THE RUSSIAN THRONE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2600, 13 January 1904, Page 66

THE RUSSIAN THRONE.

GRAND-DUKE VLADIMIR MAY ONE DAY RULE RUSSIA. The official announennent of the prave condition of the hoir-ppparenb to the Rvshi<m thione — and the f.ict that it is official Ly ar.nonncjd is proof that, for the lime being, at anyrate, his life is despaired of — brings forward the mm n<=xt in succession. He is the Czir's uncle, brother of Alexpml'r 111, the Grand Duke Vladimir. Thousands of people in Russia have for years looked upon the Grand Duke Vladimh as their next Czir— ?-,-er Mnce the Imperi.il mir-ery began to be tilled with a sucfOosion of girl babies, and never a boy, and later as it began to be whispered about that the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovitch, the Czar's brother, had numerous disuses, which wevo kept secret, but v. Inch might carry him off at any time. If he were quite well, why did 'he not marry? the people have been a&king for .^eveial years. Last year it was said that he was to marry the Duchess Ceciie Augustine Marie, of Mecklenburg-Scherwin, but nothing came of it. The heir-apparent has almost never been seen in public, and although he is nearly 25 he has never had his own establishment, like the other men of the Imperial family, even those younger and less important than himself. The reason the people have given is that he is a weakling. — Russian People's Ideal. — The Russians would be glad to see Vladimir on the throne. He is big and handsome, over 6ft tall, a splendid soldier, brave, and reckless. He is at present Commander-in-Chief of the army. He doesn't care a rap what the people think of him ; is rather bored by his position, to tell the truth. But the Russian's adore him on that very account Their Czar is their god — not made of the same flesh and blood as themselves. He can do no wrong, according to their notions. And they like to think- of him as majestic, even terrible at times. They don't like the present Czar any the better for his pacific ideas and his humility. They don't understand such things from the Czar. They would welcome Vladimir because he would bring back the "race of giants," as they call the men of Alexander ll's and Alexander Ill's family. All the Czars that the people remember were head and shoulders taller than ordinary men. The present little Czar puzzles them. His brother is tall enough, But he is too sickjy. The Russians would welcome the. Grand Duchess Vladimir, or the Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna, as she is known, for their Czarina for the same reason that they would welcome her husband. She 'is royal in appearanc-e, tall and stately, and beautiful even now, al though she is a grandmother. She was a G-erman Princess of the house of M-ecklenburg-Schwerin, and when she married the son of Alexander II of Rus-ia she refused to become a member of the Greek Church. She still has her Lutheran chapel in her palace, and! that is not liked very well in Russia, but the people say she will be an improvement, at anyrate, upon the present Czarina. j — Parents of Boris. — And the Grand Duchess- has three sons, strong, healthy fellows. The eldest, Boris, "was in America a year ago. where he in- • dulged in numerous high, jinks. The Russians have nob yet recovered from, their astonishment) that the Americans should have expected the Grand Duke Boris to go through their countiy as if he were an ordinary individual. He and all his familyare quite exempt from ordinary laws. Both the Giand Duke and the Grand Duchess Vladimir have the knack of doing things in an imperial way that pleases the people. The present Czar, and the Czarina especially, do not seem to know how to play the role. One- day the Czarina astonishes everybody by spending a *ortune” on one gown. The next day she gets so economical that she sends for the / milliners from St. Petersburg to bring her out -the newest styles, -and then -has her own maids take the patterns off for her, so that the- hats can be ma&a at home. She designs her own gowns, the setting for her jewels, the patterns for her fuis. Her subjects would think this very clever ; but ehe takes it off the bill. - , — Their Ma.gnificent Palace. — The Vladimirs have none too much money, but they live in splendid state, malic no pretensions to economy, and entertain on a gorgeous scale. Their palace stands on what is known as the "Palace Quay," where most of the exalted personages live — grand dukes, ambassadors, and the like. But their house makes a more imposing appearance than the others, with the double-headed eagle of the Imperial family in bronze over the entrance, and a general air of magnificence about it. It ■was built for the Grand Duke when he brought his wife to St. Petersburg as a bride, and it is one of the finest and most comfortable palaces in Russia. It "was decorated by native artists and by others brought from France and Italy. Entering by the principal entrance, you go up a broad stairway of Italian marble, with a marble nymph on either side peeping at you from behind green foliage, and ■where long mirrors give you back your image framed in flowers. There are rare Gobelin tapestries at the- landing above, and the drawing room is splendid, with the ceiling in wood heavily gilded, which alone cost more than £2000. The- family dining room hasi its walks ornamented with a curious design, which is repeated in the stamped leather furniture. In different rooms there are rare collections of old Russian things, but the banqueting room is the only room purely Russian. A porcelain stove reaches almost to the ceiling, elaborately painted in the half-Eastern, half-Western style of the Russian artists. The ceilings and walls are covered "with woods from the Russian forests, and there are magnificent paintings of native scenes. A massive long table extends from end to end of the room. In this room there are State dinners and the

,i!iim".l galhcrhi^s ar.--ti.vl tV ChiistTias* tie?. T.'ie Grand Dv.ch-.Sh, boln^ a Germ Pi. Tvnkc. nn.^h (,f C'H'isluT"?. T!;e:e aie slvckil ball rcx./n?, di.ldsd by lovn of piil.'rs, and a muiic io.-m at the b. A iii v. I. lie r.'iJ go!.!, viili rented) c".^ :c J oa the ccll::ij c.ur^in^ c;ul 2ir>, o: i>>;;s:. Man; a gay mi^ivDitcio Ims been d-iiiceJ :a tic t j.-!Ace, and iher? ore souverus of t'-c^ ?11 through the private apartments of the diff°ront membeis of th.3 f. mily. eppocially m tho-e of the Grai.di Du.hex. She hns taken, up the fad fcr photography, and in L-r Mooii^h room, where «he receives only hsr intimate friend?, there is a meat collection of royal photographs filling one whole corner of tha rocna.