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regarding　it。　I　had　taken　his　measure　on　one　or　two　occasions



when　he　had　discussed　various　questions　in　my　presence；　and　had



not　the　slightest　fear　that；　in　a　fair　presentation　of　the



matter；　he　could　carry　his　point　against　me。　At　various　times　we



met　pleasantly　enough　in　the　anterooms　of　the　Foreign　Office；　but



at　that　period　our　representative　at　the　Russian　court　was　simply



a　minister　plenipotentiary　and　the　British　representative　an



ambassador；　and　as　such　he；　of　course；　had　precedence　over　me；



with　some　adventitious　advantages　which　I　saw　then；　and　others



which　I　realized　afterward。　It　was　not　long　before　it　became



clear　that　Sir　Robert　Morier　had　enormous　〃influence〃　with　the



above…named　persons　in　charge　of　the　Foreign　Office；　and；　indeed；



with　Russian　officials　in　general。　They　seemed　not　only　to　stand



in　awe　of　him；　but　to　look　toward　him　as　〃the　eyes　of　a　maiden　to



the　hand　of　her　mistress。〃　I　now　began　to　understand　the　fact



which　had　so　long　puzzled　our　State　Departmentnamely；　that



Russia　did　not　make　common　cause　with　us；　though　we　were　fighting



her　battles　at　the　same　time　with　our　own。　But　I　struggled　on；



seeing　the　officials　frequently　and　doing　the　best　that　was



possible。







Meantime；　the　arbitration　tribunal　was　holding　its　sessions　at



Paris；　and　the　American　counsel　were　doing　their　best　to　secure



justice　for　our　country。　The　facts　were　on　our　side；　and　there



seemed　every　reason　to　hope　for　a　decision　in　our　favor。　A　vital



question　was　as　to　how　extensive　the　closed　zone　for　the　seals



about　our　islands　should　be。　The　United　States　showed　that　the



nursing　seals　were　killed　by　the　Canadian　poachers　at　a　distance



of　from　one　to　two　hundred　miles　from　the　islands；　and　that



killing　ought　not　to　be　allowed　within　a　zone　of　that　radius；



but；　on　the　other　hand；　the　effort　of　the　British　counsel　was　to



make　this　zone　as　small　as　possible。　They　had　even　contended　for



a　zone　of　only　ten　miles　radius。　But　just　at　the　nick　of　time　Sir



Robert　Morier　intervened　at　St。　Petersburg。　No　one　but　himself



and　the　temporary　authorities　of　the　Russian　Foreign　Office　had；



or　could　have　had；　any　knowledge　of　his　manoeuver。　By　the　means



which　his　government　gave　him　power　to　exercise；　he　in　some　way



secured　privately；　from　the　underlings　above　referred　to　as　in



temporary　charge　of　the　Foreign　Office；　an　agreement　with　Great



Britain　which　practically　recognized　a　closed　zone　of　only　thirty



miles　radius　about　the　Russian　islands。　This　fact　was　telegraphed



just　at　the　proper　moment　to　the　British　representatives　before



the　tribunal；　and；　as　one　of　the　judges　afterward　told　me；　it



came　into　the　case　like　a　bomb。　It　came　so　late　that　any　adequate



explanation　of　Russia's　course　was　impossible；　and　its



introduction　at　that　time　was　strenuously　objected　to　by　our



counsel；　but　the　British　lawyers　thus　got　the　fact　fully　before



the　tribunal；　and　the　tribunal　naturally　felt　that　in　granting　us



a　sixty…mile　radiusdouble　that　which　Russia　had　asked　of　Great



Britain　for　a　similar　purposeit　was　making　a　generous



provision。　The　conditions　were　practically　the　same　at　the



American　and　Russian　seal　islands；　yet　the　Russian　officials　in



charge　of　the　matter　seemed　entirely　regardless　of　this　fact；



and；　indeed；　of　Russian　interests。　After　secret　negotiation　with



Sir　Robert；　without　the　slightest　hint　to　the　American　minister



of　their　intended　sacrifice　of　their　〃identical　interest　with　the



United　States；〃　they　allowed　this　treachery　to　be　sprung　upon　us。



The　sixty…mile　limit　was　established　by　the　tribunal；　and　it　has



proved　utterly　delusive。　The　result　of　this　decision　of　the



tribunal　was　that　this　great　industry　of　ours　was　undermined；　if



not　utterly　destroyed；　and　that　the　United　States　were　also



mulcted　to　the　amount　of　several　hundred　thousand　dollars；



besides　the　very　great　expense　attending　the　presentation　of　her



case　to　the　tribunal。







I　now　come　back　to　the　main　point　which　has　caused　me　to　bring　up



this　matter　in　these　reminiscences。　How　was　it　that　Great　Britain



obtained　this　victory？　To　what　was　it　due？　The　answer　is　simple：



it　was　due　to　the　fact　that　the　whole　matter　at　St。　Petersburg



was　sure　to　be　decided；　not　by　argument；　but　by　〃influence。〃　Sir



Robert　Morier　had　what　in　the　Tammany　vernacular　is　called　a



〃pull。〃　His　government　had　given　him；　as　its　representative；　all



the　means　necessary　to　have　his　way　in　this　and　all　other



questions　like　it；　whereas　the　American　Government　had　never



given　its　representative　any　such　means　or　opportunities。　The



British　representative　was　an　AMBASSADOR；　and　had　a　spacious；



suitable；　and　well…furnished　house　in　which　he　could　entertain



fitly　and　largely；　and　to　which　the　highest　Russian　officials



thought　it　an　honor　to　be　invited。　The　American　representatives



were　simply　MINISTERS；　from　time　immemorial　had　never　had　such　a



house；　had　generally　no　adequate　place　for　entertaining；　had　to



live　in　apartments　such　as　they　might　happen　to　find　vacant　in



various　parts　of　the　townsometimes　in　very　poor　quarters；



sometimes　in　better；　were　obliged　to　furnish　them　at　their　own



expense；　had；　therefore；　never　been　able　to　obtain　a　tithe　of



that　social　influence；　so　powerful　in　Russia；　which　was　exercised



by　the　British　Embassy。







More　than　this；　the　British　ambassador　had　adequate　means



furnished　him　for　exercising　political　influence。　The　American



representatives　had　not；　they　had　been　stinted　in　every　way。　The



British　ambassador　had　a　large　staff　of　thoroughly　trained



secretaries　and　attaches；　the　very　best　of　their　kind；well



educated　to　begin　with；　thoroughly　trained　afterward；serving　as



antennae　for　Great　Britain　in　Russian　society；　and　as　the　first



secretary　of　his　embassy　he　had　no　less　a　personage　than　Henry



Howard；　now　Sir　Henry　Howard；　minister　at　The　Hague；　one　of　the



brightest；　best…trained；　and　most　experienced　diplomatists　in



Europe。　The　American　representative　was　at　that　time　provided



with　only　one　secretary　of　legation；　and　he；　though　engaging　and



brilliant；　a　casual　appointment　who　remained　in　the　country　only



a　few　months。　I　had；　indeed；　secured　a　handsome　and　comfortable



apartment；　and　entertained　at　dinner　and　otherwise　the　leading



members　of　the　Russian　ministry　and　of　the　diplomatic　corps；　at　a



cost　of　more　than　double　my　salary；　but　the　influence　thus



exercised　was；　of　course；　as　nothing　compared　to　that　exercised



by　a　diplomatist　like　Sir　Robert　Morier；　who　had　every　sort　of



resource　at　his　command；　who　had　been　for　perhaps　forty　years



steadily　in　the　service　of　his　country；　and　had　learned　by　long



experience　to　know　the　men　with　whom　he　had　to　deal　and　the　ways



of　getting　at　them。　His　power　in　St。　Petersburg　was　felt　in　a



multitude　of　ways：　all　officials　at　the　Russian　Foreign　Office；



from　the　highest　to　the　lowest；　naturally　desired　to　be　on　good



terms　with　him。　They　knew　that　his　influence　had　become　very



great　and　that　it　was　best　to　have　his　friendship；　they　loved



especially　to　be　invited　to　his　dinners；　and　their　families　loved



to　be　invited　to　his　balls。　He　was　a　POWER。　The　question　above



referred　to；　of　such　importance　to　the　United　States；　was　not



decided　by　argument；　but　simply　by　the　weight　of　social　and　other



influence；　which　counts　so　enormously　in　matters　of　this　kind　at



all　European　capitals；　and　especially　in　Russia。　This　condition



of　things　has　since　been　modified　by　the　change　of　the　legation



into　an　embassy；　but；　as　no　house　has　been　provided；　the　old



difficulty　remains。　The　United　States　has　not　the　least　chance　of



success；　and　under　her　present　shabby　system　never　will　have；　in



closely　contested　cases；　with　any　of　the　great　powers　of　the



earth。　They　provide　fitly　for　their　representatives；　the　United



States　does　not。　The　representatives　of　other　powers；　being　thus



provided　for；　are　glad　to　remain　at　their　posts　and　to　devote



themselves　to　getting　a　thorough　mastery　of　everything　connected



with　diplomatic　business；　American　representatives；　obliged；　as　a



rule；　to　take　up　with　uncomfortable　quarters；　finding　their



position　not　what　it　ought　to　be　as　compared　with　that　of　the



representatives　of　other　great　powers；　and　obliged　to　expend　much



more　than　their　salaries；　are　generally　glad　to　resign　after　a



brief　term。　Especially　has　this　been　the　case　in　St。　Petersburg。



The　terms　of　our　representatives　there　have　generally　been　very



short。　A　few　have　stayed　three　or　four　years；　but　most　have



stayed　much　shorter　terms。　In　one　case　a　representative　of　the



United　States　remained　only　three　or　four　months；　and　in　another



only　six　weeks。　So　marked　was　this　tendency　that　the　Emperor　once



referred　to　it　in　a　conversation　with　one　of　our　representatives；



saying　that　he　hoped　that　this　American　diplomatist　would　remain



longer　than　his　predecessors　had　generally　done。







The　action　of　the　Russian　authorities　in　the　Behring　Sea



question；　which　is　directly　traceable　to　the　superior　policy　of



Great　Britain　in　maintaining　a　preponderating　diplomatic；



political；　and　social　influence　at　the　Russian　capital；　cost　our



government　a　sum　which　would　have　bought　suitable　houses　in



several　capitals；　and　would　have　given　to　each　American



representative　a　proper　staff　of　assistants。　I　have　presented



this　matter　with　reluctance；　though　I　feel　not　the　slightest



respons