. Suicide of monarchy, recollections of a diplomat. y have chosen aless profitable Foreign Minister. His own irresolu-tion and weakness found no guiding and saving handin the personality and powers of Count Muravieff,who, during his tenure of office had no steady policy,and no visible objective. His policy degeneratedinto a mere series of vacillations. His enemiesworked hard to bring about his downfall and had allbut succeeded when he died very suddenly. Hisvalet found him in his study lying on the floor with agash in his temple, which had been caused by his headcoming into contact with the sh
. Suicide of monarchy, recollections of a diplomat. y have chosen aless profitable Foreign Minister. His own irresolu-tion and weakness found no guiding and saving handin the personality and powers of Count Muravieff,who, during his tenure of office had no steady policy,and no visible objective. His policy degeneratedinto a mere series of vacillations. His enemiesworked hard to bring about his downfall and had allbut succeeded when he died very suddenly. Hisvalet found him in his study lying on the floor with agash in his temple, which had been caused by his headcoming into contact with the sharp edge of a lowstool when he fell. In Petrograd, it was rumouredthat he had committed suicide, being unable to bearthe disgrace of dismissal which he knew was sooncoming. Personally I do not believe this to be thecase. As a young man Muravieff had been morethan partial to women and wine and had sown a finecrop of wild oats. Despite his advancing years heappeared to enjoy the harvest when he returned toPetrograd. He had a mistress whom he visited. HERR VON BETHMANN-HOLLWEG THE ARRIVISTES 165 every day, and lie used to drink a quart bottle ofchampagne every night before he went to bed. Suchhabits were not conducive to a long life, and probablytoo great satisfaction, rather than dissatisfactionwith himself carried him off. Count Lamsdorif, who succeeded him, was abso-lutely his opposite in temperament and II, The Unreliable, could always be reliedupon to appoint ministers whose characters and opin-ions had not the slightest resemblance to their prede-cessors. Thus Russian policies were continuallychopping and changing. Although far better edu-cated than Muravieff and with an intensive knowl-edge of affairs of state, Lamsdorff was very narrowminded and small of soul and lacked the saving graceof Muravieff—common sense. He was a religiousbigot. Women had never played any part in hislife and consequently rumour gave him the reputa-tion of being a pervert. He le
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