His long story may be told in a few words: In the first years of the present century a band of Scotch missionaries came to Russia for the purpose of converting the Circassian tribes, and received from the Emperor Alexander I.a large grant of land in this place, which was then on the frontier of the Empire.

Here they founded a mission, and began the work; but they soon discovered that the surrounding population were not idolaters, but Mussulmans, and consequently impervious to Christianity.

In this difficulty they fell on the happy idea of buying Circassian children from their parents and bringing them up as Christians.

One of these children, purchased about the year 1806, was a little boy called Teoona.

As he had been purchased with money subscribed by Dr.Abercrombie, he had received in baptism that gentleman's name, and he considered himself the foster-son of his benefactor.