Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1877-06-30

died too suddenly to designate another
successor. He was eccentric in mind. a
mailman in brain and Finn in feature,
ignorant OF the machinery of the govern
ment and stranger to the people he was
called to rule. His reign was failure,
and he was strangled by conspirators in
its fifth year. In 1901 Alexander, his
son. VINO inherited his mothers beauty
and grace of person, and who had been
carefully educated IN German, assembled
the throne. lie was then twenty-four,
and Immediately displayed the hand of
reformer and the mind of statesman.
The circumstances of his reign made it
for him to carry out his plans
for acknowledgements. With Europe
in arms, he was forced to fight, and was
defeated in the battle Of Austerlitz. But
the conquering genius of Napoleon daz-
lied him, and, yielding to the infatuatlon
he made the famous treaty OF 1lisit IN
1907. One Of the most memorable
tableaux in modern history was the
meeting of these two monarchs on 'he
Graf, in the river Niemen, where they
coolly proceeded to divide Europe De-
tween them. But the treaty was broken,
the infatuatien cooled, and The meeting
on the Niemen was followed in five years
by the burning OF Moscow. Alexander
took leading part in the coalition which
crushed Napolean, and placed 100000
men in the field; and Napoleon, at
st. Helena, said "the Emperor of
Russia is infinitely superior; ne
possesses abilities, grace and information;
he is fascinating ** = IF 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 ruler
been more beloved, and never was one
more lamented. At the death Of William
of Orange, "the little children cried in
the stree,s." At his death Nicholas. MS
brother, succeeded to the throne, his
elder brother, having married a Polish
countess from love, who was a Reman
Catholic, and also knowing that he vas
unfit to rule, abdicating in his favor.
Nicholas was not liked, and all the
suppressed discomfort broke out in re-
bellion. He put it down with terrible
cruelty. There had not been an execu-
ton in Russia for eighty years when he
sent many of the bravest and best men
in the empire to the scaffold. Nicholas
never forgot an injury nor iorgaye an
enemy. He was terrible autocrat, hut
man of narrow views. Everything
for the people and nothing by the people
was his motto. Not a mouse can stir
in Russia withou. permission from the
car" wrote a traveller in that country.
His activity was feyerish, hi. industry
unceasing. But he miscalculated his
strength when he undertook to carry out
the splendid dream Of Alexander l.,
who, pointing to Constantinopie and the
Bosphorus, said TO Napoleon. &" must
have the key that unlocks the door Of
my house." The terrible modification
of the Crimean defeat was too much fol
the old monarch, and disappointed, almost
heart broken, he lay down to die
The handsomest man in Europe, he wa:
in his prime and it was said that 1.-THE
royal family of Russia is the handsomes,
that ever lived" by one who saw thu
four sons and three daughters in theil
blossoming season. He was succeeded
by the present car, Alexander H., il
1856. He had been brought up under {
rule of iron, and his health had been i'm
paired by military service. A secre
melancholy preyed on his heart. Hi
father sent him to visit the di1eren
courts of Europe, with permission t.
choose a wife for himself. All tn,
princesses get their caps for him. A
Hesee- Darmstadt the Grand Duke Loui
had several handsome daughters. whit
decked themselves in gorgeous array Il
win his heart. The younger, however
had no such ambition, and modest.
minded her studies and her mother
Alexander saw and sought her, and sur
prised the family by asking for herhand
She went to Russia, studied the Ian
guage, was baptized into the Grel
church, and they were married in lS4l
and their domestic life has been unusu
ally happy. The loss of their eldest sor
in 1865 cast deep sorrow over the roya
household, as he was a young man o
great promise and was betrothed to TIT
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