Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1881-04-09
.SATU RDAY PRESS.
Latest Foreign News.
fcoris"ed from h,'i pnee n Hts paperJ
THE AssAssfNsTFp EMPEROR.
arm 2. 1881.


Continued from INST pdgs N Mts yaprrJ
rHe AssAssrNarFp EMPEROR.
Alexander III, surnamed Nicolcavitch
&c, son of Nicholas). Emperor of Rus.
sia, tho eldest son of Nicholas |. was born
on the 10Th of April, 1918. His mother.
Alexandra Fcodurovna, was n sister of
Frederick William " of Prussia Ho
married in ls4l n daughter of Louis III,
Grand Duke of Tesse- Darmstadt, who, on
Joining the Greek Church, adopted the
name of Marie Alexnndrovna On the
death of Nicholas, March 2, 1855. he
assembled the throne in tho midst of war
betwecn Russia on one side and France,
England Turkey and SARDINIA on the
other. lie retained in office the ministers
of his father, and proclaimed his intention
to pursue the policy of his predecessor
The war was prosecuted with vigor even
after the capture of Sebastopo, September,
$500. Conferences for the negotiation of
peace. opened in Paris in March, 1856 re-
suited in treaty by which neither party
gained any important advantages. After
the restoration of peace he ordered several
reforms in the administration, and acquired
tho reputation of being more moderate and
liberal than his father. Among tho i'm
portant measures of his reign was the
gradual emancipation of more than twenty
millions of serfs, which was decreed in
March, 1861. letter which he addressed
to the Government of the United States in
1851, ON the subject of the great rebellion,
was received ms an indication of most
friendly feeling ON the part of Russia
toward the United States, which was
doubly welcome on account of the doubtful
or hostile attitude assumed by some of tho
leading European powers.
In 1862, the two topics most prominent
ia his reign were the condition of Poland
and the effect of the promised emancipa-
ton of the serfs. In October, 1861, tho
celebration IN the memory of kosciusko
was prevented i'll. Poland, and Warsaw de-
clnred in n state of siege. Many arrests
followed, and many Poles were condemned
TO death. In 1862, citizens of Poland, con-
trary to the custom followed in Russia
were seized for the army, chiefly from
among those who had manifested opposition
to the Government, and this without re-
gard to the limit of military age. The
Iteration of the serfs was to be completed
b. February, 1868, and as these persons
comprised more than half the European
population of tho empire the subject was
prominent topic of the era and the feeling
was that the step was but preliminary to
other equally radical changes in the poiti-
cal management of the empire. Alexander
accorded to the students of st. Petersburg,
Moscow and Kasan greater liberty than
was allowed under the despotic rule of his
father, but as they manifested too great
freedom of utterance repression was en-
poyed and conflicts between the students
and authorities followed, resulting in blood
shed. The press demanded relief from
censorship, and the constituent assemblies
of the eighty. eight governments of Russia
demanded self government and liberty of
the press and the assembling of the Cen
cral Assembly and constitution. The
Emperor did not respond cordially, but
granted other reforms, as the taking of
judicial power from the police and dele
cation of it in civil magistrates elected by
the people, the abolition of Imprisonment
for debt for less than $50, examination of
all persons arrested within twenty-four
hours, ETC.; relief of the Emperor from ex-
animation of crimes against the State, re-
ligion, and crimes committed by Govern
ment officers, etc. In 1862, the l,0OOth
anniversary of the founding of the empire
was celebrated.
March Sd, 1868, the transtory epoch
for the abolition of serfdom expired, and
sertdom definitely expired through the en-
pre-. The event was celebrated with great
solemnity. The emancipated serfs proved
pcaceable, and showed that they appreciated
the boon of liberty. In this year municipal
constitutions were conceded to the peasants,
aud the social condition of the peasautry
improved rapidly, Tho price of land rose
all over the empire. Money came out OF
it's hiding places, and general prosperity
was manifest.
January, 1868, to April 1864, the Polish
instruction drew to close, and in that
time $4,000 insurgents were killed OF
severely wounded, 36l condemned to death
and $4,000 transported to Siberia Liberal
measures were then introduced for the re.
lief of Poland. The Circassian war, which
had engaged Russia for thirty years, closed
IN 1864, Schamyl, the warlike chief, being
finally defeated. The paciication of Poland
having been accomplished Alexander began
the conquest of Turkistan. The years
l663-4 were marked by great military sue.
cesses. In the former year the first steI
was taken toward the introduction of
constitutional form of Government, tn,
initial movement being in the Grand Ouch,
of Finland, and the Car expressed his in
tentou to develop liberal institutions il
other parts Of the empire. In 1864 hi
ukase issued for the organization Of tn,
provincial and district representations o
Russia, excepting only Archangel, Astra
can and Bessarabia. The Courts Of Justc,
We're re-organiaed, and a new peual cod,
promulgated. In 1865 the new y.conquereC
provinces of Central Asia were organize,
iuto the province of Turkistau. In TIN
year the hereditary Grand Duke died, tn
iirst Provincial Diets of the empire con
veued, amidst much opposition by the AS
sembies OF Mobiles, which thought the new
movement far too democratic aud as tend
ing to paralyxe the influence of the uppe
classes, bat the Car WAS firm, and bite
feeling grew up between the throne and tn
nobility. In 1865 the Gear made grea
progress in the Central Asia campaign. Il
1865 he made great concession to tn
principle OF religious federation by permit