The Colfax chronicle. (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1876-1877, 1877-06-30

1 -~OeAOho, odb WhOoO IAN
was still more unfortunately pittet
with smallpox. He got tired O
his queen after the manner O
English Henry the Eighth but in
this case the aversion was mutual
and she, being the ADLER and more
INSCRIPTIONS of the two, antici.
pated his intended divorce by get.
ting him depossd aud finally taken
off by poison. Once fairly on the
throne, she filed it, and for thir.
ty-two years showed what coarse
strong-minded, ambitious, unscru-
pulous woman could do. She earn
ed from Voltaire the title of "the
Semiramis of the North" and 9TH
ers, with more justice perhaps,
have called her "the Louis XIV OF
Russia" She certainly raised the
Russian court to a high degree Of
splendor, extended the boundaries
OF the EMPIRE increased it's infu-
ence in Europe, ard marked her
career with q series of inexcusable
crimes.
Catherine was followed by her
son, Paul, whom she always hated,
and whom she did not intend
should reign but she died too
suddenly to designate another
successor. He was eccentric in
mind, "a madmnn in brain and a
Finn in feature" ignorant of the
machinery OF government and a
stranger to the people he was call
ed to rule. His reign was fail
ure, and he was strangled by con-
spirators in its fifth year. In
1901, Alexander, his son. who in
herited his mothers beauty and
grace of person, and who had been
carefully educated in Germany, as
cended the throne. He was then
twenty-four, and Immediately dis
played the hand of a reformer and
the mind of statesman. The cir
cumstances of his reign made it
impossible for him to carry out his
plans for internal improvements.
With Europe in arms, he was
forced to fight, and was defeated
in the battle of Austerlitz. But
the conquering genius of Napoleon
dazzled him, and, yielding to the
infatuation, he made the famous
treaty of Tilsit in 1907. One of
the most memorable tablaux in
modern history was the meeting
of these two monarchs on craft
in the river Niemen, where. they
coolly proceeded to divide Europe
between them. But the treaty
was broken, the infatuation cool
ed, and the meeting on the ME-
men was followed in five years by
the burning of Moscow. Alexan-
der took a leading part in the Goa
lition which crushed Napoleon, and
placed 90O,000 men in the field !;
and Napoleon, at st. Helena, said
''the Emperor of Russia is in6n-
itely superior he possesses abili-
ties, grace and information he is |
fascinating = = If I die |
here, he will be my successor in |
Europe" He was one of the first, |
if not the first monarch of his |
time. Never had q ruler been
more beloved, and never was one
more lamented. At the death of |
William of Orange, "the little
children cried in the Streets At
his death, Nicholas, his brother,
succeeded to the throne, his elder
brother having married a polish
from love, who was a Ro-
man Catholic, and also knowing
that he was unfit to rule, abdica-
ing in his favor. Nicholas was
not liked, and all the suppressed
broke out in rebellion.
He put it down with terrible cru
city. there had not been an exc
,ution in Russia for eighty years
when he sent many of the bravest
md best meu in the empire to the
,caffold. Nicholas never forgot an
injury nor forgave an enemy. He
vas a terrible autocrat, but a man
If narrow views. Everything for
he people and nothing by. the
people" was his motto. "Not q
mouse can str in Russia without
from the GAR" wrote
] traveller in that country. His
Ictivity was feverish, his industry
lnceasing. But he miscalculated
lis strength when he undertook to
larry out the splendid dream of
Alexander 1, who. pointing to Con-
tantinople and Bosphorus said to
Il must have the key
hat unlocks the door of my house."
rhe terrible modification of the