Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 May 1896 — HOMAGE TO THE CZAR [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOMAGE TO THE CZAR

RUSSIAN RULER ENTERS THK EMPIRE’S OLD CAPITAL. ‘ Nicholas Is Hailed by Booming Cannon and Pealing Bella—ln DazzliugCa valcade—Royalty and Nobility Journey from the Petrovsky Palace. Day of . joy at Moscow. ’ The jeznr and czarina made jheir triumphal entry into Moscow amid the thunder df flatteries of artillery,the clanging of codlltless tails and the cheers of a vast multitude of loyal Russians and equally enthusiastic visitors from alUparts of the jworhL Probably never in the history of nations has there been such an assemblage of peoples. Possibly the gorgeous scene may never be r'eneated in its grand entirety. the conung of the czar, l the entire route from Petrovski palace, about three miles on the road to St. Petersburg, to the Kremlin was so densely packed with people that movement except on Jhe outskirts of the immense crowds was out of the question. The signal for tne commencement of "theMa^“mdveffien'tjrWAS _ a - sa'lute of nine guns from a bajtery outside the city. This was by the dull booming of the big bell of the Cathedral of the Assumption and the assembling ot the troops at their various mustering points. Then the countless high dignitaries of the empire and of foreign countries began to gather at the Petrovskl palace, to take their places in the gala equipages or to escort on horseback the carriages of their imperial majesties. The grand dukes and grand duchesses, the princes and the princesses, the Asiatic potentates, the innumerable representatives of every country

under the sun assembled there to do honor to the czar of nil the Itussios, the ruler of the mighty empire which half encircles the globe. Generals with their: staffs, aids-de-camp riding at breakneck speed,> orderlies galloping furiously were to be seen everywhere. The clash of arms resounded on all sides, and most impressive was the gathering of the hosts of the mighty emperor.———-—— ’ . _At 2:80 o’clock there was a further thundering of the cannon,'this; time' front" the direction of the Pctrovski palace, and that living mass of men and women gave a great sigh of relief, for it was .the signal that,the czar had started on his journey to the Kremlin.

Reception of the Czar. After leaving the. palace TTaTTzar with received by the commander-in-chief of all the troops at Moscow and in its neighborhood; the Grand Duke Sergius, and then the latter, with a most brilliant staff, joined in the procession. At the Resurrection gate, the czar dismounted from his horse and the empresses descended from their carriages in order to worship at the shrine df the Iberian Madonua* the most sacred of the tnany holy symbols in Moscow. A# the shrine their majesties were received by the grand Vicar of Moscow,- who presented them with the cross and sprinkled them with holy Water. Their majesties entered the chaiiel and knelt in prayer before the Image. At s the conclusion of their devotions the czar remounted his horse and the cs;rrrtm re-entered her carriage and they passed through the gate into the Kremlin, where, they were received with all the ecclesiastical pomp possible. At the moment their majesties entered „tbe palace of the Kremlin an artillery salute of 101 guns was fired and throughout the journey of their.majesties the bells from all the belfries from Moscow were tolled. The czar nnd czarina will remain at the palace in partial seclusion until the ceremony of the coronation of the Imperial standard, which always occurs three days before the corouatiou. Cost of the Fetes. Thu Russian Government is said to hnvo spent over $20,000,000 on the fetes up to the present, and the city of Moscow is understood to have expended nearly as much money and more expenses have to Ik* met. The illuminations cost several millions of dollars to the Government alone, without counting wknt the city contributed toward this portion of the expense. Besides the expense of the ' rikSsinti Slos.-TUTuent and tke eity of Moscow, the expenses which grand dukes and grand duchesses, foreign princes and ambassadors, etc.j have been put to Is" really enurmous. one’ authority going so far as to estimate that there was about SIOO,- ; OOO.OUO worth of jewelry uloue in the procession. The French Government especially has been put toju_yery great expense for the coronation fetes. The cost of the supper which their imperial majesties attended under the auspices of the French delegation cost over SIOO,OOO, and the carriages used by the. French envoys were the property of the Emperor Napoleon, built especially for the christening of the late prince imperial. Ex-Empress Eugenie allowed them to he sent to Moscow for the use of Comte De Montehell# and General De Boisdeffre, the representatives of France.

CZAR NICHOLAS.