THE BEGINNINGS 19needs of the educated classes in Russia, namely the craving for a
deeper spiritual and religious life which neither the official Church
nor French deism were able to provide. The spiritual revival in England,
on the other hand, showed ways in which the extreme rationalism
and scepticism of the French and the s1-allow dryness of official
ecclesiastic policy could be overcome. The domination of French
literature and thought had been primarily aesthetic, social and
cultural. Under the influence of French Enlightenment, the educated
Russian nobleman had become conscious politically and was searching
for a model on whicq to pattern his conduct and political aspirations.
The regime of terror having eliminated France as source of inspiration,
where but in England could there be found "free" men governed by
conservative and reasonable institutions which protected the rights,
prosperity, and dignity of the citizens? Closer cultural and ideological
rapprochement with England was facilitated by the development of
economic ties: the export of Russian products (lumber, naval stores,
and especially grain) was rapidly becoming the most important single
element of the prosperity of the big landowners in Russia. England's
contribution to the theory and practice of an active and modern
economic system made an additional appeal to the Russian elite.
In this receptive atmosphere, Chaplain Samborskii acted as one of
the chief agents in the spread of English ideas and habits among the
high nobility of the Russian capital. His house became the meeting
place for visiting Englishmen and for Russians interested in England.
It was a wonderful anteroom to the circles of Russia's political and
cultural elite, and Speransky had the good fortune of gaining access
to it at the start of his career. Although Speransky did not have any
social ambitions, in the ordinary and somewhat derogatory sense of
the term, he still could not fail to take advantage of the opportunity
offered to enter into the best society of the capital. Soon another,
more personal reason drew Speransky to the Chaplain's house. As the
best known Anglo-Russian go-between, Samborskii received the visit
of practically every-Englishman who came to St. Petersburg. Quite
naturally, therefore, when Mrs. Elizabeth Stephens, the widowed niece
of the curator of the British Museum, Planta, arrived in Russia to
take up a position as governess, she turned to Samborskii for guidance
and help. Well recommended to Samborskii by her scholarly uncle and
his literary acquaintances in England, Mrs. Stephens and her two
daughters became frequent guests at the home of the Court Chaplain.It did not take long before the English ladies met the other regular
visitors of Samborskii, and among them was Speransky, at the time