A BETTER UNDERSTANDING WITH RUSSIA. [TO THE EDITOR OF TIIE
"SPEOTA.TOR."]
SIR,—As a British subject living in Russia, and one who has always wished for a better understanding between ourselves and the Russians, it has been a great satisfaction and pleasure to read the various articles in which you have advocated this same policy. Still, if I may, I should like to say one word. You appear to me to imply that "now is the accepted moment" for such a rapprochement. May I suggest that it would be better to wait till the new Russian Parliament, the Imperial Duma, has taken affairs into its own hands ? The people, who are at last to have a say, and probably a very big say, in their own affairs, have had such a sickening of the results of bureaucratic misrule that they will think twice before they go on with, or even sanction, anything that has been begun or accomplished by the bureaucracy. It would be a thousand pities if this most desirable rapprochement should fall through simply because the negotiations began a little to soon. I have talked with hundreds, I might say thousands, of Russians, and all would be heartily glad to be on good terms with England; but all say they do not see— officers especially have urged it on me—how this can ever take place so long as the English have the idee fire that Russia is simply hankering after India. As a Russian general said to me : "How could we ever ' run ' the country ? We have not half enough educated people to manage Russia itself." In General Lebedeff's book, "The Invasion of India," his summary is :—" Given the most favourable circumstances, we might possibly conquer the Punjab ; but so long as England has command of the sea, and her present long purse, how could we hold it ? Our policy is not to attack or invade India, but to hold a sword of Damocles over India, and to make the expense so great for England that she will be forced to come to terms with us. Russia and England com- bined would rule the world." The same has been said to me by scores of others, Russians of all sorts and conditions.—I am, Sir, &c., CIVILIAN.
PRAYER FOR SICK PERSONS. [To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Does not your otherwise able article on this subject in last week's Spectator entirely ignore the real difficulty of belief
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