Year: 1877

Headquarters.


Simnitza Cor. London Dolly News


The headquarters of the Russian
emperor ana of the Russian army
are both for the presentin Simnitza,
and are close together, vet dis
tinctly apart. 1t is the fashion of
the latter to be practical, to be
masters Of details, and to hold that
the princes, noblemen and gentle
men composing the former know
nothing about army matters, and
are merely playing at soldering.
The princes, noblemen and gentle
men of the emperor's suite may
own to themselves that they don't
know a great deal, but find COM
pensation for their ignorance in
the oder Of majesty in which they
abide. On the bluff to the right
of the wretched hoteF of Simnitza
there is Il little angular space.
First comes a garden, or rather
what was once a garden. Here,
amid tethered horses, wagons in
Vulnerable and perspiring servants,
are the headquarters of the grand
duke, commanding in chief. He
and his staff abide in tents, suffer
from mosquito bites, have to swal-
low not a little dust, and mess to-
gether in a big marquee-at least
the staff does; the grand duke him
self with the emperor Their To-
cation is the orchard Of a chateau,
whose back front looks across the
Danube to Sistoya, and whose
front opens into a smooth grassy
lawn, flanked on either side by q row
of fine old elms. This chateau and
lawn are close to the orchard, and
beyond it as one walks from the
hotel. The chateau is but a small
hhouse for a well-to.dO boyard. The
main entrance is the center of the
front, with the staircase directly
opposite the door. 1t is the coolest
habitation in Simnitza and the
least dusty, facing as it does the
wide sweep of the Danube valley,
along which a cool breeze blows
when everywhere else the heat is
intense. Below the house the alb
oruptness of the bluff has been les
sened by art, and on the slope is a
pretty garden with vines grow
ing on trellis- work, In an ar
Dor Of this garden the emperor
spends a good deal of his time, and
a great telescope has been set up
there for him, through which he
scans the opposite bank with much
interest and attention. lie is very
active, notwithstanding the asthma
which troubles him, and he is as
siduous in his visits to the wound.
ed, and ininspections Of the soldiery.
A telegraph wire, conveyed into an
adjacent cowshed which does duty
as a telegraph office, keeps him ac-
quainted with the intelligence of
the world at large, although news
comes somewhat scantily from the
outlying portions of his own army,
the construction Of field tclegraphs
with Russian army on the march
not being carried on with great en-
terpriSe, although all appliances for
the purpose are attached to each
division. Thus it is known in the
imperial staff that the British fleet
has sailed for BeSika bay, before
the news Of reported fighting out
side Tirnova has been confirmed.


The chief members of the I'M
perial suite occupy little square
pavilion tents ranged in a double
row under the old olm trees, and
hanking the lawn in the centpr,
On this lawn there are always some
loungers, and gosSiping groups
drink tea sitting on stools beside
the tents. The venerable Prince
Suwaroff is very constant to the
lawn, and ready for a talk with all
comers. Among the most frequent
of his companions is the keen-faced
Prince Menschikolf, and General
.IsnatieG occasionally lounges out
from his cool tents with his books
and papers to talk epigrams and
nlay at slrapetic speculation. Be-