us protest against the insolence and
arbitrary conduct of the bureaucracy.

A convenient opportunity of making this protest in a legal way was
offered by the triennial Provincial Assemblies of the Noblesse about to
be held in several provinces. So at least it was thought, but here again
the Noblesse was checkmated by the Administration.

Before the opening of the Assemblies a circular was issued excluding the
Emancipation question from their deliberations. Some Assemblies evaded
this order, and succeeded in making a little demonstration by submitting
to his Majesty that the time had arrived for other reforms, such as the
separation of the administrative and judicial powers, and the creation
of local self-government, public judicial procedure, and trial by jury.

All these reforms were voluntarily effected by the Emperor a few years
later, but the manner in which they were suggested seemed to savour of
insubordination, and was a flagrant infraction of the principle that all
initiative in public affairs should proceed from the central Government.
New measures of repression were accordingly used. Some Marshals of
Noblesse were reprimanded and others deposed. Of the conspicuous
leaders, two were exiled to distant provinces and others placed under
the supervision of the police. Worst of all, the whole agitation
strengthened the Commission by convincing the Emperor that the majority
of the nobles were hostile to his benevolent plans.*

* This was a misinterpretation of the facts. Very many of
those who joined in the protest sincerely sympathised with
the idea of Emancipation, and were ready to be even more
"liberal" than the Government.

When the Commission had finished its labours, its proposals passed to
the two higher instances--the Committee for Peasant Affairs and the
Council of State--and in both of these the Emperor declared plainly that
he could allow no fundamental changes. From all the members he demanded
a complete forgetfulness of former differences and a conscientious
execution of his orders; "For you must remember," he significantly
added, "that in Russia laws are made by the Autocratic Power." From
an historical review of the question he drew the conclusion that "the
Autocratic Power created serfage, and the Autocratic Power ought to
abolish it." On March 3d (February 19th, old style), 1861, the law
was signed, and by that act more than twenty millions of serfs were
liberated.* A Manif