The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-01-13
Tho Dismissal Of Minister Catncazy-The
Significant Note Of Prince GortchakoM ON
the Subject.

| Ina special despatch from st. Petersburg we
published yesterday the very important and
significant note ofPrince Gortchakoff. Chancel-
Tor of the Russian empire, to our Minister, Mr..
Curtin, near that government, in reference to
the peremptory dismissal of Mr. Catacazy as
the representative of Russia at Washington.
Prince GortchakoR in this note says the
| offending Minister ''had been ordered to come
back to Russia as soon as His Imperial High
ness the Grand Duke Alexis had taken his de-
parture from the United States;' that ''Mr.
Catacazy was at the same time informed that
he will not return to the post at Washington,
but that his recall will be final, in compliance
with the request Of the United States govern
ment; that the Russian government regrets
that this was not the termination of this pain
fu affair, as it ought to have been by
the rules of courtesy established be-
tween friendly nations, but that In the
subsequent correspondence Of Mr.. Fish
there has been neither sufficient attention nor
proper respect shown to the Russian Ambas-
sadOr under the circumstances. Finally, in
reference TO the serious, though vague, COM
plants made against Mr.. Catacazy by Fish,
| Prince GortchakoR says that the accused
| Minister ''has satisfactorily refuted many of
| these complaints )" that ION the others the
Imperial Cabinet will deliver its judgment
when Mr.. Catacazy has had full liberty to
present his case" and that the Imperial Chan
cellor Slopes that Justice is sufficiently
understood in the United States not to expect
it before"
Now this, according to the diplomatic code,
is harsh language. Reduced to the familiar
conversational style of every day life 1t
amounts to this :--"Mr. Curtin, you will
please inform your Secretary Of State that
here at ST. Petersburg we think he has been
| making fool of himself in this Catacazy bust
ness. We did suppose that Mr.. Fish had
sense enough to understand that Russian
Minister abroad never dares to do or to
attempt anything, or to give any opinion. Or to
discuss anything anywhere, in his official Ca
pacity, without authority from his govern
ment In notifying your government Of the
recall Of Mr.. Catacazy we certainly expected
that Mr.. Fish would understand the case but
as he could not or would not understand it,
you will be good enough to tell him that Prince
Gortchakoff does not choose to punish MIR.
Catacazy for carrying out his instructions as
our Minister at Washington, and that, for the
| present, we have no further explanation to
make Of his course Of opposition to the Wash
ington treaty and that Perkins claim" Clearly,
this pungent diplomatic note Of Prince Gort-
chakoif admits Of this plain translation into
the every day English Of common life; but, to
do full justice to the excited Imperial Chancel-
lor, a few rough explosives, and, perhaps, even
little Muscovite swearing might be thrown
in. Our st. Petersburg correspondent says
that "the Catacazy catastrophe is q rebuke to
the Imperial Chancellor HIMSELF" and that is
evidently true.
What, then, are these complaints Of our
government against the intolerable Catacazy
They are very forcibly presented by Mr. Fish
In his note Of November 16, 1871, to MIR.
Curtin, at st. Petersburg, for the information
of Prince Gortchakoff, who wanted to know
In this indictment Mr.. Fish says that soon
after the arrival Of the obnoxious Minister at
Washington che began to make himself very
oficious" in interfering in questions outside his
jurisdiction that he began to write letters to
the newspaper press Of the country upon ques-
| tons pending before the government; that in
his conversations he was guilty of vitupera-
tive language toward very many persons,
including several in public positions" (the
President and Secretary of States that he
awas very offensive in his denunciations of the
famous Perkins claim against the Russian gov
eminent and all concerned therein that when
accused of the authorship of an obnoxious
newspaper letter on that claim he denied it
aud charged upon 'the Perkins set of fellows
to injure and get rid of him; y that ia reference
to another newspaper letter subsequently fixed
upon him he ''sdgmatized it as tissue of
lies and absurdites," and 80 on; that other
offensive papers of his production he de-
nounced as ''forgeries;" that concerning
still another scandalous newspaper letter
proved upon him she affirmed as man,
declared AZ the representative of his august
sovereign, and swore before Almighty God as
Christian that he had no connection with it,
knew nothing of it and had never seen IT."
tuat HlVr tue request hdu peeu uaue ior us
recall he indecorously intruded upon the
President in his retreat at Long Branch, and
that she has made himself busy in season
and Out of season in efforts to obstruct, en-
barrass and defeat the recent negotiations
between the United States and Great Britain
for the adjustment of their mutual differ
ences," aud that she continues In the
same way now to interfere with the due
execution of the Treaty of Washington" and
so Oh to the eud of the budget of specifca-