Year: 1869

The Russian Press American sympnihies-
Russia in the Easi-,The Orthodox Faith.
ST. PETERSBURG, June 2, 1869.
In one of the 1st numbers OF the MOSCOW Gazette
l find long ana clever letter from Washington,
evidently written by an American and calculated to
afford the most unalloyed qualification to all who,
like myself-and their name is egion-bear q sin
and friendly feeling 10 your country ana wish
for the closest possible intimacy with your nation
1t is q remarkable fact that, however high party


spirit may rum and however bitter parties may be on


each other with respect to most questions of inter.


nal well foreign policy, this is the point on
which most hostile opinions meet. The righteous
ness and expediency Of last friendship with the
United States is thing too universally
acknowledged to admit OF any great amount Of
discussion. II Is not often you hear any doubts on
the subject. and very rare indeed to hear 1t
discussed In downright sceptical even hostile
spirit. Perhaps no instance does the national


sound political more clearly manifest ITSELF


The general good feeling is at present at It's height
in the expectation OF the new American Minister


than whom no person could have been selected more


agreeable to the government and to the public. II


1t Is indeed true. the Moscow Gazette Was hngton


correspondent says, that there is> "a notion among


the American public that the Alaska Territory has


been ceded to the States only as a special act OF


friendship on the part of our Emperor, they not


far from the mark, for as he very well observes, It


was not those patry seven millions that could have


tempted him part with important, II out OF the


way portion OF his dominions. nor would It have


Peen ceded to any other py power for @ ten times the


our kind feeling Is the invarlable SYM


pathy she has shown to our co.relglonaries


rather likely II anything to become link between


than occasion for stre for the people OF ASIA


cannot but very soon draw line undoubtedly favor
| a bOf between


policy of the English In East India; for II they Will


take care OF their own power ana interests neither
tended TO nor treat them with ill.concealed con-
tempt under pretence OF introducing their own high
As for China, all my political friends fully agree
with the Moscow Gdzette's Washington correspond
Railroad opens a new and incalculaby vast era IN
the history OF That country, and VIII scarcely more
affect Its political and commercial relations TO Anne
rica than to Russia. Indeed this Is q subject so
immense and fertile with possibilities that 10 Is next
TO impossible, DO not say to grasp all Its propa-
ble bearings and future results, but even
dmly TO conjecture them That something grand VIII
OF IL can be felt but not as yet expounded One
thing may be predicted however with considerable


certalnty-it Is that revolution will be produced in
our business TRANSACTIONS half what was done
through New York will now be turn the opposite
way and 90 through San Francisco, OF course tax
ing China the way, for there is exactly such an


increase Of attraction to tea-growing neighbor
among us "a there appears to be among your coun-
trymen. We begin at last awake to the fact OBJ
vous enough, 1t would appear, tnat good under
standing Win our AsatC neignDOrs Is, III hnytnlnH
rather more important than with our European
ones, and that perhaps our young people have more
business to study Chinese and make pleasure trips
TO Pekin and Yeddo than TO learn Paris slang anu


spend their time aud money In Paris cafes or, per.
haps, In still worse places.


There ls one other question which bids fair TO be-
come an additional aud very serious link between
our two nationsl mean the religious one. we can
not but follow with intense sympathy and gratnca-


ton the progress OF the Greek orthodox doctrine In
America Our attachment to the faith OF our fathers


Is national trait which forms one OF the principal
elements OF the Russian charaer, one OF the main
and deepest springs OF those actons OF which the
nation has fmost reason to be proud. IL Is 50 init
mately bound up with history, our traditions,
customs early associations with all that we hold
fuence. Our noble and Affecting church rites and
prayers identified with our venerable Sclavonic
mother tongue, have a hold on our nmost being
which neither time nor distance can ever loosen,
sorted its own independent way. wemay have spent
years Of our youth In Catholic or Protestant coun,
triee as so many OF US do We may become esranged
from the land Of our birth In all external
things, carve out philosophical and religious path
vidual will nots--we may lean towards Western
political theories and be betrayed into deporable
extremes; but never TO our latest day, though we
had lived TO soeptical sneerng old age. viii
Greek church. Greek service leave our heart un.
Unexpectedly, though We had ceased to seek tnem
for years. be 10 from negligence ndifSerentism OF
more or less deeply rooted convictions; and not
scholar Of the school Of Feuerbach and Buchner,
not statesman OF the school Of Metternich ana


Talleyrand, not hardened sceptc or revolutionary


agent will be ashamed to own that at some un.


guarded moment OF his life an unexpected gust OF


incense atmosphere or strain of church chant, IN


Its touching grandeur and simplicity, mas moved


him to warn unreasoning human tears. For our