MY RECOLLECTIONS
PRINCESS
^VrHERINE RADZIVVILL
/
MY RECOLLECTIONS
MY
RECOLLECTIONS
BY
PRINCESS CATHERINE RADZIWILL
LONDON: ISBISTER & COMPANY
1$ &> i6 TAVISTOCK STREET, CO VENT GARDEN
1904
TO
£. 6.
IN MEMORY OF THE THIRTEENTH.
PREFACE
THIS book has no pretensions to be any-
thing else but a simple narration of
things I have seen, and descriptions of people I
have met. It does not aspire to be considered
as a volume of memoirs destined to clear up
historical points of interest. It is merely a little
book of recollections which perhaps may amuse
those who have lived through the same scenes,
and moved in the same circles that I have done
in various parts of Europe. Existence nowadays
is such a rush that the events of yesterday are
just as much forgotten as those of a century ago,
and I dare say that very few men and women will
be found who give a thought to what happened
ten or twenty years ago. Everything changes
so quickly that it has seemed to me it would be
interesting to fix the remembrance of those last
days of the century which so recently came to an
end. The whole aspect of the political and social
world was then so entirely different from what it
has become since the commanding personality of
Prince Bismarck was withdrawn from the stage
of this world's affairs.
vii
PREFACE
When I entered society, the German Empire
had been scarcely three years in existence.
France was writhing still in the convulsions of
her late defeat ; Russia was slowly trying to re-
cover the many advantages of which the Crimean
war had deprived her. Motor-cars were unknovvm,
electric light was still spoken of as something
quite extraordinary, and the telephone was not
yet one of the resources of civilisation. Manners,
too, were different from those which prevail
to-day. The hunt after notoriety had not
transformed individuals into self-advertising per-
sonages of a stamp which is only too familiar.
Society was quieter, more sedate ; adventurers
had still a bad time of it, and the American ele-
ment had not altogether invaded us. Whilst I
was writing this book, I often asked myself
whether it was possible that I had lived in times
so entirely different from the present.
It is because society has altered that this book
may amuse some people and bore others. The
only merit 1 will claim for it is, that it is a
true account of events of which I am cognisant.
Personal feeling has played such an important
part ahke in the German and Russian Courts
that it is only by knowing people that one can
understand political incidents. I have tried to
make the book just in its appreciation of indi-
viii
PREFACE
viduals, and if I have wounded any suscepti-
bilities such has been far from my intention. I
have met with many kindnesses in the world,
and after all I have not found it such a bad
one ; perhaps because I have never asked much
from it, having tried to practise the maxim ot
Beaumarchais, that it is better to laugh than to
cry. I have come across bad people, of course,
but I have also met characters such as those of
the late Emperor and Empress Frederick, who
alone would convince the greatest of misanthropes
to acknowledge the more lofty claims of humanity.
My book, I hope, will be accepted by its readers
for what I have meant it to be — a tribute of
gratitude to some people and of kind feelings
to others. More than that it does not profess
to be.
CATHERINE RADZIWILL.
London^ August nth, 1904.
IX
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
My Birth and Ancestry— The Family Curse— The Golden-Bearded
Hetman— My Family Home— My Father and his First Wife—
Korsoun — My Father's Brothers— A Dangerous Mission —
Emperor Nicholas I.— A Family Ghost Story— The Empress
Eugenie— The New Emperor — 'The Burial Ground of the
Czars '—My Father's Noble Character 1-21
CHAPTER n.
My Aunts— Madame Lacroix' Deception — Her Salon — The Biblio-
phile Jacob— M. de St Amand— Madame de Balzac— The True
Story of the Balzacs -What is Happiness ?— The Hotel Balzac—
L'Abbe Constant— The Commune—' Madame ' and ' Citoyenne ' 22-38
CHAPTER HI.
My Mother's Family — The PaschkofFs Reminiscence of the Polish
Mutiny— Attempt on the Czar's Life— Character of Alexander H.
The Beautiful Princess Dagmar — Franco-Prussian War — The
Surrender of Sedan — In Paris after the Commune- 1 am
Engaged to be Married— My Presentation at Court — My
Wedding 39-60
CHAPTER IV.
Berlin After the War— Emperor or King? -The Old Radziwill
Palace— Family Parties— The Emperor William's First Love—
I meet Von Moltke— My First State Dinner— Am Presented to
the Empress — The Prince and Princess Charles — The Red
Prince — A Court in Mourning — ' Un Cadeau de la Reine' —
Entertainments at Court — The Beautiful Duchess of Man-
chester — I dine with the Emperor 61-87
xi
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER V.
PAGB
The Real Emperor William I. — His Tact and Unselfishness as a
Man — His Rapacity as a Sovereign — Relations with Bismarck
— The Crown Prince Frederick contrasted with his Father —
His Pride in the Empire — His Scruples — His Sympathy with
me in my first great Sorrow 88-106
CHAPTER VI.
Prince Bismarck and the Kulturkampf — ' Politique en jupons ' —
The Chancellor under-estimates the Folly of his Opponents —
The Radziwill Palace as the Centre of Catholic Intrigue —
Archbishop Ledochowski's Imprisonment — The Catholic
Leaders, Mallinkrodt and Windthorst — Bismarck's Attitude
towards the Crown Prince — and towards the Emperor — The
Character of Princess Bismarck — Count Herbert — How the
Iron Chancellor won his Way 106-193
CHAPTER VII.
The Princess Victoria's Influence on Berlin Society — Lord Ampthill
— The other Ambassadors — The Princess of Wales — A Story of
the Russian Empress's Visit to England — Court Entertain-
ments — Outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War — SkobelefF and
Osman Pasha — An Incident of the Shipka Pass — The Treaty
of San Stefano 124-140
CHAPTER VIII.
Double Royal Wedding — Prince Bismarck does not Dance —
Hodel's Attempt on the Emperor William's Life — Nobiling's
Crime— Days of Suspense— The Regency— Assembhng of the
Berlin Congress— Lord Beaconsfield— Other Figures at the Con-
gress—The Congress itself a Farce 141-154
CHAPTER IX.
The King's Recovery— Marriage of Prince Henry of the Netherlands
—The Difficult Position of the Regent— Emperor William's
Return to Berlin— Enthusiasm at the Opera— The Crown Prince
and Anti-Socialist Legislation — Herr Bebel — Death of the
Princess Alice and of Prince Waldemar— The White Lady—
The Emperor's Golden Wedding 155-166
xii
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER X.
PAGE
The Growing Unpopularity of the Czar— His Treatment of the
Empress— A Reign of Terror in St. Petersbm-g— Death of the
Empress — The Emperor Marries the Princess Dolgorouki —
Assassination of Alexander H. — The Scene at the Death-bed —
Alexander n I.— Count Ignatiev— I go to Constantinople . 167-180
CHAPTER XL
Stay at Constantinople— Different Sights— Life on the Bosphorus —
Lord and Lady Dufferin — The Corps Diplomatique — Osraan
and Mukhtar Pachas — Departure for Russia . . . 181-189
CHAPTER XII.
My First Winter at St. Petersburg— The Emperor Alexander III.
and the Empress— Russian Society at the beginning of their
Reign — General Ignatiev and his Struggle with General
Tcherewine— The Zeraski Sobor— Fall of Ignatiev— General
Skobeleff and his Speeches— His Death in Moscow . 190-214
CHAPTER XIII.
The Death of Madame de Balzac — Return to Berlin — Silver
Wedding of the Crown Prince and Princess— Prince William
of Prussia— The Coronation of the Emperor Alexander III. 215-236
CHAPTER XIV.
A Few more Words about Moscow— The Beginning of the Bulgarian
Trouble — Prince Bismarck and the Expulsion of Russian
Subjects from Germany — Another Winter in BerHn — The
Position of Prince William- Relations with his Father— The
Marriage of the Grand Duke of Hesse— I receive a Message
from Queen Victoria — Countess Schleinitz — A Summer in
Dieppe— Death of Lord Ampthill— The Alexander Dumas-
Death of Mme. Lacroix 237-254
CHAPTER XV.
Brussels and Madame de Villeneuve— We spend a Part of the Winter
in St. Petersburg— Death of Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia
and of Field-Marshal von ManteuflFel— The Appointment of his
Successor— Various Intrigues— Death of Prince OrlofF, Russian
Ambassador in BerUn— The Celebration of Prince Bismarck's
Seventieth Birthday 25S-265
xiti
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XVI.
PAGE
Appointment of Count Schouwaloff as Russian Ambassador in
Berlin — Our Dinner in his Honour — Its Consequences — The
Marriage of M. Bernard von Bulow, the present German
Chancellor — The Epidemic of Measles — I nearly Die from thera
— My Husband's Serious Illness— Last Interview with the
Crown Prince— We are ordered to Egypt for my Husband's
Health — Our Winter there — First Rumours about the Crown
Prince's Dangerous State of Health 266-281
CHAPTER XVII.
We return to Russia— The Emperor William's Death — The Begin-
ning and End of a Reign — My Father's Death — We settle in
St. Petersburg — The First Days of the Empress Frederick's
Widowhood — St. Petersburg Society under Alexander III. —
Bismarck's Fall — A Season in London — The Duke of York's
Wedding 282-293
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Winter of 1893-1894— Beginning of the Illness of Alexander III.
— Our Journey to Italy — An Audience of Pope Leo XIII. —
Cardinal Ledochowski — Another Summer in England — Death of
Alexander III 294-306
CHAPTER XIX.
The Emperor's Funeral— I see the Empress Frederick in Berlin —
Her Appreciation of Events in Russia, and her Opinion of its
future Empress's Character — Nicholas II. 's Marriage — Impres-
sion produced in St. Petersburg by his Consort — Address of
the Zemstwo of Twer — Death of General Tcherewine . 307-316
CHAPTER XX.
Another Coronation — The Consolidation of the French Alliance —
Nicholas II. 's Journey to Paris — Prince Bismarck's Death —
I spend a Winter on the Riviera — My Last Interview with
the Empress Frederick— The Beginning of the End . 317-328
CHAPTER XXI.
Cecil Rhodes — An Appreciation — Cecil Rhodes' Character — A Man
of Moods— His Colossal Ambition — His Satellites — Personal
Relations — His Last Hours — His Inner Thoughts — His Conduct
during the War 329-346
xiv
MY RECOLLECTIONS
CHAPTER I.
My Birth and Ancestry — The Family Curse — The Golden-
bearded Hetman — My Family Home — My Father and his
First Wife — Korsoun — My Fathers Brothers — A Dan-
gerous Mission — Emperor Nicholas I. — A Family Ghost
Story — The Empress Eugenie — The New Emperor —
^ The Burial-ground of the Czars'' — My Father'' s Nolle
Character.
I WAS born on the 30th of March, 1858, in St.
Petersburg. My father, Count Adam Rzewuski,
belonged to one of the oldest, and most illustrious
families of Poland. One of his aunts had been
the wife of King Stanislas Leszczinski (not
Leezinski, as the French generally spell it), the
father of the consort of Louis XV. His great-
grandfather is remembered to this day as one of
the heroes of Pohsh History; he was among the
few nobles whom Catherine II. of Russia com-
plimented by having them seized one night and
carried off to Siberia, so thoroughly did she fear
their opposition to her favourite, King Stanislas
Poniatowski. One of my ancestors had besieged
the Kremhn at Moscow, and taken it by storm
at the time of the false Demetrius, during the
reign of King Sigismund Augustus. Another had
died from wounds received at the famous siege
of Vienna by Kara Mustapha. He was a personal
friend of King John Sobieski, and he left behind
1 B
MY RECOLLECTIONS
him the memory of a great name and an un-
blemished reputation. We came of a strong, clever,
brave race, famous for personal courage and re-
markable intelligence; indeed there is a proverb
which says ' the wit of a Rzewuski,' just as one
speaks in France of 'I'esprit des Mortemart,' but
we were never a lucky or a happy race. The
shadow of a curse lay upon us — a curse which like
the secret of the Strathmores has been transmitted
from father to son, and darkened the lives of all
those who bore our name. Tradition says that in
bygone days a Rzewuski walled up his mother
ahve in one of the towers of their old castle, and
that she cursed all their descendants, and pro-
phesied for them ill luck in all they would attempt
to do, and either a violent or a sudden death. The
prediction has been strangely fulfilled, for scarcely
a member of my family has died in his or her bed,
and certainly misfortune has dogged their footsteps.
Gifted with singular personal beauty, with the rarest
qualities of heart and mind, they have never known
what happiness was, and led, most of them, mise-
rable lives. One of my aunts was a friend of the
ill-fated Queen Marie Antoinette, and like her,
perished on the scaffold. People say that as she
was about to be seized by the executioner, she
turned round, and facing the angry crowd for the
last time, shouted out in a loud voice, 'Vive la
Reine ! '
Her daughter, rescued later on by my grand-
father, married her cousin, Wenceslas Rzewuski,
who also met with a strange fate. He was one
2
A FAMILY ROMANCE
of the leaders of the great Pohsh mutiny of the
year 1830, and disappeared mysteriously during the
battle of Daszow. A legend says he made his
escape to the East, and lived there for many
years in the mountains of Libanus. He had
been before that a great traveller in Syria and an
admirer of Lady Hester Stanhope, and among his
family papers my father had curious letters from
her addressed to the golden-bearded Hetman, as
he is called to this day in Little Russia, v^^here
minstrels still wander, singing ballads about him
and his exploits. His sword was picked up on the
battlefield by a Russian officer, who was killed
himself at the siege of Sevastopol, and when dying
gave it to my father, who always looked upon
it as one of his most precious possessions. It
bears the following inscription in PoUsh : ' Sewerin
Rzewuski, second Hetman of the Republic, son of
Wenceslas Rzewuski, great Hetman of the Re-
public, grandson of Stanislas Rzewuski, great Het-
man of the Republic, gives this sword to his son
and comrade Wenceslas Sewerin, for the defence
of faith and liberty.' What became of the owner
of the weapon no one knows, and he rests in his
unconsecrated grave, far away from all his kindred,
from all those he loved and who loved him.
He left three sons: the youngest entered the
Russian service and was killed in the Caucasus.
The eldest, Stanislas, was at one time a candidate
for the throne of Belgium, and died from a fall from
his horse. The only one who survived sold the
old family castle to Prince Sanguszko in the hope,
8
MY RECOLLECTIONS
he said, of doing away with the curse, and it is
still one of the show places of Poland. The bones
of our murdered ancestress were, it seems, found by
him, during some reparations done to the walls, but
how far this is true I know not. IMy father was
always very touchy on the point, and never liked
to hear it mentioned in his presence. He had
quarrelled with his cousin in consequence of this
sale, the latter having refused to dispose of the
property to one of his own family in spite of their
having repeatedly made him offers to buy it, and
though they made it up at last, yet relations be-
tween them were never very cordial. I don't remem-
ber having seen my uncle, though I have a very faint
remembrance of his mother, my aunt Rosalie, the
daughter of Marie Antoinette's friend. She died
in 1865, and I was taken to see her a year before
that at Warsaw, where she lived, and where she
occupied a position almost regal in its importance.
She was a tall, thin old woman, with piercing eyes,
and a wig which deeply impressed my childish
imagination. She had been a great friend of my
mother's, in spite of the disparity in their ages, and
I found among the latter's papers a great number
of letters from her which told me a good deal
about our family history. She had an immense
reputation for cleverness, and was perhaps more
feared than liked. Her only daughter, Calixte,
married the Duke of Sermoneta, and was the
mother of the present holder of the title, the hus-
band of the once lovely Miss Wilbraham. She
died young, regretted by all who knew her, leaving
4
A GRAND SEIGNEUR
behind her the sweet remembrance of one of those
beings almost too perfect for this world. Her son has
inherited a great deal of her personal charm and good
looks, and he is undoubtedly one of the few very
clever men Italy can boast of at the present time.
The Duchess of Sermoneta and her brother
were the last representatives of the elder branch
of our house. It is now extinct, and my father
with his sisters were the only survivors of all that
generation. He was himself the second son of
the last ambassador the Polish Republic sent to
London and to Copenhagen, where his portrait
may be seen in the public picture gallery. My
grandfather must have been a remarkably hand-
some man ; his face and figure appear singularly
expressive as they detach themselves from the
canvas. The eyes have a dreamy expression,
and the smile a mixture of mockery and mourn-
fulness, which makes it strangely attractive. It
is the image of a grand Seigneur of the olden
times, and the haughtiness one sees behind the
grace of the attitude, makes one realise and under-
stand the character of a man who, if we are to
believe the reputation he left behind him, was
always faithful to the motto of his race, ' Offend
not, and do not forgive offences.'
Our family has always played a great part in
politics ; since the fifteenth century my ancestors'
names figure in all the important events and crises
which finally led to the partition of Poland. As
unfortunately was but too often the case in that
country, they were often divided amongst them-
5
MY RECOLLECTIONS
selves, and one brother was fighting on one side whilst
the other gave his adherence to the opposite party*
My great-uncle, the grandfather of the Duchess of
Sermoneta, was one of the nobles who signed the
famous confederation of Targowice, which practi-
cally gave up the country to the Russians. He was
naturally hated by his countrymen, but subsequent
events have proved that he was right, and had
his advice been followed the Republic might have
preserved a good many of its liberties, and acquired
a strength it sadly needed. But as is usually the
case with the wise he was not listened to, and to
this day his political role is not understood by
many people. His brother, who in opposition to
him was one of the members of the Confederation
of Bar, married an heiress, the daughter of Prince
Michael Radziwill, and of the last descendant of
the famous Prince Jeremiah Wiszniowiecki. She
brought into our family the old fortress which had
been stormed at such sacrifice of human life by the
bloody Prince. It stands to this day almost in the
same condition as it did at the time of the gi-eat
Cossack rebellion, which he crushed so ruthlessly,
only the drawbridges have been replaced by per-
manent ones, and the ditches are planted with
flowers and shrubs. But there is still standing
an old pavilion which was used as a gunpowder
magazine ; under the long old house exist under-
ground passages leading to the open plain, and in the
park may be seen a brick column erected on the spot
where Prince Jeremiah caused three hundred Cos-
sacks to be put to the stake in one day. The place
6
MY FATHER
reeks with blood, and everywhere may be seen the
traces of the terrible struggle which so very nearly
saw the end of the Pohsh RepubUc. It has got the
traditional ghost or ghosts, and under the vault of
the church all my ancestors sleep their last slum-
ber. There rests my father, with his brothers and
parents ; there lie all those who have given or added
something towards the reputation of our race. We
are all devoted to this home of ours ; we all remem-
ber the days when as children we used to run in
those old rooms, and look curiously upon the old
pictures of the men and women whose example we
were told to follow.
My father was an exceedingly proud man —
one who loved to look back upon the heroic deeds
of those whose blood ran in his veins. He also
was un homme d' autrefois, with a certain amount
of prejudice, but gifted with unusual courage, and
perfectly fearless as regards the opinions of the
world. He was born at the very beginning of last
century, on Christmas Eve, 1801. Brought up
first at the Jesuit College of Lemberg, then at
the Mihtary Academy at Vienna, he entered quite
young the Austrian military service, which, how-
ever, he very soon left, and in 1821 was admitted
as officer in a Russian cavalry regiment. His
father died in 1825, and in virtue of an arrange-
ment with his elder brother, who did not care to
take upon himself the burden of heavily encum-
bered family estates, he came into possession of
the old home of his race. He fought brilliantly in
the Turkish campaign of 1828, was wounded, and
7
MY RECOLLECTIONS
upon his return married a lady twenty-two years
older than himself, who held an immense position
at the Russian Court, and, if we are to believe the
letters of Princess Lieven, was at one time the
flame of the Emperor Alexander I., Madame
Gerebtsoff, born Princess Lapoukhyn, the sister
of that Prince Lapoukhyn, who was the husband
of the beautiful Madame d'Alopeus, of the ' Recit
d'une Soeur ' fame. Madame Gerebtsoff was gifted
with unusual loveliness, to which her portraits
which I have seen abundantly testify. She was also
a most clever woman, who through her tact suc-
ceeded in neither making herself nor her husband
ridiculous, which would have been easy con-
sidering the disparity in their ages. My father
certainly owed to her the brilliant career he made,
and he used always to say that she was the woman
he had loved the most in his life. They had one
daughter, who died young, but with her first
husband Madame Gerebtsoff had had a girl one
year older than my father, who, at the time of her
mother's marriage, was herself the wife of Count
(afterwards Prince) OrlofF, the famous favourite of
the Emperor Nicholas I., and one of the signatories
of the Paris Treaty, whose son was afterwards for
so many years Ambassador to the third Republic.
I remember old Princess OrlofF when I was a Uttle
girl. She had settled permanently at Florence,
and there she died in 1876 or 1877. She was a
formidable old lady, very clever, and who could
be amiable when she liked. Her relations with
my father remained always cordial, though stiff.
8
MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD
He had behaved with extreme delicacy in money
matters after his wife's death, and both Princess
OrlofF and her husband showed themselves grate-
ful, but my father, strange to say for a man of his
character, stood always a Uttle in awe of his step-
daughter, and, as far as I can remember, never
felt quite at his ease in her presence ; she was the
only person who could cow him, and I have
never been able to make out whether it was em-
barrassment or the memory of his dead wife which
used to influence his behaviour towards the Prin-
cess. The old Prince I never saw — he died when
I was quite a baby ; but I can conjure to my mind
one of INIadame GerebtsofF's sisters, Countess
KoutaissofF, and can just remember having been
taken to Korsoun, the country seat of the
Lapoukhyns, and having been petted by a very
old lady, who I was told was the mother of
Alexandrine de La Ferronays. The circumstance
which impressed her on my childish mind, was that
in order to be shown to her I had been kept out
of bed until eleven o'clock at night, which was the
only time she appeared, having the strange habit of
sleeping the whole day, and only getting up when
everybody else was thinking of doing the reverse.
She and her husband used to live in almost kingly
state on their magnificent estate — one of the show
places of Southern Russia. It has now passed into
the possession of a nephew of the old Prince, who
has been allowed to resuscitate the title, but the
brilliant days of Korsoun are no more, and pro-
bably will never be revived
9
MY RECOLLECTIONS
It is when I think of all these links with a
past which has already become a part of history
that I realise how old I am, and how very little
I have got to do with the present generation. All
these people whose doings and sayings formed
part of my childish days, are forgotten even by
their own descendants, and in telling their story
it is hard for me to believe I am also relating
my own.
INIy father had two brothers. The elder, Count
Henry Rzewuski, has made for himself a name as
one of the most famous authors of fiction of his
time in Poland. His novels, historical ones, in the
style of Sir Walter Scott's, are to the present day
almost as popular as Scott's ; he also wrote a few
French books, but these were not of the first rank,
and are now forgotten. One of them was the story
of our family curse, and I remember once a discus-
sion my father had with his brother on the subject,
when I heard for the first time the words which
since that day have been so often repeated in my
presence whenever a new misfortune happened
to one of our family, ' We owe this again to the
"Kunicka,"' this being the maiden name of our
dreaded ancestress.
My uncle Henry was one of the wittiest men
in his country; there are innumerable sayings
of his which have become public property, and
which are quoted whenever the occasion arises.
He died at a very advanced age in 1867; he
was about fifteen or twenty years older than my
father, and, consequently, all my remembrances
10
LINKS WITH THE PAST
of him are those of a very old man, walking
with gi'eat difficulty. He had an immense head,
piercing eyes, with bushy eyebrows, and a gene-
rally unkempt appearance. Between him and my
father there existed a great affection, although
they were always quarrelling upon one subject
or another. My uncle was the only ugly member
of a singularly handsome family ; my father, on
the contrary, was one of the best-looking men of
his time, and when the two brothers found nothing
else to nag about, they used to start a discussion
about the influence beauty has or has not on the
lives of men. As they were both most briUiant
talkers, it was intensely amusing to hsten to their
conversations, which I only regi'et I was too young
to appreciate as they ought to have been.
My uncle died from heart disease quite sud-
denly, at the last, though he had been ill for a
long time. He left no son, only two daughters,,
one of whom became the mother of that lovely
Madame de Kolemine, whose marriage with the
Grand Duke of Hesse, followed as it was the next
day by a divorce, made such a stir at the time
it happened. I shall have a good deal to say"
about it later on.
My father's younger brother, who, if not quite
so briUiant as the other members of the family,
was nevertheless a very clever man, died in the
early sixties. I don't remember having seen much
of him ; but his son, who perished during the
Turkish campaign of 1877-78, was a frequent
visitor at our house. He left no male pos-
11
MY RECOLLECTIONS
terity, so I will have nothing further to say about
him, except that he had the reputation of being
one of the handsomest men, as well as one of the
bravest officers, in the Czar's service.
To come back to my father, I will say that
after his marriage with JNIadame GerebtsofF he
settled in St. Petersburg, and in a very short time
became not only a general favourite in society,
but also of the Emperor Nicholas I., who, up
to his death, reposed in him the greatest con-
fidence, and several times entrusted him with
missions of importance abroad.
During the PoUsh mutiny of 1830 my father
was aide-de-camp to Field -INIarshal Diebitch, in
command of the Russian army. At one time the
position of the Russian troops was most critical.
The Army Corps commanded by General Rudiger
was completely cut off from its communication
with headquarters, and the insurgents commanded
by General Dwernicki caught every one of the
officers sent by the Field-Marshal with orders to
General Rudiger. The situation was becoming
very serious, when Count Diebitch sent for my
father, and, after warning him that were he to be
taken prisoner, it would not mean for him capti-
vity but death, on account of his Polish nationality,
he asked him whether he would undertake to cross
the lines of the insurgents, and transmit verbal
orders to the invested General. My father at once
accepted the mission, and, disguising himself as a
pedlar, succeeded after three weeks, in making his
way through the whole of the Polish army without
12
POLAND IN 1830
being recognised, and, reaching General Rudiger,
gave him the information which allowed the latter
to take once more the offensive, and to join the
headquarters, with the result that Dwernicki, to-
gether with Ramorino, another leader of the
mutineers, was compelled to seek refuge across the
Austrian frontier, and to lay down their arms there.
I have often heard my father relate the details of
this adventurous journey, during which he risked
his life the whole time ; for there is little doubt he
would have met with no mercy at the hands of
the Poles. His name would have singled him out
for a swift retribution. This daring deed had, I
believe, much to do with the ultimate success of
his career, though he would never himself own it
was the case, and it had a sequel, which I must
relate, as it honours my father just as much as it
does that much-caluminated sovereign, the Emperor
Nicholas I.
It is not generally known that he was pas-
sionately attached to his Polish army, and not
only did he keenly feel the treason with which his
good intentions were repaid, but he was particularly
incensed at the fact of his former troops having
sought refuge in Austria, instead of trusting to his
own generosity. When the mutiny was at last sup-
pressed he had the colours of the few regiments
who had not been able to cross the frontier put
up in the Kremlin at Moscow, with an inscription
saying that these were the flags of the traitorous
Polish army, who had broken all its oaths to its
sovereign. My father happened to hear of this
13
MY RECOLLECTIONS
intention of the Emperor's a few days before it
was actually executed, and he wrote to him a
letter begging him to reconsider his decision, and
not to give way to his resentment in a manner
which would harm him before history and pos-
terity. It was a beautiful letter, full of feeling and
respect for his sovereign, but at the same time
one of the most daring epistles that has ever been
addressed by a subject to a monarch. After making
an allusion to his own fidelity to his oath, he
ended with the words, 'I beg your Majesty not
to suUy his glory by an act of mean revenge, and
to remember that it is preferable for a sovereign
to have on his brow a stain of blood than one of
mud.' I will repeat the words in French, as they
are more expressive, and convey their meaning
better than in an Enghsh translation: 'Je sup-
phe Votre Majeste de se souvenir qu'il est parfois
preferable pour un Souverain d'avoir sur son front
une tache de sang qu'une tache de boue.' If one
remembers what kind of monarch was Nicholas, and
at what time that letter was written, one can only
marvel at the courage of a young man in thus
addressing him ; but the Emperor was one of these
generous souls who understand nobility and
generosity in others. He rose to the occasion,
and sent the letter to my father's wife, with the
remark, ' Je vous renvoie la lettre de votre mari,
Madame; comme Souverain je devrais punir,
comme ami, je veux oubher.'
Few historical personages have been more
maligned than the Emperor Nicholas, and to me,
14
THE EMPEROR NICHOLAS
who have had the opportunity to hear the truth,
it is often a wonder to read and listen to all the lies
that are told about him. In reality the Emperor
was one of the most generous of men, and he was
simply worshipped by all those who had ever had
anything to do with him. I will describe in another
book life at the court of that northern potentate,
and how different it was from what is com-
monly known about it. The anecdote I have
just related will perhaps change some people's
minds about the great-grandfather of my present
sovereign.
During this same Polish campaign a curious
adventure befell my father, which perhaps will in-
terest all lovers of the supernatural. In order to
make people understand it, I must say that one of
my ancestors, the same one who was seized and
thrown into captivity by the great Catherine, had
died and been buried in a little town in the kingdom
of Poland called Chelm. The condition of the
country was so troubled at the time that it was not
possible to convey the body to the family burial-
ground. Now, on the eve of the battle of Grochow,
one of the important engagements of the war, my
father, who in the meanwhile had been promoted to
the command of the Cuirassier Regiment of Prince
Albert of Prussia, was asleep in his tent and
dreamed that he saw an old man, whom he recog-
nised fi'om the pictures he had seen to be his great-
grandfather, enter his tent. He noticed that he
wore the old Pohsh dress, with yellow boots worn
out at the toes. The ghost, if one may call it by
15
MY RECOLLECTIONS
that name, sat down beside his bed, and told him
he was his ancestor, and that the vault in which he
was buried had that very night been broken open
by the mutineers, and his body taken out of its^
coffin and put against the wall. He added that my
father was to go to Chelm and to bring it to the
family grave to be reburied there, and also to erect
two crosses in memory of the event, one in the
park, and another in a spot which he carefully in-
dicated at the turning of the high road leading ta
the house on the family property. He added that
my father would be wounded the next day. Well,
that next day the battle took place, and my father
was shot in the leg. He was ill for a long time,,
and, it must be owned, forgot all about his dream.
More than ten years later he happened to be at
Chelm with the Emperor for some manoeuvres,
and curiosity led him to the church. It had beea
closed ever since the mutiny, but my father insisted
upon the vault being opened for him, and when he
entered it he saw his grandfather's body standing
erect against the wall, in the very dress and the
same worn-out boots he had seen him in, on the
night of his dream. He had the body removed and
buried it on his estate, and the two crosses stand
to this day as a commemoration of an event
which, to say the very least, must be called
singular.
After the mutiny my father hardly ever left the
Emperor. He was appointed to be in special at-
tendance upon him, and this distinction, which was^
quite apart from that of General Adjutant, which he
16
THE EMPRESS EUGENIE
got later on, has been shared with very few people in
Russia. When the Sultan Abdul Medjid ascended
the throne, my father was sent as a special ambas-
sador to congratulate him on his accession, and at
the same time was entrusted with the mission of
going on to Egypt and stopping with a threat of
Russian intervention INIehemet Ah from continuing
his march on Constantinople. Later on he took
part in the Hungarian campaign, and was selected
to convey to the town of JNIoscow the news of the
iinal victory of the Russian troops. In 1851 he
went to Spain on a diplomatic mission with a view
of re-establishing relations between the Russian
Government and that of Queen Isabella. In the
correspondence of Count Raczynski, then Prussian
Minister at the Court of Madrid, with Donoso
Cortes, which was published a few years ago,
curious details are given about my father's arrival
and stay in the Spanish capital. He remained there
rather longer than he intended at first, and among
the souvenirs he carried away from this journey
were a Madonna by ^lurillo, which was given to
him by the Queen, and — dearer still — the remem-
brance of a most lovely girl to whom he entirely
lost his heart, and who, a few years later, occupied
the attention of the world when she married the
Emperor of the French.
I have often heard my father speak of the
Empress Eugdnie, and the extraordinary impression
her supreme loveliness produced on all those who
saw her. He had been very much struck with
her cleverness as well as with the brilliancy of her
17 c
MY RECOLLECTIONS
con\'er.sation, and used always to maintain that her
inteUigence equalled, if not surpassed, her beauty.
AVhen the disaster of Sedan put an end to the
worldly career of the Countess de Teba, and when
later on the Prince Imperial fell in Zululand, my
father was strangely moved, and for some time
could neitlier speak nor think of anything else.
' Poor Empress ! poor Empress ! ' he used to say,
*how will she bear it?'
INIadame GerebtsofF died about that time, a few
months, I think, before my Cither's mission to
JNIadrid, though I am not quite sure about the date.
She was ill for long weeks, and I have often heard
my grandmother speak of the devotion with which
her husband nursed her, adding that it had encou-
raged her to allow my mother to marry him, in
spite of the disparity in their ages and the dif-
ference in their religions.
I shall speak later on of my mother, and her
family. My father married her in 1853 ; she was
one of the loveliest women at the Russian Court,
and at the Coronation of the Emperor Alexander II.
was considered the most beautiful one among all
those who attended it. During her short married
life the Crimean war took place, and in its early
stages my father was in command of a division at
Eupatoria. He was, however, soon recalled and
appointed Military Governor of St. Petersburg.
It was whilst he was occupying this position that
the Emperor Nicholas died ; and with his disap-
pearance my father's career came virtually to an end.
He was never hked by Alexander II., and did not
18
ALEXANDER II.
escape the fate which overtakes all the favourites
of a reign when it passes away. He was given one
more command during the second Polish mutiny of
1863, but very soon after that he retired from active
service and settled on his estates in the south of
Russia, where he died on Palm Sunday, the 17th of
April, 1888. The Emperor Alexander II. had never
liked him, and never forgiven his independence of
speech nor a certain reply he had made to him on
a memorable occasion. It was after the last Polish
rebellion. Harsh measures were adopted by the
Government against the landowners of the South
Provinces who had either taken part in, or sympa-
thised with the insurrection. A deputation went
to St. Petersburg to present an address to the
sovereign, begging for clemency. My father was
asked to head it, to which he consented. Some
mischievous person, with the intention of harming
him, told the Emperor he meant to make a speech.
At the same time he was himself warned that the
sovereign did not wish him to do so. The depu-
tation was introduced into the Imperial presence ;
my father read the address, after which ensued a
painful silence, each party waiting for the other to
speak. At last Alexander II., growing impatient,
seized my father by the arm, and leading him to
the window, whence could be seen the golden
spires of the fortress of St. Peter and St. Paul,
where at that time political prisoners were confined,
he exclaimed in a threatening tone, ' Rze^iiski^
do you see ?' ' Yes, your ?>Iajesty,' was my father's
cool reply, ' the burial-ground of the Czars.' The
19
MY RECOLLECTIONS
Emperor dropped his arm, but it was a long time
before he would speak to him again.
I have perhaps lingered too long over all these
anecdotes concerning my father, but I would have
liked to be able to give to my readers a just
idea of the qualities which made of him such a
remarkable personality. Very few people are now
alive who remember him, and I think it a great
pity that before his death he destroyed the very
curious memoirs he had written, which certainly
would have thrown a new light on the reign of the
Emperor Nicholas. My father was not only clever,
he was also a chevalier sans peur et sans reproche,
incapable of a mean act, always brave, always
ready to defend the weak, to help the distressed.
His kindness surpassed anything I have ever seen ;
he was never weary of helping others, and used his
great position for the good of many who afterwards
repaid him with the vilest ingratitude. And yet he
was disliked by many people. His independence,
the fearlessness with which he used to express his
opinions, made him dreaded by high and low. He
did not spare on his side those whom he disliked,
and the sharpness of his tongue often wounded
when it was not necessary. He had a marvellous
self-control and a ready wit, that always took his
opponents unawares. This, combined with a cer-
tain haughtiness, which in spite of the extreme
courtesy that was one of his characteristics, he
could not quite subdue, helped to make him un-
popular with a certain class of people. As some
one once remarked, ' Rzewuski will always shake
20
COUNT RZEWUSKI
hands with you, but then he has got such a d d
way of making you feel that he is going to wash
them afterwards.' The words were true, and they
explain certain animosities which pursued my
father during his whole life, and even after his
death. But friends or foes, all those who ever met
him recognised his immense intelligence, and the
extraordinary insight he had into politics, as well as
the great learning which made him one of the most
remarkable personages of his time. It would be hard
to meet a man whose conversation was brighter or
more instructive, whose knowledge was more uni-
versal, or whose powers of assimilation were greater.
Everything interested him ; with every person he
came into contact, no matter how dull he or she
might be, he found a subject of conversation. He
was an attractive man, a clever man ; and he was
also something better than either, he was a good
man.
21
CHAPTER II.
My Aunts — Madame Lacroix' Deception — Her Salon — The
Bibliophile Jacob — M. de St. Amand — Madame de Balzac
— The True Story of the Balzacs — What is Happiness ?
— The Hotel Balzac — VAhhe Constant — The Commune
— ' Madame ' and ' Citoyenne.''
I HAD four aunts, all of them beautiful, all of
them clever — one extraordinarily so, and all of
them women who made their mark in the world.
One of them was a favourite of the celebrated
JNIadame de Krudener, and made society ring with
the fame of her loveliness at the beginning of last
century. She was the eldest of her whole family,
and treated my father as if he were still a little boy.
She had married three times, buried one husband,
divorced the second, and led the life of the grandes
dames of the eighteenth century who loved so well
and so often. After the Revolution of 1848 she
settled permanently in Paris, and married a French
author, M. J ules Lacroix, the brother of the famous
Bibliophile Jacob. There is an amusing anecdote
connected with that marriage. At the time it took
place my aunt was far advanced in the sixties, but
she had kept her good looks in such an extra-
ordinary way that one could easily have taken her
for a woman of forty. At the time she was born,
registers were kept very slackly in Poland, and
most of them were destroyed during the civil wars.
22
A FRENCH SALON
My aunt could not produce her birth certificate
when she was married to M. Lacroix, and had to
replace it by a declaration as to her age and
parentage. A few months after her marriage she
became seriously ill, and her life was despaired of.
They sent for a clergyman, who was going to
administer the last rites of the Church to her,
when she called her husband to her bedside, ex-
claiming, * Jules, Jules, I cannot die in peace; I
have deceived you!' My uncle, who it must be
said, was as much in love with his wife as if she
had been a girl of eighteen, was horrified, but
nevertheless entreated her to be calm. But nothing
would pacify her. ' Jules, Jules,' she went on, ' I
have deceived you : I am ten years older than I
told you ! ' One of my cousins, who was present at
the scene, was wicked enough to burst out laughing
in spite of the tragical circumstances.
INIadame Caroline Lacroix was one of the nota-
biUties of Paris ; she had a salon which was as
celebrated in its way as those of Madame Re-
camier or JNIadame Swetchine, and one was sure to
meet at her house all the remarkable men and all
the beautiful women, not only of France but of
Europe. She was a brilliant conversationahst, was
quite as attractive in the last years of her hfe as
during her younger days, and people were as eager
to hear her talk as they had formerly been anxious
to feast their eyes upon her beauty. She was pas-
sionately fond of society, was never happy unless
she had seen about twenty persons during the day,
gave dinners which were as admirable from a culi-
23
MY RECOLLECTIONS
nary point of view, as they were pleasant on
account of the society one met at them. Her
apartments, No. 22 Rue d'Anjou St. Honore, were
the rendezvous of literary people as well as of
political personages, of journalists, and of finan-
ciers. She was always eager for new acquaintances,
always desirous of adding to the number of her
friends. For thirty years she held a most despotic
sway on a certain circle of Paris society, and when
she died it was quite an event among those who
for years had come to her house for news, when
for nothing else.
She retained her good looks, as well as all the
freshness of her mind, until the last. She was the
type of a grande dame of the eighteenth century,
always beautifully dressed, with long flowing
gowns of velvet or satin, wrapped up in old and
priceless laces, sitting up erect in her chair with a
figure which might have put to shame many a
young girl. She had remained in Paris during the
whole of the siege, and my father once got a letter
from her which had been sent by a carrier
pigeon, in which she said that the only thing she
found hard was to be obliged to eat what she
characterised as * horrible things ' [des horreurs).
She died on the 15th of July, 1885, after an illness
of three months, during which she struggled with
death with all the energy of a much younger per-
son. She had broken her right arm about a year
before, and in spite of the doctors' predictions that
she would not be able to use it any more, she
made a wonderful recovery and could write letters
24
\
MADAME LACROIX
six weeks after the accident. In one word she was an-
extraordinary old lady, marvellous not only by her
intelligence, but also by the interest she kept to
the very last in all the gaieties as well as in all the
important events of the world. She had also a
wonderful memory, and used to relate anecdotes
and describe people who long before had either
entered into the domain of history, or else been
forgotten by the world in which they had played a
prominent part. My aunt had met Alexander I.
of Russia, had conversed with the great Napoleon,
could remember the marriage of Marie Louise and
the birth of the King of Rome, had been present
at the Opera the night that the Duke of Berri was
assassinated, later on had watched Louis Philippe
escape from the Tuileries, and had witnessed
the entry of the Empress Eugenie at Notre Dame,
on the day which saw the Imperial Crown of
France put on her head. She had been in
correspondence with Mazzini, had entertained
Madame de Castiglione, and reckoned among her
friends the Princess Lieven as well as the Duke of
Morny. I don't think there was one person in
Europe worth knowing that she did not know, one
celebrity that had not sat at her hospitable board.
When she died she was far advanced in the nine-
ties, and she was a living encyclopaedia of all the
famous or clever men and women of her century.
Among the people whom one used to meet
constantly at her house was her brother-in-law,
the bibliophile Jacob, that amiable old man who
was such a well-known member of Paris society..
26
MY RECOLLECTIONS
He was the librarian at the Arsenal, and used to
live in the old house of Sully, buried among his
books, and always ready to show them to the
curious visitor. One of the most brilliant talkers
of his time, it was a delight to listen to him, and
to hear him discuss one thing or another. After
the war, however, he retired from society. He
was an ardent Bonapartist, and at a time when
every one was more or less turning their backs upon
the unfortunate Emperor and his family, he re-
mained true to them, and never left off proclaiming
his allegiance to their cause. Personally, I am
indebted to the bibliophile for the first encourage-
ment I ever got to try my hand at literary work.
Another Bonapartist who often dined at my aunt's,
was the charming Baron de St. Amand, whose
death a few years ago was a great source of regret
to his numerous friends. M. de St. Amand was
amiability itself, and if slightly superficial in his
talk, he never left off being delightful. He had col-
lected a number of anecdotes, and was never weary
of relating them. I think that, with the Countess
Xavier de Blacas, he was the last survivor of the
group of people whom one used to meet almost
daily at my aunt's. I have often talked with him
about her since her death, and we always agreed in
the opinion that the present generation has no
^reat ladies of the type which she represented so
well, and with such dignity.
Very different from my aunt Caroline was her
sister, Madame de Balzac, the widow of the cele-
brated novelist, whose influence on French litera-
26
MADAME DE BALZAC
ture is still so powerful. The correspondence
which has been published has made her a famihar
iigure to the pubhc, but though it has revealed to
the world the passion which one of the greatest
men who have ever left their impress on the
literary tendencies of their country, as well as of
their century, had for her during long years, I
doubt whether it has given any real knowledge as
to her moral worth to those who have not had the
privilege of meeting her. She has gone down to
posterity as the woman whom Balzac loved, whilst
she deserved to have been known as the one
being to whom he was indebted for the develop-
ment of his marvellous genius, and also as his
collaborator in many of his works. For instance,
the novel called Modeste Mignon is almost entirely
WTitten by her pen, and certainly some of her
illustrious husbands best books have had some-
thing or other added to them by her hand. When
Balzac wrote to Madame Hanska, as she was at
that time called, the famous letter in which he
used those remarkable words, which are the best
description of love that has been ever given : ' With
you moral satiety does not exist ; what I tell you
now is a great thing — it is the secret of happiness,'
he only expressed in eloquent terms what every
one who knew my aunt felt from the very first, and
that was the fact that they stood in the presence of
quite an exceptional being. Madame de Balzac was
perhaps not so brilliant in conversation as were
her brothers and sisters. Her mind had some-
thing pedantic about it, and she was rather a good
27
MY RECOLLECTIONS
listener than a good talker, but whatever she said
was to the point, and she was eloquent with her
pen. Among the innumerable letters from her
which I possess, either addressed to myself or my
mother, there is not one which would not deserve
to be printed. Political appreciations written at
the time of the Crimean war, are almost prophetic
in their utterances. She had that large glance only
given to superior minds which allows them, accor-
ding to the words of Catherine of Russia, ' to read
the future in the history of the past.' She observed
everything, was indulgent to every one. She had
learned the truth of the old axiom, ' One must
understand all, in order to forgive all.' My aunt
had forgiven, and learned the hard lesson of life
without being in the least embittered by it. Her
large and lofty mind had risen above the vice, fret,,
and wretchedness of earth, until it had reached
those higher regions of peace where one rests in
the supreme indifference to the judgments of society,
which a clear conscience alone can give.
Her marriage with Balzac had so much of
romance in it, that I feel tempted to relate it, if
only to correct the many untruths that have been
written about it. My aunt, who had been married
whilst a mere child to a man much older than
herself, but possessed of immense wealth, lived a
very retired life in the country, and hardly ever
left Russia. Almost isolated, thrown on the com-
panionship of a man certainly inferior to her in
every way in spite of his solid qualities, she sought
refuge in study and reading, in order to forget the
28
MADAME DE HANSKA
secret disappointments she did not care to own.
She had all kinds of books sent to her, and one
day she received one of Balzac's first novels ; I
don't remember now which of them it was. She
was so impressed with it, that she wrote to the
author enclosing a criticism of the work, and sent
it on to his publisher. Balzac was so struck in his
turn with her letter that he repUed to her, and
from that day they corresponded without having
ever met for several years. At last they met
at Geneva, and the admiration which the novelist
had conceived for Madame Hanska's intellect was
extended to her person. He went to see her
at her Russian home, and spent months in that
distant place. The house passed later on into
my father's hands, who bought it from his niece the
Countess Mniszech, to whom it had reverted after
M. Hanska's death. The rooms which Balzac occu-
pied are still left in the same condition they were
in when the novelist used to occupy them. His
portrait painted by Boulanger, of which mention is
so often made in his correspondence, is hanging on
the wall, the last memento of one of the great love
romances of the world. I have often stood and
gazed at it, and wondered at the incidents of this
romance, but my aunt never liked to hear the
subject mentioned, though she was passionately
devoted to the memory of her illustrious husband.
When Madame Hanska became a widow it
seemed as if nothing could prevent her from marry-
ing Balzac, but, as is usual in such cases, other
people interfered. Her family did not wish her
29
MY RECOLLECTIONS
to ally herself to a personage who, according to their
aristocratic prejudices, was nothing but a French
novel-writer. Pecuniary considerations were put
forward, and people began attributing sordid mo-
tives to Balzac. The struggle lasted for a few
years, and then my aunt put an end to it by
giving up all the great fortune, of which she had
the disposal under her husband's will, to her
daughter, who in the meantime had married Count
George Mniszech. After this sacrifice she was
united to the man of her choice, and thus ended
'this beautiful heart drama,' to use Balzac's own
words, ' which had lasted seventeen years.' Six
months later he died, and my aunt found herself
for the second time a widow, with the burden of
her husband's large debts and that of his great
name which she bore with such dignity for thirty
years longer. She never spoke of the blow his
death had been to her. She must have felt it
deeply, and she would not have been human if
she had not cherished resentment against those
whose opposition to her wishes had robbed her
of some years of happiness ; but if this was the case
she never let any one guess it. Once only I heard
her make a remark which gave me a strange in-
sight into her inner life. We were talking about
happiness in general, and I observed how very
eager people were to interfere with that of their
neighbours. IVly aunt looked at me for some time,
then slowly said : ' I think that this comes from
the fact that so very few people understand what
real happiness is ; they mostly look upon it as
30
A COUNSEL OF PERFECTION
a superficial thing, and treat it with that light-
heartedness they apply to all the other enjoyments
of existence. If they understood and realised what
it really means to those who consider hfe in its
true and serious light, they would respect it more.
If I had my way I would bring children up to
respect happiness just as one brings them up to
respect religion. I would teach them that it must
be reverenced as we do all religions, even those we
do not belong to.'
I have often echoed my aunt's remark, and
thought how much better humanity would be if
it were educated according to the principle she
had laid do\\Ti on that day.
Madame de Balzac never left Paris after her
husband's death, except to spend the summer at
a property she had near Villeneuve St. George,
called Beauregard. She had become very infirm
and immensely stout. All traces of the beauty
for which she had been renoTMied in her youth
had disappeared, but the incomparable charm,
which had fascinated the author of the Comedie
Huviaine, never left her. Her family, who stood
more or less in awe of her, treated her with great
respect and consideration. Her house was a
meeting-place where all events relating to the
welfare of her kindred were discussed. We all
of us had a great opinion of the soundness of
her judgments, and liked to consult her in any
of our difficulties or embarrassments. She was
always indulgent, even ^\]ien severe, and Aunt
Evelyn, as we used to call her, was our refuge
31
MY RECOLLECTIONS
in many a sad hour, and a comforter in many a
struggle when heart and duty were divided. We
felt instinctively that she had sacrificed so much
to what she considered to have been her duty,
that she was the best person to point out where
it really lay to those who were hesitating as to the
path they ought to enter upon. INly father, who
was absolutely devoted to his sister, never failed to
consult her whenever he was in doubt as to what
he ought to do ; but strange to say he was not,
in spite of this feehng, in sympathy with her mind
or her intellect. My aunt was very sceptical in
matters of religion, and absolutely refused to bow
before what she called superstitions. She had been
very much under the influence of her own father,
who was imbued with the Voltairean ideas which
had taken hold, more or less, of every deep-think-
ing person at the end of the eighteenth century ;
she refused to accept the theory of a hell and of
an eternal punishment for sin. She was very much
against the influence of the clergy in private life,
and always deplored the abuse which was made of
religion in relations and events with which it
ought never to have had anything to do. I be-
lieve she thought on this subject more strongly
even than she would admit in public, for she
was always very chary of hurting the feelings
of her neighbour.
She never left the little house Balzac had
built and arranged for her when they married.
It was No. 22 Rue Balzac, on the spot where
the pavilion of the financier Beaujon formerly
32
BALZAC'S HOME
istood, and where may now be seen the sumptuous
mansion and gardens of Baroness James de Roths-
child. Except a marble slab on the wall, which
records that on that spot the house in which died
the author of the Coniedie Humaine once stood,
nothing remains to remind one of the two people
whose love had filled the walls now pulled down
and destroyed. I always avoid the street when I
am in Paris. It is too painful to cross it and not
to find the familiar landmarks, not to ring at the
porte cochere which opened on the little courtyard
whence one entered the house. It was a tiny
habitation, full to overflowing with costly works
of art, pictures, and old china. The long drawing-
room with its three windows had a big fireplace,
opposite which stood on a table the colossal bust
of Balzac, by David d'Angers. My aunt used to
sit between it and the fireplace at the middle win-
dow of the room, near a little table on which her
books and knitting were laid. In this room, and
near that table, all that was illustrious in French
literature has congregated, and from the large arm-
chair, in which she sat esconced, some of the most
trenchant criticisms on modern opinions, and the
events which have made our society what it is now,
have been dehvered. Madame de Balzac, though
hving absolutely retired from the world, never lost
her influence over those who played a part in that
world's drama or comedy.
She never, or hardly ever, entertained. Her
daughter used at one time to go out a good deal
in Parisian society, but the doors of the Hotel
33 D
MY RECOLLECTIONS
Balzac, as it was called, were never opened in the
evening save to a few old and tried friends who,
on certain days of the week, used to come and
dine with its mistress, and her daughter and son-
in-law who lived with her. The painter Jean
Gigoux was one of them, and remained my aunt's
closest friend up to her death. Another personage
who used to put in a regular appearance on Wed-
nesdays, always impressed my young imagination
by the legend which surrounded his name. It
was the famous Abbe Constant, known in Paris
as Eliphas Levy, a priest who had left holy orders,
and whose life was devoted to the study of occult
sciences, on which he had written many curious
books, now forgotten, except by those who take
an interest in such things. L'Abbe Constant, a
venerable figure with a flowing white beard, and
long hair, was supposed to be gifted with the talent
of prophesying, and though he absolutely refused
to exercise his knowledge in our behalf, my cousins
and myself were always trying to induce him to
tell us our future. We never succeeded, except
on one occasion, when the result proved to be too
uncanny to be pleasant. One of the circumstances
which had given great prominence to the science
of fortune-telling which Eliphas Levy was sup-
posed to possess, was the fact that a few days
before the Archbishop of Paris, Mgr. Sibour, was
assassinated, a young man came to consult him
on some business or other. The old philosopher
told him to take care as he was on the point of
committing a great crime. The young man, who
34
THE ABBE CONSTANT
was none other but A^erger, the murderer of the
Archbishop, was so struck by this extraordinary-
guess, that after he was arrested he exclaimed he
was sorry not to have Hstened to the Abbe Con-
stant. This made a great stir at the time, the
more so that EHphas Levy, being an unfrocked
priest, was naturally an object of suspicion, and
I beUeve he was subjected to gi-eat annoyance
in consequence of his warning to the youthful
assassin. Whether this had an5rthing or not to do
with his subsequent reluctance to use his supposed
knowledge of the future, I cannot say, but it is
certain he did not care to be reminded of it.
My aunt was very fond of the Abbe Constant.
Their religious opinions were, I beheve, identical,
and their minds were much aUke in the firm
grasp they had of the grave problems which have
in turn shaken humanity, and brought it from
belief to incredulity, and from false knowledge
to true science. They both possessed that grave
indulgence which is only attained in old age, and
which can afford to smile on the self-content and
arrogance which is so inseparable from youth. Nei-
ther of them ever tried to impose theu* opinions
upon others, or to convert the younger generation
to their ideas. They knew that ideas as well as
opinions change according as to how the lesson of hfe
is learned, and that the young man who declares he
will never alter, is not to be blamed but to be
pitied for the inexperience which makes him think
his judgment can never be modified by circum-
stances. They were both very reserved in the
35
MY RECOLLECTIONS
presence of strangers, and both nervously afraid
of inflicting pain on any living creature. I have
often wondered in later years whether this dread
was due to the amount of suffering which had
been dealt out to them by others.
During the Franco - German war and the
horrors of the Commune my aunt remained in
Paris. She was very infirm, and could hardly leave
her armchair, but never thought for one moment
of seeking safety in flight. Her property of
Beauregard was occupied by the German troops,
who considerably damaged it. A good many of
her manuscripts were either stolen or burned, and
a marble bust of herself, the work of the Italian
sculptor Bartolini, had its nose broken. In spite
of our urgent request to allow the damage to be
repaired, my aunt absolutely refused to do so.
She was an ardent French patriot and liked to
nurse the memory of her country's wrongs.
The bibliophile Jacob, who was not devoid of a
certain tinge of malice, declared that it was not
so much the Prussians she hated as the Emperor
Napoleon III., whom she accused of all the mis-
fortunes which had followed upon the war, and
whose share in it she wished to be reminded of by
the sight of her noseless image. It was true that my
aunt was an ardent republican, wdth a strong
tendency to socialism, but this did not prevent
her from stigmatising, as they deserved, the ex-
cesses of the Commune. And this brings me to
another passage in her life, which it may perhaps
amuse the public to hear.
36
INCIDENT DURING THE COMMUNE
During the last dreadful days of the struggle
of 1871, the Hotel Balzac was invaded by a de-
tachment of insurgents. INIy aunt happened to
be alone in her house when they burst into it.
The leader of the band entered the room in which
she sat, with his cap on his head, and began ad-
dressing her as ' Citoyenne.' Madame de Balzac
without showing the least discomposure, pointing
with her finger to the head-dress of her inter-
locutor, ' Take off your hat,' she said, ' I am not
used to people talking to me with their heads
covered ; and call me Madame, I am too old to
be addressed as Citoyenne.' The man was so
surprised that he hastened to obey her, and after
many excuses left the house with his companions.
My father was very fond of chaffing his sister
on the incident, and to ask her what she would
have done had the Communard proved refractory ;
* I would have pulled off his cap myself,' she used
to reply, ' I was not going to let that ruffian be
rude to me !' upon which my father retorted by
saying that she was not consistent in her radical
opinions, and that she ought to have welcomed
with open arms the representative of that demo-
cracy to which she professed to belong. The result
was invariably a quarrel.
I have lingered more than I ought to have
done on the character of my aunt, but she
has exercised such a great influence on my own
opinions and hfe that I feel I cannot dismiss her
lightly, or in a few words. I owe to her all the
good that is in me; 1 certainly am indebted to
37
MY RECOLLECTIONS
her for any power of resistance I may possess.
But for her lessons and example it is probable
I would have been a different being from the one
I have become, and though I might perhaps have
been a better, I certainly should have been a weaker
one. She taught me that though circumstances
may break a human creature, they ought to be
unable to make her bend under them, when any
vital principle is at stake.
38
CHAPTER III.
My Mother's Family — The Paschkojfs — Reminiscence of the
Polish Mxitiny — Attempt on the Czar's Life — Character
of Alexander II. - The Beautifid Princess Dagmar —
Franco - Prussian War — The Surrender of Sedan — In
Paris after the Commune — / am Engaged to he Married
— My Presentation at Cotcrt — My Wedding.
My mother was the daughter of M. Dmitri
Daschkoff, Secretary of State for Justice in the
€arly years of the Emperor Nicholas I.'s reign.
The DaschkofFs, who are quite a different family
from the one to which the Princess Daschkoff, so
well known in history as the fiiend and favourite
of the Empress Catherine, belonged, are of
Tartar origin, and bear as such the crescent in
their coat-of-arms. A Daschkoff was sent as
Ambassador to the Subhme Porte during the reign
•of Peter the Great. My grandfather, who died
when my mother was quite a little girl, left
the reputation of having been a great statesman.
He worked at the reform of the penal co(^, and
was credited with liberal opinions, which, at the
time he was living, was considered more or less as
a singularity. He was very much respected, and,
if we are to judge from his correspondence, must
have been a remarkable man. He died at a com-
paratively early age, leaving a young widow and
three small children. My grandmother never
89
MY RECOLLECTIONS
married again, and gave up tlie world absolutely
after her husband's death. She was by birth a
Mademoiselle PaschkofF, of Moscow. The Pasch-
koffs were a very wealthy family of merchant
origin, who, through their immense riches, secured
for their daughters alliances with the noblest blood
in Russia. My grandmother had two brothers
and two sisters. One of the latter married Prince
WassiltchikofF, and for many years was a foremost
personage in Russian society. She was a for-
midable old lady, dreaded by the younger gene-
ration, who kept her numerous nephews and
nieces in salutary awe of her. She had a sharps
tongue, and administered rebuffs, when she thought
they were deserved, with a severity which was
almost merciless. Her two sons played an im-
portant part in the reform movement which
signalled the first years of the Emperor Alex-
ander II.'s reign. The eldest one, Alexander by
name, was also one of the leaders of the Panslavist
movement, and exercised by his writings, as well
as by his opinions, a wide influence over a certain,
section of St. Petersburg society. He, too, died
relatively young, leaving one son and two daugh-
ters, ^e youngest of whom was married to Count
StrogonofF, and died at twenty years old in the full
radiance of a marvellous beauty.
My grandmother's youngest sister became the
wife of Count Lewachoff, and both her brothers
left several children, one of them being the father of
that Basil PaschkofF, who, owing to his adoption
of the doctrines of T>.ord Radstock, got himselt
40
M. DE BLOWITZ
exiled from Russia, and lived for many years in?
England.
Of cousins, nephews, nieces, my grandmother
had a great number. There is scarcely a family
in Russia which is not allied in one way or
another with the PaschkofFs. The celebrated
General SkobelefF was one of those who through
my grandmother was a cousin of mine ; and this
reminds me of a most ridiculous article contributed
by the late M. de Blowitz to the Matiii about me
in which he gives a most fantastical account of the
marriage of SkobelefF's mother. I have often
wondered where he got his information, which is.
devoid of one single word of truth, for certainly
Mr. Poltawtsoff was not the son of a serf, and
the PaschkofFs were never landowners in the
Government of Poltawa. My grandmother lived
to a very advanced age. She was a real saint, and
when she died in the small town of Riazan, the
whole population of it followed her to her grave,
and all the poor of the place subscribed for a
wreath to be upon her coffin, with an inscrip-
tion, which we afterwards had inscribed on her
tombstone. It ran thus : ' Receive her, O Lord^
as she received all the poor and unfortunate.' INIy
grandmother had never got over the shock of her
only daughter's death, but she went on living for
duty's sake, and tried to forget her own grief"
in soothing the sorrows of others. I have never
met a more unselfish person. I loved her more,
perhaps, than she knew, for she was of a stern
disposition, and not given to effusion, and I
41
MY RECOLLECTIONS
was always more or less afraid of her, but even
now, after so many years have passed, and so
many sorrows have overtaken me, her death re-
mains a distinct, sharp, and inconsolable grief,
amongst all others. 1 never feel my loneliness
more than when I think of her.
JNIy mother was twenty-three years old when
she married my father at Stuttgard, in the private
chapel of Queen Olga of Wurtemberg. She was
radiantly beautiful, and, like all those whom the gods
love, she was carried off young, dying in the full
splendour of her youth and of her happiness, five
days after my birth. She had passionately longed
for a child during the short years of her married
life, and when that child was at last given to her,
she had to go away there where pain and sorrow
are no more, and to leave it to face the world
alone. She passed away in full consciousness of
her approaching end, with a resignation which can
be called heroic, thanking her husband for the
years of happiness he had given to her, and re-
conciled to the will of the Almighty.
JNIy father married again two years after my
mother's death, and this created a breach between
him and my grandmother. It was then that my
aunt, Madame de Balzac, interfered, and began
to take the great interest in my education which
she always manifested. She was almost the only
person who used to speak to me about my
mother, and to relate to me anecdotes concerning
her. I avoided the subject with my father, and
my grandmother was always silent as to her
42
POLAND IN 1863
own sorrows. INIy aunt was, therefore, the only
being with whom I could talk of the beautiful
young creature who had died in giving me birth.
One of the first remembrances of my childhood
belongs to the Polish IMutiny of 1863. My father
was in command of an army corps on the Austrian
fi'ontier, and was stationed in a small town called
Oustiloug. I don't know to this day why he had
his wife and children with him. It was scarcely a
spot for ladies and babies to be in, and we were all
huddled up together in a horrible little Jewish
house, where there was scarcely place to turn in.
My little brother died there of convulsions, and as
there was no room for me and my nurse in the
house, we spent a night or two in a tent which had
been hastily erected on the lawn. I can see it
well, even now, and the astonishment with which
I watched the Cossacks who guarded the place
saddle and exercise their horses every morning.
It was then I made my first acquaintance with
death, and I remember my surprise when I was
taken to see my little brother, and could not under-
stand why he was so white and still, and would not
look at the flowers I had gathered for him in the
fields that same morning. Another fact connected
with that event is also impressed upon my mind.
The day of the funeral of that small boy (he was
two years old) happened to be the one following
upon a skirmish between the Russian troops and
the insurgents. As the body was being carried to
the church, borne, according to custom, on the,
shoulders of my father and his staff, we met a
43
MY RECOLLECTIONS
party of Cossacks escorting some prisoners. They
stopped when they saw the procession, and one of
the captives recognising my father, who was known
to them all, turned round and began cursing him,
saying that his child's death was a punishment of
God for his having gone over to the enemy, and
drawn his sword in favour of the Russian Czar.
One of the Cossacks of the escort, indignant at
this piece of brutality, lifted his whip and was
going to strike the man on the mouth, when my
father raised his voice, and in a sharp, ringing tone
ordered him to desist. The Pole was suddenly
cowed, and with a brusque movement took off"
his cap that he had up to that time kept on his
head. My father turned round, and after gravely
saluting with his sword the long hne of prisoners,
gave the order for the procession to resume its
march.
This incident forms one of the clearest remem-
brances of my baby days. I was but five years old
when it occurred, but I have never been able to
forget it. I have often wondered at my father's
self-control on this painful occasion ; I wondered
still more when I learned many and many years
later, that he had done his utmost to get the man
who had so grossly insulted him at a moment
when he could not retaliate, released from the
sentence of exile which was inflicted upon him.
This time of the Mutiny must have been a
most interesting one. It was followed by a period
of repression, the traces of which are not yet effaced.
Alexander II. had neither the generosity nor the
44
ALEXANDER II. AND POLAND
fearlessness of his father; he never forgave his
Polish subjects their revolt, and allowed the insur-
rection to be ruthlessly suppressed. In 1831 they
hung a few people, sent a few others to Siberia, but
no laws of exception were ever promulgated ; no
<;hildren were ever punished for their father's sins.
In 1863 things were very different, and the famous
reply of the Emperor to the address which was
presented to him at Warsaw, 'Messieurs, pas de
reveries J is still remembered there. Personally, I
have no sympathy with the Polish cause ; I am
afraid that the Tartar blood which is in me has
got the upper hand of the Polish one : or rather
that the independence which has always been one
of the characteristics of the inhabitants of Little
Russia, from whence my father's family originates,
constitutes an impassable barrier between myself
and Polish aspirations. I cannot understand them,
and the way in which religion is used by them for
the furtherance of their poUtical animosities is pro-
foundly repugnant to me. I do not understand God
being invoked in order to spread one's hatreds and
revengeful feelings. I am essentially a Russian in
opinions, ideas, affections ; I love my country with
a passionate devotion, and would not belong to any
other.
After the rebellion was suppressed, my father
returned to St. Petersburg, and beyond a few
trifling incidents I do not remember much of the
next two or three years. We made several journeys
to Paris to see my aunts, and tremendous under-
takings they were at a time when the railway only
45
MY RECOLLECTIONS
extended as far as the German frontier, and when
the journey there had to be performed in a travel-
ling carriage, which in appearance resembled nothing
so much as a Noah's ark. Neither did railways
exist from St. Petersburg to Kieff, in the neigh-
bourhood of which town my father's estates were
situated. There was a public road more or less well
kept, and upon which the mails used to be carried,
and it was a great source of amusement to me
when we met a little cart which bore the magic
words, ' His Majesty's Post,' and which was, by
reason of this appellation, given the preference in
the matter of horses. But I do not think I
have anything to relate about those years, except
one incident which, by reason of the influence it
exercised over the future of my country, deserves
to be specially mentioned.
It was in St. Petersburg, one April afternoon.
We had just finished dinner, my father keeping to
the old custom of having that meal at three o'clock,
when one of his friends. Admiral Count Heyden,
was announced. He took my father aside, and
they had a long conversation in one corner of the
room, whilst my stepmother looked on with evident
surprise, forgetting in her agitation to send me
back to my nursery. I could see my father was
strangely moved; at last he asked the Count to
wait, and went out of the room, returning in a few
minutes dressed in full uniform. They drove away
together, and then my stepmother called my gover-
ness, and they had a hurried conversation, after
which she put on her walking things and went out
46
A DASTARDLY CRIME
too. The news brought by Admiral Heyden was
that of the attempted assassination of the Emperor
by a student called KarakazofF as he was taking his
usual afternoon walk with his daughter, the now
Dowager Duchess of Coburg, in what is called the
Summer Garden, in St. Petersburg.
A chapel now stands at the spot where the
dastardly attempt was made, and reminds the
public that the long series of crimes of which it
was the first, began with that pistol-shot. Up to
that moment no one in Russia had even admitted
the possibility that the sovereign whose name
will for ever remain associated with that great
reform of the emancipation of the serfs, could
become the object of an attack of the kind. Kara-
kazofTs deed rudely dissipated these illusions, and
the discoveries which followed upon his abominable
deed shook Russian society to its very depths.
Emperors had been murdered before, but the con-
spiracies against them had always had their origin
in, and been confined to, the ranks of the upper
classes. A popular manifestation of discontent
had never been even dreamt of, and no one had
thought for a moment that what are called in
Europe the middle classes, could become imbued
with revolutionary ideas or opinions, and aspire
to play a part in the government of the State.
The conspiracy of the 14th of December, 1825,
which nearly cost Nicholas I. his throne as well
as his life, had been entirely the work of some
disappointed noblemen. The nation as a whole
had had nothing to do with it. The movement
47
MY RECOLLECTIONS
was headed by a MourawiefF Apostol, a Prince
Wolkhonski, and a member of the illustrious
house of Troubetskoi. It had not rallied to itself
any one belonging to another sphere of society
than that of the upper ten. Karakazoff s attempt,
on the contrary, was an immense revolt of hitherto
untried forces of the nation, against an authority
which refused to acknowledge their existence, and
which challenged their right to share it with them.
It was the real beginning, not so much of nihilism,
as of anarchism ; and as such it must neither be
looked upon as an isolated instance of political
fanaticism, nor as the act of a madman. The
unfortunate young man who had been led into
it, was but the precursor of that other fanatic
whose shell destroyed the sovereign his bullet had
missed.
The emotion produced by KarakazofFs attempt
was immense ; it shook the whole nation as I have
already said, but it did so in a very different sense
than the authorities imagined at first. It familiar-
ised the masses with the idea of regicide, and it
stimulated the thinking classes of society — the
holders of liberal opinions which had been smoulder-
ing for so long, but had never dared to express
themselves openly.
We were at that time in the great period
of reforms which perhaps failed because they
were entered upon too hastily, and without suffi-
cient preparation. It was a kind of revolution
Alexander II. had accomplished by a stroke of the
pen equal to the one Peter the Great had had the
48
THE EMPERORS CHARACTER
strength to carry through. The Emperor had
neither the energy, nor sufficient poHtical per-
spicacity to understand that an attempt of the
importance of tlie one he was undertaking required
time, patience, and was bound to be accompanied
by a few disappointments. He was a curious
mixture of autocracy and Hberahsm. Brought
up with immense care, he had become imbued
with what were called in Russia at the time Occi-
dental ideas, but at heart he was more authorita-
tive than his ftither had ever been. Nicholas also had
thought of the best way in which the independence
of the serfs could be accomplished, but he had
understood that a reform of that magnitude could
not be rushed ; also perhaps that his son not being
bound, as he was, with certain traditions, could put
his hand to it more easily than would have been
possible for himself. But the question had been
closely studied, and my father had in his possession
several memoirs which had been submitted to the
Emperor on that subject, of which he had kept
copies. Had the unfortunate Crimean war not
interfered, it is probable the matter would have
been discussed openly. External complications
caused it to be put aside, until the new sovereign
took it up almost immediately upon his accession
to the throne.
The very mention that such a thing was in
contemplation created an amount of enthusiasm
such as Russia had never known before. Even
the revolutionary party which had its headquarters
at Geneva publicly declared its intention of laying
49 E
MY RECOLLECTIONS
down arms until the result of the young Emperor's
venture was known. The excitable Russian masses
became quite frantic, and they lived in expectation
of a new millennium setting in, as well as of its
taking place immediately. They thought that the
individual ideas they had assimilated could at once
be understood by the bulk of the nation. A wave
of excitement shook every man and woman, in the
highest as well as in the lowest classes. People
enrolled themselves among the ranks of the new
set of officials, whom the reforms had suddenly
called into existence. Young guardsmen, whose
only conception of life to that day had been the
enjoyment of the various gaieties of St. Petersburg,
declared themselves willing to give them all up,
in order to serve upon the Zemstwos or new local
councils, for the administration of the different
provinces. The introduction of the jury was
supposed to give every one the certainty of a fair
trial. The sovereign became a kind of half-god,
and was deceived into beheving that the popu-
larity which he appeared to have attained would
be a lasting one.
Alas ! for all these hopes ! Russians belong to
the class of people who cannot wait. When years
went on and the reforms so enthusiastically an-
nounced dragged themselves out, without bringing
any perceptible change in the existing condition
of things, people began to grumble. To the latent
discontent which had existed for years, and sad-
dened the end of the reign of Nicholas I., succeeded
an open revolt. The Emperor was accused of
50
A FATAL :MISTAKE
having promised what he had no intention of
gi-anting, and those of his immediate entourage
who had always opposed the hberal ideas to which
he clung so firmly, made use of the disappoint-
ment he was not clever enough to conceal, to try
and make him go back on the road he had entered
upon.
This was the most fatal mistake he could have
made, for if it is possible under certain conditions
to withhold from a nation liberties it has never
known, it is ftital to attempt to deprive it of those
which have been already granted to it. Persever-
ance does not figure among Russian national
quaUties, and as soon as the first reforms of
Alexander II. failed to allay the evils for which
they were supposed to have been a remedy, they
were pronounced by one section of society to be
insufficient, whilst the other declared them to be
too wide. Between the two parties by which he
was suiTounded, neither of which were possessed
of sound judgment, the Emperor, whose character
was already too much inchned towards hesita-
tion, began to enter upon the path of vacilla-
tion, which at last ended by making him a
ruler far more autocratic than his father had ever
been.
What I say now is of course founded on
hearsay, as I was almost a baby in arms, when
Russia was started upon the path which now she is
bound to follow, no matter where it may lead her to.
The subject, however, has got nothing to do with
my personal recollections, and I have only touched
51
MY RECOLLECTIONS
upon it in connection with the KarakazofF incident
and its subsequent consequences.
In relating the way in which the news of this
attempt were brought to my father, I mentioned
Admiral Heyden. I must say now a word about
this venerable member of St. Petersburg society,
who until his death, two years ago, was its most
prominent figure by reason of all the historical re-
membrances which were associated with his name.
He was the last survivor of the battle of
Na\^arino, and the last survivor of the household
of the Emperor Nicholas I. When he died he had
reached his ninety-seventh or ninety-eighth year, and
was up to that day in full possession of his faculties.
He had been one of my father's closest friends, and
many a kindness did he show to my brother and
myself. His own brother was for many years
Governor-General of Finland, where he made him-
self universally liked and esteemed, and whence
his departure was accompanied by the keenest
regrets.
The two next events which left an impression
on my childish mind were the Austrian war and
the news of the battle of Sadowa, over which my
father got very much excited. He had all along
prophesied the defeat of the Austrian troops, but
nevertheless did not expect any more than anybody
else the crushing reverses which attended the army
commanded by General Benedek. He did not
care from a political point of view for the aggran-
disement of Prussia, and feared it would in the long
run bring nothing good for our own country.
52
THE PRINCESS DAGMAR
Little did I suspect in those days, when my in-
quisitive Httle ears were eagerly strained to listen
to all the news I could hear, that I was destined to
be brought into close contact with the personages
whose actions were discussed with such interest by
my father and his friends.
In the autumn of that same year, 1866, the heir
to our throne was married with great pomp in St.
Petersburg to the Princess Dagmar of Denmark.
I was taken to see the triumphal entry of the
young bride in St. Petersburg ; it was the first time
I had witnessed a pageant of the kind, and for
days and nights I kept thinking about it, and could
not sleep for excitement. Rarely has a foreign
Princess been greeted with such enthusiasm as the
new Grand Duchess, who from the first moment
she set foot on the Russian soil, succeeded in
winning to herself all hearts. Her smile, the
delightful way she had of bowing to the crowds
assembled to welcome her, laid immediately the
foundations of that popularity which, instead of
waning as is often the case, grew day by day, and
increased continually as the years went on. The
Empress Marie Feodorowna is at present the most
popular woman in Russia, and she has made for
herself such a name for goodness, kindness, and
the most noble qualities of heart and mind, that
even among those who have never seen her, she is
absolutely worshipped.
In 1867 I was taken to see the Paris Exhibition,
but with the exception of a Mexican temple whose
different colours somehow impressed me, I do not
53
MY RECOLLECTIONS
remember much about it. The monuments of
Paris interested me more than did the world's
great fair. The Conciergerie in particular, where
I was taken by my father, made me burst into a
flood of tears, as we were shown the dungeon
where poor Marie Antoinette had been confined,
and the courtyard from whence so many unfortu-
nate victims, among whom my own aunt had
been included, were dragged to the scaffold.
It was after his journey to Paris that my father
definitely gave up his St. Petersburg house and
settled in the country, whence he only returned to
the capital at the time of the Russo-Turkish war,
when he again took a flat in town, where he resided
during two or three months every year up to the
time of his death. I was growing up, and had
little time for anything else but the very severe
course of studies to which I was subjected. In
summer, 1870, sea baths were prescribed for me,
and we went for the season to Odessa. Whilst
we were staying there the Franco-German war
broke out. At that time, though the Germans
were not liked in Russia, yet the remembrance of
the Crimean war was still fresh in people's minds,
and the strong leanings toward Prussia which, with
the solitary exception of the heir to the throne,
the whole of the Imperial family entertained, made
the public chary in its good wishes for the success
of the French arms. The news of the first reverses
of the army of Napoleon were therefore rather
welcome than otherwise to a Russian's prejudice
against that monarch. No one, however, antici-
54
THE SIEGE OF PARIS
pated the series of reverses out of which the new
German Empire was to rise. It came therefore
as a shock when the surrender of Sedan sealed the
fate of the second Empire.
We heard about it at Odessa the same evening.
We were walking up and do^Ti the Boulevard,
which is the public promenade there, when General
Count Lambert, one of the aides-de-camp of the
Emperor, approached my father and asked him
whether he had learned the news. As it happened
he had not, and his first thought was to rush to
the telegraph office and to send a wire to his
sisters, after which he began discussing the possible
consequences of the great event.
When Paris was invested we spent a sad time,
and that winter dragged along very slowly and
anxiously in the expectation of news, which every
day became worse. INIetz surrendered, then came
all the other French reverses, and at last the
capitulation of Paris, and the armistice, very soon
after which, we received the first letters from my
aunts which gave us the details of the siege.
Madame de Balzac never doubted that an insur-
rection would be the sequel to that long series of
calamities. She wrote to her brother to be pre-
pared for the worst, as nothing short of a miracle
could prevent civil war from breaking out.
When the horrors of the Commune were over
my father started with us for Paris. When we
got there the town was still smoking, so to
say. The Tuileries M^ere one mass of blackened
ruins, and the Vendome Column lay upon the
55
MY RECOLLECTIONS
ground, broken into three large fragments. French
society was more or less scattered ; the Bona-
partists, who in spite of everything lived in hopes
of a restoration, if not of the Emperor, at least
of his son upon the throne, kept themselves
outwardly very quiet in the fear of exciting the
suspicions of JNI. Thiers. The Orleans Princes
were trying to inaugurate that attitude of bon
bourgeois which they imagined would be bene-
ficial to their interests, until the time when the
natural course of events would put them into
possession of the inheritance of the Comte de
Chambord. The general public believed that a
monarchical restoration was only a matter of time.
M. Thiers alone knew what he was doing, and
where he was leading the country whose destinies
he had been called upon to control. He played
his cards admirably, as appears now from the
beautiful book in which M. Hanotaux has de-
scribed the struggle out of which the third
Republic was to emerge, probably never to be
superseded any more in France by another form
of government.
It was during the winter which followed upon
the war that I began to feel interested in politics.
They were being continually discussed at my
aunt's, and one heard nothing else around one but
that one subject. I spent all the time when I
was not studying at the Hotel Balzac ; and, young
as I was, I used to get quite excited at all 1
used to hear, and to treasure in my memory many
remarks I heard around me. I don't know how
56
BETROTHAL
it was that they allowed me to be present at con-
versations which certainly were not intended for
a child, but the fact was there, and I owe perhaps
to this circumstance many of the tiistes to which
later on in life I was to cling.
We returned to Russia in the spring of 1873.
In the autumn of that same year I became engaged
to my husband at the early age of fifteen and a
half years, and to this day I am in ignorance how
the matter was arranged, but arranged it was
between my father and my brother-in-law.
I have often wondered how my father, who
loved me so tenderly, could have been a party
to such a hurried affair. The only explanation
I can find is that he was getting on in years, and
wished to see me settled before he died. He had
begun at that time to suffer from the heart disease
to which he eventually succumbed, which might
have had some influence upon the decision he
came to. It is also likely that he was tempted
by the great position he thought he had secured
for me. If my father had any fault it was the
pride of birth, and the determination that his
daughter should follow in the steps of all his
ancestresses, and add to the glory of the great
alliances the family had been faithful to, ever since
it began to play a part in the history of its country.
No matter what may have been the real reason
for my engagement, the fact is that it took place,
and as soon as the matter was settled the question
arose of my presentation at the Court where it
was not intended I should live.
57
MY RECOLLECTIONS
We were in the month of August, the Emperor
was expected at KiefFwith the Empress, on then*
way to the Crimea, so I was taken there to be
introduced for the first time to my sovereign.
I felt terribly frightened : the more so that
the dreaded presentation was to take place at the
railway station, in the presence of all the world and
his wife. I was arrayed in a white muslin gown
which I believe was atrociously made, and, like a
Iamb about to be slaughtered, was ushered into
the Imperial presence.
The first person who met us was old Countess
Bloudoff, a favourite lady - in - waiting to the
Empress, and a very great friend of my gi*and-
mother's. She received me most kindly, and began
talking to me of my mother. My fright gradually
subsided, and I allowed myself to be soothed into
some kind of composure by the dear old lady.
We became great friends in later years, and when
she died I experienced one of the great sorrows
of my life. She was kindness itself, and I shall
never forget the help she was to me at that first
trying moment of my life when I looked for the
first time upon the world in which I was destined
to live and play a part.
The sovereigns soon appeared. The Emperor
came into the room first, with the grace and
dignity which were one of his chief characteristics.
Alexander II. at that time had not become cursed
with the suspiciousness which embittered the last
years of his life, and made him look upon all
those he did not know well as natural enemies.
58
THE EMPRESS MARIE
He was the embodiment of courtesy, and his
manner was very regal both in speech and appear-
ance. He was a handsome man, holding himself
very erect in his uniform, with a countenance
which would have been more impressive still, if
the eyes had not had a dreamy, almost stealthy
look, which seemed to be always wandering. He
addressed my father with great affabihty, and then
looking at me said, ' Comme elle rappelle sa mere ! '
The Empress, who made her appearance a
few moments after her husband, was already suf-
fering from the illness to which she eventually
succumbed. She was a slight, graceful woman,
with a sweet countenance, but a look of extreme
delicacy. I never saw her again, but can remember
very well her soft voice, and the low tones in which
she spoke. She said a few words to me, but did
not show any particular amiability to any one of
those who were present, speaking nevertheless to
every person in the room. Her daughter, the
Grand Duchess INIarie Alexandrowna, at present
Dowager Duchess of Coburg, whose engagement
to the Duke of Edinburgh had just been an-
nounced, followed her, but kept very much in
the background. The whole ceremony lasted only
a few minutes. The Imperial couple entered
their railway carriage, and the assembly dispersed
with, on my part, a feeling of the intensest relief.
This episode of my presentation had a curious
sequel. JNIy father, I do not know why, had not
communicated to the Emperor the news of my en-
gagement. He heard of it, of course, very soon
59
INIY RECOLLECTIONS
afterwards, and caused his trusted Minister of the
Household, Count Adlerberg, to write a sharp letter
to my father on the subject. I do not think he
quite liked the idea of a young heiress, such as I
was, being sent out of the country, and though
his affection for the Prussian Royal family would
have prevented him from forbidding the match,
yet as I heard later on, he was anything but
pleased with it.
I was married very quietly at the parish church
on my father's estate on the 2Gth of October, 1873.
My brother-in-law and two of his sisters came over
for the ceremony, which was celebrated in the
strictest privacy according to the rites of the
Greek Church. My husband and myself left
almost immediately afterwards for St. Petersburg,
on a visit to my grandmother, whence we went
to Berlin, where my new and real life began.
60
CHAPTER IV.
Berlin after the War — Emperor or King? — The Old Radzi-
will Palace — Family Parties — The Emperor Williani's
First Love — / ineet Von Moltke — My First State Dinner
— Am presented to the Empress — The Prince aiul Princess
Charles — The Red Prince — A CouH in Mourning — ' Un
Cculeaii de la Reine ' — Entertainments at CouH — The
Beautifid Duchess of Manchester — / dine with the
Emperor.
When I arrived in Berlin in November, 1873,
the German Empire was quite a new thing, and
the Court as well as society were still what they
had been when no thought of future grandeur
had entered their minds. The Emperor was
mostly called the King, and indeed he never called
himself anything else. There was even to be
observed a certain regret, on the part of the old
Prussian aristocracy, at the merging of their old
Kingdom into the new Empire. They keenly
regretted the traditions which appeared to them
to be inseparable from the Prussian Eagle, and
which were not yet incorporated into the Imperial
Crown. People were still dazzled by the extra-
ordinary series of military successes which had sud-
denly raised their country from a small State to
the greatest monarchy in Europe. Nothing seemed
settled yet, and even in Court ceremonies an un-
certainty, as it were, prevailed. One never knew
61
MY RECOLLECTIONS
whether to address the sovereign as Emperor or
King. He himself clung with a tenacity which
lasted up to his death to the old title, whilst the
Empress Augusta, and especially the Crown Prince,
were very punctilious as to the observance of the
new one. I remember a curious instance of this
slight difference of opinions. One evening during
a ball given by General von Kameke, the then
War JNIinister, the Emperor approached me, and
talking about the weather (it was early in JNIarch),
remarked how mild it was for that time of the
year, adding that the ' Queen ' had brought him
that morning some violets which she had plucked
in the garden of the Palace. The Crown Prince
happened to be standing near, and he remarked
instantly : ' Yes, the Empress told me about them,'
to which his father retorted, 'When did you see
the Queen ?'
At that time, which seems to me so far away
that I can hardly believe I lived through it, for
so many events have crowded themselves in the
past thirty years, my husband's family was a very
numerous one. They all lived together in the
old lladziwill Palace, since bought by the State,
which had been left in the same condition it
was in at the time my husband's grandmother, the
Princess Louise of Prussia, for whom it had been
bought, had inhabited it. INIy mother-in-law
occupied one half of the State apartments, whilst
her sister, who had married my father-in-law's
brother, lived in the other half. The other mem-
bers of the family were crowded in all parts of
62
THE RADZIWILL MENAGE
the house, all of them more or less uncomfort-
ably, but with no idea of leaving the roof which
seemed destined to harbour them up to the time
of their death. For my part, I found an apart-
ment prepared for me in what anywhere else
would have been called the garret, but which re-
joiced in the name of cqypartement aux fenetres
en mansarde. We used to dine at the unearthly
hour of five o'clock with my mother-in-law, her
two unmarried daughters, and her second son.
After the meal we were expected to retire into
our rooms and to reassemble again at half- past
nine, alternatively at my mother-in-law's and at
her sister's, where we spent the rest of the even-
ing until the stroke of eleven released us. Tea
was served at a large round table, and the Ladies
of the family sat at another, knitting or working.
I cannot say that the conversation was lively ; it
mostly ran upon the doings of the Court, the
health of the Royal family, and other subjects of
the like importance. INIy sister-in-law, a French-
woman by birth, JNIademoiselle de Castellane, who
had all the wit of her family and of her nation,
generally did all she could to bring a spark of
gaiety into these solemn gatherings, but I cannot
say that she was very successful. Even the pre-
sence of strangers did not break the stiffness of
these wearisome evenings. The visitors, for the
most part, were old friends of my father-in-law's,
and Poles of note who happened to be in Berlin,
with some members of the most exclusive and
aristocratic families of Prussia, and the leaders of
63
MY RECOLLECTIONS
the Roman Catholic party in the country and in
both houses of the Prussian Parhament. Some-
times, oftener than was pleasant for the comfort of
the younger members of the family, the Empress
— and when she was in Berlin her daughter, the
Grand Duchess of Baden — used to put in an
appearance quite unexpectedly, when there was a
general flight among the male portion of the in-
habitants of the house. This kind of thing used
to take place during the winter season, when the
Court was in the capital, about twice a month ;
and about as many times weekly, if not oftener,
some of us were invited to spend the evening at
the Palace, in what was called the ' Queen's bon-
bonniere,' about which evenings I shall have more
to say later on.
The Radziwill family, at the time of my mar-
riage, was composed of my mother-in-law, her
children, and her sister with her children. IMy
mother-in-law, by birth an Austrian, belonging to
the illustrious House of Clary Aldringen, was one
of the kindest women alive, if not gifted with an
over-amount of intelligence. To me she showed
herself the best of friends, if sometimes tantalis-
ing, and I can only speak of her with affection
and respect. Hers had been the life of the vir-
tuous woman of which speaks the Scriptures. She
had borne nine children, out of wdiom she lost
five, all grown up, and, with one exception, all of
consumption. Her married life, though admir-
ably well-conducted, had I suspect been far from
happy. INIy father-in-law, who had died during
64
A WILL OF IRON
the French war, and whom I had never known,
was — if one is to beHeve the accounts that are
given of him — a most tyrannical, overbearing,
and unbearable personage. He ruled his family
with an iron hand, and controlled eveiy one of
their actions as well as every detail connected
with the immense household of the Radziwill
Palace. Neither his wife nor his children were
allowed to say one word, or to do the slightest
thing he did not approve of. His wife had been
absolutely cowed by his iron, inflexible will, until
she seemed to have lost every desire to attain
individuaUty of any kind. He held the opinion
that women had to be kept in the background,
and not allowed to express an interest in anything
else but dress, children, and gossip. His influ-
ence reigned supreme in his family for years
after his death, and I think it was only when
the old house, in which he had been born and
died, had been sold, that they began to realise it
was time for them to begin to live an independent
existence.
My father-in-law's mother had been a Princess
of Prussia, the niece of Frederick the Great,
and this introduction of a Royal Highness in
the family had given it a quasi-Royal rank, which
began to be contested only when the favourite
Master of the Ceremonies of the Empress Augusta
elaborated the new rules for precedence for the
German Empire. Princess Louise of Prussia, who
became the wife of Prince Anthony Radziwill, had
been the intimate friend of the unfortunate Queen
65 F
MY RECOLLECTIONS
of the same name, whom she had accompanied
during her flight at Memel. Her son, my father-
in-law, had been born three days before the little
Prince who was destined in the course of events
to wear the Imperial Crown of a united Ger-
many ; they were brought up together, and no-
thing in after life ever disturbed their friendship,
which was further increased by the passionate
love which Prince William of Prussia, as he was
called at that time, conceived for the beautiful
Elisa Radziwill, my father-in-law's sister. So
much has been written about that romance that
I feel constrained to correct the story. It is as-
serted that my aunt died of a broken heart, after
King Frederick William III. refused his consent
to her marriage with his second son. People have
extolled the sacrifice the unhappy young lady was
called upon to make, and transformed her into a
vdctim of State reasons. In reality things were very
different. The only victim in this romance was
Prince William, who was passionately fond of his
cousin, whilst she was more sensible to the material
advantages of a union with him, than to the deep
affection she had inspired him with. When her
marriage had been definitely broken off, she very
soon consoled herself, and at the time of her death,
which was due to pulmonary consumption, she
was actually engaged to an Austrian nobleman,
which proves that it did not take her very long
to heal her broken heart. The Prince, however,
always remained true and faithful to the love of
his youth, and Elisa Radziwill's portrait adorned
66
A NIECE OF TALLEYRAND
the writing table of the old Emperor up to his
death, whilst the remembrance of his love for her
made him look upon her family with eyes different
from those with which he looked upon the rest of
the world.
To return to my father-in-law: he had not been
liked in his family, and, for my part, I was very
thankful to have been spared an acquaintance with
him. But I found his influence still reigning in
the house, and the sort of daily routine he had
established was observed as regularly as if he had
still been there to see that it was carried out.
INIy husband had at the time of my marriage
three sisters and two brothers, the elder of whom
was one of the favourite aides-de-camp of the old
Emperor, and the one who conveyed to Benedetti
at Ems the message which had for consequence
the Franco -German War. His wife is one of
the persons I respect most in the world, and cer-
tainly one of the few really remarkable women
in Europe. Her intelligence recalls that of her
great-uncle, the famous Talleyrand; and, added
to this, she has a very warm heart, is a true
friend, a generous character, and is possessed of
the noblest qualities which can adorn a woman,
who has also known many sorrows and disappoint-
ments in life, and who has borne them with a
smiling face. My sister-in-law is one of the most
influential persons in Berlin ; her salon is a social
power, and has been such for a long number of
years. During the hfetime of the Empress Augusta
she had quite a unique position, and, one can say so
67
MY RECOLLECTIONS
now, exercised over the old lady an influence that
no one has ever shared with her, and which, I
think, I can safely say she never used to harm any
one, not even those whom she had reason to dislike.
1 do not know whether I shall ever see my sister-
in-law again, but if this book should fall into
her hands, I hope she will see in it the great
esteem in which I hold her, as well as my gratitude
for innumerable kindnesses I have experienced at
her hands.
This said, I will dispose briefly of the other
members of my husbands family. My other
brother-in-law has played too small a part to de-
serve notice ; as for his sisters, one died in childbirth
in 1877 ; another succumbed to illness at Cairo in
1876 — she was the one with whom I was most
intimate ; and the eldest one married Prince Hugo
Windisch Graetz.
We reached Berlin, with my husband, one very
wet November evening, and were received in the
great hall of the Radziwill Palace by my mother-
in-law and the whole of her family. It was a
Saturday, if I remember well, and one of the first
things I was told, almost before any greetings had
been exchanged, was that three days later my
brother-in-law was giving a very large dinner in
my honour. To say I was dismayed would be
using a feeble expression. I was a mere child, and
felt too frightened for words. I would have infi-
nitely preferred to have been given some weeks to
get used to my new life and surroundings. But, of
course, I could not say anything, and so a few
68
FIELD-MARSHAL VON MOLTKE
days later saw me launched into the midst of
Berlin society.
I shall never forget that dinner. I had never
seen anything like it, nor attended any function in
the least resembling it. Taken straight out of the
schoolroom into the great world, I felt as if I
should never get used it. Certainly I never sus-
pected that the day would come when I should
enjoy it.
All the old friends of the Radziwill family
were present at the dinner, foremost among them
the celebrated Field- Marshal von ^loltke, who had
been in long bygone days chief of the staff of my
father-in-law at the time the latter had been in
command of an army corps at Magdeburg, and who
had remained on intimate terms with him to the
last. He was the personage whom I was most
curious to see. My father had specially commis-
sioned me to tell him my impressions about the
great warrior, so I tried to subdue my fright, and
to attempt a conversation with him, when, with
a wonderful condescension, he came and sat by
me, and began a talk which could by no means
have been amusing to him. He spoke French
very well indeed, which put me at my ease, for
at that time I did not understand one word of
German, and I believe he tried to make himself
pleasant, as pleasant as he could. It seems, as I
learned later, that my face reminded him of his dead
wife's, and whether this was true or not I cannot
tell, but certainly, so long as I lived in Berlin, the
illustrious soldier was always most kind to me, and,
69
MY RECOLLECTIONS
though he had the justly deserved reputation of
being silent, yet he never missed an opportunity,
when we met, of saying a few kind words to me.
I do not remember very well now who were
the other guests at the dinner. I know that long
speeches were made, which, I suppose, were a wel-
come to the bride, as well as allusions to the virtues
of the family she had entered into, for all the women
put their pocket-handkerchiefs to their eyes, and
my mother-in-law wept quite loudly. As I did
not understand one word of what was being said,
I suppose I produced upon the assembly the im-
pression of being a most callous person.
A few days after this debut into society the
Court returned to Berlin from Baden-Baden, and
the question of my presentation was at once
mooted. My mother-in-law wrote to the Empress,
and the very next day was told to bring me with
her, to be introduced.
I must confess my heart was beating, and I
hated the whole procedure. Apart from every-
thing else, I was afraid the Empress would ad-
dress me in German, when I felt that the
last remnants of my composure would surely
give way. However, there was nothing to be
done, and I had to make up my mind to face
the ordeal. It was a cold morning, the snow
covered the ground, and I remember thinking
what a terrible thing it was to be dressed en toilette
de ceremo7iie at the early hour of eleven o'clock.
I donned one of my trousseau gowns, and we
started. My sister-in-law had also been told to
70
THE COURT OF BERLIN
come, and I felt her presence would be a comfort,
as probably French would be spoken, her German
being also rather indifferent. I was not mistaken
in this hope.
We an-ived at the palace at the appointed
hour, and were at once shown into a large room,
called le salon hlanc, which preceded the one in
which the Empress generally gave her audiences.
It was in later years to become almost as familiar
to me as my own rooms.
The palace, which was occupied by the old
King, was a most unpretentious building, very shab-
bily furnished, and which could have been taken
for a private house, so simple and modest it was.
I had been expecting magnificence, such as I knew
was met with at the Russian Court, and was
slightly disappointed: a feeling, which, however,
gave place to amazement when we were shown,
after a few moments' waiting, into the presence of
the sovereign.
At the time I wiite about the Empress Augusta
had reached the mature age of sixty-one years, and
certainly gave one the impression of being older
than that, perhaps on account of the very juvenile
manner in which she was dressed. A gown of
pale cream, very elaborately trimmed, slightly open
at the neck, where it displayed a magnificent
pearl necklace, seemed to my inexperienced eyes
to be rather out of place at that early hour of
the day. She wore a wig, composed of innumer-
able curls, the colour of which would have been
sufficient to cast doubts as to its genuineness. It
71
MY RECOLLECTIONS
was surmounted by an erection of lace and pink
ribbons, which must have had pretensions to be
called a cap, but which did not bear much resem-
blance to the article. That strange get-up did
not produce a favourable impression, but certainly
nothing could be kinder than the welcome I re-
ceived, and I felt it was most ungrateful on my
part not to be more thankful ; but the Empress, as
is well known, was not a sympathetic person, and
the extreme affectation, which was her chief cha-
racteristic, did her an immense amount of harm.
Her voice was not pleasant, and the peculiar
manner in which she moved her hands jarred upon
one's nerves. She kissed me, and at once began
speaking to me of the virtues of the family which
had become my own, prophesying all kinds of nice
things for my future. I Ustened to her without^
of course, daring to open my mouth, but in silent
wonder, not at what she said, but at her manners,
and the sound of her voice. She talked to me for
about a quarter of an hour exactly as if she had
been repeating a lesson learned by heart beforehand,
then, addressing my sister-in-law, at once plunged
into other subjects, and discussed, among others,.
the marriage of the young Duke of Hamilton,
whose betrothal to Lady Mary Montague, the
daughter of the Duchess of Manchester, as she
was called at that time, had just been made public.
We were soon after this dismissed, the Empress-
doing so by getting up and making us a little
courtesy, than which nothing could have beent
more graceful or more dignified.
72
PRINCESS CHARLES OF PRUSSIA
The day which followed my presentation ta
the Queen I was introduced to her elder sister.
Princess Charles of Prussia.
Princess Charles was a very different person
from the Empress. Just as affected in her way,
she was yet far more sympathetic and certainly a
great deal more liked. Had she not, like her sister,
persisted in trying to appear young, she would
have been quite charming. One thing is certain,
she had none of that love for intrigue which was
one of the principal characteristics of the Empress,
and she had an amount of tact the latter never
possessed. The two ladies were not supposed to
be inordinately fond of each other. People said that
Princess Charles did not quite relish having to give
up precedence to her younger sister, and that she
secretly envied her the Imperial Crown which had
descended upon her head. I do not know, of
course, how far this assertion was true, but it
did not require a very astute observer to notice
that relations between the two sisters were more
formal than tender.
Prince Charles himself was in his way just as
fascinating a man as his brother, the Emperor. He
represented one of the best types of an eighteenth-
century grand seigneur, and his manner to women
was quite perfection ; neither too much nor too
little, but gallant with just a shade of reticence,
which suggested that had he been in another
position he would have hastened to lay the de-
votion of his whole heart at the feet of every
woman to whom he was speaking. He was im-
73
MY RECOLLECTIONS
mensely popular in society, and the receptions
which were held at the palace on the Wilhelm
Platz were far more appreciated than those of the
Empress Augusta.
Prince and Princess Charles of Prussia had an
only son, the celebrated Red Prince. This for-
midable personage, in spite of his brilliant military
talents, had never known how to make himself
popular in society. His manners were brusque, and
rumour attributed to him many most unsympa-
thetic qualities, one of which showed itself in his
treatment of his wife.
This unfortunate lady, by birth a Princess of
Anhalt, was one of the most charming as well as
one of the most lovely women of her time. Gifted
with the rarest qualities of heart and mind as well
as with extraordinary talent both for music and
painting, she had led the saddest of lives ever since
the day when she was led to the altar by the Red
Prince. Being unfortunately very deaf, this in-
firmity had helped to make her reticent and shy of
the world. But her kindness was genuine, and
whenever she had an opportunity she helped other
people, and was always ready to advise or comfort
them in their sorrows. Personally I shall never
forget her goodness or the sympathy 1 invariably
met at her hands all through the long years during
which I lived in Berlin.
Prince and Princess Frederick Charles occupied
a suite of rooms in the old castle in Berlin, and the
first time I was taken to the Princess, in order to
he introduced to her, we found her surrounded
74
GERMAN ROYALTY
'with her three daughters, the two eldest of whom
were just beginning to go out into society, and
equalled their mother in loveHness, whilst the
third, young Princess Margaret, now Duchess of
Connaught, was still in short frocks, and not out of
the schoolroom.
Leaving aside the Crown Prince and Crown
Princess, of whom I shall speak later on, the
Royal family comprised, in addition to the persons
I have named, the son of the Emperor's youngest
l)rother, Prince Albert, now Regent of Brunswick ;
his wife, a Princess of Saxe-Altenburg, and his
•sister. Princess Alexandrine, whose quarrels with
her husband. Prince William of INlecklenburg, were
&t regular intervals coming up before the pubhc.
The two daughters of Prince and Princess Charles
of Prussia were rarely, if ever, seen in Berhn, and
two cousins of the Emperor, Prince Alexander and
Prince George, both unmarried and both more or
less eccentric, had no influence whatever in society.
Prince Augustus of Wurtemburg, in command of
the Corps of the Guards, and brother of the Grand
Duchess Helen of Russia was living in Berlin,
and going about very much, being a general fa-
vourite in society. Prince Frederic of Hohen-
zollern was not married yet, and did not count for
much among the Royalties, as he lived quite like
a private person.
The Queen Dowager, widow of King Frederick
William IV., fell seriously ill at Dresden, where
she had been staying with her sister, the Queen
of Saxony, about the time I married. She died
75
MY RECOLLECTIONS
early in November, and to my intense dismay I
found myself obliged to put aside all my pretty
trousseau dresses, and to smother myself in crape,
for a person I had never seen. Court mourning
was not a joke at Berlin at that time, v^^hatever
it may be now. Whenever the notice of it ap-
peared the whole of society covered itself with
garments of woe, and every kind of gaiety was
instantly put a stop to. Queen Elizabeth, having
been a reigning sovereign, the mourning for her
was as severe as it could well be, and consisted of
long black cashmere dresses, a kind of Mary
Stuart cap of black crape, and two veils, one
falling over the face, and the other trailing
behind to the very ground ; the last-mentioned
had to be worn indoors, and I remember my
mother-in-law insisting on our. decking ourselves
with it every evening for dinner, in anticipation
of a possible visit from the Empress, which event
did actually occur two or three times during the
period when these trappings of woe were pre-
scribed. In Russia black is never worn on holi-
days, but in Germany it is different, and even on
New Year's Day we went and offered our good
wishes to the Emperor and Empress in our crape
dresses and veils, and anything more gloomy I
am sure I have never seen, either before or after
that, in the whole of my life.
The first Christmas that followed upon my
marriage was thus spent in all the gloom of black
clothes. On the 26th of December, the Empress
appeared at my mother-in-law's, accompanied by
76
ROYAL BOUNTY
her daughter, the Grand Duchess of Baden, and
brought with her an enormous bag filled with
various trifles which she distributed among us as
Christmas presents. These occasions were dreaded
by everybody, as anything more hideous than the
knick - knacks the poor Empress used to bring
could hardly be imagined. JMy husband, with
his cousins, had composed on the subject a little
song of which the refrain was : —
*Un vilain, vilain, vilain cadeau de la Reine;
Un vilain, vilain cadeau de la Reine.'
The fact was that she never gave a pretty
thing, and on this particular Christmas, the first
in my experience when I was admitted among the
recipients of her bounty, I remember having been
scared by the sight of an appalling thermometer
in green bronze representing the Column of Victory
in Berlin, which in itself is a hideous monument.
As my ill luck would have it, I was made the
unhappy recipient of this monstrosity, and never
could get rid of it in after hfe. No matter where
I moved, the dreadful thing followed me. It
would not get broken, or lost, or even mislaid ;
it was impossible to give it to a bazaar, and I
expect that one day it will turn up again from
one of my boxes, when I least expect it.
These presents of the Queen remind me of an
-adventure which befell one of them, and caused
my poor mother-in-law a few sleepless nights.
She had received for a birthday present from the
Empress a table in white china ornamented by
77
MY RECOLLECTIONS
her Majesty herself with paintings of the kind
called Decalcomanie. It was anything but beau-
tiful, and was at once relegated to a dark corner
of the apartment, whence it only emerged when
the good Augusta was expected. This kind of
thing lasted for about two years, when at last
my mother-in-law thought she might venture to-
dispose of the ugly thing, and gave it to a bazaar
held in her own house. She carefully waited until
the Empress had paid it a visit, and then, feeling^
sure of impunity, sent it there. As it happened the
Emperor appeared the next day, and after having-
been taken round the rooms was at once caught
by the unfortunate table, and in spite of frantic
efforts made by my sister-in-law to prevent him^
proceeded to buy it as a present for the Empress.
One may imagine the consternation ! However,.
Augusta, if she recognised her own present,
showed herself merciful, for she made no allusion
to its fate.
No one could accuse the Court of Berlin of
inhospitality. Both the sovereigns liked to en-
tertain, and it was rarely that an evening went
by without some person being invited to spend
the evening at the palace. These daily Soirees were
called 'les soirees de la Bonbonni^re' from the
room in which they were held, which formed part
of the apartment of the Grand Duchess of Baden,
the Emperor's daughter. There were rarely more
than five or six people invited. The Empress used
to preside at one round table, whilst the Emperor,,
who usually appeared a little late, sat at the other,
78
i
*LES SOIREES DE LA BONBONNIERE '
Tea, cakes, ices (always of the same kind), and
roasted chestnuts, which were most difficult to eat
on account of the gloves it was against etiquette
to take off, were handed round in turns. Her
Majesty, who usually worked at some kind of em-
broidery, directed the conversation in the channel
she liked best, and it always took place in French.
Any new book was discussed as well as the current
reviews, and not a little gossip took place before the
King appeared. As it was nearly always the same
people who met at these entertainments, one was
pretty sure what was going to be related or said
before even one entered the room. It would be
a stretch of politeness to say these evenings were
not dull, though they gave those who were invited to
them the opportunity of hearing a great many things
they would otherwise have known nothing about.
It was in the Bonbonniere that the old Emperor
once discussed the Berlin Congress with me, the
only time I ever talked politics with him, of which
conversation I shall speak later on.
Apart from these small gatherings, there were
about three or four Court balls during the season,
one of which took place in the small palace which
the Emperor occupied, whilst the others were
given in the old castle. These were very grand
affairs, and comprised all the world and his wife,
so far as they were of a rank justifying an invita-
tion being extended to them. The last one of
the Carnival took place on Shrove Tuesday, and
marked the end of the dancing season, for at the
time I was married, no one would have thought
79
MY KECOLLECTIONS
of giving or attending a ball in Lent, as it was
well known that the Empress had strong Roman
Catholic leanings. Courting her displeasure was
more than many would have dared, as it practically
meant exclusion from the Court festivities, and,
after all, entertainments in the White Hall of the
Old Castle, as it was called, were not to be de-
spised. They were really on a grand scale, and
certainly the sight of the Imperial cortege enter-
ing the ballroom constituted one of the finest
spectacles in the world. At the present day
they say the White Hall has been modernised
and improved, but, at the time I am speaking
of, it was already a fine apartment. There were
galleries upstairs from whence one could watch
the movements of the guests, and which con-
stituted an excellent place of retirement for those
who were tired, or weary with the crowd, and the
necessity of standing through the whole evening.
In the ballroom itself, a dais was erected at one
end for the Royal family, on the left of which
the Corps Diplomatique was grouped, whilst the
right side was reserved for the ladies of princely
families, having the title of Serene Highness or
Durchlaucht. Opposite the throne were the other
ladies, with those who rejoiced in the appellation
of 'Excellency' at their head. The ball was
generally opened by a waltz, of which the first
pair were the maid of honour and the aide-
de-camp on duty, followed by one of the young
Princesses of the Royal family, and the cavalier
she had honoured with an invitation. This was suc-
80
COURT BALLS AT BERLIN
-ceeded by a solemn quadrille in which the Crown
Prince and Princess generally took part, after which
the stiffness of the evening gave way to more or
less general enjoyment.
At about midnight supper was announced, and
the company distributed itself in strict order of
precedence into different rooms. At the door of
each, a chamberlain was stationed to prevent in-
truders from invading those which they were not
allowed to enter. This supper was always more
or less of a crush, but 1 have never seen enacted
the scenes of confusion which take place at large
Court balls in St. Petersburg.
Popular as these entertainments were, invita-
tions to them were not half so eagerly sought
after as those to the small ball which once a year
took place at the Emperor's own palace. To be
asked to it was the ambition of every woman in
Berlin society, for the fact of having been invited
to that Jete placed at once the lucky being, who
had been thus honoured, among, not the upper
ten thousand, but among the upper thousand in
Germany. Ladies kept their prettiest gowns for
that day, and at the beginning of each season it
was always a matter of anxiety to mothers of de-
butantes to know whether their daughters were
going to be admitted to the charmed circle of
those who were to enjoy the personal hospitality
of the sovereign or not. In reaUty these dances,
for, from the hmited number of guests one could
hardly call them anything else, differed in no
way from entertainments given by private people,
81 Q
MY RECOLLECTIONS
Nothing could be plainer than their scale, but the
great charm of them consisted in the kind way
in which the Royal hosts received their guests and
bade them welcome. It was on these occasions
that the proverbial amiability of the old Emperor
was seen to its fullest advantage, and it was at
them he displayed the gallantry which had made
of him in his youth one of the most fascinating
personages in Europe.
Apart from balls the winter season in Berlin
was ushered in generally by a large dinner offered
by the King and Queen to the Foreign Ambas-
sadors, and afterwards by a Drawing - room, or
Court, as it was called, which enabled all the
different classes of society to offer their homage
to the sovereigns. When I arrived in Germany,
it consisted in the guests being stationed in the
different rooms of the castle, and the Emperor
and Empress walking through them on their way
to the White Hall where a concert took place; but
later on, when the Empress became too infirm for
this kind of promenade, it was replaced by her
taking her seat on the throne, whilst her guests
passed before her in quick succession. This cere-
mony generally began at eight o'clock, which
necessitated an early dinner, and the pleasure of
getting at an unearthly hour into a Court train,
tiara, and feathers.
No invitations were sent out for these Courts,
but all those who were comprised in what was
called Court society made it a point to attend
them, as it was generally supposed that when this
82
THE OLD KAISER
was omitted, one's name was struck off the list of
Court balls. INIembers of Parliament appeared on
these occasions, as well as representatives of the
merchant classes, and the Municipality of Berlin
and Potsdam, and it was at one of these enter-
tainments that the Emperor lost his temper with
a member of the Reichstag, who had on some
important military measure voted against the
Government, and forgot himself so far, as to tell
him he had no business to appear before his
sovereign, after the animosity he had displayed
against his politics.
Such incidents were not frequent in the life of
the Emperor WilUam I., but when they did
happen, they of course produced an immense
surprise, more so indeed than they deserved, for
in spite of all his gentleness and genuine ami-
ability, the old Kaiser was at heart a furious auto-
crat, and did not brook contradiction even to the
smallest extent.
Both the Emperor and Empress attended balls
and entertainments at the Foreign Embassies, and
at the principal famiUes of the Berlin aristocracy,
such as the Dukes of Uyest and Ratibor, Prince
Pless, &c. Ministers were also honoured by the
Royal presence at their festivities, when they gave
any, and every Thursday during Lent, concerts
were held at the palace, which went under the
appellation of the Empress's Thursdays, and to
which the whole of the Royal family. Ambassadors
and their wives (once a fortnight), and the
rest of society, with the exception of a small circle
83
MY RECOLLECTIONS.
which were honoured with a weekly command,
were asked in turns, one person after another.
Nothing could well have been duller. Every
guest on arriving was assigned his or her place at
the table of a member of the Royal family, and
there one stuck for the whole of the evening,
which began with a long circle, followed by a still
longer concert, at which the same artists were
heard year after year ; then supper was eaten at
the same tables one had sat at the whole evening.
This supper was served on the red velvet table-
cloths, with which the tables were covered, and
consisted invariably of the same menu, salmon
with mayonnaise sauce, cold chicken and ices.
Princess Frederick Charles, always witty, used to
say that a barrel of that sauce was made at the
beginning of each season, and had to do its whole
length. She used to beguile the tediousness of the
evening by drawing some of the funniest and
cleverest caricatures I have ever seen in my hfe.
It was at one of these concerts I saw, for the
first time, the present Duchess of Devonshire, then
Duchess of Manchester, in the zenith of her mar-
vellous beauty. She used to come to Berlin every
spring to visit her father. Count von Alten, and her
sisters, and was always made much of at Court.
I remember well the day when I was introduced
to her, and how she struck me as the loveliest
creature I had ever set my eyes upon. Indeed,
I have only met in my whole existence three
women who could be compared to her: they are
the present Duchess of Sermoneta, Countess de
84
THE COUNTESS VON BULOW
Villeneuve, and a Russian lady, Madame Kitty
Tolstoy. The Duchess d'Ossuna, later Duchess
de Croy, though a beautiful creature, could not
be compared to them, especially to Madame de
Villeneuve, who, dying as she did, in the full
possession of her loveliness, did not let her wor-
shippers see the change that years are bound to
bring along with them.
It was also at these Thursdays that I met the
present Countess von Bulow, the wife of the
German Chancellor, when she was still Countess
DonhofF, and a great friend of the Crown Princess
of Germany. Fascinating as few beings can be,
gifted with the rarest qualities of mind, reminding
one of her distinguished mother. Donna Laura
INIinghetti, Madame von Bulow, from the first
moment she appeared at the German Court, be-
came one of its most shining lights, and though at
that time no one could have guessed the future
which lay in store for her, nor the romance which
was to unite her life with one of the cleverest men
in Europe, hers was a personality which could not
pass unnoticed. She commanded sympathy and
admiration from the first moment one set one's
eyes upon her.
Easter generally put an end to the Berlin
season. The Empress left for Coblenz on the
Rhine, or Baden-Baden ; and the Emperor,
kept in town by military reviews and exercises,
made use of the liberty left to him by the absence
of his wife, to go about dining with his numerous
friends. June generally saw him on his way to
85
MY RECOLLECTIONS
Ems, and in August both he and the Empress
returned to Potsdam, where they spent a month
before proceeding on their autumn journeys, and
where they entertained largely the few people
whose sad fate had condemned them to spend the
summer in the capital.
I remember well the first time I dined at
Babelsberg, as the residence of the sovereign was
called ; it was on the 18th of August, 1875, the
anniversary of the battle of Gravelotte. I sat at
the right of the Emperor, and next to me was
Colonel Lestock, who had been in command of the
first regiment of the Guards on that fateful day.
When champagne was handed round, the old
King got up, and, raising his glass, spoke a few
words in honour of the day, and with accents I
have never forgotten, nor ever will forget, ex-
pressed his gratitude to his faithful army for the
devotion to duty and the courage it had displayed
five years before. Tears were not only in his
voice, but actually rolled down his cheeks, when
he mentioned his dead mother, who had suffered
so much at the hands of the Corsican adventurer,
and when he had finished he held out his hand to
Colonel Lestock, saying, as he did so, ' I thank you
and my faithful regiment of the First Foot Guards.'
Lestock kissed the sovereign's hand, and, raising
his glass in turn, called for three cheers for the
King. The scene, in its simplicity, had a grandeur
which was very impressive. It printed itself on
my youthful imagination of seventeen, and made
me realise for the first time, perhaps, how terrible
86
ANNIVERSARY OF GRAVELOTTE
and earnest had been the struggle which had
resulted in the destruction of one Empire and
the creation of another. The spectacle of that
old man mentioning his mother's name, and ex-
pressing his gratitude to his faithful troops for
having avenged her, and wiped away the insults
she had been obliged to submit to, made me
understand the energy and the courage with which
he had faced the task which had been laid before
him. His simple words moved his listeners, and
gave them an insight into his real character, more
than a thousand long speeches would have done.
87
CHAPTER V.
The Real Emperor William I. — His Tact and Unselfishness-
as a Man — His Rapacity as a Sovereign — Relations with
Bismarck — The Crown Prince Frederick contrasted with
his Father — His Pride in the Empire — His Scruples —
His Sympathy with Me in my first Great Sorrow.
I HAD been already settled three months in Berlin,
when 1 was for the first time introduced to the
Emperor. He had been ill and confined to his
room for a long time, so that, though I was fre-
quently asked to the small soirees of the Empress^
I had never seen her Royal Consort. When Queen
Elizabeth died the Court mourning prevented any
festivities, so it was about Christmas I met at last
the old monarch. It was at a concert at the
palace. He sent for me, or, rather, asked my
husband to bring me over to him, when he addressed
me with the kindness which made him such an
attractive personality to all those who approached
him. As time went on, and I knew the Emperor
more closely, my admiration for him increased
every day, and now, after so many years, I cannot
help thinking with affection and gratitude of all the
various kindnesses I experienced at his hands. He
was certainly one of the remarkable monarchs of
the century, and with abilities which did not rank
above the average, he contrived, only through his
sense of duty, to achieve far greater results than
88
WILLIAM [. OF GERMANY
even Frederick the Great, with all his genius, had
performed. William I. s greatest quality was an
absolute unselfishness. Whenever the interests of
his beloved country required it, he was always ready
to forget his personal feelings, or to sacrifice his
personal preferences. He was by nature a soldier,
with all the soldier's blind obedience, and with the
soldier's respect for authority, which in his case was
represented by God alone. He had the deep sense
of the duties he knew he was born to fulfil, and
was absolutely convinced of the reality of what
to him appeared to be his mission upon earth. He
was imbued with a sense of obligation to the
Creator, and though always ready to forget himself
never allowed others not to remember that
he was their sovereign. But he performed this
with such consummate tact that even when he
asserted his dignity, those towards whom he did so
could only admire him for it. I will give a personal
example of what I mean by these words.
One night at a ball given by the Prince and
Princess Charles of Prussia, I had remained in the
supper room a little later than the other guests,
talking to one of the Emperor's aides-de-camp.
Count Goltz. William I. saw us, and began chaffing
me about what he called my fhrtation. Count
Goltz at that time was far advanced in the sixties,
and so it could hardly be called dangerous. Tlie
Emperor was fond of a little joke, and amused
himself in teasing me, ending with a more or less
long conversation. Count Goltz made his escape^
and people having gradually left the room, I
89
MY RECOLLECTIONS
remained alone with the Emperor. He suddenly
noticed this, and laughingly said, ' We had better
go back, or else your husband will be getting
jealous.' He then offered me his arm, and led me
back to the ballroom. Arrived at the door, he
suddenly dropped my arm, in the kindest possible
manner, with a joking remark of some kind, and
as I made him a curtsey, he drew himself up and
entered the room alone, whilst I followed him a
few paces behind, but he never left off talking to
me the whole time. Of course, it would have been
highly improper for the German Emperor to enter
^ny room, even on a private occasion, let alone an
official one, as this was, having on his arm a little
girl like myself (I was about seventeen at the time),
but I doubt whether many people would have been
found who could have done what he did in the
same kind way.
I have mentioned this little episode because it
will help, perhaps, the reader to form a true opinion
of the character of the first German Emperor as
applied to private life. He united the just pride
of the ruler to the affability of a father, and it was
impossible to be brought into contact with him
without feeling attracted by his genuine qualities.
I am speaking now of his private life, and judging
liim in his private capacity. If we look at him
from the public point of view, my appreciation will
perhaps be different from those who have not
known him so well as I have done. It may be
that as a Russian I am not quite fair towards him,
but it is impossible to have lived during the Russo-
90
THE BERLIN CONGRESS
Turkish War of 1877-78 and not to have felt some
kind of resentment at the way Germany, forgetting
what Russia had done for her a few short years
before, had played into Lord Beaconsfield's hands.
The Congress of Berlin is a page of Russian history
which ought to be erased as soon as possible, if
Russia is to keep up her prestige in the East.
Events have already justified the conduct of Count
Ignatiev, and the statesmanlike insight with which
he had judged the situation, when at San Stefano
he had signed the treaty England was to tear up,
and Germany, forgetful of her obligations to the
Power who had allowed her to crush poor France
in 1870, had not insisted upon being respected.
I do not think, however, that the Berlin Congress
would have turned out as it did, if the old
Emperor had been at the head of the Government
at the time of its deliberations. But he was lying
on a sick bed struck by the murderous hand of
Nobiling, and the Crown Prince, who was Regent
in his place, was too sincere an enemy of Russian
politics to interfere in any way with the plans and
decisions of Prince Bismarck ; so that after all
England had it her own way, and was the only
Power who profited by the tremendous sacrifices
Russia imposed upon herself in the struggle
which restored to Bulgaria her independence. The
Emperor William had a latent conviction that
Germany had not performed to advantage the
part which was expected of her, and the only
time he ever talked politics to me, one evening
in the ' Bonbonni^re,' he told me that he would
91
MY RECOLLECTIONS
have preferred a smaller Bulgaria placed more
directly under Russian influence, and that he had
been horrified at the emancipation of Jews in
Roumania. He added in a resentful tone that
he had not been consulted at all during the Con-
gress, and that the Crown Prince had had it all his
own way, adding that ' Prince Bismarck thought it
was for the best.' I have often wondered since how
this conversation came about, especially that (I
repeat it once more) it was not the Emperor's
custom to talk politics with ladies. However, the
conversation took place, and was more or less a
one-sided affair, because, as the reader may well
imagine, I only hstened, and never ventured to
open my mouth.
To come back to the Emperor as a sovereign,
I do not think in spite of Prince Bismarck's
memoirs, or of the Crown Prince's diary, that
the public at large has realised the extent of his
ambition. He was, without doubt, covetous of
his neighbours' possessions, and the Chancellor had
the greatest trouble in the world, to get him to
consent to the conclusion of peace with Austria,
after the decisive battle of Sadowa, or to persuade
him it would be impolitic to annex the whole of
the kingdom of Saxony. He could not under-
stand that material victory did not carry with it
the assimilation of the nation which had been
vanquished. It was the same in 1870, and during
the negotiations which had for immediate result
the foundation of the present German Empire.
The idea did not appeal to the Emperor, who in
92
WILLIAM I. AND BISMARCK
his inmost heart would have preferred to be a
great King of Prussia instead of the first ruler of an
Empire in which he was not the one and only
authority. If Bavaria, Wiirtemberg, and the
different minor States of South Germany could
have been swept away, as was the kingdom of
Hanover in 1866, he would have been dehghted
to cover himself with the purple of the Csesars,
but it jarred upon his nerves to find he had, if
only in appearance, to share his authority with
other monarchs whom he secretly despised. In
this particular the Crown Prince resembled his
father, though in a different way, as I shall show
presently when I describe him.
It has commonly been said and believed that
the old Emperor did not give much of his atten-
tion to pohtics, and that he was content to let the
Chancellor rule as he liked. This is far fi-om true,
as the correspondence published the other day will
have proved. The Emperor liked to be consulted
upon every point, and very often he absolutely
refused to accept the opinion of Bismarck. He
considered the army as his particular department,
and in any case where it was concerned, it was
the all-powerful Minister that had to give in to
William I., whose eminent quality was an almost
infalhble sense of the fitness of certain people for
certain places. Without being brilliant, his com-
mon sense was nearly akin to genius, and in
questions which he beheved to be vital to the
welfare of Prussia he put aside likes or dishkes,
and did the right thing at the right moment.
93
MY RECOLLECTIONS
This explains how no intrigue, no effort, even those
made by his wife and son, ever succeeded in shak-
ing the position of Prince Bismarck. Once, it was
in 1875 I think, the dismissal of the Chancellor
was accepted as a fait accompli by the whole of
Berlin society ; it was during the Kulturkampf,
and the Roman Catholic party, headed by my
husband's family and strongly supported by the
Empress, had made frantic efforts to oust the
dreaded Minister. For a few short days they
imagined they had succeeded, then all of a
sudden the Emperor turned round, and wrote to
his Chancellor that he hoped he would for long
years to come continue to give his attention ta
public affairs. The sensation produced by this
letter was immense. The Queen, quite disgusted,
started for Coblenz the next day, and the indig-
nation was general ; but this manifestation of the
sovereign's personal strength of will effectually
crushed all efforts at revolt, and neither the
Empress nor any of her friends, ever attempted
after that to try their hand at politics, however
much they might discuss them among themselves.
In this profound sense of patriotism, and this
resolution to put the welfare of the State before
every private feeling, the Crown Prince was very
much akin to his father. He too was ready to
sacrifice himself, but with one essential difference :
whilst the old Emperor was always conscious of
the dignity of the Crown, his son thought more
about that of the wearer of it. Brought up in
different times, he was all his life more or less
94
FREDERICK AS CROAVN PRINCE
under the impression of the humihation of the
events of 1848, which had left a never-to be-
efFaced impression upon his youthful mind. He
had grown up under it just as his father had
entered life under the more terrible shadow of
Jena, and the disasters through which Prussia had
seen its very existence threatened. An abyss lay
between the two men : the abyss which separates
the sacred rights of kings from those of a sovereign
people. William I. had seen the foot of the
Corsican adventurer pressed down heavily upon
his nation and his dynasty ; he remembered the
tears of his mother, and all those dark days when
the Queen of Prussia wept in a mean little room
at Memel. Frederick III. had witnessed the in-
vasion of the palace of his fathers by the mob,
and its triumph in the streets of the capital.
He grew up with the image of Lassalle before
his eyes, whilst his father had had that of the
great Napoleon.
This explains the difference between the two
men of whom I have spoken ; it consisted of the
distance which divides opinions from persons. The
Crown Prince had, perhaps without realising it
himself, felt the influence of the ideas which per-
vaded the generation to which he belonged. His
father, on the contrary, had never witnessed the
struggle which at all times has existed between the
old people who are going away, and the young ones
who aspire to take their places in the world. In
his days no differences divided fathers from their
sons ; they had one common object in view, the
95
MY RECOLLECTIONS
defeat of the man in whom they saw the enemy
of all that they held dear. It was not a question
of taking another generation's place, but the far,
far more important one of winning back that place
in which an usurper had boldly installed himself.
Both old and young found themselves united in a
common cause against a common foe. With
Frederick III. things were very different. Born
with a critical turn of mind, and a most generous
disposition, he was by nature the sort of man
who would embrace any new idea, if he thought
it could be conducive to his neighbour's good.
Brought up in liberal opinions by his mother,
profoundly imbued with a sense of obligation to-
wards humanity in general, his greatest mistake,
if mistake it can be called, was to put that hu-
manity before individualities and nationalities. He
was not obstinate, and yet there was in him a
good deal of the perseverance in opinions, which
has always been one of the characteristics of the
Hohenzollerns ; devoted to his wife, and influenced
by his father-in-law, the late Prince Consort, he
had taken him for his model, forgetting that the
position of a German Prince Consort in Consti-
tutional England, could not be compared to that
of the legitimate sovereign of Prussia. He did
not realise that the great respect which Prince
Albert displayed, and with which he tried to
imbue Queen Victoria, for constitutional govern-
ment, might have had its source in the fact that
British public opinion would never have forgiven
him, had he ever forgotten it. Wisdom is often a
96
HEROISM OF EMPEROR FREDERICK
matter of necessity ; it is certain that at the time
of the famous struggle between the old Emperor
and his son, in the early days of William I.'s
reign, he was right, and the Crown Prince was
wrong in fact, however much he might have been
justified in theory. This struggle unfortunately
created a source of bitterness between the two men,
which even the glorious events that led to the
restoration of the Empire did not succeed in
effacing.
It would have been difficult to find a more
loving personality than that of Frederick III.,
he was everything that is noble, everything that
is good ; to listen to him was to grow better, to
be near him was to get away from all the pettiness
of the world, from all the fret, the evil, the in-
justice of so-called society. His mind was noble,
his nature was true, his heart was kind. He had
known disappointment and sorrow, had measured
the ingratitude of mankind, had been confronted
by some of the most serious problems of life, and
had never failed in any of his duties. His was
an heroic existence — as heroic as was his death —
he had but few faults in him, and these were
mostly of a kind which would have been called
qualities in any one else. A dutiful son, an admi-
rable husband and father, a faithful friend, a good
man, there is no doubt that he would have made
an excellent sovereign.
His political abilities have been discussed. It
is certain that he had not the proud conviction of
the nobility of his mission which distinguished
97 H
MY RECOLLECTIONS
his father, nor the brilUancy which characterises
his son, but he had a rectitude of opinions and
a sound common sense which would have carried
him through any difficulty, public or private.
Schooled into submission to circumstances by long
years of weary waiting for a Crown which ulti-
mately was only to be his for three months, and
grateful by nature, it is certain he would never
have dismissed Prince Bismarck, nor have at-
tempted to rule in defiance of public opinion, as his
impetuous son has so often done. He would have
put his vast experience of pubhc affairs at the
service, not only of his own country, but of the
world in general.
As regards his life it was in some respects a
painful one. It is certain that at no time, even
when he exercised the Regency, did he wield great
influence on public affairs; he was always sus-
pected by his father, and made use of by Bismarck
when the latter found himself in want of a support
against some opinion of the old Emperor's with
which he did not agree. The diary of the Crown
Prince during the Franco-German war, compared
with the memoirs of Prince Bismarck, throws a
curious hght upon the use that was made of the
former, by the real master of the German Empire,
one of whose greatest talents was the ability to
discover the peculiarities of other people, and to
turn them to the profit of his own schemes. Thus,
during the long negotiations which preceded the
memorable day when the old palace of the kings
of France was the scene of the greatest triumph
98
A ROYAL TRAGEDY
of their immemorial enemies, had it not been
for the Crown Prince, it is doubtful whether the
proclamation of the Empire could have taken
place so easily as it did at last. In this eventful
circumstance Frederick III. showed himself a wiser
statesman than his father, perhaps because he had
at the same time fewer prejudices than was the
case with the first German Emperor.
And yet he was, if possible, more imbued than
his father with the sense of the inferiority of all
other German princes in comparison with the
supreme chief they had chosen for themselves. To
illustrate my meaning I will relate a curious con-
versation I had with the then Crown Prince, after
the tragic death of King Louis of Bavaria. We
met at the wedding breakfast of one of the
greatest friends of the Crown Princess, Countess
Schleinitz, with the late Austrian Ambassador in
Paris, Count Wolkenstein. I was sitting during the
meal next to the Prince, who had that very same
morning returned from INIunich, where he had
represented his father at the funeral of the unfor-
tunate king. Of course, the king's mysterious end
was the subject of all conversations, and naturally
enough it formed part of ours. By a strange
coincidence, I had myself returned that same
day from Paris, where I had been on a visit
to my aunts, and the Crown Prince asked
me what was the impression produced in the
French capital by the event. The conversation
drifted then into another channel, and touched
upon the foundation of the German Empire, when
99
MY RECOLLECTIONS
the heir to the throne, in recapitulating the different
facts which had made this restoration possible,
spoke of what in his opinion ought to be the
feelings of German princes towards the new
organization which they had helped to build. He
then used to me these remarkable words in French,
which have ever since remained impressed upon
my mind, and which struck me so much at the
time that they were spoken, that I could not help
mentioning them the very same day to a great
friend I had, Colonel (now General) De Sancy,
then French Military Attache in Berlin, who, if he
ever reads this book, will surely remember them.
What the Crown Prince said was ' Les princes
allemands devraient toujours se souvenir quils ne
sont que les pairs de V empire — P-A-I-R-S^ vous me
comprenez 1 ' and he spelled the word slow^ly, just as
I have written it. The key to the whole character
of the man may be found in this remark.
I have said that Frederick IT I. was at heart a
Liberal, and had the most rehgious respect for
Constitutional Government. Indeed, he carried
this respect almost too far — too far, at least, for the
heir to a throne whose principles were so essentially
different from those which have helped to make
the grandeur of the English monarchy. In that
sense he was, perhaps, too much under the influence
of his wife, though, on the other hand, the Princess
would have been decidedly more popular, if she had
not yielded as much as she did to certain opinions
of her husband. In many cases the Princess was,
I think, given credit for influencing her husband,
100
A MERCIFUL PRINCE
when it was not true, as in one memorable in-
stance, that of the execution of the would - be
assassin of the old Emperor, young Hodel. At
that time (the law has been modified since that day)
it was imperative for the King of Prussia to sign
personally every death warrant. William I. hated
so much this part of his duties that no capital
execution had over taken place during his reign.
When he was fired upon by Hodel, he declared
at once his intention of pardoning the unfortunate
wretch, but then took place the second, NobiHng's
attempt, in which the aged monarch nearly lost his
life. Whilst he lay on his sick bed, Hodel was
tried, and, of course, sentenced to death. The
Crown Prince was Regent. It was impossible for
him to show himself merciful, especially in view of
all that had been said regarding his relations with
his father ; but though he never hesitated one
moment to do what was his duty, his repugnance
to the apphcation of the death penalty, was so
profound that he allowed the public to learn some-
thing of it. Indeed, he went so far as to tell the
British Ambassador, Lord Ampthill, who, with his
wife, was among his greatest friends, that he had
never felt more unhappy than on the day when, by
a stroke of his pen, he had sent a human creature
into eternity. The Crown Princess, though quite
as kind as her husband, did not entirely share
his opinions on that delicate point, as I happen
to know. If she had sought to influence him at
all, it would have been to overcome his scruples,
but she did not; and as people in Berlin always
101
MY RECOLLECTIONS
blamed her for everything they did not like in
the Crown Prince, she was made responsible for
the hesitation, if it could be called by that name,
he had displayed, when confronted with one of the
most painful duties of his high position. I was
not in Berhn at the time of the illness and death
of the Emperor Frederick, so can only speak of it
by hearsay. I think it, therefore, better to abstain
from relating what I have heard on that painful
subject, and the differences which arose between
the Empress and her eldest son, the present
monarch. It is certain there were misunderstand-
ings, as usual in such cases, rendered unnecessarily
bitter by the interference of third parties. It is
also certain that painful scenes followed upon the
passing away of the unfortunate sovereign, but I
do not think it wise to bring back to public
remembrance events which ought to be forgotten,
and actions which certainly are to-day the object of
regret to those who were led into their performance.
The Emperor Frederick always treated me with
the greatest kindness. I hope he guessed what
profound admiration I had for his noble qualities^
and how deeply I was devoted to him. There are
moments in life when sympathy expressed in the
way noble hearts alone can express it, helps one to
bear the most bitter sorrows, and robs them of a
part of their acuteness. The Crown Prince knew
how to show sympathy; he found the words to
say in every circumstance, he understood that great
art of helping struggling souls. Thus at the
time of the fii-st grief that made me realise the
102
LAST MOMENTS OF THE EMPEROR
meaning of human life, when my eldest and then
only child was suddenly taken away from me, it
was the Crown Prince who, first of all those who
had crowded around me, with banal expressions
of a sympathy which was spoken but not felt, made
me realise that I was not alone to grieve, and that
there were in the world hearts who, having gone
through the same agony I was enduring, could
understand my own, and by their example encourage
me to bear it in my turn. Now, after so many
years, and after I have discovered that there are
far more cruel ways to lose one's dear ones than
by death, I still remember with gratitude the
words spoken by the dead Emperor, and hear his
voice ringing in my ears, when he told me not to
grieve as grieve those who have no hope.
When Frederick III. had reached the last
stage of his terrible illness, my own father was
dying, and expired a few weeks before the Em-
peror. Family circumstances arose which made
my husband ask for Russian naturalisation ; he
went to BerHn in regard to certain formalities
connected with that affair, and the monarch, who
himself was struggling with that dreaded reaper
who appears at every door to claim his victims,
sent for him for a last good-bye. He could
not speak, but he wrote in pencil a message for
me, which I shall always treasure as one of my
dearest remembrances. It was a farewell which I
may be excused, perhaps, if I consider in the light
of a blessing.
Having said as much, I must hesitate before
103
MY RECOLLECTIONS
attempting to describe the Crown Princess. Speak-
ing of her, touches on one of these subjects which it
seems sacrilegious to tackle. On the morrow which
followed upon her death, I retraced in a few short
pages all she was to me, all I have ever found her.
I do not think I can add anything to this sketch,
written whilst still smarting under the sorrow with
which my heart was almost breaking. The Em-
press was something more than a woman, she was
as far above humanity as goodness is above wicked-
ness, virtue superior to vice. Retrace her suffer-
ings, relate what she had to endure, drag out of
the cases of my memory, where they are enshrined,
the story of all she went through, is almost im-
possible ; it would be profanation. I cannot speak
of the Empress Frederick, the remembrance of her
moves in me a thousand emotions which I believed
dead and buried for ever. It is impossible, I repeat
it, to write the history of that noble life, and
anything one might say about it, would only give
a false idea of that ' perfect woman, nobly planned,'
who was never understood, never appreciated, and
who died as she had lived, solitary and alone among
her children, and among the gay world, far above
all those who surrounded her, and to whom she
was a silent, an involuntary rebuke.
I will therefore only relate incidents connected
with her official existence, as they occur to me,
whilst going on with the story of these years during
which she played such a prominent part in the
world. They may perhaps help those who never
saw her, to understand certain sides of her magnifi-
104
THE EMPRESS FREDERICK
•cent character ; but they will never describe her as
she deserves to be described, a Queen who, in spite
of her great position, did not forget she was a
woman, gifted with a woman's tenderness, a
Tv^oman's charm, a woman's warm heart. I do
not feel even worthy to pray for her ; I hope she
prays for me in that Heaven of which she must
be one of the brightest stars.
105
CHAPTER VI.
Prhice Bismarck- and the KulturTcampf — ' Politique enjupons '
— The Chancellor under-estimates the Folly of his Opponents
— The Radzixvill Palace as the Centre of Catholic In-
trigue — Archbishop LedochowsMs Imprisoiiment — The
Catholic Leaders, MallinJcrodt and Windthorst — Bismarck'' s
Attitude towards the Crown Prince — and towards the
Emperor — The Character of Princess Bismarck — Count
Herbert — How the Iron Chancellor won his Way.
At the time of my marriage Prince Bismarck
was still to be occasionally met with in society, or
at some great Court function. He had not yet
developed into the hermit of Varzin or Friedrichs-
ruhe, and his tall, commanding figure could be
seen in the drawing-rooms of the Empress or of
the Crown Princess. It was at the latter's that
I was introduced to him, a month or two after I
arrived in Berlin. He was most gracious to me,
as was his wife, for whom, let me say it at
once, I always had the greatest respect, and with
whom my relations always remained excellent
ones.
In these early days of 1874, the Kulturkampf
was in full swing, and I was in the very thick
of the fight that was going on. My husband's
family was at the head of the Catholic party
in Prussia, and their house constituted the centre
of opposition to the Chancellor. He knew it, and
106
COURT INTRIGUES
in this war, which lasted until the dismissal of
Prince Bismarck by the present Emperor, he
certainly did not use 'white gloves,' or spare his
antagonists in any way. He was doubly irritated
against my sister-in-law, because of her relation-
ship with the French Ambassador, Vicomte de
Gontaut Biron, who was also one of the
Empress's favourites, and whom he accused of
French intrigues. I must say that the accusation
was not unjustified, for certainly many things
took place which would have taxed the patience
of a man far less irritable than was the Chan-
cellor. Later on the Emperor put an end to
this politique en jiipons, to use Prince Bismarck's
own expression; but at the time I am speaking
of, it flourished to an extent which would never
have been tolerated in any other country. Gossip
was rampant, and the old King was worried out
of his life by his wife, and the numerous attempts
she made to induce him to compel his INIinister to
desist from a line of conduct which, as she pro-
phesied, was bound to result in ruin to the State.
At first the Prince did not attach much importance
to these intrigues, but later on he grew to con-
sider them in a far more serious light than they
deserved, especially when the religious situation
became more acute, and the opposition in the
Reichstag more troublesome. It was then that he
developed that tyrannical disposition with which he
will be associated in the minds of posterity, and which
was artificially fed in him by his friends and foes
alike. He grew sullen, morose, impatient of con-
107
MY RECOLLECTIONS
tradictions, and isolated himself more and more
from the world. The faults which in some cases
made him unbearable, were caused largely by the
solitude in which he had elected to live. Sur-
rounded by flatterers, he grew impatient of criti-
cisms, and far too much convinced of the infallibility
of his own judgments.
He was vindictive to a degree which bordered
on ferocity ; his conduct towards Count Arnim
was altogether unpardonable, for, as is well known
to those who were behind the scenes, politics had
very little to do with it. The prosecution was
instituted simply because the Prince was determined
to gratify his revenge against a man who, after
having been for many years his tool, refused, at last,
to carry out the work he was ordered to perform,
and also against one in whom he feared he might
one day find a rival.
To come back to the Kulturkampf, I am going
to say what will astonish many people, and that
is, that I do not believe it would have reached the
acuteness it did in time acquire, if the bishops had
not been encouraged in their resistance by the
members of the Catholic party at Court. A
wrong idea as to the strength and importance of
this party existed abroad, dating from the time
when Prussia was a small kingdom. Then, when it
was trying to recover from its wounds after the
humihations of Jena, its sovereign never aspired to
play a large part in European politics, but was con-
tent to lead the semi-intellectual, semi-official life
which to this day is being led at the smaller
108
N
BISMARCK AND THE REICHSTAG
German Courts, and allowed the opinions of his
familiars to weigh in even the weightiest matters
of the State.
The victories of 1866 and 1870 came so unex-
pectedly, and in such rapid succession, that people
hardly realised their importance, or understood
that after his return to Berlin as German Emperor,
William I. could not look at things any more in the
same light as he used to do when he was simply
King of Prussia. Bismarck understood, of course,
the change at once, and, perhaps, even before it
actually took place, and the old King was dimly
conscious of it too. No one among his entourage
was. They imagined that a Court intrigue could
rid them of the powerful man to whom Germany
owed her reconstitution, and that a few words
from the Queen, or an appeal to the humanitarian
feeUngs of the Emperor, would finally block
Prince Bismarck's path. This stupidity only ex-
asperated him, and justified in his eyes a line
of conduct destined to prevent the feeble adver-
saries with whom he had to deal from having
anything to say in regard to the conduct of the
affairs of the State. He knew very well that
the Reichstag was not sufficiently united to
organize a serious opposition to his plans, that in
the Prussian Chambers his authority would always
remain paramount, and he believed that a very
short time would see the end of the struggle in
which he was engaged. Unfortunately for him-
self, he did not sufficiently appreciate the strength
of the Catholic party and its Church. He forgot
109
MY RECOLLECTIONS
that Pius IX. could not live for ever, and that
if he were succeeded by a Pope not afflicted with
his determination to oppose a non possumus to every
effort at conciliation, not drawn on the lines he
wished, his (the Chancellor's) position would be-
come impossible. He would, whether he liked
it or not, have to surrender, not to those whom
he had fought, but to the principle which they
represented. He looked upon the struggle he
provoked with the glance of a statesman who for-
gets that the events of the world are not solely
and entirely led by politics, but that sometimes
personal intrigues of the lowest kind influence
them.
I was but a child in 1874, considered as such
iDy all my family. Later on I am sure that they
would never have discussed certain things so freely
before me as they did then. But in these early
days they all believed they could mould me
according to their own ideas. Unfortunately, I
had been brought up in the intellectual atmos-
phere of the Hotel Balzac, and by a father possessed
of all the philosophical principles of the eighteenth
century. I had been taught to consider the in-
fluence of the clergy in private life, as well as
in politics, as an evil which ought to be fought
against with energy.
My father in all his letters constantly en-
couraged me to resist all efforts to tempt me
into the ranks of those who put the Church before
every other consideration. I therefore listened to
all I heard without sympathy, but with great atten-
110
BISMARCK AND THE VATICAN
tion. I regret now that I was not old enough at
that time to form opinions of my own as to the
value of the struggle that was going on ; but at
seventeen one only sees things, it is impossible to
appreciate them as they ought to be. What I re-
member most clearly from these years is that con-
stant communications were exchanged between my
husband's family and the Archbishop of Posen,
Count (afterwards Cardinal) Ledochowski. I do not
think he himself had any illusions as to the issue
of the war declared by Prince Bismarck against
the Catholic Church, but he was influenced by
the great position of the Radziwills, and believed
they could, through their influence over the
King, obtain from him certain concessions which
the Chancellor would never have dreamed of
making.
The whole Kulturkampf reposed on this mis-
understanding, which Bismarck, with all his genius
and acuteness, had not foreseen, because he would
not admit that serious people like the Archbishops
of Posen and Cologne could believe the assurances
of men who had nothing to do with the conduct
of State affairs, that they were in a position to
influence the sovereign in opposition to himself.
Yet it was the case ; and I am fully convinced
that if the Radziwill Palace had not existed,
the famous journey to Canossa, which Bismarck
undertook so many years later, would never have
taken place ; or at least would have been under-
taken differently. I remember well the day when
the news of the arrest of JNIgr. Ledochowski
111
MY RECOLLECTIONS
reached us. It was in February, a dull, bleak,,
winter morning ; I had gone downstairs to see
the wife of one of my brother's cousins, Princess
Ferdinand Radziwill, the mother of that Prince
Radziwill, attache to the Russian Embassy in Lon-
don, whose wife, the lovely Mile, de Benardaky,
made such a sensation by her beauty a year or
two ago. I found her with an open telegram in
her hand containing the news that the Archbishop
had been arrested the night before. Both she and
her husband were terribly excited, and convinced
that the event was destined to have the greatest
political consequences. My cousin was a member
of the Reichstag, and his brother. Prince Edmund
Radziwill — then already in holy orders, and vicar
of the little town of Ostrowo, in Prussian Poland,
the same one in which the Archbishop was con-
fined — obtained the Government's permission to
share the prelate's captivity. He was a keen
politician, and both in private Ufe as well as in
his capacity of member of the Reichstag, took a
leading part in the struggle. He was by far the
most able man of the whole family, and a perfect
saint as regards character. But he was prejudiced,
as they all were, and as it was impossible for any
one, brought up as my father-in-law had brought
up his sons and nephews, not to be.
When Count Ledochowski was thrown into
prison the general feeling in governmental circles
was, that it would put an end to all attempt at
resistance on the part of the Catholics; whilst
they thought that it would work the Chancellor's
112
A POLICY OF COERCION
defeat in his designs. Neither of these fore-
bodings turned out to be true. The time had
gone by for martyrs to be taken au s^rieuoc^ and
it had not yet come for the Church of Rome
to renounce the fighting quahties which have
always distinguished it. The result of this mis-
taken impression on both sides was an unsettled
condition of things which, even when it was for-
gotten by the outside world, exasperated the
Chancellor into making him exaggerate the dan-
gers of a situation he had contrived to create,
through not having realised the evil which stupid
men may make in the world.
In spite of all the rigour of the Archbishop's
captivity, communications were constant between
him and the leaders of the Catholic party. They
mostly passed through my cousins, but other
people were also eager to act as his emissaries.
He himself made up his mind most courageously
to accept the consequences of a situation he had
falsely judged. He determined, once he was in
prison, to stay there ; which was certainly the
best thing he could have done under the circum-
stances.
I never saw Count Ledochowski at that time.
Years later I met him in Rome, when he was
already Cardinal and Prefect of the Congregation
for the Propagation of the Faith. He gave a
most warm welcome to my husband and myself,
and several interviews we had with him left me
in profound admiration of his great qualities, as
well as of the strength of his intellect. They
113 I
MY RECOLLECTIONS
made me wonder, more than I had ever done
before, how he could have been led into believing
that people, not even possessed of an average
intelligence, could, simply through their social
position in the world, be mighty enough to fight
with success the greatest statesman of modern
times.
In 1874 the Catholic party in the Reichstag
possessed one member whose eloquence made him
a great power: it was Dr. Mallinkrodt, one of
the ablest speakers in the House, and the only
person in all the Centre possessed of a clear
appreciation of the new system of politics in-
augurated by the foundation of the German
Empire. He was a man of sincere convictions, not
subordinated to considerations of sympathy or
of dynasty, as was the case with Dr. Windthorst.
Unfortunately, he died relatively young, in the
full force of his political powers, and just as his
great reputation was beginning to be universally
acknowledged. When he passed away, no one
remained except Dr. Windthorst, who brought
his Hanoverian sympathies to bear upon every
question with which he was concerned, and whose
great, though unacknowledged ambition, was to
get one day a portfolio in the Prussian Ministry.
He was a marvellous tactician, a speaker without
rival, and a consummate leader. Through him
the Centre party became a disciplined thing which
could almost be compared to the German army.
He drilled it into absolute obedience to his orders,
and never allowed hesitation or a personal scruple
114
BISMARCK AT RADZIWILL PALACE
to interfere with his plans. It is to be for ever
regretted that his reconciliation was not effected
with the Chancellor, and that a rajjpr^ochement
between the two men only took place when
Prince Bismarck's days as a Minister were already
numbered.
Personally I never took any part in the re-
ligious quarrels which divided our family and
Prince Bismarck. Even at the time when they
had reached their most acute stage, I continued
visiting once or twice a year at the Chancellor's
house, and I remember that, just after the
Radziwill Palace had been bought by the Govern-
ment, and the Prince had taken up his residence
there, I called one morning on the Princess, and
found them still sitting at a late lunch. Both
she and the Prince took me over the whole
house, and he made a few joking remarks at the
pleasure I must have felt when I left it. Much
later, after the Congress at Berlin, I started on
my own account a salon of opposition to the
Chancellor, but the religious question had nothing
to do with it, and the reasons for my conduct
proceeded simply from Russian resentment at his
behaviour in 1878, as well as from my admiration
for the Crown Prince and Princess, with whom
he was at that time at daggers drawn, and also
a little from my French sympathies. It was
curious to watch the Prince on the rare occasions
when he was present at any Court festivity. He
always stood in a corner of the room, almost
alone, and dominating with the head and
115
MY RECOLLECTIONS
shoulders all the other men present. One occa-
sion remains particularly engraved upon my mind.
It was at the Crown Prince's, after one of the
quarrels between the heir to the throne and
the Minister had been patched up by some kind
friends. The party was given for the birthday
of the Crown Princess, and great was our sur-
prise when, upon entering the apartment where
the company assembled, we saw the Chancellor.
I do not think I exaggerate when I say that
everybody strained their heads and their necks to
see what was going to happen. The doors were
thrown open, and the Royal host and hostess
made their appearance. The Princess began
speaking to the ladies, then very quietly went
up to Prince Bismarck. I could not hear what
she said, but she talked with him for a certain
length of time, without affectation of an exagge-
rated amiability, but also without any marked
coldness or stiiFness. Master of himself, as the
Chancellor generally was, he seemed embarrassed,
and was evidently ill at ease. He stooped down
to reply to the Princess's remarks, and nervously
played with his long military glove. As soon as
she had left him, the Crown Prince approached
him, and then came the marvellous change which
must have struck any person gifted with the
slightest degree of observation. Bismarck straight-
ened himself up, every trace of annoyance or
embarrassment disappeared, he looked the heir
to the throne straight in the face, or across the
head as the case might be. The arrogance of his
116
A NEW YEAR'S RECEPTION
demeanour was not only marked, but exaggerated ;
he scarcely replied to the Prince, and made him
repeat one or two remarks. In one word he
affected the attitude of being the real master of
his future master. The scene would have de-
served a St. Simon to describe it.
Another occasion when I saw Prince Bismarck
was on a New Year's Day when we had assembled
to congratulate the Emperor and Empress. It
was only the members of princely families who
were admitted to that privilege, so that the com-
pany was necessarily small. The Chancellor
rarely put in an appearance, being mostly at that
season of the year at Varzin. This time, how-
ever, he happened to be in town, and, much
to every one's astonishment, he came to the
palace. When the doors were opened, and the
Kaiser perceived him, he at once crossed over to
him, and the two began an animated conversation.
It was almost touching to watch the great Chan-
cellor speaking to the old sovereign ; the respect
in his countenance and the expression of his eyes
had something peculiar I never remember having
seen in them before or after that day. Beside
him the Emperor appeared a shrunken little old
man, with tottering steps, leaning on a stick (it
was the year after Nobiling's attempt when he had
hardly yet recovered), whilst gigantic in his white
Cuirassier uniform, resembling a knight of ancient
times, the figure of the Iron Chancellor towered
above him, as it towered above the Empire he had
created out of the ruins of old. The spectacle
117
MY RECOLLECTIONS
was impressive, and I believe everybody present
was struck with the grandeur of it, but I doubt if
many observed what to me was its most curious part,
the homage Bismarck's eyes paid to the sovereign,
without whom he never could have become the
great man he had risen to be, whom in his inmost
soul he respected as much as he loved, and to
whom he had given all the admiration, all the
affection, his stern heart was capable of feeling.
Few people have realised that peculiarity of Bis-
marck's nature. He was essentially affectionate ; a
more devoted husband or father never existed. His
correspondence with his wife has revealed to us the
domestic side of his character. He was a man
made for home-life, liking it, finding in it — in the
tenderness of his wife and children — a solace amid
the cares of the State, and the stupendous responsi-
bilities which lay upon his shoulders. He was a
good friend, he never forsook those whom he liked.
If at times his contempt for humanity made itself
apparent in brutalities as great as was his genius,
he never lost the real kindness nor the genuineness
of his feelings. His experiences of life and man-
kind had been numerous, curious, and bitter, but
the freshness of certain impressions had remained,
as well as love for those to whom ties of relation-
ship or friendship united him. In the midst of the
most serious affairs of the State, he never forgot to
inquire after his grandchildren, and a smaU ailment
of the Uttle mites made him more unhappy than
when one of his most complicated political plans
had failed.
118
PRINCESS BISMARCK
It would be hardly possible to imagine a more
happy life than the one he led with his wife.
Even the religious question, upon which their
opinions were entirely different, did not ruffle the
harmony between him and the Princess. She was,
in her way, just as remarkable a personality as her
husband. Not at all a woman of the world, not
brilliant, she had that strong dose of intelligence
and common-sense which goes so far to ensure
success ; devoted to the Prince, she knew how to
efface herself when it was necessary, and never left
off watchmg over him with the tenderness of
one who puts the beloved person before all personal
ambitions. For her, he was perfection, the one
being upon earth, the sole object of her care.
During the long years their union lasted, they
never had an altercation or even difference, and it is
to be doubted whether the Prince would have
achieved all he did, if he had not found in his
home the necessary encouragement, and above
all that affection which, like faith, moves moun-
tains.
In spite of all this, and perhaps because of all
this, it must be nevertheless acknowledged that
occasions arose when Princess Bismarck harmed
her husband. She had certain German prejudices
which he did not share, but which, in consequence
of remarks she made at times, were attributed to
him also. She hated everything that was French,
and to use Max O'ReU's expression, firmly be-
lieved, 'that the devil at an early stage of his
119
MY RECOLLECTIONS
career was naturalised a Frenchman, and settled
permanently in Paris.' For her everything French
was an abomination, and she rejoiced at the suc-
cesses of the German armies in the same way
as the Jews rejoiced at the slaying of the
Philistines. In her eyes there was nothing good
in France, and it was quite sincerely she prayed
God to watch over her husband, and not lead
him into temptation when he was in Paris. It
was the same in several other things ; she was
narrow-minded, did not understand the greatness
of the deeds the man to whom she was united
had performed, but at the same time, she was
fully conscious he was a great man. The gravest
matters appeared in her eyes to be important
only in so far as they were personal to him, or
associated with his name ; she was the wife of
Prince Bismarck, not the consort of the German
Chancellor.
But she was good, kind, charitable, a devoted
mother, a careful mistress of her household. She
was generally respected, and even the smart set
did not turn into ridicule her extraordinary dresses,
or simple manners. Her character was sincere, her
love of truth remarkable, her piety proceeded from
her heart, and had no affectation in it. She made
her husband a better wife than, perhaps, any
woman would have done who understood better
the public side of his character. She was to him
the slippers and dressing-gown, without which
even a genius cannot live comfortably.
120
BISMARCK'S CHILDREN
Of their three children there is little to say.
The youngest son, Count William, has already
followed his parents to the grave. Prince Herbert
has turned into a country gentleman, and will
probably never reappear upon the political scene.
He was an example of how rarely great men beget
children who resemble them. He was not popular
in the personal sense, and seemed to think that as
the son of the imperious Chancellor, he was a
privileged person. It is to be hoped that all
that has since happened in the political world has
softened his character, and brought to light the
qualities which, in spite of his detractors, he, as a
son of the greatest genius of modern times, can
scarcely fail to possess. Prince Bismarck's daughter,
married to Count Rantzau, is the only member of
his family who has inherited his extraordinary intel-
ligence ; she was a great help to him during the
last years of his life, and, after Princess Bismarck's
death, tried as well as she could to replace her.
It is said she could not bring herself to be polite
to William II. when, after his official reconciliation
with the Chancellor, he visited Friedrichsruhe. I
do not know how far this report is true, but
from what I have seen of the Countess, I think
it may be correct. I believe no one in the Prince's
family has forgiven the Emperor, and strange as
it may seem to say so, it was perhaps the old giant
whom he crushed so ruthlessly, who best understood
his conduct, and in his inmost heart found excuses
for him.
I must, before I end this chapter, relate an
121
MY RECOLLECTIONS
incident which will show in what way Prince
Bismarck made war upon those he disliked.
He would not have dared to attack openly my
husband's family, unless he had had positive proofs
which he could have laid before the Kaiser of their
intrigues. These, of course, it was next to impossible
to get. He therefore hit upon the following ex-
pedient. My brother-in-law had a secretary, called
M. von Kehler, a former clerk in the Foreign
Office. He had been a Protestant, was converted
to the Roman Catholic faith, and like all converts,
became a fanatic, which fact did not prevent him
from being a very pleasant and amiable man.
He was treated as a friend of the family, was in
general highly respected, and an influential member
of the Reichstag. In May or June, 1874, my
brother-in-law was at Ems with the Emperor,
most of the family were away from town, and we were
about five or six people left in the immense old
house. We were startled one day, on going down
to dinner, by a visit from the poHce with orders to
search the papers of M. von Kehler, in the room
he occupied in the Radziwill Palace, a room in
which he did not live, but which he only used
as a workroom. My husband's cousins loudly
protested, but the orders were formal ; the police
took possession of the room, and under pretence
of looking into M. von Kehler's drawers, examined
every paper belonging to my brother-in-law or
cousins. I never knew the end of the story, nor
whether anything was found ; but I much doubt
it, as the greatest precautions were always ob-
122
BISMARCK'S METHODS
served as regards documents. I do not know
whether any complaint of this unwarrantable
interference ever reached the Emperor's ears ; but
the incident throws a curious hght on the ways
in which Prince Bismarck managed to do what
he wished, and get what he hked.
123
CHAPTER VII.
The Prhicess Victoria's Influence on Berlin Society — Lord
Ampthill — The other Ambassadors — The Princess ofWales^
— A Story of the Russian Empress'' s Visit to Eng-
land — Court Entertainments — Outbreak of tJie Russo-
Turkish War — Shobelejf and Osman Pasha — An Inci-
dent of the Shipka Pass — The Treaty of San Stefano.
Berlin Society, at the time I am speaking of,
was very exclusive. With the exception of the
Crown Princess, no one ever dreamed of admitting
into 'society,' people belonging to the middle classes.
Artists, journahsts, literary men, or professors at the
University, were rather looked upon as curiosities^
when not as necessary evils. The Princess Victoria
was the first to give them equality of treat-
ment with the narrow circle of what were called
HofFahige people. At the small tea-parties given
at the Palace, men like Mommsen, Dubois Ray-
mond, Helmholtz, Ranke, the historian, Rudolph
and Paul Lindau, the journahsts, were met. Her
great intelligence enabled her to discuss with them
the studies which had made their names famous ;
and often, without knowing it, she helped to
educate Berlin society, by speaking with freedom
on topics considered — until she brought them into
prominence — as the exclusive possession of those
124
LORD ODO RUSSELL
who had devoted their lives to the mastering of
them.
The Empress, though she often made a point
of encouraging science, Hterature, and art, did it
in a v^^ay which accentuated the distance which
separated its representatives from the select circle
out of which she chose her intimate friends.
Berhn society was not amusing, though amuse-
ments were perpetually going on ; but it was
hospitable, and it differed in that, at least as regards
foreigners, fi'om St. Petersburg in its present days.
Diplomats were made much of, and foremost
among them ranked the British Ambassador, Lord
Ampthill, at that time known as Lord Odo
Russell. I do not think that any one who has
known that most charming and clever man
has forgotten him, nor the tact, the intelligence, and
the consummate political ability which made him
such a distinguished statesman. He succeeded in
remaining on good terms with Prince Bismarck, as
well as the friend — I think I can almost say the
intimate friend — of the Crown Prince and Princess.
His knowledge of the world was marvellous, his
experience of affairs quite extraordinary. He
knew unerringly the right thing to be done, and
never found himself embarrassed, no matter in
what situation he happened to be. Married to a
daughter of the late Lord Clarendon, he found in
her a true helpmate, and one in every respect
worthy of him. They entertained most hospitably,
and no diplomats before or after them, have ever
125
MY RECOLLECTIONS
succeeded in establishing themselves in the same
position they had acquired in society. I cannot
help thinking that had Lord Ampthill been alive
in 1888, many events which accompanied the illness
and death of the Emperor Frederick, would never
have taken place.
The Austrian Ambassador was Count Karolyi,
whose wife, the lovely Countess Fanny Karolyi, was
so much admired in London, and has left such a
charming remembrance in the minds of all those
who saw her. She also was fond of entertaining,
and during the Congress of 1878 her house was the
meeting-place of all the notabilities that crowded
in Berlin at that important time.
The Russian Ambassador was Baron d'Oubril,
a pleasant little man, but one who, after the tragic
death of his wife (she was drowned whilst bathing)
was seen but little in society. Italy had not yet
raised her legation to the rank of Embassy, and of
the other members of the Corps Diplomatique
there is very little to say, with the exception of the
two French Ambassadors, the Vicomte de Gontaut
Biron and the Comte de St. Vallier.
The fii-st named of these personages had been the
first representative appointed by the Republic after
the Treaty of Frankfurt. He belonged to one of
the oldest and proudest families of the ancie7i regime,
and being a very pleasant, shrewd man, without
being a first-rank statesman, he had managed, with
the help of considerable tact, to make for himself a
good position in the Prussian capital. He was
126
AN ABLE DIPLOMAT
related to my sister-in-law, as well as to the old
Duke of Sagan, the son of the beautiful Duchess of
Sagan, whose numerous love adventures, as well as
her long liaison with her uncle, the famous Prince
de Talleyrand, have made so well kno\\Ti. These
alliances helped M. de Gontaut to make his way
at first, but later on they became a source
of serious embarrassment, which led to his retire-
ment into private life. Through them he was
furnished with much untrustworthy information.
Prince Bismarck never forgave him the scare of
1875, nor certain reports he had made to the
Duke Decazes, at that time Minister for Foreign
Affairs, which were not founded on facts, but on
conversations with people who had no means of
guessing the designs of the Chancellor. M. de
Gontaut was replaced by the Comte de St. Vallier,
one of the ablest diplomats France has ever
possessed. He was one of the greatest friends
I have ever had, so it is difficult for me to
speak of him without indulging in terms which
might, perhaps, appear exaggerated to the reader.
We had become mutually attracted from the first
days of his arrival in Berlin, and later on, when
his father and mother, the Marquis and Marquise
de St. Vallier, joined him in BerUn, I used to see
them daily, and up to the death of the old Marquis,
which occurred a few years after that of his son, I
went every autumn to spend a few days with him,
at his chateau in the department of Aisne, near
Laon. It was called Coucy les Eppes, and was a
127
MY RECOLLECTIONS
large country house such as one only meets in
France, with an old-fashioned garden, and a
churchyard, which formed almost part of the
house.
Apart from diplomats, what one called the
princely families occupied a special place in Berlin
society. Among them the Duke and Duchess of
Sagan were certainly the leaders. Born a French-
woman, she was the daughter of the Marshal de
Castellane ; he was a perfect type of the grand
seigneur of Louis XIV., she was one of the cleverest,
wittiest women of the second Empire. Every one
liked her, even those whom she scratched with her
tongue, always sharp even when it was kind, and
no one took in bad part an5rthing she said, perhaps
because all were more or less conscious of the vast
amount of honesty and genuineness, which were
her principal characteristics.
Of other prominent members of Berlin society
there were Count and Countess Stolberg. He
became in later years Vice- Chancellor ; she was a
Princess Reuss, and a most amiable woman. Then
there were the numerous Hohenlohes and Ratibors ;
Prince and Princess Pless, whose lovely house was
an object of admiration. The Princess also
belonged to the superior beings of this world, and,
as such so often do, died at a comparatively early
age. Then there was lovely Princess Carolath,
whose beauty broke many hearts, and who in
her turn was to fall a victim to her love for
Count Herbert Bismarck. Indeed, Berlin was
128
THE FRENCH EMBASSY
full of pretty women, and I doubt whether any
Court could have boasted of so many beautiful
faces as it did at the time I am writing
of
The first winter I spent there was very animated
indeed, after the mourning for the Dowager Queen
was over. At Court there were no balls, it is
true, but a great concert took place at which the
Crown Princess, just back from Russia, where she
had been present at the wedding of the Duke of
Edinburgh, spoke to me of her impressions of
the ceremony, and showed me a beautiful ruby
bracelet she wore on her arm, adding that it had
been given to her by the Emperor Alexander.
It was about that time that the French Am-
bassador gave the only ball I have been present
at at the French Embassy. It was made a great
event of, as it was the first festivity given there
since 1870. The Emperor and the whole Court
were present, and people were lavish in their
attentions to M. de Gontaut, who must have had
every reason to be satisfied. He was justified in
writing to the Duke Decazes that he had serious
hopes that the bitter feelings which still existed
between German and French society would in
time be allayed.
I have spoken already of the Duke Decazes ;
he had married a niece of my father's, INIlle. de
Lowenthal, and there was a time when I saw a
great deal of his wife. He has never himself been
sufficiently appreciated, and a life of him has to
129 K
MY RECOLLECTIONS
be written yet. It would throw a curious light
on certain sides of the Frankfurt treaty, about
which he possessed a quantity of secret infor-
mation. It would also explain how it happened
that the Government of Marshal MacMahon con-
trived to maintain itself for such a long time in
spite of his own monarchical leanings, and the
preponderance of the legitimistic element in all
his Cabinets, with the exception perhaps of the
one presided over by M. Jules Simon. The Duke
Decazes left a son, as inheritor of his name, who
became the husband of an American, Miss Singer,
who died tragically and suddenly at the early age
of twenty-five years.
The Duke of Edinburgh was married to the
Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrowna of Russia,
at St. Petersburg, in January of that same year,
1874. On their return from the wedding festivi-
ties, the then Prince and Princess of Wales stopped
for a few days in Berhn, and at a State dinner at
the old Castle I saw for the first time the present
Queen of England. I believe she had never yet
appeared officially at the Prussian Court, for I
remember the Empress Augusta presenting to
her all the ladies that were present; and every
one was very anxious to catch a glimpse of her.
When I look upon the Queen now at the Opera,
or driving in the streets, it seems to me to be
impossible that thirty years have gone by since
that day. We have all changed, she alone has
remained immovable in her loveliness, defying
130
THE CZAR IN BERLIN
time and wi'inkles in a way which is perfectly
marvellous.
A few days later, the newly married couple
themselves arrived in Berlin on their way to
England. The Duchess held a small reception
of Russian ladies at the Embassy : so far as I can
remember there were but three of us — Princess
Biron of Courland (born Princess INIestchersky),
JNIadame de Radowitz, nee OzerofF, wife of the
present German Ambassador at Madrid, and my-
self In the evening there was a State perform-
ance at the Opera, where the young bride appeared
blazing with diamonds and sapphires, and the next
day the young couple took leave of the Royal
family, on their way to their new home.
A few months later saw Alexander II. himself
arrive in Berlin, where he was given a warm
welcome. In those days his visit was an annual
event, as well as his cure at Ems, where, if one
is to believe Court gossips, many interesting
matters of politics were discussed between him
and the Emperor William.
My first child was born on December 7th,
1874, and very soon after that event, I was one
of the gay world again. The winter was one
of the most brilliant which had been known at
the Prussian Court, and entertainment followed
upon entertainment. In February was given at
the Crown Prince's palace that wonderful Venetian
Fete, at which the Princess appeared in the dress
of Leonora Gonzaga, in the celebrated picture
131
MY RECOLLECTIONS
by Titian at the Pitti Palace at Florence.
Angeli painted her subsequently in it, and nothing
could have suited her better than this simple, but
effective costume. The Queen and her sister.
Princess Charles, both appeared in white dominoes
at this ball, and v^e w^ere all very much amused
by the illusion under which they both laboured,
that no one had recognised them.
In June of the same year, my husband was
sent to attend some manoeuvres at Warsaw,
where the Emperor of Russia was holding them
personally. I accompanied him there, and we
went thence to pay a visit to my father. In
Warsaw, we were present at one of the most
enjoyable entertainments of my whole life. It
was the ball given to the sovereign by Count
Kotzebue, the Governor- General of the Kingdom
of Poland, in the old castle. I have never
seen anything more fairy -like. The long ter-
races stretched all along the banks of the river,
ornamented with rare plants and orange-trees,
the aspect of the illuminated town, the brilliant
uniforms, lovely jewels and dresses, the beauty
of the women, all contrived to make the scene
like one of those of which one reads the
description in the 'Arabian Nights.' It was at
this memorable ball that the young Marchioness
Wielopolska made her first and I think only ap-
pearance at the Russian Court. Born an Austrian,
a Princess Montenuovo, she was by her father a
grand - daughter of the Empress Marie Louise.
132
WARSAW FESTIVITIES
No one had ever understood why she married
the INIarquis, and happiness did not follow upon
that union. She was beautiful, in spite of the
Austrian lip which was rather prominent in her
face, and one of the sweetest creatures that ever
lived. Soon afterwards she died, after a long
and somewhat mysterious illness, universally re-
gretted.
Another rather prominent figure at these
Warsaw festivities, was the wife of Field- Marshal
Bariatinski, the hero of the Caucasus. She was
a Circassian Princess by birth, who had been
carried off by force by the JNIarshal, and had had
adventures which smacked more of romance than
of reality. At the time I saw her, she was quite
an old woman, and had but few traces of her
former beauty left, but she was made very much
of at Court, by reason of her husband's great
position. They inhabited a Royal residence near
A¥arsaw, Skierniewice, which had been given by
the Emperor to Prince Bariatinski for life, and
where, later on, the famous interview took place
between the three — the German, Austrian, and
Russian — Emperors.
About that time, the end of 1875, the first
rumours of the Bosnian insurrection began to
circulate. At first no one was inclined to attach
much importance to them, but as time went on,
the situation became more serious, and popular
feeling in Russia ran very high on the subject.
It is a mistake to say that the Government en-
133
MY RECOLLECTIONS
couraged it from the first, whatever it did later
on. No one wished for war, neither the Emperor,
nor his counsellors, but in the country, and
especially in certain circles in INloscow, the feeling
that something ought to be done towards the
relief of the Christian subjects of the Sultan
became very strong indeed. Committees were
formed, and subscriptions arrived freely from all
kind of people. The merchant class of the old
capital especially became very excited, and what
would have been called anywhere else but in
Russia incendiary speeches were made daily at
private and public reunions. The leading papers
of JNIoscow, at their head the Russ, edited by the
great Slavophil leader, I wan AksokofF, never let a
day pass without calUng upon all Orthodox people
to work for the deliverance from the Turkish
yoke of their brethren in race and religion. No
one at that time understood what kind of people
the Bulgarians or Servians were, or realised
their characters. They became martyrs before
one even knew whether they had suffered. The
movement was a purely artificial one, and yet it
very soon was transformed into a national one,
and never did the Holy Orthodox Church assert
its influence more than at that time, when it
actually forced the hand of the autocratic Power
which governed it. No effort of the Emperor
availed, no official remonstrance could stop the
movement, when once it was set in motion. All
the exuberance of the Russian nation, which, after
134
WAR IN THE NEAR EAST
having been stirred up by the reforms of the be-
ginning of the reign of Alexander II., had again
relapsed into apathy, wakened up once more,
and found an outlet in the feeling which threw
half of the country into the arms of a few men
who, by their mere word, had let out that torrent
of enthusiasm. It became the fashion, when the
Servian and JNIontenegrin revolt broke out, to
send volunteers to join the insurgents, and men
used to start in small bands, and in great secrecy,
to offer them their help. My own brother was
one of them, and when the battle of Alexinatz
was fought, and lost by the Servians, St. Petersburg
society, which had seen some of its best-known
men fall, became quite frantic. Officers left their
regiments in masses, until at last the Government
was forced to forbid the granting of all leave.
But it was already too late. The harm had been
done, and it is only to be regretted that the
Emperor was induced about that time to mobilise
his army. A little longer, and a good deal of
the enthusiasm which had marked the first half
of 1876 would have died away; indeed, it did not
last long among the officers who had joined the
Servians, for they all of them came back, more
or less disgusted with their cowardice and un-
trustworthiness. A reaction began to make itself
felt, which would inevitably have brought about
the end of the movement had the declaration of war
against Turkey not given a new impetus to feelings
which were already beginning to be worn out.
135
MY RECOLLECTIONS
In July or August, 1876, we were for a few
days in Moscow, on our way to my estate on
the Wolga. It was at the time when the Slavophil
Committees were most energetic, and were work-
ing with all their might in favour of what
were called 'our little Slav brethren.' We hap-
pened, quite accidentally, to visit the famous
monastery of Troitsa, near Moscow ; the same
place whence St. Serge had sent Dmitri Donskoi
to fight the Tartars. That very same day
had been chosen by the Slavophil Society of
Moscow to send there to be blessed a flag which
they were forwarding to the Servians. When we
entered the principal church of the celebrated
convent, we found it packed full with volunteers
and an excited crowd.
The Archimandrite came out, and, after
having given Holy Communion to the volunteers,
who, already in their uniform, were kneeling on
the pavement of the church, he raised up the
flag and blessed them with it. An immense accla-
mation filled the whole of the vast building, an
acclamation which could almost have been called
a sob. Whatever happened later on, the people
out of whose breast it burst were sincere, and had
no afterthought mixing itself up with the feeling
which made them empty their pockets, and give
all their contents for the cause which they had at
heart. In that moment of enthusiasm the whole
soul of the Russian nation spoke out. There
was no political or personal feeling dominating
136
SKOBELEFF BECOMES FAMOUS
these weeping woman and resolute men. It was
an outburst of religious conviction, equal to the
one which, in the first days of the Crusade, threw
half Europe at the feet of the monk who beckoned
to it, to help him in rescuing the grave of Christ
fi'om the hands of the infidels who held it.
A few months later war really burst out, a
serious war, the importance of which was appre-
ciated but by few, and one of the consequences of
which was the murder of the unfortunate monarch
who had not found the strength to resist the
movement which brought it on. In April, 1877,
the Russian troops crossed the Turkish frontier.
W hat followed belongs to history. The Danube was
crossed, Plevna was invested, and then came the
dark days, the despau'ing hours, when hope seemed
to have disappeared, and when blood flowed in
torrents without any apparent result. The assault
of September 11th still lives in the memory
of those who witnessed its horrors and its furies.
In one day over twenty thousand men fell, and
SkobelefF became famous, and, stern soldier as he
was, burst out crying, when he looked at the dread-
ful battle-field covered with dead and wounded,
exclaiming, as he did so, ' To think that all this
has been in vain — all in vain I ' When Plevna fell,
the tension under which we had lived, was so
intense, that I think we forgot to rejoice. Like
all great expected events, it left one calm —
perhaps because suffering had annihilated all
sources of joy.
137
MY RECOLLECTIONS
In the army a sullen feeling prevailed, ex-
asperation against certain of its leaders, together
with admiration for the bravery of Osman Pacha.
When the old warrior, wounded and disabled, at
last gave up his sword, the Grand Duke Nicholas
went out to meet him, and, after greeting him
with all the respect due to him, offered him the
seat on the right in his carriage. Slowly they
drove together down the lines of the Turkish
prisoners, who received them in grave silence, but
when they reached the Russian camps an immense
acclamation burst out from the ranks. It was the
victors saluting their enemy. Over the pale face
of the Turkish hero, a faint and sad smile
flitted for a moment ; he gravely greeted, in his
turn, the troops whom he had so often defeated,
before he found himself overwhelmed by their
number, and by circumstances.
Later on came the defence of Shipka, and
the terrible battles which transformed the Balkans
into one bloody field. There is an episode of the
crossing of these mountains which is little known,
and which deserves to be related. When General
Raiewski made up his mind to attack Suleiman
Pacha, on a winter morning, with the thermometer
at about twenty -five degrees centigrade below
freezing point and in the midst of a snowstorm
such as had rarely been witnessed, even in these
parts, the question arose how to make the artillery
cross the mountain passes, rendered almost impass-
able by the snow. Whilst it was being discussed,
138
THE STRUGGLE IN THE BALKANS
the General was told that a deputation of soldiers
wished to speak to him. He ordered them to be
introduced, when their spokesman craved permission
to be allowed to transport the big guns on the
shoulders of their gunners. Astounded, the General
at first demurred, when an old non-commissioned
officer turned round, and said, ' Do not hinder us,
little father ; we are going to the rescue of our
brothers, and somehow we will get through.' ' And,'
added Raiewski when he related the story himself
to my father, ' they did get through.'
This perfectly true episode, of a struggle which
was full of episodes just as heroic, explains the
profound disappointment which seized the whole
army when it found that after all it was not to get
what it had fought for. When, from San Stefano,
the minarets of St. Sophia were seen, and the troops
reaUsed that they would not enter the ancient
church, which a tradition, preciously preserved and
handed over from father to son, had taught them
would one day become once more the principal
temple of the Orthodox faith, they lost every con-
fidence in their sovereign, as well as every affection
for him. They made him personally responsible
for this ruin of their fondest hopes, and at the
same time they lost their faith in their own selves
and their own valour. Nihilism and anarchism be-
came a possibility from that day, when the legend,
which a whole nation had lived and been fed
upon, was proved to have been but a legend after
all. It would have been preferable to sacrifice
139
MY RECOLLECTIONS
many of the advantages which Russia ultimately
obtained, in order to have secured to the Russian
army the entry, if only for a few days, into
Constantinople.
Amidst the general discontent and national
disappointment, the Treaty of San Stefano was
signed, and at once disputed by the British Cabinet.
Anxious days followed, which resulted in the call-
ing together of the Berlin Congress.
140
CHAPTER VIII.
A Double Royal Wedding — Fr'mce Bismarck does not
Dance — Hiklefs Attempt on the Emperor William's Life
— NohiUng's Crime — Days of Suspense — The Regency —
Assembling of the Berlin Congress — Lord Beaconsfield —
Other Figures at the Congress — The Congress itself a
Farce.
The year 1878, however sad it was for Russia,
opened brightly at the German Court. In Feb-
ruary the double marriage of the Crown Prince
and Crown Princess's eldest daughter. Princess
Charlotte, with Prince Bernard of Saxe-INIeiningen,
and that of Princess EUzabeth, the second daughter
of Prince and Princess Frederick Charles, with the
Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg, took place.
The two ceremonies were celebrated the same day,
amidst all the pomp which generally accompanies
the nuptials of Prussian princesses, in the chapel
of the old castle, and were witnessed by innumerable
relations of both brides, amongst whom came fore-
most the King and Queen of the Belgians, and
the Duke of Connaught, who, as I believe, became
then acquainted with his present wife, who was
making her debut into society on this occasion of
her sister's wedding. At all events it was almost
immediately afterwards that their betrothal was
made public.
These two weddings, before they were cele-
141
MY RECOLLECTIONS
brated, had been made the object of as much
gossip as Berhn alone could bring forth. Specu-
lations were rife as to whether both brides would
wear the diamond crown in which all Royal
fiancees were married. As there existed only one
of them, one wondered how things would be man-
aged. It turned out that a second crown was
made specially for the occasion, which set people's
tongues quiet. But every small detail connected
with the event was eagerly discussed ; among
others the question whether Prince Bismarck
would appear and execute the ceremony called
Fackel tcmz, which consists of all the ministers
of the Crown walking with lighted torches before
every newly married Royal couple, while they
dance a solemn polonaise with the other members
of the family. The Chancellor disappointed ex-
pectations, for he did not appear at all, excusing
himself, under the formal pretext of ill-health.
I shall never forget this wedding-day ; I wonder
even now how I managed to survive its fatigue.
I was in a delicate state of health, and we stood
on our feet for five solid hours, without the possi-
bility of sitting down even for a second. It is
wonderful what youth can do, and can stand, when
it amuses itself — though I did not amuse myself
on the particular occasion to which I refer.
A few days later. Crown Prince Rudolph
of Austria paid a visit at the Imperial Court.
A ball was given in his honour, and he was
made much of. No one could have ever sur-
mised the terrible fate which was to overtake
142
PRINCE RUDOLPH
him so soon; but it was impossible not to be
struck with a certain mournful, moqueur expres-
sion in his eyes, and the sadness of a smile which
was nevertheless wonderful, by the change it
brought into a face which otherwise bore a stern,
almost hard look. The young Archduke was con-
sidered one of the cleverest men in his generation,
and gi-eat as well as justifiable hopes were reposed
in him. He was supposed to be gifted with a
stronsf intellect and a firm will. His future was
akeady largely mapped out by friends and foes
alike, and a gi-eat career was prophesied for him.
One wondered how he would get on with Prince
WilUam of Prussia, with whom a great friendship
united him, when they should find themselves on
the two gi-eatest thrones in Europe. No one
dreamed of the catastrophe, by which the heir
of all the Hapsburgs would lose his life, and dis-
appear from the world, leaving behind him an im-
penetrable mystery.
In May, town began as usual to get empty,
though rumours of an impending congress were
daily becoming more frequent. The Empress left
as usual for Coblenz, and the Grand Duchess of
Baden arrived to spend part of the time of her
mother's absence with the Emperor. She was
driving with him, when a young man called Hodel
fired at the old sovereign. The indignation was
intense, but no one thought of connecting this
act with anything but the mad attempt of an
illiterate youth, corrupted by anarchist books and
bad companions. The Grand Duchess of Baden,
143
MY RECOLLECTIONS
whom I went to see a few days after the event,
when speaking about it, said the King had re-
mained extraordinarily cahn, and had been more
concerned about her, than about the danger he had
run himself. Messages of congratulation poured
down upon him, of course, but in a very short
time the event dropped out of people's minds, and
ceased to form a subject of conversation.
On Sunday, the 2nd of June, I was reading after
lunch, when my husband burst into my room say-
that our coachman had brought him the news that
the Emperor had been assassinated. Though we
did not quite believe the story, yet we started at
once for the palace. We found the principal street,
Unter den Linden, already crowded with a mass
of people, whom a few policemen were in vain try-
ing to keep quiet. JNIy husband made himself
known, and we succeeded in forcing our way
through the crowd into the palace by a back door.
We found the whole place in commotion ; no one
seemed even to know whether the Emperor was
alive or dead. He had been struck with about a
hundred small lead shots, and had fallen back in
his carriage in a state of collapse almost immedi-
ately. His Jager got down from the box, and
seating himself beside him, held him up in his
arms whilst the carriage was driven back to the
palace in all haste. Being Sunday no doctor could
be found, and it was at last quite by chance that
a medical man, who was passing through the
street, heard what had happened and volunteered
his services. This was quite providential, for it
144
ATTEMPT ON THE KAISER'S LIFE
is certain that, had the haemorrhage not been
stopped by him, the Emperor's hfe could not
have been saved. As it was, he had lost already
so much blood that for twenty-four hours we all
expected the worst. No member of his family was
in town. The Crown Prince, with his wife and
children, was in England, whither he had gone
for a long stay, with the intention of not return-
ing to Berlin until after the deliberations of the
Congress were over. Telegrams were, of course,
at once dispatched to him, as well as to the
Empress and the Grand Duchess of Baden, but
for over twenty-four hours the old Kaiser remained
absolutely alone. He soon recovered his presence
of mind, and on his own initiative ordered General
von Albedyll, the head of the INIilitary Cabinet, to
prepare an order conferring the Regency upon the
Crown Prince. But the Crown Prince was away,
and in the meanwhile, pending his return, every-
thing which occuiTcd added to the general confusion.
When we left the palace, about four o'clock
in the afternoon, we did so under the impression
that a very few hours would see the end. In the
evening we walked there once more. It was a
lovely summer night, and the park which we had
to cross looked its best. The streets were absolutely
packed with people, and one could hardly find one's
way through them. Not a carriage was to be seen
or heard, and this human barrier stopped at a point
called the Netherlands Palace, from the name of
its owner, Prince Frederick of the Netherlands.
It was situated next to the King's residence, and
145 L
MY RECOLLECTIONS
the vast space which extended from its gates to
the Opera House on the other side was absolutely
empty and deserted, kept so by the police in order
to ensure quiet to the wounded monarch. In front
of his windows the equestrian statue of Frederick
the Great, by Ranch, appeared almost weird in
the moonlight, the sole inhabitant of the deserted
square which we were all used to see lively with
people. The grief was general. Few persons had
hopes that the Emperor would recover, and all
began to turn their eyes towards the heir to
the throne, who, with his wife, was hurrying
back to what every one expected would be the
death-bed of his father. Speculations as to the
consequences which the change of reign involved
were very busy, and a general feeling of uneasi-
ness prevailed at the thought that it was taking
place under such grave circumstances, and at such
a critical period in European politics. At the
Russian Embassy consternation reigned supreme,
and wild telegrams were exchanged between
St. Petersburg and Berlin. The man in the street
was shaking his head, the army was undecided
as to what it had to expect or to hope from the
new ruler. In the palace, servants and attendants
were weeping; the night passed away, anxious,
laden with electricity, as such nights generally
are. In the morning we heard better reports, and
confidence began slowly to come back. If the
worst had not happened in the first twenty-four
hours, it could be hoped that it might yet be
averted. At ten o'clock in the morning the
146
THE CROWN PRINCE AS REGENT
Empress and her daughter, the Grand Duchess
of Baden, who had only left Berlin a few days
before the catastrophe, returned to the capital,
and were gi*eeted by a sympathetic and respectful
crowd. But the interest was not concentrated in
these two women ; it lay with the Prince, who
was awaited with impatience by all, and who was
coming back to the country as its Regent, previous,
as every one thought, to becoming its sovereign.
The Crown Prince and Princess had been on
a visit to the late Lord Salisbury at Hatfield
House, when the news reached them. They
started at once for Berlin, and on the very same
evening of his arrival, the Crown Prince assumed
the Regency which he was to exercise for six
months, but he found it no easy task, as he
soon saw, when the prospects of the Emperor's
recovery became more certain, that he would be
allowed very little authority beyond that of signing
State documents. He was not permitted to have
his say in questions of external politics, and upon
all others he found himself cramped by rules, pro-
cedures, and traditions which it was impossible for
him to break through. Those months, when he
exercised in appearance a power which in reality
he did not possess, must have been trying ones
for him, but profound respect for his father pre-
vented him from complaining.
It was amidst this general uncertainty that the
Congress opened its deliberations in Berlin on
June 13th, and, of course, it was watched with the
greatest interest by the whole of the civilised world.
147
MY RECOLLECTIONS
Tlie most prominent statesmen of the day arrived
in the German capital, and since the Congress of
Vienna such an assemblage of distinguished per-
sonages had never been seen anywhere. First and
foremost among them was the English Premier,
the Earl of Beaconsfield.
I had, of course, against Disraeli the prejudices
which 1 was bound to have as a Russian ; he
appeared to my eyes as the incarnation of every-
thing that was bad, evil, and destructive. I detested
him as a parvenu, and as the man who had
humiliated and defied my country. But when I
met him my prejudices melted away like snow in
the sunshine. A more fascinating personage than
the late Lord Beaconsfield has never existed.
When one met him, one understood at once his
successes, and the reason for them ; he had in
him that great charm which only people possessed
with great confidence in themselves can attain to.
He absolutely believed in his own power of doing
what he wanted, and at the time he wanted.
Lord Beaconsfield, as a man of the world, has had
no equal ; his conversation was a never-ending
source of delight to his listeners. He had a dry
way of saying the most funny things which it was
impossible to resist, and, knowing the world as he
did, he never committed the fault of saying the
wrong thing, or relating the wrong anecdote in
tlie wrong place. He had studied princes as well
as women, and was aware that they can swallow an
unlimited amount of flattery, if distributed with
the necessary tact. He liked to contradict people
148
BEACONSFIELD AT BERLIN
in order to give them the pleasure of thinking they
had converted him to their own point of view.
One day a lady, having reminded him of a dis-
cussion they had had together, added, ' 1 believe
still I was right.' 'JNIy dear lady,' rephed the
Earl, ' you could never be anything else.'
Lord Beaconsfield liked what were called 'Coiqjs
d'Etat.' I don't think he ever enjoyed anything so
much as when the thunderclap of his secret agree-
ments with Russia about Batoum, and with Turkey
about Cyprus, was made public. I remember him
well on that evening at a party of Countess
Karolyi's, the Austrian Ambassadress. People
were either indignant or furious, and every eye in
the room was directed towards the statesman who
had so completely hoodwinked everybody. He was
walking along very quietly, with his sphinx-like
countenance, and an eager, searching look upon his
face. I asked him what he was thinking of. ' I
am not thinking,' he replied ; ' I am enjoying my-
self. I hope you are doing the same ? ' he added
hastily, as if afraid he had said too much.
The brilliancy of Lord Beaconsfield naturally
threw his two colleagues somewhat in the shade.
Lord Salisbury had not yet risen to the great
position which became his later on. He went
about generally silent, a quick observer, and a most
charming, amiable man. His wife came to join him
later on for a few days, and it was then that began
between us the relations which afterwards brought
me several times to Hatfield House.
With Lord Beaconsfield, too, I struck up a
149
MY RECOLLECTIONS
friendship, which resulted later on in the exchange
of a few letters. He made me a curious prediction
as to my future, which, in part, has become true,
and one of his letters to me refers to this subject.
Count Andrassy was another prominent per-
sonage at the Congress. A brilliant apparition in
his Hungarian uniform, he arrived surrounded with
all the halo of a man who had become Prime
Minister of the sovereign by whom he had been
sentenced to death. There was much that was
dashing in him, but I do not think that he could
have been called a great statesman, though he
certainly was a great politician — greater, perhaps,
than Lord Beaconsfield himself, but without the
happy adaptability of the latter. He was mar-
vellous in getting over a momentary difficulty,
and in making use of momentary advantages.
I question whether he had that large glance which
sees across the advantages of the hour those of the
future. His eyesight was narrow, though his look-
out extended perhaps far ahead of that of those
with whom he had to deal.
Russia played a sorry part at the Congress.
Old Prince Gortchakoff had insisted upon attending
it, and his immense vanity, joined to the natural
weakness of a man far advanced in the eighties,
could not but place him at a disadvantage among
the clever men with whom he was surrounded.
His colleague, Count Schouwaloff, was smarting
under the sense of his failure in having correctly
judged of the attitude of the British Government.
He vaguely felt he had been ' roule^ to use a French
150
PRINCE GORTCHAKOFF
expression, and that his reward would be the in-
dignation of his whole country. A brilliant man,
he unfortunately made the mistake of thinking that
his bright wit would be sufficient to check the
ambitions of Lord Beaconsfield. He imagined
that by getting England to consent to the annexa-
tion of Batoum by Russia he had achieved a great
success, while in reahty he had only been check-
mated by the astute Hebrew with whom he had
had to deal. The knowledge of this, once he
had realised it, weighed upon his spirits, and pre-
vented him from being as active as he would have
shown himself in other circumstances ; he knew but
too well that everything he did would be regarded
with suspicion by his countrymen, and that he was
doomed to sink into obscurity as soon as the Con-
gress was over. The Turkish plenipotentiaries
were, of course, at a disadvantage. It must be
added that none of them, with the exception of
Mahmoud Pacha, had any idea of asserting them-
selves, and they arrived in Berlin resigned before-
hand to all that England would decide concerning
their fate. Italy was represented by Count Corti, an
amiable little man, with whom I also struck up a
great friendship, and remained in correspondence
to the time of his death. He entertained us at his
house at Constantinople, where he was appointed
Ambassador immediately after the Congress, and
pleasant are the recollections I have carried away
with me, from the hours spent under his hospitable
roof
The Congress lasted a month. However much
151
MY RECOLLECTIONS
it occupied people's minds outside of Berlin, I am
bound to confess that the death of the young
Queen of Spain, the first consort of Alfonso XI L»
interested German Society more than the con-
ferences on which the fate of the world depended.
To tell the truth, the results of the Congress had
been discounted from the day that the secret
agreements between Russia and England, and
England and Turkey, had been disclosed to the
world, and people were only eager to see the whole
farce end. Bismarck himself desired it, as he felt
he had, in spite of the Crown Prince's English
sympathies, a better chance of managing him than
the old Emperor. He feared the personal in-
fluence of Alexander II. over his uncle, as well
as the remembrances of the old associations
of his childhood and youth, which were always so
powerful with William I. Summer was advancing,
every one was anxious to leave the hot and close
atmosphere of Berlin for green fields and pastures
new, and the English plenipotentiaries were anxious
to return to London before Parliament rose for the
summer recess. Everything conspired to shorten
the deliberations of the Congress, and no one was
sorry when it actually came to an end. It had
been a humiliation all round, except for England,
and for the man who directed its policy.
A curious feature of the Congress was the
quantity of various and interesting people who
crowded to Berlin during its deliberations, to
begin with the Armenian Patriarch, and to end
with M. de Blowitz of Times fame.
152
M. DE BLOWITZ
This famous journalist was almost as con-
spicuous as Lord Beaconsfield himself. He
enjoyed his notoriety even more than did the
English statesman, and I think was firmly per-
suaded that he, and he alone, held the fate of
Europe in his hands. It was most amusing to
watch him, and observe the art with which he
contrived to be always there when something
important was discussed. No one liked him and
not a few feared him ; but though perfectly well
aware of the feelings he inspired, his only aim
being to obtain information, he walked along
serenely indifferent to insults or flatteries, with
one and one only end in view, that of keeping
his paper well informed as to what was going on.
It was a kaleidoscope, where nationalities, con-
victions, men, manners, ambitions, hopes, and
disappointments were crowded. Those who had
nothing to do with the subjects which were dis-
cussed in the old Radziwill Palace, came never-
theless to the Prussian capital, partly from curi-
osity, partly from the desire to be able to say
that they had been present at one of the most
remarkable events of the century. Though the
Congress did not dance, like its Viennese prede-
cessor, it contrived to amuse itself sufficiently
well. The only member of it who was ne\ er
seen anywhere was, of course. Prince Bismarck,
who on this memorable occasion, as on all others,
remained faithful to his principle of not showing
himself.
In the solitude of his room he was meditating
153
MY RECOLLECTIONS
on the consequences of the treaty that had been
elaborated under his sanction, but without his
approval. He already guessed that one of its con-
sequences would be the rupture of that alliance
between the three Emperors, from which so much
had been expected. He foresaw that the Eastern
question, instead of being settled, would be left
open for many years to come. But Bismarck
could not foresee, genius though he was, the com-
plications which a change of sovereigns, in Russia
as well as in Germany, might mean. He reck-
oned with events, as he said himself at that
time to one of his confidants, ' but it was im-
possible to reckon with actions of individuals.'
Thus ended the Berlin Congress, that time of
merry days and mournful memories. It had
been short-lived, full of events, over-rated as to
its consequences, and under-estimated as to its
value. It did not bring peace, but only rest to
the world, and it sowed the seeds of many future
animosities, and many misunderstandings. Every
one breathed more freely when it was over, and
Berlin settled once more to its summer quietude.
In the meanwhile, the old Emperor was gra-
dually getting well, and the Crown Prince strug-
gling with the intricacies of an impossible position,
out of which he was to come with diminished
authority and impaired prestige.
154
CHAPTER IX.
The King's Recovery — Marriage of Prince Henry of the
Netherlands — The Difficult Position of the Regent —
Emperor William'' s Retui-n to Bei'lin — Enthusiasm at
the Opera — The Crozcn Prince and Anti-Socicdist Legis-
lation — Herr Rebel — Death of the Princess Alice and of
Prince Waldemar — The White Lady — The Emperofs
Golden Wedding.
«
The treaty signed, and peace once more re-
stored to the world, people began to settle down
again to their usual life. The Crown Prince and
Princess remained at Potsdam, and in August the
Emperor was pronounced to be sufficiently well
to go to Tephtz, in Bohemia, to undergo a cure
after his illness. He had made a wonderful re-
covery, and all danger that the grave illness he
had gone through, would leave standing traces on
his health had gone by. The Empress remained
with him the greater part of the summer, but it
was very much commented upon, that she refused
to appear before the pubhc in her official capacity,
so long as her son was at the head of the affiiirs
of State, never even receiving the members of the
Congress. The Regent, on his part, was not lavish
in his hospitality, for beyond an official dinner,
which was given by him in the King's name, to
the different delegates, he abstained from any
social demonstrations, and lived in great retirement.
155
MY RECOLLECTIONS
In August the eldest daughter of Prince and
Princess Frederick Charles, the Princess Marie,
was man-ied at Potsdam to the brother of the King
of the Netherlands, Prince Henry. He was some
forty years older than his bride, and it was well
known that it was only his great position and im-
mense riches, which had decided the Princess to
marry him. One may, therefore, imagine the
embarrassment of the guests at the wedding cere-
mony, when the clergyman who performed it re-
commended to the bride, in his sermon, to have a
good heart, and to try and fulfil her duties, no
matter how difficult she might find them. If she
found them hard, the trial did not last long ; for less
than six months after his marriage Prince Henry
died, leaving his widow one of the richest princesses
in Europe. She married again, a few years later.
Prince Albert of Saxe-Altenburg, and died in
childbirth not long afterwards.
As summer went on, one began to wonder
what would be the position of the Crown Prince
when the Emperor once more took up the reins
of government. No one thought for a moment
that he would be excluded from affairs of the
State, as had been the case until then. Various
rumours circulated, and it was even said that
a special post of Lieutenant of the Emperor
would be created for his heir. Prince Bismarck,
however, when questioned on the subject, replied
that he did not see the reason why a new office
should be created, and that the Emperor having
ruled wisely in the past, would probably do the
156
\
THE CROWN PRINCE'S POSITION
same in the future. The Crown Prince himself
had no wish to be treated as the fifth wheel of
a coach, and frankly owned he would rather have
no authority at aU, than only its semblance. I
don't think that the Princess quite agreed with
him. She was full of ambitions, and the sorrows
which later overshadowed her life, and which, had
she known it, were at the very time I am writing
of, hovering over her head, had not yet struck
her. She had all the impatience of youth, and
had not learned the bitter lesson of patience,
acquired through grief and trial. She still hoped,
and she did not yet fear. Life, in spite of its
usual vicissitudes, had remained for her, in certain
things, an unread book. When, at last, she had
to take it up in her hands, and study its pages,
the lesson, though learned with the heroism she
showed in all the crises of her existence, was the
more bitter that it was so little expected.
It was early in December when the Emperor
returned to Berlin. The whole town put on its
holiday array, and great were the preparations and
ovations with which he was greeted. We went
quite early in the morning to the palace of old
Count Redern, on the Pariser Platz, from which
an excellent view was obtained of the Brandenburg
Gate, through which the sovereign had to pass.
The streets were hned with troops, and extra-
ordinary precautions had been taken to ensure
the old monarch's safety. A compact crowd filled
the streets, of course, and, when the Royal carriage
appeared, great and many were the manifestations
157
MY RECOLLECTIONS
of joy of the people. There was, however, a certain
restraint observable, which spoiled the character
and spontaneity of the reception, and which was
due to the want of tact of the police authorities.
They were so terrified lest there should be another
attack on the Emperor, that it was sufficient for a
person to wave a pocket-handkerchief, to excite
suspicion.
The same evening, however, witnessed a very
different scene. Quite by chance, for no one
thought the King would venture into a theatre
on that first night of his return, we happened to
be at the Opera. The performance had hardly
begun, when the doors of the small box in which
the Royal family used to sit on ordinary occasions
opened, and the King himself entered, and quietly
advanced to his usual seat. With one spontaneous
movement the whole house rose to its feet, and a
manifestation, the like of which I am sure I shall
never witness again, took place. The crowd simply
yelled, without stopping, for something like a
quarter of an hour ; women frantically waved
their handkerchiefs, their shawls, everything they
could find or lay their hands upon. Men threw
their hats and their caps in the air ; one wild
acclamation filled the whole of the building. The
Emperor came to the front of the box, and for a
few moments stood quite still, looking at the excited
mass of humanity acclaiming him. He made a
sign with his hand as if he wished to speak ; but
the shouts became louder and louder, until at last,
as if unable to bear it any longer, he withdrew to
158
CRUSADE AGAINST SOCIALISM
the back of the box ; but as he did so, one could
see his hand with its white glove pass over his
cheek, as if he wiped away a tear.
The next day appeared in all the papers a
letter of thanks addressed to the Crown Prince
for the exemplary way he had fulfilled the oner-
ous duties of Regent. Nothing more ; not the
slightest allusion to the possibility of a less de-
pendent position being granted to the man who,
for six eventful months, had borne the burden of
the State amidst all kind of difficulties — difficulties
of which the new situation created for the Socialist
party by the measures taken against it was not the
least.
It was after the first attempt against the life
of William I. that Prince Bismarck had presented
to the Imperial Parliament a Bill restricting the
activity of the Socialist party, and putting a stop
to the propagation of its principles. It had been
rejected by the Assembly, much to his dissatisfac-
tion, principally on account of the opposition of the
Catholic party. When the Emperor was wounded,
the first thing Bismarck submitted to the Regent
was the necessity of dissolving the Reichstag, and
proceeding to new elections. The plan did not appeal
to the Prince ; he did not like the idea of trading (so
to say) on the personal affection his father inspired
in his subjects, in order to win from their indigna-
tion measures which he knew were repugnant
to their feelings. But when he suggested some-
thing like that to the Chancellor, he was met
with allusions to the deplorable impression which
159
MY RECOLLECTIONS
would be produced abroad, if he did not take every
possible measure to avenge his father. Placed
thus, between his duty, or what he was told was
his duty, and his sense of right and wrong, the
Prince had no resource but to submit to the iron
hand which ruled him as much as it did Prussia.
The Reichstag was dissolved, and the new elec-
tions took place under the influence produced by
the horror inspired by the odious attempt of
June 2nd. They showed a considerable decrease of
Socialist votes, but, as the leaders of the party
were returned, the fierceness of the debates which
accompanied the introduction of the Bill was not
diminished, and it was, on the contrary, fought with
a ferocity which was the more earnest because it
knew itself to be powerless.
During the three days which were occupied with
the deliberations of the different clauses of the new
law, which was to weigh so heavily on the Socialist
party afterwards, I never left the tribune from
which ladies were allowed to hear the debates.
These were feverishly listened to, by all those who
could get access to the House. They were opened
by the Chancellor himself, who spoke for over an
hour, and to whom Rebel (the great Socialist
leader) replied in a speech which deserved to go
down to posterity as an example of eloquence.
Never were such impassioned accents heard with-
in the walls of the old building. Every one felt
moved by the strange persuasiveness with which this
remarkable man appealed to the sense of justice and
humanity of the whole German nation, adjuring it
160
HERR BE15EL
not to make outcasts of thousands of its children.
In hstening to those savage accents one seemed
to hear made vocal the writing on the wall which,
amidst the splendours of the Persian King's supper,
appeared to remind him that ' for all these
things he would be brought into judgment.' It
is impossible not to be moved by an argument
when it comes from the lips of Rebel : he speaks
of poverty, of misery, of vice, as a man who
has known and suffered from these things ; he
knows how to excite his listeners' pity, not for
imaginary facts, but for painful and sad truths ; he
knows how to make them touch with their finger
all the evils of which he speaks to them. On the
particular occasion to which I refer, he surpassed
himself; but his efforts were doomed before
they were made, and the obnoxious Bill passed,
though with a smaller majority than Bismarck had
counted upon. It was curious to watch the House
as each deputy was called by name, by the President,
in order to reckon his vote. As the words ' Yes '
or ' No ' fell from each member's lips, remarks were
made, often so loud as to drown the voice of the
next speaker.
The Catholics, for once, did not vote on strict
party lines, Windthorst having wisely allowed them
to use their personal convictions in this matter.
Some of them abstained from recording their votes ;
others, like Count Chamare, the brother-in-law of
Count Deym, late Austrian Ambassador at the
Court of St. James, bravely opposed the measure,
to the great scandal of the Royal family, with whom
161 M
MY RECOLLECTIONS
his wife was a great favourite. The Emperor,
when told of this, was so disgusted that he struck
off the Count and Countess's names from the Ust
of those admitted to Court, which of course did
not encourage others to follow their example.
The law passed, however, as I have already said,
and I do not know whether the person who was the
most sorry for it was not the Crown Prince, who
certainly, had he been sole master, would never
have granted his assent to a measure of the kind.
I have said that sorrow was hovering around
the Crown Princess. Just as she was trying to get
over her disappointment about the unfair way in
which she considered her husband had been treated,
she heard, to her dismay, of her sister's, the Grand
Duchess of Hesse's, illness. A few days passed,
and with them the fair, useful life of the Princess
Alice. For a moment the Crown Princess remained
stunned by the blow. It was the most bitter grief
she had yet experienced ; in her sister she lost not
only the companion, the friend of her young days,
but also the guide, the master to whom she used to
turn in every difficulty of her life, and whose calm,
clear judgment, by its contrast to the elder sister's
impetuosity, helped her often to surmount the
disappointments she felt, with an acuteness they
did not always deserve. With the Grand
Duchess of Hesse were buried not only the happy
hours of the future German Empress, but also
much that was tender in her nature, and a great
deal of what was useful. All her interest in various
pursuits which she had shared with the dear com-
162
THE SHADOW FEARED OF MAN
panion that been taken away from her was gone ;
her life was completely changed on that fatal 14th
of December, and the wound then inflicted was
never cured, nor even healed.
The blow, as is so often the case, was not to be
an isolated one. In March the Crown Prince and
Princess went to Windsor, to be present at the
Duke of Connaught s marriage with Princess JNIar-
garet of Prussia, returning to Berlin for the
Emperor's birthday on the 22nd of March. A
State concert was given, as usual, on that day at
the castle, at which concert I saw the Princess for
the first time since her return from England. She
seemed very unhappy still, and her beautiful eyes
were beginning to have that hunted look, which
hardly left them afterwards. But she tried to be
cheerful, and spoke of her brother's wedding, and
the pleasure it had been to her to be able to be
present at it. Three days later we were startled
to hear that young Prince Waldemar, the youngest
son of the heir to the throne, had died suddenly
from diphtheria, after only a few hours' illness. It
is needless to say that all our sympathies went
out to the bereaved father and mother. The
latter was absolutely broken-hearted. Those two
sorrows, coming as they did, one on the top of
the other, would have been sufficient to crush any
woman. They did something more than crush the
unfortunate Crown Princess ; they killed her — with
that kind of death to which the Empress Elizabeth
of Austria referred when she said, ' There is in
every human life a moment when one inwardly
163
MY RECOLLECTIONS
dies.' The Crown Princess was never the same after
that winter, which transformed her into a Mater
Dolorosa, and that childhke capacity for enjoyment,
which had constituted one of her principal charms,
left her, never to return.
This death of Prince Waldemar reminds me of
a curious incident which was widely commented
upon in Berlin at the time it occurred. It must
be known to my readers that a certain White Lady
is supposed to haunt the halls of the old castle in
Berlin, and to appear whenever there is going to
be a death in the family of the HohenzoUerns. A
few days before the demise of Prince Waldemar,
before, in fact, he was taken ill, a gentleman I knew
very well, Count Kleist, the brother of the Princess
Pless, asked me, at an entertainment of some kind
where we met, whether I had heard that the White
Lady had been seen in the castle. We both
laughed a little over the superstition, but the next
day the rumour had gone round the whole of
society, and the unexpected end of the young
Prince lent it a rather uncanny significance. It is
the only time I have heard of a ghost, whose
mission in life is to announce a death in a family,
appearing, or being reported to have appeared, be-
fore the fact actually took place, and at a time when
it could not be suspected of being about to occur.
The Crown Princess left BerHn almost imme-
diately after her son's funeral. She was not allowed,
however, to mourn him for a long time, as the cele-
bration of the Emperor's golden wedding recalled
her to the capital early in the following June.
164
THE KAISER'S GOLDEN WEDDING
I think that all the Royalties which Germany
could boast of, found themselves in Berlin for this
important anniversary in its first Emperor's life.
He rather dreaded the associations connected with
it, but the Empress Augusta could not dissimulate
her joy, and made, as well as caused to be made,
the most elaborate preparations for the great
event. Her dress was a marvel of elegance, all
of cloth of gold, embroidered with diamonds, and
she covered her head with a gold-spangled veil,
which curiously, and it must be added most inhar-
moniously, contrasted with the tint of her wig.
She was already beginning at that time to suffer
from the illness which at last confined her, an
incurable cripple, to her chair ; but she called into
requisition all the energy of her nature to stand up
and show herself a real Queen, surrounded with
all the pomp and attributes of royalty, and when
she appeared in the old chapel of the castle, led by her
consort, she looked wonderfully young for her age.
The ceremony lasted a long time — too long
both for the actors in it with their eighty years, and
for the assistants, who were, of course, denied the
luxury of seats. I remember that, hearing suddenly
an exclamation of impatience, I turned round, and
to my intense surprise saw Prince Bismarck
standing behind me. He smiled on noticing my
astonishment, and made an excuse of some sort for
his impatience, upon which we started a conversa-
tion, which, I am sorry to say, lasted the whole
time of the sermon, and, I believe, scandalised all
our neighbours.
165
MY RECOLLECTIONS
It was during the festivities which followed
upon the celebration of this golden wedding that
the Court of Prussia was surprised by the applica-
tion of the new rules of precedence which had been
elaborated by the Empress and the Chief Master of
Ceremonies, Count Stillfried. They produced a
perfect revolution, especially among the junior
members of princely families, who found themselves
excluded from some of the honours awarded to the
heads of their houses. In reality, there was nothing
offensive in these new rules, which were very
sensible on some points, but people would not look
upon the fact in that simple way, and I remember
my husband's indignation when he found we were
only invited to the White Hall of the castle, and
not to the chapel, on the day of the golden wedding.
He sent back our invitation, to my intense disgust,
for I had had a new gown made for the occasion^
and did not care in the least where I wore it, pro-
vided I was given the opportunity to put it on my
back. Besides, I thought it terribly unkind towards
the old Emperor, who had always been so good to
us. However, he set the matter straight himself
when he heard of this tempest in a glass of water,
and gave orders that we were to be asked to the
chapel, orders which procured an airing to my new
frock, and the advantage of a conversation with
Prince Bismarck to myself.
166
CHAPTER X.
The Growing Unpopularity of the Czar — His Treatment of
the Empress — A Reign of Terror in St. Peterslnirg —
Death of the Empress — The Emperor Marries the
Princess Dolgorouki — Assassination of Alcjcander II. —
The Scene at the Death-bed — Alexander III. — Count
Ignatiev — / go to Constantinople.
Nobiijng's crime was the first one of a series of
acts of the same kind which were attempted in
a few months against the different crowned heads
of Europe. In Russia these attempts succeeded
each other ahnost without breathing - time, and
proved to be of a more daring and desperate
character than anywhere else. The Emperor was
first fired at one morning, whilst taking his con-
stitutional walk, by a young man called SolowiefF,
who very quickly paid with his life for the audacity
or fanaticism that had armed his hand. AVhen
the news became known, every thinking man in
Russia felt convinced that the crime would be
repeated sooner or later, and sooner than later.
The country was in a state of fermentation ever
since the war, which, instead of smouldering down,
was growing day by day. The unpopularity of the
Emperor was steadily increasing among all classes,
even among those who up till then had been tlie
staunchest supporters of the throne. The use-
lessness of a war that had drained all the material
167
MY RECOLLECTIONS
resources of the iication, and saddled it with a burden
of debt and disappointment, was made a reproach
to the Emperor, who it was said, had not had the
courage to make a stand against it, when it had
been in his power, nor yet the energy, once it was
begun, to bring it to a satisfactory conclusion.
The Congress of Berlin was generally considered
as a national disgrace, and the two great parties
which at that time divided Russia, the Panslavists
and the Nihilists, vied with each other in their
denunciations of the unhappy sovereign. The
popularity of the earlier days of his reign had
vanished, never to return ; Alexander II. was
paying the penalty of having attempted to do
too much, and to do it too quickly. His was
essentially a resentful nature. He could not bring
himself to forgive his subjects for not under-
standing his good intentions towards them, and
as the misunderstanding between the people and
their ruler grew deeper and deeper, he became
more sullen, more unforgiving. His days were
one constant fear; fear of assassination, of revo-
lution ; fear of his surroundings, of his family, of
everything, and every one with whom he had to
deal. His home life also was not a happy one.
His children could not forgive him for his con-
nection with the Princess Dolgorouki, later Prin-
cess Youriewski. His wife, after having endured
with exemplary patience, his neglect and numerous
infidelities, had come to regard him as a stranger,
and relations between them were, if not exactly
hostile, at least cool. She never complained, but
168
THE PRINCESS DOLGOROUKI
made her very delicate health a pretext for living
a more and more retired life. She affected absolute
ignorance of her husband's goings on, and even
when the Princess Dolgorouki was given rooms
at the AVinter Palace, over those of the Empress,
who could hear the children of her rival run and
play above her head, she never betrayed by a sign
or a word, that she was aware of what was taking
place.
Society was not so indulgent ; the Emperor
soon came to be shunned by its leaders, and looked
upon as a confirmed sinner by the devotes, of whom
St. Petersburg counts so many. The Government
of the country was drifting for want of a strong
hand to hold it in check, and different ambitions
began to pull the nation as well as society in many
conflicting directions.
The public began to look towards the heir to
the throne, whose popularity increased as his father's
was waning. The Grand Duchess Dagmar, his
wife, had been a favourite in Russian society almost
from the first day she had entered it. Her lovely
eyes and sweet smile, had done more than anything
else to reconcile Russia to many otherwise objection-
able things. Her husband, too, had made him-
self popular during those dark days of the war,
when he showed himself so true to his duty, and
so careful for his soldiers' comforts and welfare. I
really believe, and I am not the only one that
does so, that had a kind Providence removed
Alexander II., on the morrow of the war, Niliilism
would never have spread in the way it did, or at
169
MY RECOLLECTIONS
least would not have been sympathised with by
so many people. It proceeded more from dislike
of a particular sovereign, than from hatred of the
monarchical system.
SolowiefTs attempt was followed in quick suc-
cession by the blowing up of an Imperial train
near ^loscow, and by the famous explosion in
the Winter Palace, by which the whole of the
Imperial family might have lost their lives, but
for the lucky accident of Prince Alexander of
Hesse having been late for dinner. Assassinations
of private individuals, such as that of General
Mezentsoff, the head of the secret police, only
added to the general consternation, one may
almost call it panic, which seized the whole of
society, in Russia, during these eventful years of
1879-1881. I remember having arrived in St.
Petersburg on one of my yearly visits to my father
in autumn, 1879, just after the murder of General
Mezentsoff; indignation, though very general, had
no shade of astonishment in it, and every one
seemed agreed that the event could never have
happened had the sovereign been more popular.
People looked upon every Nihilist crime as a
consequence of the false comprehension Alex-
ander II. had of his duties and responsibilities.
The fact is that the unfortunate Emperor had
survived himself. People were weary of him ; his
reign had begun in such a burst of enthusiasm, had
been hailed with such hopes, that it was bound to
become a burden to all those who had prophesied that
it would be one of the greatest in Russian history.
170
UNPOPULARITY OF THE CZAR
From the moment people realised that their desire.s
could never be fulfilled, the Emperor was doomed.
He had, sooner or later, to fall a victim to the
hopes he had raised, without understanding whither
his reforms Avere going to lead the Russian people.
His attempt to bring his country to a level with
the other European ones, was bound to end in
disaster, for at heart he had never intended to grant
to his people the liberties which are the privileges
of nations constitutionally governed. He had
wished to impress the world with his Liberal
opinions and ideas. It Was a hopeless attempt ;.
because at heart he was not a Liberal, but only
had wished to appear as such, whilst in reality
governing with an absolutism beside which hm
father's, tempered as it always had been by a vast
intelligence, was but child's play. The difference
between the two men lay in the fact that Nicholas I.
was by nature a clever man, whilst his son was only
giA'en the appearance of being such, by a very clever
education.
I remember very well those autumn weeks in
St. Petersburg, in that year, so eventful in the
history of the country. Between the wounds
caused by the war, which were still bleeding, and
the fear of what the future held in store, a general
uneasiness prevailed. A system of terror reigned ;
squadrons of Cossacks went about patrolling the
streets of the town, and though conversations were
very guarded, yet the impression was there that a
change of some kind was necessary, in order to
avoid still greater catastrophes than those already
171
MY RECOLLECTIONS
€xperienced. One felt the reign had been a failure,
yet one did not dare to say so, and, at heart, the
general public was wishing and hoping for some
solution of the difficulties of the general situation,
the best of which appeared to be a change of
sovereign. My father, who was always ready to
relate anecdotes of his past life at the side of
Nicholas L, told me at that time, a curious story
about a prediction made by that monarch a few
days before his death, when he already knew that
his hours were numbered. It was to the effect that
his son, should he launch into the reforms he pro-
jected, would not die in his bed, but perish under
the knife or ball of an assassin. The event proved
how well that Emperor understood his country and
his people.
In 1880, at the end of June, the Empress Marie
Alexandrowna died, almost suddenly, but after an
illness which had extended over a series of years.
The last time she had appeared in public had been
at the celebration of the jubilee of twenty-five years'
reign of her husband, and then it had only been for
a few minutes. Six weeks after she had passed
away, the Emperor married his former mistress, the
Princess Catherine Dolgorouki, to whom was
awarded the title of Princess Youriewski, and
Serene Highness. Her children also became
Serene Highnesses, and very soon after the union
rumours went round that the new consort of the
sovereign was going to be publicly recognised as
such, and crowned solemnly at Moscow. Whether
this rumour, which I believe was well founded,
172
COUNT LORIS MELIKOFF
would have become an accomplished fact or not, I
cannot, of course, tell, but it is certain that if it
did not lead to the catastrophe of March 13th, it
mitigated a good deal of the horror which followed
upon its execution.
The Princess Youriewski, whose marriage was
accompanied by the curious circumstance that the
Emperor, who generally wore uniform, elected
to be dressed in plain evening clothes for the
celebration of it, was credited with Liberal ideas
and with a determination to endow Russia with a
Constitution. She was a great friend of Count
Loris INIelikoff, who at that time was, in virtue of
the special powers granted to him, a veritable
dictator. Count Loris was an Armenian, endowed
with all the cunning and astuteness of his
race ; and it is certain that the granting of a
Constitution had been decided upon by the
Emperor, his wife, and Count Loris. The docu-
ment was prepared and signed, and was to be made
public on the declaration of the sovereign's marriage.
In the Imperial family consternation reigned
supreme, the more so that the heir to the throne
and his wife were in a sort of disgrace owing to the
attitude they had adopted towards their father's
wife. Three days before the Emperor's murder he
had summoned his daughter-in-law to his presence,
and bitterly reproached her for a sledge drive she
had taken in company with a man who was destined
to become in time the most powerful personage in
Russia, General Tcherewine, then under-secretary
for home affairs. He had always been among
173
MY RECOLLECTIONS
the intimate friends of the Grand Duke and his
wife, and the Emperor's angei' was absolutely un-
justifiable. But he chose to be disagreeable
towards his children, and to humiliate them in
€very possible way. His remarks to the Grand
Duchess were as offensive as they could well be,
and those he made to the General so very personal
and abusive that the latter determined to resign
his post at once. He had already wi'itten his
request to be allowed to return to private life,
when the bomb of RyssakofF put an end to a
situation which, at least in regard to the relations
between Alexander II. and his children, had become
almost unbearable.
On that eventful day, which was to see the
change of reign, the Emperor had been warned
not to leave the palace. Count Loris had told
the Princess Youriewski that he could not answer
for her husband's life if he went out, and had
begged her to use her influence in order to per-
suade him to give up the review, which took place,
as a rule, every Sunday. AYhether the Princess
had done so or not, remains a mystery to this day.
It is probable she did what she was told, and was
not heard or listened to. The Emperor appeared
as usual at the review, and, though, it was noticed,
he look grave and preoccupied, yet he went
through the usual routine without flinching. The
review over, he lunched with his cousin, the
Grand Duchess Catherine, staying with her until
about three o'clock. The road back to the AYinter
Palace led by a narrow canal, which at that hour
174
ASSASSINATION OF THE CZAR
of the day was almost deserted. The Emperor
was alone in his carriage, accompanied as usual
by an escort of Cossacks. The first bomb that
was thrown shattered the carriage, and killed a
Cossack. Alexander II., in spite of his coachman's
entreaties, insisted upon getting out and seeing
to the wounded man. RyssakofF, in the mean-
time, had been seized by some policemen that
the noise had brought up, and was led before the
Emperor, who at that moment was replying to the
anxious question of one of the Cossacks as to
whether he was hurt, by the words, ' No, thanks
be given to God,' which, Ryssakoff hearing, re-
plied to with the remark, ' It is too early yet to
thank God.'
At this very instant INIlle. Perowskaya was
giving with her handkerchief a signal to another
conspirator, who had been waiting with his bomb,
in case the first one failed to accomplish its
object. Before the few people who surrounded the
sovereign had had time to turn round, and gather
together their scattered wits, another tremendous
explosion took place, and, when the smoke had
dissipated itself, the horrified spectators saw
Alexander II. on the ground, his cap blown away,
and his two legs shattered into a thousand frag-
ments. With the greatest difficulty they hfted
him up, and placed him in the first sledge that
could be found, that of a police official. The
Grand Duke Michael, who had arrived upon the
scene at this juncture, could just understand his
brother's words, ' Take me back to the palace ;
175
MY RECOLLECTIONS
I wish to die there.' An officer of the Chevahers
Gardes, Count HendrikofF, who was passing at
that moment in the street, helped to settle the
dying monarch in the uncomfortable conveyance^
which was the only one at hand, and put his
own cap upon the Emperor's head. The gloomy
cortege was driven back to the Winter Palace^
and a long trail of blood marked its passage.
Enduring probably agonies, the ruler of eighty
millions of people was carried to his bed. No
doctor could be found, and by the time medical
aid was forthcoming, the unfortunate sovereign
had passed into a stage where nothing could be
done. A few short minutes saw the end.
Whilst his father was being butchered in the
streets of his capital, the heir to the throne and his
wife had lunched as usual with their children, and
immediate entourage. The first explosion, which
was rather faintly heard, did not excite any un-
easiness in their minds. As the Empress INIarie
Feodorowna told me herself, they thought it w^as
one of the usual guns which are so often fired
from the fortress whenever there is any reason to
fear the waters of the Newa are rising. The
second explosion, however, startled them ; and not
many minutes elapsed before an officer, riding for
dear life, appeared in a cab, and rushing, almost
without being announced, into the presence of the
Grand Duke, told him what had happened. With-
out waiting for their own carriage to be got ready,
Alexander III. and his wife jumped into the vehicle
which had brought the officer, and without being
176
ST. PETERSBURG AFTER THE CRIME
recognised by the crowd, who had akeady begun
to fill the streets, were driven to the AVinter
Palace. When they entered it, all was nearly
over.
I have a letter from my father, who was there,
graphically describing the sight the palace presented ;
the despair, and, at the same time, the visible satis-
faction which some people could not conceal at
the turn events had taken. The Imperial family
gradually assembled by the bedside of their head.
As the Grand Duchess Wladimir told a friend,
there was nothing to be seen on it but a red mass,
from which a few faint groans were heard to
issue. The Princess Youriewski was tearing her
hair, and giving way to the utmost despair. Count
Loris, gloomy and silent, was probably thinking
of the disgrace which he knew but too well was
hovering over his head. On the vast square in
front of the palace the crowd was growing thicker
and thicker, in an attitude which was a mixture
of consternation and horror, with an under- current
of threat. In the different baiTacks troops were
gathered together, and at half-past five had already
taken the oath to the new sovereign, whilst in the
corridors and halls, leading to Alexander II.'s
apartments, all his military and civil household had
assembled, in expectation of the end. At four
o'clock the doors of the dead Emperor's bedroom
were opened, and his successor came out with the
young Empress leaning on his arm. A loud cheer
greeted him, to which he imposed silence with an
authoritative wave of the liand, and slowly, with
177 N
MY RECOLLECTIONS
his handkerchief over his eyes, he proceeded to
the private chapel, where a short service was cele-
brated ; then, amidst a respectful, and this time
silent, crowd, he, who was now Alexander III.,
drove back, without an escort, in an open sledge
to his own palace.
The next morning saw the oath administered
to the household, and an innumerable crowd. Of
the events that followed, it is not in the limits
of this book to speak. Very shortly after the
accession of the new Emperor, he promulgated the
famous manifesto in which he affirmed solemnly
his attachment to the principles of autocracy. This
was followed by the resignation of Count Loris
and two of his colleagues, and the Emperor, acting
under the advice of his former tutor, M. Pobedo-
nostseff, Procurator of the Holy Synod, called
Count Ignatiev to the difficult post of Minister
of the Interior. This appointment was received
with a shout of exasperation by Europe, who took
it as an act of defiance, and as a sign that the new
sovereign was determined upon a warlike policy
in the East, as well as with consternation by a cer-
tain section of society in Russia. To the intense
surprise, however, of those who had imagined that
Count Ignatiev would inaugurate a system of severe
autocratic government, he was, on the contrary, the
first to propose measures so liberal that, in con-
sequence of them, he was dismissed from office.
In the summer of the year 1880 my eldest son
was born, and, at the same time, my husband's
178
VENICE AND CORFU
health became indifferent, so that at last the
doctors advised him to try a long journey to the
East in order to recover his strength. After hav-
ing left our children with my grandmother we
started for Venice, where we spent some time in
August, 1881. It was my first ghmpse of Italy,
and of course I fell instantly under the charm Uiis
marvellous country never fails to exercise over all
lovers of nature and art. From Venice we went to
Corfu. At that time the palace of the Empress
of Austria was only in course of construction, but
it was easy to understand the fascination which
these shores exercised over the romantic mind of
Elizabeth of Bavaria. There is something in the
shade of the sky, the blue of the waters, the
colours of the trees, shrubs, and vegetation which
suggests such absolute repose, such calm, such
peace, that it is not difficult to imagine it must
appeal to every troubled, anxious, or restless soul.
Had I my wish I should also like to have a villa
at Corfu, if only to be able to spend a few days
every year in that earthly paradise.
From Corfu we went to Constantinople, reach-
ing the Dardanelles on the very night on which began
the Ramazan. As our ship had stopped waiting for
its patent of health to be vise and signed, the first
gun was fired which announced that the hour for
breaking the fast had struck. At the some moment
the hills became ablaze with a hundred fires, and
the slow, singing voice of the muezzin was heard
calling from the minarets of the mosques the
faithful to prayer. It was the first time these
179
MY RECOLLECTIONS
accents 1 was to hear so often later on, resounded
to my ears, and even now I feel their charm as
potently as I did on that summer evening. The
air was soft with that peculiar softness unknown
anywhere else ; the sky was full of stars, and the
moon was spreading its rays over the weird scene.
It was one of those perfect moments in life which
remain engraved in letters of fire on the mind and
in the head, as well as in the heart, and which
mark a lull in all the strifes and agitations of
existence.
The next morning the splendours of Constanti-
nople burst upon our eyes, as the town slowly rose
under the varied lights and shadows of the rising
sun ; and nothing in the world exceeds the beauty
of this spectacle.
As our ship anchored we were met by Count
Corti, our old friend of the Congress, who, after a
short rest at the Hotel d'Angleterre, the famous
Missiri, so well known to all travellers, took us up
to his house on the Bosphorus, at Therapia, where
I spent three of what to me certainly were
among the happiest weeks in my life.
180
CHAPTER XI.
Stay at Constantinople — Different Sights — Life on the Bos-
phorns — Lo7'd and Lady Dufferin — The Corps Diplo-
matique — Osman and MuJchtar Pacha — Departure for
Russia.
I DO not know what Constantinople is to-day.
In 1881 life on the banks of the Eosphorus was
certainly most amusing. All the embassies were
scattered for the summer at Therapia or Buyukdere,
and a constant interchange of visits between the
different members of the diplomatic corps made
time pass very pleasantly. The Italian Embassy,
as I have said already, was at Therapia, and we
were given lovely rooms with a terrace opening
on to a garden.
The very day we landed at Constantinople I
was taken to the harem of some Turkish official,
and met there for the first time Lady Dufferin,
then quite young and lovely. It was a curious
meeting, for we had never seen each other before,
and as there was no one to introduce us to each
other we had to make the best of it alone. She also
had only just arrived at Constantinople, so it was
a new experience for us both, and I think we were
both wondering how we should get away from our
hostesses, for it is no easy thing to escape from a
181
MY RECOLLECTIONS
Turkish harem when once one is in it. The good
ladies expect a visit to last a whole day, not to
speak of an afternoon.
Of course, we did all the sights of the Bosphorus,
went to the sweet waters of Asia and Europe,
rambled in the Bazaar — more wonderful at that
time than it is now, and not quite so much invaded
with Cook's tourists and Manchester goods ; we
rode in the forest of Belgrade, were rowed by moon-
light in a caique on the Bosphorus, and inspected
the old walls and the remains of the famous castle
of the Seven Towers. In the evening we either
dined out, or went to a dance or entertainment
of some kind, or else Count Corti had friends
to dine with him at the Embassy. It was an
amusing, an interesting life, and at the same time
not an idle life by any means, for, besides the
wonderful sights one saw every day, nothing could
be more interesting than to watch politics in
Turkey during the years which followed upon
the war.
Of course, we went to see St. Sophia. Also,
of course, we were taken to see the famous
Treasury, where all the jewels of the Sultan are
kept. We went there with the DufFerins, and
in consequence were received with all honours,
and accorded facilities which we probably would
never have obtained had we been sight-seeing on
our own account. It was a most curious expe-
dition : an aide-de-camp of the Sultan received us,
and at the doors of the old Seraglio a whole
regiment of most horrible white eunuchs was
182
THE SULTAN'S TREASURES
waiting for us. They first took us to the Trea-
sury, where we examined a curious collection of
costumes belonging to all the dead and gone
Sultans ; the display of precious stones on them
was something quite marvellous. I remember in
particular one dagger of which the handle was
composed of one single emerald. It really looked
almost like a bit of glass, so huge it was. Then
there was a throne all inlaid with turquoises and
rubies, and I have already forgotten how many
wonderful things.
I tried to start a conversation with the aide-de-
camp who was piloting us, and after much
trouble and the exhaustion of every language I
knew, I found out at last that he understood
Russian, and that he was a Tartar of Kazan, who,
during the war, had deserted the Russian ranks to
join his brethren in religion. Considering that my
own property was in that part of the world, it was a
most curious thing to meet him. He did not
speak much Russian, and the little he did was not
sufficient to make him understand the meaning of
the words he used, and so, to my intense amuse-
ment, when we said good-bye, he turned gravely
to me and said, ' Ya was nikodga ne zahudu^
which means ' I shall never forget you.' Con-
sidering he was a INIoslem, who are supposed
never to make a compliment to a woman, this ex-
pression of feeling amused my husband and myself
exceedingly.
One of the sights of Constantinople was, of
course, the weekly ride of the Sultan to the
183
MY RECOLLECTIONS
mosque to perform his devotions. Formerly a
different place of worship was chosen every week,
but Abdul Hamid, always afraid for his safety, only
went to the little mosque of Bechiktasch, close to
the Imperial Kiosk of Yildiz, where he lived.
Opposite to it is a kind of guard-room, on the
steps of which strangers are put to look upon the
cortege. We were told to arrive early, but though
it was barely ten o'clock when we reached the
place, escorted by a kavass of the Embassy, and
though the ceremony was fixed for eleven, we
found the whole square in front of the mosque
already occupied by troops. It was a most curious
spectacle — such a wealth of colours, such a variety
of uniforms, and such different types of people.
After a long wait, shouts proclaimed the arrival of
the Sultan. He appeared, mounted on a white
horse, a dark, solemn figure, impassible under his
red fez, with its diamond aigrette. Not a muscle
of his face moved whilst he dismounted, and was
greeted by the cheers of his troops. His face,
though fine, struck one by its weak chin and sad
expression. When he had disappeared within the
mosque, the officers and high officials who had
accompanied or escorted him dispersed on the
square, and some of them came into the guardroom
where we were ; among them INIoukhtar Pacha and
the famous Osman, the hero of Plevna. He was
still lame from the wound received during the last
days of the siege, but the face had lost the hunted
look which was so painful to look upon in those
dark days. We started talking of that memorable
184
THE HERO OF PLEVNA
time, and I told him how very much the Russian
troops had admired him, and how sorry we all
w^ere for him. He seemed pleased to find his
defence had been appreciated, and then we spoke
of Skobeleflf! ' Ah ! he is a brave man,' exclaimed
Osman ; ' he is a hero,' and learning I was a cousin
of the Russian General he called to JNIoukhtar
Pacha and told him so, after which the conversation
became general between us three. Moukhtar
Pacha, whom I was to meet a few years later at
Cairo, was very different from his rival, Osman.
He was tall, thin, with a serious countenance, and
manners which were a gi-eat deal more polished
and refined, also with a good knowledge of French,
which was not the case with the hero of Plevna.
But Osman 's face was the more energetic, and
the more sympathetic of the two. He looked
what he was — a man who would say very little,
but do a great deal — who, whatever difficulties
he might encounter, would always perform his
duty.
The Sultan remained over an hour in the
mosque. When he came out at last all the Pachas
and officers gathered round him, and, standing on
the steps, he reviewed the troops. They were
remarkable battalions that passed before him,
stalwart, strong men, whose presence made one
understand the resistance Russia had found. The
black regiments were magnificent — they all appeared
real soldiers, with all the go and courage which
distinguishes them when they are, so to say, born
to the trade.
185
MY RECOLLECTIONS
The review was over in about half an hour^
after which a sort of open phaeton, harnessed with
a pair of splendid brown horses, was brought
round. The Sultan placed himself in it, and after
having called Osman Pacha, and made him sit by
his side, took the reins himself and drove slowly
away, amidst the shouts and cheers of the troops
and crowd. His appearance left one with the
impression of something unfinished, of the flitting
shadow, either of a past fast dying away, or of a
future not yet conquered or even grasped. It was
all like a dream taken out of the Arabian Nights.
As a dream it passed, and as a dreain it has re-
mained among the reminiscences of the men and
places I have seen.
Our stay in Constantinople lasted three weeks, as
I think I have said already. During that time we saw
a great deal of the DufFerins. Lord DufFerin was,
what he always remained to the very end of his
life, one of the most charming of men — full of wit,
humour, spirit, of an unfailing tact, and a courtesy
which was unrivalled. He was popular everywhere,
and with everybody ; his colleagues appreciated
the loyal way in which he collaborated with them
and helped them in the innumerable difficulties
which make of Constantinople such a difficult post.
In society he was worshipped by women and liked
by men, and he could be described as one of the
cleverest and most remarkable diplomats of whom
England can boast.
Lady Duffisrin was one of the loveliest women
186
LADY DUFFERIN
of her generation, and kept her good looks for a
longer time than her sex generally does. She was
a worthy helpmate of her illustrious husband: not
so brilliantly clever, perhaps, but invariably well
bred, courteous, amiable ; gifted, too, with unusual
tact. Their house was the one at which most
entertainments were given. It constituted an
unique centre of society, and the warm welcome
extended by the host and hostess has, I am sure,
never been forgotten by those who have had the
privilege of enjoying it.
Among the interesting people who were at
Constantinope at that time was Julian Klaczko,
the author, who had just then left the Austrian
diplomatic service, and who dined one night at
Count Corti's. He was a pleasant, intelligent
man, too much imbued with Polish ideas for me
to sympathise with him thoroughly, but interest-
ing in his conversation. Another person was the
correspondent of the Times newspaper, JNIr. (at
present Sir) Donald JNlackenzie Wallace, who is
so well knoAvn in London society, and whom his
book upon Russia had already made famous at
the time I am writing of. He and I struck up a
friendship which lasted for twenty years, and [
certainly never imagined that anything could break
it. At the present moment I do not know whether
it still exists or not.
It was with a deep feeling of grief that I took
leave of Count Corti. No host could have been
kinder, more anxious for his guests' comforts than
187
MY KECOLLECTIONS
he showed himself to be, and his wit and clever-
ness made a sojourn under his roof a delightful
thing. I never met him again ; he died shortly
afterwards, after having been transferred as Am-
bassador to London, which had been the object of
his ambition for years, but in which he was dis-
appointed. ' London is no more what it was in
my young days,' he wrote to me, a few weeks
after having arrived there ; ' society has changed,
manners also ; one sees quantity of new faces
whom one feels have got no right to be there,
and at the risk of being called old-fashioned, I
must own I liked better to go to the receptions
of Lady Palmerston or Lady Jersey than to those
of Lady Rothschild or INIrs. BischofFsheim.' He
did not stay in London long. AVhether it was
disappointment or the climate, certain it was that
he died a very short time after his return to the
banks of the Thames, sincerely mourned by all
those who knew him.
It was with a heavy heart I embarked one fine
September morning, on a French Messageries
Maritimes steamer for Odessa. I was going to
my father's, but in spite of the joy of this reunion
with him, it was quite a wrench to tear myself
away from all the associations of these three
weeks. Though I have twice since that mem-
orable summer returned to Constantinople, I
never found in it the pleasure I had enjoyed
during my first visit there. The Bosphorus re-
mained the same, the beauties of Stamboul were
unchanged, but all the people with whom I had
188
THE GLAMOUR OF YOUTH
been happy were either dead or gone, and my
youth was also gone, with its power of enjoyment
and that marvellous exuberance which makes it
such a wonderful, beautiful thing. Eyes of
twenty look at life, men, and things with rose
spectacles, which unfortunately are but too soon
discarded.
189
CHAPTER XII.
My First Whiter at St. Petersburg — The Emperor Alex-
ander III. and the Empress — Russian Society at the
Beginning of their Reign — General Ignatiev ami his
struggle zoitk General Tcherexvine — The Zemshi Sohor —
Fall of Ignatiev — General Skoheleff and his Speeches —
His Death in Moscow.
When we left Constantinople we went straight to
St. Petersburg, where my father and my grand-
mother, with whom my children had been staying
whilst we were travelling, were settled. We found
the town almost empty as regards the gay part
of it — it was October, the dull season of the
year — but full to overflowing with the delegates
to the various commissions Count Ignatiev had
called together upon taking the direction of affairs.
Things were still very unsettled, and people cowed
by the atrocious crime of the 13th of March.
Yet, though sympathy was expressed with the
murdered Emperor, it was remarkable how little
regret was felt for him. Even among Court circles
relief was, if not openly expressed, at least hinted
at. The Princess Youriewski, between whom and
the Imperial family painful scenes had taken place,
was living in a palace that had been bought for
her by the new sovereign, and making herself as im-
portant as she could. The young Court had almost
immediately after the murder of Alexander II.
190
THE COURT AT GATSCHINA
retii-ed to the castle of Gatschina, an Imperial
residence which had not been used since the time
of Paul I., and there they lived in absolute seclu-
sion, surrounded by a very small circle of friends,
and almost completely cut off from the outer
world. This did not please the public, though
no one in Russia seriously entertained the idea,
so general abroad, that this avoidance of the world
was due to fear.
Alexander III. was not a coward, but he
did not care for society, and even when quite a
young man had preferred his fireside to the
general amusements in which young men
generally indulge. He hated everything like
pomp and show, and really cared only for his
wife and children. He also felt in a certain
sense his utter insufficiency to meet the great
problems and questions he was suddenly called
upon to face. As heir to the throne, he had seen
a great deal of the intrigues which during the
reign of his father made the Russian Court such
a centre of corruption. He had looked with
loathing upon different men and women who
occupied great positions, not through their talents,
but on account of certain private influences. The
Emperor came upon the throne with one idea
only, that of surrounding himself with entirely
honest men. He realised that wish, but, as every-
thing else in this world, it turned out to have
two sides, and though no accusation of dishonesty,
or even of indehcacy, could be brought forward
against those whom he honoured with his con-
191
MY RECOLLECTIONS
fidence, yet they often did him incalculable harm
with the narrow-mindedness of their ideas and
opinions.
I have said already that the general public did
not look with favourable eyes on the seclusion in
which the sovereign lived at Gatschina. If the
truth must be told, it was not a happy idea that
led to the choice of this residence.
Gatschina, as the private country seat of a noble-
man, would be an ideal place. The palace is large,
and if not quite so comfortable as it might be in its
interior arrangements, yet could be easily altered
in that respect. The park is immense, more like
a forest than anything else, and affording splendid
shooting. Alexander III., always fond of fresh
air and exercise, could indulge there in his favourite
pastimes without fear of being disturbed or in-
truded upon. I have been told by persons who
knew him well that it was these considerations
which made him fix upon Gatschina as a residence,
and I am fully persuaded this is the truth, but
unfortunately as time went on, and he spent the
greater part of the year shut away from his sub-
jects, a certain legend began to form itself about
it. Russia had not been used to see its sovereigns
seclude themselves from their subjects. The
Emperor Nicholas I. had gone about like a private
gentleman, admitting not only those who were
living in the upper circles of society, but also the
middle classes, to the privilege of approaching
him. He was devoted to masked balls, which
he used to attend alone, very angry if any
192
ALEXANDER III.
one ventured to recognise him, and listening to
all he could hear. Alexander II., though not
quite so fond of making himself personally popular,
still had never secluded himself from the world,
which, on the contrary, he had passionately loved.
He also entertained on a great scale. But Alex-
ander III. resolutely shut his doors against all
strangers, and only a select circle of about ten
or twelve people had direct intercourse with him.
His ministers even were kept at a distance, and
were not always asked to stay for lunch when they
came to Gatschina with their reports. The
Empress, who was devoted to society, and loved
dancing almost passionately, used to indulge in
her favourite pastime during the short and always
remarkably brilliant weeks of the St. Petersburg
season, but the Imperial couple never entertained
any one outside the small group of friends
I have already mentioned. This made them
enemies.
Alexander III. was, unlike his father, who
posed for the man imbued with Occidental
opinions, a typical Russian. He disliked speaking
any foreign language, and it was mainly through
his influence that Russian began once more to
be talked in society, which, up to his accession
had exclusively conversed in French or German.
He was fervently Orthodox, and his one aim re-
mained, all through the thirteen years he occupied
the throne, to make Russia a strong nation, re-
spected throughout the length and breadth of
Europe. It is said he disliked Germans. It is
193 o
MY RECOLLECTIONS
possible this was the ease, but he never would
have launched into an anti-German agitation. He
took up the French alliance, not because of his
personal sympathies, but because he firmly be-
lieved it to be necessary towards maintaining the
European equilibrium, damaged by the Triple
Alliance. He detested the policy of Prince Bis-
marck more than he disHked the man himself;
for whom indeed he had a great respect. His
amiabiUties towards France did not proceed from
his heart, but from his reason. The man was not
brilliant, and could hardly even be called clever,
but he had an extraordinary amount of common
sense, and this common sense invariably inspired
him to act in the best interests of his country.
He found Russia in a chaos, and when he
died he left the country in a far more prosperous
condition than it had been for a long time, and
with Nihihsm almost extinct. He made him-
self popular, in his own strange way, among
all classes of society; and when he died little
children and women wept in the streets, so con-
vinced was the whole nation that he had loved
it, worked for it, and spared neither his time
nor his strength, in order to make it great and
prosperous.
The Empress contributed to his popularity ; it
would be difficult to imagine anything more at-
tractive than she was, or is to the present day.
Marie Feodorowna does not say much, but every
word she utters is full of that genuine sympathy
which goes so far to make those who possess
194
COUNT IGNATIEV
it popular and beloved. It was enough to see
her enter a room to love her; it was impossible
to resist the spell of those dark, beautiful eyes,
so soft and kind. She was the guardian angel
of the throne, which she occupied with such
dignity.
But to come back to that eventful year, 1881.
As soon as Count Ignatiev took in hand the
direction of home affairs he called together various
commissions, to consider education and schools, the
regulation of the liquor traffic, and sundry other
questions, the discussion of which would, he hoped,
bring about in time some change in the inner
workings of the administration. In a certain sense
the attempt was successful; but, later on, when
Count Ignatiev tried to call together a kind of
Parliament, he found himself confronted with the
personal disgust and repugnance of Alexander III.
towards that type of assembly, and he fell into a
disgrace he has never got over.
But in November, 1881, the Count was all-
powerful. He knew how to make the most
of his position and advantages. He flattered the
intelligent classes of society with the promise of
things of which, perhaps, he did not quite realise
himself the impossibility, and he appealed to the
sovereign's patriotism, to help him in the difficult
task of crushing Nihilism, and restoring to the
country the equanimity which had been so rudely
shaken by the catastrophe of March 13th.
We had intended, at first, to make but a short
stay in St. Petersburg, but one of our children
196
MY RECOLLECTIONS
sickened with typhoid fever, and this obliged us to
remain for such a long time in the Russian capital
that, at last, we made up our minds to take a
house, and remain there for the whole winter. I
was glad of this opportunity of staying among
my own people, and so Christmas Day found us
settled in a furnished and most uncomfortable
house, about three doors from the one in which my
grandmother lived.
Of course we asked to be presented to the
new sovereigns, and it may be interesting to relate
here how this presentation took place, especially
as I believe that the ceremonial observed on
such occasions has considerably changed since that
time.
We received one morning notice that the Em-
peror would receive my husband at eleven o'clock
on such-and-such a day, at the palace of Gatschina,
and that the Empress would see me at the same
time. We started by an unearthly early train,
something like half-past eight, which necessitated
getting up by candle-light. When we reached
the Warsaw railway -station we found several
diplomats, among them the Roumanian Minister,
M. Kretzulesco, and his wife ; and the Bavarian
Minister, Baron Rudhardt, also with his wife. A
chamberlain in uniform received us, and con-
ducted us to a specially reserved railway carriage,
and at about ten o'clock we reached Gatschina.
There carriages awaited us, and we were driven
to the palace, where lackeys in livery came to meet
us, and showed us to a separate suite of rooms,
196
AN AUDIENCE WITH THE EMPRESS
where we were offered coffee and tea. After a
rather dreary waiting a servant appeared, and told
my husband the Emperor was waiting for him.
He left me, and I was taken, in my turn, to a
drawing-room, together with two other ladies, and
another waiting followed ; then the wives of the
two ministers were introduced, in turn, in the
presence of the sovereign. Their audience lasted
what to me appeared a long time, and at last I was
called in.
I found the Empress standing in the middle
of a large room, furnished with yellow damask,
and having as only ornament a life-size portrait
of the Empress Alexandra Feodorowna, nee Prin-
cess Charlotte of Prussia, the wife of Nicholas I.
A large sofa was placed almost under the picture,
and it was on this sofa the Empress made me sit
down beside her. It was the first time I had ever
spoken with her, and I was agreeably surprised
by her unaffected manner and the kindness of her
attitude. It was then she related to me the de-
tails about the 13th of March, which I have men-
tioned in another chapter. She spoke of her
children, some books she had read, among others
Taine's Ancien Regime, and altogether chatted for
about twenty minutes or so. When she dis-
missed me I spoke of my hope of being in Russia,
and in Moscow during the coronation, but a sort
of shadow seemed to pass over her countenance,
and she answered, as if the subject was a painful
one, 'Ah, nous sommes encore loin de cela.' When
I came out I was asked, of course, how I had
197
MY RECOLLECTIONS
found the young sovereign, and I could only ex-
press my deep admiration for her. But, indeed,
who has ever seen Marie Feodorowna without
becoming at once and for ever her most devoted
slave ?
Of course during that winter there was no kind
of gaiety going on in St. Petersburg. The whole
nation was in mourning; but the absence of any
official entertainments did not prevent people from
meeting almost daily in one place or another,
and the deliberations of the commissions I have
already mentioned were watched with almost pain-
ful interest. The salon of Countess Ignatiev was
open every evening, and one was sure to meet
there every person of importance in the Russian
capital, as well as all foreigners, and the numerous
people whom one reason or another had brought
to town from the provinces. These evenings were
most interesting, and I do not think there have
ever been any like them since in St. Petersburg.
Countess Ignatiev, a charming, clever, and at that
time, still a most beautiful woman, possessed the
art of entertaining, and the great interest which
attached to every word of her illustrious husband
gave an additional reason for being eager to
go to their house. Count Ignatiev was still the
idol of the Panslavists, the man who had been
able to checkmate Turkey, and whose treaty of
San Stefano, had it been ratified, would have
answered to all the aspirations and hopes of the
Russian people. In spite of the failure with which
the pohcy of which he had been the representative
198
A PATRIOTIC RUSSIAN STATESMAN
had met at Berlin, he had escaped the unpopularity
which had dogged the steps of the members of
the Government. The semi-disgrace in which he
had fallen, after the Treaty of San Stefano had
been signed by Turkey and rejected by the
Powers, had only added to his prestige. He was
credited with an intense patriotism, as well as
with liberal tendencies. Personally I always had
a great liking for Count Ignatiev. He was among
my best friends, and, though I could not fail to
recognise in him the failings which all those who
like him must deplore, yet I do think that he
has had more than any Russian statesman of
modern times a clear conception of his country's
needs and his country's strength. He always up-
held its flag, and in that respect was a unique
exception among our diplomats. He understood,
what Englishmen have always understood, that
whenever one of his countrymen was attacked
it was Russia itself to whom the gauntlet was
thrown down. In that respect he must be con-
sidered, as I have said already, an exception
among those responsible for the government of
his country.
About the end of November of that same
year, St. Petersburg was startled by the news of
the attempted assassination of General Tcherewine,
at that time head of the secret department of
police in the Home Ministry. We heard of it at
dinner the same night, through my uncle, who was
a member of one of Count Ignatiev's commissions,
and who brought us the tale. JNIy grandmother
199
MY RECOLLECTIONS
was very much startled ; she belonged to those who
did not believe in Nihilist inactivity, and began
prophesying that this new attempt was only the
prelude to another series of the same crimes,
l^ater on, when General Tcherewine became one
of my best friends, he told me himself all the
details of this ghastly adventure. The attempted
murderer, a young Jew, came to the General with
a letter; whilst the latter opened it, he noticed
the young man putting his hand in his pocket,
and heard the click of a revolver. Tcherewine
was one of the coolest characters one could find.
He merely turned towards his would-be assassin
and said : ' Drop this nonsense, I know what you
want to do ; give me that revolver and I will let
you go.' The young man's reply was to take out
his pistol and to fire. The bullet went through
the General's coat, flattening itself against a
cigarette case he had in his pocket. Tcherewine
threw himself upon his aggressor, and in the
struggle which followed they both fell on the floor.
Hearing the noise, one of the clerks at work in the
next room opened the door, but, seeing the two
men grasping with each other, began screaming at
the top of his voice and ran away, without even
attempting to come to the help of his chief. It
was only after a few minutes that some police
agents were got upon the scene and arrested the
author of the murderous attempt. Tcherewine
put on his uniform, and went at once to Gatschina
to report the occurrence to the Emperor.
I have related in full this incident because it led
200
GENERAL TCHEREWINE
to great events. One was the disgrace of Count
Ignatiev, the other the extreme favour in which
General Tcherewine was taken by Alexander III.,
as well as his appointment to the head of the
secret police of the whole Empire, which made
him responsible for the personal safety of the
sovereign, whom he never left afterwards. This
position made of him the most powerful person-
age in Russia, and it is certain no one in that
country has ever wielded more power than did
the General for fourteen years : a power which
resisted even a change of reign, and lasted until
his own death. Count Ignatiev had never been
on very good terms with General Tcherewine,
the characters of the two men being absolutely
different, and antipathetic to each other. One
was above everything a diplomat; the other, on
the contrary, a plain speaker who never lacked
for words to express what he thought was the
truth. He was bound to become the favourite
of a sovereign like Alexander III., whose greatest
quality was precisely the love of truth. The two
men had been friends for a long time, and the
Empress never forgot how the General had been
ready to resign his position and career, because he
had been the cause of an annoyance to her,
as I have related in a preceding chapter. It was
he who had accompanied the young Grand Duchess
in that drive which had so irritated Alexander
II. When she ascended the throne the new
Empress made it her business to show her grati-
tude to the General, and undoubtedly it was to
201
MY RECOLLECTIONS
her that he owed, in great part, the position he
was to rise to.
The relations between the General and his
immediate chief. Count Ignatiev, which at first
were cool, not to say strained, became posi-
tively hostile, after the pistol-shot that had so
nearly killed Tcherewine. He was the first to
perceive that his continuance in the post he
occupied was quite impossible, and he resigned
without giving notice to his chief, but by simply
informing the Emperor that he could not con-
tinue in office. Alexander IIL's reply to this was
to appoint his favourite to the post of head of his
immediate bodyguard. This led to new friction
with Ignatiev, and from that moment war was
declared between the two men ; a war which lasted
until Tcherewine overthrew his rival in May of
the following year.
It happened in this way. Ignatiev had sub-
mitted to the Emperor a plan for calling together
in St. Petersburg representatives of all classes of
society in order to discuss the reforms which all
felt were necessary in the government of the
country. This meeting was to be held in imi-
tation of those old ones which, in the bygone
times of Russian history, were held among the
Boyars assembled in consultation together with
the Czar. It was to be called by the ancient name
of Zemski Sobor, sacred to the readers of history,
as well as to the lovers of ancient Russian
traditions. At first the plan had been accepted
by the Emperor, but soon (and here it was that
202
COUNT TOLSTOI
Tcherewine's influence began to be felt) he re-
fused his consent to it under the pretext that
people would see in this calling together of a
council to discuss the needs of the nation, a step
towards the granting of those Constitutional liber-
ties which he had made up his mind never to
accord. Frictions ensued, and at last Count Igna-
tiev, who had — a circumstance most extraordinaiy
in a man of his intelligence — never reaUsed that
his position was shaken, offered to resign. The
Emperor said nothing, but the very next day
the news that Count Tolstoi had been appointed
INIinister surprised the whole of Russia, and no
one more so than the man to whose place he was
succeeding.
Count Tolstoi — the statesman, not the novelist
— was, without exception, the most unpopular man
in Russia. He had been for a long time Minister
for Public Education, and had distinguished him-
self by what people said were the most intolerant
measures of repression of every liberal spirit in the
conduct of schools and Universities. Alexander II.
had been obliged to yield to public opinion which
clamoured for his dismissal, and after having held
for some time the post of Procurator of the Holy
Synod, he had at last been compelled to retire into
private life. It was to this man, hated, anathe-
matised by almost every class of society, that
Alexander III. confided the destinies of his Em-
pire, at a time when it seemed that that Empire
was crumbling away.
And the choice turned out to have been a wise
203
MY RECOLLECTIONS
one. Count Tolstoi showed himself a man who
understood the needs of his country, and, given a
free hand, exhibited none of that despotic spirit
which had made him so universally disliked before.
His administration was a good one, and, until he
died, Russia enjoyed a period of prosperity such as
she had not known for a long time.
Count Tolstoi was distantly related to my
mother. He was at daggers drawn with my two
uncles, and in consequence of it my grandmother's
relations with him were strained. But this did not
interfere with mine with his wife and daughter,
who were among my best friends in St. Petersburg.
The Countess Tolstoi always showed me invariable
kindness, and the Count himself also was amiable,
and often helped me by his advice.
When the Emperor called him back to power,
Count Tolstoi, who had never imagined he could
again play a part in the public life of his country,
hesitated for some time before accepting. It was
then, I think, that General Tcherewine interfered,
and explained to him what was required from his
patriotism by Alexander III. As soon as he
realised how matters stood. Count Tolstoi's resolu-
tion was taken, and he put his services at the
disposal of his sovereign.
Whilst these negotiations were going on, and
whilst town was ringing with the news that a few
short days w^ould see the end of Count Ignatiev's
administration, he seemed to be the only person
not aware of the change which was going to take
place in his destinies, as well as in those of his
204
THE COUNTESS IGNATIEV
country. The Countess went on with her evening
receptions, no longer held in town, but at a villa in
one of the islands which surround St. Petersburg.
It was the end of 3Iay, or beginning of June ; town
was emptying itself, and we were also on the point
of leaving it. The rumours of the impending
change were, however, so persistent that I thought
I would drive one evening to the islands, and see
for myself how things were going on.
My curiosity was not gratified — things were just
as usual. The Countess Ignatiev was seated at
her tea-table, surrounded by a few friends — fewer,
perhaps, than before — but she seemed to be in high
spirits, lamenting, at the same time, that her
husband's duties would keep him in town the whole
of the summer. He, in his turn, spoke about
different things which were going to be done, and
the couple behaved in such a way that driving back
home I told my husband I really could not believe
in the gossip that was going on, and that it seemed
to me that people who were going to be turned out
could not appear so calm and so secure of their
position.
And yet this same evening was the last of
Count Ignatiev's administration. At the very
moment we were drinking tea with him and his
wife, printers were busy putting into type the news
of his disgi-ace. It was the next morning that the
appointment of Count Tolstoi was gazetted, and
General Tcherewine had a lovely anecdote on this
subject, the authenticity of which, however, I would
not care to guarantee.
205
MY RECOLLECTIONS
JNIinisters, when they went to Gatschina with
their reports, generally telegraphed to the station-
master there, to reserve for them a saloon carriage
in the fast train passing through that station on its
way to St. Petersburg. On the morning of that
eventful June day General Tcherewine was told
that the station-master insisted upon seeing him.
When introduced, the puzzled official showed to
the General two telegrams, one asking him to
reserve a saloon carriage for Count Ignatiev,
Minister of the Interior, the second one making the
same request on the part of Count Tolstoi, also
Minister of the Interior. ' What am I to do ? '
exclaimed the unfortunate station-master, ' and who
is the Minister of the Interior ? '
Tcherewine was, as usual, equal to the occasion.
' Never mind who is the Minister of the Interior,'
he replied ; ' satisfy both these gentlemen, and let
them each have a saloon carriage.'
After that day cordial relations were never re-
established between Ignatiev and the author of his
fall. Animosity, bitter and enduring, divided the
two men until death carried one of them away.
I believe I was the only person at whose house
they met, and then it was always accidentally.
When such meetings occurred, which I always
tried to avoid if possible, it was Ignatiev who
generally went away, reproaching me gently after-
wards for the ' new friendships,' as he used to call
them, which made my house unpleasant for those
who had frequented it for many years. I used to
laugh, and tell him nothing would change me
206
THE SKOBELEFF INCIDENT
towards my old friends, but that I would not give
up the new ones either. I think that at heart
Ignatiev never quite forgave me for this intrusion
of his enemy into my home life, and in latter years
I certainly did not see so much of him as I had done
formerly, but we continued gi-eat friends, and I
hope if ever he reads this book he will find in it the
expression of the great regard I have for him.
During that same winter St. Petersburg was
startled by what was caUed the SkobelefF incident.
General SkobelefF was certainly at that time the
most popular personage in the Empire. His name
had become, since the Turkish War, the personifica-
tion of eveiything that was heroic, and his brilliant
conduct of the campaign in Central Asia, crowned
with the storming of Geok Tepe, had made him
the idol of the nation, as he had been for years
the idol of the army. His influence was immense,
not only among soldiers, who worshipped him, but
among the different classes of society. In him the
hopes of the Russian people reposed ; his was sup-
posed to be the sword which was destined to lead
them to victory, and to add to the conquests of
Peter the Great and Catherine II. SkobelefF was
all-powerful by the hold he had taken upon the
imagination of the masses, and certain it is that
had he wished to throw the weight of his immense
popularity, and remarkable personality, in favour of
any poUtical party, that party would have acquired
an importance which might well have inspired
the sovereign with fears for the security of his
throne.
207
MY RECOLLECTIONS
I wish I could describe Skobeleff to my readers
as he appeared to my young imagination ; but
how can I find words eloquent enough to depict
that heroic figure, so utterly unlike anything seen
before or after him ? In spite of all his faults, and
he had many, he will remain the one legendary
personage of modern Russian history. None be-
fore, and no one after him, has so completely
identified himself with the aspirations, hopes, fears,
joys, and sorrows of the Russian people. He had
all the virtues, as well as all the vices, of the race
to which he belonged. In him it was Russia itself
that had been incarnated. His mind was a re-
flection of the mind of his countrymen ; he had
their enthusiasm and he possessed their faith — that
strong, earnest faith which has enabled Russia to
withstand so many trials, to overcome such
numerous difficulties. Skobeleff was undaunted
as Russians only can be undaunted ; he had many
of the savage traits of character which are so
prominent in all Russians, even those belonging to
the upper classes, and which enable them to with-
stand so much, under which more civilised people
would break down and succumb. His energetic
soul was one that would not admit defeat. He
was the Bayard of a race which had not yet been
spoiled by the false civilisation which has destroyed
so much that is brave, so much that is good, among
the nations it has laid hold of.
Archibald Forbes is the man that has given the
best description of General Skobeleff ; the shrewd
Scotsman grasped in what was really a marvellous
208
SKOBELEFF'S REPUTATION
way the different sides of this complex nature,
which had in it such a curious blending of tender-
ness and ferocity, of the noblest qualities, as well
as of the most violent, unhealthy passions. He
read with surprising abihty the intricacies of a mind
born great, and rendered greater still by circum-
stances. His book is the noblest memorial that
has been raised to the memory of the Russian hero,
whose name has remained so dear to the hearts of
all who knew him.
How dear it was, what a lasting hold it had
taken on the minds and imagination of the Russian
nation, is best illustrated by the following anecdote
which was related to me years after SkobelefTs
death. One day a friend of mine was riding
through a village in Southern Russia, a strange
dog had strayed into it, and was received with
violent enmity by those of the place. The mon-
grel, for it was nothing else, put up his teeth, and
fought a battle in which his assailants were de-
cidedly worsted. Seeing this, a peasant, whom by
his demeanour one easily recognised for a former
soldier, turned to my friend, and pointing to the
panting animal, ' Look at that dog, Barine,' he
said, 'isn't it a true SkobelefF?'
After the war of 1877, the White General, as
he was called, had always manifested a great in-
terest in pontics, once or twice his attitude in
regard to the Bulgarian question (there was at
one time a question of electing him to the govern-
ment of that Principality) had irritated the
Government. When he was sent to Central Asia
209 p
MY RECOLLECTIONS
people hoped he would forget all thoughts of
playing a political role. He was given on his
return, much to his disgust, for he did not think
the appointment worthy of him, the command of
an Army Corps at Minsk, and it was whilst on
a short leave in St. Petersburg that he made the
first of the famous speeches which were to have
such a wide circulation throughout Europe. It
was on the occasion of the banquet given in com-
memoration of the storming of Geok Tepe, that
he gave way to his feelings, and allowed himself
to express his distrust of German friendship and
German policy. Newspapers being censored in
Russia, his exuberant language was not reproduced
with exactitude, but what came to the knowledge
of the public was sufficient to add to the popularity
ot the hero who had given way to it.
The Government, however, did not see it in
the same light, and consequent on representations
made by the German Ambassador, Skobeleff was
given to understand that such expressions of
private opinions would not be tolerated for the
future. Of course he was profoundly irritated by
these hints. He had always thought himself ill-
used since some plans of his for reforms in the
army had been rejected, and he had at heart the
idea that the Emperor was secretly jealous of
his popularity.
His was a nature created for struggle, and
every-day existence was bound to weigh upon him
and possibly drive him into discontent. He could
not be happy in the humdrum of garrison life. He
210
MOLTKE AND SKOBELEFF
wanted something to think of, as well as some-
thing to do, and besides he was profoundly dis-
gusted at the turn things had taken at the Congress
of Berlin. Strange to say, this man whom the
war had made great, had nevertheless a horror
of it in spite of its fascination and the scope it
gave him for employing his rare talents. He was
at heart a kind man, and the sight of human
suffering and human woes, had the power to move
him strangely. He could not forgive those who
had held in their hands the destinies of Russia at
Berlin, for not having insisted on a proper reward
for the heroism of the army, and the spirit of
self-sacrifice displayed by the whole nation. In
his opinion, the peace that had been concluded
was bound to be broken. At some manoeuvres
he had attended in Berlin, he had allowed some-
thing of this to escape him, as well as his con-
viction that the German army was not so invul-
nerable as some people imagined. I don't know
whether it was this circumstance, or the fact of
his speeches, which had made Count Moltke
so bitter against him, but years after Skobeleffs
death, in fact a few days after the death of Gam-
betta, I happened to be sitting next to Count
Moltke at a dinner in BerUn, and asking him his
opinion about the disappearance from the political
stage of the French statesman, got from him
this reply, ' I was very glad to hear he was
dead, just as glad as I was when they told me
Skobeleff was no more!' I shall never forget
the poor Field Marshal's confusion when I told
211
MY RECOLLECTIONS
him that the White General had been my
cousin.
SkobelefF's St Petersburg speech had already
been sufficiently sensational ; one can imagine there-
fore the stupefaction of the public when it heard that
it had been followed by a far more violent one, in
response to the greetings of a Servian deputation
in Paris, whither the General had gone in order to
cool his bad temper. The Emperor was furious,
and immediately recalled him to St. Petersburg.
I shall never forget the excitement into which
society was thrown, nor the different speculations
of the public as to the fate he would meet on his
return. His whole family welcomed him at the rail-
way station, and I remember his aunt, who was also
mine, old Countess Adlerberg, taking a bouquet
with her to offer to the returning hero, at which
everybody laughed. But this demonstration had
its good side, for it gave to the public the idea that,
for once, friends had not proved false, as is so
often the case at a Court. The day after his
return from Paris, Skobeleff was summoned to
Gatschina. No one knows what took place during
this interview between Alexander III. and the
White General. Skobeleff never spoke about it.
but it was noticed that he became more morose
than he had ever been before, and that the melan-
choly, to which he had more than once given way
since his mother's tragic death (she was assassinated
in Bulgaria by a young man whom she had
brought up, and rescued from misery and star-
vation), increased to an alarming degree. He
212
DEATH OF SKOBELEFF
made but a short stay in the capital, and returned
to Minsk, a saddened, disappointed man, with
the shadow of a great sorrow hanging over his
head, and the feehng that his Kfe was being
wasted.
Three or four months passed. It was the end
of June ; we had left St. Petersburg, and were
settled for the summer in the country. At that
time, we used to get only two mails a week, and
the arrival of the postman was always more or
less of an event. I was standing on the verandah,
when the bag was brought to me, and as I opened
the paper the first lines that fell under my eyes
contained the announcement of the sudden death
in INIoscow of Michael SkobelefF.
He had been cut off in the splendour of his
manhood, at a moment's notice, by an implacable
disease, which strikes its victims with a swift and
cruel mercilessness. Without preparation, without
warning, the idol of a whole nation had been car-
ried away, among the wailings and passionate
regrets of the people to whose minds he had
represented an ideal. Mourned by friends, as well
as regretted by foes, his death was deplored by all
alike as a national calamity. The whole of Russia
was shaken by the news that its popular hero was no
more. In Moscow the expressions of regret, one
may almost say of despair, surpassed everything
that had been seen before. People met in silent
consternation in the streets, shops were closed,
business suspended, the whole life of the town
seemed to have died with him. In the hotel,
213
MY RECOLLECTIONS
to which his body had been brought back, crowds
clustered together, standing for hours outside the
door, in expectation of the moment when they
would be admitted to the prayers which, according
to Russian custom, are celebrated twice a day
beside a dead person, previous to the funeral.
During these prayers the sobs of the assistants
almost drowned the voices of the priests. The
whole of Russia mourned at SkobeleflTs bier.
214
CHAPTER XIII.
The Death of McuUime de Balzac — Return to Bei'lin — Silver
Wedding of the Crown Prince and Princess — Prince
William of Prussia — The Coronation of the Emperor
Alexander III.
It was during the spring of that same year, 1882,
on Easter Day, that my aunt, Madame de Balzac,
died. She was akeady far advanced in the
eighties, and for years had been a great invahd.
Sad circumstances accompanied her demise, money
losses and the phantom of angry creditors crowd-
ing around her death-bed. Her daughter com-
pletely lost her head, and left the house immediately
after her mother's funeral. All my aunt's papers
were thrown away by unscrupulous or careless
servants, and found their way into a fruiterer's
shop, where the Vicomte Spoelberch de Lowenjoul
bought them, editing from their contents the
wonderful correspondence which has since been
given to the world. It is an everlasting source of
regi-et to me that I was not able to be in Paris
at that time. I might, perhaps, have been able to
save some of these family relics, and I would, at
least, have had the comfort of being with my aunt
during these last sad days. Her disappearance put
an end to a chapter in my life of which I have
only good and noble remembrances. With her
died one of those rare beings who occasionally
215
MY RECOLLECTIONS
appear in the world to teach it how to get better.
With her passed away ideas and opinions which
are no longer heard, and with her death a great
light went out.
We spent the summer which followed in
Russia at my own country place, and late in
autumn we returned to Berlin. We found it had
considerably changed during the two years we
had been away. Prince William of Prussia had
married, and his personality was beginning to
make its weight felt in Court circles, and even
outside them. The hostility which later on was
going to become so acute between him and his
father, was already beginning to be noticed by
the public, and rumours of a disagreement, in
which the Emperor had almost, if not quite, taken
the side of his grandson against the latter's father,
were circulated freely.
I found the Crown Princess on my return
struggling against a sense of irritation she did
not care to own to, but which was visibly
worrying her. The Prince viewed the situation
in a calmer mood. His mind was too essen-
tially practical to allow himself to fret over a
state of things for which his own career as heir
to a throne must have, in a certain measure, pre-
pared him. He had more indulgence in his
character than the Princess, and, perhaps, less
ambition. And, then, he did not look seriously
upon the vagaries of his eldest son, and was so
confident about his own future that he did not
care to trouble himself too much about what he
216
SECRET RIVALRIES
considered to be the natural exuberance of a
youthful mind. In Court circles, however, the
attitude of Prince William was looked upon as
threatening to become an important factor in politics.
There was a tendency to consider him cleverer than
the Crown Prince, and more German in his
opinions. Prince Bismarck, with whom he was a
great favourite, made it a point to repeat that the
young man, at present debarred of the means of
acting independently, had in him every quality
necessary to the making of a great sovereign ;
The Chancellor never lost an opportunity of praising
to William I. the young man, whom he considered
as his pupil, and the aged monarch was begin-
ning to think that in his grandson, and only in
him, would he find a worthy successor.
All these secret rivalries were naturally the
cause of continual frictions, and so upon my retin-n
to Berlin I found the situation of the royal family
very different from what it had been two years
before.
It was during that winter, which, by reason of
the celebration of the silver wedding of the Crown
Prince and Princess, was unusually gay, that I
became better acquainted with the present ruler of
Germany. I^ike all those who approached him, I
was impressed by his remarkable personality, the
originality of his mind, and the powerfulness of his
intelligence. Apart from these qualities, Prince
\^^illiam was a most attractive, fascinating man.
He possessed the gift of personal magnetism, and,
being a most brilliant talker, he contrived, even in
217
MY RECOLLECTIONS
those days, to convert people to a good many of
his opinions by the persuasive way in which he
expressed them. With all his seriousness, there
was in his nature a boyishness and vitality which
one could scarcely resist. With all the impetuosity
of youth, he had in his judgments a maturity
which was wonderful. He had few illusions, and
yet there was no cynicism in his appreciations
of others, whatever there may have been in the
plans he was even then making for the future. We
soon became great friends, if the expression can be
applied to the necessarily formal relations which
could only exist between us ; but whenever we met,
and it was often enough during that winter, and
later on oftener still, we liked to talk together.
He was at that time very fond of society and
entertainments, fondness which it was rumoured he
sometimes carried too far; but whatever truth there
was in all this gossip, it is certain that his manner
towards his wife was always irreproachable, and the
young couple lived, outwardly at least, and I
believe also in reality, a most happy life.
The Princess, the kindest woman in the world,
laboured during these early years under the dis-
advantage of being almost continually in a delicate
state of health, which compelled her to live retired
from society, and it was but natural under the
circumstances that every friendship her husband
had with another lady, whoever she might be,
should be misconstrued by the public. The Princess,
however, secure in her husband's love, had the
good sense to shut her ears to gossip.
218
THE CROWN PRINCE AND PRINCESS
Before even Christmas had made its usual
•appearance, society was busy with the preparations
which were begun to give special eclat to the silver
wedding of the Crown Prince and Princess. A
great fancy ball was organized, under the patronage
of the Empress, and the whole world, at least that
portion of the world called Court society, became
absorbed with the repetitions of the various
quadrilles and the historical procession which were
to be a special feature in these festivities. Almost
every evening rehearsals took place, sometimes in
one house, sometimes in another, and the amount
of rivalries, spite, and envy which these rehearsals
revealed was something quite amazing. It spite of
it, however, as we were all young, we contrived to
get a good deal of amusement out of all these
opportunities of meeting each other, and friend-
ships were formed which have survived to the
present day.
The Crown Princess herself took a great interest
in these different preparations, and discussed them
eagerly. A few days before the actual anniversary
I dined at the palace of the Crown Prince, and she
was full of happy anticipations of the brilliancy of
the forthcoming pageant. It was a small dinner,
only my mother-in-law, my husband and myself
were invited to it, with Prince William and, of
course, the young Princesses. I sat next to the
present Emperor of Germany, and this dinner has
left an impression on my mind by a remark he
made to me during the course of it. We were
talking of friends and friendships when Prince
219
MY RECOLLECTIONS
William suddenly said to me, ' A¥hen one occupies
certain positions in the world, one ought to try to
make more dupes than friends.' I remember ex-
claiming against this enunciation of what I thought
was an execrable principle, when he interrupted me,
and added this time quite seriously, ' You will see
later on what I mean.' The Crown Princess was
looking on, so I thought it better not to pursue the
subject, but I have often thought since of this
remark, which appeared so strange at the time it
was made, and on the strength of which, I must
confess, I made a bet with a Russian friend of
mine, at the time of William II.'s accession, that
he would very soon get rid of his Chancellor, not-
withstanding the immense affection which he was
just then professing for him.
The wedding-day of the heir to the throne was
January 25th. About the 20th the different guests
invited for the occasion began to assemble, and, so
far as I can remember, a State ball was going to
take place on January 21st, when we were startled
on the morning of that day by the news that old
Prince Charles of Prussia, the Emperor's brother,
had been taken suddenly ill, and had died in the
course of a few hours.
He had lived such a retired life since the death
of his wife, which had occurred some five or six
years before, that he was almost forgotten, and the
first feeling which was occasioned by his unexpected
demise was anger just as much as consternation.
The Crown Princess in her disappointment declared
he had done it on purpose, in order to aggravate
220
AN HISTORICAL PAGEANT
her in death, as he had done in hfe (they had always
been more or less at daggers drawn), and suggested
keeping the event secret for a day or two ; but, of
course, this could not be thought of, and was said
more in paradox than in earnest. But I am not
quite sure that many a fair lady who had spent
a large sum on a now useless dress, did not secretly
formulate a wish that the untoward event might be
kept from the general knowledge.
There was, however, nothing to do but for the
different guests to disperse sadly. The Prince was
buried at Potsdam, with as little ceremony as
possible, and with a haste which had nothing edifying
in it. No sooner were the sad ceremonies connected
with his funeral at an end, than one began to make
plans for the celebration of the festivities his death
had interrupted.
These were finally fixed for February 25th,
and on that day really took place one of the most
splendid pageants I have ever attended. The
Crown Prince and Princess, after having received
the congratulations of their friends, took their
seat on the throne between the Emperor and the
Empress, and the different processions went past
them, followed by a succession of quadrilles in
which the most prominent members of society
took part. The performance was meant to re-
produce the Court of Queen Elizabeth, and the
Queen herself, represented by the Countess Udo
of Stolberg Wernigerode, whose features were
supposed to recall those of the illustrious lady
she personified, appeared in a most gorgeous
221
MY RECOLLECTIONS
costume of red velvet covered with jewels, a
vision of magnificence and beauty. She was^
followed by ladies and gentlemen of her Court,
among whom figured Prince William who was-
leading Lady Ampthill, the wife of the British
Ambassador. I was one of those who followed
in their train, and my partner was the Bavarian
Minister, Count Lerchenfeld, who with a costume
of black velvet wore a magnificent Spanish sword
which had been lent to him by the Regent of
Bavaria. My own dress was white velvet and
gold, and if I remember aright was very much
admired. The procession, after having passed be-
fore the throne, took up its place opposite to it
whilst the different quadrilles, three in number,
were danced, after which appeared a sort of chariot
from which Princess William, dressed as a fairy,
emerged and addressed the Crown Prince and
Princess in a few complimentary words which were
the end of the ceremony. We were then allowed
to circulate and mix among the other guests, and
it was most interesting to examine the different
dresses of which we had not had a glimpse before.
The Crown Princess was delighted, and if I
remember right it was the last time I saw her
really enjoy a Court festivity. I shall never for-
get her as she stood on that momentous evening
by the side of her husband, nor the look of
affection with which he responded to the fond
glance she gave him. - I wondered whether they
were thinking of that bygone day when, in the
chapel of St. James's Palace, they had taken each
222
COKONATION AT MOSCOW
other for better or worse. Certainly few people
could, after twenty-five long years, look back on
such complete happiness and perfect union, as these
two had enjoyed for the quarter of a century they
had lived together.
In INIay of that same year, the Coronation
of the Emperor Alexander III. took place at
Moscow, and I realised my wish to be present at
the festivities which accompanied it. We started
for Russia, my husband and I, on May 16th. In
the same train we were travelling by, was the
French special mission, and I was much amused
the other day in reading JNIadame Waddington's
letters, with her description of this journey and
of the Coronation ceremonies. She seemed to
have taken quite seriously the various rumours
which were circulated abroad concerning a probable
attempt on the part of the Nihilists to murder
the Emperor. I don't think that in Russia any
one stopped for a moment to think of the possi-
bility of such a thing, and certainly there was
none of the emotion displayed on the day of the
sovereign's public entry into Moscow which she
says she witnessed. I also viewed the procession
from the house of the Governor- General, Prince
Dolgorouki, and I did not see the congratulations
nor the numerous signs of the Cross which seem
to have impressed Madame Waddington so thou-
roughly as to make her write a whole page on
the subject. Of course people were anxious, but
Russians are not fond of wearing their hearts on
their sleeves, and they would never make such an
2<J3
MY RECOLLECTIONS
exhibition of themselves as the one she so gra-
phically described.
For the rest her letters are interesting and
accurate reading : as accurate at least as could be
expected from a foreigner not understanding the
Russian language, and whose "leg had been pulled"
more or less, to use a vulgar expression which I
hope my readers will forgive me,
I shall never forget those weeks in INIoscow.
When fourteen years later I witnessed the Corona-
tion of the present Emperor it appeared to me to
be very insignificant in comparison with the splen-
dours which had marked that of his father.
Perhaps the explanation of this may be found
in part in the greater popularity enjoyed by Alex-
ander III., and especially by the affection which his
consort had inspired everywhere and in every
one. Nobody who heard the vociferous shouts
which greeted the Empress Marie Feodorowna,
when she appeared on the day of her entry into
Moscow, sitting in her big golden carriage drawn
by eight white horses, with her httle daughter by
her side, will ever forget it. She was a perfect
vision of loveliness, all in white, with a lace veil
falling on her shoulders, and the Russian Kako-
ischnik in diamonds on her head. She bowed re-
peatedly to the crowd, and her large, lovely eyes
wandered among the sea of faces which surrounded
her. The Emperor was riding a good bit in front,
and I must say he did not appear to advantage
that day. He was mounted on a white horse
far too small for him, and instead of riding in
224
THE PRINCESS HELENE
front of his suite he kept among them, so that
it was difficult to see him at a fii'st glance. His
eyes, in contrast to those of the Empress, had a
sad, weary expression, whether from fatigue or
from another feeling, it was of course impossible
to tell.
The day following upon the entry we went
round the different Grand Duchesses to write our
names down, and ended by calling on the Grande
Maitresse de la Cour, the Princess Helene Kot-
schoubey, who was an aunt of mine.
It was a remarkable European figure that of
the Princess Helene. Few women had had such
an adventurous past, and few had borne with
greater dignity the burden of a great name, or
fulfilled more brilliantly the duties inseparable from
a great position. She was a grande dame to her
finger-tips, had lived on intimate and familiar
terms with all the crowned heads of Europe, had
studied the etiquette of the various Courts she
had frequented, and was a valued friend of Queen
Louise of Denmark, to whose influence she owed
her appointment as Mistress of the Robes. The
young Empress had absolute confidence in her,
and owed a good deal of her popularity to my
aunt's advice and guidance at the beginning of
her reign. The Princess Helene, to give her the
name by which she was familiarly called in St.
Petersburg society, was born to the place she
occupied. No one has filled it like she did, no
one has ever performed its duties with such success
and such zeal. When she died the whole tone of
225 Q
MY RECOLLECTIONS
the Court was changed, and it lost markedly in
politeness as well as in dignity.
The Princess was always very kind to me, and
during these INIoscow days she contrived, in spite
of her numerous occupations, to think about us
and give us all the opportunities she could to
see what was going on in the easiest way she only
could devise.
The Coronation morning dawned, not fair and
clear as had been hoped for, but rainy and dark.
We had to get up at something like five o'clock,
and by eight were in our places, not in the church
itself, where only the ambassadors and chefs de
mission were admitted, but in one of the tribunes
outside. It was a most impressive sight. The
whole of the vast square in front of the famous
red staircase of the Kremlin was covered with red
cloth, and on each step of the staircase itself stood
alternately a Chevalier Gai^de in his white tunic,
and gold cuirass, and a Cossack of the Escort in
his scarlet uniform. The sun, shortly after we
had settled ourselves in our places, came out, and
its rays as they flashed on the bright uniforms
added to their colour a soft tint, which made
them appear even more beautiful than they were
in reality. The whole square was black with
people, drawn from all classes of society, peasants
included. A common feeling of expectancy was
running through the veins of all this crowd united
by a kind of electric current, which made it think
the same things, expect the same sensations. After
a long wait, the clergy came out of the Cathedral
226
A CORONATION SPECTACLE
of the Assumption, and sprinkled with holy water
the path which was going to be trodden by
the sovereign. Then the doors of the palace were
thrown open, and a long procession of chamber-
lains, in their gold-embroidered uniforms appeared,
and came slowly down the steps of the red stair-
case, which is the only exit from the Kremlin
into the square. They passed slowly, two and
two, and entered into the church, soon followed
by the different royal personages who were to
witness the ceremony, headed by the Queen of
Greece, and the heir to the Russian throne, now
the Emperor Nicholas II. The expectation of the
crowd became more and more intense, when at
last the gi'eat bell of Iwan Weliki struck a peal,
and on the top of the staircase appeared Alex-
ander III. leading the Empress. He was in full
General's uniform, and she was most simply
dressed in cloth of silver, with nothing in her
hair, looking so young that one could have taken
her for a bride about to be led to the altar,
rather than for an Empress on her way to be
crowned. An immense shout greeted the sove-
reigns, a shout such as I fancy they had never
heard before, so intensely loyal did it ring. The
crowd was electrified, and as the Emperor and
Empress stepped under the canopy, carried by
twelve generals, which was awaiting them at the
foot of the staircase, the enthusiasm of the mob
verged very near on hysterics.
Our tribune was full of diplomats, and of course
the long time we had to wait before the procession
227
MY RECOLLECTIONS
emerged from the church was spent most plea-
santly. The only dark feature was, that we could
not get anything to eat, and, as we had been
up since about five o'clock, we began to feel
ravenous as midday drew near. An Austrian
secretary, l^aron Aerenthal, now Ambassador in
St. Petersburg, offered me some chocolate he
had in his pocket, and even now, after so many
years, I feel grateful to him for that kindness.
Whilst we were struggling between hunger
and amusement, the ceremony in the Cathedral
was going on. It seems that when the Empress
had been crowned, Alexander III., unable to re-
strain his emotion, took her in his arms, as he
raised her from the cushion on which she knelt,
and pressed her to his heart in a passionate
embrace, at which Count Pahlen, principal Master
of Ceremonies, was so horrified, that he rushed
towards the Emperor, with an agonised cry, ' Sire,
ce n'est pas dans le ceremonial ! ' I will not vouch
for the truth of this anecdote, but it was repeated
as a standing joke at the time.
It must have been close on two o'clock when
a movement in the crowd outside the cathedral
told us that the ceremony of the coronation was
at an end. The doors of the old church were
thrown open, and the Emperor and Empress ap-
peared, arrayed in their crowns and robes of State.
Alexander III. was walking alone, under the
canopy of cloth of gold and ostrich feathers, the
enormous crown of the Russian emperors on his
head, the long mantle lined with ermine over his
228
THE TRIUMPH OF ALEXANDER HI.
shoulders, holding the sceptre in one hand, and the
orb in the other. The sun which, save for one
brief moment at the beginning of the day had
been veiled by clouds,' suddenly burst forth again,
and its rays played among the diamonds of the
crown, and lighted the face of the sovereign with
a peculiar glow. He appeared positively magnifi-
cent as he towered over everybody, gigantic in
his stature, and beautiful in the whole expression
of his countenance, and the majesty of his de-
meanour. Behind him the Empress was walking,
also with the crown upon her dark hair, but some-
how she did not look as pretty as she had done
in the earher part of the day, when she emerged
out of the Kremlin. The weight of her mantle
was pulling her down, and it had not been nicely
fastened on her shoulders, and gave her a choked
appearance. Her cheeks, too, were crimson, and
altogether she seemed quite insignificant beside
her splendid husband. That day was the triumph
of Alexander III. Never before, and never after,
did he look as he appeared at that hour when he
presented himself for the first time before his sub-
jects, as their crowned lord and master.
Slowly the Emperor and Empress went round
the four cathedrals of the Kremlin alone, and not
followed, as Madame Waddington says, by the
Imperial family, or members of the diplomatic
body, and at last they once more reappeared on
the square, and went up the steps of the red stair-
case. When they reached the top, they turned
round and bowed to the crowd three times. It
229
MY RECOLLECTIONS
was then that the enthusiasm reached its cuhni-
nating point, and I do not think that any one who
heard the shouts of that vast multitude could ever
doubt the feeling of affection which existed among
the Russian people for its Czar.
When the Imperial couple had retired there
was a scramble as to who should first get into the
palace, where we hoped to find some lunch. But,
first of all, we had to witness the solemn meal of
the Emperor, to the first part of which the Corps
Diplomatique was admitted, retiring backwards
when Alexander III. raised his glass. It was a
pretty and quaint sight, that of the raised throne,
and the Emperor and Empress, in their robes of
State, sitting alone at a small table. Only I doubt
whether we gave it the attention we should have
done in different circumstances ; we were too
hungry to enjoy anything, and I remember feeling
very glad to be seated between two members of the
Chinese Embassy, whose ignorance of a European
language relieved me from attempting a conversa-
tion, and allowed me to eat without being dis-
turbed.
That same evening we went to view the illumi-
nations, and magnificent they were ; the crowd,
though immense, was most orderly. The next day
there was a ball at the old palace of the Kremlin,
where we all appeared in Court trains, and here again
Madame Waddington is inaccurate, for certainly
no Russian ladies were arrayed in ball-gowns with
the Russian kakoschnik. This head-dress is only
worn with Court trains, which everybody had on.
230
BALL AT THE KREINILIN
It was on the occasion of this ball that for the
first time the great tower of I wan Weliki was
illuminated with electricity, and nothing could
have been more beautiful than the aspect of the
ancient monument seen from the windows of the
old Granowitaia Palata, as the room is called in
which we assembled on that night. The ball did
not last long, and the Empress looked lovely in a
train of pink velvet embroidered in silver.
During the fortnight which followed the coro-
nation, ball after ball and festivity after festivity
succeeded each other; but I will not give a de-
tailed account of all of them. One of the most
remarkable was the ball given by the Governor-
General of INIoscow, which was so crowded, that
at one moment we thought the Emperor and
Empress would be unable to fight their way
through the guests. I have never witnessed any-
thing like it, and while we were being squashed I
was amused by hearing one lady candidly confessing
to another that she had not been invited at all, but
had come all the same, as ' I knew I should never
be found out,' she said, with an impudence which
certainly deserved a better reward, than being
crushed to the condition of a pancake, which
was the fate which overtook all those who were
present.
Another entertainment which 1 remember on
account of its magnificence, was the ball in the
Alexander Hall of the new palace of the Kremlin.
It was the last one that was given, and it surpassed
all the others. The sight of Moscow, as it appeared
231
MY RECOLLECTIONS
illuminated from the balcony on which the ball-
room opened, was in itself a spectacle never to be
forgotten. The hundred towers and belfries of
the old city impressed one so strangely, when,
after having gazed upon them, one turned round
and saw the brilliant crowd which filled the rooms
and halls of the palace. It was a curious sight, a
mixture of civilisation and barbarism which made
one understand better than any words could have
done that strange and terrible thing called Holy
Russia.
It was during the popular feast, which is one of
the features of the coronation of the Russian Em-
perors, that Alexander III. told the deputations
of peasants, which, according to custom, he received
on this occasion, that they must not give credence
to the different rumours which at that time were
spread concerning his supposed intention of taking
away land from its owners in order to give it to
them. The words, though brief, by solid common
sense, did more then than anything else to put an end
to a certain agitation which ever since the murder
of Alexander II. had been going on among the
rural classes of the population, much to its detri-
ment. The Emperor's speech sobered them at
once, and in consequence life in the country be-
came much more tolerable than it had been for the
last three or four years.
Among the amusing incidents of the coronation
the following occurred. The occasion of the cere-
mony was taken advantage of to inaugurate the new
Cathedral of the Saviour, which had just been com-
232
THE CORPS DIPLOMATIQUE
pleted and erected in memory of the defeat of the
French troops under Napoleon in 1812. The Diplo-
matic Corps were invited, with the exception, of
course, of the French Embassy. On the morning of
the consecration one of the masters of ceremonies
suddenly discovered in one of the galleries a lady
in the deepest of mourning, covered from head to
foot by a crepe veil. Horrified at the sight, for
black is strictly forbidden at Court, especially on
any festive occasion, he rushed to the lady and
asked her who she was, and how she came to
appear in such extraordinary clothes on such a day.
One may imagine his stupefaction when he found
out that she was the wife of the French Consul,
and had expressed her sorrow at the defeat of her
compatriots in that singular way. It was with the
greatest of trouble that she was prevailed upon to
retire, and the affair nearly caused a diplomatic
incident.
In general the Corps Diplomatique contrived
to get itself into hot water on several occasions.
For instance, when they came to present their con-
gratulations to the sovereigns after the coronation.
Ladies were not supposed to appear, but several of
them, in Court dress, accompanied their husbands,
among them kind, genial Mme. Waddington.
Great was the consternation when one saw them,
and the Empress was appealed to as to what was
to be done with them. She at once said she
would receive them, and she did it so graciously,
that they did not notice their presence had not
been desired.
233
MY RECOLLECTIONS
It would be impossible to enumerate all the
curious and interesting people who were gathered
together in Moscow during these days. All the
world was represented there, and one met side by-
side the Duke of Aosta, formerly King of Spain,
and the Duke of Montpensier, once pretender to
the Spanish Crown. The Papal Nuncio sat next
to a Protestant minister, or a Greek bishop. All
kinds of men and women were assembled there^
who, under different circumstances, would never
have dreamt even of exchanging a word with one
another. It was, indeed, a marvellous gathering.
Among the notable personages I became ac-
quainted with was the Papal Nuncio, Mgr. (at
present Cardinal) Vincenzo Vanutelli, of whom I
have just spoken. He had all the Italian courtesy,
and at the same time the finesse which has always
distinguished that race. His presence in Moscow
had been the subject of much conversation, as it
was considered to be a step towards a reconciliation
between the Imperial Government and the Holy
See. As a result of his visit a kind of modus
Vivendi was arranged, to which Mgr. Vanutelli's
tact certainly contributed a good deal. He made
himself quickly popular at Court, where, in par-
ticular, his deference towards the Empress, whose
hand he kissed, much to the scandal of certain
Roman Catholics, was much appreciated.
Two other men were the subject of much com-
ment and admiration — they were the Prince of
Montenegro and Prince Alexander of Battenberg.
The last-named had already quarrelled with the
234
THE PRINCE OF MONTENEGRO
Russian Government, and his presence in Moscow
was connected with the hope of re-estabhshing
more friendly relations than had existed for the
last few months. He did not succeed, however.
Alexander HI., who always disliked him, showed
himself obdurate to all attempts at a reconciliation,
and whilst most effusive in his attentions towards
Prince Nicholas of INIontenegro, refused even to
speak with the Prince of Bulgaria.
I had known Prince Alexander in Berlin whilst
he was an officer in the Garde du Corps. He had
often been in my house, and we had frequently
danced together. At Moscow we had somehow in
that great crowd missed one another, but at a ball
at the German Embassy he suddenly noticed me,
and, coming up, asked me to dance the cotillon
\vith him. During the dance the poor Prince, in
his joy at finding an old friend, began pouring out
his sorrows into my sympathetic ears, and after
confiding to me his disgust at the way he was
being treated, ended by saying that he could
become a dangerous enemy if pushed to extremi-
ties. To my remark that he would be helped by
no one, he replied that he had reason to think he
would be supported by German influence. This
conversation struck me as being so remarkable
that I reported it in a letter the next day to a
well-known and influential journalist, who was a
great friend of mine, and upon whose discretion
I thought I could rely. One may imagine my
hon'or when, a month or so afterwards, I found
in the Times the whole account of my con-
235
MY RECOLLECTIONS
versation with Prince Alexander, accompanied by
the remark that the story had come from a
Russian lady. I nearly had a fit, and was more
vexed than I had been for a long time. The worst
was that Prince Alexander thought I had been
privy to this indiscretion, and never forgave me for
it. I tried in vain to explain matters ; he would not
hear anything, and I must confess he had reasons
for being angry, for I certainly ought not to have
mentioned to any one what he had told to me, and,
of course, I could not defend my conduct. But
the adventure was a lesson to me, and after that
I held my tongue whenever I was made the re-
cipient of confidences of the kind 1 had received
that evening.
236
CHAPTER XIV.
A Fexo more Words about Moscow — The Beginning of the
Bnlgarian Trouble — Prince Bismarck and the Expulsion
of Russian Subjects from Germany — Another Winter in
Berlin — The Position of Prince William — Relations zoith
his Father — The Marriage of the Grand Duke of Hesse
— / receive a Message from Queen Victoria — Countess
Schleinitz — A Summer in Dieppe — Death of Lord
Ampthill — The Alexander Dimias — Death of Mme.
Lacroix.
I WISH I had space enough to describe the different
incidents of the coronation. They were as varied
as they were interesting, both from the social and
the pohtical point of view. It was during these
memorable weeks that the principles which governed
the whole of the reign of Alexander III. were laid
down. The declaration of policy which he made
in his speeches to the representatives of the rural
classes, as well as to the deputations of the nobility,
was directed towards the same end. He ap-
pealed to the different classes of the nation for help
in strengthening the Imperial power. After the
period of unrest which had marked the last years
of the life of Alexander II., Russia experienced
a great feeling of rehef in finding itself at last
ruled by a sovereign who knew what he was
doing, and who had a firm grasp of the direction
237
MY RECOLLECTIONS
in which he wished to lead the people whose fate
was in his hands. One might not sympathise with
the line of conduct of the monarch on whose brow
the Imperial crown had just been laid, but it was
impossible to say that he did not know himself
what he wished or meant to do.
The great merit of Count Tolstoi lay precisely
in the fact that he gave to Alexander III. what
the latter had lacked during the first weeks which
had followed his accession to the throne — faith in
himself and faith in the Russian nation. Personally,
there are many points in which I did not sympathise
with this much-discussed Minister, but it would be
unjust to let one's opinions weigh against the un-
deniable fact that his advent to power gave a
solidity to the Government which it had lacked for
a long time.
One of the festivities of the coronation which
excited the most discussion was the ball offered by
the nobility of Moscow to the Emperor. It had
been said at first that he would not accept it, and,
therefore, when it was officially announced that he
had done so, the struggle for invitations became so
keen that it is a wonder all the fortunate organizers
of the entertainment did not end by becoming
inmates of a lunatic asylum. I believe that about
four thousand people were asked, and about as
many more grumbled because they had been for-
gotten. But the ball was a great success. I do not
remember ever having seen the Empress look more
lovely. She talked to me for some time, and I
fear must have thought me very impertinent by
238
EMPRESS MARIE ALEXANDROWNA
the way 1 stared at her. She was really a radiant
vision, in a pale yellow satin dress, embroidered
with pearls, some scarlet poppies on her bodice, and
marvellous diamonds and sapphires around her
throat and in her dark hair. Her manner, too, was
particularly gracious, and I do not think she omitted
to say a few words to any person she knew in the
enormous crowd. The enthusiasm she excited was
indescribable, and I am sure no one who remembers
that evening will contradict me.
The coronation over, we went to the country
for the summer, and late in autumn returned to
Berlin. I am not quite sure, my memory as to
dates being rather defective, whether it was during
the months which followed upon it or a year later
that Bulgarian affairs became troublesome. I
am incHned to think it was immediately after the
return of Prince Alexander to Sofia, especially
when I bear in mind the incident I have described
about the pubhcation of Sir D. Mackenzie Wallace's
article in the Times. It is certain that the manner
of the Emperor towards the Prince of Battenberg
had much to do with the events which subse-
quently took place. The two men had never hked
each other. The Empress Marie Alexandrowna,
who was very much attached to her brother, the
Prince of Hesse, had always made a great fuss
over his children, thus exciting the secret jealousy
of her own. Her son, who held all irregular
marriages in particular horror, had always looked
askance at the Battenbergs, and a few personal
incidents which had occurred at the time of the
239
MY RECOLLECTIONS
war had accentuated the hostility which existed
between the cousins. The Prince of Bulgaria was
of a proud, passionate, ambitious nature ; he chafed
with impatience under the kind of vassalage in
which he was held by the Russian officials ap-
pointed to help him officially — to watch him, in
reality, as he imagined, not quite, perhaps, without
reason. He had come to Moscow with the inten-
tion of having a loyal explanation with the Czar,
and I believe that if an interview had been granted
to him matters would not have come to the pass
they did ; but Alexander III. absolutely refused to
see or speak to the Prince otherwise than officially,
and in public, and the latter left Russia, aggrieved
at heart, and determined to throw off the Russian
yoke at the first opportunity. He was unfor-
tunately encouraged in that line of action by
different people in England and Germany, and,
great as is my admiration and respect for the
late Empress Frederick, I do not think she was
quite blameless in the matter. In 1888 Prince
Alexander aspired to the hand of the favourite
daughter of the Empress Frederick, the Princess
Victoria. There were, however, political reasons
which rendered — apart from all personal sentiment
— such a union inadvisable, and two years later
the Princess married Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-
Lippe.
We spent a peaceful winter in Berlin, where,
owing to Court mourning, the season was a re-
markably quiet one. I do not remember whether it
was in that year or in the year following that Prince
240
DR. WINDTHORST
Bismarck, who had embarked upon a decidedly anti-
Russian policy, made up his mind to expel all foreign
subjects living within a certain distance from the
frontier. The measure, which excited an immense
amount of indignation, was eagerly seized upon by
Dr. Windthorst and his party, in order to bring
about a motion of censure in the Reichstag against
the Chancellor, and to challenge the legality of his
conduct. Public opinion, of course, sided against
the Minister, and the day upon which the motion
was to be discussed was eagerly awaited. It was
known that several members of the Bundesrath, or
Federal Council, were strongly opposed to the appli-
cation of the Imperial ordinance with which the
unpopular measure had been heralded. The debate
which it was expected would follow upon the
proposal of Dr. AVindthorst to remonstrate with
the Government as to the illegality of the pro-
ceedings taken, was eagerly awaited, and on the
day it was to take place, I do not believe there was
even standing-room in any of the galleries of the
Reichstag. I arrived early, so as to get a good
seat in the diplomatic box, where I generally went
to listen to the debates. We were crammed, as
many human beings as could possibly get in, and
among us was one of the members of the Federal
Council, who, for some reason or another, had
elected not to occupy his usual place in the body
of the House. He was rather loud in his denun-
ciations of the Chancellor, and said to us that the
Bundesrath was going also to make representations
to the Emperor, if the debate that was about to
241 R
MY RECOLLECTIONS
take place would not make the Government re-
consider its position. A French diplomat, who
was also a great friend of mine, turned to me, and
in a low voice, so as not to be heard, whispered
in my ear, ' He will be the first one to applaud the
Chancellor; do not believe him.' Events proved
the truth of this appreciation.
Just as the President declared the sitting opened,
and before even he had proceeded to read the orders
of the day, Prince Bismarck, who had entered the
House together with the other members of the
Ministry, got up, and in a loud ringing voice de-
clared he was the bearer of an Imperial message
to the Reichstag. An eager murmur was heard,
and expressions of astonishment and curiosity as
to what was the nature of the communication
could be caught here and there, but there was
nothing to do but to get up, according to custom,
and to listen to what the Emperor had to say
through the lips of his Minister. The excitement
was so intense, that even the Socialist leaders
forgot for once their usual custom to go out of
the House on such occasions, and clustered round
the ministerial bench. Prince Bismarck got up.
I can see him now, standing erect in his cuirassier
uniform with its yellow collar, his immense head
in its sharp outlines appearing almost like that of
a bulldog against the dark ground of the House.
I have never seen him look so imposing; it was
terrible to behold that straight jaw, and the deter-
mination which the whole figure of the man re-
vealed as he slowly unfolded the paper he held
242
A SCENE IN THE REICHSTAG
in his hand, and proceeded to read its contents.
These were brief, and to the effect that the Em-
peror, having been apprised that it was the
intention of the Reichstag to discuss his recent
ordinances, reminded it that these were issued by
him in his position as King of Prussia, and that
the ParHament of the Empire had no right what-
ever to challenge them. If the Prussian Landtag
(it had just been adjourned for six months) de-
sired to bring about a debate on the point, it was
at liberty to do so ; but he could not allow the
privileges of the monarchy to be encroached upon,
and he would never permit the Reichstag of the
Empire to discuss his actions as an independent
German sovereign.
A dead silence was the reply to the message.
It would be impossible to describe the conster-
nation with which it was received. Prince Bis-
marck folded the paper: ' I suppose the House
will thank his Majesty for his gracious commu-
nication,' he said loudly, with an expression of
triumph, such as had rarely illuminated his face.
Then, without even looking at those he had so
completely crushed, he turned on his heels, and
went out of the House. As he reached the
door, he suddenly looked round, and seeing the
members of the Bundesrath sitting glued with
surprise to their chairs, beckoned to them with
his little finger, in an imperative gesture, which
had something of a command, and something of
a threat in it. The Bundesrath got up at once,
as if pushed from behind by some one, and
243
MY RECOLLECTIONS
meekly, with bowed heads, followed the Chan-
cellor out of the House. A world of things
could be guessed from this sudden acquiescence
of twenty people to one omnipotent will. The
scene was more impressive from what lay behind
it, than from what was seen by the public,
though this was remarkable enough. I do not
think the great personality of Prince Bismarck,
nor the proof of his immense and indomitable
power, ever shone more fiercely than on this
memorable occasion. I looked round : the man
who had so loudly boasted of the resistance of
the Federal Council to the will of the great
Minister, was gone ; he, too, had followed his
chief. I turned towards my French friend. ' Did
I not tell you so ? ' he said with a smile.
It was during that winter of 1883-1884, that
the relations between the Crown Prince and Prince
William became more and more strained. Both
father and son were to blame for this, but I
believe that matters would never have reached the
stage they did, had not busybodies tried to make
mischief, and had not gossip, as ill-advised as it was
ill-natured, ftmned feelings of rivalry which did
not require other people's help to become acute.
Ever since the time when the Crown Prince came
into conflict with the old Emperor at the be-
ginning of Prince Bismarck's administration, he
had not been able to divest himself of an idea
that all his actions were suspected by the King,
as well as by the Chancellor. When he saw his
son put, so to say, above him, and become the
244
STRAINED RELATIONSHIPS
object of the Emperor's affection to a degree he,
the direct heir to the crown, had never been able
to attain, he naturally became bitter, though, of
course, he never would own to it. On the other
hand. Prince William, with the impetuosity of his
character, as well as with the self-confidence of
extreme youth, felt flattered to see that he was
more often listened to than his father, and in his
vanity did not understand that he as well as the
Crown Prince were but pawns in the game Prince
Bismarck was playing for all it was worth.
These family misunderstandings occupied pubhc
attention during the whole course of the critical
winter of which I am speaking. They were not
perhaps known largely abroad, but in the imme-
diate circle of the Royal family they began to
be viewed with an apprehension which was the
stronger that no one at the time could foresee the
course events were destined to take, or suspect that
death would claim the Emperor Frederick almost
simultaneously with the old King.
One of the great friends of the Crown Prince
and Princess at that time was the Countess
Schleinitz, the wife of the Minister of the Royal
Household. A most gifted woman, devoted to
her friends, accomplished, clever, and good, she
was the object of Prince Bismarck's special aver-
sion, both on account of her independence of
opinions, and of the politics of her husband.
Prince Bismarck had begun his diplomatic career
under Count Schleinitz, who in the early sixties
held the portfolio of Foreign Affairs. They had not
245
MY RECOLLECTIONS
agreed, and the Cliancellor, with the vindictiveness
which was one of the distinctive traits of his
cliaracter, had never forgiven his former chief.
He pushed his resentment indeed so far, that
when Count Schleinitz died, in February, 1885,
he forbade any of the officials of the Foreign
Office who had served under him to assist at his
funeral. Countess Schleinitz never mixed her-
self up in politics, and was more devoted to
Wagner, Schopenhauer, and German philosophy,
than to intrigue of any kind, but the Chancellor
made up his mind she was thwarting his plans,
and acting as intermediary between the Crown
Prince and Princess and certain members of the
opposition in the Reichstag. The political position
in regard to interior affairs was at that time be-
coming every day more and more difficult. The
Socialists, in spite of the laws of exception pro-
mulgated against them, were gaining ground at
each election, and the National Liberal Party
was also beginning to be independent of the
Government. Prince Bismarck knew that all the
sympathies of the heir to the throne were with
the last-mentioned, and, to exasperate the Emperor
against his son, contrasted the conduct of the
latter with that of Prince William, who was re-
presented as being in perfect conformity with the
opinions and politics of his grandfather. Some
painful incidents occurred, such as the abrupt dis-
missal by the King of Mr. Normann, who was at
at the head of the Crown Prince's household.
Rightly or wrongly, the Crown Princess fancied
246
PRINCESS VICTORIA OF HESSE
that her eldest son had something to do with
the affair, and showed him her displeasure in
various ways, so that, with one thing or another,
matters were not in a very pleasant state at the
Court of Berlin at the time I am speaking of.
It was also in the spring of 1884 that another
extraordinary incident occurred, in which T found
myself mixed up, in a most unforeseen and, to
me, disagreeable manner.
In April of that year, Princess Victoria of
Hesse was married at Darmstadt to her cousin,
Prince Louis of Battenberg. Queen Victoria
came over for the ceremony, to which the Crown
Prince and Princess also repaired. Their absence
was to last a week, if not more, when we were all
startled by hearing they had returned to Berlin
immediately after the ceremony. The astonish-
ment became only greater when it was known
that the reason for their abrupt departure from
Darmstadt was due to the fact that the Grand
Duke of Hesse had contracted a second marriage
on the very day the nuptials of his daughter were
celebrated, and that the Queen of England, exas-
perated at his audacity, was doing all that was
in her power to have that union annulled. So
far the affair left me indifferent until, to my dis-
may, I heard that the lady on whom the choice
of the Grand Duke had fallen, was my own
cousin.
Her name was Madame de Kolemine ; she was
the grand-daughter of my uncle Henry Rzewuski,
consequently my father's great-niece. Married at
247
MY RECOLLECTIONS
a very early age to a Russian diplomat, M. de
Kolemine. she had the reputation of being a
lovely as well as a clever woman. Her hus-
band was attached to the I^egation at Darmstadt,
and my cousin very soon became the friend of
the young Princesses of Hesse, especially of the
eldest of them. Princess Victoria, who wrote most
affectionate letters to her, which read strangely
when, later on, they came to be contrasted with
the events that followed.
Madame de Kolemine's marriage did not turn
out a happy one, and she sued her husband for a
divorce. The Grand Duke Louis fell in love with
her^, and asked her to marry him. Here comes the
extraordinary part of this extraordinary story.
Had the couple chosen a quiet moment to become
united, it is probable that the affair would have
passed off" as so many of the same kind do ; but
by a strange aberration of spirit, and a complete
forgetfulness of the rules of common sense, the
Grand Duke elected to be married when all his
family were gathered together for the wedding of
his daughter. His own marriage was scarcely per-
formed when the Queen was informed of it. What
happened afterwards I cannot tell, for I never
knew. Pressure of some kind, without doubt,
must have been exercised over him, because he
consented to an order being signified to his bride
to leave Darmstadt immediately, and she was com-
pelled, almost by force, to do so.
I did not know my cousin except by hearsay,,
but nevertheless this romance was, as can well be
248
MADAME DE KOLEMINE
imagined, not at all pleasant to me. The reader
will therefore understand that my annoyance
changed almost to dismay, when I receixed, a few
days later, a visit from Lady Ampthill the wife
of the British Ambassador, who brought me a
message from no less a personage than Queen
^'^ictoria herself concerning my cousin, and asking
me to write a certain letter to my father on
the subject of his niece. I do not feel at Hberty
to explain here the nature of the Queen's re-
quest. It is enough to say that the message was
brought to me, and that if the nature of it was
known, it would cause a certain degree of astonish-
ment.
Of course I transmitted to my father what
I was asked in her 3Iajesty's name to do, and
a few days later Madame de Kolemine herself
arrived in Berlin, and wrote to me asking me
to come and see her. Much to my husband's
anger I went, and found a very pretty woman,^
absolutely different from what I had expected.
She wished to have an interview with Lord
Ampthill, but he declined to see her, in which
he was quite right, for the matter had passed
out of his hands, and in his official position he
could hardly have become mixed up in it. I had,
therefore, to tell JNIadame de Kolemine that I
could do nothing for her, and withdrew myself
from the whole business, though, of course, I for-
warded the Queen's message to my father, and
received her Majesty's thanks conveyed through
Lady Ampthill. My cousin, with whom an
249
MY RECOLLECTIONS
arrangement was ultimately made, received the
title of Baroness Romrod and a pension, and very
soon afterwards she married another Russian dip-
lomat, with whom I believe she leads a most
happy life. I never saw her again after these
Berlin interviews.
That same summer we went to Dieppe, and
whilst there saw a good deal of Lord and Lady
Salisbury, who possessed a chalet at Puys, as well as
of Alexandre Dumas, who also had a little villa there.
It was about half an hour's distance from Dieppe.
Madame Alexandre Dumas was a Russian. It
was through my aunt, INIadame Jules Lacroix,
that she became acquainted with Dumas, and the
story of their marriage is so curious that I think it
can well find a place in these reminiscences.
JMadame Narischkine, for this was the name of
the lady who ultimately became the wife of the
famous dramatist, was distantly related to my
father's first wife — at least I think so, though I am
not quite sure on this point ; but what I am cer-
tain of, is that she was a great friend of his, and
that when she started for Paris he gave her a letter
for his sister. My aunt, always glad to make new
acquaintances, welcomed INIadame Narischkine,
then a young and pretty widow, most effusively,
and they saw a good deal of each other. One day
she invited her to dinner, and among the guests
was young Dumas. When her Russian friend was
gone, my aunt asked him what he thought of her,
to which he replied, 'Elle me plait, car je crois
quelle a tous les vices.' A few weeks passed after
250
ALEXANDRE DUMAS
this remark was made, and my aunt began to
wonder that neither Madame Narischkine nor
Dumas came any more to see her, when she was
startled one morning by hearing they had just been
married to one another. The curious part of the
story is that they never came to see my aunt
afterwards, nor made any attempt to approach
her.
AVhen I made her acquaintance, JNIadame Dumas
was quite an old woman, and the picture of untidi-
ness, going about in wrappers, with all the buttons
and hooks missing, and her hair curled in little rags
of paper, which gave her a funny, and certainly not
attractive, appearance. But her manner was charm-
ing, and her conversation most amusing. As for
Dumas himself, he was, of course, one of the most
delightful men in Paris, and I do not think I ever
met one who was more entertaining, in spite of
the paradoxes with which his talk abounded. We
used to see that agreeable couple very often,
and I remember one day when I was returning to
Dieppe, Dumas accompanied me part of the way,
and we stopped near a stile on the road, and
started an argument, which, I believe, lasted fully
more than an hour, to the stupefaction of the
passers-by, who I am sure must have wondered
to see us talking like that on the road. The
subject of our talk was — I remember it well — the
famous Vmte de Noces, one of Dumas' best
pieces, and certainly the one he liked the best
himself.
Lady Salisbury also enjoyed Dumas' conver-
251
MY RECOLLECTIONS
sations, and the brilliancy with which he con-
ducted any kind of discussion. Her intelligent
mind, perhaps even more remarkable than was his
own, knew how to appreciate the flashes of genius,
which appeared under all his paradoxes. Just as
witty, and with more earnestness in her character
than the French dramatist, she was exactly the
kind of person to bring out his best points, and
it was certainly a great treat to hear them discuss
any subject together.
The Salisburys led a quiet life at Dieppe, and
they were, perhaps, seen there to greater advan-
tage than at Hatfield House, where the burden of
their great position was more or less always weigh-
ing upon them. They saw but very few people,
and hardly went anywhere. The papers used to
arrive at Puys a few hours later than at Dieppe,
and so I remember it was I who told Lady Salis-
bury at the races, where she had driven, the news
of the death of Lord Ampthill, which I had just
read in the Figaro before leaving our house. She
was very much shocked, as, indeed, we all were.
Apart fi'om the serious blow to his country, the
loss of Lord Ampthill, at a comparatively early
age, came to all his friends — and he had only
friends — as a personal grief. Few men were pos-
sessed of more solid qualities, and few of them
united to the same degree the gifts of a most
remarkable training, with those other advantages
which help so much to make a person attractive
from a worldly point of \ iew. He had tact, a
consummate knowledge of the world, and a cour-
252
LORD LYTTON
tesy which never failed him on any occasion, or in
any circumstance. To none of his friends did his
death come as a greater blow than to the Crown
Prince and Princess, for whom he had always
professed a devotion and attachment which had
often helped them through the difficulties which
were perpetually thrown in their path. Had Lord
Ampthill been alive, it is probable that many a
trial would have been spared to the Empress
Frederick, and many a mistake made by herself,
or her friends on her behalf, would have been
avoided. His loss was, for her, irreparable.
At that time the Liberals were in power in
England, and so I could, without fear of being
indiscreet, ask Lady Salisbury who she thought
would be appointed in Berlin as Ambassador ; she
replied she could not have an idea, but that if she
had had anything to do with it, she would have
suggested Lord Lytton. I often thought of this
remark, and did not, in consequence, experience
the same astonishment as the rest of the world,
when, after 'Lord Lyons' retirement in 1887, Lord
Ljrtton was appointed to Paris by Lord Sahsbury,
then again at the head of the Government.
Our holiday in Dieppe ended in September,
and after a short stay in Paris with my aunt,
Madame Lacroix, I returned to Berlin, where the
winter of 1885 was to prove more eventful for me
than the preceding one. I little guessed, when I
took leave of my aunt, that I should never see her
again. She died the following July, and with her
died too a good deal of the pleasure I always ex-
253
MY RECOLLECTIONS
perienced when I went to Paris. I was to visit
the gay city often enough in later years, but all
the remembrances of my childhood which had
made it so dear to me were gone, and my early
associations broken up. My yearly visits to France
became mere pleasure trips, taken only for amuse-
ment. The reasons which had made me look
forward to them so eagerly, disappeared with this
last survivor of another epoch in the history of
French society.
254
CHAPTER XV.
Brussels and Madame de Villeneuve — We spend a PaH of
the Whiter in St. Petersburg — Death of Prince Frederick
Charles of Pr^ussia and of Field-Marshal von Manteuffel
— The Ajjpointment of his Sticcessor — Various In-
trigues — Death of Prince Orlqff^ Russian Ambassador in
Berlin — The Celebration of Prince Bismarck'' s Seventieth
Birthday.
I DO not think I have spoken of a short stay we
made m Brussels with my husband in 1883, just
before the Moscow Coronation. At least I think
it was in 1883, but it might also have been one
or two years before that time : I have never had
a memory for dates. We went there to see some
American friends of mine, Mr. and ISIrs. Nicholas
Fish, who represented the United States at
the Court of King Leopold. We spent a few
pleasant days in the Belgian capital, and it was
there I met a woman whose radiant beauty made
an impression upon me that I have never been
able to forget. I am speaking of the Countess
de \^illeneuve, whose supreme loveliness is remem-
bered by all those who knew her, as one of the
most extraordinary things in this world. Her
face, with its Madonna- like expression, had not
one feature which could be criticised, or even not
admired. No Greek sculptor ever devised any-
255
MY RECOLLECTIONS
thing more perfect. When she entered a room,
dressed in white, with diamond stars in her dark
hair, it seemed as if a goddess had suddenly ap-
peared. Every other woman became insignificant
beside her. Where she was, she reigned alone,
with a sway which has never been contested during
her whole life.
The British Minister in Brussels was Mr. (after-
wards Sir) Savile Lumley, whom I was to meet
years later in Rome, where he occupied the post
of British Ambassador. He had made himself
very popular in the Belgian capital, and used to
entertain a good deal with the most charming
hospitality. His Austrian colleague was Count
Bohuslaw Chotek, a cousin of my husband's, and
both he and his amiable wife did all they could
to make our stay in Brussels as pleasant as
possible. Their numerous daughters were not
married at that time, and no one suspected that
a certain young lady just then emerging from
childhood into the dignity of being considered
grown up, would one day fill a very exalted posi-
tion indeed, and win the heart of the heir to the
Hapsburg monarchy.
My father's birthday was on Christmas Eve,
according to the Russian almanac, that is on the
5th of January according to ours. We left Berlin
on the day following upon the Occidental New
Year, and arrived in the Russian capital in time
for the celebration of this family festivity. I re-
member it particularly, for it was the last time
we spent it all together with my father. My
256
THE AFGHAN QUESTION
elder brother had arrived in St. Petersburg from
Central Asia at that same time, and we once more
lived over again all the remembrances of our
childhood.
St. Petersburg was very gay that winter. The
young Empress was known to be passionately
devoted to dancing, and everybody who could
aspire to the honour gave balls, which she and
the Emperor were asked to grace with their
presence. Alexander III. hated these kind of
festivities, but he bore such tediousness with the
greatest good nature, and seemed to enjoy the
sight of the Empress dancing far into the small
hours, with a zest and entrain which of course
everybody imitated. Occasionally, however, even
the kind sovereign had enough of it, and the
remembrance of a certain ball at the Anitchkoff
Palace, his private residence, is still treasured
among the memories of that winter, when, find-
ing it did not come to an end, Alexander III.
sent away one musician after the other until the
last one was dismissed, and the cotillon, which
had provoked this explosion of wi-ath, had per-
force to stop too.
Whilst we were in St. Petersburg the Afghan
question became suddenly acute. My brother
was, as I have already told, in the Russian capi-
tal on leave. He was suddenly ordered to re-
turn at once to his regiment, quartered at a
place called Askhabad, in Central Asia. We
were very much dismayed on hearing this de-
cision of the military authorities, especially as
257 s
MY RECOLLECTIONS
my brother had not had a long leave since the
Turkish War. The evening we received this
unwelcome news I happened to meet, at a ball at
the British Embassy, Prince DondoukofF Korsakoff,
at that time Governor- General of the Caucasus,
and through asking him whether it would not
be possible for my brother to stay a few days
longer with us, I got into a fearful mess. It
seems that the recall of officers on leave was to
be kept as secret as possible, and I had put my
foot in it, especially considering the place I had
chosen to mention it in.
My brother left at once, and very soon after
his departure the different frontier incidents hap-
pened which so very nearly brought us to war
with England. The English press behaved, I must
say, in a spiteful manner about it, and did its
very best to embitter relations between the two
countries. As an example of its attitude I will
relate the following incident: —
When my brother returned to Askhabad, he
found he had nothing to do there, and after a few
months spent in idleness, he at last got twelve
days' leave. He could, of course, do nothing with
them, as it took about that time to reach any civi-
lised place. The thought struck him he could
go on a little excursion to the Persian town of
Mesched, which he had never seen, and which was
supposed to be a most interesting place. Accord-
ingly, he set out with half-a-dozen Cossacks, crossed
the mountains, and after having bought a few
carpets returned to Askhabad, without any one,
268
RUSSIA AND PERSIA
least of all himself, having thought there could be
anything worth attracting attention in this journey.
A few weeks later, I was much amused to read
in the Times that Russia had evidently dark
designs on Persia, because a Cossack officer, en-
joying the fullest confidence of the Government,
had recently been v^dth a formidable escort to
Mesched, in order to draw plans of the town and
surrounding country. Now, my brother could
not have drawn a plan to save his life, and he
belongs to the kind of happy-go-lucky people,
whom no one with the least knowledge of human
nature would ever dream of sending upon any
mission of the character which the gi'eat London
journal had attributed to him. I have narrated
this incident just to show what degree of reliance
can be placed upon the information given in the
best English papers, in matters relating to Russia
and Russian affairs.
We returned to Berlin in time for the last
Court ball of the season, and Lent went on just
as usual with the Empress's Thursday concerts
and the habitual round of diplomatic entertain-
ments, which were a feature of that season of the
year. In March, my father's step-grandson, Prince
Orloff, died on his property near Paris, whither he
had gone to try and get cured from the painful
disease to which he succumbed, at an age when
one could have hoped that his services would be
spared for a long time to his country. He had
been appointed Russian Ambassador at Berlin a
few months before, and had hardly been able to
259
INIY RECOLLECTIONS
occupy his post. He was one of Prince Bismarck's
few personal friends, and, when the Hartmann
incident obhged him to leave Paris, the Prince
asked that he might be sent to the German
capital, in succession to Baron d'Oubril, who had
for many years represented Russia at the Court
of the Emperor William, and was at last retiring.
Prince Orloff was a most attractive man. He
had lost one of his eyes during the Crimean
war, and the black bandage which he wore
seemed rather to add to the distinction of his
features. He was one of our most brilliant diplo-
mats, and certainly deserved the great reputa-
tion he enjoyed. Personally I regretted him very
much. Though there was no actual relationship
between us, yet as my father had always con-
sidered him as a member of his family, this cir-
cumstance had led to a certain intimacy between
us. His early demise was a great shock to my
father, who, of course, had never expected to sur-
vive him.
It was two or three days after the death of
Prince OrlofF, that the German Chancellor cele-
brated his seventieth birthday. The occasion was
made the pretext for a great demonstration of
loyalty throughout the Empire towards the man
who had called it into existence. The students
of the University organized a torchlight procession,
and the Emperor presented to his Minister a
copy of Werner's picture of the proclamation
of the German Empire in Versailles. The old
monarch himself offered it to Prince Bismarck.
260
BISMARCK'S SEVENTIETH BIRTHDAY
He was accompanied by the various members of
his family, and in a few words he expressed the
gratitude he, as well as his house and the country
over which he ruled, had for the great man
whose genius had given the Empire unity, and
the Hohenzollerns the Imperial Crown. The
scene was most impressive, and certainly can be
called one of the great ones of Prince Bismarck's
great life.
We went, of course, to view the procession of
which I have already spoken. Count Radolinski,
now Prince Radolin, and German Ambassador in
Paris, had asked us to come and see it from his
windows, which opened on Unter den Linden,
the principal thoroughfare in Berlin. It was a
great sight, and a curious demonstration from what
was then the coming generation. Prince Bismarck
was nowhere more popular than among students,
and the different Universities in Germany. It
was there that his gigantic efforts for the con-
solidation of the Empire had been most appre-
ciated, and it was among the so-called learned
classes of society that his great work was viewed
as it ought to have been — that is, seen as a whole,
and not in all its details.
Death was very busy among the people I knew
in the year 1885. In June, Prince Frederick
Charles of Prussia, the famous Red Prince of the
Franco-German War, went to his rest after a short
but painful illness. His disappearance removed
from the world a man who had filled in it a place
at once larger and smaller than he deserved. As
261
MY RECOLLECTIONS
a military man the Prince was a genius ; but the
inactivity in which he was forced to Uve, after the
final triumph of the German arms, weighed upon
his mind. He was not liked, and he knew it well.
His relations with his wife, which at the best
could be called strained, had a good deal to do
with the opinion which the crowd held about him,
and his brusque manners made him many foes.
1 have always held to the opinion that Prince
Frederick Charles belonged to those unhappy
people who are always misunderstood, whatever
they do, or attempt to do. In life he was disUked,
in death he was not regretted.
Almost at the same time he passed away,
another hero of the war of 1870 went to his
rest. I am speaking of Field - Marshal Man-
teufFel, certainly one of the greatest men of
modern German history. For several years prior
to his death, he had occupied the responsible
position of Governor of the conquered Provinces
of Alsace - Lorraine, and by his wise adminis-
tration of them, he made for himself a name
in history such as very few attain. He was the
only personage in the German Empire who dared
to put his opinion against that of Prince Bis-
marck, and certainly he never allowed the Chan-
cellor to lord it over him, as he did over every-
body else. Baron von ManteufFel was a very
cultured man, and one who possessed the rare
gift of putting himself in another person's place,
and of looking at things with different eyes
than his own. His impartiality was most extra-
262
FIELD-MARSHAL MANTEUFFEL
ordinary, and his common sense and judgment
so exceptional, that they always overweighed
any preferences he might have had. Appointed
Governor of the annexed Provinces with almost
unUmited power, he used it only in the sense of
conciliation and moderation. Whilst admiring
Prince Bismarck, he had yet never sympathised with
him, nor with the means he used to ensure suc-
cess to his plans. His moral convictions were of
a very high order, and he would never have con-
sented to certain compromises of conscience which
Prince Bismarck not only accepted, but believed
to be quite legitimate. Field-Marshal von Man-
teuffel was a strength to any political party with
whom he chose to ally himself, but one of his
strongest points was that he refused to join any
of them, but went on doing his duty as a soldier
and as a servant of his King.
His death, coming as it did most unexpectedly,
was a great source of embarrassment to the Govern-
ment. It was not easy to find a successor to
him, and it was discussed whether a prince of
the Royal family would not be the best choice
which could be made under the circumstances.
Some one, I could not tell who, mooted the idea,
and suggested that the Crown Prince would be
the proper person to appoint as Lieutenant of the
Emperor in Alsace-Lorraine. Prince Bismarck,
at first, was rather inchned to take the same view,
perhaps because he knew that failure was sure to
attend this effort at conciliation. But AVilliam I.,
when consulted, at once declared himself against
263
MY RECOLLECTIONS
it. He was by principle opposed to the heir to
his throne being given any responsible position in
which he could make a name for himself, and he
distrusted his son's French and English sympathies.
He refused his consent to the proposal with an
alacrity which he would have done better, perhaps,,
not to express so openly. It was at this juncture
that some one suggested that Prince William of
Prussia should be appointed as successor to Field-
Marshal von INIanteufFel.
Prince Bismarck did not take kindly to the
suggestion at first. He was opposed by principle
to any kind of authority being given to a member
of the Royal family. Perhaps he felt that with
them it would be impossible for him to exert his
authority in the way he liked to do. Perhaps,
also, he did not care to let his favourite pupil
escape from his immediate influence. But when
the Emperor consulted him on the subject he had
not the courage to say no, and, on the contrary,
he expressed the hope that the appointment, if
made, would prove beneficial to the interests of the
Empire.
At this juncture another kind friend took it
upon himself to inform the Crown Prince of what
was going on. The latter s indignation can be
guessed sooner than described. He went at once
to see his father, and declared that he absolutely
objected to his son being given an authority which
had been constantly refused to himself. In spite
of his displeasure, the Emperor had to bow down
to the reasons invoked by his son, and Prince
264
CROSS CURRENTS AT BERLIN
Hohenlohe was offered the responsible position d)f
Governor of Alsace - Lorraine. Prince Willianli,
who, of course, heard what had happened, became
very angry, not with his father, but with hii^s
mother, whom he accused of having interfered in^
this affair, and urged the Crown Prince to expres:s
his disapproval of it in the energetic way he did..
I happen to know positively that the CrowTi Prin-
cess had heard nothing about the projected ap-
pointment of her eldest son. No one had ventured
to mention to her the rumours which were circulat-
ing on the subject, and the Crown Prince, when he
repaired to the Emperor, had done so without
letting the Princess know anything about it.
Prince "William's anger against his mother was as
unjust as it was unwarranted ; but this episode,
exposing as it did the rivalries which existed in
the Royal family, influenced its destinies in a way
the Crown Princess little suspected.
265
r
J
I
(
CHAPTER XVI.
Jippointment of Count Schouxoalqff as Russian Amhassaxlor in
Berlin — Our Dinner in his Honour — Its Consequeiwes —
The Marriage of M. Bernard von Bulow^ the present
German Chancellor — The Epidemic of Measles — / nearly
die from them — My HtishaniVs serious Illness — Last In-
terview with the Crown Prince — We are ordered to Egypt
for my Husband's Health — Our Winter there — First
Rumours about the Croion Prince''s dangerous State of
Health.
j When Prince OrlofF died, the question of his suc-
cessor became a most important one. Relations
between the Russian and German Governments
were very strained at that time, and it was recog-
nised on both sides that a great deal depended upon
the personalities of the men who had to preside
over them. I think it was the Emperor William
himself who suggested the appointment of Count
Schouwaloff, as a man likely to smooth over any
difficulties that might arise to accentuate the
strained situation. Count Schouwaloff had a bril-
liant military reputation. He was aide-de-camp-
/ general to the Emperor, and through his brother,
Count Peter, the former Ambassador in London
and Plenipotentiary at the Congress, he possessed
a great deal more knowledge of the working of
European politics than any other military man,
and it was decided in principle that the new
Ambassador was to be a military man. Count
266
BISMARCK'S JEALOUSY
Schouwaloff arrived in Berlin, and very soon made
himself popular ; his wife contributed a good deal
to his success, and was of the greatest help to
him in the difficult position he had to face. In
connection with the Schouwaloffs, an incident oc-
curred which will curiously illustrate the watch-
fulness exercised by Prince Bismarck over the
members of the diplomatic body.
We had asked the new Ambassador to dinner.
It was not an official entertainment, and conse-
quently only a few pleasant people were present to
meet the Count and Countess. Among them was
the Bavarian Minister, Count Lerchenfeld, as well as
a great friend of mine, Count Neipperg, a grandson
of the second husband of the Empress Marie
Louise, the consort of the great Napoleon. Count
Neipperg was an extremely pleasant man, but he
belonged to the Centre, or Catholic, party in the
Reichstag, where he sat among the adversaries of
the Government. I must confess I had not given
a thought to his political opinions, and had never
admitted the possibility that they could have
anything to do with the fact of his being asked
to dinner. What was my surprise when a few
days later I received a visit from one of Prince
Bismarck's lieutenants, who gave me to understand
that the Chancellor was very angry with me for
having asked Count Neipperg to dinner, together
with the Schouwaloffs, and that he hoped I would
never do such a thing again. One may imagine
my indignation. Of course I replied to the Chan-
cellor's ambassador that I could not admit any in-
267
MY RECOLLECTIONS
terference with my guests, and that I should never
dream of consulting him as to the choice of them.
This instance will illustrate the despotic sway
which the powerful Minister believed he had the
right to exercise, even upon people who, like
myself, had absolutely nothing to do with politics,
and no official position whatever.
That dinner to Count and Countess Schou-
walofF was, in general, attended with disaster.
Count Lerchenfeld, who had accepted our invi-
tation, forgot all about it, and, after we had
waited more than an hour, we had to sit down
to table without him, which, of course, upset
the whole of our arrangements, so that my first
attempt at hospitality towards the new represen-
tative of my country was anything but a social
success.
That same winter Berlin society was very much
excited over the marriage of the present German
Chancellor, Count (then Herr) Bernard von Bulow,
with Countess DonhofF, nee Princess Camporeale,
the stepdaughter of the famous Minghetti. Countess
DonhofF had always had the reputation of being a
clever and charming woman, and no one deserved
it better. Her divorce from Count DonhofF had
attracted a good deal of attention at the time it
took place, but no one had thought of linking
another man's name with it. When, therefore, the
news of her marriage with young Bulow, as he
was called, was announced, it was a nine days^
wonder. The couple were singularly well matched.
It would be out of place for me to say anything
268
ILLNESS OF CROWN PRINCE
in praise of the present German Chancellor. His
reputation is too weU established.
This same winter of 1885-6 was signalised by
a most extraordinary epidemic of measles, which
became prevalent among the smart section of
Berhn society. I was one of the first attacked,
and very nearly died from them. No one knew
whence the disease originated. Every day one
heard of some well-known person being stricken by
it, and at last it became a kind of sport to count
who had escaped, and who had fallen a victim to
this troublesome complaint.
The Crown Prince had never had the measles
in his life before, and was exceedingly frightened
of them. Of course, at the age he had reached
the illness was bound to prove serious, and when
it became known that he had caught it too, great
anxiety prevailed as to the consequences it might
have on the general state of his health. He re-
covered, however, but his throat remained delicate
for ever afterwards, and there is no doubt whatever
that it was this illness which was the beginning
of the one to which he eventually succumbed two
years later.
I had scarcely recovered, when my husband
feU ill too with malarial fever, which very nearly
caiTied him off. For weeks he lay between life
and death, until at last the doctors advised us to
go and spend the next winter in Egypt, where
it was hoped the warm and dry climate might
do him good. We therefore made up our minds
to break up our Berhn home and go away for a
269
MY RECOLLECTIONS
year or so. I did not anticipate, however, that
this break-up was to become a definite one, and
that my Hfe in Berlin had come to an end.
One of the persons I used to see a good deal of
was the Countess Schleinitz. About a year before
the time I am speaking of her husband died, and
as soon as her period of mourning for him had
come to an end, she married Count Wolkenstein,
then Austrian Ambassador in St. Petersburg. I
had gone to Paris to see my friends there, but
came back the morning of her wedding in order
to be present at the ceremony. It was at the
breakfast which followed that I saw the Crown
Prince for the last time, and that I had with
him the remarkable conversation I have already
related in connection with the death of King Louis
of Bavaria, and the position which, according to
his ideas, German sovereigns ought to occupy in
relation to the Empire. The interview I had with
Frederick III. did not leave me the impression
of any illness or lack of strength in him. He
had certainly grown thinner, and complained of
a delicate throat, but no one thought for one
moment that it could be anything else but the
result of the measles, which, attacking him as they
did at an age when one is generally free from ail-
ments of the kind, were bound to leave a certain
amount of weakness behind them.
We spent the summer in Russia, and after a
brief visit I made to St. Petersburg to bid good-
bye to my father, whom I was very loth to leave
for such a long time, we embarked at Odessa for
270
IN THE BOSPHORUS
Constantinople and Alexandria on board a Rus-
sian steamer called the Cza7\ We had a fearful
crossing to Constantinople, so fearful that my
brother who had met us at Odessa, with the in-
tention of accompanying us to Egypt, flatly refused
to do so, and declared that nothing would induce
him to spend another week at sea and endure the
tortures he had suffered. It must be owned that
we had a very rough voyage, and I believe that,
with the exception of a certain Mr. Schmidt, the
head of the Custom House in Alexandria — a very
pleasant man — and myself, every one on board was
sick. It was with a feeling of intense relief that
we anchored in the Bosphorus, and went to seek
our old haunts of the Hotel d'Angleterre, where
the celebrated Missiri welcomed us with his beam-
ing smile and his indifferent food.
We stayed two days in Constantinople, and
it was then that I experienced, for the first time, the
disappointment with which one looks back on
the scene of former pleasures when circumstances
have changed, and the people who had made them
pleasant are dead or gone. Count Corti had left
us for that last journey from whence there is no
return ; the DufFerins were in India. No one re-
mained to talk over the days which had been so
pleasant, and though the German Ambassador,
Herr von Radowitz, and his wife gave us a warm
welcome, and did all they could to entertain
us, yet the contrast with my first stay in Constan-
tinople made itself felt at each step, and the
impression I carried away from this second visit
271
MY RECOLLECTIONS
was more a painful one than anytliing else. We
went, of course, again to St. Sophia, which I was
anxious to show to my little daughters ; but there
also things had altered, this time for the best,
and whereas in 1881 we had needed a kawass, and
a special permission, we found that a very small
baksheesh would let us in. A peep at the Bazaar,
and a walk, or rather drive, around the old walls
and the famous Seven Towers, or what remains
of them, was about all we did in Constantinople.
We left it in glorious weather, and after a stay of
several hours in Smyrna, which struck me as being
the most Eastern-looking town I had yet seen, we
landed at Alexandria and took up our quarters at
the Hotel Khedivial, the garden of which, with its
palm-trees, impressed me most pleasantly. Two
days later we went on to Cairo, and very soon
were settled there for the winter.
Cairo in 1886 was not quite given up to Cook's
tourists to the extent that it is now. Hotels
were still few and far between, and Shepheard was
the rendezvous of good society. It was most
amusing to sit on the terrace and look at the
various sights which make Cairo such an excep-
tional place. We found a number of friends, who
did all they could to make our stay amusing
and entertaining. Foremost among them was
Mr. (now Sir Edgar) Vincent, who most amiably
took me over the principal sights of the town.
These, of course, proved attractive, and I think I
shall never forget my first acquaintance with the
desert, and my ride on donkey-back to the cele-
272
THE SPHINX BY MOONLIGHT
brated tombs of the Caliphs outside Cairo, on one
of those lovely moonlight nights one only meets
there, which are not comparable to anything else
in this world. The desert is, in my opinion, the
greatest attraction in Cairo. Rides there possess
a peculiar charm which cannot be described, but
which I beheve has been felt by all those who have
had the occasion to enjoy them.
The Pyramids, on the contrary, did not impress
me as I had thought they would, perhaps because
I had expected so much from them. The Sphinx
also was a distinct disappointment, and at first I
could not find any beauty in its broken nose and
blurred face. It was only months later, as my stay
in Egypt was drawing to its close, that suddenly
one night the beauty of this marvellous creature
burst upon me, and the sensation of it has never
left me since. I should always advise people in
search of the secret of the Sphinx to see it first
by moonlight. Then, and then only, does one
realise all that its figure means, and the spell
which it is bound to exercise over all those who
give a thought to the great hereafter which awaits
us all.
Cairo was then, as it is now, a very gay place.
The French Consul-General was Count d'Aunay,
whose wife, an American, Miss Burdan, the sister
of Mrs. Marion Crawford, was an old acquaintance
of mine. She was extremely pretty and attractive,
and I saw a good deal of her, and remember with
great pleasure and genuine gratitude the kindness
I experienced at her hands.
273 T
MY RECOLLECTIONS
England had already as her diplomatic agent
Lord Cromer, who had not yet received that title,
and was known as Sir Evelyn Baring. He was
the same man then as he is now, and I have seldom
seen any one who has changed so little in the
course of long years. His wife. Lady Baring,
was, of course, the leading lady in Cairo society,
and her house was certainly the most hospitable
one there. She had more tact than any other
living woman, and had only friends. Her exquisite
courtesy corrected much that was ofF-hand and
even brusque in her husband's manners, and invi-
tations to the British Agency were most eagerly
sought after, by all the new arrivals, as well as
by the old residents of Cairo.
At the time I am speaking of, England, though
she had made up her mind to stay in Egypt, had
not yet openly acknowledged that intention, and
speculations were rife as to the probable length
of her occupation of the country. The political
situation was rather strained between the French
and English Governments, and I believe that
neither of the representatives of the two Powers
had altogether a pleasant time of it. The Khedive
was but a docile instrument in the skilful hands
of Sir Evelyn Baring, and though the latter some-
times experienced opposition to certain of his
plans from the wary Nubar Pacha, yet he contrived
generally to have his own way.
Nubar Pacha, who occupied the responsible
position of Prime Minister, was one of the most
curious types of men it has been my fortune
274
NUBAR PACHA
to meet. He had all the cunning of the Ar-
menian race to which he belonged, combined
with the advantages of a European education,
and being, moreover, the only man among the
Khedive's advisers who could be called a states-
man, he managed sometimes to hold his own
against the obstinate and shrewd British Agent -
General. Personally old Nubar was most at-
tractive, his intercourse was absolutely fascinating,
and his knowledge not only of all the finesses of
the French language, but also of the kind of
blague and bagout of the boulevards, added to
the wit of his conversation. Madame Nubar had
the gift as well as the love of entertaining, and her
two charming daughters, the youngest married to
Tigrane Pacha, then Under-Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs, as well as her sister, Madame
Capamadgian, helped their mother with an ex-
quisite grace to do the honours of her house.
Twice a week there were evening receptions,
dans la maison Nubar, as it was called, and no
one who could help it ever missed one of these
entertainments, at which one was sure to meet
all the interesting people who were either living
in, or had arrived as visitors to, Cairo.
It was at the Nubars' that I saw, for the first
time. Lord Rosebery, then on his way home from
India, where he had spent some months together
with Lady Rosebery, and the Earl, now Duke, of
Fife. Their amval in Cairo had made quite a
little commotion, and, of course, they were the
objects of general curiosity.
275
MY RECOLLECTIONS
The receptions of the Vicereine were quite a
feature in the social Hfe of Cairo : they used to
take place every Tuesday, and it would have
been hard to realise that one was in an Oriental
harem, had it not been for the female attend-
ants in their Eastern dresses who met the
visitors, and escorted them to their mistress.
The Khediviah, as she was called, was a very
pretty woman, always exquisitely dressed in the
latest Parisian fashion, speaking French perfectly,
and in manners and bearing quite like any high
born and bred European great lady. In general
the Princesses of the Khedivial family were ad-
mirably brought up, and in no way different from
women having had all the advantages of life, such
as we understand them. The severe rules which
still prevail in Constantinople as to the hberty
enjoyed by women do not exist in Egypt, where
practically the only restraint imposed on females
is the obligation of wearing a very thin and trans-
parent veil when they go out. They occupy
boxes at the opera, from whence they can assist
at the representations, and behind the curtains
of which one can see them very well. When
the Khedive gave his annual ball, the Vicereine
used to look at the entertainment from behind a
screen, and to summon to her presence all the
ladies she knew, for a cup of tea and a few
moments' chat. Tewfik Pacha himself was a
quiet, morose man, who used to feel bitterly his
helplessness in the matter of the government of
his country. He was neither amusing nor enter-
276
AN EGYPTIAN PRINCESS
taining, from a worldly point of view, and I
remember that when I was asked to dine at
the Abdin Palace I tried in vain every subject
of conversation I thought would be likely to suit
him, without the least success. Every remark
I made fell flat, until at last I gave it up and
turned in despair to my other neighbour, who
was the German Consul- General, Count Arco.
Count Ai-co deserves special mention. He
was considered one of the cleverest men in the
service, and would probably, had he not died at
an early age, have had a brilliant career. He
belonged to the number of Prince Bismarck's per-
sonal friends, and at a moment when it required
a great amount of courage to do so, he had gone
to see him at Friedrichsruhe, for which he had
almost been dismissed from the diplomatic service.
Among the many notabilities of Cairo, the
Princess Nazli, cousin of the Khedive, certainly
ranked among the foremost. She was an extra-
ordinary mixture of European education blended
with Eastern ideas. She had completely emanci-
pated herself from the few restraints imposed on
her sex, and used to receive male visitors every
afternoon at her house. Her teas, as one called
them, were among the most amusing gather-
ings in Cairo, and nothing struck one as more
strange than to see an English officer, or foreign
diplomat, introduced by a slave in gorgeous gar-
ments into the presence of the amiable Princess,
whose dress, by a strange peculiarity, had more
of the Oriental character than that of the other
277
MY RECOLLECTIONS
ladies in the Khedivial family. Princess Nazli was
a power in politics, and a strong supporter of the
English occupation. Her opinions were not looked
upon with unmixed approbation by Tewfik Pacha,
and Nubar was loud in his execration of them,
but the Turkish custom of ignoring women did
not permit the Government to openly express its
disapproval of the conduct of Princess Nazh, and
this allowed her to air her views with perfect
impunity. She was very clever, and used to
make fun of those whom she did not like in a
comic sort of way which was most amusing.
Society in Cairo was a perfect kaleidoscope
of new faces and strange encounters. In those
winter months I came across men like the Pere
Didon, who had just incurred the blame of the
Papal Court, and who was on his way back from
the Holy Land, where he had been collecting
materials for his life of Christ. I remember having
had a conversation with him on board a boat which
was taking us to Memphis, together with a large
party, on the divinity of Jesus. I could not ask
him, of course, what he really thought about it, but
I remember one curious remark he made to me,
and which has often haunted me since. It was to
the effect that he thought Christ cared more for
people doing what He told them than believing in
His divine personality.
Hamilton Aidd was also a visitor to Cairo
during that winter, delightful and charming as
he ever is, and his presence was eagerly sought
after at all the entertainments, of which the name
278
THE SPELL OF THE DESERT
was legion, which were given by the different
leaders of society ; and the Brasseys, too, whose
Sunbeam was at Port Said, made a flitting ap-
parition in the Egyptian capital, from whence
Lady Brassey started on that sad journey of which
she was not destined to see the end. And one day
I was shown, at a reception at the British Legation,
a young officer, arrived that same morning from
Suakim, on a short visit, who in later years was to
become Lord Kitchener of Khartoum.
Yes, these were merry days, and I sometimes
have reproached myself for my gaiety at that
time, though perhaps it is well it was granted to
me. 1 was in despair when the time came to bid
good-bye to Egypt and its many attractions, and
went round with a heavy heart to see once more
all the spots which I liked best. Mr. (now Sir A.)
Hamilton Lang, then at the head of the Daira
Sanieh, took us for a farewell excursion to the Tomb
of Ti and the pyramids of Sakharah ; and I think I
shall never forget the desert as it looked that night
white and still under the rays of the moon. I sat
for a long time at the window of Mariette's httle
house staring at this immensity, which suddenly
seemed to make me reahse that of the world, and
the nothingness of human ambitions, and human
life. There is a solemnity in the desert it is diffi-
cult to describe. It is not as if centuries stared at
one from its immensity ; it is more like as if one
stared oneself at its vastness, and all that it
represents in the history, as well as in the fate of
mankind.
279
MY RECOLLECTIONS
I have said nothing about the various mosques
and monuments which make Cairo such a wonderful
and interesting place. I have only a vivid remem-
brance of my visit to the Mussulman University
of El Azar, because it is the only place where I
was distinctly insulted by some dervishes, in spite
of the kavass from the Consulate who accom-
panied me. But in this centre of Mohammedan
fanaticism the presence of a European lady excited
such indignation, that 1 was greeted with all kind
of epithets, which were, so far as I understood
them, anything but complimentary.
As a contrast to this reception, I was warmly
welcomed at the house of the Scheik El Sadad,
one of the notabilities of Cairo, whose family is
supposed to be descended in a straight line from
the Prophet. He asked me to come and dine
with his wife, or rather wives — he had three of
them — and in a rash moment I accepted. The
meal was very elaborate, being a true Oriental
one, partaken at a small table, and with the help
of a spoon only, without knives and forks. If I
remember rightly, I think we had something like
seventeen courses, each of which I was compelled
to taste.
It was towards the end of our Egyptian winter
that rumours, vague at first, then more and more
decided, reached us as to the state of health of
the Crown Prince, and the dreaded word ' cancer '
was pronounced. The news came as a stunning
blow, but one hoped against hope that the
doctors were mistaken, and that it was only a
280
THE PRINCESS FREDERICK'S AGONY
passing ailment from which he was suffering. His-
presence in Berlin at the festivities connected with
the celebration of the old Emperor's seventieth
birthday made us think that, perhaps, after all, the
matter was not so serious as it was reported.
But even in those early days of the tragedy, to-
wards which we were going with quick paces, my
thoughts were never absent from the Crown Prin-
cess. I knew what this would mean to her, and
what silent agony she must be enduring. I never-
guessed though to what it would lead, nor sus-
pected the kind of Calvary she was destined to
climb.
281
CHAPTER XVII.
We return to Russia — The Emperor William's Death — The
Beginning and End of a Reign — My Father'' s Death —
We settle in St. Petersburg — The First Days of the Empress
Fredericks Widowhood — St. Petersburg Society under
Alexander III. — BismarcFs Fall — A Season in London —
The Duke of VorJc's Wedding.
I RETURNED to Russia in June, 1887, with my
children, and my husband joined me there a few
months later from Germany, whither he had gone
on leaving Cairo. That year proved to be a sad
one. My father's health began to fail, and it was
evident to all who saw him that the end could not
be far off. The news we received from Berlin was
also far from being reassuring, and it soon became
certain that the Crown Prince's days were also
numbered. The person who, I believe, had the
fewest illusions on the subject was the Crown
Princess herself. I do not think she had any hope
from the moment the true nature of the disease
under which her husband was struggling was re-
vealed to her. I think that, between the two, it
was he who looked more brightly at the terrible
situation which stared them both in the face.
The Empress never alluded to it in later
years, save in the vaguest way. She had suffered
far too much to care to speak of these hours
•of silent agony, of which the most acute, per-
282
DEATH OF THE OLD KAISER
haps, was the misunderstanding which had gi'own
between herself and her eldest son. Among
the many lies that have been said, as well as
written, about the Empress, there is one which
has come to be accepted as true even by some
of her friends, and that is, that she never liked the
present German Emperor. Now, so far as I know,
she always had for him, at the bottom of her heart,
a preference which only added bitterness to the
events which alienated them from each other for
some time. He represented to her those first
emotions of motherhood a woman can never forget
in after life ; her first hopes, her first joys, had
been associated with him ; to him she had owed the
pride of having presented an heir to the kingdom
over which she believed she would have to rule.
He had been the object of her tenderest solicitude,
of her most affectionate care, and she had been
proud of his great talents and abilities.
I was in St. Petersburg when the old Emperor
William died. The event, in spite of his great
age, came as a shock, not only to those who knew
him, but to the world in general. He had come
to be considered in the light of an institu-
tion, and the possibility of his death occurring
before that of his stricken son had scarcely oc-
curred to people as within the limits of proba-
bility. With him came to an end a whole
period in the history not only of his own
country, but also of the world. Upright, con-
scientious, true, admirably unselfish, William I.
will be remembered as a man who, without being
283
MY RECOLLECTIONS
really great, yet achieved great things. He was
universally regretted, and even his most bitter foes
shed tears over his grave. His son, when he
ascended the throne, surprised every one by the
energy with which, half-dying, he stuck to his
duties, and picked up the reins of government.
The two letters he addressed to the German people
and to the Chancellor, will for ever be quoted as
one of the most admirable programmes a sovereign
could unfold on assuming a crown. Unhappily, it
was to remain a programme, and the noble spirit
whose pen traced those eloquent words, was
destined to be quenched almost before they were
dry on the paper on which they had been
written.
I did not see the Emperor after he ascended the
throne. My husband went to take leave of him,
as I have already related, and brought me back a
message of farewell, which I shall always treasure.
He related to me that his composure almost
forsook him when he was introduced in the
presence of the dying monarch. Indeed, all those
who approached Frederick III. were impressed in
the like way by the heroic courage with which he
waited for death. The Empress, too, was admir-
able, as she always showed herself during her
whole life ; her thorough unselfishness never
appeared to greater advantage than during those
short three months in which she wore the Imperial
Crown, and she carried it so far, that she actually
left her husband for a few hours to go and super-
intend herself the relief of the victims of the
284
THE REIGN OF FREDERICK III.
inundations of Silesia, and what that supreme
sacrifice must have cost her, no one but herself
ever knew.
This brief reign of Frederick III. was marked
by many anxieties and sorrows. The quarrel
which took place between the Empress and Prince
Bismarck, concerning the marriage of the Princess
Victoria with the Prince of Bulgaria, was cer-
tainly one of the things which troubled him the
most. Then there happened the Puttkamer
incident, and various other small events, which
embittered his last days. The marriage of his
second son. Prince Henry, with the Princess
Irene of Hesse, brought a ray of light into the
darkness of the suffering in which his remaining
days were spent, but it did not bring him that
peace in which his friends would have Uked his
last hours to pass ; and when he died, he was
so thoroughly worn out, in mind as well as in
body, that it is probable the advent of the dread
angel was more of a relief to him than any-
thing else.
On the 29th of April, of that same year 1888,
my father died, thus adding another sorrow to
those I had already. His death, and some com-
plications which followed upon it, connected with
the disposal of his property, obliged us to settle
in Russia, where my husband became naturalised.
We gave up our Berhn establishment, and took a
house in St. Petersburg, and thus my life changed
completely, and I returned to the country which I
ought never to have left.
285
MY RECOLLECTIONS
It was about that same time that a curious inci-
dent occurred which had a certain influence over the
poUtics of Russia, and in which I happened to be
accidentally mixed up.
The reader remembers perhaps the episode of
certain documents concerning Bulgarian affairs,
which were sent to the Emperor Alexander of
Russia, and which Prince Bismarck pronounced
to be forgeries. Speculation was rife as to wha
could have given them to the sovereign whose
wrath they had excited. I believe that to this
day the matter has not been explained. A strange
accident put me in possession of the name of the
person who performed that daring deed, but this
is not the place to mention it. It is sufficient
to say here, that the sending of the papers origi-
nated from the circle of the immediate friends and
supporters of General Boulanger, who was at that
time at the height of his popularity. After the
Berlin interview, these people, in order to counteract
the effect of the repudiations of Prince Bismarck,
sent another batch of papers to the Russian Court,
by one of the confidants of Boulanger, and by a
young lady whose name has often been mentioned
since. Miss Maud Gonne, who arrived in St.
Petersburg in the spring of that year 1888, and
spent some weeks at the Hotel de I'Europe,
where I was staying too. Through an introduction
which I procured for her, the documents were
handed over to M. Pobedonostseff, the Procurator
of the Holy Synod, and by him put under the eyes
of Alexander III. The result was the dispatch,.
286
SOCIETY AT ST. PETERSBURG
some time later, of the Russian squadron to
Toulon.
During the spring that INIiss Gonne was
staying at the Hotel de I'Europe, St. Petersburg,
Mr. Stead was also in the capital of Russia, and
staying at the same hotel. They often used
to meet in my rooms, and the talks we had
together laid the foundations of my later friend-
ship with iNIr. Stead. St. Petersburg society was
very brilliant at that time I am speaking of.
Though my aunt, the Princess Kotchoubey, had
died a few weeks before my father, I had plenty
of friends and relations, and, besides all the
family ties which made it so dear to me, I found
much to interest me in politics, as well as in
other things. General Tcherewine, whom I have
already mentioned, was one of my greatest
friends, together with M. Wischnegradski, the
Finance Minister, who was all-powerful. Through
them a quantity of information reached me, and
gave me grounds for interesting myself, not only
in the doings of society, but also in the great work
to which Alexander III. devoted all his life,
that of ameliorating the condition of the country,
for which these were eventful years. The famine
of 1891 exercised an immense influence over its
development, and whilst arresting it on some
points, stimulated its energies in others. Foreign
politics, too, underwent a thorough transformation,
and the French AUiance, which under Nicholas II.
was to become an accomplished fact, was first
mooted and discussed. Every day brought a fresh
287
MY RECOLLECTIONS
incident, and it would take volumes to relate all I
remember about that time, where, unfortunately,
I have got but a few pages.
In 1890 the world was startled by the news
that Prince Bismarck had been dismissed by his
sovereign. The event came as a thunder- clap to
the general public, though all those who had
watched the progress of events at the Court of
Berlin were more or less prepared for it. For my
part, I felt sure the powerful Minister and the
young Emperor would not hit it together for a
long time. William II. was not the kind of
monarch to submit to being kept in bondage, and
Bismarck was not one to brook resistance in any
shape or form. These two temperaments had to
clash, sooner or later, and yet no one expected that
the close friends of 1888 would in such a short
time become irreconcilable enemies, and the world
had a right to expect that the great genius to
whom Germany owed its unity would take his
banishment with more dignity than he did.
Bismarck, becoming the head of the opposition
against the Crown — of which he had been the
staunchest supporter — was a spectacle no one had
foreseen, and it was painful to the friends, as well
as to the foes, of the first Chancellor of the new
German Empire.
There is an incident associated with this event
which is not known generally, and which gives it a
pathos akin almost to that of a Greek tragedy.
When Bismarck saw that he was doomed, he
turned towards his victim of bygone years, and
288
HATFIELD
asked the Empress Frederick to plead for him with
her son. The Empress was a woman, and she
could not resist the temptation of retaliating for
all she had been made to endure, and to the letter
of her old enemy she simply replied ' that he had
so well destroyed any influence she might have
had over her son, that she could not, with any
hope of success, interfere in the matter of his
going or staying.'
But she was human, after all, and she must
have felt revenged when she found she was once
more in the position of granting or refusing some-
thing to the man who had opposed her so con-
stantly, and treated her so mercilessly.
In 1891 my eldest son's health necessitated a
sojourn in a milder climate than Russia, and we
took a house for eight months in Jersey. Whilst
there we often went to London, and it was in the
course of that summer that we were asked for the
first time to stay at Hatfield House. Needless to
relate the impression produced on me by the old
home of the Cecils. A more noble mansion than
that old Jacobean building it would be difficult to
find. But what constituted its greatest charm was
the kindness of the hosts, and the intellectual
enjoyment one carried away from those historic
halls, over which two such exceptional people as
the late Lord and Lady Salisbury presided.
They belonged to that rare type, which disappears
every day, of the real Grand Seigneurs, in-
variably courteous, invariably amiable, invariably
kind, and invariably interesting. The very air
289 u
MY RECOLLECTIONS
one breathed had something different than that
of other places, and one felt from the first
moment one entered those hospitable doors, that
all the petty meannesses which tend so often to
make human life a miserable thing were totally
absent from that centre of cleverness over which
the descendant of Elizabeth's great Minister and
his accomplished wife presided with such quaint
dignity and such high-bred good grace.
Two years later we were once more in England.
My daughter had been presented, and I wished
to give her the pleasure of a London season.
We arrived in London in May, and remained until
the beginning of July. The Liberals were then in
power, and the famous Bill concerning the death
duties was being discussed in the House. Public
feeling was running very high, and, as the circle in
which we moved was essentially a Conservative
one, we used to hear violent abuse and denuncia-
tions of Mr. Gladstone and his politics. I met the
great man himself at a dinner at the Russian
Embassy, and I must say I was intensely dis-
appointed in him. I had expected something
quite different, and I thought with regret of Lord
Beaconsfield and his great powers of fascination.
And yet, as a whole, I found myself far more
in sympathy with Mr. Gladstone's opinions. He
had an ideal, which very few people possess
nowadays, and one could see at once that he was
in earnest, and that he had not looked lightly
on anything he had done. But, though his
speeches have always appealed to me, his person
290
MR. JOHN MORLEY
has not. I did not take to him, to use a vulgar
expression, and I think I hke him far better now
that I have read his biogi-aphy by Mr. Morley,
than when I used to meet him himself.
Talking of Mr. Morley reminds me that I used
to meet him, too, in society, during that same
London season. He was an absolutely delightful
man, and his conversation was one of the most
enjoyable things society could offer one. I shall
never forget some talks I had with him.
During the months we spent in London, two
events took place. One was the going down of
the Victojia. The news of it arrived a few hours
before a Court ball, which was instantly counter-
manded by the Queen, with her usual tact and
foresight. In society, too, the shock was very
great, and for days one talked and heard of
nothing else.
The second event was the marriage of the Duke
of York. Many Royalties came from the Con-
tinent to be present, amongst others our Grand
Duke Cesarewitch, now the Emperor Nicholas H.
His visit was looked upon with great interest, and
every possible honom' was shown to him. He
was present at a State ball which took place a few
days before the wedding, as well as at a party given
at the Russian Embassy, where M. and Madame
de Staal welcomed not only the English Royal
family, but also the King and Queen of Denmark,
who were in England for the marriage of their
first grandson.
The marriage was celebrated at St. James's
291
MY RECOLLECTIONS
Palace with great pomp. We had a house in
Clarges Street, and from our windows obtained
an excellent sight of the procession as it passed
along Piccadilly. The Queen was in a State
carriage, with the Duchess of Teck, kind and
popular Princess Mary, sitting opposite to her.
The latter looked beaming, and the Queen also
had one of those winning smiles which lent such
singular beauty to her features.
In going over these years, which seem so
near and yet so far away, I have not mentioned
the first interview I had with the Empress
Frederick after her widowhood. It took place
in Berlin, in the autumn of 1890. She was in
the capital for a few days, and I was also passing
through it on my way to Paris. Of course, I
asked to see her, and she received me, in the
evening, in the room in which we used to
assemble prior to her making her appearance,
at the parties she used to give as Crown Princess^
It had been partly refurnished since I had seen
it last, and the magnificent picture of the Em-
peror, in his white Cuirassier uniform, by Angeli,
was hanging on the wall surrounded by a gar-
land of green laurels. The Empress was standing
under it when I was ushered into the room,
and she made two steps towards me. I could
not speak, but only go up to her and kiss her
hand in silence. She also seemed on the point
of breaking down, and something like a sob
escaped her. But she soon recovered her usual
composure, and after a few brief remarks, such
292
THE EMPRESS FREDERICK
as ' You did not expect to find me like that,'
she quickly changed the conversation, and be-
came her own sweet self once more. Her hair
had grown white, but her eyes had the same
beautiful soft look they had possessed before, though
surrounded by that red circle only to be seen
where many tears have been shed. Her manner,
too, had slightly changed, and the vivacity which
had distinguished it before had vanished, never
to return. Her whole appearance revealed an
intensity of suffering, but suffering nobly borne,
nobly endured, suffering out of which she had
come better, kinder, than she had been before,
if that had been possible. She spoke of all
the things in which she had felt an interest,
before the tragedy of her life had been accom-
plished. A few other people besides myself were
there, among them Professor Helmholtz and
his wife, the niece of old Madame von Mohl.
The Empress had a word for every one, and
talked with the same animation as of old. But
for those who knew her, it was easy to see how
much the effort cost her, and how thoroughly she
had mastered that great secret of conquering one-
self, which so very few have grasped.
293
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Winter of 1893-1894 — Beginning of the Illness of
Alexander III. — Oiir Journey to Italy — An Audie^ice of
Pope Leo XIII. — Cardinal Ledochowski — Another Sum-
mer in England — Death of Alexander III.
The winter of 1893-1894 was an eventful one in
the sense that it was the last of Alexander III.'s
life and reign. It opened brilHantly, and at
Court, as well as in society, balls and festivities
were announced to take place in a greater number
than had been the case in former years. An Eng-
lish friend of mine, the Duchess of Buckingham
and Chandos, came to pay us & long visit, and we
tried to make her stay in St. Petersburg as pleasant
as we could. The first great Court ball was an-
nounced, and invitations for it were already issued,
when I was startled one evening by hearing from
General Tcherewine that the Emperor had been
taken suddenly and alarmingly ill. We had
never heard that there was anything the matter
with his health, and, as it turned out afterwards,
no one, even among the members of his family,
had suspected he was suffering from a mortal dis-
ease. When this first sharp attack, which was
nothing else than the beginning of the end, seized
hold of him, people called it influenza, and refused
to recognise its gravity. The facts of the case
were, that the Emperor had never been well since
294
A JOURNEY TO ITALY
the railway accident at Borki, but his was not a
nature that complained, and he had kept to him-
self the feeling of ill-health which he had experi-
enced. One does not care in Russia to speak of
the ill-health of any members of the Imperial
family, especially of the sovereign, and though it
was not possible to keep the public in ignorance of
the sudden collapse in his strength, which occurred
at the time I am speaking of, the bulletins made
light of his illness, which was attributed to a chill
and nothing else. Of course, the Court ball was
countermanded, but as soon as Alexander III.
was up again, it took place, and no one dared
to notice the haggard looks of the unfortunate
Emperor. The only person who dared say that
there was anything seriously amiss was General
Tcherewine, and he confided to me in secret that
he thought matters were far more serious than the
public suspected.
In March of the same year we took my
daughter to Italy, where I wished her to make
acquaintance with the wonders of Florence and
Rome. A few days before we started, the fifty
years' jubilee of a charitable institution called the
Community of the Holy Trinity, a nursing home
for poor people, was celebrated in St. Petersburg.
Being under the patronage of several members
of the Imperial family, and having been founded
by one of the daughters of Nicholas I., it
had always enjoyed special privileges, and on the
occasion to which I refer, the Emperor and
Empress themselves were present at the jubilee
295
MY RECOLLECTIONS
celebrations. I was interested in this hospital, and
on very friendly terms with the lady who was at
tlie head of it, Mile. Abaza, the sister of the former
Finance Minister, M. Abaza. I was invited to the
divine service which was celebrated in the chapel
of the establishment, after which we (by which I
mean the few ladies present) assembled in the
surgery, where the sovereigns came to speak to
us. It was then that I was struck by the ex-
treme change which had taken place in the
countenance of the Emperor. The few times I
had seen him during the winter season had been
in the evening, when it was difficult to judge of
his looks and the colour of his complexion. On
this brilliant March morning, and in the bare
whitewashed room in which we were gathered
together, I was struck by his appearance and the
ravages of his physiognomy. He appeared to
have aged suddenly twenty years, and his skin was
quite yellow, whilst an air of indescribable fatigue
pervaded his whole person. I somehow felt con-
vinced that his days were numbered, and that I
was looking upon him for the last time. He came
up to me and spoke a few words. On my telling
him, in reply to one of his questions, that we were
going abroad in a few days, he made the remark
that he could not understand why people were
always doing so. I replied that it was in order to
escape the spring season in St. Petersburg, which
was always so trying, and without reflecting on
what I was saying, added, ' I think your Majesty
would also benefit through a trip to a better
296
ROME
-climate.' He smiled wearily, and replied, ' Ah I
but I cannot do what I would like to do.'
On my return home, the Emperor's look of
suffering haunted me, and I told my husband
and daughter that I did not think he could live
long. IVIy forebodings turned out to be but too
true, and I never saw Alexander III. after that
clay. When we returned to Russia, in November
of that same year, he had been dead some days.
We spent a few very pleasant weeks in
Italy. We met many old friends in Rome, and
thoroughly enjoyed our stay there from the social
point of view. The very day after our arrival,
a former acquaintance of ours, the Baron Zorn
^e Bulach, who had recently entered holy orders,
and who at present is Bishop of Strasburg, came
±0 see us, and brought us tickets for St. Peter's,
where the ceremony of the canonisation of a new
saint was to take place, in the presence of the Pope
himself. In those days these tickets were rather
difficult to obtain, and we were very glad to have
an opportunity of seeing Leo XIII. We started
accordingly in good time, and though we arrived
about an hour earlier than the ceremony was
to take place, we found almost all the places
in the different tribunes occupied, and could
■only with the greatest difficulty force our way
through the immense and compact crowd which
filled the vast cathedral. St. Peter's in its best
clothes — for the Italian custom of draping the
walls of the churches in red silk, can be called
clothing them — did not impress me favourably.
297
UY RECOLLECTIONS
It looked too gorgeous, far too showy, and the
true spirit of Christianity was as far away from it
as possible. This first impression was accentuated,
when shouts proceeding from the aisle of the
church announced the advent of the Pope.
First appeared a long procession of bishops,
monks, archbishops and cardinals, all of them
carrying lighted tapers in their hands. They came
slowly, two by two, and were followed by a de-
tachment of Swiss Guards in their quaint scarlet
uniforms, and the whole procession seemed in-
terminable, as it uncoiled itself from the depths
of the immense cathedral. Seen in the dusk of a
spring evening, by the flickering light of thousands
of wax candles, it had a weird, an almost uncanny
appearance. All these shapes of monks and priests*
moving noiselessly about, reminded one of a scene
in an opera, rather than a ceremony in a church.
There was nothing real about it. The building
as well as the men who filled it, struck one as a
vast assemblage of ghosts, gathered together in a
spot just as ghostly as they were themselves
phantoms.
At last, borne high on the shoulders of
the Noble Guard, with two enormous fans of
ostrich feathers carried behind him, the Pope
himself appeared, greeted by maddening shouts
of ' Evviva il Papa Re ! ' ' Long live the Pope
King.' Impassive as a statue, Leo XIII. sat
rigid on the Sedia gestatoHa, with his two fingers
lifted up in a sign of benediction. His pale
emaciated face struck one as something too
298
LEO XIII.
diaphanous for this world. Even the eyes had a
dull look, and an almost glassy expression. Not
a muscle on his face moved, not a sign of emotion
did he exhibit, amidst the passionate enthusiasm
with which he was received by a crowd who, it
was evident, was gathered together only for a
political manifestation. As I watched that silent,
haughty, hieratic figure, I suddenly understood
what I had not been able to comprehend until
then, the power wielded by the Church of Rome,
simply through its immobility, and its stagnation
into paths which the human mind has left long
ago. The whole force exercised by superstition,
when it is transformed into an instrument of faith,
struck me as forcibly as unpleasantly, and I
realised the disgust which must have seized some
independent spirits in the centuries gone by, when
they saw the Church of Christ transformed into a
kingdom of ignorance and superstition. In spite
of the Pope's gesture of blessing, there was nothing
kind, still less divine, in his appearance. It re-
minded one of the car of Juggernaut, and seemed
as merciless and inexorable as the chariot of the
Indian god.
There was a moment of silence as the choristers
intoned the ' Tu es Petrus ' of the celebrated
anthem. Suddenly the white apparition, upon
which all eyes were riveted, disappeared ; one saw
nothing but a mass of red and violet robes
prostrated before something one could not per-
ceive, and the glimmer of the innumerable tapers
lighted up the gold and silver of hundreds of
299
MY RECOLLECTIONS
mitres lowered to the ground. In this confusion
the brain reeled, and the eyesight seemed suddenly
to have grown dim. Then gradually, very gradu-
ally, one could just guess, rather than see, a white
shadow kneeling before the grave of St. Peter.
A moment's breathless pause, and then the
sublime voice of the choir rose up again, and
another one was heard singing softly, ' Benedicat
vos, Pater, et FiUus, et Spiritus Sanctus,'' and one
realised that it was the voice of Leo XIII.,
invoking a blessing upon the crowd before which
he had just knelt himself.
It all seemed a dream, and before one was
awake all had disappeared, the white-robed pontiff,
and the clergy in its splendid vestments, and the
Swiss Guard with their drawn swords. There
remained nothing but a panting crowd, struggling
to come out of the church.
A few days later we were admitted into the
presence of Leo XIII. This audience will always
remain impressed upon my mind. It was fixed
for an early hour, as we were invited to be present
at the Pope s Mass, which was considered a great
privilege. Punctually at seven o'clock we were
climbing the many flights of stairs which lead to
the pontiff's private apartments in the Vatican.
We passed through immense halls, in each of
which a sentinel was on duty, and we reached one
smaller than the rest, where two monsignori were
waiting for us. We found that there were about
six people convoked for the ceremony, and we
were introduced into another apartment, where
300
THE POPE'S JNIASS
faldstools were standing opposite a close door.
After a waiting which appeared very long, this door
suddenly opened without warning, and a figure
wrapped up in a scarlet cloak appeared before one
had had time to realise what it was, or to recognise
the Pope. The apparition seemed fantastic :
fantastic also the large gesture of benediction with
which he sprinkled with holy water the assistants.
Then he disappeared again, and the doors closed
upon him, to open once more, a few minutes later,
disclosing to our eyes Leo XIII. at the altar,
reciting, in that melodious, peculiar voice of his,
the Confiteor,
The mass went on, said simply, but with a
pathos which could not fail to impress itself upon
the imagination of the listeners. Certainly the art
of appearances had been closely studied by the late
Pope. Every one of his words seemed addressed
to a particular person, and, as the Latin sentences
fell upon the ear, one could feel that they were
spoken rather than pronounced. The Pater
noster was recited with almost passionate accents,
passionate, at least, for such an unemotional
personage as Leo XIII. ; its syllables contained a
wail of anguish, and the ' Forgive us our tres-
passes ' rang as a cry for indulgence for the sins
of the whole world.
AVhen mass was over, the Pope disappeared
again, and his chaplain at once ascended the altar,
and celebrated another one, after which a master of
ceremonies came forward, and introduced us into
the very same small chapel where it had taken
301
MY RECOLLECTIONS
place, in a corner of which the pontiff was sitting
in a large chair, with his scarlet cloak again thrown
upon his shoulders.
We approached and knelt beside him, and he
l)egan talking very softly, asking us about the
position of the Catholic Church in Russia.
Just prior to our departure, a painful incident
had occurred in connection with the closing of a
church in the government of Wilna, and the
Catholic Bishop of St. Petersburg had asked my
husband to mention the matter to the Holy
Father. 1 at once saw that the subject was
unwelcome to him ; the Court of Rome was at
that very time engaged in negotiations with the
Russian Government about the establishment of
a modus vivendi, which was concluded a few
months later, and it was very evident that the
Pope did not care to be told facts which might
have obliged him to interfere when he did not
desire to do so. All the diplomacy, which was
one of his principal characteristics, appeared at that
moment ; he hastened to change the conversation,
saying in French, in which language the whole of
the conversation we had with him was conducted,
* What can I do ? I am a poor old man, helpless
and friendless ; I can only pray,' and then, after a
pause, he went on : ' Pray,' he said, ' pray always,
continually, never leave off praying, and have
faith. Faith is everything. Faith is the strength
of the world.' ^ La foi c'est tout, la foi cest la
force du monde.' I repeat the words as they were
told to us, and they sounded both as a warning
302
CARDINAL RAMPOLLA
and as an appeal. My husband was deeply im-
pressed ; it was also my case, but in a different
way, and I could not divest myself of the idea
that there was a ring of unrealness in what we
had heard. I do not think Pius IX. would have
spoken thus.
Among the cardinals whose acquaintance we
made in Rome, Cardinal Ledochowski, whose
name has already been mentioned in these pages,
was without doubt the most remarkable person-
ality. One might or might not agree with his
opinions, and the political ideas and system which
he represented, but one had, whether one liked it
or not, to admire his immense intelligence, and the
unflinching courage with which he held his own
among the innumerable intrigues of the Papal
Court. Though a diplomat by nature, he would
never have lowered himself to diplomatic tricks,
nor sacrificed any of his principles for a temporary
advantage. He was not liked among the Pope's
entourage, and did not dissimulate his own
antagonism to certain measures adopted by Leo
XIII. With Cardinal RampoUa he was hardly
on speaking terms.
This last-mentioned personage was the type
of the crafty Itahan, gifted with more astuteness
than intelligence, but a past-master in the art of
intrigue. His very politeness made one distrustful
as to his intentions. He was known already at
that time as an aspirant to the pontifical tiara, and
many people thought that his chances of being
elected successor to Leo XIII. were considerable.
303
MY RECOLLECTIONS
Another Roman dignitary, this one in a state
of quasi disgrace, was Cardinal Hohenlohe, the
brother of the Chancellor of the Empire. He
had his quarters at Santa Maria Maggiore, and
was spending his time in denunciations of the
Jesuits, whose hand he saw in everything which
happened either to him or to the world. He had
been considered one of the tools of Prince
Bismarck, and it is probable he made himself
useful to the great Minister, but I do not think
he ever played the important part in political
affairs which was at one time attributed to him.
We spent three delightful weeks in Rome,
then, after a short stay in Naples and at Florence,
we went to London by way of Paris,
We found England quite excited about the
Home Rule Bill, and Mr. Gladstone was held in
execration by the Conservative party. In spite
of the effervescence which reigned, society con-
trived to amuse itself as much as ever. The heir
to the Russian throne was on a visit to Queen
Victoria at Windsor, together with his fiancee,
the Princess Alix of Hesse. Their engagement
had just been announced, and in view of the
Emperor's state of health, about which every day
more and more disquieting rumours were afloat,
it had been hailed with the utmost delight by
the nation, who hoped to see the succession to
the throne assured in the direct hne. That hope
has still to be fulfilled.
It was a delightful summer we spent in part
in London, and in part in Kent, where we had
304
THE DYING CZAR
taken a house. Some charming visits we made
added to our enjoyment, and among those I
remember with the greatest pleasure was a stay
at Waddesdon INIanor, where Baron Ferdinand de
Rothschild used to dispense such charming lios-
pitality. I also had the opportunity of taking my
daughter to Hatfield House, and I was very
glad that, during the few days we stayed there,
she saw something of the home life which made
that place so attractive, apart from all its other
charms.
I was in Scotland when late in September I
heard that the state of health of Alexander III.
had become quite hopeless. The news got worse
and worse as time went on, and during a short
stay we made in Paris in October, I received
letters from Livadia, where the dying monarch
was going through his last struggle, which in-
formed me that his life was only a question of
a few days. We made immediate preparations
to return to Russia, but before we could reach
it, we heard in Berlin that all was over, and that
the Emperor had breathed his last on November
1st, 1894.
It was an immense loss to the country over
which he had ruled so wisely, and for such a short
time. AVith him an important factor in European
politics disappeared, and Russia lost a good deal
of the prestige she had undoubtedly obtained
whilst he was presiding over her destinies.
Thoroughly conscientious, honest, good, in the
full sense of the term, he had known how to
ao6 X
MY RECOLLECTIONS
ally necessary firmness with kindness, and far
more generosity and large-mindedness than the
world had ever given him credit for. He left to
his son a country peaceful in appearance as well
as in reality, and the sorrow with which his early
demise was received throughout the Empire,
whose welfare had been his first care, was
sincere and unaffected. With him a great force
had disappeared, and with him a whole political
system was buried. His successor was an unknown
quantity, about whose tastes and opinions no one,
even those who had approached him most inti-
mately, knew anything. With Alexander III.'s
death it was felt in Russia that the Empire was
once more plunging into the unknown.
306
CHAPTER XIX.
The Emperor's Funeral — I see the Evipress Frederick in Berlin
— Her Appreciation of Events in Russia, and her Opinion
of its future Empress's Character — Nicholas IIJ's Marriage
— Impression produced in St. Petersburg by his Consort
— Address of the Zemstwo of Twer — Death of General
Tcherewine. ,
The Emperor Alexander III. breathed his last
at Livadia in the Crimea, from whence his body
was brought back to St. Petersburg. Princess
Alix of Hesse, the future wife of the heir to the
throne, had arrived there a few days previous to
the monarch's death. She had travelled very quietly
and unostentatiously, being met at the Central
Railway station in BerUn by the Emperor William
himself, who thought it poHcy to wish God-speed
to the cousin about to receive an Imperial crown.
The Empress Frederick, who at that time was also
in the German capital, did not, so far as I can
remember, see her niece, who proceeded in all
haste to the Crimea. She was present at the
last moments of the sovereign, whose son she was
about to wed, and a few days after he had passed
away, she was received into the Greek Church,
under the name of Alexandra Feodorowna.
The much-loved and much-lamented Emperor's
mortal remains were taken back to the capital
with great pomp, and for something hke a week
307
MY RECOLLECTIONS
the mournful procession wended its way through
the whole of the Russian Empire, met everywhere
by a sympathetic crowd. The body lay in State
in Moscow for twenty-four hours, and then reached
St. Petersburg, where it remained exposed in
the fortress for over a week previous to its
interment.
We were in Berlin as I have already said, at
the time of the Emperor's death. About two or
three days after it had taken place, 1 saw the
Empress Frederick, and, of course, the event was
discussed between us. At that time people had a
very high opinion of Princess Alix of Hesse, and
the most flattering reports were afloat concerning
her. When I mentioned them to the Empress,
and said how much one rejoiced in Russia at the
idea of being ruled by an Empress imbued with all
the liberal opinions inseparable from an English
education, I was very much surprised to find
that she did not agree at all with me. She did
not say much, of course, but simply remarked
that it was not quite safe to trust to what was
said by people ignorant of the true character of
those they praised or blamed, according to the
exigencies of the moment. She added that
Princess Alix had a very haughty disposition, and
would be much more inclined than one supposed
to take au serieux her position of absolute sove-
reign. She also made an allusion to the despotic
temperament and the self-opinionated tendencies of
her niece : ' She is far too much convinced of her
own perfection,' said the Empress, ' and she will
308
LYING IN STATE
never listen to other people's advice ; besides, she
has no tact, and perhaps, without knowing it, will
manage to wound the feelings of the persons she
ought to try and conciliate.' And when I remarked
how strange it was that a daughter of the Princess
Alice, and a grand-daughter of the Queen, could
have such a disposition, the Empress sadly smiled,
and simply remarked : ' Oh ! but when do you see
daughters taking after their mothers ? ' then after
a short pause she added, ' It would not be
possible for any one to be hke my sister.'
We returned to St. Petersburg a few days
before the funeral of Alexander III. In spite of
the abominable weather, I went to one of the
services which were celebrated twice a day at
the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in the
fortress, where the Emperor's body lay in State.
It had been embalmed, of course, but never-
theless the features were so much altered it would
have been impossible to recognise them, had one
not known who it was. The Dowager Empress,
smothered in crape, appeared regularly at these
services, and it was a painful sight to see her,
bowed down with grief, beside the bier of the
husband she had loved so fondly.
As soon as Alexander III. was buried, the
question of his successor's marriage cropped up.
At first no one knew whether it would be post
poned for a year, in order to be celebrated with
all the pomp attendant on the nuptials of a
sovereign, or whether it would take place quite
privately at once. After nmch deliberation and
309
MY RECOLLECTIONS
discussion, the advice of the Prince of Wales
prevailed, and it was finally settled that the
wedding was to take place immediately, but not
to be followed by festivities of any kind.
The 14th of November was the day chosen for
the ceremony. It was the birthday of the Empress
Marie Feodorowna, and it was thought that it would
prove a lucky one for all the parties concerned.
Needless to say that intense interest and curiosity
were attached to the event. It was the first time in
the annals of Russian history since Peter the Great
that a sovereign was about to be wedded, and,
naturally, the event was eagerly looked forward
to. We assembled at the Winter Palace at about
ten o'clock in the morning of that 14th of Nov-
ember, and I took this opportunity to bring
with me my second daughter, who had not yet
been introduced into society, but whom I wished
to see something of the Russian Court, at which
she was not destined to live, as her marriage with
Prince Blucher von Wahlstadt was already a settled
thing. I was sorry she would not have the chance
to go through a St. Petersburg season, or to become
personally acquainted with our sovereigns. It could
not be helped, however, and the only glimpse she
got of Court life at home was the Emperor's
marriage.
As I have said, we got early to the palace,
and though we had to wait there a long time
it was most interesting owing to the quantity of
different people whom the occasion had drawn
together. There were representatives from every
310
MARRIAGE OF NICHOLAS II.
part of Russia, as well as from all the different
Courts of Europe. Great things being expected
from the young lady about to become Empress
her appearance was eagerly watched for. She had
arrived, preceded by a gi-eat reputation for clever-
ness, and had she understood the Russian people
better she could have become very popular. It
was about half-past eleven when at last the doors
of the private apartments of the Emperor were
thrown open and the cortege appeared. Preceded
by the usual train of Chamberlains and other
Court officials, the young Emperor appeared
leading his bride by the hand. She looked abso-
lutely lovely : her tall, elegant figure would have
attracted attention in any circumstances ; but on
that day it appeared to greater advantage than I
have ever seen it. She wore upon her head the
diamond crown in which all the Russian Grand
Duchesses are wedded, and a long mantle of
cloth of gold lined with ermine on her shoulders ;
her train was carried by six high dignitaries
of the Imperial household. Her cheeks were
slightly tinted with red, the result of her evident
emotion, and her whole appearance was splendid.
A smothered cry of enthusiasm greeted her, and
one heard everywhere the exclamation, ' How
lovely she is ! '
Behind her and the Emperor walked the
Dowager Empress, leaning on the arm of her
father, the King of Denmark. JNIarie Feodorowna
was dressed in white from head to foot, witli a
magnificent pearl necklace round her throat, but
311
MY RECOLLECTIONS
no other jewels. Her white drawn face and pinched
lips revealed the struggle she was undergoing, but
she walked with a firm step, though making, it was
but too evident, a violent effort to restrain her
tears. She did not once break down during the
long ceremony, and went through that trying day
with a firm courage, which I am sadly afraid was
not sufficiently admired or appreciated at the time.
The wedding ceremony over, the newly-married
sovereigns proceeded to the Kazan Cathedral, and
afterwards to the AnitchkofF Palace, where, wel-
comed by the Dowager Empress, they took up
their abode with her until their own apartments
in the Winter Palace were ready to receive them.
An episode that was very much commented
upon in connection with the Emperor's marriage
was, that when he passed in front of the Roman
Catholic Church on the Newski Prospect, on his
way home with his bride, the Catholic Archbishop,
in full ecclesiastical vestments, awaited him on the
threshold with the cross and holy water. He
delivered an address, to which Nicholas IL made
a suitable reply, and this manifestation of the head
of the Roman communion in Russia was inter-
preted in the sense of a possible reconciliation of
the Polish party with the new sovereign.
It was during that first winter which followed
the accession of the Emperor Nicholas II., that the
famous incident of the address presented by the
Zemstwo, or local assembly of TM^er, took place.
This assembly had always been credited with liberal
ideas, and in its words of greeting to the new sove-
312
THE ^E^V REIGN
reign, it expressed the hope that the government of
Russia would at last be conducted more according
to Occidental ideas. The address had notliing
disrespectful in it ; it proceeded from people whose
loyalty and devotion to the throne were un-
impeacliable, and who were far above any intention
to offend. Yet it was received by the young Czar
with an anger that nothing has ever explained, and
which found its way in a most singular manner.
When, a few days later, deputations of the different
provinces were solemnly received by him and the
Empress, in order to offer some wedding presents
to Alexandra Feodorowna, the Emperor suddenly
made a speech, in which he absolutely tln*eatened
with unheard-of penalties his subjects, in case they
allowed themselves to indulge in any hopes of a
liberal government. He even went so far as to
shake his fist at his unfortunate auditors, who were
at a loss to understand what they had done to
deserve this explosion of wrath, which was, to say
the least of it, singular, coming as it did from a
man to whom they had just presented costly gifts.
A few days later, a letter from the Nihilist Execu-
tive Committee was received by him, in whicli an
eloquent answer was given to his hasty and im-
prudent words.
In November of that same year 1894, the
Empress gave birth to her first child, a girl, and
the disappointment produced by the sex of the
infant added to her unpopularity. A few balls
took place at the Winter Palace, but the gaiety
and animation which had made the Russian Court
313
MY RECOLLECTIONS
famous in the days of Alexander IIL had dis-
appeared. The graceful, gentle form of Marie
Feodorowna no longer presided over these
festivities, and with her had disappeared their
principal charm. Invitations even were no longer
sought after, and a certain portion of society began
to exhibit a studied indifference for the Imperial
pair, which in such a short time had contrived to
make itself so unpopular. A strong party sup-
ported the Dowager Empress, and as her political
influence was certainly stronger than that of her
daughter-in-law, she soon became a power far
greater than she had ever been in the lifetime of
her husband.
It was in February of 1896 that General
Tcherewine died. With him disappeared one of
the foremost statesmen in Russia, and certainly
the man who had been the most powerful one in
that country for thirteen years. His position as
Head of the Secret Police of the Empire, and as
personal friend of Alexander III., had made him
a formidable individual. And yet I doubt if he
had a single enemy. Just, conscientious, kind,
noble in mind as well as in character, he left a
stainless reputation, and was regretted by all who
had approached him. To the Emperor, and
especially to the Empress Marie Feodorowna, his
loss was irreparable. He had been the trusted
adviser of the Imperial family, not only on
political matters, but also in their private Hfe, and
his admirable tact had contrived to keep from the
public more than one incident which would not
314
ILLNESS OF THE EMPRESS FREDERICK
have resounded to the credit of the reigning
dynasty. He was a true gentleman, a perfect
friend, one whom it was an honour to know and a
privilege to see. For me his death, which put an
end to an intimacy of many years, was a blow
from which I have not recovered to this day.
Apart from the sense of personal loss, I found
myself deprived of the greatest interest I had
had in my life, that of being behind the scenes
of the political history of my country. All
my interest in existence disappeared with that
faithful and devoted friend, to whom I owed so
much.
A few weeks after his death, desirous of
escaping for some time from the gossip of St.
Petersburg, I went to the Italian Lakes to spend
a few days there, previous to encountering the
fatigues of the forthcoming coronation, at which
my daughters desired to be present.
On my way to Pallanza, I saw at Frankfurt
the Empress Frederick, and noticed for the first
time on this occasion a change in her personal
appearance. It was not so much that she had
grown older, but there was a settled look of pain
on her face, such as is only seen in cases of acute
physical suffering. But she did not complain, and
to my questions about her health, she replied that
she felt much as usual, and as well as she could
ever expect to be. The tone in which these words
were said, did not strike me at the time as being
ominous, but I have often thought of them since.
They seemed to herald a danger of which I did
315
MY KECOLLECTIONS
not, of course, suspect the magnitude, but which
I felt vaguely to be existing. Little did I guess
that the Empress was already doomed, and that
the days which were left to her to spend upon
earth were destined to be made hideous by
suffering such as, fortunately, very few have to
endure.
316
CHAPTER XX.
Another Coronation — The Consolidation of the French Alliance
— Nicholas IIJ's Journey to Paris — Prince BismajrJc's
Death — / spoid a Winter on the Riviera — M/j last Inter-
view icith the Empress FredericJx: — The Beginning of
the End.
It was with very different feelings from those I
had in 1883 that I started for JNIoscow, to attend
the coronation of Nicholas II. To tell the truth, I
do not think any one felt particularly elated about
it. Trade was drooping, agriculture had just gone
through years of hard losses, and what with the
scarcity of money, and with discontent at the
prevaiUng order of things, the approaching fes-
tivities were viewed with more apprehension than
anything else, and certainly without the slightest
enthusiasm. When we reached iVIoscow, we found
people were more occupied with the scanty and
uncomfortable accommodation the town offered,
than with the doings of the sovereigns about to
receive the crown of their ancestors. There were
no private entertainments, such as made the coro-
nation of the late Emperor so brilhant; and
public energy seemed to concentrate itself upon
the two Court balls which M^ere announced, as
well as upon that of the French Embassy, which
was widely commented upon, on account of
Madame de Montebello's popularity in society.
317
MY RECOLLECTIONS
I went with my daughters to view the
€ntry of the Emperor and Empress into Moscow
from the house of some friends of ours, opposite
the residence of the Governor- General, from
whence we had watched that of Alexander III.
and his consort thirteen years before. It took
place with just the same amount of pomp and
splendour, but lacked the enthusiasm which had
been so remarkable on the former occasion.
The Emperor, when he appeared mounted on
his white charger, was hardly cheered, except by
the troops who lined the road. As for the Em-
press she was received with a dead silence, which
she must have felt, in spite of the indifference
with which she was credited. The only person
who was received with enthusiasm was the Dow-
ager Empress. When the gold carriage in which
she was seated appeared, a burst of acclamation
escaped the crowd, hitherto silent and undemon-
strative, and the shouts with which she was
welcomed were almost deafening. She looked
very pale, but perfectly self-possessed, and though
the occasion could not have been anything else but
painful to her, she bowed with her usual good
grace to the crowd, and appeared so youthful
that one could easily have believed that she was
about to be crowned, instead of the stern-looking
woman whose carriage followed her own, and who
stared at the sea of faces with which she was sur-
rounded with an expression which had something
of disdain, and something of distrust in it.
The same evening or the next, I do not remember
318
COUNT MOURAWIEFF
exactly, Prince Lobanoff, Minister for Foreign
Affairs, gave an evening party, at which I met
after some years a friend of mine, Count Mourawieff,
then Russian JNIinister at Copenhagen, who, in
the days of Prince OrlofF and Count SchouwalofF,
had been councillor of the Russian Embassy in
Berlin, and to whom I was hnked by feelings of
friendship which lasted until his death.
Count Mourawieff, who was a few months later
to be in his turn appointed to the responsible
post of IVIinister for Foreign Affairs, was certainly
one of the cleverest diplomats the Russian service
has ever known. His personality has been very
much discussed, as is generally the case with every
clever man : he has been accused in turn of am-
bition and unscrupulousness, has been hated as
well as feared by his superiors and his subordinates,
but few people have managed better than he to
get along in the world, and to avoid every kind
of danger and pitfall. At the time I am speaking
of, he was in the bad books of Prince Lobanoff,
and, as he admitted to me, profoundly discouraged
at the obstacles that were being put into his way.
We had been the closest of friends for many
years, and I shall always remember with gratitude
that at a time of crisis in my life, I owe it to
Count Mourawieff that I was able to escape from
a very serious danger, and to come out victori-
ously from a very perilous position. We had,
at the time I met him in Moscow, not seen each
other for something like two years, and I am glad
to say that I found it in my power to give to
819
MY RECOLT.ECTIONS
Count Mourawieff a certain amount of courage
and nerve which ultimately made him get over
the despondency under which he was suffering,
I always prophesied to him that he would one day
rise to a high position in the State, but he did
not seem to believe me, and complained that his
immediate chiefs placed so many obstacles in his
way, that he was afraid he would have to retire
altogether from the service. I advised him, before
doing so, to try and get an audience with the
Dowager Empress, of whom he had always been
a favourite, and to explain to her his situation,
asking her at the same time for her protection.
At first Count JNIourawiefF did not take well to
my advice, but finally he followed it, and the day
before his departure from INIoscow, which took
place before the end of the coronation festivities,
he came to see me, and told me that he had acted
on my suggestion, and seen the Empress. Later
on, in the course of the next few months, he had
the opportunity, during the annual visit of Marie
Feodorowna at Copenhagen, to have some serious
conversations with her, with the result that after
the death of Prince LobanofF, he was, upon her
recommendation, appointed in his place.
The coronation followed the precedent set by
that of the Emperor Alexander II. There was only
one difference, and that is, that whereas the late
Emperor had never appeared to greater advantage
than when he came out of the Cathedral with the
crown upon his head, and the folds of the Imperial
mantle falling from his shoulders, his son was
320
THE AVI DO WED CZARINA
dragged down by these emblems of his power, and
seemed to be unable to bear the weight of the
Imperial ensigns, and to totter under them. When
he reached the Church of the Ascension he fainted
away, and certainly did not impress the crowd
either with his presence or his personality.
The Empress looked more cold and disdainful
than ever; the crown did not suit her, and the way
in which her hair was dressed added to the hardness
of her features and the disagreeable expression of her
mouth. She was, as upon the day of her entry in
the ancient capital of the Empire, greeted with
almost absolute silence.
JNIarie Feodorowna, when she made her appear-
ance on the top of the red staircase, where I had
seen her standing on the day of her own corona-
tion, looked younger and more graceful than she
had even done on that memorable occasion. She
was exquisitely dressed in white, with her Imperial
mantle very well adjusted this time on the bodice
of her dress, just showing the outline of her lovely
shoulders. Her hair, piled high up on the top of
her head, was surmounted with the small diamond
crown that had ornamented it once before, which
suited admirably her delicate features. It was
impossible not to be struck with the exquisite
grace with which she bowed to the crowd, who
cheered her most enthusiastically, and it contrasted
singularly with the salutation of her daughter-
in-law, when she, too, turned and bowed to the
people assembled in the vast courtyard of the
Kremlin.
321 Y
MY RECOLLECTIONS
Except for her apparition on the day of the
coronation, the Dowager Empress did not take part
in any of the festivities, and the only time she was
heard of, was when, after the terrible catastrophe
which marred the day of the popular festival, she
at once hastened to the different hospitals to re-
lieve, by her charity and gentleness, the sufferings
of the victims of this awful calamity.
It is needless here to give the details of the
misfortune which threw a veil of sadness over
the coronation, and reminded people of the
horrors that had attended the nuptials of Louis
XVI. and his consort, the ill-fated Queen Marie
Antoinette. How the catastrophe happened, and
who was responsible for it, remains to this day a
mystery. The fact was that, either through care-
lessness, or through neglect, about five thousand
persons were crushed to death before even the
festivity began.
The same day, a much-talked-of ball took place
at the French Embassy, and the Imperial family
attended it in full, without giving the slightest
attention to the catastrophe which had taken
place a few hours before. An Englishman who
was present at that entertainment — over which a
deep gloom presided, in spite of its splendour —
remarked to me that the first care of Queen
Victoria, after the going down of the Victo?ia,
had been to countermand the Court ball which
was announced for that very night — and, he added,
*the event did not take place in England.'
The callousness shown by Nicholas II. and
322
THE FRENCH ALLIANCE
Alexandra Feodorowna in this sad circumstance,
added more than was needed to their unpopularity.
As I have related already, the conduct of the
Dowager Empress, and the tender care she took
of the survivors of the disaster, produced upon
the nation an impression which, I believe, will
never be effaced. Those v/ho had loved her before,
began to worship her, and though she had long
ago made for herself a special place in the hearts
of the Russian people, she has been looked upon
since that sad day as their guardian angel, whose
presence alone was sufficient to preserve them
from any calamity.
The conduct of the French Ambassador was
also viewed in an unfavourable light. The public
were of opinion that he himself ought to have
asked for permission to postpone his ball. In
a certain sense the rebuke was deserved ; but it
must also be understood, on the other hand,
that he could hardly take upon himself the
responsibility of giving a lesson to the Emperor
of All the Russias.
At that time the French Alliance was at its
* apogee.' Prepared during the last months of
Alexander IIL's life, it was brought to a satis-
factory conclusion by his successor, whose memor-
able visit to Paris is still fresh in people's minds.
1 cannot say that it was viewed with feelings of
unmixed satisfaction in Russian society. Thougli
anti-German feeling was running very high, and
had done so for the last few years, yet the aristo-
cratic sentiments of the upper classes in St. Peters-
323
MY RECOLLECTIONS
burg received a terrible shock when they had to
submit to the ' INIarseillaise ' being played in the
presence of their sovereign, and to see him
become the guest of a little bourgeois like Felix
Faure. Though enthusiasm was excited, it was
not universal, and even those who professed
themselves most enchanted with the manifestations
of approval which took place in both countries,
looked with a certain degree of apprehension upon
this intimacy of the modern French Republic with
the old Russian monarchy of bygone times.
In the course of the summer of 1898 Prince
Bismarck died at Friedrichsruhe, full of life and
honours, but discontented with his lot, and not
having been able to give up the role of sulky ad-
\ ersary of the Emperor William IL which he had
adopted since that young and impetuous monarch
had dismissed him. He was, with the Empress
Frederick, the last survivor of an epoch which
has already passed into the domain of history, and
which I feel proud of having known. No one is
now left of all the men who helped to build up
that German Empire which holds the first place
among the nations of Europe. They are all
gone, they have all of them disappeared, and
with Prince Bismarck died the last of the veterans,
who, in a few short years, achieved so much
with so little. Had he been removed from the
scene of European politics ten years earlier, it
would have been a world-shaking event. As it
v/as, he had the melancholy satisfaction of seeing
that he was not indispensable, and that his dismissal
324
BISMARCK'S LAST DAYS
did not affect the welfare of the Empire he had
created.
This feehng was gall and wormwood to him,
and it is a great pity he could not reconcile himself
to the inevitable, and content himself with a
silence which by its dignity would have made him
a far more redoubtable foe to his ungrateful pupil,
than he succeeded in being by filling the news-
papers with his lamentations and recriminations.
All the defects of this character, as small-minded in
some things as it was great in others, were accen-
tuated by the peculiar circumstances that attended
his rupture with the sovereign who had, in spite of
his wonderful genius, succeeded in making him his
dupe. Though he had never believed in the grati-
tude of the world, yet he was wounded to the
quick by the defection of all those whom he had
befriended, and on whose fidelity he had the
right to reckon. Disgust, bitter and intense,
filled his impetuous soul ; for long years he had
never found an obstacle in his path, and he had
grown accustomed to be considered as the foremost
personage in Europe, on the smallest word of
whom it M^as dependent. All at once he found
himself relegated to the position of a private
individual whose opinions and actions are of no
importance whatever, and it was a humiliation
he was not great enough to bear with equa-
nimity, and to meet with the dignity of silence.
Great honours were paid to his memory, all
Germany mourned him, and yet his funeral was
more like the translation of the ashes of an illus-
325
MY RECOLLECTIONS
trious dead from one place to another, than hke
the burial of a man who had recently been alive
and filling his place under the sun. It was the
founder of the German Empire that was carried
to his grave on that fine summer day under the
shadow of his old oaks ; it was not the man who,
a few days before, had been walking in those very
alleys through which his coffin was now escorted
to its last home.
In September, 1898, I went as usual to spend
a few weeks on the Riviera ; whilst there I became
very ill, and have never regained my former health
after the shock which it received at the time. I
could not come back to Russia, and settled at
Beaulieu, near Nice, where I spent some months,
in a condition which at times kept me for days
confined to my couch. As the spring came on,
however, 1 got gradually better, and at last felt
well enough to be able to go about a little, though
still compelled to observe great precautions.
In April, the Empress Frederick, whose health
was openly admitted to be failing, came to Bor-
dighera, at about the same time that Queen
Victoria arrived at Cimiez. I went to see her at
the Hotel Angst, where she occupied a suite of
rooms, and was shocked beyond expression at the
change I noticed in her appearance. Her eyes
were quite sunken, and her complexion had as-
sumed a grey hue ; she seemed also weaker,
and her manner had contracted a kind of weari-
ness which I had never observed before, not
even after her husband's death. She refused,
326
DEATH OF EMPRESS FREDERICK
however, to admit that she was ill, though she
owned she felt shaken owing to a fall from her
horse she had sustained a few months before.
But she expressed the hope that the lovely cli-
mate of the coast of the Mediterranean would
soon restore her to her previous activity. Of
course, I did not like to say anything, but I felt
very anxious, and was convinced that her ailments
were more than she liked to own. 1 did not
suspect that she was already attacked by the ter-
rible disease which was to carry her off, after such
awful sufferings, and still less did I guess that
she was aware of it, and resigned to the atrocious
fate that was staring her in the face.
The Empress died with her ' boy's' — as she
used to call him when he was a lad — hand clasped
in hers. She blessed him and she forgave him, as
mothers only can forgive, and so she passed away
from the world she had adorned, from the friends
she had loved, from the family to whom she had
been devoted, from the poor she had helped, from
all those who had been the richer for her kindness.
Her memory will live for ever in the hearts
of those who have approached her, and to whom
she has left a great example, and given a great
lesson, by the firm courage with which she faced
the sorrows and trials of her life, and the tortures
of her long illness and death. She died, as I
wrote after the terrible news that she was no
more had reached me, a Queen, brave to the end.
Often have I thought of her, and remembered the
difierent occasions upon which I had seen her, in
327
MY RECOLLECTIONS
public as well as in private life. I try sometimes
to picture her to myself in the splendour of her
Court array, or in the simple gowns she wore at
home, when she was surrounded by her children
and family ; but, somehow, I seem always to see
her as she appeared to me for the last time,
standing in the middle of that hotel room at
Bordighera, with violets in a big bowl on a table
beside her, a slight small figure in deep mourning,
with that far-away look upon her face, which only
appears when one stands on the opening of that
period of life, which is the beginning of the end.
328
CHAPTER XXI.
iCecil Rhodes — An Appreciation — Cecil Rhodes'' Character —
A Man of Moods — His Colossal Ambition — His Satellites
— Personal Relations — His Last Hours — His Inner
Thoughts — His Conduct during the War.
When I began this book I wished to end it with
the death of the Empress Frederick, and leave
for a later time the account of the events which
led to my departure for South Africa, and the
acquaintance with Cecil Rhodes, which was to
prove so fatal to me. I am asked, however, to
write here an appreciation of his character and
personality, and though I feel I am the last
person who ought to do it, yet I cannot refuse
to comply with this request, because, in spite of
all the harm that he has done me, it is impos-
sible for me to mention his name with anything
but admiration for the great talents as well as
the magnificent qualities which made him such
an exceptional creature, and I would like to give
him, or rather his memory, a last proof of affection
by showing him as he really was, with all his
faults and all his good points, a man of extra-
ordinary talents who, under different circum-
stances, might have risen to those heights where,
according to the Russian poet's words, ' one gets
so near to God, that one begins to understand
Him.'
When, after all that I have endured and
suffered, I think of him, and remember all he
329
MY RECOLLECTIONS
did, the generous instincts that really existed in
him, I seem to forget these sufferings, and my
resentment melts away, leaving only room for
passionate regret. He deserved a better fate than
he got, and he ought not to have had such an
unutterably sad and lonely deathbed, one from
whence the two great things which sanctify those
of humbler people — the Church's blessing, and a
woman's love — were alike absent. He deserved,
above all, to have had better friends. His career
had begun by being too lucky ; success smiled
upon him too soon, and too persistently, until at
last he grew to believe not so much in himself as
in his power to do always what he wanted, no
matter what that might be. His marvellous gifts
did not prevent him from feeling the demoralising
effects of the South African climate, and of South
African life, which had their usual influence over
him, as well as they have had over other people.
The true appreciation of right and wrong vanished
in him ; he was never trained in that rude school
of adversity and disappointment, which alone
brings out all that is best in human nature.
Had his political career begun in England,
where a man has, whether he likes it or not,
to bear a certain number of rebuffs, and to learn
to submit to contradiction, he would have had
a far greater chance to remain until the end of
his life, the powerful man he had been at one
time. In South Africa, surrounded as he was by
the set of unscrupulous people who, since the
Raid, were the only ones who cared to approach
330
CECIL RHODES CHARACTER
him, it is no wonder that he lost all moral control
and could only think of thrusting aside those who
attempted to resist his will, or even not to agree
with all he said, thought, or did.
During the long dreary months, when I had
nothing else to do but to brood over the past, 1
have often tried to form a just appreciation of the
character of Mr. Rhodes. I do not know whetlier
I have succeeded, so I will not pretend to say
that it is a true one, but it seems to me, from
all I know, that he has been far too much hated,
and too much loved at the same time. It is
certain that all he did was calculated to produce
one of these two effects, and those who only knew
him superficially, can be excused if they judged
him according to the mood in which they found
him, for few men have been possessed to the same
degree of the power he had to make himself
lovable or hateful according to what he wished.
He was above everything a man of strong
passions, unrelenting in his vengeances, and sus-
ceptible to a point which was almost childish to
the opinion of others. Though he affected
profound indifference towards the judgments of
the press, yet he took a kind of morbid delight in
reading all that was said about him, and in study-
ing every word that was written of his doings and
undertakings, and no one knew better than he did,
the use to which journalism can be put. There
was in him a latent vanity, which sometimes
amused me very much. W^ith all its greatness,
that superior mind had small weaknesses which he
331
MY RECOLLECTIONS
would have been the first to laugh at had he noticed
them in other people, but which often induced
those who, without knowing him well, were brought
into contact with him, to carry away with them a
false opinion about his personality. His one great
defect was want of sympathy, and the extreme
callousness he sometimes displayed, which more
often than not was only pure affectation. He
liked to appear different to any one else, as well as
superior to the weaknesses of ordinary humanity ;
he also liked to give a false opinion of himself.
I remember an anecdote which will explain what I
mean by saying this.
One day some tourists of importance were
visiting Groote Schuur, where they had been enter-
tained by Mr. Rhodes ; he took them himself over
the house and grounds, and at last showed them one
of Lobengula's sons, whom he employed as a work-
man on his estate. This led to a talk about the
Matabele rebellion, and the visitor asked JNIr. Rhodes
in what year it had taken place. The Colossus
thought for a moment, then calling to him the
young native : ' Look here,' he said, ' what year
did I kill your father ? ' This story, which I beheve
to be perfectly true, is characteristic of that un-
pleasant side of Mr. Rhodes' character, which has
caused him to be so intensely hated. It was
nothing but affectation in this instance, as well as
in a mass of others, which had induced him to shock
the feelings of his listeners. He was never sincere
when he said such outrageous things ; unfortun-
ately they were believed in, and this disregard of
332
A MAN OF MOODS
public opinion is one of the things which did him
the most harm.
JNIr. Rhodes was essentially a man of moods
and impulses, and everything depended on the state
of his nerves and temper. These had to be
carefully studied whenever one had to deal with
him. Sometimes he was all attention and eagerness
to listen to you, when you had something to tell
him ; at other moments he met your request for a
few minutes' conversation with a rudeness which
absolutely discouraged one from beginning even to
enter into the subject which one had prepared
oneself to discuss. At such times it was that he
used to take advantage of one, and very often his
rudeness was but a way of cowing down his inter-
locutors, just as his fits of passion were assumed in
order to get his own ends, or avoid unpleasant
discussions. Here again was affectation, but of a
useful kind, and here again he displayed tlie
remarkable shrewdness to which he was indebted
for most of his successes.
These were gi-eat and even extraordinary. In
Europe he would not and could not have had
them. There is no place in our old world for the
display of the talent which will make Cecil Rhodes'
name immortal in South Africa.
In the vast soHtudes over which shines the
Southern Cross, no one questions the way in
which a man scores his successes ; all that is
required of him is to succeed. Cecil Rliodes knew
this better than any one else ; he understood the
power of money, as well as the hold it gives one
3.J3
MY RECOLLECTIONS
over the world. He understood also that once
the power was there, no one would inquire into
the means by which it had been attained. He
liked above everything to rule ; his love of power
was immense : had it been less he would not have
done what he did, he would not have cherished
the ambition to use his country's greatness as a
footstool for his personal aims, and the glorification
of his personal vanities.
Would a real patriot have entangled his country
in the Jameson Raid, or have assumed responsi-
bility for the ruthless crushing of the Matabele
Rebellion ? Mr. Rhodes did not perform this deed
himself, but he allowed others to do so. One of his
principles was to permit his subordinates to execute
unpleasant tasks which he deemed to be necessary
to his schemes, whilst reserving to himself the right
to disavow them if they failed, and to assume the
merit when successful. In one instance only did he
boldly accept the consequences of his own mistake,
and that was the famous Raid, and there circum-
stances more powerful than his will obliged him
to do so. But as a general rule his patriotism was
essentially a selfish one. By nature a real Italian
Condottieri, such as the fifteenth century has
produced, he wished above everything to reign,
to domineer over his contemporaries ; at the same
time his marvellous, wonderful intelligence, grasped
at once the fact that the days when kingdoms
could be created out of nothing were gone for ever,
and that private individuals could no longer hope
to win crowns, which like Bonaparte's, would
334
HIS COLOSSAL AMBITION
suddenly make out of them the equals of all the
old rulers of the world. And yet he wanted a
kingdom, and he resolved to get it, whilst pre-
tending to offer it to his country. Rhodesia was
not conquered for the benefit of England, the
Kimberley mines were not amalgamated for the
welfare of their shareholders, De Beers Company
was not organized in the powerful way it has been
for the good of those whose earnings and savings
were invested in it ; all these things were done
simply in order to make out of Cecil John Rhodes
the most powerful man in South Africa, and one
of the most powerful men in the world. That
he became so there is no doubt, and strange as
it may seem for me to say it, I think that he
deserved it. In spite of his utter indifference to
everything which was not connected with himself,
the man was yet great, and had in him the
germs of much that was good, and, moreover, was
possessed of qualities which were as considerable as
his faults. There was nothing mean or sordid
about him ; his wealth he used for the furtherance
of his schemes, but never for his personal enjoy-
ment; he was sometimes generous to a fault, he came
to the help ahke of friend or of foe, and often he
saved people from ruin who were or had been his
bitter enemies. He put all his energies into the
development of the country which at last he came
to consider as his personal property ; he was always
eager to further any plan which was to the advan-
tage of the public good ; he worked night and day
for the prosperity of the vast interests which were
335
MY RECOLLECTIONS
confided to his care. Supremely selfish in one
sense, he was absohitely unselfish in another, and
his kindness was most remarkable. In that rude
nature there was a latent tenderness of which but few
were aware, and which equalled that of a woman.
He could talk softly to a child, he would listen
to any tale of distress that was poured into his ears,
he liked to do good, to use his riches to make other
people happy. Many are the tearswhich he helped to
dry, numerous are those whom he saved from
despair, whose misery he relieved. He had re-
deeming qualities as well as his faults, and above
everything he was possessed in a most extraordinary
degree of the gift of fascinating all those with whom
he came in contact, most of whom grew to love him,
in spite of all he sometimes did later on to hurt or
to shock them, and even the friends he lost or
ruthlessly trampled upon in the course of his
political career have always kept for him at the
bottom of their hearts a lurking affection which
resisted all he did afterwards to destroy it.
The bane of INIr. Rhodes' life has been that
he never knew who were his real friends, and that
instead of listening to those who loved him well
enough to tell him the truth, even at the risk of
wounding him, he allowed himself to be influenced
by a set of individuals who, in order to reap
certain advantages from their apparent intimacy
with him, were prepared to stand any amount of
rudeness, incivility, or even tyranny on his part.
Mr. Rhodes despised them, but, unfortunately, he
could not do without them in the last years of his
336
HIS SATELLITES
life. His was the kind of nature which did not
brook contradiction, absolutely required flattery and
adulation, and could not exist without a crowd of
sycophants and courtiers to submit to all his
caprices, and receive with gratitude all the kicks
which he found a vicious kind of pleasure in
administering to them. Though he never would
own to the fact, he felt deeply the isolation in
which he found himself left after the Jameson
Raid, and the social ostracism which was the
consequence of this act of foUy. When he saw
all the friends of his youth, those to whom he
owed in part the success of his political career,
withdraw themselves from him, he suffered as
much as a strong nature Uke his could only suffer,
but he never would admit it. He refused to
acknowledge that he had been wrong, or to utter
the words which would have brought these friends
back to him, and for which some of them waited
until death overtook him, and destroyed their
hopes. Had he had less vanity and more pride,
that pride characterised by a French author as
* pas de Vorgiieil mats de la jierU^ he would have
found in him the moral courage to go and ask
them for their forgiveness. They would have
met him half-way, so deeply did they deplore the
error into which he had been led. But the words
were never spoken, the step was never taken, in
spite of the efforts of all those who wished him
well, and who in their affection for him would
have given much, and sacrificed still more, to
wipe out the stain with which he had sullied his
337 z
MY RECOLLECTIONS
name ; and the Colossus went to his grave with
the sorrow he never would acknowledge, of having
lost all that a man holds dear, and having been
too weak to try and win it back again, by a small
surrender of what after all was nothing but vanity.
But Cecil Rhodes' great weakness lay precisely
in his inability to own himself to have been in the
wrong, as well as his morbid desire to be admired
in everything he did, thought, or said. At times
the true instincts which he tried so hard to stifle
made themselves heard, and then it was, that he
would give way to those fits of anger or depression,
during which he so brutally expressed his profound
contempt for the motley crew which surrounded
him ; but even in those moments he made the
mistake of putting on the same level those who
yielded to him, and those who refused to enter
into his plans or approve of all his deeds, and in
that contempt he seemed to look for, and find, the
justification of many an unjustifiable action. He
did not admit that any one could resist him, and,
unfortunately, he was led to believe that those who
did so, had an ulterior object in view, that they
were his enemies or the tools of his enemies. The
quarrel I had with him proceeded from no other
source; he believed I had betrayed him; he
thought, or rather he was led to think, that I had
wished to use the knowledge I had of certain facts
to harm him, and he refused to understand that,
had I been able to betray for him those whose life
and safety I held in my hands, I could just as well
have been capable of betraying him. Had Mr.
338
PERSONAL RELATIONS
Rhodes had constantly at his side a good, honest,
affectionate influence, there is no knowing what he
might have done, or to what heights he might
have risen. A strange fataUty put him into the
power of a few men, who destroyed much that was
good, generous, and honest in his nature, and in the
hands of whom he became all too pHable towards
the end of his life.
As for his conduct towards myself, I will say,
at the risk of being considered affected, that he
was not so much to blame as may appear at
first. Whatever some people may think, he had
trusted me, and he had been led to think I had
wronged and betrayed him. Had I done so,
I would indeed have been a vile creature, and
though this would not have justified what he did,
nor the accusation he brought against me, yet
the violence of the man's character excuses him
in part. He had never spared any one in his life,
he had always ruthlessly sacrificed all those whom
he found an obstacle to his plans and ambitions.
He knew I held his pohtical reputation in my
hands, and he did not understand that, though I
would not, and could not, consent to become his
tool — and ruin those who had trusted me — yet I
would have died rather than endanger him in any
way, that my affection for him was too deep to
make me do anything else but defend him, as well
as all he did, always, and in every circumstance,
even when I knew that his actions were absolutely
indefensible.
For a long time he had resisted the efforts of
339
MY RECOLLECTIONS
all those who had tried to bring about a rupture
between us, but circumstances proved too strong
for him. Perhaps, also, I was to blame. I had
judged him as an ordinary man, and had not
understood that instead of appreciating a certain
line of conduct he would interpret it as a want
of friendship for himself Then I only saw him
occasionally; the others were always there, ready
to make use of every opportunity to bring about
a quarrel between us. At last he was goaded to
the last pitch of exasperation, and did what he
had threatened me he would do — that is, ruin me.
But he suffered whilst doing so, and had I, the last
time we met, stooped to implore his pity, I beUeve
he would have tried to undo what he had done.
But I never saw him again, except from a dis-
tance, sitting at the window of the little cottage in
which he died, panting for breath, struggling with
approaching death, and all my heart went out to
him in his misery and his loneliness ; for indeed
it was a piteous sight — the master of so many
millions, the genius, for he was a genius, who had
controlled so many great events, who had held the
destinies of empires and nations in his hands,
ending his days in solitude, with only a few
servants around him.
I went home, and wrote to the medical man
who attended him, and whom I knew well — Dr.
Stevenson — asking him to tell Rhodes that I
forgave him, and prayed for him night and
morning. I do not know whether the message
ever reached him. I suppose it did not ; and yet
340
HIS LAST HOURS
I believe that, had he got it, the poor Colossus
would have died happier.
But all this has nothing to do with the
appreciation of his character, which I am trying
to make now — a character so complicated that I
doubt whether any one has really understood it,
or even whether he understood it himself. Candour
was never his strong point ; it is a positive fact he
never would admit that his treatment of his
Dutch friends could not be forgiven by them, and
that it had constituted something out of the
common. For him Mr. Schreiner and Mr.
Hofmeyi' were enemies, not people he had
betrayed, and though he was eager to be once
more upon good terms with them, yet he wished
them to own themselves in the wrong, not to
forgive the way in which he had wronged them.
He never would say what it was he really
wanted ; it was for others to understand him, and
to bear the consequences of not having done so
properly, when events did not turn out as he had
anticipated ; he was always ready to disavow those
who had worked for him, or followed his lead, and
yet there were moments when he could sacrifice
himself, and rise to true greatness. One of the
secrets to which he owed his large successes lay in
his unerring instinct of what it was necessary he
should do, when confronted by difficulties, no mat-
ter of what nature. He had, what is so essential
in politics, an unfailing tact, and together witli it,
a most extraordinary facility for changing his
opinions according to the exigencies of the moment.
341
MY RECOLLECTIONS
Take for instance his conduct towards the Emperor
William. After having loudly expressed his de-
testation of the Kaiser, he became one of his
most enthusiastic admirers. It was again a case in
point of what flattery could do with him, as well as
of his power of forgiveness when the parties who
had offended him ate humble pie, and consented to
worship at his shrine.
A conversation I had with him one day, gave
me an insight as to his inward feeling, which, I
beUeve, few people even among his most intimate
friends have ever had. I had been reading a book
called The Martyrdom of 3Ian, by Winwood
Reade — a most remarkable work, which, by its
clever arguments against the existence of a
Divinity, could not fail to make a profound im-
pression upon the mind of any one who had
thought seriously over this particular matter. One
day, during lunch at Groote Schuur, I accidentally
mentioned it, adding that it was uncanny, and had
caused me some sleepless nights. Rhodes started^
* I know the book,' he exclaimed ; ' it is a creepy
book. I read it the first year I was in Kimberley,
fresh from my father's parsonage, and you may
imagine the impression which it produced upon
me, in such a place as a mining camp.' He
stopped for a moment, then added in a serious tone
which I can hear even now, ' That book has
made me what I am.' He went on discussing
it for a long time, but I shall never forget the
peculiar way in which he said these words : ' It
has made me what I am.'
342
HIS INNER THOUGHTS
I could well imagine the impression produced
on his powerful mind by a work which, by its
negation of the existence of a Supreme Master,
to whom we are accountable for all our actions,
gave him, so to say, a reason to justify in his own
eyes many things which will never be forgiven him.
In a mining camp, where morality is an unknown
factor, where the struggle for Ufe does not spare
human life, the seeds sown into his intelligence by
a book of the kind I am speaking of, were bound to
produce an appalling effect by removing the only
barrier which could have restrained him, the fear of
having, on the day without morrow of eternity,
to meet One before whom human triumphs melt
away into that vanity of which speaketh the
Preacher.
Had Mr. Rhodes possessed ftiith, he would
have indeed conquered the world. As it was, he
only terrified it. All his life he remained in want
of that something which hope and love can give.
He felt this himself, and at the bottom of his heart
there was a vague fear of the unknown, of what he
was to meet hereafter. He hated the idea of
death, had an absolute horror of sickness in any
shape or form, and, though a brave man in appear-
ance, was in certain things an arrant coward.
There was in his nature a kind of vague regret
for something he had missed, an unexpressed and
unacknowledged dread of having after all to own,
one day, that there existed a Being, before whom
he would not be able to play the game, which
old Pope Pius VI. described so well wlien
343
MY RECOLLECTIONS
Napoleon tried it with him : ' Tragediante/
* Commediante.'
Mr. Rhodes was also an actor in some things,
but I believe it was always unknown to him-
self. He had a power of assimilation, an ex-
traordinary memory, and a marvellous way of
appropriating to his own use any idea or remark
made by others. The amalgamation of the
Kimberley mines was not invented by him, and
yet it is to be doubted whether any one else would
have been capable to bring it about. The con-
cessions obtained from Lobengula had been
applied for by other people, and yet he was the
only one to induce the dusky monarch to grant
them. The only thing which was really the
original idea of Mr. Rhodes, was the organization
of De Beers into the powerful political instrument
it has become, and it is probable that he had it
in view when he worked so hard to ensure the
amalgamation of these mines.
His conduct during the war was consistent with
all he had done before it broke out ; it had the same
ambitions and the same want of principle which
have characterised so many of his political actions.
It proceeded from his belief in his own ability, and
his confidence that all he did was well done. And
this belief in a certain sense was a true one, for it
cannot be denied that had he been allowed years
ago to do what he wanted. South Africa would be
to-day a prosperous country, instead of the heap of
ruins it has become.
In spite of all these defects, faults and errors,
344
HIS CONDUCT DURING THE WAR
lie was a man one could not help loving when one
knew him well. Indeed, it was always a case of
love or hatred. Indifference was impossible to-
wards this strange being who, with all the vices,
the arrogance, the overbearing insolence of the
race to which he belonged, possessed also an un-
common attractiveness which drew towards him even
his most passionate detractors. But the Rhodes of
the last three years, was, as Mr. Dormer rightly
says in his remarkable book. Vengeance as a
Policy in Africanderland, no longer the Rhodes
of former days. Bad influences had completely
mastered him, and, in spite of his affected cynicism,
remorse was grinding him down ; only, instead of
frankly acknowledging it, he tried to revenge himself
upon others for his own follies and mistakes. For
women he had a supreme contempt, and at the
same time was more under their influence than
the world suspected or guessed. He liked to see
high-born ladies at his feet ; there as in evei-ything
else he hked to conquer. His temperament was
naturally shy, and his curious way of speaking
often produced, especially at fkst, an unpleasant
impression. He had at times an irresistible impulse
to tell the truth, much as he would have liked to
suppress it. Thus, meeting Sir Donald INIackenzie
Wallace, the author of a celebrated book about
Russia, at dinner at Sandringham, he could not
help telling him, that it was in that book he found
the idea of the Glen Grey Act, adding, ' You are
the real author of it.'
For money he had an inordinate love, and
345
MY RECOLLECTIONS
at the same time a supreme contempt. But he
was guilty of the same mistake which Bismarck
made — he beheved that every man had his price.
On two memorable occasions he found this was
not the case. The first one was a blow to his
vanity, the second broke his heart, and sent him
unforgiving and rebellious to his grave. He died
as he had lived, deserving of better things, neither
properly appreciated, nor sufficiently loved, an
enigma of which the solution will never be found.
Of his immense labours the very traces will soon
disappear, others will reap and are already reaping
the benefit of them. The country that bears his
name is destined to be absorbed in the Empire
of which he had counted to become one of the
masters. Of all he did, planned, achieved, nothing
will soon remain but the evil, for according to
Shakespeare's famous words, the good he ever did
* is interred with his bones.' In Europe his name
is seldom mentioned, in South Africa it is
already half forgotten ; even the attempt to raise
him a public monument has failed. The Sic transit
gloria mundi has never been more forcibly illus-
trated than in the case of Cecil Rhodes.
346
MANCHURIA AND
KOREA.
By H. J. WHIGHAM,
Author of'^The Persian Problem^
Demy 8vo. with Map and Illustrations,
An Examination of the situation in Manchuria
and Korea as it affects British interests, and
containing a description of the countries
and their inhabitants.
The Globe. — 'This is the very latest of the many books on the
"Farthest East" in Asia. The author, Mr. H.J. Whigham, whose
work as a correspondent is so well known, writes of the things which
he has personally seen and knows. Pie is no mere theorist. Written
at the close of 1903, the book is thoroughly up-to-date, and is ex-
tremely interesting and valuable.'
The Dundee Advertiser. — * Any one who wishes to have a wider
view of the whole question than can be obtained from newspaper
articles must study this book at first hand.'
Vanity Fair. — 'Mr. Whigham treats the vast and fascinating
problem of Russian expansion with the skill and knowledge of a
master, and discusses with authority all those problems of spheres of
influence, international agreements and military conditions which
have been keeping so many powerful brains busy in the Foreign
Offices of Europe, and in humbler places.'
Literary World. — ' At the present juncture this volume may be
safely commended to the careful attention of all who wish to
thoroughly understand the situation in the Far East.'
ISBISTER & COMPANY,
15 & 16 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London, W.C.
* Air. JVhigham has done admirable service to the country.^
Sir Charles Dilke in the Morning Post.
THE
PERSIAN PROBLEM.
An Examination into the rival positions of Russia and
Great Britain in Persia, with some account of
the Persian Gulf and Bagdad Railway.
By H. J. WHIGHAM.
' Mr. Whigham's book is a most useful and opportune contribution
to the study of a problem of which the country will probably hear a
good deal in the near future. . . . The chapters on the Persian Gulf
are admirable.' — The Times.
With Maps and Illustrations.
Demy 8vo. Price 12s. 6d.
' The student of South African politics will find it well
worth perusal.' — St. James's Gazette.
ON THE VELDT IN THE
SEVENTIES.
By Lieut. -Gen. Sir CHARLES WARREN,
G.C.M.G., K.C.B.
• A graphic picture of the country, its peoples, and a special com-
missioner's duties.' — Times.
' A volume of singular interest. ' — Morning Post.
' A perfectly delightful volume.'
Illust7-ated Dramatic and Sporting News.
With Illustrations and Maps.
Demy 8vo. Price i6s.
ISBISTER & COMPANY,
15 & 16 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London, W.C.
STANDARD WORKS FOR SOLDIERS.
WAR IN PRACTICE.
By Major B. F. S. BADEN - POWELL,
With an Introduction by
Major-Gen. R. S. S. BADEN - POWELL.
' " War in Practice ' is a book which should not be lost in the
torrent of literature which the South African War has caused. . . .
Major Baden-Powell is a capable soldier, who has seen much work in
the field, and his pages bear the fruit of his experience. . . . He has
written a book which soldiers should read.' — Artny and Navy Gazette.
* . . . He has succeeded in compiling a very useful text-book, which
will increase in value as the ranks of the army fill up with a generation
that has had no experience of war.' — The Times.
' Major Baden-Powell's book is a valuable contribution to military
literature, and should not be merely read, but pondered over by all
soldiers.' — The Broad Arrow.
Fully Illustrated with Diagrams
AND Reproductions of Photographs.
Cloth, crown 8vo. Price 5s.
SOME LESSONS FROM
THE BOER WAR,
1899- 1902.
By Colonel T. D. PILCHER, C.B., A.D.C.,
Commanding znd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment.
• Few (war books) will probably have in the same degree the merit
of saying what they have to say and being done with it. By soldier
readers Colonel Pilcher's practical and precbe brevity should be widely
appreciated.' — Pall Mall Gazette.
' Though small, this is one of the most useful of the books of the
war, and will be most valuable to the young officer.' — Leeds Mercury.
' No practical soldier ought to be without Colonel Pilcher's work.'
Acoifemy.
' One of the very best books yet written upon the military lessons of
the Boer War.' — Army and Navy Gazette.
Crown 8vo. Price 2s. 6d,
ISBISTER & COMPANY,
5 & l6 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London, W.C.
a
CO
o
•A
+3
O
n
•H
c
c
«
o
- '4
< r
University of Toronto
Library
DO NOT
REMOVE
THE
CARD
FROM
THIS
POCKET
Acme Library Card Pocket
Under Pat. "Ref. Index File"
Made by LIBRARY BUREAU
