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i9i3] ANNEXATION OF BESSARABIA, 1812 151
fairly important patriotic demonstrations and the
Rumanian Press sounded its loudest trumpets to
protest against Russian spoliation which had deprived
Rumania of one of her most beautiful integral parts !
All this, to be sure, was rather far-fetched; in 1812
there was as yet no " Rumania," but only " Danubian
Principalities," abominably governed, exploited and
often invaded by the Turks, and where the earlier
mediaeval patriotism had given place to complete
atrophy and demoralisation. In a word, the inhabitants
of the part of Moldavia annexed by Russia were
congratulating themselves very heartily on this change of
thraldom : the Russia of the beginning of the
nineteenth century seemed to these poor people a real
paradise of political liberty, in comparison with the
yoke and despotism they had borne up till then.
Moreover Alexander I., with his usual coquetry towards
every new arrival, had heaped privileges on the annexed
Bessarabia: exemption from several taxes, complete
exemption from military service, nobility-rights, titles
in profusion and high official posts given to the
governing classes of the county, etc., with the result that a
few short years had sufficed to make Bessarabia into
one of the Russian provinces which was the most
faithful and the most devoted to the Imperial
autocracy. The Rumanian chauvinist Press, of course,
ignored all these details. For their ends it was
necessary to describe this taking possession—accomplished
so peacefully and almost imperceptibly on the spot, as
every one was so accustomed to seeing the Russians
occupying the country—as a kind of Mongolian
invasion, or as the conquest of Gaul by the Franks or
(as we should say now) the Boche occupation of
Belgium.
Fortunately these demonstrations in no way affected
our relations with Rumania. Our Government and
particularly our Foreign Office pretended not to notice
all this fuss, knowing perfectly well that it was not
serious, and that after these chauvinist fireworks we
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