The epidemic of assassination barknot yet ceased, a single week
having furnished two ;—one, unfortunately, successful, and one a failure. On Friday week (August 16th), General Mesentsoff, Chief of the Third Section of Police, was going out of a confec- tioner's shop in St. Petersburg, when he WAS stabbed by assassins, who immediately jumped into a fiacre which was waiting for them, drove furiously away, and appear to have escaped. They fired at General Mesentsoff's companion, General Makaroff, who tried to arrest them. General Mesentsoff expired on the afternoon of the same day. On the following day, Saturday, August 17th, the life of General Todleben was attempted by a Greek, who fired at him with a pistol during a speech which he was making to the troops at the close of a review. Fortunately the shot missed its mark, and the assassin was arrested. This makes the third or fourth attempt on the life of a great Russian official within a few months, while the Emperor of Germany's life was twice attempted within a few weeks. Evidently it is not so much corrupt or bad ad- ministration, as severe administrative discipline strongly im- pressed with the marks of individual responsibility, which leads to attempts at assassination. It is the iron hand which draws down upon the owner this sort of vengeance, much more than the evil heart.
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