THE LIFE OF NICHOLAS I. EMPEROR OF RUSSIA; 1. [The Author reserves the right of authorising a Translation of this Work.] 246.b.47 PREFACE. THE Volume now offered to the Public was commenced with the idea of giving the readers of a popular periodical a succinct account of the Emperor Nicholas, the vast territories under his sway, and the origin and progress of the war into which his "vaulting ambition," has forced the Western Powers. The work has grown under the Author's hands, and is now reprinted, considerably enlarged; in the belief that a work which brings, as it were, into a focus the multifarious views and opinions that are scattered throughout innumerable volumes on this deeply interesting subject, would prove extensively useful at the present time. The value and extent of the authorities that have contributed towards the compilation of the work will be discovered on perusal. For the description of the harbour and fortifications of Sebastopol, the Author is indebted to a French paper on the subject; and the chapter on Revel and Cronstadt was supplied by a friend. |