The New York herald., 1879-11-25
RUSSIA'S NEW VICE CHANCELLOR.
PETER ALExANDRovICH wALUJEFF ASSUMES
THE nEINs OF MUscovITE. .ADMrNIsrRArIoN--
SKETCH OF HIS CAREER.

PETER ALExANDROvICH wALUJEFF ASSUMES
THE nEINs OF MUscovITE ADMINISTRATIONS
SKETCH OF HIS CAREER.
[BY CABLE TO THE HERALD
LONDON. Nov. "a, 1879.
The correspondent Of tho Manchester Guardian at
Berlin says:-'It is no longer secret that Russian
foreign affairs about to be taken out Of
Prince GortschakoG's hands and entrusted to
Prince Walujeff. with the title. for the present.
of Vice Chancellor Prince WalujeG is believed to
be q friend of Germany and to be pacifcally In
clined." 1T is more than thirty-fve years ago
that. at balls given by Moscow noblemen to
the Emperor Nicholas. tho tall figure and fine
features Of Of the dancers present attracted the
attention of the Gear. This young man, with the
frank and confident address, which struck 'the
most elegant man In Russia" was civil function
ary who had recently entered the service. and be-
longed to the old but not particularly wealthy FAM
lily OF Waluief. Nicholas forthwith conveyed him to
st. Petersburg and made him Gentleman of the Bed.
chamber Within short time young Waluieff had
become the Beau Brummel of the capital. He set
the laws of good TASTE No salon, entertainment
was complete without him. His tableaur vivants in
Michailotf square were the talk or the town. And
his successes as galantaomo so un-
exampled that there much rejoicing
among the gifted courtiers when he married the
shrewish daughter Of old Prince Wisemsky, ana
quarrelled with her vehemently that the Czar
thought it better to remove them both to Riga.
Here Nine. waluief died. and here. putting
aside his old sparkish habits, her hus-
band wrote number OF treatises against
tho existing administration. distinguished for
elegance of style clearness of judgment and spirit
of statesmanlike moderation. The success Of his
attack Immediate. He demanded a complete re-
modelling of the bureaucratic machine. the setting
of tha md oradn
abolition of serfdom. The treatises dissemi-
mated In thousands of copies. Russia became daily
conscious of its impending revolution. It felt that
man had arisen. from the very heart of the court
who understood his age and had struck blow for
the people.
MINISTER THE INTERIOR.
Alexander IL came to the throne. The dawn Of
liberalism had broken. Serfdom dying. Tho
press restrictions Weakening Herzen's Kolokol
swayed the minds of the young. and even
prudent people expected the beginning of
q new era. On tho one side was gathered
all the intelligence OF the cultivated classes;
the other handful Of suen. reactionary spirits.
tied to q decaying and discredited system. To
hold the balance between these parties was the
task assigned to waluief. In January. 1861.
Alexander created him Minister of the Interior.
Waluief ut justified the Cars choice.
whether withstanding the reactionsts crushing
mutnous peasants; whether closing assembly OF
outspoken mobiles or suspending some thicvish off,
cia whether restraining the agitators of Warsaw
Furnishing the OF the national press;
whether chief OF police of public censure, as
emancipator of the peasants highest appeal in all
that touched the nobility. he the central point
of every reform which the government was prcpar-
ing. aud for which tho nation was waiting with
feverish impatience. In two years his hair had
begun to grow gray. and tho foundation of his work
had been laid. In February. 1868. the Polish
Lithuanian instruction burst forth. Russia was
at ouce threatened by the Intervention the West
Powers and Austria. and by the awakening of q
national fanatcism. which urged the internal de-
velopmcnt OF the State into new and dangerous
paths. The age of Miutin. Muravier and Kabkof
began which was extcrminate Western civilization
In Poland and remodel the entire kingdom in a demo-
cratic national spirit. Waluief alone stood in the
way His friends. the liberal arstocrats Germans
and loyal party among tho Poles had lost too much
credit to venture even to stir. For i've years he
struggled with the national Hotspurs, and at tho
end he was defeated. The Emperor allowed himself
to be persuaded to dismiss Waluief and to give
his post to General Timascheff. Tho fallen Minister
went abroad to regain his health. shattered by
over-exertion. On his return he entered tho
Imperial Council. In 1874 no received his appoint
ment as Minister of Domains, which no has held t,ll
the present time. With Gortschakoff in retirement
waluie is undoubtedly the foremost Russian of tho
day: one who has wrought much and great good for
his country; one whose administration has been In
.varv wav happv for ife dcvelopn,cnt1