Y EARLY TAFF,"

By the EX-GERMAN EMPEROR (Full Copyright reserved by the Spectator.)

[For the next few weeks we shall publish each week free supplement to the SPECTATOR continuing this autobiography of the ex-German Emperor. The series, containing the:most interesting and important portions of "My Early Life," is appearing in Great Britain only in the SPECTATOR.-- Later in the year the book will be published in full by Messrs. Methuen.] [The last instalment described, in chapter XV, the author's training, first in administrative work, and then in diplomacy at the Foreign Office under the Bismarcks, and the friction which these relations caused between him and his parents. The origin and disastrous effects of the Kulturkampf were also dealt with, and the author described his efforts to promote a reconciliation between Rome and Berlin. Chapter XVI recalled his visits to England in the 'eighties, including his impressions of Lord Beaconsfield, his experiences at the Eton and Harrow match, at Aldershot and Portsmouth, and ended with a description of the Jubilee Celebrations of 1887, at which he was present with his

father.] • CHAPTER XVIII HOHENZOLLERN AND HABSBURG In the spirit of the alliance between Germany and Austria- Hungary, the younger members of the houses of Hohen- zollern and Habsburg were also drawn together. As already described, I got to know the Crown Prince Rudolph at the time of the Vienna World Exhibition, and froth that day onward maintained good comradeship with him.

THE CHARACTER OF CROWN PRINCE RUDOLPH.

His was an inspiring, shrewd and in its fresh vivacity fascinating disposition, full of sparkling humour, frankly not without a notable vein of satire. Both of us were keen naturalists and fond of sport. Moreover, Rudolph was a trained zoologist, specializing in ornithology. To my regret, however, I was forced to notice, in the course of years, that he did not take religion at all seriously, and it pained me when he poured out his mordant wit not only on the Church and clergy, but also on the simple faith of country-folk. Nor could I help becoming aware of other faults of character, so much so as to destroy my original confidence, and we drifted further and further apart. I was also gradually forced to see how little real friendship the Crown Prince felt for the new German Empire and the Dual Alliance, and how his soul revolted from the Prussian idea. For all these reasons our relations grew cooler until finally they were reduced to what political necessity demanded.

THE TRIALS OF THE EMPEROR.

My relations with the Emperor Francis Joseph on the other hand were extraordinarily close and cordial. Indeed, I may say that I was treated by the Emperor almost as if I had been his own son. From the earliest days of our acquaint- ance I looked up to the ally of my grandfather and father with a respect and affection that so venerable a personality, so worthy of honour, must command from youth. The aged Emperor afforded me an illuminating example, in the resig- nation and unshaken faith with which he bore all the heaviest blows of fate, and in the proverbial sense of duty with which he worked, never resting, for the welfare of his people. The nature of my friendship with the Emperor Francis Joseph has undergone no change. I have ever regarded that noble' ruler with reverence as my fatherly friend, and between us there existed at all times a close bond of mutual confidence that held fast until the hour when his head was bowed in death.

The Emperor Francis Joseph, who stood sponsor for my eldest son, from the beginning distinguished my wife by special attentions that brought out all the chivalry of his noble nature. When my son came of age his exalted god- father insisted on appearing in person to convey his good wishes. Let me cite a touching incident. When at luncheon my wife addressed the Emperor as " Thou," which had not been her habit up till then, he at once told me about this " honour," as he called it. It redounds to his credit also that one who had lost his only son and his wife had steeled himself to this visit, where the picture of happy parents, surrounded by a

band of healthy children, made the memory of his own bitter loss so much the more painful.

HIS CHIVALRY AND GIFT OF LANGUAGES.

Another little occurrence revealed the kindness and exquisite politesse de coeur of the knightly old gentleman. With my wife and my daughter, Victoria Louise, I had visited the Emperor at Schithbrunn, and left the Princess, then a school- girl, behind at the station with him. When the train started we were touched to see how the Emperor bowed to the little Princess, and, gallantly offering her his arm, led her to his carriage.

It is worthy of mention that the Emperor Francis Joseph spoke many tongues and had mastered the idioms of his people. During a manoeuvre to which the Emperor invited me I stood with him on a height in order to follow the progress of the battle. Suddenly the Emperor noticed a staff-orderly, who seemed to be in search of the commanding-officer, and who rode aimlessly around. He immediately ordered one of his aides to direct the man, whereon a long colloquy, neither here nor there, began. Ultimately it proved too long for the Emperor, and he said to me : " See, they can't understand each other any- how. The lancer is a Galician and the A.D.C. does not know 'a word of Polish. I must just look into it myself, otherwise the despatch will never reach its destination. You'll excuse me a moment." No sooner said than done ! The Emperor sprang into the saddle with youthful ease, and on his superb English thoroughbred chestnut, jumped over the ditches that inter- sected the ground. In two minutes the man was already on his way holding the despatch aloft and crying out from time to time : " Manoveroberleutnant," which should have been Manoveroberleitung." With smiling eyes the Emperor came back to me, and remarked as he dismounted : " It's a good job one can speak the languages of one's people." But the incident gave me and my suite something to think over, in case it came to a serious issue.

In his life the Emperor Francis Joseph passed through more sorrow than all but a very few. When that abominable murder- ous blow snatched the beautiful Empress Elisabeth from us, I at once hastened to Vienna and stood beside her husband in sympathy. Never shall I forget the heart-rending sight, as, after a coldly formal service, the widower, bowed down with grief, descended from the Chapel to the Capucin vault, behind the coffin of his wife, once so triumphant and adored.

THE EMPRESS, NEVER UNDERSTOOD IN HER OWN COUNTRY.

The charming Empress, who had been the object of my youthful enthusiasm, was now gone. I had not come much in contact with her myself, but I know, both through my grand- father and my mother, both of whom knew her well, that the general conception of her was false. Both declared her to be a remarkable woman, who possessed a deep mind and a great soul ; and they greatly regretted that she should have been misunderstood in her own country. It was my mother's opinion that the Empress, when young, was bitterly disappointed in Austrian society. If the Austrians said that she was unapproachable and invisible, it was probably because the Empress could not take pleasure in their superficial and

amusement-seeking society. My grandfather had often expressed his admiration for her clear comprehension and sure judgment, and respected her greatly. Take, as an evidence of her strength of character, the words she spoke when she heard of Rudolph's death : " No one but I must tell the Emperor this, I will break it to him ! " After this overwhelm- ing blow the Empress withdrew still more from the world. In the Achilleion garden in Corfu there is a secret silent nook, where she placed a bust of Rudolph that could be lit up with electric lamps. Often the unhappy Empress has sat there, weeping, throughout the night. Her fate was too cruel

for anyone to make the solitude she sought a cause of reproach.

All these thoughts moved me, as I stood near the mourning husband beside the bier of his noble wife. She had been far more to the Emperor Francis Joseph than the world, which judges only by appearances, dreamed ; and, had she lived, would certainly have been a sure support to him in the storms that came afterwards. But fate willed it otherwise, and in loading the splendid old man with sorrow upon sorrow spared him nothing of personal grief and political disillusion, save that it did not let him live to see his country's downfall.

I must now return to the events of my youth, from which overpowering recollections have distracted me.

MARRIAGE OF THE- CROWN PRINCE. VIENNA IN 1881.

In May, 1881, I was invited with my wife to the marriage of the Crown Prince Rudolph, and we were received by the entire Imperial Family with extraordinary kindness. We were lodged in a beautiful little rococo chalet in the Schtinbrunn garden, named the " Kaiserstockl."

Their Majesties had changed very little during the eight years since I had seen them last. Although he had become a trifle greyer, the Emperor retained his youthful figure and agility, and the Empress still looked marvellously beautiful. The festivities took place exactly according to programme, and with a really painful punctuality, on which the Emperor kept a terribly sharp eye. The Crown Prince Rudolph had drawn our attention to the fact that the Emperor, on principle, made a point of appearing fifteen or twenty minutes before the hour fixed. The consequence was that the Imperial family used to assemble half an hour before dinner. We naturally took the hint, thereby causing the Emperor, at our first meal, to say in jest that, being guests, we need not share this " bad habit." He had intended to come for my wife himself. Later on, however, I discovered that he had revealed his satisfaction to the family circle by declaring that the Prince William couple were very punctual. The Prince of Wales, who was staying at the same time in Vienna for the marriage, could not get accustomed to this punctuality and, therefore, went without any similar praise.

The Imperial cuisine was good but heavy. The Emperor's favourite dish, stewed beef steak, had achieved a certain celebrity. The table was always decorated with splendid gold vases and cups, in which the choicest flowers, mostly orchids from the Schonbrunn hothouses, were arranged in brilliant clusters. The Emperor loved flowers and was parti- eularly fond of orchids of every variety. Nothing pleased him more than when one praised the flower decoration of his table, which one could, in fact, do with an easy conscience.

At the German Embassy and in Austrian houses we often had an opportunity of meeting the leaders of Viennese society. The women, mostly of imposing figure, often of great beauty, glittered in the lustre of family jewels ; the men, slim and tall, wore elegant mufti or uniform ; all without exception were full of that charming Austrian amiability and courtesy that so quickly captivates the foreigner. In the hospitable house of the Archduke Charles Louis and his lovely wife I became acquainted also with the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, with whom I remained all my life on terms of close friendship up to his tragic end. Charles Louis was the most agreeable of hosts, and could talk in a delightful manner about the most varied topics.

THE EMPEROR'S HUNTING PARTIES.

Emperor Francis Joseph often invited me to his autumn hunting parties in the mountains, at Mfirzsteg and Eisenerz, where a little group of expert relatives and friends would forgather. Among them were the Duke of Saxony, Prince Leopold of Bavaria, the Grand Duke of Tuscany (who had to keep the lists), Prince Taxis, the chief equerry (who had lost an eye in the wars), Prince Constantine Hohenlohe, the Grand Steward, and Count Meran, a delightful fellow and good friend of mine. Now and then Crown Prince Rudolph would join us. Mfirzsteg, very simple but comfortable, was reached by special train on the pretty Semmering railway. We all wore Styrian costume : long trousers in the house and in the train, short leather gaiters over them for sport, and the famous green hat ; a well-known shoemaker in the mountains provided us with the necessary nailed boots.

I.Ve generally had supper at seven, and then sat on at table smoking, preferably the Turkish Tehibouk. About 8.30 the Emperor would retire while we sat on chatting for an hour 01 so. Breakfast was usually about 5 a.m., sometimes even at 3 a.m. In any case the Emperor's punctuality was such that we were expected to show up some twenty minutes earlier_ rather a trial for the elder members of the party. We then drove in carriages to the preserves ; Prince Leopold and th..! Grand Duke of Tuscany then mounted ponies, while the rest of us made the long ascent on foot, by the light of lanterns. BY' daybreak we would reach the butts, some in the open on the mountainside, others down by the streams in the woods. Driving took five or six hours : about half-way through the game would begin to be sighted from the butts. The bag varied greatly : changes in the wind make a great difference when one is hunting on mountains in uncertain weather.

One day the Emperor put me into the butt designed for him, as I had brought nothing home the day before. I was much pleased; although it involved a severe clamber, and 11 the end I had to climb a ladder to get into my butt. The view' was shut off by dense mist. I had hardly got settled in ail,: wrapped myself up in a warm fur coat, with a fur rug over iriy knees, before I fell into a sleep of sheer exhaustion. When my loader, Rolfing, woke me up the mist had rolled back and a magnificent panorama opened before me. In the same moment I discovered to my astonishment that I was on a rock platform swung out over the valley of not more than ten square yards in size. Never in my life have I sat so still as on that rock ! The wind was good, the approach likewise, the deer passed pretty near me, and I enjoyed the opportunity of watching them at close quarters. A female goat with a kid crossed my platform so close to my knees that I could have touched the kid with my hand, and then disappeared over the edge, apparently into the air. I was afraid that I should hear them falling over the precipice, but as a matter of fact a few minutes later I saw them comfortably clambering on up the other side of the cliff. I got quite a number of chamois bucks.

At the end of the chase I scrambled down my ladder, and at the foot of the cliff met the Emperor coming away from his butt. When I reported my bag he congratulated me and, the other guns not having turned up, invited me to go down the valley and so home with him. Naturally I accepted gladly and followed him down the narrow path without at all guessing what was to follow. Soon the practinPe .rmuritaineer began a rapid descent by sticking his alpd.bsxicie-w ell into the ground and leaping forward on it, a procedure I could not imitate with but one good arm. I had to trot hard to keep him in sight, and reached the carriage some time after him, completely done up. He murmured kindly, " You are a wee bit warm ? " No sign of exertion in him.

VISIT To BUDAPEST IN 1885. HUNGARIAN NATIONALISM.

In the autumn of 1885 my wife and I visited the Crown Prince Rudolph and his wife on the occasion of the Hungarian Agricultural Show in Budapest. From the windows of the lofty Hofburg there is a superb view of the city set on both sides of the Danube. The streets were full of life and bustle and whenever we were recognized on our walks or drives the warm-hearted Hungarians gave us a friendly ovation. The show was admirably arranged, and I found the forest and game section, with its astonishing display of heads, exceptionally interesting. We used to be followed round by crowds, which appreciated our appreciation. In the antler section we ran into Count Andrassy ; I was particularly pleased to have the opportunity of making the acquaintance of the man who had done so much to create the Alliance between Austria-Hungary and Germany. Andrassy was a pure 'Hungarian, with one black lock hanging down over his forehead ; he made the impression of a man who knew precisely what he wanted. Such a crowd gathered round, while we were talking, that the Prince of Wales, who was also present, had difficulty in getting out. Suddenly someone in the crowd called for cheers for the German Ally and Count Andrassy, the maker of the Alliance. Cheers resounded through the hall, while I shook the great statesman heartily by the hand. Andrassy, pointing to the disappearing Prince of Wales, whispered to me, " lie won't like that ! He does not like the Triple Alliance. There will be storms in Europe when he is at the helm I "

In Budapest we also went to the theatre. The Crown Prince

informed us, before we entered our box; that it was the habit of the public to give royalties an ovation, which must be

received eyes front. So it proved ; we were greeted with loud cheers. The piece was a present-day Hungarian drama and a very popular and lovely actress, Blahane by name, who was likewise an admirable singer, appeared in it. She introduced into her role a charming song, the " Maiden of Korosch," which was being much sung in Hungary—this by way of tribute to the Crown Prince, whose favourite tune it was supposed to be and one which he often hummed and whistled.

It created boundless enthusiasm ; the applause was so thun- derous that Iriahane had to sing it again and again. It was interesting to see how easily these intelligent Hungarians were stirred to enthusiasm. Their vivid nationalism makes them capable of extraordinary exertions, and I had the impression that anyone who understood and appreciated ought to have no difficulty in leading them.

In later years I more than once discussed this question with ale of my own, and my country's best friends, the Ambassador, von Szogyeni. He agreed with me entirely, subject to the Ipervation that Western parliamentary institutions were ruinous in Hungary. Andrassy had found this out, to his cost. All sorts of parliamentary incidents which were quite incomprehensible to non-Hungarians—sudden ministerial crises, scenes of uproar in the House, and so on—were, of course, to be attributed to family feuds among the Magyar magnates, dating back to the Middle Ages. Jousting and private war being out of date, they fought out their quarrels in the arena of Parliament. The passionate temperament of the Hungarian women contributed to embitter the conflict and widen its area. In Vienna, unfortunately, too little attention was paid to Hungary. The Empress Elisabeth, who did understand, was adored.

The following incident will illustrate the want of under- standing of and attention to Hungarian wishes. SzOgyeni told me one day that his countrymen were getting more and more exasperated by the continued disregard of their desire to have the Hungarian flag used in the Hungarian Army and in the Honved, as had been the case in the time of Maria Theresa. He asked me whether the flag just given to the German State contingents was not an analogous case. I said yes : and told him the princes had been invited to submit pictures of their old flags. Where none such existed designs had been submit? ,4-hem, including the arms of the terri-

tory or of its –fuse, with the colours of the country and the monogram of the ruler. The King of Hungary could, in my opinion, do the same for the Hungarian troops, without infringing the rights of Austria. The Ambassador had regret- fully to inform me, later, that all his efforts and representations had failed.

CHAPTER XDC DIPLOMACY AND SPORT IN RUSSIA It follows from what I have already said that I grew up in the atmosphere of traditional friendliness between us and the Russian Imperial House, which had existed ever since the Wars of Liberation. Emperor Alexander II, when Passing through Berlin, often stayed in the New Palace in my Childhood ; a special performance used to be put on in his honour in the pretty little theatre there, to which I was allowed to go. When the Tsar came to. Berlin for the meeting of the three Emperors, he gave me, as I have said, the uniform of the St. Petersburg Grenadiers. I have also referred to his sympathetic words to my father on the losses of the Guards in 1870. The news of his assassination, a few years later, came as a frightful shock. On the evening when the news came we went with our parents to my grandfather. He was too deeply moved to speak : he sat silently weeping.

THE COMING OF AGE OF THE TSAREVITCH IN 1884.

In 1884 my grandfather bade me go to St. Petersburg to take part in the coming-of-age celebrations of the then Heir Apparent, afterwards Tsar Nicholas II, and present him with the Order of the Black Eagle. By a delicate attention on the part of the Tsar I was lodged during my stay inquarters directly under those occupied by my grandfather when in St. Petersburg. The windows looked out on to the great square in front of the Palace, taking in the

Admiralty and a portion of the Nevski. A high fence pro- tected the garden, which had been laid out in the square by Alexander III, and the Imperial family could walk there undisturbed by the gaze of the curious. The rooms, mostly furnished in the taste of the 'thirties, were comfortable, but excessively hot ; the windows were still closed up from winter, and only a tiny pane could be opened. I was admirably looked after by an old Danish servant of the Tsaritsa, who spoke both German and Russian. The food was excellent, notably such genuine Russian items as tea and breadstuffs, soups and fish dishes.

The festivities gave me an opportunity to become better acquainted with the Imperial family. They all treated me with proverbial Russian kindness and courtesy. The appear- ance of the men was very imposing, as most of them were above the average height, though the mighty figure of Alex- ander III over-topped them all. The Grand Duke Vladimir was fair, but his brother, the Admiral, Grand Duke Alexei, much fairer : his handsome face and figure resembled that of some Germanic chieftain from the Sagas. I received es- pecial kindness from the Grand Duke Michael Nieolaievitch, brother-in-law of the Grand Duke of Baden and grandfather of the Crown Princess Cecilie. His was another proud and chivalrous figure. The Tsaritsa seemed a tiny and most attractive being by the side of her immense husband. Very stately was the Grand Duchess Alexandra, widow of the Grand Duke Constantine, with her tall, slim figure and erect bearing ; her face was still beautiful under its crown of snow- white hair. • She had been a favourite cousin of my father's, and was kind to me for that reason and because I had played at Cannes in the winter of 1869-70 with the son she had prema- turely lost. Grand Duchess Vladimir was very beautiful in a matronly way. The wife of the Grand Duke Michael had preserved her youthful freshness. These three ladies were very good to me ; they explained the habits and customs of the Court, and told me the visits I ought to pay, and so on. The family picture was brightened by the cheery presence of a large number of quite young Grand Dukes. An amusing incident used to enliven our meal times ; when the Tsaritsa entered the room where we were all assembled, and the young Grand Dukes greeted her with heels together and spurs clattering, she would sing out to them the greeting given by a captain to his soldiers, and they then returned the correct reply in unison.

MILITARY POMP AND RELIGIOUS CEREMONY.

The coming-of-age festivities were predominantly of a military character. The great halls of the Winter Palace, as I passed through them with the Tsar before the opening of the ceremony, were full of picked contingents from the St. Petersburg Regiments of the Guard, and with their flags and standards they were a splendid sight. When, after hurriedly getting into Russian uniform, I returned to the reception, the Tsar, to my great surprise, told me he had appointed me honorary colonel of the Viborg Infantry No. 85. Next day a detachment of this regiment, which had come from barracks in Novgorod by his orders, reported to me.

The ceremonies began with a service, my place in the princely procession being by the side of Queen Olga of Greece. It was an imposing scene : the Tsaritsa and the Grand Duchesses were in grande toilette and their striking Russian head-dresses gave them an almost fairy-tale charm. Through- out the long religious ceremony, conducted by the worthy Metropolitans of Novgorod and St. Petersburg, assisted by members of the Holy Synod and high clerical dignitaries in superb robes, and accompanied by an impressive choir, the little heir to the throne, a delicate boy of fourteen, stood alone before the altar in his pale blue uniform. In a clear voice he read the oath of fealty to Tsar and country and to the consti- tutional order of succession ; no one present could help feeling deeply moved. Then prayers were spoken by the church dig- nitaries, the Te Deum thundered out, the bells began to ring and three hundred and one salvoes of cannon resounded. After the " ad mull°, annos " had been given forth and the members of the Holy Synod had felicitated their Majesties and the Tsarevitch, the whole assembly moved in close pro- cession to the St. George's Hall, where the banners and standards of the military detachments were massed before the throne. The Tsarevitch took up his stand at a small altar. A detachment of great bearded Cossack Life Guards next appeared, and lowered their ancient, richly embroidered standard before the Heir Apparent, now their Hetman. Taking hold of a corner he spoke the pre-scribed words-of the oath with obvious emotion, but in a distinct voice. It was an impressive moment. Many wept ; clear drops sparkled on the e iron-grey beard of the old standard-bearer. There were few unmoved faces when the ceremony ended with the embrace of the son by his parents. Many a quiet prayer for God's blessing on the future Tsar went up.

Tax DIVISION OF RECRUITS.

On the day after the coming of age the so-called Division of Recruits by the Tsar took place in the square before the Winter Palace, ii- ceremony which enabled the available infantry material to he surveyed. The infantry recruits stood, in reginiental formation, in the first line, the cavalry behind them, and then the artillery. The Commanders, Inspector-Generals, Grand Dukes and Imperial Suite were all present. The -material impressed me deeply ; these were picked men. The Paul Grenadier recruits, who have to have slightly turned-up noses, were a remarkable sight.

As we went down the Tsar said jokingly to me : " Be sure to notice the keen competition for the best-looking men between the Preobrajensky, First Guards' Regiment; and the Naval Guards." And so it proved. A man like a young sapling wearing the Preobrajensky jacket was• claimed by the Captain of the Naval. Guards ; the. Preobrajensky captain refused to give biin-im; The Divisional Commander and General in command spoke on one side, the Minister of Marine and Admiral Alexei on the other. The Tsar finally came down on the side of the Preobrajensky, to the obvious delight of the colonel and of the sergeant-major of the bat- talion to which the recruit was assigned. This latter was a huge fellow with a vast beard and tremendous chest develop= ment, a pair of kindly blue eyes and a row of decorations extending from shoulder to shoulder. He was a special favourite of the Imperial family, and had more than once been presented to my grandfather on visits to Berlin. I shook his hand in congratulation on his acquisition and had my own arm nearly shaken off in his delight, as he cried in broken German : " Soldier, not sailor ; soldier better." When I met him again later in Berlin he told me, beaming all over, " Recruit good soldier ; already subaltern."

MY TALKS WITH TSAR ALEXANDER III.

The review over, I went to show myself to the Tsar in my Viborg regimentals. Although suspicious and reserved by disposition, the Tsar had taken to me and talked with unusual frankness and friendliness. I took advantage of the oppor- tiinity to execute my grandfather's commission and reassure him about the Bulgarian affair—to which I shall return later—_ and, at the same time, to endeavour to win his support for the ",entente a trois " with Austria-Hungary. He proved to be deeply prejudiced against the Danubian monarchy, and all Baits of arguments had to be brought forward to convince him otthe necessity of the Three Emperors' Alliance. I relied, as I had been instructed in do, mainly on the proposition, calcu, listed to appeal to him, that the three empires must stand together against anarchy ; in Prince Bismarck's phrase, the three empires must stand together as a triangular bulwark against the gathering waves of anarchy and liberal democracy. The letters of Herbert Bismarck and the reports of our Ainbassador show that my efforts were not without result; indeed, two years later, when greeting the Tsar at Brest- Litovsk, my grandfather referred directly to this success.

I left PeterSburg op the evening of May 22nd for Moscow, as the Tsar, in our conversation of May 19th, had advised me to visit it. He further paid me the great and unlooked-for honour of accompanying me from the Anitehkoff Palace to the station in his open carriage, attired in Prussian uniform:— a distinction that made a profound general impression, this more so that the Tsar rarely paid such an honour even to sovereigns, All the Grand Dukes and the Viborg regimental

detachment were at the station to see me off. • 1 left Petersburg with the sense that I had fulfilled niy Mission to the best of my abilities. • •

IMPRESSIONS OF MOSCOW AND THE KREMLIN.

I arrived in Moscow on the morning of May 23rd. After the usual reception at the station, I drove to the Kremlin,

where the: Tsai -had had morns prepared for me. - I was received :bY. -Governor-General Prince Dolgoroukoff, and the President of the-. Household, Count Orloff-Davidoff, and his wife looked after me in every way.

The far-famed Krenilin is a city rather than a castle. Palaces, cathedrals, cloisters, barracks and administrative offices are .elielosed within.the famous wall, with. its machim lated towers. • On my tour of inspection I first- visited the coronation rooms. Largely in the Byzantine style, with deco- rations in gold mosaic; they are indeed magnificent, and one is immediately struck by.the Eastern influence. Then I went on to the. Halls of the Orders, so called because •each -Russian Order has its hall, with the walls and furniture covered in the colour appropriate to it, . and hung with the emblems and insignia of the Order in metal. • The Andrew Hall, in pale blue satin, and the Catherine Hall in wine coloured satin with silver trimmings, pleased me best. The George Hall in white marble, with the names of the knights inscribed in gold, was the largest. I saw there the names of many Prussian heroes dating from the Wars of Liberation, reminders of the glorious days of brotherhood in arms, among them those of Prince Frederick Charles, of my father and of my grandfather. Higher up were dwellings in early mediaeval style, dating from the days of the Grand Dukes and Tsars of Moscow, with windows supported on beautifully turned columns, decorated with many-coloured majolica work. From these windows there was a superb view over the town, with its countless cupolas, gold, green and blue, crowned with crosses and chains of gold : with the sun playing over it the whole thing was fairylike and unique.

. I visited a number of interesting buildings and churches with Prince Dolgoroukoff, and went, without him, to the old hospital and almshouses belonging to the German colony. I saw the Vassili-Blashinny Cathedral, built by Ivan the Terrible, with its conical and pineapple-shaped cupolas, vividly coloured, as was the rest of the church. Tsar Ivan is said to have been so delighted with this piece of architecture that he had the master-builder's eyes put out so that he could never repeat it—a story also told of other princes. -

Finally, I visited the Coronation Church and the cathedrals,' where the coffins of the early Tsars of Moscow, wrapped in scarlet velvet, lie in rows, not in the vaults, but in the church itself. Prince Dolgoroukoff pulled me up as I was walking very slowly along this row, and whispered in my ear : " Ivan ! Ivan the Terrible ! " A shudder ran through me as I stood before the coffin of this grim and mighty prince. We left the place in dead silence.

My stay in Moscow ended with a farewell supper on May 25th, given by Prince Dolgoroukoff, at which the Mayor of Moscow and the Generals were present. His kitchen and cellar were renowned, and the report was justified on this evening. The Sakuska - (hors_ d'oeuvre) a'one comprised a wealth of dishes and drinks, more than sufficient to satisfy a Prussian appetite. Then came. a menu of more than a dozen courses, and the kindly host exercised a "friendly compulsion" to partake of each. The meal lasted- over two hours, and the old gentlemen gradually grew jovial and lively. At the close, the Prince called for three cheers for the Tsar, and, mindful of old times, for my grandfather. After dinner we smoked in another room, while -Russian folk-songs were discoursed in tasteful chorus by gyp;ies, male and female, with voices of bell-like purity. At midnight the Prince brought me to the station, where the officers of the Frederick William IV Grenadiers, and marle

.

of the dinner guests, saw me off. Loud hurrahs _sounded as' the train, put at my disposal by the Tsar, drew out from-the platform. I reached Berlin on May 28th.

(To be continued.) [The next instalment will contain the conclusion of chapter; XIX, describing the author's visit to Russia in 1886, and a bear= hunt on the estate. of Prince Anton Radziwill. In chapter XS, under the heading " The Batteraberg Affair and its Sequel,' the, author traces Prince Alexander's antecedents and career and explains the reasons why his projected marriage with Princess Victoria was opposed and abandoned. The author's mission to Russia in 1886 to promote a rapprochement, and his tlifelin4 with the Tsar Alexander 111 at Brest-Litovsk, is then described, also his reconciliation on his return with his faqir!, zdip had resented being passed over by the Emperor and Bismarck.)