The Washington herald., 1909-03-28
By RUDOLPH DE zAPP.

z
heralded so conspieuousiy and so much
IN the public press recently. and his
place has been rendered BY the self-styled
knowing ones 70 George Bakhmetien. the
Cars Ambassador 70 japan, so often
that II seems worth while 20 bear in
mind that. although Nine. BakhmetieH.
who is an American, very clever WOm-
an. her husband is rated as by no
means sagacious and experienced and as
rather a failure in the Muscoyite diplo-
matte service.
The question. under the circumstances.
would seem 10 arise: "Can the Car az
ford 20 send an ambassador 20 Washing
ton whose qualifications as a diplomat
/ are seriously questioned and whose use
fulness thereby from the very outset be-
comes matter OF grave dOubt?7
Another question would be whether
President Taft. considering these facts.
would deem It advisable 70 inform the
American Ambassador at St. Petersburg
20 advise the Gar that Bakhmetie1 viii
be received al Washington as persona
grata. What would be his standing IN
diplomatic and residential society," The
fact Is known that the success with
which he IS credited IS due 10 MS wife.
/ He would be looked upon as q mere
! fgurehead. and the Russian government
would De the loser IN the long run.
/ Baron de Rosen has been very success
/ ful and popular here. and there IS no
doubt that his days IN Washington as
the representative OF his sovereign are
numbered His presentation OF his letters
20 President Roosevelt as the Ambassa-
dor OF the Gar almost simultaneously
with Japan's recapture OF the island OF
Sakhalin. and its virtual loss 70 Russia,
seemed the irony Of fate. Il IS 70 Baron
/ Rosen that the 8IuscOvite crown has been
/ Indebted more than % any one else fOF
the possession OF this big island. 50 rich
/ IN mineral wealth and commanding the
mouth OF the great artery Of Asistic
( trade. the River Amur. True. ROsen was
quite a young man in those days. a mere
acting sttache and acting secretary. He
I had been rather wild and extravagant
as an officer OF the guards al ST Peters
/ burg. and IL had been considered advis-
able 70 rusticate him by appointing him
TO one of the most remote and out-Of-the-
4 way diplomatic posts.
/ II was his good fortune. howe, 20
| find himself attracted 10 a 1n OF
which the chief was NJ. de S.--re. FOR
many years afterward envoy az Wash
ingtOn. where his vie. the gifted and
| brilliant. though homely. Nine Struve.
left delightful memories. The de Strives
/ took a great fancy 20 young ROsen. and
their influence played an important role
in shaping the successful diplomatic ca
reer OF the ex-guardsman-
The chief point al issue then between
japan and Russia was their respective
rights 20 SakhaIIn, which formerly be-
longed 70 Japan. forming. as Il does an
integral portion or the group OF islands
known as Japan. Through the negligence
/ Of the government Of the Tycoon the
] Russians had been allowed 20 settle IN
the northern half Of the island. and
I when. in 1857 and 1S6S. the Mizado de-
/ posed the Tycoon and resumed the TEN
pOral rulership OF which his throne had
/ been deprived for several hundred years.
/ he was confronted by the fact that Rus
STA held the entire northern half OF the
island and was apparently bent on OBJ
/ tanning possession Of the remainder.
In those days. the early 7Us. foreign
ers treated the japanese with less consid-
Grafton than is accorded 10 them to-day.
The foreign ENJOYS az Tokyo disdained
I % hold intercourse with any but the most
exalted OF government officials Rosen,
on the contrary. set TO Work TO cultivate
the acquaintance and friendship OF the
minor officials and Of native society. tC
the Amusement OF his colleagues. he be-
came particularly intimate with the per
manent heads OF the various bureaus
Of the 'gaimushO.' or department Of
/ foreign affairs, and caused his chief and
Nine de St-uve 20 invite them 10 lunch
| cons and dinners AT the legation, compli-
ments which no other foreign mission
had thought II worth while tc pay 70
them
Meanwhile the de Strives were bent on
enjoying themselves Garden parties,
picnics. and entertainments took much of
their time Sir Harry Parkes. the little
red haired. peppery envoy, repeatedly ex-
/ pressed his astonishment that Russia,
which had so many able diplomats in
I her employ. should have intrusted her
interests IN Japan &c so utterly q frivolous
man as de Strive. who. apparently. at
tached much more Importance 70 a Gro
quet tournament OF 20 the collection OF
teapOts than 10 statecrsft-
/ One morning Sir Harry received from
the foreign Office in London a dispatch
which almost ended his days by a n OF
! apoplexy. Il announced 20 him that Rus
I sia had quietly succeeded in completing
the surrender Of the entire island Of SAX
halin to herself in exchange for the alb
solutely useless Kurile group which were
not only Of no importance. strategicslly.
politically. or economically. but 10 which,
moreover. the title OF Russia was by no
means clear Russia got everything.
japan less than nothing Sir Harry and
the other foreign ENJOYS at Tokyo had
| the additional modification Of discover
| ing that the negotiations had been car
ried on and completed not az St Peters
burg, but at the japanese capital. with
out their having the slightest inkling
| that anything Of the kind was IN prog
ress. Further investigation revealed the
fact that the japanese officials who had
( brought about the surrender Of Sakhalin
were those very bureau chiefs Of the
/ japanese foreign Office whose friendship
Baron Rosen had cultivated with so much
effect; for at the gaimusho. as in all other
departments Of foreign affairs, Il IS the
permanent heads OF bureaus who WELD the
real power and shape the policy OF the
F.. department OF foreign affairs. rather
( than the secretary OF state or minister.
whose tenure OF Office IS az the best
/ ephemeral-
OF course, it was de Struve. the en-
voy. who insthe eyes OF the world won
! this brilliant diplomats coup But the
/ principal work IN connection with the az
/ fair had been done BY ROsen. a fact
which de Struve. with characteristic gen
/ erosity. was the first 10 admit II was
/ Rosens first diplomatic laurel wreath,
and his reward came IN decorations and
appolntnaent 20 a fun first secretaryship OF
! legation Instead Of a mere acting attache-
/ From that time forth his career in the