nt of the existence of a Grand Duke Constantine. At all
events, there was no valid reason why a Central Asian ruler should
conceive that his politeness to that Grand Duke in particular would
demonstrate his desire to be on good terms with Russians in general. The
other version, which, like many other circumstances, has only leaked out
in the pages of Mr. Schuyler, is altogether more probable, and is not
open to the same objections. According to this, it was Baron Kaulbars,
who of course was aware of the saint's day, who demanded that the treaty
should bear that date, and who, as soon as it was signed, sent off a
message to General Kaufmann saying that the Athalik Ghazi, out of
friendship to that general, had specially requested that the treaty
should be signed on that day in honour of General Kaufmann's patron
saint. However flattered that distinguished general and governor may
have felt at the delicate attention of his ambassador, he had to decline
the proposed honour; and in the despatch that was sent to St.
Petersburg, describing the event, the name of the Grand Duke Constantine
was substituted for his own. There is little doubt that this is the
correct statement, and it certainly suggests quite a revelation as to
the system in Russian Asia of making things pleasant and agreeable to
one another, always, however, assuming that there be an exceptional
degree of power and pomp reserved for his Excellency General Kaufmann.

Soon after the signature of this treaty, which bears the name of its
framer, Baron Kaulbars took his departure, with many expressions of
friendship and goodwill from the Athalik Ghazi. Arrangements were,
however, made, before he left, for an envoy to visit Tashkent from
Yakoob Beg. This ambassador took with him the signed stipulations to be
ratified, and was received at Tashkent with every demonstration of amity
and respect. So certain did the Russian government appear that their
relations with Kashgar would, if only for a short period, be
satisfactory, that special care was taken to make a favourable
impression on the Kashgarian envoy, and after a short residence in the
capital of Turkestan, the nephew of Yakoob Beg, Hadji Torah, who had
followed the train of the treaty on a special mission, went on to St.
Petersburg, where he was entertained by the Czar, taken to the reviews,
and treated in a most hospitable and princely fashion. The contrast
between the reception accorded to him in 1873 and that to