ALEXANDER I, PAULO WlTSCIl ALEXANDER. 



103 



addition of Georgia, Bialystock, Finland, Warsaw, 

 Schirvan, and Bessarabia, lias rendered its frontiers 

 almost every where impenetrable, and increased the 

 number of its inliabitants from thirty-six millions to 

 more than forty-three, for the most part Europeans. 

 The speedy rebuilding of Moscow, the progress of 

 cultivation in Siberia and the Crimea, the number of 

 inhabitants in the governments of Tobolsk, Tomsk, 

 and Irkutsk increased by 800,000, and similar proofs 

 of the advancing prosperity of the empire, have im- 

 mortalized the reign of A. Whether the gigantic 

 plan of uniting the supporters of the political power 

 of Russia, the classes of peasants and soldiers, will 

 prove to be good, experience must decide. (See 

 Military Colonies of Russia.) A., by the edict of 

 28th Dec., 1818, granted to all peasants in his em- 

 pire the right of establishing manufactories, a right 

 confined, hitherto, to the nobility and the merchants 

 of the first and second classes. A better disposition 

 of the national debt, and a sinking fund, permitted 

 an alleviation of taxes. A ukase of 1st Jan., 1819, 

 therefore, abolished the tax upon income from land- 

 ed property, established llth Feb., 1812, but the 

 expenses attending the support of a numerous army 

 prevented any farther remission. The population of 

 southern Russia lias been greatly increased by the 

 admission of German emigrants; and the same plan 

 was extended to Poland, where, by a decree of A., 

 Warsaw, 10th Aug., 1816, the new settlers received 

 deserted houses and lands, belonging to the national 

 domains, or assistance of some other kind. Schools 

 and universities liave been established ; the system 

 of Bell and Lancaster introduced ; the ecclesiastical 

 aflairs of the Protestants and the Catholics arranged ; 

 the conversion of the Jews, or Christian Israelites, 

 as they are called, encouraged ; the activity of all 

 public institutions for instruction increased, and the 

 seventeen scientific institutions in Petersburg and 

 Moscow much improved. The expulsion of the 

 Jesuits, indeed, disturbed a little the relations of the 

 emperor with the see of Rome, but satisfactory ex- 

 planations were made by A. to the pope at Laybach. 

 Lastly, the emperor nominated a bishop, and estab- 

 lished a general consistory for the Lutheran church 

 throughout the empire, in 1820, which was to main- 

 tain, in their purity, the doctrines of the Protestant 

 church. A. showed great respect for all Christian 

 seels, and protected them equally. His endeavours 

 to elevate the condition of the boors, and the general 

 tendency of his policy to introduce the principles and 

 manners of western Europe, offended the old Mosco- 

 vite nobility, and, towards the conclusion of his reign, 

 in spite of the vigilance of the police, a fearful and 

 widely spread conspiracy was formed against him, 

 the discovery and punishment of which was reserved 

 for his successor. Perhaps A. was aware of the ex- 

 istence of treasonable projects when he followed his 

 sick wife to the Crimea. His intention may have 

 In-en to choose a place of retirement from the cares 

 of government ; but he fell sick at Taganrock (q. v.) 

 of a bilious fever, and died, 1st Dec., 1825, in the 

 arms of his wife. The news of his death had scarcely 

 reached Petersburg, 8th Dec., O. S., when his eldest 

 brother, Constantine, then in Warsaw, was proclaim- 

 ed emperor ; and all the civil officers and the guards 

 took the oath of allegiance, 9th Dec. O. S. But the 

 grand-duke declined accepting the crown, having re- 

 signed his right of succession, during the life-time of 

 A. in a letter addressed to the emperor, Petersburg, 

 1 4th Jan., 1822, to which an answer was sent, Feb. 

 2, 182 "I, by A. expressing his approbation, and that 

 of the empress mother. Before the arrival at 

 Petersburg of the letter of Constantine, dated Nov. 

 26th, O. S. in which he announced to his mother and 

 brother, the grand duke Nicholas, that he recognised 



the latter as emperor, the senate had opened the tes- 

 tament of A., and found in it the document contain- 

 ing the resignation of Constantine, together with a 

 manifesto ot the emperor (dated Zarskojeselo, 16th 

 Aug., 1823), declaring his second brother, Nicholas, 

 his successor. This prince, therefore, ascended the 

 throne, made known these documents in his procla- 

 mation of the 12th Dec., 0. S. 1825, and declared, 

 at the same time, that the day of the death of A. was 

 the beginning of his reign (1st Dec., N. S., 19th 

 Nov., O. S.) Then the oath of allegiance to the 

 emperor Nicholas I. was taken, 13th Dec., O. S- 

 25th, N. S., in Petersburg. The death of A. was 

 a fortunate event for Europe ; for the influence of 

 Russia was growing continually stronger in all the 

 cabinets of the European continent, and even Eng- 

 land could not keep entirely exempt from it. No 

 other empire has united, on so great a scale, the 

 power of masses, yet rude and vigorous, with expe- 

 rience and the advantages of culture, a union the 

 more dangerous, as it was under the control of one 

 absolute master. With A., moreover, perished the 

 principal support of the holy alliance, a sufficient 

 reason for Europe to rejoice at his decease. Russia, 

 however, laments in him a great benefactor. He 

 had the good fortune to ascend the throne at a time 

 when the empire was prepared for the greatest im- 

 provements, and his ambition was of a kind to be 

 gratified by promoting the welfare of his people. 



ALEXANDER TRALLIANUS, a physician of Tralles, in 

 Lydia, in the 6th century. He is esteemed as the 

 best Grecian physician after Hippocrates. His 

 works have been published in the original Greek 

 and Latin. Haller gave a Latin version of them in, 

 1772. 



ALEXANDER, William, earl of Stirling, an emi- 

 nent Scottish statesman and poet, in the reigns of 

 James I. and Charles I. He was born about 1580, 

 and early in life commenced to celebrate an unsuc- 

 cessful passion, by composing a century of sonnets. 

 These were published in London in 1604, under the 

 title of " Aurora, containing the first Fancies of the 

 Author's youth." He followed his monarch, James 

 I., to the English court; and in 1607 published 

 some dramas, entitled " Monarchick Tragedies,'" 

 which he dedicated to the king. He had previously 

 published a tragedy at Edinburgh, founded on the 

 story of Darius. In 1613, he became gentleman 

 usher to prince Charles, and received the honour of 

 knighthood, his origin being merely that of an un- 

 titled landed proprietor. In 1614, he published at 

 Edinburgh his largest work, entitled, " Doomsday 

 or the Great Day ot' Judgment," which has been se- 

 veral times reprinted. In 1621, the king made a 

 grant to him of Nova Scotia, with a view to colo- 

 nization ; and he was afterwards appointed lord- 

 lieutenant of that colony, and founded the order of 

 Nova Scotia baronets; but the speculation failed. 

 Sir William was subsequently made secretary of state 

 for Scotland (salary jElOO per annum), and created 

 viscount Canada and earl of Stirling. He died in 

 1640, leaving three sons and two daughters, whose 

 posterity was supposed to have been extinct, until ;t 

 claimant appeared in 1830, as descended from one of 

 the younger branches of the family, and who has as- 

 sumed the titles of Stirling and Povon. From the 

 following article the reader will see that a supposed 

 descendent distinguished himself in America during 

 the last century. The poems of the earl of Stirling 

 form one volume folio, and are chiefly characterized 

 by a pervading moral and religious spirit. 



ALEXANDER, William, a mnjor-general in the ser- 

 vice ot' the United States during the revolutionary 

 war, was born in the city of New York, '.lit passed 

 a portion of his life in New Jersey. He was gene- 



