AS DESPATCH-BEARER IN WAR-TIME -1855 473 



were of a sort which an American orator once character- 

 ized as "halcyon and vociferous. " 



Bearing a despatch-bag to our legation at Paris, I car- 

 ried the pass, not only of an attache, but of a bearer of 

 despatches, and on my departure our minister said to me : 

 "The Russian officials at the frontier have given much 

 trouble to Americans of late; and I hope that if they 

 trouble you, you will simply stop and inform me. You 

 are traveling for pleasure and information, and a few days 

 more or less will make little difference. " On arriving at 

 the frontier, I gave up my papers to the passport officials, 

 and was then approached by the officers of the custom- 

 house. One of these, a tall personage in showy uni- 

 form, was very solemn, and presently asked: "Are you 

 carrying out any specie! " I answered: "None to speak 

 of ; only about twenty or thirty German dollars. ' ' Said he : 

 ' l That you must give up to me ; the law of the empire does 

 not permit you to take out coin." "No," I said; "you 

 are mistaken. I have already had the money changed, 

 and it is in German coin, not Russian." "That makes no 

 difference," said he; "you must give it up or stay here." 

 My answer was that I would not give it up, and on this he 

 commanded his subordinates to take my baggage off the 

 coach. My traveling companions now besought me to 

 make a quiet compromise with him, to give him half tKe 

 money, telling me that I might be detained there for weeks 

 or months, or even be maltreated; but I steadily refused, 

 and my baggage was removed. All were ready to start 

 when the head of the police bureau came upon the scene 

 to return our papers. His first proceeding was to call 

 out my name in a most obsequious tone, and, bowing rev- 

 erently, to tender me my passport. I glanced at the cus- 

 tom-house official, and saw that he turned pale. The honor 

 done my little brief authority by the passport official 

 revealed to him his mistake, and he immediately ordered 

 his subordinates to replace my baggage on the coach ; but 

 this I instantly forbade. He then came up to me and 

 insisted that a misunderstanding had occurred. "No," I 



