APPENDIX. ILLNESS OF THE EMPEROR ALEXANDER. Ar the period when the emperor appeared in the Crimea, a short time before his death, viz. in the month of November, he was in the highest state of health, and took the greatest delight in viewing the magnificent scenery along the southern shores of the Crimea, and in seeing the native Tartars, to whom he was extremely attached. One day he was seen standing on the flat roof of a Tartar house, with upwards of one hundred of the natives in their Oriental costume around him, whom he was eagerly regarding through his eye-glass, with much regard and affection, when, gratified with the sight, he exclaimed, "What magnificent countenances, and what a fine race of men they are! they must not be expelled from the country;" alluding to what most Russians ardently desired, in order to introduce people of their own race. On leaving the cottage, he distributed money to the crowd, and allowed them to kiss his hands and feet, which they did with enthusiasm; and he treated them as a father would his children. At Taganrog, the emperor went much out, was very active in examining the country, and giving directions relative to the construction of a great public garden, then forming under the superintendence of an Englishman, brought from St. Petersburg for the purpose: he usually dined at two o'clock, and slept in his camp-bed, which had a leathern pillow; the same on which he died. He took very little care of his health, and was frequently out walking in the mud, up to the ankles; whilst the common means of counteracting illness were neglected, and, as he refused all kind of medicine, every cause of disease had its full action on his system; for he had as much horror of physic as his ancestor, Peter the Great, entertained of water. The peaceful state hitherto apparent in the country was sadly interrupted by the arrival of a courier, in the middle of the night which the emperor spent at Alupka, informing him of the existence of a plot, to take away his own life, and to subvert the government. During the night General Diebitch, then sleeping in an adjoining Tartar house, was twice summoned to the emperor, who was very restless, and walked about his room; they spent several hours together in deep conversation, and before morning a courier was dispatched to the head-quarters of the conspirators, the information of whose plot was this night first communicated to the emperor, he being previously quite ignorant of it; on the contrary, he had thought himself universally beloved by all ranks of his subjects. The following morning there was little apparent change in the manner of the emperor; and no one yet knew of the distressing news he had then received, or what had taken place in the southern part of Russia. Nevertheless, it was observed during the journey to Sevastopoli, that the emperor was unusually irritable, and expressed himself dissatisfied with his horse, with the roads, and all around him: in fact the disease now developed itself. The report prevalent in Europe, that the emperor had been poisoned, is quite unfounded; the facts about to be |