270 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE-XXI 



moral, religious, and social questions in that country, is 

 really the author of the documents that were originally 

 given to the world as emanating from the Russian For 

 eign Office, and that he has now added to them this definite 

 scheme for arbitration. Remembering our old conversa 

 tions, in which he dwelt upon the great need of money 

 in order to increase the stipends of the Russian clergy, 

 and so improve their moral as well as religious condition, 

 I can understand easily that he may have greatly at heart 

 a plan which would save a portion of the enormous 

 expenditure of Russia on war, and enable him to do 

 more for the improvement of the church. 



Dined at the British legation with the minister, my 

 old friend of St. Petersburg days, Sir Henry Howard, 

 De Martens, the real head of the Russian delegation, be 

 ing of the party, and had a long talk with the latter about 

 Russia and Russians. He told me that Pobedonostzeff 

 is now becoming old and infirm, and it appears that there 

 has been a sort of cleaning out of the Foreign Office and 

 the Ministry of the Interior a procedure which was cer 

 tainly needed in my time. 



Later in the evening we went to a reception by Baron 

 van Hardenbroek, the grand chamberlain, where I met 

 various interesting persons, especially M. Descamps, the 

 eminent Belgian delegate, who, in the fervor of his speech 

 yesterday morning, upset his inkstand and lavished its 

 contents on his neighbors. He is a devotee of arbitration, 

 and is preparing a summary for the committee intrusted 

 with that subject. There seemed to be, in discussing the 

 matter with various delegates at this reception, a gen 

 eral feeling of encouragement. 



During the day Mr. Loeher, a Berlin sculptor, called, 

 and carried me off to see his plan of a great statue of 

 * Peace which he hopes to induce the Emperor Nicholas 

 to erect in Paris. It seems to me well conceived, all ex 

 cept the main figure, which I could not induce myself to 

 like. In the anxiety of the sculptor to avoid any more 

 female figures, and to embody virile aspirations for peace, 



