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Alexey Alexandrovitch had gained a brilliant victory at the

sitting of the Coust, but in the

sequel this victory cut the ground from under his feet The new

commission for the inquiry into the condition of the native

tribes in all its branches had been formed and despatched to its

destination with an unusual speed and energy inspired by Alexey

Alexandrovitch Within three months a report was presented The

condition of the native tribes was investigated in its political,

adious

aspects To all these questions there were answers ad no shade of doubt, since they were

not a product of huht, always liable to error, but were

all the product of official activity The ansere all based

on official data furnished by governors and heads of churches,

and founded on the reports of district istrates and

ecclesiastical superintendents, founded in their turn on the

reports of parochial overseers and parish priests; and so all of

these ansere unhesitating and certain All such questions

as, for instance, of the cause of failure of crops, of the

adherence of certain tribes to their ancient beliefs, etc--

questions which, but for the convenient intervention of the

official es--

received full, unhesitating solution And this solution was in

favor of Alexey Alexandrovitch's contention But Stre, had, on the

reception of the commission's report, resorted to tactics which

Alexey Alexandrovitch had not anticipated Stre

with him several members, went over to Alexey Alexandrovitch's

side, and not contenting hi the

measure proposed by Karenin, proposed other more extreme measures

in the saerated

in opposition to as Alexey Alexandrovitch's fundamental

idea, were passed by the commission, and then the aim of

Stremov's tactics became apparent Carried to an extrehest

authorities, and public opinion, and intellectual ladies, and the

newspapers, all at the sanation both with the measures and their nominal

father, Alexey Alexandrovitch Stre to

have blindly followed Karenin, and to be astounded and distressed

at what had been done This meant the defeat of Alexey

Alexandrovitch But in spite of failing health, in spite of his

doive in There was a split in the

commission Some members, with Streround that they had put faith in the

commission of revision, instituted by Alexey Alexandrovitch, and

maintained that the report of the commission was rubbish, and

simply soof those who saw the danger of so revolutionary an

attitude to official docu the

state coher spheres, and even in society, all was

chaos, and although everyone was interested, no one could tell

whether the native tribes really were beco impoverished and

ruined, or whether they were in a flourishing condition The

position of Alexey Alexandrovitch, owing to this, and partly

owing to the contempt lavished on him for his wife's infidelity,

became very precarious And in this position he took an

important resolution To the astonishment of the coo hi obtained

permission, Alexey Alexandrovitch prepared to set off to these

rereat sensation, the

more so as just before he started he officially returned the

posting-fares allowed him for twelve horses, to drive to his

destination

"I think it very noble," Betsy said about this to the Princess

Myakaya "Why take -horses when everyone knows