20 INTRODUCTION 



an unfortunate racial animosity, and by the too ready 

 credence that is given to sensational stories by the 

 great rHass of the public. It is maintained, for 

 instance, that a; lack of civilisation in Russia, as 

 compared with Western Europe, hanipers trade rela- 

 tions with Great Britain, and renders it difficult, if 

 not impossible, for foreign merchants or capitalists 

 to conduct business operations within the limits of 

 the empire of the Czar. 



There are necessarily points of difference between 

 the two countries. Thus, it may be true that Great 

 Britain has an advantage in her spirit of enterprise, 

 the strength of her public opinion, the mutual con- 

 fidences of her subjects — resembling the pablica fides 

 of ancient Rome — ^the interest that every one takes in 

 public affairs — in short, her more advanced stage of 

 civilisation. These are precious flowers which only 

 grow up in the course of centuries, and require, for 

 their perfection, the fruitful soil of uninterrupted 

 peaceful development. Thanks to her insular posi- 

 tion, which has preserved her through hundreds of 

 years from" the incursions of foreign enemies, it has 

 been possible for England to arrive at this advanced 

 stage of development. Russia has been less for- 

 tunate, it having been her oflfice to shelter European 

 civilisation, even until recent times, by receiving the 

 shock pf successive Tartar, Chinese, and Japanese 

 invasions. Acting, so to speak, as the buffer of 

 Western Europe, her efforts have been largely 

 absorbed by struggles and wars; but she has not 

 remained a barbaric country. Thanks to the auto- 

 cratic form of her government, it has been possible 

 to advance Russia in civilisation and progress more 

 quickly and successfully than could have been done 

 under any other system. Owing principally to the 

 enlightened reforms of Peter the Great, Catherine 

 the Second, and the first two Alexanders, Russia 



