The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-02-25
A sTROHG-MINn Ed PRINCESS.

ter Of the Car Nicholas, and tue sister OF the
present Emperor, Of whom she was only one
year tho junior, having been born IN 1919. II
there Is any blood Of @ 4tharine the Great at all
In the present generation Of the Romanof
house, must have been all concentrated in the
veins Of the Grand Duchess. From her very
childboo she showed an extraordinary In
telligsnce ADD uncomfortable temper,
whloh only the despotc nature OF her
father proved capable Of mastering. The
Gar Nicholas lie said to have been passionately
fond Of her, yet the violence Of her nature seems
to have caused him more than once to whip her
with his own hand. She was certainly the most
stndiously disposed member OF the family. but
she could never be made to attend the class
room OF the palace. She was the terror and
despair OF all her governesses and teachers, yet
when she became OF age she showed more
erudition than any OF her preceptors, and was
the most liberal woman 10 granting az soon % she
came into possession OF money, pensions TO all
the preceptors to whom she had formerly given
so much trouble. The artistic disposition OF her
nature was quite remarkable for a member OF
q family which has been always famous for the
absence OF all taste or instinct In matters OF art
She was too indolent to become a good must
clan or painter herself, but she was certainly ono
Of the best connosseurs OF music and painting
In her country. Her physical development was
unusually precocious. At fifteen years OF age
she looked already woman; and when at
twenty she was going to be we'd to the Duke OF
Leuchtenberg, the members Of the foreign
Diplomatic CORDS assembled at the wedding
ceremony we're so struck by the stately appear
ance OF the young Duchess that In few months
her name became far and wide throughout
Europe the synonym for womany majesty. She
outshone her own mother In the palace, not to
aaE nlA ar .Nafor h.. 80
self during her travels through the capitals OF
Europe, she totally eclipsed Queen Victoria, so
much admired at that time, and who, though
they were both of the same age, looked by the
side Of the Grand Duchess Maria like a mere
school girl.
The Prince she married was possibly Just as
famous for his personal attractions as she was.
He was considered the handsomest man of Eu-
rope, and enjoyed besides the reputation OF
one Of the most accomplished gentlemen and
the prestige Of rather romantic descent. Max
imilan Joseph Eugene August Napoleon do
Beauharnais, Duke Of LeuchtenberR, Prince of
Eichstadt, was the son of Nspoleon's stepson,
Eugene do Beauharnais. 1t Is well known that
Eugene was the involuntary cause of the mar
riage OF Gen. Bonaparte with his mother, Nine.
Josephine de Beauharnsis, widow of the Gen.
Bsauhsrnsis, guilotined In Paris 10 1874. After
the 18th of Vendemiaire, Beauharnaiss sword
fell, with a number Of others, into the First Con-
sul's safekeeping, and the young Eugene went,
after the death OF his father, to claim IL. Bona
parte, who happened to be In good humor sur
rendered the relic ana caused thus Nine Beau
harnas to come TO thank him for II, an inter
view which resulted In the subseauent marriage
OF Napoleon to the interesting widow.
The subsequent career OF Eugene de Beauhar-
nais ia too well known to be mentioned here
He left We children, all OF whom naturally rose
to royal dignities. One OF the daughters was
married to King Oscar Of Sweden, another to
Prince Hohenzollern- II oc n ingen and the third
to Dom Pedro l. of Brazil. OF the two sons one
became the FIRST husband OF Queen Mary of Por-
tugal, and the other married the Grand Duchess
Maria OF Russia.
1t has been rumored that the last named OF
these children, Duke Maximilian Of Leuchten-
berg, had spent a very turbulent youth, and
that IL was mainly through his reputation for
allantry and elegance that the Grand Duchess
Maria took a fancy TO him. Sne had six chill
dren through thus marriage; but the excuses Of
the Dukes early youth seem to have told upon
him. He was carried to the grave In 1852, after
but twelve years marriage. The illness which
caused his death was a very protracted one, and
1t was rumored that long before he died, his
wife conceived an affection for a handsome
guardsmAn OF her fathers. Count Gregory
Strogonon was celebrated for his herculean
build and n remark able manly beauty Being
frequently in attendance on the Gar, he had
many an opportunity to meet the Grand
Duchess, and showed perfect willingness to re-
ciprocate her feeling, and soon as the Duke
OF Leuchtenberg died. the Grand Duchess NOR
sanatically married the handsome Couat, much
to the scandal of the court and the whole coun-
try.
The Car became intensely angry on learning OF
this IN arriage, expelled the Count from the ser
vice, and ordered his daughter to take trip
abroad. by and by, however. and as the lady
did not show any disposition to give in, the
father reconciled himself with her and acknow-
edged the marriage, though he never consented
to make the acknowledgement a public one.
The Crmean war greatly contributed to the
amicable issue of this affair. Count Strogonon,
being a very rich man, equipped several militia
regiments at his own expense, put himself az
the head OF them and brayely endured all the
dangers and priyations Of the campaign. This
patriotism OF his, Joined To the sympathy
which the present Car always had for
him, led to reconciliation OF the i'm
rartaI famKv - ,ha ,.....l.-.