge OF
St. Catherine,' which is played in Russia
only at the funeral of member of the i'm
perial family. The cheers Of the people
were more deafening than any he had heard
in Europe, from which he playfully con-
cludes that lung diseases cannot be very
prevalent in the New World AS to the
soldiery, the variety of uniforms struck
him as extremely odd. He says he saw,
peacefully, side by side, helmetted Prus-
slams and 'kepied' Frenchmen, relocated
Englishmen and Irish troops bearing the
banner of the Green Isle.
The Grand Duke cannot praise too high
ly American hotels. American fare, he
thinks, however, is too rich. There is
at the tables he exclaims, naively, al
ways too much of q good thing. L asked
for the peculiar dishes of America, and at
the hotel they could not give me any
Their cooks were italian and French. The
landlord shrugged his shoulders when |
asked him about it. Out West, however,
my desire was at once gratified. dined
one day on baked pork and beans, very
palatable dish, which would certainly bear
transplanting to Russia
''American manners, the Grand Duke
thinks, are little awkward an angular,
butdecidedly pleasant on account of every
body's frankness. He tells a number OF
curious anecdotes on his experiences with
the aborigines. In Washington he was
told that the Irish servant girls at the
residence Of M. .Catacazy Were dying to
see him. He put on a cap, an old travel
ling cloak, and went unheralded down into
the kitchen among them. He was not rec
ognized by the Biddies, and chatted with
them for half an hour He found out that
not one ofthem had an idea Of where Russia
WAS situated and one Of the girls even asked
him if the Gar always wore crown on his
head. adding that she knew the Queen of
England always did. Equally amusing is
the account of his reception at Omaha, IN
Nebraska, where member of the Leglsla-
ture congratulated him on the successes OF
his father in the war with France! An
other legislator Of that State wanted to
know if it was always cold in Russia.
''These funny episodes in the West,
however, were amply made up for by the
extreme kindness and consideration with
which the army officers there treated the
Grand Duke. For General Gustav and his
subordinate officers the Grand Duke has
words of the warmest gratitude. General
Custar's photograph is published III the
volume, which is most sumptuously print
ed and profusely illustrated. Only a few
hundred copies of the book will be issued. y
WILL OF AN IRISH MIsER.-An Irish
man named Denis Tolam, who died at Cork,
possessed of consi derable wealth, in the
year 1859, left singular will, containing
the following testamentary dispositions
II leave to nv sister-in-law four old stock
ings, which will be found under my mat
tress, to the right. Item-To my nephew
Michael Tartles, two odd socks and a green
night-cap. Item-To Lieutenant John
Stein, blue stocking, with red cloak
Item-To my cousin Barbara Dolan, my
old boot with red flannel pocket. Item-Io
Hannah, my housekeeper, my broken wa
ter-iug.n After the death Of the testator
the legatees having been convened by the
notary to be present at the reading OF the
will, each, as he OF she was named, shrug-
ged their shoulders and otherwise express
ed contemptuous disappointment, While
parties uninterested in the succession could
not refrain from laughing at these rldicu-
lous, not to say insulting, legacles. All
were leaving the room after signifying
their intention of renouncing their be-
quests, when the ast-named-Hannah-
having testified her indignation by kicking
away the broken pitcher, a number OF CONS
rolled out of i9 the other individuals, as
tonished at the unexpected incident, began
to think better of their determllal ion, and
requested permission to examine the artl-
cles devised to them. 1t is needless to say
that on proceeding to the search the stock
ings, socks, pocket, &C., soon betrayed by
their weight the value of their contents,
and the hoard of the testator thus fairly
distributed left on the minds Of the legatees
very different impression OF his worth.
THE REPORTER's WORK.-The Rev. A.
Z. Stone, in recent sermon, stirred up
his congregation in the following manner:
s'The newspaper is more feared to-day IN
congressional halls, and the high places OF
corruption and villainy, than laws and
courts, the stings of conscience, ana the