part05+-第13章

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afternoons　one　heard　the　best　talk　by　the　most　interesting　men；



and　it　was　at　the　salons　of　these　two　ladies　that　there　took



place　the　conversations　which　I　have　recorded　in　my　〃History　of



the　Warfare　of　Science；〃　showing　the　development　of　a　legend



regarding　the　miraculous　cure　of　the　Archbishop　of　St。　Petersburg



by　Father　Ivan　of　Cronstadt。







Another　place　which　especially　attracted　me　was　the　house　of



General　Ignatieff；　formerly　ambassador　at　Constantinople；　where；



on　account　of　his　alleged　want　of　scruples　in　bringing　on　the　war



with　Russia；　he　received　the　nickname　〃Mentir　Pasha。〃　His　wife



was　the　daughter　of　Koutousoff；　the　main　Russian　opponent　of



Napoleon　in　1812；　and　her　accounts　of　Russia　in　her　earlier　days



and　of　her　life　in　Constantinople　were　at　times　fascinating。







I　remember　meeting　at　her　house；　on　one　occasion；　the　Princess



Ourousoff；　who　told　me　that　the　Emperor　Alexander　had　said　to



her；　〃I　wish　that　every　one　could　see　Sardou's　play　'Thermidor'



and　discover　what　revolution　really　is〃；　and　that　she　had



answered；　〃Revolutions　are　prepared　long　before　they　break　out。〃



That　struck　me　as　a　very　salutary　bit　of　philosophy；　which　every



Russian　monarch　would　do　well　to　ponder。







The　young　Princess　Radzivill　was　also　especially　attractive。　In



one　of　her　rooms　hung　a　portrait　of　Balzac；　taken　just　after



death；　and　it　was　most　striking。　This　led　her　to　give　me　very



interesting　accounts　of　her　aunt；　Madame　de　Hanska；　to　whom



Balzac　wrote　his　famous　letters；　and　whom　he　finally　married。　I



met　at　her　house　another　lady　of　high　degree；　to　whom　my　original



introduction　had　been　somewhat　curious。　Dropping　in　one　afternoon



at　the　house　of　Henry　Howard；　the　British　first　secretary；　I　met



in　the　crowd　a　large　lady；　simply　dressed；　whom　I　had　never　seen



before。　Being　presented　to　her；　and　not　happening　to　catch　her



name；　I　still　talked　on；　and　found　that　she　had　traveled；　first



in　Australia；　then　in　California；　thence　across　our　continent　to



New　York；　and　her　accounts　of　what　she　had　seen　interested　me



greatly。　But　some　little　time　afterward　I　met　her　again　at　the



house　of　Princess　Radzivill；　and　then　found　that　she　was　the



English　Duchess　of　Buckingham。　One　day　I　had　been　talking　with



the　Princess　and　her　guest　on　the　treasures　of　the　Imperial



Library；　and　especially　the　wonderful　collection　of　autographs；



among　them　the　copy…book　of　Louis　XIV　when　a　child；　which　showed



the　pains　taken　to　make　him　understand；　even　in　his　boyhood；　that



he　was　an　irresponsible　autocrat。　On　one　of　its　pages　the　line　to



be　copied　ran　as　follows：







L'hommage　est　du　aux　Roys；　ils　font　ce　qu'il　leur　plaist。LOUIS。







Under　this　the　budding　monarch　had　written　the　same　words　six



times；　with　childish　care　to　keep　the　strokes　straight　and　the



spaces　regular。　My　account　of　this　having　led　the　princess　to　ask



me　to　take　her　and　her　friend　to　the　library　and　to　show　them



some　of　these　things；　I　gladly　agreed；　wrote　the　director；



secured　an　appointment　for　a　certain　afternoon；　and　when　the　time



came　called　for　the　ladies。　But　a　curious　contretemps　arose。　I



had　met；　the　day　before；　two　bright　American　ladies；　and　on　their



asking　me　about　the　things　best　worth　seeing；　I　had　especially



recommended　them　to　visit　the　Imperial　Library。　On　arriving　at



the　door　with　the　princess　and　the　duchess；　I　was　surprised　to



find　that　no　preparations　had　been　made　to　meet　us；in　fact；



that　our　coming　seemed　to　be　a　matter　of　surprise；　and　a



considerable　time　elapsed　before　the　director　and　other　officials



came　to　us。　Then　I　learned　what　the　difficulty　was。　The　two



American　ladies；　in　perfectly　good　faith；　had　visited　the　library



a　few　hours　before；　and；　on　their　saying　that　the　American



minister　had　recommended　them　to　come；　it　had　been　taken　for



granted　at　once　that　THEY　were　the　princess　and　the　duchess；　and



they　had　been　shown　everything　with　almost　regal　honors；　the



officials　never　discovering　the　mistake　until　our　arrival。







The　American　colony　at　St。　Petersburg　was　very　small。　Interesting



compatriots　came　from　time　to　time　on　various　errands；　and　I　was



glad　to　see　them；　but　one　whose　visits　were　most　heartily



welcomed　was　a　former　consul；　Mr。　Prince；　an　original；　shrewd



〃down…easter；〃　and　his　reminiscences　of　some　of　my　predecessors



were　full　of　interest　to　me。







One　especially　dwells　in　my　mind。　It　had　reference　to　a　former



senator　of　the　United　States　who；　about　the　year　1840；　was　sent



to　Russia　as　minister。　There　were　various　evidences　in　the



archives　of　the　legation　that　sobriety　was　not　this　gentleman's



especial　virtue；　and　among　them　very　many　copies　of　notes　in



which　the　minister；　through　the　secretary　of　legation；　excused



himself　from　keeping　engagements　at　the　Foreign　Office　on　the



ground　of　〃sudden　indisposition。〃







Mr。　Prince　told　me　that　one　day　this　minister's　valet；　who　was　an



Irishman；　came　to　the　consulate　and　said：　〃Oi　'll　not　stay　wid



his　igsillincy　anny　longer；　Oi　've　done　wid　him。〃







〃What　's　the　trouble　now？'　said　Mr。　Prince。







〃Well；〃　said　the　man；　〃this　morning　Oi　thought　it　was　toime　to



get　his　igsillincy　out　of　bed；　for　he　had　been　dhrunk　about　a



week　and　in　bed　most　of　the　toime；　and　so　Oi　went　to　him；　and



says　Oi；　gentle…loike；　'Would　your　igsillincy　have　a　cup　of



coffee？'　whin　he　rose　up　and　shtruck　me　in　the　face。　On　that　Oi



took　him　by　the　collar；　lifted　him　out　of　bed；　took　him　acrass



the　room；　showed　him　his　ugly　face　in　the　glass；　and　Oi　said　to



him；　says　Oi；　'Is　thim　the　eyes　of　an　invoy　extraorr…rrdinarry



and　ministher　plinipotentiarry？'　〃







Among　interesting　reminders　of　my　predecessors　was　a　letter　in



the　archives；　written　about　the　year　1832　by　Mr。　Buchanan；



afterward　senator；　minister　in　London；　Secretary　of　State；　and



President　of　the　United　States。　It　was　a　friendly　missive　to　an



official　personage　in　our　country；　and　went　on　somewhat　as



follows：　〃I　feel　almost　ashamed　to　tell　you　that　your　letters　to



me；　mine　to　you；　and；　indeed；　everything　that　has　come　and　gone



between　us　by　mail；　has　been　read　by　other　eyes　than　ours。　This



was　true　of　your　last　letter　to　me；　and；　without　doubt；　it　will



be　true　of　this　letter。　Can　you　imagine　it？　Think　of　the　moral



turpitude　of　a　creature　employed　to　break　open　private　letters



and　to　read　them！　Can　you　imagine　work　more　degrading？　What　a



dirty　dog　he　must　be！　how　despicable；　indeed；　he　must　seem　to



himself！〃　And　so　Mr。　Buchanan　went　on　until　he　wound　up　as



follows：　〃Not　only　does　this　person　read　private　letters；　but　he



is　a　forger：　he　forges　seals；　and　I　regret　to　say　that　his



imitation　of　the　eagle　on　our　legation　seal　is　a　VERY　SORRY



BIRD。〃　Whether　this　dose　had　any　salutary　effect　on　the　official



concerned　I　never　learned。







The　troubles　of　an　American　representative　at　St。　Petersburg　are



many；　and　they　generally　begin　with　the　search　for　an　apartment。



It　is　very　difficult　indeed　in　that　capital　to　find　a　properly



furnished　suite　of　rooms　for　a　minister；　and　since　the　American



representative　has　been　made　an　ambassador　this　difficulty　is



greater　than　ever。　In　my　own　case；　by　especial　luck　and　large



outlay；　I　was　able　to　surmount　it；　but　many　others　had　not　been



so　fortunate；　and　the　result　had　generally　been　that；　whereas



nearly　every　other　power　owned　or　held　on　long　lease　a　house　or



apartment　for　its　representative；simple；　decent；　dignified；　and



known　to　the　entire　city；the　American　representative