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from　French　dramas　delightful。　As　to　historical　studies；　the　most



interesting　man　I　found　was　Professor　Demetrieff；　who　was　brought



to　my　house　by　Pobedonostzeff。　I　had　been　reading　Billbassoff's



〃Life　of　the　Empress　Catherine〃；　and；　on　my　asking　some　questions



regarding　it；　the　professor　said　that　at　the　death　of　the



Empress；　her　son；　the　Emperor　Paul；　intrusted　the　examination　of



her　papers　to　Rostopchine；　who；　on　going　through　them；　found　a



casket　containing　letters　and　the　like；　which　she　had　evidently



considered　especially　precious；　and　among　these　a　letter　from



Orloff；　giving　the　details　of　the　murder　of　her　husband；　Peter



III；　at　Ropscha。　The　letter；　in　substance；　stated　that　Orloff　and



his　associates；　having　attempted　to　seize　Peter；　who　was



evidently　on　his　way　to　St。　Petersburg　to　imprison　the　Empress



Catherine；if　not　to　put　her　to　death；the　Emperor　had



resisted；　and　that　finally；　in　the　struggle；　he　had　been　killed。



Professor　Demetrieff　then　said　that　the　Emperor　Paul　showed　these



papers　to　his　sons　Alexander　and　Nicholas；　who　afterward



succeeded　him　on　the　throne；　and　expressed　his　devout



thankfulness　that　the　killing　of　Peter　III　was　not　intentional；



and　therefore　that　their　grandmother　was　not　a　murderess。







This　reminds　me　that；　at　my　first　visit　to　St。　Petersburg；　I



often　passed；　during　my　walks；　the　old　palace　of　Paul；　and　that



there　was　one　series　of　windows　carefully　barred：　these　belonging



to　the　rooms　in　which　the　Emperor　Paul　himself　was　assassinated



in　order　to　protect　the　life　of　his　son　Alexander　and　of　the



family　generally。







Another　Russian；　Prince　Serge　Wolkonsky；　was　certainly　the　most



versatile　man　I　have　ever　known：　a　playwright；　an　actor；　an



essayist；　an　orator；　a　lecturer；　and　admirable　in　each　of　these



capacities。　At　a　dinner　given　me；　just　before　my　departure　from



St。　Petersburg；　by　the　Russians　who　had　taken　part　in　the　Chicago



Exposition；　I　was　somewhat　troubled　by　the　fact　that　the　speeches



of　the　various　officials　were　in　Russian；　and　that；　as　I　so



imperfectly　understood　them；　I　could　not　know　what　line　to　take



when　my　own　speech　came；　but　presently　the　chairman；　Minister



Delyanoff；　called　upon　young　Prince　Serge；　who　came　forward　very



modestly　and；　in　admirable　English；　gave　a　summary　of　the　whole



series　of　Russian　speeches　for　my　benefit；　concluding　with　an



excellent　speech　of　his　own。　His　speeches　and　addresses　at



Chicago　were　really　remarkable；　and；　when　he　revisited　America；



his　lectures　on　Russian　literature　at　Cornell　University；　at



Washington；　and　elsewhere；　were　worthy　of　the　College　de　France。



This　young　man　could　speak　fluently　and　idiomatically；　not　only



his　own　language；　but　English；　French；　German；　Italian；　and　I



know　not　how　many　other　tongues。







To　meet　scientific　men　of　note　my　wont　was　to　visit　the　Latin



Quarter；　and　there；　at　the　house　of　Professor　Woeikoff　of　St。



Petersburg　University；　I　met；　at　various　times；　a　considerable



body　of　those　best　worth　knowing。　One　of　those　who　made　an



especially　strong　impression　upon　me　was　Admiral　Makharoff。



Recently　has　come　news　of　his　death　while　commanding　the　Russian



fleet　at　Port　Arthurhis　flag…ship；　with　nearly　all　on　board；



sunk　by　a　torpedo。　At　court；　in　the　university　quarter；　and　later



at　Washington；　I　met　him　often；　and　rated　him　among　the



half…dozen　best　Russians　I　ever　knew。　Having　won　fame　as　a



vigorous　and　skilful　commander　in　the　Turkish　war；　he　was



devoting　himself　to　the　scientific　side　of　his　profession。　He　had



made　a　success　of　his　colossal　ice…breaker　in　various　northern



waters；　and　was　now　giving　his　main　thoughts　to　the　mapping　out；



on　an　immense　scale；　of　all　the　oceans；　as　regards　winds　and



currents。　As　explained　by　him；　with　quiet　enthusiasm；　it　seemed



likely　to　be　one　of　the　greatest　triumphs　of　the　inductive　method



since　Lord　Bacon。　With　Senator　Semenoff　and　Prince　Gregory



Galitzin　I　had　very　interesting　talks　on　their　Asiatic　travels；



and　was　greatly　impressed　by　the　simplicity　and　strength　of



Mendeleieff；　who　is　certainly　to…day　one　of　two　or　three　foremost



living　authorities　in　chemistry。　Although　men　of　science；　unless



they　hold　high　official　positions；　are　not　to　be　seen　at　court；　I



was　glad　to　find　that　there　were　some　Russian　nobles　who



appreciated　them；　and　an　admirable　example　of　this　was　once　shown



at　my　own　house。　It　was　at　a　dinner；　when　there　was　present　a



young　Russian　of　very　high　lineage；　and　I　was　in　great　doubt　as



to　the　question　of　precedence；　this　being　a　matter　of　grave



import　under　the　circumstances。　At　last　my　wife　went　to　the



nobleman　himself　and　asked　him　frankly　regarding　it。　His　answer



did　him　credit：　he　said；　〃I　should　be　ashamed　to　take　precedence



here　of　a　man　like　Mendeleieff；　who　is　an　honor　to　Russia　in　the



eyes　of　the　whole　world；　and　I　earnestly　hope　that　he　may　be



given　the　first　place。〃







There　were　also　various　interesting　women　in　St。　Petersburg



society；　the　reception　afternoons　of　two　of　them　being　especially



attractive：　they　were；　indeed；　in　the　nature　of　the　French　salons



under　the　old　regime。







One　of　these　ladiesthe　Princess　Wolkonskyseemed　to　interest



all　men　not　absorbed　in　futilities；　and　the　result　was　that　one



heard　at　her　house　the　best　men　in　St。　Petersburg　discussing　the



most　interesting　questions。







The　other　was　the　Austrian　ambassadress；　Countess　Wolkenstein；



whom　I　had　slightly　known；　years　before；　as　Countess　Schleinitz；



wife　of　the　minister　of　the　royal　household　at　Berlin。　On　her



afternoons　one　heard　the　best　talk　by　the　most　interesting　men；



and　it　was　at　the　salons　of　these　two　ladies　that　there　took



place　the　conversations　which　I　have　recorded　in　my　〃History　of



the　Warfare　of　Science；〃　showing　the　development　of　a　legend



regarding　the　miraculous　cure　of　the　Archbishop　of　St。　Petersburg



by　Father　Ivan　of　Cronstadt。







Another　place　which　especially　attracted　me　was　the　house　of



General　Ignatieff；　formerly　ambassador　at　Constantinople；　where；



on　account　of　his　alleged　want　of　scruples　in　bringing　on　the　war



with　Russia；　he　received　the　nickname　〃Mentir　Pasha。〃　His　wife



was　the　daughter　of　Koutousoff；　the　main　Russian　opponent　of



Napoleon　in　1812；　and　her　accounts　of　Russia　in　her　earlier　days



and　of　her　life　in　Constantinople　were　at　times　fascinating。







I　remember　meeting　at　her　house；　on　one　occasion；　the　Princess



Ourousoff；　who　told　me　that　the　Emperor　Alexander　had　said　to



her；　〃I　wish　that　every　one　could　see　Sardou's　play　'Thermidor'



and　discover　what　revolution　really　is〃；　and　that　she　had



answered；　〃Revolutions　are　prepared　long　before　they　break　out。〃



That　struck　me　as　a　very　salutary　bit　of　philosophy；　which　every



Russian　monarch　would　do　well　to　ponder。







The　young　Princess　Radzivill　was　also　especially　attractive。　In



one　of　her　rooms　hung　a　portrait　of　Balzac；　taken　just　after



death；　and　it　was　most　striking。　This　led　her　to　give　me　very



interesting　accounts　of　her　aunt；　Madame　de　Hanska；　to　whom



Balzac　wrote　his　famous　letters；　and　whom　he　finally　married。　I



met　at　her　house　another　lady　of　high　degree；　to　whom　my　original



introduction　had　been　somewhat　curious。　Dropping　in　one　afternoon



at　the　house　of　Henry　Howard；　the　British　first　secretary；　I　met



in　the　crowd　a　large　lady；　simply　dressed；　whom　I　had　never　seen



before。　Being　presented　to　her；　and　not　happening　to　catch　her



name；　I　still　talked　on；　and　found　that　she　had　traveled；　first



in　Australia；　then　in　California；　thence　across　our　continent　to



New　York；　and　her　accounts　of　what　she　had　seen　interested　me



greatly。　But　some　little　time　afterward　I　met　her　again　at　the



house　of　Princess　Radzivill；　and　then　found　that　she　was　the



English　Duchess　of　Buckingham。　One　day　I　had　been　talking　with



the　Princess　and　her　guest　on　the　treasures　of　the　Imperial



Library；　and　especially　the　wonderful　collection　of　autographs；



among　them　the　copy…book　of　Louis　XIV　when　a　child；　which　showed



the　pains　taken　to　make　him　understand；　even　in　his　boyhood；　that



he　was　an　irresponsible　autocrat。　On　one　of　its　pages　the　line　to



be　copied　ran　as　follows：







L'hommage　est　du　aux　Roys；　ils　font　ce　qu'il　leur　plaist。LOUIS。







Under　this　the　budding　monarch　had　written　the　same　words　six



times；　with　childish　care　to　keep　the　strokes　straight　and　the



spaces　regular。　My　account　of　this　having　led　the　princess　to　ask



m