RUSSIAN STATESMEN -1892-1894 25 



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. 1 



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 ad 

 mirably. 



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 Wiirzburg, 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: &quot;Yes; you are right; and it was 

 a bishop of my family who did it.&quot; 



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 



1 He was found guilty, but escaped death by a bitter humiliation : 

 it was left for others to bring about Milan s assassination. 



