London Missionary Society in Siberia

Photocopies of three letters relating to the financial affairs of the London Missionary Society Mission at Selenginsk.

1. Letter from William Alers Hankey and William Orme (LMS Secretary), London to Rev William Swan, Selengisnk. Discussion of financial matters and enquiring into the wellbeing of the missionaries. [Copy of letter in LMS Outgoing letters to Siberia] 11 July 1828

2. Letter signed on behalf of the firm of Asmus Simonsen, St Petersburg to William Alers Hankey, London. Concerns the drawing of money for use by LMS missionaries. 11/23 December 1828

3. Letter signed by Richard Knill (LMS pastor in St Petersburg), St Petersburg, to William Alers Hankey (LMS Treasurer)> Concerns the drawing of roubles for Mr Swan and Mr Stallybrass. [Possible letter referred to in letter from Stallybrass to Hankey 5 Nov 1828, CWM. Russia. Incoming Letters, Box2, Folder 2D]

The London Missionary Society established a mission at Selenginsk, Siberia in 1818. Edward Stallybrass (1793-1884) made an exploratory tour of Siberia in 1818 and returned to Selenginsk in 1819. William Swan (1791 - 1866) arrived there in February 1820, and together with Stallybrass completed a translation of a Mongolian version of the scriptures. He returned to Scotland after the supression of the Siberian Mission by the Russian Government in 1840. Richard Knill (1787-1857) appointed in 1820 to mission in Selinginsk, but only reached St Petersburg where he remained until 1833 before returning to England.

Open

Presented to SOAS in 1984 following the sale of the original letters at auction.

Charles Bawden has retained copies of these letters.

For permission to publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections, SOAS Library in the first instance

The School of Oriental and African Studies holds the records of the London Missionary Society documenting its mission to Siberia, including correspondence and journals of individual missionaries (Ref: CWM/LMS Russia), and family letters of Edward Stallybrass, missionary to Siberia, and his wife Charlotte (Ref: CWM/LMS Europe Personal Box 1).