12 RUSSIA THEN AND NOW 



Famine Relief Committee of Philadelphia, who is 

 going abroad as representative of that Committee. 



I ask for Mr. Reeves such official courtesies as you 

 may be able to extend to assist him in his humane 

 mission. 



I am, Gentlemen, 



Your obedient servant, 



JAMES G. ELAINE. 



The route, until Russia's borders were crossed, 

 extended through the Belgian and German farming 

 country, over which the beauties of a vernal 

 springtime had been lavishly scattered. I arrived 

 at Riga the morning of Thursday, the I2th of 

 May (their date, the 3Oth of April) , not a day too 

 soon, for the Conemaugh came to anchor in the 

 roadstead eight miles below the city the next 

 morning. 



A schedule for a wide distribution of the flour, 

 etc., among the various agencies throughout the 

 stricken provinces having been already prepared 

 by the Czarovitch Relief Committee in connection 

 with the United States Legation at St. Petersburg, 

 I had but to examine and approve it, reserving, 

 however, a few carloads for any special cases of 

 want that might be discovered on my visit to the 

 famine region later on. Enough railroad cars 



