Alexey Alexandrovitch was aware of the truth of this.

The irrigation of these lands in the Zaraisky province had been initiated by the predecessor of Alexey Alexandrovitch's predecessor.

And vast sums of money had actually been spent and were still being spent on this business, and utterly unproductively, and the whole business could obviously lead to nothing whatever.

Alexey Alexandrovitch had perceived this at once on entering office, and would have liked to lay hands on the Board of Irrigation.