drill and tactics of the western
armies, who were willing to serve in the company that he was about to
organize. He soon made up a company of fifty men. When this company was
completed, and clothed in the new uniform, and had been properly drilled,
Le Fort put himself at the head of them one morning, and marched them,
with drums beating and colors flying, before the palace gate. The Czar
came to the window to see them as they passed. He was much surprised at
the spectacle, and very much pleased. He came down to look at the men
more closely; he stood by while they went through the exercises in which
Le Fort had drilled them. The emperor was so much pleased that he said
he would join the company himself. He wished to learn to perform the
exercise personally, so as to know in a practical manner precisely how
others ought to perform it. He accordingly caused a dress to be made for
himself, and he took his place afterward in the ranks as a common
soldier, and was drilled with the rest in all the exercises.

From this beginning the change went on until the style of dress and the
system of tactics for the whole imperial army was reformed by the
introduction of the compact and scientific system of western Europe, in
the place of the old-fashioned and cumbrous usages which had previously
prevailed.

The emperor having experienced the immense advantages which resulted from
the adoption of western improvements in his army, wished now to make an
experiment of introducing, in the same way, the elements of western
civilization into the ordinary branches of industry and art. He proposed
to Le Fort to make arrangements for bringing into the country a great
number of mechanics and artisans from Denmark, Germany, France, and other
European countries, in order that their improved methods and processes
might be introduced into Russia. Le Fort readily entered into this
proposal, but he explained to the emperor that, in order to render such a
measure successful on the scale necessary for the accomplishment of any
important good, it would be first requisite to make some considerable
changes in the general laws of the land, especially in relation to
intercourse with foreign nations. On his making known fully and in
detail what these changes would be, the emperor readily acceded to them,
and the proposed modifications of the laws were made. The tariff of
duties on the products and manufactures of foreign countries was greatly
reduc