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St Petersburg Hôtel de France 26 April 95 {in pencil below: "14 April 1895?"}
My dear friend, We have arrived here three days ago, and have been shaken by an earthquake, the night before we left Arco; the house shook strongly but no damage happened. Since I left Arco, I so {sic: "saw"?} no good weather any more. In Vienna it was cold, and on crossing the frontier, we saw the snow lying on the fields. Here, I found the ice hardly moving on the canals, and a sky as grey as mud. But today,
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thanks God, the weather is warm, and I hope spring will soon adorn the trees with leaves. I found my family in good health, but I could have remained away a fortnight longer, for my husband can't leave for the country, before the Volga is free from ice. But I suppose he wanted to see me, so he made me come earlier. How are you and when are you going to travel? How sorry I am not to meet you! Won't you come to see us once, as you promised? How are the "commission" affairs going on? Is there any hope of ever getting the truth out of them, and any amelioration to be made?
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My Turkish friends at the Embassy here, are gone on leave, but my husband is going to present me the rest, that I don't know. My second daughter is going to her sister, to Constantinople, I do envy her. Can you imagine what a fool the Minister of the Public Instruction is? He has forbidden to print a second edition of my books! I wrote to the Grand Vizier about it, but I don't know what result it will give. Have you received "Union in God", and what is your opinion about it? Say the truth right out, if you find it foolish, I will try and do better another time. I want my friend's advice, for I have never written anythig of the kind before, and must learn to.
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But I have become a better Christian since and have changed some of my views on religion. Get the "Sunny Hour", I have written a history of Bagtchiseray and the Crimea, that is not bad. -- It only costs a dollar {a} year, and the address is: 238 W. 22d Street, New York City. Editor Tello d'Apéry. I hope to hear very soon from you. Mike kisses you.
Your affectionate Olga de Lébédeff
{inverted, at the bottom of the page, in Terrell's handwriting} Mme Lebedeff write her