AS ATTACHfi AT ST. PETERSBURG -1854-1855 463 



name announced his intention of joining the St. Peters- 

 burg Yacht Club, a plan was immediately formed to 

 provide a magnificent trophy and allow him to win it, 

 and to this plan all the members of the club agreed except 

 Baird. He at once said: "No; if the grand duke's yacht 

 can take it, let him have it ; if not, let the best yacht win. 

 If I can take it, I shall. ' ' It was hoped that he would think 

 better of it, but when the day arrived, the other yachts 

 having gradually fallen back, Mr. Baird continued the 

 race with the grand duke and won. As a result he was 

 for some years in disfavor with the high officials sur- 

 rounding the Emperor a disfavor that no doubt cost 

 him vast sums ; but he always asserted that he was glad 

 he had insisted on his right. 



On one occasion I was witness to a sad faux pas at his 

 dinner-table. It was in the early days of the Crimean 

 War, and an American gentleman who was present was 

 so careless as to refer to Queen Victoria's proclamation 

 against all who aided the enemy, which was clearly leveled 

 at Mr. Baird and his iron-works. There was a scene at 

 once. The ladies almost went into hysterics in deprecation 

 of the position in which the proclamation had placed 

 them. But Mr. Baird himself was quite equal to the 

 occasion: in a very up-and-down way he said that he of 

 course regretted being regarded as a traitor to his country, 

 but that in the time of the alliance against the first Napo- 

 leon his father had been induced by the Russian govern- 

 ment to establish works, and this not merely with the 

 consent, but with the warm approval, of the British gov- 

 ernment ; in consequence the establishment had taken con- 

 tracts with the Russian government and now they must be 

 executed; so far as he was concerned his conscience was 

 entirely clear; his duty was plain, and he was going to 

 do it. 



On another occasion at his table there was a very good 

 repartee. The subject of spiritualism having been brought 

 up, some one told a story of a person who, having gone 

 into an unfrequented garret of an old family residence, 



