A CZAR'S MAD CHALLENGE

Evening Star, Issue 11512, 1 April 1901, Page 7

A CZAR'S MAD CHALLENGE

■ «'4M £ un . drt 4 J B *" a «°^op v .Jjr4UMy,l6, 1801-waa published to amazing ■?• peace ", proposals eve? made by 'a European monarch—a challenge from the Czar ontussVto figW his felFcw.fcctorchs hand to hand'hy way of settling thVgreai war which "was devastating Europe. The ' Hamburgischer was, the. newspaper ihropgh which Czar v Paul I. made his suggestion! This,is the paragraph .which appeared at of" thfe political news on the first'page of thatsedate organ:— ' .»'-'■ i " St Petersburg, December 30 (from the 'Court Gazette').—-We hear thalt His Majesty the Emperor, seeing "that the European Powers cannot agree, and wishing to end a war which Has now been raging eleven years, intends to propose a meeting to which all the other monarchs shall be invftaSd?indrder that they "may fight a duel with Mm in closed lists. . «

" For this purpose he desires them tb bring with them their most enlightened Ministers, and cleverest generals as seconds, umpires, and heralds, and suggests MM. Thugut, Pitt, Bernstorff, etc: "It is said that His Imperial Majesty intends to have as his seconds Count Von der pahlen and M. Kutusoff. , " One does not ,know what credit to attach to this rumor. It seems, however, to nave good foundations, and the suggestion bears the stamp of that peculiarity of which the royal author is usually^aecused." It was the Czar's own composition, and the story pf it is told by Kotzebue, a German writer whom the Czar employed for the occasion. Kotzebue had gone to Russia some time before. He had been banished to Siberia, and- recalled after-four months by the erratic monarch, and presented with an estate and official rank. On December 16, 1800, his blood ran cold he was suddenly ordered to appear before the Czar. A Minister told him that the Czar intended issuing a challenge as above, and' ordered Kotzebue to write one. • -He made several attempts,, .and each time was told that it would have "to be more biting..."Then the Czar called him in, graciously received him, and dictated the above paragraph in French. When he had finished he laughed heartily. Then he told Kotzebue to have the challenge published in the German. Press, and made him a handsome present. The challenge made a 'first-class sensation, v. So; did the Strangulation of the Czar two months later by order of Grand Duke Alexander - , who succeeded hiro. On the same date, eighteen years later, Kotzebue was' muraered by a Russian-student. l -—'Daily Mail.''