part05+-第3章

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in　an　offhand；　easy…going　way　which　appalled　me。　The　simple　fact



was　that　the　famine；　though　not　so　wide…spread；　was　more　trying



than　during　the　year　before；　for　it　found　the　peasant　population



in　Finland　and　in　the　central　districts　of　the　empire　even　less



prepared　to　meet　it。　They　had；　during　the　previous　winter；　very



generally　eaten　their　draught…animals　and　burned　everything　not



absolutely　necessary　for　their　own　shelter；　from　Finland



specimens　of　bread　made　largely　of　ferns　had　been　brought　me



which　it　would　seem　a　shame　to　give　to　horses　or　cattle；　and　yet



his　imperial　highness　the　heir　to　the　throne　evidently　knew



nothing　of　all　this。







In　explanation；　I　was　afterward　told　by　a　person　who　had　known



him　intimately　from　his　childhood；　that；　though　courteous；　his



main　characteristic　was　an　absolute　indifference　to　most　persons



and　things　about　him；　and　that　he　never　showed　a　spark　of



ambition　of　any　sort。　This　was　confirmed　by　what　I　afterward　saw



of　him　at　court。　He　seemed　to　stand　about　listlessly；　speaking　in



a　good…natured　way　to　this　or　that　person　when　it　was　easier　than



not　to　do　so；　but；　on　the　whole；　indifferent　to　all　which　went　on



about　him。







After　his　accession　to　the　throne；　one　of　the　best　judges　in



Europe；　who　had　many　opportunities　to　observe　him　closely；　said



to　me；　〃He　knows　nothing　of　his　empire　or　of　his　people；　he　never



goes　out　of　his　house；　if　he　can　help　it。〃　This　explains　in　some



degree　the　insufficiency　of　his　programme　for　the　Peace



Conference　at　The　Hague　and　for　the　Japanese　War；　which；　as　I



revise　these　lines；　is　bringing　fearful　disaster　and　disgrace



upon　Russia。







The　representative　of　a　foreign　power　in　any　European　capital



must　be　presented　to　the　principal　members　of　the　reigning



family；　and　so　I　paid　my　respects　to　the　grand　dukes　and



duchesses。　The　first　and　most　interesting　of　these　to　me　was　the



old　Grand　Duke　Michaelthe　last　surviving　son　of　the　first



Nicholas。　He　was　generally；　and　doubtless　rightly；　regarded　as；



next　to　his　elder　brother；　Alexander　II；　the　flower　of　the　flock；



and　his　reputation　was　evidently　much　enhanced　by　comparison　with



his　brother　next　above　him　in　age；　the　Grand　Duke　Nicholas。　It



was　generally　charged　that　the　conduct　of　the　latter　during　the



Turkish　campaign　was　not　only　unpatriotic；　but　inhuman。　An　army



officer　once　speaking　to　me　regarding　the　suffering　of　his



soldiers　at　that　time　for　want　of　shoes；　I　asked　him　where　the



shoes　were；　and　he　answered：　〃In　the　pockets　of　the　Grand　Duke



Nicholas。〃







Michael　was　evidently　different　from　his　brothernot　haughty　and



careless　toward　all　other　created　beings；　but　kindly；　and　with　a



strong　sense　of　duty。　One　thing　touched　me。　I　said　to　him　that



the　last　time　I　had　seen　him　was　when　he　reached　St。　Petersburg



from　the　seat　of　the　Crimean　War　in　the　spring　of　1855；　and　drove



from　the　railway　to　the　palace　in　company　with　his　brother



Nicholas。　Instantly　the　tears　came　into　his　eyes　and　flowed　down



his　cheeks。　He　answered：　〃Yes；　that　was　sad　indeed。　My



father〃meaning　the　first　Emperor　Nicholas〃telegraphed　us　that



our　mother　was　in　very　poor　health；　longed　to　see　us；　and



insisted　on　our　coming　to　her　bedside。　On　our　way　home　we　learned



of　his　death。〃







Of　the　younger　generation　of　grand　dukes；the　brothers　of



Alexander　III；the　greatest　impression　was　made　upon　me　by



Vladimir。　He　was　apparently　the　strongest　of　all　the　sons　of



Alexander　II；　being　of　the　great　Romanoff　breedbig；　strong；



muscular；　like　his　brother　the　Emperor。　He　chatted　pleasantly；



and　I　remember　that　he　referred　to　Mr。　James　Gordon　Bennettwhom



he　had　met　on　a　yachting　cruiseas　〃my　friend。〃







Another　of　these　big　Romanoff　grand　dukes　was　Alexis；　the　grand



admiral。　He　referred　to　his　recollections　of　the　United　States



with　apparent　pleasure；　in　spite　of　the　wretched　Catacazy



imbroglio　which　hindered　President　Grant　from　showing　him　any



hospitality　at　the　White　House；　and　which　so　vexed　his　father　the



Emperor　Alexander　II。







The　ladies　of　the　imperial　family　were　very　agreeable。　A　remark



of　one　of　thema　beautiful　and　cultivated　woman；　born　a　princess



of　one　of　the　Saxon　duchiessurprised　me；　for；　when　I　happened



to　mention　Dresden；　she　told　me　that　her　great　desire　had　been　to



visit　that　capital　of　her　own　country；　but　that　she　had　never



been　able　to　do　so。　She　spoke　of　German　literature；　and　as　I



mentioned　receiving　a　letter　the　day　before　from　Professor　Georg



Ebers；　the　historical　novelist；　she　said：　〃You　are　happy　indeed



that　you　can　meet　such　people；　how　I　should　like　to　know　Ebers！〃



Such　are　the　limitations　of　royalty。







Meantime；　I　made　visits　to　my　colleagues　of　the　diplomatic　corps；



and　found　them　interesting　and　agreeableas　it　is　the　business



of　diplomatists　to　be。　The　dean　was　the　German　ambassador；



General　von　Schweinitz；　a　man　ideally　fit　for　such　a　positionof



wide　experience；　high　character；　and　evidently　strong　and　firm；



though　kindly。　When　ambassador　at　Vienna　he　had　married　the



daughter　of　his　colleague；　the　American　minister；　Mr。　John　Jay；



an　old　friend　and　colleague　of　mine　in　the　American　Historical



Association；　and　so　came　very　pleasant　relations　between　us。　His



plain；　strong　sense　was　of　use　to　me　in　more　than　one　difficult



question。







The　British　ambassador　was　Sir　Robert　Morier。　He；　too；　was　a



strong　character；　though　lacking　apparently　in　some　of　General



von　Schweinitz's　more　kindly　qualities。　He　was　big；　roughish；　and



at　times　so　brusque　that　he　might　almost　be　called　brutal。　When



bullying　was　needed　it　was　generally　understood　that　he　could　do



it　con　amore。　A　story　was　told　of　him　which；　whether　exact　or



not；　seemed　to　fit　his　character　well。　He　had　been；　for　a　time；



minister　to　Portugal；　and；　during　one　of　his　controversies　with



the　Portuguese　minister　of　foreign　affairs；　the　latter；　becoming



exasperated；　said　to　him：　〃Sir；　it　is　evident　that　you　were　not



born　a　Portuguese　cavalier。〃　Thereupon　Morier　replied：　〃No；　thank



God；　I　was　not：　if　I　had　been；　I　would　have　killed　myself　on　the



breast　of　my　mother。〃







And　here；　perhaps；　is　the　most　suitable　place　for　mentioning　a



victory　which　Morier　enabled　Great　Britain　to　obtain　over　the



United　States。　It　might　be　a　humiliating　story　for　me　to　tell；



had　not　the　fault　so　evidently　arisen　from　the　shortcomings　of



others。　The　time　has　come　to　reveal　this　piece　of　history；　and　I



do　so　in　the　hope　that　it　may　aid　in　bettering　the　condition　in



which　the　Congress　of　the　United　States　has；　thus　far；　left　its



diplomatic　servants。







As　already　stated；　the　most　important　question　with　which　I　had



to　deal　was　that　which　had　arisen　in　the　Behring　Sea。　The　United



States　possessed　there　a　great　and　flourishing　fur…seal　industry；



which　was　managed　with　care　and　was　a　source　of　large　revenue　to



our　government。　The　killing　of　the　seals　under　the　direction　of



those　who　had　charge　of　the　matter　was　done　with　the　utmost　care



and　discrimination　on　the　Pribyloff　Islands；　to　which　these



animals　resorted　in　great　numbers　during　the　summer。　It　was　not



at　all　cruel；　and　was　so　conducted　that　the　seal　herd　was　fully



maintained　rather　than　diminished。　But　it　is　among　the



peculiarities　of　the　seals　that；　each　autumn；　they　migrate



southward；　returning　each　spring　in　large　numbers　along　the



Alaskan　coast；　and　also　that；　while　at　the　islands；　the　nursing



mothers　make　long　excursions　to　fishing…banks　at　distances　of