AS MINISTER TO RUSSIA- 1892 -1894 7 



There was still but one permanent structure spanning the 

 river, and the great stream of travel and traffic between 

 the two parts of the city was dependent mainly on the 

 bridges of boats, which, at the breaking of the ice in the 

 spring, had sometimes to be withdrawn during many 

 days. 



A change had indeed been brought by the emancipa 

 tion of the serfs, but there was little outward sign of it. 

 The muzhik remained, to all appearance, what he was be 

 fore : in fact, as our train drew into St. Petersburg, the 

 peasants, with their sheepskin caftans, cropped hair, and 

 stupid faces, brought back the old impressions so vividly 

 that I seemed not to have been absent a week. The old 

 atmosphere of repression was evident everywhere. I had 

 begun my experience of it under Nicholas I, had seen 

 a more liberal policy under Alexander II, but now found 

 a recurrence of reaction, and everywhere a pressure which 

 deadened all efforts at initiating a better condition of 

 things. 



But I soon found one change for the better. During 

 my former stay under Nicholas I and Alexander II, the air 

 was full of charges of swindling and cheatery against the 

 main men at court. Now next to nothing of that sort was 

 heard ; it was evident that Alexander III, narrow and illib 

 eral though he might be, was an honest man, and deter 

 mined to end the sort of thing that had disgraced the 

 reigns of his father and grandfather. 



Having made the usual visit to the Foreign Office upon 

 my arrival, I was accompanied three days later by the 

 proper officials, Prince SoltykofT and M. de Koniar, on 

 a special train to Gatchina, and there received by the 

 Emperor. I found him though much more reserved than 

 his father agreeable and straightforward. As he was 

 averse to set speeches, we began at once a discussion on 

 various questions interesting the two nations, and espe 

 cially those arising out of the Behring Sea fisheries. He 

 seemed to enter fully into the American view ; character 

 izing the marauders in that sea as &quot;ces poachers Id&quot; 



