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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　had　lived



wherever　circumstances　compelled　him：sometimes　on　the



ground…floor　and　sometimes　in　a　sky…parlor；　with　the　natural



result　that　Russians　could　hardly　regard　the　American　Legation　as



on　the　same　footing　with　that　of　other　countries。







As　I　write；　word　comes　that　the　present　ambassador　has　been



unable　to　find　suitable　quarters　save　at　a　rent　higher　than　his



entire　salary；　that　the　proprietors　have　combined；　and　agreed　to



stand　by　each　other　in　holding　their　apartments　at　an　enormous



figure；　their　understanding　being　that　Americans　are　rich　and　can



be　made　to　pay　any　price　demanded。　Nothing　can　be　more



short…sighted　than　the　policy　of　our　government　in　this　respect；



and　I　shall　touch　upon　it　again。







The　diplomatic　questions　between　the　United　States　and　Russia



were　many　and　troublesome；　for；　in　addition　to　that　regarding　the



Behring　Sea　fisheries；　there　were　required　additional



interpretations　of　the　Buchanan　treaty　as　to　the　rights　of



Americans　to　hold　real　estate　and　to　do　business　in　Russia；



arrangements　for　the　participation　of　Russians　in　the　Chicago



Exposition；　the　protection　of　various　American　citizens　of



Russian　birth；　and　especially　of　Israelites　who　had　returned　to



Russia；　care　for　the　great　American　life…insurance　interests　in



the　empire；　the　adjustment　of　questions　arising　out　of　Russian



religious　relations　with　Alaska　and　the　islands　of　the　Northern



Pacific；　and　last；　but　not　least；　the　completion　of　the



extradition　treaty　between　the　two　nations　by　the　incorporation



of　safeguards　which　would　prevent　its　use　against　purely



political　offenders。







Especial　attention　to　Israelite　cases　was　also　required。　Some　of



these　excited　my　deep　sympathy；　and；　having　made　a　very　careful



study　of　the　subject；　I　wrote　to　Secretary　Gresham　a　despatch



upon　it　in　obedience　to　his　special　request。　It　was　the　longest



despatch　I　have　ever　written；　and；　in　my　apology　to　the　secretary



for　its　length　I　stated　that　it　was　prepared　with　no　expectation



that　he　would　find　time　to　read　it；　but　with　the　idea　that　it



might　be　of　use　at　the　State　Department　for　reference。　In　due



time　I　received　a　very　kind　answer　stating　that　he　had　read　every



word　of　it；　and　thanked　me　most　heartily　forit。　The　whole



subject　is　exceedingly　difficult；　but　it　is　clear　that　Russia　has



made；　and　is　making；　a　fearful　mistake　in　her　way　of　dealing　with



it。　There　are　more　Israelites　in　Russia　than　in　all　the　remainder



of　the　world；　and　they　are　crowded　together；　under　most



exasperating　regulations；　in　a　narrow　district　just　inside　her



western　frontier；　mainly　extending　through　what　was　formerly



Poland；　with　the　result　that　fanaticismChristian　on　one　side



and　Jewish　on　the　otherhas　developed　enormously。　The　Talmudic



rabbis　are　there　at　their　worst；　and　the　consequences　are　evil；



not　only　for　Russia；　but　for　our　own　country。　The　immigration



which　comes　to　us　from　these　regions　is　among　the　very　worst　that



we　receive　from　any　part　of　the　world。　It　is；　in　fact；　an



immigration　of　the　unfittest；　and；　although　noble　efforts　have



been　made　by　patriotic　Israelites　in　the　United　States　to　meet



the　difficulty；　the　results　have　been　far　from　satisfactory。







There　were；　of　course；　the　usual　adventurous　Americans　in



political　difficulties；　enterprising　Americans　in　business



difficulties；　and　pretended　Americans　attempting　to　secure



immunity　under　the　Stars　and　Stripes。　The　same　ingenious　efforts



to　prostitute　American　citizenship　which　I　had　seen　during　my



former　stay　in　Germany　were　just　as　constant　in　Russia。　It　was



the　same　old　story。　Emigrants　from　the　Russian　Empire；　most　of



them　extremely　undesirable；　had　gone　to　the　United　States；　stayed



just　long　enough　to　secure　naturalization；had；　indeed；　in　some



cases　secured　it　fraudulently　before　they　had　stayed　the　full



time；　and　then；　having　returned　to　Russia；　were　trying　to



exercise　the　rights　and　evade　the　duties　of　both　countries。







Many　of　these　cases　were　exceedingly　vexatious；　and　so；　indeed；



were　some　which　were　better　founded。　The　great　difficulty　of　a



representative　of　the　United　States　in　Russia　is；　first；　that　the



law　of　the　empire　is　so　complicated　that；to　use　the　words　of



King　James　regarding　Bacon's　〃Novum　Organum；〃〃Like　the　Peace　of



God；　it　passeth　all　understanding。〃　It　is　made　up　of　codes　in



part　obsolete　or　obsolescent；　ukases　and　counter…ukases；　imperial



directions　and　counter…directions；　ministerial　orders　and



counter…orders；　police　regulations　and　counter…regulations；　with



no　end　of　suspensions；　modifications；　and　exceptions。







The　second　difficulty　is　the　fact　that　the　Buchanan　treaty　of



1832；　which　guaranteed；　apparently；　everything　desirable　to



American　citizens　sojourning　in　the　empire；　has　been　gradually



construed　away　until　its　tattered　remnants　are　practically



worthless。　As　the　world　has　discovered；　Russia's　strong　point　is



not　adherence　to　her　treaty　promises。







In　this　respect　there　is　a　great　difference　between　Russia　and



Germany。　With　the　latter　we　have　made　careful　treaties；　the　laws



are　well　known；　and　the　American　representative　feels　solid



ground　beneath　his　feet；　but　in　Russia　there　is　practically



nothing　of　the　kind；　and　the　representative　must　rely　on　the　main



principles　of　international　law；　common　sense；　and　his　own　powers



of　persuasion。







A　peculiar　duty　during　my　last　stay　in　St。　Petersburg　was　to



watch　the　approach　of　cholera；　especially　on　the　Persian



frontier。　Admirable　precautions　had　been　taken　for　securing