AS ATTACHE AT ST. PETERSBURG 1854-1855 455 



other machine ; here is the very lathe for copying sculpture 

 that has just been reinvented, and is now attracting so 

 much attention at Paris.' 1 



These machines had stood there in the gallery, open to 

 everybody, ever since the death of Peter, two hundred 

 years before, and no human being had apparently ever 

 taken the trouble to find the value of them. 



But there came Americans of a very different sort, and 

 no inconsiderable part of our minister's duties was to keep 

 his hot-headed fellow-citizens from embroiling our coun- 

 try with the militant powers. 



A very considerable party in the United States leaned 

 toward Russia and sought to aid her secretly, if not 

 openly. This feeling was strongest in our Southern States 

 and among the sympathizers with slavery in our Northern 

 States, a main agent of it in St. Petersburg being Dr. 

 Cottman of New Orleans, and its main causes being the 

 old dislike of Great Britain, and the idea among pro-sla- 

 very fanatics that there was a tie between their part of 

 our country and Russia arising from the fact that while 

 the American Republic was blessed with slavery, the Rus- 

 sian Empire was enjoying the advantages of the serf 

 system. This feeling might have been very different had 

 these sympathizers with Russia been aware that at this 

 very moment Alexander II was planning to abolish the 

 serf system throughout his whole empire; but as it was, 

 their admiration for Russia knew no bounds, and they 

 even persuaded leading Russians that it would not be a 

 difficult matter to commit America to the cause of Russia, 

 even to aiding her with arms, men, and privateers. 



This made the duty of the American minister at times 

 very delicate; for, while showing friendliness to Russia, 

 he had to thwart the efforts of her over-zealous American 

 advocates. Moreover, constant thought had to be exer- 

 cised for the protection of American citizens then within 

 the empire. Certain Russian agents had induced a num- 

 ber of young American physicians and surgeons who had 

 been studying in Paris to enter the Russian army, and 



