RUSSIA ii 33 



rights for her merchants which China had not yet agreed to renew. In 1911 all out- 

 standing accounts were finally settled with Japan, and Russia received back her hospital 

 ship which had been captured during the war. In the Moroccan crisis of 1911, between 

 Germany and France, the attitude of England in support of France was undoubtedly 

 assisted by Russia making it plainly understood that the Franco-Russian alliance was 

 still in full force, and especially by the order to refund to Russian banks out of the 

 Russian Exchequer deposit in Germany all sums of money demanded of them from that 

 country. Meanwhile difficulties have arisen between Russia and the United States. 

 In December 1911 President Taft declared his intention to abrogate the treaty with 

 Russia of 1832, and the announcement gave great umbrage in Russia, where it was at 

 once understood as a retaliation for Russia's refusal to abolish her restrictions against 

 foreign Jews and American Jews in particular. For some time the situation appeared to 

 threaten a tariff war between the two nations. 



In the beginning of 1912 Anglo-Russian sympathies were very considerably strength- 

 ened by the visit of a British delegation to Russia, composed of representatives of both 

 Houses of Parliament, the Army, Navy, Press and Commerce. They were received 

 by the Emperor and overwhelmed with traditional Russian hospitality at St. Peters- 

 burg and Moscow. A British squadron of 3 ships under the command of Admiral 

 Warrender visited Revel for 3 days at the beginning of October 1912. 



In September 1912 the centennial jubilee of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow was 

 celebrated with much military and religious ceremony in all the chief cities and towns 

 of the Russian Empire, especially on the field of Borodino, where the Tsar reviewed a 

 large number of troops. A distinguished French deputation also attended at Borodino 

 and placed wreaths at the foot of both monuments erected to the Russian and French 

 soldiers respectively who fell here in 1812. Special patriotic performances were given 

 at most Russian theatres, representing Kutuzov's pursuit of the defeated French arm)'. 



In October 1912 great distress was caused in the Russian Royal family by the serious 

 illness of the Tsar Nicholas's only son, the Grand-duke Alexis (b. 1904). All sorts of 

 wild rumours were current, that he had been the victim of a bomb outrage, 

 Tsarevteh. that ^ e na< ^ been mutilated by his nurse, and so forth. All that was def- 

 initely known was that he was very ill, and in a critical state, but his condi- 

 tion improved early in November. It was officially stated on November 3rd that the 

 child had injured himself in jumping into a boat, and that an internal effusion of blood 

 had been set up, causing great anaemia " which will require a long period of recupera- 

 tion and may possibly for a long time render difficult the free use of the legs." The 

 question of the succession to the throne came under discussion in connection with this 

 unhappy event, and on December nth it was reported that the Grand-duke Dmitri (b. 

 1891), son of the Tsar's uncle, the Grand-duke Paul, would be made heir-designate. 



Obituary. Besides M. Stolypin, whose death is referred to above, Russian public life 

 has lost an important figure in the editor of the Novoya Vremya, ALEXIS SERGEIEVICH SUVORIN 

 (b. 1834), who died at St. Petersburg on August 24, 1912. The son of a serf, who had fought 

 at Borodino and risen from the ranks to be a captain, he was educated at the military school 

 at Voronezh and obtained a commission in 1853, but, owing to lack of means, decided to 

 become a schoolmaster at Korshovo. In 1858 he translated Beranger's "Captive," and 

 brought out some sketches of country life. In 1860 he got a tutorship at Voronezh and 

 continued to write for the press. In 1863 he removed to St. Petersburg, where for 12 years 

 he was chief sub-editor of the St. Petersburg Viedomosti. His articles, republished in 1866, 

 caused him to be sentenced to two months' imprisonment, and the whole edition of his book 

 was publicly burnt. In February 1876 he began the publication of the daily Novoya Vremya, 

 making a special feature of the war news from Turkey and becoming his own correspondent 

 in the Balkans. His paper soon became the leading one in Russia, and managed to steer 

 clear of all troubles with the government, supporting the Constitutional regime and, in 

 foreign policy, the French alliance. For over thirty years he contributed personally "Little 

 Letters" on the chief topics of the day. He did much to help the circulation of cheap 

 classics, and he founded a dramatic society and owned a theatre. 



Another important figure passed away in Monsgr. ANTONIUS (Alexander Vassilevitch 

 Vadkowski), Metropolitan of St. Petersburg (b. 1846; d. November 15, 1912). At the age of 

 20 he entered the Ecclesiastical Academy of Kazan and in 1870 became Professor of Pastoral 

 Theology and Homiletics. He also wrote much on scientific subjects and in 1879 became 



