I do not mean to maintain that there was no looting, in the Winter Palace. Both after and _before_ the Winter Palace fell, there was considerable pilfering. The statement of the Socialist Revolutionary paper _Narod,_ and of members of the City Duma, to the effect that precious objects to the value of 500,000,000 rubles had been stolen, was, however, a gross exaggeration. The most important art treasures of the Palace—paintings, statues, tapestries, rare porcelains and armorie,—had been transferred to Moscow during the month of September; and they were still in good order in the basement of the Imperial Palace there ten days after the capture of the Kremlin by Bolshevik troops. I can personally testify to this…. Individuals, however, especially the general public, which was allowed to circulate freely through the Winter Palace for several days after its capture, made away with table silver, clocks, bedding, mirrors and some odd vases of valuable porcelain and semi-precious stone, to the value of about $50,000. The Soviet Government immediately created a special commission, composed of artists and archæologists, to recover the stolen objects. On November 1st two proclamations were issued: “CITIZENS OF PETROGRAD! “We urgently ask all citizens to exert every effort to find whatever possible of the objects stolen from the Winter Palace in the night of November 7-8, and to forward them to the Commandant of the Winter Palace. “Receivers of stolen goods, antiquarians, and all who are proved to be hiding such objects will be held legally responsible and punished with all severity. “_Commissars for the Protection of Museums and Artistic Collections,_ “G. YATMANOV, B. MANDELBAUM.” * * * * * “TO REGIMENTAL AND FLEET COMMITTEES “In the night of November 7-8, in the Winter Palace, which is the inalienable property of the Russian people, valuable objects of art were stolen. “We urgently appeal to all to exert every effort, so that the stolen objects are returned to the Winter Palace. “_Commissars_…. “G. YATMANOV, B. MANDELBAUM.” About half the loot was recovered, some of it in the baggage of foreigners leaving Russia. A conference of artists and archæologists, held at the suggestion of Smolny, appointed a commission of make an inventory of the Winter Palace treasures, which was given complete charge of the Palace and of all artistic collections and State museums in Petrograd. On November 16th the Winter Palace was closed to the public while the inventory was being made…. During the last week in November a decree was issued by the Council of People’s Commissars, changing the name of the Winter Palace to “People’s Museum,” entrusting it to the complete charge of the artistic-archæological commission, and declaring that henceforth all Governmental activities within its wall were prohibited…. 4. RAPE OF THE WOMEN’S BATTALION