282 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE-XXI 



Next day Count Minister called at the Foreign Office 

 on current business, when Gortchakoff came at him in 

 a great rage, asking him by what right he communicated 

 directly with the Emperor ; and insisting that he had no 

 business to give a letter directly to the Emperor, that it 

 ought to have gone through the Foreign Office. Gort- 

 chakoff reproached the count bitterly for this departure 

 from elementary diplomatic etiquette. At this Minister 

 replied: &quot;I gave the letter to the Emperor because he 

 asked me for it, and I did not give it to you because I 

 knew perfectly well that you would pigeonhole it and the 

 Emperor would never hear of it. I concede much in mak 

 ing any answer at all to your talk, which seems to me 

 of a sort not usual between gentlemen.&quot; At this Gort- 

 chakoff was much milder, and finally almost obsequious, 

 becoming apparently one of Minister s devoted friends, 

 evidently thinking that, as Miinster had gained the confi 

 dence of the Emperor, he was a man to be cultivated. 



The sequel to the story was also interesting. The po 

 licemen, after their long journey to Siberia, found the 

 young German and brought him to St. Petersburg, where 

 the Emperor received him very cordially and gave him 

 twenty thousand rubles as an indemnity for the wrong 

 done him. The young savant told Miinster that he had 

 not been badly treated, that he had been assigned a very 

 pleasant little cottage, and had perfect freedom to pursue 

 his scientific researches. 



On my talking with the count about certain Kussian 

 abuses, and maintaining that Eussia, at least in court 

 circles, had improved greatly under Alexander III as re 

 garded corruption, he said that he feared she was now 

 going back, and he then repeated a remark made by the 

 old Grand Duke Michael, brother of Alexander II, who 

 said that if any Russian were intrusted with the official 

 care of a canary he would immediately set up and main 

 tain a coach and pair out of it. 



At six o clock our American delegation met and heard 

 reports, especially from Captain Mahan and Captain 



