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i9i3] RUSSIANS AT MT. ATHOS 205
Ignatieff, had greatly alienated all the Greeks, even
those who up till then had remained sincere partisans
of Russia. Since this, the Greeks of Constantinople,
like those of Athens, began to perceive Russian intrigues
everywhere, and to denounce them to Europe. As one
of the proofs of these dangerous intrigues, they liked
to quote Mt. Athos, " that admirable strategical position,"
where General Ignatieff kept, in monkish garb, a whole
division of Russian troops! Europe half believed this;
in any case, the Russian monks of Mt. Athos were
looked on with a somewhat unfavourable eye, and they
were recommended to the vigilance of the Porte. The
position of these unfortunate people became especially
critical during the last Russo-Turkish war, and at the
time of the Congress of Berlin.
But there is no calumny that does not die out, and
there are no difficulties that cannot be surmounted
when one knows how to set about it. During the
sixteen years of M. de Nelidoff’s memorable time as
Ambassador to Constantinople, the position of the
Russian cenobites of Mt. Athos became stronger, and
the absurd accusations brought against them died down.
Generally speaking, M. de Nelidoff’s work and that of
his equally wise successor, M. Zinovieff, cannot be
sufficiently appreciated in the history of our relations
with the Near East. In spite of the lack of a ruling
principle in St. Petersburg, in spite of the progressive
increase of German influence on the shores of the
Bosphorus, these two eminent diplomats managed—
first, to keep intact the honour and prestige of the
Russian name in the East, and then to restore the
confidence in us of all the Orthodox nationalities of
the Balkan Peninsula. This confidence, which had been
shaken for some time, under the influence of the
rivalries and conflicts of these nationalities, had to be
regained by an impartial line of conduct—benevolent
and at the same time prudent—with regard to their
real needs and their just rights. The two Ambassadors
had also managed to gain the personal sympathies and
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