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this matter with reluctance; though I feel not the slightest



responsibility for my part in it。 I do not think that any



right…minded man can blame me for it; any more than; in the



recent South African War; he could have blamed Lord Roberts; the



British general; if the latter had been sent to the Transvaal



with insufficient means; inadequate equipment; and an army far



inferior in numbers to that of his enemy。







I am not at all in this matter 〃a man with a grievance〃; for I



knew what American representatives had to expect; and was not



disappointed。 My feeling is simply that of an American citizen



whose official life is past; and who can look back



dispassionately and tell the truth plainly。







This case is presented simply in the hope that it will do



something to arouse thinking men in public life; and especially



in the Congress of the United States; to provide at least a



suitable house or apartment for the American representative in



each of the more important capitals of the world; as all other



great powers and many of the lesser nations have done。 If I can



aid in bringing about this result; I care nothing for any



personal criticism which may be brought upon me。















CHAPTER XXXIV







INTERCOURSE WITH RUSSIAN STATESMEN1892…1894







To return to Sir Robert Morier。 There had been some friction



between his family and that of one of my predecessors; and this



had for some time almost ended social intercourse between his



embassy and our legation; but on my arrival I ignored this; and



we established very satisfactory personal relations。 He had held



important positions in various parts of Europe; and had been



closely associated with many of the most distinguished men of his



own and other countries。 Reading Grant Duff's 〃Memoirs;〃 I find



that Morier's bosom friend; of all men in the world; was Jowett;



the late head of Oriel College at Oxford。 But Sir Robert was at



the close of his career; his triumph in the Behring Sea matter



was his last。 I met him shortly afterward at his last visit to



the Winter Palace: with great effort he mounted the staircase;



took his position at the head of the diplomatic circle; and;



immediately after his conversation with the Emperor; excused



himself and went home。 This was the last time I ever saw him; he



returned soon afterward to England and died。 His successor; Sir



Frank Lascelles; more recently my colleague at Berlin; is a very



different character。 His manner is winning; his experience large



and interesting; his first post having been at Paris during the



Commune; and his latest at Teheran。 Our relations became; and



have ever since remained; all that I could desire。 He; too; in



every post; is provided with all that is necessary for



accomplishing the purposes of Great Britain; and will doubtless



win great success for his country; though not in exactly the same



way as his predecessor。







The French ambassador was the Comte de Montebello; evidently a



man of ability; but with perhaps less of the engaging qualities



than one generally expects in a French diplomatic representative。



The Turkish ambassador; Husny Pasha; like most Turkish



representatives whom I have met; had learned to make himself very



agreeable; but his position was rather trying: he had fought in



the Russo…Turkish War and had seen his country saved from the



most abject humiliation; if not destruction; only at the last



moment; by the Berlin Conference。 His main vexation in St。



Petersburg arose from the religious feeling of the Emperor。 Every



great official ceremony in Russia is prefaced; as a rule; by a



church service; hence Husny was excluded; since he felt bound to



wear the fez; and this the Emperor would not tolerate; though



there was really no more harm in his wearing this simple



head…gear in church than in a woman wearing her bonnet or a



soldier wearing his helmet。







Interesting; too; was the Italian ambassador; Marochetti; son of



the eminent sculptor; some of whose artistic ability he had



inherited。 He was fond of exercising this talent; but it was



generally understood that his recall was finally due to the fact



that his diplomatic work had suffered in consequence。







The Austrian ambassador; Count Wolkenstein; was; in many things;



the most trustworthy of counselors; more than once; under trying



circumstances; I found his advice precious; for he knew;



apparently; in every court of Europe; the right man to approach;



and the right way to approach him; on every conceivable subject。







Of the ministers plenipotentiary the Dutch representative; Van



Stoetwegen; was the best counselor I found。 He was shrewd; keen;



and kindly; but his tongue was sharpso much so that it finally



brought about his recall。 He made a remark one day which



especially impressed me。 I had said to him; 〃I have just sent a



despatch to my government declaring my skepticism as to the



probability of any war in Europe for a considerable time to come。



When I arrived in Berlin eleven years ago all the knowing people



said that a general European war must break out within a few



months: in the spring they said it must come in the autumn; and



in the autumn they said it must come in the spring。 All these



years have passed and there is still no sign of war。 We hear the



same prophecies daily; but I learned long since not to believe in



them。 War may come; but it seems to me more and more unlikely。〃



He answered; 〃I think you are right。 I advise my own government



in the same sense。 The fact is that war in these days is not what



it once was; it is infinitely more dangerous from every point of



view; and it becomes more and more so every day。 Formerly a



crowned head; when he thought himself aggrieved; or felt that he



would enjoy a campaign; plunged into war gaily。 If he succeeded;



all was well; if not; he hauled off to repair damages;very much



as a pugilist would do after receiving a black eye in a fist



fight;and in a short time the losses were repaired and all went



on as before。 In these days the case is different: it is no



longer a simple contest in the open; with the possibility of a



black eye or; at most; of a severe bruise; it has become a matter



of life and death to whole nations。 Instead of being like a fist



fight; it is like a combat between a lot of champions armed with



poisoned daggers; and in a dark room; if once the struggle



begins; no one knows how many will be drawn into it or who will



be alive at the end of it; the probabilities are that all will be



injured terribly and several fatally。 War in these days means the



cropping up of a multitude of questions dangerous not only to



statesmen but to monarchs; and even to society itself。 Monarchs



and statesmen know this well; and; no matter how truculent they



may at times appear; they really dread war above all things。〃







One of my colleagues at St。 Petersburg was interesting in a very



different way from any of the others。 This was Pasitch; the



Servian minister。 He was a man of fine presence and; judging from



his conversation; of acute mind。 He had some years before been



sentenced to death for treason; but since that had been prime



minister。 Later he was again put on trial for his life at



Belgrade; charged with being a partner in the conspiracy which



resulted in the second attempt against the life of King Milan。



His speech before his judges; recently published; was an effort



worthy of a statesman; and carried the conviction to my mind that



he was not guilty。'3'











'3' He was found guilty; but escaped death by a bitter



humiliation: it was left for others to bring about Milan's



assassination。











The representatives of the extreme Orient were both interesting



personages; but the same difference prevailed there as elsewhere:



the Chinese was a mandarin; able to speak only through an



interpreter; the Japanese was trained in Western science; and



able to speak fluently both Russian and French。 His successor;



whom I met at the Peace Conference of The Hague; spoke English



admirably。







Among the secretaries and attaches; several were very



interesting; and of these was the first British secretary Henry



Howard; now Sir Henry Howard; minister at The Hague。 He and his



American wife were among the most delightful of associates。



Another in this category was the Bavarian secretary; Baron



Guttenberg; whom I often met later at Berlin。 When I spoke to him



about a visit I had made to Wurzburg; and the desecration of the



magnificent old Romanesque cathedral there by plastering its



whole interior over with nude angels; and substituting for the



splendid old mediaeval carving Louis Quinze woodwork in white and



gold; he said: 〃Yes; you are right; and it was a bishop of my



family who did it。〃







As to Russian statesmen; I had the benefit of the fairly friendly



spirit which has usually been shown toward the American



representative in Russia by all in authority from the Emperor



down。 I do not mean by this that the contentions of the American



Embassy are always met by speedy concessions; for among the most



trying of all things in diplomatic dealings with that country are



the long delays in all business; but a spirit is shown which; in



the long run; serves the purpose of our representative as regards



most questions。







It seems necess
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