These letters record White's views of St. Petersburg diplomatic life during his second winter as minister. On March 13 he wrote Thurston that the Court Palm Balls were the gastronomic wonder of the world. He spent the last week of March in Moscow trying to cure a stubborn cold, and the letters record his activities there. There is correspondence from American manufacturers and insurance company representatives, and a letter from Carnegie on April 10 asked White if he thought the Imperial Navy might be interested in ordering armor plate from his company. News from America continued to include reports of unemployment, strikes, and business failures. Correspondence with Burr and Weatherly concerned the progress of White's book. Word was sent from Ithaca that Waterman Thomas Hewett was writing a history of the university, and Hewett wrote asking to use White's early files. Several correspondents commented on Hewett's qualifications for the undertaking, and in April White sent long dispatches to him explaining his own part in the creation of Cornell University.