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Leader (1850-1860), 13th September 1856, Edition 1 of 2, Page 867, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      MR . DALLAS ON TIIE TRANSATLANTIC ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH . True annual Cutlers' Feast wns lidd at Sheffield , in Ih courso of last week . Tho Duke of Newcastle , Mi Dallas ( tho American Minister ) ,. and . Mr . Roebuck war nniong the guests . In tho course of ' his addi-can , Hi Duke of N < rwcnstlo alluded to his exertions -wlieu Secrc tary-at-Wair , and implied that " his honoiirublo , an valued , ami moat distinguished , nnd ho ho |> c < l lie hIiuiiI lbo forgiven if ho added somowhat aggressive friend , Mj Roobuck , " lu \ d not douo him justice in the House c

      Untitled Article

      doffed hats and the reverences of the crowd , the - waving o £ handkerchiefs , and the clash of presenting arms ¦ warn , us that the ' Czar of All the Russias , of the > Kingdom . of Poland , and of the Grand Dnchy of : Finland , -which , are inseparable from them , ' ia at hand ; a n * Alexander Nicolaievitch is before us . His Majesty is dressed in the uniforai of a general officer , and seema quite simply attired , after all tho splendour .- which hastgone past . He wears a burnished casquej - with a long-plume of white , orange , and dark cock ' s feathers , a close-fitting tunic

      green ,- mtat aiguillettes and ordere , and' red : trousers , and he guides his charger— a perfect model oi ? symmetry—with ease and gracefulness * His features are full of emotion as ho returns with a military salute on all sides the mad congratulations of his people , who really act as tliough the Deity were incarnate before them . It is said that several time * his eyes-ran . 'over ¦ with ^ tears .. To all he gives-. ' the same acknowledgment —raising his extended hand to the side of . his casque , so that the forefinger rises vertically by the rim in ficont of the ear . "

      The Grand Dukes , some , officials attached to the Imperial and Ducal households , and several of the great generals , having passed , tho Empress-Mother followed . " Her Majesty was right roj ^ ally or imperially attired , kt how I cannot say . A cloud of light drapery , through -which diamonds stone like staTSj floated around her , and on her head was a . tiara , of brilliants . The carriage : in which she sat wa « -a triumph ; of splendour—all gold and crimson velvet ; and on tho roof ivhich was composed of similarmaterials , - was the likeness of an Imperial crowsu The eigbt horses ; which were attached to the carriage by trappings and cords of gold ; -were the

      thfi . most beautiful m the Imperial stables * and each ' was led . with a golden . bridle-by a-palefromer in grand : livery . The Empress-Consort , Marie Alexamlrovna , is seate d ia the next , carriage , and by her side the little : Grand Duke Vladiniir . Alexandrowitchj who is in full military uniform ; Hei Majesty seemed much affected as- she bowed < to the right , and left and acknowledged ' tho salutations of the people with vivacity- and emjn-essement The boy seem « d to take it all as a matter of course , ' and ¦ probably the : archvducal mind was occupied by distracting thoughts of dinner . Tile equipment and attendance < of the vehicle vrere the same as those of the Empress-MJother ..

      " The first squadron of the Cuirassiers of the Guard , and . the first squadron of the Garde ^ Guirassiers ' . of the Empress , clad in sufcoata of mail , part bearing lances with rich pennons , part armed with sabres only , make the ground ? shake beneath the tramp of their ponderous horses , and ; by the ? splendour of their- equipments almost challenge comparison-witli -the ; Chevalier- Guard ; The Dames and MaidB of Honour , the Maids of Horoour it portrait , the DEaitresses de la Courof their Imperial Majesties and ' Highnesses follow four ^ and ^ fourin xnahy ^ ilt carriages , all in court diossee , radiant with diamonds . As- , the last carriage passes , the first squadron- of tho Hussars of the Guard claims-our attention ^ The uniform of these troops- is very handsome ,- —Hessian boots-with

      tasselSj light blue pantaJoonB , ' scarlet' laced- jackor , a white pelisse trimmed . with black- fur , lined inside * with yellow satin , and a blacfc bearskin sbakowith . scarlet csipack . Tlio first squa « lron of the Ecgiment of tho Lancers of the Guard ; in blue and 1 redj splendidly mounted , comes next in-order ^ and tli o roar oP'the-pro - cession is closed by themunioipal authorities , tho-civil authorities ,, and the magistrates of tho bourgeoisie ; with trade-flags arid civic emblems , and Ijy the bands , kettledrams ,, and standards of tho various cavalry regiments which have . ' taken part in the procession . After'all tho people- —a . crowd of long * ooated ,. bearded people ; struggling , and rnnning , an « h sweltering together at the liorses ' . heelsi" Various religious- ceremonies- at the Kremlin concluded the dsiy .

      The grand ceremonial of the coronation has taken place , and Alexander now ranks among the anointed of the world ' s monarchs . We borrow from the letter of the Times Special Correspondent a "brilliant picture of the procession to the Kremlin : —• , t " On Monday ( the 25 th ult . } , the Eraprcss-Mother arrived at the Palaeo of Petrorsky , a country house about four miles from Moscow , where the Imperial family generally reside when ceremonies of state do not call them- to the Kremlin during their visits to Moscow .

      " The Emperor and Empress left St . Petersburg on Friday morning ( the 22 nd ) , and reached Petrovsky after dusk in the evening of tho sairre day , having travelled about four hundred "and forty miles in sixteen hours , ¦ which is regarded as a great feat in this part of the world . His Majesty ' s reception at the station was enthusiastic , and , late as it was , thousands of people awaited his arrival , and cheered him with great energy . " Wednesday ( the 2 Tth ) and Thursday -were spent in preparing for the great event , the procession of' their Imperial Majesties from the Chateau of' Petrovsky to the Kremlin-, which , -took place on the 29 th under the happiest auspices . "'" , ¦ -

      . " It would' be as difficult to describe this dazzling pageant as it would he to give an . accurate account of a grand spectacle at the theatre . In all its component parts it "was magnificent and effective . The wealth of a vast empire- was poured out with a profuseness almost barbaric ,- and displayed with a taste founded on Oriental traditions and modified by European civilization . Instead of a narrow stage , the scene -was laid in the ancient . metropolis of the largest empire tile world has ever seen ; instead of tinsel and . mock finery , gold and silver and

      diamonds flashed in the real sunlight . He who played the part of an-Emperor -was indeed an Emperor ; and those wlio appeared as Empresses , marshals , and soldiers were what they seemed to be ; but ; after all , when , amid the blare of trumpets , the clanging of bells , and the roar of the populace , the glorious pageant bad passed away frr a-parti-coloured blaze of light , what was left but the recollection of the transitory pleasure of the eye and of the indescribable excitement which the memory in vain endeavoured , to recal of all that had at the moment produced such , irresistible effects ?"

      The side pavements were crowded by the populace , and tlie line of roadway was maintained by the Infantry of the Guard , formed three deep the whole length of the street , which was covered with a . fine red sand , carefully xaked from time to time . . ' " The two lines formed by the Boldiery are as strict and exact as those of the street itself ; and the eye wanders down a long perspective of helmets , faces , red collars , green frocks , red cuffs , and white trousers , tillthey are diminished into mere streaks of colour in the distance . The officers look along their chins and noses ; till they are all in line , and then retire to then- places in tile ranks ; again the careful sergeants and corporals go lound and give their charges a last finishing touch , brush the dust off their shoes and

      crossbelts , and comb tlidr moustaches . " After a party of Gendarmerie had passed , the splendour of tlie pageantry commenced . " Mounted on high-bred , spirited horses , ¦ which are covered with rich trappings of an antique character , the escort of the Emperor comes "by , and calls ns at once back to the days of Ivan the Terrible . Their heads are covered -with a fine chain , armour—so . fine , indeed , that some of them -wear it as a veil before their faces . This mail falls over the neck , and covers the back and chest , and beneath it glisten rich doublets of yellow silk . Some of tho escort carry lances with bright pennons . All arc armed with antique carbines , pistols , and curved swords . TIic saddles are crusted with silver , and rich scarfs and sashes decorate their waists *

      be seen the costume of . every age at oneviewi and all as rich as wealth , old family treasures , hoarded plunder , and . modern taste can make it . Bashkirs and Circassians , Tcherliess , Abassians , in coats of mail and surcoats of fine chain armour , Calmueks , Tartars of Kazan and the Crimea , Mingrelians , Karapapaks , Daghistanhis , Armenians , the people of Gouriel and Georgia , tlie inhabitants of the borders ^ of the Caspian , Kurds , poople of Astrakhan , Sanioiedes ,. ^ vild mountaineers from distant ranges to -which the speculations of even the ' Hertfordshire Incumbent' have never wandered ,. Chinese from the Siberian frontiers , Mongols ,, and strange beings like Caliban in court-dress ; . Some of them had -their- uncovered haic plaited curiously with gold coins ; others wore on the head only a small flat plate of precious

      metal just over the forehead ; others sheepskin , headdresses studded with jewels ; old matchlocks that might have rung , on the : battle-fields of Ivan Veliki , battleaxes , lances , and . scimitars and daggers of every form were borne by this gaudy throng , whose mode of riding offered every possible variety of the -wuy in which , a- man can sit on a . horse . Some rode without . stirrups , loose and graceful as the Greek warriors who live on the friezes of the-Parthenon ; others sat in a sort of legless arm-chair , with their knees drawn up after the manner of sartorial equestrians . Every sort of bit , bridle , saddle , and horse-trapping , which haa Tbeen used- since horses were subjugated to man could be s « en here . Some of the saddle-cloths and bolsters were of surpassing richness and splendour ; In the midst of all these cavaliere ^ t- \ vo attracted particular notice .. Cue was a majesticlooking . old Turk with an enormous beard and a towering turban , whose garments were of . such a rich material

      and strange cut . that one was reminded immediately of the figure , of the High . Priest in . Rembrandt ' s picture , or of the . old engravings- of" the Sultxm in old books- of travel . The other was a young deputy fromv Gouriel , with clustering hah- flowing down- incurlsfrom beneath a small patch of ! gold , and jewels firscd on the top of the head , whose face and : figure were strikingly handsomej and who was dressed in a magnificent- suit of velvet cramoisi , flashing- with , precious stones . He-was-a veritable Eastern Antinous , and was woll matched with his beautiful horse . This cavalcade of the . ' peuplades soumisesala Russie' -was ; to strangers the most interesting part of the procession ; but it-passed too quiokly by for the eye to decompose its ingredients . What stories of the greatness and magnificence of Russia -will those people take back to their remote tribes ! They -went by bright ,, shifting , and indistinct as a dream of the Arabian Nights : '

      After a long array of valet s of the court , lacqueys-of the chamber , gentlemen of the chamber , court runners , negroes of the court , huntsmen , masters of the ceremonies , riding in chariots of crimson velvet and gold , drawn by horses richly caparisoned and led by gorgeous footmen , the masters-themselves "being dressed in green and gold , there came by " the second L Charges-de la Coury in gilt carriages , four and four , crimson velvet linings , green and-gold footmen , and fine horses ; Next the Marshal of the Court , in an -open phaeton-, gilt all over , with his grand baton of office flashing with gems . Next the Grand ' Charges de laGour , ' by fours , ih gilt and crimsoa carriages , all and eacli drawn lik « -the first , with running footmen and rich trappings ,- — All clinquant—all in gold like heathen gods ; Every man that walked showed like a mine . The members of tho Imperial Council , in gilt carriages , followed the Grand ' Charges . ' '

      " As the last of the trauvof- carriages passes , a noise like distant thunder rolling- along the street announces the approach of tho Czar . But -liis presence is grandly heralded . Immediately after the members of tho Council of the Empire , the Grand Marshal of the Court rides in an open phaeton , gilt like the rest ; but , bright . as is ho and all about him ,. there cornea after him that compared with , tho lustre of which lie- is as a mote in the sun . In gilt casques of beautiful form and workmanship , surmounted by crest eagles ^ of silver or- gold , in milk-white coats and . gilded cuiiasses and : baokr-platos , approach the giants of tho first squadron of the Chevaliers Gardes of hia Majesty the Emperor ; each on ¦ a charger fit for a commander in battle . 'IHiosQare . tho

      " The whole brondth of the street was now occupied by a glittering , mass of pennons , armour , plumes , steel ; and bright colours ; tho air was filled witli the sounds of popular delight , tho champing of bits and clinking of weapons , tlie flourishing of trumpets , and , above all , the loud voices of the bells . Close behind tho Circassian escort and tba wild Bashkirs comes a squadron of the division of the Black Sea Cossacks of the Guard , in large flat blnclc sheepskin caps , with red skull-pieces , long lances , the shafts painted red , and tho pennons coloured blue , white , and red ; their jackets of scarlet : their horses small , handsome , and full of spirit .

      picked men of 00 , 000 , 000 of the human race , and in stature tliey certainly exceed any troops I have over seen . All their appointments arc splendid , hut it . is said that they looked better in tho days of tho late Emperor , when they wore wliito buckskius and jackboots , than they do now in their long , trousers . The squadron was prohafcly two hundred strong , and tho cft ' oct of the polished helmets , cr « stS ( . and armour-was dazzling . Their officers could seaTcoly be distinguished , except by thoir position and / tUo extraordinary beauty nnd training of some of thoir horses , which slowly beat time , aB it were , witli their hoofs to tho strains of tho march . Tho lurst Squadron of the Garde a Chevul follows , —¦ All funmhccl—nil in anna ,

      " Tho forest of red lanco shafts through which one looked gave a most curious aspect to tho gay cavalcade . A squadron of the ltcghnent of Cossacks of tho Guard , in blue , follows . Except iu tho shape of the head-dross , which is liko ono of our shakos in the olden time , and tho colour of tlieir uniform , these men resemble tho Black Sea Cossacks . Suggesting some strangn likenessos and comparisons , there follows after these four hundred Cossnclts a large body of the haute noblesse on horseback and in uniform , two and two , lieuded by the Marshnl of the Nobility for tho district of Moscow . Nearly nil of these nobles arc in military uniforms , and those who aru not wear tho old Russian Ward ' s dress , a tunic glistening with precious stones , golden lielts studded with diamonds , and high caps with aiarcttcs of brilliants . " Tlio next cavnlcndo consist * of tho deputies of tlie various Asiatic j ) cuj > l < tdus or auces which have submitted to Russia all on horseback , two and two . Hero may

      All plumed like ostrulgeH that wing tho - \ vind ; Untod liko eagles having lately bathed , Glittering in golden coats , like images , so bright , so fino , -that one is puzzled to decide which , they or tho chcvnliors , arc tlia bravest . But , as ire are * debating the point , tho tremendous cheering of the people , and tho measured hurrahs of tho soldiers , the

      A telegraphic despatch , dated last Sunday , s-tatcstliat the Empcroi' was crowned that day at twelve o ' clock . " Tho cerem . ony took place in tho UspenskiiSsobor , and tlie act of coronation was performed by Archbishop IMiilaretes , the Metropolitan of Moscow . Among the special Ambassadors who were present -were Earl Granvillc , Prince Esterhazy , Mi Castalborgone , and tho representative of tho Sniltan . The proceedings had " all . that august appearanco lvhich imnionso preparation had designed . An enormous crowd assembled at tho Kremlin Talocc and in tho streets , and very great enthusiasm was overy-Trherc manifested . The ringing of bells , tho firing oi cannon , tlio parade of troops , tlio ceremonials of the Church , the procession 1 o tho Talaco , and tlie decorations of the city , rendered the wholo affair most inspiriting ; Tlio coronation was favoured liy beautiful weather . Count Orlo-fF was creatod a Prince , Prince Woronzoff a Field-Marshal , and Generals do Berg and Soumarokhofl Counts . "

      Untitled Article

      September 13 , 1856 . ] TBB lElDEI . 867

      Untitled Article

      THE CORONATION . OF THE CZAR .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 13, 1856, page 867, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2158/page/3/