had inherited from his father a strong dislike to
sentimentalism and rhetoric of all kinds. This dislike, joined to a
goodly portion of sober common-sense, a limited confidence in his own
judgment, and a consciousness of enormous responsibility, prevented him
from being carried away by the prevailing excitement. With all that was
generous and humane in the movement he thoroughly sympathised, and he
allowed the popular ideas and aspirations to find free utterance; but
he did not at once commit himself to any definite policy, and carefully
refrained from all exaggerated expressions of reforming zeal.

As soon, however, as peace had been concluded, there were unmistakable
symptoms that the rigorously repressive system of Nicholas was about to
be abandoned. In the manifesto announcing the termination of hostilities
the Emperor expressed his conviction that by the combined efforts of the
Government and the people, the public administration would be improved,
and that justice and mercy would reign in the courts of law. Apparently
as a preparation for this great work, to be undertaken by the Tsar and
his people in common, the ministers began to take the public into their
confidence, and submitted to public criticism many official data
which had hitherto been regarded as State secrets. The Minister of the
Interior, for instance, in his annual report, spoke almost in the tone
of a penitent, and confessed openly that the morality of the officials
under his orders left much to be desired. He declared that the Emperor
now showed a paternal confidence in his people, and as a proof of this
he mentioned the significant fact that 9,000 persons had been liberated
from police supervision. The other branches of the Administration
underwent a similar transformation. The haughty, dictatorial tone which
had hitherto been used by superiors to their subordinates, and by all
ranks of officials to the public, was replaced by one of considerate
politeness. About the same time those of the Decembrists who were still
alive were pardoned. The restrictions regarding the number of students
in each university were abolished, the difficulty of obtaining
foreign passports was removed, and the Press censors became singularly
indulgent. Though no decided change had been made in the laws, it was
universally felt that the spirit of Nicholas was no more.

The public, anxiously seeking after a sign, readily took these symptoms
of change as a complete confirma