The herald., 1896-05-23
THE CZAR IS IN SECLUS|ON
Until the Great Day Of His
Coronation
PRIVATE AUDIENCES GIVEN
To Officials Representing the United
States Government
Sir Edwin Arnold Writes Concerning Thurs.
days Pageantry- gnlflcence Beyond
Expression In Mere Words
Associated Press Special Wire.

naught, representing Queen Victoria at
the coronation festivities has presented
to the cZarina the grand cross of the
Victorian order. which has been newly
founded by Queen Victoria, and also an
ornamental vase of the Armada pattern.
| The cZar today received in private
audience the United States minister, Mr..
Breckenridge, and then received the spe-
cial ENJOYS of the United States sent
to represent the government of the
! United States at the coronation, to-
gether. This included General McCook
and his brother, Aide e-de-Camp Sever
in, Commander Bronson and Major j.
w. Patzki, of the special embassy. and
Rear Admiral T. o. Selfridge, in COM
mand of the Mediterranean squadron,
who brought his flagship, the Minneapo-
lis, to Cronstadt, to attend the corona
| tion as the naval envoy Of the United
States. Mr.. Breckenridge, Mr.. II. N.
Peiro, secretary of the United States le-
| CATION, and several other representa-
tives wore at the first time at the Rus
sian court the full civil dress prescribed
for those who are not allowed to wear
the official uniform. This dress consists
| or an evening coat with plain buttons,
white vest, knee breeches and black
silk stockings and no ornaments
The United States minister, the spe-
cial ENJOYS and their staff tonight at
tend reception given by the Russian
foreign minister. Prince Lobanoff- -Ros-
| tovsky.
Next week Mr.. Breckenridge will give
a dinner to distinguished American Wis
| ftors to the coronation, and later, prob
ably on June Sd, will give reception
inviting the Russian princes and foreign
| princes attending the coronation, and
| the foreign ambassadors and about 1000
others
The special embassies to the corona
ton from France, Spain, Japan, and
Corea We're also received in audience by
the czar and czarina in the Kremlin to-
day. A gilded six-horse coach and sew
eral four-ho carriages were sent to
fetch each embassy and suite Each
embassy was escorted by six mounted
grooms. and was received by guards Of
honor at the Kremlin, where they were
conducted with great ceremony to the
Alexander salon, and thence to the Eka-
terina hall. where they were received
in audience.
EDWIN ARNOLD WRITES
LONDON, May 22-Sir Edwin Arnold
who went to Moscow on behalf of the
Daily Telegraph, in his dispatch to that
paper, describing the scene at the Krepl-
lin and the entry of the czar into Mos
COW, says:
Why cannot one write in colors?
There was never anything sen on any
stage like the living Kaleidoscope of fam
C1ful attire, of fantastic hues and en-
bellishments visible around me, particu-
larly In the Oriental element, and all the
far eastern nations.
The officials from Khivia wore many
colored velvet robes, gold embroidered
and sugar loaf hats. Now China con-
tributes dazzling group with Powered
satin frocks and vermillion buttoned
hats. Now bevy of magnates from
Lake Baikal astound the eye with fur
trimmed brOcade and long red boots.
Now l recognize the gray surtout and
amber cap strings of the Coreans and
try one of them with greeting in jap
anese, he politely murmurs.
Some of the Khirgese Tartars then ap-
pear in. yellow silk and scarlet shawls,
cutdoing all, and at window of the
Gostinnoy Dvor there is beautiful
vision of Circassian lady in black and
orange brocades, glistening with pearls
and turquoises.
I abandon in despair the polychro-
matte aspects at this point of the page
ants. The COssack guards were glor-
iously uniformed in scarlet and gold rid
ing little, weedy, Roman-nose Ukraine
nags, with only q snaff1e and bride and
with gold and black bandoliers, looking
quite fit to place in front of the czar.
After these came upon the scene al
most the chief interest for me personally,
since 1 saw gravely and significantly
riding along as the vassal friends of the
great White Khan all the chiefs of the
central Asian kingdoms and provinces
over which his eagles cast the shadow
OF their wings.
Then passed demurely on noble Arab
stations the least among them mounted
upon animals covered from crest to
haunch with the coStilest trappingS of
silver and gold cloth.
But these and other parts of the pa
geant palled before the grand master
of ceremonies, borne haughtily onward
in such a golden chariot as I thought
existed only in heaven or in classical
pictures, holding wand Of gold topped
with an emerald as big as a walnut. I
note that a Catholic archbishop of
America has been deprecating the abo-
lition of war by arbitration. He would
have been consoled by the spectacle I
witnessed in the red square, a dazzling
illustration of the pomp, pride and cir
cumstance of glorious war.
But here at last comes the august OBJ
ject of this unparalleled manifestation,
the successor and heir of Ivan the Ter
rible. His handsome and manly young
countenance is pale with the prodigious
sensation which such scene must nat
urally excite, and holds his gloved right
hand almost perpetually to his regimen
tai cap. He bends his head gently to this
side and that, he acknowledges the
headed and every woman is waving a
handkerchief or shawl or violently
crossing her loyal bosom in a prayer
for the Little Father"
The czarina also sat alone, dressed
wholly in white, even the Jewels, pearls
and diamonds, seeming to mar by their
color the effect of this pure apparel,
which caused her to resemble marble
saint within golden shrine.
Most unmistakable were the affection
and loyalty of the crowd, and I saw
more than one poor peasant woman's
eyes fill with tears of sheer joy to be-
hold this fair lady. One honest fellow
fell upon his knees to say his prayers as
though he had seen something divine.
until a Cossack bundled him back into
the crowd.
A Berlin dispatch to the Daily News
says: According to news from Moscow.
after the coronation the czar's great
uncle. Grand Duke Michael Nicolaie-
witch, will resign the presidency Of the
state council and retire from public life.
He will be succeeded in the office by the
Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovitch
the czar's eldest uncle. whose post of
commander of the guards goes to the
Grand Duke Sergius. whose wife, for
mer]y Princess Elizabeth Of Hesse. is
the czarina's sister, who will thus be