The fears which have sprung up during the last twelve months have had to do more with Russia than with France, or I may say with the exchange of mutual excitement, threats, insults, and challenges in the French and Russian papers during the past summer.

Nevertheless, I believe that our relations with Russia have not changed from what they were last year.  The Liberal News has stated, in especially heavy type, that I said a year ago:  “Our friendship with Russia has suffered no interruption during our wars, and is today beyond a doubt.  We expect of Russia neither an attack nor a hostile policy.”  The reason why this was printed in heavy type may have been either to give me an easy starting point, or because the writer hoped that I had changed my mind since I said these things, and was at present convinced that I had erred in my confidence in the Russian policy a year ago.  This is not the case.  The only events which could have occasioned a change of opinion are the attitude of the Russian press and the allocation of the Russian troops.

As regards the press, I cannot assign any importance to it per se.  People say that it is of greater consequence in Russia than in France.  I believe the very opposite to be true.  In France the press is a power influencing the decisions of the government.  In Russia it is not, nor can it be.  In both cases, however, the press is, so far as I am concerned, mere printer’s ink on paper, against which we do not wage war.  It cannot contain a challenge for us.  Back of each article in the press there stands after all only the single man who guided the pen which launched this particular article into the world.  Even in a Russian sheet—­suppose it to be an independent Russian sheet, one which maintains relations with the French secret funds, it is of no consequence.  The pen which there indites an anti-German article is backed by no one but him who is guiding it, the solitary man who is concocting the sad stuff in his office, and the protector which every Russian sheet is accustomed to have.  He is some kind of a higher official, run wild in party politics, who happens to bestow his protection on this particular paper.  Both weigh like feathers in the scale against the authority of His Majesty the Emperor of Russia.

In Russia the press has not the same influence on public opinion as in France.  At best its declarations are the barometer by which to gauge how much can be printed according to the Russian press-laws, but they do not obligate the Russian government or His Majesty the Emperor of Russia in any way.  In contrast with the voices of the Russian press I have the immediate testimony of Emperor Alexander himself, when a few months ago I had again the honor of being received by him in audience after the lapse of several years.  I was then able to convince myself afresh that the emperor of Russia harbors no hostile feelings against us and does not intend to attack us, or to wage any