September 1 1812: Adams Talks to Landlord

On September 1 1812, John Quincy Adams, the American Ambassador in St Petersburg writes the following entry in his diary: 

September 1st. In the evening, after a walk in the Summer Gardens, I sent for Mr. Strogofshikoff, my landlord, and gave him notice of the removal of part of the family into the country, of which he is responsible to give notice to the police. He told me that his family owned a small village in the neighborhood with one hundred peasants, out of which they had given ten for the new armament; and it was giving as great a proportion as one-fourth of the effective men. He speaks with warm feelings as a Russian, and with sound sense. He has more confidence of final success to their cause than when I saw him last.