12–18 December 1853

My nose is still not cleared, and I feel disturbed. I was reading the History all day. Ustryalov a states the characteristics of the Russian people as being devotion to their faith, courage, and conviction of their superiority to other people. As if these were not the general characteristics of all nations, and as if the Russian people had no distinctive characteristics of their own. Peter I was succeeded (illegally) by his wife, Catherine i (1725-1727); Catherine by Peter II, the son of the Tsar6vich, Alexey; Peter II (1727-1730) (illegally) by Anne (1730-1740), daughter of the (nominal) Tsar, Ivan Alexeevich ; Anne (illegally) by the great-grandson of Iv£n, the grandson of Catherine I — Ivan (1 740-1 741), in whose reign his mother, Anna Leopoldovna, was Regent. After the deposition of Anna Leopoldovna (illegally) came Elizabeth (1741-1761), a daughter of Peter’s, whereas the right to the throne belonged to Peter III (1761-1762), the son of Anna Petrovna. After Peter III came his wife, Catherine II (1762-1796) (illegally). Every historical fact should be explained humanly, and routine historical expressions avoided. I should write as epigraph to a history : “I conceal nothing ”. It is not enough not to tell direct lies, one should try not to lie negatively by silence. I drank chichfr. On rising must determine the day’s occupations before anything else.

Am still ill and anxious. Read the History all day and finished it. I fancy Aleshka steals ; this grieves me much. Mentioned it to him, though I ought to have kept silent till I had assured myself of it, and then have dealt with him severely