The Sun. — 1854-07-10 (London, England)

ROYAL "FESTIVAL" IN ST. PETERSBURG,  The birthday of the Czar is just over ; and surety it must have been the most anxious and dismal of his birthdays—grave as the vicissitudes of his life have been. He was born on the 6th of July (new style), 179 G, and already, while only 58, he is worn, broken—older in constitution and appearance than most men who have lived ten or fifteen years longer. His most eager enemies cannot look on such a spectacle as the decline of this man and his fortunes without a sort of grief in the midst of their satisfaction and thanksgiving—grief that powers so considerable, and a morale that once had much that was fine in it, should have carried a man into a mission no higher than one of warning, after he and many others had believed it would he one of retrieval and amelioration. There is no need to say that he was unhappy in his descent. The grandson of Catherine and the son of Paul claims our pity at the outset. The mischief was, however, simply constitutional, for he was too young at the death of both to suffer by their example. He was four months old when the Empress died ; and under five years when his wretched father came to his- untimely end. He was, therefore, exempt from the horrible imputation which rested on his elder brothers—that they knew what was doing on the night of Paul's murder, and consented to it as the only means of saving their own liberty and even life. Alexander was then fourand-twenty ; but the child Nicholas, then a spirited and clever boy of four-and-a-half, was one of the last who received a loving word and kiss from his doomed father. OA that fatal evening, Paul was in one of his amiable moods ; and he wont to the Empress—that ingenuous German girl who found the greatness which had at first astonished her a miserable change from the freer and more modest life in her father's castle. Her husband went to her drawing-room that evening ; spoke affectionately to her, and took the baby into his arms, and played with the little Nicholas. His mother did the best she could for the boy, in the way of education. General Laudor, superintended it ; Adelung taught him languages, and Councillor Stork instructed him in political economy—to no great purpose, judging by the results. He was more inclined to military studies than any other ; and was almost as fond of fortification as Uncle Toby himself. He was fond of music to a o ; and united the two tastes by composing military d ue Though his constitutional industry manifesti?ss itd'srelfroin the pursuit of such studies as he liked,he ! fn e educational process, ignorant—really ignorant or to the what it became—not only a Prince, but a gentletnan know : and not a few of the wisest men in Epe attribute; his fatal errors and misfortunes to hiso cause,  above all others. During his youth be was extremely unpopular. His irascibility was so great that no one cared to approach him unnecessarily. His manners were excessively rude; and the contrast was daily pointed out, by those who dared speak to each other between bun and the affable Alexander. When he was 20 he came to England, after the peace. He was then a tall youth, said at the time to be a stern likeness of his brother the Czar. On his return he explored his own country, and lived for some time in each of the chief provincial cities. It was then that he became interested in the condition of the lower orders of the people ; and it is probably at that time that he conceived the idea of emancipating the serfs, after an interval of ameliorated condition. This was his brother's aim ; and there are some enlightened Russians who believe that Alexander died broken-hearted on account of the " ingratitude" with which his efforts for  "~~  [