Letters of George Borrow | Page 9

ST.
PETERSBURG, 20TH JANUARY (old style), 1834.
REVD. AND DEAR SIR, - I received in due time your epistle of the
2nd January, which gave me considerable pleasure, as it is exceedingly
cheering in a foreign land to hear from one's friends and to know that
one is not forgotten by them. I now proceed to give an account of my
stewardship up to the present time, which account I humbly trust will
afford perfect satisfaction to the Society which has honoured a frail
creature like myself with a charge, the importance and difficulty of

which I at present see much more clearly than I originally did.
My dear Sir, even when transcribing the Mandchou Scripture, I was far
from being forgetful of the ulterior object of my mission, and therefore,
as in duty bound, applied to Dr. Schmidt for advice and information,
who was the person upon whom I mainly depended. But I found that
gentleman so involved in a multiplicity of business that it was utterly
impossible for him to afford me either; and though he was kind enough
to promise to make inquiry, etc. etc., it is very probable that he forgot
to fulfil his promise, for the result never came to my ears.
Thus circumstanced, and being very uneasy in my mind, I determined
to take a bold step, and directly and without further feeling my way to
petition the Government in my own name for permission to print the
Mandchou Scriptures. Having communicated this determination to our
beloved, sincere, and most truly Christian friend Mr. Swan (who has
lately departed to his station in Siberia, shielded I trust by the arm of
his Master), it met with his perfect approbation and cordial
encouragement. I therefore drew up a petition, and presented it with my
own hand to his Excellence Mr. Bludoff, Minister of the Interior. He
having perused it, briefly answered, that he believed the matter did not
lie with him, but that he would consider. I now began greatly to fear
that the affair would not come to a favourable issue, but nevertheless
prayed fervently to God, and confiding principally in Him, resolved to
leave no human means untried which were within my reach.
Since residing here I have assiduously cultivated the friendship of the
Honourable Mr. Bligh, His Britannic Majesty's plenipotentiary at the
Court of Russia, who has shown me many condescending marks of
kindness, and who is a person of superb talents, kind disposition, and of
much piety. I therefore, on the evening of the day of my presenting the
petition, called upon him, and being informed that he was out of town,
and was not expected till late at night, I left a letter for him, in which I
entreated him to make use of whatever influence his high official
situation was calculated to give him with the Minister, towards
procuring a favourable reply; assuring him that the Mandchou version
was not intended for circulation nor calculated for circulation in any
part of the Russian Empire, but in China and Chinese Tartary solely. I
stated that I would call for an answer the next morning. I did so, and
upon seeing Mr. Bligh, he was kind enough to say that if I desired it he

would apply officially to the Minister, and exert all his influence in his
official character in order to obtain the accomplishment of my views;
but at the same time suggested that it would, perhaps, be as well at a
private interview to beg it as a personal favour; and to this I instantly
assented. He spoke twice to Mr. Bludoff upon the subject; and I shortly
afterwards received a summons to appear at the Asiatic Department,
whither I went, and found that Mr. Bludoff had been enquiring whether
any person was to be found capable of being employed as Censor over
the work, and that it had been resolved that Mr. Lipoftsoff, who is one
of the clerks of the Asiatic Department, should be appointed Censor,
and that I should be the Editor of the work, provided permission were
granted to print it. I went away, and having received no intelligence
during the space of a fortnight, I waited upon Mr. Bligh and begged
that, provided it were not disagreeable to him, he would make a fresh
application to the Minister. And, singularly enough, Mr. Bludoff was to
dine at Mr. Bligh's that evening, and the latter amiable gentleman
assured me that he would not let so excellent an opportunity slip of
saying what was calculated to bring the matter to a conclusion. That
same night I received a message, whereby I was requested to wait on
Mr. Bludoff the next day, at one. I did so, and he received me in the
most polite manner and said