The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-04
PICTURES FROM MOSCOW.
a Beautiful and Glowing Description
of tho Entry of the Gar.
Vast Crowd of Many Nationalties-The
Cossacks of the Don and the Pictur-
esque Visitors from the East.



Kremlin. In but few instances do the
houses attain to the dignity of three stories,
and the experienced traveller is at loss to
FAY whether the appearance of Moscow more
reminds him OF Ispahan, Bagdad, CONSTANT
nople or Calcutta. Conceive, then, this tri-
umphal way to be densely lined on pavements,
windows, pavilions, platforms, balconies,
tribunes and every available coign of
vantage, with myriads of spectators of every
rank and class. from the smock-frocked
peasant, with no brighter intelligence beam
in his passive eyes than that of Gurth, the
Saxon churl, to the ample-gowned merchant,
the threadbare priest with hair of feminine
length, and the Slavophil of either sex,
traitorously disguised by the millinery or
tailoring of the West; further picture the
line of route as being gayly overarched with
eyergreens and fantastic with the skeleton
mechanism of illumination, gofgeously hung
with historical paintings, tapestries with
yellow and black, with brave escutcheons,
gallant bannerets and huttering pennons,
heralds of the fray. Imagine all this and
you will have some idea of the route by
which the Gear of all the Russias has tri-
umphantly entered his ancient capital, Mos
cow, the golden domed, the white stoned,
the emerald rooted. the seven hilled, the
myriad tempted, and the thousand lowered.
The morning broke gray and sad and from
many lofty tower and cross-surmounted
dome the banners dropped languidly But
gradually breeze sprang up which, with
out dispensing the ashen-colored clouds, Sc
ali the bunting gayly futtering. And while
it yet was early morning the citizens one
and all sprang out of bed with a nervous fear
of missing the golden day and grim de-
termination to take Time by his slippery
forelock. Out trooped the eager Moscovtes
TO secure their places on the line of route,
and for six long hours they patiently, or
rather impatiently, awaited the coming of
the Gar. Nothing is more orderly than
Russian crowd, as nothing is more obedient
than Russian army; but yet there was the
usual crushing and squeezing OF vehicles and
Ealloping, bullying, crushing and admoni-
tory COMPRISING of toes with butt and
bayonet accompanied with hoarse Slavonic
shouts OF command and Shrill female screams.
For six long hours the citizens sat and
squatted and stood and waited; the military
were marched to their posts, the tardy
footed leaden-eyed morning crept on apace,
and everybody came out to greet and Loyalty
acclaim the mighty Gar, save and except
his surly majesty the sun.
I was favored with seat on the balcony of
the splendid mansion which, at a rent of e.
ST. Petersburg for the coronation fortnight
and which commands splendid view of the
imperial route for a large part of its intra-
mural course. Up and down, above and be-
low, nothing but densely packed human be-
Ings, those in the street being kept back from
the carriage way on each side by double
rank of soldiers with fixed bayonets, stand
ing almost shoulder TO shoulder. The police
regulations were stringent and effective
Qpe-half of the population of Moscow seemed
to guard and control the other. We sit and
wait and watch the moving panorama in the
street beiow-the galloping orderles, the
securing troops of Cossacks, the passage of
Prince Vladimir outward, with his brilliant
suite, and, above all, the lowering Skies
Will the unkind heavens bedraggle the mag
nificent show to which we are to be treated2
Heavy drops begin to fall, but they cease in
a moment, and yet the skies continue dark
The hour is a quarter past by the clock.
Is that thunder? No; it is a cannon shot,
repeated nine times as signal to let loose the
bells of all this myriad belled city, And in
another moment the air seems to be con
vulsed by a crashing hurricane of sound.
First booms the great gong in tine Cathedral
of the Assumption, in the kremlin, and then
the chorus is taken up by all the lesser clap
pers in the city, like village ours that unite
to swell the voice of one alarmed and deep
mouthed mastiff. Such concert of boom
ing grooming. growing, chirping piping and
trumpeting din was never heard, or only by
Caliban in his hours of ecstacy. As if to the
sound of this many-toned word of command.
the soldiers seize their stacked rifles and
stand to arms, while from the quaint old
church opposite troop out its golden-robed
clergy, with their censers, their altar, their
sacred Icons and other rtuaistic parapher-
MALTA for the passing Emperor to gaze upon
and venerate. Half dozen so they are
In number standing there like gorgeously-
dressed Oriental merchants Offering wares for
sale, and he in the middle. with the purple
head-gear, is the chief He is a man OF
portiy body, compared with whom the cele-
brated Friar of Orders Gray would have
looked thin, pinched and ascetic. The fra
GRANGE of their censers ascends to us.
THE ESCORT.
1t is quarter past . as the cannon again
thunder out above the changing bells, and all
eyes are turned toward the Arc de Triomphe,
at the northern end of our vista, where we
know that the Emperor is already being re-
eceiyed by the mayor and municipality,
wearing their pompous robes and chains of
Office. What scarlet crowd is that approach
ing? 1t looks exactly like British regiment
in the distance; but as it comes nearer and
nearer we discover it to be the personal
escort of his Majesty, consisting of some
three squadrons of Circassians and Don
Cessacks, all finely made, handsome men,
and brayely mounted, Their steeds are very
FESTIVE, especially in passing the Icons, and
one impatient officer has to bring his capering
brute to reason by slapping it desperately
over the launches with the fiat of his sabre.
The cavalcade is somewhat in danger of de-
rangement through these unsteady steeds;
but their riders sit admirably, and on they
tE
scious of the trust reposed in
their valor and loyalty by their
imperial lord Stalwart, strapping troopers
are these Cossacks of the Don;
and but for their Astrachan sheepskin caps
now the regulation full dress headgear of all
Inc Russian army-they might we'll be taken
for smart squadron Of Scots Grays. Behind