&quot;ALL CONDITIONS OF MEN&quot; -1892 -1894 43 



One of the most interesting of all the Russians I met 

 was General Annenkoff. His brother-in-law, Struve, 

 Russian minister at Washington, having given me a letter 

 to him, our relations became somewhat close. He had 

 greatly distinguished himself by building the trans-Cau 

 casian railway, but his main feat had been the annexation 

 of Bokhara. The story, as told me by a member of his 

 family, is curious. While superintending his great force 

 of men and pushing on the laying of the rails through the 

 desert, his attention was suddenly called to some horse 

 men in the distance, riding toward him with all their 

 might. On their arrival their leader was discovered to be 

 a son of the Ameer of Bokhara. That potentate having 

 just died, the other sons were trying to make their way to 

 the throne by cutting each other s throats, but this one 

 had thought it wise to flee to the Russians for safety. 

 Annenkoff saw the point at once : with a large body of his 

 cavalry he started immediately for Bokhara, his guest 

 by his side; pushed his way through all obstacles; 

 seated the young prince on the throne; and so made 

 him a Russian satrap. I shall speak later of the visit 

 of this prince to St. Petersburg. It was evident that 

 Annenkoff, during my stay, was not in favor. It was said 

 that he had been intrusted with large irrigation-works in 

 order to give employment to peasants during the famine, 

 and that he had not managed them well ; but it was clear 

 that this was not the main difficulty: he was evidently 

 thought too progressive and liberal, and in that seething 

 caldron of intrigue which centers at the Winter Palace 

 his ambitions had come to grief. 



Another Russian who interested me was Galkin Wras- 

 koy. He was devoted, night and day, to improving 

 the Russian prison system. That there was much need of 

 such work was certain ; but the fact that this personage in 

 government employ was so devoted to improvements, and 

 had called together in Russia a convention of men inter 

 ested in the amelioration of prison systems, led me to 

 think that the Russian Government is not so utterly and 



