English and Foreign.
INCIDENTS OF THE CORONATION AT MOSCOW. (From the' Times.') ■ ' The whole breadth of the street was now occupied by a glittering mass of pennons, armour, plumes, steel and bright colours; the air was filled with the sounds of popular delight, the champing of bits and clinking of weapons, the flourishing of trumpets, and, above all, the loud voices of the bells. Close behind the Circassian escort and the wild Bashkirs come a squadron of the division of the Black Sea Cossacks of the Guard, in large flat black sheepskin caps, with red skull pieces, long lances, the shafts painted red, and pennons coloured blue, white, and red, their jackets of scarlet, their horses sma'l, handsome, and full of spirit. The forest of red lance shafts through which one looked gave a most curious aspect to the cavalcade. A squadron of the regiment of Cossacks of the Guard, in blue, follows. Except in the shape of the head-dress, which is like one of our shakos in the olden time, and the colour of their uniform, these men resemble the Black Sea Cossacks.
Each squadron consists of about 200 men,and the men are by no means of that hairy, highcheeked, retfrowsstf-nosed and small-eyed kind identine<Hn the popular mind with their" name; and far different are they from the long-coated, round-headed lancers on scraggy ponies who so long kept watch and ward over us from Can-robert's-hill. These Cossacks are well mounted and well clad, and would afford to the stranger a very imperfect notion of what the Cossacks are who plunder and burn in the front of an advancing enemy, sweep away its supplies, and hover round it to do anything but fight, unless at some enormous van! age. Suggesting some strange likenesses and comparisons, there follows after these 400 Cossacks a large body of the haute noblesse on horseback and in uniform, two and two, headed by the Marshal of the Nobility for the district of Moscow. Nearly all of these nobles are in military uniforms, those who are not wear the old Russian boyard's dress, a tunic glistening with precious stones, golden belts studded with diamonds.and high caps with aigrettes of brilliants. On their breasts are orders, stars, crosses, ribands, innumerable. Menschikofis, Rostopchins, dalitzins, Woi'ouzoffs, Gortschakoifs,Strogonoifs, Chremetieffs, Platoffs, Tolstoys, and the bearers of many another name unknown in Western Europe before the last centiuy, are there carrying- whole fortunes on their backs, the rulers and masters of millions of their fellow-men; but brilliant as they are, the interest they excite soon passes away when the next gorgeous cavalcade approaches. This consists of the deputies of the various Asiatic 'peuplades or races "wrskn have submitted to Russia, all on horseback, two and two. Here may be seen the costume of every age at one view, and all as rich as wealth, old family treasures, hoarded plunder, and modern taste can make it. Bashkirs and Circassians, Tuherkess, Abassians, in coats of mail and surcoats of fine chain armour, C&hnucfcs, Tartars of Kazau and the Crimea, Mingreiians, Karapapaoks, Daghistanbis, Ar-rjianiiui.-j, the people of Geuviel and Georgia, the inhabitants of the borders of the Caspian, Kurds, prople of Astr.'ikan, Samoidos, wild mountainears 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 hud their uncovered hair plaited enviously with gold coin*; f-.thers wnve on the head only a small flat plat« or'pretfinus me't:tl just over the forsh«:m: others sheepskin head-dresses studied "vith iowels; old matchlocks that might have i-:ing "on the battle-fields of Ivan Veliki, battle
rjxes, lances, and scimitars, and daggers of every f ■■v-n wcrs homo by tliis gaudy throng, whose m">d-3 of r ding offered every possible variety of tie way in which a man can sit on a horse. from? rolel without siirvups, loose aiul graceful ;:■; the Greek warriors who live on the fiiozes of
Iho Pavtl)ennri; others satin a. sort of legless arm chair, with th«ir kne-es drawn up after the ir-anrKr-r of sartorial equastviiinrt. Eveiy sort of }•''-. i)vi-!lo, sadiile, and horse tr>:ppin<>' winch lias bciciij used since horses were sulmiyated to jrum, cppM be seen here. Some of the saddlecloths an-i hoiiifcers wore of surpassing richn-'^s and In iLa oiidst of all these cavaiiens
two attracted particular notice. One was a majestic-looking old Turk with an enormous beard and 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 Sultan in old books of travel. The other was a young deputy from Gouriel, with clustering hair flowing down in curls from beneath a small patch of gold and jewels fixed on the top of the head, whose face and figure were strikingly handsome, and who was dressed in, a magnificent suite of blue velvet cramoi-si, flashing with precious stones. He was a veritable Eastern Antinous, and was well matched with his beautiful horse. This cavalcade of the "peu/placles soumises a la Russie" was to strangers the most interesting part of the procession; but.it passed too quickly by for the eye to decompose its ingredients. What stories of the greatness and magnificence of Russia will these people take back to their remote tribes ! They went by, bright, shifting, and indistinct as a dream of the "Arabian Nights." The only objection one could make to this part of the procession was that it was over too soon, and that the eye wandered after it to the curve of the lines of soldiery which hid it from view. KEVIEW NEXT DAY. The ' Daily News' correspondent says : —The moment the public entry and the subsequent banquet at the Kremlin Palace had been disposed of, the imperial family,'fatigued with the parade of state, retired to a villa of Count Sheresnatoff (the great Russian millionaire and owner of three hundred thousand serfs), situated about 38 versts from Moscow, whence his Imperial Majesty comes occasionally to the camp to inspect the troops. On Saturday last he had all the cavalry out in detachments of three from each regiment, viz., an officer, a sergeant, and a private,-and each trio seriatim went through the exercises. In the case of the regular cavalry, the practice was like that of the other European services, and exceedingly good ; but the wild, irregular Asian squadrons excited great interest by their peculiar motions and wonderful dexterity. The mailed Lesghians flung away their battle-axes and picked them up again at full speed; the little Cossacks charged with their long lances with extraordinary precision : and the Circassians managed their beautiful horses in a way that would have done honour to Astley's or Franconi's. The appearance of the troops is certainty magnificent, they being all picked men, and splendidly mounted. One regiment of the (zuardri-a-cheval mount all chestnut, another all black, another dapple-grey, and with their white uniforms, burnished cuirasses, and helmets, they almost dazzle one in the sunshine. The most elaborate care seems to be taken of their toilettes. When drawn up in squadron or line, an officer may be seen going round, followed by a sergeant, brush in hand, and minutety scanning the uniform of each soldier for a crease or a stain. The moment he discovers one he calls the sergeant, who commences smoothing and brushing, and finishes by combing out the horse-hair which adorns each helmet. The horses prance and curvet according to the most improved principles of the Haute JEcole, while the ladies clap their hands in admiration, and juvenile mujiks scream with delight. The horses themselves seem to enjoy the sport, and neigh ,in chorus with a depth of intonation which sober English troopers would in vain attempt to imitate. In short, military pageantry seems to be the great delight of all classes in this country. To-day, to-morrow, and Wednesday there are to be grand reviews, but as to-morrow is to be the grandest, I defer my visit to the camp until then, my hands being quite full of other matters. The town is very full both of Russians and strangers, but it is expected that the week following the coronation will end in a general clearance, as even the most gorgeous spectacles pall by constant repetition. I have just returned from the Grand Opera, which was opened for the first time this evening, with-Bosio, Lablache, Calzolari, and other London favourites. Th • appearance of this magnificent theatre, when lighted up and filled with a brilliant audience, full}'realised the expectations expressed in a former letter. It has five rows of boxes, with twenty-eight seats in each row, and to each loge there is a retiring room as large as many a London drawing-room. The pit is all divided into comfortable stalls, and in no oixaQ are more tickets issued than the house will conveniently accommodate, a hint that might bo taken with great advantage by the
managers of our London houses. What with the elaborate gold scroll work, raised on a groundwork of delicate green, the richly carved pillars and pilasters, the scarlet velvet iitiing of the boxes,and the exquisitely painted drop scene, the interior of the imperial theatre presented a coup d'aeil such as one could hardly have expected at a distance of 2,000 miles from London. But when I add that the audience was mainly composed of officers in gorgeous uniforms, and ladies in grand toilette, you can easily imagine how surpassing must have been the general effect. It only wanted the presence of the Emperor and Empress, whose box is a little palace in itself, to make the picture complete. The embassies of the great powers were well represented, the French filling one box on. the grand tier, and the English another. Amongst the latter I recognised Lady Emily Peel, Lord Ward, Messrs. Fane and Currie, &c. The two ambassadors were also present, Lord Granvilie in a box, and Lord Wodehouse in a pit stall. They left early, there being, I believe, a ball at the embassy. The opera was ' Puritani,' in which Bosio's singing so delighted the liussians that she was called several times before the curtain, although I must add that her acting did not satisfy me as to her fitness for the part of Bellini's heroine. Lablaehe looked stupendous, and rivalled the Greek priests in the depth of his intonation, and the rest of the performers acquitted themselves respectably. There were n•> encores, —an admirable practice : and when the opera w. s over, the audience could go horns without suf er'ng the purgatory of an interminable ballet. The performance of the orchestra of 150 performers was worthy of all praise.
Pending the coronation fetes, the great fair of !Nishni .Novogorod has been going on in full activity. I should perhaps^have visited it, beingonly two days' journey from Moscow, but that I learnt there was great difficulty and delay in getting horses for the return journey. However, I am informed by visitors who had bejn tempted to take the trip by the glowing descriptions of the handbooks, that it is an exceedingly prosaic affair, and the inconvenience to which strangers are exposed beyond description. In that choice locality the famous Russian bug flourishes in full vigour and ferocity, sucking well-conditioned Englishmen to the bone, while the eating- and living- accommodations are of the most primitive character. As to the picturesque variety of Asiatic costumes, it is all bosh, the Tartars being the universal middlemen for the Chinese, Persian, and Indian trades, a.nd offering no novelty to any one who has been in St. Petersburg or Moscow. The principal articles of traffic are Siberian iron and manufactured metal from Tula, which are exchanged for caravan tea and Chinese and Persian silks. I understand that, like all other great fairs, Nishni begins to exhibit symptoms of decline, modern commerce finding more rapid and frequently recurring means of carrying on its transactions. It is possible, however, that when the railway from Moscow is finished, the ancient Novogorod, like its kindred holy city, may experience a revival. This year's fair has, I believe, been below the average.
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Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 437, 10 January 1857, Page 4
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2,027English and Foreign. Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 437, 10 January 1857, Page 4
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