RECOLLECTIONS OF POBEDONOSTZEFF- 1892-1894 67 



versant with the affairs of the empire ; and we discussed 

 the character and career of Catherine II. The two men 

 together brought out a mass of curious information, 

 throwing a strange light into transactions which only 

 the most recent historians are beginning to understand, 

 among these the assassination of Czar Peter III, Cather 

 ine s husband. On one occasion when Pobedonostzeff was 

 visiting me I tested his knowledge in regard to a matter 

 of special interest, and obtained a new side-light upon his 

 theory of the universe. There is at present on the island 

 of Cronstadt, at the mouth of the Neva, a Eusso-Greek 

 priest, Father Ivan, who enjoys throughout the empire a 

 vast reputation as a saintly worker of miracles. This 

 priest has a very spiritual and kindly face ; is known to re 

 ceive vast sums for the poor, which he distributes among 

 them while he himself remains in poverty; and is sup 

 posed not merely by members of the Eusso-Greek Church, 

 but by those of other religious bodies, to work frequent 

 miracles of healing. I was assured by persons of the high 

 est character and those not only Eusso-Greek church 

 men, but Eoman Catholics and Anglicans that there 

 could be no doubt as to the reality of these miracles, and 

 various examples were given me. So great is Father 

 Ivan s reputation in this respect that he is in constant de 

 mand in all parts of the empire, and was even summoned 

 to Livadia during the last illness of the late Emperor. 

 Whenever he appears in public great crowds surround 

 him, seeking to touch the hem of his garment. His pic 

 ture is to be seen with the portraits of the saints in vast 

 numbers of Eussian homes, from the palaces of the high 

 est nobles to the cottages of the humblest peasants. 



It happened to me on one occasion to have an experience 

 which I have related elsewhere, but which is repeated here 

 as throwing light on the ideas of the Eussian statesman. 



On my arrival in St. Petersburg my attention was at 

 once aroused by the portraits of Father Ivan. They 

 ranged from photographs absolutely true to life, which 

 revealed a plain, shrewd, kindly face, to those which were 



