Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1876-03-03
A Russ0-American Romance.

| eighteenth century several young Charles
tonians went to Europe, particularly to
England. How they had managed to ac-
| quire a good education in spite of the
War ofthe Rebellion, 1t is hard to explain.
| But this was the case with some of them,
for otherwise they weuld not have been re-
| ceived as they were in good society.
Among these was Mr.. Joseph Allen Smith
He was highly endowed for social success;
and moved for several years in the first
circles of English society. He was re-
markable for his ease and grace as a
writer, his skill as linguist, and elo-
quence and fullness in conversation. 1t
was, therefore, with great pleasure that
Woronzotf, who was, in the first years of
| this century, Russian Ambassador to
Great Britain, gave him letters of intro
! duction to Alexander l., who had just be-
come Emperor and padishaw of all the
Russias
Thus introduced. Mr.. Smith readily ac-
commodated himself to the new scenes
that surrounded him. He was, too, a new
man in the midst Of the new surroundings
and lent himself to all their influences.
He was the first American who had APP
peared in Russian society, and was fondled
and petted to the height of his bent. He
accompanied the various legions of Russia
in their course southwark, and was pres
ent at the capture of Tiflis. recol ,ect
/ in my early childhood the Persian bows
and arrows that he brought back as me-
mentoes OF this campaign. But after
this he continued to mingle in the gay So
| ciety of Moscow and st. Petersburg as a
great favorite, and at length fell in love,
and was prosaic enough to promise mar
riage. The lady who received his vows
was the Princess Orloff Tchezminski,
daughter of Orloff, entitled Tchezminski,
because he beat the Turks TOR, rather,
Gregg did, in the naval battle OF Tchezme.
Now here was great heiress, daughter OF
Orloff, and on the other hand Mr.. Smith,
only plain Amerikanski, without title,
without place. What was to be done?
Nobody had ever heard of Charleston; no
one knew anything about the Goosecreek
nobility.
Catherine HAD died, Paul had been
strangled, both filled with contempt and
rancOr against those who had rebelled
against his sacred Majesty George Ill,
and refused to receive an Ambassador
from them But new Emperor had as
cended the throne-One who, under the
guidance of his grandmother, had re-
ceived his education from LaHatpe, an
enlightened Frenchman-One who was
entirely guiltless of his fathers death, al
though accused of it most groundleSsly by
Lord Holland; so entirely so that it was
with the utmost difficulty that Count Poh-
len Zone of Pauls murderers) induced
him, the morning after the murder, to
have himself proclaimed successor to the
murdered Gar, impelled by Pohlen's
threat that if Alexander did not, he would
have himself proclaimed. Alexander then,
as Gar, was greatly interested in this at
fair of Princess Orlof, as well as inter
ested in Mr.. Smiths success. But who
was Mr.. Smith? He was a traveller from
an unknown land, come like an appari-
ton from another world; but yet by his
admirable address, his linguistic facility
and conversational eloquence, he had
won the admiration of the Car and of all
the court. But yet he had no rank, civil
or military. What could be done?
1t was a part of the Cars duty to see
| that Princess Orloff was not, with all her
grace, all her beauty, all her rank and all
her roubles, thrown away-allowed to
make mesalliance with stranger. In
forty five preceding years two of his pre-
decessors had been strangled for mis-
government, and the third, his grand
mother, would have been hanged if she
had met with her deserts, and Alexander
had to be cautious. And he was cautious
and polite man. And being 50, was
greatly exercised about giving away Prin-
cess Tcheziminski. He looked around
him and found out that the Dutch, the
French, the English, the Spaniards and
some other half-civilized people had,
through their governments, received en-
| VOWS from these rebel States. He began to
| think that he must depart from the tradi-
| tions of Russia. He was despot, but his
/ despotism was one mitlgated by the bow
string, and he must shock prejudices as
little as possible in the discharge of his
! duties
] Thus influenced he resolved to ask the
| Government of the United States to send
! Mr.. Smith as Envoy to his court. If Mr..
Jefferson complied with his request then
Mr.. Smith would by that act, be elevated
to dignity that would at once remove all
the difficulties that opposed his union with
the ward of the Gar. Alexander, to carry
into effect this bright thought of his, sent
for Mr.. Smith, explained his plan, and
furnished him with an autograph letter to
the American President, and begged him
to deliver it in person. This request was
most gladly complied with, and Mr..
Smith returned home, the bearer of this
unusual missive.
Reaching Washington, he lost no time
in paying his respects to Mr. Jefferson,
who took the letter and begged its bearer
to favor him with his company at dinner.
On this occasion Mr.. Smith fully acquitted
himself as g one of your picked men of
| COUNTLESS
He was witty, narrative and en-
tertaining, and drew upon himself all eyes
+hot 1,ax 1rbt
to have aroused the spleen somewhat of
his entertainer, by drawing upon himself
unwittingly too much of the attention of
the company, so sweet and valuable was
his discourse Mr.. Jefferson was even so
gauch6, it is said, as to have repeatedly in
terrupted him by asking him what his
opinion was about the cultivation of
benne, a grain that at that time was
thought well calculated to prove profitable
in the Southern country. This question
was put again and again, but our traveller
was too deep in Russia, and Circassia
and Persia to make any satisfactory re-
| Spouse. And as little satisfactory was
Jefferson's response to AleXander's letter.
Instead of Mr. Smith, he availed himself
of the Cars offer to receive an envoy by
dispatching J. @. Adams, and this is how
the United States came to have an Ambas-
| SaQOr at 81. petersburg.
The Princess lived and died maid.
The subject of my sketch lived and was
admired and beloved, and died at home,
without again aspiring to diplomatic hon
ors or foreign loves.
THE Buffalo Courier says: An attorney
employed by the defaulting and fugitive
treasurer of Saratoga County has made the
/ rop,a RI abIy discovery that said official
instead of having defrauded the county
out OF over 500, 900, is really its creditor
for over SO, 900, having during the year
| a11rat frlA1al hic