To James Madison from Levett Harris, 3 September 1811
From Levett Harris
St Petersburg 3 September 1811.
Sir,
Mr. Swinguin,1 who will have the honor to deliver this letter to Your Excellency, is a young Gentleman of rank & family: he goes to America attached to Mr. Kosloff the new Consul Gl. Successor to mr. Daschkoff; but principally with a view to see the United states & to Study our manners & customs.
The Count Romanzoff has particularly recommended him to me, and as Mr. Swinguin has cultivated the fine Arts with Success the Chancellor seems to take a lively interest in his visit.
Permit me therefore Sir, to second the anxious desire of Mr. Swinguin in procuring him by means of this introduction the honor of Your Excellency’s Acquaintance. I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, Sir, Your most Obedient humble Servant
Levett Harris.
RC (NN). Docketed by JM.
1. Harris was referring to Pavel P. Svin’in, secretary-designate to the new Russian consul general Nikolai Kozlov. Kozlov was appointed to Philadelphia after Andrei Dashkov had been promoted to replace Fedor Pahlen as minister to the U.S. on 9 Aug. 1811 (Bashkina et al., The United States and Russia, pp. 534 n. 9, 774 and n. 3).