Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-11-02
Glimpse, Of Russian crswn.Prince.

Giimpses Of Russian crewn-Prince.
While United States Minister to Sweden
and Norway, our townsman. John L.
Stevens, at a private interview. met and
conversed with the man whose illness and
probably near death have awakened such
profound interest throughout Europe. 1t
was in 1880, few months before his father,
Alexander II, died by assassination.
The then heir-apparent to the Russian
throne. came to Stockholm, on a Russian
war ship, escorted by other vessels of the
Russian navy. The Swedish royal palace,
immensely large and imposing, stands near
the water of the harbor in which the Rus
sian tquadron had cast anchor. The son of
the then reigning Gear was received in
splendid manner by the Swedish King,
the grandson of Bernadotte. Rich car
pets were laid, on which the Rus
sian crown-prince walked from his
steamers launch to the foot of the
palace steps, to which the Swedish mon
arch descended to receive his princely
guest, who, bore with him the pride and
prestige of the Russian empire. The Swe-
dish sovereign, more than six feet in height,
straightly erect as candle, one of the most
stately monarchs in Europe, in manner
most suave and polished, indicative of the
Italian blood that flows in his veins, received
the heir of all the Russias most cordially,
surrounded by the most distinguished men
of the Swedish court and the chief govern
ment officials. The stalwart Russian prince
and the stately Scandinavian monarch,
with the brilliant surrounding circumstan-
ces and incidents on beautiful autumnal
day, made striking picture, an impressive
scene. At the royal dinner in honor of the
distinguished guest, given two or three days
subsequently, the Russian prince sat at the
right of King Oscar. The seat of Mr..
Stevens was sufficiently near the royal host
and guest to carefully observe their manner
towards each other and to study
the characteristics of the grand-sons
of Nicholas and Bernadotte. Mr..
Stevens was impressed by the modest and
simple manners of the Russian heir-apparent,
whom the Swedish King, for good reasons,
desired to please. On subsequent day the
Russian prince received separately, in pri
vate interview, by appointment, each of
the Foreign Ministers then residing at
Stockholm. Young Alexander gave his
hand to the Minister of the United States
with cordial earnestness and with much
simplicity of manner. He had been in
the United States, and he spoke of our
people and statesmen in way that implied
his understanding of the long existing friend
ly relations between the great Republic and
the great Empire. His robust form and
features, in type strongly German then indi-
Gated vigor of life and health which would
carry him through many years. He gave
no indications Of brilliant intellectual quail
ties, but appeared to be person of much
common sense, not rapid in his thinking, but
likely to be firm, if not obstinate, when he
had reached bis conclusions. Certainly his
words, look and manner, gave no indica-
tons of despot, but of one whose natural
inclinations were kind and pacific. His age
was then So, having been born in 1916.
Little did any one who then saw him, know
Of the terrible trials through which he
would pass in the near following years. Not
long after his father was slain by assas
sination, and Alexander III assumed the
vast responsibilities of the autocratic
ruler of one hundred millions of
people occupying a vast empire. The
perils, the anxieties, the sufferings, through
which he and his family have passed since
his accession to the throne, is known to all
the world. 1t was the knowledge of these
dangers and terrible anxieties which con-
stantIy press on the ruler of that vast en-
pire, which caused Mr.. Stevens to remark
after his return from his six years European
residence, that he would rather be a Lon
don policeman than the Car of "all the
Russias."
sc T