454 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE-I 



he met me afterward his manner was cordial, and he 

 seemed always ready to do all in his power to favor the 

 best relations between the two countries. 



The American colony in Russia at that period was 

 small, and visitors were few ; but some of these enlivened 

 us. Of the more interesting were Colonel Samuel Colt of 

 Hartford, inventor of the revolver which bears his name, 

 and his companion, Mr. Dickerson, eminent as an expert 

 in mechanical matters and an authority on the law of 

 patents. They had come into the empire in the hope of 

 making a contract to supply the Russians with improved 

 arms such as the allies were beginning to use against them 

 in the Crimea; but the heavy conservatism of Russian 

 officials thwarted all their efforts. To all representations 

 as to the importance of improved arms the answer was, 

 "Our soldiers are too ignorant to use anything but the 

 old ' brown Bess.' The result was that the Russian 

 soldiers were sacrificed by thousands; their inferiority 

 in arms being one main cause of their final defeat. 



That something better than this might have been ex- 

 pected was made evident to us all one day when I con- 

 ducted these gentlemen through the Imperial Museum of 

 the Hermitage, adjoining the Winter Palace. After look- 

 ing through the art collections we went into the room 

 where were preserved the relics of Peter the Great, and 

 especially the machines of various sorts made for him by 

 the mechanics whom he called to his aid from Holland and 

 other Western countries. These machines were not then 

 shut up in cases, as they now are, but were placed about 

 the room and easy of access. Presently I heard Mr. Dick- 

 erson in a loud voice call out: "Good God! Sam, come 

 here! Only look at this!" On our going to him, he 

 pointed out to us a lathe for turning irregular forms and 

 another for copying reliefs, with specimens of work still 

 in them. ' 1 Look at that, ' ' he said. ' ' Here is Blanchard 's 

 turning-lathe, which only recently has been reinvented, 

 which our government uses in turning musket-stocks, and 

 which is worth a fortune. Look at those reliefs in this 



