46 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE-X 



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 enthu 

 siasm, 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 in 

 teresting 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 sci 

 ence, 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 ad 

 mirable example of this was once shown at my own house. 

 It was at a dinner, when there was present a young Rus 

 sian 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, &quot;I should be 

 ashamed to take precedence here of a man like Mende- 

 leieff, 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. &quot; 



There were also various interesting women in St. Pe 

 tersburg society, the reception afternoons of two of them 

 being especially attractive: they were, indeed, in the na 

 ture of the French salons under the old regime. 



One of these ladies the Princess Wolkonsky seemed 

 to interest all men not absorbed in futilities; and the re 

 sult 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 



