CHAP. VI.

Return to St. Petersburg. Bible Society.

Character of

the Emperor Alexander. Death of his consort. Insurrection of St. Petersburg. — Nicholas' coronation. Anecdotes.-Difficulty in obtaining passports. — Final departure from St. Petersburg.

HAVING now viewed, as far as our time would permit, all the more important objects in this truly interesting capital, to which we regretted that we could not devote a few more weeks, we returned direct to St. Petersburg, where we immediately began to make preparations for our journey to England, by way of Finland. Before, however, I speak of the difficulties we encountered with regard to passports, &c. I shall introduce, in this chapter, some miscellaneous information relative to Russia, and a few details connected with circumstances that have taken place since we quitted the country, but for which I have not been able to procure authentic documents. Among those institutions, respecting which I was desirous of obtaining some particulars worth communicating, was the Bible Society, connected with the parent institution in London.*

*For twenty-three years the British Bible Society has been making the most unparalleled exertions for the dissemination

BIBLE SOCIETY.

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This Society was founded at St. Petersburg in 1813, when the Emperor Alexander became a zealous member of it, and presented a donation of 25,000 rubles, besides a yearly subscription of 10,000. Its object was, to furnish every family in the Russian empire with a Bible, at least a Testament, that all, from the "least to the greatest," might have opportunity of perusing the word of truth.

The printing of the Scriptures, in the different dialects, was accordingly proceeded with; a stereotype office was established at St. Petersburg, with all the necessary apparatus ; and men of talent, fidelity, and zeal, were employed on the spot to superintend it. A depôt was also opened by the Society, for the reception of such Bibles as were printed in the capital, or received from England. Without, however, entering into all its details, it will here be sufficient to say, that there have been printed at St. Petersburg, Moscow, and other places, (for the Society had 289 sections, or central quarters, and auxiliaries, to co-operate with that at St. Petersburg,) 704,831 copies of the Scriptures; and those received at the depôt, between 1818 and 1823, were

of the Word of God. During that period it has sent forth five million copies of the Scriptures, and has expended in the prosecution of this work 1,424,985l. sterling; of which 461,000l. has been devoted to its distribution in foreign lands.

156,136; and the number issued were 427,704. In addition to the support afforded by the Emperor, the Society received the marked countenance of Prince Galitzin, and others of His imperial Majesty's council; nor were the bishops, and other persons of ecclesiastical and civil rank, less zealous in co-operating with the Society. Besides which, an ukase was formally issued, February 28. 1816, enjoining the circulation of the Bible.

Matters continued to go on thus prosperously for upwards of ten years, during which the members of the Society showed the most laudable activity in promoting the great objects of this truly Christian undertaking; and although, during the latter part of his reign, the Emperor might, from the peculiar circumstances in which he was placed, have probably found himself under some difficulty as to countenancing the Society to the same extent as at first, yet he never did any thing that could-be construed as a wish to fetter the operations of the Society, or oppose any of its measures.

Contrary to all expectation, however, every thing was completely at a stand when we were here. A new ministry had taken place, in consequence of the removal of that excellent man, Prince Galitzin; and a blow has since been directed to the labours of the Society, by an ukase, 12th April, 1826, on the part of the present Emperor,

directed to the metropolitan of St. Petersburg; of which the following is an exact translation :

Having taken into consideration the representation of Your Eminence, and of the metropolitan Eugenius, respecting the difficulties which present themselves to the progress of the cause of the Russian Bible Society; and considering your opinions well founded, I order you, as president of the said Society, to suspend its activity, in all its operations, without exception, until my further permission. You are hereby empow ered to extend this my order to all the committees, branches, and associations connected with the Society throughout Russia; and, at the same time, to obtain a particular account of all property, movable and immovable, in houses, lands, books, stocks, and money, belonging to the Society, wherever these are to be found, and to furnish me with the most accurate and circumstantial information possible thereof. The sale of the Holy Scriptures, already printed in Sclavonian and Russian, as also in the other languages in use among the inhabitants of the Russian empire, I permit to be continued at the fixed prices.

NICHOLAS."

From the terms in which this extraordinary document was couched, it requires no great

depth of understanding to discover who was the author that had laid the plan for effectually suspending their operations. Whether this proclamation arose from an undue influence exercised by the new ministry over Nicholas, or that he himself entertained some jealousy of the success and influence of the institution; whether he suspected that it was the instrument of political purposes, or apprehensive that the dif fusion of scriptural knowledge might prompt the Russians to a spirit of religious 'inquiry dangerous to their obedience as subjects, it is not easy to determine; but it is certain that the powers of the Bible Society were not only crippled, but it was prohibited from any further proceedings; in consequence of which the principal missionaries have returned to England. It is only necessary to mention further, that I found that an edition of 10,000 copies of the Old Testament, from Genesis to Ruth, had been lying in the printing-office of this Society for more than three years, waiting till the archbishop should grant permission to publish it; and he, doubtless, regulated his proceedings according to the wishes and sentiments entertained by the higher powers.

The depôts of the Society are merely open for the sale of the Scriptures in the various languages of the empire; but in consequence of the ukase, all the foreign Bibles have been