Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-02-12
3tlc.LEpGER:
?. EvENIEa, .rrBtuAar y. 1883
The RituaL

coronation Of Alexander Ill. viii be
repeated at that Of Alexander Ill
The thrones used in 1856 by the En-.
peror and Empress were those Of John
III. and Michael Feodorowitca,which
have served ct all cerOnstions since
that of Peter the Great. The ofhciat.
lug prelatss were the Archbishops Of
Moscow and Novgorod, who com
menoed the ceremony b. blessing the
holy Banner Of Russia, that Of Our
Lady of Kew, the spear head Of
which is made out of a piece of the
''tfue cross. . The banner, having
been spriukled with holy water, was
presented to the Emperor. who waved
1t thrice before the congregation and
then restored it to the Primate His
Majesty then kuelt while the impe
rial mantle of silver and ermine was
adjusted to his shoulders. Next he rose
and stood upright, while the
sword of John III. was being
grit around his waist and the scep
ter, with its orb, was placed
in bis right hand. Finally he sat
down to have the massive crown set
upon his brow. After this the Empress
knelt before her husband, who re-
moved the crown from his own head
and laid it for an instant on hers
Another and smaller crown was then
put upon Her Majesty's brow by her
ladies, who at the same time covered
her with mantle like the Cars
Throughout these ceremonies prayers
were said and canticles sung by the
clergy and choir of 300 voices, but
there were no acclamatioDs from the
people, for the Gar was not yet an
oiuted. The making Of a Gar THE
Lords anointed" is the most impor
tant part of the service, 1t is done in
this wise: The Archbishop OF Moscow,
holding a silver bowl full of holy oil,
in which "a fragment OF the crown
of thornsp has been immersed, takes a
golden palm branch and dipping it
into the oil, touches with it the Cars
brow, his eyeHis, nssf iipG and
the palms Of bis hands, after which
attendants upon the monarch's vest
ments so as to lay an inch Of bis chest
bare, and the Archbishop traces a
cross on the skin with the oil. When
this has been done the clergy PROSTATE
themselves before the Gar, the choir
strikes up glorious tie Deum," and
the congregation burst into an in Z
mense acclamstion. This is the end
of the ceremony in the Cathedral Of
the Assumption but the Gar and
CEarina have now two or three hours
more to spend in going with all their
insignia upon them to the abbey
churches OF st. Michael and the An
nuneiation, and then to all the other
churches aud 0hapelS 10 the Kremlin
to pay their devotions to the icons and
relics and TO give aims. 1t is a most
fatiguing day for the imperial couple,
and their religious duties are not fully
discharged when the day closes, for
custom requires that about week
after the coronation the Gar and his
consort shall make pilgrimage toihs
holy city of Kew and visit the cata-
combs.
AMNESTY.
A coronation is always signalized by
acts OF imperial clemency, and in this
respect the ukase issued by Alexander
ii. on the 7th Of September, 1856,
remains memorable. 1t granted s
complete amnesty to all the political
offenders Of 1925 26 and of the Polish
rebellion OF 1881 who were still in
exile or in prison; also pardon to press
offenders, military deisulters and to
about FIVE thousand other individuals
in jais. The empire was entirely
exonerated IRON military CONSUMPTION
during term OF four years. A new
ard more equitable assessment of the
poll tax was decreed. Most Of the
disabilities which weighed upon Jew.
were removed. Thousands of crown
serfs we're manumitted and received
grants Of land. Finally, the children
Of soldiers who under the former reign
had been brought up by the State to
enter the army were restored to their
parents. These truly wise largesses
evoked the most cordial popular graf
itude, insOmuch that the Gar began
his reign as a peoples darling. He
was so well aware of this that be con,
ceived the grandiose idea OF giving a
bsoquet to 2O0,G90 Of mis- poorer sub.
jects from Moscow ADD the adjacent
villages in the plains round Petrwski
Preparations were made for this
amazing feast by covering a square
mile with tables and the tables with
hunks Of beef, bread and casks Of
kwass. Unluckily the impotence O.
the guests did not allow them to wait
till the day of the dinner. A flagstaff
had been erected In the middle of th,
plain, and it had been arranged that tn,
signal to "fall>to" should be giyer
by the hosting Of the flag. On tn,
evening before the day Of the feast
while some 10000 mUjiks were loiter
ing around the plain shifting the food
an engineer officer named Minakoff
wishing to try 1T the ropes of the flag
staff worked well. gave them tug ant
semitic bunting flying alolt. In tn,
tWinkliHg of an eye the multitud
OF mujiks swcoped upon tn,
table and made clearance. N,
horde Of iamished wolves could hay
done the work better. Beef, bread
beer-evcrything went, ard vine
those were gone the wooden dishe
were carried of also The Ca
laughed when he was told of the mat
ter. well, well. so long as they en-
joyed themselves that is all wanted
But We must give something to poe
MiHakof. l am sure he must hay
feared that they we're going to eat hil
also"
The Scotch Highlauders are gettiu
up their backs against the policy
deropulating large areas Of their cour
try TO make room for deer and sheel