Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-02-28
1EWELED CARRIaGES.

JEWELED CARRIAGES
81, vehicles Used by the ROYAL tami
ne uVs' lies OF hussia-
cavalier who visits st. Petersburg
Inc .nnmer time, while the emperor
10 lue ,oprt are absent at Peterhof, Is
snu Ne ~ among other curiosities, the won
.nO SUI collection of state carriages which
Ger AZ the coronation of each ose OF
: aaeo ,ulers. Most of them are relics
ba's,' -,agnifeence of Empress Catha-
o. w n ,,nt every succeeding reign has
ilIe 49, ~ the barbaric splendors of the
soueu coaches. The first object that
l'sss'. ,be eve is a plain but elegant car
'.l' i- 80 m,dern construction and style
"os 81 dark blue, the whole of the wood
Ya,t nm the back shivered and loose, Ike
~ -.oodrn Stats of blind whiis the in
lH. "a mass of torn cushions. This
~ ~ ,obicle in which the late czar Was
-, yh-n the first shell destined for
~. .5-s,rnetjon burst, leaving him unin
- ~ Int SCATTERING his equipage. 1t
- mot until lie stepped out into the
20, IN ascertain the cause of the dis
..sarcs that second bomb anuihilated
n. antoerat of all Russia and his assas
w. n the same moment. A chapel Is
80, IN eouree of erection by has son, the
Ds'ssrt car. to mark the spot where this
5,ssd catastrophe occurred. The man
Lad remains of the imperial martyr were
sl.csd with his ancestors, in the Church
sSS Peter and Paul, aud to this day his
,or,h ia always covered with fresh flow
s.s generally violets-their perfumed
b,est6 minglinz with the burning of in
..pss and the smoke of the waxen tapers
vbicb surround the marble sarcophagus.
The next object of interest ia a print
.ys .ledge, fashioned by the prentice
land of Peter the Great, the worshiped
nero Of Russia. Il is wood, roughly con
.tructed, painted dark gray, with coarse
voolen cushions, and poorly lighted by
small panes of glass. Alongside of this
mnch prized relic is the sumptuous
sleigh. drawn by mimic swans of white
and gold, in which once reclined the vol
rntpous figure of Catherine the Great.
The sedan chair of the late empress, who
VA, Tor many years an invalid, is another
c1riosity, with Its gilded doors
adorned by the jeVeled monogram o.
ts royal owner, and its cushions of
rose colored silk. In the inner apart
men, the display of coaches is superb
lbont g dozen of these are gorge0uolg
painted in red and glitter with varnish
aud rich gliding, from the pole to the
od-iashioned rocking springs in the
rear. The tops of some of them are sur
rounded by ornamental borders, studded
BY Jewels and sIrmounted by a crown set
With precious stones. Diamonds, rubies,
.apphires, and emeralds outline the i'm
pefial monograms on the doors, and even
the hubs OF tue wheels and the curving
supports to tie broad steps are set
With the same brilliant gems. 1t seems
almost Incredible, says writer in the
Theological Review, that this vast quaint
y Of Jewels should be genuine, but the
uniformed cicsrone grevtly assures his
visitors that they are all real stones Of
great value. The doors of one coach
gers painted by Vatican and another by
Boucher, precious pictures even more
costly than old mine stones. Indeed, the
guide affirmed the British governmea
has offered $75 600 for one smell panel
by Vatican, which it wished to place in
The national gallery. This offer, hOwev-
sf, has been refused, and the beauty of
the Coacb, thus splendidiy adorned, is
stlIl intact, For each coronation new
carriage is made, aud all, including many
\ il Moscow, are brought out for the grand
pageant
The present czsrins selected for her use
81 the late coronation a coach presented
4 by Frederick the Great of Prussia 10 the
H Empress Catharine II. 1t is beautifully
painted, richly ieweled, and cushioned in
embroidered satin, with magnificent ham
utr cloth and harness lnlaid with gold.