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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