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part05+-第24部分

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the Exposition; instead of the admiration; the laughing…stock of



the empire; but I wrote a letter to the assistant secretary of



state; Mr。 Quincy; who presently put an end to these vagaries。







One is greatly struck in Russia by the number of able and gifted



men and women scattered through Russian society; and at the



remarkable originality of some of them。 The causes of this



originality I touch in my chapter on Tolstoi。







It was a duty as well as a pleasure for me to keep up my



acquaintance with persons worth knowing; and; while many of the



visits thus made were perfunctory and tedious; some were



especially gratifying。 My rule was; after office hours in the



afternoon; to get into the open sledge; to make my visits; and as



a result; of course; to see and hear a vast deal of frivolity and



futility; but; from time to time; more important things。







The entertainments given by wealthy Russian nobles to the



diplomatic corps were by no means so frequent or so lavish as of



old。 Two reasons were assigned for this; one being the abolition



of the serf system; which had impoverished the nobility; and the



other the fact that the Emperor Alexander III had set the fashion



of paying less attention to foreigners than had formerly been the



custom。







The main hospitalities; so far as the Emperor and Empress were



concerned; were the great festivities at the Winter Palace;



beginning on the Russian New Year's day; which was twelve days



later than ours。 The scene was most brilliant。 The vast halls



were filled with civil and military officials from all parts of



the empire; in the most gorgeous costumes; an especially striking



effect being produced by the caftans; or long coats; of the



various Cossack regiments; the armor and helmets of the Imperial



Guards; and the old Russian costumes of the ladies。 All of the



latter; on this occasion; from the Empress down; wore these



costumes: there was great variety in these; but their main



features were the kakoshniks; or ornamental crowns; and the



tunics in bright colors。







The next of these great ceremonies at the Winter Palace was the



blessing of the waters upon the 8th of January。 The diplomatic



corps and other guests were allowed to take their places at the



palace windows looking out over the Neva; and thence could see



the entire procession; which; having gone down the ambassadors'



staircase; appeared at a temple which had been erected over an



opening in the ice of the river。 The Emperor; the grand dukes;



and the Archbishop of St。 Petersburg; with his suffragan bishops;



all took part in this ceremonial; and the music; which was



selected from the anthems of Bortniansky; was very solemn and



impressive。







During the winter came court balls; and; above all; the 〃palm



balls。〃 The latter were; in point of brilliancy; probably beyond



anything in any court of modern times。 After a reception; during



which the Emperor and Empress passed along the diplomatic circle;



speaking to the various members; dancing began; and was continued



until about midnight; then the doors were flung open into other



vast halls; which had been changed into palm…groves。 The palms



for this purpose are very large and beautiful; four series of



them being kept in the conservatories for this special purpose;



each series being used one winter and then allowed to rest for



three winters before it is brought out again。 Under these palms



the supper…tables are placed; and from fifteen hundred to two



thousand people sit at these as the guests of the Czar and



Czarina。 These entertainments seem carried to the extreme of



luxury; their only defect being their splendid monotony: only



civil; military; and diplomatic officials are present; and a



new…comer finds much difficulty in remembering their names。 There



are said to be four hundred Princes Galitzin in the empire; and I



personally knew three Counts Tolstoi who did not know each other;



but the great drawback is the fact that all these entertainments



are exactly alike; always the same thing: merely civil and



military functionaries and their families; and for strangers no



occupation save to dance; play cards; talk futilities; or simply



stare。







The Berlin court; though by no means so brilliant at first sight



and far smaller;since the most I ever saw in any gathering in



the Imperial Schloss at the German capital was about fifteen



hundred;was really much more attractive; its greater interest



arising from the presence of persons distinguished in every



field。 While at St。 Petersburg one meets only civil and military



functionaries; at Berlin one meets not only these; but the most



prominent men in politics; science; literature; art; and the



higher ranges of agriculture; commerce; and manufacture。 At St。



Petersburg; when I wished to meet such men; who added to the



peaceful glories of the empire; I went to their houses in the



university quarter; at Berlin I met them also at court。







As to court episodes during my stay; one especially dwells in my



memory。 On arriving rather early one evening; I noticed a large;



portly man; wearing the broad red ribbon of the Legion of Honor;



and at once saw that he could be no other than Prince Victor



Napoleon; the Bonaparte heir to the crown of France。 Though he



was far larger than the great Napoleon; and had the eyes of his



mother; Princess Clothilde; his likeness to his father; Prince



Napoleon (〃Plon…Plon〃); whom I had seen years before at Paris;



was very marked。 Presently his brother; who had just arrived from



his regiment in the Caucasus; came up and began conversation with



him。 Both seemed greatly vexed at something。 On the arrival of



the Italian ambassador; he naturally went up and spoke to the



prince; who was the grandson of King Victor Emmanuel; but the



curious thing was that the French ambassador; Count de



Montebello; and the prince absolutely cut each other。 Neither



seemed to have the remotest idea that the other was in the room;



and this in spite of the fact that the Montebellos are descended



from Jean Lannes; the stable…boy whom Napoleon made a marshal of



France and Duke of Montebello; thus founding the family to which



the French ambassador belonged。 The show of coolness on the part



of the imperial family evidently vexed the French pretender。 He



was; indeed; allowed to enter the room behind the imperial train;



but he was not permitted to sit at the imperial table; being



relegated to a distant and very modest seat。 I was informed that;



though the Emperor could; and did; have the prince to dine with



him in private; he felt obliged; in view of the relations between



Russia and the French Republic; to carefully avoid any special



recognition of him in public。







A far more brilliant visitor was the Ameer of Bokhara。 I have



already spoken of the way in which he was placed upon the throne



by General Annenkof。 He now came to visit the Czar as his



suzerain; and with him came his eldest son and a number of his



great men。 The satrap himself was a singular combination of



splendor and stoicism; wearing a gorgeous dress covered with



enormous jewels; and observing the brilliant scenes about him



with hardly ever a word。 Even when he took his place at the table



beside the Empress he was very uncommunicative。 Facing the



imperial table sat his great men; and their embarrassment was



evident; one special source of it being clearly their small



acquaintance with European table utensils。 The Ameer brought to



St。 Petersburg splendid presents of gold and jewels; after the



Oriental fashion; and also the heir to his throne; whom he left



as a sort of hostage to be educated at the capital。







An eminent Russian who was in very close relations with the Ameer



gave me some account of this young man。 Although he was then



perhaps fourteen or fifteen years of age; he was; as regards



conduct; a mere baby; bursting out into loud boohooing the first



time he was presented to the Emperor; and showing himself very



immature in various ways。 Curiously enough; when he was taken to



the cadet school he was found to be unable to walk for any



considerable distance。 He had always been made to squat and be



carried; and the first thing to be done toward making him a



Russian officer was to train him in using his legs。 He took an



especial fancy to bicycles: in the park attached to the cadet



school he became very proficient in the use of them; and;



returning to Bokhara at his first vacation; he took with him; not



only a bicycle for himself; but another for his brother。 Shortly



after his home…coming; the Ameer and court being assembled; he



gave a display of his powers; but; to his great mortification;



the Ameer was disgusted: the idea that the heir to the throne



should be seen working his way in this fashion was contrary to



all the ideas of that potentate; and he ordered the bicycles to



be at once destroyed。 But on the young man's return to St。



Petersburg he bought another; resumed his exercises upon it; and



will; no doubt; when he comes to the throne; introduce that form



of locomotion into the Mohammedan regions of Northern Asia。







Among the greater displays of my final year were a wedding and a



funeral。 The former was that of the Emperor's eldest daughter;



the Grand Duchess Xenia; at Peterhof。 It was very brilliant; and



was conducted after the u
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