The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-11
ALEXANDER I'll AT HOME.
The Gar and His Life at
st. Petersburg.
ALONE UPON THE STREETS.
A Monarch Who Is In Love With His Wife.
How the Emperor Looks-Wonderfal
Estates and Grand Palaces
ALONE UPON THE STREETS.
Correspondence Of THE MORNING CALL

The Car has returned with his family
from visit to Denmark and he is now
dividing his time between his two suburban
palaces of Gatchina and Peterhof. He
never spends his summers in st. Peters
burg, but he comes to the city about once a
week. and it will be surprising to Amer-
cans TO know that be drives aboutquite like
an ordinary citizen. | saw him on the
Nevski Prospect, which is the Broadway Of
St. Petersburg, a few days ago. His car
rage was a ricn dark-blue landau and he
drove without outriders, the only sign of his
rank being his liveried coachman and foot
men.
Down at Gatchlna you may see him almost
any afternoon walking about the palace
grounds and now and then taking stroll
outside of them. He may have q guard
about him, but if so ii is invisible. and as
far as l can see his Majesty has fewer at
tepdants than the other mouarchs OF
Europe. The most of our information con-
corning the Gar comes from England and
the English newspapers disseminate more
false reports about public men and matters
than any other newspapers in the world.
They represent the Gar as spending his
whole time trembling in his palaces. They
say he is tyrant and sensualist and that
be never has peaceful moment. The truth
seems to be just the reverse. OF all the peo-
pie 1 have met in Russia, including many
enemies of the Gar. l have n OF found one
who could say anything against his prl-
vate character. All say that he is brave
and conscientious man and his relations TO
his wife and family are the models for the
empire.
Isaw the Sultan OF Turkey at Constan-
tinople year or so ago, and the contrast
between him and Alexander III is striking.
The Sultan is a lean, sall0w. nervous fellow,
with frame aud a face for all the world
like that of Jaw Gould. He lacks, however.
Jay GOuld's nerve, and as [ looked at him
could see by the way his eyes restlessly
wandered from one part of the crowd TO the
other that he was afraid OF assassination.
He had troupe of about 1000 soldiers about
him, and General Osman Pasha. the hero of
PleVna, sat in the carriage by his side.
Nevertheless he trembled as he passed along
on the way TO worship at the mosque, and
he inspired me rather with pity than with
respect. l was told at COns,antinopla that
he feared to 20 10 bed at night and that
he often sits up until daybreak. He
has his Watchmen always about hin, and IN
the towers of his palace there are guards
who are ever on the lookout. The
Gar has nothing of the coward
about him. He looks Ike a monarch and
every inch of his six feet four is kingly.
comes. has always beeninoted for the splen-
did DhysqueS of its members, and Alexan-
der III is giant. lie stands six feet four
inches in his stockings and he weighs $50
pounds. His bceps are as big around as
the ordinary mans leg and his strength is
prOdigious. He can take horseshoe, L AIN
told, and bend it double in his hand, and he
can take a gold coin the size Of dollar and
fold it in halves with his fingers. His head
rises above those of his suite. and the Rus
sian costumes which he wears make him
look even taller than he Is. When ] saw
him the other day at Gstchina he had a
Visorless Russian cap on his head and his
massive frame was clad in long 0yercOat,
and his trousers were thrust into pair of
TOD boots. His uniform was that of one of
his regiments, and he wears different uni
forms from time TO time IN compliment TO
such companies OF his soldiers as most seq
him. A regiment considers il a great Dat
terry to have the Car wear its uniform. and
this is one of the ways in which he shows
his approval OF the drill of his soldiers. He
is very fond of his soldiers. he addresses
them as his children and they call him the
father Gar
The daily life of the Car is simple In the
extreme. He keeps his great frame in good
condition by regular exercise, and, like
Gladstone, he often goes out and cuts down
trees in his forests He sometimes saws
these trees into lengths with a eross5ut
saw ana he does all sorts of manual work.
He is an athlete OF the first order and he is
fond of playing with his children, and dur
ing mis- stay at Denmark he had number of
wrestling matches at the palace there. in
each of which, | am told. he came out VIC
toriOus. Heis fond of horseback riding and
be has $50 saddle-hOrses In his stables here.
His stud contains some OF the finest horses
in the world. and he knows all about horses
and is anxious to improve his stock. and is
very careful as TO the character of the
horses which are brought into the army.
He often drives himself, with his wife be-
side him. in a phaetOn about Gatschina and
he holds his reins with his arms stiff, in the
Russian fashion.
visited the museum in which the I'M
perial carriages are kept the other day, and
spent hours wandering about through the
hundreds Of golden coaches and gorgeous
Iandaus, each of which is worth many,
many thousand dollars. handled harness