Mr. Smith to Mr. Blaine.

No. 64.]

Sir: On the 18th instant the church known as the American, and sometimes as the British-American, church of St. Petersburg celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the erection of its present house of worship by a public meeting under circumstances of such an interesting and, in some respects, of such an unusual character as to render it obligatory that I should make some report of the proceedings to the Department.

This church was originally founded under the express sanction of the Emperor Nicholas, solicited and granted through the good offices of James Buchanan, then minister of the United States to Russia. Though the church has probably always embraced in its membership more British subjects than American citizens, the early interest of the American minister in its behalf has served to identify it in some measure with the American legation. For this reason the present American minister was invited to preside at its jubilee celebration, an invitation which, under the circumstances, he felt it incumbent on him to accept.

I was also informed that, besides being indebted to the Emperor for its original sanction, the church had always been accorded full protection by the Government; that at various times it had received direct assistance from members of the imperial family; that the church wished on the occasion of its jubilee to express its grateful sense of these continued favors; and that it desired to make this expression through a resolution to be proposed by the chairman, and, if practicable, in the presence of the appropriate representative of the Russian Government.

At the request of the church I undertook the duty of conveying this desire to the Government and addressed a communication to the imperial minister of foreign affairs. Before his reply had been received, but, as it turned out, after it had been sent, I addressed him a second communication for the purpose of placing before him the exact text of the resolutions which were to be proposed. In his reply the minister of foreign affairs announced, what we had hoped-but more than we had ventured to expect, that he would have pleasure in personally attending the celebration. It may be stated that in a conversation which I held with him he informed me that he had shown my first letter to the Emperor, and His Majesty had graciously indicated his desire that his minister should be present on the occasion in person. At the suggestion of the minister of foreign affairs, invitations were also sent to the minister of the interior and to the prefect of St. Petersburg.

On the appointed evening the celebration took place in the presence of all these representatives of the Russian Government, of Gen. Vlangali, [Page 733] adjunct of the ministry of foreign affairs; of the British ambassador, of Various other functionaries, and of a large assembly which completely filled the church edifice. After the opening proceedings the chairman proposed the resolution of acknowledgment to the Russian Government already referred to, accompanying it with such remarks as seemed appropriate to the occasion, and with allusions to the long and cordial friendship which had existed between Russia and the United States. Upon the unanimous adoption of the resolution, Mr. de Giers, the imperial minister of foreign affairs, who appeared to be much touched by the general manifestation, responded in warm and graceful terms, returning thanks for himself and his Government, reciprocating the sentiments which had been uttered, and announcing that he should make it a duty to convey the expression of the meeting to the Emperor.

The British ambassador, in proposing the resolution of felicitation, spoke upon the essential unity of the American and British branches of the English-speaking race, and other addresses were made by the pastors of the French and German churches at St. Petersburg and by Mr. Crawford, consul-general of the United States.

On the second day after the celebration I received from the minister of foreign affairs a communication, in which he states that he had placed the proceedings of the meeting before the Emperor, and that the Emperor had been pleased to charge him with the duty of making known His Majesty’s sincere thanks for its expressions. In addition, I inclose a more precise account of the occasion as reproduced in the Journal de St. Petersburg from the Messager Officiel, with a translation.

I am sure that the interest and dignity given to this celebration by the marked and gracious attention of the Emperor and by the personal participation of the minister of foreign affairs have justified me in deeming it worthy of this detailed report, and that the manifestation of their friendly regard in connection with a church and an event so identified with the American name will be received with hearty satisfaction.

I have, etc.,

Chas. Emory Smith.
[Inclosure in No. 64.—Translation.]

Extract from the Journal de St. Petersburg.

On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the Anglo-American congregation at St. Petersburg and of the construction of the church of this congregation there took place on Thursday, December 6–18, at 8 o’clock in the evening, at the Anglo-American church, a ceremony presided over by his excellency Mr. Charles Emory Smith, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the United States. The church was ornamented with exotic plants and with greens, while the vestibule was draped with Russian, American, and English flags. The busts of their majesties stood out in the midst of a grove of flowers.

The ceremony was opened by prayers at the chapel, in the presence of their excellencies the Secretary of State Mr. de Giers, minister of foreign affairs; the Secretary of State Mr. Dournovo, minister of the interior; the Secretary of State Mr. Ostrovsky, minister of domains; the Secretary of State Mr. de Vlaugali, adjunct of the minister of foreign affairs; Sir Robert Morier, ambassador of Great Britain; the staff of the English embassy, of the American legation, the pastors of the Lutheran and Calvinist churches, and the representatives of the English and American colonies of our capital.

After the opening service the president of the meeting, Mr. Smith, pronounced a discourse, in which he retraced the history of the congregation and of the Anglo-American Church of St. Petersburg. In conclusion Mr. Smith said that the congregation owes much to the Russian Government, which had always given its protection, [Page 734] and consequently it ought to be always grateful to His Majesty the Emperor of Russia. In answer to this speech his excellency Mr. de Giers, minister of foreign affairs, said that he would transmit to His Majesty the Emperor the expression of the sentiments of gratitude cherished by the congregation for the Russian sovereign. Then the ambassador of Great Britain and the clergymen, successively, spoke in English, French, and German to congratulate the congregation.

The meeting came to a close about 11 o’clock in the evening.