If  Russia  be  thus  vigilant  in  the  West  and  in  the  cen-
tre of  Europe,  we  need  not  be  surprised  to  find  her  even
more  so  in  those  quarters  where,  as  we  have  seen,  she  has
a  still  greater  interest  at  stake.  It  is  chiefly  in  the  East
that  she  puts  forth  all  her  means  of  seduction  and  espion-
nage. The  whole  of  the  regions  included  under  that
general  term  are  now  struggling  in  the  net  which  she
has  silently  spread  over  them.  Disdaining  no  aid,  how-
ever low,  provided  it  can  be  useful,  she-descends  so  far  as
to  employ  hotel-keepers,  and  those  most  in  the  way  of
seeing  strangers,  for  the  sake  of  watching  all  that  go  or
come.  Hence  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  in  Greece  and
Turkey  to  be  told,  "  Take  care  what  you  say  before  your
landlord — he  is  a  Russian."  Besides  this  stationary
troop,  she  has  a  moveable  corps  of  agents,  who  are  con-
stantly traversing  all  parts  of  Turkey  and  the  adjacent
regions.     No  traveller  can   move  any  distance  without


OF  ESPIONNAGE.  369

meeting  some  of  these.  It  is  not  pretended  that  they  are
engaged  in  any  actual  plot,  in  organising  an  immediate
rebellion ;  they  are  merely  looking  out  for  what  may
happen,  collecting  information,  taking  notes  for  the  people
at  head-quarters.  The  plan  which  Russia  follows  in  re-
gard to  most  of  these  wandering  agents,  is  to  attach  any
person,  likely  to  be  useful,  to  some  of  the  embassies  in
the  south — at  Constantinople,  or  Athens,  for  instance —
from  which,  after  being  well  instructed  in  his  duties,  he
is  sent  out  with  a  kind  of  roving  commission,  sometimes
for  an  indefinite  period.  We  lately  met  one  of  these
agents,  a  man  of  great  talent  and  plausibility,  who,  hav-
ing presented  a  memoir  to  the  emperor  on  the  subject  of
Syria,  and  the  advantages  which  Russia  may  derive  from
a  closer  connexion  with  it,  was  forthwith  set  off  to  travel
through  that  country,  and  the  less  frequented  portions  of
Southern  Persia.  To  conceal  their  purpose  better,  these
gentlemen  always  appear  to  be  travelling  as  private  in-
dividuals, and  at  their  own  expense;  but  on  a  little
acquaintance  with  them,  it  will  generally  be  found  that
their  drafts  are  payable  at  the  chancery  of  the  nearest
Russian  legation.
