“PARIS, _November_ 21_st_ (_December_ 3_rd_), 1879. “To-day, being a Saint’s Day, Alexis went to church, and told me the Grand Duke Nicholas Nicholaevich, with all his suite in full uniform, had attended the service. I could not account for this until I took up the _Gaulois_ at breakfast, and read of an attempt made in Moscow on the Tsar’s life.... The Emperor escaped unharmed. “I do not believe, dear friend, that we are in immediate danger of a war with Prussia. Such a war, although inevitable, is improbable during the lives of the present emperors. How can it be possible to think of war, when such horrors are taking place in our midst?... I think the Tsar would do well to assemble representatives throughout all Russia, and take counsel with them how to prevent the recurrence of such terrible actions on the part of mad revolutionaries. So long as all of us--the Russian citizens--are not called to take part in the government of the country, there is no hope of a better future.” _To N. F. von Meck._ “PARIS, _November_ 26_th_ (_December_ 8_th_), 1879. “I am not altogether at one with you as regards Cui. I do not recognise in him any great creative power, although his music has a certain elegance, agreeable harmonies, and shows good taste, in which he is distinguished from the other members of ‘the band,’ especially Moussorgsky. By nature Cui is more drawn towards light and piquantly rhythmic French music; but the demands of ‘the band’ which he has joined compel him to do violence to his natural gifts and to follow those paths of would-be original harmony which do not suit him. Cui is now forty-four years of age and has only composed two operas and two or three dozen songs. He was engaged for ten years upon his opera _Ratcliff_. It is evident that the work was composed piecemeal, hence the lack of any unity of style.” _To N. F. von Meck._ “PARIS, _November_ 27_th_ (_December_ 9_th_), 1879.