Readers of the Princess Lieven's letters to Earl Grey will recall
the part played by that able ambassadress in keeping this country
neutral through the crisis of 1828-9; to her Madame Novikoff has
been likened, and probably with truth, by the Turkish Press both
English and Continental. She was accused in 1876 of playing on the
religious side of Mr. Gladstone's character to secure his interest
in the Danubians as members of the Greek Church, while with
unecclesiastical people she was said to be equally skilful on the
political side, converting at the same time Anglophobe Russia by
her letters in the "Moscow Gazette." Mr. Gladstone's leanings to
Montenegro were attributed angrily in the English "Standard" to
Madame Novikoff: "A serious statesman should know better than to
catch contagion from the petulant enthusiasm of a Russian Apostle."
The contagion was in any case caught, and to some purpose; letter
after letter had been sent by the lady to the great statesman, then
in temporary retirement, without reply, until the last of these, "a
bitter cry of a sister for a sacrificed brother," brought a feeling
answer from Mrs.
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