Money Talk

Russia's Jews embodied the saying, "When a man's down on his luck, even cold water will choke him."

In reality, Russia's Jewish population differed greatly from their relatives on the European Continent. They mainly made their living through farming, not as bankers and merchants, as people usually imagined.

Among the Russians, Jews drank less than most. That wasn't to say they didn't drink, only that they drank less than other Russians.

When cholera struck, the situation in Russia was much the same as in Britain and France. The streets of Saint Petersburg and Moscow were littered with corpses.

The problem of refugees and vagrants that had plagued the Tsar for years was greatly alleviated in a matter of weeks.

In their place came countless unclaimed bodies and skyrocketing fuel costs, as corpses had to be cremated.

The imperial palace in Saint Petersburg.

Nicholas I paced anxiously, waiting for a report from Count Josiah Baryatinsky, the newly appointed governor-general of the Caucasus.

In Tsar Nicholas I's eyes, a plague that preyed on the poor was beneath notice. Victory in the war was the key to turning the tide.

The crisp click of leather shoes echoed through the shadowy corridor. A young officer in a neatly pressed uniform strode toward the council chamber where the Tsar was waiting.

The young officer's expression was stern, his gaze resolute, and he carried the martial air of a soldier, sharp as a drawn blade.

If he had appeared at a ball or salon attended by Europe's high society, he would have been the center of attention. His bearing would have commanded respect from men and women alike.

Yet a conspicuous chunk was missing from the sharp-edged rim of one ear. A faint scar marked his chin, and his badly worn boots spoke volumes about the