The past
Speech
by Mr. Timiriazeff
at the dinner of welcome given by the London
Chamber of Commerce
on October 21, 1906
 Vasilii Timiriazeff said that Russians would never forget the name of Richard Chancellor, that English Columbus, who, after overcoming great dangers and privations, discovered the sea-route from England to their White Sea boundaries, and thus inaugurated Anglo-Russian commercial relations. They also gratefully acknowledged British pioneer activity in St. Petersburg, Archangel, and other places, all of which helped Russians to organize on a large scale the exportation of Russian grain, timber, and many other products, and had taught them to appreciate the sterling qualities of the perfect British merchant. Never had there been any serious collision of economical interests between the two nations, and if, occasionally, clouds had arisen over their mutual commercial horizons, they had only appeared at moments of political bad weather. (Hear, hear.) They had never waged tariff wars against each other. (Cheers). Е Russia had never "cornered" commodities which England needed, and England, so far as he knew, had never "dumped" her goods on Russian markets, and it was long ago since they had caused each other any trouble resulting from denouncements and renewals of commercial agreements. Was it opportune at the present moment to raise the question of a closer economical understanding between Russia and England? He thought it was. (Hear, hear.) In truth that question ought to have been raised long ago, and it had only been waiting for a favourable political atmosphere. They noticed a receding tendency in the proportional amount of goods exchanged between Russia and England. Russian exports to Great Britain, which in the seventies equalled about 40 percent of their entire exports, had progressively fallen away to 22 percent. British exports to their country, which in the seventies corresponded to 27 percent of all foreign goods imported into Russia, had fallen to 16 percent. That showed clearly that other countries had been outdistancing Russia in selling goods on English markets, and England in selling goods on Russian markets. Notwithstanding that fact, the commercial intercourse between both countries was very important. (Hear, hear.) It seemed to him that the principal reason for the untoward circumstance he had just referred to must be looked for in a lack of mutual information. They knew too little about the wants and tastes of the English market, and, therefore, they were unable to conform themselves to its requirements, and, apparently, the English did not sufficiently try to profit by the happy circumstance that, from time immemorial, there had existed in Russia a predilection for articles of British manufacture. With them the label "Made in England" was the best recommendation for fair quality, durability, and reliance. England must send more young people over to Russia, encouraging them in the study of the Russian language, in making themselves better acquainted with Russian customs and habits, and he was certain that good results would not long be delayed. There were great openings for England in Russia, not only for the sale and purchase of goods, but in the application of British energy, and the investment of British capital in the development of the natural riches of Russia. To ensure full success it was necessary for the two nations to be better acquainted with each other, and to that purpose good service would be rendered by those newly-created institutions - the Russian section of the London Chamber of Commerce, and the Anglo-Russian Chamber of Commerce in St. Petersburg. (Cheers.) He was a believer in the ideas expressed by English statesmen as far back as the beginning of the last century, that there was absolutely no tangible reason for political rivalry and mutual distrust between Russia and England, and that not only should these great nations never wage war against each other, but, on the contrary, should be bound together by ties of sincerest friendship. (Cheers.) Recent events had strengthened the hope among Russians that those ideas would tend to the further development of political relations between England and Russia, now so happily established. Another province in which an atmosphere of mutual confidence and just appreciation was particularly wanted was the province of internal politics. He wished that English public opinion and the English Press possessed greater confidence in the fact that Russia would not swerve from the path of reform and progress; that the human element of civilization and citizenship existed and was increasing in Russia; that the Government, being conscious of the growing exigencies of modern times, could not fail gradually to take the lead in meeting the people's wants. They undoubtedly could come to these conclusions when they paid just a little less attention to imperfect evidence, when they were better informed of the character and meaning of events in Russia, and when they judged them, not only by the standard of their own country, long since enjoying the blessings of full Constitutional and political maturity, but by taking into consideration the historical development and the present peculiarities of Russian nationality. They must not forget that the great leading principles of English laws and of English political institutions had existed from the earliest periods of their nationality down to the present time, that their Great Charter dated from the year 1215, and their Bill of Rights from the year 1689, whereas Russians had their civic rights proclaimed only towards the end of 1905. (Hear, hear.) He was desirous that, in estimating Russian events, they should not identify the, possibly, slow forward movement with an inclination to be retrograde, and that they should not lose sight of the fact that only half a century divided the Russia of today from the Russia of the serfdom era. (Hear, hear.) In that short period in the history of a nation an immense civilizing work had been accomplished. (Hear, hear.) He was of opinion that in the domain of economical interests, in the domain of foreign politics, as in the domain of internal progress, were many grounds on which both nations could be brought into closer contact. With the sincere desire of seeing a quick and full realization of such a rapprochement, he raised his glass to the prosperity of the London Chamber of Commerce and its Russian section. (Cheers.)
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On October 21 (November 3), 1908 in the Savoy hotel in London the London Chamber of Commerce gave a dinner in honor of Vasilii Ivanovich Timiriazeff, member of the State Council, ex-minister of Trade and Industry who had come to Britain on a visit. The establishment (almost simultaneously) in England and Russia of the two non-governmental organizations - the Russian Section of the London Chamber of Commerce and the Russian-English Chamber of Commerce in Petersburg - was the cause of the celebration. Both organizations were created with the purpose of establishing closer relations between the two countries as well as to further develop trade. Timiriazeff was welcomed as a founder of the Russian-English Chamber of Commerce.
