Telegram. Stavka. 3 March, 1916.

Have arrived safely. It was fairly cold during the night. Here it is moderately warm. I have finished the book to-day. I feel lonely, but well. I kiss you tenderly and passionately and thank you for the telegram.

NICKY.

Stavka. 3 March, 1916.

My PRECIOUS DARLING,

Your telegram, in Which you inform me that you had slept well and that your face had not ached much, consoled me greatly, as I felt worried at leaving you in such a condition!

The journey was good, but I felt so tired yesterday in the train that I remained lying down in my coupé till tea-time, and after dinner I read this interesting book. - Having slept yesterday for 10 hours, I feel well again to-day.

This morning, passing through Orsha, I inspected an echelon of the Guards of the Litovsky Regiment, which is going to the north; they jumped out of the carriages, and I went round them twice. Such fine fellows!

I arrived here at 2.45, and was met by the usual public (people), among them the new Govemor Yavlensky - who made a good impression on me. From 3.15 till 5.15 I was occupied with Alexeiev, who thanks you very much. He showed me that nearly everything is ready for our offensive.

I talked for a long time with Gen. Palitzyn, whom Nicolasha has sent here. He understands quite well that we cannot spare our troops for the Caucasus.

Now, my dear, I wish you a good night and pleasant dreams.

4 March.

Only three of the foreigners appeared at dinner; old Pau is laid up with rheumatism, and the others have gone away. George arrived here a few hours before me. Sergey is not here.

There was 1 deg. of frost last night; it thawed during the day. The weather is the same as at home, and everything is covered with a light mist. Last night I played dominoes for in hour; the Admiral was very charming and modest this time!

Only this very moment, having come back from lunch, I have received your dear letter with the pretty postcard and a letter from Marie. Now I am going for a drive in the car along the main road. It is thawing and dull.

Be well. God guard you, my beloved Sunny!

I kiss you and the dear children tenderly. Give A. my greetings.

Eternally your old hubby

NICKY.1111

NOTES: "The new Governor" - of Mogilev. - PALITZYN: General F. F. Palitzyn, a Councillor of State, and formerly Chief of the General Staff.

Telegram.

Stavka. 4 March, 1916.

Sincerest thanks for dear letter, also for Marie's long letter. I have written. Had a nice walk. The weather is mild, dull. I kiss all tenderly.

NICKY.

Stavka. 5 March, 1916.

MY OWN,

My heartfelt thanks for your long letter, with the details of your talk with N.P., as well as for Olga's and Alexey's letters. They have arrived very punctually to-day. I am very grateful to you for writing to me about all this beforehand, and thus preparing me for the conversation with him and Kyrill. - Why are you again anxious about A., now that everything is in St.'s hands? On Monday, I hope, his appointment will be made public. Khv. has written a long letter to me; speaks of his devotion and so on, does not understand the reason, and asks to be received. I forwarded this to St. with an endorsement (to the effect) that I had never doubted his loyalty, but shall receive him later, if, by his good behaviour and tact, he deserves to be received. It is a damnable story!

Sergey has come back to-day. Poor old Pau is laid up with rheumatism in the knee, so that Feodorov visits him from time to time. As far as I know, he is quite at ease in regard to the battle at Verdun. The French have lost 42,000 men, but the German losses must be at least four times as great!

The courier has to leave in a quarter of an hour. I have finished the book with regret, and shall reread it aloud with delight. - May God guard you, my beloved Sunny!

I kiss and embrace you and the children affectionately.

Eternally your old

NICKY.

NOTES: "His appointment" - the appointment of Sturmer to the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs. - Khv.: A. N. Khvostov, the Minister of the Interior, was dismissed because of his attitude towards Manouilov, one of Sturmer's protégés, and a man of worse than doubtful character. "Does not understand the reason" - for his dismissal.

Telegram. Stavka. 5 March, 1916.

I thank you, Olga and Alexey tenderly for letters. It is warm, foggy. Have only just come back from church. I embrace you closely.

NICKY.

Stavka. 7 March, 1916.

MY PRECIOUS SUNNY,

I thank you most warmly for your dear letters. I was greatly vexed at not being able to write to you yesterday, but indeed I was very busy. I received all day long, and was left in peace only at 10.15 in the evening. Gen. Callwell has come from England, together with another very interesting manMajor Sykes, who has travelled all his life in Asia Minor and Mesopotamia, and knows the Turks and Arabs well. He has told me many strange and noteworthy things. To-day he has already started for Tiflis, in order to give N. all necessary information. Callwell is also going there soon, as Georgie has commissioned him to present the highest English Order to Youdenitch. Yesterday dear old Pilz

went to Petrograd, to the place of his new appointment. He was féted here, and all the people saw him off in a remarkably warm and touching manner. Taking leave of me in my room, he wept, and begged me to be careful concerning the story about our Friend - of course with the best intentions, and for our own good.

The weather is getting gradually warmer, but it is dreadful that we never see the sun!

I am glad that you saw old Sturmer, and now know his opinion of some of the Ministers and of things in general. I cannot understand why you think that the Admiral has a bad influence on V. They meet only at the table, and say very rude things to one another. The Admiral is deeply attached to Feodorov; I had a long, thorough talk with the latter. I must finish this letter.

May God guard you, my darling, and the children! I kiss you all tenderly (her as well).

Eternally your old

NICKY.

NOTES: SYKES: Brigadier-General Sir Percy M. Sykes. His travels in Persia and Baluchistan are well known. In 1916 he raised the Sout Persian Rifles, and was G.O.C. in Southern Persia till the end of 1918. He is the author of important books on Persia and Central Asia. YOUDENITCH: General N. N. Youdenitch. Before the war he was Chief of Staff in the Caucasian Military District, and at the beginning of the war commanded the Caucasian Army. He was then serving with the Grand Duke Nicholas.

Stavka. 9 March, 190.

MY BELOVED SUNNY,

I thank you most warmly for your dear letters, and for the love which enriches every one of your lines! I rejoice in them, drinking in each word of the letter, breathing its perfume, and pressing to my lips the paper which has been touched by your hands.

How strange that the weather with you has suddenly changed, and that severe frosts have set in! Whereas here it is thawing rapidly - that is the chief reason why our offensive is beginning in a few days. If we wait another week, the trenches in many sectors of our front will be flooded with water and the troops would have to be taken very far back. If that happened they would be deprived of the chance of moving forward for a month or a month and a half, till the roads got dry.

Then the Germans would undoubtedly attack us with an enormous mass of heavy artillery, as they did last summer. For this reason, therefore, it has been decided to take the initiative into our own hands, taking advantage of the onslaught at Verdun. May God guard and bless our valiant troops! I beg you not to tell anyone of this.

Yesterday I went to a cinematograph which was particularly interesting, because we saw many photographs of Erzerum immediately after its fall. The high mountains are amazingly beautiful covered with deep snow, glistening in the sunlight.

After this we saw two amusing pictures with Max Linder in the chief part - this would probably have appealed to the children.

I am glad that you have found a new book for us to read aloud (for our reading aloud). Have those two books from Marshton (Marston) come yet from England? So far I have no time to read for my own pleasure, although I play dominoes in the evening every other day.

Well, I think it is time for me to finish my letter. God guard you, my darling Wify, and our children! I kiss and embrace you all tenderly.

Your old hubby

NICKY.

NOTES: "Our offensive is beginning in a few days," In connection with this offensive (preceding the great offensive of Broussilov) the following passage from Ludendorff is worth quoting: "From the 18th to the 21st of March the situation of the 10th (German) Army was critical and the numerical superiority of the Russians overwhelming. On the 21st they won a success on the narrow lake sector which affected us gravely, and even the attack west of Postovy was only stemmed with difficulty" (P. 21 1). By the end of April, however, the 10th Army had regained the ground which it had lost between Lake Narotch and Lake Vishniev.

Stavka. 10 March, 1916.

MY BELOVED,

I thank you warmly for your dear letters - they are my consolation in my loneliness here. The days seem to fly; I have lots of work to do, see crowds of all sorts of people, and yet do not feel tired. Unfortunately I have not even time for reading!

Your lovely lilies of the valley smell deliciously - many thanks! I was very glad to see N.P. Kyrill and he dined with me yesterday and lunched to-day - now they have gone. Last night I talked with them for a long time, and agreed to leave the battalion at its present strength - 4 full companies; it ought not to be reduced by one man till the end of the war. To-day Kyrill spoke to me about the "P. Zvezda." I told him that it had been agreed between Mamma and me to appoint Lialin, but that he should ask her again, if he wished, although I doubted very much whether she would change her decision. Shir.-Shikh. is an excellent man, but he has not been on any ship for many years.

I have at last found a successor for Polivanov - it is Schouvaiev, whom I can trust absolutely. I have not spoken to him yet. Further, I intend to attach old Ivanov to my person, and to appoint Broussilov or Shcherbatchev to his post - probably the former. After P.'s removal I shall sleep in peace, and all the Ministers will feel relieved as well.

11 March.

The morning work with Alexeiev occupies all my time till lunch, but now it has become of absorbing interest. Cold weather has set in here as well - at Riga the frost reaches 100 at night - it is terrible for the poor wounded, and for the troops, who are posted on many sectors of the front in the snow, opposite the enemy's wire entanglements.

May God bless you and the children, my dear! I kiss you all tenderly. I thank A. for her charming letter.

Eternally your old hubby

NICKY.

NOTES: "The battalion" - of the Gvardeisky Equipage. - "P. Zvezda" - "Poliarnaia Zvezda" "Polar Star," one of the Imperial yachts. LIALIN: Captain Al. M. Lialin of the Equipage, described as the senior wardroom officer. SHIR.-SIIIKH. Prince S. A. Shirinsky-Shikhnatov. a captain in the Equipage. SCHOUVAIEV: General Schouvaiev, who succeeded Polivanov as Minister of War, was an amiable and conscientious but totally inefficient man. The dismissal of Polivanov, whose bluff manners made him personally distasteful to the Tsaritsa and her friends, was, in the words of Sir Alfred Knox, "a disaster." He was "undoubtedly the ablest military organiser in Russia." The Tsar had never liked him. The statement that "all the Ministers will feel relieved" shows very clearly that extraordinary and fatal ignorance of opinion which was so often apparent in the Tsar's words and conduct.

Telegram.

Stavka. 10 March, 1916.

I thank you and Marie heartily. Saw Kyrill and N.P. together. This question is now definitely settled. 3 deg. Of frost. A strong wind. I embrace you closely.

NICKY.

Telegram. Stavka. 11 March, 1916.

I thank you and Shvybzik warmly for letters. A very busy day. Things are going well on the whole. It is much warmer. I kiss you tenderly.

NICKY.

NOTES: SHVYBZIK: a pet name for his daughter Anastasia. It has no articular meaning.

Telegram. Stavka. 13 March, x916. I am very anxious about your incessant pains in the face. I thank you heartily for your dear letter, Tatiana as well. I had again no time to write, am very sorry. A beautiful sunny day. I long to be more in the open air. There is no special news...

Stavka. 14 March, 1916.

MY BELOVED WIFY,

For the last 3 days there was no time whatever to write to you; I was very busy with the military operations and the redistribution (of the troops). I had to write to Pol. and explain why I was dissatisfied. I am quite certain that kind old Schouvaiev is just the right man for the post of Minister of War. He is honest, absolutely loyal, is not at all afraid of the Duma, and knows all the faults and short comings of these committees. Then I had to receive and read my beastly papers - all in such a hurry!

The Ministers are beginning to arrive here now, one after another - the first was Naoumov, then Shakhovskoy, and so on. To-day I had a conversation with General Manikovsky - the commander of the chief Art(illery) Dept. He told me that he would like to send in his resignation, as Pol.'s behaviour to him was quite impossible. When he heard that P. is dismissed and Schouv. appointed, he crossed himself three times. Old Ivanov will be replaced by Broussilov.

You see that your hubby has been working during these days - many changes have already been made, and more will take ace - including Rongin as well.

How sad that you have pains in your face and eye! Is it due to nerves? I am so sorry, my dear, that I cannot be with you and console you when you are suffering!

Things are moving very slowly at the front; in several places we have sustained heavy losses, and many generals are making serious blunders. The worst of it is, that we have so few good generals. It seems to me that during the long Winter rest they have forgotten all the experience which they acquired last year. Lord! I am beginning to complain, but that is ne nado! I feel firm, and believe absolutely in our final success. May God bless you, my own, my all, MY treasure, my darling! I kiss you and the children fondly. Greetings to A.

Eternally your old hubby

NICKY.

NOTES: Pol.: Polivanov. SHAKHOVSKOY: Prince S. Shakhovskoy, the Minister of Trade. He became Minister of Public Welfare in the Provisional Government of 1917. RONGIN: Major-General S. A. Rongin held the post of Assistant to the Chief of Communications on the General Staff before the war. During the war he was Chief of Communications and was attached to the Stavka.

"Ne nado!" An expression frequently used in the Imperial Family. There is no exact corresponding phrase in English; it is akin to the French "ca no fail rien."

Telegram.

Stavka. 14 March, 1916.

Many thanks to you and Olga for dear letters. It is colder to-day. At last I have written to you. I hope that you are feeling better and that the pains have gone. I embrace you closely.

NICKY.

Stavka. 15 March, 1916.

MY TREASURE

I thank you tenderly for your dear letters. I cannot tell you how I sympathise with you when you are oppressed by those terrible pains in the face, and how I long to be near you at those times in order to comfort you! It is quite impossible for me to decide when I shall be able to come home for a few days - perhaps not for some time, and perhaps in about a week.

What I was afraid of has happened. Such a great thaw has set in that the positions occupied by our troops where we have moved forward are flooded with water knee-deep, so that it is impossible either to sit or to lie down in the trenches. The roads are rapidly deteriorating; the artillery and the transport are scarcely moving. Even the most heroic troops cannot fight under such conditions, when it is impossible even to entrench oneself. In consequence, our offensive had to be stopped, and another plan will have to be worked out. In order to discuss this, I am thinking of summoning three Commanders-in-Chief to the Stavka, which will give me an opportunity for seeing Broussilov before his new movement.

You write that you have heard it seems there is much talk in town of the losses among some of the Guard regiments. That is an invention, as they are 50 versts from the firing line, and I still hold them in reserve in the extreme rear. They have moved forward a little towards Dvinsk - that is all. I agree with your opinion about M. P. Sablin. It would be excellent if Eberhardt took him to himself as Chief of Staff, but I never insist upon this sort of appointment, because the Chief of Staff must give absolute satisfaction to his commander. A little while ago Admiral Eberhardt went to Batoum and had a long conversation with Nic. concerning the plan of the combined military (and naval) operations against Trapezound (Trebizond). Our dear plastouni will have to play a big part in them.

As far as I know, all loyal and right-thinking people applaud the appointment of Schouvaiev.

Now, darling, I must finish. May God bless you and the children! I kiss and embrace you tenderly, and sincerely hope that your pains will soon and completely disappear.

Eternally your old hubby

NICKY.

NOTES: M. P. SABLIN: a naval officer, the brother of N. P. Sablin. EBERHARDT: Admiral A. A. Eberhardt, commander of the Black Sea Fleet till June 1916.

Telegram.

Stavka. 15 March, 1916.

I thank you heartily for precious letter, as well as Marie and Alexey. Thick fog, fairly warm. In thought we are always together. I kiss you tenderly.

NICKY.

Telegram.

Stavka. 15 March, 1916.

I thank you heartily for precious letter, as well as Marie and Alexey. Thick fog, fairly warm. In thought we are always together. I kiss you tenderly.

NICKY.

Telegram.

Stavka. 16 March, 1916.

Many thanks to you and Anastasia for letters. The terrible fog persists. The break-up of the ice on the river has begun; the water has risen very high. I also have received a letter from the energetic sailor in the Far North. I embrace you tenderly.

NICKY.

NOTES: "The energetic sailor - referred to in the following letter and telegram as "R. M. S. Rostchakovsky, a retired naval officer, who had become an intimate friend of the Court circle during the Japanese War. During the Great War he appears to have been a supervisor of various undertakings on the Murman Coast.

Stavka. 17 March, 1916.

MY BELOVED SUNNY,

This letter will be handed to you by Schouvaiev - so I hope that you will soon receive him.

I also return R.'s letter, which is very like the one sent to me by him a few days ago through Admiral Phillimore. I will show it to you when I return home. For three successive days we have been sitting in a thick fog, and that has a truly depressing effect. The spring is coming rapidly; the Dnieper broke up yesterday and has risen considerably; but so far there are no floods in this district. Yesterday I had a drive in a car, and took one of my last year's favourite autumnal walks, in the direction of the bank, to the place which Baby had liked so much too. The view was truly magnificent-the whole river was covered with blocks of ice; they moved swiftly but noiselessly, and only occasionally could be heard the sharp sound or the clashing of two large ice-blocks. We all stood for a long time admiring this spectacle. Only think, it is for the first time in my life that I have seen such an aspect of nature - with the exception, of course, of the Neva - in town - which is, naturally, quite a different thing.

Perhaps it will soon be possible to go out in boats!

Can you imagine - the other day the little Admiral asked Grabbe to put at his disposal a quiet Cossack horse for riding! He is delighted, enjoys his rides, feels very well, and sleeps better. But he always sets out and returns in such a way that we shall not see him on his jaunts; queer fellow I now I must go to the Report.

Fancy, Alexeiev told me that I could go home for a week! All the Commanders-in-Chief are coming here about the 30th or 31st, as I have, perhaps, written before. I am very glad of this unexpected luck. May God bless you, my Sunny, my beloved dear Wify, my little child! I kiss you and the children tenderly.

Eternally your old hubby

NICKY.

Telegram. Stavka. 17 March, 1916.

I have replied to R. Am very pleased with his work. My hearty thanks for dear letters. I can leave to-morrow, and shall be at home on Saturday in the evening. Please receive Schouvaiev after 12. He is leaving to-day with a letter from me. Happy to see you. I embrace you tenderly.

NICKY.

Telegram.

Stavka. 18 March, 1916.

Many thanks to you and Olga for dear letters. Cold, rainy weather. Am happy to be coming home. Delighted with the charming flowers. I kiss all tenderly.

NICKY.

Telegram.

Jmerinka. 28 March, 1916.

Thanks for telegram. It is absolutely spring-like here. Dmitry is touched and, with me, embraces all of you.

NICKY.

Telegram.

Kamenetz-Podolsk. 29 March, 1916.

I have returned from the review near Khotin. The troops presented themselves in excellent condition. Saw our Kouban Cossack Squadron. Wind, rain, hail. Have visited two hospitals. I embrace all closely.

NICKY.

Telegram.

Kamenetz-Podolsk. 30 March, 1916.

A fine warm day at last. Held a fine inspection of a Trans-Amur division. Visited two hospitals. Am leaving now...

Telegram.

Mena. 31 March, 1916.

Hearty thanks for two dear letters. I hope to be in Mogilev this evening The he weather is excellent. I embrace you closely.

Telegram.

NICKY.

Stavka. 31 March, 1916.

Have arrived safely. My sincerest thanks for yesterday's dear letter. Mild weather. Good-night, sleep well.

NICKY.

Stavka. 31 March, 1916.

MY BELOVED SUNNY,

At last I have snatched a minute to sit down and write to you after a five days' silence - a letter is a substitute for conversation, not like telegrams.

I thank you tenderly for your dear letters - your first seems to have come so long ago! What joy it is to get several in one day, (as I did) on the way, coming home!

During the journey I read from morning till night - first of all I finished "The Man who was Dead," then a French book, and to-day a charming tale about little Boy Blue! I like it; Dmitry does too. I had to resort to my handkerchief several times. I like to re-read some of the parts separately, although I know them practically by heart. I find them so pretty and true! I do not know why, but it reminded me of Coburg and Walton!

I am very pleased with my tour. Thank God, all has passed off well I You can imagine how agreeably surprised I was when, riding round the troops at a big review, I saw our dear Cossacks, who smirked and smiled broadly, beginning with Joukov, and down to the last soldier - among them Shvedov and Zborovsky. I gave them greetings from you and the girls. They had only just returned from the trenches. The weather was beastly - a strong wind, with sun, hail and rain. Unfortunately I did not see your Krymtzi!

The Staff of the 9th Army prepared a simple lunch for me in the little town of Khotin, where I also visited two hospitals. That day we spent 9 hours in the open air. In Kamenetz-Podolsk the generals dined with me in the train. I had much conversation with Keller, and gave him your greetings. He has not changed at all. The next day, that is yesterday, I inspected the recently formed division - the 3rd Trans-Amur Infantry Division. It made an excellent impression - magnificent, tall fellows, real guardsmen. During the review we heard our guns firing at Austrian aeroplanes which were dropping bombs on both of our bridges over the Dniester. Then I visited 2 more hospitals and (saw) Lechitzky; he is beginning to recover, but is still lying down. I left Kamenetz-Podolsk after lunch; the weather had by then become warm and clear, and I arrived here to-night at 9.30. I went to bed rather late, as I had to prepare myself for the military conference.

1 April.

A warm, grey morning after a night's rain - just the right weather for a prolonged conference (literally, sitting). It began at 10 o'clock and lasted till lunch-time, and will be resumed immediately.

Dmitry is leaving this evening; he will spend three days at home and then return to his regiment. I asked him to go to see you. I forgot to tell you that I saw Misha twice at Kamenetz-Podolsk. He left before me for his division, which is stationed not far from Kamenetz-Podolsk.

Now, my angel, my tender darling. I must finish. May God bless you and the children!

I kiss you and them fondly.

Eternally your old hubby

NICKY.

NOTES: "The Man who was Dead," a story by A. W. Marchmont.

"Little Boy Blue" the hero of "Through the Postern Gate," a once popular novel by Florence L. Barclay. This book seems to have appealed profoundly to the Tsar and the Tsaritsa, and there are several pathetic and playful allusions to it in their correspondence. The choice of such a book and the impression which it made are facts of some significance, and help us to realise vividly the tastes and proclivities of the royal couple.

Walton: Walton-on-Thames, where the Tsar (then Tsarevitch) stayed with Prince Louis of Battenberg in 1894. See further reference, and note thereto, in letter of 8th June.

JOUKOV: Colonel A. S. Joukov of the Imperial Escort. He committed suicide on the 9th June. See letter of 12th June. SHVEDOV and ZBOROVSKY, junior officers of the Cossack Escort (or Convoy). Krymtzi: Crimeans. A cavalry regiment of which the Tsaritsa was the Colonel-in-Chief.