334 IN THE DIPLOMATIC j SERVICE-XXIV 



be made by the Czar; but the unfortunate thing is that 

 with, no doubt, fairly good intentions, he is weak and 

 ill informed. The dreadful mistake he is making in 

 violating the oath sworn by his predecessors and him 

 self to Finland is the result of this weakness and igno 

 rance ; and should he attempt to diminish his overgrown 

 army he would, in all probability, be overborne by the 

 military people about him, and by petty difficulties which 

 they would suggest, or, if necessary, create. It must be 

 confessed that there is one danger in any attempted dis 

 armament, and this is that the military clique might, to 

 prevent it, plunge the empire into a war. 



The Emperor is surrounded mainly by inferior men. 

 Under the shade of autocracy men of independent 

 strength rarely flourish. Indeed, I find that the opinion 

 regarding Kussian statesmen which I formed in Eussia 

 is confirmed by old diplomatists, of the best judgment, 

 whom I meet here. One of them said to me the other 

 day : There is no greater twaddle than all the talk about 

 far-seeing purposes and measures by Eussian statesmen. 

 They are generally weak, influenced by minor, and espe 

 cially by personal, considerations, and inferior to most 

 men in similar positions in the other great govern 

 ments of Europe. The chancellor, Prince Gortchakoff, of 

 whom so much has been said, was a weak, vain man, 

 whom Bismarck found it generally very easy to deal 

 with.&quot; 



As to my own experience, I think many of those whom I 

 saw were far from the best of their kind with whom I 

 have had to do. I have never imagined a human being in 

 the position of minister of the interior of a great nation so 

 utterly futile as the person who held that place at St. 

 Petersburg in my time; and the same may be said of 

 several others whom I met there in high places. There 

 are a few strong men, and, unfortunately, Pobedonost- 

 zeff is one of them. Luckily, De Witte, the minister of 

 finance, is another. 



