The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-08-22
REWfNIsCENCES SP THE CZAR
NICHOLAS.

History has Eever been 30 thoroughly
perverted for the ben-kt ef any PTincs
- for the benefit of the komanOfs, ~ be
have ruled Russis. To ge. 1t the
truth. the NAKED fsets saust be take0
aud philos,phically considered Tbs
TAX becomes the harder a. the reigna
Of Mich. las 1. and Alexander III. are
approached. Foreign historians are
rarely cunversant with the facts. The
native hi,,ora.ns arc di.sust,ngly ser.
vile .nd .l~ay reticeot sbuIt the mis-.
d,-ds VI tue Czsrs. They Seem "
revere the old maxim, Farsm de Fri"-
eile, aihiLsle De0. Nothing is printed
Ih the newspapers concerning the CzaE
which has not previously received the
approval OF the Romsno6 watch dogs-
the MiDis,er Of the Imperial HOUSE
ard the Chief OF the Third Section (Ss.
cret Poiice.t The life Of the livsss
Romanods sannos bs veil unaoestood
withost fair knowiedge Of the history
of the family, and without soass iau,i-
iarity with the life OF the late Emperor.
We briefly sketch the life Of Nicholas L
Ii 10 said that the Cars have oil been,
more or less. naniscs. Nicholas VA
by 10 means an exception. He needed
a strait Jacket even more than the ma
jority IL his predecessors. In public
life he had the ferocity and c0vsrdics
of the hyena. the cunning OF the fox.
the rapacity OF the wolf. and the trick.
cry of the nsakey. An kngiish paper.
on commenting on his death. sAId:
.Nicholss Vas . curse 10 the world. He
wa. the cause Of more misery and evil
than any man Of his day. Woe betide
the wot Id If it fosgets bic actions and
fails to denouace his senguinsry aud
remorsel-ss ambitions
Perhaps ths Greek dehnitiou oi man.
"a walking heap OF coatrsfictions.
could be applied to ne man more justly
than to Nicholas. Al homs be was -
different from the foregoing portrait i
day tram night. His private life was
characterized by noble qualities. the
fsintest trace vi which 10 not to be
found in bis life as Emperor. This man.
a. h,ndsone as the Apollo Of Btlviderr,
was the slave of what he called his
duty. He was AS sitsple in bis habits
ss y pstriSrch Ha rarely donned
other clothes than his fail military uni-
furm. When alone Or with his nearest
relatives, and at no other time. he t'o.
off HIS epaulett.s and laid aside his
sword The h. bit WAS 40 mere furmSi'
i,y. His lif. ~n. l,te thai "t n soidi~r
in the field. Before ,iay break. whsn
h,. ~i.ole empire WAS asleep. be was Oh
h. fs,. his shouid.rs c.'ver.d vith an
aid military cloak. psDp~ring orders tor
hi. Msnisers ia the thirty years of
his reign he issued no lees than twenty
;housaBd ukAses aud decrees of all
sorts, every one of which he prepared
hinaself. He directed every branch OF
his Administration. Hardly Q letter
left the Offices of his Ministers without
his personal examinstion. They we're
,uer. scriLss. To Nesseirode. who one
day wanted 10 discuss some order
respecting foreign politics. Nicholas
bluntly said: i am my own Minister OF
Foreign Affairs. Do - ssy.' His
private dinners we're ~ simpls - his
public ones were sumptuous. He usu :
ally drove . two horse drochsky or .
single horse sleigh. He frequently
w.iked incognito. snd enjoyed couver.
sation with unknown persons. He for
bsde smoking in the street out OF
respx OF, as he said, for lsdies; yet NO
sovereign entertained in tho depths Of
his heart 80 little respect for them.
Wa be good father The question
10 debatsbls. HE s goodness. st oil
events, Vas kind Of ofintcrD,ttsnt fever.
His eldest dsughtsr, the hasdsoms
Grand Duchess Maria. has taken advan-
tage of one Of his good-nstur~d moods
to wrest from his lips consent to her
marriage with Duke Max of Lsuehtsn.
brrg. the son Of Eugene Bssuharnsis.
This union was opposed BY oil his rela-
tives and courtiers and by ths diplomat
10 body on the ground that Il lowered
the dignity Of the imperial family. Dur.
ing my sojourn In St. Petersburg, Count
Orlvf told me- ap snecdote concerning
the marriage o. the Grand Duchess
with this handsone but Insignificant
officer uf the Bsvarisn army. Orlofl
was then 1t the head Of the Third Sec
tiou. Like all the other courtisrs. he
was endsavoring TO psrsuads his Msjss-
ty to withdraw his consent. MY dear
Orloff,' said the latter. If yoa had
daughters whom you could make happy
aud 1t the same time keep them with
you for your whole life. you would
surely act 90 purposs to do. After oil,
the husband Of my dsughtcr will
always be the Csar's son.in.iaw.'
This marriage. however. became q
. thorn in his side. Even during Tbs
noisy fstss which accompanied the we'd
ding he could not conceal HE ssxasisn
50 long as he lived. the Duchess ol
Leuchtenberg Was not called ct cour'
by sny o,he, title tnap Madame ID
Grapds Ducheass.' More than one gen.
tlesnan has been called BY Nichoaas ar
idiot snd exil a from the court foI
simply speaking Of Maria ~ the
Duchess of Leachtsnberg. When ths
Princes Mathilde Bonsparte. cousir
Of ths knperof's snn-in. law. married
the Prince Of San Donate. Anatols
DsmidoG, the Cars wrath knew nc
boards BY this marriage Nicholas
was said .,o have become the relative
Of one Of his subjects Fortunatsly TO.
the author Of the saying. the Third
Section vas uaabls 70 discover him
wss tod that the Emperor took -
oath that il he wers found be would
inveat new torments for his punish.
mspt.
Nicholas has been depicted - rars
example If domestic virtue. ~ low
;.~ e.sh.vs and husband he has beeU